morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Dennis Cove Road

To: US 321
Miles today: 8.9

Up at 6:15 AM. Took my car for gas and a McDonald¢s breakfast. At 9AM I started hiking north from Dennis Cove Road. I walked along a stream flanked by large masses of Rhododendron before entering the beginning of a deep gorge. I reached Laurel Fork Gorge by 9:30 AM. It did not disappoint! Flycatcher, a section hiker took my photo with the falls as a backdrop. I walked along the edge of the gorge for a while and crossed a couple of well constructed wooden bridges before reaching a fork in the trail. One fork gave me the option to take a flat one mile walk to the road. The other option, which I took, was the AT that took me six miles over the top of the mountain, a climb of 1,700 feet to US 321 on the other side. It was a wonderfully graded sidehill trail with a dozen switchbacks. Only the last few tenths of a mile were steep and in that area a relocation is planned to make it a gentler climb. The trail from the top of the ridge to the road was well graded with a gradual decent, including switchbacks. I walked the last bit of trail with East Wind, a 71 year old retired Coast Guarder from Hawaii. We both agreed that this sunny day with a gentle breeze was ¢perfect hiking weather¢. I reached the road at 1:48 PM.After my 8.9 miles of hiking we drove both cars to Roan Mountain State Park and secured campsite # 28 for three nights. Scouted out the AT crossing on Walnut Mountain Road accessed from Buck Mountain Road off US 19E. Went to the local ¢diner¢ and had 2 cheeseburgers, fries and coffee.At the campground we set up my tarp, KJ¢s tent and a tarp over the picnic table as showers were predicted. Crashed by 9 PM. Slept pretty well.
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Walnut Mountain Road

To: US 19E
Miles today: 10.4

Up at 6AM. Had a ham & cheese biscuit and a cup of coffee at the diner after two pop tarts and a hard-boiled egg at the campground. At 8:30 AM KJ dropped me off at the AT crossing on Walnut Mountain Road and I began hiking south on this overcast day with a gentle breeze blowing. At 9:15 AM I reached the new Mountaineer Shelter which had a corrugated metal roof, split-level sleeping platforms and a wooden bear carving at the entrance. Passed a dozen northbounders including Boomer. Dark-eyed Juncos, ever present at, or near camp, were also present on the trail. They build their nests beneath the tuffs of grass that overhang the edge of the trail. I found two of their nests, one with a newborn chick inside and one having a clutch of 4 eggs. After flushing a wild turkey I reached KJ and my car on US 19E at 1:45 PM after a 10.4 mile hike.We checked out the nearby Harbour Hostel and Bed & Breakfast which is renowned for their $9 all-you-can-eat breakfast. We found excellent, clean hiker accommodations.At the campground we made a fire and had a dinner of green beans, corn, tuna, pudding and soda. After 10 straight days of hiking over a hundred trail miles I decided to take a ¢zero¢ tomorrow. Crashed by 8:40 PM.
Date: 2010-05-12
From: Roan Mountain State Park

To: Roan Mountain State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Slept great. Got up late, 7 AM. Had oatmeal, raisins, hard-boiled eggs and tea for breakfast. Broke camp. Took the 18 minute car ride to Carvers Gap to scout out tomorrow¢s hike. The ridge was fogged in but we walked approximately 12 mile north and .2 miles south on the AT to check out the trail. Later we took a couple of short hikes near the park¢s gift shop. Stopped at Subway and had a foot long Ham sandwich for lunch. Also bought a 12 turkey sub with lettuce, tomato and cucumber in a separate container for lunch for tomorrow. Took a one hour nap back at the campground. Later we made a fire and had the usual fare for dinner. KJ showed me a few useful knots and we talked of life aboard ship. Crashed by 8:45 PM
Date: 2010-05-13
From: Carvers Gap

To: US 19E
Miles today: 14.4

Usual start-up to the morning with a fruit cup, cold cereal, bagels and tea for breakfast. Saw a bobcat run across the road during the drive to Carvers Gap on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Started hiking north on this beautiful, clear sunny day. KJ joined me for the 1st half mile. Unlike most other mornings I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt today. Passed over a few small balds before turning onto a forest path around the side of the mountain. Reached the Stan Murray Shelter at 9 AM where several ¢weekend¢ hikers were still sleeping. At 9:50 AM I reached the Overmountain Shelter .3 miles off the trail which is listed in the guidebook as sleeping 20. It is actually an old barn where a movie starring Kurt Russell was once filmed. Shortly after the shelter I began the climb of two famous balds in this area, the first was ¢Little Hump¢. I reached the top at 11 AM with views in all directions. A reroute took me in a perpendicular direction through a grassland and a young growth forest where I heard the song of a Common Yellowthroat. Once the trail doubled back to the spine of the ridge I was able to climb ¢Big Hump¢ in 12 hour. I found literature there regarding an ¢adopt a goat¢ project. Apparently, the goats like to eat an invasive shrub that is spreading locally and threatening to cover the balds. The goats will keep the balds bald but for a price.Fortunately, a series of balds continued for a couple of miles before the trail plunged 2,700 feet off the ridge through a young growth woods to US 19 E. In between there were stretches of trail that were very rocky or with an excessive number of exposed tree roots which made the hiking slow. At 1:10 PM at an old campsite I stopped for a late lunch and had ate my sub sandwich. Most of my other breaks today were briefs stops where I ate a Luna bar or cheese stick. I usually drank Gatorade or ate handfuls of GORP on the fly. I met a young hiker named Catch who said he left an uneaten pizza and two beers in the frig. at the US 19E hostel and ¢I was welcome to them¢. I later decided to leave them for some hungry thru hiker. Toward the end of the hike the trail gradually descended and meandered along the sidehills of the mountain with well positioned switchbacks. I reached the Apple House Shelter at 2:10 PM for a short break. This small, unusual shaped shelter was formerly a tool shed. At 2:28 PM I reached US 19E after a 15 mile hike, 14.4 miles of the AT and .6 miles on a side trail. Though I told KJ that I would likely arrive at 4 PM he was waiting for me with the car and a couple of cold Mountain Dews 1 hour and 12 early.We drove back to our campsite and picked up KJ¢s car. AT 4 PM we arrived back at the Gardens Bluff Campground on US 321 and set up camp again at site #6. A shower and shave felt great! We went to Mc Donald¢s for dinner. KJ has decided to head back home in the morning after he drops me off at the trailhead as he has some personal matters to attend to. We crashed just before 9 PM as the last embers in the fire began to fade.
Date: 2010-05-14
From: Walnut Mountain Road

To: Dennis Cove Road
Miles today: 14.0

Up at 5:30 AM. Had the usual breakfast and was out of camp at 6:45 AM. I left my car at the Kincora hostel on Dennis Cove Road a few tenths of a mile from the AT crossing. KJ drove me to the AT crossing on Walnut Mountain Road in his jeep. I began hiking north at 8 AM after finding a lucky ¢pop top¢ on the ground.I followed a narrow meandering woods trail on this hazy humid day. I crossed numerous streams and passed through several Rhododendron tunnels early. My pace felt good at over 2 miles/hour and I wanted to finish early as the temperature was predicted to be in the mid-eighties. I flushed a deer and a Pileated Woodpecker early in the hike and heard the flutelike song of the Veery toward mid-day. At 11:30 AM I reached the Moreland Gap Shelter for a short break and to sign the register. On this my 12th hike of my vacation I met several day and weekend hikers but no AT thru hikers. The decent to the road was steep in places but uneventful. I reached Dennis Cove Road at 2 PM exactly. I was happy with my 6 hour 14 mile hike.I walked 8 minutes up to the road to the hostel, picked up my car and drove to Damascus, VA for the conclusion of "Trail Days". First stop, the Dairy King for a long awaited chocolate soft serve cone. Unfortunately, they only had vanilla. I enjoyed it anyway.I drove 8 miles out of town to the Beartree Campground and set up camp at site #77. The shower and shave were just what the doctor ordered. Back in Damascus I parked in front of the Baptist Church and started to walk around town to see who I knew. At ¢the Place¢ the best known hostel on the trail I met Core Girl, Kentucky, the section hiker from the Iron Mountain Shelter, and a young couple I had met on the trail that had just left the Harbour B&B breakfast. At the church¢s free outdoor concert and dessert party I ran into East Wind and Sonic. At the Free Internet Caf© I met a weekend hiker from the Stan Murray Shelter. At the showing of a film in the Baptist Church about an environmental couple who helped to preserve large tracts of land in Alaska I met Red Wolf. At Dot¢s Caf© where I had a couple of Michelob Amber Bock beers on draft I met Baltimore Jack who I had met last fall at the ALDHA conference in Gettysburg, PA.Drove back to the campground and was asleep by 10 PM.
Date: 2010-05-15
From: Damascus, VA

To: New Jersey
Miles today: 0.0

Up early and out of the campground by 6:45 AM. Stopped at the ¢Cowboy¢ restaurant in town for a bite and ran into Red Wold again. As the ¢hiker parade¢ didn¢t begin till 2 PM I decided not to hang around killing time so by 7:30 AM I was on the road heading home.At 11:15 AM after 253 miles of driving I pulled into the 7/11 in Luray, VA for gas, coffee and a pit stop. At 1:10 PM I pulled into the PA Welcome Center after 100 more miles. Reached home at 4:40 PM after driving a total of 657 miles from Damascus, VA.I had a spectacular vacation with 12 days of hiking for a total of more than 130 AT miles. I wish I could have spent more time on the trail but as usual my vacation time is limited. As always, I look forward to the next hike.
Date: 2010-07-06
From: New Jersey

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I made the 7-hour drive to the Hikers Welcome Hostel on NH 25 in Glencliff, NH. My buddy, Rob was waiting for me. It was a 95-degree day with high temperatures predicted for the entire week. We drove into North Woodstock, approximately 12 hour away and enjoyed the microbrews and dinner at the Woodstock Station & Inn. Went back to the hostel where I met AT thru hiker, Willard who I had met ~ 2 months ago on the trail just north of Pearisburg, VA. Rob tented out. I slept in a 2nd floor bunk where I got little sleep due to the heat.
Date: 2010-07-07
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel, Glencliff

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We had breakfast at the hostel picnic table first then made the ~85 mile drive to Pinkham Notch in ~ 2 hours. We hiked north from Pinkham on the AT climbing steeply to a rock ledge which overlooked the valley, and had lunch. Even at the this elevation the heat was opressive. When we hiked back down to pinkham the showers and beers before dinner felt great. The all-you-can-eat family style dinner at the lodge was good and was included as part of the room fee. The bunks in the room were fine and the fan Rob "borrowed" from the bathroom down the hall helped us deal with the heat as the lodge had no air conditioning.
Date: 2010-07-08
From: Mt. Washington

To: Madison Hut
Miles today: 6.1

We had breakfast at the lodge. As we were cutting our trip short due to the heat and as I had already climbed Mt. Washington several times in the past we decided to take the van up to the ridge. The auto road van picked us up at 8:30 AM and dropped us at the Mt. Washington summit at 9:30 AM. Rob, who is deathly afraid of heights, said the van driver was trying to kill him by driving too close to the edge and taking the turns too fast. The summit temperature would hit a high of 78 degrees, 3 degrees from the all time record. We did the 6.1 mile hike to the Madison Hut in 6 hours though as Rob put it his ¢feet never touched the ground¢. We ¢rock hopped¢ almost the entire way making one major stop for lunch. We climbed 3 small summits. There were yellow blazes instead of white as we were told they showed up better in the fog. We had great views of the trail, valleys, ridges, cog railway and other hikers. Heard the calls of white throated sparrows and saw several dark-eyed Juncos along the hike. Rob had an issue with a trail sign near the hut, which listed ¢Appalachia¢, a nearby town having nothing to do with the AT. As we were getting settled at the hut we saw a mangy red fox outside the window. We had dinner at 6 PM with a couple from Maryland who sat at our table. After dinner we played ¢hold em¢ until ¢lights out¢ at 9:30 PM. Rob, who dedided to call himself Knee-knocker because of his fear of heights, said he didn¢t get to sleep until 12:30 AM due to all the snoring in the bunkroom.
Date: 2010-07-09
From: Madison Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: few clouds

Walked to a ¢tarn¢ (glacial pond) ~1/4 mile from hut before breakfast. Had breakfast at 7 AM. Left by 8 AM on this clear, sunny day. Immediately did the climb to the summit of Mt. Madison. We took what we though was the AT for 20 minutes before finding out it was the wrong trail. Got back to the AT in less time. Rock hopped for a few miles on the curving ridgeline with several small summits. The day was a hot one. Did the long descent in the woods and met a guy at the Osgood Tent site who said he recently had a wrestling match with a bear for his food bag. We hiked a 4 mile stretch in the woods where we found no blazes. Crossed several streams and did a fairly long rocky climb before hitting the auto road. Afterwards the trail and blazing was excellent. The 7.3 mile hike took ~ 7 hours. As Pinkham Notch was booked we got a room at a motel in Gorham, NH. After refreshing showers we had a Pizza delivered to the room and watched scoccer's world cup on TV.
Date: 2010-07-10
From: Kinsman Notch

To: North Woodstock
Miles today: 3.2

The weather forecast predicted rain all day so we ate breakfast out, then stopped at two libraries looking for Internet access. We finally convinced the manager at our motel to let us use their computer to access a hiker's web site. Rob was able to see photos of the Mt. Moosilauke climb which lessened his fears to some degree. After a brief stop at Pinkham Notch we drove to Kinsman¢s Notch on NH 112 as the weather cleared. Beginning at Kinsman Notch we did the 4 hour roundtrip climb to Beaver Brook Shelter and back. The 20¢ wooden blocks and rebars weren¢t as bad as advertised and talking through the hike helped Rob deal with his nerves. It took one hour on the climb to pass the end of the blocks/rebars and another hour to reach the shelter. We found trail magic when we returned to Kinsman Notch in the fading light. Got a room at a motel in North Woodstock and microwaved our dinner in ziplock bags.
Date: 2010-07-11
From: Kinsman Notch

To: NH 25, Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 9.5

Dropped Rob¢s car on NH 25 and mine at NH 112. Starting hiking south out of Kinsman Notch at 8:30 AM on this beautiful day. Took two hours to get to the shelter and another 1 hr, 45 minutes to get to the summit. After the shelter the trail leveled off quite a bit. The trail became narrower with a lot of rock. We navigated our way over and around house-size boulders in one section. The views at the summit were spectacular and we enjoyed lunch as we leaned on the 4,802 foot Mt. Moosilauke summit sign. As we were finishing lunch we heard thunder in the distance and could see a storm heading toward us so we started heading south off the summit. It took a while to make the long steep descent. We passed some beautiful paper birch trees and stopped at the Jeffers Brook Shelter for a brief break. Just before reaching NH 25 we forded a shallow stream finishing our 9.5 mile hike in 8 hrs, 10 minutes. We picked up my car then drove to the Sunrise Motel in Hanover, NH which is frequented by a lot of AT thru hikers. After a shower and a brew we went to Molly¢s Restaurant and had a great dinner.
Date: 2010-07-12
From: Hanover, NH

To: New Jersey
Miles today: 0.0

We had a great breakfast at Lou¢s bakery in the center of Hanover. It is a standard stop for all hikers when they get into town. I left for home at 9:30 AM. Got to the NY thruway in 3-1/2 hours and was home by 2:30.
Date: 2011-05-27
From: New Jersey

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

After driving from New Jersey I drove to Uncle Johnny's Hostel in Erwin, TN and got a room in the bunkhouse for $20. I met several thru hikers including Salmon, Long Trail and her rescue dog Padma, Scout, and Snaggletoe, a redhead with long pigtails. Another northbounder, Pickwick passed around a box of ice cream sandwiches and kindly offered me one while I shared a box of reduced fat ¢Cheez-Its¢. At 6 PM, an Uncle Johnny employee, Sergeant Shultz¢, drove the dinner shuttle into Erwin. Nine hikers crammed into a van and within twenty minutes we were in town. Most of us, including Granbob, Pickwick, So Far, Jaws, Scout, and Chad went to the AYCE buffet at the KFC where we had multiple plates of chicken, mashed potatoes/gravy, corn, potato salad, string beans, broccoli, muffins, apple cobbler & soda. Later we went to the Dollar General and IGA to resupply. Back at the hostel as the light was fading Scout announced that it was 9 PM, hiker¢s midnight. I talked for awhile with No Hurry from CT who is earning six credits from graduate school for his AT hike! I crashed in my bunk by 10:30.
Date: 2011-05-28
From: Carvers Gap

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: scattered clouds

As the Memorial Day weekend got into full swing I tried desperately to get my gear in order as I gobbled two pop tarts and had a cup of coffee for breakfast at the hostel. While waiting for my ride to the trailhead I noticed a black & white ¢tuxedo-colored cat" sitting on top of my pack on the deck¢s picnic table ¢ a good omen as I had "roomed" with Daisy, my "tuxedo cat" for 21-1/2 years!Charlotte, UJ¢s wife shuttled me to the Carvers Gap, my ending point last year. I began hiking south on this beautiful, sunny, fifty-five degree day cooled with an occasional light breeze. After a gradual 775-foot climb, which included a few switchbacks, I reached the Roan High Knob Shelter turnoff in just under one hour. I took the .01 blue-blazed side trail to the highest shelter on the AT at 6,285 feet in elevation and enjoyed a short break. The enclosed shelter looks more like a small house with a downstairs room and a loft accessible by a wide wall-hugging ladder.The first three miles of today¢s hike meandered through a coniferous forest. The narrow trail was covered with loose rock, and balsam fir and rhododendron brushed my body as I passed. I took a side trail to the old Cloudland Hotel/ Rhododendron Garden site but the shrubs were not in flower and the views were only fair. The descent from Roan High Knob summit was very rocky, muddy and steep in places but the songs of red-eyed vireos and dark-eyed juncos seemed to lessen my discomfort.At noon I stopped for a peanut butter sandwich on a large boulder at the edge of the trail. By 1:10 I reached Hughes Gap, and 2:40 Little Rock Knob Overlook. Throughout the day I heard the songs of towhees, wood peewees, and chestnut-sided warblers. At 3:20, after climbing one last PUD (pointless up/down) I reached the Clyde Smith Shelter turnoff and hung up a small blue surveyor's flag, a tradition I started years ago for indicating my stopping point each day. At the multi-level shelter I found Crazy Man, a German with a sixty-pound pack taking a break before continuing his hike. After completing the .04 mile round trip hike to the beautiful piped spring, I treated my water with Aqua Mura and swept out the shelter as a veery was singing.The shelter built in 1976 sleeps ten. I relaxed on the shelter¢s lower level happy with the day¢s eight-mile hike and two climbs of 775 and 900 feet. Soon Pokey Pete from TN arrived. He has been section hiking for eight years and has only hiked the 366 miles from Springer Mountain, GA to this shelter but has enjoyed every step of the way. Indy from CO also arrived having completed a 22-mile day. Indy, a thru hiker usually eats two packages of instant mashed potatoes and two Raman Noodles for dinner each night. By 7 PM three weekend hikers from NC with their two dogs arrived and tented. Pokey Pete was kind enough to let me put my food in his bear bag before we hung it over a tall tree limb. I crashed by 8:30.
Date: 2011-05-29
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

I was awake just after dawn and took down the bear bags. After a breakfast of cheerios and powdered milk I was the first one out of the shelter on this beautiful, sunny day. After hiking gradually downhill on a nicely graded woods trail I reached Greasy Creek Gap where I had a brief talk with Long Trail. She said she spent $200 to have her ASPCA dog, Padma trained as a ¢rescue dog¢ so she could hike with it through the ¢smokies¢ (GSMNP). When I met Jaws and So Far heading northbound, they told me to follow their adventure on maineorbust.wordpress.com. Later while taking a break at a rock overhang I met Chad, who was anxious to be christened with a trail name. As we parted to go our separate ways Chad told me to look below the trail sign immediately before Iron Mountain Gap (I later found ¢trail magic¢ at that sign. A zip lock bag full of power bars). At noon, I reached Iron Mountain Gap where Salmon who wears her tent around her waist, and a hiker from Germany were taking a break. I joined them and ate my lunch.I went on to meet other northbound thru hikers, Imagine who warned me about the lack of water in the next section of trail (he was wrong), Snail Mail, a postal worker, and Pilgrim, a 2000 thru hiker and longtime ALDHA board member. Pilgrim and I agreed to meet again in North Adams, Mass. In October, the site of the next ALDHA gathering. Later I passed Caber and Almost Lost heading north.During the final hilly ascent my pack¢s torso strap tore away from the left shoulder strap. It wasn¢t a critical problem but one I knew I needed to address when I got back to civilization.I reached the Cherry Gap Shelter at 2:20. This old shelter built in 1962 has a cinder block base, corrugated tin roof and sleeps approximately six. After getting water at the spring and sweeping my sleeping area I lent Neosporin to Sheriff Warrant, a lost soul from Delaware who had little supplies and a rash of bug bites. His few comforts are his hammock and a beagle that has been following him for the past fifty miles.Like the last shelter and the next one further south there is no privy or bear cables here, and the gnats are troublesome. The NC group, my companions for three straight nights, pulled into the shelter around 4:00. Pickwick who will be adding his profile to trailjournals.com arrived at camp at 5 PM, after a 10 hour, 12.8-mile hike (I did the same hike the next day in the opposite direction in eight hours). Pickwick decided to tent, as did two other female hikers who pulled into camp at around 10 PM, noting that they were being chased by something. After a dinner of mashed potatoes and tuna fish I hung my food (in the NC group¢s bear bags) and crashed by 8:30.