morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-28
From: Sam's Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 24.5
Weather: clear sky

Triumphant! We hiked 25 miles today! That is the farthest I've ever walked in one day in my entire life. I was a bit worried we would be hiking in the dark without our headlamps. And after we were done everyone admitted their doubts about whether we could walk that far. It was interesting how the day went and the up and down of my doubt/confidence. I was very apprehensive in the morning and early afternoon. And after lunch I hit my low. Once we made it to the last shelter at 5:45 pm we had 6 miles left. After that point I got my second wind and knew we had it made. You should've seen us on that last 6 miles. We were flying! We did 6 miles in 2 hours, which is 3mph. That is fast for us. Verity and Two Speeds took the lead. Then me, Wrong Way Brown, and Carnethy Bob were in the middle, with Chafe Master J bringing up the rear. We were so impressed with Carnethy Bob. Here's a man twice our age giving us a run for our money. We would pull away from him on the uphills, but before we knew it he was right back there with us. I was so proud of all of us. It was such a confidence builder. And although we were slackpakcing we still averaged 2 mph. I guess once your body gets used to a certain speed it's hard to change it. I was so impressed with Wrong Way Brown the last 6 miles. I was in front of her and she kept truckin' right behind me no matter what the terrain. I'm faster on the uphills and she's faster on the downhills, but we were a synchronistic machine the last 6 miles. It was cool. Carnethy Bob asked us if we had hiked together before and we said no. He said we were very compatible. We couldn't agree more. We are really enjoying each other's company even if we aren't talking. It's just comforting to know the other is there.
Date: 2003-04-29
From: Erwin, TN

Miles today: 0.0

Didn't feel bad at all this morning after such a long hike yesterday. Had a busy day in town running errands to the grocery store, post office, laundry mat, and library (to check email).Me, Wrong Way Brown, Moo, 42, Carnethy Bob, Verity, Two Speeds, Foxie, and Chafe Master J (CMJ) ate dinner at a good mexican restaurant. Me and Wrong Way Brown are sharing a room with Foxie tonight. She is 28 years old and from New Jersey and decided she needed one more night in town. She was happy to learn that Wrong Way Brown and I have no prior hiking experience either. We first met her at the Davenport Gap Shelter, which was the last one coming out of the Smokies. We were playing 20 questions that night to find out what people collected and we found out that she collects finger nail clippings. And she's done so for the last 6-7 years. She says even though it's been that long it's still a very small pile. We also learned tonight at dinner that Moo and 42 have been married for 9 years, they are 33 years old, and have dated since high school. They actually seem very happily married. Interesting the things you learn on the trail about people.
Date: 2003-04-30
From: Sam's Gap

To: Beauty Spot Gap
Miles today: 10.8

We actually left Erwin at a decent time--at least for us. It's always hard to get an early start out of town. I was happy to get back on the trail. The people of Erwin were very nice to us, however, we stayed at the Super 8 hotel and they were watching us like hawks. It's run by a family that actually live in the hotel, so they run it as a home, not a hotel. They said they provided shuttle service but the man that shuttled people was never around.So our hiking family is growing. We had myself, Wrong Way Brown, Two Speeds, Chafe Master J, Verity, Carnethy Bob, Foxie, Moo, and 42. It was so fun hiking with everyone--a great group of people. We all had to take cover in the first shelter because a big thunderstorm hit. We had thunder, lightening, and hail. Luckily me, Wrong Way Brown, Moo, 42, Two Speeds, and Verity all made it to the shelter just before the rain started. The others weren't so lucky. So we hung out there for about an hour until it passed.We decided to keep on truckin' (a shocker for our group). We're usually not too eager to do big miles on the first day out of town. Two Speeds wasn't feeling too great, but he pushed on with us. He was behind me and a little while later I noticed he wasn't there anymore. I figure he stopped to go to the bathroom or vomit (he was feeling nauseous) so we kept on going thinking he would catch up, but he never did. So here we are camped without him around. We hope he's okay. We'll wait for him in the morning.
Date: 2003-05-01
From: Beauty Spot Gap

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was one of my best days so far on the trail. It was the perfect day. We had gotten in late last night to camp and had to cook in the dark. We got to bed around 10pm, which is late for hikers. So because of all those factors, we got a late start today (10:30am). Luckily we did find Two Speeds. He was 0.3 miles from where we camped. He still wasn't feeling too great, so he stayed behind to sleep a bit more.It was a sunny day around 70 degrees. Beautiful hiking weather. There was a nice breeze to cool you off from time to time. We finally all arrive (minus Two Speeds) at the next shelter around 2pm. For some reason it felt like a long 5 miles. Many of us were feeling tired. So we decide to camp here for the night. It would give us all time to rest and give Two Speeds a chance to catch up. It was a great decision.So Wrong Way Brown and I set up our tent after lunch and decided to take a nap. It was 4pm by now. The sun was beginning to set low in the sky and we could hear thunder off in the distance. There was a gentle breeze coming through the tent and you could hear birds singing all around. It was perfect napping conditions. Before I fell asleep, I just took in all the goodness ths surrounded me. This is how I had imagined hiking the trail would be. I felt completely content and happy. The woods, the bugs, the dirt, the streams were no longer so foreign or strange to me. I didn't have to be anywhere. I didn't have to hurry on down the trail. I could relax and fall into the Earth. During my nap the clouds came and the rain fell briefly, but it past and the sun returned. I slept solid for 2 hours and awoke feeling like a new person.We had all decided to bring some fun treats for dinner the first night out of town. Two Speeds brought hot dogs, Foxie brought buns, Moo and 42 brought marshmellows, and me and Wrong Way Brown brought Nutella and graham crackers. Since last night was a bust, we all decided tonight would be the big cookout. Two Speeds did make it to the shelter feeling a little better, so we were all back together. We roasted our hot dogs and marshmellows over the fire and had a feast (or so it seemed). I had 2 hot dogs, 1 s'more, and mashed potatoes. Yum! We figured since we had naps and a good meal we should be strong tomorrow and make big miles. But if not it's no big deal because that's not what matters out here...at least not to me.
Date: 2003-05-02
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today felt like five days instead of one. So much has happened since we left camp this morning. It was a great morning. We slept in until 8:30 and left camp at 9:20. It was an overcast day, but wonderful for hiking because it wasn't too hot. I felt so good today. I really think that 2 hour nap yesterday did me a world of good. My knees and feet were so happy. Although now that it's spring I'm dealing with allergies, but medicine does help.So the first 8.7 miles to the first shelter went by quickly. I was such a beautiful and enjoyable hike. So the 9 o fus met there for lunch. We had a big climb coming up, so we chowed on our food. We left the shelter and climbed Little Knob, which was not little at all. And just as me, Wrong Way Brown, and Two Speeds got to the top of Little Knob a huge thunderstorm came through. All the sudden the sky got really dark and the wind was blowing so hard. It was a really cold rain. We eventually stop under a tree and wait it out. So it gradually passes and after it lets up we begin to hike again. It is a bit unnerving to hike with so many trees and lightening hit around you. I figured there were so many taller targetst han myself. Moo, 42, and Foxie were ahead of us, but the rest of us regrouped at a road---before the really big climb of the day.I forgot to mention me and Wrong Way Brown's bear spotting that happened before lunch. We stopped for a break and Wrong Way Brown was up on higher ground than me. She all the sudden says, "Oh my God, I just saw a bear." So I run up to where she's standing and look down the trail. She said it ran up and saw her and then turned around and ran away. It was about 50 yards from her. So we stand there staring and through the trees we see it again. I couldn't believe it was coming back. So we look closer and there's two of them and they look young enough to have a mom and they're running right up the trail to us. At this point, I was ready to get the hell out of there because a mama bear is not nice. So we look again and they're still running, but now we can see them clearly. Running towards us were two dogs. One black and the other gray. Oh well, the fear was real though.So the last big climb of the day was Roan High Bluff. We went up 2000 ft in 2 miles. It was tough expecially at the end of the day. Wrong Way Brown and I decided to push on while Verity, Two Speeds, Chafe Master J, and Carnethy Bob camped at Ash Gap which is half-way up. So we get to the shelter and there's Moo, 42, and Foxie for a warm welcome. We got in an hour before dark. We were wet and tired. We were thanking God that there was room in the shelter for us. And Moo and 42 gave us the rest of their Stove Top Stuffing that they couldn't finish--yeah! It's a cold, wet night. I'm so glad to be here and have shelter. This shelter is actually different than any of the others. It's like a house and we are sleeping in the attic. Goodnight.
Date: 2003-05-03
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Elk Park, NC
Miles today: 15.1

So we woke up this morning in the attic at 7:30 and looked around and everyone had already packed up and left. Who does that? Especially after a rainy day? We were amazed. So we eagerly (haha) put on our semi-wet and definitely cold clothes from yesterday. It was windy and very foggy, but only the drips from tree leaves were getting us wet. The fog eventually lifted and the sun came out. It was around 60 degrees and pretty windy all day.At Carver's Gap we came up with a plan to get to Elk Park for a steak dinner. Food is one of the best motivators out here. We stopped for lunch at Overmountain Shelter, which was a big, red barn. It was seet on the most beautiful piece of land. It was set high in the valley between two mountains and as far as your eye could see there were blue mountains and green balds. We (me, Wrong Way Brown, Moo, 42, and Foxie) would've loved to have stayed. We'd heard that the barn was in the movie "The People Under the Stairs". No one's realy sure about that because that movie came out ages ago. We pushed on with steaks on our brains, and eventually got our second wind. We climbed 2 balds and saw some more amazing views. The second bald (Hump Mtn) was much harder to climb. The wind was blowing like crazy and my backpack acted like a sail and kept pushing me off the trail.One of the biggest adrenaline rushes of the day was walking through a herd of longhorn cattle. We come up over a ridge and there they all are staring at us. It was quite intimidating. So all five of us start walking down the trail and when we get to the big herd they start mooing. All we could focus on was their long, enormous horns especially since they were only 20 feet from us. We gradually made our way through them, taking pictures all the way. It was fun and scary all at the same time.The day ends with us eating a staek dinner at King of the Road Steakhouse. We had planned to go back to the trail and camp, but Wrong Way Brown didn't feel good so we decided to all get a room. It was the perfect end to a great day.I must admit that the people at the restaurant were really nice to us. The owner gave us a ride in the back of this truck to the hotel. We laughed the whole way becuase of the randomness of the AT and because we were freezing--everyone had goosebumps.
Date: 2003-05-04
From: Elk Park, NC

To: Mile Marker 399.4
Miles today: 14.0

We've almost broke the 400 mile mark. Tomorrow we will for sure.We got to the trail about 10:30am and what do ya know Scuba Man's (a fellow hiker) Dad is doing trail magic. So we have some fruit and donuts and orange juice. It doesn't matter that we just had a huge breakfast--we're hikers, we can't pass up food. We actually got a second round of trail magic when we found a cooler with 3 cans of Mountain Dew by a dirt road. There was a brochure from a lodge on top of the cooler. They had even left a trash bag so we didn't have to pack out the trash. We looked in the trash to see what we had missed out on and we found fudge brownie wrappers, but were were happy with our Mt. Dew. Moo got a pen and wrote a message thanking them for their generosity.We stopped at a waterfall called Jones Falls for a break. It was impressive and I even took my shoes and socks off to soak my feet. It was freezing! A few seconds is all I could handle. We walked along side Elk River and it looked so refreshing. I would've loved to have swam in it, but the water is probably as cold as the waterfall. The river reminded us of our annual float trip with friendds. Today would've been the perfect day for a float trip.Today was tough for me. I think my body is tired or else I ate too much town food. It's okay though because tomorrow we only have 9 miles and then we'll be at Bob People's hostel and I heard it's awesome...might just have to take a zero day.Oh yeah, we got word that Two Speeds, Chafe Master J, Verity, and Carnethy Bob stayed at the shelter that looks like a barn last night. They will probably take a zero day tomorrow, so they are now a day behind us. I'm sure they'll catch up soon.
Date: 2003-05-05
From: Mile Marker 399.4

To: Dennis Cove; Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 9.0

We awoke this morning to the sound of...you guessed it--thunder. It was a mad dash to get packed up before the rain fell. We were completely packed and hiking within 30 minutes of waking up. It was a shocker to the system. Luckily we only had 2 miles to the shelter, so we could eat breakfast out of the rain.After a quick breakfast it was a nonstop hike to Dennis Cove. We had high winds and I nearly got nailed twice by falling branches. It was scary. A local had warned us to watch for falling trees during high winds. At one point, a tree made a loud cracking noise and scared the crap out of me.We made it to Kincora Hostel just in time to catch the ride into town for lunch. We got to know Bob Peoples (owner of the hostel) better on the ride into town. What an amazing and generous person. And Yogi, we said "Hi" to him from you and also informed him that you are currently hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) again this year. The 3rd year in a row. We got to look through a photo album and see pictures of Yogi and Noid--ahh, we miss you guys! This is a wonderful hostel. So warm and welcoming. He only charges $4 a night and there's free laundry, detergent, soap, shampoo. It's rustic like a shelter, but more like a hiker's palace.It was a great night reuniting with hikers like Blaze, Face, Scuba Man, and Steama. And getting to know new ones like Willow, Tank, Slaughter, Cuba Libra, Sprout, Odessey, and Hopeful.One other thing that's so neat about this place is there's pticures of hikers all over the walls who have sent a picture of themselves at the end of the trail on Katahdin.   Or there's other pictures of hikers just hiking. It really hit me tonight while looking at those pictures that I'm currently living that life. Those hikers are me right now. It's so easy to get caught up in the miles, spending too much money, or the day to day tasks of hiking. If you don't slow down and take notice the 6 months will be gone and over with before you know it. Enjoy every moment...right now I'm enjoying the moment of rain hitting the roof top of this wonderful hostel.
Date: 2003-05-06
From: Dennis Cove; Kincora Hostel

Miles today: 0.0

I think we thought today was Thanksgiving. We lounged around all day and ate like pigs. It was a vicious cycle of eating and napping. It was another rainy day, so perfect napping conditions.The rest of our dysfunctional hiking family (Two Speeds, Chafe, Verity, and Carnethy Bob) to our surprise showed up today at the hostel. So good to see them again. Sweet dreams...
Date: 2003-05-07
From: None

Miles today: 0.0

It's all Moo's fault that we took another zero. We were all packing up and getting ready when Moo said he was feeling sick. We even took his temperature, which didn't work because of a faulty strip. So then we had a "Come To Jesus" meeting and you had to have the smurf coat to speak. Everyone voiced their opinion of what they wanted to do and then we had a secret ballot. Everyone's vote was placed in Wrong Way Brown's fancy schmancy cup (which is a cleaned out peanut butter jar). The votes were read and it was 1 vote hike, 1 vote to slackpack 9 miles, 1 vote to either zero or slack, and 3 votes to zero. It was hilarious and not surprising for our group to make such a decision. But if we had hiked we wouldn't have gotten to go to the movies! We all have been dying to see a movie. Our choices were "Anger Management" and "X-men II". I saw "Anger Management" and it was okay, but at least it was a movie.I also made a Quiche. It was so good. I put in spinach, tomatoes, cheese, and broccholi. It was beautiful.
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

We all woke up at 3 am to the sounds of extremely loud thunder. There was lightening every 3 to 5 seconds. There was no rain yet, but you could see that a huge storm was coming. Everyone got up to assess the situation and Wrong Way Brown and I moved into the shelter. At least that way we wouldn't get crushed by a falling tree. I was not happy about getting woken up because I had just fallen asleep after having a bad dream about snakes. The storm came, hail and all. It was impressive, but it quickly passed. We all decided since we got woken up at 3 am "school" wold have a delayed start time. We didn't leave camp until 10:30 am. And by the way, our tent rocks. The Zoid 2 never gets wet or leaks--yeah!Today's hike was not tough as far as elevation and terrain, but it was still a tough hike. It was very humid so we were sweating buckets and the gnats were absolutely horrible. I couldn't tell you how many I had to spit out of my mouth or blow out my nose. There were times they were so thick around your eyes you could barely see. It was a thrill to get to camp and hide in the safety of our tent.Damascus in two days, which means we are done with North Carolina and Tennessee! Moving on to Virginia--wahoo!
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! We got up early today to get into town. By 8 am everyone in camp except for our group had left. We were amazed--how do people move so quickly in the morning? We weren't too far behind them. We left at 8:15 am. About an hour into our hike it started to rain--imagine that. It's becoming so we expect it to rain, it's not a question of if.Today was a big day because we moved into a new state. We are done with North Carolina and Tennessee--Wahoo! It's on to Virginia--for a long time because it's a big state. We (me, Wrong Way Brown, Moo, 42, Foxie, and Chafe) had a celebration moment at the border. We took pictures and all did a little dance. We were all excited to get into Damascus. This is the town that trail days takes place in (which is next weekend). Trail days is basically a big hiker party. There's a parade and vendors. It's going to be a great time and Noid is coming so we'll get to see her again--Yeah! So Damascus is a big accomplishment mentally for a hiker.We went to Sheep Stuff's spaghetti dinner and it was great. We got to see Ben, Tyler, Charity, and Switchback again. I think the last time we saw all of them was in Gatlinburg. We also get reunited with Carnethy Bob and Thistle. They were a day ahead of us on this leg.Another big accomplishment (that we didn't even realize we were doing) was hiking 10 miles into Damascus in 4 hours. All of our feet were hurting after that, but it's great to be here.
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Damascus, VA

Miles today: 0.0

We were going to try to leave town today, but with all the things we had to do a quick turn around wasn't possible. It was a good day because we got a lot done and got to rest. We plan on getting a ride 50 miles north and then hiking south into Damascus for trail days. Then getting a ride north after trail days ends.I had to use my ear plugs for the first time last night because of a snorer. It was a horrible night sleep, but the ear plugs do work. I just waited too long to put them in.I decided today to tell people I'm a foot Reflexologist and I'll work on their feet for $10 for 15 minutes. I figured it would keep me in practice as well as give me some much needed cash. So tonight I made $20. Not bad.
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Damascus, VA

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: few clouds

We (Me, Wrong Way Brown, Chafe, Foxie, Two Speeds, Thistle and Carnethy Bob) left town today around 11:00 am. We got a ride from the outfitter 40 miles north, so we are hiking south to Damascus. It's fun hiking south because you run into a lot more people. We had a nice slow, easy going pace. It was a beautiful day, although very windy. We saw some cows today and tomorrow we'll see feral ponies. Hopefully we'll run into Moo and 42 as well. They are hiking north and then meeting us at Trail Days. We sure do miss them.
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Wise Shelter

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a stunning day. It was perfect hiking weather--sunny, high 60's and an occasional breeze. We got an 8:15 am start from camp, which was good because there were so many great views to take in. We also got to feed some wild ponies. They were beautiful. We saw one running at a high speed down the road and I jokingly said, "It's going to charge us." And as it got closer it did look like it was coming right at us. So me, Wrong Way Brown, and Foxie hid behind a tiny tree. Boy did we feel silly when it ran right on past us. So after that we went over to feed them. Wrong Way Brown didn't join us because the whole charging incident scared her. So Foxie and I fed them and took lots of pictures. One tried to steal my Thru-hikers handbook out of my pack. Aggressive little suckers. It was a beautiful hike today, but now it's 10pm and I'm tired. We're going 15 miles tomorrow to Damascus.
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

We were crazy hikers today. We left camp at 8:40 am with one thing on the brain...trail days. We did almost 16 miles in 6 1/2 hours. Halfway through the hike it started raining--imagine that. Seems like everytime we got into town it rains.So me and Wrong Way Brown got into town soaking wet and immediately went to the laundry mat to wash and dry our clothes. While the clothes were washing, we chowed on a double cheeseburgers, fries, and large cokes from the Dairy King (not Dairy Queen). It was so good. We hadn't eaten since 10 am, so we were starving.So we are reunited with Moo and 42--Yeah! And the big event tonight was the eclipse. The other big event was we got to see Noid. She flew out for trail days. It's so great to see her! She hiked as far as Hot Springs and then got a ride to Damascus. Once there, she road her bike all the way to St. Louis. She said she only saw 2 or 3 bikers that whole time.