morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Nolichucky River

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy Easter! The plan here was to have a relaxing day, resupply and get ready to leave for the trail tomorrow. Well, there was one stumbling block for me anyway. About 3:00 a.m. I got up suddenly, ran for the bathroom and found myself worshipping the procelain as I threw up. In 3 hours I lost my cookies 3 times and generally felt pretty lousy. It sounds like a viral thing. The plan to go to church with Beekpr went out the window but he had an interesting time. The Minister asked all the parishioners to say hi to the A.T. thru hikers in the congregation. Beekpr met a family that drove him to their family Easter brunch. It sounded like he had a great time. I'm presently eating a little and feel pretty well drained. I'm going to go to bed now, it's 9:30 p.m., and try to get some badly needed sleep. Hatteras just called to inform us that Milo is now under the weather. I also heard that several other hikers had a similar sickness to mine in the past few days but I haven't been able yet to find any thing we did in common. We're supposed to get some heavy thunderstorms tomorrow morning so our leaving may be delayed a bit longer. I'm going to crash now and hope I'm feeling better tomorrow.
Date: 2003-04-22
From: Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

I didn't write yesterday since we took a zero day. Milo, who was staying at Uncle Johnny's Hostel, also became quite sick Sunday morning as I did and both of us needed the extra day to recover plus it was raining so it wasn't a hard decision for everyone to make.Since Monica was still here she was gracious enough to shuttle us to the Post Office and to get some badly needed haircuts from an old time local barber. We were basically getting buzz cuts which are perfect for the trail. After watching how close he cut Beekprs hair I decided to go longer-a half inch-so you can imagine how much hair Beekpr had left.We got up early this morning, ate breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express, which I may add was very nice to thu hikers and very helpful. They even give a pint of Ben and Jerry's only to the thru hikers that stay there. Anyway, we found a ride back to the trail in the lobby and began our hike by 8:00 a.m.The weather said partly cloudy and cooler with high around 65 in Erwin, but I'll tell you, it's a whole different world from the 1,700' elevaton at Erwin to the 3,000' to 5,180' elevations we stayed in during our hike today. It was more that partly cloudy up there-we were walking in the clouds most of the day and freezing our butts off. When we got to Deep Gap, about 12 miles into the hike, the thermometer on my pack said 37 degrees and the wind was blowing hard forcing us to put on more clothes, winter hats and gloves. It seems winter just doesn't want to give up yet. We hiked to Cherry Gap shelter, a 16.4 mile hike for the day, and decided it was far enough and set our tents up for the night. We ate a quick dinner, hung our food bags, and everyone jumped into their tents to get into their sleeping bags to get warm. It's supposed to go down in the low 30's here tonight.My stomach is still a little out of wack from whatever I had over Easter Sunday. I can't remember being that sick in the past many years. I think I may have mentioned this but hikers in 2 other hostels as well as at least 2 of us where I was staying all came down with basically the same thing. Kind of strange when you think about it.Well, here's hoping the weather is correct for tomorrow. They're predicting sunny skies-I'll believe it when I see it though.
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Ash Gap
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

It was hard getting out of the sleeping bag this morning since the temperature was in the low 30's and the wind was blowing. When I pulled back the tent flap it looked like yesterday, very cloudy. Even with the cold we managed to get an 8:00 a.m. start to probably the toughest day between Erwin and Damascus, VA. We had lots of climbing to do today and we ended up about 800 feet under Roan Mountain Summit which we will cross over tomorrow.The sun did finally manage to make an appearance and by noon I was able to shed my jacket, which when climbing creates a great sauna effect and you sweat like crazy.We ran into what I thought was another hiker coming south this afternoon only to see he's carrying a shotgun on the trail-a little disconcerting for sure. He was hunting wild turkey and asked Beekpr if we had seen or heard any. The only turkey I saw today was this guy with a loaded shotgun cruising down the A.T. We've heard turkey's calling from time to time but haven't heard any for the past few days.What we did hear today, which woke us all up this morning was an owl that came into our camping area-what a cool way to wake up.Today we did 13.6 miles, which isn't too bad for the elevation gains we encountered. Tomorrow we'll cross Roan Mountain, and if the sun is out the vistas should be incredible.Unlike last night, it was nice to come into a campsite with the sun out and still fairly warm. I had a nice relaxing dinner with Hatteras and Beekpr. Keeping my fingers crossed for another sunny day tomorrow.
Date: 2003-04-24
From: Ash Gap

To: Newland, NC
Miles today: 16.6

Well the weatherman said rain by midday and fortunately for us it never came. Our day began by leaving our campsite about 7:45 a.m. to begin a very steep 800' climb to the top of Roan Mountain(6,285') but the effort was worth it-what a view! In 1884 they actually built a luxury hotel on top and used a train to get patrons to it. All is gone now but it must have been a great place to sit on the veranda to see the sights I was looking at this morning. As with most of the trail since the Smokies, the Tennessee/North Carolina line went straight over the mountain. It's one of those weird things about the trail, for about the last 200 miles with the trail following the border between the 2 states. You never know from one hour to the next which state you're walking in or camping.As we came down from Roan Mountain and approached Carvers Gap and Tennessee Route 143 a trail angel left a bag of oranges for the thru hikers hanging on a tree-very much appreciated. After leaving the gap, climbing up to Round Bald, we climbed over the oldest rocks on the A.T. at about 2.5 billion years old. The views from the balds and then later from Little Hump and Hump Mountain tops were 360 degrees and just awesome.We initially decided to stop for the night at the Apple House shelter but after we all arrived we decided, since thunderstroms and rain were predicted tonight and tomorrow, to go to Elk Park, NC. The highway was only 1/2 mile from the shelter so off we went. When we got to the highway the one motel in town that we were going to try to get rooms was closed. A sign on the highway let us know this and a possible alternate in Newland, NC, the next town over, called the Shadylawn Motel. My cell phone and Hatteras' couldn't find a signal but fortunately Milo's did and she called the motel and the owner drove out to shuttle us into town-we lucked out!We're taking a zero day tomorrow which after going 46.6 tough miles in 3 days and 16.6 miles today, we need to recouperate. The plan is to head for the trail Saturday after the storms cross over and on to Virginia. When you're standing on top of a big mountain like Roan this morning and look South and see the rows and rows of mountians as far as you can see and know you walked over most of them, it's really something.Well, our eyes are focused on the North now and Virginia. As far as tomorrow is concerned we'll explore Newland and see what's here.
Date: 2003-04-26
From: Newland, NC

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

We were glad we decided to take a zero day in Newland yesterday since it rained most of the day and got rather cold again. The owner of the Shady Lawn Motel, Herb, offers free shuttles to and from the trailhead on US 19 and we had him drop us off at about 9:30 a.m. after a good breakfast at the Bear Creek Cafe in Newland. After an initial 800' climb out of the gap, the trail kind of rolled along with dips and climbs of around 100-200 feet when we've been used to 500-1,000 foot deviations. It was quite pleasant, the weather held for most of the day with the sun peeking out every once in a while. Then, when I was about a mile from the Moreland Gap Shelter, the sky opened up on us and we had to make the quick transition to rain gear. It was weird, one minute it was clear but cloudy and kind of warm and then the next the clouds came down on top of us, the wind howled and the temperature dropped and we started freezing our butts off. When I arrived at the shelter it was full so Beekpr, Hatteras and I set up our tents behind the shelter in the rain. Never a fun thing to do. Milo and Nuke got the last couple of spaces in the shelter. Tomorrow is supposed to be a sunny day so if the sun comes out, I'll dry my tent whenever we decide to camp for the night.We have to make a .2 mile detour tomorrow to the Kincora Hiker Hotel so Beekpr can get a package. This is supposed to be one of the best hostels on the trail so I'm looking forward to seeing it. Presently it stopped raining but it still looks threatening. About 1/2 dozen other hikers came in after us looking for refuge but ended up tenting around us tonight so we have quite a crowd here now.Well, here's hoping the weatherman is right about tomorrow's weather and I see sun when I open the tent flaps. It just started raining again and I'm nice and warm inside my sleeping bag so this will be a good time to sign off and listen to the radio for a bit before turning in for the night. All in all it was a pretty good day- 17.3 miles with a late start, not bad!
Date: 2003-04-27
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Watauga Dam Road
Miles today: 18.8

The weatherman was right on and gave us a sunny and warm day. I'm glad we had the sun today because we saw one of the most beautiful sights on the trail at Laurel Fork Gorge. For about 3 miles the trail follows a river into the gorge. There are some steep declines in elevation but sure worth the pain and strain of decending. At the bottom was a big, beautiful waterfall that had the 3 of us somewhat mesmerized. Beekpr, Hatteras and I were hiking together today while Nuke and Milo decided to slack pack with the help of the Kincora Hostel owner, Bob Peoples. Slack packing is when someone drives you up the trail (in this case, north) and you hike back (south) to where you stayed the night before. This enables you to leave your heavy pack and carry only day packs. Anyway, when we started our climb out of the gorge none of us had any idea how steep the trail would be to gain elevation again (1,700' in 3 miles with only a couple switchbacks). This was one of the toughest section we've climbed. When we got down to US 321 we decided to go around Lake Watauga on the A.T. and look for a campsite along the lake. When we couldn't find a suitable campsite on the lake we thought we'd try the Watauga Lake Shelter just a few miles away. Unfortunately, the shelter is very small with no campsites so we pushed on until we came to a samll clearing next to the lake and decided this was far enough. Our sites are somewhat sloped and with a sprinkling of poison ivy around us to make it interesting, but we were all too beat and sore to worry about that and I can tell you, it feels great laying down inside my sleeping bag. We're gonna sleep good tonight.We should have another nice day tomorrow so we're getting up early to cross the Watauga Lake Dam and take another walk in the woods.
Date: 2003-04-28
From: Watauga Dam Road

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

We broke camp this morning at our beautiful lake shore campsite around 7:30 a.m. and headed up the trail to the dam. The trail goes over it and with the sun just coming up over the mountains the scene was just awesome. From there the trail was all up, about a 2,000 foot climb until we hit the ridge and then it was easy ups and downs the remainder of the day.We saw a black snake next to the trail today and had to take a picture. If this one is out sunning itself I'm sure rattlers and copperheads are soon to follow. With the warmer weather we'll have to be a little more observant of just where we are stepping. Our hike today ended at Iron Mountain Shelter. We were the first to arrive after deciding to just do the 11.5 miles since we were all a little sore yet from yesterday's hike. It also gave Milo and Nuke a chance to catch up with us. They arrived about 2 hours after we set up camp.The weather is supposed to deteriorate tomorrow afternoon so hopefully we make good time tomorrow. The plan is to hike to Abingdon Gap Shelter, about 16 miles from here. That will leave us with about a 10 mile hike to Damascus on Wednesday.Well it's about 7:45 p.m. so I'm going to put on the headset and listen to the radio for awhile before going to sleep. Virginia in 2 days (:
Date: 2003-04-29
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

We got our earliest start this morning leaving camp at 7:15 a.m. We had the weather on our minds and wanted to make as much mileage as we could before the predicted thunderstorms came by noon. Only thing was the first thunderstorm arrived at around 8:00 a.m. We could hear the thunder coming closer and could feel the first light shower starting to come down on us. We stopped and put on our pack covers and put the rest of the rain gear near the top in case we had to grab it quick. Beekpr said "What a place great place to be in a thunderstorm. We're on top of a mountain named "Iron" Mountain and we're walking with aluminum trekking poles, no danger there." As good fortune would have it the storm moved just to the north of us and by-passed our position-whew! The trail for the most part today was a series of small ups and downs with a few nice stretches of flatter trail. The sun finally came out around 11:00 a.m. and made for another warm day.We set up our tents in another beautiful area just above Abingdon Shelter and have already eaten dinner and are now just stretched out in our tents at 7:45 P.m. We're rather excited about tomorrow. It's good bye Tennessee/North Carolina, hello VIRGINIA! We're entering our fourth state about 6 miles down the trail in the morning. Damascus, Virginia is only 10 miles away. Virginia is about 25% of the trail mileage and within a week to 10 days we'll finish the first 25%. We had alot of fun and some nasty weather coming through the Tennessee/North Carolina trail. I'll not be forgetting the places I've seen and the people I've met along the trail anytime soon. We're all looking forward to Virginia and another adventure.
Date: 2003-04-30
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, Virginia
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: few clouds

Today we made Virginia. It's a great feeling to make another state. We left our campsite at 7:00 a.m. and we must have been anxious since we covered the first 6 miles to the state line in 2 hours and Damascus by 10:15 a.m., still in time for breakfast. Beekpr and I found a room at the Appletree B&B, a very nice place indeed. It's a pleasure to find a place like this after a week in the woods. We're going to take a zero day tomorrow for resupply and rest up for our next push to Pearisburg, VA, about 160 miles away.I'm heading for the local outfitter tomorrow to see about getting a new pack. I've been having problems with mine since Springer which is causing some back problems. When they measured me this morning it seems that I was sold a pack one size larger than I should have had so I'll be going with a size smaller which should take care of the problem. That and the fact the new pack is only 4 1/2 lbs. where my old one was 7 1/2 lbs. should make a big difference on my shoulders. I'll be mailing home a couple of winter items I've hardly used and will send the rest home when we get through the Mt. Rogers Wilderness and get to Pearisburg. That will lighten up the load alot for the hot summer months which should make for some easier hiking.Well, I'm going down the hall and make some instant cappucino. You sure can't do this in the woods (:
Date: 2003-05-01
From: Damascus, Virginia

To: Damascua, Virginia
Miles today: 0.0

Today was to be a relaxing day, and it was, but we seemed to be on the go all day. After eating a delicious breakfast at our bed and breakfast, I went to the Mt. Rogers Outfitters and they fitted me for my new pack which feels great so far. I'll give it the real test when I take it fully loaded on the trail on Saturday. Because of the forcasted thunderstorms and rain, tomorrow we're staying here on more day but we'll slack pack the first 17 miles from Damascus. The outfitters are shuttling us out 17 miles and will drop us off with light day packs and we'll hike back on the A.T. to Damascus then on Saturday they'll take us back out the 17 miles and we'll start hiking with full packs again. Only problem with the slack pack was Beekpr and I are loosing our room tomorrow at the B&B because they are booked for the weekend. We spent part of the morning/afternoon looking for a place to stay but everything but the bunkhouses were filled for the weekend. Finally I was given the name of a lady that had a B&B on the edge of town. She said she'd be filled also tomorrow but would try to make room for us. We walked about 1/2 a mile to her home and she worked out some space for us with a day bed in her foyer and an inflatable mattress in the living room. After hiking the 17 miles in the weather back to town this will be much more to look forward to than one of the bunkhouses. This will be the first time I've slack packed but I can only imagine how nice it will feel hiking back into town with light day packs and dinner at the closest restaurant. Saturday will bring us back to reality with full loads climbing back into the 5,000+ foot elevation again.Well, I'm about to turn off the lights and get some sleep. Maybe the rain gods will smile on us tomorrow and give us a better day then predicted.
Date: 2003-05-02
From: Damascus, Virginia

To: U.S. 58 Summit Cut
Miles today: 16.9

I did my first slack pack today and what a wonderful feeling only having a day pack filled with a water bottle, rain gear and some food on my back instead of my BIG pack. The miles went by very quickly for us and it only took 6 1/2 hours to cover the 17 miles back to Damascus. The weather held out for our entire hike but only by minutes. We heard the first thunder when we were still about 3 miles from our destination. We picked up the pace and when we emerged from the woods the skies were almost black and lightining was flashing everywhere. When we made the edge of town Beekpr and I just made it into The Dairy Barn before the skies opened up a torrent of rain. Hatteras got caught by a little bit of the rain before he sought refuge there too. The good thing was we missed getting soaked and after the 17 miles we hiked we were in a place that sold ice cream. How cool is that! We made our root beer floats last the 1/2 hour of the heaviest rain before we departed. We had to pick up our packs at the old B&B and get situated in our new one. The owner of the new one, Susan, was nice enough to come pick us up so we wouldn't have to carry our packs to her house in the rain.Later, after taking showers for the last time for the next few days, we headed for town where the Mt. Rogers Outfitters was throwing a barbeque for the thru hikers in town which was much appreciated. Tomorrow the outfitters will drive us back to where we started this morning, but this time we'll be heading north with full packs. I understand this is one of the most scenic areas in Virginia that we'll be heading into so here's hoping for good weather. Onward and upward to Pearisburg.
Date: 2003-05-03
From: U.S. 58 Summit Cut

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: light rain

Our day began at the Montgomery Bed and Breakfast with a big breakfast. Then the owner, Susan, was nice enough to take Beekpr and myself to Mt. Rogers Outfitters to meet our friends and to get shuttled back to the trailhead where we were left off yesterday. We had a long, sweaty climb to begin with to gain altitude at over 5,000 feet. The hike was going well until we stopped for lunch at Elk Grove parking area. The weather was sunny with a cool breeze when we got there. It was actually one of the more beautiful spots I've eaten lunch. We were just finishing lunch, sitting on rocks and bathing in the sunlight when we heard the rumble of distant thunder. We quickly put on our waterproof pack covers and crossed the highway and proceded up the 1,100 feet toward Mt. Rogers summit at 5,729 feet. As we climbed we could hear the thunder get closer and closer until lightning was evident all around us. The one place we didn't want to be during a thunderstorm was the highest elevation mountain in Virginia with lightning flashing and climbing into it with our aluminum trekking poles. Can you say lightning rod? We climbed into the rest of our rain gear just as lightning flashed near us and with the clap of thunder came hail. It came down so hard it was stinging our exposed hands and then it poured. It rained the whole way to Thomas Knob Shelter where we took refuge. The storms ended about 6:00 p.m. so we decided to stay in the shelter. This one has a loft where Beekpr, Hatteras and I are staying. It certainly wasn't built with my 6'5" frame in mind and I have to constantly be aware so I don't bang my head. It's a rather chilly night but we stayed outside the shelter until around 8:00 p.m. The scenery here has to be the best I've ever seen from a shelter location. Just magnificent views.I'm hoping the weather improves for tomorrow because we'll be going into the Grayson Highlands State Park area, supposedly one of the most scenic in Virginia, with herds of wild horses. Definitely sounds like a Kodak moment.Well, as much as I hate staying in shelters, I'm going to make the most of this one and turn in for the night. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the promise of spectacular views.
Date: 2003-05-04
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Campsite at stream@mile 504.3
Miles today: 17.4

What a beautiful day. Thank you Virginia! We left the shelter this morning around 7:15 a.m and hiked in some rather brisk air, it was about 37 degrees. It warmed up as we approached the Grayson Highland State Park. This was like no where else we've hiked so far. The whole area looked like it was part of a western movie set, that's the only way I can think of describing it. It was also complete with wild horse herds, some so tame you could walk up and pet them. It was just the most unbelievable place and the fantastic scenery so unexpected for this part of the country. We spent a good part of the morning exploring this area before pressing on. I sure hope my picture do this place some justice. At any rate, it will always be a great memory.We hiked a little over 17 miles until we found a great campsite next to a creek-quite lovely. Listening to the creek will surely put me in la la land very quickly tonight.Tomorrow, Beekpr and I have to hitchhike into Troutdale, VA just a few miles from where the A.T. crosses VA 16 at Dickey Gap, to buy food. As soon as we get resupplied we'll hitch back to the trail and catch up with the others in our group. Should make for a busy day.The temperature has dropped down quite a bit in the past 15 minutes so I'm going to wrap myself up in my sleeping bag and grab some zzzzzz's. Goodnight all.