morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-04-25
From: Motel in Damascus 

To: Country Inn Suites in Abingdon 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Nice breakfast at the Damascus Old Mill Inn. Then drove about 30 minutes to Abingdon and checked in to the motel. Nice day, walked in downtown Abingdon. Ate lunch at a barbecue place Shoelace had previously eaten, then went to Walmart to do grocery shopping.  Came back to the motel and wanted our gear, then dinner at an Italian place, then ice cream. Now back in motel making last minute adjustments, including motel reservations for our stay 5 days from now. It's going to rain tomorrow and it's going to be 17 miles but we should be under tree cover. Had we hiked out yesterday we would be hiking in rain in exposed country. It's just the 3 of us now: KJ, Shoelace and me. Tomorrow we drive back to Damascus, leave Shoelace's truck there and begin hiking.
Date: 2022-04-26
From: Damascus 

To: Lost mountain shelter 
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Rain was in the forecast for today. We had breakfast at the motel, then Shoelace drove us to Damascus and parked his car at the library parking lot. We started hiking at 8:06. KJ took the AT. Shoelace and I took the Virginia Creeper trail. The Creeper trail was beautiful. There were multiple beautiful bridge crossings. After about 12 miles the Creeper trail and AT rejoined and we then took the AT to the Lost Mtn shelter. It rained quite hard for a few hours. I was using my umbrella and ULA rain skirts and was pretty dry except for my feet. It's cold. I can see my breath. Today we met people from the Boston areaJerry (deuce of spades)Josh Julius (made fire)David looks like Spongebob I don't remember the 5th person but he was a computer type of guy.In addition:Braveheart thru hiker has you tube channel Tim is from Maine
Date: 2022-04-27
From: Lost mountain shelter 

To: Wise shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

It was cold, but not enough to freeze last nite. Nonetheless I began hiking with gloves and a jacket. At the White mtn road a marine "Mcsquatch" and his friend Shortcash had trail magic set up. I had a beautiful breakfast burrito and a cup of hot chocolate. We went over 2 mountains: first White Top, then Mt Rogers. We were in the Grayson Highlands and had magnificent vistas. We saw the ponies. They were very tame. I went through the fat man's squeeze. It was pretty tight. Met 2 medical students that were moving on to their residencies: one in Anesthesia and one in Neurology. They were doing a loop hike in that area and would return to their car tomorrow. It's cold. I'm tired and the trail was quite rocky at times. In addition there was a fair amount of elevation losses and gains. The trail was very rocky coming down from Mt. Rogers.Braveheart rolled in. A relative died suddenly from a heart attack. She's hiking 20 miles tomorrow in order to get to Marion in 2 days and go to a funeral in Tennessee.I'm REALLY tired. My muscles all ache. I haven't had any cramping.  Oh yeah. I really messed up at the end of the day.  When I was filtering water I didn't hook up my filter and the water ran straight from my dirty water bag to my clean water bag. I caught my mistake when I noticed the water was draining really fast. That contaminated my lines and clean water bag. So, I waited for Shoelace to show up and used his aqua Mira to sterilize the system. That cost me 2 hours. Oh well at least it wasn't unsolvable.
Date: 2022-04-28
From: Weise shelter

To: Hurricane shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was supposed to be a relatively easy day. However my muscles were very tired from yesterday and it was a cold day. Thank goodness we had clear weather. Just a lot of ups and downs today. We did have spectacular views.  We did arrive at the shelter at 3:30 so we had more time to set stuff up, filter water, etc. I have a cell signal so I can catch up on my Journaling. It's going to be cold again tonight. Glad I'm in a shelter.KJ and Shoelace are doing well. I'm stiff and tired. A bath would be nice.
Date: 2022-04-29
From: Hurricane shelter

To: Campsite 7 miles south of Mt Roger's Recreation Visitor Center 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

The Hurricane Shelter is a very nice shelter. The corners are dovetailed! There are hurricane clips. As with the shelters I've seen in Virginia so far, there are privys and bear boxes.Double Great (former army special forces) the brother and sister and another hiker left the shelter at about 7:30. I think they were trying to hike to the Partnership shelter 19 miles away. This shelter has a shower and is close to hiway 16 where hikers can actually order pizza. I took off at 9 am and Shoelace and KJ left shortly after. After hiking 3 miles of very easy trail I almost took a wrong turn where the AT takes a sharp right and the Dickey Gap trail goes straight. Really easy hiking after that and I met a couple with a dog hiking in the opposite direction. I shortly came to a road and parking lot. A hiker (Brazil) had lost her hiking friend Potato Chip. They had camped near the Hurricane shelter last nite and started hiking about 7:30. Brazil hiked on ahead and came to this road and had been waiting there for over 45 minutes. The woman, husband and dog returned and offered to help but it wasn't clear what they could do. There was no cell signal. Potato Chip had no map compass or hiking phone app to navigate by. Another couple in a car also stopped to help so we hiked on. As it turned out another hiker had missed the same Dickey Gap jct, hiked down the Dickey gap trail and found Potato Chip. He had the Far Out App and eventually realized his mistake. So they eventually got to the Dickey Gap/VA 650 trailhead where I found Brazil.We passed thru the usual forests then passed thru a beautiful meadow. 0.5 miles before our campsite we filtered water. Tomorrow we'll hike about 7 miles to the road where hikers order pizza and take a shuttle into Marion where we have reservations at the Red Roof Inn. The next day Shoelace and I will shuttle back to Damascus and pick up his truck. From there we'll drive back to Marion to say goodbye to KJ and Shoelace will drop me off in Roanoke. It's been a hard hike because I wasn't in shape. However my trail legs are returning and my hiker hunger is also returning.....at the end of my hike. I've enjoyed hiking with these guys. They are good human beings.It's supposed to rain tonite. I've set up my tarp above my tent.oh yeah. Another oops tonite. I hung a bear line for all of us. However one one of my attempts the line wrapped itself several times around the branch. I tried using a long branch to untangle it. On one of those attempts at untangling it the branch got caught in the cordage and I fell to the ground still hanging on to my branch. Fortunately that action tugged on the line and pulled it down closer to me. So I repeatedly used the branch to pull the rest of it down, then was able to successfully hang a good line to secure our food bags using the PCT hang method.
Date: 2022-04-30
From: Campsite 7 miles south of Mt Roger's Recreation Visitor Center 

To: Mt Rogers Recreation Visitor center 
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: broken clouds

It did rain last nite but not enough to get the ground wet. Last nite I heard some very heavy footsteps walking thru our campsite but was too scared to look and see what it was. Of course I thought it was a bear but I'll never know.  I woke up at 5:45 am and was hiking by 7 am. KJ had gotten up earlier and retrieved our food bags for us. Shoelace and KJ left shortly thereafter. We had to be at the Visitor center near the Partnership shelter by 11 am to meet a pre-arranged shuttle. The hike was quite easy with gentle trailtread. I was there at about 9:30 and waited for my friends. Babyshark and her brother were still there and were hiking on to the Alpaca farm hostel which was about 11 miles away in Atkins. Oh did I mention this shelter had a shower? Well, the shower was there but it wasn't working. Not water. Something was wrong with the fixture so the water was turned off.There's a landline phone at the Visitor center and hikers at the Partnership shelter use this free landline to call for Pizza.Our shuttle showed up promptly at 11 and took us to our motel in Marion. A hot shower and a huge Mexican (really good) meal in Marion and we are now quite content.  KJ was able to get his resupply box at the post office by 12 noon so now all is well. I fly home in 2 days. My trail legs and hiker hunger are definitely back but it's time to go home.
Date: 2022-03-10
From: Amicalola Lodge

To: Springer Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked the approach trail today and met our first Ridge Runner. We tent camped at Springer Mountain Shelter. It was a balmy 35 degrees. We were awake for half of the night debating what to do about the severe weather headed our way.                 Total Ascent 3117'                   Total Descent 1152'
Date: 2022-03-11
From: Springer Mountain Shelter

To: Dawsonville GA
Miles today: 0.8
Weather: mist

We got off trail due to severe weather; below zero wind chills expected. Spent two nights at Holiday Inn Dawsonville. It is way too early in our journey to take a nero and a zero. Dried and charged all the things, ate at Culver's, Pappa's Place and Big Daddy's BBQ. Took our first shuttle. Thank you Richard Anderson.
Date: 2022-03-13
From: Springer Mountain parking lot

To: Justus Creek
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

Back on trail at last. Stopped at Stover Creek Shelter and Long Creek Falls for snack breaks. Had lunch at Hawk Mountain Shelter. Tent camped at Justus Creek on a hill site and spent the night slip sliding away. Twenty-seven degrees. °¥¶ Did our first PCT bear bag hang with an audience when it was getting dark out. Yee Haw! A ridge runner stopped by in the morning while we were packing up.
Date: 2022-03-14
From: Justus Creek

To: Dockery Lake Trail split
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: few clouds

Took a snack break at Gooch Mountain Shelter. Enjoyed the view from Ramrock Mountain. Got our first trail magic at Woody Gap. Thank you for the Nestl© Crunch Bars, Morning Wood and Night Stick. You made our day. Hauled our tired butts up Preacher's Rock. What a beautiful place and no graffiti in sight. Hiked until we found an awesome tent site at the Dockery Lake/AT trail split. Yummy Peak Alfredo Pasta for dinner. Did our second food bag hang and enjoyed a quiet evening alone.
Date: 2022-03-15
From: Dockery Lake Trail split

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

May have accidentally mooned my first hiker this morning. Welcome to the AT. °¤£ Hiked to Jarrard Gap and chatted with two nice trail maintainers. The hike up Blood Mountain was literally a pain in my ass. Something in my lower back was not happy. Vitamin I saved the day and we made it to the top. Some limping may have been involved. Met Matt, another Tilak hat wearer at Blood Mountain Shelter. Also met a nice day hiker on spring break from Atlanta. We took each others pictures and we told him he should go see Helton Creek Falls. The climb off of Blood Mountain was much better than the climb up. We made it to Neel Gap and decided to head to Blairsville for birthday dinner and a break for whatever is ailing me. Also to avoid more lovely weather. ° We were advised to hitch a ride and decided why not. There's a first time for everything. Matt joined us and guess who picked us up? The day hiker from Atlanta! The trail will provide. I wish I had a picture of him. There is a learning curve to this journey. Booked a room at Seasons Inn Motel. It is very hiker friendly and the owners couldn't be any nicer. Ate dinner at Lucky's Cantina and called it a night.
Date: 2022-03-16
From: Blairsville 

To: Blairsville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Chore day in town. Did our laundry and resupply. Enjoyed breakfast at Cabin Coffee Co., shared an Ingles sub for lunch at a picnic table and had dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. We enjoyed our stay at Seasons Inn. Terry at the front desk was extremely helpful. The night sky was beautiful when we were walking back to the hotel after dinner. Thanks for the memories, Blairsville GA.
Date: 2022-03-17
From: Neel Gap

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We are back on Trail. Met Jay from WI in our shuttle and hiked with him for most of the day. We started out in chilly, foggy weather but ended up with a glorious 70 degree sunny day. Trail magic was rampant today. Thank you to Bonnie for the cookies and orange coffee cake,the pack whisperer at Mountain Crossings for the adjustment (you changed my life) and to King Tut and his crew at Tesnatee Gap for the well placed lunch spread and white blaze hat. These amazing trail angels give just for the sake of giving. #loveahiker We hiked 11.5 miles to Low Gap. Twenty percent of thru hikers quit at Neel Gap; these ascents are no joke. We are starting to leapfrog a few of the same hikers. (Bebop and Crazy Cop) The young kids blow by us like we are standing still and we never see them again. We had Mountain House Lasagna, Uncrustables PBJ and split a Kit Kat for dinner. Set up camp, hung our bear bag directly over the AT and got in a little hammock time before hiker midnight. (Sundown) I am blessed to be sharing this journey with my best friend. I do however deeply envy his ability to sleep. I have been awake for hours waiting for the sun to come up.                                                 Everywhere is within walking distance, if you have time.
Date: 2022-03-18
From: Low Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: scattered clouds

We had a quick lunch with Jay at Chattahoochee Gap. (cheddar cheese and beef sticks) Raced the rain to Blue Mountain Shelter and lost by 2 miles. Some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield. Hunkered down in the shelter with Jay, Rebecca, Mr. Clean, Crazy Cop... Chicken teriyaki and mocha helped us warm up while we waited for a break in the rain. Finally pitched the tent and hung the bear bag. I'm pretty sure that bears are the least of our worries tonight. They are smart enough to not be out in this weather. Killed time watching movies, catching up on the news and email.We're all here, because we're not all there.
Date: 2022-03-19
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: few clouds

Broke camp and headed for Tray Mountain Shelter. Awesome trail magic at Unicoi Gap. Thank you, Yonder and Plato for the hot dogs, snacks. drinks and oranges. Met Kayla and Douglas and saw Harry again. Hiked to a beautiful stream/waterfall above Unicoi Gap. Smacked my head into a tree and got a wet foot videoing the stream. Note to self, watch where your head is going, not just your feet. Hiked to Rocky Mountain Visa; met Prophet and saw Rebecca and Mr. Clean again. Dried our tent while enjoying the view. Recorded my first fall on the way to Indian Grave Gap. Mud and wet rocks are my kryptonite. No harm, no foul. We continued on to The Cheese Factory site and took a snack break there. Hiked to Tray Mountain Shelter and set up camp. Cooked Knorr chicken rice with added chicken and sat with Mr. Clean and Rebecca for dinner. Made hotel reservations from a cold, blustery mountain top with spotty cell service. It was a total cluster; we accidentally booked through a third party that stated our call had been transferred to them. Making the reservation was comically time consuming. Disclaimers, respell your name... Plus the rooms cost Jay and us more than they should have. Be careful if you Google Hiawassee Holiday Inn. It sounds like this is a common occurrence. I hate paying the stupid tax. The wind howled all night and temperatures were in the 30's. Are we having fun yet? Asking for a friend.
Date: 2022-03-20
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap 
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Packed up our gear and took down our tent in cold, windy conditions. We put our breakfast bars in our sleeping bags with us to thaw them out. We departed on a mission to catch our shuttle with Glenn and Jay at Dick's Creek Gap. Hiked to Deep Gap Shelter and had to go downhill off trail for water. Ate lunch on a log by the spring with Mark and Jay. Glenn continued on another tenth of a mile to the shelter. He said it was really nice. We will take his word for it. Hard pass for us; we were not adding any mileage to our day at this point. Saw Douglas and Kayla hiking in when we headed out. Glenn called Grace (Hitch A Hiker) for a shuttle to Hiawassee. Make your calls from Powell Mountain, there is no service in Dick's Creek Gap. Mark and I took the side trail to Powell Mountain Vista. Mark loaned Glenn his trekking poles for the last long descent into the gap. We arrived with time to spare and had a snack at the picnic table. Caught our shuttle, checked in and went to McDonald's for dinner due to other restaurants being closed on Sunday night. A big window sign in McDonald's fell and hit me in the head. Thankfully Jay was quick enough to slow it down. Here's your sign, don't eat that junk. Met Jason while waiting to do laundry. I was short a quarter and he nicely gave me one. I later ended up with two of his socks. Luckily I was able to find him and return them. Double check your washers and dryers so you don't leave expensive stragglers behind.
Date: 2022-03-21
From: Hiawassee

To: Hiawasse
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Had breakfast at the hotel. Did our resupply runs to Trailful, Ingles, Dollar Tree and Dollar General. Glenn bought trekking poles. Welcome to the dark side! Hit the salad bar at Ingles for lunch which was probably a good thing. Mark may have stated that the contents of my food bag resemble a trick or treat bag. We finished our town chores and had dinner with Glenn and Jay at Daniel's Steakhouse. Back on trail tomorrow racing the rain again.
Date: 2022-03-22
From: Dick's Creek Gap 

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We were shuttled back to Dick's Creek Gap by Grace, Hitch A Hiker. I managed to trip over a root and record fall #2 before even leaving the gap. Took a lunch break near Plumorchard Shelter and continued on to the GA/NC border. It felt amazing to be crossing our first state line on the AT. We took a break in Bly Gap to get water and have a snack. The old twisted tree in the Gap is reported to be the most photographed tree on the AT. The hike out of the Gap was intense but we were rewarded with breathtaking views at the top. I bestowed my first trail name and Rebecca is now Rainbow Brite. ° We beat the rain to Muskrat Creek, set up camp, had dinner and hung the bear bag. Helped Elise when she had a problem with her tent. We camped near the Creek with Jay, Glenn and Jason. It was a chilly, windy night.
Date: 2022-03-23
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Rain, rain, go away. Hunkered down in our tent at Muskrat Creek for a zero. Glenn and Jason tore down and hiked out in the rain. As did Elise on a sore ankle. Even injured, she is a fast hiker. Glenn shouted, " Embrace the suck!" on his way out of camp. Mark watched movies on his phone and I caught up on email and Facebook. Took a short walk back to the spring during a break in the rain to stretch our legs. Cooked chicken and rice at the shelter and chatted with Jay. Crazy Cop is hunkered down here too. Cold, windy, rainy again.
Date: 2022-03-24
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Woke up to a foggy morning. Packed up a muddy, soaking wet tent. Yay, who doesn't want more pack weight? Took pictures at the Chunky Gal Trail split. Enjoyed lunch, chatted with Data and dried our tent at Standing Indian Shelter. Met Poptart and Devlin on our way to Standing Indian Mountain summit. All of the rain we endured rewarded us with beautiful mountain streams and waterfalls. We hiked into a signed bear sanctuary. There are signs all over in Carter Gap warning about bears stealing food bags. We hiked down the hill for water, pitched our tent and crashed Jay's campsite for dinner. Did our PCT bear bag hang and hoped it would still be there in the morning. Snuggled in for another chilly night. (30's) Mr. Clean, Rainbow Brite and Crazy Cop are here. We should hit the AT NOBO 100 mile mark tomorrow.
Date: 2022-03-25
From: Carter Gap

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: fog

Freezing cold morning. Missing rock bag/bear line fiasco.( It was later found in Mark's pack.) Hiked with Mark and Jay through Betty Creek Gap and Mooney Gap. We saw Crazy Cop, Mr. Clean and Rainbow Brite. Three young men we have been leap frogging got back on trail from Franklin and gave us some halos. Yummy, fresh fruit! A lot of people are getting off in Franklin to get new shoes. The rock scramble to Albert Mountain Fire Tower was crazy. Saw Mr. Clean, Rainbow Brite and Crazy Cop at the tower. It is amazing that we keep seeing some of the same hikers over and over. I got pretty far ahead of Mark and Jay on the way to Long Branch Shelter. Luckily I chatted with Crazy Cop and then another hiker who were taking lunch breaks. This enabled Mark to catch up to me just before a guy carry a huge spear hiked up behind me. Disconcerting to say the least. We got to Long Branch early and decided to hike on to avoid incoming rain/snow. Pushed on to Rock Gap Shelter turn off and called to looks for rooms and a shuttle to Franklin. We found rooms at the Sapphire Inn but no shuttles. We were contemplating a cold, miserable night at Rock Gap when a section hiker from GA came down the trail. He gave us a ride to our hotel. The trail really does provide. We checked in and then had dinner at MI Casa with Jay. An amazing amount of food and coke was consumed. Thankful for a hot shower and a comfy bed.
Date: 2022-03-26
From: Franklin

To: Franklin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We had breakfast at Ms Lois. Picked up Jay's package at the USPS and then headed to the laundrymat. Hung bear line in our room to air dry clothes. Left some of our hard earned money at Outdoor 76. Hello, Altra Olympus! Finally found an extra Befree filter and sent our Sawyer Squeeze home with my Lone Peaks. Thank you, Patti for the shipping label. We had lunch with Jay at The Lazy Hiker, Glenn stopped in. Thank you Jay for the rootbeer. Resupplied at Ingles and Dollar General. Video chatted with our daughter and her littles. Anxious to be back on trail and hoping for warmer weather soon.
Date: 2022-03-27
From: Rock Gap

To: Wayah Crest Picnic Area
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

We were shuttled back to Rock Gap by Sherpa Al's son, Josh. Had lunch with Jay at Winding Stair Gap and continued on to Siler Bald. Mark and I went to the summit while Jay tried to take an Army nap which was interrupted by Lucy, the dog. Set up camp at Wayah Crest Picnic Area. Had dinner at Jay's site. Woo hoo, a real life picnic table. I had mac n cheese with added buffalo chicken and Mark had beef stew. The days of splitting a Mountain House meal for dinner will soon be falling by the wayside. Can you say hiker hunger? It was a long chilly night on an uneven tent site.
Date: 2022-03-28
From: Wayah Crest Picnic Area

To: Licklog Campsite
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Spent another chilly morning packing up camp. Chatted with Parcor and Jet Pack from Buffalo. Took a snack break and filtered water at Wine Spring. Enjoyed a warm sunny, lunch on Wayah Bald. Met Sprite from Texas, now living in PA, at the tower. Found a nice tentsite at Licklog Campsite and set up camp early for once. Got in a little hammock time and a rest break in the tent before dinner. Made reservations for Wednesday and Thursday at the NOC Dogwood motel. Hopefully we beat the rain and high winds there.