morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Applehouse Shelter

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: broken clouds

Last night I went to bed at 7:30. The sun was far from set, but if felt great to be able to do so.        The word for today was ¢flat¢. The hike was awesome. There were a few climbs. However none were over a few hundred feet.         For our snack we took a side trail to Jones Falls. The waterfall was spectacular. I scaled the surface of the rock to get to the main fall. There was a huge boulder jutting out of the bottom of it. I wanted to climb to the top of it, but it was to slippery and there wasn¢t really any holds to use. At any rate, I reached the point where the water crashed down and took a quick shower. I could have spent the whole day there. Unfortunately we still had 14 miles to hike.        At lunch we stopped at Laurel Forks. Directly under the bridge the water looked just deep enough to submerge yourself in. I had to test it. I walked in and belly flopped myself into the whole. It was the greatest three foot swim I¢ve ever had. Once I came out from under the bridge I crawled back out. While on the topic of bridges¢¦we came to a tiny footbridge crossing a stream today. The side of the bridge read, ¢NO DIVING FROM BRIDGE!¢ Nicole and I got a good chuckle out of it. The water was only three inches deep.        No one knew how far away the shelter was today. The trail was poorly marked. We couldn¢t figure out which road was which. I was relieved when we finally rounded a corner and stumbled upon the shelter. Eighteen miles is the most we¢ve gone yet. We didn¢t climb much, but my feet definitely felt them.
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Kincora Hiking Hostel
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: scattered clouds

At 2:30 am I awoke, turned over, started singing ¢Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday¢¦¢ PLOP! What the $%^#? I frantically kicked my legs, attempting to kick off the mouse that decided to interrupt my song. It landed near my knees. I gave a few extra sweeping kicks to make sure it wasn¢t next to me, plotting to crawl into my sleeping bag.        Mountain Goat earned two points this morning for being the first to say happy birthday. Nicole lost two points for being beaten to it. We hit the trail by 6:00 and started a lazy six miles down a side trail to Coon Den Falls. It was tall, but nothing compared to the awesome sight from the previous day.        The Kincora Hostel is .2 miles away from the trail. A $4 dollar donation is requested, but not required. Bob People, the owner, asks for donations for what is used, just to help pay the bills. It results in an extremely relaxed atmosphere. Free shower, laundry, detergent, just throw in whatever your nights stay may have cost the owner. Bob said a few years back a 17 year old kid didn¢t have the money for stay. One hundred miles later he sent a five dollar bill because he finally had a surplus. Bob told the boy¢s parents a couple of years later when they stayed here. There were amazed he remembered their son, but were even more amazed at their son¢s character. His dad replied, ¢Looks like we did something right with that boy.¢        For lunch we caught a ride from Bob. I ran into Little Ceasar¢s for a five dollar large pizza. You can¢t beat that deal. Everyone went to the grocery store to create a birthday feast for me. I never expected anything like a birthday party while on the trail, but it¢s exactly what I¢m getting. The Rens are staying another night, Freeze Out, Brian and some others.         For dinner we ate hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni salad, cole slaw and some other side dishes. To let the food settle we hung out and played trivial pursuit. Dessert included ice cream, apple crisp and a wonderful Barbie birthday cake. They all sang to me of course. It was great to see all the mail that came for me at the hostel. I got birthday cards, Easter cards, a letter from Tenney and some great Chalk Talk articles from Kris. Of all the things we experience on the trail, nothing compares to the joy from receiving mail. Our eyes light up every time we see an extra package or envelope. For all of you who have sent us something, we can¢t thank you enough.
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Kincora Hiking Hostel

To: Vanderventer Hostel
Miles today: 17.5

Today was an amazing day. We woke up at 6:30 and started preparing for our Easter morning feast. The feast included scrambled eggs (4 dozen) pancakes, French toast, hash browns, fruit salad, bacon, juice and milk. In Jasper¢s words ¢we ate like kings¢.        A mile into the day we came to Laurel Falls. It was great. The pool below was large enough to swim in. After swimming for a while Shane and I climbed on the cliff with water rushing down next to us. We cannon balled in, swam back and pushed on.        The morning climb killed me today. I normally climb to the top of every mountain without resting. Here I had to rest every few minutes. It may have been due to the insane amounts of food I consumed within the past 36 hours, or the fact it was 85 degrees out. I made it, but my feet and body were exhausted after a mere five miles.        The bottom of the mountain dumped us off at Watuga lake. In the 35 days we¢ve hiked, we¢ve only seen one or two ponds. The water was so murky I wouldn¢t even push my brother in. The AT crossed Watuga lake at a sandy beach. We threw off our packs and ran for the water. Like I said, we ate a lot of food in the last 36 hours. We relaxed at the beach for two hours. The high temperature made it difficult to hike in, so we waited out the heat.        Nicole and I left at 4:30 with eight miles to hike to the shelter. Our bodies were rejuvenated for the time being. We crossed the TVA dam that created the lake and went back into the woods. Lake Watuga remained on our right as we climbed back into the mountains. He higher we climbed, the better the view became. It¢s size was immense and the water appeared crystal blue. To the left was a beautiful sunset, the first we¢ve been able to clearly see. I rolled into the shelter at 8:00. I immediately ran behind the shelter because Jasper claims it is the best view of the AT. He was right. Watuga Lake rests at the foot of mountains that extend as far as the eye can see.        It¢s a great day to be alive.P.S. I forgot to mention two more things that occurred today. Before the lake we came to a box and letter with ¢Maine Train¢ written on it. It appears Ryan attempted to leave us trail magic. I say ¢attempted¢ because someone tore into it and stole our magic. It really urked me. It didn¢t bother me that we missed out on the surprise. I was upset that someone would ruin his attempt to leave us something. It was clearly out of his way. Who would raid someone else¢s gift?        Also, in the shelter register Freeze Out promised us a case of beer if we made it to Damascus Tuesday Night. He left us this morning while we packed our bags. We were already planning on going to Damascus by then, but it¢s great to know he wants us to get there to meet him. We all liked him a lot. Damascus is going to be the land of a zero day and the land of credit card charges. Nicole and I have some goods to pick up.
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Vanderventer Hostel

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

It was very warm last night. I had to fully open my sleeping bag and use it as a blanket. I¢ll be glad when I start using my summer bag.        Rain came down with thunderous fury today. We had prickling rain, big ole fat rain, rain that came sideways and rain that seemed to come up from the ground. Thanks Forrest for the line. After seconds of the first downpour, my socks were already saturated. When it stopped I pulled off my socks to wring them out. The rain came again after I tied my laces. We took shelter in a barn that the AT ran through.        I finished the final three miles to the shelter with Monk. He was trying to make it to Damascus today. It was 3:15 when I arrived. I have the energy to move on, but after the rain we decided to relax in the shelter. It¢ll leave 18 miles tomorrow. The terrain will be even easier so hopefully it won¢t take to long.
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I went to bed at 7:30 last night due to reports of high rodent activity. I figured if I went to sleep before they came out, I¢d be able to sleep more peacefully. At 4:00 I checked my watch wide awake and realized it probably wasn¢t a great idea. Then the baby steps came. The mouse made it to the middle of my forehead before I knew what was happening. Immediately I thrashed my body and swept the sides of me to get rid of it, not knowing where it could have landed. Damn mice.        We awoke at 6:00 and hit the trail by 7:30. The miles came quick and easy. By lunch we already covered 15 miles to the Virginia State line. I left a note to Miss Parkay reminding her of her last moment of smoking freedom. She said she had to quit at Virginia.         In town we stopped at Mt. Rogers Outfitters. Their hostel was across the street and the Ren¢s, Freeze Out, Buttercup and Texas all called us over. We lounged around the porch for the rest of the afternoon. We moved to ¢The Place¢ around six. ¢The Place¢ us a hostel run by the Methodist Church of Damascus. It bunks 35 people, has three showers and three bathrooms. It surprised me how large and clean it was. It¢s a full fraternity style home converted into a hostel. At 8:00 we went to Dot¢s, a local diner and bar. It¢s exactly like the Farmington Diner without the back room and the fact that they serve beer. By 10:00 there were 24 thru-hikers crammed in. I think everyone was excited that there was something different to drink other than spring water. The calm natured boys got a little louder ad Nicole and I decided to leave at 11:00 before everything got out of hand. However, it was an extremely entertaining scene for a few hours.
Date: 2006-04-19
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I awoke to the sound of pouring rain, thunder and lightning. A gigantic smile came across my face remembering that it was a zero day. The storm lasted until 11:00, long enough to change the minds of hikers wishing to pass on. I purchased a new sleeping pad and a summer sleeping bag at the outfitter store. My old ones were sent home. The rest of the day was spent picking things up, mailing items home, sending emails and planning my food bag. It was a zero day, but we had so many tasks that it was actually somewhat stressful. By dinner time I was glad that we¢re hitting the trail again tomorrow. The zero day was so tiring!
Date: 2006-04-20
From: Damascus, VA

To: Sketchy Abandoned House on Rt 601
Miles today: 18.1

Sleeping was fun last night! It¢s amazing what two and a half inches of air will do with you. My new bag kept me nice and cool. As long as temperatures don¢t take an immediate dive, I think I¢ll be alright.        Shane and I decided to take the Virginia Creeper Trail today. It runs parallel to the Appalachian Trail all day long. The trail was gorgeous. The river ran along side of us the entire day. It means we haven¢t seen every white blaze, but we weren¢t white blaze pursuists anyways. This blue blaze trail was well worth it.         Early in the morning we met Max and Kathy from Ontario. They were riding their bikes to the end of the trail. They rode along Nicole and for a long time and spoke with us while we hiked. Every once in a while they would ride ahead and later we¢d catch up. By the time we reached the Caf©, Max had purchased us all hamburgers and Pepsis. Meeting and conversing with this retired couple seemed great enough, never mind the trail magic. Their company made the morning and early afternoon fly by.        By lunch the Rens and Freeze Out caught up with us. We continued on for the rest of the day. An excellent swimming hole was noticed by Freeze Out in the afternoon. The rocks in the river formed a small waterfall in the middle of it. We climbed around the rocks and jumped in. The water was cold, but it felt great to rinse the sweat off our bodies.        The Rens remembered an abandoned home a couple of miles after the shelter. We decided to try it out. Apparently the Rens stayed here once years ago when the owner invited them to say. Now the windows are smashed and the walls have gaping holes in them. We swept out a room and set up camp. A thunderstorm is suppose to come through tonight. Our decision to move on will allow other hopeful hikers to stay inside the shelter tonight.        It¢s nice to be back on the trail.
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Sketchy Abandoned House on Rt 601

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

I woke up at 4:00 and noticed that my sleeping pad was completely deflated. It must have caught a piece of glass on the floor¢¦.guess that teaches me. I¢ll call Big A in Atkins and get it replaced. It¢s too difficult to find the hole out here on the trail. It needs to be submerged in a tub to find the hole.        The rain began early in the day. The group had stopped soon into the climb. Ryan¢s front pack was pretty uncomfortable for him. He was carrying an extra pack on his stomach with extra stuff in it. It was extremely heavy and I couldn¢t imagine what he had in it. I took a big bag of water from him to lighten his load. The bag was still heavy! More on that later¢¦        The rain continued all day, but it was still pretty warm. At our first road crossing a cat ran from down the road directly at us. It was starving and looked like it had been abandoned. Some of the others gave it some crumbs of their snacks because they felt so bad for it. It turned out to be a big mistake. The cat followed us down the trail and we couldn¢t scare it off. Ryan and I tried running at it with our poles swinging, but it didn¢t care. We tried to leave a large pile of food, to buy us time to run out of sight, but it left the food and followed. The cat trailed us for another four miles over the top of Mt. Rogers! We felt bad and obligated to care for it by then, but it apparently decided to stay behind at the shelter. We asked day hikers to bring it to town, but no one would. I hope a hiker will bring it to safety, or help hikers by killing every mouse that attempts to invade the shelter.        After lunch we entered Grayson Highlands State Park. Jasper noted that wild ponies roamed the land. We walked for quite some time and feared we wouldn¢t see any. Eventually we saw one, then three, then ten and we ran into them for the rest of the day. They weren¢t scared of us and were very cooperative for the photo ops.         At the shelter we found out why Ryan¢s front pack was so heavy. He lugged in a box of wine to celebrate the five hundred mile plateau. That guy never ceases to amaze me with his thoughtfulness. He filled everyone¢s cup to finally get rid of the weight. Tonight we¢re all in the shelter with Betty and Freeze Out. I¢m not sure how long the sleeping pad will stay inflated, but I hope to stay comfortable for awhile.
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Wise Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: moderate rain

The pouring rain continued through the night. It left gigantic puddles, but the water sources had great flow.        We found that the Rens left us numerous messages of sexual innuendoes. One mentioned the great oral pleasure with the Maine Train, referring to the entire book read aloud at the abandoned house. Another message said they hope out wet pussy dried out, referring to the cat the followed us in the rain.        Nicole took a good fall on a bridge and almost found herself in a stream. The steps were round logs with pieces chipped out to make them more flat. They were so wet that she slipped on the first step and slid down to the bridge. Luckily she kept her balance enough to stay centered over the bridge.         It was tiring to push to twenty miles today. Energy is never a problem. After you reach the teens your feet and ankles get very tired and each step seems difficult. Nicole and I distracted ourselves by telling stories.         We have a dog at the shelter tonight. He¢s a welcome addition. I¢m pretty sticky from sweat right now, but I¢m looking forward to rest. Hopefully it¢s peaceful rest. Last night I woke up the shelter when I dove on top of Nicole, trying to avoid a falling object in my dream. Oh yeah, I¢m starting to snore. Now I¢m ¢that guy¢. Its never been a problem before so I don¢t know why I¢m starting all of a sudden. No one says its bad, and they also say its easy to get me to stop. I just feel self conscious now because I really don¢t want to by ¢that guy¢ who snores. I think it¢ll be better when my pad is fixed and I can actually sleep on my side again.
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Chatford Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 17.0

This mornings motivation came from our desire to make it to Partnership Shelter. It is located next to the Mount Rogers Recreational Area Ranger Station. The shelter sleeps seventeen, has a sink, and a hot water shower. In addition to that, the Ranger station has a telephone that you can order delivery pizza from. It was a great lunch break! The station was closed because it was Sunday. The bathrooms were locked, meaning the coveted soda machine was visible, but out of reach. If only we had thought to order it with the pizza.        The climb after lunch nullified any benefits from the shower. Although there was a monster climb over rocks, we still made the final seven miles in little over two miles. There were two older gentlemen at the shelter when we arrived. Their gear was spread throughout the shelter and made no effort to clear space. After half an hour we made some movements to make it obvious it was time to clean up. The still didn¢t. Eventually it took a comment like, ¢Hey, we¢re going to cram into this shelter tonight so where do you want to be?¢ Shelters are suppose to be for thru-hikers so we didn¢t feel bad pressuring them. A couple of hours later they packed their bags and left.        Nicole made a list of things we need to do in town tomorrow. She made it into a paper airplane and asked Shane to throw it at me. It flew past my ear and landed in the fire, causing it to immediately catch fire.        It looks like next weeks march to Pearisburg is going to be difficult. It stressed me out trying to figure out daily mileage and camping spots. I know it¢ll work out if I just let it happen.
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Chatford Memorial Shelter

To: Davis Path Shelter
Miles today: 7.2

The morning hike to Atkins brought us through fields and forests full of flowering trees. I awoke and started the morning in low spirits, but couldn¢t help enjoying the gorgeous views of Virginia.         We spent an hour at the truck stop before hitching to town. You never know how long it will take to hitch hike. We tried for twenty minutes before walking and throwing our thumb out when a car came. The excitement caused by a car pulling over is amazing. High fives are exchanged as we run to the stopped vehicle.         It was difficult to re-supply because the grocery store didn¢t have a great selection. Thankfully most of our food came in the mail. There were a couple additional packages witch excited Nicole and me.        The hike to the shelter was horrible. We brought five days of food and needed to fill our water a mile before the shelter. Oh yeah, the last mile to the shelter was all up hill. We were sweating buckets by the time we got here.        Since we got here so early it gave us ample time to mess around. Big Agrius said they¢d send me a new pad to Troutville, but that¢s a week away. I took the pad to the privy, so it was far enough away to hear a slow leak. Eventually I found it. I ran my ear along the pad and finally felt the air coming out. I hope tonights sleep will be more peaceful, but what if there¢s more than one hole? Time will tell. While I was in the Mr. Fix it mode I found the hole in Nicole¢s pad as well¢¦. Then we fixed Christina¢s pad. It felt like an incredibly productive afternoon.        Before dinner we worked on a crossword puzzle that was sent to Christina. No one liked the Criptoquips so I got that one. And for the rest of the day, we told stories, laughed and enjoyed a shelter to ourselves.
Date: 2006-04-25
From: Davis Path Shelter

To: Lick Creek Campsite
Miles today: 14.3

Last night I went to lay on my pad and saw it was already flat! I took it to the picnic table and gave it another super glue treatment. The second attempt failed but the third was a charm. It made it through the night! I slept so well that I woke up singing. Everyone said, ¢Holy Cow Matt, good to see the benefits of a good nights sleep!¢        The sun crept up from behind the mountains as we prepared breakfast. The sky was cloudless and looked as though it would be a hot day. The hiking was up and down all day long. There were no giant mountains to climb, but there were big enough to create an obnoxious amount of sweat before going down. It was a gorgeous day. Virginia is amazing! The trail comes from mountains and leads you through fields of grass and flowers. In the early afternoon we stopped at a small bridge and soaked our feet in the river.        Lunch was at the shelter. I was looking forward to it just because I wanted to rid of some food weight. Afterwards we took naps in the shelter and relaxed for two hours. We met Fog, who of course has heard of us and was a day behind for three weeks. It appears a couple of hikers, who will remain nameless, are still spreading rumors about us. It¢s pretty frustrating, but there¢s nothing we can do about it. If we leave a message in a register he may start doing even more, knowing its angering us. If we retaliate then it could worsen the situation again. In this case it appears its better to take the higher road. To bad the younger guys will have to be the adults.        It started to rain just as we reached the campsite. We are under a great rhododendron canopy so it provides better protection. Although it was raining we were able to cook outside and enjoy open space before returning to the confines of our tarps.         The rain is coming down hard now. I hope to have better luck in this thunderstorm. I¢d like to wake up with dry gear, to further my confidence of this tarp in adverse conditions.