morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-10
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry's Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.9

I made the rookie mistake of pointing my tent the wrong way...,yes again. It was a wind tunnel of cold mountain air all night. I was too cold to sleep until I finally got up and put on my down jacket. We have limited food so we need to ramp up our mileage this week to make it to Erwin TN by Friday. The morning miles went by fast although it was all up hill and my energy level was low for some reason. The afternoon miles went slow but we went over some very technical rock climbs that I really enjoyed. When we reached the top we were treated to some fantastic views. Too bad I can only post one picture a day. Did you notice the ending mileage today? We passed the 300 mile marker!Met Picasso and Oven today, two young ladies in their 20¢s. They talked to me about their dads who are my age and I told them about my daughters who are their age. Nice young ladies. Also met Shawn and another section hiker, both around my age and from Florida. The mountains here are a stark contrast to what they are used to at home. I enjoyed hiking with them. I think they will join us again tomorrow. Papa Dale was nursing a sore foot. We arrived in camp just before dark almost two hours behind us. I gave him a little help setting up. He is a tough guy to gut that day out.
Date: 2018-04-11
From: Jerry's Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

We rarely have coffee in the morning so we can get started hiking and warm up. Today we made an exception. The coffee was great and got me off to a good start.  Tabasco and I had a good conversation and before I knew it we were waiting on Shawn (a section hiker) and Easy Spirit for lunch at 11:30. We met some on the NC Trail Maintenance pub and had a nice chat with them. The afternoon was much more challenging with some long climbs. We caught back up with Easy Spirit at a road crossing and he called for a shuttle into Franklin TN because his plantar fasciitis was hurting badly. I suffer from it too, and mine also started acting up. I think it is tied to the steep climbs the past few days. We made it to camp around 4:15 and decided to call it a day rather than push on. We were tired and Papa Dale was still a couple of miles back according to passing hikers. We decided it was best to wait for him and make sure he was ok. He arrived about and hour and a half later. We had built a nice fire and retrieved water which was much father away than usual. Had a nice dinner around down the hill from the shelter. The younger set is having a good time up there.  Turning dark. Hikers midnight.
Date: 2018-04-12
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Whistling Gap Camp site
Miles today: 13.3

Coffee two days in a row.  Sweet. It wasn¢t as cold this morning which was a welcome treat. My hands didn¢t even hurt from the cold as I packed up. It warmed up quickly and we de-layered much earlier than normal. We arrived at Sam¢s Gap and were treated to Trail Magic by Quiet Pete, a former thru hiker. He does trail magic 10 days a year. This was the ninth day. He gave us eggs, hash browns, oranges and soft drinks. Fantastic. We began the long climb to Big Bald which offered fantastic 360 degree views. Met Mac Daddy who is on Trail Journals. He started in February and is the only person still going from his original trail family of eight, I think he said. Big Bald is the second highest elevation we have reached so far at over 5500. We could see what appeared to be two forest fires in the distance. In camp with Pete who is Danish. He has hiked all over Europe and the US. Including the CDT and much of the PCT. Interesting fellow. The group is trying to time our arrival in Erwin TN so we can avoid what we hope is the last winter storm on Sunday and Monday. But we are only 13  miles away so none of our options are all that great. A nice problem to have.  Thankful for the good weather today.
Date: 2018-04-13
From: Whistling Gap Camp site

To: Johnny's Hostel
Miles today: 13.4

It was a beautiful morning. I had breakfast with Pete from Denmark. We made our way up three steep climbs onour way to No Business Shelter. We met two younger hikers and ate lunch with them. Other thanone southbound hiker, they were the only other hikers we saw until just beforeJohnny¢s Hostel which is a well known hostel on the trail. On the last mile or two wemet a local couple who were out for an afternoon hike. They offered us a ride to Erwin, TN, which was 3 miles off the trail. After checking into the hotel, we walked about a half mile from the hotel to town for dinner at a local BBQrestaurant. Other than fast food, it was about the only restaurant alternative. Then we went back tohotel for laundry and some R & R and to set a strategy for the next few days. I am still trying to figure out a way to avoid the storm on Sunday and Monday. Thelocal couple invited us to Johnson City to listen to their son's bluegrass band at a local brewery. It sounds like a good time and a way to experience the locallifestyle.
Date: 2018-04-14
From: Johnny's Hostel

To: Beauty Spot Bald
Miles today: 12.8

We wanted to get some miles in while we waited out theimpending rain and snow so we shuttled to Beauty Spot Bald and hiked back toJohnny¢s Hostel. We left all of our overnight gear at the hotel and ¢slackpacked¢ for the day. As soon as we got out of the shuttle we encountered EarlGray and Purple Haze, his wife. We always enjoy seeing them. It was fun tocatch up on our experiences since the last time we saw them. We subsequently encountered about a dozen hikers we knew because wewere going the opposite direction. Papa Dale and I enjoyed the interaction.Tabasco waited for us at lunch and we sat around and enjoyed the nice weather.For the second day in a row we came across a 4 foot long black snake. It was sunning on the trail with its head in a hole. The locals tell us the blacksnakes (not sure of name) eat the poisonous snakes. Tonight we will go to JohnsonCity for some good food and blue grass music.
Date: 2018-04-15
To: Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

Last night we had a nice time in Johnson City with Galen andKatie, the local couple, who adopted us during our visit to Erwin. They are trail angels who we met while they were out on a day hike. Since then theyhave shuttled us to our hotel, given us a ride to Johnson City for dinner atCooter Brown¢s and then to a local brewery named Yee-Haw to listen to their son, Cory, play bluegrass music. He was fantastic. We had a nice time. Today, Galen took us to Jonesboroand drove us past Davy Crocket¢s birth site to show us around the area. On the hiking front, Pappy is at our hotel today. He is a triple crowner who is doing the AT again at age 87. His accomplishments are pretty impressive.
Date: 2018-04-16
From: Beauty Spot Bald

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 14.4

I got up this morning and looked out the window. No luck.....it is still rainingwith snow on the radar. I couldn¢t hold up any longer. I had to get back on thetrail. Our trail angel took us back to Beauty Spot Bald and we headed out into a blinding snow storm. I thought it would stopafter a few hours but no such luck again. The scenery was amazing but I quicklytired of the snow pelting my face. The snow wasn¢t too deep but my feet werewet and cold by the end of the day. We had to take a side trail 3/4 of a miledown to Greasy Creek Friendly, my first hostel. The place is packed. The bunkhouse isn¢t heated. We are expecting a cold night. People are even sleeping on the floor inthe main building. The hostel owners will not leave anyone out in the weather, thankfully.
Date: 2018-04-17
From: Greasy Creek Friendly

To: Carver Gap
Miles today: 12.0

Well my first hostel experience wasn¢t that enjoyable. After hiking over 14 miles in the snow I was really looking forward to a warm room and a good nights sleep. I arrived at the hostel with cold wet feet. The room I slept in was small and packed full of people. Tabasco and three others slept on the kitchen floor. That was better than the bunk room where I slept....er tried to sleep. It was a leaky wood building with no heat. It was probably my coldest night yet on the trail. My water bottle was frozen solid. It was so dark inside that I felt like I was in a coffin while I was in my sleeping bag. This was the first time I ever felt claustrophobic. When we left the hostel this morning the temperature was around 20 degrees but at least the 40 mph winds had subsided. We had a 2000 foot climb over six miles. If I did that on the step machine at the gym I would be quite proud of myself. Here it¢s just another day. Some of the views were spectacular. But the wind would kick up at times and melting ice would fall from the trees and pelt you. Ouch! After 12 miles of hiking in the snow one of the guys was exhausted. We caught a ride to the Mountain Harbor B&B/ Hostel. This is a whole different experience than the night before. It is clean, nice and warm too. They have a food truck and the burger was by far the best I have had on the trail. I hear the breakfast has been voted best on the trail. Tomorrow we have a 15 mile day lined up and we will return here to dry out again and resupply for the next leg. It is supposed to be 70 degrees out so the snow will be melting and we will be wet again. Looking forward to a great day tomorrow.
Date: 2018-04-18
From: Carver Gap

To: Mountain Harbor Hostel
Miles today: 14.8

A good day to hike. We arrived back at Carver Gap and found that much of the snow had melted overnight. My fears of another day of wet feet we somewhat mitigated but we did walk thru some stretches of trail with water flowing down hill several inches deep. We had to make two substantial climbs today. We had lunch at Overlook Shelter with Earl Grey and Purple Haze. It is a large barn that was relocated to the trail and it had a wonderful view over the valley. From there we proceeded over two large Balds. The second one was called Hump Mountain. It was a fun climb with 360 degree views.We have been straddling the North Carolina and Tennessee border for several days. Today finally finished with North Carolina.   Also I forgot to mention that we followed bear tracks down the trail for over a mile two days ago. We still have not seen any bears but have seen a lot of signs of them - scat, tree scrapes and tracks.We finished our 15 mile day in seven hours. One of our best days yet.
Date: 2018-04-19
From: Mountain Harbour Hostel

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 17.0

We hiked several miles to Jones Falls. It was very refreshing and the best waterfall since Amicola Falls. We took some good photos. Next we hiked through a beautiful meadow with a small river and saw some campers hanging out. Around noon we came to a second smaller waterfall called Mountaineer Falls and Papa Dale and I went behind the water to have our picture taken. Mine didn¢t turn out very well but his was a great shot. We both got wet and the water was verrrrry cold! We Went to Mountaineer Shelter for a quick lunch. Then we hiked past Bob Peoples who owns a hostel down the road. He was out doing trail maintenance with his crew. Bob is a trail legend an is being inducted into the AT Hall of Fame. We knocked off another seven miles to a small stealth camp site. Hung bear bags and enjoyed a small fire. It is good to be camping in the backcountry again.
Date: 2018-04-20
From: Stealth Camp

To: Boots Off CampSite
Miles today: 17.0

Cold again last night. Probably in the mid to low 20s. We got up broke camp and started a fairly easy morning hike. We Soon started our first long climb of the day just before noon. We decided to swing by Bob People¢s Hostel (Koncoria) as it is well known on the trail. No one was there so we decided to move on. The afternoon started out beautiful as we followed Laurel River for a while then we hit a very long and rocky down hill climb. Very hard on our knees. We ended up at the base of Laurel Falls, it was fantastic. After Laurel we continued hiking along the river for sometime crossing it a couple times. There were rapids all down the river. I could hear the river in the background for sometime as we started the second long climb of the day. It was an exhausting 3 mile climb up the mountain which ended with a 3 mile downhill and to Boots Off campsite. We did approximately 17 miles. A tough day of hiking but beautiful scenery.
Date: 2018-04-21
From: Boots Off Campsite

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

We departed Boots Off Campsite and began hiking around Watauga Lake. It was a beautiful crisp spring morning and the sun was glistening off of the lake. I enjoyed watching the fishermen and realized that¢s what I would probably be doing if I were at home now. We crossed the dam with a nice young couple named Sandel and Ninja Snail. They have a You Tube channel called Hike and Tell. I hope I can check it out soon. When we reached the far end of the lake we began a long climb. I didn¢t check the Guthook¢s Guide but one of the guys said it lasted five miles. Nevertheless, we covered nine miles by noon and had lunch at Vandeventer Shelter with about a dozen thru and section hikers. We climbed on some boulders and enjoyed a fantastic view of the lake and valley below. It was really cool. After lunch the elevation changed and moderated some. We walked seven miles along a rolling ridge line including one section that was the flattest section of the trail yet. Around 4:00 we arrived at Iron Mountain Shelter. Only one other hiker was there but by the time we finished dinner at least a dozen other hikers had arrived at camp. We are seeing some new faces of faster hikers catching us from behind. We crossed the 440 mile mark today which means we have covered 20 percent of the trail. A good accomplishment.
Date: 2018-04-22
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 18.0

It was a little warmer when we woke up which made packing muck easier. We left camp at 7:30 and Papa Dale put it in high gear. By 10:30 we had covered eight miles and made it to the first possible shelter for the day. We continued hiking and passed though a large cow pasture which was the first time we were out in the open except when we were on the balds above the tree line. At 2:30 we had already made it to our preliminary destination, Abington Gap Shelter. Since the day was still young and our legs strong, we decided to press on to make it a shorter hike into Damascus, Virginia in the morning. Water was scarce today so we ended up filling all of our water storage and carrying it six miles to our next campsite. We set up camp at a nice stealth site. Earl Grey and Purple Haze joined us. Dinner was relaxing around a camp fire. Damascus is one of the better known trail towns so we are looking forward to getting there. A large storm is supposed to hit later tonight and stick around for two days. The wind is really starting to pick up at our current altitude which is round 3900 feet. It looks like we will be packing up wet gear and hiking the last 8 miles to town in the rain tomorrow morning.
Date: 2018-04-23
From: Stealth Camp

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.0

The winds were really high for a while at night but it didn¢t rain as much as was expected. At one point I thought a tent stake pulled out or a line broke but it must have been something that fell from a tree. I felt the tent wall collapse several inches. I was fortunate that my tent didn¢t sustain any damage. We woke at 5:00 am and it looked like there was small break in the rain on the radar. (Cell phones are wonderful.) So we broke camp early and hiked eight miles to Damascus. We arrived before 10 am. The trail coming into Damascus is know as the TN/VA turnpike because the terrain is somewhat milder and people cover the ground quickly in order to get into Damascus. The sky opened up as soon as we arrived so we had pretty good timing in our travels. We had breakfast at the Damascus Diner. It just opened today. For those of you coming up the trail behind us know that it was a good deal. The rest of day was spent at the Outfitters and roaming around town. We walked 100 miles this week. More rain is expected so we plan to do a zero day tomorrow to rest.  About three miles prior to Damascus, we left Tennessee for the last time. Tennessee is now one more state in the rear view mirror. Virginia is next. The AT extends over 500 miles through Virginia so it is known to be challenging mentally. Hikers have to fight off the ¢Virginia Blues¢ to get through the state.
Date: 2018-04-24
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Damascus is one of the most famous trail towns and we were still a little tired from our first week of big miles so we zeroed and took care of more town chores. Lazy Fox B & B told us they had a ¢full¢ breakfast when we made reservations and they lived up to their word. It was big and awesome. By coincidence some of our favorite trail people were there too, including Earl Grey, Purple Haze, Joan¢s Two and Spirit from Germany. We all had a nice time catching up over breakfast. Lazy Fox didn¢t offer laundry so we took ours to Crazy Larry¢s Hostel. He was quite the character. We had to go back three times before he finished the laundry but it did give us time to visit the local outfitters and enjoy a cold beer together. Then we were off to resupply food and catch dinner with Spirit and a new arrival at the B & B named Donut. We all went back to the B&B and enjoyed chatting on the front porch.By the way, thanks to everyone for the well wishes on the guest book. I don¢t know how to respond from my phone but I do appreciate the support!
Date: 2018-04-25
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Today we got off to a great start with another great breakfast at Lazy Fox. A good, strong breakfast under our belts we were off to a later than normal start at around 10 AM. It was well worth it. Following our tradition we packed out a Subway Sandwich for lunch. (Thanks Tom for giving me that tip.) We left town in a light drizzle with a full food bag. Again, these are two things that make it tough to leave town. The miles went by fairly quickly. We followed the Laurel River for a while. On a sunny day it would have been much nicer. We ended with several members of our old bubble camp who were also in Damascus.  Tomorrow we should approach Grayson Highlands which is home to the wild ponies. That is stretch of the trail that I have been looking forward to seeing. Next week my daughter will join us for a few days. I am really looking forward to hiking with her. I wish the timing would have worked out so we could have seen the ponies together. It is raining again tonight but at least I got everything set up and had dinner. The rain sounds rather peaceful on my tent.
Date: 2018-04-26
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept well. I woke up and let the air out of my air pad so I was forced to roll out of my warm sleeping bag. We were up at 6:00am but we didn¢t get on the trail until 8:00. We were treated with a long climb up Beech Mountain. It wasn¢t overly steep but it was almost seven miles long. We summited around noon. The sky was clear when we summited and the views were spectacular. After a nice lunch in a parking lot along highway VA 600. We ran into Jo and Two.  As we came into the Grayson Highlands area, we ran into a pack of wild ponies. I was looking forward to seeing them and I was not disappointed. We reached the 500 mile mark at Fatman Squeeze, a rock formation that forms a tunnel. At another rock formation, I could hear the ponies' whinnying just before I peaked. I was able to take a good photo as I came over the rock. While we were taking pictures the sky erupted! Oh no, we had another five miles of rocky trail to the next shelter! We put on our rain gear but the trail had 2-3 inches of water running down where we had to walk. I retired my water proof shoes back in Franklin for breathable summer shoes. Needless to say, my feet we¢re soaked. I set up camp in a pouring rain and cooked dinner in the vestibule of my tent. All in all the Grayson Highlands were well worth the inconvenience.
Date: 2018-04-27
From: Wise Shelter

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 18.1

Woke up in a cloud. Yes, I literally woke up in a cloud. After the hard rain yesterday, I hoped for a dry day but I would have to wait. It was extremely damp and the trail had inches of water running down it. I suppose it didn¢t really matter since my shoes were still soaked from the previous day. We made good time in the morning given the conditions. We saw a group that thru hiked in 1994. They were on a reunion hike. It is hard to believe that they are still in touch after all these years. We also saw quite a few day/section hikers heading for the Grayson Highlands. We had lunch at State Road 603 at Fox Creek. It started sprinkling again. Fortunately, the clouds broke in the early afternoon and we finally started to dry out. After a few hours we passed Comers Creek Falls and started to look for campsites. I wanted to set up early so our gear and especially my shoes could dry out. My feet were wet all day and took a serious beating. As we started to cook dinner we noticed some bear scat nearby. We haven¢t seen any traces of bears for a few days. A few minutes later Earl Grey and Purple Haze came by and said that they just saw a bear. Needless to say we hung our food bags with care for the night. We haven¢t had phone signal in three days, so I'm sorry for the delay in posting. We only have 13 miles to Marion tomorrow so hopefully we will have signal there.
Date: 2018-04-28
From: Stealth Camp

To: Mt. Rodgers National Rec HQ
Miles today: 13.1

Swoosh....I pulled the plug and deflated my air mattress so I wouldn¢t be tempted to sleep in later. I wanted to get an early start so we could do a Nero in Marion VA. A beautiful sunrise appeared so we decided to have coffee before departing. Up at 6 am but not on the road until 8 am. We need to figure out a better system for getting started. We climbed a gradual incline that lasted for a fairly long time. Eventually we came across a long bridge and stopped to take a few pictures. There was a sign that described the ecosystem and it was surprising the types of wildlife that live in the area. We made another climb and passed Comers Falls. It was one of the highlights of the day. As we got closer to town we ran into some local day hikers. They offered us some food¢¦trail magic. We continued on to Partnership Shelter. It is one of the best known shelters on the trail because it has a shower and running water. You can also order food from the local pizzeria and restaurants. The food can be delivered to the shelter due to its close proximity to the road. The shelter is right next to Mount Rogers National Recreation Headquarters. We hoped to catch a shuttle there into Marion, Virginia. Unfortunately, we learned that the shuttles do not run on the weekend. We decided to hitchhike into town and after we walked about a mile we were picked up by a local lady who delivered us to Marion, Virginia. Thoughtfully, she gave us a quick tour of the town. (More trail magic.) We heard from other hikers that some of the local hotels were a bit sketchy. So we decided to treat ourselves to one of the nicer downtown hotels. We completed our town chores including laundry and then joined up with Earl Gray and Purple Haze for some refreshments. We all walked across the street to a little barbecue joint where we ran into Spirit and Doughnut. It was a nice to share dinner with our friends. All in all another great day on the AT.