morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-29
From: Farmhouse Gallery & Gardens

To: Curly Maple shelter
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a lazy day. I woke up early and packed just to be ready. It was a good idea since I was able to charge my pda and batteries for the camera. I was able to relax while everyone else was getting up. I was able to talk to Johnny Lynch, the owner of the Farmhouse Gallery & Gardens. His generosity of letting us camp out for two days at the farmhouse was outstanding. Once the others were up and ready they (mandy, ian, mat©, genesis, jenna, carl/fat patty, and yogi) decided to catch a ride to town with Mandy and Ian. Coach, Doodle, and I were lucky enough to stay behind and be treated to a wonderful breakfast. After breakfast Johnny gave a ride to erwin and uncle johnny's. At uncle johnny's we met up with coyote who mentioned a caving day the next day. I already decided to hike today but the others were thinking about caving. Coach and I hiked at 1630 and reached the shelter 2 hours later. We tented about 200 yds past the shelter in a nice area. At the shelter are Walker Kentucky Ranger, Henry, Matt and Newt. I experimented with dinner tonight with a foil dinner of polish sausage, onions, and a potato. It was very good. Yum. Time for bed. Tenting: Coach, handyman, trots-along, tree whisperer, Carl/fat patty, Jenna, Mandy/Ian. Wx: warm-pm. 70-80
Date: 2007-04-30
From: Curly Maple shelter

To: Cherry Gap shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

Today started late at 0745. I didn't get to bed until 2315 and was tired this morning. A late start means a hot hike. The first 4 miles wasn't to bad since it was still early. The rocks and roots on the other hand were bad. I rolled my right ankle pretty good and the knees took a pounding. I made it to indian grave gap and took a break to rest the feet, legs, and body. Going over Beauty Spot was nice and worth a 45 minute break on top. You could see Bald Mt, roan mt, erwin, and the ridgeline into erwin from 5 days before. Coach, Dirty Carl, and a section hiker were there with me. We all needed water before climbing over Unaka Mt. We found a good spring in the gap before the accent. we stopped, got water, ate, and rested since it was still 80 degrees. We all departed at different times. It was a tough climb and took about an hour. On top was a dark forrest and the temp was cool. The downhill side was harder since my knees get sore on downhills. I got to Low Gap and rested for a couple of minutes before Coach showed up. We both went over the last hill to the shelter. After setting up camp, getting water, doing laundry, cooking dinner, and starting a fire it was time to go to bed. Wx: warm-pm. 70-80. Tenting: Coach, handyman, tree wisperer, trot-along, carl/fat patty.
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Cherry Gap shelter

To: Tenting at Weedy Gap
Miles today: 4.5

Up early today to get a head start before it gets hot. Barking Spider came by on a south bound slack pack. Kimchi also came by, north bound, a little later and we asked if she had seen Mandy, Ian, and Jenna. She had seen them on the other side of unaka mt. Coach and Dirty Carl (DC) decided to go south back to them to help out. Jenna was having pack problems and DC took his empty pack to help Jenna. I stayed behind to watch their things and keep an eye on Fat Patty. In the mean time, trot-along and I moved to the shade of the shelter. A few hikers (touch myself, lynxx) came by and a trail maintenance crew doing trail relocation preparations for the section we finished to get to the shelter. While we waited yogi showed up. A bit later doodle, mandy/ian also showed up. Tenting: Coach, handyman, carl/fat patty, trots-along, tree wisperer. Wx: 80's
Date: 2007-05-02
From: Tenting at Weedy Gap

To: Roan High Knob shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

Started hiking today at 0845. Trying to get out before it gets hot. The trail today was good and had a relocation section which was really nice. Instead of going jup and over a hill it skirted the side of it with a gentle accent. The legs and feet felt great and I made good time to clyde smith shelter. I stopped there for my first break of the day. Took off the boots checked the feet, snacked, and dried out the shirt. As I was sitting there Catchup, Bob, and AT70 came in for a break too. As we were all leaving Doodle was coming down the side trail to the shelter. The trail up little Rock Knob was a steep rocky climb but had great views once on top. I met up with Henry here before moving on. I got to Hughes Gap pretty quick since the trail followed a USFS road paet of the way. I took another snack break and checked the feet before going up Roan Mt. Coach arrived while I was breaking and gave me some water since I just ran out. It was a long steep climb for anout 2 miles before we got to Ash Gap and a water source. The climb up to the top of Roan Mt was still steep and tough in spots. Coach and I finally reached the shelter in an area surrounded by pine trees. The ground was covered with pine needles and was like walking on carpet. The only bad thing was that the area was also a human waste minefield so you had to watch where you walked. Ick! The weather got cooler and we had a fire going to keep warm and gather around. tenting: Coach, handyman, doodle, mat©, genesis, dirty carl/fat patty, trot-along, yogi. Wx: 80's
Date: 2007-05-03
From: Roan High Knob shelter

To: Apple House shelter
Miles today: 14.5

Started hiking today at 0920. If the clouds are any indication of today's weather I want to get moving. The hike to Carver's Gap went pretty good. I still don't like hiking on rocky paths. I covered the distance in about two hours and stopped at the parking lot to get rid of trash. The hike up to round bald and Jane Bald was easy. The downs are what still bother me (knees, feet). I felt really strong on the uphills. The wind was blowing about 20-30mph at times and the clouds started coming in. Stan Murray shelter, Overmountain shelter is an old converted barn and is really a neat place with great views of the valley below. I ate lunch here before going up Little Hump mt and then to Hump mt. The weather looked like it was going to get bad soon so I stopped and put on a long sleeve shirt, pant legs, and pack cover. Coach caught up to me then and we both hurried up Hump mt. We only stayed on top for about 2 minutes before "running" down the other side of the mt because the clouds were coming in fast and thunder could be heard too. It probably took us 15 minutes to cover the mile of exposed ridge before we got to a lower area. Looking back I could see the top of the mt was covered in clouds. Within 5 minutes the rain started, sprinkles first, then a drizzle. I hiked on through the rocky trail until Doll Flats. Since it was still raining I decided not to get water here and kept going. Somewhere on the trail I missed a turn and mistook a small (20 ft) drop as the trail. I inchee my way down to a ledge that looked like part of the trail and realized it wasn't but couldn't get back up with my pack on. I also couldn't take the pack off either. There was enough room on the ledge to inch my way down to where I could drop down and get to the trail below. Once I was back on the trail it was smooth sailing until I ran out of water about 30 minutes from the shelter. I pressed on and got to the Apple House Shelter at 1630. I was shocked to see Dirty Carl, Yogi, and Trots Along there. They hitched a ride into twon from Carver's Gap and then hiked the 1/2 mile up from the road. I immediately went to get water since I was pretty thirsty now. Coach arrived shortly thereafter. It was about an hour or so before Doodle arrived. About another hour before Genesis and Mat© arrived. All three looked pretty soaked. A long hiking day in the weather today. In shelter: Coach, doodle, mat©, genesis, dirty carl/fat patty, trots-along, yogi. Tenting: Handyamn. Wx: 50's-am, 70's and rain-pm
Date: 2007-05-04
From: Apple House shelter

To: Mountaineer shelter
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Started hiking today at 0835. I slept good in my tent despite some rain during the night. I always want to get an early start since it gives me more time for whatever happens. Today was a good example. When I got to the road and noticed a sign for a hostel only .3 miles away I headed in that direction. Besides, Coach and Doodle were going there too. Once I arrived at the hostel and set my pack down I went to the house. I went in and Doodle was eating breakfast. I was asked if I wanted breakfast too and I said yes. I thought I was only going to get the continental style but then a big plate of food was put in front of me. It didn't take me long to eat it all. After we were finished we went to the hostel in the top of the barn where Coach was. Nice place! We relaxed and started watching a movie until the others arrived so we could be shuttled to the store. I tried to dry out my rainfly while waiting and charged the pda. On the way to the store, carl/fat patty were at thr trailhead hitching. The shuttle picked them up and we continued to J's Market. We saw Circuit Rider and Sherlock here and they caught a ride to a restaurant where genesis and mat© went to eat too. The rest of us went back to the hostel and repacked to get ready to hike again. We also watched "Liar Liar" during this time while waiting for the two to return from eating. Coach started hiking about 30 minutes before they got back and I was leaving as they returned. The hike out was humid and warm. I was soaked with sweat in no time on the uphill. It was a long climb in wooded and open areas. There was an occasional breeze to cool off some but they it did not last. The trail was well maintained and easy to walk on. About 2/3 of the way to Jones Falls it started to sprinkle and get cooler. Jones Falls is definitely worth a stop. I continued on in the light rain and thunder until I reached the new Mountaineer Shelter. It is a awesome shelter with 3 sleeping levels. We had another bear rope incident tonight that was almost as comical as the last one. Coach through his line up and over a notch about 30ft up but his weight bag did not have enogh weight to pull the rope down. He tried to pull the rope up and over for another try but only got it stuck in the notch. We tried for about 15 minutes to dislodge it with no luck. I thought of tying my thin rope to the loose end of his and then throw mine over the same notch to hopefully be able to pull my rope through and also his rope tied to the other end. After a few tries to get the rope where it needed to go, we started pulling and then everything came to the ground. Success! Time for bed after that. In shelter: Coach, handyman, chris and carl (section hikers) Wx: 70's and humid w/sprinkles-pm
Date: 2007-05-05
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Laurel Fork Lodge/Hostel
Miles today: 15.6

Woke up feeling pretty good after sleeping in this shelter. After packing and eating it was off to the trail. It was chilly so I wore just the long sleeve shirt. It rained off/on most of the day but it was stiil a good hiking day since it was cool out. We made good time today but my feet were giving me some problems due to the dampness of my boots.I twisted my left knee pretty good when I slipped on a wet root. I caught myself with the hiking poles before going all the way down. I did the same thing again almost 3 minutes later. What a day. I went to the Kincora Hostel first since that is the one we talked about. I was there for about 15-20 minutes, but no Coach, before deciding to go to the Laurel Fork Lodge/Hostel to see if Coach was there. He was there and shortly thereafter was a pizza delivery vehicle. Oh boy - pizza! I decided to place an order for a large pizza. While waiting, Star Wars on video was playing so I watched some of it. At hostel: Coach, handyman, 20yr-plan, lynxx & touch mystuff. Wx: 50-60's with light rain all day
Date: 2007-05-06
From: Laurel Fork lodge/hostel

To: Stealth site - 1/4 mile S. of Watauga Lake dam
Miles today: 11.0

Coach and I left the lodge/hostel at 0845 and got to the trail at 0855. The trail from Dennis Cove to Laurel Fork Falls was great. It had everything - smooth trail, rocky climbs, river crossings, giant laurel blooms, sound of the river, the glissening of the sun off the wet foliage. It was a fun walk. The falls were the best yet and we stayed about 20 minutes there. Wx: early am rain, 60-70's and clear afterwards. Tenting : Coach, handyman
Date: 2007-05-07
From: Stealth site - 1/4 mile S. of Watauga Lake dam

To: Iron Mt shelter
Miles today: 13.0

Coach was up early trying to catch the sunrise. I woke at 0645, ate, packed, and was hiking at 0840 with less than 1 liter of water. Coach was just getting ready then. The walk to the dam was less than 1/4 mile. The wind was blowing and the temp was 50. Brrr. The trail goes across the dam and up the maintainance road to the double blaze at the end of the guard rail. If you are not looking you could miss the trail change and continue walking down the road. Lynx and TMS camped where the trail goes back intomthe woods after you cross the road. From here it is all uphill to the ridge that parallels the lake. The first water source is a spring 1.8 miles before Vendeventer Shelter. I filtered water here since I needed some and was pretty thirsty anyway from conserving my water up to this point. Plodder hiked on by. Water is very good when you have some to drink. I got to the shelter about 45 minutes later and stopped for lunch, boots off, and a break. 20 yr-plan was just leaving when I got there. Lunch was good and so was the view behind the shelter. After lunch it was back to the trail. I stopped again about 2 hours later, snacked, boots off, and decided to make a couple of phone calls if I had service. I did and I called Randy and Sherry. Always nice to talk with them, especially Sherry. I don't talk to her often so it's great when we can. I hiked the next hour to the shelter, setup camp, and went back down the trail to get water. This is where I finally saw coach today. After getting water it was back to the shelter and dinner. As I was in my tent changing to warmer cloths, Doodle and Coach come walking up the trail. There here! I finished and walked down the trail and saw genesis and mat© coming too. The group is back together except for Yogi. Tenting: Coach, handyman, hojo, jack rabbit, mat©, doodle, genesis, 20yr-plan, and O2. Wx: 50's-am, mid 70's pm, clear.
Date: 2007-05-08
From: Iron Mt shelter

To: The Place; Damascus, VA
Miles today: 25.9
Weather: clear sky

It was a cold and windy night last night but I slept good and warm in the quilt. I got up and was ready to go at 0820. Doodle left about 5 minutes earlier. Ifelt great once I warmed up and literally flew down the trail. I must have been doing at least 3 mph. I did the first 5 miles in 2 hours with an uphill. Doodle saw me and said I was freakin flying down the trail. I like cool days to hike and prefer to get out early to beat the heat. My first stop was a road crossing that led to field with awesome views of the valley. I did 10 miles by lunch time and was already thinking about going all the way to Damascus - 26 miles. I spent most of the day ahead until after lunch when I felt blah and sore after rolling my right ankle for the second time today.  I pretty much struggled to make Abingdon Shelter. Once there I just wanted to take a nap and let the feet rest. I still wanted to push on to Damascus though. After rest and getting more water, re-taping the feet I was ready to move on. The last ten miles was a chore but I just pushed on a made it to Damascus by 2000. I waited for the rest except Coach who flew down the trail too. We all met up in the park and made it to The Place Hostel, part of the Methodist Church where we tented on the grass.   We could wait to eat and ended up walking to both ends of town lookingfor some place that was still open. The Old Mill, which caters to thru-hikers was open until 2100 and we got there at 2050. The food was great and worth the effort of walking all through town. I would recommend it to anyone to eat there. What a way to end a long day of hiking. Wx: 40's-am, mid 70's pm, clear and windy in the morning
Date: 2007-05-09
From: The Place; Damascus, VA

To: The Place; Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Took a zero today to rest up after the 26 mile day. The body still feels tired. Up early to eat breakfast at Cowboys, do laundry at the same time. Picked up mail drop after laundry and moved into hostel when the sky clouded and looked like rain. Also checked out the Sun Dog Outfitters and picked up new insoles for the boots with more cushioning. Bought two new liner socks to replace old ones. Went to Food City for groceries. The library in town is open until 1900 but I had no luck with uploading photos from the USB port. It was blocked. A better place for internet is the Baja Caf© (open til 2000). Wx: mid 70's, clear
Date: 2007-05-10
From: The Place; Damascus, VA

To: Saunders shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we are finishing up of all the last minute things before getting back on the trail. A run to the Post Office to mail home items no longer needed, stop at the Outfitters for denatured alcohol, last stop at the dollar store for a couple of things. Busy day just to get out of town.   Coach got his hair cut short by Mat© and Doodle. Meghan came in when they were almost done. Doodle was having problems with her left knee again after it stiffened up last night. She may be staying another night to see how she feels tomorrow. Coach and I started down the street with the blazes until we got to Subway for lunch. We both ate half our subs and kept the other half for later. The trail out of Damascus follows the Virginia Creeper Trail which is an old railroad converted to a trail. Once we saw the double blazes to turn back into the wilderness we knew it was game time again. The trail was pretty easy with a steady climb most of the way. The last 2 miles were almost all switchbacks to the top. We got to the shelter at 1830 after starting at 1330. Not bad for almost 10 miles and a liesurely walk. We didn't want to work ourselves to hard the first day back on the trail, especially with full food bags. Tenting: Coach, handyman, Mt Man, Hikernut, Critters Dad, 2 section hikers. Wx: mid 70's, clear and warm.
Date: 2007-05-11
From: Saunders shelter

To: Lost Mt shelter
Miles today: 6.4

Last night it rained enough to get the rainfly wet which helped create some condensation on the underside with no breeze. Since today's mileage will be short so the others can catch up there is no hurry to get going. Might as well take advantage of the sun and dry everything before packing it. Slow days like this are more fun sometimes because you can enjoy the day more. Coach got a message from mat© saying that doodle is still hurting and msy stay in town again and that were going to do a 20 if necessary to catch up. Coach and I only plan to do 6 miles today. I ate lunch and fell asleep in the shelter for about an hour. I had my head on one of my crocs and was laying on my side without a pad. I'm surprised I even slept. We started off slowly and kept it that way all day. We ran into a trail maintainance crew putting in steps and a bridge in one section of the trail. We also got back on the Virginia Creeper Trail again for about 1/2 mile. It parallelled the river too and was such a peaceful walk. We also saw a black snake on the bridge crossing the river. We got to the shelter about 1700 and found some spots to setup our tents, get water, cook dinner. After dinner, genesis and mat© came in and told us doodle and yogi are both going to work at the carnival. It looks like doodle needs time off to heal her knee. It was a nice short easy day. Tomorrow will be longer and tougher with Mt Rogers. Tenting: Coach, handyman, Mt Man, Hikernut, Glen, G-Force, 2 female section hikers. Wx: mid 70's, clear and warm.
Date: 2007-05-12
From: Lost Mt shelter

To: stealth site - 1/3 mile N. of Thomas Knob shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

Started hiking today at 0900. A section hiker names Trekking Trav hiked with me to Buzzard Rock. He is a graduate from the Appalachian State College with a history degree. We made good time for the first mile and a half in 20 minutes. It was cool out but humid too.Saw Kimchi, barking spider, two other slackers. Trekking Trav hooked up with a family at buzzard rock for a ride back. I trekked on and ran into a SOBO named Rambo Ron. He said he started in July 06. Wow! I also saw a lot of day hikers today too. One the funniest things today happened after I reached thomas knob shelter and was 1/4 mile north where Coach was chilling. We were both relaxing when a young couple with two dogs walked by. They stopped briefly to chat until the dogs started getting playful. One of the dogs collars came off and he started running off down the trail prancing like a deer. I'm saying, "I'm free, I'm free" as the dog is running away from the couple as they chase after him. Coach and I started laughing at what just happened. We've never seen a dog run off - boing, boing, boing. It was the funniest thing ad made my day. Tonight is beautiful out and clear now. You can see the stars everywhere. The sunset tonight was beautiful too. There were enough clouds in the sky to give it color. Tenting: Coach, Handyman, Mat©, Genesis. Wx: 60-70's, humid/cool-am, sprinkles/sunny- pm
Date: 2007-05-13
From: stealth site - 1/3 mile N. of Thomas Knob shelter

To: stealth site, near Hurricane Mt shelter
Miles today: 15.6

Woke to a foggy, cool, and windy day on Mt Rogers. Got up at 0600 and crawled back under my quilt. About 30 minutes later I was awoken by a small pony grazing 15 feet from my tent. The area we camped at last night is at the edge of the trees with cover from the blowing wind but close enough to the open clearing for great views. The wind and cool weather made it clear so you could see at least 50 miles in all directions. Just beautiful! The hike today was rough. I mean rough because of the beating my feet took from all the rocks we had to navigate. 85 percent of the mornings trail was ROCKS!! The views today were awesome though despite the rocky trail.   The trail changed from alpine to open to rock crawling to wooded.  There were lots of weekend and day hikers out today too. A normal trail day there may be 2-3 other hikers but that changes on the weekends. We saw a couple of hikers with pack goats. That was different. Tenting: Coach, Handyman, Mat©, Genesis, lynxx and tms. Wx: 45-50 am, 70-75 pm
Date: 2007-05-14
From: stealth site, near Hurricane Mt shelter

To: Partnership shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

I started early today while it was still cool. I wanted to get as many miles in early before it got hot. I must have had a pretty quick pace because I got to Trimpi Shelter in 3-1/2 hours. 9 miles in that time with some uphill trekking means I am finallt getting my trail legs consistantly working. Uphills are pretty easy but the downhills still hurt the knees and thighs. Rocky trails still hurt the feet - period!  Arrived at Partnership Shelter at 1700 and went straight to the visitors center to order pizza, buffalo wings, salad, and drinks. Pizza Hut delivers - awesome! I also met Kevin, Lil Sister, and Bailey when they were getting dropped off as I was walking to the entrance road to wait for delivery. It was good to see them again after such a long time. The shelter is awesome because it offers so much that others do not, mainly because it is located near the Mt Rogers HQ and visitors center. It has a shower, wash basin, enclosed privy, and phone access at the visitors center. There is also a cat at the shelter which woild be great for keeping the mice problem down.  Coach was the hit tonight with his music playing. A lot of the hikers had only heard of his playing ability but had not experienced it yet. They loved it! An awesome night. Tenting: Coach, Handyman, Mat©, Genesis, The Convoy (lil sister , kevin, bailey, newt, fishbowl, matlanta, 1, 2, old lady, G-Force). Wx: windy/50 am, 70-75 pm