morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-03-26
From: Moreland Gap Shelter, TN

To: Kincora Hostel, TN
Miles today: 5.8

I slept well with the exception of the hikers from the last shelter walking by. The first Tao went by before dawn, then came Fed Ex. It was right around dawn and he was yelling, "he how are you doing in there?" I was like, uh sleeping. He got some water and left. He said he and Tao woke up at 3am! Then Osprey & Mousetrap(forgot to mention him in yesterdays journal) came by, I barely heard them. Then Kentucky Blue and Guthook went by, very quiet. I finally woke up around noon. I ate and was getting ready to head out when "Comer & jean" showed up. They are in their late 60's and are doing their 2nd thru hike. I said goodbye to them and did the 5.8 miles of puds to Bob's. Usually when you go into a town, "it is all down hill". Not this little jaunt. When I got to Kincora, I said, "Bob I want to congratulate you on how well the trail looks and I dont think you missed a hill on the way in." He did not blink and said that he is trying to find a few more to add in. Kincora is arguably the best hostel on the trail. He & his wife, Pat, are just totally devoted to the trail and helping hikers. When I got here, I saw that I had a package from "O.G.". I was sooo excited. I worked with this guy and his wife about 7-10 years ago. We had recently been cyber-reunited during my hike. He had been reading my trail journal and had alot of quotes from my journal, like "ravenous dog" etc. It is amazing that each of these packages are like Christmas. $1000 dollars spent on gear; $1000 dollars spent on lodging; 1 package from "O.G.": priceless! I spent the evening enjoying the company of all the tru hikers. One thing that I am starting to notice is that everyone knows me/off me. I guess that I started so early everyone has read my journal and trail register writings. Also, "osprey" made 2 homemade apple pies, no joke. He is only 18; but what a cook! So we ate hot apple pie and ice cream. I also enjoyed "O.G.'s" package contents and surprisingly went to sleep around dusk when everyone else did.
Date: 2007-03-29
From: McQueen's Knob emergency Shelter, TN

To: The Place, Va
Miles today: 12.0

There was an awesome view from here down into the valley. I was kind of upset with myself for not making it to Damascus last night; but, I gave it a shot. I had no water at all and I did not think there was any water until the next shelter. I ate a few granola bars and got going. It was only about 1 1/2 miles to the Abigdon Gap Shelter and I got there quickly. I took the long walk to the spring. I got alot of water to rehydrate. I also ate a great deal. As I was eating an ex thru hiker showed up, I cant remember her name now. The Comer and Jean showed up. They kidded me about getting up so late. I took off and the 10 miles into town was kind of tough for me. My feet really hurt. I got into town around 6pm; so, I missed my maildrop that was sent to me by "Tamborine". I walked down to The Place(a hostel run by the United Methodist Church). There was no one here; so, I went down to Dave's Place(a hostel run by the Mount Rogers Outfitters). There was no one here. I did read a register that said that Fed-Ex made it the 33 miles. No one else did. I went back to The Place and Found a 450 page book by Gore Vidal called BURR. It is a novel about Aaron Burr's side of the history around the American Revolution.
Date: 2007-03-30
From: The Place, Va

To: The Place, Va
Miles today: 0.0

Spent the day drinking, basically. Crown Royal, Beer, Moonshine, & Maddog. Met a new thru hiker named "Tito". I also saw my buddy "Mo Lasses". I tried to read my book this night; but could not, too much alcohol.Oh, also, I fianlly had my run-in with "Hawk!" Yes, I know you have all been waiting. Nothing happened. Him and I shook hands and both said we were sorry. We did stare each other down as we approached each other, though. I once had him sent to jail in July 2005. I might tell that story at some point. I want to talk with him more about the situation first.
Date: 2007-03-31
From: The Place, Va

To: The Place, Va
Miles today: 12.5

I woke up and went and talked to all my buddies over at Dave's Place. I got bored and asked Coughdrop if he would drop me off about 12 miles north and I would walk back to town. He said he would. He had his car with him. He was just doing a partial thru hike. He did a complete one in 1996. He said that he wanted to get back into the trail culture. He dropped me off and I decided to follow the Va Creeper Trail to town. The At connects in several spots. I have done the AT in this area in 1990 and 2000; so, I did not feel bad. The Creeper is such a beautiful trail. The BeaverDam Creek flows right beside the trail. It was a most realxing walk. I did the 12 miles in about 3 and 1/2 hours. I saw alot of fisherman and bike riders. I got into town around dark and took a shower. I put a good dent in my book.
Date: 2007-04-01
From: The Place, Va

To: The Place, Va
Miles today: 0.0

Even though that was a short hike with no backpack; my feet still hurt. I guess that is how it is going to be. I spent the day reading my book, which I do recomend. Burr has a very different view of our early American history. I did take some time to go drink some beers at a locals house with a big bonfire next to the creek. His name was Dennet. There was him, Mo Lasses, Frenchhorn, Ansel, L-Train, Orange Blaze, Hawk, Alley Cat(female) & I. We listened to country music and played foosball. I also shaved my beard off! Very nice to see my nice square jaw again and I look ten years younger!
Date: 2007-04-03
From: The Place, Va

To: Saunders Shelter, VA
Miles today: 9.75
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up around noon to a gorgeous day. I stayed up very late to finish ready the book Burr. What a book, Gore Vidal is a good writer. Drank an entire pot of coffee and ate a big breakfeast. I headed out from The Place around 2 pm and followed the white blazes through town to where the AT meets the Va Creeper Trail. I had mixed emotions about my blue blaze down the Creeper the other day. I also did not feel like gathering the strength to hitch hike back to where cough drop dropped my off the other day; so, I followed the AT up where it diverges from the Creeper. I was surprised at how strong I was. My pack was surely over 50 pounds with winter gear, bannanas, grapes, and 2 plastic jars of peanut butter(I know, why?). I did think alot about why the AT just does not follow the Creeper. Once I got up high, I understood. It is a nice view back to Damascus and towards Whitetop Mtn. It was probably 70 degrees with a light wind. The trail brought me back down across Hwy 58, The J.E.B. Stuart Hwy. The trail had a slight climb as it followed Laurel Fork. It was a pretty walk with the soothing sounds of waterfalls and rapids; just as it had been following the Creeper the other day. My feet were killing me; especially my right ankle. I took two advil that "Tamborine" has sent me; ate my bannanas and grapes; drank some water; and for some reason drank my thermos full of coffee. The climb up to Saunders Shelter was tough for me. It was a steep, long climb; but, there were swithcbacks. All the coffee mixed with the Advil was making me nauseous. I had to stop a couple of times to keep from purging them from my system. I got to the shelter and found that 2 men and 4 boys were tenting behind the shelter with one man going to sleep inside. I told them that I was not feeling well and was just going to take a nap and do some night hiking. I laid out my sleeping gear and laid there with leg cramps, nausea, heartburn, hungry, very hot, needing to urinate often, and developing a mean thirst. I finally drank some water and ate something. I felt a little better; but, still could not sleep. Like I was going to with all of that coffee! As I just about started to do some night hiking under a full moon; it started to thunder and lightning. The tenters came into the shelter because there was alot of wind. I stayed awake watching the storm and dreaming of "CP".
Date: 2007-04-04
From: Saunders Shelter, VA

To: The Place, Va
Miles today: 4.5

I woke up to a beautiful day; but still a little nauseous. So, I skipped the coffee. I did eat two helpings of macaroni and cheese. When I went to get water; I noticed how pretty of a spot this shelter was. The shelter was made of square cut timbers and was underneath some pine trees. There were soft pine needles spread all across the ground which allowed me to walk around barefoot. It also smelled piney. This shelter was worth the climb here. Another group of boy scouts came through as I was getting ready and they had their daily devotional. I complimented the leader on his group of boys and their demeanors. In the last week, I have seen 5 groups of scouts or groups of young men hiking. It is amazing how utterly different each group is/was. A group is a semblance of their leaders. The worst group of scouts never left the place and were screaming late into the night, cussing their mothers for not bringing more cokes. This group here did a devotional on sometimes not achieving goals and keeping the motivation to keep going. I now had a dilema on my hiking. I had 54 miles to go to The Partnership Shelter where I was to meet "O.G." I would have to do that in about 2 1/2 days. I did not want to that; so, I needed to call "O.G." and let him know to meet me somewhere else. There was also a storm moving in with freezing temperatures and some precipitation. I decided to walk down to Hwy 58 and hitch back to Damascus. I walked the 4 miles down to where the Bear Gap Trail went to Bear Gap and Hwy 58. I quicly got a ride from a 2004 thru hiker(forgot his name). He drove me to the place and I called my friend. He would now meet me here in Damascus, tomorrow!
Date: 2007-04-05
From: The Place, Va

To: VA 601 @ the old home site
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up this morning and it was very cold. I went to the library and updated my journal until around 2pm. I could not update anymore due to my excitement about my ol' buddy "O.G." coming out. I figured he would be here around 4 or 5; so, I found a good place in the sun and laid out on The Places' lawn. I tried to stay out of the shade and wind. Finally, my buddy showed up. Now "O.G." is about 6'2" and 260 lbs. We gave each other a big hug and he about squeezed the air out of me. He looked the same as he did about 7 years ago. We talked and could barely talk fast enough to get our points across before the other person began to tell a story. On the trail: an old friend is the best refreshment. We did not know what we were going to do; but, we ended up at VA 601 about 2.5 below/south of Buzzard Rock. Now "O.G." and I love to camp; so, we did it right. We gathered all kinds of wood and rocks to make a big fire pit. We spent the night talking continuously; playing with the fire; and drinking alot of beers. The wind was around 30 mph, it was clear, and about 25 degrees.
Date: 2007-04-06
From: VA 601 @ the old home site

To: VA 601 @ the old home site
Miles today: 13.5

Well, "O.G." woke up around daylight, as he always did and I tried to sleep as long as I could, as I always do. I eventually gave in and woke up around 8:30 am. We ate some MRE's(meals ready to eat-US Army). I was not sure quite what to do with my buddy here. Since I was always his supervisor and friend, I kind of had to set the tone and direction for his visit. I figured that he would not be in very good shape(compared to a thru-hiker), even though he is 10 years my junior and I teased him about this at every opportunity. I also did not want him to "slack-pack" me. That would not be very cool and plus: I wanted to talk to him; so, I decided to walk from here(VA 601) to Beartree Gap. That Gap is where I hitched back to Damascus the other day. We hiked there and back. I was surprised that "O.G." kept up with me! Evidently, he had been working out on a Nordic Trac. So, my plan of killing him was thwarted! Dang it! On this hike, the terrain is a bunch of rolling forested hills to the Creeper Trail and then a climb to Beartree Gap. Then we walked back. He did admit that his legs were turning to "jelly". Back at the end of "my natural prime": I used to tell him, "wait till your my age!" when he would complain about some physical ailment. He reminded me of this statement. He said that he is that age now and he understands what I meant back then. I told him now that as long as I hike; sleep right; eat right; take vitamins; that I would be forever young. When we got back to camp: we built the fire up and noticed that the weather was looking like it was taking a turn for the worst. We heard that a big cold front with snow was coming. This was perfect for us. Before the sun went down; the snow was really coming down. The snow would get to about an inch on our shoulders and head; then we would melt it by the fire. The snow was everywhere except about 2 feet around the fire which was raging. Eventually, he went to sleep in his tent and I slept in his car.
Date: 2007-04-07
From: VA 601 @ the old home site

To: The Place, VA
Miles today: 5.0

I woke up around 8am when I heard "O.G." getting into the trunk. It was difficult to get out of the vehicle because the doors were sealed with ice. We ate some MRE's and bundled up well as it was very windy, snowy, and cold. We headed up the 2.5 to Buzzard Rock. I knew that this was going to be a classic hike. I also knew that this hike would be hard on "O.G.". I should call him "Buttercup" here; but, he really did well. This climb is very long and steep in places. He asked to stop about half way. I did not blame him. Now as a joke; I would keep saying, "you can go back if you want, I know it is tough." I was kind of serious, though. This was especially the case when we were about 3/4 of a mile to the rock. There were no trees. It was brutal. My nose hairs were freezing and I have learned on this trip that when they freeze it is 10 degrees or below. The wind was an easy 50 mph.When we got near the top, I had to jog up the slope to keep my body temperature up. I yelled at OG to put his cap on. He looked at me and said, "OK, dad". OG had a camera and I told him that we were going to have "a weekend O' pictures". Anyway, at the top: it was so cold that we could not get the camera to work. We were not sure if it was human error or not; but, we got off of that and turned around and went back down to the car.On the way down, I basically ran in places. It was great fun with the snow near my knees deep. With my pack off of me: I was like a bird: flying down the trail. When we got back to the car, we got in and turned on the heat.While in the car: another car drove up behind us. I waited for the people to get out of the car. When I saw that two younger hikers were going up towards Buzzard Rock; I felt that I should warn them how dangerous it was up there. I also wanted to make sure they were thru-hikers. Any out of shape hiker or novice was going to have trouble up there. The two guys were "The Professor & Bobsled". They were thru-hikers and I gave them the conditions up on the mountain. I knew they did not believe me and thought that I was exaggerating. Well, OG and I decided that we would go into Damascus and celebrate our accomplishment. We went to a local and hiker favorite place called DOT'S. This place is very friendly to hikers. It also happened to be a 20 year anniversary celebration at the establishment. This meant alot of free food and two live dueling guitars. We had a great time and drank about 60 dollars worth of beer in pitchers.The clock on the wall was wrong. We thought it was around 8pm, as the clock said; but, it was actually 11pm. We said goodbye to Dennet(the guy whose house we thru-hikers went to about a week ago with the bonfire). There was also a strange thing. When we were leaving, a married woman came up and requested a kiss on the cheek from OG and I. Her husband was right there and we figured there was no harm; so, we kissed her. We both thought that was a little unusual!We went back to the place and I talked OG to sleep with my stories and escapades of my days in Dallas, after working at the boys camp in TN.
Date: 2007-04-08
From: The Place, VA

To: Partnership Shelter, VA
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

OG woke up early as usual and wondered around the hostel. I eventually got up and joined him. When I was making coffee; a lady came in with leftover breakfeast from a local church. OG, Quatro, and I ate the meal. It was perfect. We decided to go to Elk Gardens(it is a valley in between Whitetop Mtn and MT Rogers) and hike from the north up to Buzzard Rock and back. We first drove up to the top of Whitetop and walked from there on the AT to buzzard rock and back. It was cold up here; but, nothing like it was yesterday. It was probably in the high 20's in degrees and the wind was down to around 15 mph. It was a fun hike. OG took some pictures, I will post them when I get them. Then we went down to Elk Garden and hiked back up to the parking lot. Then we hiked back down. I was pretty impressed with OG's weekend. He hiked about 25 miles in 4 days. He had to put up with me constantly kidding him about being out of shape and old. When we came back down the mountain; I ran down again. It is great walking without a pack! We got back to the car and we went to the Partnership Shelter near The Mt Rogers recreation area headquarters. The reason we did this was that I wanted OG to meet some Thru-hikers and have the "shelter experience". Now, the guys at the shelter; I have alot of respect for. They all went over Whitetop Mtn and The whole Mt Rogers area in that blizzard. They had all sent home their winter gear, as well. The temperatures were around 0 degrees with 50 mph winds. They said that they had not slept at all in 3 days. Just a few fitful minutes here and there. These tough guys are "El-Train, Dice, Carefree, Hatchet Jack, Diablo," and another guy whose name I have forgotten. The guys name whom I forgot was talking down to OG. He was telling him to watch him; if he wanted to learn how through hikers did it. OG kept his composure and did not be a "smart-butt" like he really could be. I thought it was funny. OG back in the day, would have put on quite a show; but, I guess with 3 kids and a loving wife he has tempered. We slept out under the stars.
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Hurricane Shelter, Va

To: Partnership Shelter, Va
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Everyone in the shelter sleep until 10am. This is a little unusual for a group of thru-hikers. I was soon ready to go. I gassed everyone up about doing the 20 miles to The Partnership Shelter. We all agreed that we would try. I noticed that my lower abs were a little sore from all the swinging of my hips with the lighter weight. This was a good thing, I thought. I hiked all day with Mo. This is the first day that I would hike with someone all day long. It was surprising to me that he and I had about the same pace. The trail through this 20 mile section is fairly easy with gradual climbs and descents. Nothing spectacular to note except there is about a 7 mile climb before the last 2 mile drop to the shelter. It was pretty difficult; but, the thought of the shelter and my new found vigor, kept me going. We got to the shelter around dark. I was very happy about 2 back to back 20 mile days. At the shelter, I met a man who had left out with a group of aspiring preachers. They left him behind because he could not keep up(bad knee) and he was going to spend 5 days here, until his peers got to Damascus and came back and picked him up. His peers had given him the trailname "puke" because he vommited on the trip. He gave me a patch to seal the leak in my sleeping pad and told him that his new trailname was "Patch". He liked that name better and that is what he was called the rest of the night and he answered to it. I cannot resist to give a little sermon here. Patch came out to fellowship and learn with his peers whom we met on the trail going towards Damascus. They seemed very intense and hard core hiker "wanna be's". I told patch that he would learn much more about dealing with people in the next 5 days at the shelter than he would have ever learned with those other guys. Now forgive me; but, I saw the guys he started with as the "Pharisees". Jesus taught that he came to save the sinners, not the saints. And Patch was going to be around alot of sinners. I see his group as "Pharisees" because they left him as Jewish religious leaders left the beaten man on the path and it took a "Good Samaritan" to help him. I told him this and the story gets much more deeper and I tied it together much better verbally. Anyway, the patch did not work andI had another tough night; but, I did get to eat some pizza. The shelter has a pizza place that will deliver pizza here. This shelter also has a shower; but, it is turned off due to the cold.
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Partnership Shelter, Va

To: Shelter before Atkins, Va
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

1st of all: I want to apologize about forgeting the name of the shelter that I stayed at this night. We all slept in as it was raining. Mo and I thought that we may take a Zero miles day here to let the rain pass as did The Professor and Bobsled. I retrieved my food and gear from the woods and got it down to 6 days of food for the 80 miles to Pearisburg, Va. I had to leave about a pound of cous-cous and about 7 lipton cup of soups. I just could not carry all of the weight. About mid day a couple "Ladybug(female) & Natural High" showed up. She had a patch kit made specifically for therma-rests. It was quite an ordeal with actully boiling the adhesive and putting it on hot with the patch. It did work and my feelings were instantly uplifted. I was very concerned that I would have to sleep on a flat pad until the next outfitter in Daleville, Va(180 miles away). The rain had tappered off all day to where it had all but stopped. I asked mo at 3pm if he wanted to go to the next shelter. He said sure and we sprinted to the next shelter. We did not stop in the 7 miles; but, to drink some water. It did start to rain gently as we were getting close to the shelter. As we got into the shelter; it really started raining hard and rained all night. Mo and I decided we would try to do 27 miles the next day and went to sleep.