morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-07
From: Spivey Gap, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.1

Today we had a shuttle driver take us back to Spivey Gap where we left off yesterday. We "slack-packed" (hiked without our packs) back to Uncle Johnnie's Hostel where we had spent the night. We were on the trail at 11 am and back at the hostel shortly after 3 pm. We ate lunch at No Business Knob Shelter (elev. 3171'). This section of trail is maintained by the Tennessee Eastman Hiking & Canoe Club, the hiking club my father was a member of. It was a well maintained, great section of trail and easy to walk. I felt like I was floating down the trail without a 30 lb pack on my back! There were great views of the Nolichucky River coming into Erwin.
Date: 2016-04-08
From: Erwin, TN

To: Beauty Spot Gap, TN
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: few clouds

We were on the trail at 9:20 am slack-packing (no packs) to Beauty Spot Gap. When we came into Indian Grave Gap at 12:30 pm, we were greeted by "Brother Tom" who was doing trail magic - hot chocolate and banana bread. After a short visit, we hiked on and arrived at Beauty Spot Gap around 1:30 pm. Our shuttle drive (Marie / J-Walker) got there around 2:30 pm and shuttled us back into Erwin.
Date: 2016-04-09
From: Erwin, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Today we took our 3rd "zero" day since we started the trip on 3/9. This is to avoid temperatures in the low 20s and high winds tonight at the higher elevations. We plan to be back on the trail about 11 am tomorrow after it warms up. Our wives are meeting us next weekend in Abington, VA so we need to be in Damascus, VA (mile 460) preferably by Friday. That means we need to have a good week and get in 106 miles to get there in time. Rain is forecast for Tuesday but other than that the weather looks good. We have reservations at the Martha Washington Inn in Abington and have a nice weekend ahead to motivate us.
Date: 2016-04-10
From: Beauty Spot Gap, TN

To: Clyde Smith Shelter, TN
Miles today: 14.4

Temperatures Saturday night at the higher elevations dropped into the low 20s. Mary, our shuttle driver in Erwin, couldn't pick us up until 10 am Sunday to take us back to Beauty Spot Gap (elev. 4323') where we had hiked to on Friday. We were in no hurry as we wanted it to warm up before starting hiking. We were on the trail by 10:30 am. The temperature was in the mid 40s and it was sunny and not too windy. We climbed over Unaka Mountain (elev. 5180'), which is covered with a dense spruce forest and had 1-2 inches of snow. We had lunch at Cherry Gap Shelter around 1 pm. We pulled into Clyde Smith Shelter around 5 pm and overnighted there.
Date: 2016-04-11
From: Clyde Smiith Shelter, TN

To: US 19 TN
Miles today: 24.8
Weather: light rain

Kim decided to come in to Abington, VA a day earlier (Friday) than planned. I decided I would give it my best shot to be in Damascus, VA for her to pick me up by 2 pm on Friday. This meant hiking 100 miles over the next 4 1/2 days, the most intense hiking of the trip! Steve the Hiker wanted to get to Damascus on Friday too to get gussied up before his wife, Susan, got in on Saturday to meet him. We both headed out before daylight, Steve at 5:30 am and me at 6:10 am. Jim and D.C. got a later start as they weren't trying to get to Damascus until Saturday when their wives were arriving. I hiked with my headlamp on until about 6:45 am when it was light enough to see. Steve hikes faster than I do so I didn't see him the rest of the day. I crossed Hughes Gap (elev. 4040') around 8 am. From there it was a steady climb up Roan High Knob (elev. 6193') for the next 5 miles. The trail was very icy coming down into Carvers Gap, TN (elev. 5512'). Over the next 10 miles, there are 4 exposed balds to cross - Round Bald (5813'), Jane Bald (5790'), Little Hump Mountain (5459'), and Hump Mountain (5587'). The temperature was in the mid 50s but the wind was a steady 20 mph and at times gusted up to 30 mph so it felt a lot colder. The crosswind was so strong it would blow me off the footpath. The original plan was to stay at Overmountain Shelter at Yellow Mountain Gap, which was about 4 miles past Jane Bald and about 16 miles since starting that morning. It was only 2 pm when I got there and there were 5-6 hours of daylight left. It was supposed to rain Monday night and Tuesday morning so I decided to keep going and get across the remaining balds while it was still clear. It is not a good idea to cross the balds when the weather is bad since they as are exposed and the wind, rain, and fog can make crossing difficult. I left Jim and D.C. a note in the shelter log book that I was going on. As I walked away from Overmountain Shelter and crossed the grassy area overlooking the valley below, it dawned on me that I had been here before. I had camped here on my first Boy Scout camp out when I was 11 years old back in 1967! I crossed Hump Mountain around 4:30 pm and had about 5 miles to go to Mountain Harbor Hostel. Steve had decided to stay there as well. At 5:30 pm, I passed a sign near Doll Flats at mile 390.1 that said "Leaving NC". I arrived at Mountain Harbor around 7 pm after hiking close to 25 miles for the day. There was a 71 year old section hiker at Mountain Harbor named "Last Man" who was ending his hike and parked his truck there. He had stayed at Clyde Smith Shelter with us the night before and gotten off the trail at Carvers Gap. He drove Steve and me into Roan Mountain, TN to Bob's Dairy Barn so we could get something for dinner.
Date: 2016-04-12
From: US 19 TN

To: Dennis Cove Rd., TN
Miles today: 25.1

Steve and I talked to Dave who runs Mountain Harbor Hostel about slack-packing opportunities. He told us he could shuttle our packs to Black Bear Hostel at Dennis Cove Rd. and we could walk the 25 miles with day packs. We decided to go for it as it started raining about 5 am and was supposed to continue through noon. We were on the trail at 7:30 am. The rain was a steady drizzle. Again, Steve and I separated and I didn't didn't see him until that evening. I took the short side trail to Jones Falls at mile 398.5 and spent a few minutes at this impressive falls. A short while later, I passed the 400 mile mark on the trail. I reached Dennis Cove Rd. about 5:30 pm and Black Bear Hostel was 0.5 miles to the right. The hostel was nice. We stayed in a small cabin. We had hiked 50 miles in last two days. I got my best night of sleep of the entire trip I was so tired. We only have 50 more miles to go to Damascus and are in good postion to be there by Friday.
Date: 2016-04-13
From: Dennis Cove Rd., TN

To: Camping Area (mile 439.7)
Miles today: 21.5

Steve and I left Black Bear Hostel and were back at the trailhead at 7:30 am. The next several miles was a beautiful section of trail as we passed Laurel Falls, another impressive falls, and walked alongside the stream. We separated during the steady climb over Pond Mountain (1700' over 2.5 miles). From there I descended to Watauga Lake, a beautiful lake where the mountains come down to the water's edge. I walked across Watauga Dam and had a steady climb the rest of the afternoon from Wilbur Dam Road up the ridge overlooking Watauga Lake. I cooked dinner on the trail at 5:30 pm about a mile past Vandeventer Shelter and then walked until 7:30 pm, reaching the camping area at mile 439.7 where Steve had already set up camp.
Date: 2016-04-14
From: Camping Area (mile 439.7)

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 28.8

I headed out at 6:50 am ahead of Steve. He passed me a short while later and we walked separately most of the day. There was a trail magic box with snacks at TN 91 provided by Nelson Baptist Church of Mountain City, TN. I caught up with Steve at 4 pm at Abington Gap Shelter, which is about 10 miles from Damascus, VA. We decided to hike the last 10 miles to Damascus. Stee got there about 6:30 pm and I coasted in about 7:45 pm. We hike 28.8 miles today, our highest daily total yet. We stayed the night at the Woodchuck Hostel in Damascus.
Date: 2016-04-15
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA (US 58)
Miles today: 1.4

Steve and I walked the 1.4 miles of the AT through Damascus. Kim picked me up around 1 pm and we headed to Abington, VA and we checked into the Martha. We saw "Big Fish" at the Barter Theatre. Kim won a door prize for traveling the farthest distance to see the play.
Date: 2016-04-18
From: Damascus, VA (US 58)

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

Kim dropped me off at the trailhead heading north from US 58 in Damascus at 11:30 am. It was a difficult good-bye after the nice three days we spent together in Abington, VA. She was driving to Knoxville to catch her flight back to Houston. As I headed up the trail, I knew this hastily-conceived thru-hike was much more difficult for her than I had imagined and also unfair. I recalled from Warren Doyle's AT seminar and also from the "Ten Rules of Long Distance Hiking" posted at the Top of Georgia Hostel to "have your domestic affairs in order". I had violated this advice / rule horribly. As I hiked on, I came to the conclusion that a thru-hike in 2016 wasn't going to happen for me. I decided then and there that completing the southern portion of the AT to Harper's Ferry, WV was a much more realistic goal, and that hopefully I would return to hike the northern section from Harper's Ferry to Katahdin in 2017. Steve the Hiker was only hiking to Harper's Ferry so that fit well with his plans. His wife Susan was going to drop him off at the US 58 trailhead sometime after 12 noon. I thought he would catch up to me fairly quickly as he is a much faster hiker than me. I hiked about 11 miles and reached a campground by a pond but still no Steve. It was around 5 pm so I decided I would cook dinner and wait for him. Steve showed up as I was finishing my dinner. I shared my decision with him. Susan had been "pretty adamant" that he be off the trail and back in Ohio by about May 20. Kim and I had been invited to a wedding on May 21 so we set a goal of being in Harper's Ferry by May 18. That would give us some lanyap and allow for travel time to get home. This meant we needed to cover 258 miles in 18 days or 14.3 miles per day. That seemed doable since the terrain was getting a little easier now that we were doing more ridge walking and less up and down, although we would need to resupply at least twice and would have a couple of shorter hiking days. We had our plan. We hiked on 3 more miles and arrived at Lost Mountain Shelter at 7:45 pm. We covered about 15 miles in half a day's hiking...not bad after being off the trail for three days enjoying our wife's company and the comforts of life.
Date: 2016-04-26
From: Sugar Run Gap

To: Rice Knob Shelter, VA
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Steve and I left Woodshole Hostel at 6:20 am. We had 0.5 miles uphill and were back on the trail at 6:40 am. We had about 11 miles into Pearisburg to resupply for the next 5 days / 100 miles to Daleville. We hit an AYCE Chinese buffet before going next door to the Food Lion. We had gotten a ride into town but weren't so lucky on the way out so had to walk a mile back to the AT where we had gotten off. Shortly after getting back on the trail we walked across a bridge over the New River and passed a Celanese Chemical plant that makes cellulose acetate for cigarette filters. Only a retired chemical engineer who spent 37 years in the industry would take a picture of that and out it in their trail journal. From there we had a 5 mile climb to Rice Knob Shelter. I am staying in the shelter tonight as the forecast is for rain tonight and the next few days.
Date: 2016-11-01
From: US 220, Daleville, VA (mile 727.5)

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

I am flying to Roanoke today to start another section of the AT. I am starting in Daleville, VA at mile 728 where I stopped on May 1 due to my leg infection issue. So after 7 months I am finally hitting the trail again. I had plans to get back out sooner but some other health issues came up. Those are under control now thanks to my crack medical team (Thanks, Dr. Ertan and team). On this trip I am hoping to get to Harper's Ferry, WV (mile 1023) by 11/22 so close to 300 miles in the next 20 days. This will be roughly half of the AT in 2016 with plans to do the other half in 2017. This trip required quite a bit more planning than my previous trip. On that trip, somehow I developed food allergies...perhaps due to my hiker diet of tortillas, peanut butter, Snickers bars, processed food, and the like. My gastroenterologist has banned me from wheat, eggs, dairy, shellfish, soy, and peanuts. As a result I have kept all my weight off and am hitting the trail at a relatively sleek 199 lbs vs the 220 lbs I started at Springer Mountain, GA in early March. I bought a dehydrator and prepared 60 breakfast, lunches, and dinners for the next 20 days containing none of the banned food ingredients. My wife, Kim, will be mailing my food drops to me every 5 days or so at various points along the trail. Talk about a Trail Angel! I used the book "Recipes for Adventure" written by a gourmet chef who is a backpacker to prepare my meals. It was a lot of work but will be good to eat healthier on the trail. Joining me for this hike is Jim Beeson (Hoosier) from Roanoke who I hiked with earlier this year and who completed the entire AT in August and Steve Toth (Steve the Hiker) from Cleveland, OH who I also hiked with earlier this year and who completed the section from Springer to Harper's Ferry back in May. Jim is meeting me at the airport today and we will spend the night at his house in Roanoke. His wife, Jill, will take us to the trailhead in Daleville in the morning and we will start hiking. Jim will join me for a tbd portion of the hike and Steve will meet up with us/me around 11/11 and hike back to where he is parking his truck. Should be fun. Both Jim and Steve are great guys and great hikers who I met at Warren Doyle's Appalachian Trail Institute in April 2015. Stay tuned! A final note...I will be hitting the trail for the first time as a 60 year old, having recently passed that milestone in October. Hike...stay young!
Date: 2016-11-02
From: US 220, Daleville, VA (mile 727.5)

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Jim, Terry Shipley (Jim's friend from Fort Wayne, IN), and I had a nice breakfast at Anthony's in Roanoke near Jim's house while we waited for Jill to get back from working out. She dropped us off at the trailhead in Daleville and we started hiking at 10:30 am. Terry day-hiked with us to Fullhardt Knob Shelter where we had lunch around 1:15 pm after hiking. 5 miles. Terry headed back and Jim and I continued on around 2:15 pm.. We hiked the remaining 6.2 miles to Wilson Creek Shelter, arriving around 5:30 pm. We had about an hour to get set up and have dinner before dark. We passed several southbound thru-hikers and there are several at the shelter tonight who started from Maine in late July / early August. Most of them are planning to finish in GA sometime in December. They have about 740 miles to go. One 18 year old who just graduated from high school and the others in their 20s-30s, 4 guys / 2 girls. I was surprised we saw as many people as we did. All in all, a good first day of hiking. Nothing too strenuous and the distance was about right given the late am start. Tomorrow we will get an earlier start and plan to walk about 14 miles. The dehydrated food worked well and was tasty...chicken enchilada stew for lunch and beef vegetable stew for dinner. I think I had the best food at the shelter.
Date: 2016-11-03
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To:  Jennings Creek Campsite
Miles today: 17.0

It was an uneventful night and unbelievably warm for November. We hit the trail at 8 am, about 30 min after sunrise. It was warm again today (upper 70s). I never had on more than a t-shirt while hiking. The trail paralleled the Blue Ridge Parkway the first half of the day and crossed it several times. We had several good views from the overlooks along the BRP. Water was scarce the second half of the day so we had to re-fill when we had opportunities. We stopped for lunch around 11.30 am at Bobblets Gap Shelter after hiking 7 miles and refilled there. We reached our planned destination, Cove Mountain Shelter, at 3 pm after hiking 7 more miles. Since it was early and there was no water at the shelter and we felt good, we hiked 3 more miles to Jennings Creek which is a large stream with a campsite. It is good that we did 17 miles today as that will make tomorrow a little easier. We are getting a light sprinkle as I write this.
Date: 2016-11-04
From:  Jennings Creek Campsite

To: Thunderhill Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

The rain that started last night around 8 pm continued steadily until about 3 am. Fortunately it was a gentle rain. I managed to stay dry in my hammock under my tarp, but had to pack my tarp wet. We got on the trail at 7:30 am. The morning hike was tough. We reached Bryant Ridge Shelter around 9 am and I cooked my breakfast (Green Grits & Ham). It was a steady 2400' climb over the next three miles (800' per mile and 1000' per mile is considered very steep). My pounding heart attested to this. Jim still has his AT thru-hiker legs and had a much easier time than I did. We reached Cornelius Creek Shelter around 12:30 pm. Jim and I parted company here. I am most grateful for him picking me up at the airport, putting me up at his house, and hiking the first 2 1/2 days with me. I cooked lunch (Chili Mac) and dried my tarp and arranged for a shuttle to pick me up tomorrow at 3 pm at the James River Foot Bridge to get my first food drop in Big Island, VA. I got back on the trail around 2 pm. The long break did me good. I reached Thunder Hill Shelter around 5:30 pm and got things setup. I cooked my Mexican Rice for dinner and it was quite tasty. One of the guys at the shelter tasted it and was quite impressed (I think it was a lot better than what he was eating). It got cold overnight, down in the low 40s / upper 30s I heard. I stayed warm in my cocoon and actually slept pretty well.
Date: 2016-11-05
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

I got up at 5 am and started getting ready. I had taken everything down, cooked breakfast, packed and was on the trail at 7 am. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to do the 14 miles to the James River Foot Bridge by 3 pm to meet my shuttle driver. I got there at 2:15 pm but hadn't stopped to cook lunch as usual so I was starving. My shuttle driver was there on time and took me the 4 miles into Big Island, VA. Both packages (food for next five days and Verizon cellphone) were at the H&H Food Market as planned. I needed to recharge all my electronics and the manager at the store said he would take me back to the trailhead so I let my shuttle driver go. I went to the deli side of the store and enjoyed a bun-less burger and fries while my phones and batteries charged. I was back on the trail at 4:45 pm and hiked the two miles to the Johns Hollow Shelter. here was no one at the shelter when I arrived button a group of eight from a Raleigh outdoor club came in shortly after me. A husband (Sweet Toots) and wife (Monster) SOBO thru-hiker couple and their black lab (Beast) arrived after dark. Monster is originally from Cypress, TX but left 10 years ago. She and her husband met in Shanghai where they both were working and got married. He is Swiss and they now live in Switzerland. They are taking their time hiking and taking advantage of being back in the U.S. to visit family and friends along the way. Daylight Savings time starts tomorrow so it will be light around 6:45 am.
Date: 2016-11-06
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: US 60
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I was on the trail at 6:45 am. Like yesterday, they were a couple of steep climbs to start the day but not nearly as long. I reached Bluff Mountain in 7 miles at 11:15 am. Great view in all directions. Today was my fifth day out and I needed to start thinking about heading in to take a shower, do laundry, and recharge my electronics. I had a good cell signal on top of Bluff Mtn. so called Three Springs Hostel as suggested by Jim to see if they were open. Oma answered and said yes. I would need to walk 2 miles further than my 18 mile day planned to get to the pickup point before dark at 5:30. It was 11:30 am when I started walking again so I had to cover 13 miles in 6 hours. Fortunately the guidebook showed it was mostly flat or downhill without too many climbs. I humped it as fast as I could taking minimal breaks and drinking plenty of water and consuming my uneaten snacks from the last few days. I got to US 60 at 5 pm and called Three Springs and they picked me up in a Smart Car, enough room for one passenger and a backpack. It was four miles to the hostel. I made the third guest at the hostel with a capacity of six. Very nice place with a large garden. Oma was giving me the tour and I made her aware of my dietary restrictions. While I was getting cleaned up and doing laundry, she cooked a hamburger patty and put it atop a fresh garden salad for me. It was great! Breakfast will be a smoothie and oatmeal. Great stop at Three Springs!
Date: 2016-11-07
From: US 60

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

AT - 11/7/6I had a nice nights rest at the Three Springs Hostel. Oma dropped me and a slackpacker off at the US 60 trailhead at 7:45 and I started walking. I had a 2000' ascent to Bald Knob (elev. 4059') that took 1 1/2 hours. I took it slow intentionally since I had pushed hard yesterday and wasn't sure yet how far I was going today vs. my original plan of Seeley-Woodward Shelter at mile 820.1. It leveled off after that with some small ups and down and then I reached Cole Mtn. (elev. 4022) which is a beautiful bald with great views in all directions. I cooked lunch at Hog Camp Gap (USFS 48). I had gluten free pasta with tomato sauce and beef. It was excellent. I have now mentioned all the various meals I prepared for this trip so I will lay off the food comments for here-on.I passed several more SOBO thru-hikers: Molasses from OK (started 7/18, hopes to finish 12/18, 40 days to go so needs 20 mpd); Determined from Atlanta (retired geezer like me - flip-flopping - did Fontana to Springer first, then Harper's to Katahdin, finishing with Harper's to Fontana); Buckshot, Tea Leaf, Slope Turtle, Mr. Tuxedo, Beans, and Snacks. I learned a new word from Beans: "Lasher". I was telling her about my hike earlier this and now this one. She said, "Oh, you're a Lasher". I was clueless so she said that means Long Distance Section Hiker. So I guess I am a Lasher.I made it to Seeley-Woodworth Shelter round 4:30 pm. I decided that was enough for the day (13.8 miles) and it starts getting dark around 5 pm now. I had the Shelter area to myself. I made a fire and cooked on it to conserve fuel and enjoyed the fire until about 8 pm, then turned in to my hammock.