morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-04-28
From: Little Laurel Mountain Shelter

To: Devil Fork Gap
Miles today: 15.4

Day 36: What a great morning!Today started out just great. I woke up to Trudge furious with me, because his pants were wet. Apparently, I had moved them to the front of the shelter in the middle of the night during an incredible thunderstorm. Lighting so close, it looked like a strobe light all night. Well, between snoring and the storm I was not a happy camper. I started out with my head at the front of the shelter, then at the back, then switched to the front again. In my defense, his pants were in my way, I was half asleep, and half angry. But, Trudge was angry (rightfully so), so I got angry more, and hiked away before he was ready. Thankfully, he has quick-dry pants so our relationship was on the mend soon.It is hard to write these journals, when the morning feels like a long time ago. Even harder to write, when I don't write everyday. Then, it feels like I am trying to remember something that happened a decade ago. We finished the uphill section from yesterday and thought that we had a relatively easy few miles. Boy, we were mistaken. That is what happens when all you look at is the evelation profile, instead of studying the entire map. We walked for what felt like several miles on an exposed ridgeline full of boulders. Not an easy task. We had no view (clouds/fog) on our left, but a semi-good view on our right. Then the clouds started rolling in over top of us and obscuring the other view. We spoked with several trail maintainers and one mentioned that over a hundred people died in the recent tornandos and 5 or 6 of them from the county we were in. My thoughts go out to those families. We are so lucky to be safe!We ate lunch with Vegemite, Pebbles, and a few others. I off-handly said "Why are we hiking to Maine?" Vegemite's clever response was "to look for bears." I said "I have plenty of bears near my home." Vegemite: "But these bears are different." Trudge: "These are special AT bears." To hear the continuing bear saga, you must read the next post!
Date: 2011-04-29
From: Devil Fork Gap

To: near Sam's Gap
Miles today: 10.0

Day 37: We thought we had a bear!Last night, we thought we heard a bear in camp. Nothing ever materialized, and it was probably just deer. We did, however, wake up to a dog (maybe a husky/border collie mix) sniffing outside our tent. Trudge said that the dog (whose name was Julie) had been there awhile. I wonder if she was our elusive bear or the dog that was barking all night? I wanted to keep her, but that wouldn't be right. We didn't have enough cell service to call anyone, plus Julie shortly ran off with some other hikers. In one gap, we saw off in the distance some strange-looking structures high up on a ridgeline and side of a mountain. I guessed (not completely serious) that they were giant hay bales. We learn later on that my guess was pretty far from reality.At lunch (w/ Body Snatcher, Geo, and Silverhiker) we learned about a cafe and gas station about 6 miles from us (3 down the trail, and another 3 by road). Trudge HAD to have doritos and ice cream. So we tried our luck, had a couple easy hitches, and were back to the trail in probably less than an hour. All for soda, arizona ice tea, combos, ranch doritos, ice cream bar, and pringles. Man, I've never craved junk food like this before. Plus, we were in need of toilet paper.
Date: 2011-04-30
From: Sam's Gap Spring

To: Whistling Gap
Miles today: 10.0

Hello to all my family, friends, and other readers. I hope you are having a wonderful beginning of summer. I am sorry that I have left you hanging for a month. Between being in podunk towns with no handy (or none at all) internet service and not having adequate time while in town, I have fallen a month behind in updates. I hope you will stick with me along this journey so together we can discover what lies around the next bend in the trail and life. So, here goes my attempt to relay all the funny happenings, as well difficult moments. Enjoy!4/30 Day 38: Best laid plans, well are just that "plans"We meant to do 17 miles, but the best laid plans don't always work. We wanted to get to No Business Knob Shelter, so we would only have a few miles the next day to get in to Erwin, TN. But when we came to Whistling Gap and saw Chucktown and StrawHat camping all was lost. Sometimes we are easily convinced by our friends to camp with them, especially when it is getting late and we had more miles in mind. Apparently Chucktown has "TITS": Trail Induced Tourettes Syndrome. The entire 15 minutes he was packing his bag in the morning, a string of obscenties peppered the surrounding air. While, I'd like to stake claim to the "TITS" acronym that was all Chucktown. We hiked over Big and Little Bald today. As I was waiting for Trudge, Mike (a 20 year old thruhiker) comes breezing by. He started April 1st and was averaging 20 miles a day. I am glad that this is not our style of hiking, especially because he complained about not seeing anything. I hope we can continue our leisurely pace and not have to do a flip flop hike. A flip flop is where you hike from Georgia to Harpers Ferry, WV and then drive north to Katahdin and hike back to Harpers Ferry. This seems anti-climatic to me. The balds were spectacular, except for the grotesque view of Wolf Laurel Ski Resort and the surrounding mansions. These were the "hay bales" I mentioned in a previous entry. Some of the balds we have been hiking over have interesting stories. Big Bald is at an elevation of 5,516 and provides breath-takings views to satisfy every hikers' appetite. According to our guidebook, from 1802-1832, a grumpy hermit named David Greer (nick-named Hog Greer) lived on the bald. Rejected by a love interest, he went to the bald and lived in a cave-like structure. He declared himself ruler of the mountain. He supposedly killed a man, but was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He died by being shot by a blacksmith who was never charged. So, is the 21st century more or less lawless than when Hog Greer was reigning over Big Bald?
Date: 2011-05-01
From: Whistling Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 39 5/1: The rush-rush to get to town!We hit trail magic at Spivey Gap right before they were packing up and only a little over 2 miles into our day. It was absolutely perfect though. Trudge had been declaring how much he wanted watermelon and I was craving corn on the cob. And that was exactly what they had (I got the last ear of corn!).The exact opposite of normal happened today: We were actually farther along the trail than I thought. We visited with Whisper, Moose, and Jungle Boots at the trail magic. Hikers are a rare breed. They had recently hiked straight for 36 hours, with minimal sleep. They only did about 40 miles in that time period. They were delirious most of the nigt. I would be too; I need my sleep. I don't see Trudge and I completely such a task (or shall I say shenangins?)The walk into Erwin from the ridgeline went on for what seemed like forever. I kept feeling like we were going up, when we were supposed to be descending. We had planned on staying at Uncle Johnny's hostel, but ended up in a real hotel room with PC, Ross, and Still Steve.
Date: 2011-05-02
From: Erwin, TN

To: mile outside of Erwin
Miles today: 1.0

Day 40: 5/2 The easiest hitching yetA nero day in Erwin, TN. Erwin is a nice town, but slightly spread out. The hotel we stayed at last night was a couple miles outside of downtown, so we started walking along the road. We chose to walk the road the three miles in hopes of getting a hitch, instead of taking a walking path. And, did we get a hitch...After I had almost given up hope on finding a ride, a really old man in a PT cruiser pulled up. He couldn't hear a word we were saying and had no idea where the post office (our destination) was. He said he had been a pastor in the town for 24 years. As we were getting into the car, he started to drive away before Trudge's gear and body was safely tucked away in the front seat. He kept insisting that he would take us anywhere we want to go, but we would have to tell him how to get there. When he dropped us off, he then seemed in a super rush. "Ok, I gotta go!" We received two other rides today without even thumbing. We got a quick ride in the back of a pickup truck to a milkshake place. When they asked where we were going, I instinctively said "Dairy Ace and then the trail." I hope they didn't think that I meant you must keep driving us to all of our stops. We headed back to Uncle Johnny's hostel with all of our food and upset ravenous hikers there waiting for a dinner shuttle. We had to defend our turf! We met more thruhikers at a campsite about a mile or so out of town. Lady and Sir No Name, a young couple from Florida, had received random trail magic from someone in town. They had 2 Liters of soda and a bunch of little debbie cakes. We helped them finish the Dr. Pepper and then we hung the rest in a tree and tacked a note to the tree. Hopefully, someone enjoys the surprise.
Date: 2011-05-03
From: Nolichucky River (mile or so outside of Erwin)

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Day 41 5/3: Rain, Rain, Rain We hiked in the rain for the second half of the day. It was completely and utterly miserable. We kept hiking to make it to the shelter, but stopped a mile or so before. This seems to happen to us a lot. But, our feet were killing us and it was getting dark.We walked over Beauty Spot, but I'd rather call it Disappointing Gap. It seems that Trudge and I will have to hike the trail again, because we are destined to miss all the "supposedly" great views due to rain and fog.I came up with five reasons why I love hiking in the rain:1. The roots and rocks become slip and slides.2. You could pee your pants and not even know.3. Walking in wet socks and boots feels like tons of pin pricks in your feet over and over again.4. Any time you bend over, cold cold water trickles down your back.5. I can prove no boots are waterproof.Can you come up with more reasons?
Date: 2011-05-04
From: Low Gap (NC/TN)

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 42 5/4: They strike again!Well last night in the rain, we stupidly neglected to hang our bear bags. Trudge can barely see with his glasses in the rain to throw the rope and besides what critter wants to come out in such weather. This was a mistake. For the second time, we got hit by mice. My food bag got chewed into and the bastard ate peanut butter and cheese. How, ironic. We made almost no forward progess on the trail today. The rain and cold in the morning caused us to turn over and ignore the daylight. And then we started discussing the future...Awhile ago, Mountain Momma (trail angel we met in the Smokies)asked Trudge and I if this trip has been easier or harder for us as a couple. My immediate response was "easier" and Trudge's was "it depends on the day." I was a little taken back by his answer, but he is probably right. Prior to this trip, our entire relationship has been long distance. Then, just imagine you and your signficant other hiking every day side by side and then sleeping in the confines of a 3.3 square meter tent. For six months.Anyway, we started talking about plans (or lack thereof) for after the trail. Neither of us have jobs lined up, nor do we know where we will live. Will we be able to find jobs in the same place? Will we be able to afford a house and land or have the knowledge and skills to build a house? What is our American Dream and do we want to pursue it?For a long time, I have fantasized of having my own small place in the country. With life experiences, that dream for me has transformed into perhaps building a small strawbale timber-frame home. I am a country girl at heart and would love to raise some of our own food (gardens, chickens, goats, maybe a pig or two), and live as sustainably as we can.After our long discussion, we only walked a mile this afternoon to the shelter we wanted to get to last night. What a day!
Date: 2011-05-05
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Hughes Gap
Miles today: 12.5

Day 43 5/5: Pacific Crest DreamsWe had planned on camping in Hughes Gap tonight, but there was a road there and posted signs near by. It is not advisable to camp near roads, mainly for your protection. We just barely caught some trail magic at Iron Mt. Gap from Mango (AT thruhiker in 06). Not only did he provide some much needed refreshments in the form of beer, soda, and donuts, he also shared his adventures on the Pacific Crest Trail. Once you have done the AT, it is only natural to want to complete a Triple Crown (a thruhike on three of the US's longest trails: Pacific Crest, AT, and Continental Divide). I can feel this desire stemming in me. Mango referred to the PCT as a coffee table book wherever you look, because of the magnificient views. The PCT provides different challenges than the AT, and thus requires a more defined wilderness skill set. These include better compass and map reading skills, as well as amateur mountaineering. The "loud boys" (my secret nickname for a group of thruhikers) had previously mentioned how they know someone who hiked the PCT and got lost for about three hours every day. This is a far cry from the white blazes of the AT.We helped a thruhiker from Germany find the right direction on the trail to Greasy Creek Friendly hostel. I saw him later at Clyde Smith shelter. He had already hiked 18 miles today, but was going on. He has to go home in August and wants to see how far he can get before that. He indicated that he was jealous of us, because we only hike 15 miles or so a day and get to enjoy the evening. Little does he know that on the days we hike 15 miles, we get into camp and pretty much go about eating and sleeping. No time to play, no time to rest, camp chores to be done.
Date: 2011-05-07
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Roan or Elk Park, NC
Miles today: 9.0

Day 45 5/7: We stayed at a B&B! Well, in the yard anyhowI felt like we were in the Sound of Music today. We hiked over many balds, including Little Hump and Big Hump. There seemed to be many false summits going up Big Hump. Views in every direction. We heard a rumor at Overmountain Shelter last night that there is a cult in the area that goes to Little or Big Hump and waits for aliens. We looked for them (the aliens and the cult) to no avail.Both Trudge and I miss our family very much along this journey. I spoke with my four year old niece, Brenna, at the top of Big Hump. She was very excited for her dance recital this afternoon. She sang her recital song for me at the top of her lungs. "Sugar and Spice, and everything nice, that's what little girls are!"I am trying to become a better birder. Since, I don't have binoculars or a field guide with me, I attempt to take pictures of different birds and look them up later. This is not a very good method, especially when the birds just look like far away little brown dots on the picture. Where is Greg Forcey when you need him?We tried to hitch to Roan with no success. However, the evening turned out fine since we walked 0.5 miles on the road to Mountain Harbour B&B. We didn't want to spend extra money to stay inside the B&B or bunkhouse, but we did pay for camping. This seems so strange since we can camp for free every other night on the AT. But, we did get hot showers, and shuttles into town for groceries and BBQ. The hostel was a charming farm with goast and horses.
Date: 2011-05-08
From: Mountain Harbor hostel

To: couple miles north of Laurel Fork
Miles today: 17.0

Day 46 5/8: Is he going to go all the way without me?Longest mileage day yet at 17. We hiked into the night. Got started late around 10 am and didn't finish until 10 pm. Some of the day was relaxing though.We spent time at Jones Falls, taking pictures, eating lunch and talking with Captain Catchup. In the afternnon we came to Elk River, which was a blessing; the perfect place for Trudge to soak his weary feet and for me to go wading. News can travely quickly on the AT. We heard about trail magic at Abby's Place (a hostel that we didn't have plans to stop at). We finally found the bent over tree bench (check out the picture) and got to the hostel around 7 pm. There were only a few people there when we arrived, but hamburgers were still being grilled. After feasting on that and hanging around a bit, I got antsy. I don't like hiking at night, and we had not yet decided if we were continuing on or not. Eventually, I had a "meltdown" towards Trudge and we quickly proceeded to say our thanks and goodbyes to the others and hike out of there. Once we left, Trudge was hiking way in front of me (can you blame him?) and I thought maybe he was just going to keep going all the way to Maine without me. It didn't help that it was getting dark. "Trudge, Trudge, where are you?"
Date: 2011-05-09
From: North of Laurel fork

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 7.5

Day 47 5/9: Weirdos on the trailIt was a short day as we wanted to make it to Kincora hostel owned by the famous Bob Peoples. Bob is an avid supporter of the AT, a trail maintainer,and crew leader of the Hardcore volunteers. Bob is a legend. Do you remember the Chuck Norris sayings? Well, Bob is somewhat like that. "Bob Peoples gives his shoes blisters." "Do you know why there are no footbridges in TN? Bob Peoples parts the waters." I swear I don't make this shit up.We had three packages waiting for us at the hostel. A food box, Trudge's kilt that he ordered from REI, and our edible plants book. I can't wait to see Trudge in his kilt! Before we got to the hostel, we stopped at a little pond next to the road. This was a nice change of scenery. We watched bullfrog tadpoles, dragonflies, and three salamanders. I had never really seen salamanders actually swimming.   We ran into DVD, Not Worthy, and Whisper at Kincora. I wasn't sure when we would see them again. This setting and these people feel good to be around. Well, most of them..Although, most AT thruhikers are a bit strange, some move beyond strange and into the creepy realm. It might be just that the person I am referring to does not have great social skills, but I am not the only one to feel uncomfortable around him. Thank goodness, I have Trudge to protect me! . This same person also has very strange theories about bears. It was entertaining (for a little bit) to listen to him try to argue with others why you shouldn't hang your food. He uses his food as a pillow. He insists that bears cannot smell the difference between your clothes and your food. And since many people use their clothes bag as a pillow, why not just use your food bag? Bears don't want to be around people and they can't smell the difference between your clothes and food anyhow. He also was quite adamant that bears have NEVER EVER attacked anyone on the AT for their food. This guy is out of his mind!However, I have been surprised with how many people are lax (or maybe just lazy) about taking bear, raccoon, or other vermin seriously. I have heard about people wrapping their food bag in clothes and raingear and then putting it in their pack. Uhh, bears have great sniffers! Plus, its the little critters that will get you. I speak from experience.
Date: 2011-05-11
From: mile past Wilbur Lake Rd

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 49 5/11: The day of icing!A very slow, but fun day. For trying to make miles to get into Damascus, VA in time for Trail Days, we didn't get very far. The morning was slow due to rain. Then, when we got moving, I noticed that DVD's tent looked like it had been through a tornado.   Last night, she set it up too close to a tree, so one side was caving in. It looked like the tree and tent were one.We stopped for lunch at Vendeventer Shelter and came across Cheetah trying desperately to get a small black bag out of a tree. He thought it was a bear bag and that it would have food it in. What a fiasco! There were people climbing on each others shoulders trying to reach the bag. Eventually Cheetah's persistance paid off and the bag came tumbling down. Turns out it only had rocks in it, as it wasn't someone's food bag, but rather their throw bag. The bag was falling apart, but I think the carabiner was in good shape.Lunch continued in this ridiculous fashion. First, we had to dry out all our gear due to last night's storm so lunch took longer than normal. Then, DVD asked me to toss her our icing and ginger snaps. So, without thinking I rolled the icing (i swear someone said to do so), and on sudden impact with DVD's foot it went sailing 20 feet over a rock cliff.Immediately, everyone rushed to the cliff to see if we could see the lost shaker of salt (i mean icing). There was no easy or safe way to go down the 20 feet over the rocks. Eventually, Trudge disappeared to go traverse the safe side in search of our beloved calories. No one knew where he had gone except me. He scrambled through briars, poison ivy, and other nasty stuff. Not only did he find the icing, but also a pot lid, one shoe, and various other discarded items.Trudge decided to come up the rock face with our loot. Doing things the hard way is typical of him. On his way back up, I had the scare of my life. All of a sudden, he slides back down 10 ft or so. His arms got scratched, but otherwise he was ok. Like he told me on our first date, he is durable. Miraculously, he was still holding the pot lid and the icing! Finally, the light bulbs went on in our heads and we lowered a bag for him to relinquish the goodies. This time his climb was smooth sailing.The evening was just as fun. We camped with Cheetah, DVD, Not Worthy, and Whisper. As it turns out it was Cheetah's birthday. Since we rescued the icing, it was imperative to use it. We put our Bakepacker to use and made a scrumptious carrot cake with cream cheese frosting! We even lit a match for Cheetah to pretend it was a candle. We are so roughin it!Someone had left a bag of trash, candy, drink mix, and clothing in the shelter. In the middle of the night, I discovered that a raccoon was helping himself to the items and scattering them all around. While it was cool to see the raccoon, I wish more people would prescribe to the "Pack it in. Pack it out" philosophy.
Date: 2011-05-12
From: Iron Mt. Shelter

To: Abingdon Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 50 5/12: Welcome to the Holiday InnFinally, today we hiked a few more miles. Everyone had said that the trail into Damascus was easy and flat. They were wrong, but today was a little better.Trudge and I hiked together, while DVD and Not Worthy's pace was more suited for each other. They are faster.We got double trail magic right next to each other. First, a cooler from a church filled with sodas and then a random grocery bag with 4 soda cans. It seems strange to take food just left behind in the woods, especially when it isn't labeled (like our second find).Trudge, Whisper, and I thought about hitching into Damascus and skipping a few miles. It was time for us to become yellow-blazers. However, our conscience took over and we decided not to. All because DVD was expecting us at the shelter. We passed the grindstaff monument. It looked like a chimney, but if you walked around to the back it had a gravestone in it. "Uncle Nick Grindstaff. Died 1923. Lived alone, suffered alone, died alone." This might be one of the saddest things I have ever heard.We passed another Low Gap (there are many) and a handicap accessible section of the trail. This was a half mile gravel section through a field with some old farm buidings. I can't imagine not being able to walk or having some other physical handicap. I am so fortunate to be able to take this peregrination through the Appalachian mountains. A mile before Abingdon shelter, we came to an emergency shelter. This was a very old shelter, which leaned to one side. Someone had carved "The Holiday Inn" above the door. Once we got to the "real" shelter, it was a mini tent city. Tents were set up everywhere, stretching about 200 yards down the trail past the shelter. It was what I expected tent city at Trail Days to be like. Many people section hike into Damascus for the festival.