morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-04-20
From: Bald Mtn. shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's hostel (Erwin, TN)
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

I think yesterday's mileage caught up to me - I was feeling pretty slow, tired, and grumpy today. 16 miles felt like forever! And I was running seriously low on food, so that didn't help my mood. About 2 PM, I stopped at a shelter and found Chef, JDubs, Ranger Bill, Hips, Emelyn & the Israeli guy. They were the first people I'd seen since leaving the shelter, other than one southbound dayhiker. Catching up to them brightened my mood and my pace.Got into Erwin about 5 PM. They have a shuttle that took us into town - ate dinner at a KFC all you can eat buffet, so I feel disgusting and awesome at the same time. Resupplied at the grocery store - I think I bought too much food, but there's really no such thing on the trail. Hopefully I can get out of here early tomorrow - I heard a rumor that there will be trail magic at a spot 13 miles from here around dinnertime.
Date: 2012-04-21
From: Uncle Johnny's hostel (Erwin, TN)

To: Beauty Spot
Miles today: 12.2

This morning for breakfast, I had 2 packets of peaches and cream oatmeal (with a scoop of peanut butter) and a peach fruit pie. I feel very peachy today. Left Uncle Johnny's around 10, resisting the temptation to take the noon shuttle to town for an AYCE pizza buffet. It was great weather until about 1 or 2, when it started raining. I had heard a rumor there would be trail magic at Beauty Spot, so I kept pushing on. As I got to the top of Beauty Spot (a big, grassy hill) it got so foggy I could barely see anything, but I heard voices. Then I saw big tents and I arrived at the trail magic! They had a big grill set up and I ate a hamburger, then a taco, then a pork chop, as well as chips, soda & a huge muffin (over the course of about 4 hours). A bunch of people are here, including Ninja & UV, and some people I just met, like Tyvek & Jaybird. Talked to a Triple Crowner [someone who's done the AT, Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail] who's pretty amazing - he's sponsored by Outdoor Research & Darn Tough, so he's handing out free socks and boots. The people doing the trail magic are from Nashville (Nolensville). And I got to meet Miss Janet, who I've heard so much about! She is really sweet.
Date: 2012-04-22
From: Beauty Spot

To: Greasy Creek hostel
Miles today: 12.6

Awoke this morning to a delicious breakfast of muffin, taco & Sprite. Trail magic is awesome! The rest of the day was not so awesome - foggy, rainy, cold. There was one brief moment when it appeared that the sun would shine through the fog, but it lasted about 2 minutes. I saw Ninja & UV and we agreed to meet for the night at the Clyde Smith shelter (9 mi away). I got about 3 mi from there and saw a sign with directions to the Greasy Creek hostel. At that point, I was starting to get alarmingly cold and wet. My choice at that point was to put up my tent right there to avoid hypothermia or walk 0.6 and sleep on a bed inside a warm building. I chose the warm building. Now I am sitting in a bed, my stomach full of pizza. The lady who runs this place (Connie) is so sweet. I'm sharing a room with Boots and Melody - it was great to run into them again. It was interesting to hear a Swiss perspective on American politics - I think I would fit in well there. The forecast tomorrow is for snow, and in fact we just saw some flurries out the window. But I think I would rather have snow than rain at this point - you can just brush it off. Hopefully I'll be able to motivate myself to get back on the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2012-04-23
From: Greasy Creek hostel

To: Clyde Smith shelter
Miles today: 1.9
Weather: light snow

Well, didn't get very far today. I headed out this morning with the best of intentions to get to Roan Mtn. But when I got to the shelter, Ninja & UV were there, still in their sleeping bags. Ninja said temps on Roan Mtn were in the 20s with 50 MPH winds. That was enough to convince me to stay. Some section hikers who were here decided to go home early, so they gave us all their leftover food. So we've been sitting here in our sleeping bags all day, eating food and listening to music in Ninja's iPhone. Good day on the trail.
Date: 2012-04-24
From: Clyde Smith shelter

To: Overmountain shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

Brrr. Today was cold! Hiked up Roan Mtn. early in the day, through the snow. It just kept going up and up; thought I would never reach the top! At over 6200 feet in elevation, it was FREEZING up there. I wanted to stop and eat my lunch at Roan Mtn shelter, because it's the highest shelter on the AT, but somehow I managed to walk right past it. When I got to Carver Gap, I realized my mistake. Right after Roan was Round Bald and Jane Bald, where it started snowing. It was beautiful, but without trees at the top of the balds, it was so cold! The thermometer at Carver Gap said 36 degrees. UV actually took a wrong turn and got lost for 45 min on top of one of the balds; Ninja and I waited for her at the next shelter. Then we went 2 more miles to Overmountain shelter, which is a huge old barn down in a valley, so it's warmer down here. There's a ton of room up in the loft, so I set up my tent to dry it out.Headed into Roan Mtn. (the town) tomorrow to resupply.
Date: 2012-04-25
From: Overmountain shelter

To: campsite
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Two words describe the beginning of today: slush river. It snowed a little during the night, and the trail had turned into a muddy, slushy river. My feet were soaked within the first hour.I was worried about hitching to Roan Mtn by myself, so I decided to walk into town from the trail. It was not the most fun thing I've ever done. 3.7 mi to the post office, then grocery shopping and dinner at Bob's Dairyland (philly cheesesteak and fries - yum). Then back to the trail.Now I'm camped up on a beautiful ridge, far from the trucks and their exhaust fumes. It's good to be back in nature; I feel like I can breathe again!
Date: 2012-04-26
From: campsite

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Passed the 400 mile mark today, which is crazy!Saw a couple waterfalls today, the second of which I sort of fell into. I caught myself before I slid down the rocks, luckily. I didn't see any other hikers until almost noon, when I caught Ninja & UV coming out of a shelter. It's funny how I always seem to catch up to them. Another 5 minutes and I would have missed them entirely.
Date: 2012-04-27
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Watauga Lake shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

Beautiful day today - sunny, blue skies. Walked along a river, then had lunch at Laurel Falls. Around dinnertime, made it to Watauga Lake and found Ninja sitting at a picnic table. He said I had just missed some great trail magic - there was one cookie left. I wasn't too upset - it had been a great day even w/o the trail magic. Went up to the restroom area b/c there was an electrical outlet where I could charge my phone and ipod while I made dinner. Just as I was about to start eating my mac & cheese, the trail angels came by with leftover grilled chicken and potatoes. Delicious.
Date: 2012-04-28
From: Watauga Lake shelter

To: campsite
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: overcast clouds

New mileage record! My original plan was to do 14 miles, but I go to the second shelter and knew I could do 6 more. Right before I got to the highway, there was a box of trail magic: sodas, snacks, and even duct tape. Then I crossed the highway, through a beautiful meadow, and into a cow pasture! There were even cute baby cows! I tried to feed them some delicious grass, but they ran away. I've actually never seen cows run that fast. It just goes to show, you never know what is around the next corner. I feel sad for people who quit, cause something awesome could be just up ahead and they'll never find out.Q: What's the difference between a thru-hiker and Sasquatch?A: One is a dirty, smelly, hairy beast that lives in the woods and the other is a mythical creature.Speaking of smelly, I haven't showered or washed my clothes in 7 days. A new record. I smell TERRIBLE. Only 2 more days to go until I get to town, unless I pass out from my own stench first.
Date: 2012-04-29
From: campsite

To: campsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm in Virginia! Yay! Crossed over the border about an hour before I got to the campsite tonight. Feels good to be in a new state - that won't happen again for a long, long time. (VA has 537 miles of the trail.)That was pretty much the only eventful part of today, although I did create a new concotion for dinner. It consisted of beef-flavored Ramen, mashed potatoes, and tuna, all mixed together. It's not as bad as it sounds; actually it was pretty delicious. And that tells you how hungry I am at this point. 2 miles into Damascus tomorrow - so excited!
Date: 2012-04-30
From: campsite

To: The Place (Damascus, VA)
Miles today: 1.8
Weather: broken clouds

Got into town early this morning, around 8 AM. Ate breakfast with Ninja & UV, and we all checked into The Place, a hostel run by the Methodist Church. Laundry, lunch @ Subway (footlong w/chips and a drink, no problem. Oh, and I forgot to mention the post-breakfast milkshake, which was completely delicious.), then to the outfitter.I stayed up late tonight reading a book, and when I crawled into my bunk around 11, the old guy in the room was snoring up a storm. Can't believe I haven't learned my lesson by this point - never sleep in a shelter/hostel near an old guy - they always snore! I realized that I was actually paying money not to sleep, so grabbed my tent, sleeping bag and pad, and set up outside. Much better.
Date: 2012-05-01
From: The Place (Damascus, VA)

To: Saunders shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: broken clouds

This morning I got to have a chai latte for the first time in 5+ weeks. And it was iced - even better.It seems like only yesterday that I was getting a hot chai from Bongo Java to warm me up on a cold morning, and now it's almost summer! Crazy!When I was getting lunch before leaving town, I saw Regina, one of the ridgerunners I met on my very first night at Springer Mtn. shelter. She recognized me, and we chatted for a bit. She asked me what, if anything, was different from my expectations. I couldn't think of a good answer at the time, and I'm still pondering it. I don't think it's anything about the trail itself - I didn't really have any expectations about that, other than it would be hard. I think the most surprising things about this experience are things I've learned about myself. That I can be in a good mood even when the weather is terrible. That I'm not afraid to camp on a hilltop all by myself. That I have walked over 400 miles through rain, snow, and mud, and still wake up each morning excited to see what's around the next corner. That's a pretty awesome feeling.
Date: 2012-05-02
From: Saunders shelter

To: campsite
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

Got a late start this morning - I woke up at 8:30 and left the shelter at 9:20. (In real life, 8:30 would be early for me! Now I wake up with the sun and go to bed with the sun.) I knew I wouldn't make the miles I had planned on, so decided to take my time and enjoy the day. Beautiful scenery - the AT joined up with the Virginia Creeper trail for a while, and I saw lots of people on bikes. That would be fun to do someday.Went partway up Whitetop Mtn - the AT doesn't go all the way to the top - and the views were gorgeous! I keep trying to find good angles and viewpoints to take pictures, but I know pictures just can't do justice to what I'm seeing.
Date: 2012-05-03
From: campsite

To: Fox Creek, VA 603
Miles today: 16.0

Today: ponies and hail. Made it to the Grayson Highlands/Mt Rogers area, which I'd been looking forward to for a long time. Climbed Mt. Rogers, which is the highest peak in VA (5,729 ft). It wasn't even on the AT, but on a side trail, so I should get bonus points for doing extra miles. Then, just past the Thomas Knob Shelter...ponies! One of them, a mama with a cute little baby, started licking the sweat off my legs and followed me when I tried to walk away! She did the same thing to the next hiker that came along.I saw several other groups of ponies throughout the day - they were fun to watch.Sat under a tree to eat lunch, when it started to sprinkle, then rain, then hail. The hail didn't get much bigger than pea-sized, but it hurt! It stopped within 30-45 min, but later on in the day, there were places where I could see the hail still on the ground so thick it looked like snow. I was sad to leave the highlands and the ponies - the trail only cut through a small section of that area. It's definitely one of my favorite places thus far.
Date: 2012-05-04
From: Fox Creek, VA 603

To: campsite
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Dang! I hadn't realized until just now that I did 20 miles today. No wonder my feet hurt! But I'm actually in my tent, ready for bed, and the sun hasn't even set yet! I haven't gotten set up that early in a long time. Got some sweet trail magic this afternoon - a church group had left coolers with snacks and sodas near a road crossing. I sat by a river and drank my coke and ate popcorn/pretzel/cheezit mix. Delicious.I finally caught up with a group of hikers called the Moving Village today. I had met Mr. Fabulous & Overdrive in Damascus, but hadn't seen the rest of the group until today. Boots and Melody passed me as I was eating dinner and asked if I wanted to join them in pushing on to Partnership Shelter tonight. I said I didn't think I could make it that far, but would see them tomorrow. Partnership Shelter is famous b/c not only does it have a shower, but there is a visitor's center 0.1 miles away where you can have pizza delivered. There is also rumored to be a shuttle into Marion, where you can resupply. This is what I'm hoping to do tomorrow. I'm only 3 mi from the shelter, so it should be an easy morning. I'm camped on a lovely ridgetop, on a spot that's not really a campsite, but there's a piece of flattish dirt just big enough for my tent. These days, a spot of flattish dirt is all I need to be happy in life. I can hear noises from the valley down below; definitely heard an ice cream truck a little while ago, which was bizarre.
Date: 2012-05-05
From: campsite

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: moderate rain

Today has been a pretty darn good day. Got here pretty early and waited for the Moving Village. The shuttle apparently doesn't run on the weekends, so we decided to hitch into Marion. We probably walked about 2-3 miles before a sweet lady on her way to the hardware store picked us up. Before she took us to Walmart, she stopped at the hardware store, and left the keys in the car with us sitting in the backseat! I love small-town America! We got someone to drive us back to the visitor's center (after I had Sonic for lunch - yum) and we've been sitting around since about 2. Had an entertaining discussion about the imminent zombie apocalypse, and how we as thru-hikers are uniquely qualified to survive it due to our ability to live in the woods. I am gaining a lot of useful knowledge on the trail.
Date: 2012-05-07
From: campsite

To: Chestnut Knob shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Was way too tired to journal last night. Mr. Fabulous and I hiked from 6:30-8:30 PM without stopping to catch up with the rest of the Moving Village. Before we started he said, "Don't worry, it's all downhill." It was not. In fact, it was 4 miles of mostly steep uphills, followed by some occasional downhills. It was almost totally dark by the time we got to where everyone else was camped.We had some big climbs today too, but in between were beautiful streams and bridges. The shelter I'm at now is up on top of a mtn, at 4400 feet. About a mile back there was a gorgeous view of the mtns to the east and west of here. "The Mountain" by Steven Curtis Chapman popped into my head:"I want to build a house up on this mountainWay up high, where the peaceful waters flowTo quench my thirsty soulUp on the mountain.I can see for miles up on this mountainTroubles seem so small they almost disappearLord I love it hereOh, up on the mountain."It was a wonderful day on the trail.
Date: 2012-05-08
From: Chestnut Knob shelter

To: Laurel Creek campsite
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

No rain, no pain, no Maine. Experienced a lot of the first today, a little of the second, and got 14 miles closer to the third.This morning before we left the shelter, Overdrive said, "I wonder when the sun'll come out." I said, "Tomorrow. You can bet your bottom dollar." I then had the song stuck in my head on repeat the rest of the day. One of the many hazards of the trail - annoying songs stuck in your head all day. It was better than the day I had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song in my head, though, - no idea where that came from.I'm camping with Overdrive, Downhill, and Mr. Fabulous tonight. Downhill is getting off the trail tomorrow b/c his knees hurt so bad. Please God don't let that happen to me. (He does have a few years on me though - he's Overdrive's dad, and Overdrive is older than me.)The guys are going into town tomorrow to meet up with the rest of the Moving Village, but I have plenty of food to make it to Pearisburg, so I'll keep going. I hope they catch up to me, though - they're fun guys. And I know this is a long ways away, but Mr. Fabulous lives in NYC and is going to show people around the city when we get there. I would love to see the city.
Date: 2012-05-09
From: Laurel Creek campsite

To: campsite
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: moderate rain

The terrain today was easy - actually flat in a lot of places, so doing 20 wasn't hard. It rained all morning, and I was happy to get to a shelter just after noon, so I could stay dry while eating my lunch. There's nothing worse than a soggy tortilla and cheese.I passed the 600 mile mark just before I stopped for the day. Yay!
Date: 2012-05-10
From: campsite

To: Wapiti shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

[My dad has uploaded some pictures from the memory card I sent home, so check those out. Thanks Dad!]Low mileage today, but worth it - I got to take a shower and do laundry! Stopped at a little place 0.5 mi off the trail called Trent's Grocery. It reminded me of the L&L in Coalmont, TN - they had a little of everything: snacks, a few groceries, some hiker stuff, hunting and fishing supplies. They had hot food, and the one girl working there was cooking and running the cash register at the same time. Everyone who walked in there knew each other.They had a shower and laundry building out back. The shower area was disgusting, but so was I. The water was hot, and that was all that mattered! And my clothes are clean and I have dry socks again! (After 6 days in a row of rain, all 3 pairs of socks I have were wet.) I feel like a new woman! I'm headed into Pearisburg tomorrow, and I'm thinking about taking a zero, fi I can find a cheap place to stay. My body needs a break. I've done a few neros, but no zeroes since Franklin! I'm also hoping that NInja, UV, Mr. Fabulous and Overdrive will catch up.Got "shelter magic" tonight from Spirit and Talks A Lot - hot dog and SunChips. awesome!
Date: 2012-05-12
From: Plaza Motel (Pearisburg, VA)

To: Holy Family hostel (Pearisburg, VA)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a lovely zero day. Stayed last night at the Plaza Motel, which was amazing. A bed, a room to myself and television. Watched about 3 hours of Storage Wars and laid in bed with my feet up. When was the last time I watched TV? I guess during my last zero in Franklin, NC.Today I went to the post office, library, then moseyed on over to the hostel, which was a long ways away, but worth it. It's a neat little wood-paneled cabin behind the Catholic church. I sat on the back porch on the porch swing, reading a book for hours. It was like heaven. I have desperately missed reading, so I got greedy at Goodwill and bought TWO paperbacks. Luckily I finished the first one today so I only have to carry one with me.Stressing about getting a ride to Trail Days (a big hiker festival in Damascus, VA). I don't know why I'm stressing; everything else on the trail has worked out thus far. I have nothing else to be stressed about, though, so this is solely occupying the "things I need to worry about" section of my brain. That section used to be pretty huge, and now it's shrunk and only has room for one thing at a time.
Date: 2012-05-13
From: Holy Family hostel (Pearisburg, VA)

To: campsite
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: broken clouds

Did more miles than I had planned on today. I got out of town pretty early; I was walking through a neighborhood not far from the hostel and a sweet woman offered me a ride back to the trail. I had actually been intending to go to church this morning, but I just couldn't turn down her offer (it would have been a 2.5 mile walk otherwise). When I got to the trail I immediately felt bad about it and thought "Why did I do that?" Not really guilt so much as sadness at missing the opportunity to worship with other believers. Oh well. I heard that Overdrive and Mr. Fabulous are just ahead of me and I wantd to catch them, but it started to rain around dinnertime so I put up my tent at the first campsite I found. One Speed is in the tent right next to mine.
Date: 2012-05-14
From: campsite

To: campsite
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: moderate rain

Had lunch with One Speed, Gribley & Daystar at Pine Swamp Branch shelter. Then we went to the Captain's. It's this guy's house which is right off the trail, on the other side of a creek. To get across the creek, there's a zipline! It was really fun (I did it twice). He lets people camp in his yard, but it was too early in the day for that, so I signed the register, grabbed a grape soda from the fridge on the back porch and a box of couscous that someone had left there. Had the couscous with a packet of salmon for dinner - delicious! I am no closer to catching the Moving Village - in fact, I'm probably farther behind them than yesterday.
Date: 2012-05-15
From: campsite

To: Craig Creek
Miles today: 23.0

New mileage record! And I believe I caught Mr. Fabulous and Bigfoot (Overdrive is way ahead of them). I got here at 9 PM and they were already in their tents, so I can't be 100% sure it's them, but I recognize Mr. Fab's tent.Today was a tough one - why does it seem like I usually do big mileage on days when the terrain is hard? That doesn't even make sense! There were a couple big uphills and an insane ridgeline on Sinking Creek Mtn that involved huge flat rocks which were tilted at an angle that you had to walk across. One false move and you slide all the way to the bottom of the mountain. Oh, and did I mention it had just stopped raining, so the rocks were wet as well? Fun times.One of the cool parts of the day was seeing the Keiffer Oak. According to the guidebook, it is the largest oak tree on the southern part of the AT, at 18 feet in diameter. It is over 300 years old, which is just crazy to think about. Tater Tot, Lighthouse, Pants on Fire and I took a long snack break under the tree this afternoon. We discussed climbing it, but no one attempted.