morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-04
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Erwin
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

Last night was another cold (mid 30s) windy night. Thanks to some tips from my friend Garlic I did a much better jod setting up my tent to keep the wind out. It was actually a comfortable night. I am getting used to sleeping on the ground which is nice. There was room in the shelter when I got there and thought about grabbing a spot so I would be out of the wind, but was glad I went for the tent. The shelter was full (12 people) and there were probably another 12 of us in tents. Still very busy on the trail. Bear Juice and ABear were the only 2 I had seen before. Today was a 16 mile hike, mostly downhill into Erwin. Only saw a couple hikers. Gator caught me mid day and we hiked together for a bit till I needed to refill my water. He is from Vero Beach, FL. His mom is 54 and born and raised in Vero. My wife is also 54 and went to middle school for a year there. There's a good chance Gator's mom and my wife met 40+ years ago.Once I arrived in Erwin I met Toe Salad. He is hiking with his wife and 3 kids. I would guess the kids are 10 - 14 or so. They are from Canada and a thru hike is their goal.ABear and I are staying at a Super8 for tonight. We walked over to the laundromat and met 3 other hikers, One, Runny Nose and ?. They were calling Miss Janet who is known as the ultimate trail angel. She literally will follow the thru hiker bubble helping out. One had called her for a ride to Walmart so we wanted in. As we are walking the half mile back to the hotel this white van pulls over and picks us up, yup - Miss Janet. We ended up going to dinner first, then Walmart, then to pick up 2 more hikers, then drop them of, then go to another hotel to get a couple more people, then drop us off. Welcome to Miss Janet's world. It was entertaining. Oh yea, 2 other people met us at the restaur because they knew Miss Janet was there.It is now almost 10pm, time to get ready for bed. We will get a slow start tomorrow and hike about 14 miles to a camp site. The shelters have a funny spacing here. There is a virus going around so not all bad avoiding the shelters. A couple random side notes.All the shelters now have bear cables and priveys. The bear cables are so you can easily hang your food out of the reach of bears. At a camp site you have to use a rope and throw it over a branch to hang your food. The priveys here are also a little different. They do not have full sides, so while you are seated you have great views of everything going on. The odd part is they usually face the shelter.For water there are springs and streams quite frequently. We all caryy a guide that says where the water sources are. Shelters typically have water nearby, so that is another reason we like staying near a shelter. I wave a Sawyer mini filter to treat the water of any harmful bacteria. I would guess 90% of the hikers have this filter. It is easy to use and reliable.Pop tarts are extremely popular on the trail as is peanut butter and Nutella. A popular breakfast is a Pop Tart Nutella sandwich.
Date: 2014-05-05
From: Erwin

To: Unaka Mountain
Miles today: 14.2

Another great day. Miss Janet has bumper stickers all over her van, inside and out. One I liked says "Hiking the AT was the most fun I ever had, interrupted by long walks through the woods"ABear and I agree, the people on and off the trail and the trips into hostels and towns is what this experience is all about.Today was another great weather day. Miss Janet was scheduled to pick us up at 10:30. ABear, One, Slim, Runny Nose and I. She finally arrived at 11:45. She is amazing what she does for everyone, and never says no. She will follow the main group of hikers all the way to Maine offering support. We all give her a few bucks, but it doesn't cover everything. I was hiking by 12:15, planning to meet ABear at a campsite about 12 miles up the trail. One suggested we go 1.5 miles further and camp in the spruce forest on top of the mountain. Great idea.Four miles in there is a shelter. Neon and Achin were there eating lunch so I joined them. Shortly after One and Slim show up. I took off and 4 miles later came to Indian Grave Gap. My right shim is hurting, so was walking fairly slow today. I needed water so walked down a hill to get some. Within 10 minutes 10 hikers came out of the woods. A couple was there asking if we knew where Legs was, their nephew. This couple had a couple coolers in the back of their suv, so we were all curious. Sure enough they had trail magic for us, hot dogs, chips, fruit, beer, etc. Achin, Neon, One, Slim, ABear, Kevin Bacon (a young lady that likes to dance) a 2 others I forgot their names. amazingly in the next hour no one else came by. Again, generous people helping us out with good food and social fun.At 5:30 we needed to get going. We still had over 5 miles and 2 thousand foot climbs to do.One, Slim ABear and I all made it to the top of Unaka Mountain. At 5, 000 feet you are in typical North Carolina trees. Almost instantly you get into the northen spruce forest. Totally cool. We didn't get here till after 8 and the trees are so thick it was dark in the forest.I guess that's it for today, time to go to sleep.
Date: 2014-05-06
From: Unaka Mountain

To: Ash Gap
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

Unaka Mountain was awesome. It was dark 30 minutes before sunset. It was fun being in a thick spruce forest. We had a long day planned so got a semi early start, 7:45. It was quiet on the trail today. Saw many SOBO section hikers, but only 3 other thrus till late afternoon. Mid afternoon I caught Hurricane. She told me there was trail magic ahead at Hughes Gap. Sure enough, there is Chong and Sheryl serving up food again. Same couple as yesterday. We had another nice chat. ABear showed up a few minutes later, followed by One and Slim.We planned to camp again at a location without water, so we loaded up all our containers and started up the 3 mile hill to our stopping point. Another great spot, no one else around. We saw Loba, but no other hikers came thru except for One and Slim who moved on 2 miles to the next shelter.Our plan is to get up early and hike the remainder of Roan Mountain in the morning. Pretty quiet unevenful, but great day. Fun seeing Chong again and beautiful terrain. Hopefully I will get pictures uploaded for Tucker to post this weekend on my AZontheAT website.
Date: 2014-05-07
From: Ash Gap

To: Mountain Harbor
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was the prettiest day on the trail. Our morning started early, walking by 6:15, knowing we wanted to reach the hostel midafternoon to get showered and ready for a shuttle ride into town. The first mile was up 1, 000 vertical to the top of Roan Mountain. Not positive, but I think this our last 6, 000 foot peak till Washington in NH. Again we passed from a hardwood forest through rhododen andIinto a spruce forest, all in 1 mile, very cool. From here it was a series of ups and downs over many balds. I love the open fields and views of the balds. Today was the quietest I have seen since starting. We did pass a group of four thru hikers, but that was it all day. ABear had a great day hiking. We stayed pretty much together all day. We switched cameras to go up one bald so we will have pictures of ourselves.We arrived at the road crossing at 2:30, plenty of time, which was great. The hostel only has 4 beds and we got the last two. 3G and ?? are also here. Slim and One came in shortly after us and are tenting. We all went into town for dinner and resupply. One ordered the boss burger, 3 patties, 2 slices of ham, 6 slices of bacon, 2 onion rings, lettuce and tomato. He had no problem finishing it. BTW he has lost 20 pounds since starting the trail. I am down 15 so far down to 190. My right shin is still a little sore. I have been trying to walk slower with a shorter stride. It's tough to rest when you are lugging a backpack 18 miles through the mountains. This B&B is know for having a great breakfast, so we will eat at 8 then head out to continue our journey north.Loba just showed up. We met here last night at Ash Gap. Another young couple is also tenting.Got to try and upload some pictures for this weekends post. Thanks for reading, I enjoy reading your comments and emails. Sorry for not being good at replying to everyone.
Date: 2014-05-08
From: Mountain Harbor

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: few clouds

Forgot to mention in yesterdays entry that the family from Florida was at the hostel. I met them my first night out, at Gooch Mountain. It is mom, 2 boys an 8 year old girl and Charlie the golden retriever. They skipped the smokies, so that is how they got ahead. Dogs are not allowed in the Smokies.The B&B worked out great. Our caretaker was a 71 year old women who thru hiked last year. She had a total knee replacement a few years ago. Miss Mary is the owner. She has goats, horses, dogs. The rumor on the trail is that Miss Mary serves the best breakfast on the trail. She sure lived up to her reputation. I took a picture that we will post on my website when I get a chance. It was one of the best breakfasts I have ever had.I sat on the front porch with several others watching the world go by and catching up on journalling. It was a great spot. Thanks Miss Mary.TBird, 3G, Slim and I headed out about 9:15. ABear left shortly after. The morning was the easiest terrain yet. There was a great waterfall 6 miles in, then a real river shortly after that. Nice seeing real water after seeing springs for so long.The afternoon was hot and more hilly, but still good going. I hiked most of the day by myself, but sawSlim several times, Iincluding walking the last couple miles together. No good camping at the shelter, so sleeping under the roof tonight. Pockets from Switzerland is here as is Firefly and Grounhog from Canada. 50% chance of rain tomorrow. We plan to hit a town tomorrow, so weather not a big deal.
Date: 2014-05-09
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

Last night 3G kept us updated on the NFL draft. It's funny, on the trail there is zero discussion of current events, but lots of people keeping up with playoffs and now the draft. The weather has been so good lately that it hasn't been discussed. Now rain is back in play, so it will be a hot topic.The walk was really pretty this morning. We spent so time following a river and passing a waterfall. ABear, Slim and I were all together at that point. Slim took a side trail into town, while ABear and I kept hiking up and over a good size mountain. We reached the raod at 2pm. Initially we planned to spend the night in town, but with plenty of daylight figured may as well keep heading north. When we got to the road there were 3 other hikers there. Typically a tough situation since who would pick up 5 hitchhikers. As we are discussing whether to cal for a shuttle, a pickup stops and offers us all a ride. Perfect. We get lunch and resupply in town and ABear starts talking with a nice young man who offers to bring us back to the trail. Amazing. We could not been more efficient even if we had coordinated rides up front.We then walked along Watauga Lake thinking the Watagua Lake shelter would be lakefront. Wrong. Right before getting to the shelter we head inland, oh well. We are inside and the forecast is for strong storms tonight.
Date: 2014-05-10
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: light rain

The big storms never materialized last night. Some light showers so it was nice to pack up dry, since we were in a shelter. Rain was in the forecast and sure enough within minutes of leaving it started. We planned a big day today so tomorrow into Damascus would be managable. Slim, 3G ABear and I all have the same short term schedule. 7 miles in stopped for a snack at a shelter. All day was a steady rain. Kept you nice and cool. I struggled whether to wear my rain jacket. Cold without it, hot with it. My shin is feeling much better. Those 18 mile rest days really helped. My body is really feeling good. Hopefully the injuries are mostly behind me now. I can feel things coming together. 14 miles into the day was another shelter. It was really coming down now. There were 10 people there so I had a very short stop before moving on again. I was feeling good, no pain, just wet. 4 miles later there was a road crossing. Just short of the road was a cooler with sodas for us. The rains had finally stopped, which was nice. Just past the road was a group of previous thru hikers giving out beer. Pretty cool. I stopped for 20 minutes and socialized, but still had over 3 miles to go, so didn't want to get too comfortable. The trail then went through an active cow pasture. We literally had to avoid the cow pies and walk right by the cows. There were steps to go over the fences. Once we got back into the forest I passed HOBO and Caddy Shack. In conversation she used the word wicked. I then asked her what part of New England she was from - Maine.Pockets also joined us at the shelter. There was no good tenting and the forecast is again for strong storms, so decided to once again sleep inside. I prefer tenting if it is dry, but inside if it's supposed to rain.For doing almost 22 miles I felt great. Left after 7 in the morning and was done by 4:30. Tomorrow we head to Damascus. Monday plan to take our first zero day - no miles walked. It will bennice to relax for a day. I am supposed to get a package from home on Monday as well.
Date: 2014-05-12
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0

This is the first time I have been on a computer this trip. Hanging out at the Damascus library. These journals are tough to keep up with. I am very impressed with how people do such a great job, and all on a phone. I have a tablet that I have been using. Anyway - what a great town Damascus is. There is the Virginia Creeper Trail (a biking trail) that also goes through town, so lots of good energy, active people around.People questioned me about setting off on a journey like this alone. I have had a couple answers - 1) I'll be with lots of friends, just haven't met them yet.2) I'll be by myself, but never alone.Even though we have gotten ahead of most of our friends there are always familiar faces around. I am sure several people will show up today as well.I was going to mail home some clothes, but the forecast is for temps to be 20 degrees colder this week, so I guess I will carry the weight a little longer. Last night we went to the grocery store at 10PM and bought breakfast items and healthy food. After we ate breakfast this morning Slim called and asked if we wanted to join him for another breakfast. As we are walking down the street the owner of the B&B we are staying at stops his car and asks why we weren't eating breakfast at his place. Oh yea, the second B stands for Breakfast. We are staying in an out building, not in the actual house. I called Slim and told him we were not coming.Tomorrow we will continue our journey north. Everything is great right now - joints, feet, attitude, all that I expected. From the beginning this first stretch of trail has been my biggest concern. I am in trail shape, hiking with great people, besides this week, the weather will be warmer, the trail is less crowded, the shelter look like they have priveys coming up. (Amazes me that so many shelters have not had priveys so far.) Even when I don't seem to sleep well I am never tired on the trail. The fresh air and water must be good for you.I am doing this post in the morning, just because I have a computer to use. Back to the woods tomorrow. It is still pretty rural in this area, but hopefully will be able to keep up with the posts.
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Damascus

To: Pine Forest, camping
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Had a great day in town. Lots of familiar faces. Shannon and Melissa were great , the own the Dancing Bear B&B where we stayed. Slim spent the second night with us. The Creeper trail also goes through Damascus. It is a 34 mile long bike trail. There are 6 bike shops in town.My package from Elizabeth came in with my new shoes. I sent a few things home, hope we don't get any really cold weather. I also broke down and bought a stove to heat water.After breakfast it was heading north again. The trail follows the road for a bit, then heads up a hill in the woods. Slim, Pockets and I ended up at a shelter for lunch. The AT joins the Creeper trail a couple times. The Creeper is an old railroad bed, so wide and gradual grade. We all met up at a shelter, then ABear, 3G and I moved on another 1.4 miles to a great camping spot in a pine forest. Thunder storms were in the forecast and sure enough at 8:30 they rolled through. We had a good spot, so no problems in our tents.
Date: 2014-05-14
From: Pine Forest, camping

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I just lost this update, so here goes again. I am actually typing this on the 16th since we have not had reception for a few days. The morning was very wet after big rains overnight. The day started with a big climb up to the Grayson Highlands. Today we saw lots of southbounders headed to Trail Days in Damascus. Must have been over 30 people.At one of the gaps it was really windy and the sun had found it's way out, so I tied my tent to a post and let flap in the breeze for 15 minutes or so. Time on the trail is very different from the real world. We knew we were only going 16 miles today, so plenty of time. The shin is much better and the feet are getting used to the new shoes.Once on the highlands there is lots of open space. I could see a herd of wild ponies way off in the distance. We passed near Mt Rogers, Virginia's highpoint, so I hiked up the side trail to the top. The top was a little anticlimactic, no views, but a peaceful spruce forest on top. I had the summit to myself. I did have cell reception on top, so answered emails. Once back on the AT the herd of ponies was making their way toward me. About 20 ponies, including2 babies were all around me. I was the only human around, Iit was super cool. I made sure to move slowly, but was able to pet the ponies. Tucker will post pictures this weekend. The shelter was full of familer faces, always fun. Forecast is for lots of rain, so glad to be inside tonight.
Date: 2014-05-15
From: Wise Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The cold front came through last night as promised, bringing lots of rain. It poured all night, fortunately we were dry in the shelter. We did get a slow start thinking the weather would improve through the day. I rolled out into the rain just after 8. The rains did let up at times, but I was drenched soon after leaving. I had my new rain jacket, but was sweating init and the rain would let up so I took it off, then the hard rains returned before I got the jacket back on. Oh well. Walking 20 miles in the rain meant I was bound to get wet. 5 miles in was another shelter. I stopped there for a break. After being under cover, it was back to hiking north. 11 miles in was a second shelter. Again the gang assembled, Thor (was 3G), ABear, Slim, Pockets and a couple local SOBO section hikers. There was cell reception, so I posted my 5/13 journal entry. The rains almost stopped and the local boys said the rain was supposed to stop right aftrr lunch, sweet. Didn't happen.11 miles down, 9 more to go, no problem. I was wet, but feeling fine. Endurance and muscles have been totally fine all hike. Feet are my weak point but getting better each day. The rains continued off and on, then the sun was trying to come out. I came to a road crossing, thinking it was 3 miles from the shelter, but a sign said 4 miles. Bummer. Oh well, no sense griping about it, got to keep moving. Then the rains really came. And the temps dropped. I just put my head down and walked. Seemed like a long time to reach the shelter, but it actually went fairly quickly since I was walking a good pace since the trail was pretty good.Bearjuice was ahead of me along with 2 other new hikers. The rest of the crew showed up over the next hour. The shelter was old and small but we made due.Thank you for all the birthday wishes. I had Ramen and a cheese tortilla for dinner with a snickers bare for dessert. Not the most spectacular birthday, but certainly one I will remember.
Date: 2014-05-16
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 10.9

It continued to rain most of the night. Glad I was in a shelter, but I sleep better in my tent. Today we wanted to get to the Mt Rogers visitor center to catch an 11am shuttle to town. We were up early and moving on by 6:45. ABear and I made great time and covered the distance by 10:15. There is a great shelter by the visitor center, complete with a solar shower. The trail was quite wet after all the rain, but we both are feeling great.We headed to town to do laudry, shower and resupply for the next few days. A very successful afternoon. As you noticed I was able to catch up on my journal. uploaded photos for Tucker to post. We get a comfy bed for tonight. The cab is picking us up at 7:30 in the morning to bring us back to the trail.Not sure if we will have coverage up ahead. This stretch of trail is pretty remote.Thanks for reading.
Date: 2014-05-17
From: Marion, VA

To: Knot Maul Shelter
Miles today: 25.4
Weather: broken clouds

Marion was good. Hotel and restaurants and resupply close. The town shuttle does not run on weekends, so we called a cab for a ride back to the trail. ABear and I were hiking by 8. Slim hitched a ride to Trail Days. He will try to catch us up the trail. It was a cool sunny morning, but clouded up by noon. No rain, which was refreshing. We did not see any nobo hikers on the trail. There were 5 section or day hikers going south. The terrain today was moderate, lots of ups and downs, but nothing too steep.We had planned to do about 20 miles, but turns out no good camping spots. At the 20 mile mark we were near a road and heard gun shots, so keep moving. We then went through some private property, so next thing you know you are 25 miles into your day and it is 7:45. We both felt good, it was the late arrival that was tough. There were 7 of us at the shelter, all tented. The shelter was empty.Staying here were RodNReel, Frankenstien, Mocha Pot, BearJuice, Pockets and us.The group was toasting completing 25% of the trail. RodNReel brought some Jack Daniels to toast the occasion. Everyone was in their tent by 8:30 and I was still eating my dinner.