morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-05-10
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Nolichucky Hostel
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: light rain

We were going to camp short of Erwin, TN and just pass through tomorrow, but a shower at the hostel is $4 and it's only $8 to pitch a tent (which comes with a free shower), so pushed into town and stayed at "Uncle Johnny's" hostel. He is somewhat of a legend on the trail because of the way that he runs his hostel. Most hostels on the trail are just businesses, but Uncle Johnny is really all about helping out hikers. He got in the local news many years back for taking donated bicycles and fixing them up for hikers to ride around town (free of charge). He is also notorious for selling Snickers bars (our favorite snack) for just 40 cents. My college buddy, Stew, came to visit from Kingsport and took us out to dinner and drove us around for errands. He also told us the story that made Erwin famous back in the early 1900s, which involved the hanging of the animal cracker elephant from a gantry crane in the train yard...interesting. Today was also our first shower in 7 days (a new record), which is always refreshing.
Date: 2011-05-11
From: Nolichucky Hostel

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: broken clouds

Last night, we had a pretty crazy storm while in the tent. The tent was litterally bending sideways because of the wind. Today marks 1 month on the trail for us, which is pretty cool. We are almost 1/6 of the way complete, so considering that we'll be speeding up through Virginia, we are right on schedule. We got a ride into Erwin with a tatto artist who was apparently one of the founders of 5 points tattoo in Columbia...small world. We went to the library, where I found out that my ancient backpack weighs nearly 7 lbs (Dylan's pack is only 1.5 lbs), so I'll probably invest in a lightweight pack to take on the rest of my journey. After that we ate at Hawg & Dawg, which was an awesome BBQ place downtown. We didn't leave the hostel until about 4:30 because we had planned a short hike out. The hike was pretty easy, but it was so humid, that after 4 miles, I was completely drenched (I know, shocker, right?).
Date: 2011-05-12
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: light rain

Today was a really nice hike, but it was super hot. By now 13 mi. should feel like a short day, but for some reason I am exhausted! There are only 5 people at the shelter tonight and the other thru-hikers are in tents. As a result we are stuck in the shelter with a crotchity old section hiker who is proud of himself for "cleaning" out the shelter prior to our arrival. By "cleaning", I mean that when we walked up there was a pile of smouldering trash that consisted of everything from leaves and food trash to plastic bottles and thermal underwear. He was also a talker, so not only would he praise himself for his trash fire periodically, but he was also moaning and saying how good his mountain house meal was. Just as I was about to suggest putting up a tent to get away, he decided to go to bed at around 7:30; a little strange, but I was glad for the silence.
Date: 2011-05-13
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

Even with the tough climb up to Roan Mountain, today's hike seemed easier to me than yesterday's 13 miles. This was one of the sections I used to hike back when I worked at Ridgecrest, but I remember it being much more difficult; I guess the last month of training is starting to pay off... With about 3 miles to go, it started storming...hard. We walked through the rain until it started hailing, and then after taking shelter under a tree for a few minutes, we decided the hail wasn't big enough to hurt us, so we kept walking. Today was really the first day that we have had to hike in real rain. We got to the shelter and changed into some dry clothes before cooking dinner. High Knob is an old firewarden's cabin, so it was completely closed with a door and loft. I stayed up late reading Ender's Game as I have been the last few nights.
Date: 2011-05-14
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light rain

We didn't leave until almost noon today because we knew that we weren't going far, and it was really cold when we woke up. We hiked over some gorgeouse balds today from Carvers Gap on towards the shelter. 7 miles is a really short day after you have hiked a 20 mile day. I guess it's kind of like driving... before I drove home from Colorado by myself, 5 hours was a long drive, but now it seems pretty short. We got the the shelter around 3 and thought about day hiking to a secret bald, but it was overcast and it looked like another storm was going to roll in. There were about 5 people at the shelter when we arrived, and while we were cooking dinner, 2 groups hiked in. The first group appeared to be a family of 11 (2 parents and 9 kids), and the second was a random group of 14. It seemed like people just kept coming down the mountain. This has always been a popular shelter, but If we counted right, there are 38 people(half under the age of 13) here! Not to mention the 7 dogs running around. We would have set up a tent, but by the time all the people got here it was raining... Fortunately, a group of 3 left, so we were able to move to a platform downstairs, which was a little quieter and has a beautuful view of the valley. The only downside was that every time a child or dog above us moved, we got a nice shower of dirt and dog hair... Dylan actually ended up sleeping with his mummy bag backwards to shield his face from the falling debris.
Date: 2011-05-15
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Boone, NC
Miles today: 9.2

The family group from last night finally finished their loud book reading and left the shelter around 9:30. We would have left earlier, but the silence was so nice, that we enjoyed our spot overlooking the valley until about 11:00. The hike out over Hump Mountain was mostly overcast, but we still got some nice views from the top of the balds. Just as we finished up, the larger group from the shelter last night was leaving, and offered us a ride into Roan Mountain, which we took. They dropped us off at Bob's Dairyland and we pigged out on hamburgers, hotdogs, onion rings, and chocolate peanutbutter milkshakes. We were hitching back to the trail, and the guys that pulled over were going through Boone, NC(which is where Dylan's dad was going to keep us anyway), so we ended up getting a ride all the way into town. We went to Golden Corral, and then resupplied at Wal-Mart. Dylan's dad brought my gear box from home, so I was able to shed some weight by dumping my cold weather gear, and switching out my sleeping bag. It is amazing how comfortable a hotel bed can be after a month in the woods.
Date: 2011-05-16
From: Boone, NC

To: Boone, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Butterball drove us back to the trail, and litterally as we were putting on our packs, Dylan's cousin, Brandon, called from Boone. He had just gotten there and was staying for a few days, so we rode back into town to hang out for the night. We spent most of the night putting Brandon's bike-ped kit together. It's just a motor that you can buy online that will fit pretty much any normal road bike. For dinner, we went to a local place, and I had an amazing burger with bacon, provolone, and avacado. While we were there, we ran into one of our hiker friends who had gotten a ride into Boone from Trail Days in Damascus, so we caught up and switch stories of our adventures.
Date: 2011-05-17
From: Boone, NC

To: Still Boone....
Miles today: 0.0

Ever since I discovered that my pack weighs almost 7 lbs., I've been thinking about getting a new one. So, this morning, I walked down to the local outfitter with my pack, and picked the lightest, smallest pack that I could cram all of my gear into and bought it. It's 4 lbs lighter than my other pack, and is very comfy. Between the new pack and switching to warm weather gear, I have lost about 10 lbs. Basically what that means is, my empty pack before (empty meaning no food or water) is the same as my full pack now. For all of you who have never been backpacking before, 10lbs. makes A LOT of difference. After a lazy afternoon of Jimmy John's and hanging out at the local coffee shop, we went to a friend of Brandon's house to finish his bike-ped and learn how to make meade. Brandon's friend, Quint, has been making meade for a while now, and his custom is to make a batch every full moon. He let us sample some, and taught us how to make it ourselves. By the time we got Brandon's bike-ped running, it was around 2:00a.m., so we headed back to the house, and picked up some more Jimmy John's on the way. We were going to get back on the trail today, but we got talked into staying another day for cliff jumping... We'll see how it goes.
Date: 2011-05-18
From: Still Boone....

To: Mountaineer Falls Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: light rain

We woke up today and went to look at a cabin with Brandon because he is moving to Boone in a couple of weeks. The cabin is 5 miles from downtown, and has a two story tree house and a creek. It is pretty awesome. Dylan and I may move to Boone when we get off the trail... Afterward, Brandon and his girlfriend, Chloe, took us to lunch at Boone Baglerey and drove us back to the trailhead. Unfortunately, the weather was a little cold and rainy for cliff jumping, so we will just have to go back and visit for that adventure. We didn't get to the shelter until dark, and everyone was already asleep (at 8:00), which is early even for the trail. We had an amazing time in Boone, but it feels great to be back on the trail.
Date: 2011-05-19
From: Mountaineer Falls Shelter

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 15.6

Dylan woke up this morning with some pain in his shins, but we thought nothing of it, and hit the trail after our morning stretching routine. About half way through the day, it was obvious that his shins were getting worse, so we decided to cut our day a couple of miles short and stay at the famous Kincora hostel ($4 requested donation). Dylan had a rough hike, but I thouroughly enjoyed hiking with my new, less-than-30 lb. pack. We missed the town shuttle by about 45 minutes, so we just cooked dinner and went to bed early-ish.
Date: 2011-05-20
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 8.7

We woke up around 9:30 and found that Baltimore Jack was there helping the owner out for a week or so. Jack is a bit of a legend on the trail; he has thru-hiked 7 times, and is 50 miles away from his second section hike. He makes a point of hiking 1000 miles a year on the trail and helps out his trail friends along the way. He fixed us lunch and told us awesome trail stories all day. Dylan wasn't sure about his shins, so Jack suggested that we get a shuttle north and slackpack (hike with a daypack) back to the hostel. We took him up on the offer and hiked 9 miles in just over 3 hours. It was a relatively easy hike (especially without a pack), and Dylan felt pretty good afterward. We were welcomed back at the hostel by some hiker friends that we had left a couple of weeks back, and enjoyed some Little Ceasar's and chocolate chip cookies.
Date: 2011-05-21
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Okay, so despite what may be popular belief, I am still on the trail... I just haven't seen a computer in a month, so it might take me a little while to catch up on the jounral entries. I'll try to get as caught up as I can.Today we had a nice hike around Watauga Lake with lots of little ups and downs, but nothing extreme. Dylans's legs were hurting again today, but he was able to push thru the pain. It's pretty much flat into Damascus from here. Set up my hammock for the first time, and realized the the free rain tarp I got is way too small, so I'll have to pick something else up soon. I found my first tic today, and even though I found him early, he was already attached to my leg. I guess I'll have to start being more careful about tics; there is a lot of tall grass on the trail now.
Date: 2011-05-22
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Dylan's shins hurt bad this morning. He decided it was best if he got a shuttle to damascus and I meet him there tomorrow. Just before the road where he rode into town, we found a cooler full of little debbies and sodas on the trail. We parted ways for the first time on our trip, and I started the route that I used to hike with the Ridgecrest boys into Damascus. I found someone's croc on the side of the trail and decided to carry it to the shelter. It happened to belong to a guy that was staying there, and he was super stoked that I picked it up. It started raining hard just after I put up my bear bag...looks like soggy granola bars in the morning.
Date: 2011-05-23
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA's "The Place"
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: light rain

I woek up early this morning and started hiking around 8. It was a really nice, gradual downhill into damascus; probably the easiest 10 mi. on the trail so far. I ran into some hiker friends who told me Dylan was at the coffee shop, so I walked across town, met up with Dylan, and had a Trail Magic Frappe that was delicious, followed by a footlong spicey italian sub, a half gallon of chocolate milk, and some peach rings...healthy, I know. We ran into Baltimore Jack at the local outfitter, and he told us that the local pizza place had $5 pizza night, so we definitely took advantage of that. We went to the pizza place with our friend, Penguin, and played a round of darts after dinner. Lots of hikers are haning out here, and we even ran into some guys we haven't seen since our first week on the trail.
Date: 2011-05-24
From: Damascus, VA's 

To: The Place
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Damascus is a great place for a zero day. We spent most of the day at the local coffee shop, reading and drinking good coffee (a rare commodity on the trail). We did our resupply and Dylan did a little fishing. Unfortunately, the town pool doesn't open for another week, so we had to find somewhere else to hang out once the coffee shop closed at 2.
Date: 2011-05-25
From: The Place

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well, Dylan's legs are still hurting, so we decided that it was better to go home early and let him rest a full week than to push it for four more days and take the chance of hurting them more. He has a wedding to go to in Texas on June 1, so we were planning a few days off anyway. Dylan's mom came to pick us up and we got into columbia just in time for me to catch my TRB friends on the way out of church. It was awesome getting to see everyone and getting to eat Rush's again. I won't be hitting the trail again until next Thursday or Friday.
Date: 2011-06-03
From: Home

To: Beach Cove Gap
Miles today: 4.0

I had a great time at home with family and friends, but it was time to get back on the trail. Unfortunately, Dylan's legs are still bothering him, so the doctor recommended that he rest until he is completely healed. As a result, I'll be hiking by myself for the next couple of weeks until my parents come to visit for fathers day weekend. I was getting ready to go this morning, and set my backpack behind my car. When got I my car to leave, I forgot that I had left my backpack there, and backed over it... . Aside from a few scuffs, the backpack is ok, but unfortunately, my Kindle got trashed in the process. It was a pretty bad way to start my day. Dylan is going to look into warranty possibilities for my while I'm on the trail. Dylan drove me up to Damascus this afternoon, and I didn't start hiking until around 6. I only got about 4 miles before it started to get dark, so I set up camp next to a stream and tried to recover from being out of shape after a week off of the trail. My appetite is pretty much gone. All I ate fro dinner was a clif bar, but I'm guessing it will ramp back up after a couple of days of hiking. Just as I was about to go to sleep, Frenchie and Micah(the sock-eating dog) came into camp. I made sure to hide my socks before I went to sleep.
Date: 2011-06-04
From: Beach Cove Gap

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

So, it seems like I've lost quite a bit of endurance from taking 8 days off. I hiked 10.5 miles, and was too sore and tired to press on. It was a pretty pathetic day for an A.T. hiker. I didn't see a single hiker on the trail today. I guess the rush is pretty much over since we were already on the tail end of the hikers. I fixed a light dinner and am going to bed early. I'm going to wake up earlier tomorrow to try and cover a few more miles.
Date: 2011-06-05
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: few clouds

The first 6 miles today were all uphill and pretty difficult, but after that, it was an awesome hike. There were a lot of grassy balds and rock structures with tons of beautiful views and rolling hills with easy climbs. I entered Grayson Highlands State Park today, and saw all of the wild ponies that it is famous for. I even got a baby pony to walk up to me, but just before I got to pet it, the mother snorted and started trotting over, so I decided to move on down the trail before getting a hoof to the face. I felt pretty good today considering my horrible performance yesterday, but I'm still pretty exhausted at the end of the day. It's just me and Frenchie at the shelter tonight. Micah ate his socks last night, so once again, I'll be hiding my socks tonight.
Date: 2011-06-06
From: Wise Shelter

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

I was worried that after pushing myself yesterday, I wouldn't make it far today, but I was able to pound out 20 miles and pass the 500 mile mark on my trip. Today's terrain was relatively easy, but as always, 20 miles is an exhausting distance no matter how good of shape you're in. I saw my first bear on the A.T. today! It was a pretty big one, probably around 300 lbs. I was walking while watching him run away and was almost attacked by a mother grouse. I was apparently so fixed on the bear, that I almost stepped on her chics, and she came running at me hissing and puffing her feathers. Towards the end of my day today, I found a box of trail magic. It was pretty picked over, but I got some re-fried beans, some veggie soup, and some pasta. Since my Kindle is out of commission, I have nothing to read, so I prayed today that God would give me a way to read his word. When I got to the shelter tonight, I found a New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs... pretty quick answer to prayer. I'm the only one in the shelter tonight... backpacking alone is certainly a different experience.
Date: 2011-06-07
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

I had a slow morning and didn't start hiking until about 10:00. The terrain was mostly easy with a couple of moderate climbs. Around 2:00, I got to Partnership shelter, one of the famous shelters on the trail. It is a 2 story cabin-like shelter with a clothes washing sink and a shower. You can even order pizza from the visitor's center about 100 yards up the trail. I met some new friends, Birch, Nathan, Tyvek, Gandhi, and Magic Mix (a guy with blue hair who is hiking with a kitten that rides on the top of his pack). I thought about staying, but I still had some energy left, and I need to make up some miles. I got to the shelter just before it started raining and made the past I found in the trail magic box for dinner. It's just me and Gandhi at the shelter tonight. He is really into yoga, so I got a quick lesson and learned some awesome stretches. It is nice and cool after the rain. It has been really hot the last week, so the cool night is quite refreshing.
Date: 2011-06-08
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: clear sky

I woke up pretty early today, and started hiking around 8 so that I could spend some time in the great town of Atkins, VA. I got to town around 10 and did some light resupply at the gas station. I have been looking forward to a milkshake for days because my guide books raves about the local dairy restaurant. I got to Atkins for find that the restaurant has been closed due to poor management. So, instead, I went to "The Barn" for a hiker special breakfast of 2 huge, free range eggs, 2 sausage patties, 2 bacon strips, 2 pancakes, and home fries. For the last few days, I have been feeling kind of like I was getting burned out on hiking. It may be due to the long days, or just simply getting lonely, but today I really enjoyed my hike. After leaving Atkins, the trail meandered through several pastures with beautiful rolling hills and open plains. My spirits were lifted and I even met a couple of new friends, Holden and Scout, and The Rookie (a 17 year old homeschooler whose parents thought it would be a good idea for him to hike the trail by himself...)
Date: 2011-06-09
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: moderate rain

It was miserably hot last night and the bugs were terrible. After about 2 hours of sleep, I finally couldn't take it any more and just started walking around 6:30. There was a really tough 2000' climb today, but since I got started so early, I was done with it before it started to get too hot. Water on this section of the trail is scarce, and I had to get water from a spring today that was full of bird poop and thousands of swimming larvae. Needless to say, I doubled my bleach treatment for that water. I guess I should get used to it because I hear there the water selection in New England is pretty poor. It rained towards the end of the day, and we had 8 soaking wet thru-hikers packed into a small shelter. It may be crowded, but I'm glad to be camping with a group again. I was beginning to worry that everyone was a week ahead of me and it's nice to have some company.
Date: 2011-06-10
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: few clouds

I got started a little late for such a long day and basically just hiked as hard and fast a possible for the first 14 miles. It was miserably hot and there were only 2 water sources for the whole 24 miles. The water at the shelter was a tiny pool about the size of a football and only and inch deep. Fortunately, there were some section hikers at the shelter that let me use their water pump. After dinner, I met El Torro, an 18 year old who is trying for a 90 day thru-hike. He had just done 35 miles, and had a pretty big head about it. It doesn't sound like much fun to me, but to each his own i guess...
Date: 2011-06-11
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light rain

The long days that I've been putting in have been taking a toll on me, and I decided to do a short day today. Around lunch time, I crossed a road with a convenience store about half a mile away, so I walked to the store for some refreshment. My friends Old Spice and Wren were there and were taking a shuttle to a nearby hostel for the night. I ate a medium, 10 topping pizza and drank a half gallon of chocolate milk with some cookies. After eating so much, I knew that I wouldn't be hiking much further, so I decided to go the the hostel with Old Spice and Wren. The hostel is an awesome log home from the early 1900s with a bunkhouse and is run by an amazing hippie couple. They provide meals from their organic garden and have a solar shower, spring fed water, and outhouses. I got an amazing homemade peach and blueberry milkshake and took my first ever yoga class. I was reunited with my old friends Driftwood, Chuck Wagon, and Chow Hound and made some new friends, Peter Pan(a traveler from Quebec with a heavy accent and a hilarious sense of humor) and Legs(a hippie girl from Gatlinburg who is around 6'2" and 3/4 legs). I had an amazing time hanging out in this beautiful place. it is the kind of home that I would love to have one day.