morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-21
From: Ash Gap (tent)

To: Apple House Shelter 
Miles today: 16.2

Day 36 Slept in an hour. Out of camp at 9am. We still had a 1/3 of Roan Mtn to climb. This part really reminded me of the northern woods. Once up top the trail follows an old logging road. Roan High Knob Shelter originally was a fire warden¢s cabin and is the highest shelter on the A.T. We descend into Carvers Gap where Soweja waits for a friend to show up. Blue eye and myself after a little rest, head up Round Bald. The A.T. now follows a gravel pathway up to the top. These are all grassy balds or treeless meadows for one reason or another. I¢ve heard everything from grazing to harsh conditions to Indians clearing them. My favorite of course is space aliens. As if they are going to come and take our trees. Next is Jane¢s Bald. There¢s lots of history in this section. From the Overmountain Victory Trail (revolutionary war) to Jane¢s Bald being named for a women who died of a milk sickness. We stopped for lunch at Overmountain Shelter. It¢s an old barn converted into a shelter and was once in the movie ¢Winter People¢. Blue eye saw a very large rat. There were several people there taking a course on leave no trace. We look around and decide to head up the Hump Mountains. Little Hump and Hump Mtns are both open grassy balds. It got a little hairy going up Little Hump. There were clouds and it was raining on and off as well as the sun shinning here and there. Thunder started to rumple nowhere really close, but you could still here it. Never good when heading up an open summit. I leave it up to Blue eye and off we go. We go pretty quick as the thunder has picked up. We duck back into the trees in the sag between the two mountains. Now it¢s raining pretty decent. I fell twice in the muddy downhill. One minute I was standing the next I was on my back. Once I learned to walk again I was fine. The rain stopped as we chatted to a south-bounder who started in July, but took some time off cause of the snow. We head up Hump Mtn feeling a little better about the weather as the sun was shining and the wind was blowing from that direction. Sure it was pitch black on the other side, but we have faith. We now having all the confidence in the weather actually take a break up top. On our way down Blue says we have to cross some cows. Easy enough only now Blue has this look on his face. He tells me they have horns. I get there and horns they did have. Big one¢s. There are six of them all looking at us and I¢m wearing red! So we tip toe around the bulls and they don¢t seem to care. And Grey Beard & Pathfinder said you couldn¢t find a good steak in Tennessee.Down the hill we go till we reach Apple House Shelter where Radio and Krazy Kate have a fire going. Home for the night. Blue and I cook dinner and the clouds open up along with some colorful lightning.Transcribers note: for you city slickers those aren't cows them are Steers.
Date: 2005-04-22
From: Apple House Shelter 

To: Moreland Gap Shelter (tent) 
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

Day 37 Out of camp by 8:30am. It rained for about an hour last night, just long enough to get the tent thoroughly wet. We crossed the much talked about highway 19E. All sorts of signs telling you not to park there. Lot¢s of vandalism to cars. The locals have never been too happy with the A.T. They look at it as big government taking away their land. Still a little touchy about it, though they don¢t hang fishhooks on the trail anymore.The sun was out and the temp began to climb. There¢s been a relocation of trail since I was last there. Adding a scenic river walk, new campsites and waterfalls. We stop at the first waterfall and have lunch. Blue eye setup a line and we dried our tents. The trail didn¢t have big large hills today. It bee-bopped between 3200 and 3500 feet for most of the day. We reached the second waterfall and dunked our heads. As we were snacking some distant thunder was clattering. We put our pack covers on and began to debate over raingear when the weather decided for us. Now in a full down pour with thunder and lightning we are 9 miles from a shelter. We are pretty sure, though with the relocation our 1995 maps are a bit useless. Off we go into the rain with little choice. I don¢t really mind hiking in the rain, it¢s the lightning I really don¢t like. I know the odds are slim of getting hit, but one would think they would greatly increase when walking up a mountain with 2 metal hiking poles. I¢m thinking somewhere between golfing and climbing a flagpole. So there are a couple schools of thought here. We went with a moving target, as it is harder to hit. After 2 hours of rain and thunder things settled down.18 miles for the day and we are tented 6 miles away from Dennis Cove Road where Kincora Hostel is. I got to the shelter and un-did my pack to find the inside wet? I have everything in garbage bags, but stuff is wet including my down sleeping bag. Luckily it¢s not soaked. I will be somewhere tomorrow getting dry. There are wild rumors of more snow for Sunday. I¢m going to line my entire pack with a trash bag and look into a waterproof stuff sack for my bag. It¢s going to be a cold damp night. With any luck it won¢t rain. Well I have no luck. At midnight it sounded as though a train was rumbling up the mountain. i poked my head out of my tent to take a look. One bolt of lightning hit so close that it was thundering almost instantly. The tent was shaking. I can take a hint and out of the tent I would go. Checked to make sure Blue eye wasn¢t toast and ducked into the shelter for the show. It¢s only the second time i¢ve crawled out of the tent in a storm. Can¢t really do much about the lightning. It's not like your any safer in a shelter, though I could probably move if say a tree were falling my way. Tough to see trees in a tent. The logic of moving to the shelter wasn't so much safety, as it was i'm taken you all with me. After about an hour or so I crawled back to my tent. Thought about sheltering it since I was there. Every time someone moved it made a thumbing sound. I don¢t know how they do it.
Date: 2005-04-23
From: Moreland Gap Shelter (tent) 

To: Laurel Creek Lodge 
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: light rain

Day 38 Broke a wet camp at 7:30am. The sun was poking in and out. We start off up a hill and the sun went away. Then out came the rain. Lot¢s of wind, but no thunder. It was only 6 miles down to Dennis Cove Road .2 miles to Kincora to the left and .3 miles to Laurel Creek Lodge to the right. I was soaked and it was a spring like 45° with lows in the 20¢s predicted. So Blue eye and I head over to Kincora Hostel. Bob the owner was in Hot Springs for Trail Fest and would return in early afternoon. We then found out there were 20 people here last night and most would return. Good enough for me I call down to Laurel Creek Lodge and got a cabin with heat for $25. Everything I had was wet and needed to be dried, hard to do with 20 people. Blue eye decides to come with me. It¢s really not a bad place. It took a bit to get the heater going. You also could see through the cracks in the door, but it was warmer than my tent. I recommend it if Kincora is full. I'd like to think that staying at kincora is part of the trail experience. I stayed on my '99 hike. This is just an alternative. I had a really long shower, did laundry, and ate a pint of Ben & Jerry¢s. We went and got Blue eye¢s mail drop and talked to Bob for a bit. Back at our cabin we ordered 2 pizza¢s, cinnamon sticks, 2 salads and a Philly Cheese Steak Hoagie for dinner. The low is going to be in the 20¢s today and tomorrow with snow we are hiking out even if it¢s only 9 miles to the next hostel. Let it snow, let it snow. The snow has started and we are in the valley. All is happy and warm for tonight anyway.
Date: 2005-04-24
From: Laurel Creek Lodge 

To: Watauga Dam (camp) 
Miles today: 11.8

Day 39 A snowy morning, so pretty. We had about an inch on the ground, which wasn¢t good as our trail still had 2000ft to climb. Neither of us really wanted to zero so by noonish we packed up and headed out on the A.T. The snow was still falling as we left. The Laurel Falls were flowing pretty well. My Camera ran out of film so I¢ll be relying on Blue eye for pictures for the next 40 miles. My digital should be in Damascus. I also ran out of fuel tonight, but had a backup canister. Pond flats rises up 2000ft in 2 miles. We past a lady slack packing back to kincora. She seemed to be having a real problem with the weather. I hope she made it. It was all down hill for her. The weather was 36° and snowing. When the wind gusted it was pretty cold. Hiking was hard at times. The uphills were slippery and hard to get good footing. When the wind wasn't blowing, it was pretty nice and the snow made it scenic. This is the 2nd time where I was getting sunburn one day and then 2 days later it was snowing. Once on the other side of Pond Flats we are at Watauga Lake. Hampton TN is a short hitch down the road. The lake was a little dirtier than I last remember. A quick stop at the shelter we run into rabbit and lion king. They woke up this snowy morning, hiked back to the road and hitched into a chinese buffet where they spent hours gorging themselves. There was no where to camp so we crawl up the trail. We set up camp before the Dam. It¢s bloody cold out, which is odd as Blue eye said the low was only going to be 40°. I bring this up. Now that he thinks about it maybe it was 20°. Then chuckles and says, look at the money I saved you. So I shiver here, yelling curses towards Blue eye¢s tent. We¢ve seen a scary amount of large appliances that have been tossed into the woods from roads. We think we¢ll see one more before Virginia. ¢He on whose head we could break a coconut never stands still¢?Transcribers note: I think worries means he¢ll see more cold weather, not appliances. I keep thinking about that poor girl who mailed her winter gear home already.
Date: 2005-04-25
From: Watauga Dam (camp) 

To: Campsite before Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 40 Blue skies today. Out of camp by 8am. It was crazy cold. I put on my gloves, but go with a t-shirt & shorts, as we¢ll be hiking up hills. After 4 miles I break down and put on my fleece. The temperature is in the low 40¢s but the wind is fierce. It didn¢t take long to get back up in the snow where we would remain for most of the day. We stopped at Vandeventer Shelter for a snack. The sun was shinning and I was warm for the first time in days. Yappy and Houdini were there at the shelter. Yappy thru-hiked in 1989, and then did 1200 miles in ¢94, she¢s also hiked the PCT. I planned to spend the day baking on the rocks behind the shelter. There was a rumor the temperature was to reach 65°. It stayed in the mid 40¢s till mid-afternoon. We had great views of Watauga Lake as the trail traversed the ridge for quite sometime. The trail was pretty dry in the morning as snow was all around it. By afternoon the trail was either covered in mud, water or snow. We were going to do a crazy a mileage day, but came to our senses. We had a lot of town stuff to do. So instead of rushing and trying to make it in tomorrow, we¢ll spend one more night and head in Wednesday morning. We stopped just shy of the shelter where Blue eye was snacking. The guide books have it labeled as a campsite. Why is anything labeled by wingfoot or the ATC as a campsite never flat? Blue built a pretty good fire and we currently have an owl or two serenading us.
Date: 2005-04-26
From: Campsite before Double Spring Shelte

To: DaveÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Place Damascus VA 
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 41 Another chilly morning. Lazy today we don¢t leave until 8:30am. Our motto today is break early and break often. So 45 minutes later we are sitting with a terrific view of the valley below. It did warm up, but remained windy. I took my time today and it was enjoyable. The trail is pretty easy in these parts and the snow was disappearing. Yesterday, we decide we wouldn¢t push for Damascus until the morning. Since I¢m writing you from town, that didn¢t work out. A good try just the same. Blue eye and I were doing lunch as it clouded up and began to sprinkle. We packed up and head to our camp spot a mile short of town. I claimed it to be Blue eye day therefore leaving all decisions to him. We got to our site and it was flat, but only 4pm. So after a little debate and dark clouds gathering we decided that we would rather watch the rain from the pizza place rather than our tents. We have officially done 460 miles since Springer Mtn. GA. To put that into perspective that isn¢t even how long the trail is in Virginia. If you add the two together it¢s not even half the AT. On the other 460 miles is a pretty long way. Always nice walking into town. Sounds of lawn mowers and the air smelt of freshly cut grass. You just don't get that in the woods. We first go to the outfitter expecting to see hikers, but none are around. A young lady was working that had thru-hiked a couple years ago. I think i love her. I don't just say that about everyone or do i? Then out of nowhere comes Redhat. She drove here from Erwin to meet her husband. She sadly is leaving the trail due to personal reasons (family). Her health is great. I¢ll be quite sad when she is gone we enjoy when she¢s around. There was no room anywhere in town. Redhat is letting us crash on the floor of her room. Sweet! A place to stay in a pretty full town. Blue eye, Redhat & myself go out to Sciliy¢s Pizza for dinner then for some ice cream.
Date: 2005-04-27
From: DaveÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Place Damascus VA 

To: Between Creeper Trail & A.T. 
Miles today: 6.0

Day 42 Redhat, Blue eye & myself did breakfast at Dairy King. I went for the King¢s three eggs, 3 bacon strips, biscuit & gravy, 3 pancakes, hash browns & coffee. After we went to the post office where I had 3 packages waiting. Two from my parents, which included food and my digital camera. The other was from Steve & Sally who currently live in Scotland. I hiked with them in 1999. They sent me a box of authentic handmade shortbread cookies. They are quite tasty and heavy, but nothing is too heavy when it comes to food. So a big thank you! To Steve & Sally I also met Wandering Bull? I think. I knew him as David Jessop who had a journal on the Florida Trail and is now doing the A.T. He looked like a smaller Lion King (another thru-hiker), which brought much humor. We made a trip to the dollar store, then off to lunch. Redhat, Blue eye & I decide on the Baja Caf© for some Mexican. Afterwards I head to the library and try to get a few minutes on the computer. Bullfoon whom I hiked with in ¢99 and your beloved transcriber might be hiking with me after May 18th for 10 days. Quite happy I must say I¢ll give him a call from Pearisburg.We say our goodbyes to Redhat She¢s off RVing and to see her sons¢ graduation I think. Wish her the best of luck and thanked her for letting us stay with her. Blue eye and I eventually leave town, but not before stopping at Cowboys for 3 ice creams. Then subway for a sub. Just before the trail this happy little ice cream parlor sits. So we had yet another ice cream. We then head straight up the A.T. Oddly the Creeper trail which I took last time meets up with the A.T. in 14 miles and goes over no hills that I recall. This time i'm stick to the AT and up i go. It rained on and off for a bit. Then it actually hailed. It cleared up long enough for us to set up our tents in between the A.T. and the Creeper Trail. We are about six miles on the A.T. out of Damascus. We had dinner along the Creeper by Laurel Creek. The Creeper Trail is a bike trail that runs along an old railroad bed from Abington to North Carolina¢s state line in 34 miles. It¢s very scenic.I¢d like to thank all that have signed the quest book on my journal or that have emailed me. I haven¢t had the chance to return many, but have read them. Thanks.
Date: 2005-04-28
From: Between Creeper Trail & A.T. 

To: VA 600 (Elk Garden) tent 
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 43 Broke camp at 8:30am where it was 38°. If I wanted this I would have camped in my back yard. Lot¢s of condensation as we were right next to a river. The temptation to take the Creeper Trail was great, but I go up the A.T. in search of sun. Eventually I do find sun and even warmth atop Straight Mtn. On the way down we run into Roamin Goat going south. He thru-hiked back in 1981 and started a southbound last year but quit when a hurricane hit his home in Florida. He¢s finishing up now carrying an ¢old school¢ external frame Kelty from 1979. We next break at a stream where I dry out my tent. After drinking quite a bit of water we read in Wingfoot¢s guidebook that it was non-potable? We have termendous trust in our filters. Off to Lost Mountain Shelter where we run into Tom, Wandering Bull & Rabbit. Wandering Bull heads for the next shelter. Blue eye and I head up and over Buzzard Rock and White Top Mountain. It was 50° when we left. It promptly started to rain. It was a long wet hike up to Buzzard Rock where the temp was 38°. The last mile was covered in a sea of clouds. Snow was falling as I reach the top. Blue eye is hudled behind a rock. There was one lonely tenter barely visable up top. Crazy, dumb, warm, your guess is as good as ours. We hike down as the snow changes to rain. It is now 40° and raining as we scramble to find a flat spot. We finally do find somewhere to camp, though close to the road. We walk down to the parking area. Lion King is practically camped in the parking lot. Hoping for sun in the morning. It¢s rained or snowed for over a week now.
Date: 2005-04-30
From: Old Orchard Shelter (tent) 

To: Tent site 1 mile before Partnership Shelter 
Miles today: 23.7

Day 45 Thunder started about 2am and it rained till I got up. Broke camp in the rain and on cue it stopped shortly there after. The trail for the most part was pretty good today. Yesterday, it was hard to tell the trail from a stream. This actually happened, a stream crossed the A.T. and we had to figure out which to take. Blue eye said, we chose the north fork of the A.T.The temp was into the 60¢s today with overcast skies. The trail seemed easier but less scenic today. We met Nimblefoot today, a fellow Wisconsinite. I believe spooner was his home. We had a Wisconsin chat, beer & cheese mostly. I saw a really red bird, cows, lots of deer and a rabbit today. Blue eye whipped up some killer burritos by the south branch of the Holston River. During our break the cloud gathered. After that the rain came. From 5pm-till 8pm it poured. Early on there was a break in the rain and a beautiful flat spot. The rain never stopped again. A frantic search for somewhere to put up a tent. Rodadenrn is thick here. Tired and cold we find a small spot. Everything I have is soaked and has been for days. This is the 8th day of rain, hail, or snow. Cooked and ate dinner in the dark as it poured. The shelter can't be too much further. It one of the nicest on the trail. Tomorrow we¢ll be in a cheesy motel but as long as it¢s dry and warm I¢ll be happy. I¢ve started collecting animals by two¢s and Blue eye is building an ark. I¢m making a home game so you can play along with us. Take your gloves soak them, put in your freezer for 30 minutes. Now turn on your shower (cold only). Ohh..turn up your air conditioning. Now put your gloves on and hop in for 12 hours. Every once in awhile you can turn it off a couple minutes. Fill up your tub that¢s where you¢ll be camping. A work in progress I guess.
Date: 2005-05-01
From: Tent site 1 mile before Partnership Shelter 

To: Relax Inn (Atkins VA) 
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 46 I poked my head out of my tent and saw blue skies. So I promptly went back too sleep as I must be dreaming, though it was 40° out. I guess we have to let the animals go. It was a pretty cold mile to Partnership Shelter. Impressive shelter, 2 floors, shower, water spigot, five star privy according to Lion King, and yes you can order pizza. We hike another 100ft to the Visitor Center, which is closed, but take the next 2 hours to dry out our gear. We enjoy burritos that Blue eye¢s niece had made. She put the mix together, Blue eye mixes it all up and me I just eat it. Finally I head towards Atkins where my mail drop sits until Monday. There were a couple hills, but nothing too crazy. Blue eye and I took a 12 hour break on the last one and baked in the sun. The rest was pretty much downhill. We stopped by an old schoolhouse built in 1894. Then ran the rest of the way, as there was a Dairy Queen 2 miles down the trail. We got a room at the Relax Inn. We have a shuttle in the morning to get our mail drops. We hit the diner for dinner then stop at Dairy Queen for dessert. Then laundry and Dairy Queen again. Right now we are watching Rocky a classic. Tomorrow is all about the breakfast. Blue eye is questioning just what ¢precip¢ does? His jacket is made out of it and yet he gets wet. It made sense to me. We want congressional hearings! I have a couple questions for gortex while were at it.
Date: 2005-05-03
From: Crawfish Valley Campsite 

To: Chestnut Ridge Camp (bloody cold) 
Miles today: 15.0

Day 48 Peeked out of my tent at 6am and it was pretty damn cold. So back inuntil around 8am. Breakfast today is coffee/hot chocolate, Capt.Crunch& Quaker oatmeal bar. Left camp around 10am on what looks to be the makings of a beautiful day. We stopped early Yesterday because..well because we could. Also Blue eye thought that it was Tuesday and that we could never get to the post office by Saturday at noon 90 miles away. Well as it turns out today is Tuesday and yesterday was Monday. With this new knowledge we decide that we can get to Pearisburg by Saturday at noon, we think. We climb a 1000ft right away over Tilson Gap. After going over many stiles (wooden ladder things over barbed wire fences). We stop where Jax is taking a break. A lovely grassy hill in the sun. Vision Quest, Not Guilty & Eagle Foot join us. Two hours later Blue eye and I decide we¢d better get moving. Lots of hills today that go straight up. The biggest is Chestnut Ridge at 2100ft climb that we decide best be done tonight. It was a long one and our light was running out. 1.8 miles before the shelter we get water and talk to KT, now Northman. We decide to camp a little up from the water on the ridge. Blue eye wanted a view of the mountains. I hope my little 3-season tent survives the wind. It¢s already down to the low 30¢s. It going to be a bloody cold one. Forget going to be, it already is. I don¢t want to know what it¢s going to be.