morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-20
From: Log Cabin Road, TN

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: moderate rain

Never trust an outitter who tells you you don't need liner socks! My feet are steadily getting better now that I am wearing liners again, and I never had a problem before when I did. Other than that the smart wool socks are great. They are warm even when they are wet, and as cool in the heat as any other socks I've worn. As a bonus they don't smell funky even when you sweat in them for three days, just like old sheep. They really are better than any other sock I've used, but not good enough to use without liners.As predicted, there was a big thunderstorm last night, but I was snug in my cabin, and could enjoy it. Other people here at the shelter did get caught out in tents and are still trying to dry their stuff. It rained all morning, cleared and then just started up again. It was actually great! Cool enough to be comfortable and the rain kept the pollen down so I didn't sneeze once. I may be the only thru-hiker praying for rain!My umbrella worked really well too. I've managed to rig it so I can see where I am going uphill, which is a great improvement.The shelter tonight has an assortment of thru and section hikers, and a really nice friendly atmosphere (not always the case). One of the thru-hikers practices aikido, and we had a nice chat about the applications of martial arts to hiking. The rain made it hard to do my Tai Chi today, but tomorrow and the foreseeable future should be good. Tomorrow I'm hoping for a long day (close to 19 miles), so bed early and up early (I hope). I haven't been doing so well on the early starts recently, and it makes the long days tough to do before dark.The forest I have been hiking through, the Cherokee National Forest, besides being beautiful, has a great deal of human history. One of the most striking evidences of this is the small graveyard plots you come across while walking. Many are family plots, some quite old, but at least one was a historical monument. It was the graves of two Union soldiers and a 13 year old civilian who were killed by Confederates on their way to visit their families. I didn't realize, but much of Northeastern TN was very pro-union during the Civil War, and there was a great deal of friction and violence between the two groups locally. There is also a similiar site where the victims were Confederates. The war pitted family members against one another, and all the fighting went on in the forest, where you can still see old foundations and fence lines from previous farms.
Date: 2005-05-21
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Bald Mountain shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: broken clouds

A long day with along uphill at the end, but the reward was a fantastic view from the top of Big Bald. Along the trail I saw two grouse babies, all hunkered down by a tree trying to look like leaves, no momma in sight. That was a good thing as, apparently momma grouse have been known to chase hikers down the trail to keep them away from babies. The shelter is quiet tonight, just me and one other thru-hiker, both pretty tired. Not much to say about today, except that I spent some time trying to walk with good Tai Chi form. It seems to particularly help on the uphills, where I learned from White Crow, a thru-hiker who does Aikido, how to deepen my stance on the uphills so that I can sort of glide uphill. It's really cool, but I can't keep it up for very long. My muscles still aren't strong enough. Even the bit that I did it helped a lot. Technique! It's all about technique!There's a full moon tonight and the trail down to the shelter is surrounded by a carpet of white wild flowers. It's great to be here tonight.
Date: 2005-05-22
From: Bald Mountain shelter

To: Miss Janet's house, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: broken clouds

I think I have figured out the cause of a major problem I have been having. I have a serious slump from 11 until whenever I eat lunch. I think the problem is not enough food, since I feel pitiful (and hike the same), but after lunch a miracle occurs and I can move twice as fast. So, my plan is for heavy duty mid-morning snacks. Lets hope it works! Miss Janet's is full and busy with lots of people doing different things, cooking, playing, drinking, listening to music. I got driven to the store right after I got here and split the cost of a steak and fries dinner with another hiker. I cooked. He did dishes. Ice cream for dessert! Yum! It was nice to be clean, with clean clothes and to just hang out in the backyard for awhile. Back on the trail tommorow!
Date: 2005-05-23
From: Miss Janet's house, Erwin, TN

To: Tent site, Deep Gap
Miles today: 12.1

A short day! I didn't get on the trail until after 11:00. That's the down side of staying in a hostel. It's great to get the ride to the store for resupply and back to the trail. I really needed to be in town aand it would have been very hard without the rides. By the time eeryone is up and organized it's pretty late, however, and I don't have as much walking time. So here I am, about 4 miles short of the shelter I hoped to reach, with a 1000ft mountain between me and it, camped in a very windy gap, and with a long day ahead of me tomorrow. The good news is that my new system of eating every couple of hours seems to work well. I didn't fade out once today.Miss Janet's was an interesting experience, very social. People were very nice and friendly and there was a comfortable relaxed atmosphere. Between the trouble getting out early, the fact that three people were sick with an intestinal flu, which I pray I do not get, and the distraction of all the activity, which made it hard for me to get done what I needed to do, I think maybe hostels are not for me. I did enjoy being there, but it is sort of a distraction from the trail.My tent seems to be holding up well in the wind. Lets hope I can stay warm tonight.
Date: 2005-05-24
From: Tent site, Deep Gap

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: light rain

I did it! Almost 20 miles and the last 3 were climbing the tallest mountain on the AT until Mt. Washington. I was incited to this by another hiker, Pappy. He and I have been hiking at about the same pace for the last few days, and camped together last night. The weather was lousy too. Intermittant rain, hail, and high winds, interspersed with brief moments of calm and sun. The last climb up was miraculously almost easy and fun, and at the end of a long day too! Of course it was misty on Roan Mountain so there were no views, but it was beautiful none the less. I am staying at Roan High Knob Shelter, the highest shelter on the AT at 6285 feet. It is an enclosed cabin, but even so it is bitterly cold here. I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed! I am wearing everything I own to bed and sleeping under my tent as a coverlet. We got in so late that we were cooking by headlamps. The three hikers already there were in their sleeping bags to keep warm and very gracious about us banging around. Even with all five of us on the upper level it is cooold! Pappy's book describes it as "arguably the coldest spot on the AT". I'm not arguing!
Date: 2005-05-25
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Mountain Harbour B&B
Miles today: 15.2

One of the great things about the trail is all the changes in elevation, in even one day. The ups and down are hard physically, but the result is a wonderful panorama of different environments. Today, for example I went from 6200 feet, and a deep misty conifer forest with strong winds, damp dripping off the trees and moss underfoot, through open meadows on the top of mountains and blooming rhododendrons, down to 2800 feet and warm weather with gardens blooming. It's like traveling through different countries. The big event of the day was seeing the most amazing cattle, when coming down off of a bald named Hump Mountain. I could see from a distance that the herd was right across the trail, and when I got close it became clear that the big one right smack dab on the trail was not a cow, but a bull, complete with ring in his nose! So I decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and walked off the trail around him, while he slowly turned and glared at me. He was enormous with huge horns (as were the cows). Later I found out that they were South African water buffalo! They had a single little brown calf, very cute.Today was proof that I am still working out the balance between exertion, rest, and food. I didn't get to the shelter last night until almost 8:30, and was on the trail this morning by 8. Not enough rest, and, as a consequence, I struggled all day to keep moving. But I am in a hiker hostel in a converted barn, very clean, with everything a hiker could want, including a shower, popcorn, and a shuttle to the nearest diner. Breakfast in the morning too! The people are really nice. They have 4 goats, 2 pygmies, so we talked goats for while.Only two days until I see Allen! I hope he has my new shoes. I have just discovered that the big toe on my left foot has gone numb.
Date: 2005-05-26
From: Mountain Harbour B&B

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: scattered clouds

This was supposed to be a short 14 mile day, until this morning I discovered a 3 mile discrepancy between the map and Wingfoot. It turns out the map doesn't reflect a recent trail relocation. (This is why multiple sources of information are a good thing, unless it's weather, in which case all you will get is one of everything. Take your pick.)Anyway, what a difference a day makes! I started out rested and fed, courtesy of the Mountain Harbour B&B and the Times Square Diner. (I can testify that my hiking appetite has surely arrived. I ate something called a Times Square burger, which was a large hamburger with, believe it or not, ham, cheese, mustard, ketchup, chili, cold slaw,onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, with fries and dessert!)But I digress! (another symptom of the hiker appetite is that you think about food all the time.) The bed and the breakfast at Mountain Harbour were great, and I started out the day with the right foot forward. It was a perfect day for hiking, sunny and not too hot, and the trail was an easy woods walk for most of the way. There were few other people on the trail but several startling encounters nontheless. First, I startled and was startled by a turkey momma when I got too close to the nest. She carried on doing the broken wing routine to distract me, and was so distraught that I left without looking for the nest. Then later, there was a loud crash behind me, and I turned just in time to see a large pine branch come crashing to the ground, just of the trail behind me. It was a perfectly still day, too!The woods meant it was a great day for wildlife. In addition to the turkey mom, I saw a deer, a snake (dark, with diamond shaped markings, not a good thing, I think), a fat brown bunny, and a whole lot of butterflies feeding on wild phlox near a river bank.The walk today also had two waterfalls, one with a hundred foot drop. All in all it was a pleasure to hike today, although the last two and a half miles uphill were tough. I am tenting tonight here in the hopes of reducing my exposure to pollen(and to the cigarette smoke in the shelter), since my allergies have been really bothering me. The shelter is small and pretty full and it's a nice night to camp. This way if I start sneezing I won't bother anyone.
Date: 2005-05-27
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: US321, Shook Branch Beach, Watauga Lake, TN
Miles today: 15.8

Today was a really interesting day. It was a lesson in the limitations of maps and trail guides. The elevation map looked as if, after a six mile mostly downhill, the trail follows a river on the level for several miles before climbing 1800 ft. The first part was accurate, but after a mile stroll along the river, I found myself at the top of a rivr gorge looking at a spectacular waterfall, and headed down a series of wet slippery rock steps. They led to the foot of the waterfall and then along the river bank on a ledge 2-3 feet wide about a foot above very fast moving river. Very exciting!Then it was up, up, up over Pond Mountain. I was dreading it all day, and telling myself to wait to climb it until I got there. No point in climbing it over and over again in anticipation! It was certainly hard work, but when I got to the top I felt good, not exhausted, so I think I'm finally beginning to get stronger on the uphills. I made it to the picnic area to meet Allen with time to spare, and got the chance to cool my feet in the lake and take a short nap before he came. Tomorrow is my long awaited zero, and a chance to sleep late and put my feet and knees back in shape before Sunday's slackpack. I am definitely a happy camper today!
Date: 2005-05-28
From: Elizabethton, TN

To: Elizabethton, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Ah! A blessed zero day. Food, rest, more food, more rest. In between I went to the outfitters in Damascus and got fitted for Super Feet, insoles which are supposed to do everything including curing shingles and acne!(not really) They supposedly will help with various problems, including numb toes and sore knees. We'll see.That's all for today. Back to eating and resting! Tommorow is a 20 mile slackpack. I need to get fueled up.
Date: 2005-05-29
From: Elizabethton, TN

To: Shook Branch Picnic Area, Watauga Lake
Miles today: 20.0

I know. I was already there two days ago. The outfitter who shuttled us to the trail head recommended leaving the car at the south end and hiking north to south, so we did. It felt wierd to be going the wrong way, and I kept running into northbound thru hikers I already had met earlier and having to explain. The hike was fast and easy, though, at least until the last two miles or so, when I sort of ran out of gas. It was mostly a walk along a tree covered ridge above the lake. The rhododendron were blooming, and the wild roses, which smelled heavenly. Alas, so was the grass lining most of the trail. Another day of sneezing my way down the trail! It was fun to walk with Allen (who did his first 20 mile hike today!), and fun to do such an easy trail with a light pack. Tommorow Allen will drop me at the trailhead at TN 91, 21.5 miles from Damascus and then drive back to CT, and I will slackpack into Damascus to the B&B where we are staying. I could really get into this slackpacking!No numb toes today! These Superfeet are really working. My feet didn't start to ache until right before the end of the hike and then it wasn't half as bad. The left knee still hurt on the downhills though, and I didn't get to find out whether they will cure any other ills. Allen is going to work on my knee, which is starting to really slow me down on the downhills.It's been great to have him here, and I'm going to miss him all over again tommorow. A neat thing today was the shelter cat at the Iron Mountain Shelter. He was a half-grown tabby. He seemed sleek and well-fed. I'm sure he gets plenty of mice and food from hikers. He is a true thru-hikers' cat. He managed to Yogi* a chunk of cheese off of Allen in about 1 minute.* to Yogi- to get food given to you without asking, like Yogi Bear with the tourists in Jellystone Park. Some thru-hikers have this down to a fine art. The only thing I have Yogied so far is a ride into town.
Date: 2005-05-30
From: Shook Branch Picnic Area, Watauga Lake

To: Montgomery Homestead B&B, Damascus
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today was the second and last of my slackpacks into Damascus. Allen dropped me off at 8 this morning at the trail and then headed home to CT. Before 6 I was in Damascus! Almost 22 miles in 10 hours (actually 9 hours of hiking time, because I took breaks). It was a very easy trail, and the light pack helped, but so did my new insoles, which seem to be improving my condition daily. I had practically no knee or foot pain today, even on the downhills, and was almost as strong at the end of the hike as the beginning. I feel really well rested after the last three days and ready to move north into VA. Who would have thought two days of 20 mile hikes would be a rest!That's right, I said VA. I crossed the state line today out of TN and into VA, and because the trail runs back and forth along the TN/NC border I have also finished NC. Three states done out of 14, six if I count the ones I did this Spring. I am very pleased (and a little surprised) to have made it this far. So much has changed since I started in GA a little over a month ago. I am stronger and know my own body and how to take care of it much better. I am much more comfortable in the woods, and generally much more relaxed about the whole experience. I have much more self confidence and much more patience. On the other hand, I have noticed for the first time that I sometimes will feel bored with a long woods hike without views, and that I have to think of entertainments for myself sometimes. Mostly those involve planning what I am going to eat when I get to a town. That is another thing that has changed. I eat an unbelievable amount. I think Allen was somewhat flabberghasted, since it wasn't like me at all.Having Allen here was great, and his chiropractic services helped put me back together again even faster. I was very sad to say goodbye this morning, but within an hour on the trail I was happy to be on my own again.There are a bunch of hikers in town whose journal entries I have been reading for weeks. Its kind of cool to finally meet the people who've written all those notes. None of them is in the slightest the way I imagine them to be, but they are all really interesting people. I'm looking forward to the next few days of hiking, which includes Mt. Rogers and the Grayson Highlands, which is supposed to be beautiful, more resembling Montana than VA.
Date: 2005-05-31
From: Montgomery Homestead B&B, Damascus

To: Lost Mtn Shelter Tentsite
Miles today: 15.3

As usual I was slow getting out of town, and slow the uphills with a full pack. I left Damascus around 10:30, and had 3 mountains to climb before the end of the day. The 1000ft climb up Straight Mtn was compensated for by a mile or so walk through a rhododendron tunnel in full bloom. The trail joined the VA Creeper trail for awhile, a rail trail for bikes and horses. They have it easy, nice paved surface and easy grades. It was mostly a woods walk, only brief views of the mountains, but I was enjoying being in a new state. My allergies have been much better since I started taking Claritin, but I suspect they add caffeine to it to make it non-drowsy because I am having trouble going to sleep at night. It's hiker midnight now and everyone else is asleep in their bags, and I am still bright eyed and alert. Oh, well. I'll find something useful to do until I'm sleepy. I am tenting near the shelter so I won't bother people if I'm up. It's very windy, so I hope I haven't made an error in judgement. I may be risking getting clobbered with a dead tree limb!Tommorow I will climb Mt Roger's and some other thing over 5000 ft called Buzzard Rock. That should help me sleep!
Date: 2005-06-02
From: Wise Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter, VA
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: moderate rain

I started out the day with breakfast in bed. It was still raining hard when I got up, so I made tea and oatmeal, propped myself against the wall of the shelter in my sleeping bag and watched the rain, and the birds taking baths. I got going a little late and didn't do my Tai Chi, but it was a lovely way to begin the day. The rain began to light up around 10:30, but before then I walked thrugh more of the park and saw four more ponies, including a pure black one, in the shelter of some trees. I found out from an information board that they aren't really wild. The original ones belonged to a local rancher who donated them to the Forest Service to use to keep the balds clear by grazing. They had already tried sheep and cattle without success, but the ponies have worked out well. They bred successfully and there are now about 125 of them. Of the seven I saw each one was very different in coloring. The rest of the day went very quickly. I love VA! The trails are so fast, and just as pretty as parts of TN/NC, although nothing yet to compete with Roan Mtn, my favorite part of the trail so far. There wasn't much in the way of views, but I got to walk through another long rhododendron tunnel. They are so festive and sort of formal. It makes you want to whistle the wedding march, or Pomp and Circumstance or something.When I say the day went fast, so did I! I did the 20 miles in 10 hours including about an hour of breaks. The trails are defnitely easier, but I am also defintely stronger. I didn't really feel tired today until the last few miles, and some of that may have been the time of day. For some reason, no matter how far I've walked, or when I started I fall apart at around 4:30. Then I have a miserable hour and a half. If I'm still walking at 6 things get much better then. Wierd!My poor umbrella! I am debating whether to try a new rain system, since I am still drying out my warm jacket from yesterday's umbrella failure. I'd hate to give it up though. The privy at the shelter had no roof (why, I don't know), and I was much happier out there with an umbrella!I arrived at the shelter tonight to find a roaring fire in the fireplace and an entire boy scout troop from Raleigh, NC. I was a little startled at first, but they were so gracious and warm. They offered me a spot in the shelter (I decided to tent) and a spot by the fire. I had interesting conversations with many of them, about hiking, their career interests and professions, etc. They were a lively, cheerful bunch and it was nice to sit around the fire and talk to good people at the end of the day. They have a long day tomorrow, 19 miles, so they will be up and out early, which is good. I won't have to worry about waking them, as I also have a long day (22 miles, I hope). Spending time with them was a nice way to end the day.
Date: 2005-06-03
From: Trimpi Shelter, VA

To: Relax Inn, Atkins,VA
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: light rain

This was just to prove to doubters (such as myself) that I can do it with a pack too, not just slackpacking! Seriously, the day was long and I was a little tired from yesterday, but I still made it just after 6:00 and just ahead of a rainstorm. It's so much easier when your total elevation is limited to under 1000 ft. After a brief rain shower this morning the rain mostly held off and the sun even came out briefly(the first time since I've been in VA). There were lots of rhododendrons and one very pretty view, framed by flowers, of the valley below. I had lunch at the Partnership Shelter which is right next to the Mt. Rogers Visitors Center, and has a shower, and a sink with hot water as well as a phone (at the visitors center) were you can order pizza and have it delivered! The hikers there last night had pizza for dinner. It has to be the most luxurious shelter on the trail.Virginia sounds different than GA and NC/TN. This morning a thrush woke me (at 5:40) singing his heart out, and along the trail I heard doves and cows lowing and dogs barking, and tractor engines. The trail runs along the ridges, but you are never very far from farms and homes and roads. Today, for example, I crossed nine roads.The best wildlife sighting today was a large eastbound turtle in the middle of the trail, moving very slowly. Hikers a half an hour to an hour ahead of an behind me saw it as well. Good thing he's not trying to get to Maine!
Date: 2005-06-04
From: Relax Inn, Atkins,VA

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter tentsite
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

I don't have much to say tonight. It was a short day, but tiring because of the weight of my pack, and my allergies are back in full force. There was a lot of walking through hayfields, and I was pretty miserable much of the day. It was nice to stay dry all day, but a good rain would have damped down the pollen. So, all in all not much fun today, but not the fault of the trail. Idid have the opportunity to walk with and talk to Pastor John, who is doing a section in VA, and I much enjoyed our conversations about social justice and politics. He is a man who clearly lives his values every day, and doesn't just take them out and dust them off for company.