morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-11-01
From: Bland, VA

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: broken clouds

We decided to slack pack the 18 miles from Trent's to Rt. 52. It was a beautiful sunny day as we went over one hill and then another. We made good time as the trail was fairly steady with good tread. We got back to the hotel by 5 via Bubba again. Thanks! And more football!
Date: 2010-11-02
From: Bland, VA

To: Chestnut Ridge
Miles today: 15.6

Bubba dropped us off around 9:45, and off we went. Fortunately, we had several miles of going around the northern edge of Brushy Mountain where there was little elevation change. We met up with D-Man who was coming south. He is from MA and has been section hiking this part of the trail. Lonnie had met him at the motel so we were hoping we'd meet up with him. He was heading back to where we started, via Bubba as well. I should add D-Man is 79 years old. Yea for D-Man! By the time we got to the Jenkins shelter it was only 2:30, so we knew we had enough time to get up on Chestnut Ridge. It was a rough climb, but once we got on top, it was even rougher. Lots of rocks and no place to camp. Finally we came down into a little gap and found a flat place to pitch our tent. It proved to be quite nice. It was pretty cold at first, but as the sky became overcast, it warmed up. We ended up taking off clothes, it got so mild. Fortunately, it did not rain.
Date: 2010-11-03
From: Chestnut Ridge

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

We got an early start as we continued to hike the 3.5 miles of rocky terrain, up and down hill. We saw glimpses of Burke's Garden, an entire valley surrounded by mountains where today there are farms. Apparently, the soil is very fertile. My notes say that this was the first choice for Vanderbilt's mansion,Biltmore,which of course is in Asheville. I don't know why it didn't work out. We continued on our way to the top of Chestnut Ridge and Garden Mountain. There was the formal cabin of the fire warden out in the field. We could see where the posts were from the tower as well. We had a beautiful view of the distant mountains as we sat in the sunshine having some lunch.The sky clouded over so we knew it was time to head down the mountain. This was our first 4,000 footer since Moosilauke in New Hampshire. It was fun going down the fields,continuing to have a view. Climbing over Lynn Camp mountain was not fun - a tough climb, but then we got water and the final climb up to the shelter was actually delightful and energized us both. Seeing the shelter right on the trail felt good too. We set up the tent inside the shelter, since those clouds seem ready for rain. Tomorrow, Atkins.
Date: 2010-11-04
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Atkins
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Well, rain it did, all night. But we were dry and warm. Then we headed out in a light drizzle heading up over Brushy Mountain and each of the other mountains/hills we had to climb. We made great time as we went over each one. Because of the chilly, misty, foggy, and sometimes rainy weather we kept moving. We had a wonderful trail magic moment 2 miles after we started at Rt. 42. There was a cooler of sodas, and Little Debbie oatmeal pies and honeybuns left by thru-hiker, Lumberjack '06! Thanks to you big time. Those treats carried us through all the rain. We decided to hike the 11 miles to the Davis Path Shelter before we stopped. When we arrived, there was no shelter!!! What! It had been all torn down. So little feet, you have to wait 14 miles for Atkins.
Date: 2010-11-06
From: Atkins

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We left Atkins with Karen, owner of the Exxon station/restaurant, telling us there was a 40% chance of snow. But the sky was clear and the sun shining so after a delicious breakfast we set out. It was very cold, though. We made it up to Glade Mountain then down and up to Locust. While up on the crest of Glade the sun was shining and it felt a little bit warmer. By the time we got to Bushy Mountain, the clouds had rolled in and I even saw a few snowflakes. We pushed on not really taking any breaks until we arrived at the shelter. We got water at the Mt. Rogers building and cooked a meal at the shelter. We talked to Pack Animal who had just come out of Marion and was heading north.The longer we talked, it seemed the cloudier the sky got. It was still early in the day, but the loft area of the shelter was calling to us, so we ended up pitching our tent there and staying the night. By then as we looked out the window, the snow was really coming down! Pack Animal told us a story of his adventure with a mule. He was working for a guy who had horses when the guy said, "Take the mule over the mountain (a dirt road) to the bar if you want." So Pack Animal did. He saddled up the mule and away they went. When he arrived at the bar, he tied up the mule to a post just like you see on the Westerns, and he went into the bar.
Date: 2010-11-07
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

We left the shelter early in the morning when the snow still covered the ground. As we moved over each mountain, we decided to continue until we arrived at the Hurricane Shelter. We saw a trail maintainer who indicated it was just 2 miles or so past Dickey Gap. Well, he was a little short on distances, because it was much farther, like 5.2 miles. Anyhow, we ended up doing a lot more miles than we expected. But we made it, and were glad to be able to set up our tent inside the shelter since it was still pretty cold.
Date: 2010-11-09
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: campsite near Beartree Gap Trail
Miles today: 16.2

Today was a time of meeting all kinds of terrain as well as temperatures, although the day proved to be beautiful. We started out with wind and chilly temperatures at the shelter, then we moved across open areas of Whitetop Mountain where the sun was warm with some wind, thetn snow and ice oon the northern slopes and warm almost hot temperatures as we moved through pine forests and even pastures. We stopped at Buzzard Rock and saw the 360' awesome view, but we only saw crows. We moved through the day fairly quickly and even though we took numerous breaks to eat, the hunger seems to have come.
Date: 2010-11-11
From: Damascus

To: Asheville
Miles today: 0.0

It's funny how uncertain things can be. Before Lonnie and I started this journey we both had a tooth here or there start to hurt. We passed through it feeling it was more about our own issues about being back on the trail than actual tooth problems. Well, last night soon after we had the best pizza around at Quincy's in Damascus, Lonnie had a sudden burst of tooth pain. We thought it might go away by this morning, but it didn't. So with the help of his daughter, we came to Asheville where he is scheduled for a root canal on Monday morning. Then we hope to be back on the trail on Tuesday. So this does give me time to upload lots of pictures and finish some of my stories, (like the one about the runaway mule from a few days ago.) More to come.
Date: 2010-11-16
From: Asheville

To: Double Spring Gap
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

As we drove up Rt. 81,there was sun, dark clouds and some rain. By the time we got to Damascus, there was just wind, so we said goodbye to Brit, Lonnie's daughter, and we headed out. The sun was shining at times but there was no rain, plenty of dark clouds, though. When we got to the spring, I just started pumping water and it started to rain. We got things packed up even though they were wet. We only went a short distance when we found a camp spot and it started to rain harder. This is where we created Rule #5. When it starts raining, keep hiking. The rain most likely will stop, which it did, after we set up our tent and got things wet. Then the rain stopped, we had our dinner and it started up again. A rainy, windy night on the trail. But then we discovered that there was water lying on the floor of the tent under our pads. Our sleeping bags were getting wet. Not good! But the wind blew the storm out, the moon came out, and the breeze continued. We put on our headlamps, took everything out of the tent, dried things out, sleeping bags and all hanging them up, including the tent, and started all over again. After about an hour, we put our things back together again, and had a fairly dry night for sleeping.
Date: 2010-11-17
From: Double Spring Gap

To: Iron Mountain Spring
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: few clouds

With such a short night of sleeping, we ended up not getting up until after daylight. Fortunately, there was no rain, just fog. As we hiked up and down the mountains, the fog was gone and we saw blue skies with lots of moving clouds, but no rain. Yea! We came down from Holston Mountain to the handicapped-accessible trail where there was a bench, a field, and a nice view. We had already stopped at the Double Springs Shelter and had lunch, but to sit out in the sun, and rest our feet felt pretty good. The sun was so warm! Then we went across Rt. 91 to discover some trail magic in a metal container from a nearby church group. Water, soda, oatmeal patties, and other goodies just made our day. We each took a couple, filled our water bottles, and left with lots of renewed energy. When we came to the Iron Mountain shelter, we knew the spring was just ahead. There we got water, and discovered a campsite just above it and made camp.
Date: 2010-11-18
From: Iron Mountain Spring

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: few clouds

We had a wonderful and restful night on the knoll above the spring with lots of stars and moonlight. Unfortunately, it got cold too, but we stayed warm. We woke up to lots of clouds which seemed to linger for quite some time. Our day was spent climbing over all the ups and downs of Iron Mountain for the trail continues on this mountain for 14.5 miles. It seemed to take us forever to get to the Vendemeter Shelter where we sat atop the rocks behind it which overlooked Watauga Lake. We even cooked a meal although the sun still hid behind clouds. As we finally made our descent down from Iron Mountain, it seemed we would never get to the lake. But then we had to do one more up and down before we passed over the dam. Funny thing about this dam. There's no visible place where the water flows out below the dirt dam. There was a huge concrete bowl-like thing on one side by the water so maybe the river flows underground from that. Very confusing! We had one more mile left to go to the shelter once we passed the dam. We took a break there and rested our feet and legs since it was still early. Then we headed to the shelter. As we kept going farther and farther from the lake, I began to wonder just where this shelter was. My notes said about Watauga Lake Shelter, "a wooden structure on the shore of Watauga Lake." WRONG! We were so far up the mountain that we couldn't see or hear anything from the lake. We were disappointed, you can believe it.
Date: 2010-11-19
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Campsite - Field on White Rocks Mountain
Miles today: 14.6

Today we saw some spectacular things and had some tough climbs. First we wished we had gone another mile to some campsites right on the lake. Bummer! We could have been right on the lake. But we did leave early enough that as we came around the lake, the early morning light on the lake was just awesome. Then we started climbing to Pond Flats. It was great trail and easy switchbacks. On top there's a spring and some neat campsites. From there we descended to Laurel Falls and the Laurel Creek gorge. There were some steep areas to come down in which I fell then Lonnie twice! Fortunately, no problems. We just bounce back up. When we arrived at Laurel Falls, we took lots of pictures, but as we looked around at this canyon kind of falls area, we thought, "How do we get out of here?" There were cliffs on both sides of the stream. Then we realized the trail heads right up the cliff. For .1 of a mile, we climbed up the steep rock steps and when we arrived at the old railroad bed which we followed to Rt. 19E, we had to stop and take a break. It was quite a climb, and we were exhausted. This old railroad bed was fascinating. It was fairly level and went through some rock wall areas that had been dynamited out. Then as I was wondering, "How are we going to get out of this gorge?", it went right through a section of mountain and we were heading to the road. We stopped for a tuna salad sandwich then headed up the next mountain to a field where we planned to camp. I learned Rule #6 here. When the book doesn't describe the climb, expect the worse! This climb had a lot of steep uphills with even some root and rock climbing. There were several awesome views that became resting places for our tired bodies. We came to the field, found the spring, and set up camp. Here we are out on this mountain, and we can still hear lots of traffic on some road. Amazing! I discovered that 19E was just west of us, down in the valley.
Date: 2010-11-20
From: Campsite - Field on White Rocks Mountain

To: Campsite - Elk River
Miles today: 14.1

We had a day of easy trail and short ups and downs. It was so nice to not have to navigate rocks. Once we went over White Rocks Mountain we seemed to be following small hills with lots of streams. One called Hardcore Cascades had water coming down over rocks for about 40 feet. Nice! There was an open field area along the trail that had a view of Hump Mountain. There was even a bench set there dedicated to the memory of R. Frey Greer,or his trail name, Vango. We took advantage of this wonderful sunny spot and sat for awhile. Then onto Elk River. The campsites were up on a hill from the river so we decided to create our own campsite by the water. The area wasn't as nice as we thought it would be, but we enjoyed our evening, anyhow,eating up our last couple of dinners. B&B tomorrow.
Date: 2010-11-21
From: Campsite - Elk River

To: Mountain Harbour B&B and Hostel
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: few clouds

It was a fairly easy hike to the hostel. We took a break on top of an open field that had great views of the valley below plus Hump and Roan Mountains. When we finished eating the last bits of food, we had 4 m&m's, 3 mustard packets, 2 clif bars, and a partridge in a pear, not really, but that is all the food we had left! We arrived around 11 am at the B&B, and met our wonderful hostess, Mary, as well as her husband, Terry. The hostel above the barn was wonderful, but we had already decided to splurge and stay in the jacuzzi room in the B&B. NICE! Football, for it just happened to be Sunday, now did we plan this right! and hot jacuzzi baths. This is the life!
Date: 2010-11-22
From: Mountain Harbour B&B and Hostel

To: B&B a second night
Miles today: 19.0

We decided to take advantage of slack packing with Terry taking us up to Hughes Gap and then hiking north over Roan and Hump Mountains back to RT. 19E and the B&B. We got an early start and climbed up the steep slopes from Hughes Gap towards Roan Mountain. The last section reminded us so much of Maine, for we were climbing up boulders and roots along a pine tree/spruce, and other kinds of evergreens, that just made the climb wonderful. Then we saw light up ahead and knew we were near the top. I even thought I saw a moose, the feeling of Maine was so strong. Not really! But we made it to Cloudland, the location where the old hotel stood from back in the 1880's till the 1915's,up on top of Roan Mountain. This had to be some place! We had a wonderful sunny and warm day with very little wind as we moved over Roan mountain, through the conifers, and arrived at Carver's Gap. Then seeing all the balds were breathtaking to say the least. Plus, the view of all the mountains! Wow! We could not stop taking pictures and taking in all the beauty. Interesting the North Carolina mountains were much larger and the mountains on the Tennessee side smaller. Then we had to climb up to the top of Hump Mountain. When we looked at the bald from Little Hump across to Big Hump, we were concerned with time, for it looked like it would take us a long time to get across. It reminded us of Saddleback Mountain in Maine, that took 2 hours or more to cross. Fortunately, we had no problems and it took only a half hour or so. Then after stopping for a lunch break near the summit of Hump Mountain, we enjoyed the sun, and the view one last time. There was still very little wind. But... as soon as we crossed the summit, the wind picked up. Whew! It was blowing here! We saw two deer hunters sitting down off the mountain, but still on the bald. Then we saw a red horse down in the field. Could this be a descendant of the horse that Daniel Boone lost up here on one snowy day? Hence, Roan mountain?? As we descended off the mountain we were so glad that we chose to do this section northbound and without our heavy packs. It was a delightful day with great weather and we even made it back to the B&B before dark.
Date: 2010-11-23
From: B&B a second night

To: Beauty Spot 
Miles today: 18.7

After a wonderful breakfast by Mary, we said our goodbye's and Terry took us back to Hughes Gap, where this time we headed south. The forecast called for rain in the PM and this time the forecasters were right. It started to rain after we had gone about 4 miles. We kept hiking over each knob of the Iron Mountain crest and soon arrived at Iron Mountain Gap. Here we saw that the shelter was 2.7 miles away. The rain had been consistent but no downpours. We so looked forward to getting to the shelter, putting on warm clothes, eating a hot meal and waiting out the rain, then moving on. We wanted to get to Erwin by the afternoon on Wednesday, and we still had 16 miles to go. When we arrived at the shelter, there were 4 other hikers with very little room for anyone else. We ate the last of our pizza and moved on. Climbing Unaka Mountain was tough, but we kept going. The papers said it reminded hikers of Maine, and it did with all the spruce trees.As we descended on the other side, the sun was beginning to set. It created a gorgeous view with clouds hovering over the valleys and the setting sunlight filtering through. We headed for Deep Gap where our notes said there was a spring. We never found the spring so we decided to keep going. By the time we came to Beauty Spot, an open field at 4500 feet, the fog had moved in, and it was dark. We couldn't see the white blazes on the posts until we were on top of them. So we trusted that we were on the trail following the rutted path. The wind was also blowing by now. As we got to the top of this open area, we turned and headed back into the woods. I knew we would be descending, and since there were very few campsites plus the fog was very thick, we found a level spot and made camp. We had a little over a liter of water left and knew we would not have more until we went 5 miles. So as we shed our damp clothes and climbed into our dry sleeping bags, we ate two tuna sandwiches each, conserving our precious water. No hot meals tonight.
Date: 2010-11-24
From: Beauty Spot 

To: Erwin/ Asheville
Miles today: 10.2

One good thing about going so far yesterday was that we only had 10 miles to go today. The sky was clear as we woke up and we discovered what this mountain looked like. We could see the open field and there was a campsite just a few feet from us. Then when we went down the trail 200 feet or so, there was another. Oh well! It was a nice calm day, not too windy, although through the night our little tent did feel the breezes coming off the open field of Beauty Spot. More photo opportunities came as we came down the mountain and saw the clouds still hovering over the valleys. Looking down the opening created by the powerline created a nice view, too. Our water situation was remedied as we continued to descend and arrived at the spring right by the trail. Then onto th shelter for some lunch and the final couple of miles to Erwin. Lonnie's daughter had brought our car to a hotel in Erwin, so we were able to pick it up and head back to Asheville for Thanksgiving and a day off.
Date: 2010-11-27
From: Asheville

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

Ed and Brenda, our friends, graciously took us to the trailhead in Hot Springs where we got started up the mountain at 9:30. Both of us headed up the trail frustrated and angered because when I picked up the permit for the Smokey's, I asked about tent sites at the shelters. We knew you had to camp there. The guys at the outfitter's store told us that we had to stay in the shelter, not tenting. For 1800 miles we have been sleeping in our tent together, now we are told we can't. So as we headed out, the thought of not doing the Smokey's was all we could think about. The day was pretty cold and windy, but by the time we got up on Bluff Mountain, there was no wind. Then we went on up to Walnut Mountain where we camped near the shelter. It was very cold with light wind as we ate our meal and went to bed.
Date: 2010-11-28
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

The air actually turned warmer and the wind died down by the time the sun came up. It was actually quite pleasant. We headed out for Max Patch. It seemed to take us forever to get there. We stopped at the Roaring Fork Shelter where we had lunch, and then on up to the summit. Max Patch was spectacular, and since it was Sunday with road access nearby, we knew there would be other people and there were. We left there around 2, knowing that the shelter was almost 6.5 miles away. Amazingly, we went over the hills so quickly we arrived and made camp by 4:15. We found a nice campsite, lots of great water at the stream, and bear cables to hang our food. Fantastic!
Date: 2010-11-29
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Lonnie and I left the shelter area and headed up the mountain. We were able to do our usual time of 2 miles/hour which put us up on Snowbird Mountain at the bald when the sun was shining and warm while the air was cool with a light breeze. Another great day. We could see over to the Smokey's which looked like they had their own cloud system. The tops of the mountains were in the clouds and those clouds were different than the rest. We continued our descent towards Davenport Gap, and by the tie we neared Waterville Rd. there were lots of clouds rolling in. This made us wonder about tomorrow. WE almost made the mistake of going past the hostel. The directions on our papers were for northbounders, but a sign on a rock by the dirt road led me to reread the book and realize that we were already there. If we had gone on, that would have been not good! We had a food box mailed here for the Smokey's. Even though it was only 1:00, we had already decided to spend the night lousy weather is forecast for tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.