morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-14
From: Greasy Creek Gap

To: Roan Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Moonlight and I did not leave the hostel until noon. We were hoping to organize a day trip to Damascus for the "Trail Days" festival. There is a Granite Gear representative at Trail Days, and he is supposed to have a smaller hip belt for my pack, which is needed because of lost weight. Moonlight has a small hole in his sleeping pad and was hoping to get a replacement from the Big Agnes people. But the effort to get to Damascus failed and we finally headed out on the trail. The trail was basically up today; a lot of ups. The biggest climb was Roan Mountain, a 6,200 peakwith a 2,500 ft incline. Up for 3 straight miles! THis was probably the hardest hike to date. However, the the last five weeks of hiking have definitely improved my fitness level. We took it slowly, stopping for a 3-4 minute break every 250 feet. In the end, it turned out better than I had feared. We stayed at the Roan Mountain shelter tonight. This is the highest shelter on the AT, at 6,285. It was a Fire Warden's cabin built in the 1930s, and was a 4 sided, full blown house. We got there about 7:00, and ate quickly. As soon as we finished, it started raining....pouring.....thunder and lightning. It was a real light show, and lasted until 5:00 in the morning. Given that we were inside, it was enjoyable, save for the leak in the roof that dripped on my sleeping bag for a while.
Date: 2009-05-16
From: US Route 19, Roan Mountain City

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We prepared to leave this morning, going to the front office to pay and take off. But we saw the weather report on the Weather Channel, which talked about all day rain, flooding, and evacuation of low-lying areas. Because our feet were still beat up from the previous days hike, Moonlight and I reached a command decision to go back to sleep and take a day off. While the rain didn't come until mid-afternoon, it was a good decision.We watched a couple movies, I read a hundred more pages of Moby Dick, did a bit of resupply, and just hung out. No other hikers came until about 8:00 pm, when a young guy named Peace Pipe came in after taking 10 days off due to injury. Tomorrow, back on the trail.
Date: 2009-05-17
From: US Route 19, Roan Mountain City

To: Laurel Fork
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Good day of hiking. It started slowly, but turned out quite nicely.Moolight and I got up early from the hostel, but it was still raining pretty hard. "Peace Pipe", who has just returned to the trail after 10 days off because of a foot injury, left by 7:00. We waited until the rain had pretty much lifted around 9:45. The path was nice, very muddy but not rocky, and the elevation was generally fairly modest (only 1,000 ft up in the first couple miles). We made good time, getting 9+ miles to the next shelter by 2:30 pm. We passed an absolutely beautiful waterfall which, given the massive ammount of rain in the last few days, was flowing hard and heavy. We hadn't really made plans for how far we would go, but we both were feeling strong and decided to go on. At 12 miles we got off to head to another hostel; Abby's Place. It is cheap, a bit austere, but has internet so I can make journal entries. Staying here tonight are myself, Moonlight, Col Mustard, RLB, and Peace Pipe (who has reinjured his foot). It's getting down below freezing tonight, so it's a good day to be inside.
Date: 2009-05-18
From: Laurel Fork

To: Dennis Cove, USFS 50
Miles today: 11.8

An absolutely beautify but very cold day. The air is crystal clear, with water running heavy in the streams. We got up at 7:00, and piddled around until about 8:30 am, then off and back to the trail. The hiking was fairly gentle, but the trail remains muddy. Nothing like your boots staying in mud for hours on end. That said, it was a nice day for a walk. We made it 6 miles by 11:45 and kept going. We weren't sure how far we were going, but figured at the minimum it would be 12 miles. The last two miles were were full of rocks with a 1,500 ft. drop. After having beaten up our feet a couple days ago, our feet are still feeling very sore. We decided to go to an available hostel about a quarter mile from the trail. Unfortunately, it was all booked up. We walked another quarter mile and five of us rented a small cabin. Sharing a 16X16 cabin are myself, Moonlight, Col Mustard, RLB (for Rich Little Boy), and Peace Pipe. We have ordered a pizza and taken a shower. Life is good.
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Dennis Cove, USFS 50

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

A perfect day to hike! Left the Laurel Creek Hostel at 8:00, after a very nice night's stay. The five of us who rented a cabin (for $32, total) slept warm despite the tempatures dipping into the 20s, since we had a heater in the cabin. (The bunkhouse, which was our other option, had no heater and was freezing.)   We had a short walk to Laurel Creek Falls. Normally the falls are a fairly modest affair, more of a trickle. But wih the massive rain of recent days, the waterfall was a torrent. A massive cascade falling over 100 feet. Great pictures which I hope at some point to post. We followed the creek valley a mile or so through very scenic surroundings. Then a fairly steep up. After a while, we decended to another gap, with a highway. At the highway, there was a group of some dozen or more folks just standing by the entrance of the trail. Our first thought was Trail Angels offering free food to hungry hikers!! Not so, it turned out that the flooding had washed out a side road that led up to a family graveyard. A number of family members were talking to some forest service reps about repairing the road. So much for trail magic.Across the highway was a massive lake, created by a major TVA dam. Lake Watauga was so flooded that portions of the trail had been washed out, and the park benches that were supposed to be used by picnikers were under water. Moonlight and I sat and looked at the water, and RLB and Peace Pipe wandered in. Peace Pipe immediately stripped and went skinny dipping. Given that the water was close to freezing, I was satisfied to watch.After a while we loaded up and crossed the dam, once again heading up. The up was much higher than we anticipated. A 2,000 ft up that was coming late in the day, which really wiped us out. Along the way we came across a local high school outdoor environmental class, on a long weekend hike. I admire the courage of teachers and chaperones who are willing to take a dozen young boys and girls into the woods for four days, many of whom are completely unprepared for hiking and camping.We stopped for water at 6:00, still 2 miles shy of shelter. The shelter was dry so any water we drank that night and the next morning we'd have to pack in. Then we kept on going up until finally reaching the shelter. A small, old shelter that we tented around. Great views of the lake from the top of the mountain, and looking up at night to see the stars was amazing. All in all, a pretty good night.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Yet another clear sunny, warm day. This is getting nice. We were up at 6:45, and out by 7:30, making quick time to the next shelter which was 6.8 miles up the trail. I started getting a sore throat, and at luch at the shelter I took a dose of Threaflu. This sorta knocked me out and I spent the afternoon sleepwalking most of the day.A couple miles down the trail, we passed the Nick Grindstaff Monument. Nick was born in the 1850s, and in the 1870s left the hills to head west to seek his fortune. He made it only a little way, when he was robbed, beated and left for dead. Surviving, he eventually returned home, only to find his sweetheart had left with someone else. Nick turned into a notorious hermit, living on a cabin on the top of the mountain. The cabin is gone, but the chimney if still there, and a plaque has been attached. There are a number of these types of monuments on the trail. A hundred miles back or so, there are the graves of a man and his nephew who fought for the North during the war despite being from East Tennessee. After the war, they were heading home when they were siezed and hung by resentful Southerners, and they lay in lonely graves beside the trail. These details make the trail somehow more personal and more human. I like to learn such stories.As we kept walking, Moonlight and I came to an absolutely beautify valley. A road bisected the valley and we sat on a fence, hoping to look sufficiently pathetic that a passing motorist would have mercy on us and stop and give us a coke. No such luck, the heartless drivers would only slow down and wave. Bastards!Walking through the valley, there is a section of the trail that is handicapped accessible. Folks in wheelcharis could go a half-mile or so up the valley, through a beautiful field and past picturesque old barns. We stopped, admired the view, and took a nap for a few minutes. Soon we were joined by a hiker named Whispey, who had seen a bear only a half-hour earlier. Once again, we missed a bear opportunity.We made it to the shelter by 5:00. It was old and buggy, and we ate quickly and headed to bed by 7:30, which is almost midnight in hiker time. The plan is to get up extra early tomorrow and head to Damascus.
Date: 2009-05-21
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

I slept badly last night. The tent was on too much of an angle, and I kept slipping and sliding off the sleeping pad and into the edge of the tent. Also, there were a lot of strange noises last night. I heard owls arguing with one anoghter about 3:00 am, and then about 4:00 there was a really strange sound that sounded like a big cat. Since there are montain lions in the general area, this is possible. At 4:00 in the morning, to a sleepy hiker, it sounded like the mysterious noise was identifying which of the hikers would be breakfast!Got up at 6:00 and ready to get off at 7:00. We moved fast, reaching Abington Shelter by 11:00. We were on the watch for a baby bear. Apparently on Sunday a local farmer had killed a female bear that was rummaging through garbage pails and the chicken coup. An baby bear was now an orphan and had been chasing hikers hoping to find food and a mommy. At the shelter, the shelter journal had entries from hikers who the bear had followed and begged food. Normally, you never give food to a bear. But in this instance, the local forest service rep has sked that hikers feed the bear to keep him around, and then call the forest service to come rescue it. Anyway, there were no new bear entries in the shelter journal for the past two days, so it doesn't sound good for the little bear.Just after leaving the shelter I pulled a muscle in my right thigh. Thus far, I've had only minor scrapes and bruises. But the muscle pull, which came from nowhere, was seriously painful. If the hike had not been relatively flat, I'm not sure I could have made it. As it was, I limped into Damascus about 5:00. Virginia, we have arrived!In Damascus, I missed the Post Office, which had closed for the day. We did make a brief trip to the local outfitter, and then had a great burger at Quincy's. There is nothing like a great, great burger after eating trail mix for four days. And Coke! That's living.Moonlight and I stopped at the local hostel, The Place, where we saw Lone Wolf, RLB, Peace Pipe, Peggy Sue, and Razor. Staying at the Place is the backup, as Moonlight has an aunt who lives in nearby Abington VA. He reached her and we accepted an offer to stay with them for the night. Soon thereaver, we were off for a brief respite, and the plan is to visit the doctor tommorrow about my leg.
Date: 2009-05-22
From: Damascus, VA

To: Abington, VA
Miles today: 0.0

A zero day as I go to the doctor. The muscle is pulled, not torn. I now have a wrap and a couple prescriptions to address the problem. Still worried about how the leg reacts to walking with a pack, which I expect to happen tomorrow morning. We restocked and resupplied, had a great breakfast and dinner, and greatly enjoyed the hospitality of Moonlight's relatives, the Allisons.
Date: 2009-05-23
From: Abington, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

After a great breakfast at Moonlight's aunt's house in Abington, we left and got to Damascus around 11:00. A quick visit to the outfitter to get new maps (my old maps having run their course) and a stop at the Dollar General store for Gatorade. I went to the post office and mailed myself in Arlington a box with my cold weather jacket, my long johns, and some used maps. We saw Tully and Scavanger, who had just arrived in town and were planning a zero day. Then off we went. Going out of town, I bought a lottery ticket, firmly believing I will will $25 million next Tuesday.To begin with, my leg felt fine. This being the Memorial Day weekend, the trail was jammed. There were several hundred high schoolers from a regional church group. Lots of Boy Scouts too. The AT follows the Virginia Creeper Trail, which is also a bike path, for a goodly distance, and it's a beautifyl trail, an old railroad track that follows a fast running river. We made the first shelter nine miles out so quickly we didn't even bother to stop. At this point, my leg was feeling fine. We kept on going, planning to stop at a campsite called Beartree Gap, about 13 miles out of town. When we got there, it was buggy, we couldn't find the water source, and a nearby pond was thick with green algae. At 6:30 we decided to head on to the next shelter. In the process, we crossed a long railroad trestle bridge that had been converted for hikers. It was absolutely beautiful. We finally arrived at the shelter at 8:30, having hiked 15.8 miles that afternoon. A quick dry dinner and off to bed.
Date: 2009-05-24
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

We were late getting off, not leaving the shelter until about 8:30. Today is a big day, as we climb the two tallest mountains in Virginia, Mt Rogers and Whitetop. As it was a long holiday weekend, we were competing with a lot of day hikers. The hike up Whitetop took forever. We got water at a spring on top of the mountain, met a new thru-hiker named Scarecrow, and move on to Rogers. This mountain really, really took forever. Toward the end of the hike up, a bolt popped loose from my pack, forcing a temporary repair while I contact the Granite Gear folks for a new part -- not a crisis but a definite pain in the rear. We finally reached the shelter on top of Mt Rogers at 4:30, and by this time my leg was hurting. The hut was filled with Boy Scouts, and the area was full of families with overeager kids, so we decided to move on....mistake. As soon as we left, it began to rain; and not just a gentle rain but a bonechilling rain that penetrated everything I owned. As we left, we ran into the Grayson Highlands wild ponies. We did see and play with the ponies a bit, and I gave one of them a couple handfulls of my remaining trail mix (oats, dried cranberries, walnuts and sunflower seeds -- I'd gotten sick of it and was looking to dump it). One pony loved it, another spit it out. The ponies are small, inquisitive, and always begging for food, going so far as to enter the tens of campers to grab food. Anyhow, we got passed them and got onto some very nasty rocks. For three miles we just jumped from rock to rock. This part of the trail made no sense to me, we would walk from the east end of the valley to the west end, just to have the honor of climbing rocks. Then the trail would direct us back to the east end of the valley, just for the honor of climbing another set of ugly rocks. To me, this had nothing to do with walking from Georgia to Maine. Finally, the trail straightened out and we began making pretty good time. But my leg was killing me by the time we reached a shelter. At the shelter, I ate a nice meal of freeze dried lasagna and sat by a fire that some guys from NC had started. A nice end to a long day, but my leg is troubling me.
Date: 2009-05-26
From: VA Highway 603 

To: Dickey Gap
Miles today: 8.5

The forecast for today was for more rain, of course. I rained all night and why should we expect anything different. Because this is to be an easy day, I was slow to get up, lazing around until 8:30 or so. Moonlight, Houdini, Magnum and I all got to the local diner around 9:00, had breakfast, and waited until Jerry could ferry us to the trailhead. (Of course, the guys who partied last night with their conspiracy theory videos were all asleep when we left, raising questions about the seriousness of their hiking efforts).Anyhow, we got a ride to the trailhead and arrived there at 10:18. Off we went without packs, and the difference is amazing! The trail at this point was fairly easy, only about 1,200 ft up over the 8 1/2 miles. But we flew. Carrying little more than a gatorade bottle of water, a snicker bar and a light jacker in case of rain, we made the distance in 3 1/2 hours. This is as fast as I can walk. And my leg felt good -- not great, but good. We got to the road at the end of our section, and got a quick ride in the back of a pick-up back to the hostel. Showers and all clean by 3:00. An incredibly easy day. The guys who were parting last night are still at the hostel, they haven't seemed to move and computer guy is still playing with his computer. To each his own.Dinner at Jerry's is stir fry and vegatables, which I am greatly looking forward to.
Date: 2009-05-27
From: Dickey Gap

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: moderate rain

Weather is cool, rainy...so what else is new.Up at 6:00. Over to Jerry's Diner at 7:00, ready to go, rain notwithstanding. Jerry is such a nice guy we felt we had to eat at his place, and he offered us a ride to the trailhead (3 miles out, uphill). But first he had to do inventory, as deliveries were being made. We did not get off until 9:30, and hit the trail at 9:50. Myself, Moonlight, Peace Pipe, and Eternal Optimist.The trail was easy walking. We hit the first shelter by noon, We crossed a breat bridge across the Holston River, the ups were kind and the downs were easy. Came across a 4 1/2 ft. blacksnake that didn't feel like giving up the trail, and reared up like he was ready to strike when we walked near. That was about the highlight of the day.We arrived at Partnership Shelter early. This shelter is one of the crown jewels of the AT shelter system. Because it abutts the regional forest service HQ, there was a hot shower availble, a sort'a indoor toilet, and a phone we could call and order pizza. We tried ordering pizza from one restraunt, talking on the line for 15 minutes about the options and the specials. After we decided what we wanted, the girl on the other end said that they were closed today, but we could order a pizza for delivery tomorrow. We couldn't help but laugh as we declined the gracious offer. We did, however, order pizza from Pizza Hut, which delivered in a timely manner that night, without the 24 hour wait. At the hut was a guy named Bob who, after 37 years of hiking sections of the trail, was completing the AT that weekend. He had brought 8 friends with him, and they were having a grand time on the last 20 miles of Bob's hike. I talked to Bob a bit; turns out he works on ballistic missiles near Aberdeen MD. He shared his views about North Korea, explaining how the North didn't need to misbehave, as they'd already made their point. Bob was highly surprised when I told them about the nuclear test the day before!!!Toward the end of the evening, an interesting hiker named Peligrino wandered in. He is Irish, has white hair, and looks a bit like an oversized lepreachan. He carries a walking staff and wears a medallion he got hiking the trail to the religious shrine in Santiago de Compestella, Spain. He is given to sinking Irish songs and very entertaining. Anyhow, he got in about 9:00, tried to order a pizza, only to be told that they didn't deliver that late. He spent a long time yelling into the phone, but didn't get a pizza until the next day.
Date: 2009-05-28
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Gullion Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 17.0

An overcast, steamy day marked by occasional showers, just enough to keep you wet. We were up at 6:20 and out by 7:20. It was raining early so Moonlight, PeacePipe and I hid under the eaves of the ranger station for a half-hour or so. Once we got going, the hiking was relatively easy. We made good time, stopping at a historic schoolhouse that was a self-guided museum. The most interesting thing about the one-room school was the list of punishments. The most sever punishment, playing cards, was 10 lashes with a stick. The second most sever punishment was for girls misbehaving (8 lashes). Boys misbehaving would get 7 lashes. I guess there is a message regarding the expectations of girls versus boys, but I didn't ponder the implications too long as I had to get going.We reached Atkins by 2:00 pm. Moonlight and I had talked about getting a motel room and doing laundry, but we looked at the rooms at the Relax Inn and decided it was better to stay dirty and sleep in a tent. We did, however, go to a restraunt called The Barn. They made great burgers, so-so salads, and got lots of Pepsi. We restocked with the basics at the local gas station (Snickers bars, breakfast bars) and moved on another 5 1/2 miles. The next shelter was too far, so we dry camped on top of a mountain. As we were setting up camp, a deer came bounding into the camp-site. It saw us, realized something was not quite right, paused a moment, and then turned around and ran away. Then, being tired, it was time for bed and sleep.
Date: 2009-05-29
From: Gullion Mountain Campsite

To: Chesnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

The rain came heavy and continuous last night. About 2:30 in the morning the thunder and lightning started. The sky then just emptied. It reminded me of the Rip Van Winkle story where the mountain gods were playing ten-pins in the Catskills. That's what it sounded like -- long, loud rolling thunder. The tent held up ok, but it was uncomfortable, with the thunder and lightning ending only as the sun rose.Since we dry-camped the previous night, both Moonlight and I needed water, which we got after a mile of so down the mountain. The rain kept coming down hard, which made very slow walking. There's not much to remember becuase the day was miserably forgettable. The last four miles were 2,000 ft uphill. The first half of this up was nasty, but the final half was not bad at all, ending in a huge open field on top of the mountain. There would have been great views I'm sure were it not for the rain, the fog, and the mist. On top of the mountain there was a four sided shelter, large enough to house a dozen hikers. The problem was that there were about 18 hikers, and we were among the last to arrive. I ended up sleeping on a damp, smelly, dirty concrete floor. Among the hikers at the shelter was a hiker that had gotten angry and thrown his pack away on the uphill climb. All he had was a light blanket to sleep in, and clearly he was miserable. He kept asking how to get back to a town, and didn't particularly like the fact that any hike out involved a 8-10 mile walk. Not sure what happened to him, but don't think I'll see him again.