morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-18
From: Uncle Johnny's Hostel

To: Uncle Johnny's Zero
Miles today: 0.0

O-29Note to readers: TJ identifies some of the email addresses in the guestbook as invalid and prevents me from replying directly. I do reply to those that are recognized by TJ, although that might take some time.   Several shootouts : My Sister for her encouraging words, AstroGuy for suggestion on electrolytes( haven't had nighttime leg cramping since) and Bob N for kind words about not beating my self up and Berk commentsAlso, it's been over a month on the trail now. I make entries each day and post to TJ when battery power and connectivity allow. However,this has been a recent challenge as AT&Tcoverage has been quite poor lately. I try to limit uploading photos today's in town, about once a week   So, question for readers: what do you like/ don't like about the entries? What would you like more/ less?   Or any other comments....Last night wasn't very restful. Berk and I were in our tent, along with a couple of other 2 or 3 dozen tenters in the back yard. There was a fire and large group of young ones having a jolly old time, well past time. I'm very hard of hearing but was able to recognize at least 3 different loud conversations going on into the wee hours. Then I was up at 0500 for nature visit and decided to do my laundry. The hostel is rated for 20 people and there were well over 50 staying the night. The hostel reserves the one saber and dryer from 8-500 and is open to guests the rest of the time. Last night at 1000pm the queue for the washer was 3 deep. But, I had the entire laundry to myself. I also had some very hot water as my shower yesterday afternoon was lukewarm at best. After completing laundry I went back for another nap until 0800 and then took the 0830 shuttle to breakfast. I returned to the hostel and was given a very nice cabin room ( like the one I had reserved Sat for last nite...) TV, DVD player, microwave, refridge, cast iron bed frame and AC outlet. Although I may have made some discouraging comments about Willow, I like her and we have planned to share a cookout together tonite. Last night we watched and drooled over the ultimate cookout by about a dozen hikers. Many of us took the noon shuttle to the AYCE pizza place. Pretty good and I must report that my first plate was all salad stuff. Then went to local grocery store to stock up for tonite's cookout. I picked out a good sized steak and Willow found one that she thought was more than she wanted. I told Willow she could then become Berkeley's best friend tonight.   I declared today the second Sunday this weekend. You see, my RA doc and I have this agreement, which is that I take my RA pills on Wed and then can have 2 beers on Sat and Sun. Since this is a second Sunday, I'll take my RA pills on the 2nd Wed this week Willow and I had a cookout tonite. She said it was her best dinner yet. Berkeley probably agrees because she got a lot of leftover steak. I had trouble downloading Guthook's AT maps today,but got some expert assistance from Yosamite, thxIt's getting late and I didn't get much sleep last nite. Hopefully tonite will be betterLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-20
From: Red Fork Rd

To: Greasy Creek Friendlt
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Apr 20Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel11.6 milesO-27I slept well last night and we were up hiking around 0800. It started with a comfortable 1000' climb and the entered a "dense spruce forest".   Dense is the operative word as there were too many trees for a healthy forest. And not very pretty at all. I was at the shelter early for a quick break with Willow and Moire. Later we met at roadside where they partaked of some BPR trail magic. We had another 700' climb and I took it very easy not to overburden Berk.   Today's hike seemed much harder than I expected and kudos again to the CMC for the trails. Saw Pluto, Sacajawea and two others at the Greasy Gap. Willow and Moire had talked about staying at the Friendly Hostel, but decided to press on to next shelter, probably to lessen tomorrow's planned long hike to the barn shelter. I wanted to stay at the hostel. I stayed there in 2010 and identified a tile by MissStep, who I met several times over the hike. Berk and I are getting settled into the hostel. CeCe has made a town run and is due back with some burgers we ordered from local grill. All for nowLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-23
From: US 19E

To: Upper Laurel Fork
Miles today: 12.7

O-24Disclosure: My guidebook says I've completed "only" 405.8 miles. I know I added 0.5 and 0.7 for one way hikes to shelter/hostel that were off trail. I don't understand the discrepancy but will try to sort it out when i have better internet/computer accessI had my best sleep last night in a long time. I was up early and fixed my breakfast in the luxurious "astronaut" quarters at the Vango Abby Hostel. I was slackpacking today and decided to hike "backwards", i.e. South, from the hostel back to US 19E. I also decided to give Berkeley a zero today to rest up and recover more. It was a very easy and picturesque hike. Long runs by the Elk River and two nice waterfalls. I was interested in the "backwards" hike so that on my shuttle pickup, I might be able to go to town for resupply and possibly an adult BEvERage, this being a Saturday. Scottie, the hostel owner, also suggested a S hike in order to see who was ahead/behind me. And I'm glad, for this allowed me to see more than a dozen hikers I probably would not see otherwise. One of the first I saw was Vera/Queen Sweeper/Hot Czech. She is a favorite of mine and was surprised and anxious to see me (She feared she may have been hiking the wrong direction!) Also saw Smiles, Sandwich Boys, Jordy, Sage (Rich), Shadow Box, Yukon, Puma, shotgun, Blueberry YY, and others. I quickly hiked to 19E and was immediately picked up by Scottie and Buzzard. We went into town and pigged out at the local BBQ joint, very good. And surprise, Willow and Pookie were just leaving.   Stopped at the Valero on way to hostel, only to find out this is a dry town    Got back to hostel, took care of the dog and started getting gear ready for hiking out tomorrow. Talked some space stories and camera ops. Found some beverage and had another pint of B&J for dessert. Its late and I still have a lot of work to do toniteLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-24
From: Upper Laurel Fork

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

Kincora's Hostel12.4 milesI had another great night sleeping. Before bedtime Scottie invited Buzzard and I to breakfast at 0630. I was up early and the temp was 30 deg, pretty chilly am. We had a great breakfast and I was hiking before 0800. It was a great hike today, don't think we had much over 1000' ft gain/loss all day. Just N of the hostel was the FS road that was closed for the wildfire. It had a notice the trail was now open. I hiked to the shelter and smelled the fire at one place, but didn't really see anything disturbing. However, shortly after leaving the shelter one could see fire damage on the W side of the trail. This lasted for less than a mile and then the fire had spread to both sides of the trail. The trail was in very good shape and the fire covered the trail for another 3 or 4 miles. I did see several logs still smoldering but these didn't present a threat. The last mile was worrisome in that my left Achilles was complaining quite a bit. I had planned to stop at Kincora's Hostel to say hello and thanks to Bob People's for all the work he does on the AT and for us hikers. I also was going to talk about my prior SOBO visit in 2010. Baltimore Jack and the guidebook state that dogs aren't welcome (there are numerous cats at the hostel)   My plan was to stay at the Braemar Castle Hostel (another stop in 2010), but you need to check in at the grocery store and the store is closed today. I asked Bob about how to contact the hostel owners and he said Berk and I could stay in the "Executive Suite". Sweet...3 top drawer suites in a row. Going to town to resupplyLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-25
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Wilbur Dam Rd
Miles today: 13.0

O-21Apr 25Wilbur Dam Rd13.0 milesI slept reasonably well last nite, only got up once. I fixed breakfast and got all my stuff ready to hike. I went to tell Bob thanks and goodbye, and Buzzard followed me and was asking about slack packing. Next thing I knew we were driving to Wilbur Dam Road with plans to slackpack S back to the hostel. It was a pretty hike, and we passed over the Watauga Dam. The shelter was closed due to bear activity. Also, there had a been a recent fire near this shelter and there is some speculation the two recent fires near the AT shelters were intentionally set. I just hope it wasn't some careless hiker that set these fires. I passed several hikers I've seen over the last few weeks. Ponds Flats was a challenging 1700'   Watauga Lake .was a pretty rest break. And the prettiest part was the Laurel Creek and Laurel Falls. There was a lot of rock hiking the last several miles and at one place we missed the trail turn and ended up hiking about 15 mins into never never land. Buzzard and us returned to the hostel about 1630, just enough time for me to shower before the 1700 grocery store run. Willow, Pookie and Chatterbox stopped by to coordinate doe future travel. We went to Brown's grocery and loaded up with supplies for supper tonite and breakfast tomorrow. Buzzard did an excellent job on grilled pork chops, chicken and potatoes, and beans. Ungawa also provided 1/2 gal of ice cream. I cooked up fixings for breakfast tacos tomorrow : sausage, hash browns, eggs, cheese and salsa with a bag of tortillas. And the coffee pot is set to brew 1st thing.   It's late, I'm tired and ready for bedLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-27
From: N Meadow mm 448.1

To: Damascus
Miles today: 20.9

Damascus VA20.9O-20I've hiked nearly 450 miles so far. Roughly distance from Dickinson TX to Biloxi MS. There is an AT tradition to eat a 1/2 gallon of ice cream at the 1/2 point in PA. I don't know anything about 1/3s, but how about a quart of ice cream at the 1/4 point. And since I'm not at the 1/5 point, anybody have any suggestions for a 1/5 to celebrate?I was up early and hiking before 0800. MG was already hiking and SQ was decidedly behind. I quickly made the 1st shelter for a short rest break. Buzzard and several others were there. Joker and Dad were in the renting area. I then hiked to the next shelter for. Long lunch and rest stop. The water source was a full 1/4 miles down and deep slope and water ahead was problematic. So, I took on 5+ liters. I planned on 2 for lunch, 1 for hiking, 1 for the nite and 1 for the morning until next water source. This section of the trail is supposed to be the "TN Turnpike", a 33 mile section of basically flat land. But, I wouldn't call it a turnpike, maybe just a bit less of what we have been hiking lately. There is a challenge now to do this section in 1 day and I think Willow, Pookie and Chatterbox are going to try tomorrow. I wish them luck and a safe hike.   Also, there seems to be a bumper crop of poison ivy on the trail this year. Berkeley is doing fine but seems to really tire after 8-9 hours of hiking. In the morning she clears blow downs like a high jumper. At the end of the day she just wallows over them. I had originally intended to make today an easy hike, maybe 12-15 miles and the complete the remainder ( to make 20) on Thurs for a very short hike into town and then a zero on Friday. But I was making good time and when it came time to look for a camping site at the end of the day, there were still several hours of daylight left. I called the hostel to see if I could move my cabin reservation up a day. The answer was no, but they could put me up in a number of options. So I decided to up the hike to warp speed, ate all my snacks, camel led up water, dumped the rest of water and flew low. I got to the hostel before 1900. There were several dogs there and one that just left had left a negative impression. Of the options available, I chose to tent out back as the best one for Berk and I. I pitched the tent, got her water and the took a nice hot shower. I then stowed Berk in the tent and went into town with Sage for. Supper. The only place open was a "Mexican" food place. Sage got a Greek salad and said it was anything but Greek, I made a similar comment about the burrito. Saw a lot of troopers I've been hiking with recently. After dinner I got a pint of B&J and shortly thereafter a storm arrived with heavy thunder. I got into the tent and started to stow everything away. Berk was shaking the entire time. I'm ready for bed and Berk has now settled downLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-28
From: Damascus

To: Damascus VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

O-19Yesterday I had a tough decision. I had planned to set up short of D on Wed nite and then have a short day Thur and a zero on Fri. Besides2 easy days, I could then justify Fri as an early Sat and have my 2 rations of week end beer. I do plan to blue blaze the Virginia Creeper Trail, as I consider this the best blue blaze on entire AT. However, this is also a very popular biking trail and in 2009 I had a very negative experience with an aggressive biker. And I expect the weekend to be a very busy biker day and don't want a repeat hiking now with Berk. And the lure of a hot shower and warm meal came be very motivating. So, I called into the hostel to see if I could slide my cabin reservation up. No, but they could accommodate us otherwise. Camel up on water, dump the rest, eat all the snacks and throttle up to warp speed I was hurting last nite. The short hike into town for dinner was a struggle. We had rain and lightning, with some thunder most of the night. Berk did reasonably well. Had a great breakfast at Woodchuck's and clarified some registration mystery this am. Chuck had my " reservation" for Luna and signed me in as Tic. After breakfast I went to Lazy Fox Inn Miss Ginny is still going strong. (Note: I was hiking SOBO in 2009 when I got word from LL that she had cancer with surgery to be scheduled ASAP. I had stopped at the biker outfitter but they weren't able to offer much help. I then stopped at MRO and they said they'd close the store and provide any assistance I needed. I was staying at Lazy Fox and most fortunately was able to get aerovac'ed courtesy of M&M Air service. And MissGinny's other guest gave me ride to airport. LL is fine and PSA: early detection and treatment can't be beat)I went into town, had a mocha and giant cinnamon roll at the coffee shop, then went to Cowboys for some fried chicken and potato wedges, PO stop to pick up a pkg, MRO for minor resupply and then back to hostel for some laundry. Berk had a hard nite and slept most of the day after I relocated to the cabin. Did laundry, had dinner and got some vitamin C for throat irritation. Played some corn hole with the hostel owner and we routed some young ones It's late and time for bedLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-29
From: Damascus VA

To: Camp mm 487
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

O-19I had a great stay at the Woodchuck Hostel. Last night I remember giving Berk her goodnight pet on the head, turned out the light and the next thing I know it's 0600. Chuck runs a good hostel: clean, reasonably priced, great breakfast ( waffles, hash browns, fruit, cereal, coffee and OJ. And he's not too bad a cornhole player eitherAfter breakfast I hiked to the PO the mail a box home and a bounce box to Atkins. My resupply box had a pair of running shoes. My #2 boots were really hurting my feet and were in the bounce box in case the running shoes didn't work out. When I returned to the hostel, Berk was worn out. She and the young hostel dog had been playing roughhouse the whole time I was gone. We left after 0900 and Berk was really dragging. I have been an AT purist until this am. The VA Creeper Trail is probably the best blue blaze on the entire AT. I really enjoyed the Laurel Creek, train trestles and the Creeper Cafe wasn't too bad either. I had a dbl bacon cheeseburger, large onion rings, 2 MtnDews and apiece of their world famous chocolate cake. I bought some Vitamin C yesterday and had been slamming pills all day. We took an afternoon nap under one of the trestles and met Grumpy on the Creeper Trail and he gave some good Intel on the AT connections to the Creeper Trail. I must have been passed by 3 or 4 dozen bikers and only 2 announced their presence Shortly past one of the road crossings I met a couple who were photographing a lady slipper patch. They said LSs are getting harder to find and this patch is the largest they have seen. I was getting anxious about water and found a good stream at another road crossing where I had camped in 2009. I remember this site well as the Space Station passed overhead at sundown. I water d up and went to a campsite just ahead. One section hiker was already there and 4 others showed up later. I was pretty full from breakfast and lunch and didn't eat too much for supper Berk has eaten and is already asleep. I'll put MS on her paws and then go asleep myselfLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-30
From: Camp mm 487

To: Big Wilson Creek
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

O-18We were up early and hiking before 0800. I think if I'd known we had a 1600' wake up climb, I'd either gotten up earlier or slept in some more. This was a long climb and seemed to take forever got some good views and took a few pix   Had some great trail magic at Elk Garden. Blue and Bulldog were cooking up cheeseburgers and hot dogs, with chips, baked beans and homemade brownies. I made pig of myself and even Berk scored a few hot dogs. Buzzard was there and planned to shuttle into Marion to rest a cold and get ready for some Reserve drill. Went to the first shelter and was greeted by the feral ponies. Berk wanted to be let loose so she could chase them. Later we saw some shorthorn cattle. And the Mt Rodgers and Grayson Highlands were pretty much a white out. The wx forecast was for rain and scattered thunderstorms to start about 0400 Sun and last for next 4-5 days. I was hoping to get set up in the next shelter   we passed Massie Gap which by every data book is the 500 Mile milestone. Neither Berk nor I were all that impressed We got to the next shelter and was met by another loose, uncontrolled, friendly dog. It comes out snarling and the owner came and grabbed him before I had to do anything. The shelter was crowded and there were already a large number of tent campers. It was late and the next water is 6 miles. I decided to tank up on water and see how far I got before it was too dark. It took me a long time to tank up and it started a fine sprinkle just as I was leaving. I briefly thought about turning back and trying to find a space among all the other campers, but decided to press on. I didn't get 100 yds when the rain really picked up. We hiked another couple of hundred yds and found a spot just off the trail under a rhododendron tunnel. I put my pack cover on, secured Berk and quickly set up the tent. It wasn't too bad, all things considered. Got everything inside and trying to keep things dry. It's stopped and started raining hardWe're ready for bed...   No rain, no pain, no Maine!Life is good!
Date: 2016-05-01
From: Big Wilson Creek

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

May 1Trimpi Shelter20.0Shelter. O-16It rained on and off most all last night, sometimes quiet heavily. I thought the wx forecast was for clear am's and stormy pm's. We were up early and I was getting ready to pack the tent around 0700 when it started raining again. We waited about 45 mins and then packed up and were hiking shortly after 0800. The 1st 100 yds had the trail about 4" under water. I did pretty good rock hopping except for one step. It rained and misted most of the am. The sun tried to peak out twice. I stopped at the Scales livestock corral and planned to have somelunch there   there is a large latrine with big overhang to protect against rain and wind. I saw some food on the railing and thought it might be Nesquick ahead of me   More trail magic: oranges, chips and candy. I hiked up to the Old Orchard Shelter. It was just after noon and 4 NOBOs were still in their sleeping bags. I intended to hike onto Hurricane Mtn Shelter, lay up for the evening and dry out my gear. I had convinced myself there were threatening clouds and my foot was hurting a bit. I got there around 1400, watered up and was heading up to the shelter. The skies were baby blue with puffy white clouds, my foot wasn't hurting as much and I still had 7 hours of daylight and the next shelter is only another 9 miles. We picked up the pace a bit, there was a campground 1/2 to the shelter as a fallback. But we made it just after 1900, watered up ate and getting ready for bed. There's 5 in the shelter and 1 tentingI tired and going to bedLife is Good!
Date: 2016-05-02
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

May 2Partnership ShelterIt rained briefly for spells last night.   Snake was up and left before daylight.   Spirit also out early Snake left has water bladder and Spirit left her camp shoes. Lambo was going to try to catch up with them at the next shelter.   I intended to sleep in late after a hard day yesterday and also let my gear try to air and dry out. We left about 1000.   It was a hard day for Berk and I gave her a lot of breaks today. About a mile from the end of to day shelter it started thunder to the East. Berk wanted to go anywhere but North of East . I finally took lead and moved up to the Partnership Shelter. This shelter is near the Mt Rodgers Visitor center and is famous for hot ( really cool) showers and pizza delivery. I left Berk at the shelter and went to visitor center and order a salad, a pizza for me, a pizza for Berk (I tried to get some cooked ground beef for her), a choc chip pizza and 4 bottles of Mtn Dew. When I returned, one of the hikers moved Berk into the corner of the shelter as she was quite nervous from the storm. Now, we are stuffed. The shelter is mostly filled and we're getting ready for bed. The shelter is mostly filled with young women.   And from their conversations I'm really looking forward to tenting alone with Berk. Tomorrow an easy hike to Atkins and a zero to follow. The wx forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms for the next several days Life is Good
Date: 2016-05-03
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins VA
Miles today: 11.6

May 3Atkins VAHotelSeveral people came to the shelter late. One guy was going to try ago hitch into town. Mama Bear went out to do the hitching and before she crossed the highway two trucks stopped to take her " brother" into town. Us male hikers really appreciate the female hitchers because they do such a wonderful job stopping vehicles. Another group came in and called a cab into town. The ladies talked girlie talk much of the night and I went to sleep. I got up around 1100 thirsty and took a big slug from my Nalgene, which was full of Mtn Dew. No sleep the next couple of hours. We were up early and hiking before 0730. It was an eerie morning with visibility about 100 ft.,lots of mist and rain, as well as a 1000' climb, of which there were 2 switchbacks for the last 200'. About noon it cleared up and we arrived at the Lindamood 1 Room schoolhouse for some super trail magic. Tubs of fresh fruit, iced drink, small box of snacks, an incredibly large box of hiker supplies and even dog food for Berk. I the skies were threatening and we left just before it opened. We got into town and checked into the motel. First order was a bath for Berk and a shower for me. I then did a first order sort of cleaning out my gear. Went out to dinner with Bunkie. Came back to motel and crashed and burned. Life is Good!