morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-14
From: 1 mile past Flint Mtn Shelter

To: Sam's Gap
Miles today: 0.0

   Woke to sleet and 1 inch of snow. 8 to 10 inches by late pm. Drifts of 18 inches! Very poor visibility. Miserable day!! :{ :{   :{      Took us 5 1/2 hours to hike 10 miles!   When the trail crossed a major highway, at Sams Gap, we gave up, and headed into Erwin Tennessee. Staying in a cabin at Uncle Johnny's Hostel tonight. Warm and DRY!   Highlight - A & W for supper!   Highlight - found King Alabar at the Hostel! Spent the evening catching up on trail news.Close Call
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Sam's Gap

To: Erwin, Tenn.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Moved from the hostel to the Super 8 motel. Now have clean laundry, food re-supply, and pocket mail problems fixed {we hope}. Back on the trail tomorrow am. We weren't supposed to hit this town for another 2 days, but once again, the snow drove everyone off the mountains. Will return to Sams Gap, and continue the 24 miles, to here in a couple of days. Highlight - Excited to learn that we have a parcel waiting for us, in Damascus, from Gordon & Nancy!! :} Highlight -Watched Survivor & CSI!Close Call
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Erwin, Tenn.

To: Erwin, Tenn.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

   Change of plans! Pocket mail worked excellent last night, and I was able to get caught up on my journals.   BUT when I went to send them this am, the ******* trouble started all over again!    SO... We're sticking around town today, to either buy a new one, or make arrangements to have this one repaired. Wish us luck and we will be in touch, once we know what's up.   Guess, we're going out to explore Erwin a bit.Close Call           Great day! We decided to not let the pocketmail device hinder our adventure. Will get some answers in the am.   Got my hair buzzed again! Feels great - but not as good as Elsie's work!! Wish your clippers reached this far :}    Walked around town, "exploring" the surroundings. Very friendly people. Checked out some antique shops, then went back to our room and vegged. Carter finished his book, while I got wrapped in a tv show and fell asleep.   At 5:00 pm we walked to the grocery store & Radio Shack. Then, returned to our room, with a goodie bag from the golden arches!   At 7:30 pm I got wrapped up in more tv, and Carter played hacky sack outside, with a couple of other hikers. Aparently, he's not that good - they're pretty loaded & still kicked the ball more than him!   Got to get back on the trail tomarrow - this remote will soon be perminantly attached to me! Ohhh ... Law & Order SVU.... :} Close Call
Date: 2004-04-17
From: Erwin, Tenn.

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: clear sky

Saturday April 17, 2004 Had breakfast, packed, checked out, hitched a ride and started hiking @ 11:10 am. Arrived at our tent site by 7:00 pm - Great Day!!   Weather sunny, & warm with a nice breeze. Saw a lot of purple violets along the trail.   Highlight: Taking a break on top of Big Bald Mtn @ 5516 feet. With no snow and clear conditions, the view was incredible!    Just a few days ago, the hikers that were here had 60 m/h wind and blowing snow. Visibility was less than 10 feet! they had trouble finding the trail! We made a smart choice, waiting for storm to pass.    Trail Magic: While on the bald, a day hiker gave us a turkey, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mustard & mayo sandwich, on rye! And some potatoe chips! We said no thanks to the beer, but gladly took the cold water!He ate the PB & J! Thanked him many times!! :}   During the afternoon, Carter & I talked about what our expectations were, before the trip. We compared pros and cons.   A pro for both of us - How good our bodies are feeling. We both thought that we'd have a few weeks of pain, starting out. Not the case, we feel great!   A con for both of us - how much we miss the ocean! We didn't realize that 99% of the places we hike & camp in NS, are near water! Cape Split, Blomidon, Chester, mom's beach, etc.!   A pro for both of us - getting to towns... to just simply explore!   A con for me - how much I miss my family!!! I tend to get a bit misty eyed, when I think about them. I knew I'd miss them, but not as much as I do. Then, I realized that I've never been away, for this kind of time before. I wonder, quite often, what they're all up to. I think about the milestones that my little nephews are reaching - and I'm not there to see them! :{    Carter said that he knows when I'm thinking of home, because I get quiet and walk with my head down. And when I do talk, my voice tends to be very low & quivery {his word}. He's said a few times, "we can always go home". ...I love & miss you guys, BUT....   For supper, we dined on Tomato Penne Pasta, and PB on whole wheat! Tang and graham crackers for dessert! Did the dishes & got ready for bed. Settled in, listened to The Grand Old Opry, on Carter's new radio!    It's now 9:00 pm & sleep's coming fast!   Close Call - sweet dreams family!
Date: 2004-04-18
From: Spivey Gap

To: Chestoa Bridge
Miles today: 11.2

Sunday, April 18th, 2004   Great night's sleep, for both of us. On the trail by 9:30 am. Easy 4.9 miles to the shelter, where we had lunch, and conversation with Doug, from Jersey - thru hiking. Weather warm and sunny, very sunny - drank lots of water!   Easy afternoon, arrived at the bridge at 3:05 pm - a whole hour sooner than expected!    Checked into a cabin at Uncle Johnny's Hostel for the night. Showered and caught the shuttle, to Pizza Hut, for supper.   Back at the hostel... great conversation with fellow hikers. Marzipan is camping just down the street tonight.      Gotta go...we're break'n out the junk food! oooo pepsi & chips!Close Call
Date: 2004-04-19
From: Chestoa Bridge

To: Beauty Spot Gap
Miles today: 10.7

Monday April 19, 2004Destination: From Erwin Tennessee To Beauty Spot GapDistance: 10.7 miles {17.12 km}Total AT 349.6 MilesBorrowed bikes from Uncle Johnny and headed for breakfast and to mail pocket m. device. Finally made the break from Erwin at 12:45 pm. It was very hard - for both of us. We felt lost without the p.m. device. Very sad mood, hard to get motivated. I was quite tearful and Carter was blue. Then it hit me - PMS sucks at the best of times - out here it's super brutal! Hope for better day tomorrow. We did manage to focus, eventually and got an ok distance in. Tented by ourselves in a very nice location.Close Call
Date: 2004-04-20
From:  Beauty Spot Gap

To: Greasy Creek Gap
Miles today: 12.5

Lots of ups and downs! Thought after Erwin things got easier!! Weather hot in the am - then rain hit in the afternoon. Got to the Gap and chose to get out of the rain by going to the Greasy Creek Friendly, a hiker hostel 0.6 miles off the trail. Arrived at 5:00 pm to a great place, great people, and great food!Very "homey" environment.Close Call
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Greasy Creek Gap

To: Roan Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 8.3

   Great day!! Weather sunny and warm. Climbed Roan mtn @ 6285 feet and stayed in the shelter for the night - highest shelter on the trail!   With us tonight is Yoda and his dog, Lucy, Pucca and her dog, Zack and a section hiker named RB.Close Call
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Roan Mtn Shelter

To: US 19 E
Miles today: 15.2

   Wow! Incredible day! Weather sunny and warm, with a great breeze to keep us cool.    We walked over a lot of balds and fields - the views - hmmm - simply uplifting! At 2:00 pm, we took our packs off, and sat on top of Little Hump Mtn {5459 feet}, just to take it all in! Life is good!   As we climbed Hump Mtn {5587 feet}, we saw familiar animal tracks, & lots of droppings! As we crested the top, we saw the beasts, grazing beside the trail. As we approached, we could no longer see them, but knew they were just on the other side the large rock face. Excitement was in the air!   As we rounded the rocks, Carter said "Ohh". I asked "What?", then saw... Huge....Massive...only 4 feet from me! And moving towards us. Carter, quickly, raised his walking stick, and said "Just walk, don't act scared."   I took 2 steps, then saw the others. At least a dozen... my heart sank...."Oh shit" was all I could get out. We're gonna die... 1 poke with those long things... we're toast...   As we walked, they stared, but did not move. Carter could have reached out and touched several, while I chose to give a wider berth. I did not want to be shish-ka-bobbed!   We passed safely, hearing 1 lonely "Moo", as the Texas Long Horns fell behind us. "Wow, that wasn't so bad" I said. Carter grinned, "Are you ok now?".........   Got to 19E road crossing, hitched into the community of Roan Mtn. Ate ate the Snack'n'Shack...mmm burgers. Larry, the owner, heard us looking for a place to pitch the tent. He offered for us to sleep in the basement of his building. Turned out to be the grocery store, which was why we headed into town, in the first place - to re-supply. He told us not to be alarmed when his dad shows up at 10:00 pm with his motorcycle.      Lawrence arrived, to store his bike, but had not seen his son before hand, to know why there were 2 strangers in his basement! He was very nice - a bit hesitant until we told him our story.    He stayed & talked for about 45-50 minutes. We got to sit on his Goldwing, and listened to stories of his motorcycle adventures - one to Nova Scotia!    The next morning Carter helped him unload supplies for Larries Take-Out, then he gave us a drive back to the trail head. He gave us his e-mail and asked us to keep in touch! Wonderful people!!    I repeat Wow! Incredible day!Close Call
Date: 2004-04-23
From: US 19 E

To: Camp Spot Elk River
Miles today: 6.0

Friday April 23, 2004Destination: From US 19 E   To a Camp Spot on Elk River Distance: 6.0 miles   {9.6 km}                 Total AT 391.4 miles   Very lazy day! Weather sunny and warm. Left town and on the trail by 12:00 pm. At 4:30 pm, we chose to pitch the tent beside Elk River. Did not see any other thru-hikers today. Feels like we're the only hikers out here!    Talked briefly to a man out fly fishing. He spent some time in Nova Scotia and loved Kedji Seaside Adjunct! Wants to go back to see the Cabot Trail. Ahhh - thoughts of home!! Close Call
Date: 2004-04-24
From: Camp Spot Elk River

To: Dennis Cove Rd
Miles today: 17.6

Up and on the trail by 8:45 am. Weather sunny and warm. Great terrain - a lot of rolling hills, gentle ups & downs, nothing too serious. Took a lunch break around 12:30 pm and met some other north bounders. They said there were a lot of people behind us. Arrived at Moreland Gap Shelter at 3:50 pm. We were going to stay here, but weren't quite ready to quit. So, at 4:20 pm, we continued down the trail. Dennis Cove, 6.1 miles away, has a campground & hostel, that serves food: that was our motivation! We hadn't paid much attention to the dark clouds rolling in.... At 4:40 pm a few sprinkles made us stop to put our pack covers on.... At 4:50 pm the skies opened up...Thunder rumbled, lightening cracked right over our heads! Our pace quickened. Lots of thunder...very loud thunder...lightening struck every couple of minutes...Our pace quickened, EVEN MORE! I had to stop several times to dry my glasses - could not see where I was going. Carter slipped once, and did a complete 360 o turn in the trail- on a steep down hill! We reached the road at 6:40 pm. Wow! 6.1 miles, in 2 hours 20 min. That's a record! By 7:00 pm, we were getting dried off, and warmed up, in the bunk room, at the Laurel Fork Hostel & Campground! Everything was soaked and water logged! But we made it!Close Call
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Dennis Cove Rd

To: US 321
Miles today: 8.9

   Left Laurel Fork Hostel {great place!} at 12:30 pm. Everything was dry - even my shoes :}   Stopped at Laurel Falls & snapped some pictures. On the way out of the gorge, I was 1 foot away from stepping on a 4 foot long, black snake, who was sunning himself in the trail! Carter scooted him on his way.Boy that was a CLOSE CALL :}   Camped on the edge of Watauga Lake.
Date: 2004-04-26
From: US 321

To: US 321
Miles today: 0.0

   Woke to pouring rain and a major puddle inside the tent. We had pitched the tent in a spot where rain was pooling!!   Packed up and hitched into nearby town of Hampton, Tennessee. No ride, so we actually walked the 2.6 miles to McDonalds, and drowned our sorrows with a couple of McGriddle Breakfasts - all before 9:00 am!   Booked a private room at the Braemar Castle Hostel & Guest House! Owners, Sutton & Bev Brown were very nice and also own the local grocery store.   We had the whole second floor to ourselves - Kitchen, living room WITH TV, private bath off our room & a 2nd bath in common area!    Spent the day drying out our stuff, yet again! In the afternoon we went to 'explore' the town - rain had stopped :}   Sutton and Bev came up for a visit at 8:30 pm. I asked about the building, because it's so unique. It was built in 1909 by the Pennsylvania {sp?} Paper Company and was their offices, & living quarters, for the lumber workers. Sutton's grandfather worked for the company, and bought the building, when the paper company went out of business.    Sutton, then bought the building, when his grandfather passed. They live in the right half, and have the hostel & private rooms in the left half.    At 9:00 pm Dinner Short {Sean} and Fidget {Jen}, from Maryland {sp?}, arrived and booked the other private room. Very nice couple, around our age - wanted to be dry too! Close Call
Date: 2004-04-28
From: US 321

To: Iron Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 15.4

   Great Day ! Up and ready for the 8:30 am shuttle. Hiking by 8:45 am. Weather sunny and warm.   Hiked around Watauga Lake & across Watauga Dam. Arrived at the shelter by 5:45 pm and decided to tent. Also tenting tonight is Dinner Short & Fidget. We all made plans, to meet tomorrow night at the same location, to listen to Survivor.    Jason and Rob - section hikers - sleeping in shelter tonight. Seem very nice. Surprised that all the thru-hikers seem to know each other.   Register says there was a bear sighting here 3 nights ago. So...hanging bear bag tonight.   In bed by 8:50 pm to listen to The West Wing.Close Call
Date: 2004-04-29
From: Iron Mtn Shelter

To: Abingdon Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

Thursday April 29, 2004Destination: From Iron Mtn. Shelter   To Abingdon Gap ShelterDistance: 16.3 miles {26.08 km}                Total AT 448.9 Miles   Up & on the trail by 8:50 am. Weather sunny and warm. Views of the lake still visible. Lots of violets, Forget-me-nots, & Jack in the Pulpits. The trail re-route took us through more cow territories, without the cows :}   Great day of hiking, ended by a "Survivor" party at the shelter. Dinner Short & Fidget are big fans too. So, we all met around the picnic table to listen... :} Rob & Jason don't know the show, but were caught up in all our excitement!   We decided to forgo the tent, and stay in the shelter with Rob & Jason, while the others tented. Hmmmm... 2:30 am... we question our decision. The mice were arming their second attack on us !!Close Call
Date: 2004-04-30
From: Abingdon Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

On the trail by 8:50 am...TOWN DAY!Jason & Rob hiked with us. We're all dreaming of PIZZA! Weather cloudy, with a couple of sprinkles. But, we don't care because it's TOWN DAY! Trail quite easy, a few gentle ups, but mostly down hill. Making great time. Then, another black snake, sunning itself in the trail, distracted us. Again, I was in the lead, & would have stepped on it, if I hadn't been paying attention. Jason - now known as "Snake Charmer", worked his magic, & picked it up. As he held the 6 foot long creature, we took a turn touching it.It gave off a pungent, almost skunk like odour and was cold to the touch. Rob videotaped it. Eventually, Jason let it go beside the trail and we carried on with our hike. Exciting! Stopped at the Tennessee / Virginia boarder and snapped some pictures. Milestone : We're in Virginia now! 3 down 11 to go!! Arrived in Damascus in record time! Averaged 3.2 miles per hour! :}We all headed to Sicily's Pizza for lunch. Rob caught up with Dinner Short, to pay for a repair to his tent. A little mishap the night before, while throwing the rope for the bear bag, caused a rock to tear through his tent fly. Oops. Said our goodbyes to Jason & Rob. They may try to come and hike with us again soon.Close CallContinuedWe picked up our parcel, sent from Nancy & Gordon, {aka Gimp} who has been working hard to post my entries. Mmmmmmm Coffee Crisp! We savored every bite! Thank you!! But, Carter wants to know, who ate the chocolate chip cookies!Then, onto the post office, for the pocket mail - ooh, life is good!Finally, we headed back to the shelter, at the edge of town. We decided to pitch the tent, for the night, then get a room tomorrow, and take a zero day. Little did we know, that by doing so, we'd become wanted criminals!! We left the tent to 'explore' Damascus for a few hours. While out, Carter was price shopping for our room, and I sat at a picnic table, catching up on journal entries.He returned, rather in a hurry, and said we had to get back to the tent. I asked why, but he said he'd explain on the way.Turns out that the police had been into the outfitters, looking for the owners of a yellow Eureka tent, {THAT's US} illegally pitched within town limits! Oops!When we got to the tent, we found a note, from Damascus police chief White, stating our illegal activity. We quickly removed all evidence and made a run for it! :} Carter had me in stitches, with his "Don't mess with us - we're outlaws!" commentary.Found a couple of empty bunks at The Place - a Methodist sponsored hostel, for $4.00 each. When we got there everyone seemed to know that we were the "wanted" ones :} All the excitement made us hungry, so, we headed to the Dairy King for fried chicken and sundaes. A short walk around town, then back to our bunks, at 9:00 pm, for some zzzzz.Close Call aka Outlaw # 2
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

   We were up an at the grocery store by 9:00 am, for re-supply. Light rain on the way back. Subway for a late breakfast, before packing up our stuff to claim our space at the Hikers' Inn - a bunkhouse with 4 beds, bathroom, fridge & microwave.    Once there, we opted to upgrade to 1 of 2 private rooms, with a shared bath, available in the house. We were very pleased with our decision. A king size bed that was so comfy!!   The owner, Suzanne, made us feel so welcome. She made a strawberry rhubarb cobbler, for all her guests.Very good!    Later, in the evening, we all went to the Side Track Cafe, to check it out. Then home for some zzzz.Close Call
Date: 2004-05-02
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

   Woke to the smell of a beautiful breakfast, that Suzanne prepared for everyone. Scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh biscuits, pancakes, fruit salad and juice - need I say more!!    We ate, packed and were ready to go when, the skies opened & poured so hard, the drops were bouncing back up about 6 inches!   While debating options, Suzanne printed off the weather forecast. Heavy rain and thunderstorms during the day, clearing by morning. So....    We struck a deal with Suzanne - She's had a kitchen wall that she's needed painted for a couple months.   Carter painted it & we got our room again, for free! She was very pleased and so were we! We stayed dry & everyone won!    Later in the day, I went to the grocery store, for supper. Suzanne let us use her grill and kitchen. We ate BBQ chicken, baked potatoes, carrots and green salad.    I watched "Under the Tuscan Sun", then with supper, we watched Robin Williams "Live on Broadway" {sp?}. Sat up, sharing stories of travel, with Suzanne until midnight!   "We're on the trail tomorrow!!", we assured each other, before turning out the lights.Close Call - dry and comfy
Date: 2004-05-03
From: Damascus

To: Feathercamp Branch
Miles today: 5.6

   Thanked Suzanne for the wonderful stay in Damascus, ate lunch at Subway and finally got back on the trail at 1:00 pm. Weather cloudy with a few sprinkles.   We walked until 3:30 pm then decided to stop & pitch the tent as the skies got quite dark. Better to get the tent up in dry conditions, than another down pour!    Tent up, we ate, took a nap, and all the while, the skies remained dark - but dry!Close Call
Date: 2004-05-04
From: Feathercamp Branch

To: 2nd site past Lost Mtn
Miles today: 12.7

Tuesday May 4, 2004   Before going to sleep, last night, we got lazy, & didn't hang our food bag. Big mistake!    Woke, at 2:30 am, to a creature trying to get in our tent! Freaked us out!!   Had no idea what it was. Carter tried to kick it away, as we yelled - did no good!    It was at the bottom corner of the tent. Carter moved his pack & shined his headlamp at the corner just in time to see a hole and a nose poking through - relief - raccoon!   Carter got out & it took off.    When the heart returned to a normal beat, we realized the raccoon was after the open bag of cheese doritos! Slap our fingers!!   Went back to sleep & woke at 8:15 am - both still sleepy! Eventually, got on the trail.    Had a great day of hiking. Terrain quite easy - rolling hills. More fields and cows - no horns this time ! :} Everything is so green! Weather sunny and warm, nice breeze.   Found our campsite at 6:40 pm. Pitched our tent and by a big rock and vegged. Close Call
Date: 2004-05-05
From: 2nd site past Lost Mtn

To: Little Wilson Creek
Miles today: 14.7

Amazing Day!! Up and on the trail by 9:00 am. Weather cloudy & cool in the am, lots of sunny periods in the pm. Light wind all day, which felt great. Left our camp, at 3900 feet, and by early afternoon, we climbed Mt. Rogers {5729 feet}, the highest mountain in Virginia! The views today were amazing - a lot of grasslands and open ranges, with lots of rock outcroppings. Our trail book compares this section of the trail to the ranges in Montana. They reminded me of old western movies, where a stagecoach is in the valley below and cowboys / indians are on the rocky ridges, looking down at them. I repeat - Amazing views!! Saw lots of beautiful flowers today. 3 different kinds of trillium- yellow, burgundy, & white, violets, yellow trout lilies, wild strawberry, and pink/white mountain laurel. Todays highlight: seeing the wild ponies that roam the hills of Mt Rogers & Grayson Highlands State Parks. Park signs said 125 of them! And, yes Bon, I got lots of pictures! Carter took one of me, with a curious one, sniffing my hand! Between the ponies & the open ranges, we felt like we were walking on clouds! Got to Wise shelter at 5:50 pm and decided to continue, just beyond, to the campsite. Pitched the tent beside the fast flowing river. Ate and ready for bed by 7:30 pm. BUT we hung the food bag 1st! Love hearing the water...putting me to sleep, fast. Carter's out already. Good nightClose Call
Date: 2004-05-06
From: Little Wilson Creek

To: Dickey Gap
Miles today: 16.0

Destination: From Little Wilson Creek to Dickey Gap / VA 16 Distance: 16 miles   {25.6 km}   Up and on the trail by 8:40 am! Weather sunny today and quite warm. No wind - Damn! hot and stinky!         Lots more open fields and rolling mountains. Started this am at 4450 feet. Climbed Pine Mtn @ 5000 feet. Then, late in the day we went down to 3000 feet, and finally ending the day back up to 3313 feet.   Milestone - at 1:00 pm today we completed 500 miles of the AT! Yahoo!It hit us as we hiked up Iron Mtn, just beyond the 500 mile mark, and we practically skipped to the top.         Arrived at VA 16 at 5:15 pm and just vegged on the grass for about 30 minutes. Hitching into Marion, Virginia tomorrow, so we decided to pitch the tent in a field, back away from the road.      As we started to set the tent up, a woman came over and said she was just on her way home from a dentist appointment, when she saw us. She stopped, to see if we needed anything. Her sons are currently doing the Pacific Crest Trail and she hopes people are helping them. This was her way to help us. She took Carter to Troutdale - 2.6 miles away, for a junk food run!    We thanked her & she wished us well, before heading on her way. People are sooo nice around here!!   Close Call