morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-03-26
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

A day of errands it was. Running to the post office, to the outfitter, to the market, to the post office again, and then to the laundromat. Everything was running smoothly and the day was going fine, especially after hearing that I¢d be receiving some funding from Cornell for graduate studies and that I¢d been accepted to both the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Vermont. How awesome is that?!?! I was riding high until I went to check my laundry and found that someone had stolen my groceries and more than half my clothes. My REI polartec pullover, Patagonia midweight crewneck, Nike dri-fit crewneck, REI midweight pants, and polartec powerstretch pants were plucked from the dryer while I stood outside the laundromat on the phone unawares as to what was going on. At first I thought someone was playing a joke on me but quickly realized that was not the case. How violated I feel! I went to the cashier to report the theft and they said all I can do is report it to the local authorities. I¢m not holding out any hope of getting the stuff back, but Journeyman was in there at the same time and had a suspicious conversation with a woman and her daughter about the cost of such clothing. We¢re going to head to the cops tomorrow morning to report the crime in hopes that it won¢t happen again. The cool thing about the situation is how all my fellow hikers pulled together and gave me clothes to borrow or keep and got a collection of cash together to buy groceries. It¢s so wonderful to be surrounded by such a great group of people. They truly exemplify what the Trail represents. A note to future hikers: Although a trail town may appear safe and inviting, be aware of your surroundings at all times! A lesson learned the hard way.The scrumptious meal at Elmer¢s made me feel better too. I was able to get a room for the night with Chaos, a fun female hiker I met a couple days ago on the trail. I¢m sleeping in a cozy day bed fore the night after hanging out with a bunch of fellow hikers at the ¢Paddler¢s Pub.¢ Good times had by all! SugarDaddy is leaving the trail after about a month to return to work at Ford in Dearborn, MI. So close to my hometown! He unfortunately could not get a leave of absence for six months and has to return. The pub night was in his honor. Best of luck to you, Brendan! Know that the Trail will always be waiting for you.My spirits were also lifted by all the surprising packages and letters I received from friends and family; lots and lots of candy. You guys know me too well! And Sarah¢s decorated boxes impress everyone. Nobody else that I¢ve seen has such beautiful boxes.
Date: 2003-03-27
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

What a great night¢s sleep I had last night, the best yet for sure. If only I could get so comfortable in my sleeping bag. I¢m working on it. I bought a new sleeping pad at the outfitter as mine sprang a leak, so to speak. So far it¢s feeling pretty good.Journeyman and I reported yesterday¢s theft to the county sheriff this morning. I highly doubt I¢ll ever see any of those clothes. I loved that Nike dri fit shirt darnit! I picked that puppy up at the Nike store in Chicago on spring break my sophomore year of college and wore it in countless races and training workouts. So sad, so sad¢¦Luckily, as the result of kindness of others and my extra clothes at home, all I had to buy from the outfitter was a pair of long underwear bottoms. They are nice and cozy.I hung out at the outfitter for a bit to check my e-mail and chat with some hikers and finally hit the trail with A-Train at 1p.m. We¢ve got to stop these late starts because man does it make it hard to get going. I felt like such a sloth even though we made decent time. Gotta get back into the groove.
Date: 2003-03-28
From: Spring Mtn Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Only 15 miles and some change today but it felt longer than that. We were talking about going another 6 miles but only Chaos forged on. No need to put in such big miles right now, especially over such difficult terrain. More difficult than what is ahead in Virginia anyway.I¢m getting very comfortable hiking. I no longer feel like I have to rush through my breaks to get in the miles. The warm weather definitely helps but so does my increased pace. I keep surprising myself by how quickly I make it to each shelter or destination. The uphills are still hard but much quicker. Just call me Mountain Woman!
Date: 2003-03-29
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

I¢m going to go back to the odd names of spots down here in the South, or maybe it¢s just along the Trail. Today I summitted Big Butt Mountain, it didn¢t really look like a big butt, but I guess the trail can be considered the crack, in which case it would more closely resemble its given name. Sorry, I couldn¢t resist.About a 12 mile down Big Butt fog started rolling in. I was thinking about how spooky the forest looked when all of a sudden three headstones appeared. No joke! A very eerie scene indeed. The headstones belonged to two Tennessean brothers fighting for the Union during the Civil War returning home for a visit when they were ambushed by Confederate soldiers. They were buried in that spot alongside one of their teenage relatives.There have been several headstones along the trail over the past couple days making for interesting hikes but rather spooky at the same time. Today¢s hike was full of interesting sights. I walked alongside barbed wire a good portion of the day and so had to climb over a little ladder to get to the other side. I though it was neat so I took a picture of it. I also saw my first abandoned barn and a few broken down/burnt log homes.I arrived at the shelter early even after all my farting around with picture stops and breaks. I got there in time to see most of my old crew heading out a couple more miles to hitch into Erwin, TN to stay at Miss Janet¢s hostel and do some slack packing. They¢re going to put in some big miles by being shuttled to and from the trailhead and hiking with only a day pack. They return to the hostel at night so they don¢t have to carry along any shelter. Personally, I want to carry my entire pack with me all the way to Katahdin. I say that now anyway. But, I¢m not hurting for miles at this point and I¢m definitely not ready for a town stop after leaving Hot Springs only two days ago. Town stops really drain me mentally, not to mention my pocketbook. And, I¢m out here to get away from the city and congestion and everything elese that goes along with it. Granted, these small towns vary greatly from back home, but still represent similar aspects. So, Erwin will have to wait a couple days. I need some more time on the Trail. I will miss my trail crew though, especially my hiking buddy A-Train. I hope they don¢t get too far from me so I can catch up.Spending the night with a slew of Boy Scouts, about twenty or so. None of them equipped for such a trip and are cooking all over the sleeping platform and leaving crumbs galore. The mice will be out in full force tonight!
Date: 2003-03-30
From: Spivey Gap

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Snagged a bunk at Miss Janet¢s House & spent the day & night here. Originally, I had planned on arriving in Erwin today, spending the night, getting some town chores done & heading out on the trail tomorrow. The crazy weather changed all that, however, & I knew I¢d need the extra time which is why I elected for the zero day. Miss Janet let me do work for stay, cutting the cost & allowing me to give a bit back to her. She is one of the most generous people I know. She spends most of her time in her van shuttling people around town & to & from the trailheads. Being in her house was incredibly comfortable. She made us feel right at home.More than half the house slack packed today making it pretty quiet & allowing me to get a good deal accomplished. Ran over to the Erwin Burrito around 7 p.m. to meet Java & Pop Tart & as I crossed the street, A-Train, Space Monkey, Hot Poles & Shifty rounded the corner in the back of a pick-up & jumped out. Everybody began pouring into the restaurant after that & soon we had the place packed. Even Miss Janet & her daughter, Caitlyn, dropped by. I ate some delicious quesadillas & then headed back to the house to hang out for the night. It was packed again with hikers & we stayed up late in the night chatting & watching Miss Janet give haircuts to some of the guys.I was excited today to get a couple of pieces of clothes in the mail from home. My parents came to my rescue & express shipped a shirt & vest that I had left behind. Hurray for new clothes! Oh how I love my Marmot vest. I¢m glad to have it along.On a different note, I heard the sad news today that my Grandma¢s (Moesie) best friend Barb Boetsch passed away from lung cancer. She will be clearly missed by many & my condolences to her family. I know Moesie will miss her terribly
Date: 2003-04-01
From: Spivey Gap

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I¢m so glad to be back on the trail! Although a little afraid of the weather. But, check it out, Java & I stopped at the No Business Knob Shelter around 10:30 a.m. for a snack & were sticking our feet in the Ziploc baggies to keep them dry from the snow & then threw snowballs at the blaze on the tree (I nailed it by the way) & by 1:30 p.m. we had hit the Nolichuchky River wearing only shirts & pants & spent two hours in the sun & 60 + degree weather napping & reading. By 5 p.m. or so, we had reached the shelter for the night & were greeted by more snow & 40 degree temps. The weather is nuts out here. Now the shelter roof is dripping water from condensation onto my down bag. For crying out loud! I better get on that. A-Train made it in to the shelter tonight after a bit of night hiking. It¢s so good to see him! We got caught up with each other after all. We need to celebrate being out here an entire month!
Date: 2003-04-02
From: Spivey Gap

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

Knowing that we had a short 12 miles to hike today and being toasty warm in our sleeping bags, A-Train and I decided to be lazy and stayed at the shelter until 10:30. We got such a late start that Cannnoli & Heald dropped in for a break during their hikes.Despite the short mileage, the several ascents made it a rather tough hike. We've been gradually ascending over the past few days to reach Roan Mtn. The last 6,000 + foot peak we¢ll climb until Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. I¢m looking forward to easier and faster days with the warm weather approaching.Speaking of warm weather, we had another beauty of a day with loads of sunshine and 60 degree temps. A-Train and I met Java atop Beauty Spot for lunch and were soon joined by Grunt, Subman, and Red. Spent some time catching the rays, checking out the amazing view, and relaxing. Oh, and eating two Cadbury cream eggs (courtesy of my friend Jeff) in addition to all my other lunch foods. It was my third egg of the day. I had one for breakfast as well. The plan was to have one for dessert after dinner for four days, but that only worked the first night. My willpower is nonexistent when it comes to junk food.Now I¢m winding down in my tent under the stars. I¢ve been wanting to tent for a while and the weather is perfect tonight. All of the others are about 200 feet away from me in the shelter allowing me a bit of solitude. You¢d think I¢d have a lot of that out here, but it¢s often hard to find with so many people. No snoring to listen to tonight.
Date: 2003-04-03
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: clear sky

What a crummy, crummy day. I think all those Cadbury Eggs did me in because I awoke in the middle of the night to a terrible feeling of nausea & stomach cramping. I¢m sure the moldy cheese ¢ which I hadn¢t noticed until I dropped it into my dinner ¢ didn¢t help either. I¢m crossing my fingers in hopes that it¢s not the stomach virus that¢s been going around, but whatever it is, it had me scrambling for the nearest concealing tree several times throughout my hike.I was the last to leave the shelter this morning & trudged along the trail feeling absolutely miserable. I even went 1.2 miles out of my way to reach a hostel that wasn¢t even open in hopes of sleeping off this thing in a cozy bed. I reached the place, which was pretty run down, & was greeted by a growling, barking dog. Bugger.Luckily, I only had 1.9 miles to this shelter from that intersection. I arrived here to find Chris, a section hiker from Connecticut whom I met a couple of days ago & a note from A-Train saying they had moved onto Roan. Looks like I¢ve lost these guys for a couple days. I¢ll have to bust out the miles to get to the Kincora Hostel by Sunday. I¢m feeling much better as I write this & am looking forward to a nice hike tomorrow if my digestive system cooperates.Another beautiful night & the guitar playing of Crumbsnatcher to put me to sleep.
Date: 2003-04-04
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Up & out of the shelter by 7:50 this morning. Felt much better than yesterday & ready to tackle the climb up Roan Mtn. And what a limb it was! I seem to be having bad luck with seeing views at high elevations because just like at Clingman¢s Dome, the highest point on the trail, the day was overcast & lacked any views from the top. The climb was interesting nonetheless. Right before hitting Roan Knob Shelter, I ran into a forlorn looking stove fireplace adjacent to the trail & walked through pine forests that smelled like a Christmas tree farm.My plan for the day was to hit Overmountain Shelter since I had heard from many former thru-hikers that it was one of the best, if not the best, shelters on the trail. I was told that it was an old barn turned shelter that offered magnificent views & boy is it true. This is by far the best shelter I¢ve stayed at yet, and to my surprise upon arrival, I found that all my trail buddies that I thought would be so far ahead had decided to stay here for the night as they¢d been lured in by the history & views as well.Overmountain itself is so named after the Overmountain revolutionaries who traveled over this land to fight the British in a victorious battle on King¢s Mtn. I doubt this barn hails from that time period, but the area itself is shrouded in history. In a way, I¢m glad I slowed down a bit, otherwise I may have passed right by this spot
Date: 2003-04-05
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

What a night! Some virus is making its way through our group of hikers, hitting Squirts two nights ago & Chaos last night. They both seemed to have the 24-hour flu. Heald felt similar to how I did a couple days ago & I¢m hoping that we came down with milder cases. A-Train wasn¢t feeling so hot today either. I hope the bug has taken its course and leaves everyone else alone because it¢s a nasty one.A-Train & I still hiked a decent mileage day even though he was feeling under the weather. It was such a beautiful hike through such diverse terrain as a bald, moss covered stones, cow pastures, pine forests, waterfall, & finally alongside the Elk River where we pitched our tents. After an early morning rainfall, the skies opened up & the sunshine poured down. The only damper to such beauty was the massive amount of litter we saw alongside US19E. People seem to think that the woods/forests are dumping grounds for their garbage. It¢s incredibly disgusting & sad to see such abuse.Being out here every day reinforces the beauty of nature, especially being able to witness the land like today. Morale seems to have lowered lately with all the sickness & the bad weather, but today¢s hike reminded me of why I¢m out here. The fingernail shaped moon tonight only emphasizes that. And hurray for the extra hour of daylight starting tomorrow. How lovely it will be to have light until 9 or later at night.
Date: 2003-04-06
From: Campsite

To: Dennis Cove 
Miles today: 17.1

The profile of today¢s hike appeared seemingly benign but was anything but that. All the ups & downs made it incredibly frustrating. Knowing that I was going to be at the Kincora Hiker Hostel tonight provided me with the motivation to keep my butt in gear.Just as I arrived at the hostel driveway, the owner/operator, Bob Peoples, was pulling out in a pickup loaded with hikers on their way to the grocery store. I hopped in & off we went to re-supply. A-Train & I shopped at the Dollar General & got some sweet deals. I think several of the customers were trying to steer clear of us since we hadn¢t had time to shower before taking off & had 6 day of hiker stench.A-Train & I discovered that the bunkhouse was already full, which is a bummer because Bob goes out of his way to help out any & all hikers. The place is run completely by donation & is a must if you¢re planning a stay at this spot. Lucky for us, Java¢s family is visiting him on the trial & is renting a cottage, so after Java offered a spare bed I jumped on it. A bunch of us headed over to the cottage & had a barbecue that Java¢s parents had prepared. How wonderful! Thank you Robin & Mike! This is the best kind of trail magic.
Date: 2003-04-07
From: Dennis Cove 

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

How nice it was to wake up in a bed that smelled of clean sheets! Robin, Java¢s mom, made us a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, ham, apples & cheese. Again, I feel so fortunate to receive such trail magic from such wonderful people. It was hard to get moving this morning as a result. A-Train & I didn¢t hit the trail until a little after noon & as a result didn¢t put in as many miles as we¢d hoped. We¢re both tenting out tonight because the shelter is full. It¢s raining & the forecast looks like it will continue to rain for the next few days with a serious drop in temperature so tenting tonight won¢t be all that fun. We¢ve also lost our hiking crew & are camping out with a group we¢re not all that familiar with. It¢s definitely always nice to see new faces, but it¢s the first time we¢ve really been so dispersed. Kind of a weird feeling.If all goes well, we¢re going to push until we drop tomorrow in an attempt to get to Damascus relatively early on Wednesday. That means a 20 + mile day. Yea¢¦ we can do it! Actually, I have to do it in order to avoid a zero day. I need to figure out financially aid stuff for grad. School & get a few other errands out of the way. There always seems to be too much to do in trail towns. Wahhh¢¦ like life¢s all that difficult out here on the trail. I better suck it up!
Date: 2003-04-08
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Whoo-hoo! My very first 20 + mile day! Sure it rained on me for the better part of the day, but the terrain was extremely forgiving with only a couple rough ascents. There was one section though, before Iron Mountain, where I was across from a marina in Watauga Lake in what seemed to be the same position for several miles. The trail can be very circuitous, which gets very frustrating. I thought I was going craze at the time.The word on the trail is that the temps are going to dip into the 20s tonight. I¢m hoping that will be minus any snow. I¢ve already hiked 16+ miles in the white stuff & am not eager to do so again with the 18 miles into Damascus tomorrow. Where the heck did spring go?Icky weather is always alleviated after receiving trail magic, however. At the tail end of our hike, A-Train & I found a 20 oz. Bottle of Coke sitting on the trail. We brought it back to camp & shared it with Red Streak & Squirts, who showed up a bit after us. Ahh, it was nice & refreshing after such a long day.
Date: 2003-04-09
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: light rain

We made it to Damascus! Such a milestone to cross into Virginia. Three states are now behind us. It¢s an incredible feeling. The whole of Virginia lays ahead, all 500+ miles of it. It¢s the state that drives hikers crazy because it never seems to end. Lots of great highlights too, like the wild ponies in the Grayson Highlands & of course Damascus itself, which is the site of Trail Days in May, a huge reunion of past & current thru-hikers & section hikers alike.Staying at ¢Dave¢s Place¢ tonight, the hostel owned & operated by Mt. Rogers Outfitters. Dave & Jeff, partial owners of the shop, were extremely helpful when I dropped in for some help with my boots & other miscellaneous stuff. They are really knowledgeable & super friendly.I was able to catch up a bit on the war at a restaurant tonight. They showed people celebrating in the streets of Baghdad & pulling down the statue of Saddam. They also caught the celebrations taking place in Dearborn, MI. Being out on the trail, I rarely get updates on the progress of the war. I feel very removed from it, but still very vulnerable to the possibility of future attacks. In many ways, after living such a simple life on the trail, the war appears trivial. Of course, others may think differently. It¢s just odd to think a war is raging whilst I spend my days enjoying the beauty of nature & companionship of fellow hikers.
Date: 2003-04-10
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Well, at about noon with the rain pouring down in the 40 degree weather & the streets of Damascus looking more like rivers, most of us opted for a zero day. And there¢s no better town for a zero day than Damascus. Between breakfast & lunch at the Side Track Caf© ( which I give two thumbs up) I finished most of my errands & was able to relax the rest of the day. I even took a little snooze before heading to Dots for dinner.I¢m extremely glad I stuck around because up in the higher elevations the rain had turned to snow. Heading back out to the trail tomorrow after a night at ¢The Place¢ hostel, run by the town¢s Methodist Church. It¢s a bit nippy in here tonight without any heat but I can hardly complain with this donation- based establishment.The weather forecast for the next few days looks promising with spring seemingly returning. Looking forward to sunny skies & warmer weather.
Date: 2003-04-11
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 15.8

Oh boy, was it difficult to leave Damascus this morning. The skies were still gray with a definite chill in the air & hikers were relaxing all over town. Had one last breakfast at ¢The Side Track Caf©¢ and said goodbye to Heald who is waiting in town for Hot Poles & Space Monkey to return from Roanoke. I guess Heald¢s dog, Annie, has a problem with one of her legs so the break comes at a good time.Speaking of breaks, I¢m just now realizing how true it is when former thru-hikers say that hiking the A.T. is more a job than a vacation. When you think of walking along for a few miles it seems like a benign act, but strap on a 30+ lb. Pack & walk double digit miles up & down mountains & your thoughts will drift achingly to that old desk job. Ok, maybe I shouldn¢t get too drastic here. But when you really think about it, a thru-hikers job is to get up every single day, throw on loaded pack, & wreak havoc on his/her joints to get to that day¢s destination. Our only salvation is town stops & zero days like Damascus. Heck, I¢m having a great time with this job & think it¢s one of the best, but if someone is willing to pay me to do it, I¢m all for it.