morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-28
From: Cherry Gap Shelter, NC/TN

To: Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel, NC
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light rain

Woke up to rain and fog. It rained most of the night. The weather report from Erwin had said there would only be AM storms this morning, so Bearpack and I decided to wait it out. By 12:30PM it was still rainy and foggy, but the rain had slacked off to more of a mist/drizzle. So tired of waiting and facing the inevitable fact that it wasn't going to clear up we packed up and left in the last of our dry clothes. Three hours later of walking through fog, clouds, rain, mist, etc. we reached Greasy Creek Gap. 0.6 miles downhill on the NC side of the trail there was a hostel where we decided to go for the night, primarily to dry our clothes out, especially since I had no dry underwear and was reduced to wearing my long underwear. An hour or two after getting here and showering the sun came out and there was blue in the sky. This is hostel is rustic to say the least, but it has a homey feeling to it too. My goal of trying to do consistent 15 mile days has been thrown off track, but hopefully nicer weather will return tomorrow as it is only supposed to rain overnight and then be nice the next few days after. There is also about the fattest cat I've ever seen here (bigger than Carrie's!). And Bearbait and Flamethrower just showed up too - guess they caught up.** Note ** - This was the first day I met Forrest Gimp. I did not see her again until Bryant Ridge Shelter in Virginia, and then hiked with her through the Roller Coaster and most of Maryland. I last saw her in Duncannon, PA.
Date: 2008-04-29
From: Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel, NC

To: Overmountain Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

Slept pretty well in the hostel bunkhouse last night in large part because it was a small bunkhouse. It rained pretty hard overnight, but when I woke it had stopped and there was a small dusting of snow on the ground. It was also pretty cold out but the sky was clearing up.After scrambled eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast I made the 0.6 mile climb back up to the trail. On the way up I passed the two guys from Nova Scotia headed down to the hostel. Apparently they spent last night in a hotel and got back on the trail this morning only to find it was too cold and windy for them. I was a little surprised they were so cold since they were from Canada and all. I also couldn't help but tweak their noses a little bit by letting them know the Flyers were leading the playoff series against Montreal 2-1.There was more snow back up on the trail, but no more than an inch or so. As the day went on, the sun came out but it also got really windy. I made a long climb up and over Roan Mt., the last 6,000+ peak until I get to NH. The climb was made longer by the snow and ice on the trail. Coming down the other side of Roan I entered Carver's Gap and then ascended Round Bald and Jane's Bald (I think I've run out of balding friends to rename these Bald's).I finally got to the shelter after 6PM. This shelter is a large red barn that can hold at least 20 hikers and has a pretty nice view of the mountains and valley. I'm staying in the upper level, but it is drafty and windy and will probably get down into the low 30's tonight.
Date: 2008-04-30
From: Overmountain Shelter, NC/TN

To: Mountaineer Shelter, TN
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

Woke up after the coldest night since it snowed in the Smokies. But once I was out of my bag and in the sun I could immediately tell it was going to be a lot warmer today. I hiked up and over Little Hump and Big Hump Mts., both balds. Both had amazing views on par with Max Patch and Big Bald. These Southern Balds and definitely my favorite parts of the trail so far. It was clear blue sky all day long. As I got to the top of Big Hump there was a rocky out crop, from behind which I could see two large horns protruding. Turns out there was a herd of steer and cows grazing on the bald. I don't know how people can get bored of the trail when random stuff like this happens. One steer was standing right in the middle of the trail and refused to mover so I went wide around him.After a 5 mile descent, during which I finally left NC behind and entered TN for good, Flamethrower, Bearpack, Bearbait and I ran into Ravon's brother, who was waiting for her with trail magic. She was still a few hours behind us, but we chatted with him and he gave us each a hot dog and a beer for lunch. Then we crossed US 19 and the trail immediately felt a lot different. It felt much more winding, as if it was purposely going up every little up and down, and also like it was going through private property, like old farm fields. At one point the trail pretty much made a circle around a new cemetary. It turns out a lot of the land in this part of TN was taken by the government years ago. I got to the shetler where Team Early Riser (Earthbound, Hot Tang, and Uffdah) + Mzungu already had a campfire going. We've been seeing them off and on since just before Erwin and I've seen Mzungu off and on since before NOC. The shelter here is only 2 years old so it is pretty nice. We sat around the campfire trading stories and had fun trying to hang out bearbag.
Date: 2008-05-01
From: Mountaineer Shelter, TN

To: Kincora Hostel, TN
Miles today: 15.6

Crossed the 400 mile mark today. Another milestone. The trail on the elevation map looked relatively flat compared to earlier parts the last few days. It was flatter but still it felt like the trail was purposely going up and down every little bump it could find. Amazing how much a lot of little ups and downs can still wear you down. Saw two snakes in the trail today. Not rattlesnakes, but still not sure what they were. Both were sunning themselves in the trail and were greenish. Abouth 12 inches and 15 inches respectively. Basically I just hiked all day to get to this hostel so I could catch a shuttle into a nearby town to resupply to get to Damascus in the next 2-3 days. There was really not a lot to see from the trail today in terms of good views. Still not a lot of leaves on the trees though. The weather was clear and cool and sunny. So far the Kincora Hostel seems nice and relaxing and the owner, Bob Peoples, seems like one of the nicest people (no pun intended) I've met so far. I'm just hanging out here on the front porch with other hikers and enjoying the cool breeze. There is a thru-hiker here with a pure white german shepard named Luna, that at first glance I thought was a huskie. Flamethrower never showed up here because his knee was bothering him. I think he stopped at the last shelter before this hostel. I also ate almost an entire large pepperoni pizza from Little Ceasar's (that's for you Playa Bender) tonight on the shuttle run. Corinna is also here (trying to give her the trailname 'The Fizz'). It's the first time I've seen her since before Erwin. Hard to believe I was walking through snow two days ago. Also hard to blieve May is here.
Date: 2008-05-03
From: Vandeventer Shelter, TN

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter, TN
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Wow. Longest day yet. Met Toze, Pips, Kraut, New York Minute and Peepers at the shelter last. The Fizz also showed up late (after driving a bear away from a water source because she was out of water and thristy).My left elbow is a little sore from yesterday and I did not sleep great last night, mostly because allergies and adrenaline kept me awake. Eventually I fell into a deep sleep just before dawn and woke up around 8:15AM. I was on the trail by 9:15AM and it was a warm and humid morning. By late morning clouds had rolled in and it was sprinling off and on. The rain felt pretty good just to cool off.Stopped for lunch at Iron Mt. Shelter and then made it to Double Spring Shelter, after hiking through some fields, where I had an early dinner. It was cold and windy in this gap so I decided to move on as I was feeling pretty good and because I wanted a shorter day into Damascus tomorrow. Also the terrain was generally flatter and easier today, but whoever said the last 40 miles into Damascus was all flat is a liar. There are still lots of little ups and downs.Anyways, about 15 minutes after leaving the shelter the sun and blue sky came out. I hiked until about 8:30PM, using my headlamp for the last little bit. I also passed a shelter from 1934, one of the oldest on the trail and only intended for emergency situations now. There are a lot of people at the shelter here tonight. There is a little tent city surrounding the shelter. I'm in my tent and it is clear out so I left my rainfly off to watch the stars. Planning on getting up early tomorrow to beat the crowd into Damascus.
Date: 2008-05-04
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter, TN

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: few clouds

Woke up at 5:30AM, 15 mins. before my alarm was set to go off because my nose was stuffy. I had also woken up at midnight because it started raining again, so I had to hurridly throw my rainfly up. My tent was wet this morning but I jsut packed everything up wet anyways, knowing I could dry it all off in town. I ate a cold breakfast and was on my way by 6:45AM. By 9AM I was at the TN/VA state line. 3 states down, 11 to go. I got to Damascus a little after 10AM and found a place to stay. Bob Peoples from Kincora said it best when he described Damascus as just like Hot Springs, but with two streets. However, getting to Damascus feels like a huge accomplishment. It feels like my first big chunk of the trail is over, even though there is just under 80% of the trail to go. It feels like I have left the Deep South and wild backcountry behind me and have moved a lot closer to the North. Even this town has a more Northern feel to it than previous towns. Unfortunately I again have no cell phone service here - stupid AT&T with its more bars, more places. Other than Erwin, TN I haven't had cell phone service since Fontana Dam. The good thing about getting to town early is I have already gotten my laundry down and pack organized with what I will be sending home tomorrow and in preparation of getting my maildrop. Hopefully my overall pack weight will drop by a few pounds. And speaking of dropping a few pounds, I weighed myself here and have apparently lost 13lbs since I left Springer Mt. I think I will remedy that a little bit by going to a free ice cream social going on in town this afternoon.
Date: 2008-05-05
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero Day. Cinco de Mayo. Not only are there no Hispanics in Damascus, but the town itself is voting tomorrow on whether or not to become a 'dry' town. Got my maildrop and am ready to head out tomorrow. I have also been seeing a lot of other hikers in town. Damascus is called the friendliest town on the trail. It is also home to the annual Trail Days festival, the largest annual AT hiker festival which will occur in about 2 weeks. This year's theme is 'The Journey is the Destination.' I'm not sure if I'll be coming back for it or not as I will be a good bit further north and I'm a little wary of hitching rides now. I think I would like to come back for it next year though as there is a hiker parade down main street where the hikers walk in groups based on the year they thru-hiked. Speaking of hitching, one of my ribs on the left hand side is pretty sore. I did not notice it until Sat. night, but it is sore right where my left elbow would have pushed into it from hitting the tailgate in the accident the other day. It only seems to be one rib, the third from the bottom on the left hand side, that hurts. I was worried that it might be fractured but it hasn't gotten any worse, and as my mother pointed out, if it was broked I'd probably have trouble breathing (which I'm not). So far it is only sore and hasn't gotten any worse from when I first noticed it. Hopefully the day off in town will give it some healing time.
Date: 2008-05-06
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter, VA
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up and headed out of town this morning, grabbing breakfast on the way. The weather was cool, clear and sunny. Went up and over Straight Mt., which was pretty easily graded and had a lot of switchbacks. I already like the trail here in VA much better than TN. Also being in VA brings the return of privies at the shelters. No more digging holes in the woods. The AT followed the VA Creeper Trail, a 33 mile biking trail, for a short distance today. While on it, I saw a 4 ft. black snake. After that I climbed Lost Mt. (What is the Dharma Initiative??) and am camping here tonight. Lots of other people came out of Damascus today so it is a full shelter and lots of tents nearby. Not a whole lot else happened today, just a nice day of hiking. Oh yeah, Bearpack and Bearbait missed the turn off for the AT coming out of Damascus and ended up hiking on the Creeper Trail until it met back up with the AT shortly before this shelter.
Date: 2008-05-07
From: Lost Mountain Shelter, VA

To: Wise Shelter, VA
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept without my rainfly on last night and did not get wet or rained on. It was a beautiful, clear night. I stayed warm in my 35 degree synthetic bag, which I had sent to me in Damascus and where I sent my 15 degree down bag home. I also sent home my winter coat, a long sleeve fleece shirt, and my water filter (I've decided to just stick with my Steripen). I climbed Whitetop Mt. and Mt. Rogers, the 2nd and 1st highest peaks in VA. Mt. Rogers is 5,729 ft., although the trail does not actually go over the summit. After these two peaks, the trail entered the Grayson Highlands State Park, the home of feral ponies. Although the ponies are known to come up to humans in search of food and to eat the sweat salt off of their clothes and packs, the ponies I saw stayed about 50 ft away. There were some foals running around that were pretty cute, but unfortunately the ponies also pollute a lot of the water sources. Killer My Little Ponies. Walking through the Highlands was like walking through one giant Bald. The trail was also rocky through this area, but I am still enjoying the trail in VA better. Actually over 500 miles of the trail is here in VA, which works out to roughly 1/4 of the entire trail. A lot of people get what are known as the 'Virginia Blues' here because the trail is so long and they get bored with it or it becomes monotonous. Basically I already have the trail in VA broken up into smaller parts in my head, just like I've done with the rest of the trail so far, so. . .no Blues for me.
Date: 2008-05-08
From: Wise Shelter, VA

To: Troutdale, VA
Miles today: 16.1

"I would walk 500 miles. . ."And I did. Crossed the 500 mile mark today. Felt pretty big.It rained last night, so I'm glad I was in the shelter. Actually camping was not allowed around the shelter due to the ponies. I hiked out of the Grayson Highlands without seeing anymore ponies. The rest of the trail was easier today until the very end when there was an unexpected ascent that was not on the elevation profile map I had. At the top of the ascent, Bearpack, Bearbait and I (still no Flamethrower, he's in Damascus I believe), reached a road crossing. From here we could get to a free church hostel 2 miles away in Troutdale, VA for the night, where there was also a small store and restaurant. We hitched a ride in a black pick up truck (I know, it was a little nerve racking given recent events) in about 10 minutes of getting to the road. It was also a little worrying because apparently a female thru-hiker who was walking to town here a few days ago was offered a ride to town by a local who ended up assulting and raping her. Very scary stuff. I hope she is able to recover whoever she is. At least the guy who attacked her has been apprehended. I don't think I will ever try to hitch a ride unless I am with one other hiker.Once dropped off in Troutdale, which is a tiny little town, we dropped our stuff off at the hostel, showered and had dinner at the restaurant. A little after dinner, and once we were back at the hostel, it started raining and storming. Glad we're here tonight as it seems like pretty bad weather is moving through. Also looking forward to breakfast in the morning. I am getting hungry much more quickly lately.
Date: 2008-05-09
From: Troutdale, VA

To: Partnership Shelter, VA
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: light rain

Woke up early after the usual restless night's sleep in a hostel bunkhouse (actually this was just a floor in a room). I really think my rib may be cracked a little. It has a lump on it now and the unconnected part feels like it is pushing inwards more than its counterpart on the opposite side.Had breakfast and then lunch at the restaurant as we waited for the weather to clear up. Got a ride back to the trailhead at noon from the restaurant owner and got to this shelter a little after 5PM. The trail was pretty large - 2 levels that can hold up to 16 hikers. It is also very close to a road crossing with a US Forest Service building. So close in fact that you can order a pizza and have it delivered to the road crossing. Yep, I had pizza for dinner on the AT. Otherwise the big news today was that we heard a story of a man who shot two trout fishermen very close to the AT to the north of here near Pearisburg, VA. Apparently this guy shot and killed two AT hikers back in '81, was released from prison as part of a plea deal (way to go local DA's office) in '96, and as of a few weeks ago totally fell off the radar. So much so in fact that authorities were trying to locate him before this recent shooting. From what we have heard it sounds like he came upon the two fishermen who shared a trout dinner with him and then after dinner he just got up and started shooting them. Fortunately, they both will survive. After he shot them he stole one of their vehicles but crashed it while driving and has been apprehended. About a 25 mile strech of the trail was closed for a day or two as authorities combed the area to make sure no one else was injured or missing. Between this and the girl who was raped near Troutdale it just goes to show that violence is everywhere, even someplace as remote as the AT. It also serves as a reminded to stay on your guard and try to hike with people you know.
Date: 2008-05-10
From: Partnership Shelter, VA

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Woke up in the shelter at 7AM and was on the trail by 8:15AM. There was a big thunderstorm last night around 8PM. Lots of rain and lighting. However, this morning it was cool out with a nice breeze as I went over Brushy, Locust, and Glade Mts. All were fairly small and easy climbs. Took a 45 min. break at the first shelter I came to with Bearpack, Bearbait, Dust in the Wind, and Liberty. I've been seeing Liberty and Dust in the Wind off and on since the Smokies. Shortly thereafter as we were walking through a field we ran into Team Early Riser (although they are probably more appropropriately going as Team Sidetrack) heading SOBO. They, along with many other hikers, were shuttled north from Damascus and are now hiking back south to it in order to arrive for Trail Days. After Trail Days Uffdah and Mzungu will be getting off the trail. They also informed us that Flamethrower was in Damascus while they were there so hopefully his knee is feeling better and he'll catch up to us. They also told us the shelter we were planning on heading to that night had been dismantled three days ago by the ATC. Not only do we seem to miss a lot of trail magic by a day or so, but now shelters are disappearing before us. This information caused us to plan for a shorter day into Atkins, VA which is right on I-81, and where there is a really cheap hotel where the trail crosses the road. Also the next shelter past the dismantled one was another 14 miles away from our current position, and with rain in the forecast it was easy to do a short day. When I got to I-81 I couldn't help but look north up it and think that if I had a car I could probably be home in less than 8 hours driving.
Date: 2008-05-11
From: Atkins, VA

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.Today my thru-hiking purity came crashing down (if it was not already tarnished by my forced blue blaze around Fontana Dam) and I became a slackpacker. And a SOBO slackpacker at that. Slackpacking is hiking without your full pack weight, usually just enough food and water for the day.Bearpack and Bearbait decided last night that they wanted to slackpack today due to the 100% rain/thunderstorm forecast. Their plan entailed being shuttled north to VA 42 and then hiking back to the hotel from there. I was in a serious mental dilemma as I really didn't want to become a slackpacker, but my other options were to (1) take a zero day and wait out the weather (and go out of my mind from boredom here) or (2) hike north with my full pack, get wet, risk a full shelter, and set up my tent in the rain. It took until this morning for me to decide when I saw that it was already wet outside with lots of dark clouds. So I decided to slackpack and at least get miles in but know I would have a dry place at the end of the day.Before leaving for the day we met a 2007 thru-hiker named Backyard Boogie who was heading to Damascus for Trail Days and very generously bought our breakfast for us at the local restaurant. Then we got a ride north to the trail at a road crossing and proceeded to hike south. On the drive there we had to stop because there was a tree blown across the road. We got out and very briefly, and probably very stupidly, tried to remove the tree from the road. Unsuccessful, we found an alternate route to trail crossing. Overall it felt weird hiking slackpacking south. I vaguely felt somehow like I was cheating, which I know sounds ridiculous. Also my pack was so light I felt off balance at first. The first few miles took us through cow pastures where there were cows literally laying right on the trail. The ATC has obtained numerous easements over the years to allow the trail to cross over private land in order to maintain its continuity. After the pastures there was a small climb and we followed a ridgeline when thunderstorms broke out over us. Walked through the rain for about 2 miles and got absolutely soaked. After that it cleared up enough to get back to Atkins without anymore rain. At some point today I crossed the 1/4 mileage mark for the AT, but it was hard to tell where exactly since I was heading south. Also when we got back to the hotel The Fizz had gotten to Atkins and we hung out with her for a bit and watched the news where we learned the guy who shot the fishermen was found dead in his jail cell. Odd.So will I slackpack again? Maybe. But I just cannot see myself doing it unless it is another similar weather situation.
Date: 2008-05-12
From: VA 42

To: Jenkins Shelter, VA
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: overcast clouds

When I originally wrote this entry I was exhausted and this is what came out:"Weather: chilly, wet, foggy, and windy (55mph). Started 11:30AM. Finished 10PM. Night hiked. Brushy Mt. Chestnut Knob (4,409Ft.). Meteor Crater. Ridge. Long day. Tenting."I will now try to flesh that out from memory.We did not get dropped off at the trailhead until 11:30AM in hopes that the weather might clear up a little bit. It never did. It wasn't raining, but it wasn't nice out either, and it was really windy. We made a long climb up Chestnut Knob, which again, is really a mountain despite the name. Parts of it were entirely clear of trees towards the top so there was nothing to block the wind. Some of the gusts were strong enough to knock me off balance. We had dinner at the shelter up top, which felt like a dark, dank cabin. Outside there were flashes of sun and blue sky so we thought we would try to push out to lower elevations for the night. We ended up walking 8 miles along a ridgeline which is really the boundary of a very large meteor crater that created a valley to our left in the distant path. Anyways, it got dark before we got off the ridgeline and the last 2 miles required hiking in the dark with headlamps on. It was a pretty rocky descent so it was not fun and I was exhausted after the longer than anticipated day. Hence, the original short entry.