morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-04
From: Damascus, VA

To: Feathercamp Blasnch/Hwy58
Miles today: 5.6

Woke up and ran errands for resupply. Killed time waiting for new bag. Finally came in @4:00 or so after checking hourly. Wrong size! Oh well no choice. Must head out. More delays. Ended up leaving town a little after 6:00, low mileage day. Cool campsite. It was me, Ice, iSlack, Duchess and Not Bad.
Date: 2010-05-05
From: Feathercamp Blasnch/Hwy58

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: clear sky

Walked to creeper trail parking lot for privy. decided to walk 6-7 miles of it instead of AT as it parallels it. Slow moving. A trussle was out for maintenance, so we had to forge the river. Ate @ a cafe along the way. Stopped @ 2 swimming holes. When AT joined up, Not Bad, iSlack and Duchess stayed on Creeper trail due to shin splints. Ice and I hiked the AT. We met up @ a road Gap. They brought chips, salsa and beer for Cinco De Mayo. They hitched there. Now dark. Night hiked rest of way to shelter. @ arrival, it was full, hiked on a bit and found a flat spot. Cowboy camped under the starts. Great day, awesome views @ buzzard.
Date: 2010-05-06
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Hurricane Campground
Miles today: 19.3

Woke up to see our chosen spot was beautiful but exposed. Hiked to Grayson Highlands. Saw 2 grou0ps of 4 wild ponies. @ second grou0p, male got mad and backed us down then chewed on Ice's Pack. We had to fend him off with our poles. THey he took a shit on the trail. We saw a pony skeleton today. Decided to hike on to campground for trail magic. Did 5 miles @ 4 mph, awesome feeling. Got to campground late, but some burgers, dogs and drinks were left. Put on by So Far and his dad. Set up tents (me, Not Bad and Duchess), then iSlack, Gator and Grizz showed up with beer. Went to bed after a bit of socializing.
Date: 2010-05-07
From: Hurricane Campground

To: Dickey Gap
Miles today: 2.1

Woke up early and pushed on to Troutdale. Finally got a ride after walking halfway. Took shower and then ate. Waited for 12:00 rental car till 1:45. Not Bad, Duchess, Ice, iSlack, Liscious and I are headed to Indiana. Duchess has to get back to go to Mexico and Not Bad needs to pick up her dog and summer stuff. Road Trip. Many stops, drove a bit (rainy dark part). Got in @ around 1:30. Beer and bedtime. Watched drunk college students stumble home. Graduation this weekend. Met Grace, Duchess' sister. Stayed @ her house. She is coming to hike with us when Duchess returns.
Date: 2010-05-08
From: Dickey Gap

To: Indiana
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up and ate @ Not Bad's place of work. Then we strolled through downtown Bloomington, pretty neat colledge town. Today is teir graduation. THen went out to the "Manch" (lake house) WOW! NICE! Laundry, sleep, TV and drinks. THen to town and hang out with Kate and Karen. Movie and sleep. Tried to go out, but no energy.
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Indiana-VA

To: Gullion Mountain
Miles today: 6.6

Woke up and drove to Troutdale and dropped off liscious. Drove to HWY 42 and dropped off Ice and Not Bad and Lucy her dog. iSlack and I drove to Marion to drop off car. Got a ride back to spot. We hiked in to the night and cowboy camped on top of mountain. Saw a deer tonight, glowing eyes.
Date: 2010-05-13
From: Dickey Gap/Troutdale

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up and ate @ diner. Got cleaned up and ready. Hitched to Konnorack. Then got a ride for gas money in to Damascus. Went to tent city and set up. Went around looking for people. Partied a good bit. Met Klarity and the Gooch Crew, fun people. Usual stuff for town.
Date: 2010-05-17
From: Hwy VA42

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: light rain

Woke up in Rain, rained hard all night. Hiked in rain, all rivers were high. Got to shelter ready to push on but rain picked up. Decided to stay and update journal. Met Sticks and Sly. Compass, Olive Oil and Stud Muffin showed up as well.
Date: 2010-05-18
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Laurel Creek
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

Woke up to slight visibility. Shelter packed out. Hiked at a pretty quick pace. Talked to Val today, now job ok but odd boss. Ate lunch at Jenkins, hiked on to Laurel Creek campsites. Nest to river, started big fire. then cam the rain, but let up for a bit. Not Bad, Lucy, Sticks and me. Hollywood, Hedgehog, Compass and Olive Oil camped across the road. Spoke with Sticks about GT and work, trail etc.
Date: 2010-05-19
From: Laurel Creek

To: Campsite
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Day started out with great weather. Made some calls, Jamie still not good. Work going ok. Hitched in to Bland. Ate and resupplied. Hitched out. Hiked to next shelter and got water (long way) then hiked on and found campsite. Not Bad and I started fire and set up. Tarzan, Stud Muffin and Olive oil showed up. They were going to keep going but we got them to stay. Good times and music. Off to bed.
Date: 2010-05-20
From: Campsite

To: Dismal Creek Falls
Miles today: 17.4

Beautiful hike today. Crossed an awesome suspension bridge. Then went to Trent's store. Shower, laundry and food. Not bad at all. Got there before everyone else, thank goodness. Also met up with Ice. Hike to the falls. Walked across on a log! Set up camp and had big fire. Everyone else came in at 11:00 and went to cowboy camp by falls.
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Sugar Run Gap

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: moderate rain

Everyone else started to get a ride to town. I hiked alone to town. Rained a good bit. Views from vistas were foggy. In town, went to the Mexican place and ate and drank with Yule. Then to Walmart for resupply. Then back to hotel. Duchess, Grace, Ice, Not Bad, Lucy and Catherine showed up. I was hanging out with Radar, Cervesa, Timber, Ramble On, Bear Blaze, Pig Pen, Hedgehog and Hollywood. Social time, then bed.
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Pearisburg

To: Symms Gap Campsite
Miles today: 12.2

Packed up and got a late start. Ate at DQ, mmmm. Walked for a bit and Grace wasn't feeling well, asthma. I hiked on and got to Symms Gap Meadow to find Moose and Bear Paw wet up and around the fire. Then rain, set up and Sticks showed up. Then rain quite and Not Bad, Duchess, Grace and Cristine showed up. Ate and sat around fire. Lots of tadpoles in the water here. Watched an awesome sunset and went to bed.
Date: 2010-05-24
From: Symms Gap Campsite

To: VA635 Stoney Creek
Miles today: 9.5

Breakfast, Grace was throwing up and not doing well. We hike about a mile or two and came to side trail. Duchess and Grace left to go see doctor. Rest of us pushed on. A bit of rain today, got to campsite before others. Set up and started fire. Then built benches around fire from lumber in woods. Not Bad and Christine showed up, then Ice, then Olive Oil and Tarzan. Sat around fire and listend to music. Next to Big River. Bed.
Date: 2010-05-25
From: VA635 Stoney Creek

To: VA42 Sinking Creek Valley
Miles today: 17.5

Steep hike in morning. Got in touch with Duchess, she drove Grace home. Too sick to continue. Duchess met up with iSlack and Radar. They are meeting us at VA42. Got to road at 9:00 or so. Waited... Then they showed up around 10:30. No campsites nearby, headed toward Blacksburg. Saw sign for National Park Day use area. Pondisea? Pond or something like that. Drove in, hiked to pond. Cooked hot dogs on grill, ate B-Day cake, drank cold beer. Cowboy camped next to pond on walkway. Great random evening.
Date: 2010-05-26
From: VA42 Sinking Creek Valley

To: VA620 Trout Creek
Miles today: 18.9

Woke up to day hikers walking around pond. Packed up and went to VA Tech. Ate at Gillies (vegetarian food, but good). Drove back to road. Said goodbyes. Me, Duchess, Not Bad and Christine hiked on with music. Long day. Passed Audie Murphy Memorial. Also saw 300 year old oak tree over 18 feet around.
Date: 2010-05-27
From: VA620 Trout Creek

To: Viewpoint
Miles today: 13.5

Hiked up to Dragon's Tooth. Pretty cool rocks on summit. Difficult terrain coming down. Girls took side trail to road. I hiked AT. Ran in to Wizard doing trail magic. Realized that girls took wrong trail. Ran the last 6 miles to meet iSlack and Radar to make sure girls were not lost. They were at parking lot. Girls were at Post Office doing just fine. Went to the Homeplace for AYCE home cooking. Ate roast beef, fried chicken, BBQ, slaw, mashed potatoes, baked apples, beans, biscuits, gravy, sweet tea etc. Cherry cobbler and ice cream mmmm. Ate till it hurt. Then we all went and grabbed some beer and went back to the trail. Camped out at viewpoint. iSlack and Radar said goodbyes. Great evening.
Date: 2010-05-28
From: Viewpoint

To: Lambert's Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Got to McAfee Knob. Took pictures and relaxed for over an hour. Hiked to next shelter and took a two hour nap. Then on to Tinker Cliffs. Duchess, Ice and I hiked AT. Others took shortcut. Met up with Duchess at the cliffs with Beaver Chief. Then we watched thunder storms moving in on other ridges. Then it started on ours. Duchess and I ran through rai, thunder and lightning to shelter. Never seen her run so fast. Got there and saw others had made it too. Storms Quit, bed.
Date: 2010-05-29
From: Lambert's Meadow Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up early and got to town by 10:00. Got new shirt, shoes and socks at outfitter. Then to coffee shop and hung out with Red Lobster. Then others arrived. Went to Pizza Hut for lunch. Over to Howard Johnson . Shower, Mexican restaurant and bed.
Date: 2010-05-30
From: Daleville

To: Fullhardt Knob Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: few clouds

Stayed in room and watched D.O.A. movie until checkout. Kroger and Wendy's. Waited out rain at coffee house. Hiked to first shelter. I grabbed carrots, potatoes, ground beef, green beans, cheese, wine and peaches for everyone. Surprised them with dinner. We had hobo-pockets. Great communal evening by the fire.
Date: 2010-06-02
From: Jennings Creek

To: Harrison Ground Spring
Miles today: 17.2

Walked 1.4 miles to camp store. Not so good. Walked back. Ice and I hiked on. Others hitched to Glascow. Hot day. Beautiful hike and views. Had dinner on Blue Ridge Pkwy. Ten pulled up as he is supporting his dad Eagle on a section hike. He had given the others the ride in to Glascow earlier. Hiked to campsite just me and Ice. Good day. Feet hurting a little bit.
Date: 2010-06-03
From: Harrison Ground Spring

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: clear sky

Hiked quickly to James River. Met up with Tarzan, Olive Oil, Duchess, and Tour Guide. We jumped off of the bridge and swam. Hitched to Glascow for resupply and back. T-Storms! Hiked long way but feeling good. Shelter by pond. Loud frogs, bad bugs, loud owls. Bed.
Date: 2010-06-04
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked past reservoir and got trail magic from Flash and Hot Flash. So good! Planned big day. Got to river camping area, but no good tent spots. hiked on to shelter. Met 3 weekend hikers from DC. Ate and went to bed. Long day, pretty tired.
Date: 2010-06-05
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Spy rock gave 360 degree views. Lots of trail maintenance. Ate lunch at Priest Shelter. Lots of day hikers/runners. Got to bottom and got trail magic from AT Runner (record AT time from '91-'99) now #3 on AT and PCT. Swam in the Tye River. Hard climb. Got to shelter. More camping than I have ever seen! In tent writing in journal. Heard foot steps. No lights. Got out and saw a bear 35 ft away. Threw rock at it and it ran away. Hard to sleep for the next hour. Earlier in the day I also got attacked by a grouse several times and then got pooped on by a bird. Crazy animal day.
Date: 2010-06-06
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up late, only planning short day. Started at 9:00. Then after a bit, decided to go to town tonight. Ran and hiked fast. Saw several snakes before but they ran away. Today, 2 black snakes would not budge from trail, had to go around them. Got to gap and road, immediate ride to town. Free shower and camping at the YMCA. Group dinner, hobo pockets, cold beer. Good company. Hoof It, 2-Rings, Nails, Crispy Critter, Wookie, Q-Tip, Sherpa, Dragon Tail, Slack, Yule and Old Bay. This town is great. Rides and hitches easy. Had a family show up and bring us ice cream and cones.
Date: 2010-03-01
To: Appalachian Trail...Here I Come!
Miles today: 0.0

Hey, everyone!Yes, it's true...I'm going to attempt to hike the AT this year...all 2,178 miles of it. I'm also going to try to keep a journal of my adventures, so you can follow along through this website. It will not be updated daily, but I hope to update it at least once a week with each day's activities: Day 39-I hiked some more today; Day 40-I hiked a lot today, very tired; etc. I hope to be a bit more eloquent than that and I'm sure some midadventures will come my way to keep you amused.I plan to start my hike on March 26th and hope to finish right around the end of September...hey, it's a long way! 25 days and counting! It sure is coming up on me fast...I really need to kick that whole training thing into gear soon (I did hike 7 miles today with a 45lb pack...rethinking this whole plan). Over the next 25 days I'm going to try to keep you updated on my preparations for the trip and get myself into the habit of keeping a journal. There is also a guestbook for any comments you may want to add or if you just want to send me a note.As most of you know, my departure date is smack dab in the middle of my second favorite holiday: March Madness. I was planning on leaving March 12th, but Pux Phil saw his shadow, so I decided to delay my departure a few weeks to miss the cold weather. OK...there was no way in hedoubletoothpick I was going to miss the first two rounds of the tourney. All that to lead up to this: in the tradition of March Madness, there will be a Pool around my little adventure, but I have not worked out all the details as of yet...stay tuned!
Date: 2010-03-09
To: Pre-hike Thoughts / Temporary Setback
Miles today: 0.0

Hey, all.Up to this point, I've actually been doing quite a bit in preparation for this trip: buying lots of new gear, testing lots of new gear, getting personal stuff in order, trying to get in shape, spending time with family/friends, etc. It has really flown by and now my departure date is only a few weeks away! Still tons of stuff to do as well as watch a lot of college basketball...where will I find the time to do the tons of stuff?It is probably hard to believe, but it is just starting to hit me...this whole adventure I'm about to begin. This past Saturday, I was up in the GA mountains doing some trail maintenance close to where the AT begins. We saw several thru hikers beginning their journeys...big smiles on their faces, a bounce in their step, and VERY large packs on their backs. That's the first time I really thought, "Hey, that's going to be me in a few weeks!". Then, Sunday night, a group of friends threw me a bon voyage dinner...again making the upcoming departure date more real (thanks, everyone...lots of fun). It is becoming more real...I'm beginning to get excited, nervous, scared, energized...lots of mixed emotions, but all good.As for the temporary setback, it goes to the "getting into shape" category. I've been doing quite a bit of day hiking to get the legs in shape and am really making some progress...went out yesterday and did a hilly 6 miles in 2 1/2 hours and the legs felt great. Except for my left knee. I've had issues with this knee in the past with a miniscus tear and it's probably repeating itself. The good news is I went to the doctor yesterday and there is no ACL/MCL damage, so they believe it is only the miniscus. The good news is that I got a cortizone shot for the knee and some good anti-inflammatory drugs...should get the pain down so I can do the trip. Should know more next week once I rest it and let the cortizone kick in, but I don't think the start date is in jeopardy.
Date: 2010-03-22
To: Droid Test
Miles today: 0.0

Hey, all!Wow, I thought I would do a much better job of updating this while I was at home...thought the hard part would be the trail...sorry about that. Maybe the trail will be easier, especially in the beginning when it gets dark early. Short entry as I'm trying out connecting through my phone...we'll see how this looks in the morning. Only a few days before I leave...it's finally starting to hit me as I scramble to get all the stuff done I should have done weeks ago! My good friends Mike and Todd came by tonight and we planned out the first couple of days...they are going to kick the trip off with me. Nice way to start the long "walk"...thanks, fellas! More to come tomorrow...cheers.
Date: 2010-03-26
From: Nimblewill Gap

To: Three Forks
Miles today: 4.3

And so it begins! I woke up at 4am this morning...couldn't sleep as I was excited, anxious, and a bit stressed out. I still had a lot to do before Todd showed up at 8, but I didn't want to get up that early! Leaving was less of a cluster than we all thought it would be as everyone was basically ready to go on time and excited to begin. Mike's wife, Christine, drove us (Todd, Mike, and me) up to our starting point at Nimbleweed Gap after we dropped my car at Woody Gap for Mike and Todd on Sunday. There is an approach trail to Springer Mountain (official start of the AT) which starts at Amicalola Falls and runs 8.8 miles to Springer...you can't just drive to Springer. You can "cheat" a little and use USFS roads to get a bit closer, so that's what we did and started only 2.8 miles from Springer. In total, we ended up hiking 7.1 miles...not bad for a lunchtime start. We had about 500 feet of elevation gain right at the start to get the blood flowing, but then it was a pretty easy walk in a cool, overcast day...perfect for hiking.   We reached the summit of Springer in no time and got our picture taken at the official starting point...no other photo ops due to the weather. We hiked another 4 or so miles and then set up camp. Got a nice big camp fire going after a few failed attempts and 5 pages of journal paper...remember this when those last 5 days of the trip are not documented! Good thing we got that fire going too as we had our first "incident". As we were gathering wood, I thought I heard Todd throwing a large rock into the stream next to our campsite...I was wrong...it was him! In his zeal to gather and break a large piece of firewood, HE ended up in the creek head first, totally submerged! All we saw was him coming out of the creek like the Monster From The Black Lagoon...except a bit faster as it was pretty damn cold out! Sorry, buddy, it was a good story. Also a shout out to Christine for driving us and the stew for the first night...awesome! Cheers.
Date: 2010-03-27
From: Three Forks

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

Our first full day of hiking and it was a bit rough on us even though it was a beautiful day! We did a good job of getting up, eating, and packing our stuff up so we could get started on our 11 mile day. I give kudos to all of us for actually getting the 11 miles in...it took a bit longer than we thought, but everyone forged on and we got it done. I believe Mike compared it to a Bataan Death March at some point. The killer for us was Sassafras Mountain...a pretty innocous sounding name, but it kicked our butts! The climb never seemed to end! Going down the other side was no picnic either...lots of sore knees. To make matters worst, we kept hearing there was "trail magic" at the bottom. Trail magic is when past thru hikers (usually) set up along the trail and give treats to the current year thru hikers. A bunch of 2009 hikers had burgers and beers waiting for us once Sassafras was done kicking our asses. Let me tell you, that greatly helped our morale and determination to finish the day strong. Tonight was our first night in a shelter. We got in late, so there wasn't a lot of space in the shelter and no camping spots...we didn't want to hike further on. Luckily, a big group was together, so they all scrunched up in the loft and we were able to then squeeze into the bottom with the others. In general, shelters are 3-sided structures along the trail to sleep in and usually have a covered picnic table for meals. These are great on bad weather days so you don't have to set up your tent. The downside is you are sleeping next to other hikers...who snore loudly, get up in the middle of the night, get up early to pack their stuff up, etc. So you really want to choose when you use them. The other good thing about the shelters is that they are very communal...if that is a word. Some of the group slee. ping up in the loft built a nice fire and about 16 of us gathered around and talked until bedtime...good way to meet people. Also gave us an opportunity to polish off our second bottle of wine in as many days...2L coke bottles have all sorts of uses! Thanks Mike and Todd for carrying in stew, wine, hard boiled eggs, etc. for the first few days...if you guys want to join. Me at any time with that stuff again, you're more than welcome! Cheers.
Date: 2010-03-28
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: moderate rain

Last day with Todd and Mike before I have to go it alone. Everyone slept well in the shelter and was ready for our 5 mile jaunt to Woody Gap where we left the car. Just to mix it up though, we had a nice cloudy, rainy day for the fellas to end on. At one point, maybe two, we were even hailed on! What I can tell you is the weather did not deter our effort in the slightest...maybe even helped us. I also believe knowing only 5 miles separated the boys froma nice warm car and a short ride home didn't hurt either! Mike set a torrid pace and we finally got him to take a break about an hour in...I had another 7 or so to go, but I didn't want to get in his way! We did our best time of the weekend and were at the car I time for lunch...and a quick dry-out for me. It was freezing at Woody Gap and I didn't want to get out of the warm car and start hiking again. Many of the group we stayed with at the shelter the night before were packing it in for the day and heading for Hiker Hostel down from Woody Gap. Mike and Todd actually gave a couple a ride to the hostel...they kicked me out...the hostel was starting to sound pretty good. I do want to thank the fellas for starting out with me...you guys made the transition a lot easier and I really enjoyed the company. After I left the fellas, I got lucky and the rain stopped after about an hour, so I made some decent time. It also helped that there were large stretches of basically flat or downhill trail. Iwas pretty pleased with myself until about 1.3 miles from the shelter I was going to stay at...I hit the wall and that bit took me over an hour...I just wanted to be done for the day. I got to the shelter and it was already full, so I had to set up my tent...got the tent up just before the rain started again. I knew I should have gone the other .5 up the trail to the campground, but i'd probably still be walking now as slow as I was going at the end. Cheers.