morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-11
From: Stealth site near Davis Farm Campsite

To: Lick Creek
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

This morning we started out on a ridge line that continued for about 5 miles. It was constant up and down with some pretty good views. We had meant to stop at Walker Gap to get water since we were low, but we didn't realize were there and started up the next mountain. We didn't want to go back so we continued up to Chestnut Knob Shelter, which is on top of the mountain. We stopped there for lunch, then hiked down to a tiny spring which was barely flowing. It was right on a muddy road. We each got a little water there. Afterward we came to a long bald, and a couple of miles later another spring where we filled our bottles. We went down a long mountain. Eventually we came to Lick Creek where we are camped. There is no place to throw a bear line so we just put our food outside our tents. It was such a hot and humid day that we are both exhausted.
Date: 2015-05-15
From: Marion, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0

We got up about 6:00 this morning and went to the lobby for breakfast. Foodwalker and Out on a Limb arrived about 9:00 as we were packing up. Another quick stop at Wal-Mart and we were on our way Trail Days.   After we found out where to park, we set up our tents in tent city, the ballpark. We visited the booths of many vendors and hung around for raffles. There were many give-aways - food, T-shirts, etc. One Way Ministries had lunch of smoothies and peanut butter sandwiches. The afternoon was very hot as we visited many more booths. I joined the ATC and now have a T-shirt from them too.   Around 5:30 we got in line for the hiker feed. The pork and chicken looked good, but I don't eat meat so I made an onion sandwich with some coleslaw and chips. Afterward we headed back to the One Way Ministries for a great coffee house with a live band. There were desserts and chips with cheese sauce. We stayed until the end and had a great time. One highlight of the day was meeting AWOL and taking a picture with him.
Date: 2015-05-16
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Still at Trail Days. Out on a Limb, Breezy and I went downtown early this morning. We had heard of a breakfast at the fire house, but they were fixing chicken for lunch. Instead we went to the AYCE pancake breakfast at One Way Ministries. Afterward we planned our hike from Mt. Rogers where we finished a few days ago. We will be hiking from there back to Damascus. Out on a Limb will hike with us so we will be able to do quite a bit of slackpacking. Then we will say goodbye to her and Foodwalker and continue our journey south. It was very hot again today. We walked downtown for the hiker parade. There were over a thousand hikers. The spectators spray the hikers with water guns in an effort to get them clean. Afterward we went to a talk about a blind hiker and then to a movie at One Way. Trail Days was fun but I am ready to leave the crowds and noise behind and get back into the woods.
Date: 2015-05-17
From: Mt. Rogers Visitors Center

To: Dickie Gap
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning we packed up from Trail Days and hit the road about 8:00. We headed back up to Mt. Rogers to start south again. Foodwalker took us to an Iron Skillet on the way and we had a good breakfast. Today was our first slackpack. Breezy and I are a little disorganized since we are not used to switching packs. The load is so light with only water, lunch and a raincoat. It was a fairly easy day of hiking. We are all glad to be back in the woods. We met several hikers from Trail Days and I expect we will meet more on our way back to Damascus. Tonight we are camped right by the road. We had some rain showers just as we were setting up tents. I have some puddles in my tent. Hopefully it won't rain any more tonight.
Date: 2015-05-18
From: Dickie Gap

To: Bearpen Trail Campsite
Miles today: 13.3

This morning we started out early and climbed Hurricane Mountain. It is a long climb, and by the time we reached the summit we were already worn out. The mountains in this area seem to go from ridge to ridge. Finally we climbed the two miles down and were at Fox Creek. Foodwalker was there with the van. We put our tents and my quilt out to dry during lunch. After packing back up we were off again, this time with our packs. We had a long, rocky climb up Pine Mountain which was as tiring as the morning. At the top was a little bald where I saw ponies last year, but there were none out today. We descended Pine Mountain and arrived at The Scales, a corral where cowboys brought their herds to be weighed. While relaxing a moment, Breezy and I saw a bull or long-horn cow come quickly down a hillside and into the woods. We headed up Stone Mountain to the rumbling of thunder. The bald was spectacular with the grey stormclouds and the mountains beyond. Shortly after crossing the Bearpen Trail, we spotted a campsite where we are now spending the night. We spotted four deer grazing on the hillside just at dusk. Beautiful!
Date: 2015-05-19
From: Bearpen Trail Campsite

To: Elk Garden 
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

Today was Grayson Highlands, one of the highlights of this hike. We carried our packs this morning and stopped at Wise Shelter for breakfast. We then started up into the magnificent rocks and balds of this area of Virginia. When we got to the Appalachian Spur Trail, we hiked down to the parking lot tot meet Foodwalker. We got our slackpacks and took off. The views were wonderful, and we had high hopes of seeing some of the wild ponies. When we got to the border of the state park, we spotted a herd of ponies about a half mile away on a dirt road. Breezy and I took off after the ponies. We finally caught up to them and took many pictures. There was a mother and new foal among the group. on the way up through the rocks we came across another group of ponies with several foals and pregnant mares. They are not afraid of people and will let you go right up to them. We continued the day, over many rocks and spotting ponies.   Finally we reached the Thomas Knob Shelter an stopped for lunch. It rained a little, but later in the afternoon we had a real downpour. The last part of the hike was over a beautiful bald. As we came down we saw a herd of cattle trying to escape through a gate that a hiker had left open. Foodwalker met us with pizza. Now we are camped in the woods just behind the parking lot. Many other hikers are here also.
Date: 2015-05-20
From: Elk Garden 

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Another beautiful day on the trail. We climbed Whitetop Mountain this morning and had breakfast at the top. From there it was on over open ridgeline with wonderful views. Many people camped on the ridge. It was cold and windy but must have been a great place to camp. We continued to Buzzard Rock. From this viewpoint we could see in every direction for miles. Mountains surrounded us, range upon range. We came down a very long mountain and then onto a bald, which was actually another cow pasture. The cows were right by the trail,and one planted herself right across the trail and just stood there looking at us. Finally she went to join the rest of the herd. We met Foodwalker at lunchtime and switched to our full packs. We planned to hike to a campsite at a pond, but when we got there it didn't look desirable. We decided to go a few more miles to the shelter. We set up camp just above the shelter in a nice pine grove. Breezy and I went to cook at the shelter and get water at the spring. There we met Billy Goat and several section hikers. Billy Goat lit a fire and we all sat and talked for quite a while. It was 9:00 before we got back to our tents, very late for hikers.
Date: 2015-05-21
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 9.8

We left the shelter this morning and hiked down, down, down. No breakfast at the top so we stopped at the bottom. It started to drizzle just as we sat down, so we ate quickly and got our rain gear on. We met Foodwalker at Feathercamp Branch. As we switched our packs it started to just pour. We hiked the rest of the morning in rain and finished our almost 10 miles into town by lunchtime. The rain stopped as we got into town. I stopped for a coffee and then we went to the town park to meet Foodwalker. After a pizza buffet lunch, Breezy and I took our things to Dave's Place Hostel. We have a room with two bunks and lots of pegs and shelves for our things. There is no laundry in town so we hand washed our clothes and hung them on the line to dry. We went to the library and I got my journal update with one minute to spare on my computer time limit. We had dinner at a cafe and went to bed. It is nice to be clean again.
Date: 2015-05-22
From: Damascus

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We had really planned to get an early start out of town, but towns seem to hold on to you. We went to the gas station for coffee and a cinnamon roll and took our time in their little cafe area. Then we went to the dollar store to resupply and found out that they had nothing a hiker would want since they hadn't restocked after Trail Days. So we took a long walk to the grocery store and back again. After that we finally got our things packed and I went to the outfitter to get new shoes. My old shoes were coming apart and catching on sticks and rocks. We then went to the park and cooked up some eggs we still had and had lunch. We called mom and took a quick trip to the library to use the computer. About 1:30 we finally started up the trail. It sure was a up but we were excited to finally reach the border into Tennessee. After that it was a long ridge line. Tennessee is very lush and pretty. By the time we reached the shelter my feet were aching in my new shoes. There are many people tenting here but the shelter only had one person, so we opted to stay in it rather than put up our tents. Apparently Tennessee doesn't have privies, so I guess it's trees for the bathroom.
Date: 2015-05-23
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Stealth Camp near TN91
Miles today: 12.1

It's interesting trying to get dressed in a shelter. There is no privacy except under the covers. We waited until some of the people left before getting up. Then we headed up to the McQueens Knob Shelter. It is a very old shelter and no longer maintained. It is made from large logs. There is a two person sleeping platform inside for emergency use. We stopped there and had our breakfast with a few other hikers who had set up hammocks nearby. Then it was a long day of walking on the ridge line. There is little water and almost no landmarks so it is hard to know where you are. We stopped at the Double Springs Shelter to get water and have a snack. On the way there was a trail maintainer who gave us a Clementine orange, which was delicious. After the shelter we came off the ridge line into cow pastures. The stiles were difficult to get over but we managed. The last part of the pasture was a handicap access trail made of gravel. The cows were all gathered at the top in front of a bench, do we sat down to admire them and let them admire us. When we got to the parking lot we saw a VW camper and someone calling to us. It was G-Hippie doing trail magic. He gave us chips, soda, beer, grilled cheese for me and hot dogs for Breezy, and carrots with dip. Very much appreciated! We headed back to the trail and found a tiny spring to fill our bottles for the night. A few feet away is a pretty,stealth site in the rhododendrons, so we set up our tents.
Date: 2015-05-24
From: Stealth Camp near TN91

To: Stealth Site before Wilbur Dam Road
Miles today: 13.6

Today was a beautiful day, cool and sunny. The wildflowers are very pretty and everything is very green. Butterflies are flitting around and the birds are singing. We stopped at a rock for breakfast, then walked to the Nick Grindstaff Monument. It is on the chimney ruins of his cabin. Nick was a hermit. The monument says "He lived alone, suffered alone and died alone." We stopped for a few minutes at the Iron Mountain Shelter and met a woman who is out for two weeks but can only walk four miles a day. She wanted to go hiking anyway so she just did. At lunchtime we stopped at a campsite with a ofring and spent some time with a group of Boy Scouts. Then it was a long walk to the Vandeventor Shelter. It is on a cliff and has a great view. The water is way down a steep trail so we opted to go to the next spring. The NOBO's started telling us the spring was dry, but when we got there we found enough water. We filled several liters and then looked for a campsite. Almost two miles later we finally found a small site on the edge of a cliff. A couple of late hikers are here too. They didn't set up a tent but are just sleeping on the ground. Camping is not allowed ahead of us because of bear activity and they were happy to find a place to spend the night. We have planned some time tomorrow at the beach of Watauga Lake and will go swimming if it is warm enough.
Date: 2015-05-25
From: Stealth Site before Wilbur Dam Road

To: Pond Flats Campsite
Miles today: 9.5

This morning we decided to sleep in until 7. We had planned to hike into Wautaga Lake for a Memorial Day swim. It was a hot day and it seemed to take a long time. We could see the lake below us for miles. Eventually we crossed the dam and started going around the lake. The whole area for a four mile section is closed for camping,picnicking or lingering because of bear activity. We didn't see any bears. After walking around a good part of the lake, we arrived at the swimming area. There were a lot of people there. We set up our tents on the grass and got changed into swimming clothes. The lake was rocky and cold but swimming felt so good! Afterward we went to the pavilion to cook up our picnic lunch of a Mountain House omelet. We charged our phones at the outlets by the bathroom and filled up our water containers. Eventually we packed up and headed up the mountain. It was a three mile uphill and it was very hot. Finally we found the spring at the top. The water is almost dried up but we managed to scoop out enough for the night and morning. We set up our tents at the campsite above the water and are going to bed. The heat and crowds made us very tired.
Date: 2015-05-26
From: Pond Flats Campsite

To: Dennis Cove Road/ Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 5.2

The trail today was rugged and wild. We came down Pond Mountain, a rocky downhill. It had rained overnight and everything was wet and slippery. wWe started to hear the Laurel River from far up on the mountain. Even though we were going downhill, it was so humid that we were covered in sweat. At the bottom of the mountain we started to follow the river over a rocky path. At one point we had to climb steep rocks out along the edge of a rock wall. At the falls, we left our packs and climbed down. They were just beautiful. We sat for a while to admire them and eat a snack. There is a little memorial plaque for a father and son who drowned in a whirlpool under the falls in 2012. After a steep climb back up, the trail eventually became wide and smooth, and then we were at Dennis Cove Road.We walked up the road to Kincora Hostel where we met Bob Peoples and Baltimore Jack. We made our selves at home, showered, did laundry and hung up our tents to dry. At 5:00 Bob took us to the grocery store and we got our resupply. The packs will be very heavy tomorrow. Jack made us a great dinner of pasta with sauce, both meat and veggie, salad and garlic bread. After dinner we chatted with the other hikers. Breezy and I are alone in the upstairs bunk room tonight. There are a lot of cats here and two of them have four kitchens each. They have started emerging from under the sofa for the first time. The guys are just delighted. Baltimore Jack is too. Bob Peoples is a great guy. He was telling us stories of some of his hikes and all of the work he does on the trail. He lives here at the hostel and in the winter it is so cold that the dog's water froze in the dish in the kitchen.
Date: 2015-05-27
From: Dennis Cove Road/ Kincora Hostel

To: Vango Abby Memorial Hostel
Miles today: 12.6

Before leaving Kincora hostel, Breezy and I have Bob Peoples a big hug and said goodbye to Jack. It was fun staying with them. We walked back to the trail and started up White Rocks Mountain. It was a big climb and we were glad to have it finished in the morning. after lunch at the shelter, we were back on a ridgeline for the afternoon. It was so humid and everything was wet and muddy. The afternoon seemed long and we were getting very tired. Finally we came to the trail for the Vango Abby Hostel. It was a steep downhill to the hostel. We talked to Scotty, the owner, and after looking at the main bunk room we decided to take a little cabin with bunk beds. We bought a pizza from Scotty and he warmed it up for us. We ate on his back porch, which borders beautiful national park land. It is raining now and we are glad to be inside. I am in the top bunk tonight. Hope I don't fall out.
Date: 2015-05-28
From: Vango Abby Memorial Hostel

To: US 19E
Miles today: 12.1

Last night was interesting sleeping in that bunk bed. Those things are made for kids, not 60 year old women. There were mouse droppings on the beds and the whole room, so I put my Tyvek on the mattress, which made it quite slippery. It was warm when I went to bed, but got colder through the night. My down quilt kept sliding off the bed onto the floor. The first time it fell, Breezy retrieved it for me, but later in the night she was asleep. I was only in my shorts and tank, and inside my sleep sheet, so I got out my base layer and put that on. I was still cold though, so finally I had to go down the latter and get my quilt, then back up and try to get everything back together. Once I warmed up I slept fairly well. This morning everything was wet from the storms during the night. The trail was very muddy and gloomy. Even though there were blue skies, the sun rarely made it through to the thick forest floor. We stopped at Mountaineer Shelter for a break, and then passed Mountaineer Falls, a pretty little waterfall. By lunch we had reached Jones Falls which is a beautiful, high waterfall which cascades over slabs of rock. I took off my shoes and put my feet in the rushing water. It was like an ice cold foot massage. In the afternoon it started to rain again. We stopped at a church to get water from their spigot, then sat on the front porch as it downpoured. Breezy was very tired and discouraged and talking about getting off the trail. After considering for quite a while, we called my friend Chris to see if would be able to pick us up. Thankfully he said yes. We walked another four miles to the Mountain Harbour Hostel, and he drove over an hour to meet us there. He brought us to a cafe to get something to eat, then to his house where we can stay for awhile. We are showered, and I am sharing my bed with two grey cats who seem to like me. We will decide what we want to do in the next few days.
Date: 2015-06-01
From: US 19E

To: Doll Flats
Miles today: 3.0

Well, we have spent three very pleasant days at our friend's house. Chris and his son, Colin, have been wonderful hosts, understanding that we needed to just sit and rest. We discussed whether we wanted to continue hiking and decided that we did. Chris drove us to Asheville for a short tour, and we stopped to hear a drum circle of local citizens in a small park. There were about 40 people drumming and many more listening and dancing. Colin works at an ice cream shop. They make their ice cream from local ingredients. They have very interesting flavors, including blueberry/kale. They don't use any artificial ingredients at all. We tried several of the flavors. My favorite was smoked chocolate. On Sunday we drove to Hot Springs with Chris and went to a small Presbyterian church where he was preaching. There was also a Civil War reenactment in Hot Springs. We ate breakfast at the diner with both officers and enlisted men from the Confederate Army. The women were also in period costumes. I have had time to update my journal and to consider why we are hiking at all. In the end, it comes down to the beauty of the wilderness and the freedom of being in the woods and the mountains. The forecast for the future days seems to be nothing but rain, so I hope I will be able to remember they "why" of being there when all is wet and muddy. We will head out late this afternoon, as Chris has a meeting before he can drive us back to the trail. We will see him and Colin again when we hike into Hot Springs. (Evening)We got back to the trail about 4:00, after driving through the mountains in torrential rain. It was again raining and thundering as we headed up the mountain. It soon let up and we were most of the way to our campsite when another huge storm hit. When we finally reached the campsite, we found three other southbound section hikers were also here. We found a spot that looked like it would not flood. We ate our Subway sandwiches under our ponchos, and after a while it stopped raining so we quickly got our tents up. After getting into dry clothes, I called Bruce and Sheryl. I walked out into a little meadow while talking to them. The mountains were in heavy mist that shifted around so that I could see some of the mountains. I saw something black in the meadow and thought that it might be a bear, but it didn't move, so then I thought that it must be a black log. As I walked towards it, suddenly it started moving and it really scared me. It was actually a black cow, no threat at all! I felt relieved and a bit silly for getting so frightened, and then I just laughed. When we went to hang our bear bags, the branch we were using broke. We tried another tree and got the rope stuck. After great effort, we broke the branch it was stuck on. We finally got the bags hung. We are in bed now, warm and dry at least for the moment.
Date: 2015-06-02
From: Doll Flats

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: moderate rain

The little meadow I walked on last night was just as beautiful when we left this morning. As we climbed, I saw the cows again, in the woods this time, and again I thought they were bears. That's twice they managed to scare me. We climbed up Hump Mountain and had breakfast at a beautiful spot on the bald there. The views of the mountains were so awesome, just peak upon peak. The clouds were thick below us, and the peaks looked like islands in an ocean. They drifted up and down the mountains continuously. After Hump Mountain, we descended into the clouds, then climbed Little Hump. We stopped for a few minutes at Overmountain Shelter, an old barn which has been converted. We then went on two more miles to the Stan Murray Shelter for lunch. We got there just as a huge storm rolled in. The shelter quickly filled with hikers trying to get out of the rain. When it finally let up a bit, we headed back out in our ponchos. We climbed most of the afternoon through rocks and over balds. Finally we arrived at our destination for the night, Roan High Mountain Shelter. It is the highest shelter on the AT and has four walls and a door, as well as a large loft area. Many hikers are here tonight.