morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Whistling Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up this morning and found myself in a cloud. My tent was wet from the mist. I rolled it up and will let it dry out in Erwin.My legs felt as good as they have anytime in the past couple weeks. The knot on my shin is finally going away. The left knee still hurts but I can hike with it this way. I started at 7:30 and took several breaks on my way down to Erwin. The trail was not too bad today. I arrived in Erwin at 2:45 and called the Super 8 motel for a room and shuttle to the motel. I considered staying at Uncle Johnnys, but I knew I wanted to soak in a hot bath for a while. I could tell the duct tape I placed on my heels on Monday had come loose during my hike down to Erwin. I didn't stop to check on it. My left heel is red and sore where the blister was. I soaked my feet in Epsom salt and will spend a zero day in Erwin on Saturday.It feels good to be clean, dry, and warm for a while. I think my hiker appetite is starting to kick in. I ate a burrito and chips dinner tonight, then stopped a Sonic for a hot fudge oreo milk shake on the way back to the hotel. About 2 hrs later I ordered a medium size deep dish pizza and ate the whole thing. I thought I would have some left overs for Saturday.
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Erwin, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I sorted through my gear again and found a few things I could do without. I picked up my old shoes at Uncle Johnnys yesterday. In addition to my blistered heel, my arches are sore, and I have had some concerns withmy toes in the shoes I bought in Hot Springs. I have decided to go back to my first pair of boots. I bought some different socks and am trying some additional insoles.I have to plan my resupply points between here and Damascus and then check my food supplies. I think I will go to Huddle House for lunch. I am planning to head back to the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Erwin, TN

To: Beauty Spot
Miles today: 10.6

I decided to go back to Walgreens this morning and by a knee brace to see if it would help my knee heal. Scholar and I were both going back to the trail today and the hotel manager gave us a ride back to the trail head. I forgot to mention when I arrived in Erwin a couple days ago, I had called the Super 8 motel for a shuttle. By time the guy arrived, four more hikershad arrived (Hiking Pole, Music Man, Ziola, and Birch). We all piled into the small stationwagon - 1 driver, 5 hikers, and 5 backpacks. Of course we rolled all the windows down for the short trip. I started today's hike whit Scholar at about 10 AM. We caught up to Spock and we passed TDS still in his tent a few miles up the trail. We ate lunch at Curley Maple Gap Shelter. I hiked with Scholar for about an hour after that and then I had to take a break and she continued on. The knee brace was binding on the back of my knee, so I took it off for a while and sat down. Then I decided to lay down and almost fell asleep. After about 20 minutes I got up and put the knee brace back on and took some more Advil. I folded the knee brace and only used it below my knee where the pain was. This worked better. I continued hiking and passed Hiking Pole, Music Man, Gator Gump, and Sleeping Beauty who had all gotten a ride to Iron Mtn Gap and were slack packing (carrying just food and water for the day) back to Erwin. Tomorrow they will shuttle back to Iron Mtn Gap and hike north from there. Slack packing allows you to hike a lot of miles without the weight of your pack and usually it is downhill back to town.I stopped at Beauty Spot. It is a grassy field at the top of a mountain with good views. It was only 3:30 and I had only hiked 10 miles, but it was a day with clear skies and a chance to see a wonderful sunset. Scholar, Evil Eye, Uncle Buck, Dances with Sloths, and Swamp Foot are all tenting here tonight. There is a road up to this spot and we saw about a dozen vehicles drive up hoping each time there would be a cooler of beer inside. Finally the last truck pulled up a little befor sunset and a guy yelled "Do you want some beer?" We all started down the hill, but then he brought the beer up to us. It was Tree and his girlfriend, Honeysuckle. They are planning to hike the AT next year. We talked with them for a couple hours waiting for it to get dark enough to see the April Lyrids Meteor Shower, but we didn't see any. By a little after 9 we were ready to crawl into our tents for the evening.It was a good day on the trail. Glad to be back in my old boots, my heal is still sore from the other shoes and the knee is doing OK. The swelling around my right ankle is all gone and the shin doesn't hurt any more. I uploaded some more pictures when I was in Erwin so click the photos button at the left to check them out. Goodnight.
Date: 2007-04-23
From: Beauty Spot

To: Greasy Creek Gap - Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I got up this morning just in time to see the sunrise about 7:00. I packed up, took some Advil, and put on the knee brace. About a half mile down the trail the sore from the blister on my heel was bothering me, so I stopped and put a Band-Aid on and duct taped over it. I climbed up Unaka Mtn. The fir trees at the top of the mountain are very thick, so it was sort of dark in the forest even though the sun was shining brightly.I was messing with my boots and feet all day. I took out the insoles I had added in Erwin because my toes were feeling cramped. A little ways later I was walking on a newly rerouted section of the trail. A root that had been cut on one end grabbed my shoe string and almost caused me to fall. Good thing I have the hiking poles. I had to stop again and retie my shoes.With all the stopping, I lost my sense of how far I had traveled. I was planning to stop at the Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel. You have to take a 0.6 mile old jeep road to get there. I became concerned that I might have missed the turn off. I needed to stop here to get some more food. The next couple miles I stopped frequently to try and determine where I was on the trail. I finally reached Greasy Creek Gap. The sign was missing, but there was a paper on a tree with directions to the hostel. I only hiked 12.2 trail miles today, but it felt like 20 miles. The hostel was great. Worm, Tom B, Pootz, Ziola, and Scholar were already there. A couple section hikers, Swamp Foot, and Hartley Hound Dog arrived later. CC owns the hostel. Pootz called her and she stopped to get us pizzas on her way back to the hostel. The place is great with a small stream running through the property that might work for a microhydro power generator. I'll have to do some reading on those systems when I get back.CCs neighbor apparently doesn't like hikers coming down there. About 9:30 PM he started a motorcycle or something and revved the engine for a while. Then he started hammering or banging something. He resumed with mowing his yard at 5 AM before it was even light. This is his daily routine for years. I don't think it deters anyone from coming to the hostel and just added a little amusement to the experience. I stayed in my tent down by the creek.
Date: 2007-04-24
From: Greasy Creek Gap - Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I started about 7 this morning. I hiked with Scholar most of the day. I went up and over Roan Mtn today at 6,285 feet. That is the last point above 6,000 feet until Mt Washington in New Hampshire.My legs felt pretty good tday with just a few steps causing pain. I am hoping they will be back to 100% in a couple days.I have planned for nearly 17 miles tomorrow, so I'll see how well they hold up.Sleeping in my tent at the shelter tonight. Shelter is a large barn that could sleep about 20 hikers or more. There are about 14 thru hikers and 3 section hikers here tonight.
Date: 2007-04-26
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Denis Cove Rd - Laurel Fork Lodge Hostel
Miles today: 15.1

I got started about 7:00 this morning following Spock and Pootz. The forcast was for rain so we wanted to cover as many miles as possible before the rain. There were lots os small ups and downs today but no major climbs. I hiked with Pootz most of the morning. We expected Scholar to catch us, but we didn't see here until we stopped at Mooreland Gap Shelter for lunch. We passed Hungus, Earthquake, Mike, and TDS all still in their camps along the trail in the morning. Hungus and Earthquake are heading to Highway 321 tomorrow and getting a ride back to Trail Fest in Hot Springs. They invited me to come along, but I want to keep hiking while I am feeling good. I will probably head back to Damascus for the Trail Days festival in May.During our lunch break we found someone had left some mac and cheese packages in the shelter, so I had wone of those for lunch. It was only my second mac and cheese meal on the trail so far. The clouds were getting darker, so we put on our pack covers before heading back out on the trail for 6 more miles. I hiked with Pootz and Scholar after lunch. i put on my rain jacket before leaving. The trail went uphill from the shelter and in 10 minutes I was too hot, so I took my rain jacket off. It started raining a few minutes after that, but I decided since it was warm, I would just get wet. It rained fairly hard at times, but I stayed warm as long as I was hiking. We reached Dennis Cove Rd and decided to go to the Laurel Fork Lodge Hostel which was 0.3 miles to the right. Kincora Hostel is about 0.2 to the left. We arrived and were happy with the accomodations. We got a cabin that sleeps 4 for $25. The bathrooms, showers, and kitchen are common areas in adjacent buildings. We are glad to have a dry place to sllep tonight. I bought enough food supplies for the next three days at the camp store. This should be enough to get me to Damascus, VA on Sunday.We hiked past the 400 mile mark today! My legs are doing well now and i am able to keep up with some of the other hikers. The past couple days hiking with others for most of the day has been enjoyable and made the hiking time seem to go by faster. I see my journal counter is up to over 10,000 views now. Thanks to everyone that has been checking my journal and especially to those who have signed my guest book. I don't have much time to reply to the messages, but I do enjoy reading them.So ends another great day on the trail.
Date: 2007-04-27
From: Denis Cove Rd - Laurel Fork Lodge Hostel

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I started later than usual today. I left the hostel with Little Red and Wolf around 9:00. Pootz was meeting his girlfriend today and Scholar wasn't feeling well so she was taking a zero day. I am sure they will catch back up in a few days. The early trail was easy and led us to Laurel Falls, which is a large beautiful waterfall. We took a break there before starting 1800 foot climb up to Pond Flats. I led most of the way, but as I tired near the top Wolf passed me. We passed Buckles, Thunder, Dog's Life, and Crank Bait on the way up. They had also stayed at Laurel Fork Hostel the night before. Everyone had ordered pizza to be delivered last night. I think the girl brought about 12 pizzas out there. We also passed Spock on the trail. He had stayed at the Kincora Hostel on the same road.It was a long tiring hike up and over Pond Flats, but there was some beautiful terrain by the river. We reached a park on Watauga Lake with picnic tables by about 1:00 and ate lunch. Today I had a couple slices of leftover pizza, a pack of tuna, and a snickers candy bar for lunch. After lunch the trail followed the lake shore for about a half mile and then headed back up hill. We stopped at the Watauga lake shelter, which is about a half mile from the lake and signed the shelter journal. Then continued on to the dam. Scholar had told me there were rope swing into the lake, but I never saw them. I guess I should have gotten a little more information about where they were. It probably wasn't warm enough for swimming today anyway. It was partly and windy.After crossing the dam the trail followed a paved road uphill a ways and then turned back into the woods. I ran out of energy when the trail entered the woods. Little Red and Wolf continued on, while I took a short break and ate some more food. I reached Vandeventer Shelter a little after them and then had to walk another 1/2 mile down a side trail to get water and then carry it back up the hill. I had spaghetti w/ meat sauce for dinner. Judo is also at this shelter tonight. She is the first one I have seen out here with the same tent I have. Ziola showed up a little later.The section of trail between Watauga Lake and Damascus, VA is called the Tennessee Turnpike because it is relatively flat compared to the trail I have already covered. Some people try to do the entire 40 miles in one day. I an hoping to cover 20 miles tomorrow. I don't want to aggravate any of my previous leg issues.For those who want to see my progress on a google map check out this link:http://maps.yourgmap.com/v/k_nf_Don_on_the_AT_2007.html
Date: 2007-04-28
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Damascus. VA - Dave's Place Hostel
Miles today: 32.7
Weather: light rain

The plan for today was to hike 21.7 miles from Vandeventer Shelter to Abingdon Gap Shelter. I was the first one to leave the shelter at 7:30. Little Red and Wolf caught up to me just before Iron Mountain Shelter. We stopped at the shelter for a break and some food. I felt really good after the break. Crutch, Rutabaga, and Judo also were at the shelter. I left the shelter hiking fairly fast and reached highway TN 91 about 20 minutes before anyone else arrived. It was raining so I stopped under the roof of a information board for a while. Ziola, Littlw Red, and Ziola passed while I was there.The rain slowed and I continued on the trail which was now passing through some rolling grassy hills. I later caught up to Ziola who had started to cook lunch at a clearing near the trail. I decided to stop since I was also cooking lunch. Most people don't cook lunch on the trail. During lunch we decided to try to make it all the way to Damascus today. That would be 32.7 miles for the day. Later we reached what I thought was Abingdon Gap Shelter and spent 30 minutes looking for a water source that didn't exist. We moved on and reached the real Abingdon Gap Shelter about 30 minutes later. We collected water and departed at 7 PM with 10 miles to go to Damascus. We had to use headlamps after about 8:30. We hiked fast hoping to reach town while there was still time to get food somewhere. We could see the lights from the town for about the last 8 miles, but the trail just kept going up and down hills around the town. We finally reached Damascus at 10:20 PM. We made it over to Sicily's pizza by 10:30 and were happy to see they were still open. After dinner we went to Dave's Place Hostel.I would not say the trail today was easy. There were lots of up and down hill sections. I covered almost 33 miles in 15 hours. I was very tired at the end and my feet were aching. This will probably be the most miles I do in a single day for this entire journey. I will be staying in Damascus at least until Monday to pickup my mail drop box at the post office and I need to plan for my next couple resupply points.
Date: 2007-04-29
From: Damascus. VA - Dave's Place Hostel

To: Damascus. VA - Dave's Place Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I spent the day in Damascus today. I crossed the Virginia/Tennessee border last night. Virginia is the fourth state I have been in during this hike. I will be in Virginia for the next 535.7 miles. The AT goes through 14 states, but 1/4 of the trail is in Virginia.I updated my journal and checked email today at the Baja Caf©. I went to the outfitter and ate a lot of food. I have to get my mail drop box in the morning and then I will load up my pack and get back on the trail.My next resupply point will be a couple miles off the trail, so I will have to hitch a ride to town. I bought a bandana at the local outfitter that has the following messages in large letters: "Hiker to town" and "Hiker to Trail". You fold it so only one message shows. You hold up the bandana so passing vehicles know where you are trying to get to. Hopefully this increases the chance of someone stopping compared to sticking out your thumb. I will give it a try.The weather forecast looks good this week. I am hoping to increase my daily hiking mileage in this next section of the trail. The terrain will be difficult and slow me down when I reach the northeast, so I need to get more miles in now.
Date: 2007-04-30
From: Damascus. VA - Dave's Place Hostel

To: Pond / Campsite - 471.2
Miles today: 11.7

I went to the post office when they opened at 8:30 this morning and picked up my food drop box. I took the box back to my room and sorted out 5 days worth of food for the next section of the trail. My pack was full again and I'm sure it is back up over 40 lbs. today. I went to the local outfitter and got some alcohol fuel and another pair of thick socks. They didn't have the Bridgedale Trekkers I wanted, so I settled for some Thorlos. This will allow me to alternate socks everyday again.I hung around town all morning. I got a new knee brace that slips on and hopefully won't create any sores. I went to the library and used one of their computers for a while. I asked around and no one had seen Pootz or Scholar yet. I was hoping they would catch up while I was in Damascus. I talked with Little Red and Wolf. I thought they were going to the first shelter, Saunders Shelter. I talked with Ziola and thought she was also going to the first shelter.I got my pack and started up the road through town. I stopped at Dairy King for a strawberry milkshake. On the way out of town there was a small white house with a sign on the front porch that said "Hiker Phone". There was a phone on the porch along with denatured alcohol and a few snacks. It was a hot sunny afternoon and the porch was shaded, so I sat down for a little while and made a couple phone calls. I finally made it out of town and on to the trail around 1:00. I took my time and took several breaks including about 20 minutes along side the river. I reached Saunders Shelter at 6 PM. There was no one around. I figured I was the first one there and Little Red, Wolf, and Ziola would be along shortly. I filtered some water out of the spring and cooked some stove top stuffing for dinner along with a package of tuna. A couple of section hikers from DC showed up around 7:00. At 8:00 there were still no other thru-hikers around. I decided to hike a few more miles and camp near a pond. I thought maybe the others had decided to skip Saunders and hike further. At this point I don't know if they are in front of me or behind me. I passes Slinky Dog and The Bag Lady slack packing south earlier today. I will probably see them heading north tomorrow. Slinky Dog is actually two people who have been a couple days ahead of me in the shelter journals for a while. Today was the first time I met them. I think I may have met The bag Lady a while back, but I don't remember where.I am in my tent now. There are some really strange animal sounds coming from the direction of the pond. I have no idea what they are. I also here some Whippoorwills in the distance.Hopefully I will figure out where some of the others are tomorrow.
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Pond / Campsite - 471.2

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

I was packed up and on the trail by 7:00 this morning. The morning trail was not to difficult and the AT rejoined the Virginia Creeper Trail for a mile or so. I reached Lost Mtn Shelter at 8:45. Sidewinder, Micro, and Ziola were there. I filtered some water, signed the shelter journal, and talked with the three hikers.Climbing up and over Mt Rogers was the task for today. At over 5700 feet it is the highest place the AT crosses for a while. I started the day at 3000 ft, so I had to climb 2700 feet up in addition to the normal ups and downs of the trail. The climb up the mountain wasn't too steep early on, but it seemed to be going up forever. The trail was fairly smooth and comfortable to walk on. Then near the top the trail turned rocky and beat up my feet all afternoon and evening. When we reached the VA600 highway crossing there were several vehicles in the parking lot. A lady standing by a van asked if I wanted a tangerine and I said yes. As I approached she asked if I wanted a beer. I said yes with a little more emphasis. She handed me a beer and introduced herself as Daybreak. Then Blue Yonder walked out from behind the van. She is taking a couple days off for a family reunion and then Daybreak is joining her to hike north from Damascus. They will probably catch up to me before long. As we were sitting on the grass, 4 military fighter jets roared over our heads only a few hundred yards above the ground. Later I saw a humming bird fly by.I reached Thomas Knob shelter around 7 PM and we saw some of the wild ponies. From there the trail leads to Grayson Highlands State Park, where there were more wild ponies and more rocky trail.I finally reached Wise Shelter a little before 9 PM and set up my tent. I also saw The Bag Lady and Slinky Dog on the trail today and they are here at the shelter tonight. There are a few more people here, but it is dark and some of them were already in their sleeping bags.Today was my third hiking day that covered over 20 miles. my legs are holding up well. Food supplies along this stretch aren't very convenient, so I am trying to cover a lot of miles to minimize the number of resupply points.It was a beautiful day out here today and now I am very tired.
Date: 2007-05-02
From: Wise Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today I was a little slow getting on the trail. The miles from yesterday and late finish were probably the reason. I was on the trail at about 8:20. I hiked alone in the morning to the next shelter (Old Orchard). It was 6 miles and it took me 3 hours to get there. My left leg is starting to bother me on the front of my shin at about where the top of my boot is. This is similar to the issue I had with my right shin a couple weeks ago. I didn't lace the boot all the way up today, but the shin hurt more and more as the day went on. Ziola caught up to me while I was resting at the shelter. Slinky Dog, The Bag Lady and I passed each other a couple times through the day. I stopped at Hurricane Shelter. Well actually the stream near it and soaked my feet in the cold creek for a few minutes. I also rinsed the salt out of my bandana and shirt. It was probably only about 70 or 75 degrees today. It was very comfortable when sitting in the shade, but seemed miserably hot when hiking uphill over a bunch of rocks. The trails in Virginia have been enjoyable from the standpoint of gradual inclines and declines, but the rocks are terrible. There are pointed rocks that poke at your feet through the soles of your shoes, rocks that pinch the sides of your feet, rocks that tip causing your ankles to twist, rocks that roll under your feet nearly causing you to fall,..... There are rocks everywhere.Tomorrow I am heading to Partnership Shelter at the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area Headquarters. There are suppose to be warm water showers and a phone for free local calls including pizza delivery to the shelter!The shelter is only 10.6 miles from here, so I will probably hike further after a shower and some pizza.My pack seems to weigh an awful lot right now. It is three days since I left Damascus and my food bag still weighs 10 lbs. or more. I have to get better at food selection and planning. I hope my shin gets better and not worse the next couple days. I passed the 500 mile mark today. After a few high mileage days I am now back to only 3 days behind my 5 month plan. If my leg gets worse, I will fall further behind.As they say on the trail: No pain, no Maine. You just have to accept the pain and keep moving. If you ask someone who has hiked the AT before, they will tell you the pain goes away a few weeks after you complete the hike.