morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-21
From: virginia 623

To: o'lystery pavilion
Miles today: 20.1

Spent the night on the very deserted highway 623. It took quite a while to follow the twisty turny roads to get to the actual AT trail, where the road and the trail actually meet. While waiting for Tracy and Cassidy, I met Cloudwalker and Low gear, who were early on the trail. Passed out some water and carrots, which were much appreciated. Tracy and Cassidy came before 9 am, so they were on the move at the crack of dawn. Their plan was to do a 20 mile hike, which they wound up shortly before dusk. There was a very rough section after they left 623, which took them quite a while. Went to O'Lystery pavilion on highway 42, and met a few more through hikers. Met an older couple, one of them named Grasshopper. So am seeing more people in the last few days. When Tracy and Cassidy got off the trail, we set up the bigger tent and they were able to sleep in a roomy tent. It rained a very little bit, not like a gully washer. Definitely a nice day.More later--Foodwalker .........hi, Tracy McG....,..After the first 3 miles Foodwalker slackpacked us another 17 miles, our longest day ever! It was a very long day, some beautiful scenery, pretty rocky and difficult trail, especially the first few miles which were up some very steep ridgelines. Finally made it to Chestnut Bald Shelter for a late lunch with a lot of miles to go. Pretty cool shelter, fully enclosed. The bald was beautiful. Met many northbounders. Extremely tired by the time we met Foodwalker. He was so nice to set up his tent next to the van for us to sleep in.
Date: 2014-04-22
From: o'lystery pavilion

To: relax inn at atkins
Miles today: 11.7

Foodwalker here relaxing at the relax inn in the neighborhood of Atkins. Tracy and Cassidy left the AT a little after 7:30 in the morning. They got to the relax inn around 3:00 pm; there were two different rain storms. Got laundry done and not a whole lot else. More later. Foodwalker..........Hi, Tracy McG again. Despite the drizzly day we had a fun day of hiking. Enjoyed seeing the Davis Path campsite, which has a privy, a picnic table, and the steps to a shelter, as well as the remains of an enormous tree, which obviously fell on the shelter at some point in the past. Sure hope no one was hurt! When we realized we were going to walk right past the Relax Inn in Groseclose, we asked Foodwalker about just stopping there, and he was agreeable. Dinner at The Barn, just down the road, which was okay. We were the only customers, which was kind of weird.
Date: 2014-04-23
From: relax inn at atkins

To: mt rogers visitor center
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: light snow

Foodwalker now playing catch-up with the trail journal entries. Tracy and Cassidy left early from the Relax Inn, which was a decent value for the amount of money that we paid for the room. Had gone up the night before to eat at the barn restuarant, which had relatively good food. We were the only ones at the restuarant. Got back and watched some of the NBA playoffs; Indiana blew out Atlanta.After Tracy and Cassidy left, I stayed in the motel for a little bit and just rested a little bit. I went to Marion and picked up a package for Cassidy (a box of brownies and chocolate covered pretzels, which were much appreciated). Also did some food resupply for us all; Marion is a primo town to do food resupply in; they had four grocery stores within two blocks of each other, plus a lot of fast food places. So if you need to resupply, this would be the place to do it.Then went to mount Rogers visitor center and saw a lot of hikers just waiting for the shuttle to go into town. Tracy and Cassidy came around 2 pm or so. They got started back on the trail, destination around Virginia 601. I went through Sugar Grove, which had a couple of small convenience stores. Prices relatively higher. Went out to the AT crossing on Virginia 670. Was settling down when Felix stopped by and parked his motor bike there. And that is a wrap.More later. Foodwalker........hi, Tracy McG here. Reached the Settlers Museum and the Lindamood School early this morning. Sign on the one-room schoolhouse door invited hikers in. Traditional schoolhouse, with lots of trail magic inside from a church group--oranges, cokes, candy, lots of little things like first aid supplies, shampoo, and many other things. Much appreciated. Later we came across trail magic of similar things from another church group, also much appreciated! Took a quick look around an 1890s farm, very well maintained. Was glad to meet Foodwalker at the Mt Rogers Visitor Center, where many hikers were hanging out. Continued a few more miles and set up camp for the night.
Date: 2014-04-24
From: mt rogers visitor center

To: fox creek AT crossing at virginia 603
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Foodwalker still trying to play catch-up with the journal entries. Got up relatively early, some hikers up relatively early. Tracy and Cassidy came through around 7:30, going in full mode. They switched to slack packing gear to head the rest of the way to the Fox Creek AT crossing. Was able to get there earlier, and so I went there and set up a bigger tent for them to spend the night. Lot of hikers were passing through, but really did not do any trail magic except to offer water. I reckon there were about 18-20 who passed through. Tracy and Cassidy got there a bit after 6 pm. Went pretty well..........,Hi, this is Tracy McG. Had a beautiful day of slackpacking. Saw a lot of NOBOs again. Camped out in Foodwalker's tent again, which was great! A short walk down the horse trail to the horse camp to some nice portapotties! Hah! Shows how your values become a little altered on the trail! It was great.
Date: 2014-04-25
From: fox creek AT crossing at virginia 603

To: elk gardens on virginia 600
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

I know that this is relatively early, but thought that I would put a small entry in, as I do not know when I will have reception again. Left them as they were just starting the trail. Got to Elk Garden without too much difficulty. Will be setting up the tent again for them to sleep in. Will probably add more at a later date.........hi, Tracy McG again! What a long and difficult day this was, but successfully completed! Started to rain on and off shortly after starting out. Foggy, rocky the whole way, cold, very wild and beautiful scenery. Finally got to the Wise Shelter in Grayson Highlands State Park for lunch, after running into a small herd of the wild ponies outside the park. After hearing thunder approaching, we waited out an intense thunderstorm, with wild rain, hail, and lightning. Started out again. The terrain is very rocky, the wind was roaring as we started up Mt Rogers. Dove into some pines for a little while when lightning struck near us while heading up a bald, then started up again. The rain continued off and on, the wind was incredible, temps were dropping. We climbed over one rocky top after another, with the wind doing its best to blow us off! The fog got thicker and thicker, especially on the balds, where the wind and rain were the worst also. A lot of people were holed up at the Thomas Knob Shelter, with more arriving all the time. The people there knew who we were, because they had met Foodwalker earlier, and were very nice to us. One gave me hand warmers, which really helped in the last 5 miles down. The fog was so thick coming down the last bald, we could hardly see from one trail marker to the next. The rocks never relented, either. Once we heard a loud roar approaching and braced for a huge burst of wind, and then the noise went on past, and we suddenly realized it was a car, and the road was right in front of us! The fog was so thick we hadn't even seen it. Across the road was Foodwalker! We were so glad to see him! He had his tent set up for us again, and had brought us sub sandwiches for supper! We were so glad because we were exhausted!
Date: 2014-04-26
From: elk gardens on virginia 600

To: Feathercamp Branch
Miles today: 18.1

Today was a beautiful day of hiking, with blue skies, mild temperatures, and mostly good trails. Started out a little later than usual, about 7:40. Discovered the famous Lorax Privy at Lost Mountain Shelter, where the story of The Lorax, by Dr Seuss, is written on the privy wall. Cassidy has been having a lot of trouble with blisters on her feet, I don't know how she keeps going, but she does. Her lower shin has been hurting pretty bad from a bruise she got in a fall a couple of days ago, too. We slacked 18 miles today, though, and then Foodwalker got us a room for the night. Very grateful to be in a real bed and resting.
Date: 2014-04-27
From: Feathercamp Branch

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: broken clouds

Short day today. Hiked into Damascus and met Foodwalker, but Cassidy had a very difficult time with the downhills, and had to stop frequently due to the pain in her left lower shin. Definitely enjoyed the walk through Damascus and lunch at the Blue Blaze Cafe, where we all indulged in large pizzas. Afterwards we went to the outfitters, where Cassidy picked up new shoes and socks, which she hopes will help her feet and legs. However the pain in her leg was too intense to continue today, so we returned to the motel we stayed in last night to rest and see how she feels tomorrow.
Date: 2014-04-29
From: Weaverville, NC

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Cassidy's leg is still hurting, so we decided to drive about a hundred miles south to visit a friend of hers in Weaverville, NC, who had invited us to stay for a few days. As the day progressed, Cassidy's leg started to show some signs of improvement, and we are hoping a little more rest will be beneficial. We are considering starting at Hot Springs, NC, which is close by, and continuing our hike south to Georgia, and then returning to Hot Springs to hike the portion back to Damascus before heading up to Maine if time permits and we both stay in ok condition.
Date: 2014-04-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It looks like my sister Cassidy is going to have to get off the trail for a while to let her leg heal. It had seemed like it was getting a little better, but when she walked a ways today, she realized it wasn't. She made the difficult decision to go home for a while to give it more time, rather than risk damaging it further. This was very difficult for her, and I feel terrible about it. It has been so nice to spend such an extended period of time with her, something we had not been able to do for over 40 years, while we were busy raising our families in different parts of the country. I am going to miss her a lot, and hope she is able to heal quickly so that we can resume hiking together.
Date: 2014-05-01
From: Asheville NC

To: Reeds Gap VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we set out for Hagerstown MD, where we met Cassidy's son and daughter, who drove out to take her home for some recuperation. It was a sad day for all of us, but we definitely plan to continue the hike if at all possible, once her leg is healed. Cassidy's daughter brought us a pan of lemon bars, which a very welcome surprise. Afterwards we drove back to near Waynesboro and spent the night.
Date: 2014-05-02
From: Reeds Gap VA

To: Humpback Mountain, then Abingdon VA
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: few clouds

Hi, this is Tracy McG. While Cassidy is recuperating, I have decided to just continue on the trail for now. We are planning to go to Baxter State Park in Maine in early June. We have reservations and family planning to join us then. Right now Cassidy and I plan to continue the hike south from Maine to Harpers Ferry, and then head south to finish what Cassidy hasn't done, and I will just repeat it. I am looking forward to hiking that portion in the fall with her. Meanwhile, I am just going to continue hiking south. I like hiking, Foodwalker thinks it is fine, and we really don't have anywhere else to go, anyways. Today I hiked the short portion we had skipped in March when the Blue Ridge Parkway was closed due to snow. It was a total of about 9 miles, including a blue-blaze trail to the Humpback Parking Area, where I met Foodwalker. Definitely a rough and rocky stretch of trail, I think it was actually easier with the deep snow on it! I had to chuckle when I thought of Cassidy sitting down and sliding down the trail in the deep snow over what are actually high and rocky steps! It was interesting to see it without the snow. We have moved on to Abingdon, near Damascus, and got a room for the night. We are actually both pretty tired after the drive to Maryland and back.
Date: 2014-05-03
From: Humpback Mountain, then Abingdon VA

To: tennessee 91 445.9
Miles today: 21.7

Foodwalker here to resume writing in the trail journal again. A lot has transpired since I last wrote in the journal. Cassidy had to get off the trail at Damascus after doing over 500 miles of the trail. She is hoping to meet up with us again when we start going southbound from Katahdin, after she gives her leg a good rest. Meanwhile, Tracy is continuing to hike the trail; she is making good progress on it so far. So it has been a time of flux and transition.Was doing some trail magic with the lemon bars that Cheryl made; the through hikers really liked them a lot. Got to meet a number of hikers that way. So thanks Cheryl (Cassidy's daughter)! It has been a real pleasant day for walking; relatively cool and breezy and not too hot.In the time that we spent down down because of Cassidy's injury, we spent some time in Abington in a motel room, when we were evaluating if she could get back on the trail. We then went and visited a friend of hers who lived near Asheville, North Carolina, whose name was Chris Taylor. The whole family was very friendly and hospitable. Thanks very much for your hospitality and extending yourself for us. More later. Foodwalker............Hi, this is Tracy McG. Long day today. Started at Damascus, headed south. The trail was really good today, all the way to Low Gap, so I was really able to make good time. Surprised even myself. Met Foodwalker at 2 pm, so decided to go on to TN 91, about 6.5 miles further. Saw a lot of flowers today, spring is definitely coming to the mountains. Met Grumpy at the Tennessee state line, he hiked for a while last year in our same hiker bubble, until he got taken out by a ruptured appendix! Glad to see him out on the trail again.
Date: 2014-05-04
From: tennessee 91 445.9

To: highway 321
Miles today: 20.3

Foodwalker here again. Day was somewhat warm throughout, sunny and somewhat windy. Started out early in the morning to get to the next meeting place on highway 321 AT trail crossing near Hampton. Was relatively busy making sure that I was at the right place. Found out that I could help Tracy slack-pack to Dennis cove road AT crossing. As for the rest of the day, I did some shopping for Tracy, got her supper at the McDonald's in Hampton, which is pretty much the top of the line for food places in Hampton. There have been some former eateries, but they have pretty much closed down. Which is too bad, because the town should be good size enough to support a good eatery. The only other food place that I am aware of is Subway, and they happen to be right next to each other. Will have to see what the next section of the trail will be like. Hoping the weather holds up for a little bit. Last couple of days have been good hiking weather. Am reading a book by Michael Crichton called State of Fear, a very compelling read. Will close for now. Foodwalker
Date: 2014-05-05
From: highway 321

To: towards 19E
Miles today: 17.1

Foodwalker here once again. Tracy left around 6:30 am; she slack packed about 8 miles to Dennis Cove Road, where the parking lot for the AT was. Got there around 10 in the morning; sort of hung around the van and waited until Tracy came. During that time, a lot of nobos started coming along the trail, some heading north on the trail, and some coming from the Kincora hostel. About the time that Tracy came(near noon), a large number of through hikers had taken a rest break there. I was able to take Socrates, a through hiker from North Carolina to the post office. Got there, and the post office was closed for lunch, so I took him to McDonald's to get lunch.After that, I did laundry--that's all I got to say about that. After that, gave a couple more people rides into town, Potatoes and Crusoe. So it was a relatively busy travel time. But it was probably the busiest that I had seen the trail for a long time. I do not know how busy it will be going forward. There is definitely a lot of hiker activity in this area. Met a 62 year old New Jersey hiker named Hoba Caitbe, a name made up from the first two letters of these five words "how bad can it be"? Sounded like a good trail motto and name. Was nice weather again today. Hopefully can follow the nice weather going down south. Have not got an update from Tracy yet.More later. Foodwalker
Date: 2014-05-06
From: towards 19E

To: 19E in tennessee
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Foodwalker here again on the trail journals page. Started out in Hampton on highway 321. Moved into Hampton and saw two hikers in McDonald's; was able to give them a ride back to the trailhead. They were both from Germany, and were making good progress along the trail. Got back into Hampton, and gassed up again before heading out to Roan Mountain. Waited at the trail head, and started giving people rides into town. First, I gave a German with the trail name of Confused a ride to the dentist, because he had a follow up visit from work done yesterday. Waited to bring him back to the trailhead.I also, during the course of the day, gave two hikers a ride to a nearby hostel, a ride to two hikers to an ingles grocery store to resupply. Went into Roan Mountain to get supper for Tracy at Bob's Dairyland, a very good restaurant. Their pulled pork sandwich is excellent. While I was waiting for the order, I got a text from Tracy that she was already at the meeting place. So got back as soon as possible. Got a motel in Elizabethtown to spend the night. Trust to do three days of slack packing, starting tomorrow.More later. Foodwalker
Date: 2014-05-07
From: 19E in tennessee

To: carver's gap on the tn/nc line
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

Foodwalker here again; had to get to a place with cell phone reception before I could do this entry. Started out at the Americourt inn on the outskirts of Elizabethtown. Drove back to the 19e parking lot and dropped off Tracy there. This will be her second day of slack packing. I was able to give a ride to Smoking Bear, a 47 year old hiker who has stage 4 cancer. He said he wanted to do this, and said he has felt more alive than he has for a long time. Also gave a ride to Danny, a fellow from Germany who had been having issues with dental work and his insurance company in Germany. It sounded like it finally got resolved.After that, I left the city of Roan Mountain and headed on to Carver's Gap, which was on a high and twisty mountain road. The gap itself is over a mile above sea level (a little over 5500 feet) and is right on the North Carolina and Tennessee border. I hiked up to Round Bald and had an impressive view eastward of the mountains. Tracy came around 4:30 or so, and we vanned out in the Carver Gap parking lot. During the day, before Tracy came, I greeted a lot of nobos and gave out water. So far Tracy's feet appear to be handling the trail okay. Trust Cassidy will be able to rejoin us when we start out from Katahdin.More later. Foodwalker
Date: 2014-05-08
From: carver's gap on the tn/nc line

To: iron mountain gap
Miles today: 15.2

Foodwalker here for another trail journal installment; Tracy left Carver's Gap around 7:00 am, and I left some time later. For people who run support, just to let you know that the road can be very winding and it is possible to get lost in a hurry. Not that I did today, but I have before. If you have a GPS coordinates for your destination, that will be a very big help in getting to your destination. If you have AWOL's guide, the coordinates for the possible parking areas are listed in the book.Got to Iron Mountain Gap and made sure of the location, and then made a reservation at the Super 8 in Erwin. When I got back to the Iron Mountain Gap area, there was a large white truck towing a trailer. I pulled out my lawn chair and was reading when I heard a voice calling out "the Green Bay Packers." I had discovered a fellow Packer Backer. He went by the trail name of Waldo, and he was giving trail support for his wife, Sherpa mom. Then a couple from Texas were there to help her daughter and her boy friend on the trail. Their names were Blister and the boss.That day and evening, there were a lot of through hikers who came through. Blister and the boss had gotten a lot of little Caesar's pizza, cookies and Gatorade. Some real trail magic! Almost like a hiker village. Will post a picture of Waldo and Blister with this entry.More later. Foodwalker
Date: 2014-05-09
From: iron mountain gap

To: erwin tn
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Foodwalker here for another trail journal entry; today Tracy hiked from Iron Mountain gap to Erwin, starting at 6:30 in the morning and ending up in Erwin at about 4:30 in the afternoon. She missed most of the rain that was forecast. According to the forecast, it is supposed to be raining until Wednesday of next week. So we will see what kind of miles we can make in the next few days. Before Tracy got out of the trail, I checked on the check engine light( no issues), mailed out some appalachian trail maps and mailed them to the kids, printed out Appalachian trail hiker pass for Tracy going through the smokies, did some shopping for supper, got a motel room and relaxed. Tomorrow will start out from Erwin. More later. Foodwalker
Date: 2014-05-12
From: erwin tn

To: spivey gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Got off the trail at Spivey Gap; Tracy sprained her left ankle about 1/2 mile up the trail when she slipped on a wet root and fell awkwardly. Drove thirteen hours to get to Youngstown. We will probably be there until we go up to Maine, and start hiking south on that. Cassidy and our son Orrin will be joining us there. Orrin will probably go through a good bit of Maine, maybe a little bit of New Hampshire before he needs to leave, where he will be hiking the John Muir trail with our oldest son Jared. So right now is recovery time. May post updates and other bits of info. Definitely not doing much for trail adventure at this moment. Trail journal probably not every day.
Date: 2014-06-06
From: baxter state park campsite

To: baxter state park campsite
Miles today: 10.0

Got into baxter state park, the northernmost point on the Appalachian Trail about mid-afternoon of June 5th. The weather was raining when we got up to do the trail. Tracy, Cassidy and jackrabbit slim decided to hike 10 miles to the Abol bridge, about a ten mile hike. There they would get picked up by Cassidy's daughter and her boyfriend James. I did some walking around the camp while they went on their way. When they got back, they told me they had to ford two good-sized streams. On the first ford, Tracy lost one of her hiking poles. At the next stream that they forded, she found another hiking pole. The water, from all accounts, was very cold, and the fords were tricky. I had hiked a little bit of the Hunt trail to Katahdin. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny; that is when the group will hike up.More later. Foodwalker