morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-03-13
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 15.0

Felt much better today, had a good bit of my energy back. Today was probably the best day I've had out here yet. The reason for this being twofold: I could actually hike without getting sick and the fact that we had some of the best views so far. Round and Jane balds followed by the Hump mountains were spectacular. Several of them had 360degree views. All of these were bare of trees on top and covered with grass. Tonight we're around the Apple House shelter area, A-1 and I tent camped in an old orchard across the creek from the shelter, the rest of the guys stayed in the shelter.
Date: 2004-03-14
From: Apple House Shelter

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

Came to Moreland Gap Shelter today. Had some very pleasant walking today, saw some waterfalls and hiked a good piece along the elk river. I'm feeling better, just wish my energy would come back. Lots of reroutes were along this section, which kept us going gradually uphill, instead of straight up and back down the mountains. Tomorrow we'll hike the 6 miles to Kincora Hiker hostel.
Date: 2004-03-15
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 6.0

Felt good today coming down to Kincora Hostel. This place is amazing, Bob and Pat Peoples run it, and are an extraordinary couple. We caught a ride into town (Hampton, TN) where we went grocery shopping and ate too much chinese all-you-can-eat buffet. We're the only hikers here tonight, kind of nice to have the place all to ourselves. A-1 got sick today- he's not doing so hot. Not sure what we're going to do tomorrow. Tonight we'll cook burgers, sit by the wood stove, and relax.
Date: 2004-03-16
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 9.0

A-1 was still not feeling good today, so L.A., Dozer, Drifter, and myself hiked the 9 miles from U.S. 321 back to Kincora doing trail maintenance. We carried bow saws and were responsible for clearing some blowdowns from the last storm. This particular section of trail is the only section maintained specifically by thru-hikers. So we did our part and are back at the hostel tonight. Tonight the hostel is full, quite the change from last night. There are 3 other thru-hikers, a family of 3 and three guys from ball state on spring break. Definitely makes me thankful I started this thru-hike before the crowds of march and april. We've had worse weather, but definitely more solitude. Everyone here tonight is very nice, we've ordered pizza and spaghetti from a local store. Tomorrow we're going to go 16 miles to iron mountain shelter.
Date: 2004-03-17
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: broken clouds

A-1 was sick again today, decided to go to the doctor. He's worried about it being giardia. The remaining 4 of us came on the 16 miles to iron mountain. A-1 will stay the night at kincora and probably catch us around damascus, VA. Today it snowed a little with cold wind coming up the ridge. We crossed our 2nd TVA dam of the trip today- Watauga dam. Today's terrain was very easy....lot's of ridge running. If this is what virginia is going to be like, we're set. I guess we'll see. Tomorrow we're going to try and do the 26 miles from iron mountain shelter to damascus. It's called the "iron mountain marathon" by some people. Should be ok to do our longest day yet, but the weather is supposed to rain/snow, so might be nasty.
Date: 2004-03-18
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: River's Way Outdoor Adventure Center
Miles today: 12.0

Well, we had a slight change of plans for today....Dom woke up sick last night, same stuff A-1 and I had we think, only much worse symptoms. We pushed the 8 miles to Double spring shelter through snow and rain. Here we took a break and made L.A. eat and drink so we could get some electrolytes back in him. He had somehow managed to just about completely dehydrate himself....very pale and slurred speech. After this, he got a bit better, so we got him to US hwy 421 and hitched a ride down to Shady Valley, TN. We spent the afternoon in a store/restaurant and Dom was doing considerably better, but was in no shape to hike. We called Bob Peoples at kincora, and he was to come and pick dom up at shady valley and take him back to the hostel. Drifter, Dozer, and I caught a ride with one of Drifter's friends, Adam. He took us to his place in staff housing at River's Way, an outdoor adventure center in Bluff City, TN. Really nice guy, his girlfriend, Annie came over and they both fixed us supper and let us lounge around the facilities. Tomorrow he'll give us a ride back to the trailhead and we'll continue on northward and be in damascus, va tomorrow night. Dom is going to the doctor in hampton and hopefully he and a-1 will catch up with us soon.
Date: 2004-03-19
From: River's Way Outdoor Adventure Center

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

Came into damascus today, made the 14 miles in less than 5 hours....really nice walking today. We've checked into the hostel here and are enjoying the beautifl spring day here. Gonna call back to Kincora later today and get the scoop on A-1 and Dom and see how they're feeling. Tomorrow the three of us (Drifter, Dozer, and I) will take a zero day and then head north on sunday.
Date: 2004-03-21
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked 19 miles today to thomas knob....shelter at 5400ft. on a shoulder of Mt. Rogers (highest pt. in VA). Long day today, snow and very strong winds. Thomaas knob is nice, but not where it's located. Winds are blowing snow inside and upstairs (this shelter has a loft), making for a not fun time. The water source is in a horse pasture, which gets the thumbs down from us. Seems like poor planning on the part of the maintainers. Who knows...maybe it would be nice in the summer. So enough compllaining-today as we came up whitetop mt. in 40mph+ winds and wicked cold temps, we were envisioning a heated RV w/ a gas grill at the top. Needless to say, our dreams were dashed my more snow and ice and wind. Tonight and tomorrow the weatherman on the radio is calling for "unseasonably cold" temps. Gonna make for troutdale, va tomorrow night and sleep in a church hostel.
Date: 2004-03-22
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Troutdale Baptist
Miles today: 17.0

Woke up to 5 degrees this morning. Coldest on the trail so far...and the second day of spring!!! Absolutely everything froze solid last night. We went through the grayson highlands today. The wild ponies that were supposed to be there were smarter than us and stayed out of the weather. We were very glad to get down off the ridgeline and down into the woods, where we were sheltered from the icy winds. Got to Fox Creek at VA603 and attempted to hitch a ride into troutdale, but there was somewhat of a shortage of cars on the road. We ended up walking into town and staying at troutdale baptist church. For you fact hungry readers: Troutdale is both the highest (3500ft) and the smallest (pop. 200) incorporated town in VA.
Date: 2004-03-23
From: Troutdale Baptist

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Ate breakfast at the only business in town-the trading post. We were able to procure a ride back to the trail from a man who ended up being an olympic marksman from the 64 games. Really nice gentleman. Today we planned on doing 19 miles, but I added it up wrong and it turned out to be 23.....oh well. Took around 8 hours of walking. Didn't see too many people...just a guy with about 8 little terriers of some sort that we dubbed "the dogherd"   Tonight we're at partnership shelter, which is right beside the forest service info center. There's a phone there which we used to order pizza which was definitely worth it. Now I've got a full belly and my sleeping bag is calling my name....
Date: 2004-04-13
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 300.0
Weather: moderate rain

Well, we've hiked about 300 miles since my last entry. Lots has happened...Dom got sick and ended up having to pull off the trail and head back to canada. We caught back up to Pickle, Pnut, Cactus, and Cool Hand Luke, who we hadn't seen in over 400miles. Coming out of pearisburg we had a week of rain and high winds making for some miserable hiking. I also procured a mandolin while in pearisburg to provide us w/ some entertainment in the evenings. We're in Waynesboro, VA now, having hiked around 850 miles so far. Tomorrow we'll head back out to the trail and into the Shenandoah National Park. Yesterday we did 21 miles in a cold driving rain with no water and very little food without any breaks. Kind of started to get dizzy toward the end, but we made it and were able to dry out in a hotel last night. One of those days where you might possibly go hypothermic if you stopped moving. The storm that delivered just shy of 2" of rain to the area is supposed to clear out tonight and give us good hiking weather through the shenandoah. The trail is going much faster now that we're able to do high mileage every day without killing ourselves. Hope to put some more pictures on here soon....probably in Harper's Ferry, WV.
Date: 2004-04-14
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: moderate rain

Took a zero day yesterday, also ended up getting a late start today. A-1 and I ate lunch in town and caught a ride back to the trail with a local trail angel. Always nice when we don't have to work to get a ride! We didn't start hiking until 1oclock and had 20 miles to do...we made it just before dark. Arrived to somewhat of a crowded shelter, guess that's going to be the norm through shenandoah nat. park. (unfortunately) i've gotten used to not seeing to many people, guess that season is almost over.
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

Fairly easy day today, glad it wasn't snowing/raining like yesterday. Today was our first full day in the park, and we saw many of the famous shenandoah deer that show no fear whatsoever of humans. Sharing the shelter tonight with 4 spring breakers from NY. Really nice guys. Doing 24 tomorrow with a pit stop at the Big Meadows wayside on skyline drive for snacks!
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Hightop Hut

To: My tarp
Miles today: 30.0

Well, the 24 mile day turned into 30 miles for drifter and me. We found out that dusty and lefty were only a few miles ahead and were camping out tonight. We went on ahead and hiked in the dark and managed to find them. We did have a beautiful sunset hike along a cliff for a couple of miles. It was good to see them again, not sure how much we'll see of them after they pull off for 8 days here in a couple of weeks.
Date: 2004-04-17
From: My tarp

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 28.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Another long one today; hot too. Arrived near dark at the hut, only to find it overcrowded with weekenders and a couple of section hikers. Didn't feel like cramming in there with them so Cactus and I decided to set up camp a little ways away. Made for a great evening of stargazing and mandolin playing. Only complaint was the rabbit that had a strange fascination with my tarp until about 2a.m......
Date: 2004-04-18
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Denton Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

Did the 18 miles today out of shenandoah nat. park and went through front royal, VA to resupply. My feet are completely trashed: too many miles in the hottest weather of the trip thus far were a bad combo. They're all swollen and bleeding in a couple of spots. Listened to my radio most of the day to keep my mind off them. Today was cactus' bday, we ate cake and ice cream in front royal, courtesy of his parents. Tonight we're in the denton shelter, which is a palace as far as lean-tos go. Spring fed shower, front porch, bench.....etcTomorrow's supposed to be hot, so we're only doing 19.
Date: 2004-04-19
From: Denton Shelter

To: Jons Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hot one today, highs in the 90's. Strange how we can go from snow and rain one day to 90 degrees three days later. My feet aren't doing good...gotta find new footwear in harper's ferry, my boots are falling apart. Decided to hike "siesta" style today....put a 3 hr break in the middle of our day at dicks' dome shelter and sat in the creek to cool off. Definitely a good idea. Tonight there is an older couple heading north to maine, trying to finish the hike they started a couple of years ago. Fine folks. The flowers are really coming out at these lower elevations, and the bugs are in hot pursuit!!!Saw bluebells, bloodroot, violets, trillium, rue anemone, etc..... Tomorrow will be around 18 or so to the Blackburn atc center.
Date: 2004-04-20
From: Jons Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn ATC Center
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Came to the blackburn atc center, operated by the appalachian trail conference. It has a bunkhouse for hikers as well as a solar shower! After a hot hike today, the shower was great. We took a lunch break at the bear's den hostel and then hiked a couple more hours to get here by late afternoon. The family that runs the hostel cooked us spaghetti for supper, on which we promptly gorged ourselves. I decided to sleep outside tonight, ended up on a picnic table under an awning. Now it's thunderstorming. Should be an interesting night as far as views go, storm coming down the mountain on my right, washington, dc on my left. Hope I stay somewhat dry.
Date: 2004-05-30
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well, it's been about 600 miles or so since I've updated......I've knocked out 6 states and am officially in New England now. The past 2-3 weeks has been lots of rain making it very difficult to dry out. The trail up here has turned to mud and the mosquitos are out in force. Haven't seen any black flies yet, hoping the cold snap we had a couple of days ago set them back a bit. Speaking of cold weather....It's been incredibly hot and humid so I sent my sleeping bag home and went with a fleece liner. Bad idea. Froze the last 2 nights even wearing every item of clothing in my pack. Hope it warms up this week. Met a guy on the trail yesterday who took me into his home tonight, it's great to be out of the cold for a night. Looking forward to hitting New Hampshire in 4 days!!! It's nice being up here, I'm seeing all kinds of plants and animals I don't normally see back home. Porcupines, Fishers, Moose, etc.... makes for an exciting hike. It's strange to think we only have 530 miles or so left. Definitely having mixed emotions about finishing this hike. I think on one had it will be somewhat of a relief to give my body a break for the day in day out routine. On the other, I'm definitely going to miss the transient nature of my life out here. Guess I should just enjoy my remaining month or so out here. It's great to be back into mountains with views. Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and to some extent Connecticut and Mass were pretty boring states to hike. Fairly easy terrain, but no views and nothing really outstanding. Met some really nice folks in PA who hiked us in hot dogs. Also got to spend a couple of nights in a guys house in Dalton, mass. Tomorrow we'll leave here and head north toward new hampshire and maine!
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 100.0
Weather: clear sky

I'm here in Hanover, NH, using the computers at Dartmouth. Met up with Dusty and Lefty's son, who is a student here and put us up for the night. Great guy, cooked us dinner and everything. A-1 and I went down to the dartmouth green and people watched/laid around for a couple of hours, then we took a bus to an outfitter. When we got done, the buses had stopped running so we ended up hitching a ride back to hanover with a girl who was on her way to canada to try out for cirque du soleil....it's been quite an interesting day. This week coming from Manchester Center has been good. Pulled into a shelter around 6 one night and found it full of inhospitable hikers, so Dozer and A-1 stayed, and Drifter, Cactus and I pressed on another 4.5 miles. Made for two long rainy days in a row. 50 miles in 2 days is about all I care to do. Pretty much got rain every day this week, but we had good views at times when the clouds cleared. My feet are not responding well to the rigors of being wet for 12 hours, then being dry for 12 hours. They've started getting cracked and irritated, so we'll se what happens. The A.T. in vermont follows the Long Trail for about 100 miles or so, until the Long Trail continues north, while the a.t. goes east. Once we split from the long trail, we pretty much had the trail to ourselves. There was a reason for it....lots of little steep hills with no views. Had a couple of tough days running up and down hills from thunderstorms. I must admit though, that the mud has gotten better, as well as the bugs. We're almost to the white mountains, the range we've been hearing about since georgia. I'm excited to be this close, but approach them with some apprehension, since supposedly they're the toughest part of the trip. I'll be slowing my mileage down from 20+ almost everyday to mid to low teens. I want to take the time to enjoy the views above treeline (and not trash my body). 12 states down, 2 to go!!!"Just draw on your grit; it's so easy to quit:It's the keeping-your-chin-up that's hard."-from "The Quitter" by Robert Service
Date: 2004-06-16
From: Hanover, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well, I made it through the presidentials and franconia ridge ok. Ended up having great weather three days in a row up there, which I here is unusual. Can't even begin to describe the views from above treeline...mountains as far as you can see in every direction. The whites have definitely been a lot of work, but the scenery is worth the effort. We got hooked up at a couple of huts and tentsites with work for stay, so I've only had to pay AMC one time so far. For those of you reading this that aren't familiar w/ the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), they're the group that manage shelters, tentsites, and the super nice huts through the white mountains. Almost everything they operate costs money, and in many places, you're only allowed to camp at their facilities, so it can be tricky getting through with your wallet intact. The relationship between AMC and the thru-hiking community has (supposedly) been kind of sticky, but overall I must say they've been very accomidating to me. Especially after hearing horror stories from past thru-hikers about having to spend lots of money to get through the whites, it was a relief to see that they're not like that at all (to me, at least). I can see how it would be frustrating to hike 1800 miles for free and then hit 150 miles of pay as you go hiking, but fortunately for me, it has worked out so far.I'll leave Gorham this afternoon and be in maine tomorrow I think. Gorham is a nice town, the hostel here loans bikes to get around. Kind of nice cruising around town at speeds faster than walking, as long as you can avoid 100lb dogs that bite you as you ride past them. Evidently I was too slow and now I have the bite mark on my arm to prove it. Luckily it was updated on it's shots!Strange to think I'll be in the maine part of "the scenic footpath from Georgia to Maine" tomorrow. This trip has gone by so fast, and I know these next 2-3 weeks will too. Dozer left the trail today to go visit his brother and help him w/ a project they've been planning for a while. He'll get back on in a week or so and finish the trail then. It's kind of sad to have hiked so many miles together and then not finish with each other.   Well, Maine here I come! Less than 300 miles to go.....
Date: 2005-07-04
From: Gorham, NH

To: The Big K
Miles today: 0.0

Today was the day....finally made it up Katahdin. 2174.1 miles...Never thought I would actually finish this trip. There is no way to describe my feelings as I climbed the last mountain that could do them justice. The past 5 months have been quite possibly the most enjoyable and, at the same time, the most challenging of my life. I come back with mixed feelings and some confusion on which direction to go now. Guess that's part of it. To all who helped me along the way, many thanks, and hopefully one day I can return the favor. I hope to fill in the holes in this journal and put up lots of pics in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out.
Date: 2004-01-29
To: Pat's Bio
Miles today: 0.0

Just thought I¢d write a little blurb about me. My name is Patrick Deaner and I¢m the older brother. I¢m 38 years old and currently living in Rome, Italy with my wonderful fianc©. While not happy at all with the idea of me being away for six months, she is very supportive knowing that this is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time. (I love you Babe!) Before moving to Italy six months ago, we lived in Northern Virginia across the river from Washington, DC. I worked for a winery located in the northern tip of Virginia. We will be walking right by the winery, Breaux Vineyards, on the AT just south of Harpers Ferry, WV. I can¢t wait to stop in and visit everyone there and enjoy a great bottle of wine on the patio as we watch the sun set over the Appalachian Trail on the ridge just across the valley. I have dreamed of walking the entire Appalachian Trail from the time I first heard about it. I spent a lot of time up in the mountains along the AT and other trails throughout Virginia in my ¢youth¢, hiking and camping with my Buddies. Not as much time as I would like recently, as jobs and other commitments take their toll. So I will hit the trail as a veteran hiker that will have to take it easy in the beginning to get my hiking legs back!As for preparation, it is hard to do too much here from across the ocean. I¢ve done so much research, read so many journals and gear reviews on the web, that I almost feel like I¢ve done it already! Family and friends helped generously over Christmas with gifts of much needed new gear. (Thanks everyone!) We will finish up outfitting when I arrive in the states Feb. 10th. We will have 18 days before our Feb. 28th start date to put together our mail drops and make sure we have everything we need. Neither of us is a novice hiker, so I¢m not too worried about it. We pretty much already own most of the gear that is necessary, but a few new things are always nice!That¢s all for now, pat_______________________________The picture above shows some of The Buddies on our annual after-Christmas camping trip. My brother Mike, who I will be hiking with, is on the far left with his dog Owen and I am on the far right. This was taken at Conley Cabin, one of the cabins that the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club maintains along with 240+ miles of the AT starting with Shenandoah National Park in the south to Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania. For information on cabin rentals or other info about the PATC, visit their web site at www.patc.net. For information on Breaux Vineyards check out www.BreauxVineyards.com If you like wine you must stop by. The people are great and the wine is some of the best in VA! Close to Bears Den Hostel, Blackburn Trail Center and 6.5 miles south of Harpers Ferry, WV on VA Rt.671. Check our photos page for a picture of the view of the AT from the winery!