morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-20
From: A few miles past Hogback Shelter

To: Near Devil Creek Gap
Miles today: 12.1

This is a picture of some of the small hail I narrowly escaped today. I was hiking along during the "nearing dusk" time and noticed a thunderstorm was developing. So I picked up my pace and started scanning for a place to set up my tent. Fortunately, I found a fairly flat spot but I really had to move it to get my tent set up and toss my backpack and myself inside as the ice pellets started pelting down. Lightning, thunder, rain, and wind rounded out the excitement for me. It only lasted about half an hour. That was the first hail storm out here for me. I passed Iceman again today and saw that he wears a bell to repel bears. I told him a story that my father told me.Hiker: I see you're looking at the bells around my ankles. Ranger: Yep. Hiker: They're there so the bears can hear me coming so they will get out of the way. I hear all hikers do that. Ranger: I see. Hiker: Say, do you know if this is bear country? Ranger: Yep, it is. Hiker: How do you know? Ranger: You can tell by the bear poop on the trail.Hiker: How can you tell if it's bear poop? Ranger: It has little bells in it.Due to the rain this morning, I waited in my tent an extra hour or so before starting out, and sure enough it stopped raining and it turned into a beautiful day. The leaves are starting to come out and the carpet of white flowers on some of the slopes is amazing. I'm also noticing that the variety of birdsong is increasing as Spring arrives. Oh yeah, three or four owls had a hoot fest near my tent around 5:00 am this morning. I mostly slept through it, but they were really going at it. I love that sort of thing. Despite the emergency tent set up, I got in sufficient miles today so that the hike into Erwin, Tennessee tomorrow should only take half a day. It seems pretty peaceful up on this ridge this evening. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Near Devil Creek Gap

To: Erwin. TN
Miles today: 8.9

This is a picture of me enjoying a nice dinner with my friend Iceman and his wife Rita. Iceman is a fellow student from my week-long AT Institute class. He's 78 and hiking the AT supported by Rita. Iceman carries a daypack, and Rita drops him off and picks him up each day, then they stay in a hotel. But Iceman is still taking every step of the AT and as far as I'm concerned, he is just as much of a thru hiker as any of the rest of us.When I was hiking earlier today I was wondering how I was going to navigate the distances between lodging, grocery store, and restaurants when I came into the town of Erwin. Just as I came out of the woods, there was Rita in her car waiting for Iceman. She graciously offered to drive me around to all of those locations, which were a good distance apart. A true Trail Angel. Then the three of us had a wonderful meal together. Before I started this endeavor, I contacted another thru-hiker whose blog I had followed and she was incredibly helpful to me. Her trail name is Punisher. She and her husband have actually done the Triple Crown. The Triple Crown is hiking the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail. So when she tells me something, I really listen. Well, she told me about a certain way to walk down hills to lessen the strain on my knees. Here's the link to the YouTube that she sent me that describes the method:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDIeu_QL51UShe called that walking approach her duck walk. I must say I also feel like a duck when I walk that way downhill. Now, I'm not admitting I sometimes quack out loud, but I do know that I'm not a real duck because my quacks echo. I am eager to get back on the trail tomorrow and of course Rita offered to drive me the mile or two over to the trailhead. Now that's some real Trail Magic.
Date: 2015-04-22
From: Erwin. TN

To: Naer Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.3

This is a picture of the striking Unaka Mountain as I approached it. The strong winds buffeted my backpack and me on the bald where I stood taking this picture, and they continued to batter me the entire mile of trail from the base to the top of the mountain. But notice the green on the top of the mountain in the photo. That's a dense Spruce forest that deflected the winds so that it was calm and peaceful inside the forest. Amazing. Like stepping into another time and place. Smelled good, too.The weather couldn't decide what it wanted to do today. Mostly it was sunny with white puffy clouds. But it would quickly turn dark, chilly, and windy. So I'd stop, take off my pack, pull on my rain pants, rain jacket and rain mittens, then continue on up the suddenly sunny and hot hillside. So then the change of clothing would be repeated in reverse. This happened several times without it ever really raining substantially. My feet were probably my biggest discomfort in my initial weeks. I'd sometimes massage them at night, which helped some. Recently I've really started paying them a lot of attention and I work on each toe, the arch, and the heel. In fact, I've now started thanking each toe for all it did that day as I massage it, and it seems like it's really helped.[Marge] Did he just say he talks to his toes?[Blanche] Oh dear yes, I believe he did, Marge. The poor boy. It must be WOODS FEVER.[Marge] Yes, that would be the only way to explain such behavior. I'm camped by myself in a gap on a sporadically windy night with the temperature dropping. My tent seems secure and my sleeping bag is warm. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-23
From: Naer Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Ash Gap
Miles today: 16.2

The leaves are just starting to come out up here and you can tell differences in progress between different elevations and species. A cold front blew in last night and when I woke up it was probably near freezing. The day was windy and chilly and I spent part of it walking with a nice young man with the trail name of Yeti. He and I observed that while the cold was a little biting, what we did not face was a summer scorching day, bugs, or rain. And the blue skies and crystal clear views of layer on layer of mountains were just amazing. It just makes a hike more pleasant to focus on the positive. Life too, I suppose. I'm settling down to what will be another cold night. But I'm in one of those spruce forests so the wind is fairly gentle in here. And you know how I said that the spruce forest smells good? Well, my shoes and socks in the vestibule are winning that little competition. Tomorrow will be a hike to the top of Roan Mountain which has the highest shelter on the AT. I chose to stay down here in a gap in the spruce forest because it's going to be really windy up there tonight.Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-24
From: Ash Gap

To: With friend in Boone (from US19E)
Miles today: 18.4

Here's Hump Mountain, a bald with a fantastic 360° top-of-the-world view. I didn't see many people today and only encountered the typical beautiful amazing views, so I'll mention a story from a few days ago. When I was coming down out of the Smokies, I saw and picked up someone's phone sitting there on the trail. I knew it must be a thru-hiker's phone because it had no charge. Right outside of the park was a setup of Trail Angels, so I stopped there, of course, to enjoy their Trail magic. While there, another thru-hiker, Treebeard, came from the opposite direction. The Trail Angels asked why he came back after they had seen him earlier. He said he had turned around after about a mile up the trail because he had lost his phone. Well, I pulled out the phone I found (and had forgotten about) and asked, "Is this yours?" It was and he was ecstatic. Take that, Murphy's Law. My friend Kate picked me up after my hike today. I just missed seeing her husband (trail name - Boots) who had to catch a flight. Kate and I had a nice dinner at a restaurant. Just sitting in a booth feels so good after walking all day. They keep refilling my glass with clean fresh water! I'm really starting to feel grateful for so many things I've always taken for granted.Looking forward to a restful day in Kate's beautiful house on a mountain near Boone.
Date: 2015-04-25
From: With friend in Boone (from US19E)

To: With friend in Boone (from US19E)
Miles today: 0.0

This picture is a little hard to see what's happening, but anchoring a rhododendron leaf in a spring is common practice on the AT. Many springs or small water sources don't have anywhere to fit a water bottle under pouring water, so a well-positioned leaf held in place with a rock can act as a spout. It's kind of ironic what occurred when I took this shot. My heel had been bothering me for a couple of days, but these things come and go. However, when I was positioning myself to take this picture, I stepped wrong and really wrenched it. I go up and down over mountains on rocks, roots, and rough terrain, and I goof up my foot taking a picture of a leaf. Hey, art ain't easy, folks. And to top it off, it's not even that great of a picture! Anyway, after a zero day today, I think it'll be okay tomorrow. Plus, there's a saying out here: No rain, no pain, no Maine. I'm really enjoying this particular part of the trail. A couple of summers ago I took a week off from work and hiked it. I'm surprised at how well I remember it and I still have a good bit more to go on this part of the trail. At that time I was thinking, this is pretty rigorous. Now?...myeh.Oh, I weighed myself and I've lost nine pounds, down to college freshman weight, all while eating tons of M&Ms and such, also like a college freshman (at least the kind I was).My friend Kate has been a wonderful host, but I'm eager to get out and continue my journey tomorrow.
Date: 2015-04-26
From: With friend in Boone (from US19E)

To: Near Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

This picture will require a little explanation. My son, at his home, was looking at pictures of AT shelters and sent me one of Hogback Shelter. The picture he found was from a foggy day and he noted that it looked creepy and wondered why anyone would want to stay there. The day I passed that shelter was also a rainy foggy day, so I snapped a selfie and sent it to him to play along with the haunted shelter idea. He then added in the skeleton guy in the background and that's the picture you now see. Just goofing around with my son.Early in my hike today, I came across one of my favorite couples, Hansel and Gretel. They're an older, diminutive German couple that I befriended weeks ago. They speak very little English but I sat with them on more than one occasion and learned that they are from a small village on the side of the mountain in the black forest of Germany. It'd been over a week since I had seen them and when we saw each other we did a group hug. I hike faster than they do, so I went on but it was nice to see them again. How do I know where I am on the trail, you ask? My main reference for the trail is a trail guide that I keep in a ziplock bag in the cargo pants pocket of my hiking pants. I refer to this guide probably a dozen times a day and it tells me where I will find water, the elevation of the upcoming terrain, and many other important aspects of the trail.Today was mostly a rainy day as I slogged through the mud on a fairly easy but mucky valley trail. My sore heel and outer foot was tender but tolerable. As the rain started then stopped then started again, I would take on and take off my rain gear. Evidently, my trail guide was pulled out of its pocket during one of those changes of rain gear. I was horrified to discover that it was missing. I turned around and started heading back. The next three people that I passed had not seen it. Realizing that it might be miles behind me, I decided to turn around and go on without it. I had saved the entire trail guide as a pdf on my phone, so I would still be able to have all of that information, but certainly not as convenient. When I stopped for lunch, along came my German friends, and when Hansel pulled out my trail guide, I was thrilled! He had found it right in the middle of the trail. Another lesson: look around after changing rain gear. I am now nestled in my tent off the trail maybe a mile from the next shelter. I'm happily about to review my (reunited) trail guide for what lies ahead for me tomorrow. I hope I get some elevation because I did not have any phone service at all today, and I like to upload this blog and check my email, etc. every day. It's supposed to be in the 30's tonight so I'm grateful to have this nice warm sleeping bag. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Near Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Pond Flats
Miles today: 13.9

Here's a pic of a common little critter out here. Harmless and ticklish on the palm. Today started wet and cold but turned into a perfect day for hiking - cool with intermittent puffy white clouds. One of the highlights was walking by Laural Forks Falls. The water cascading over rocks was probably about five stories tall and almost as wide. Biggest falls I've seen yet. Last week my debit card I'm carrying was compromised with a few bogus charges. So I've been dealing with the bank and was able to get a new card. Some trouble establishing the pin number as well. I used to deal with this sort of administrative stuff all the time in my old job, and it was no problem. But somehow standing on the trail dealing with this sort of thing is just so strange for me now. I can't wait to get off the phone and get back to watching the birds and the chipmunks. I suppose if I had had birds and chipmunks in my office I would've wanted to get off the phone then, too. I stopped hiking a little early today to position myself for my hike tomorrow. There's a stretch of about 4 miles where there has been excessive bear activity and no camping is allowed. So I stopped just short of that area this evening so that I can blow through it tomorrow. The air is dry, still, and getting fairly cold. It's a nice night for sleeping out. Nowhere I would rather be.
Date: 2015-04-28
From: Pond Flats

To: Near Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 16.3

Beautiful Watauga Lake under a Carolina blue sky. Some view, eh? I had a view of the lake all day as I walked on the high ridge overlooking it. This was probably the most perfect weather day of my trip so far. Clear skies, dry trail, and in the 60s. Sweet. Speaking of a trip, a couple of days ago my record of not falling was broken on some icy mud coming down from Jane's Bald. It was a slow motion gentle downing, but my butt hit the ground so it counts. Many more to come, I'm sure. At my age, when I see my doctor, the assistant ahead of time always asks if I've fallen in the last 90 days. I can't wait until I get that question next time and I tell her, "Oh yeah, maybe like 30 times."I'm still on the section of the trail that I hiked with my friend Boots summer before last. He's a real outdoorsman and taught me a cool way to tell how many hours until sunset. What you do is extend your arm straight out and fold 4 fingers over like you're blocking out the sun. The distance from your pointer finger to your pinky represents 1 hour so you count how many 4 finger units there are from the bottom of the sun to the horizon. That's approximately how many hours until sunset. I've done that so many times now I really don't even have to hold up my arm anymore to get a pretty good idea of the number of hours until sunset. That's your woodsman lesson for today. I'm in my tent, it's getting dark, and it's supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow. That's okay. I've had two really good days of weather and you just don't get all this green without some rain. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-29
From: Near Vandeventer Shelter

To: About 7 miles past US421
Miles today: 21.0

This is a picture of me pointing to McQueen's Knob just before I was about to hike up and over. I have a good friend, Raymond McQueen, who's 6th great grandfather helped settle these parts, circa 1750. This knob and the gap on the other side are named after the McQueen clan. There's even a geological marker up there that says McQueen. So I asked a passing hiker to take this picture for my friend.By the way, note the Crocs hanging from the back of my pack. My wife can't stand them, and I suppose they do make me even dorkier looking than I already am. But they are so lightweight and so refreshing as camp shoes that I'm not about to change. In fact, they are fairly ubiquitous among all the thru-hikers.I had heard somebody use the term "Tennessee Turnpike." That must have been the part of the trail I was on today because it was mostly flat and not too rocky or rooty. So I was able to crank out some pretty good miles. I also wanted to get close enough to Damascus to roll in there mid day tomorrow to meet my daughter-in-law and grandson. My son will be flying in nearby later, and I'll see him around midnight. I am super excited to see that little chunkster, Max (9 mos. old).I've pitched my tent on a flat spot off the trail, had dinner, and I'm settling down for another night on my adventure. This tent has become my little home and I'm quite comfortable in here. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-30
From: About 7 miles past US421

To: Damascus
Miles today: 8.3

Hiking the AT: 15% Ow and 85% Wow!That's how I responded to the concern of the owner of this B&B when she saw my feet, as pictured. They looked much better after a good scrubbing. I did a Nearo today (fewer than 10 miles) and will take a Zero tomorrow to visit with my son, daughter in law, and grandson who are visiting friends nearby. So much fun and they're such good parents. Little Max is somewhat apprehensive about my new polar bear face, but still playful and giggly. It's raining hard now. I don't seem to mind the rain that much when I'm out on the trail, but I do seem to take fiendish delight in seeing it rain when I'm taking a day off indoors. It also usually means clear weather the following days when I'm hiking again, which is the forecast here. I've had good luck that way with rain on my zero days. When I was reading others' blogs and AT message boards before this hike, the two most recurring acronyms were HYOH and AYCE. The first is Hike Your Own Hike. That means don't be influenced by others and it can be applied in so many ways. Some want to hike with others, some alone. Some want to carry a stove, some don't. Some want to take side trails to see all the views, and some are focused on getting to Maine. It comes up a lot in all sorts of situations and is kind of freeing. AYCE means All You Can Eat and is the kind of place a thru-hiker tries to find in town. That's where we went tonight and I got so full of pizza that I could only top it off with two slices of dessert pizza. So great to eat like a 17 year old again (for a while). I'm more than 20% done and still fired up about this trek.
Date: 2015-05-01
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0

Here I am at the B&B in Damascus holding my grandson, Max, between my son and daughter in law. Seeing this picture of Max and me together kind of reminds me of those standard comics in the newspaper on New Years Day of the old gray-haired man (old year) making way for the fresh baby (new year). Being with them was a great day for me. Here's a thought I've had about the effect of variations in pack weight on one's knees and how it just works out well for us hikers:Towns are usually situated along rivers. Rivers are at the relative lowest elevation, so hiking into town is always a long downhill descent and hiking out is a long uphill climb. In town, we fill our packs with several days of food (maybe two pounds per day). So, and stay with me here, when we have the long uphill climb, our packs are at their maximum weight. That's hard on the muscles but not too bad on the knees. But, days later when we descend to the next town and endure the knee jarring descent, we've eaten all of our food and our packs are at their lightest weight. Thus, it works out well for hikers' knees to have less weight on the big long descents. Sometimes these things just work out. The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow and I'm ready to get back on the trail (heavy pack and all).
Date: 2015-05-02
From: Damascus

To: At a pond beyond Damascus
Miles today: 11.7

Sorry for the delayed posting...tough to get cell phone service out here. This is what my new tent looks like. It has a waterproof nylon tub floor with essentially a mosquito netting "box" over top of the tub floor where I sleep. And over top of the netting is a tarp held up by my trekking poles. The tarp and netting are all attached and the unit rolls up as one piece. The tarp has vestibules (covered areas) on both sides and the netting provides zippered access to both vestibules. You may be able to see my backpack hanging in the opposite vestibule and I place a ground cloth in the vestibule side where I climb in and out. It takes me about five minutes to set up (and less time if there's a storm coming!). The tarp structure has blunt points on either end. I have discovered that they are exactly the right size to fit my hiking shoes and socks. So I can stow my shoes at the far end of the tarp, protected from the rain, and most importantly the furthest distance from my nose. Inside, I have hung a twist tie from the ceiling and I attach my headlamp to that tie creating an overhead light. Today was perhaps the warmest day of hiking yet, and a few snakes and lizards made their cold blooded appearance on the trail. The warm sun felt good on this biped mammal, too. Tonight I'm camped by a high elevation pond in an incredibly beautiful setting. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-05-03
From: At a pond beyond Damascus

To: Near summit of Mt. Rogers
Miles today: 16.2

This little guy taking a sniff of my hand is one of the wild ponies of Grayson Highland. It was so interesting to be out on a huge rolling meadow at high elevation with dozens of these small wild horses. They all seem to be quite tame and friendly. The trail goes right by there and going out onto the bald seems to be perfectly fine - no fences or signs. I believe that tomorrow the trail will go right through another part of the meadow. My sore heel isn't really any better and having read up on it, I'm afraid I probably have a mild case of plantar fasciitis. That's hard for me to admit and even harder for me to pronounce. It's an inflammation of the tissue under the length of the underside of the foot typically causing pain under the heel. It's caused by strain or overuse and can be treated with rest (weeks or months!) and stretching exercises. Since rest is not an option, I'll manage it with certain stretches in the morning and after hiking. This past week or two, when that heel has periodically sent bright lightning up the nerves of my leg, I've found it helpful to acknowledge my heel, thank it for letting me know of its condition, and reminding it that it must simply continue on. [Blanche (old lady #1)] Wait, what's that? Is he talking to his foot again? First the toes and now his heel?[Marge (old lady #2)] Oh my, my, my. Yes, dear, I'm afraid he is. His Woods Fever delerium is heading into stage 2. [Blanche] Isn't stage 2 talking to his ankles and stage 3 his knees?[Marge] Dearie me, yes, and if he reaches stage 4, he'll never leave the woods. I'm in my tent very near the summit of Mt. Rogers, the tallest peak in Virginia. The views up here seem to go on forever. Just breathtaking. I'm tucked down in a pine forest so I should have good protection if the weather acts up. Nowhere I'd rather be.