morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: US 19E
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: few clouds

I didn't sleep much last night, I woke up every hour or so. Even had a bunch of coyotes about 100 yards away yapping it up at 3 in the morning, they just have killed something. We all woke up early and watched the beautiful scenery unfold before us while we made breakfast. The sun was blazing while we we breakfast so we knew it was going to be a hot one. The plan was to go into town nearby,eat some lunch and resupply and then head back to to trail.   The hike had an initial uphill followed up with the highest climb of the day-Hump Mountain (make your jokes now). The Roan Highlands which we hiked thorough today is an underrated portion of the trail. You hike over balds with amazing views all around you, since there's no trees, you can see the trail unfold before you and see specks of hikers going uphill. I hiked with Tim and we had a good pace, after Hump Mountain, it was a consistent downhill for the 4-5 miles down the trail until we hit the road. Guppy, Gamma Goat, Tim and myself were at the road first and found a ride into Elk City, TN to get a burger and resupply. The guys nice enough to drive us came with us to the diner and had some lunch. I had a huge double bacon cheeseburger with fries and sweet tea and inhaled it all. We then went to the store next store that sold beer and snacks. Unfortunately their snacks consisted of jerky and peanuts so that's my snack for the next few days, I still have some breakfasts and dinners leftover.   We were hoping to hike to a stream and fish but the weather was liking ominous and after almost having to good the street back to the trailhead, a guy with a pickup up offered to dive us back, this area has to be some of the most friendly people along the trail so far.   With bad weather looming, we backtracked south on the trail to a campsite near the stream and also the highway. We'll fall asleep to a a babbling stream and 18 wheelers- the glorious duality of the trail. We all pitched tents as the thunder made its prescience known and we set up a string of tarps to sit under together instead of everyone hiding in their tents while it rained. Some tried to fish to no avail and others started a fire which was roaring even through the intermittent downpours that happened throughout the night. After one such downpour, I told Guppy that've Shohei try to catch the trout he saw in the stream earlier, few minutes later he comes back with and 8 inch rainbow trout which we all enjoyed around the fire.    Another day on the trail that had a perfect start and a perfect ending. You just have to go with the flow and see here the trail takes you, the experiences are amazing and spontaneous. So time for bed among the traffic above and the stream below, we're really starting to get good at hobo thruhiking, see you down the trail.
Date: 2014-05-15
From: Black Bear Hostel

To: Abingdon,VA
Miles today: 0.0

Luckily for us, we got a shuttle into Damascus pretty easily and pretty cheap. Bob, the owner of the Kinkora hostel down the road from where we were staying gave us a ride us for 10$, it was about an hour ride so it worked for me. He has a pickup truck with an extended cab and inside were three school bus seats with wool covers on them, needless to say I hopped back there with Guppy, Tim and James. There were some tense moments as that man drove down the rain soaked highway with some speed and didn't seem to slow down much on the curves but he got us there in less than hour so who am I too complain.      So we got into Damascus on a cold rainy day and were hesitant in what to do. I probably should explain what Trail Days is. It's a three day festival where current thru hikers and former thru hikers come to this small town and party for the weekend. Gear companies also come out to provide services and there are booth for trail related arts and crafts. There are hostels in town but most people stay at what is coined Tent City which is a grass field behind the baseball fields, you pay five bucks to get in and get a wristband and there's your home for the next three days. Most of the festivities are downtown which is about a mile walk but they also have shuttles and people with pickup trucks were pulling over and picking people up.    We got into Tent City and it was pretty miserable with the cold and rain. We went to a restaurant called Dots and got some food and contemplated our next move as we watched the rain fall harder. We decided to go to the next town over, get a motel and come back tomorrow when Trail Days officially starts and the weather is better. So as quickly as we came into Damascus, we left just as quick, this should be an interesting weekend.
Date: 2014-05-16
From: Abingdon,VA

To: Damascus,VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We headed into Damascus around ten in the morning and Gamma Goat parked his car in the Tent City Parking lot. We were about to stake claim to our land when we saw Botany who said we should camp in the woods behind the fields past the signs that clearly said don't camp here. So we ventured into the woods and it was a whole another world back there with tents and hammocks in very nook and cranny back there. We found a nice spot near an old fire pit and our little tent city was formed. I was hoping to see a few people while here and before I knew it, Yogi comes around the corner and not far behinds was Gadget. He got sick and spent a few days off the trail so he separated from Delaware and Atlas. It was an like a high school reunion where the years were only weeks out here but it felt just as long. When you're only more of communication with someone is in shelter journals, it makes you appreciate them that just more. Then the final pieces of the puzzle camel along and Delaware and Atlas showed up,Delaware is rocking the short hair and it looks good, it's a hard look to pull off.    So we reminisced for awhile and everyone did there own things for   a while checking out the gear booths and downtown. At one point, Tim and I were walking across the field to the woods and hear a chainsaw going off in the vicinity our campsite and lo and behold there's a cutting wood and clearing out the fire pit, the day just got a little more interesting.   So for the rest of the night, there was a lot of laughing and drinking and walking around the woods going to the different tent villages and talking to people, it was good times and we get to do it all again tomorrow
Date: 2014-05-17
From: Damascus,VA

To: Damascus,VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today I hurt. I just wanted to lay in my tent for a while to nurse this hangover but I heard people talking outside my tent near the fire. We have a pretty good fire going despite the the soggy wood. Chainsaw guy also has a hatchet which he uses in a not so graceful manner and makes us all cringe every time he swung it. Anyway, I retreated to my tent soon after I got out as I couldn't shake this things. Eventually Yogi came by and convinced me to walk down to the booth where he needed to pick up his backpack, it was a good decision and I was starting to feel better.    In the afternoon, there was a parade where thru hikers from different years walk down the street and usually get into a water gun fight with the spectators but it was to cold for that. We didn't go to the parade but heard a group had a pi±ata stuffed with McDonald's chicken nuggets and little airplane bottles of liquor which seemed to be a big hit.    After getting some food from a taco place which hit the spot, we went back to the woods to hang out. More good times were had and tonight there were a some bonfires going so Atlas and I went and watched it for a bit. It was a nice size fire with a drum circle happening and people were dancing around, it was pretty primal. It was another late night and tomorrow we have to be out of Tent City by 12 so time for bed.
Date: 2014-05-18
From: US 19e

To: Campsite
Miles today: 2.9

Today was a whirlwind of a day that started in Damascus and ended back on the trail. For the most part, everyone woke up on the early side and started to pack up and clean up our campsite. Everyone looked exhausted but we all packs up and headed out of Tent City for the last time.       Everyone had different plans and were going to go our separate ways but we all got some breakfast before parting ways. Yogi, Tim, James and Guppy were going to do a 34 mile hike ride on the Creeper Trail which is a popular hiking trail in Virginia and North Carolina. Grizzly and myself were going to head into down and and find a way back to the trail. So after breakfast, we went back into town to see if we could find a ride back and after a few hours we couldn't find one.    So we headed back into town to get a wifi signal because AT&T doesn't exist in the south and we saw Delaware, Gadget and Atlas at the Dollar General resupplying. They were going to do a 17 mile hike ride on the Creeper Trail before trying to find a way back to the trail. They were about 12 miles behind me so the plan was for me to take a slow day so they could catch up to me but the way things were going, I was contemplating on finding a ride with them and redoing those miles just to stay with them and not skip anymore miles.   So I went with them to go for the bike ride and Grizzly stayed in town and was most likely going to skip the miles and leave from Damascus. We took a shuttle to the top of Whitetop Mountain and ride bikes down hill for 17 miles through the woods and through towns, it's been awhile since I rode a bike and it was amazing. We stopped for lunch at a small cafe off the trail which was known for its' chocolate cake, it was good, not world famous like they claimed.   After a few hours we rode back into town and now it was time to try to find a way back to the trail. We ended up making a cardboard sign and tried to hitch back and on our way through town, we saw Miss Janet park her car and Gadget chased her down. Thankfully, she was heading south and could drive us to the trailhead, things worked out for us today and this was the cherry top, she even went to McDonald's for us before heading back, she really is a amazing lady.   We got back got to the trailhead around 7 and decide to hike for a awhile and hopefully find a campsite. It took longer than we planned but we finally found one, it wasn't pristine with some garbage and toilet paper in the area. It amazes me how people don't know how to crap in the woods the proper way, doesn't take much effort to dig hope and hide your business. We set up camp amongst the sunset in the distant mountains and had some chocolate chip cookies a Gadget had. It's good to be back on the trail, time to start hiking again.
Date: 2014-05-19
From: Campsite

To: Campsite
Miles today: 14.3

Well the first night back on the trail was pretty interesting in a not so good way. The woods were eerily quiet that night and the only sounds were from the towns in the distance. Then in the middle of the night, a horrific screeching ripped through the air and my eyes almost popped out of my mind. This occurred for about 15-20 minutes when another screeching accompanied the first one. It was two owls screeching about who knows what but it didn't sound like owls to me, it escalated when they left the branches and were on the ground screeching about five feet from my tent, it seemed like they caught something so the screeching intensified. Thankfully, the whole thing ended and I tried to go back to sleep but then coyotes started howling in the distance,there wasn't much sleep after that.   Today's hike was a slow but productive one, it seems not hiking for four days slows you up a bit. We were all feeling a bit rusty but we took our time and took many breaks and made some mileage. It was weird hiking a section twice in less than a week but it's a beautiful part of the trail so it wasn't too bad.    So now I'm caught up to where I was dropped off and am glad I was able to get back here and be here hiking with Delaware, Gadget and Atlas, I hope to catch up to the rest soon enough. It's going to be weird hiking into Damascus in a few days after being there a few days ago but I'm hoping to get it out of the way and stop doubling up on towns,first Erwin,now Damascus,hopefully the list ends here and I can just hike north.
Date: 2014-05-21
From: Watuga Lake

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

Today was a tough one even though the mileage wasn't anything extraordinary. There seemed to be a ambiance of tiredness that drifted down the trail today because everyone I came across seemed to be exhausted for no apparent reason. We all slept in until 8ish which is late for us and then we were off.   As we hiked down the trail, we kept coming across hikers and notes of the trail about head encounters last night. Apparently give it so hikers had their food bags taken by bears last night, we seemed to be the lucky ones who only encountered a thieving raccoon.    My food supply is running dangerously low and looks like I'll be heading into Damascus with empty food bags, I forgot to readjust for the extra day of hiking that I did. It seems like the hiker hunger has bit everyone pretty bad, all we think about is food and it drives you crazy. I rationed my food today and when everyone was eating during lunch I thought I was going to go crazy, all I had was dinner on my mind and I trucked it down the trail for the last miles doing 4 miles in little over an hour.    It's an early night,going to attempt a 20 mile day which would leave us about 5 miles outside of Damascus, if I'm feeling good I might push it and try to head into Damascus and do a 26 mile day. Food is one hell of a motivator.
Date: 2014-05-23
From: Damascus,VA

To: US 58,Feathercamp Branch
Miles today: 4.5

Well after staying at an overpriced bed and breakfast for the night, I met up with Delaware, Atlas and Gadget as they hiked in earlier in the morning. Gadget has been craving pizza for the the last few days so we went to an all you can eat pizza buffet for $7.71. Needless to say it wasn't a pretty sight and I won't go into details but let's just say there was a line of food comatose thru hikers lined up outside the place.   So the original plan changed a little bit and instead if hiking for a few miles and Delaware's parents picking us up tomorrow, we're going to hike to a parking lot 5 miles and spend two nights at the cabin,I can't complain with that. So after running errand for most of the day, we trudged along and hiked the 4.5 miles which wasn't too bad and got picked up. The cabin was about an hour away and was nestled in among some farms, it's a real beautiful place and had everything we needed. After laundry,showering and having a delicious dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, we got down to the serious business of resupplying. Delaware's parents were nice enough to bring a box of food down for us so we divided it up. As if the night couldn't get better, Delaware's cousin works for Clif bars and sent a box of assorted products from Clif bars to energy gels so we're going to be well stocked for the next 4 or 5 days.   Tomorrow, we're going to do some slackpacking which is hiking with a daypack instead of lugging our usual 30 pound pack so it will be a lot more enjoyable, we're planning I'm doing about 18 miles before getting picked up and staying at the cabin for another night. Life is good
Date: 2014-05-26
From: Wise Shelter

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

I stayed in the shelter last night, I was too lazy to set up my tent and it was only 4 of us in there so room was plentiful. It took me a bit to get up until someone mentioned that Gadget was up and breaking down his tent. Within out groups dynamic, Gadget is the one who sleeps in late and is usually still in his tent when leave but to his credit he always makes it to wherever we decide to camp for the night.    We were going for the 20 mile today and the terrain wasn't too and with some uphills that didn't look to bad. We took a break a few hours in, Delaware and I were walking along the trail when we saw Gadget sitting in a field playing his guitar so we joined him and had snack and laid there for a bit. After getting moving again, the trail meandered through the woods and passed a whole bunch of campers still at their campsites, it's cool to see so many people out camping this weekend.    We all stopped at the first shelter and left at different times, Delaware hiked out with a German hiker names Danish who had hikers 2,000 miles of the trail and his back to finish up the parts he missed. I left afterwards and had a Clif bar mocha energy gel and put on some Dropkick Murphy's and combination led me to fly by Delaware and Danish and zip up the biggest mountain of the day in no time, that gel is like hiker crack, I recommend it. I got to the next shelter and had a snack and had some service so I coordinated my maildrop with my dad, unfortunately my shoes haven't shipped out yet, so I'm trying to be careful with the ones I have but the trail had been rocky and I'm bouncing off of them like a pinball in pinball machine, they still have traction which is good, aesthetically they've seen better days. I hiked out with Delaware and Danish for the remainder of the day and we took a lot of breaks, it was a very casual, laid back 20 miler but as the day was coming to end, we were itching for it to be over. We got to the shelter around 6:30 and set up camp, there was another German hiker name Numb Toes who joined us by the fire and hung out with us as we ate. They're all going to the next shelter tomorrow so it it should be some fun times hanging out with them and drinking. I've been wearing the bandana for the past few days and the people in my group feel it's bringing out my alter ego who's more outspoken so they've been calling me Bandana Shea as of late which I find funny plus now people will realize Shea isn't my real name. I might have to send my Met hat home for the summer as it's wool and get one that's mesh and won't be so hot to wear while I'm hiking, next nero day I'll have to look for one but for now Bandana Shea is here to stay. Off to bed for an early start so we can get into town early get some food and beer, can't wait for the thru hiker Memorial Day BBQ.
Date: 2014-05-31
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We all decided on a short day today, everyone's bodies have been feeling the effects of the hiking and coming into camp late so we decided on a 14 miler. The terrain didn't look too bad with the exception of one uphill early on and the rumors of a Dairy Queen in a nearby town enticed some of us to hike quicker than others.   We left camp pretty late today, there didn't seem to be a rush so we hung around and talked to the other thru hikers until we were the last ones there. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out and the temperature was in the mid 70's, it was perfect hiking weather. After the initial uphill, the trail was pretty level and we hiked the 5 miles in a hour and a half until we reached Kimberling Creek which was a nice place to stop. It seems liked every thru hiker who was at the shelter stopped there for a snack and to bathe in the creek, it was a nice size so people were waist deep cleaning off. God knows what the people driving by we're thinking when they saw all of this going on, probably locked the doors and sped away not looking back. We all hiked out from there at different times so it was another day of hiking solo for the rest of the day. It was a long meandering hiker through the mountains until I reached a gravel road, thankfully there were was some trail magic in the form of bottled water because this stretch of the trail has been really dry.    After doing some road walking down a desolate gravel road, I saw Atlas waiting at the intersection, she had been waiting for awhile for the rest of us to catch up and see who wanted to go into town to go to Dairy Queen. It was only three o'clock and the rest of the group was way behind so we hitched into town and went to Dairy Queen for some burgers and Blizzards which were pretty damn good. It took us a while to hitch a ride back but thankfully a fellow thru hikers dad was driving by and picked us up.    It was a short hike to the the shelter and we all had some beer Atlas and I got from the gas station next to the Dairy Queen and hung out around the fire. It's about an 18 mile hike to Trent's Grocery which is where my resupply is which I need badly. My shoes took a turn for the worse and the bottoms are falling off so I need to get my new pair ASAP so I'm leaving earlier than usual to get there in time. Four more days until my birthday and I think we're going to take a zero day in Blacksburg,VA, it's not too far from Pearisburg and it's home to Virginia Tech so there should be more going on there. Tomorrow we should be hitting the 600 mile mark so looking forward to that as well.
Date: 2014-06-01
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: Dismal Falls Campsite
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a prime example on how even though you are wowing a linear hiking path with a goal in mind,the unexpected can happen and out here it's usually for the best. It was a chilly night which I loved because I wasn't sticking to my quilt and my tent didn't feel like a sauna. After a good night of sleep, we woke up early and broke camp early, I wanted to get to Trent's Grocery as early as possible as my boots were shot and I waned to go through the maildrop and organize my bag.       It was slow going at first and I trailed Delaware for a bit,my knees felt rigid and it took some time to get them going. We were the first ones on the trail that morning and you know that because you walk through a million spiderwebs laid out across the trail, Delaware took care of most of the shorter ones but I'm a good six inches taller so I cleaned up the trail for the taller people on the trail.   Delaware took a break and I kept going and the trail was pretty level with mostly gradual downhills. My pack was light as my food was low because I was resupplying that day so I ran for lost of the trail. I'm probably in the best shape of my life so I was getting winded at all. It's an amazing experience to be able to run down the trail and pivot off my trekking pole around corners for long period of times, I felt so free.   I crossed a county road and right before entering the woods again, there was some trail magic in the form of sodas so I stopped for one, I was many good time. While drinking a Coke, a car pulls up and a girl gets out and I talk to her and find out she's the sister of a thru hiker who isn't too far behind me. She's meeting up with her to did a weekend hiking stint and asked if I wanted some lunch, I'm not one to turn down free lunch. So she sets up and pretty extravagant set up and before me is a table of ingredients to make tacos and a cooler of soda and beer-this is where my schedule of getting to Trent's Grocery went to the wayside and I relaxed there waiting for the rest of the group to catch up.    Three hours later with everyone accounted for and bellies full, we hiked the rest of the way to Trent's Grocery and I got my new shoes and supplies,my parents are getting good at what to out in these boxes. Delaware hiked out ahead of us and wanted to get to Pearisburg early to meet up with a friend so now it was the three of us. We kept hearing about a awesome camping spot along some falls so we went there and it lived up to its' reputation. To get to the campsite,we had to cross a laid out across the river and Atlas does it with ease while Gadget and I awkwardly crossed it. We hung out with another group who had an impressive fire going and it was good times. It was weird not having the group altogether but soon enough but we'll be back together to celebrate my upcoming birthday,I can't wait.