morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-29
From: White Rock Mountain Campsite

To: Watauga Lake
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

We walked through some of the nicest area of the trail today. We hiked down to Laurel Fork Falls and then along Laurel Fork for a couple of miles, a beautiful stream. That was followed by a long, steep climb up Pond Mountain. The payoff following the descent to Watauga Lake was that we were picked up by one of Veto's 2006 thru hike companions, Bigfoot, who lives in Boone, NC, about an hour away. He took us back to Boone where we will spend the night. Veto and Slinky area staying at Bigfoot's house, and JAY-B and I are staying at Grey Goose's house nearby. Grey Goose, Bigfoot's brother-in-law, also thru hiked with Veto and Bigfoot in 2006.Slinky & Jay-B crossing Laurel Fork's Falls FootbridgeWe all had dinner at Grey Goose's and his wife, B.R.'s, home and we were all treated us to a slide show and memories of their 2006 thru hike.Reporting from the trail,KingKrawler
Date: 2010-04-30
From: Boone, NC

To: Boone, NC
Miles today: 0.0

JAY-B and I woke up this morning and shared a couple cups of coffee with B.R., Grey Goose's wife, before heading out to meet Veto, Slinky, and Bigfoot for breakfast at Melanie's in Boone. Melanie, the owner, came out to meet us when she found out we were thru hikers, since she has section hiked quite a bit of the trail herself. We were then joined by Morning Glory, who thru hiked in 2002.After breakfast, we all headed over to Grandfather Mountain, and guess what? We went on a hike! It was so different hiking without our thirty-something pound packs, though. It was nice and a beautiful day. Afterward, we headed back to Boone where we had a quick lunch, and Bigfoot dropped us off to resupply on food. Grey Goose's AT TattooThen, everyone met at Bigfoot and Tod's home for a supper of chicken and wild rice soup, cornbread, washed down with a few beers. We all talked about some of the funny and strange things that have happened to us on the AT. I must say, I've been really impressed with the enthusiasm and envy of all the former thru hikers who have helped us on the trail this year. It's really encouraging. And Veto, Slinky, JAY-B, and I have really been moved by the hospitality extended to us by Bigfoot, Tod, Grey Goose, and B.R. It's something we will fondly remember long after this hike is completed. Reporting from the trail,KingKrawler
Date: 2010-05-04
From: Whitetop Mountain Rd

To: Damascus
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: clear sky

JAY-B, Veto, and I caught a shuttle up to White Top in order to do a 21.3 mile slackpack back to Damascus. The view from White Top was spectacular and the weather was beautiful. I even slipped on my windbreaker because of the cool breeze. Perfect hiking weather again today. We walked past a gushing spring on our way to Buzzard Rocks where I took this picture of JAY-B. After the photos, Veto took off in order to get down to the post office in Damascus before they closed. JAY-B and I walked together for the first several miles before I stepped it up a bit. I, too, wanted to take care of some things in town. As the trail finally descended out of the woods near Damascus, the final mile was on the Virginia Creeper bike trail.Nice skyUnfortunately, I turned the wrong way on the Virginia Creeper and ended up walking an extra two miles. I did run into Joe, whom I haven't seen since the NOC. Apparently, he's been suffering from knee problems for the last five days and is just getting back out on the trail. Once I got back to Damascus it was too late to take care of any chores, so Veto and I headed to dinner at about 8pm, hoping JAY-B would show up. He finally met us at the the pizza joint. Reporting from the trail,KingKrawler
Date: 2010-05-05
From: Whitetop Mountain Road

To: Thomas Knob shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: clear sky

Veto and I got up early this morning and headed for MoJoe's coffee shop for breakfast. Afterwards, we walked to the post office where Veto had three packages to pick up, and I had one full of food to send ahead to Pearisburg.Once we were all set to go, Veto, JAY-B and I got a shuttle back up to Whitetop Mountain, where we headed north again. Blue Sky joined us in the shuttle to do a slackpack back to Damascus.It was another beautiful day for hiking, and not too difficult. We were out of the woods most of today, which made hiking nice. We also caught Jerry from Kentucky and tented with him just north of Thomas Knob shelter. It was quite windy and I lost my first item since the hike started. As I was setting up my tent, and the wind grabbed a corner as I was trying to stake it down. The corner of the tent flipped up and the stake I was using went with it. It's quite small, and try as I might, I could not find it in the tall grass.We collected wood and Jerry started a nice fire. Then, we had a beautiful sunset. Another great day on the trail.
Date: 2010-05-06
From: Thomas Knob shelter

To: Old Orchard shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

The wind picked up last night enough to wake me up, but it never rained. It was still blowing when the sun came up. It was so windy, I just heated enough water for a cup of coffee and a cup of hot chocolate. I also added an instant breakfast to the hot chocolate for more calories.Shortly after we pushed off, we encountered some of the famed ponies of the Grayson Highlands. Veto got a great photo of one of the ponies begging for food from me. We took it slowly since we only had 11 miles to do today. We stopped at the Wise Shelter and had a leisurely lunch, and then moved on to the Old Orchard Shelter where we are tenting tonight.Tomorrow, my wife Joann is meeting us near Troutdale for a couple days of slack packing. I haven't seen her since I started on Springer Mountain on March 15, so I can't wait to see her again.
Date: 2010-05-07
From: Old Orchard shelter

To: VA 672
Miles today: 15.6

Well, my wife drove down to meet us today, so I had extra incentive to hike to Dickey Gap, our planned meet site. The others got out of the campsite before me, as usual, but I caught Veto and Slinky while they stopped for lunch. I kept hiking in order to get to Dickey Gap before Joann did. Veto and Slinky assured me that JAY-B, who was ahead of all of us, knew to stop and wait at Dickey Gap.I made good time and got to Dickey Gap by 1pm. JAY-B wasn't there and I hadn't passed him. I asked another thru hiker, who was waiting on a ride, whether anyone had passed through. He said that JAY-B continued on the trail without stopping.Within 3 minutes of my arrival, Joann pulled up. What timing! I couldn't believe it. It was great to see her! Shortly thereafter, Veto and Slinky arrived. We discussed our options and figured JAY-B would realize his mistake and backtrack to the road. We left a note for him at the road crossing and went to lunch in Troutdale. When we arrived at the diner, we ran into Guppy, who said he hadn't seen JAY-B.After lunch, we returned to Dickey Gap. No JAY-B. We checked the guide and decided to have Joann drop us off where the trail crossed a road 6 miles north and we would hike back south to Dickey Gap. As we hike south looking for JAY-B, Joann drove back to the Dickey Gap in case JAY-B realized his mistake and turned around before we met up with him as we hiked south.We used one daypack for the southbound hike so we moved quickly and covered the 6 miles in 2 hours. Unfortunately, we didn't find him and he didn't come out at Dickey Gap while Joann waited there. We then checked for him in Troutdale and found him at the hostel in town run by the Baptist Church. We loaded him into the car and drove to Hungry Mother State Park, where we had a cabin rented. We all showered and cleaned up and headed out to the local Mexican restaurant in Marion for dinner. When we returned to the cabin it was time for bed. It sure was nice to sleep in a bed again!
Date: 2010-05-09
From: Mt. Rodgers Visitor Center

To: Crawfish Valley
Miles today: 17.7

We all got up this morning and packed up the car before driving to the Apple Tree Restaurant just east of Marion on VA 16. The food was very good and the service was excellent.We drove to the Mr. Rogers Visitor Center where Joann dropped us off and headed home. Thanks for all your support, and I'll miss you. Can't wait to see you in June.We hiked together for much of the day until the last six miles when the group split up. Veto and I were the first to arrive at the campsite at Crawfish Valley, and I was done.We're camped among rhododendrons along a stream and have a nice campfire going. This will be my first night out with my 40 degree summer sleeping bag. It¢s supposed to get cold tonight, so I hope I didn't swap out my winter gear too soon. We shall see.....
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Crawfish Valley

To: Chestnut Knob shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

Burrrr, it got cold last night - into the thirties. And, I had just swapped out my winter gear for my summer gear, including my new 40 degree sleeping bag given to me by my cycling friends. It kept me toasted warm until I woke up at 4:45am, when I slipped on my winter jacket before falling back asleep. Thanks, guys! It worked beautifully!I was the last one out of our campsite today. We did some steep climbs, particularly after lunch. I had two bagels with cheese for lunch, and knew so much food in the middle of the day would slow me down, and it sure did. On our last climb of the day I had to get out the headphones and hit the MP3 player. I just grinded up the hill and was the last one to arrive at our campsite. I looked around but couldn't find a suitable place to set up my tent, so I told the others I was going up the trail to look for a suitable tentsite. I couldn't find anywhere nearby, so I just kept walking. Finally, I got so far from the others I decided to walk to the next shelter which was described in my guide as a fully enclosed concrete block structure with a door. It sounded like a jail cell, but it is actually quite cozy - and about 20 degrees warmer than outside. It is actually stone, and was formerly a fire warden's cabin. Gradually, five other section and thru hikers arrived, and filled it up. About half an hour after I finished my dinner of ramen, there was a knock on the door. It turned out to be Freak, Firefly, and Sonya, who carried in pizza, sodas, bananas, and strawberries for us. We were floored! I managed to eat two slices, drink two sodas, and eat half a dozen strawberries. Wait 'til Veto, Slinky, and JAY-B hear about this tomorrow!
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Chestnut Knob shelter

To: Laurel Creek
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

Well, the wind blew and the rain came down, but I was warm and dry in the shelter. I was glad I wasn't tenting with Veto, Slinky, and JAY-B. The shelter must have been 15 or 20 degrees warmer than it was outside. I waited around in the shelter for awhile waiting for the weather to calm down. Finally, I headed out into the fog and wind. Once I got off the ridge, the wind calmed down and the walk was quite pleasant. The skies never really cleared up, however, the rain held off. We're camped along a nice stream and have a campfire going tonight. And, more trail majic tonight. Someone left a large cooler stocked with ice cold Propel, a sports drink. Thanks, anonymous trail angel!!Slinky reported that he spotted a mama bear and two cubs today while he was walking on a ridgeline. That's the first bear sighting by any of our foursome. I want to see one too!
Date: 2010-05-12
From: Laurel Creek

To: Jenny Knob shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

Well, it didn't rain last night or today, but it threatened to the whole time and the forecast called for it. We got up with the intention of hitchhiking the 2.5 miles into Bland, VA, for a meal and food resupply. I got to the road with Slinky and he deployed his secret hitchhiking weapon as depicted in the picture. We got a ride into town right off the bat and passed Veto and JAY-B, who were walking in. Slinky and I headed to the Dairy Queen and I had a large Blizzard. Yummmm! Veto and JAY-B joined us shortly afterward and they all had meals. Since I didn't need to resupply, I hitched back to the trail while the others shopped. I got a ride after about 15 minutes and was back on the trail. I hiked to the Helveys Mill Shelter and refilled my water bottle and left a message in the shelter register for the others that I was moving on to a road crossing where we could camp, although there was no water source there. When I got there, there was a fresh deer carcass on the side of the road near the trail, so I moved on. I kept walking and reached the next shelter, making it a 19 mile day. I did the last three miles on just over an hour. SuperMax, Longjohn, and a section hiker named David were already at the shelter. Eventually, Veto, Slinky, and finally JAY-B rolled in. Just as we were preparing to call it a night, we heard a thump on the side of the shelter. When we went out to investigate, we discovered a 6 foot long black snake climbing up the wall. It was attempting to reach a birds nest in the outside rafters that held some baby birds. We had quite a commotion with the snake so close to where we would be laying our heads that SuperMax set up her tent on the picnic table. I hope everyone gets a good night's sleep tonight.
Date: 2010-05-13
From: Jenny Knob shelter

To: VA 606
Miles today: 6.5

Well, today has been an easy day. Grey Goose is scheduled to pick us up here tomorrow morning and take us to Trail Days in Damascus. I'm still not sure whether or not I'm going to go or not. We'll see tomorrow morning. Right now, we're camped in a small hiker campground that offers tenting, showers and laundry for $9. It's worth it given how smelly we and our clothes are right now. The owner also has a complete convenience store, so I can resupply and have dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. I'm thinking cheese burger, curley fries, and a milkshake. Yum!The following is a response to questions posed by Ms. Chappel's 4th grade class in Virginia Beach:Q: Do you ever get tired of eating "oatmeal"? A: Not really. I used to eat it almost every day at work for breakfast. I also eat it before starting any long distance bicycle ride. I think it gives me enough energy to keep going all day long. Farmers used to say, "If you want your mules to work half a day, feed them hay. If you want your mules to work all day, feed them oats."Q: Have you encountered any wild animals?A: One of my hiking partners saw a mother bear and her two cubs the other day. When they saw him, they ran away. I saw a big, fat diamondback rattlesnake on my first day in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. He was about 5 feet long and stretched out right along the trail. As I approached, I heard him rattle a little bit. I didn't know what it was so I stopped and looked around. It rattled again, and I saw it about 2 feet away from me. Needless to say, I gave it a wide berth when I walked past it. Also, last night we had a 6 foot black snake at our shelter. It was trying to get some baby birds that were sleeping in their nest. One of the hikers took the snake far away from the shelter and let it go in the woods. Q: Are you enjoying this time(having any fun) or is it scary? A: I'm having a great time. I'm seeing plants I've never seen before. I'm meeting other hikers from all over the country, and I'm meeting many people who help the hikers. It's not scary at all. Q: Have you seen any animal or plant life that you aren't familiar with? A: Just plants that I'm not familiar with, so far. I've seen Flame and Pinky azealas, mountain laurels, rhododendrons and many wildflowers in bloom. As I get farther north, I hope to see deer, bears, and even moose. Q: How do you feel about hiking solo?A: I started out hiking solo, but right now I am hiking with three other men. Their trail names are Veto, Slinky, and JAY-B. Thanks, Champs, for following my journal.
Date: 2010-05-14
From: VA 606

To: Doc's Knob shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

We were camped last night in a combination campground/farmyard. There were several chickens pecking around our tents yesterday afternoon but I noticed that most, but not all, of them moved into the barn in the evening. At about midnight, Veto and I heard a chicken squawking. This morning, there were feathers in front of JAY-B's tent and a trail of feathers leading down to the creek. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but JAY-B has invoked his right to remain silent. Ha!Otherwise, today was uneventful. The trail was rocky most of the day, and not very interesting.View from an overlook
Date: 2010-05-15
From: Doc's Knob shelter

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Today is my two-month anniversary on the AT!! I've completed 625.9 miles so far. The shelter filled up last night and one hiker had to tent even though there really wasn't a decent tent site anywhere near the shelter. And then it rained. Those of us in the shelter stayed dry. Not sure about the tenter. Veto, JAY-B and I were the only thru hikers there, although a couple of the others have done long sections of the AT.We got an early start this morning because Veto and I both had boxes at the post office in Pearisburg to pick up, and they were closing at noon. We got there by 10:30am, leaving plenty of time to spare. After the post office, we checked into the last available room at the Plaza Motel, took showers, and Linda took our dirty clothes and laundered them in the motel washing machines. Then, off to lunch. After a lunch of a tossed salad, we struck out trying to find a place to get a haircut. The two shops downtown were both closed on Saturday for some reason. We went back to our motel room where we met JAY-B, who got a room in the Holiday Motor Lodge next door. We started figuring our next leg on the AT so we could decide how much food resupply we would need. Then we went shopping at Food Lion and I picked up some alcohol for my stove at a hardware store.Later that evening, we had dinner at the Mexican restaurant across the street from our motel. I also ran into Tom Thumb, whom I haven't seen since around Tray Mountain Shelter in North Carolina. He has gotten way ahead of me but has since slowed. down.
Date: 2010-05-16
From: Pearisburg

To: Symms Gap Meadow
Miles today: 12.4

I slept soundly in my motel room last night. So soundly, I didn't hear the thunderstorm going on outside.We got up and out quickly and headed over to Hardees for a breakfast of sausage biscuits and coffee. Once we got hiking, we walked over the New River and then had about a four mile climb onto a ridgeline. The rest of the day we had an easy walk along the ridgeline.We stopped in for lunch at the Rice Field Shelter where we met Landfill from Massachusetts. He had gotten two food drops at the Pearisburg post office and was trying to reduce his pack weight by giving some of his food away. I took some small snacks and ate them right there for lunch. Trail magic!We then moved another four miles to our campsite and quickly put up our tents since we were beginning to hear thunder in the distance. Shortly after we arrived, we were joined by thru hikers Cheese, Landfill, Brooklyn, Stitch, and SuperMax. Then, the storm started.This is the first sustained rain storm that I've sat out in my tent, and I discovered two places where I failed to seal the tent seams. I discovered them because I am getting some water in my tent. I'll have to take care of them next time I'm in town. For now, I've got everything moved away from those two spots and am "monitoring the situation." Drat!! I may even try to sleep in my sleeping bag liner only to prevent my bag from getting wet.Landfill with 3 lbs of trail mixThe rain let up enough for Veto and I to make a quick dinner before it started in earnest again, which it now has. Should be an interesting night.......
Date: 2010-05-17
From: Symms Gap Meadow

To: Bailey Gap shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

It rained all night and into the morning. My attempt to sleep in only my sleeping bag liner failed around midnight when it got too cold and I had to get my down sleeping bag out. By that time though, water had stopped coming into the tent so the bag stayed dry. The only thing I can think is that the seams swelled up after getting wet and stopped the leaking. I was the first one out of the campsite this morning. I guess everyone thought they would wait out the rain. It didn't look like it was going to stop - and it didn't. I walked in the rain all day. It wasn't bad once I got fully soaked and cold. Ha!I stopped in at the Pine Swamp Branch Shelter where I ran into Slinky, who had also tented last night. I made some coffee to help me warm up and give me a little more energy since I had not cooked breakfast. I was the first one to arrive at Bailey Gap Shelter this afternoon. I didn't want to keep going even though it was so early. I really wanted to dry out everything I was carrying in my pack, including my tent. Limited success on that. It is so humid that most gear dried only marginally. I think the weather may clear up tomorrow. If it does, I'd like to have a nice long day.
Date: 2010-05-18
From: Bailey Gap shelter

To: Stealth Camp MM 668
Miles today: 18.4

Okay, today was a day to be forgotten except that its Veto's birthday! Happy birthday, Veto! Otherwise, the day was one of those best forgotten. JAY-B and Veto both got up and on the trail well before I did. For some reason I was moving slowly. I wanted to cook some oatmeal and coffee for breakfast because I held out hope for some miles today, in spite of the overcast, foggy weather. At least it was cool. I even had to dig out my sleeping bay liner in the middle of the night. The first six or so miles of trail today were rocky, which is time consuming. In addition to the wet rocks, it makes a slip and a twisted ankle a good possibility. I really walked slowly and focused on my foot placement for every step. The last thing I need is a sprained ankle. Everything seemed to take forever; mileage, shelters, and just hiking. I got to the first shelter thinking Veto and JAY-B would be there. Nope, they were already gone. After a long, steep climb and a descent, I got to the second shelter and the were both there. It had already started raining again and a shelter would give us an opportunity to try to dry out our gear. Unfortunately, the Laurel Creek Shelter was dark and dank. Certainly not inviting. We decided to move on and try to find a suitable campsite. After about four more miles, we were getting desperate and found one that "would do". It had started raining again, and we just wanted the day to be done. Certainly not what we would have liked, especially for Veto's birthday. We'll have to make it up to him.Thanks to everyone who has signed my guestbook. Your comments and encouragement keep me going on days like today.