morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-03-12
From: Uncle Johnnys Hostel 

To: Piped spring mile 356.6
Miles today: 21.5

AT day 2421.5 miles to a stealth campsite on an old dirt road near a piped springToday was a perfect day. The type of day that thru hikers dream about.I left Uncle Johnny's around 9 am. The hike to Beauty Spot is 11.6 miles. I looked at the elevation profile and thought that I was in for another day of steep climbing. The trail surprised me. The sun is out for a change and you can smell the cool mountain air. The day started with a gradual climb up and away from Erwin. Along the way I was treated to views of the river and trains crossing over the river on a bridge. Finally I crossed over the mountain and headed into a rhododendron forest. Then I started a gradual climb along a beautiful and peaceful section. The trail passes by many mountain streams rushing down. The sounds and smells are amazing.   I just keep hiking in this type of habitat until I reached the summit called Beauty Spot. I saw the glampers hiking down while I hiked up. They told me that trail magic was coming up. Brother Tom and his old boxier Moses were setup in the parking area where the trail crosses the road. I reached the Cherry Gap Shelter at mile 361.5 by 5:30. It seemed too early to stop hiking and it didn¢t look like any good tent sites were near the shelter, so I checked AWOL and Guthook for tent options. AWOL showed a tent site 4.1 miles ahead. Guthook had it listed as a piped spring. I got to the piped spring around 7:00. I filtered water and then found a stealth tent site up the hill on an old road bed. I almost lost my spoon again. I cooked dinner away from my tent. It was getting dark so I moved everything I had for cooking back down closer to the tent. When it came time for eat I couldn¢t find my spoon. I panicked, how could I eat the next 6 days without a spoon? I grabbed my headlamp and searched the path I¢d taken up to the log I¢d sat on to cook. Nothing, even at the cook site. I started kicking around leaves and just as I was about to give up I saw a shiny object which was my spoon. Tomorrow I¢m off to Roan Mountain Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-14
From: Stan Murray Shelter 

To: Scotty's Budget Solar Hostel 
Miles today: 23.3

AT day 2623.3 miles to Scotty's Budget Solar HostelThe day started off windy with clear skies. Coming attractions included Little Hump and Hump mountains. They are balds and are supposed to have great views. Unfortunately just as I was getting to Little Hump the wind picked up and a cold fog rolled in to block my views. The wind was so strong that it kept blowing me off the trail.  Balds are grassy areas that are very muddy and slippery after a rain. I endured about 4 miles of this nasty weather and slippery trail. I actually tried running to get off the mountains faster.Eventually I made it down to Dolly Flats which was much warmer and protected from the wind. My feet were bothering me because of all the mud that filled up my shoes. I took a break by a spring that has a PVC pipe in it to funnel water and make it easier for hikers to collect. I sat on a wet log, took out my nail brush and cleaned my feet, shoes and socks. I¢m so glad I took the time because my feet felt so much better. My shoes have several holes in the sides. I might have to duct tape the sole on because it¢s feeling a little flappy. I¢m getting new shoes in Damascus on Sunday. The rest of the day flew by. The trail was nicely graded and maintained which made for fast hiking. I left North Carolina for good and then passed the 400 mile mark. My destination was Scotty¢s Budget Solar Hostel. The shelters were either not far enough or too far. The hostel would give me a nice 23 miles and a comfortable nights sleep. The directions for getting there weren¢t very good. Basically at a certain mile mark, near a bench you were supposed to hike 14 mile west through the woods. There weren¢t any side trails at the mile marker or the bench. I was tired, hungry and it was getting late. The next campsite was another 6 miles away. I felt like yelling out to see if anyone could hear me. I backtracked to the bench, still nothing. So I went back north and finally saw a faint trail leading into the woods. I followed the trail hoping that it was the right one. I hiked a lot more than 14 mile and then found some buildings. I walked up on the porch and yelled out and thankfully Scotty answered. He was a very nice guy and he hiked the PCT in the 90s. I had the hostel all to myself. After yesterday's 6.5 mile round trip wrong way disaster, I have been paranoid about going the wrong way. I frequently get this uneasy feeling and check my GPS app. I guess I¢ll never do the CDT, it has grizzlies to eat lost hikers. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-15
From: Scotty's Budget Solar Hostel 

To: Boots off Hostel 
Miles today: 20.9

AT day 2720.9 miles to Boots Off HostelToday was the last day I¢d have to use my damaged pack. I¢ve been counting down the days since I found out that I was getting a replacement. Today I was counting down the hours and I couldn¢t hike fast enough to get me to the hostel where my new pack was waiting. After an hour of morning rain the skies started to clear and the sun came out. There is something special about sunshine that lifts the spirits. You couldn¢t have asked for a nicer day. The trail was easy to hike and the sites were varied and beautiful. The final finale for the day was a hike down into Laurel Fork Gorge. The climb down was slow due to the big stones and boulders dotting the trail. One trip or slip could result in a bad injury. It was a gorgeous place with a big waterfall and stunning rock formations. One thing is true about hiking the AT, rivers and roads are usually at a lower elevation than the mountain you have to climb. The climb up out of the gorge was steeper, hotter, and longer than any climbs I¢ve had since leaving Erwin. I hated this climb because it was slowing me down and my pack was making my left shoulder hurt. The path was narrow in places with loose rocks. I slipped once and was close to sliding down the hill. After at least 2 hours I made it over the top and then started to descend like a maniac. I wanted to get to the hostel before the camp store closed so I could get ice cream. Well I got there and found out that the hostel guy (Trail name Grumpy) runs the store and they were out of ice cream. But my new pack was there. Spoiler alert. It¢s 17 March as I lay in bed writing this at Crazy Larry¢s Hostel in Damascus and I¢m pleased to report my new pack fits great and feels like a dream.
Date: 2019-03-16
From: Boots off Hostel 

To: Rabbit Hole Hostel 
Miles today: 20.7

AT day 2820.7 miles to Rabbit Hole Hostel What a difference my new ZPacks Arc Haul made. My old pack must have been a lemon because my new pack carries like a dream. Now I can barely tell that I have a pack on.Today was another perfect AT hiking day. You start with a hike around the Watauga Lake shoreline. I saw my first wildflowers along lower elevations. Eventually you have to climb uphill and away from the shore. The climb was on a well maintained trail with enough switchbacks to keep the grade gradual. Once you gained a certain elevation you basically walked on a ridge above the lake with many views of the lake surrounding communities and farms. After a while you would have to climb another short hill and repeat the pattern of uphill, ridge, uphill. My goal was to make it to the Rabbit Hole Hostel. They pick you up at the trailhead and offer $3.00 milkshakes. The campsites before the hostel weren¢t far enough and shelter past it was too far. The closer I got the more I wanted a milkshake. I really picked up my pace as the trail started to descend to the trailhead. I needed to call the Rabbit Hole once I got to the trailhead. I didn¢t have T-Mobile service so I was going to have to send them an Inreach message. But in keeping with a perfect day several carloads of spring break hikers showed up and one of them had cell service. I called the hostel and Kat showed up a few minutes later. My first order of business was to order a milkshake. It was worth it. Tomorrow I get to Damascus on my 4 week anniversary. I¢m feeling pretty good about my pacing considering that I¢ll be 66 in July. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-17
From: Rabbit Hole Hostel 

To: Damascus 
Miles today: 21.6

AT day 2921.6 miles to Damascus (Crazy Larry's Hostel)Today was my 4 week anniversary for hiking the AT. For at least a week I made it a goal to get to Damascus on this day. Rabbit dropped me off at the same trailhead they picked me up at. I walked across the street and opened a gate to follow the AT through a farmer¢s field. It was a wonderful hike through the field. The birds were singing and the smells of the grass complimented the cold 27 degree air. I couldn¢t have planned a better hiking day. The sun was shining, the winds were just strong enough to cool you off and the trail was smooth. I hiked the 21.7 miles to Damascus in 7 hours. Not too shabby for an old fart  I felt like a real BadAss and almost wore my badass headband into town. I kept thinking about where I should spend the night. I was torn between Woodchuck Hostel and Crazy Larry¢s. They both have their merits but Crazy Larry seemed like an interesting charter Crazy Larry¢s was a one of a kind place. My room was very clean and had a comfortable bed. Larry is crazy He is always yammering on about something that I either didn¢t understand or didn't care about.  I have many tales to tell about my stay there but I don¢t want to share them in public. I¢m glad I stayed there and got a chance to meet someone I never would¢ve dreamed that I¢d encounter in my life. I¢m having trouble with town food. My body is screaming for calories and I oblige with food that I¢d never eat at home. I stuff my face with junk food and greasy cheeseburgers. I pay for this diet late at night. Tonight I woke up gagging back vomit. In Erwin I over ate at a Mexican restaurant and woke up feeling like I had the norovirus. As I write this I¢m in Rural Retreat near Atkins Virginia. I tried to control myself at the local gas station minimarts but still bought too much junk. I went to a Mexican restaurant and ordered a normal sized meal but I couldn¢t finish it and left stuffed. Hopefully I don¢t wake up sick. The best I¢ve felt leaving a town was at the Boots Off Hostel. They took us to McDonalds for dinner and I had 4 doughnuts for breakfast. I¢ve also craved Mt Dew/Mellow Yellow. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-18
From: Damascus 

To: Lost Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 15.6

AT day 3015.6 miles to Lost Mountain ShelterI knew that I only had 15 miles to make it to Lost Mountain Shelter so I slept in until 6:30.  Crazy Larry served great pancakes and eggs. He was a little peeved that I didn¢t want any meat for breakfast.I stopped at an outfitter to get a spare fuel canister and headed out of town around 10:00. It was another glorious AT day and the trail passed through some amazing habitats. I took a wrong turn again and hiked an extra 2 bonus miles. I didn¢t want to get my new shoes wet or muddy. I came to a stream and concentrated on the rock hops. I continued on the trail to the left and started a steep climb. During steep climbs I try to concentrate on form and tempo so I don¢t look up for the white blazes. Once the trail leveled out I started to look for blazes. I decided that if I didn¢t see any blazes by the next switchback then I would check my Guthook GPS app  Sure enough I was on the Virginia Creeper trail. A couple of locals happened by and confirmed that I wasn¢t on the AT. They tried to make me feel better by saying that where I made my mistake was a confusing intersection. I was mad at myself and ran most of the way back. I found the intersection and found the white blaze. I learned to be aware at all intersections and check Guthooks if I feel uneasy or don¢t see a white blaze after a few minutes. It was cold and windy on top of the ridges so I was hoping that the shelter would be tucked into some trees for a change. Thankfully it was because the lows were supposed to be in the upper 20s tonight. Just John was already setup in the shelter. He was doing work for stay at Crazy Larry¢s. He was pretty quiet at Crazy Larrys but I got him to open up and talk at the shelter. Last year he made it all the way to Maine and for some reason he had to quit.  So he was back to finish his lifelong dream of hiking this trail. I didn¢t ask why he had to quit and he didn¢t say. I always feel guilty when people tell me that they are fulfilling a dream by hiking the AT because I never really wanted to. I am falling in love with the trail and consider it a privilege to be able hike in such a wonderful wilderness. Tomorrow I get to see some wild ponies. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-20
From: Old Orchard Shelter 

To: Partnership Shelter 
Miles today: 23.9

AT Day 3223.9 miles to the Partnership ShelterI woke up to sub freezing temperatures probably in the upper 20s. My water bottles were slushy but not completely frozen. This is the best type of water to mix a coffee and hot cocoa powder. It tastes like a milkshake but the bottle and the air are freezing so you need to wear gloves to handle the bottle.I left camp about 7:40. It was light enough to hike about out at 7:20. The sun was shining and the cold air felt great to hike in I expected easier terrain than I had yesterday and had to hike around 24 miles to get to the Partnership Shelter. This is a very nice 2 story shelter located very close to the Mt Rodgers Visitor Center.  It¢s iconic because you can call from a phone outside the visitor center and order pizza delivery. There is a $30.00 minimum so luckily the 2 other hikers I was hiking with also wanted pizza. I had a barbecue chicken pizza and a large salad. The other 2 hikers are T-Rex and Hawk. I met them in Damascus. TRex was the guy that told me that I was hiking South last week. He¢s French Canadian and is a very fast hiker. Hawk has already done the AT several times and is planning a Yo Yo hike which means once he summits Katahdin he will hike back to Georgia. They both get up early and start hiking in the dark. Today they hiked 30 miles. This morning when I started hiking, despite wearing gloves, my entire fingers were frozen.  Trekking poles make it even colder. I had to put my trekking poles away and hike with my hands in my front pant pockets to warm them up.  Thankfully the trail wasn¢t full of obstacles like yesterday so I could make good time. I did get tripped by one of the many demonic loose sticks that line the AT. They usually jump up and stab you in your calf or shoes. Some of them jump up between your legs and trip you. Today I was trying to call Nancy (wife) and was watching my phone while walking. To teach me a lesson a stick tripped me and I fell down. I finally made it the entire way without taking a wrong turn. Tomorrow I hike about 11 miles to pickup a resupply box and take a Nero in Rural Retreat. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-21
From: Partnership Shelter 

To: Rural Retreat 
Miles today: 11.6

AT day 3311.6 miles to Rural Retreat (Relax Inn)TRex and Hawk were up at 5: o¢clock and out hiking by 5:30 in the dark. I have enough trouble avoiding trip hazards during the day there is no way my old eyes could make out enough details to keep from tripping in the dark. I left at first light and hiked with visions of town food and a warm bed filling my head. I got to Rural Retreat around 11:30 and checked into the Relax Inn where my resupply box was waiting. The motel is old but my room was clean and comfortable. I tried not to overeat but I didn¢t succeed. At least I stayed away from the beer and chips. My Therm-a-Rest  Xtherm has been losing air. It gets soft at least 3 times a night. I checked it for pinholes in the bathtub. No leaks so it must be the valve. I called customer service and their policy isn¢t very thru hiker friendly. So I ordered a ZLite Zero from Amazon and will have it sent to Woods Hole Hostel. This way I¢ll have some padding under my soft Xtherm. I¢m heading to Chestnut Knob Shelter tomorrow. It¢s going to be a cold and windy day. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-24
From: Jenny Knob Shelter 

To: Woods Hole Hostel 
Miles today: 21.8

AT day 36 3/2421.8 miles to Woods Hole HostelToday¢s goal was to hike 21.8 miles to Woods Hole Hostel where I was going to take a zero day. I wasn¢t supposed to get there Monday but because I hiked 34 miles yesterday I figured that I¢d get there around 4pm. I sent a text message to Neville, the owner of the hostel to let her know about my change in plans.For most of the day the trail followed the dismal creek drainage. This meant that it was mostly flat and easy to maintain a quick pace. The only thing that slowed me down was the occasional muddy section that I¢d have to navigate around. The climb out of the drainage was long and steep.  It seemed like they forgot about switchbacks. After the climb came a few miles of rocks. You pop out of the forest and the AT crosses Sugar Run road. The Woods Hole Hostel is located about a mile down the road. I couldn¢t believe how wonderful the place was. Neville greeted me, checked me in and made me feel at home. This was going to be the perfect place for a relaxing zero day tomorrow. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-26
From: Woods Hole Hostel 

To: Campsite at mile 645.2
Miles today: 20.1

Day 38 3/2620.1 miles to Campsite at mile 645.2I enjoyed another great breakfast at the Woods Hole Hostel this morning before I got back onto the trail. I got back on the AT around 9:30. An hour later than I planned but it didn¢t really matter because I only had 20 miles to hike today. My goal was to hike to the campsite 1.5 miles north of the Rice Field Shelter. The weather was cold and foggy when I started. Pretty good hiking weather. It seemed like most of the day was spent hiking uphill.  The uphills weren¢t bad because the majority weren¢t too steep. The climb out of Bluff City along the New River took all afternoon. The climb never stopped until I got to my campsite. I¢m trying a new nutrition plan. My old plan involved eating a nutrition bar every 2 hours. I wasn¢t getting enough calories and I would always be hungry. In addition I have lost at least 12 pounds. I¢m down to my Ironman racing weight and really can¢t afford to lose any more weight. Several days ago a nice young couple from Michigan took pity on me and gifted me some trail mix and the big fancy bread that I wrote about on the day that I hiked 34 miles. Anyway, the trail mix worked like magic for my energy levels and my feeling of fullness. So during my zero day I bought a pound of Walmart trail mix. I¢ve also watched enough hiking videos to know that a lot of hikers eat tortilla wraps for lunch. Some hikers put some pretty disgusting stuff on their tortillas. I bought some small tortillas to try out. I decided to put cheddar cheese and Fritos on mine.  I ate 2 for lunch and they were delicious and kept me feeling full. I also added dark chocolate M&Ms. I felt full all day and my energy levels were consistent. Tonight I¢m sleeping on a foam pad instead of my air mattress. I had to send my Xtherm mattress back for repairs  I¢m lying on it while I slowly type this with one finger on my iPhone 8 and it feels pretty good. After all hikers never had air mattresses in the old days. My plan for tomorrow is to hike to either War Spring Shelter which is 23.8 miles from here or continue on to Laurel Creek Shelter 29.7 miles away. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-27
From: Campsite at mile 645.2

To: War Spur Shelter 
Miles today: 23.9

Day 3923.9 miles to War Spur Shelter My mother always said that if you don¢t have anything nice to say then don¢t say anything at all. So I¢ve got nothing to say about today other than the weather was nice and I made it to the shelter in one piece. The picture tells the story. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-28
From: War Spur Shelter 

To: Campsite at mile 689.6
Miles today: 20.6

Day 40 3/2820.6 miles to Campsite at mile 689.6 Spring is on its way. Today for the first time I saw butterflies, bees, squirrels and a lizard. They were out enjoying a warm spring day. Gnats and flies were out but they couldn¢t stand my stench so they left me alone  This section of Virginia features long ridge walks with amazing views of the valleys and farmlands. The landscapes are so idyllic that it makes me wish that I were a painter. It¢s not all cruising along enjoying views on the ridges. The AT trail designers want to make sure that you don¢t get bored so they throw in these rocky knob obstacles that are called ledges on Guthooks. These require the agility of a mountain goat and a long attention span which are two things that I lack. I even trip on hidden roots on flat terrain. Another feature on the ridges is a lack of water. I¢m so used to cold weather hiking where can get by with two 700ml water bottles for the entire day. I¢m also used to having a spring every few miles. Well that¢s not happening on the ridges and I ended up slightly dehydrated which effects my agility and mood. Today on the ridges I was able to see the Bruisers Knob Cairns. They are stacks of big rock piles lined up along the ridge. According to Guthooks no one knows exactly how they got there but they could have been built by farmers. Those early farmers were made from sturdier stock than myself. I¢m indebted to them for making my path a little smoother. I also got to see an eastern continental divide sign. The concept is kind of mind blowing, the water running down the west slope will end up in the Gulf of Mexico while the water on the east travels to the Atlantic. I ended up the day camping all by myself to mile 689.6.  This will set me up for a cool morning hike up to the Audie Murphy memorial in the morning. My tent site selection was a fail because with all the leaf litter I didn¢t notice several thick roots and rocks. These became obvious once I lied down on my thin foam mattress. I shifted my mat around until I found a reasonable spot. Happy hiking, Silver Streak