morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Walnut Mtn. Shelter

To: Erwin
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

Yes folks, you read it correctly, the Wanderers have made it from 13 miles south of Hot Springs, NC to Erwin TN. We were on the trail this morning in record time: 6:20 AM. The sun wasn't even up. A lot of downhill hiking later, we cruised into Hot Springs at 11:18 AM. Wow, 13 miles before lunch. We could have pulled a marathon day if we had kept going. We all agree that we should start early more often. Dad's backpack had blown out before we got to Fontana, and he had called Granite Gear about the problem and was planning on trading out his pack at the outfitter here in Hot Springs. Unfortunatly, the outfitter didn't want to make the switch since they only had one pack in Dad's size. Luckily for us, Mala offered to give us a ride to an outfitter in Johnson City. He was going home and would be back in Hot Springs tommorrow evening. So he drove us all the way to Erwin where we got a room at a Super 8 and then he took Dad over to the outfitter. Dad got a new pack while Gear and I took showers and went through our food. We always seem to end up with extra. This is going to be our first time resupplying completly without a maildrop. When Dad got back we got supper at a nearby Huddle House and brought it back to the room. We all ate triple cheeseburgers and fries and boy were we stuffed. The funny thing is that in only a few hours we're hungry again. It must be our hiker appetites. Huge quantities of food get polished off rather easily these days. We've got runaway metabolisms.
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Erwin

To: Hot Springs Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

   We had an unbelievable Easter lunch at Miss Janet's House in Erwin before Mala drove us back to Hot Springs. She fed about 50 hungry thru-hikers until they were stuffed and there was still leftover food! Everything was delicious. I never saw so many different,delicious dishes at one time before. Mmmmmm.
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mtn Shetler
Miles today: 11.0

Dad's got his new pack and we resupplied in Erwin before Mala drove us back down. We mailed some of our extra clothes home this morning. Oh happy day! We've gotten rid of about 6 pounds and saved a lot of space. We haven't even used our long johns yet, and with this 80* weather we have way too much clothing. We still have our 0* sleeping bags so if we do get a cold spell we'll be fine. It will feel good to get back on the trail again. It's great seeing thru-hikers in town that we haven't seen for awhile. Some we didn't even know if they were still going.
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Spring Mtn Shetler

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

   This is why we like to tent; we were on the trail by 6:45 am. We were the first people on the trail: the webwalkers. It always feels great to know that you can have your miles done by early afternoon. The air is cooler and more wildlife are out and about in the morning. We saw three wild turkeys take flight.    A couple who had thru-hiked in 99 put on some trail magic at their home. We got to eat some Belgian waffles for breakfast, but so much for our early start.    We hiked over a rough section of trail right before the shelter. There was even a fork where a bad weather blue blazed trail branched off of the AT. We stuck to the white blazes and did a lot of rock climbing and scrambling through rhododendron bushes. We could see for miles wherever we could get above the rhododendron bushes. Those couple miles really took a lot out of a person. We made it to the shelter in time to get a spot.
Date: 2006-04-19
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Flint Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: light rain

   I¢m glad that we were able to sleep in the shelter last night because this morning the sky opened up. Thunderstorm and hail. Dad listened to his NOAA weather radio and found out that the storm was supposed to pass by 11am, so we decided to wait it out. Some people set off into the storm saying, ¢No pain, no rain, no Maine.¢ Others waited to find that the storm really did lift by 11am. We only left the shelter around 2. Dad and I caught up in our journals and Gear took a spelling test.    We hiked into camp with a lot of extra time today. We played a couple card games and Heartfire showed everyone how to play Sudouko.
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Bald Mtn. Shelter

To: Holiday Inn, Erwin TN
Miles today: 16.9

Wow,yesterday we hiked 18.8 and today we did 16.9! We were booking it. At one point we did 1 mile, uphill, in 13 minutes. Whew. I think the hot tub was calling us... A hot shower and complimentary pint of Ben & Jerry's later I'm ready to fill you in on our latest adventures. I won't try to keep up with every day in this journal because internet access on the trail seems to be about a week apart, but on to the good stuff. We stayed at Bald Mtn. shelter with Skunk, Dub, and another guy (Scooter?). We had thought about going further yesterday, but we had already put in a good 18.8 and NOAA was calling for thunderstorms. We woke up this morning to a dry, if cloudy, sky.
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Holiday Inn, Erwin TN

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: moderate rain

   We finished up our town chores today. While we were waiting outside the hotel to try and get a ride, we see the truck for Uncle Johnny's hostel in the A&W drive-thru. Gear runs over and sure enough we get a ride to the trail, but guess who's in the truck? Ork and Bean! We thought that they were long gone. They'd stayed at Uncle Johnny's to get Ork's pack strap fixed (someone else with a pack problem) and yesterday they slack-packed 19 miles. It seems like everyone's slack-packing. On our way out of town we ran into a bunch of guys slackpacking southbound. To us it feels like cheating, so we aren't going to slackpack at all. Dad keeps saying to all the slackpackers that we meet, "Slackpacking is a slippery slope, once you start down it soon you're skipping sections, and once you start skipping sections, what's the point in continuing? You might as well go home, because you're not thru-hiking anymore.   Today was an easy day for us. The rain let up by the time that we hit the trail, but there was water everywhere. It's the Appalachian Stream Trail. Time to trade in the hiking poles for paddles. At the one point, actually it was quite a few, we had to walk across a log because there was a roaring, rushing river crossing the trail. Almost everywhere the river was the trail, and we were walking upstream.
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: broken clouds

   We walked on a dirt instead of a water trail today. Today was a great day to hike: the sky was overcast, the temperature was cool. We stopped for lunch in the middle of a field, under a lone tree. On top of Beauty Spot, an open grassy area, we had some nice views looking out across the rolling hills and in front of us to the large mountain that we were going over next: Unaka Mtn. I liked Unaka Mtn better then Beauty Spot. There is something to be said of reaching the top after a long climb. On top of Unaka there was what looked like an enchanted forest. The trees suddenly went from haphazardly growing deciduous trees to rows upon rows of closely spaced pines and lots of moss. It was hard to pick out the trail from the thick carpet of needles. We had to keep a sharp eye looking for the next blaze so that we didn't get lost.   We were unpacking at the shelter that we were going to stay for the night when Seattle walked in. He was stopping at the shelter to brew a cup of tea before moving on to a campsite for the night. He said that it felt quite civilized, stopping in for a cup of tea.   That evening, while I was drawing in my journal, a mouse hopped onto my ankle. A warm fuzziness against my skin, a quick shake of my leg, and the mouse was scampering away under the shelter.      That night, there were only Leathersoul, his son Focus, us, and the mouse at the shelter.
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

   Today was perhaps the most difficult day yet. We were moving quickly, but all of the steep, long hills taxed our legs. We left the shelter at 7:45 without any more mouse incidents. As we turned to go, Leathersoul said that they'll be "seeing us momentarily". (They never caught up to us). We passed Lonestar slackpacking. We're not going to slackpack; it would feel like cheating to us. This is an expedition, not a day-hike series. We're finding that stopping for a little food more often is works better for us then stopping once for a full blown feast.    The last mountain was the killer. It just kept going up and up and up, with loose rocks and roots everywhere. The trail wasn't smooth at all: high steps and tight squeezes between rocks. We usually never stop on hills, but on this behemouth we stopped three times for a break. We thought that we had finally reached the top, that it was over, but no. There ahead of us, stretching into the sky, was more mountain to climb.    Finally, when we reached the top we dropped our packs and joined Seattle and Marco Solo for a rest at a nearby picnic table. It wasn't much further to our stop for the night, the highest shelter on the AT at 6,125'. No one else was there. The shelter was an old fire warden's cabin with an attic. We decided to sleep in the top. So many pine trees surroud this shelter that it feels like a Christmas tree farm. Eventually Leathersoul and Focus showed up proclaiming how astounded they were at our speed.   As we were cleaning up from supper we heard a pack of coyotes yelping. Everyone froze to listen. "Are those coyotes?" "Is that really what coyotes sound like?" "It sounds like they are excited over a kill."    There's no sound in the world that makes you realize how alone in the wilderness, how far from civilization you are, then a pack of coyotes yelping.   That was cool.
Date: 2006-04-25
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Doll Flats
Miles today: 12.4

   Today was a very relaxed, easy-going day. We hung out in the attic of the Roan Mtn Shelter, listening to the radio. It felt like we were in a house. When we left around eleven everything was misty, cold, and it was raining. By the time we made it down the evergreen shrouded mountain, the rain had stopped.   What a beautiful patch of hiking we had today. Up and over bald after grassy bald. Clouds were lying in the valleys, swirling across the trail in front of us, in the lower gaps between the tops of the balds. We stopped for lunch on one of the balds. We sat in teh grass and could see Little Hump and Hump Mtn in the distance.    We hiked into the Overmountain Shelter and ended up staying there for about two hours talking to a couple from Florida. Overmountain Shelter is an old, red, two-story barn with lots of gaps between the boards. I bet it gets cold in there on a windy night.    We left the shelter and were soon at the Hump Mtns. They were a steep hike. On the way down the far, sloping side of Hump Mtn we saw that we were in the middle of a longhorn cattle pasture! The humongous longhorns were standing, grazing not 30 feet from the trail. Gear kept making noises to catch their attention and Dad told Gear that we wouldn't be able to make it to the fence if they decided to stampede us. They didn't care that we were there, although they looked quite intimidating. Their horns stuck out of their heads like football field goal posts. They probably could have scooped the three of us up with their horns and none of us would've been piereced.   We decided to camp near Doll Flats. Rain had been teasingly threatening us all day and it finally broke loose as we just began eating supper. Thankfully we had everything set up already, so we just moved supper into our tent. As we had been setting up camp, Dad had said that it's better to be 15 minutes ahead then 15 minutes behind when the storm breaks.
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Campsite north of Vandeventer Shelter

To: Iron Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 2.9

   We didn't feel like hiking much today. We're behind in our sleep from our stay in town, so we decided to stop early today. We heard some weird owls tonight. At first I thought it was a coyote. We're the only ones in the shelter besides the mice. One just slid down the mouse rope and then off of our food bags.
Date: 2006-05-02
From: Iron Mtn Shelter

To: Campsite 1.9 miles before Damascus
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: scattered clouds

   With our summer set-up it's very quick to tear down in the morning. We hadn't been planning to go as far as we did, but we covered 16 miles by noon, so we decided to keep going.   Today a section hiking couple introduced us to ramps. They are some sort of wild onion and taste like a cross between onions and garlic. We were on the look-out for ramps the rest of the day.   We passed the TN/VA border a few miles before we set up camp. Three states down, eleven more to go.
Date: 2006-05-05
From: The Place, Damascus VA

To: Campsite near old railroad bridge
Miles today: 13.9

   We took it easy hiking out of town. We were hiking slow, talking. The trail wasn't steep or rocky. We hiked over ten miles and then Dad's right shin began to hurt. It hadn't hurt before at all, so we're not sure what could've happened. Then it started raining. The AT followed the Virginia Creeper trail for awhile. The trail used to be a railroad bed, so it made for easy walking. Bikers passed us, soaking wet and smiling. We wanted to get to the next shelter because of the rain, but Dad's leg hurt too much so we set up our tent near an old railroad bridge. That was the first time that we set up our tent in the rain and the inside didn't get very wet.
Date: 2006-05-06
From: Campsite near old railroad bridge

To: The Place, Damascus VA
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: overcast clouds

   This morning we could hear the bicyclists cruising across the old railroad bridge, on the Virginia Creeper Trail. We heard some people taking their time as they crossed. We weren't sure if they were hikers that we knew so Dad yelled up to them "Who goes there?". They timidly replied, "Cyclists". Dad yelled in deep, intimidating voice, "You may pass". A few moments later we heard, "Merry Christmas".   Dad and Gear crossed the stream near our tent to the parking lot on the other side. The cold water made Dad's leg feel better so we decided to continue on to Rt. 58 where we'd have a much better chance of getting a ride.   It took awhile, but Dad's leg started hurting again after we started hiking. We took our time and stopped at the shelter on the way there. The three Australian sisters were there: Vegimite-on-Toast, Bluey, and Waltzing Matilda. Vegimite let us try some vegimite that she had brought along from Australia. It's dark green, almost the color of apple butter, and has a distinctive taste. You only need a little. They said that the best way to eat it is on toast with a lot of margarine.   When we reached Rt. 58 we stuck out our thumbs as soon as we crossed the road and we were immediatly picked up by one of the bike shuttle vans from Damascus. Talk about good timing. It feels odd being out only one night and then coming back. Hopefully it won't take long for Dad's leg to heal.
Date: 2006-05-07
From: The Place, Damascus VA

To: The Place, Damascus VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

   Dad rested his leg today. It's a good thing that we had to come back to Damascus. A lot of people who had left earlier had to come back because the temperature was so low. Rapunzel said that there was even snow on top of Mt. Rogers.     We saw some friends that we hadn't seen in a long time: Johhny K, Fred, B-Maine, Soda Pop, Sue, and Lucky Dime. We had a great time catching up.
Date: 2006-06-15
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Church Hostel in Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

   For all those who have been wondering, the Wanderers are still wandering. We simply haven't found much internet access between Damascu and Waynesboro.    Waynesboro. We can hardly believe that we're here already. We almost thought that we wouldn't be able to finish our hike. Back when we first left Damascus, we only hiked about 11 miles out of town and Dad's leg started hurting. When the pain didn't stop, we camped overnight underneath a really cool, old railroad bridge and hiked out to the nearest road where we were lucky to get a ride from one of the local bike rental services. To make a long story short, we ended up spending two weeks and two days in the little town of Damascus, letting Dad's leg heal. We went to a hospital in nearby Abingdon to get it x-rayed because we thought it might be a stress fracture, but after talking to all sorts of people (doctors, fellow hikers,...) we believe it was some sort of tendon problem. Anyway, it was great timing because we were in Damascus for the entire length of Trail Days. We felt like locals. At the town-wide yard sale that kicks off the start of the Trail Days festivities, we bought two bikes. Gear and I cruised up the Virginia Creeper Trail, which is a rails-to-trails path that is beautifully flat. It's amazing how close things seem when you have bikes to ride. Even the other hikers at The Place (a hostel run by the local methodist church) got a kick out of using the bikes.   We had a great time in Damascus. Mom and Allison came down for the last two days of Trail Days. Then we went back to Kincora for Hardcore where we had a blast helping to build a shelter and dig new trail.       Anyway, Dad's leg feels great and we're putting in the miles now to give us more time later on.
Date: 2006-06-21
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 28.2
Weather: overcast clouds

      This was our hardest day yet. We completely weren¢t expecting it. We use Wingfoot¢s thru-hiker handbook and he didn¢t mention it at all. Nothing. No elevation changes. Nothing.   Jeez!        We took our time in the morning packing up and leaving the Jim and Molly Denton shelter. The shelter was like a little cabin in the woods. There was a solar shower, a deck attached to the front of the shelter, and one of the most comfortable benches we¢ve ever had the pleasure of sitting on.         18 miles later we could have used that bench when we came upon a little paper sign tacked onto a tree that read: ¢Attention Hikers, you are about to enter the roller coaster. It is maintained by the Trail Boss and his merry crew of volunteers. Stop in to see the Trail Boss at the ATC Blackburn Center, if you survive.¢ Where did that come from? It wasn¢t in our book! Is this a joke?        Nope. There was a roller coaster. The trail went straight up and straight down those hills, and the hills were a lot closer to mountains then molehills. Up and down. Too bad there weren¢t any little carts to sit in like they have on a regular roller coaster. Up and down. It was really hot and humid and the trail was full of rocks. Up and. When we got to the top of each of the first three hills we¢d rest a little to let ourselves cool off and then down the other side we¢d go.   We thought we remembered someone saying something about three mountains and maybe these were it. Nope. Up and down. When were they going to end? Up and down. Up and we finally made it to the Bear¢s Den Hostel, where we planned to spend the night.         28.2 miles today and that was up and over 7 of the 10 hills of the roller coaster. We talked to some people who used the ATC Companion as their guidebook, and found out that their book listed the roller coaster and said that it contained 10 hills. Whew, seven was enough for us after already hiking 18 miles. Everyone else had been complaining about the Wingfoot book, but we had given him the benefit of the doubt because the discrepancies had been small. But 10 hills in a row! That¢s not a small thing.        We survived and now live to tell the tale of the ten huge hills in northern Virginia. Beware.
Date: 2006-06-27
From: Quarry Gap Shelters

To: James Frye Shelter
Miles today: 24.5

      Wettest day yet! And we passed the halfway point! We¢ve done it. Over half of the trail has been hiked. We¢re excited to get up north to places where we¢ve never been before. This rainstorm has to have brought PA out of its drought. The sky dumped on us, but we were going to make it to the Half-Gallon Challenge.      We met Pillbox, Dancer, and Bright Eyes on the way there, at a shelter that had a bat sleeping in the rafters. Don¢t get me wrong, it was one of the cleanest shelters that I¢ve seen. PA has some great shelters. Close to the Mason-Dixon Line we passed double shelters. At one area, the left shelter was labeled ¢snoring¢ and the right one was labeled ¢no snoring¢.       1,087 miles is the halfway point and we passed it right before the Pine Grove Furnace General Store. We all attempted the Half-Gallon Challenge. We didn¢t eat anything for lunch so that we¢d be good and hungry, but it was really hard to sit with an open box of ice cream in front of you while you wait for it to soften. Dad made quick work of his half gallon of peanut butter twirl, clocking in at 15 minutes 16 seconds. (The record was somewhere around 2 minutes, but they melted their ice cream in the microwave and chugged it.) Gear almost finished his Moose Tracks with only a cup or two left, and I got about half way before the sweetness became overwhelming. You know it¢s bad when you can hardly get a spoonful down without feeling like you have to puke. I don¢t think that we¢ll ever eat ice cream again. Well, maybe for a little while.       We weren¢t sure if we could hike after eating that much and it was getting late, but we didn¢t really want to stay in a hotel. So at 6:00 we put on our raingear and headed back out into the pouring rain. A few paces down the trail and we soon find ourselves in the middle of a river. We look around to make sure that we¢re on the trail and sure enough there are the white blazes guiding us through 3ft deep water. So much for wanting to go swimming in Fuller Lake, we were practically swimming down the trail. At one point, Gear had to lift up his backpack so that it wouldn¢t get wet. As we sloshed through the water we passed picnic tables, grills, and restrooms. The water had some current to it, but we were okay as long as we kept walking.      Thankfully, we didn¢t have that much water on the rest of the trail. We didn¢t expect to make it to the shelter before dark, but we did. We were flying over those rocks and through the water. The 8-12 inches on some parts of the trail seemed like nothing after that flood.