morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: broken clouds

Long day today with an early start on an easy downhill to Sam's Gap. I pass this area when driving from Asheville to Baltimore--my little Civic resists the climb--so it was neat to approach it from an entirely different vantage point.We then climbed steadily up to gorgeous Big Bald with its 360 degree views. Everywhere, solemn and grand mountain silhouettes. Saw and owl and some deer. At lunch, Dave told me the heart-thumping sound I'd been hearing are male grouse beating their wings to their sides.The afternoon felt trying, even though it was just a long descent. Just felt like it dragged on. We a little low of food again. Looking forward to Erwin tomorrow.I cooked up my dinner first after we set up our tent, then retired to do some writing while Spider cooked his dinner. From my tent, I heard Dave sprint from the shelter where he was set up and start puking. Spider came over to the tent to finish eating. Seems like another victim of the hiker plague. Lady Gray and Sandman are also here, and happily there is no one else in the shelter with Dave.
Date: 2013-04-08
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Chestoa Bridge (Erwin)
Miles today: 6.3

Well. I started to feel sick last night, very nauseous and feverish. I wonder if I managed to keep from puking by sheer willpower, my body so reluctant to relinquish any calories. Spider was feeling bad, too, so in the morning we decided to stay in Erwin and rest. We don't know if we have the hiker plague, since neither of us have puked, but I have diarrhea and we both feel awful. It's like a light version, and we don't want to get any worse. We're opting for a motel room tonight instead of risking getting folks sick at the hostel.We caught an easy hitch into town and are at the library until our room is ready, then we'll be resting at the Super 8 until tomorrow.
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Chestoa Bridge (Erwin)

To: Little Bald Knob
Miles today: 18.0

We woke and ate breakfast at the hotel, quickly deciding to pitch our early start and catch Miss Janet's shuttle with Lady Gray. Many thanks to Miss Janet for all her generosity of spirit toward hikers!Gorgeous hot sunny weather today. Spider and I hike the first eight miles quickly and delightedly, rolling up our sleeves to soak in the sunshine. It feels like spring has sprung. We saw two snakes sunning themselves on the trail and a toad by Curly Maple Gap Shelter. At Indian Grave Gap, we found Fresh Ground's set up and parked ourselves there for several hours. We chatted with Fresh Ground for a minute before the hikers started pouring in: Patriot, Cody Coyote, Northern, BB Clif and Loogie, Lady Gray, Mainiac, all absolutely joyful to be there. We ate obscene amounts of food--hot dogs, salad, banana pancakes, eggs and bacon, oranges, sodas, coffee and hot chocolate... We left with full bellies and full hearts, talking for the next few miles about our gratitude for Fresh Ground's service to the trail and to thru-hikers. We climbed up to the aptly named Beauty Spot and then up to Unaka Mountain, through its dense summit forest of conifers, so lovely. Saw two turkeys in Deep Gap.We stealth camped a mile or so past Cherry Gap Shelter, a nice little spot over a beetle patch. We intend to avoid the shelters altogether until the sickness receeds.We celebrate a month on the trail tonight (and my sister Alex's birthday). It's been wonderful; our bodies are strong, our muscles growing, our joints and connective tissue holding together. Even my feet feel OK. And our spirits are soaring...
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Little Bald Knob

To: Buckeye Gap
Miles today: 22.0

Although the first few miles looked like a breeze on the elevation profile, I was dragging. I feel fatigued, tired on the cellular level, and so tied to our schedule. There's a thunderstorm forecast and I want to be sure we've made it off Roan Mountain before it hits.Spider and I usually hike together, and I found this especially helpful today. He kept me on track, motivated me to keep going, and helped lighten the situation with conversation. We got to the base of Roan Mountain before Spider took off to cruise to the top at his own speed.We made it up beautiful Roan Mountain, all snow and ice. I saw a grouse in action on the way up. Spider met me at the blue blazed trail to the shelter, but neither of us felt like making the iced-over trek uphill. The A.T. was hard enough--thick snow and ice on the north side and gushing streams of water on the warmer south side of the mountain. We made it down mostly without incident, save when Spider fell on the last ten feet of ice. He was OK.We enjoyed cold sodas left in a stream by Carter's Gap and had fun hiking leisurely over Round Bald and Jane Bald. Despite my tiredness, which had barely abated, we accidently hiked a 22-mile day.Best part of the day? Magnificent sunrise.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Buckeye Gap

To: Mountaineer Falls Shelter
Miles today: 18.9

Another gorgeous sunrise this morning. I felt priviledged to witness it.Pretty climbs up Little Hump Mountain and Hump Mountain, both balds majestic in the clear morning sunshine. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and the forecasted rain held off.We left North Carolina today, just past Dolls Flat, and now just have a stretch of Tennessee to traverse before crossing into mighty Virginia. A perverse welcome to good ole TN: tons of trash left, as if dumped, at road crossings.Mountaineer Falls Shelter is so pretty that we stopped for the day. With no signs of sickness and Tekakwinta and Dave both settled in on the first floor, we decided to also spend the night in the shelter. We were both asleep before dark.
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Mountaineer Falls Shelter

To: Dennis Cove Rd (Kincora)
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Tremendous storm last night; we were grateful to be in a shelter, cozy and listening to the rain beat against the roof. We woke at 6:30am and packed up, since the rain had paused... and then it started raining before we even got back to the white blazes. Oh well.We cruised all day, nearly at 3mph, to get to Kincora Hikers Hostel as early as possible. By late morning, the rain subsided and our pace increased, and we made it to Dennis Cove Road by 1pm.We enjoyed a leisurely afternoon, with showers, laundry, a private cabin, and a lot of time hanging out in the kitchen/common room with our friends Ambassador (who we last saw before getting stuck in Gatlinburg), BB Clif and Loogie, and section hikers Cribbage and Hobbit. Bob Peoples took us to Hampton to resupply and then told us stories all evening. Ambo and I made brownies for all and we went to sleep full, rested, and content.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Dennis Cove Rd (Kincora)

To: Vendeventer Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept in, ate breakfast, packed up slowly. We were the last to leave but didn't mind the late start.The trail by Laurel Fork Falls and up (and down) Pond Flats was beautiful (thanks, Bob!). The trail then takes a lazy route around Watauga Lake, parts of which were underwater after the big storm. We took our shoes off and waded through, and Spider even gave me a piggyback through one stretch.Long climb up after the Dam. I fell once and gunked up my ankle, but it's nothing serious. At least we had nice spring-like weather.We're staying at the shelter tonight, as there isn't much in the way of tent sites and we got here too late to move on. This section is right up on the ridge of Iron Mountain. The water source is way off down a steep side trail, ugh.
Date: 2013-04-14
From: Vendeventer Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 32.9

Longest day yet! We got to an early start. Climbed around the Iron Mountain ridgeline with views that reminded Spider of Newfoundland, then descended to the Tennessee Turnpike: handicap-accessible trail, minimal elevation gain/loss. We took a long lunch at Double Springs Shelter, where we came up with a tentative plan to get to Damascus that night.We got to Abingdon Gap Shelter by 6pm, chatted with Ambo, Cribbage, and Hobbit for a minute, and decided to go for it. We cruised for three hours, got out our headlamps at dark, and made it to Damascus around 9:30pm. We found our way to The Place and Bayou let us in and gave us two bunks. Phew.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Zero day!Breakfast at In the Country--so delicious. The folks there were so nice to us, and the portions were awfully generous. Spider finished all his food; I had to take some leftovers (devoured as soon as my belly digested a little).New shoes at Mt. Roger's Outfitters--for Spider, but no luck finding shoes for me. Oh, well, what's another few hundred miles on these old Montrails?Pizza buffet lunch at Pizza Plus--quantity over quality. We snuck some salad in, too.Resupply at Food City--we bought too much food.Happy Hour at The Blue Blaze Cafe--they had Duck Rabbit Milk Stout on tap!! So we spent a lovely few hours chatting with Wild Blue and Crush and a few other familiar faces.Dinner with Bayou and Paul at The Hiker's Inn--Bayou invited us to have some rice and beans, a wonderful homestyle meal with wine and chocolate mousse, so perfect. We chatted for a minute with Ambo, Wild Rain, and Tin Man after dinner, before retiring for the night.Then Spider drank a whole carton of half-and-half and threw up a little (he's OK).
Date: 2013-04-16
From: Damascus

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Another late start coming from town. We tried to leave early, but had to wait for the Post Office to open to send a box to Baltimore, and then we got sucked back for a minute... I was standing outside of Cowboy's while Spider used the ATM and some sweet older man brought me out some potato wedges. Then, with our packs on and our sights set on hiking, we somehow found ourselves walking into Mojoe's instead, ordering smoothies and sitting down to hang out with Sandman, Wild Blue, Crush, and Long Haul... and an hour later, we finally re-entered the woods.Thanks for a good time, Damascus!It was hot, hot, hot today. We took our time, stopping to jump into the river with Wild Rain and Tin Man, BB & Loogie, and Wild Blue. Saw a grouse climbing up Straight Mountain. Really pretty trail.We pulled in to Lost Mountain Shelter an hour or more after Streaker, set up our tent, made our dinner, and were chatting when Wild Rain and Tin Man stopped by for a break during their night hike. They convinced Wild Blue to pack up his stuff and continue hiking another hour or two with them. Crush, Streaker, Spider, and I elected to stay put.
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

A thunderstorm last night soaked our tent, though we stayed dry inside. I remember waking up in the middle of the night to lightening and thunder, but in my sleepy state I thought the rain might not come. Spider and I agree that next time we see lightening and hear thunder, we will pack up our tent and move to the shelter to keep dry. Packing up a wet tent and carrying the extra water weight sucks.We got a little break from the rain while we ate breakfast and finished packing up, but the storm system hadn't quite passed by. Just as we started climbing Mt. Rogers, the rain started again. Sweaty from climbing and soaked from the rain, nothing stayed dry. Spider had decided not to put his rain jacket on and was miserable and shivering from the cold once we reached elevation, but wouldn't stop to put his jacket on to stay warmer. I put a trash bag over him, but it didn't help. When we reached Elk Garden Rd, he caught up to me in his jacket, warm, sheepish. "I'm still learning how to hike," he said, and we laughed.Just past the road, we met our first feral pony, a brave creature whose curiosity didn't extend past whether we had food or not. We hiked on, with a long break at Thomas Knob Shelter, where we met the second pony. This pony licked Spider's sweaty legs until we couldn't take it anymore, laughing so hard. Assault lick!Gorgeous hiking around Grayson Highlands, rocks and grass sleek with rain and majestic even under cloudy skies. It felt like central Madagascar. It was a different world, even briefly.We're spending the night at Wise Shelter since we think it might rain tonight. It's the exact 500 mile mark for northbounders. Hanging out with Linus and BB & Loogie. Had two dinners. Good day overall.
Date: 2013-04-18
From: Wise Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 30.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Long day, big miles.We started at 5am, packed and ate breakfast. We were hiking by 6am. With a loose goal of Partnership Shelter, where you have pizzas delivered, Spider devised a schedule for the day: three shifts of 10 miles, with a break in between. It went well. The first shift started slow, with headlamps on until the sun rose and navigating roots and rocks, but gained speed; we took a break after Iron Mountain, just across from the shelter. Our second break was 20 mi into the day, at Trimpi Shelter, or rather it was at the junction in the trail, since we didn't want to walk another 0.3 mi if we didn't have to. My feet were hurting, but it was early and we thought we could make it, so we continued. Almost immediately we ran into some trail magic from a local church. The last leg was long, but worth it. We didn't even order pizzas, but it felt wonderful to be able to execute such a long day.Many people in this nice shelter, which has a composting toilet, a shower, and a sink with running water. Hopefully, no one snores.
Date: 2013-04-19
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Crawfish Valley Campsite
Miles today: 17.9

We got up and headed out as early as we could, before the rain hit. Since we bought so much food in Damascus, we don't have to resupply in Marion. So off we go.We took a breakfast break at Chatfield Shelter and talked with Splinter about the PCT and still the rain held off. We ambled on to the 81 junction where we were surprised and delighted to see a gas station and a restaurant. Because we only had part of the guide book up until Damascus, we hadn't looked ahead much to see what was coming up in Virginia. We were pleased to be able to get more bars and have a meal. As we were sitting inside devouring the 1lb Hiker Burger, the monsoon came.So we lingered, with coffee and pie, as long as we could, letting the rain die back a little, but we wanted to push on instead of spending money on a motel room. We left in the rain, hiked some miles, and set up camp in the late afternoon. It's a pretty little campsite near a stream, surrounded by rhododendron.
Date: 2013-04-20
From: Crawfish Valley Campsite

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 26.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We slept in and lingered long into the morning under the guise of "drying things out." Nothing dried, oh well. It was a brisk, autumnal morning.Finally got going around 10am. The seven miles to Knot Maul Shelter were nice, especially once we started warming up. We stopped at the shelter to dry out the tent, etc., while we had a snack. I didn't stake down the tent when I was set it up, since there wasn't much of a breeze, but as soon as I sat down at the picnic table I see the tent flying down the hill! I rescued it and secured it, somehow all without Spider noticing (he was in the privy).We decided to push for Jenkins so we could see Fresh Ground early tomorrow. A steep climb up to Chestnut Ridge was rewarded with views of Burkes Garden ("God's thumbprint"). We cooked dinner at the stone Chestnut Knob Shelter and then headed out, prepared to do a bit of night hiking. Just as it was getting dark, we ran in to two day hikers on their way back to their truck who gave us lots of unwanted advice against night hiking. Bleh. We ignored it and enjoyed a lovely walk under a bright half moon. Got to camp around 11pm, set up our tent as quietly as possible, and fell right asleep.
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Jenkins Shelter

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

We slept in a little after our late night. Saw Splinter again this morning and talked more about the PCT. Spider and I are both thinking it may be in our future...We were the last ones out of camp. Hiked the five miles to Fresh Ground's and parked there for a few hours, eating and talking with Fresh Ground and the waves of hikers passing through. He seemed tired but eager for us to eat. I cleaned up a bit while Fresh Ground was resupplying, and then we moved on. As always, Spider and I were so grateful for his kindness.The afternoon hike was nice and we passed the time talking about farming and homesteading. At US 52, a couple pulled their car over to give us ginger ale, apples, and snack bars. We saw turkeys, accidently scaring them into flight.It's a nice night and we have a fire going at the shelter. Kat and Firehands, and Kat's sisters, are here, along with Frost.
Date: 2013-04-22
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: clear sky

Well it feels like autumn again, cold and crisp. We switched sleeping bags last night, and I was so cozy in my dad's 20 degree bag.Long, pretty ridge walk to Jenny Knob Shelter, where we took a break. It was hard for me to get moving again after that. But we hiked on...All the buds are out, some early blooms. The weather has been so strange this year, with hot spells and cold spells all out of order. I thought is was spring, maybe summer, what feels like weeks ago, and now it feels like spring might be just around the corner--and of course it felt like October this morning. What's going on??We stopped at Dismal Creek Falls for a bit of trail magic provided by some thru-hikers from last year. They have the right idea. We hung out, swapping stories and munching on oranges and chips for a while, then Spider took a quick dip in the Falls before we moved on (brr!). It was a very flat last six miles to Wapiti Shelter. We have it all to ourselves; there is another person camping but we haven't seen them all night. Bright moon, clear skies.
Date: 2013-04-23
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 7.2

Up at 7am, out by 7:30. Our goal was to get to Woods Hole Hostel as early as possible to rest and relax and get some food. We ate the last of our food for breakfast.We had a big climb and then some gentle miles. It didn't take us long to get there. We did have some excitement toward the end of our hike when we nearly walked into a prescribed burn. We got to the area before they posted signs that the prescribed burn was taking place. When we started hiking into this area, two of the Forest Service employees who had just driven up were confused. One of them started calling out, "Helllooo?" And we, thinking it might just be someone saying hey, called back "Hi!" and kept on walking. It takes this man a minute, but he finally tells us we can't hike through because there's a burn going on. We hike back to their truck and ask them about it, since we hadn't seen any signs or anything. Just then, another Forest Service person drives up with the signs. It's 10:30am.As we walk along the road that runs parallel to the trail for the last mile, we see the burn is well underway.We make it to Woods Hole Hostel, a sweet hideaway with a farm, and check in. Pat's gave gifted us a private room for the night. We take showers, do laundry, and find ourselves sitting around in plush robes. Not so bad. We bought some homemade bread and cheese, milkshakes, and a homecooked dinner. Pat signed me up for a massage, even!
Date: 2013-04-24
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Delicious breakfast of grits, eggs, cinnamon buns, bread and jam, orange juice, and coffee.Neville announced she was going to Pearisburg, so we gave her our packs to drop off in town and slackpacked the first ten miles. It felt like flying, so nice.We arrived in town and went to the Mexican place where Neville had told us she would drop off our packs... and they weren't there. We ate, growing more anxious as to their whereabouts. The restaurant let us borrow their phone; turned out Neville just hadn't left the house yet. Woods Hole is a busy, busy place.We resupplied, went to the post office, and got our packs. After a second lunch at DQ and a phone call with my sister, we were off.Almost immediately, it started to downpour. As we were frustratedly searching for the trail to leave town, we were getting soaked. To top it off, the six or so miles out of Pearisburg are on or near roads, right by a gross industrial complex. No thanks. Then we hiked uphill to what must be the longest switchback on the trail (two miles). By the time we got to the shelter, it had stopped raining, but I suspected another storm was coming by the sky. The shelter was full and the folks there helpfully informed us that no one else would fit. There's a big crew hiking all together and I think they set up camp there early. OK. Spider and I moved to set up our tent quickly and get dinner started--and another downpour hit just as we were finishing dinner.
Date: 2013-04-25
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Cold, cold, cold this morning. The drops of water on our tent all froze. I felt reluctant to get up.Long ridge walk this morning. We stopped along the way to eat breakfast. The sun was out intermittently, but it felt chilly. It warmed up by the time we got to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, where we took a long lunch. We decided to call it an early day and just hike to the next shelter. So we did, finding trail magic sodas from Dirty Bird (thank you!) to fuel us up the final climb. We're here alone tonight. Making dinner, stretching, gazing at the full moon.
Date: 2013-04-26
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Brilliant moon all night. Had a nice sleep. Spider let me sleep in, so we got a late start (it was worth it). Rocks all over the first bit of trail. There were some pretty views, but my mind kept drawing back to the rocks. We took a little break at War Spur and came up with a plan for the day. We're trying to get to Homeplace by Sunday. We hiked on to Laurel Creek Shelter, cooked our dinner, then took off for a 12.4 mi hike to Niday Shelter.We did it, but it was tough. There was a big climb after the Keffer Oak (which is awe-inspiring) that we plowed through. Night came during the long ridge walk, and we continued hiking. The trail was constructed over slanted rocks, which was hard on our feet and ankles. It wasn't an pleasant a hike as I might have wanted. Our spirits were low by the time we got to Niday, around 10:30pm. We set up our tent and passed out.