morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-05-01
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Moutaineer Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning, the dayhikers were cooking up bacon and eggs. They were going to share with us, so we waited around for a bit but it was taking far too long so we had to head out. It was a nice gesture, but we ultimately got a late start for no reason. Again, I passed some nice balds and came across some trail magic of beer at Applehouse Shelter. AAA, Jessee, Amanda, Gotta Go, and I each had a well deserved beer at the shelter. Gotta Go has been averaging 30+ miles per day through his hike.        I was super hungry today and did a food invententory, from which I decided I could make it to Damascus without resupplying. Of course, I was very careful not to make the mistake I made at Fontana Dam. I passed some nice waterfalls today, where Fishnets decided to set up his hammock directly over the falls. I, however, headed up to Mountaineer Shelter where I called it a day.
Date: 2011-05-02
From: Moutaineer Shelter

To: Laurel Fork Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Today's hike was good. It was a nice day with good terrain and lots of water along the way. I ran into Red Beard and Spikoli at Moreland Shelter. They had bushwhacked 8 miles to cut off 48 miles. From Moreland Gap, I hiked with Dirty Harry most of the way and we kept a nice, easy pace.There was some really nice scenery after Dennice Cove and then some wicked waterfalls (Laurel Falls). I took a dip in my clothes to cool off and have a cheeky wash. The shelter for the night (Laurel Fork) was small and situated on a rocky outcrop. There was really nowhere to tent or to go to the bathroom. I almost slipped down a wee waterfall trying to get water. There were mice running all over the place and they kept us up all night, so I did not sleep well.
Date: 2011-05-03
From: Laurel Fork Shelter

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

First thing, there was a big 1700' climb up to pond flats which was terribly steep towards the end. From there, it was easy descent to Watuga Lake, which was really nice. I was grateful for tap water, which I was able to fill my Camelbak with. I caught another 3' black rat snate at Watuga Lake Shelter!It was a hot day and I mostly hiked with Dirty Harry again for most of the afternoon. We ran into Red Beard again, along with Fishnets, and Cheech who were trying to barter for water.We heard storms were coming in at 4pm so we stopped at the water and made it to the shelter just in the nick of time. We had 7 people in a 6 man shelter along with 2 tenters. There was a section hiker who had an ace tarp to help block out the rain. It was very helpful considering the majority of the shelters only have 3 walls and it is easy to still get wet even while in the shelters. I was still pretty effin' hungry today so I need to keep trying to figure out what my body needs with the amount of calorie expenditure I am exerting each day.The shelter we stayed in (Vandeventer) is supposedly haunted. Most of the stories say that a hiker killed a fellow female hiker and then chucked her body off a cliff. Unfortunately, the ghosts were deterred by the rain and didn't make an appearance.
Date: 2011-05-04
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: TN 91
Miles today: 11.3

Despite the cold and rain last night I slept quite well. It was a really cold morning and it took a while to get moving. I played leap frog with Bo and Dirty Harry most of the morning, each of us speeding up, slowing down, and passing each other at various times. I was crossing nice terrain and stopped at Iron Mountain for a snack. There I found a bear proof box with some trail magic.At handicapped trail, I ran into Riff Raff at about 2pm. Riff Raff is a group of previous thru-hikers and friends who offer up some real trail magic and really give a great morale boost for hikers. They are a great bunch, to say the least. Superman, Micayla, and Ziggy were hosting the festivities today. Their trail magic started out with a few sips of moonshine and then a beastly bologna sandwich, and some cocktails. We all got pretty bombed so I decided to pitch my tent and just stay there for the night because I am anticipating a big day tomorrow. Poor Dirty Harry was pretty wasted and could not figure out how to unzip his tent quickly enough and ended up puking inside. Luckily he was planning on getting off the trail fairly soon anyway so he didn't have to worry about spending a few months in a pukey tent.Good times today thanks to Riff Raff!!!
Date: 2011-05-05
From: TN 91

To: Damascus, VA (Hiker's Inn)
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

This morning I got an offer to slackpack from Riff Raff. We took off at 9am with Dirty Harry but left him rather quickly. There was a cool breeze and it was sunny, equaling ace hiking!On my way, I saw a pack on a table at Low Gap with gear neatly organized around it, as well as two golden retrievers, but no people. It seemed very strange but I thought maybe the person was off gathering water or using the restroom.I had lunch at Abingdon Gap Shelter with Half-Man. After lunch I did the last 10 miles of today's hike in 2 hours 45 minutes! When I got into Damascus, I did a food resupply at Dollar General which saved me a bit of money. I checked in at the hostel and saw Gator. I was able to shower, wash clothes, and hung my tent.We did a beer run and went to a local bar which had pretty good food. I was talking to some other hikers and they said that they had also passed the pack on the picnic table but a couple hours ahead of me and behind me. I thought it was very strange that it had been there for so long and was worried that something may have happened to the hiker. Yesterday, an older man had passed us when we were with Riff Raff and he was very cold so I thought it could have been his pack. I called the police to see if they could go check on it since it was a bit odd. They called back after midnight and said the pack was gone, so I guess whoever it belonged to was okay after all. Still strange...The bed at the hostel is nice and I am looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Date: 2011-05-06
From: Damascus, VA (Hiker's Inn)

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

Since I was able to hang my tent last night, it was finally dry. I went to breakfast with Gator and slowly began to pack up my gear. I didn't leave until after lunch time because it was raining quite a bit. I stopped by Subway on my way out to have a good lunch to prep me for the day's hike. With that and my resupply, I again had too much food weight. I guess it is the best extra weight to have but it is a bit frustrating.I'm just not in the mood for hiking today but keep going. I should have stayed in Damascus for a zero...I tackled two big climbs, one 1000' and one 1100'. I was going at my slowest pace in a looooong time. I started hiking at 12:45pm and by the time I got to the shelter I was the only one there. I threw my bear line early and people started slowly trickling in. Eugene and BC came in at about 7pm...ish and then some other blocke (Raccoon, maybe) came in at about 1am.
Date: 2011-05-07
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: broken clouds

I seem to have gotten up a bit early today compared to everyone else and did not want to wake anyone with packing all of my gear. I started hiking at about 9am and did a bit on the Virginia Creeper Trail. It used to be an old railroad line that had a fairly steady incline which the trains had a difficult time getting up. They would barely be creeping up that section. As for hiking on it, it was easy and very pretty. It was another nice day with good weather which made for enjoyable hiking.I had lunch at Lost Mountain Shelter with Black Beard and ran into some trail magic from some day hikers. There was beef jerky, fruit, and fruits snacks. I passed severl nice day hikers. The shelter I stayed in tonight had weekend warriors (2 week girls and 2 dads). I met Jingles and a southbound (SOBO) section hiker. I didn't have dinner tonight due to getting stuffed with trail magic at the gap.
Date: 2011-05-08
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Hurricaine Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Last night was riddled with terrible storms but luckily I was able to stay dry. Through the day, the rain was still pretty bad, coming in sideways and making all the rocks very slippery. I couldn't see more than 10' ahead of me because of all of the rain. After Wise Shelter the weather cleared up a bit and I met up with Socks and Doobie, as well as Jingles at Old Orchard Shelter. I had quite a bit of energy and ran up the last hill. There was another group at the shelter when I got there. Tomorrow I will do a food inventory and set up a time to meet Serena on Wednesday.I passed 500 miles today!!! I'm pretty excited about that!
Date: 2011-05-09
From: Hurricaine Mountain Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

I woke up super early this morning (5:30 am) and hit the trail at 6:15 which was the earliest so far. It was a nice brisk morning and kept going because I wanted to be early to Partnership shelter so I could get some pizza for dinner. I was given water by the vanulance man and pressed on to Tripm shelter for an early lunch. I passed Fishnets going SOBO for Trail Days in Damascus.Because of my early day and good pace, I got to Partnership shelter at 3:15pm which was ace! It was a nice day with some trail magic by a lady. We were able to get showers, drinks, and pizza at the shelter because it is right by a visitor's center. Aaron couldn't find a towel so he had to dry off with toilet paper...amusing! The loft smelled like feet, but with so many hikers passing through, what should I expect? I also made my first mouse-proofing contraption for my bear bag. It was a nice, refreshing night and I ate a bit too much pizza...
Date: 2011-05-10
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: light rain

There was rain in the forecast for the morning so I got a late start trying to wait it out. I also didn't want to push too far beause Serena will be meeting me tomorrow for a ride back to Damascus to enjoy Trail Days.The weather started out pretty nice. I saw a large doe on the trail and we played the stand-off game for a while, as she tried to figure me out. She moved on a bit and then a fawn appeared and quickly fell over. It was so small and so young that it could not walk well yet. I got as close as possible with Aaron and we took some pictures of the little guy. He eventually got freaked out and had enough energy to run off where he promptly fell over again.I got to Chatfield in the afternoon and Serena said the rain would be fierce. RC Slowpoke, Turtle, 3 section hikers, Y-knot, and his wife were all at the shelter and we had 8 hikers in a 6 man shelter. There were savage thunderstorms all night, so I was definitely glad to have the shelter.
Date: 2011-05-11
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: O'lystery Pavilion
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

The morning was still quite damp and misty, but luckily it wasn't raining any longer. I started early and pushed through the first 5 miles before 9am where I had breakfast in Atkins. I was able to finalize the meeting place and time for pickup with Serena.I met up with Plan B and we put on our rain jackets because it was spitting rain. Of course, as soon as we put them on, it stopped raining. And then as soon as we took them off, it started raining again. A bit frustrated, we left them off, as the temperature was high enough that we wouldn't get too cold, even in the rain. I passed Plan B and then shortly jumped off the trail for a stealth dump and Plan B unknowingly passed me on the trail. When I caught back up with him, I asked him how he got ahead of me because he had not passed me. He was so confused. I told him that he must have blue-bazed a portion without realizing it and skipped ahead. He spent several minutes being pretty bummed and trying to decide if he should go back and figure out where he went wrong so that he passed every white blaze on the trail. After a few minutes of amusement, I let him in on my tom-foolery, much to his relief, LOL!We kept a solid pace for most of the day, except for trekking through the mud. The mud was horrific and I almost fell 6-7 times. Because of the difficulty getting through all the mud, I was slightly later than planned for meeting with Serena. We gave Plan B and Navigator a ride to Damascus and then Serena and I stayed in a little motel in Bristol, VA because everything was booked in Damascus and Abingdon. It is crazy how many people are coming in for trail days.Since we were fairly close, we made the additional 45 minute drive back down to Johnson City to have some of that amazing Indian food that we discovered on the zero day in Erwin. Ace.
Date: 2011-05-12
From: O'lystery Pavilion

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

Today was the first zero day for Trail Days. We found a laundromat and I was finally able to wash my sleeping bag along with all of my clothes. We finished off the curry while waiting. On the way back into town, we saw Tic Tac trying to hitch a ride and we gave her a lift. Driving around the area just off the interstate was stunning because of all the damage incurred by tornadoes that came through the area a couple weeks ago. Around 2pm, we were able to check into the house we rented for the weekend and met the owner, Don who seemed like a pretty stand up bloke.I resupplied in town and picked up some wine while I was at it. For the first night actually in Damascus, we drove the car down to Food Mart to park it and walk the rest of the way into town for good times. We took wine in cups to sip on while we walked along the Creeper Trail. The vendors for Trail Days were not ready, but we were still able to talk to the Loki guys, which are based out of Grand Junction, CO. We had dinner at Quincy's, a pretty fun little bar/restaurant in Damascus. Wings, pizza, and $1 PBR's made for a good start to the evening. We walked over to Tent City (where many of the hikers pitched their tents for the weekend) and met up with AAA and her two friends. We found Riff Raff and chilled there for the rest of the night with our remaining wine and a few beers. Ziggy, one of the guys I met for trail magic before my first trip through Damascus, was telling me about getting ticketed for having moonshine at the campsite. He was so bummed and has to come back to VA for it in a couple weeks. Riff Raff is definitely a group full of fun, but they also make sure they set a good example and follow the rules. Poor Ziggy felt so bad that he got caught and ticketed but we all still had a great time. Luckily we were able to hitch a ride back to the house from town and avoided the 2 mile walk back.Back at the house, we hung the food bag with the mouse deterrant on the line as well. Chris and Jenny got in at about 12:30am and we tried to convince them that we needed to hang all the food to keep it away from the mice.
Date: 2011-05-13
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Serena made crap cinnamon rolls this morning and I made epic rum cocktails which made 8 liters of combined cocktails for the day's activities. Perfect for the Camelbaks. We parked at the food mart again and walked the Creeper Trail into town where we checked out the vendors who were now up and running. We bought a couple T-shirts on the way and dropped off the rain cover to repair one of the clasps that has been giving me trouble. I tried out a philly cheese steak from one of the vendors which was pretty fantastic.Later in the evening, there was free chili for the hikers and I hitched into town to buy some beers to add to the collection at Riff Raff. We headed back down to their area for some guaranteed drunken antics. It was pretty crowded and we finished off the camelbaks as well as heaps of beer. Cap'n Woody was talked into jumping the fire at one point well into the evening. This fire was in a massive pit which had about a 6 food diameter made of good-sized rocks and was about 3 to 4 feet deep. Although wasted, he tried to jump it...he didn't fully make it, but also didn't die. He made most of the jump and landed a bit short with one leg banging onto the rocks and getting a slight singe.After a while of amusement at Riff Raff, we decided to start heading back to the house and tried to hitch along the way. Chris stuck his thumb out and stumbled at just the right time....as a cop was approaching. The cop pulled over and called Chris over to chat. It was an amusing conversation and we were eventually able to keep heading towards the house. I pretty much forced a hitch from a kid in a truck and we were finally on our way. When we stopped at our road, Chris decided he was going for a run...his memory cut out after that point. We found him waiting at the house and we all sat around for a nice little night cap at the house. Trail Days is shaping up quite nicely!
Date: 2011-05-14
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Red Feet left her keys in the civic at the food shop so she and I hitched to the car to get milk and a couple other supplies. Serena and I made bacon, eggs, and biscuits for breakfast to get the day going. Today we drove into town and parked at the Place. We filled tons of water balloons with AAA and filled a shopping cart with them (to prep for the parade). I left to line up for the parade, for which there was no class organization (your "class" is the year you did your thru-hike").The water balloon warfare was madness, but good times. I got nailed by several balloons while we were lining up, before the parade even started. I pelted two cops in the face, which was pretty ace. There was one crazy local who lives on the main street where the parade takes place who was threatening to fight us because we were throwing water ballons. It was amusing and we kept pelting with him as we passed.At the hikers' talent show, Oompa and Straw Hat performed quite well. A pretty wild storm came upon us which delayed it a bit. We were watching the stage and tons of people started looking behind us, getting up, and running. When we looked back, there was a huge, black, tapering cloud that was heading right for the town. It looked like a monstrous tornado. The winds picked up and the cloud kept heading towards us. It did not turn out to be a tornado, but a pretty wicked storm that skirted by us.We then went to a "pub" which didn't have its ABC license yet so it did not have any beer or liquor which was ridiculous, so we left and went back to Quincy's for dinner and $1 PBR's again. We ran into Freight Train/Pocahontas whom we chatted with for quite a while. I also ran into Lone Duck, whom I haven't seen since my first week on the trail! He said Slowpoke was still on the trail, had lightened his pack considerably, and had made it in for trail days. Hopefully I will run into him because I am so glad he has stuck in there and kept on hiking, having such a difficult start.Since we drove in today and took it easy, we were able to drive back to the house and not have to hitch in this time. We chilled, had some vino and beer, and hung out together at the house for the rest of the night.
Date: 2011-05-15
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA/ O'Lystery Pavilion
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We had bagels for breakfast this morning and then drove into town to rent bicycles for the Virginia Creeper Trail. We got fitted for out bikes and were given a ride about 17 miles up the trail so we could end at the rental place. Nowhere on the trail sold beer...crap.At one point I tried to hop five railroad ties. Unfortunately, my chain came loose as a started and I ate shit. Luckily my face didn't hit the ground, but I jumped up and headed off to clean my hands up before Serena could see the damage. I really thought I was going to have to break out my suture kits. Luckily they weren't too bad once I cleaned them out a bit.We had a little tortilla picnic about halfway through and then continued on. As I was passing over one of the bridges, I saw a little fawn again. I called the others over so that they could see it. Serena and Jenny went down for a closer look but he eventually freaked out and ran off into the woods. The trail was very pretty, with lots of luscious green trees and different colored wildflowers with the river just below. It was a nice, easy ride. When we finished we had heaps of mud on our backs, thanks to all of the recent storms.Chris and Jenny were heading out after than so we took them to Johnson City for the ace curry! It opened late and I sauntered into the restaurant through the back door to see if they were actually going to open, and had an extremely pointless, nonsence conversation with the kitchen staff. I'm not sure they enjoyed it as much as Serena and I do, but it was ACE!On the way back to our motel room for the night, Serena and I stopped to pick up some ice cream and wine to finish the evening nicely.
Date: 2011-05-16
From: Damascus, VA/ O'Lystery Pavilion

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 2.0
Weather: light rain

Serena and I slept in a bit today but I was still super tired all morning and afternoon. We had a good breakfast and headed to Best Buy to check out the kindle. Another hiker is using one for posting his trail journals, along with reading, and it might be a good investment to both keep me company and connect through my journal more often. It is a little hard to determine if I will be able to send emails from it as I would like, or if I can connect with trail journals, as Portrait is. We will have to look into it. It does have a wicked long battery life which most other devices do not, so it seems like a pretty good option. I bought a book that was suggested to me, written by Elizabeth Gilbert, called The Last American Man. It is a biography about a man who took off around age 18 to trek through the Appalachian Mountains and has been living off the land ever since. It sounds interesting and should keep me occupied as the shelters are gradually becoming less crowded the farther north I get. Serena and I drove back to the drop off area where she picked me up on Wednesday. I was feeling so tired and a little bummed that I will not get to see her again for a month, so it was a very short hiking day to get back into the swing of things and hopefully get some rest so I can pick it up tomorrow.
Date: 2011-05-17
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: chesnut knob shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

I had a terrible night last night. I woke up four or five times with "the runs" and an upset stomach. I couldn't for eat for fear of barfing all over the shop and managed to drink a few ounces of water with difficulty. I sat around camp until about noon before i managed to muster the courage to plod along to the next shelter (brown blazing as i go). The consideration of taking a zero at the shelter crossed my mind, but i felt like that would be the sissy thing to do. Onward in my misery! This soon turned into the most exhausting day on the trail to date. Zero calories and minimal fluid = crap times on the A.T. On top of everything else the trail was ridiculously muddy due to the storm last night, and my boots have little tread on them now that they have so many miles on them. So, it is not such a pretty picture. Me plodding along with no energy or enthusiasm, slipping through the mud, stealth dumping behind every other bush was completely lame... To finish off the day, I'm faced with a daunting 2100' climb which required much whining and fussing about. The shelter was full upon arrival because I was so slow and the sleeping arrangments were poorly setup. The space was not well utilized. This shelter was a proper building with four walls and a door, so anywhereinside was better than the cold outside. I claimed the top of the indoor picnic table once everyone had finished their cooking, etc. I was offered some pepto by happy feet, good man. Still couldn't muster the will to try and eat. We'll see how i feel on the morrow.