morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-03-28
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

Last night was long! It snowed 2". It was unexpected but the weather is crazy in the mountains sometimes. Throughout the night I would hit the walls of my tent so the snow would just slide off. I could see piles forming. It didn't make for a restful night.I left at about 8:15am. I would liked to have left earlier but the unanticipated snowfall made the morning much slower. It's difficult to drag yourself out if a warm sleeping bag on days like today. There were lots of climbs today and one was just three miles outside of camp. It was a 1,500 foot elevation gain and I was going slowly. There were more along that way, and one was in the way to Hogback Ridge Shelter where I stopped for lunch. It was a quick lunch though. Stopping for long lunches kills my hiking time...plus it was too cold to just sit. The trail continued with more ups and downs until I started summiting Big Bald. There were vast, open fields high up with 360 degree views for as far as you could see. It was extremely difficult because the wind was blowing very hard and you are completely exposed. I'm glad I was prepared though. Everything from vegetation to signposts were coated in thick layers of ice. It was a really difficult part of the day. The trail these last few weeks has thrown a ton of curveballs at us hikers. I've had 75 degree days, nights under 20 degrees, sun, clouds, rain, fog, hail, wind, sleet. The elements have made hiking, cooking, camping, etc even more difficult. I can see how people say the trail will break you though. It's difficult and surely isn't for everyone. I am keeping a positive attitude and am having the most fun ever, despite these challenges. It's something new everyday.
Date: 2015-03-30
From: Erwin, TN

To: Unaka Mountain
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

I got up this morning and packed my bag to get back on the trail. I ran to the Post Office and then back to the motel to eat a terrible, minimal selection, continental breakfast. It was really weak. I'm glad I had a couple oranges and an avocado before getting down there.The gang (Me, Hermit, Stretch, Axon, Shrugs)got dropped back off at the trailhead and started our hike. Stretch and I were hiking together and saw a freight trail heading into town. We stood on the mountain and just watched the train. It had three locomotives and the cars had to be a half mile long. We had never seen a train this long before. We were standing on the mountain for minutes. It was pretty cool.The hike for the day was 99% uphill. I made it to Curley Maple Shelter for a snack and then it was just under four miles (most uphill, of course) to reach Fresh Ground. This time it was Cokeman and Bailer doing the cooking. With that said, I had three hot dogs and some fries and then hit the trail again. But less than five minutes later when Stretch and I hit a road, a trail angle named BT had trail magic set up for us too. He had sweet tea, coffee, fruit and brownies. After a quick brownie and some sweet tea I hit the trail again.Immediately following the trail magic came and ungodly uphill. Without stopping, Stretch and I hiked until we reached the summit. It was really tough. It was worth it though. We were rewarded with a snowman randomly built in this meadow. It was surprisingly still standing after being in direct sunlight for a couple days. It was the perfect place to have a laugh and snap a photo or two.We made it to the campsite we were planning to stop at. It was very windy so we decided to push on. We filtered some water and saw Hermit and Silver there. I told Hermit and Silver where we were planning to camp and they followed me. Our destination was a dense spruce forest on Unaka Mountain (pronounced u-neck-ah, according to a local). Earlier in the day I was told by Cokeman and Bailer that it is a great place to camp. We hiked up the mountain until about 5:30pm when we found some level ground, out of the wind. Although the wind is blowing in the treetops, we are sheltered by the trees themselves.It's going to be cold tonight but there is apparently trail magic at some point tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it!
Date: 2015-03-31
From: Unaka Mountain

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: clear sky

I had the best sleep on the trail last night. The ground under my tent was like a leaf and moss bed. It was nice and soft. I never sleep very soundly on the trail but this was pretty good.Stretch and I hit the trail with Silver being out earlier than us. Hermit only left 10 minutes before us. But as we were packing up, Axon and Shrugs strolled down the trail next to where we camped. Anyway, Stretch and I caught up with Hermit and we hiked together to Cherry Gap Shelter. We had a couple snacks with Axon and Shrugs who were there before us.After leaving Cherry Gap we had a 9.1 mile hike to the next shelter, the Clyde Smith. Note: Shelters along the way seem to be the places hikers (including myself) stop for a break, a snack, or for water. After the stop I was hustling down the trail with Stretch and Hermit behind me. My legs felt dead today but taking the lead I went pretty quickly. However my legs were REALLY tired after that.We had tough climbs today. I wanted to do 15 miles but our stealth camping options were limited. We needed to press on. Hermit actually went ahead of me and Stretch so we didn't know exactly where he was going to camp. We thought it'd be somewhere before Roan Mountain. Stretch and I hiked and we figured we'd be tenting at Ash Gap, before Roan Mountain. No such luck however. The wind was whipping and it would have been terrible to tent in. That meant we needed to climb Roan Mountain. It wasn't going to be easy. It was a 2,200 foot and it was difficult. The terrain was challenging and we were beat.At around 5:30pm we made it to the summit where the shelter was somewhere near. However the trail was icy and we were focused on foot placement and not slipping and getting injured. That worked well because we were safe but it didn't work out because we BOTH missed the sign for the shelter. We continued hiking for 15 minutes until we realized we must have missed the shelter. Somewhere after 6:00pm we FINALLY got to the shelter. It's fully enclosed with a loft which is really cool. It's like a cabin. I am actually using the shelter tonight! I haven't since the Great Smoky Mountains.The day felt really long and my legs didn't want to work at all. I did put in the miles though. With that said, I hope I get some good sleep and am refreshed for the morning. We had sunny weather today and it sounds like the same tomorrow too. That would be perfect! Plants are budding and it's going to be even more beautiful soon.I'm tire. Yawn.
Date: 2015-04-01
From: Roan Mountain Shelter

To: Doll Flats campsite
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: clear sky

The weather was perfect for hiking today. Sun, no clouds, cool, slightly breezy. Not everyone was able to experience this though. A couple hikers got off the trail this week. One hiker, Grey Wolf, I hiked with and camped with sometimes. He had some obligations to take care of back home in Germany. Best of luck to him.I got up, had breakfast, and left the shelter with Stretch at 8:15am. We hiked on lots of snow and ice as we descended Roan Mountain. We eventually came across Axon and Shrugs after crossing over Carvers Gap. The group of us hiked up to Jane Bald where Hermit was waiting for us. He had the great idea to have us all be in a picture together. That was really cool. You never know how long you are going to hike with people. Everyone hikes their own hike. I'm glad we documented our friendships in such a beautiful spot. The views behind us, in front of us, and on the side of us were amazing. It's a picture-perfect spot.After a couple pictures we continued on our hike. I ended up hiking with Hermit to the Overmountain Shelter while Stretch, Axon, and Shrugs were just behind. We stopped for lunch at the side trail to the shelter actually. It was there that I really started to take the hike in. The sun was beaming down on me as I sat and ate lunch. The breeze was light and it was perfect. I ate lunch and laid down with my head on my pack. It was quiet. I was by myself for some time just enjoying the moment. I didn't want to move. It was here that I didn't care about how many miles I had to do today. I just stayed there until I was ready to move.I took my time and eventually left to finish the last few mountains. I climbed to Hump Mountain. It was just acres and acres of rolling meadow over 5,500 feet in elevation. The climb was long and slow but you couldn't beat the views and the perfect weather. At the top I reached Stretch who was just relaxing and taking in the 360 degree views. I say there with him, in the sun. We were in no rush to leave. We were just enjoying our journey, reflecting on the day and sitting in amazement of where we just came from.With just 2.4 miles left for the day we descended Hump Mountain and are camping at Doll Flats campsite. It's a great space with great views of a meadow we came from. It's pretty cool the places we get to spend the nights. Picture from left to right: Stretch, Me, Hermit, Shrugs, Axon
Date: 2015-04-02
From: Doll Flats campsite

To: Unnamed campsite
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: moderate rain

Last night when I set up my tent the sun was out and the wind was calm. Around 10:00pm or so the wind came out with some sort of fury. I could hear it gather in the distance, get louder, louder, then blast through the campsite. My tent walls were being shaken and blown around in the wind. The moon was so bright that I didn't need my headlamp to see my tent walls shaking so much.I didn't sleep well at all. I finally got up at 6:45am and said to myself, "I'm going to hike right now. The further I am away from camp, the less wind there is going to be". All I had to do was breakdown my tent, get my food, pack my bag and hike. Note: that's not a five minute process even though it sounds like it would be.While I was packing up, Stretch got up and started packing too. We both just wanted to get out of camp ASAP. We started hiking and the first three miles were all downhill. That's a nice change of what we've been having. However the downhill was followed by a large uphill that didn't look bad in the guide. It was unfortunately a long, slow, climb to an open ridge. It must have been a meadow or something.The hike continued and we went through some very cool pine tree forest areas. Other times there were tunnels of rhododendron. This made for no views today but we did come across a set of waterfalls. The Mountaineer Falls were probably the most exciting thing of the day...and the falls weren't all that exciting.Just past the falls we stopped at the shelter for lunch. We fueled up and figured we'd hike 8 more miles to an unnamed campsite. We hiked on, making good time. I felt really good all day. We arrived at camp and set up our tents and got ready for the evening. Axon and Shrugs showed up and did the same. We ate dinner together and then retired to our tents. WOO HOO! We broke 400 miles today! Tomorrow will be short and I'm going to stay at a hostel for snack along the way. I wont be staying the night though. On Monday I'll be in Demascus and I'll be taking Tuesday off. My body is telling me I need a day off. Until then, keep on truckin!
Date: 2015-04-03
From: Unnamed campsite

To: Hampton, TN
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I cant believe I've been on the trail a month. I know there have been many days, experiences and people, but it feels like I just strapped on my boots. I feel torn though. It feels like I've been away from everyone back home for a while now. It's a weird feeling but I'll get through it like everyone back home will too.Last night it rained for all of 15 minutes. It's just enough to make me have to wipe down my tent this morning. I dried it, broke it down, and got ready for the trail...after a nutritious breakfast of Pop Tarts.Stretch and I started off as usual. We chatted about the game plan for the day, the weather and whatever else. Unfortunately I had to face the facts today, he is leaving the trail soon. He's section-hiking and will depart in Damascus. We've been hiking or at least camping in the same place for a few weeks now. Technically today was the last day we will have hiked together. He is going to take it slow and arrive in Damascus as I am leaving on Wednesday morning. I am going to make sure I stick around in the morning to say see-ya-later, not good-bye.The hike was fine and we hiked to Dennis Cove Road where we took a .4 mile road walk to the Black Bear Hostel. We wanted to grab a few snacks, eat lunch, and I needed to charge my phone. When we arrived we saw Axon and Shrugs relaxing at a picnic table, each with a quart of ice cream. We sat around for a little while eating our microwaved burgers, junk food, and soda. It was cool though. Two random hikers came up and gave us each a Rice Krispy Treat and some almonds. Score!The four of us left the hostel together and hiked to the side trail to Hampton, TN. Stretch and I needed to go resupply so we had to go into town. Axon and Shrugs were all set so they pushed on to the Pond Flats campsite. The two of us made it into town and the weather was not looking good. We weren't planning on staying at a hostel but the weather made that determination for us. We went to the Braemar Castle Hostel, dropped off our packs and went to Brown's Grocery Store. Brown's is THE WORST! If any hikers are reading this, go eat dirt before you go to Brown's. Everything is expired, overpriced, and the selection is limited. I wish we realized the Dollar General was down the road. We surely would have gone there!After resupplying at that gross-ery store, we NEEDED to hit the McDonalds down the road. A couple burgers, fries, sodas, and chicken sandwich later, we were full. I really needed the calories! On the way back to the hostel we stopped at the Dollar General for a couple more snacks and some odds and ends.It was a short day today. It was productive because I resupplied, showered, and will be ready for a tough climb first thing in the morning. Plus I'm inside and it's storming tonight.
Date: 2015-04-04
From: Hampton, TN

To: Unnamed campsite
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: few clouds

The stay at the hostel was excellent. It's owned by Brown's (which is TERRIBLE) but the hostel was clean and had all the necessities. I got up, packed my gear and hit the road. It was a half-mile road walk to the trailhead, then a one mile side trail to actually get to the AT where I left off.The hike was an immediate and lengthy climb up to Pond Flats where Axon and Shrugs stayed last night. By the time I got there, they were gone already. I continued hiking and got to the Shook Branch Recreation area. It had a few picnic tables and a swimming area where I was. It reminded me of Arden Valley Circle (on the AT in New York) with the lake, beach, and mountains in the background. It was a great spot to stop for lunch. Bonus, it had a water faucet and trash cans. It's those little things that make the day even more enjoyable.From the rec area, the trail goes alongside the water and eventually brought me to the Watauga Dam. It was another beautiful spot with the mountains around it. As I climbed from the day, the mountains overlook a huge marina. The water was a beautiful blue and there were a couple boats in the water. I hiked for miles and the marina was still in the near distance.The trail eventually brought me to the Vandeventer Shelter but I pressed on to a campsite a couple miles away. I am camping with Axon and Shrugs. It's been great camping with other hikers and the views for the day were nice. I hope for a good weather day tomorrow as well. I also hope to put in a decent number of miles too. It will depend on how I feel though. My body needs a recovery day. Very much looking for a day off in Damascus in a couple days!
Date: 2015-04-05
From: Unnamed campsite

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

It's Easter and mom and dad's anniversary. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! (I know you are reading this!)I set up my tent on a slope last night. I THOUGHT it was level...I was wrong. It was a pain because I kept sliding into the side of my tent all night. After readjusting how I was sleeping a few times, I just gave up. There was no use trying to sleep without sliding. Oh well, it could be worse.I was up and on the trail at 7:45am. My body felt really good all day. I kept a steady pace. One thing I do when I hike by myself is set 3-4 mile goals. I keep track of time and try to beat what I think I can make it in. It gives me something to look forward to and I can challenge myself in another way. It makes the day go by much quicker.Three miles in I stopped at the Iron Mountain Shelter for a quick breakfast. Can you guess what it is? If you said Pop Tarts you are correct! Anyway, I finished them and kept on moving. Around 10:30am I came across some Easter trail magic! A girls mission group from a local Baptist church set up a box in the woods for hikers. It was stocked with sodas, granola bars, and even individual bags of JELLY BEANS! I enjoyed each one of those!After a break with the trail magic, the trail crosses into a large cow pasture. The views from it looked like the northwestern corner of Connecticut. It was really nice. I took some pictures of the rolling hills with mountains in the background. It would have been the perfect spot for lunch.All but the last four miles flew by. I was tired at that point. Setting small goals again was really helpful. I'd always do that back home so hiking here it worked the same. I finished the 18.9 miles in 7.5 hours so that wasn't bad.I'm spending the night at the Abingdon Gap Shelter. I'm in my tent, as usual. Brightside, Axon, Shrugs, Sweetblood and another hiker are spending the night here as well. We are heading to Damascus in the morning. The hike doesn't look bad into it either. I'm looking forward to a greasy burger and a salad...yes, a salad. We don't get those on the trail either.
Date: 2015-04-06
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 9.9

Not a bad day on the trail. I got up early and was hiking at 6:45am. It was a little cool but the weather would turn out beautifully.With such a short hike, I hit the Virginia border at about 9:00am. It was pretty cool to see a new state. That means Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee are over now. Sometimes I wish I'd spend more time in places and take it in. An easy example is the border sign. I often get blinded with mileage I want to make or times I want to get to places. I do stop to take pictures, I take side trails to sights, but sometimes I should enjoy the moment more. It's tougher than you think, though. Anyway, I made my way into the lovely little trail town of Damascus, VA. I'm staying at the Woodchuck Hostel, which is really a house. It has real beds, a real living room, a real kitchen, real breakfast, and more. It also has a teepee hikers can stay in! I really like this place. It's super clean and the staff and proprietor are super nice. The owner is a former thru-hiker too.I got to FaceTime with Nikki tonight. That's a nice change. I always do that when I'm in town. Otherwise the cell service in the woods is spotty, at best. I also need to be conservative with my phone usage. It's my camera and I need it to last five days sometimes.I'm taking tomorrow off to rest my body, resupply, update my Trailjournal, and consume some much-needed calories!I'm having a blast out here. I wish everyone could experience this. It is truly an unforgettable experience already.
Date: 2015-04-07
From: Damascus, VA

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

It was a good to take a day off. I'm sure my body needed a recovery day. I've been going and going and I can tell I've been more tired lately. I really enjoyed staying at this hostel (Woodchuck Hostel). It's pretty cool if you don't want to stay inside you can stay in a really cool teepee. I didn't hike but i was busy all day. I did a partial resupply at the Dollar General and then saw Pliskin and we walked to Food City. Along with the typical hiker foods, I grabbed a couple chocolate milks and some fruit. They're like little treats since you don't take that stuff on the trail. Along with buying food, I went over to the Mount Rogers Outfitter to grab two new tent stakes. Mainly my time was spent at the library on a computer. It literally took me three hours to update my Trailjournal entries for the last nine days. It's time consuming when you can't update it regularly. I really enjoy updating it and sharing my experiences with everyone. I also met Stretch for some Mexican food at Hey Joe's. It was cool that Axon and Shrugs were there too. The four of us sat around eating burritos or nachos and talking about the trail. We talked about the good, bad, ugly, and odd we've seen so far. It was a lot of fun and the hour and forty five minutes flew by. The place was filled with hikers but it was cool to just have the four of us out to eat together and not have to cook in the woods. Tomorrow I get back on the trail. The weather isn't looking the best all week but it's to the trail I go anyway. It's something like 550 miles in Virginia so the next month I'll be spent here. The trail actually goes right through the town so I'll be on the trail a minute after I leave the hostel. Im looking forward to seeing what Virginia has in store!
Date: 2015-04-08
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

Today was a pretty nice day. It started off well because I had breakfast and a good night sleep at the hostel. It was about 8 AM when I stepped out the door. The hike starts out going directly through town. It's pretty cool that the trail goes right down the streets past hostels, houses, and businesses. It follows the Virgina Creeper Trail for a bit too. Some hikers chose to take that trail for a good portion of the day. It's not the a AT however. Apparently it's extremely easy in level though. I chose to stick to the actual AT route.The trail parallels a river for a good portion of the day. The water was turbulent. There were storms yesterday and the night before and the water from the mountains was flowing quickly. Even the little streams I rock-hop across were flowing much faster. Some of the rocks and the streams were submerged and made crossing tricky. The climes weren't bad today. There were just a couple steep ones and the rest of the day with mild. I hear Virginia is super easy and I can put in more mileage. I hope that's the case. I won't know until I hop on the trail some more.I didn't see too many people on the trail today. I only met a local hiker, Ed Parker. He's an older gentleman who lives in the area and hikes these mountains regularly. He and I got to chatting for about 10 minutes or so. During our conversation he remarked how a couple hikers earlier in the day didn't feel like stopping to chat. Me, I enjoy it. I said to him that it's the people that make the trail special. I wouldn't walk the trail if there was nobody else. Why not stop, chat and listen? Maybe it will make somebody else's day instead. When I got to the shelter where I am staying for the night I only saw a couple other hikers. But little by little more and more hikers were arriving. There are at least 25 hikers. It's like tent city.I'm hoping to be up early and put in the miles tomorrow. Hopefully I will gain some space from the countless hikers that are camping here tonight. Also I have the possibility of breaking the 500 mile mark tomorrow. I need to play the "I would walk 500 miles" song for Nikki but the hike will also be dependent on the weather. It sounds like rain is in the forecast for tonight and surely Friday. I'm 100% sure I've had worse weather though. Let's see what happens!