morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Spring, Camping along the trail

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: few clouds

We broke camp around 7:40 and most of the initial hike was uphill. That was OK because it was early and the sun wasn't blazing yet. We made the 1,500-ft. ascent up to Big Bald (el. 5,516 ft.) by 11:15 A.M. The view reminds us of the one from Max Patch; balds such as these are nice because they are void of trees and have nice, panoramic 360-degree views which are a nice change from the cover the is provided on most of the trail. We stop in at Bald Mountain Shelter for a little snack and boot removal, andd press on. The day is now getting warmer (We heard the weatherman call for a high of 86 degrees.) We make it to Spivey Gap around 2:30 P.M.ish and take an other nice break. This time we even find a spring to dunk our heads in which is just heavenly. Around 6 P.M. we arrive at No Business Knob Shelter and are exhausted from a godd day of hiking. Our feet are also thankful we're done for the day too! We pitch the tent sans rainfly to take advantage of the cloudless sky and near full moon. In the middle of the night we hear a large tree crash down off in the forest - scary but neat at the same time!
Date: 2007-05-02
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: broken clouds

Happy Birthday Leonard!! The big 6-0! I wish I could be there to celebrate. We got up this morning and headed into Erwin to resupply. Yesterday we were convinced that we would just stop, take showers, get lunch and move on but we find that once you reach town all your plans change! Right off the trail there was a Hostel "Uncle Johnny's" which Sven likes to call Jump'n Johnny's We decided to give my blisters a break and set up the tent for the night. We took the bikes they have, some from the 50's, and road the four miles into the actual town of Erwin, TN. We saught out the AYCE Pizza Hut Buffet. Sven tackled NINE pieces and a salad. Uff-da's count was 3 1/2 but two large salads. Vegetables are sooo good! We are doing the usual town chores: eat, bathe, laundry and resupply, usually in that order too.
Date: 2007-05-03
From: Erwin, TN

To: Indian Grave Gap, TN
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up, organized our resupply, and dragged our feet a little bit leaving Uncle Johnnie's Hostel. We were all nice and cleaned up to start the trail at 9:20 A.M. The trail was kind to start out as it flanked the Nolichicky River, then quickly got steep on us. The humidity had us dripping with sweat by the time we reached the Curley Maple Gap Shelter for lunch, just 4.2 miles in. After lunch we heard the thunder slowly and ominously roll in; we had heard earlier that morning there were scattered storms in the forecast. We reached Indian Grave Gap and the storm hit with a vengeance! Lightning and hail so bad that we ditched our trekking poles at a higher elevation and hid from the hail in a rhododendron thicket. We met up with fellow hikers Willie Goat, Trail Dancer and Sylvain and decided to try to hitch from back to Erwin from the road back at the gap, only if someone came by within a half an hour. Otherwise we'd press on. Within a couple of minutes a huge semi came creeping by. Turns out the driver was lost; the semi was waaaaaay too big for that state road. He took us back to the Motel 8 where we dried off our soaking clothes and spent the night, while we helped him get back on the Interstate. Better luck tomorrow!
Date: 2007-05-04
From: Indian Grave Gap, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: light rain

We slept in this morning, since the morning was a rainy one. We ate continental breakfast at the hotel, and took advantage of the break in the rain for a hitch back to Indian Grave Gap. We made it back there by 11:15, and tried to proceed once again. The day was quite warm and muggy. The first two miles we spent climbing to the 'Beauty Spot,' an other bald which I'm sure had some cool views but we couldn't tell from all the fog from the previous night's rain. then we climbed up Mount Unaka, whaich at 5,180 ft. had a really neat pine forest that barely let sunlight through - black tree trunks surrounded by green moss & pine needles. As we made it to the Cherry Gap Shelter at 3:30 P.M., the thunder started rolling in; we thought 'here we go again!' so we took a spot in the shelter and watched the rain come in again as we called it a day.
Date: 2007-05-05
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

In a shelter, when one person starts moving around, everyone gets up and today was no different. We started hiking around 8:15 and even though it wasn't raining yet, wind blowing water off the trees was getting us wet anyway. Then it did start to rain at 9:30 and was a light rain that fell in 65-70 degree temps all day. The day was pretty uneventful, until we reached Hughes Gap. From there we climbed 2,150-ft. of elevation up Roan Mountain in less than 3 miles - quite possibly the toughest stretch of incline thus far. It might sound like we're complaining about the weather, but it was preferable doing the climb in this over 90 degrees and sunny with no wind. When we reached the top, a past thru hiker, 'Fix-it' was there with his wife and two kids in the lousy weather cooking burgers & hot dogs for thru-hikers. It also turned out to be his birthday as well. What a trail 'magician' who definately lifted the spirits of each hiker who passed by. Thanks to a group effort (Radar, Orange Moon, & Lucky) we ended up making a fire with wet wood at the packed, double-decker shelter. Had a grand old time gabbing and chatting 'til darkness fell...Even on a rainy day there's nowhere else we'd rather be!
Date: 2007-05-06
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 14.7

We woke up to more rain but about an hour in we had a glimps of the sun. There was a natural 360 degree view from up on Grassy Ridge and just as we got there the clouds started to roll out. It was beautiful. Lots of amazing views today. There was an old barn that was converted into a shelter that was visible on the hike up to Little Hump Mountain. Then there was Hump Mountain where we decided to take lunch. Willie Goat and Trail Dancer showed up shortly there after and all four of us sat up there for a good two hours. It sort of felt like someone microwaved us for a second.. We were all to comfortable to notice our skin burning I guess. We had another border crossing today! We said good-bye to North Carolina once and for all. We got to the shelter and someone had everything ready to go for a fire, all we had to do was light it. And someone left behind some instant coffee so I was thrilled! Most people pushed on to the hostel another mile down the trail so it is just us two and Willie Goat/Trail dancer. Ironically we all started the same day. We seem to be on the same schedule.
Date: 2007-05-07
From: Apple House Shelter

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: clear sky

It was CHILLY this morning! But someone left some instant coffee in the shelter, nothing better than a 'cup of joe' to open your eyes and warm your belly out in the woods. It was rather gradual terrain today so we put in some miles. It was a perfect morning for hiking, the sun and the moon were out and there were great views of the balds we went over yesterday. Five miles in we came up to Jones Falls. It was a nice place to take a break and listen to the water cascade down the steep rocks. We had lunch at the nicest shelter on the A.T. so far. It was brand new and even had a little loft on the third floor! I was so overwhelmed by the place I accidentally left the stove! Good news is I remembered it about five minutes down the trail...we would not have been happy campers... I was scolded just a little We had a fire at the shelter and read month old Time Magazines. We like rolling up to camps where Radar is cause it is a sure fire for the night.
Date: 2007-05-08
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Pond Flats
Miles today: 11.8

We did it!!! We managed NOT to get sucked into a town. We got up this morning and had a fairly easy hike into the Kincora Hostel. We were able to take a much needed shower and do a load of laundry, thank god. We ordered a pizza and salads and divoured them in the matter of a few minutes. The hostel ran a shuttle into Elizabethton, TN where we got all our resupply done and we got back in time to pack our bags and hit the trail before the sun went down. It was actually a perfect evening for hiking. The trail flanked the Laurel River for a few miles, and then went straight up (at least if felt straight up). I had to walk the three miles of uphill in one sandle cause my darn blister came back. We were glad that it was evening though cause it would have been harsh with the sun beating down on us. We could see Watauga Lake while we were climbing. It will be nice to jump in if the weather is nice tomorrow.
Date: 2007-05-09
From: Pond Flats

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: broken clouds

We hit the 1/5 mark today.. It feels like we have come so far yet there is so much more to come! Our first couple of miles were down hill to Lake Watauga. We were going to jump in there at the little beach but Willie Goat mentioned a rope swing so moved on. We got to the other side of the lake and we noticed someone shaking hands with Willie Goat and Trail Dancer...which could only mean Trail Magic! We dropped our packs and hiked back to the beach and enjoyed hot dogs, coke and candy from Jellybean and Blue Tooth. At about 11 we started hiking again but Sven and Willie Goat got the urge to jump in the lake. So, after our leisurely morning we finally got some miles. It was a long day. Everyone kept saying how easly the 40 miles before Damascus, VA were. They LIED! Most of the day was up hill. We came to a road and as we were crossing it Sven nearly jumped out of his boots at the sight of a car coming around the bend. The way he jumped you would think he saw Bigfoot or something! We had lunch at the Vandeventer Shelter and managed to push on 8 more miles. We rolled into camp at about sun down. Once again Radar had a nice fire going that we were able to enjoy for an hour before we got horizontal.
Date: 2007-05-10
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Adington Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

We went through the most peaceful meadow today. It was picture perfect, we just lacked a picnic basket. The hike was fairly easy today, not too many ups and downs. About a mile in we passed a grave stone for Uncle Nick. It read "lived alone, suffered alone and died alone." You would think whoever made the grave stone could have been a little more uplifting! The weather cooperated once again today. Happy Hiking for all. We are staying at the Adington Gap Shelter. A lot of people pushed on for a Marathon hike into Damascus, but we just weren't feeling it. We are looking forward to some town food tomorrow though!
Date: 2007-05-11
From: Abingtdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Good thing Uff-da made the wise executive decision to put on the rain fly, as Sven was thinking of leaving it off; it rainined last night for an hour so we averted a wet disaster. We set off in good weather excited to get to Damascus to regroup and rest a bit. The hike was relatively easy and painless; mostly downhill. We took a break at the TN/VA border, eating our last snack in Tennesse (3rd state we've conquered) since we will be in Virginia for the next 500 miles or so...On the hike we freightened a white-tailed deer, and Sven was freightened by a snake, which he almost stepped on, sunning in the path. We rolled into town around 11:30 A.M. and made 'The Place' our base came. It's a hostel free to hikers overlooked by one of the churches in town. We cleaned up a bit and found the Baja Cafe - the second bar/restaurant in 460 miles on the trail. The mexican food went down fast with a couple of Dos Equis - mmmm. Spent the evening with a few other fellow hikers who relished the cervezas as much as us!
Date: 2007-05-12
From: Damascus, VA

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

Today we ended up taking it easy in Damascus, known as 'the Friendliest Town on the Trail.' We got some breakfast at 'Dot's Place,' a good old-fashioned greasy spoon for some breakfast. The rest of the day we bummed around, checking out the local outfitters, using the internet, and re-supplying. Later in the evening we cought wind of a bluegrass ho-down in a small mountain town nearby called Konnarock. It was fun to hear these guys play and do something a little different. One of the musicians was Spencer Moore, the pride of the town, who is said to have played for 3 presidents and with Dolly Parton (who is apparently begging him to go to Dollywood and play). After the miles we put on lately, today we got some much-needed rest.
Date: 2007-05-13
From: Damascus, VA

To: Campsite by Creeper Trail
Miles today: 14.0

We headed out of town late morning, felt good to get the legs moving again. The trail was flanked a bunch of rivers and we were able to have a nice lunch right on a river bank. We got to hike on part of the Creeper Trail, a mountain biking trail that runs thru southern Virginia. We were going to head to the shelter but we were feeling a bit sluggish from taking a day off and having full packs, loaded down with our food for the week. We are camping at a sight by the river. It is still light out but we are going to crash!
Date: 2007-05-14
From: Campsite by Creeper Trail

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up a tad chilly since we left the fly door open. We felt much more energetic today, quickly making it to Lost Mountain Shelter to reload on water. Took a break on top of Whitetop Mountain, and then cought wind of upcoming trail magic. Our pace hastened accordingly, and just before VA Hwy. 600 we found a cooler full of beer and cookies. YES! Then entered 'Elk Garden,' which used to be full of roaming elk but today is full of cows, and had lunch. Then carried on to pitch a tent just past the Thomas Knob Shelter, just before entering the Grayson Highlands State Park. We also climbed a .5-mile side trail to Mt. Rogers (el.5,729 ft.), the highest point in Virginia. Many people don't go up there because the summit is covered with trees, and therefore viewless. It was comforting knowing we won't have to climb that high again for awhile!
Date: 2007-05-16
From: Relocated Hurricane Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: broken clouds

A shelter with a HOT shower!! And a pay phone where we can order Pizza! It really is too good to be true. We had a good day hiking, our second biggest day. In the matter of five miles we saw a red fox, a woodchuck, a deer, a rabbit, a mouse and a cat. It took 500 miles but we finally saw some wild life. We got about two miles from the shelter and it started to down poor. Our boots got soaked but our packs managed to stay dry. We inhaled the pizza and hit the sleeping bags early as we were a bit chilled from the rain. There is a shelter cat that lives here and feeds off of scraps. The good news is there will be no mice tonight!
Date: 2007-05-18
From: US 11 & I-81

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Yesterday we woke up and hiked down to the interstate crossing looking for a hitch back to Damascus for 'Trail Days,' a big hiker festival I've been telling people is like the Super Bowl of hiking the A.T. We made it back with ease, and pitched a tent in 'tent city' which was quite the spectacle with tents as far as the eye can see. Reps from all the big gear companies come and repair gear for free, so we took advantage of that to take care of the minor things that needed mending. Since we are also taking part in a study of the physical changes that the body goes through when hiking the A.T., we met up with the Doctor performing the study to see how we've changed. It turns out we each lost a few pounds of body fat, and our lung capacity has increased along with the girth of our legs. Later that evening, we watched a guy spitting flames out of his mouth around a huge bonfire, which later on included dancing in a drum circle.
Date: 2007-05-19
From: Damascus, VA

To: Abingdon, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Oh Trail Days.. The big parade was today and every year hiker has a banner and walks through town. There was a good showing for the 'Class of 07.' People got all decked out in crazy costumes. The twist of the parade is that all the people marching can have squirt guns and water balloons to launch at the spectators and vise versa! We were unarmed so we didn't get too wet but some people behind us had balloon launchers. After the parade we hitched a ride back into Abingdon to stay at a hotel and get a good nights sleep before we head back to the trail. We resupplied at the sketchiest grocer in the U.S. I almost resorted to pickled eggs for snacks!
Date: 2007-05-20
From: Atkins, VA

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

I truly felt homeless today.. or maybe bumish is more like it. We made a sign on cardboard to hitch to Atkins so we could get back on the trail where we left off. Stood on the on-ramp to the interstate. Energizer Bunny (an 06'er)pulled over and picked us up.. We met her a few days back in the Grayson Highlands when she sprinkled Katadin Dust on us. So we arrived to Atkins safely. The trail was beautiful but man were we sluggish. Too much time in Damascus. Saw a ton of cows on the trail as we went through a lot of farm land.
Date: 2007-05-21
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

Slept in this morning, getting all the energy we could before making the 2,000-ft. ascent up Chestnut Knob. It was hot and muggy this morning which got us dripping with sweat, but the last couple of miles were open presenting us with some terrific views. During our long break at the Chestnut Knob Shelter, a helicopter buzzed the mountain no higher than 15-ft. off the ground! The rest of the day we ridge walked slightly downhill on rocky terrain catching few glimpses into the Burches Garden below. We eventually found a cooler full of fresh water and Gatorade which propelled us to the Jenkins Shelter just around dusk. What a good, long day!
Date: 2007-05-22
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Campsite after Helveys
Miles today: 16.8

Its a great day when you pass through a town with a D.Q. We had to resupply so we figured we would treat ourselves to some ice cream. Another day of sunshine on the trail! We decided to go past the shelter a few miles to make for an easier tomorrow, now only 21 instead of 24. There was a thunderstorm rolling in as we were setting up camp. And lucky for us we got to enjoy that without having any rain! Made a little fire and cooked up some ramen for dinner. Off to sleep to prepare for our first offical 20 miler tomorrow!
Date: 2007-05-23
From: Campsite after Helveys

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: haze

Yee-Haw!! We did it.. The last couple of miles felt like a million but once we got to the shelter and took our packs off the pain of the mileage wore off. It was a beautiful day. Crossed a suspension bridge and got to soak our feet in the Dismal Creek Falls. Saw an big King Snake and enjoyed being in the outdoors another day. There are a bunch of deer hanging around close to the shelter, there must be left over scraps that they feed on. Another thunderstorm was rolling by us. We could see the lightning and hear the loud claps of thunder but managed to aviod the rain for the second night in a row!Off to rest the bones..
Date: 2007-05-24
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Church Hostel
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

What a view this Hostel has. It is an old barn remolded into a hostel that is run by the Catholic Church. I think the Hiker Appetite has kicked in. All day, every step I thought of food...and couldn't get enough of it. We eat two meals at every sitting.. For dinner we had turkey/provolone sandwiches and broccoli salad and a Reese peanut butter cup (just for starters) and then headed to the local Mexican joint where we had an enormous plate of enchiladas and chips. And then went and got cookies for dessert. This is just for one meal folks..Food.. can't get enough of it! We did some much needed laundry and relaxed with fellow hikers for a bit..
Date: 2007-05-25
From: Church Hostel

To: Symms Gap Meadow
Miles today: 11.6

Today I realized that it will be impossible to carry enough food to fuel me without having a miserable first day out on the trail after a town. I had big eyes for my big stomach and my pound of reese's pieces and my pound and half of gummi bears almost got tossed over a cliff on the 3000ft assent right out of town! Town can be so hectic so it was nice to get back in the woods. We had dinner on a nice overlook once we got up on the ridge. We hiked until dark to get some miles in for the day as we didn't leave town until 4. We saw a ton of deer just at dusk. We managed to get to a camp site and set up about 30 seconds before the rain came!
Date: 2007-05-27
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Just when the going gets tough....there's trail magic. We were just about to the top of a 2000 ft climb when orange soda and pudding magically appear! It made the last 500 ft a breeze. At the top of Rocky Gap Sven had the pleasure of nearly stepping on a 5 foot long rattle snake!!! It was A-N-G-R-Y. We were able to pass it by without any snake bites. We passed through some nice rolling Virginia farm land and got to dunk our heads in a river (one that wasn't in the farm lands). We also passed by the Keffer Oak which is over 300 yrs old. it was enormous! The branches were like full size trees. At mile 666 we ran out of water but there was a shelter .5 miles down about 500 ft... So, we desended. The shelter was great, the water was a mud puddle. We climbed back up the hill, more thirsty than when we started and set off for the next 6 miles with no water and believers that 666 just isn't a good number.
Date: 2007-05-28
From: Niday Shelter

To: Campsite near Catawba
Miles today: 21.5

I think we just climbed the most graceful 3000ft mountain on the A.T. yet. It was a perfect path with a gazillion switchbacks. Almost enough that it didn't even feel like we were climbing a mountain. We heard lots of thunder in the distance but no rain on us. After many false summits we took a blue blaze to check out Dragon Tooth Mountain. There were huge stones protruding about 40 feet in the air. The climb down the mountain was a bit steep and tricky, fore shadowing to the norther 500 miles so we are told. We are camping as close to town as we could get as we have a mail drop to pick up. It is a beautiful little tent pad nestled up on some boulders overlooking the valley; a sight that belongs in a magazine.