morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Rich Mountain

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy Easter! He is risen! The best part of our day was singing praise songs and handing out Easter cards. We left one taped to a tree for Dirty Frank who is MIA. We think he may have gotten pulled back into Hot Springs. [For the record, Dirty Frank is a 23 year old guy from PA(?) who is on the Trail to straighten out and work on some spiritual issues--he's not doing so well, but we're praying for him. His name comes from a job he had in a steel mill.] It was nice to spend Resurrection Day enjoying God's creation. The irises were particularly bright today. We also saw our first Lady Slippers, although they weren't quite in bloom.   We got into the shelter areound 4:45. Since we were 19 miles from town and no one had passed us all day, we figured we'd have the shelter alone and decided not to put the tent up. Now there are five of us. The others hiked all the way from Hot Springs. We can't imagine doing those kinds of miles.   We did have another visitor for a while. A cute rabbit stopped in for dinner. Wonder if he's the one who left Flying Cricket a jelly bean-filled egg this morning?
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: moderate rain

Today's hiking was great. We awoke to rain and fog, but at least it was cooler. We saw all kinds of neat things today, starting with wild hydrangeas in bloom. The walking was relatively easy, so we enjoyed a somewhat leisurely pace. We went by several old graves and memorial markers. One was on top of a mountain with a beautiful view of the area below. It was a marker for a man who thru-hiked in 1967. His ashes were scattered there.   We hiked through some really cool rock formations. The looked like giant stone blocks from some ancient city. Then we saw two VERY tall rocks standing side by side like two great stone doors that could only be opened by elfen magic.   As we walked through a somewhat dark and spooky area along an old road, we came upon a big puddle. It was full of polywogs! We also passed by a peregrin falcon nesting area. Sassafras thinks she had seen two falcons flying overhead earlier in the day.   Late in the afternoon, as we were following another old road, we spotted a cool tree that had three large separate trunks. We decided it was a great place to mark our 300th mile! We stopped and made a big "300" out of rocks right in the middle of the trail, and celebrated with some of Cricket's jelly beans.   Tonight we are camped alone in the shleter. It's a little creepy being by ourselves. There is a farm a few miles away and we can hear the dogs barking. We wonder what's out there. We got a chance to wash up and do laundry pioneer style, so at least we won't be so stinky tomorrow.
Date: 2003-04-22
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Burr!! Yikes, what¢s up with 42 degrees this morning? The cold and rain made it hard to get out of bed. After a ¢leisurely¢ (that means ¢late¢) start we enjoyed waling in the brisk air. We cruised through the first three miles as we tried to warm up. After crossing ¢Devil Fork Gap¢ on the TN/NC border we entered a beautiful and interesting part of the trail. We followed a lovely stream tumbling down the hill and passed by some long ¢ forgotten old log houses. The flowers were in full bloom. Up we went. Then up some more. We were glad the flowers were so abundant because we were going so slowly and were so bent over they were at eye level! Tough climb, but hey that¢s what the AT is about. We nearly froze on top of ¢Frozen Knob¢, 40 degrees and about a 20 mph wind.We passed another old cemetery today. Two gravestones, one person died 3 days before her 100th birthday. The other was 90. Hardy folks in these hills. We were pleased to meet up with our friend O.F.F. today. We hadn¢t hiked with him since the beginning of the Smokies. He settled into pace with Clover & Short. The three of them stopped at Hogback Ridge Shelter (don¢t you love these names). Originally that was our destination, but it was early & cold. We decided to take advantage of it and pressed on.We ended up with our highest mileage yet. Guess we¢ll feel it tomorrow. We¢re glad to be snug in our tent. The wind is still howling. Hopefully the overcast will keep it from getting much colder.
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Low Gap

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Cold this morning! We packed as quickly as our numb fingers would allow and headed out around 9:45 a.m. Our treat for the day? Fruit loops for breakfast.    Since the day was clear but cool, we decided to push for some extra miles again. We climbed Big Bald Mountain and had a spectacular view. I¢m not sure if we¢ve explained about the balds. There are several mountaintops along the AT that are cleared and meadow-like. Some are believed to be natural, some were once farmland, and some are maintained by mowing and/or controlled burns. I don¢t know the origin of Big Bald Mountain, but it was beautiful! On the way up, there were some ¢ice needles¢ as we call them. Along the ground, mostly on the grass or tiny exposed roots, condensation will form and freeze into these pretty miniature icicles that look like sparkling needles. Cool, huh?   Then after we crossed Big Bald, we climbed up Big Stamp and ground the neatest little hideaway the local kids & probably some hikers must use. There was this big rock formation and just as we went by it, we spotted what looked like a stone fireplace or old foundation behind the rocks. We had to take a look. Behind the rock wall was this really nice stone fireplace with a chimney and a grate. There was also a rough wooden table, and the rocks formed a small cave-like impression. It was neat!   Anyway, tonight we are just over 6 miles from Erwin, TN. We can¢t wait to get there tomorrow, Cricket is dying for a pepperoni and mushroom pizza with extra cheese from Pizza Hut. Or maybe Chinese. Or maybe both! And breakfast at McD¢s! Too many Lipton dinners and ramen noodles for that girl!
Date: 2003-04-24
From: No Business Knob Shelter

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

The days we head into town are always filled with anticipation. We want to get packed up and heading for town. Our footsteps are a bit quicker, the pack seems lighter, & every switchback promises a view of what¢s to come. Visions of pizza and ice cream keep us moving.   The views on the way were great ¢ the Nolichucky River is beautiful. The train tracks run along side and we could hear the whistle blowing. So close & yet so far. We managed to pull our attention away from the scene below to notice the first blooming rhododendrons. At last!   Those last couple miles are always the longest it seems. We finally got down the last switchback ¢ 2 hours 55 minutes for the 6.2 miles. That¢s fast!      We were fortunate enough to get a shuttle straight to Pizza Hut in time for the NICE lunch buffet ¢ even before our shower! My how our priorities have changed.   We stayed at Miss Janet¢s House ¢ a favorite hostel hangout. She¢s quite an accommodating lady. The hikers love her. $15 for a bed (with linen), shower, laundry, internet, & breakfast. Such a deal.   We met Homeward Bound, at Fellow Mariner (one of the two) Puffy & Stumble (a couple from AZ) and Psyche Heiko from Germany.
Date: 2003-04-25
From: Erwin, TN

To: Deep Gap campsite
Miles today: 12.1

To zero or not to zero¢¦ Not! I awoke to the smell of coffee, bacon, eggs & French toast! Yum! Miss Janet provides a great big breakfast as part of your stay. Everyone kind of pitches in if they can and then we ate family style at a big table. The food was great and the company just as nice. Then the shuttling, packing, cleaning up begins. Cricket somehow ended up on dish detail!    We finally got a ride out of town and hit the trail around 1:30. Our plan was to do 6, 8 or maybe even 10 miles. The day was nice and the trail very pretty. The first shelter was four miles out, so we decided to fill our water bottles and looked for a campsite.   Unfortunately, the forest service had done a controlled burn on 4/15 in the area we had hoped to call home for the night! That meant we had no choice but to keep going. And go we did! We ended up hiking with 2 girls from Canada, Snort and Clover, until 9:00 p.m. before we finally found the campsite everyone ended up at. There were 12 tents all crowded together beside this gravel road. We decided to have bagels, cheese and marshmallows for dinner because it was so late, dark and most everyone else was asleep. We can now check night hiking off our list!
Date: 2003-04-26
From: Deep Gap campsite

To: Clyde Smith Shelter 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

It was up and out early today! With so many people camped together; we all kind of woke each other up. Our goal was to get to the shelter before the infamous Roan Mtn so we can have an ¢easy¢ day tomorrow climbing it. The weather was very fickle today ¢ cold, hot, sunny, drenching rain.    Anyway, after a long, slow hike with lots of PUDS (pointless ups & downs) we arrived at the shelter looking like 2 drowned rats. Everyone was very kind offering to find a tent site, get water for us and even offering to cook our dinner (Thanks Baby Steps, Wanderer & F ¢ Stop) We managed to do our stuff and are now snug and dry in our tent.   Tomorrow-Roan Mountain!
Date: 2003-04-27
From: Clyde Smith Shelter 

To: Stan Murray Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

After all the hoopla about the big climb up Roan Mtn, we were pleasantly surprised. Although it was fairly steep, there were a lot of roots and big rocks. We like that kind of steep much better than a smooth climb that kills our Achilles.    Roan Mountain was interesting. Back in the 1800s there was a luxury hotel with copper and steam heat bathtubs. It startled the TN/NC line. So much so, there was a line drawn down the middle of the dining table. At that time TN allowed alcohol, NC didn¢t. Guess we know what side of the table everyone sat at. After Roan we went over Round Bald. This area is very popular with tourists. Being a beautiful Sunday, there were dozens of people, but, alas, no trail angels. One gentleman who stopped to chat was taking lunch leftovers, including grapefruit juice, back to his car. He didn¢t pick up on the comment about food. Gotta hone those Yogi Skills!   It sure was a pretty day and a nice hike. Were staying in a kind of yucky shelter, but there was a beautiful sunset and were being serenaded by a very vocal owl. We saw him before it got dark. Sassafras made a nice campfire ¢ no easy task after all that rain yesterday. We finally got to have our toasted marshmallows ¢ with dark chocolate! Yummm!
Date: 2003-04-28
From: Stan Murray Shelter

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 9.9

Hiker nirvana! This was one of those ¢hiker high¢ days. Gorgeous weather, stunning views and trails you never want to end. A five star day.    We knew it was going to be a good day when we had two visitors just before we left camp. Circuit Rider and Sherlock breezed in (3.2 miles in 55 min) to our surprise. They are itinerate preachers of a sort. Fine Christian men from MI who visit and hike with friends and teach at churches along the way. This is Circuit Riders third thru hike. They spend a lot of time in towns visiting when they aren¢t doing 25-30 mile a day. They said they would be praying for us.    Must have been some powerful prayers, because we had a great day. The hills were nearly effortless (Maybe it was the toasted marshmallows and chocolate that gave us the extra boost).
Date: 2003-04-29
From: Apple House Shelter

To: Laurel Fork Stream
Miles today: 12.6

We were up and out of camp at 8:07 and heading for the Country House Diner! It's amazing what you can do when there's real food involved! After a yummy breakfast of pancakes and omelets, we walked back down to a little country store for a quick resupply and hit the Trail. Our little side trip actually brought our mileage up to a little over 15 for the day!   It got pretty warm today--80 degrees--but we got to stop at the beautiful Johnson's waterfall, walk along a small river, past a second small waterfall (Mountaineer's) and are camped beside a large stream we think is Laurel Fork.    We did a new section of trail today--a relocation of a section that used to be 5 miles shorter! The local hiking club has worked very hard to improve this area and it was lovely. There was a section that went across a beauttiful meadow with a gorgeous view of the mountains. We could imagine having a house built there with a big front porch. There was a gigantic old tree and some apple trees, too.   Tomorrow we head for one of the hostels, either Kincora or Laurel Fork for a shower and a bit more food. WE will reach the 400 mile mark first thing--only 2.5 to go!
Date: 2003-04-30
From: Laurel Fork

To: Laurel Fork Lodge
Miles today: 11.0

400 miles today! Yay!!!   The morning was beautiful. So nice and quiet we overslept a bit. Guess we needed the rest. Since we weren't sure of the quality of the water source, we decided to have a bagel and forego coffee and cereal this morning. At least we'd get an earlier start.   The rain fly was damp, so Cricket decided to hang it over the hand railing on the little bridge over the stream. Ooops!!! That was a narrow bridge. She stepped back and CRASH--down into the rocks and stream below. Thank you, Jesus, no bad injuries. Just her pride was hurt. With our sore feet, the soaking wasn't a bad idea. So much for the earlier start.   The day started out pretty and WARM. We melt on those hot days. Fortunately, change was in the air--in the form of big rain clouds and lots of thunder. We didn't get much rain and it sure helped to cool things down. The clouds put on a nice show for us. We got a good view from a rocky outcropping. The clouds were just hanging on the hilltops. Another cloud came rolling through as we were enjoying the view. Just off to the right we saw a pink azalea in bloom. We also saw some more of those gorgeous showy orchis plants.   We met up with some nice folks today, Kiwi (NZ), Peter Pan (looking for Wendy), Dream Walker (NY), Clint (MA?) are some nice "older" guys. Also a couple of men from Germany. The lodge/hostel is quite nice. A lot of people slack pack (hike without their backpacks) from here and do Damascus in three days. The Petes, AT Boonies, and Journey are all here. We thought they were gone for good. Of course they are technically ahead of us still. We however, the Purests that we are, will continue to carry our packs until our rubbery legs can't stand it anymore. Some days we feel we are near that point!   Four and a half days and we'll be in Virginia!
Date: 2003-05-01
From: Laurel Fork Lodge

To: Watauga Fork Shelter
Miles today: 10.5

What a great day! Before we left the hostel, we had a chance to make a few phone calls, check email, and do a journal entry. Then, at 11:00, we headed for the Trail.>   It was one of the prettiest places we've hiked so far! We followed Laurel Fork River for the first mile or so. There was a guy fly-fishing, so we asked how he was doing. The response was, "Great--five fish in about 25 minutes!" Sounds good, huh Jim and Roger? The Trail then took us to a beautiful waterfall and then rock climbing around the waster's edge. Sassafras saw ANOTHER baby snake. It stopped and sort of looked at her. We're not sure what kind it was (it had a pattern on its back), but she gave it plenty of room!   Next, we started climbing Pond Mountain just as the rain started. The higher we climbed, the more it rained. Then the thunder and lightning decided to join in the fun! Just as we summitted the mountain, out came the sun :). We had planned on camping at the flats on top of the mountain, but the water source was very buggy and the campsite was kind of gross, too. So...down the mountain we went! It started to threaten more rain, so we hustled along. The Trail was still very pretty and the whole downhill side was gentle switchbacks--yeah!    We reached the lake at the bottom as the sun reappeared. There were picnic tables, restrooms, and water spigots--these are BIG treats! We filled our waterbags and bottles and headed off aoround the lake to find a tentsite. Our packs were now about six pounds heavier with all theat nice clean water.   We were a little spooked about camping so near the lakes, so we decided to push the extra 1/2 mile to the shelter. When we arrived, the place was packed! There's not much room for tents here, so we're kind of packed in like sardines. We're tenting between Sourmash, Soynut, and F-Stop. Lots of other great company, too--Peter Pan, Dream Walker, Flint, Kiwi, Amble, Orbit and Retro to name some.   Cricket made delicious chicken quesadillas with tortillas, chicken from a pouch, cheese, and some dried tomatoes we scored back at the hostel. Yummy!   We also had some great May Day sightings--pink lady slippers, purple rhododendrons, orange azaleas, Sassafras sapplings (FINALLY), BIG fish in the lake and a box turtle. Oh yeah, a little toad, too. We had a really good day today. :)
Date: 2003-05-02
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Campsite Before Turkey Pen Gap
Miles today: 11.1

A pretty uneventful day today. Our packs felt heavy so we called it a day early. We started the day by continuing our walk around the lake. There was a great campsite just beyond the shelter--if only we'd known! We could have had a fire with marshmallows!   The Trail took us across the dam road for a while. For a while too long it turned out. We got just beyond the gate at the end of the road and couldn't find a blaze. Just then a truck pulled up. The driver was the very nice owner of the Kincora Hostel. He pointed up the road and said the Trail would come out up the road a bit. We had missed the turn to go up "Nuisance Knob." Of course, rather than missing part of the Trail, we backtracked and did it the right way. Guess we must've been talking (who, us?) and missed the blaze that was partially hidden.   We had the chance to hike with Retro for a while. She and her hubby, Orbit, are a fun young couple--very easy going. We had lunch with them at the Vandeventer Shelter. There was a great view of the lake below.   As we started to go down the mountain, the thunderstorms started threatening again. We'd decided to stop at a campsite near a spring rather than pressing on to the next crowded shelter. As the sky grew darker and darker, our pace quickened. When we finally found the spot, the first rain drops began to fall. We got the tent up in one minute flat and got in just as it started pouring and lightning. Phew!   Of course the storm passed fairly quickly and we were able to get out and have dinner. Unfortunately it's cold and wet. No toasted marshmallows tonight. :(   We're sharing the campsite with Yankee Turtle, a section hiker/retired school teacher from Worcester MA. He hiked with Bluebearee in GA for a short while last year (he was the one who had blood poisoning).
Date: 2003-05-03
From: Campsite Before Turkey Pen Gap

To: Double Spring Gap
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

Our biggest mileage day yet! We were actually hoping to do 18.8 to the last shelter in Tennessee, but another afternoon thunderstorm kept us pinned down in the Double Springs Shelter for an hour. We are just 2.9 miles shy of Abingdon Gap Shelter. The Trail today was mostly pretty easy with a few minor ups and very little down. We made great time, averaging a little over two miles an hour which is very good for us!   We found this very nice camsite that was not mentioned in our book at 7:00 p.m. We built a nice fire so we could have toasted marshmallows and chocolate for dessert. There are two weekend hikers camped across the Trail from us and I just heard an owl hoot-hooting just up the hill. We'll be in Damascus tomorrow unless we decide to camp just outside of town. We can't get our mail drops until Monday so we might just hang around out here and not buy an expensive bed for an extra night. If the sun shines it sounds like a plan. Nighty-night, all.
Date: 2003-05-04
From: Double Spring Gap

To: Damascus VA
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Motivated by food and looming thunderstorms, we decided to make tracks for Damascus. And boy, did we! Nearly 13 miles by 2 p.m. Nice Trail, too. Wish we didn't have these darned packs to carry.    We met Dirty Harry at the last shelter in Tennessee. Not the real Clint Eastwood, but there IS a resemblance. He saved us the half mile hike to water. Thanks! Retro was at the TN/VA line when we got there and took our picture. One more state down!   Damascus is a great little hiker town. The first person that drove by rolled down her window and said, "Welcome to town!" How sweet! It IS the friendliest hiker town on the Trail! It's also the home of Trail Days. Trail Days is to hiking what Oshkosh is to flying. We'll be back for it in about nine days. Jim will join us. Cool.   We got cleaned up, did our laundry, and got big food (not in that order) and feel better. Maybe our feet will feel better tomorrow. We are doing a well-deserved zero day. We opted for a nice B&B rather than the hiker hostel run by the Methodist Church. We'll leave the space for one of the younger crowd! Such a sacrifice!
Date: 2003-05-05
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero Day in town. Feels good. Breakfast at the Maples B&B was wonderful! We cleaned our bags and jackets, got our mail, and resupplied. Also got our stove serviced and bought a used one-person tent for company and...insurance.    2/3 (Mrs Smith of the Smith family) is here, still recovering from her pneumonia so we had dinner with her. How nice. Pray for her recovery and ability to get back on the Trail soon. 1/3 is back on the Trail and doing well after her ankle injury.   Thanks and love to Jim and our wonderful friend, Miss Judy, for the treats and encouraging cards in the mail. It means SO much to get surprises. Hint, hint. (Our next mail drop address and ETA is listed under "Mail drops".)   Oopala showed up today and we hear Dirty Frank is on his way. He misses his "grandmas". We still gotta get him straightened out.   On the Trail again tomorrow. Rain or not.
Date: 2003-05-06
From: Damascus

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

On the trail again, we can't wait to get on the trail again... We pulled ourselves away from Damascus, "the Friendliest town on the trail," and headed NORTH. Today's walk was lovely, wet, but lovely. We followed part of the Virginia Creeper Trail, an old Indian trail turned railroad track turned bicycle trail, and a nice little river so everything was lush and green.   We planned a short day out of town and that was a "good thing". As we arrived at the shelter, we met some very nice folks around our ages and a little bit older who were doing a section hike. One of the ladies, Bear Charmer, had previously thru-hiked and now her husband of 42 years, Bucky is completing his section hike. They shared wonderful stories, advice, and their delightful company. We sat on a grassy area and had dinner together and watched the sunset, a rare treat lately!   The shelter had a great area for tents and a privy--YEEHAW! As the simple joys of hiking. Sourmash described it as looking like something Bob Villa would build. Tomorrow, we'll attempt a big 18 miles over Whitetop Mtn.   We'll see how it goes.