morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-18
From: Spring (campsite)

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up to a beautiful sunrise! Had a lot of ground to cover so I was up and out by 8:45.Here's how I plan a day. First, look at what kind of terrain I have ahead. I pretty much take what the trail gives me....easy terrain, bigger miles and vice-versa. Next, I look to see if there are any cool spots along the way where I might want to take an extended break.I can be out of camp without hurrying at 8:30. I hike 2 mph now very consistently regardless of uphill/downhill/level.So today we planned on 15 miles. Oh yeah, I like to be in camp 90 minutes to 2 hours prior to dark. Plenty of time to leisurely set up tents, get water, make dinner, and still have time to sit about, chat a bit, and plan tomorrow.OK, back to 15 miles today. So I need 7.5 hours of hike time. If I get out at 9 am and want to be at camp at 6 pm, that leaves 90 minutes for breaks during the day. I normally try to break every 2 hours (4 miles) unless there is a place along the way that screams "you have to stop here and relax a bit!"The highlight for me today was the summit of Unaka Mountain. It was a total pine forest....and thick. There was absolutely no vegetation growing underneathe. Pine trees and a bed of pine needles on the ground, with some big rocks thrown in for good measure. The pine footpath made for nice cushy walking and very quiet walking too.The rest of today was fairly benign, rolling hills with good trail surface.Absolutely gorgeous day today. Looking forward to huge climb up Roan High Mountain tomorrow....back up over 6000 feet. Blessed to be on this adventure!
Date: 2009-04-19
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

What a crazy day today! Woke up to cloudy skies knowing it was going to rain at some time today. Everything was dry in the morning so it's always nice to pack a dry tent.Our first objective of the day was Roan High Mountain. Today was going to be a workout....and it was. It started raining right before we started climbing but not bad. I was looking forward actually to a good workout and was not disappointed. Well, we made the climb OK. Not many switchbacks and more straight-to-the-top type of climb than we are used to.I stopped for a second at Roan High Bluff where there used to be a 3-story hotel....I took a picture of the sign at the old site. We were all mentioning how cool it would be if it was still there. We did stop for lunch at Roan High Knob Shelter at the top. Neat shelter....totally enclosed second floor.Enjoyed the first half of the day! Then I hated the rest of the hike. 1st time I was actually angry at the conditions. We went over Round Bald in driving rain, cold, and big winds....and of course could only see enough to know we were missing something very cool. I was not a happy camper and not enjoying my A.T. experience. We all got together for the last couple of miles complaining to each other about missed views and lousy weather.Spirits are higher once again after we arrived at Overmountain Shelter. It is an old converted barn that could literally hold 50 hikers if necessary. So we laid out our sleeping bags on the top floor and had a good time below cooking dinner and chatting about the hike and conditions today. Amazing what some hot food and warm, dry clothes can do for the spirits.Everyone in our group enjoys mathematics, so we have decided to start developing some Appalachian Trail Theorems.A.T. Theorem 1 (Buffalo Theorem): If approaching a trail intersection which gives several options for travel out of the intersection, the Appalachian Trail always follows the hardest path out of the intersection.
Date: 2009-04-20
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Stealth Camping Spot
Miles today: 13.0

Woke up to pretty good weather this morning. Yeah! So the highlight of the day was right away climbing up Little Hump Mountain followed immediately by Hump Mountain. Very picturesque on a sunny morning. Definitely made me forget about my misery yesterday. Reminded me of a past thru-hiker who told me to never quit on a bad day. Good advice. And I now know exactly what he meant. The Hump Mountains are mostly grassy balds with some patches of trees here and there."The Hills are Alive" from the Sound of Music was playing in my head all morning. Outstanding scenery! And you could see hikers that were an hour ahead or behind you at times. Now what was very cool is that I actually got to watch the clouds (fog) envelop the mountain as I hiked it. So looking east I could see sunshine and could see forever down the valley. Looking west, I see a cloud bank coming right at me.We also hiked our last section in North Carolina today, so we won't see that state again. We're in Tennessee now until we hit Virginia.Late in the afternoon, we reached Apple House Shelter, a cool little shelter in a nice spot right by a stream. Our original plan was to hike about 5 miles past this shelter and just camp somewhere. But it was threatening rain....so decision time. As we are sitting there trying to make up our minds, a girl hiking with us, Top Shelf, knew of a restaurant that was only 1.5 miles from where we that made peanut-butter milkshakes. Of course I was thinking cheeseburgers! So that was an easy decision....we're in! Well, we find out that the restaurant specializes in breakfast and lunch and closed at 2 pm!! What? And a bunch of other places were also closed on Mondays (today is Monday). Some were only open Thurs, Fri, and Sat. So, no shakes or burgers. So we hiked on until our feet said "time to camp." Good day on the A.T.. A.T. Theorem 2 (Shelter Theorem): The number of people that can fit into a shelter is directly proportional to the amount of precipitation at the time. Example: A shelter designed to hold 8 people only holds 8 people when it is sunny out. That same shelter can hold 10 people when it is raining. And it can hold 14 when it is snowing and below freezing!!
Date: 2009-04-21
From: Stealth Camping Spot

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up to a cool morning but it was dry! We had some light rain very occasionally, but mostly sunny all day (actually partly cloudy).We got to see Jones Falls today which was a pretty cool place. I guess water features were around all day today....a lot of streams, foot bridges, falls all day. Early in the day, we walked along a river for a ways and we tried to get Goof to jump in.....he said he will on an 80 degree day....it was only 50 at the time.....and we have been in rain for a couple of days so getting wet just wasn't appealing.Just so it's clear, I am enjoying this adventure tremendously. There are times when it's "not very comfortable" and I tell you about those times because I think its important to highlight the "not so good" stuff also. OK, I mention this because I do realize how blessed I am to be on this adventure as I'm having lunch at a nice little spot by Laurel Creek. And I get to have lunch at these spots almost every day. I'm a lucky guy!I took another afternoon break at a water feature called Hardcore Cascades. Past thru-hikers built a bridge out of very large rocks. It looks natural, and a very cool place.Nice group of people at the shelter tonight....good fun talk while fixing dinner, and into the night.A little bit about our daily hikes. The 4 of us (Sunnuke, Mr Buffalo Man, Goof, and me) hike all together once in a while (more so recently). Sunnuke and I may hike together a ways and when we stop to take a break, the other two will catch up. Then one of us will leave the break spot when ready, followed by the others when they get ready. Somewhere down the trail we catch up, pass, fall behind, or hike together. But we're never more than a mile apart in actuality. When hiking together, we chat about everything....very random. We also like to see if we can get a song stuck in the other's head.Our group has got a good rythym down....miles per day is increasing steadily, while still being able to enjoy the sights/breaks, and we all have been able to stay healthy (feets, knees, etc). A lot of the people we like are faster and ahead of us, but our main focus is on staying healthy, getting stronger as we go, and making it to Katahdin!Note on surviving if you are a tree: I read where most of the forests in the eastern United States have been forested a couple of times and our "woods" are very young relatively. We have noticed that the largest and oldest trees we are seeing are very twisted and full of knots. We figure that they were not cut because it would have been hard to get good lumber out of them. So, if you are a young tree and are reading this, the key to your survival is to grow twisted and throw is some huge knots here and there!!
Date: 2009-04-24
From: Stealth Camp Spot

To: Campsite
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

(I'm writing this part in the morning) We received awesome Trail Magic this morning. 3 high school students, who were part of their High School Mountaineering Club, and their activites director brought McDonald's breakfast sandwiches and O.J. out to our camp on the lake. Very cool. Thanks guys. They, obviously, have hiked all over that area and had a lot of good info also. I see a thru-hike in their future.Pretty relaxed hike today. We started out at lake water level where we camped. We walked about a mile along the lake shore to the dam and walked across the dam, took a break there just hanging out. I actually unzipped the leg bottoms off my pants. This was the first time I hiked in shorts.....and just a short-sleeved shirt! Absolutely perfect weather all day!After the dam, we basically hiked clockwise around the lake steadily climbing higher into the mountains surrounding the lake. It was a nice climb and the lake was always in view.Once we "reached altitude", the rest of the hike was gentle rolling ups and downs, my favorite, and made for a pleasant afternoon walk. Poor Goof. He developed a blister on the heel of his foot, so he didn't enjoy the afternoon so much. We saw a good campsite a couple of miles short of our original planned destination so we called it quits early today. No one was complaining! Top Shelf and Gezza are cool people and they stopped and camped with us, which was cool. They also have a trailjournals.com journal. We have hiked with them recently and I think we may hike with them for a while longer.My sister Mary sent me some Easter goodies and with it a stuffed Bison. We have officially named it Bilbo Bison.....so Bilbo or B.B..OK, our group has figured out who designed the A.T., and I thought I would tell you a little about them:Tom Switchback; Trailname-Crazy Ivan; When going up or down steep hills, the trail will gently climb the hill while crossing it, instead of straight up the hill. It will go one direction for a while and then do a 180 degree turn and go the other direction....a switchback. Sometimes we yell "Crazy Ivan" when we get to one just for fun.Bill Straight-to-the-top; trailname-Rock Climber; self-explanatory (no switchbacks)....we hate this guy!Sally Razorrocks; trailname-Tenderfoot; married to Bill, and we hate her too! By the way, they hate each other.Larry Level; trailname-Lazy Hiker; claims to have done the A.T. 4 times but no one has actually seen him on the Trail. When he is telling his A.T. stories, he's on a bar stool, wearing flip-flops and a hawaiian shirt, drinking a drink with an umbrella in it. However, we do love his Trail designs!
Date: 2009-04-25
From: Campsite

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

(Editorial Note: No you are not reading the destination wrong....there seems to be a place called Low Gap about every 100 miles on the A.T.!)Another gorgeous day on the A.T. It got up to about 80 today, clear skies, sunshine!! Awesome! And to top it all off, easy hiking....if there is such a thing.Goof, Mr Buffalo Man, Sunnuke, Top Shelf, Gezza and I hiked all day together. I think all 6 of us may stick together for a while. We all enjoy each others company.When we got up today, we had about 30 miles to get into Damascus. We originally thought of trying to do 20 today, then have only 10 to get into town. But we called it quits early today. We could have done another 5 miles but we didn't see the rationale in pushing it. Easier on the body to break it equally in half. And getting into town at 5 pm vs 2 pm really doesn't make that much of a difference. Especially knowing we were going to zero the next day.Anyhow, it was just a relaxing stroll through the woods today. I'll take as many of these types of days as God will hand out!OK. I haven't rambled on about gear too much lately. I mentioned before that I highly recommed hiking poles. Personally, I also recommend rubber tips for the ends also. They only cost about $3. First advantage is that you don't end up picking up tons of leaves on the ends! Just ask Goof! They also are better for planting the pole on rocks....they seem to grip a bit better. I've seen some blogs against them saying they'll come off at some time. They might. But mine are still there and they have been in mud, snow, rain, and dry....plus caught on roots many of times. They've been pounded on so hard I would have to cut them off to get rid of them at this point. Ok.....my two cents on that!The talk has already started on "when to send winter stuff home." I'm not in that big of a hurry. My pack is comfortable. I am looking forward to switching to a summer sleeping bag. It's 70 tonight and I'm using a 15 degree sleeping bag. Too funny!!
Date: 2009-04-26
From: Low Gap

To: Damascus, VA (Dancing Bear B&B)
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Slept restless last night but got enough sleep to be good to go. Got up to the bad news that my platypus (water bladder) had a small leak in it. The blessing is that it happened the night prior to hiking into a town with 3 outfitters! I also carry a one liter nalgene bottle that was good enough to get me into town....just had to stop at every water source to fill up.I've been very pleased with the places we have stayed at so far. We had a couple of places in mind coming into Damascus that we wanted to stay at. But due to stopping short yesterday, we didn't get into town until late in the afternoon and all the "normal hiker places" were full, which we expected. But Jenny, who runs the Hiker's Inn, recommended a B&B called the Dancing Bear. We called and they had two large places available, the Mama Bear, and the Papa Bear. We took the Papa Bear and were very happy when we showed up and saw the place. 4 beds in a very comfortable room, Direct TV, Dining Table with 4 chairs, refrigerator and microwave, and private bathroom. Only $85 per night...divided by 4 makes it not much more than a hostel. Gonna be a comfortable place for our zero tomorrow! Goof was joking that the food in that room would be too hot, and the beds would be too hard!Checked in, showered, did laundry, ate Subway (hit the spot), and hung out with some other hikers at Quincy's, a pizza joint. Old Goat, Check-Six, Rolling Stone, O.G., Hellbender, Top Shelf, Gezza, Mr Buffalo Man and I hung out there and chatted for a while. It was good to see all those guys again.Then I grabbed some ice cream at the Dollar General store and hung out at the town park with Miss Scarlett, Newt, Repunzel, Squeegie, Sam Wize and Mr Buffalo Man. That's right, we caught up with the young crowd that I like so much. However, they hike out tomorrow so they will be a day ahead of us once again....but it was great to hang out with them again. We'll see them down the road sometime.It feels good to sit in chairs, be clean, wear clean clothes, and relax knowing my feet don't have to hike tomorrow.....1st day off in 16 days! Good stretch of hiking. Well, just chilling now watching some Comedy Central.By the way, into Virginia today......took 460 miles to get to Virginia and we'll be in Virginia for 536 miles! WOW!
Date: 2009-04-27
From: Damscus, VA (Dancing Bear B&B)

To: Damascus, VA (Dancing Bear B&B)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today is a zero day. No hiking. Definitely a good day to rest the body.First order of business was breakfast! Then to the outfitters for a new platypus (water bladder), new socks, some batteries, etc.My sister Jane sent me a care package which I picked up at the Post Office this morning....homemade chocolate chip cookies....awesome! Plus an assortment of other hiker approved chocolates! I've got some cool family!Now I'm at the library typing away.....I should get pictures loaded sometime later today. Right now...time for lunch!I highly recommend the Dancing Bear Vacation Rentals (not a B&B per se)! A very comfortable place to stay.
Date: 2009-04-28
From: Damascus, VA (Dancing Bear B&B)

To: Whitetop Laurel Creek
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: few clouds

Kind of a strange morning for me. I was very tired last night.....soaked in the bathtub for a few minutes and was out like a light.....I'm not sure but I think shortly after 9pm. I slept like a rock....first time since I hit the Trail.I got up at 8 am which is late for me and the other 3 were still in bed also. I didn't have a good feeling about how the morning was going to go. We all had to go to the Post Office. Goof also had to go to the outfitters....and I didn't know if any of them had any other plans.I made up my mind early that I was just going to "hike my own hike" and leave town when I was ready. I went to the P.O. to mail some stuff home and then got a cheeseburger for breakfast on my way out of town. I was out of town around 10am. I don't know when the other guys left.The hike out of town was quite different from most other hikes out of towns. Of course, it was uphill but a very easy climb after following the Virginia Creeper Trail and a stream for a while.I stopped for lunch at a stream at about noon. I met a thru-hiker named "Tank" there from West Central Pennsylvania. He was a Penn State grad. I also met a section hiker named Bahama Dave today going from Damascus to Harper's Ferry this year. He went from Springer Mountain to Damascus last year. I also ran into Single Speed and Lean-To today.So as I'm hiking today, I'm reviewing the plan that we had come up with for this 6-day stretch from Damascus to Atkins. Two things were eating at me. One, we planned a 17+ mile day in there. Two, there is a chance of thunderstorms every day during this stretch and we only planned on camping near a shelter on one of the days.So I decided to hike further today then planned. This will allow me to camp in a shelter area every single night....and stay in one if storms are threatening. Plus my longest day between here and Atkins will be 14.1....yea!, no 17+ mile day. It will just be more enjoyable for me. I hope the guys aren't upset with me. I left a note in a shelter register with the details of my new plan.So I'm camping here beside a stream tonight by myself. Very peaceful night. It has been forever since I've camped alone out here. I have a feeling I will sleep well tonight.By the way, the Chicken Tettrazini MRE is my favorite. Also, I had to drastically change what other foods I am carrying. Anything with chocolate is a mess, as it is melting. So now I've switched to more beef jerky, summer sausage, and the cans of chicken salad, deviled ham....you know...the stuff with the crackers! Good stuff.
Date: 2009-04-29
From: Whitetop Laurel Creek

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: light rain

I had a good night's sleep with the white noise of the river beside me. I did not want to get up today but I had a couple of good climbs ahead of me so I wanted to make sure I had time for some good long breaks. I was out by 8:30.The first climb was up White Mountain. There were plenty of switchbacks so the climbing was easy.....well, easier than it used to be! The sun was out and the views were awesome. The hiking in the morning and early afternoon was very comfortable.So I get to VA600 and am getting ready to climb Mount Rogers. So I'm taking a little break at a little tourist info pull-off and looking at the weather over Mt Rogers. It wasn't looking good, but not too bad either. So me and this other dude are watching the clouds. We're watching as clearer skies are moving toward Mt Rogers. We have 2 hours of hiking to get to the top which is our destination....a shelter up there.So I headed out up the mountain thinking I will be OK. So I get to Deep Gap, which is about halfway and I can hear thunder and it is starting to rain. On goes the pack cover and the rain gear. As I hike the rain gets harder and the thunder gets louder. One thing about hiking is that you don't move too fast and have plenty of time to think about eveything. So I'm reflecting about all the lessons I have learned in life, or at least heard about. One example...don't get under the lone tree in a field in a thunderstorm. So here I am feeling like the stupidest person on Earth. I am hiking in a thunderstorm, climbing the highest mountain in Virginia....yep, MT Rogers, highest point in VA....I just read the info at the tourist spot at VA600....and I'm carrying two aluminum sticks in my hands. Brilliant. Colonel Bedke always told us if we got in a situation in an airplane where we were asking God "just let me get through the next 30 seconds" we had already made the mistakes....that's why we were in that situation. Well, that's where I was....woops!So, thanks to God having mercy on fools, I get to the shelter OK. First order of business....get into dry clothes. Ate dinner. Now in my sleeping bag writing. Glad to be in a shelter.So I guess I was 1 and 1 on the decision making. One win for adjusting my hiking schedule to be able to stay in shelters....and one loss for hiking in a thunderstorm on the highest point in the whole dang state! Another exciting day on the A.T.