morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-03-28
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry's Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

"TRAIL MAGIC! Fal and Hercules (he was a navy C-130 pilot) made us Belgian waffles and beef stew and apple pie. It was delicious! They are some sort of fundamentalist Christians, probably an Evangelical or Baptist group judging from their rhetoric. Joe referred in a trail register as a "bait and switch" operation: get the thru-hikers in with food and unexpectedly launch into the Jesus spiel. Don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of such ministry, but it seemed a little disingenuous the way they do it. Fabulous people though. Real trail angels for sure. Some real ridge running too! About a mile along a rocky, craggy, "razorback" ridge. Slow going due to rocky terrain. Fun stuff that reminded me a little bit of the Smokys.I contemplated going to Flint Mountain Shelter but a thunderstorm convinced me otherwise. So one more night (at least) with Tentshaker and the same crowd as last night. Good times.Peace world."
Date: 2007-03-29
From: Jerry's Cabin Shelter

To: Bald Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 24.7

"Well I busted north today. Said my farewells (for now anyway) to Tentshaker and the others I have been with the past few nights and banged out a 25 mile day from Jerry's Cabin Shelter to Bald Mtn Shelter. Mostly uneventful hiking in the gloomy rainy fog until we got to... Big Bald!Big Bald is aptly named; it is a 5500' bald that looks to be maintained by forest service mowing (as many balds are). In most cases, balds came to be by settlers foresting the slopes and tops of mountains for grazing. As conservationism set in and land was incorporated into national forests, these slopes were allowed to grow back into what is now mature, multi-growth hardwood and pine forest. However, the balds were the last to be reclaimed by the trees.Recognizing the beauty and historical significance of the bald peaks, the forest service now maintains many of the balds by mowing. Max Patch is an example of a bald on which hundreds of acres are kept treeless. In fact, on Walnut Mtn, just south of Hot Springs, they are clear cutting the summit to create an old bald. While there are mixed opinions about such extremes, every hiker will tell you they love the amazing feeling of leaving the trees and walking a bald. Beautiful spots for sure.Back to Big Bald. Imagine the following: rain, fog and a general chill. You climb ever higher on steepish terrain. Just when you are getting fed up with wind and rain and fog, you suddenly see bright blue sky above you and no trees ahead you you. The top of Big Bald was above the clouds! It was an island above a sea of white fluff. Other islands popped up here and there around us. Amazing.The Irish believe places where two "worlds" meet are special. They call them "liminal" places. Here one can converse with the gods and touch another world. Deep places and high places can be considered liminal. Big Bald was truly a liminal place. I stayed till sunset and ate my dinner. This will be an experience never to be forgotten.Peace world."
Date: 2007-03-30
From: Bald Mtn Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: broken clouds

"Today was an interesting day. At 3:30am I was groping my way through fog down a mountain and by lunch I was sitting at an all-you-can-eat pizza hut buffet.Half day off in Erwin! Though we hiked 17 miles in to get here so it was really a full day that ended around lunchtime.I ate lunch, re-supplied the rode around town with Miss Janet as she did some errands. Wonderful woman with a great place. It was kind of a zoo at her house so I went to Holiday Inn Express instead. For a lot more $$, I got a king-sized bed, some solitude and a hot tub! A six pack of Sam Adams and a hot tub is the PERFECT way to cap off a 17 mile hike! Tomorrow back northward! I found Joe from Iowa also at Holiday Inn, so I might hike with him some more.Peace, world."To the readers: SO sorry I've been bad about getting these up!! My computer crashed, so obviously that made it a bit more difficult to post these entries... Conquistador's Chica.
Date: 2007-03-31
From: Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

"We got an easy hitch out of Erwin today after a not-half-bad continental breakfast at the Holiday Inn. Got held up a few minutes into the hike by the beautiful sounds of coltraine. I mean, the tooting, creaking sound of a coal train. 96 cars (by my count) all laden with coal. I wonder if any of it is going to a gasification plant? I hope so.Today was a boring hike, though the climb out of Erwin was the easiest climb out of town yet. Unaka Mountain was a pain in the butt. The only interesting part was a hike over 'Beauty Spot' a nice little bald hill (~4500'). Other than that it was really a non-descript day...That's all, peace world."
Date: 2007-04-01
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Stan Murray Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

"Today was quite the day. An easy 9 mile hike to the next shelter after Cherry Gap followed by one of the steepest climbs on the AT. Roan Mountain. It is home to some famous rhododendron gardens, but those won't be blooming for some time. The climb up though... man. 1000ft of elevation gain per mile sustained for several miles. Like something from the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Foggy and rainy the whole way too.After Roan same some massive balds. If not for the clouds and fog, they would have been spectacular! The highlight of my day came in the evening though. Joe from Iowa gave me a few tortillas... I had some cheddar cheese... and a Lipton's red beans and rice side. Sounds like burrito time to me! Two trail burritos made for a delicious meal. This will certainly be a staple in my future AT diet!Peace world."One of the reasons I like this kid... he gets excited about food.... any food.
Date: 2007-04-02
From: Stan Murray Shelter

To: Mountaineer shelter
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: scattered clouds

"Today I climbed Hump Mountain. It is a massive bald that rises alone from much smaller hills. I stood in awe of it before climbing it. It's really the first mountain I have seen that looks like a majestic mountain from a distance. But this time we approached it from another bald (Little Hump Mountain) and the clouds parted just enough to glimpse the grandeur of Hump Mountain. It was a splendid climb too. The wind was whipping, trying to knock us hikers over. Once you reach the summit, the bald continues as a ridge-like entity for over a mile of awesome hiking.Leaving Hump, you arrive at usige [here i came across my own problem of not being able to read *someone's* handwriting, so sorry if this is the wrong name!] Infamous for its unfriendliness to hikers and its dirtiness. Signs on the trail warn hikers not to leave cars at the trailhead due to vandalism. Trash covers the trail within chucking distance of roads. It is simply a depressing, dirty few miles of trail. Glad to have it behind us.Tonight I am at Mountaineer Shelter with Joe from Iowa, Thrills, and Dogfather. Dogfather has a great dog with him, Sebastian. The shelter is brand new too. Built in 2006 it might be the nicest shelter so far. Right up there with Plumorchard Gap, Fontana Hilton, and Cosby Knob.Lastly, Red Sox open at Kansas City today! Woohoo! I wonder who won/is winning?!Peace world."
Date: 2007-04-03
From: Mountaineer shelter

To: Kincora Hikers Hostel
Miles today: 15.0

"Today was cake. 15 miles downhill to Kincora Hiker Hostel. I got in by about 2pm. Pat, the wife of Bob Peoples, drove about 5 of us to Elizabethton (TN) to grab some groceries and Little Ceasar's ready-to-go pizzas.Bob and Pat Peoples are amazing people. They hail from VT and now Kincora. Bob also does a ton of trail work with the Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club. Remarkable people - Kincora is an awesome place!Met a bunch of hikers at Kincora too. Otto and his dog Raven, Hubcap (who may be the last of the south bounders), Buckyard Boogie, Natural High + Ladybug, Caterpillar + Hike and Santa's Helper. Otto and Santa's helper did a McDonald's run for dinner, so that was awesome. My greasy fast food craving should be assuaged for a few weeks.On to Vandeverter Shelter tomorrow....getting close to VA!Peace world."
Date: 2007-04-04
From: Kincora Hikers Hostel

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

"Today was an interesting day for sure. The morning featured a hike through the Laurel Fork Gorge. It is a chasm about 500 ft below much of the surrounding core. The Laurel Fork runs through it. In places, the trail is precariously positioned on rocks by the rivers edge.Laurel Falls was also a nice sight. They aren't particularly impressive but compared to the tiny streams we're used to on the AT, they might as well have been Niagara Falls.Today we also went over Watauga Dam. It is much smaller than Fontana Dam and has an earth structure rather than concrete. Kinda cool.Tonight we are sleeping up on a ridge that runs all the way to Damascus, 33 miles away. I will be there by lunch time Friday!Peace world.p.s. Go Sox!!!"
Date: 2007-04-05
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 33.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a big day... an epic day. For me anyway. Last night was brutally cold. Water froze and sleep was hard to come by. I decided that that was it. Tonight I will sleep in a warm bed in Damascus! (33 miles away...)So I did it. I hiked those 33 miles across easy terrain in 11 hours, and tonight I sleep in a warm bed at the Hikers Inn in Damascus. I also ate two Burritos the size of my head tonight at Baja Grill. I will be going back for more on Saturday, I think.Lastly, the sunset last night at Vandeventer Shelter was brilliant! I didn't get a picture, though, because it was far too cold to get out of my bag...By the way... I am now in Virginia! Let the zero days begin!"
Date: 2007-04-06
From: Damascus, VA

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

Conquistador took a siesta here for a few days with a bunch of other hikers. The couple times I got phone calls from him the background noise was quite cheery and everyone sounds like they're having a great time. I'm waiting on my next batch of journal entries from him, so until they come, I will try to update from memory or voicemails left by him.)I was reading the journal of Joe from Iowa http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=174947 (he and Conquistador have hiked a good amount of AT together) and there was a quote about our hero that made me actually laugh out loud. 4/7"...Conquistidor has a full day of eating planned, he made these plans during his Italian food fest[Joe wrote that it was an entinre tablefull of italian food] last night at dinner. Part of my day's entertainment will be watching him eat. The metabolism of a 22-year-old is something to behold."-Conquistador's Chica
Date: 2007-04-09
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Leaving Damascus was hard. A bed in a warm little house with a super hot shower. Huge burritos and pizza and beer nearby. But the trail came knockin', so I went hiking.Easy day today with nothing cool to hike past. The AT joins the Virginia Creeper Trail which runs in an old railroad bed. They say you can go many miles out of Damascus and ride a bike back on the Creeper and only have to pedal enough to get you started. Sounds fun if it wasn't a negative million degrees outside.It was a short day today; on over Mt. Rogers and the Grayson Highlands tomorrow.Peace, world!
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

Ponies! I saw five feral ponies in the Highlands today. They are small little things, but plenty cute.Oh, yeah ... Mt. Rogers, too. That hill kicked my butt something fierce. I stormed right up it without quitting, but I should have taken a break or taken it slower. The Highlands were cool, though. A lot of open ground and rock outcroppings. Tough hiking, though, with very rocky treadways.I stepped in the mud at one point and bent my trekking pole. I managed to give my elbow a welt the size of a walnut during that little incident, as well. While it was an interesting day, it may have been my hardest day of hiking thus far.On a different note, when I arrived at the shelter, there were about eight or nine horses with a matching number of horse people standing nearby. Apparently, they took a "wrong turn" and got onto the AT from the horse trail they were following. (The horses really tore up a few miles of the AT, hence they are not allowed on 98% of the AT.) They left shortly after I got there. Riding a horse looks good compared to walking 23 miles.WAIT!! I forgot ... Mt. Rogers, Whitetop Mtn. and the Highlands are still covered in snow. That didn't make it much easier.Peace, World.
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: overcast clouds

If yesterday was perhaps the hardest day of hiking, today might have been the easiest (not counting "nearo" days, of course!) Twenty-five miles that were mostly flat or easily graded. Splendid hiking!Tonight is Partnership Shelter, which means pizza! A place called Tuscan-something-or-other delivers to the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area Headquarters about .1 miles away. I polished off a 14" peppers and onion pie. With the crushed red pepper from home, it was delicious!Rain, rain, rain tonight. Time to sleep.Peace, World.
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Davis Path Shelter
Miles today: 14.0

Tragedy (with a small "t") struck last night ... it turns out cell phones do not bounce ... furthermore, it turns out that a cell phone in two pieces is rather ineffective. Talk about a demoralizing incident. What is the fun if hiking the AT if I can't talk to the people I love back home?Fortunately, I have amazing folks. I told them last night that the phone was busted, and by lunch today they had a new phone on the way to Pearisburg. I do not deserve such treatment.Today was a short 14 mile day through Atkins. Nothing exciting except .... BEER RUN! We had nothing to do at the shelter at around 5 pm, so Trocar, Scoops, Moonwalker and I ran 2.8 miles back to Atkins to get a 24 pack of Bud Light. 5.6 miles later, we had a party in the shelter. Zero had directed the building of a new and improved fire ring and put together a real rager. We all sat around the fire until stuff started exploding! The rocks they rebuilt the fire ring with were very moisture laden and started blowing into pieces. Exciting stuff!Big climb up Chestnut Knob tomorrow, so time to sleep!Peace, World.
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Davis Path Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was largely uneventful. Well ... we walked ... but that was really about it. Professor and Bobsled are hiking with us now and will likely continue to do so until at least Pearisburg.We got to finish our day with a bang, though the climb up Chestnut Knob was a bit long (2000' elevation over a couple of miles) but the views from the bald area on top were stupendous. In one direction, one sees endless ridges with brilliantly green spots cleared out in the low spots. In the other direction (north on the AT) one sees the "Thumbprint of God." This is an area known as Burke's Garden and is encircled by a ridgeline over 4000' tall in most places. It is a really exceptionally beautiful spot.The shelter up here is really something special. Chestnut Knob Shelter is an old stone house, so it is a .... wait for it! .... FOUR-SIDED-SHELTER! With bunks, no less! Ergo, we look forward to a warm night despite the howling wind outside.G'night, world.
Date: 2007-04-14
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today started out with an amazing sight- the thumbprint of God was filled with clouds a few hundred feet lower than the elevation of the ridges encircling it. The scene promised good things to come.Ridge walking was the name of the game in the a.m. - about eight miles or so along the thumbprint of God before we came to a long succession of up-and-downs for most of the rest of the day. By mile 21 out of 23, the magic promised by the beautiful scene this morning had not yet come to pass.But then we met Tagg-along! I had been hiking with Scoops for a few miles when we met her. She was only doing a section and was a short distance from her car. She asked us if we needed anything in Bland (Va.) and we initially said, "No, thanks." Then we realized our grave mistake: there is a Dairy Queen in Bland! We reversed our answer and scored a ride into Bland and back. She even bought extra burgers for us to pack in for the others at the shelter. The most wonderful trail angel thus far!To top off a pretty great finish to the day, Matt and U-dog had left a few cans of Miller High-Life in the stream below the shelter. Thank you, Matt & U-dog!It is supposed to rain tomorrow. Hope it isn't too bad ...Peace, World.
Date: 2007-04-15
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: Wapati Shelter
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: moderate rain

Oh my God. And I mean that in the most desperate, reverent sense imaginable. Today nearly killed me. Or so I convinced myself. My sole thought the entire afternoon was, "People have perished in less trying circumstances." Here is how such direness came to pass.The day began rather forebodingly with a steady rain and some thunder to go with it. The trail turned into the Appalachian River and needless to say, everything got soaked, including socks, boots, gloves, jacket, pants, etc. ad nauseam. The rain eventually stopped, and the sun even made a feeble five minute appearance. But the good turn of events in the weather were short-lived. Enter Mr. Massive Temperature Drop.As any chemical engineering student can tell you (and most other people can tell you, too, I'm sure), precipitation occurs when the temperature drops below the dew point. I now know what happens as it continues to plummet. First, ice starts to fall out of the sky. Then it begins to accumulate. Then it turns to snow. Then the snow accumulates. Then it makes hikers miserable!!Our feet were already wet, so the coldness meant freezing feet. My gloves were soaked, so I couldn't use them. I settled for putting my paws into my pockets and dragging the poles behind me. It was a really unhappy trudge. But, I made it to Wapati Shelter, as did five other unhappy hikers (Joe from Iowa, Trocar, Scoops, Bobsled and Professor.)It is fitting that the creek near the shelter is called "Dismal Creek." It is perhaps also fitting that Dismal Creek claimed my nalgene, due to cold fingers, I think, but the hypothermia clouds my memory of the last few hours of the day.Town, tomorrow .... can't wait!
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Wapati Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today featured a sixteen mile trudge through snow to a much needed night in town in Pearisburg, VA. When we rolled into town, we heard the news from Virginia Tech. Makes the misery of the past few days out on the trail rather trivial. May all the victims rest in peace.Night in town means town food and resupply, so there's nothing exciting to write about. A shower, laundry, and a real bed is very nice, though!
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

I got a little radio at WalMart this morning. I've been deprived of music for far too long. I cannot wait to listen to some NPR and classical music while hiking! I think it's a good omen that the first music I heard when I turned it on was Mahler's Symphony No. 1, my favorite work in all the symphonic repertoire.After some awesome Dairy Queen, we set out from Pearisburg for a short 7.5 mile day. I listened to the Virginia Tech convocation while hiking the section of the trail maintained by the Virginia Tech Outdoor Club. Very sad. I wonder if anyone who worked on these trails was killed or hurt? It's certainly a sobering thought.Anyways, it's still Joe from Iowa, Trocar, Scoops and me yet again with a few section hikers and an ultra light guy named Boone. Long day tomorrow towards Dalesville, our next night in town!Peace, World.
Date: 2007-04-18
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a long day from Rice Field Shelter to War Spur Shelter. The news today was full of info and press conferences from VA Tech so that was kind of bummin'.The first shelter north of Rice Field was Pine Swamp Branch Shelter and had been nailed by a giant tree a few nights before. A few hikers had been there, but none were hurt. However, if anyone had been in any of the top bunks, they would have had their legs (or head) severed. One of the big roof beams had snapped and come to rest right on top of one of the bunks. So much for security in the shelters...There was some nice ridge walking here and there today, though. One of the ridges goes past Wind Rock, which provides beautiful vistas of the lovely green valleys below. All in all, it was a pleasant hike though a bit grueling being 25 miles and all.Peace, World.
Date: 2007-04-19
From: War Spur Shelter

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

The best way to recoup from a long 25 miler is to do a short 18 miler the next day. War Spur to Niday was a very leisurely walk featuring a fantastic ridgewalk for the last few miles.We also got to hike through a few pastures, one of Virginia's best features. The AT here passes through some very populated areas. Frequently, while passing through a valley between ridges, the trail will pass through beautiful, green pastures. As with the balds further south, this change is scenery is most welcome after a lot of woodsy miles.Tomorrow, I will be hiking down to Catawba, VA to hit up all you can eat at the Homeplace! Now that is very exciting.
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Niday Shelter

To: John's Spring Shelter
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a mix of grueling hiking, pleasant hiking, downright hard hiking, and awesome food! The first excitement occurred shortly after starting as we got to pass the Audie Murphy Memorial. He was the most decorated American in World War II. His monument is on a very easy ridgewalk. But the easy ridgewalk did not last.Around lunchtime, we approached the Dragon's Tooth, a precipitous, rocky ridge. Instead of the gentle, rolling ridges we have seen thus far, this ridge consisted of many steep up and downs. Every time your reach the top of an "up", you say to yourself, "Finally, the Dragon's Tooth!" But then ahead, you see another higher crest along the ridge. This phenomena would keep up for the rest of the day. Very interesting, and cool terrain, but tough for a 20+ mile day.The awesome food part came in the evening at the Homeplace Restaurant in Catawba. They do a family style dinner that is all you can eat. For $14, you get delicious fried chicken, ham and roast beef. In addition, there are biscuits, mashed pototos, macaroni and cheese, green beans, gravy, apple butter, pinto beans, and cole slaw. Everything is replaced as soon as the waitress sees an empty serving dish! It was simply magical! To finish it off, two servings of peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream -- fabulous. Joe from Iowa, Trocar and I ate well beyond our stomachs' capacities, and it was sublime. It did make for a tough one mile hike (you call that "hiking"?! .... - Mom) out to the shelter, though. Fortunately we easily yogi-ed a hitch from other diners at the Homeplace.To finish off my evening, I enjoyed a wonderful cigar down in front of the shelter while chatting to the girl on the phone. What an evening!Peace, World.