morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-10-23
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Beauty Spot
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Today was a bit warmer than yesterday and more importantly ¢ less wind. We did a key swap today where Princess dropped me off at Iron Mountain Gap and I hiked back to Beauty Spot where she left the car. Then I drove back to Iron Mountain Gap and picked her up after she finished her hike.I got an early start just a daybreak. I was prepared for cold conditions, but I warmed up quickly and shed clothes rather than adding layers. I had a long, steady climb through mostly open woods areas. I still enjoy all the color in the foliage and it makes for a very pleasant hike. There were a few openings in the trees that afforded good longer range views and I tried to capture those. The biggest climb of the day was Unaka Mountain, 5,180 ft at the top. It was at the end of the hike and I could see the mountain looming over me as I approached. The AT Guide noted that there is a ¢dense spruce forest¢ at the top and it was very apparent as I got close ¢ a layer of green across the top and above the fall colors of the deciduous trees below. The forests on high mountains typically shift to evergreen trees at higher altitudes. In the southern states it often occurs around 5,000 ft., while in the northeast the transition is at lower altitudes because of the colder conditions. I saw several groves of evergreens as I climbed toward the top, but when I got near the top and into the spruce it was dramatically different. It was definitely a dense forest and there was virtually no undergrowth, just a layer of brown needles across the smooth forest floor. And there was very little debris on the ground, I don¢t remember seeing any fallen trees although some must have been there. It was very quiet as I walked through, almost surreal. All too soon it was over and I walked back into a more traditional woods. Not long after I met a younger fellow hiking with his young son up towards the top. One of my standard greetings is ¢hi there, how are you doing?¢ to which he replied (with a British accent) ¢having the time of my life¢. I commented that he was very near the spruce forest and he replied that he was from Maine where you didn¢t have to climb 5,000 ft to find them. That¢s true in my experience, one of the reasons that I really like hiking in Maine.We headed back to Cantarrosa Farm for our last evening there. Peggy has been away since we arrived and is due back today, so we¢re looking forward to talking with her before we move on. She¢s an avid hiker and we hope that she will be able to join us at some point in the near future in Virginia.
Date: 2016-10-24
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: CarverÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap
Miles today: 0.0

We were packed and up early to get a head start on the hike. We have a toughie today with climbs over Little Rock Knob and over Roan Mountain. Princess dropped me off at Iron Mountain Gap and then she headed north to Carver Gap to hike south for a key swap.I started just after sunrise. Initially I had a lot of smaller ups and downs. Along the way, I passed the turnoff to the Greasy Creek Hostel. We stayed there the first time we did the AT and I remember trying to navigate down the hill to the hostel in the rain. That intersection on the trail is still a little confusing and I had to be careful to stay on the AT. Not long after the Greasy Creek turnoff I started up the hill to Little Rock Knob. I knew it would be a 2 to 3 mile climb and get steeper near the top. I¢ve found that counting my paces helps me keep focused on the climb and it worked pretty well. Near the top the open woods gives way to a rhodo grove with lots more rocks in the path. I also began to notice that the wind was loud and gusty, and the rhodos provided some protection from the wind. There was one opening near the top with a good view, but mostly the trail was closed in. After the rocky knob at the top, the trail started abruptly down. I hadn¢t seen anyone up to that point, but I passed a number of hikers climbed the other side as I descended. Most appeared to be day hikers hiking up to the knob. My descent ended at Hughes Gap and the trail turned abruptly uphill toward Roan Mountain. My previous climb was about 1,000 ft while the ascent up Roan Mountain was over twice that climb and over 4 miles long. It¢s an arduous climb with a false summit about half-way up that raises false expectations. Lots of high log steps that are tough on knees. The peak is over 6,000 ft, so the woods at the top is another beautiful evergreen forest. I learned later from Dave at Mountain Harbour that these are Frasier firs. And the Roan High Knob Shelter at the top is the highest shelter on the AT. And it can be very cold. Just beyond the shelter the trail turns down and drops about 650 ft to Carver¢s Gap, the end of the day¢s hike.After picking up Princess, we headed down the hill to Mountain Harbour B&B & Hostel. This is the 3rd time we¢ve stayed here. We like to get a room in the B&B, but the hostel is quite busy as well. The Mountain Harbour breakfasts are terrific, one of the main reasons that we stay here.
Date: 2016-10-25
From: CarverÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap

To: Rt. 19
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Breakfast at Mountain Harbour is always at 8 am. Our preference is to be on the trail by 7 or 7:30, but we¢ve learned that their breakfasts are not to be missed. Last evening we met Teri and Cliff from Texas and they joined us for dinner at Dairyland in Roan Mountain. They plan to stay here for several days so we¢ll likely see more of them. The breakfast was great. Dave has taken over breakfast preparation from Mary (with Shannon¢s help) and he has Mary¢s recipes. Dave shuttled us up to Carver¢s Gap to pick up where we left off yesterday. Yesterday, the wind was fierce at the gap and we needed our Thermoball jackets. But things changed overnight ¢ the temp was pleasantly cool and there was virtually no wind. The hike today took us over a number of big balds and our experience over the past 2 years is that it¢s a cold windy misty hike. The first year the wind gusts were nearly strong enough to blow us over. Today was vastly different. Initially we crossed Round Bald, Jane¢s Bald and climbed most of the way up Grassy Ridge Bald. The weather was perfect, the views were incredible and hikers were picnicking at the tops. Then we had nearly 4 miles of descent to Yellow Mountain Gap where the Overmountain Shelter is located just off the trail. We have stayed there in the past, the shelter is a repurposed barn. After passing The Barn, we had a long arduous uphill trudge to the top of Little Hump Mountain (elev. 5,459 ft). Again, the views were amazing and the weather was fabulous. As we came off the top of Little Hump we entered a grove of trees and when we emerged we saw our next challenge: Hump Mountain. The summit of Hump is only 637 ft above the gap between the two humps, but it¢s a very steep steady climb with a couple of false summits that tend to be a bit discouraging. As Princess and I climbed, we passed a hiker who was really struggling under a full backpack. I felt sorry for him, slack-packing is so much better. When we finally made it to the top we found a couple having lunch with their 2 dogs. The remaining 5+ miles of the hike were downhill to just under 2,900 ft. Along the way we crossed the NC/TN for the last time I believe. At the end of the descent we crossed US19E just a quarter mile from our hostel. We finished the hike on the high side of 2 12 mph and felt pretty good about it. Not as fast as the kids, but still moving reasonably well.
Date: 2016-10-26
From: Walnut Mountain Road

To: Rt. 19
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

After our second (and last) night at Mountain Harbour, we had another terrific breakfast courtesy of Dave and Shannon and then Dave drove us up to the Walnut Mountain Road AT trailhead. We started from there and hiked southbound back to the hostel. It was another picture perfect day and we really enjoyed the hike. The terrain changed a lot over the course of the hike and there were a lot of landmarks and sights. We remembered some parts of the hike, like the walk along the Elk River and past the cemetery and through endless rhododendron groves. But other portions seemed entirely new ¢ like a walk across a grassy ridge with really long views on both sides. This is a great time of year to hike with a full spectrum of autumn colors.This was a shorter hike, just over 10 miles and we finished about 1:30 back at the hostel. We had everything packed and loaded in our car and we headed out to our next layover point at Black Bear Resort. This involved driving along US19E into Hampton, TN and then taking a curvy, twisty narrow (but paved) road up the mountain to the resort. We¢re in a cottage, but it¢s considerably more remote and rustic than our last B&B. I think most of the patrons are hikers and fishermen and the facility closes for the winter after this weekend. But it has all the necessary amenities (except TV and WiFi). We¢ll be here for 2 nights before we move on to Damascus, VA.
Date: 2016-10-27
From: Walnut Mountain Road

To: Dennis Cove Rd. 
Miles today: 0.0

The cottage here at Black Bear has worked out just fine. The last 2 years we¢ve stayed in one of their cabins and they are pretty spartan. The cottage is quite nice, a living area, bedroom and bath with a small kitchen area with fridge, micro and toaster oven. There is a TV, but it¢s only good for DVDs. Carl provided a shuttle ride for us at 7 this morning and he took us to Walnut Mountain Rd. We started there yesterday, but today we headed north on the AT. Carl retired from the Army earlier this year and was hiking the AT with his 2 sons. They planned to do a flip-flop and hiked the southern section from Springer Mountain to Harpers Ferry. But shortly after they started the northern section his younger son developed a foot problem and they had to stop. Long story, but they¢re helping the owners of the resort for several months until Carl¢s wife (also in the Army) finishes her tour in El Paso and the family can reconnect. Carl is a super guy and he and his sons are having a great adventure.It was light by the time we reached the trailhead and a beautiful morning, perhaps even a little warmer than yesterday. There weren¢t as many landmarks or features on the trail as in previous sections. The first half was over and around a number of small hills with many rhododendron groves. The latter half included several climbs. None were very long, but they had steep sections. The weather forecast predicted a good start to the day, but with increasing clouds and a chance of rain that increased in the afternoon. The prediction was accurate. We started to feel the first few drops of rain when we still had 5 miles to go. Out came the ponchos and we pushed on ¢ a little faster. It never really rained hard and at times it stopped completely. But eventually it did wet the trail making roots & rocks & leaves more slippery. Almost all of the end of the hike was downhill and the wet conditions made us more cautious and slowed us down. But we emerged without any falls. The Black Bear where we¢re staying is about a half mile east of the AT on a rather narrow road. It wasn¢t really raining when we came out on the road and started walking, but a very nice gentleman driving a pickup came by and offered us a ride in the back. We gladly accepted, it certainly beat more walking. This is our last night here at Black Bear, so we¢ll pack the car and move on after our hike tomorrow.
Date: 2016-10-29
From: Dennis Cove Rd. 

To: TN 91
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Yet another incredible hiking day weather-wise. We got an early start with a fine breakfast from our host at the Iron Mountain Inn. Vicki was willing to get up in the middle of the night to fix omelets for us with roasted potatoes, sausage, fruit, homemade pumpkin donuts, fresh tomatoes, coffee and juice. The only problem with this is that I eat too much and pay for it on the first hill. Vicki was also our shuttle driver and we headed out right after breakfast so she could get back in time to fix breakfast for her other guests. We followed her in our car to our end point ¢ the parking lot at the TN 91 trailhead. It¢s right on a major road with a lot of traffic and quite a few hikers passing through. Then we climbed in Vicki¢s car and she drove us to our starting trailhead on Wilbur Dam Road. Today¢s hike was entirely on Iron Mountain. This mountain is really a ridge and our 16-mile hike covered most of that ridge. Most of the first half of the hike was a climb to the highest point, so much of that was gradual. But the first mile or so was a rigorous, steady climb. Even some of the switchbacks were steep. After that, it was a ridge walk. A meandering Watauga Lake was on our right for several hours, but eventually it receded into the distance. There were some good viewpoints along the ridge, but the sun was very bright in the east and precluded any good photos. Occasionally there were some decent vistas on our left to the east. We passed 2 shelters along the way, but we didn¢t see any hikers until the last 5 miles or so. We saw a couple of ATV¢s cross the trail ahead of us, the drivers appeared to be hunters. A little later we heard a loud sneeze, but we couldn¢t locate the direction and never saw anyone. About then I wished we had a little more orange on. Overall, it was a long hike without much excitement. We hopped in the car and headed for Damascus, but found out that our reservations had been messed up. So we made a quick call and headed back to the Iron Mountain Inn where we were last night. It¢s actually a little closer to our starting point tomorrow. And it appears that the weather will continue to shine on us.
Date: 2016-10-30
From: TN 91

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

Our second night at Iron Mountain Inn B&B was just as good as our first. We turned in early and got a good night¢s sleep. Vicki had another breakfast slate ready at 7 and we enjoyed French toast (sourdough) with maple syrup, a banana dish that was like a foster sauce with blueberries, and Smithfield bacon. Yum. I took a short break from breakfast to shoot some pics of the sunrise. The Iron Mountain B&B is in an absolutely beautiful Tennessee mountain setting. It¢s at the foot of Iron Mountain with the AT running the length of the ridge above the Inn, the rear of the house faces roughly east toward the flank of Doe Mountain, and the side of the house has a dramatic long-range view of Pond Mountain. The house has a deck running around 3 sides with tables, chairs, hammock, etc. The sun was rising over Doe Mountain, but the clouds to the south and west had a pink cast. I got a couple of shots ¢ then back to breakfast.Our hike today was a long one, but no really hard climbs and a long descent into Damascus, VA. There were a couple of interesting features. At the south end (TN 91) there is a half-mile of handicap-accessible trail, the only place along the trail that we¢ve seen. It extends across a meadow area. At another point an old shelter just off the trail has been out of use for some time, but it appears to have a new floor and could be functional ¢ but drafty. At another point, something ahead caught my attention and I realized a deer was standing in the trail just ahead of me. I started whistling and the doe just stood there. I took one photo and then started walking toward her & whistling. A half dozen steps later I took another shot and she still stood there watching me. Finally she just turned to the side and walked off the trail. And near the north end of the hike we crossed the state border from Tennessee into Virginia. Good to be in our home state again. The weather today was great again and Damascus was really busy as we came in. Most of the visitors were bikers rather than hikers. The Virginia Creeper trail goes through Damascus and there were bicycles everywhere. We headed straight for The Lazy Fox, where we stay every time we come close to this part of VA. We have a tougher hike tomorrow.
Date: 2016-10-31
From: Whitetop Mountain

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

Breakfast is always a treat at The Lazy Fox. It¢s a fine country meal and a great start for a hike. Miss Ginny had a full house the last couple of days, but today it was just us and one other couple, Terry and Cathy. But she still put out a great breakfast. Terry and Cathy planned a Mt. Rogers bike ride today.We got a late start which made for a very long day. The weather was fine, some clouds that kept the temps down and no rain. The first part of today¢s hike had a few interesting features, but the last part was largely a wood¢s walk.The start was just down from Whitetop Mountain. We remember from last year that Coffee Grounds had his tent set up in the parking lot adjacent to the access road. From that point the trail went down through a hawthorn grove and then back up through a grassy meadow to Buzzard Rock. Buzzard Rock is an interesting outcropping with a great vista. Just beyond the rocks I met a couple headed north and struggling under large backpacks. They started at Springer and will try to get as far north as possible ¢ they would like to get to Harpers Ferry. They also realize that¢s probably not likely, but they hope to begin next spring where they stop this year and finish their thru-hike next year. From Buzzard Rock there is a long stretch of downhill, almost four miles before the slope changes to uphill. There are actually a couple of significant uphill climbs, but each time after the climb there is a downhill that goes further down than before. Eventually the trail levels out just above 2,000 ft. and then goes up over to almost 3,000 ft before the final descent into Damascus. There are several places where the AT merges with the Virginia Creeper Trail for a short stretch. The first time, both trails use the Hassinger Bridge and are stay together for short distance south of the bridge. The next time, I believe it¢s because an AT bridge washed out and the AT detour takes advantage of the Creeper Trail as it bypasses the missing bridge. Finally, the AT joins the Creeper Trail as they both head into Damascus. Even though it was a weekday, there were still plenty of bicycles flowing along the Creeper Trail. A number of bike rentals and shuttlers have set up shop in Damascus and specialize in taking bikers up to Mt. Rogers so they can ride downhill back into town. Damascus was busier than we have seen it before.
Date: 2016-11-01
From: Whitetop Mountain

To: Fox Creek
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We tried to get out a little earlier this morning and asked Miss Ginny to scale back breakfast to just bacon, eggs and toast, since we were the only 2 guests in the house. And we managed to get out a little sooner. Today was a northbound hike from Whitetop north through the Grayson Highlands to the Fox Creek crossing (VA 603).Today was one of the more interesting hikes to us because of the unique character of the Highlands area. Much of it is above 5,000 ft. so it has somewhat of an alpine environment. Much of it is grassy bald areas, with scattered rock outcrops and occasional wild ponies. There is also a side trail to Mt. Rogers, the highest point in VA ¢ although we¢ve never taken it. The trail passes through several of the rocky outcroppings and although short, these can be challenging. One actually passes through Fatman¢s Squeeze, a cavelike feature with a small passage (there is a short bypass trail). Then the trail passes into the Grayson Highlands State Park for about 3 miles. From this point on there is a potential or seeing the wild ponies and we saw several of them. I¢ve included some photos. Princess took the best pics, the ponies wouldn¢t raise their head for me. Much of the highlands is grassy meadows with a number of trails passing through. This is the first time that we¢ve had comfortable weather. Last year it was raining and miserable and the year before it was cold and windy. So we enjoyed this transit much more than before. I remembered a lot of the highland area, particularly the shelter area where we camped the first year we came through. I did meet one thru-hiker today, Caddyshack who started in mid-June. He was hiking alone and seemed to be enjoying himself. Good news, he is an Alabama fan. Beyond the shelter there are more meadows and ponies and an area called the ¢Scales¢ which was apparently a livestock corral. Beyond that the trail starts to climb and heads toward Pine Mountain. The climb continues until the trail passes through 2 stiles, then starts a long descent through woods to Fox Creek, the end of our day¢s section.
Date: 2016-11-02
From: Fox Creek

To: South Fork Holston River (VA 670)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today¢s hike was pleasant, the weather was great, but the trail was less exciting than yesterday. Much of it was through woods with few views. Many of the leaves have already fallen giving the trail a thick layer of leaves that was occasionally slick. It¢s hard to see the rocks and roots under the leaves. We did see maybe a half dozen hikers and 4 or 5 appeared to be SoBo thru-hikers. One said she started in mid-July. They have about 500 miles left. We wished them good weather. The end of the hike was a crossing of a fork of the Holston River. We headed back to Damascus for one last night at The Lazy Fox. After a scaled-down breakfast tomorrow morning, we plan to head to DC and take several days off. When we return we will likely tackle Shenandoah since the facilities there close after Thanksgiving.
Date: 2016-11-06
From: Elkwallow Wayside

To: VA 522
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We had a great 3 days in DC. We drove up from Damascus on Thursday and went to the Caps game on Thursday evening at the Verizon Center. The Caps went up 3-0 early, but then squandered it in the 3rd. Whew, they broke the tie in the first OT. A close call. Friday and Saturday were fun. Plenty of needed rest and picking up supplies. But all too soon it was Sunday and we headed out of DC before daybreak to get a reasonably early start. Our plan was to drive to the north end of the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) and start from there. We set up key swaps and hiked between Elkwallow Wayside and US 522. We hoped for bright fall colors in the landscape at SNP, but it seems that dry conditions have led to less vivid colors and more browns. Nonetheless, the scenery was impressive. At the same time, the crowds were impressive too. OK, the real highlight of the day was meeting Big Lu and Hopper on the trail! (the feature photo)! Big Lu took some time off and joined Hopper to hike some of the SNP. I was coming down a small hill and saw the two of them heading toward me. I did a double take and said holy XXXX, it¢s Big Lu. It was great seeing them again. Big Lu was really enjoying the hike. We talked briefly about the John Muir Trail experience where Hudson joined us in California. She said he had a great time, and I believe he did. He was so excited about being able to hike the JMT. Unfortunately, both Hopper and Big Lu were heading out as soon as they finished at Compton Gap. That will be well before they reach Princess. So we weren¢t able to connect with them after the hike. Hopper was taking off directly to visit family and Big Lu was headed directly back to CT. But what an incredible coincidence. It was really wonderful to see them both and we hope to see them again soon. The rest of the hike was much less eventful. Afterwards, Princess and I headed into Front Royal. There are some good places in Front Royal, but it was Sunday. Elements was closed, so we checked out Yelp and found Pavemint Taphouse and Grill directly across the road from our motel What luck!!. Enough said.