morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-25
From: Little Laurel shelter

To: Jerry's Cabin
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: light snow

The outfitter assured me that the storm was to be a one day thing and it would clear up. I wish he were here now. I woke to a light snowfall and an accumulation of about 8". After laying in the sack deciding what to do I finally decided that it was not coming down too bad and that I was not just going to lay in my bag all day so I convinced Ron to come with me to the next shelter. As we fought up the hill about a quarter of a mile the snow suddenly turned to a white out. High winds and blinding snow drove us back to the shelter. Soon after that it settled down, but neither of us was willing to try that again after getting our boots off. Late in the morning Big Foot showed up. He was stopping for lunch and convinced me to go on with him. I again convinced Ron and the three of us were off. It was only a few miles to the next shelter but the going was hard. During the push to the next shelter at one time we had another white-out but we just waited it out. The trail at times was hard to distinguish and more than once we backtracked to make sure we were still on the trail. During this push we took turns at the front breaking up the trail in teamwork fashion. There was a lot of consulting of maps during the trip and at one point the trail divided into a blue blazed trail and a white blazed trail. The blue blaze was for "bad weather" because the white blazed trail was on an exposed and rocky ridge. It did not take a lot of effort for me to convince Ron and Bigfoot that it was "bad weather" and that we should take the blue blazed trail. When we approached the area where the shelter was we could smell smoke. Turns out the shelter had a fire place and a tarp stretched over the openning. Tank and Grizzly were there laying low until the storm was over. They had a fire going and a stack of wood. What a refreshing sight. The fire did little to make the shelter warm, but it was great for drying out boots and socks, as well as other clothing. After supper we laid out plans to work together to get to the shelter above highway 26. That would be a tough hike in 10-12 inches of snow, but it was the way out of the mountains. Surely this one day snow storm was not going to last 3 days. Guess again!
Date: 2006-03-27
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Indian Grave Gap
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

It was great to wake up in a warm place. The trama of the blizzard was now just an event to embelish over the next few years. I have been enjoying visiting with old friends and meeting new ones. There is a lot of snow on the trail, especially on Roan Mountain. Roan Mountain is well over 6000 feet and word is there are 3' drifts up there. So today I decided today to pack for Iron mountain back to Erwin, which is 20 miles. So I got a ride up to the pass and started back to Erwin. It was a warm day and the snow was beginning to melt. It is actually harder to walk in wet snow than dry and the going was unusually hard. There was a total of eight in our group doing this stretch. As I walked I ran into Bluebird and Abandon, and Woody and Yatzee. I had not seen Yatzee in over 2 weeks and it was good to see him again. We stopped at the shelter and Scout made a snowman. By mid-afternoon it was Scout, Pogue, Julianna, and myself working together. But the speed of the walking was extremely slow because of the slushy conditions. By the time we got to Indian Grave gap it was 4:30 in the afternoon and there was still 9 miles to go. At that point, most of us bailed and caught a ride with Miss Janet back to Erwin. However, Julianna and Wayfairer went on and finished it with the last moments of daylight. My thought was to give Roan Mountain another day and finish to the 9 tommorow. No sense trying to slog through this stuff and wear myself out. I have always appreciated the white blazes on the trail. They are two inchs wide by 4" high white paint on the trees or rocks. They are placed at points on the trail every 1/4 mile or so. The trail is usually distingishable without them in the woods because it is well worn with decades of use. But the blaze tells me I am on the right path. So it is in the Christian life. The Bible and prayer and chruch attendance are meant to keep us from wondering or getting off on the wrong track. "Broad is the way, that leads to destruction."Back to town, dinner at the Elms and some social time at the hostel. Some were a little too social and made a lot of noise way into the night, but I have my earplugs so it is a good night.
Date: 2006-03-28
From: Indian Grave Gap

To: Erwin 
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: light rain

What a night. I was wakened at 4:30 am by several at the hostel who were having a lively discussion. They had been up all night and were still going strong. I had a hard time going back to sleep even with my earplugs. Today's project was to finish the 9 miles that I did not finish the day before. But Miss Janet overslept and breakfast was late. In the end we did not get back to the trail until noon. The walking was easy. It was Scout, Little Red, and I. Little Red is a section hiker (hiking the trail over a period of years). She is a teacher on spring break. Good for her! By 3:30 we were done with the section. My left leg has been bothering me. In 98 I was whitewater rafting in West Virginia and tore the knee out of place. Since then it occasionally slips out and a chiropractor has to realign it. I noticed last night that it was out and was causing considerable pain. So I dropped in on a local chiropractor and paid him $30.00 to jerk it around I am not sure if he helped it. No one can straighten it out like Dr. Craft, but he was not available to come along with me on this trip. I could also use one of his message therapists. Back in town, I joined Mrs. Gorp, Bruno, Little Red, and Scout for supper at the Elms. Mrs Gorp has walked the trail two other times and is going for her 3rd time. She is well known in trail towns. Pirate is at the hostel. I met him in Neals Gap 3 weeks ago. The mountains seem to be disgorging itself of hikers. Several tried to get into the hostel today, but it was full. No one wants to do much hiking at the higher evelevations now and people are getting off the trail because of the hiking condition. The trail has taken it's toll.
Date: 2006-03-29
From: Carver's Gap

To: Iron Moutain Gap
Miles today: 14.0

I feel like I fell into the backpackers black hole. For the third day I seemed to almost have been trapped into a pattern of slack packing. Actually the mountains at the higher elevations are still clogged with snow and slush. In other places there is a lot of mud and it makes it tough on the downhills. I slipped and fell on my glutes today pretty hard. This is the last day of day-packing and I have to get back into the old routine. But for today it is Julianna, Mrs Gorp, Wayfarer, Scout, Bruno and I. The trip up Roan Mountain was interesting and beautiful. The top is a small bald where there used to be a hotel. The hotel was built across the state line of Tenessee and North Carolina. North Carolina was a dry state and Tenessee was not. There was a line on the hotel floor and dining table that marked the state line. A sheriff would hang around a wait for someone to step across the state line with a drink and arrest him. About noon we came to a road that had a dead wild hog. The rangers hunt them at night with special night scopes. The hogs are considered a pest because of the damage they do to the plant life.The hiking was OK today and I felt good about getting back on the trail tonight. The snow storm has really slowed me up from making the progress that I want to make. All together my spirits and the spirits of the hikers have always been high and we are now excited about getting back to work.Back at the hostel, Pirate made some Jumbolai and a couple of pecan pies. It was great to come home to a free and hot supper. Afterward I prepared my bounce box for shipping tomorow. A bounce box is a box that I continue to send ahead to myself that contains items that I need occasionally. Jolly Green Giant is gone again and I will miss him. He is a great guy to know. I doubt that I will catch him again. The only reason that I did this time was because of the snow. The plan is to go to bed early with ear plugs and hope there are no parties. I will be glad to leave here. Miss Janet is great, but there is too much night time activity to get a good night's sleep.
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Carver's Gap

To: Hwy 19E
Miles today: 13.7

I finally made it out of Erwin and got on my way down the trail. I felt like an prisoner that had escaped from a southern prison and the hounds were on his scent. I almost ran. Today I am walking with Mrs Gorp, Wayfarer, Julianna, and Scout. We are all planning to stay at the hostel at 19E for the night. It turns out it is the most reasonable place to stay on the trail. There is a shelter closer and one further away, and the terrain does not lend itself to tenting. In this case the idea of a soft bed and shower had something to do with it. I looked at it as a half-way house from Miss Janet's. The trail is still hard to walk in in places because of the remnants of the storm. The snow has turned to slush and mud. Our job today is to get over little hump and big hump mountains. They are beautiful balds. Once we got below the the 4000' level the trail was clean and dry and was comfortable walking. I am now at the hostel with Superman, Bogue, Biggin, Julianna, Wayfarer, and Scout. An opportunity presented itself to order out pizza. The owner of Mountain Harbor hostel offered to go get it for us. I split a 16" pizza with Julianna and I ordered a large salad. Usually I do not eat salad with pizza and I do not share my pizza, but since I have been walking on this trail nutrition has been important to me. The demands on my body are such that I want it to be performing at its best. I have become very conscience of this like never before.The social aspect of the trail are a big part of the trail experience. It is a great excercise in cooperation. When sharing such close quarters I am amazed at how everyone gets along and supports each other. Your tolerance has to be at a high level or you are just not going to make it. I have enjoyed getting to know the many that I hike with. It helps that during the day most hike in solitude, with the occasional lunch together. One of the traditions on the trail is to stop at each shelter and sign the register. There sometimes end up as a lunch occasion and the other hikers come and join them. The register is also a great way to let hikers behind you know where you are. Trail life is challenging, but also very interesting.
Date: 2006-03-31
From: Hwy 19E

To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 23.8

I am ready to log some big miles. Today my goal is 24 miles to Kinkora hostel. If it goes OK I may try to get to Damascus in two more days after that. That would make it 74 miles in 3 days. We will see. I skipped the hostel breakfast and got on the trail early. It was hard to pass up a bacon and egg, etc. breakfast in favor of nutrigrain bars, but I wanted to get there in good time. I was on the trail by 7:15. The trail was a lot of ups and downs but nothing too extreme. I hiked too for the first time with my IPOD. It is loaded with 80% country music and 20% oldies. I popped in the ear buds, got in a zone, and walked all day listening. I was marching to John Denver "Thank God I'm a Country Boy," etc. I at times almost forgot I was hiking. I did shut off my IPOD long enough to stop and enjoy the Jones Falls. Wow, what an awesome sight. I'm sorry folks, the pictures just cannot capture the awesome power and beauty, or the sound of any falls. You will just have to come to Tenessee and walk through the woods to see for yourself. Also, I enjoyed a lengthy walk along the Elk River. I could imagine myself coming back with a fly rod and catching some trout to fry up. There are a lot of trout steams in this part of the country, mostly Rainbow Trout. My sons love to fish and we will have to talk about this some time. The trail followed the river for about an hour before it slipped away and back into the mountains. Later in the day the trail headed up, and up, and up. It was at the time of the day when I lose some of my vigor, even when I have my IPOD. I stopped at the Moreland Gap shelter for lunch and water. Moreland gap means I had 6.1 miles to go. I had not seen a soul all day walking. I arrived at the Kinkora hostel at 6:00. It started to rain a little just before I got there. Just after I arrived it started to pour. Behind me was Pogue and Superman. They told me that Scout had decided to come the rest of the way also. She and Mrs. Gorp had originally planned to go only as far as Moreland Gap shelter. She showed up about 8:00, wet and cold. So tonight the hostel is full of people I have gotten to know. Good friends, hot chili, and other food from Cruise and Applesause's family, and a soft bed. It felt great after 23 miles on the trail. I also learned tonight that Zama and Lug had bought enough bacon and eggs and other breakfast food for all of us. The only thing missing was that I was not able to call my wife. I will call her in the morning. I am dry, fed, and ready for a good nights' sleep. We take that so for granted in our daily lives. Thru hikers grow to appreciate it. All is well.
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Dennis Cove

To: Vandeventor shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

We started the day off right with freedom toast, eggs, and bacon, along with some fresh fruit. Thanks Zama and Lug. We were going to need it. The first stop was Laurel Fork falls, which was 5 times as awesome as Jones Falls. After that I met two locals, who were out for a walk. They wanted to talk so I stopped and talked to them for a while. The one was walking a couple of miles to get over open heart surgery. I explained to him that I was walking to avoid it. I said it nicely and he took it that way. I know I have mentioned it before, but the facination that the locals have for us thru hikers is interesting. I think they are trying to figure us out. I know I am. Scout is staying behind to meet with family again. Zama and Lug are going to slow down, but they always say that. Firefly was off to an early start, so today I will walk alone all day, which has become commonplace lately. My goal today is the Vandeventer shelter, which is about 18 miles. If I get there early enough I may push on to the campsite just past that. We will see. That would put me in a position to make the 50 miles from Kinkora to Damascus in 2 days. That way I may be able to catch the last of the race and check on my man Jeff Gordon. One of the things I really miss on the trail is watching the races on Sunday with my son Garrett. The walk around Watauga Lake was an enjoyable change from the ridges that we usually walk along. I was glad the planners put this on the trail. The last 4 miles to Vandeventor was a killer. When I got to the shelter there was still some daylight left, but the walk straight down for about 1/4 of a mile to get water and the walk back up killed any ambition that I may have had for moving on to the campsite. So here I am with Cruise and Applesause. It was nice getting to know them better at the shelter. I had met them in the Smokies, but had never spent much time with them. They are from the Damascus area, and were a wealth of information about the services. So here I am in the shelter, tired, fed, and ready for a good night's sleep on the hard wood of the shelter. Thankfully I have a 3/4" thick sleep mattress.
Date: 2006-04-02
From: Vandeventor shelter

To: Abington Gap shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: clear sky

Today I wanted to get to Damascus. It is called Damascus fever, but it is still 32 miles away and while I am hoping to get that far I am not going to push myself to hard. It would have to be an exceptional day. We will see. One thing that would keep me from getting to that point is that my left ankle is bothering me since I rolled hard on it yesterday. I am having to watch every step along the way. It will keep me from streaking like I had hoped. Today is also the day that we switch to daylight saving time, but since I lost my watch in Erwin it really does not matter. I figured out years ago that it does not add an hour of daylight. I left Applesause and Cruise still in the sack with their chocolate poptarts. That seems to be the preferred breakfast of the young hikers. Us old hikers have to think in more healthy terms. I ate my usual nutrigrain bars & some powdered milk (it does a body good). Not a very sexy breakfast, but it is to keep my proper nutrition, which is critical to good performance. Yesterday my IPOD ran out of juice so I will have no tunes to march to. Today's reasonable goal is 22 miles. If I still have daylight & enough gas I will go for 32, but I make myself no promises. What is driving me is the thought of a big, big salad and an even bigger burger. The walk today was rather easy with no severe ups and downs. I walked alone through the day until about 4:30. I came to Hwy 421 and met a local couple, Dazed and Confused. They were setting out a cooler full of pop as trail magic. I spent about half an hour answering their questions and talking to them. They, like many want to encourage hikers and satisfy their curiosity. Confused (the husband) actually hikes southbound so he can interview hikers. The rest of the day was walked with the resignation that I would not make Damascus tonight, so it's Ramen noodles, peanut butter, and a smashed oatmeal creme pie for desert. Oh, life is good!Tonight as I ate my supper, Krispy and Janitor came to the shelter, fixed supper, and prepared to walk the last 10 miles to Damascus. Superman joined them as they were about to go. They left about dark. Within an hour after they left a huge thunderstorm let loose. I was alone at the shelter and had a front row seat for quite a show of hail, lightning, high winds and pouring rain. I hoped that the gang was alright. I resolved I would try to never make God mad at me. Such power!!!
Date: 2006-04-03
From: Abington Gap shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Last night the thunderstorms lasted most of the night and were so strong I got very little sleep. I also received a visit form one of the fury caretakers which ran across my sleeping bag and my hand. I may buy some mousetraps in Damascus and carry them with me. When I did awake in the morning, it was no longer storming but there was a terrible heavy rain so I laid there waiting for the clouds to wring themselves out. After about an hour, I decided I was being a pansy so I got up and ate some breakfast and packed for a rainy walk. Once on the trail, it stopped. I had 10 miles to go to get to Damascus, but it was all downhill. Along the way I crossed the Virginia/Tennessee border. I was now in Virginia. It is the longest state by far at about 1/4 of the trail. I will be in Virginia for a long time. As I entered the town I noticed a play area for children, which brought a smile to my face. My grandson is coming to see me tommorow. He is bringing my daughter and wife with him. He is 18 months old and Grandpa's joy. My wife is a teacher on spring break and will be here for a few days. I am excited about seeing them. Once I arrived in town I went to the hostel I will be staying at for a cold shower. I picked up my mail drop and went to the library. The good people of Damascus provide computer use for the hikers, which is much appreciated. It was good to see many of the faces again. There are about 15 of us hikers who are leap frogging each other. That social fabric really makes the hard work more bearable. Cruise and Applesause came through again. Their family threw a dinner party for all the thru hikers and we had plenty of food, which says a lot when you are talking about hungry hikers. Their family loves to help them and their friends and it was appreciated. Great job guys. Tommorow I plan to take the day off because I want to be in town when my family arrives. Besides, my body is getting aggravated at me for pushing it so hard. So tommorow I will rest, regroup, and get caught up on my journal. Did I mention I am excited about my family coming?
Date: 2006-04-04
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

My family was due in today. It will be my wife Marilyn, daughter Rachel, and grandson Elijah. Because I was not sure when they would be here, I stayed in town. I needed rest. I used the time to go to the library and continue my journal. I also did wash and relax a little. It turned out they did not make it until five. It was great to see them. My little buddy Elijah is growing up fast and learning to talk. So tonight I will stay at the Lazy Fox. The connection to home is a necessary part for me. When their visit is over, I will be stronger and ready to book some big miles. All is well, actually better than well.
Date: 2006-04-05
From: Elk Garden

To: Damascus
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: clear sky

Breakfast at the Lazy Fox was a total experience. You name it, she served it. And it was all delicious. I left with enough food in me that a small lunch was enough. The plan was for Rachel and I to hike from Elk Garden back to where highway 58 crosses 4.5 miles out of Damascus and at that point Marilyn would hike with me. At Elk Garden we met a trail maintenance crew. They keep the trail clear of blowdowns and do minor improvements to the trail to prevent erosion. They do a great job and hikers appreciate it. So with a kiss from Marilyn and Elijah we were off. We had only been on the trail a few minuites and we met Bluebird and Abandon. We visited with them and were on our way when we met Mrs. Gorp. Rachel hiked parts of the trail in the Mount Rogers area with her husband Joel. Marilyn and I were introduced to the Appalacian Trail by them during a trip to New Hampshire. I have yet to cross a bald when it was not cold and windy. Today was no exception. We hustled across the open areas and down off the top as quick as we could. The trail really had no extremely hard ups or downs and was in good shape. Later that day we met a couple from our home state of Michigan who were on a spring break. We visited with them a while and leap frogged the rest of the day. Usually hikers walk at their own pace and end up walking alone but today we walked together and had an enjoyable time talking. Marilyn's part of the walk was from 58 into town. It was a short walk but she did great. It did not work out for her to get a lot of walking while when she was here, but it was great to walk with her. She spent most of the time watching Elijah while Rachel and I walked. Back in town we decided to pass on Applesauces and Cruises invitation to dinner. Their family put on another hiker feed at their home in Abington for all the thru hikers. We had and enjoyable dinner at Sicily's and returned for a good night's rest.
Date: 2006-04-06
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we checked out of the Lazy Fox. We decided to take advantage of the great weather and I took the family to Grayson Highlands to see the wild ponies. We have a backpack for toddlers so I strapped it on took Elijah on my back and the four of us hiked up to Massie Gap to find some wild ponies. We found two of them and Marilyn and Rachel hand fed them apples while Elijah watched from my back. On the back to the car we taught him the yell "Go Lions" We are Lions fans and are raising him to be one also. He did great and he does love to yell. He enjoyed riding on the back pack so much he cried when we took him out. I enjoyed giving him the ride. On the way back we dropped off some trail magic. Dinner in Abington Gap and off to a good night's rest.