morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-29
From: Max Patch Road

To: Garenflo Gap
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: moderate rain

We had a great day hiking, beautiful weather, good hiking friends and to top it all off, trail magic met us along the way at Lemon Gap !  The trail angels brought donuts today, a great favorite of many hikers.Today enjoyed beautiful views from top of Max Patch Bald, see photo's.We passed another mile stone today, since we have hiked more then 275 miles sofar.I am feeling strong, enjoying this journey and the company I meet along the way. Grateful for my good health and such a great hiking partner in Commander. Tomorrow the plan is to take a break after reaching Hot Springs, see the sights and stay overnight in town again.
Date: 2018-04-30
From: Garenflo Gap

To: Hot Springs 
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Made it to Hot Springs today. This a hiker friendly town where they have hiker celebration days, an outfitter and a couple of hiker friendly restaurants.Along the trail we now often see blooming rhododendrons and in another month we should start seeing more and more varied colors.  We are entering the ¢green tunnel¢, as it is called.  At the beginning of the trail we hiked through forests with bare trees, no leaves yet. As we hiked into North Carolina and the weather is warming, the forests and fields are becoming greener and lush. All the blossoms are out and leaves are budding everywhere, flowers blooming. Thus, the green tunnel refers to the trail changing to one with green leafed trees hanging overhead, wild flowers blooming along the trails.  With each turn we are seeing different aspects of spring and new signs of life, babbling streams and rapids coursing over rocks alongside the trail and lots and lots of wild flowers everywhere.  For the remainder of the hike we will likely mostly be walking through this green tunnel, until fall, when the green tunnel becomes a yellow/red or golden tunnel.  Looking forward to experiencing all of it.  The Appalachian Trail goes right through Hot Springs and you can follow the white blazes on the street, utility poles, side walk and bridge railings. See photos! Now have completed abound 275 miles total.  On the way down the mountain towards town today,  we smelled and saw forest fire and fire fighters. Helicopters were flying back and forth bringing large bags of water to douse the flames over a twenty acre area of what was mostly ground fires.  Luckily there was no wind and the fires were not raging fires. One of the firefighters accompanied us down the trail awhile to make sure we could get through that section safely.  By the time we reached the Hot Springs city limit the trail was blocked with orange cones and signs stating trail was closed due to fires.  By evening the helicopters had stopped carrying water bags to the fires and we hope they were able to stop the fires from progressing.We ate at a nice restaurant that used to be a textile factory,  along the river and visited around town.  I had a great meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy and a corn dish.  The plan for tomorrow is to leave from French Broad River Bridge and hike to Spring Mountain Shelter. Had a great day today.
Date: 2018-05-01
From: Hot Springs 

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: few clouds

Departed from Hot Springs this morning around 10 am and had an easy day hiking to Spring Mountain Shelter.  The first part of the hike followed the French Broad River for about 3/4 of a mile before heading further north and uphill. We climbed for an elevation of 1307 ft to 3545 ft.  We were able to slack pack the first part of the day to Tanyard Gap where Brenda met us with our large packs. After that we continued hiking with the big backpacks until we reached the shelter at night.The walk along the river was lovely and the view as we climbed was lovely, including the river below as well as the green hills and valleys beyond.We reached the shelter area at about 3 pm and decided to camp there for the night.Tomorrow and the next day we plan to hike longer stretches and should have done over 300 miles by Friday.  At that time we will be heading into a town again. We enjoyed beautiful weather again today, although a bit warm for hiking since temps reached well into the 70's.Had a great supper of some of the lentil stew we dehydrated at home before this journey started.  Delicious ! Happy to be able to talk to my wife almost every evening the last few days, even from this mountain top tonight, thanks to good phone reception.
Date: 2018-05-02
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter 
Miles today: 15.9

Hiked from Spring Mountain Shelter to Jerry Cabin Shelter which was at 4150 ft elevation.  This was a long ascent with our heavy backpacks on. The photo from on top of the mountain shows Big Firescald Knob Ridge at 4530 ft elevation.  Beautiful 360 degrees views and a clear day, perfect weather although a bit warm.  We camped in our tent this night, avoiding the shelters because it was too warm.Temps were in the upper 70's so I hiked with shorts.  Great to have the kind of pants that allow you to unzip the lower legs so they turn into shorts.
Date: 2018-05-03
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter 

To: Hog Back Ridge Shelter 
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we hiked as many uphills as downhills, total distance was 16.9 miles.We saw some salamanders in a spring where we filtered out water supply and an interesting rock formation.We met Smokie and No Step along the trail as well today. Beautiful green scenery all around, topped off by fantastic mountain high views.
Date: 2018-05-04
From: Hog back Ridge Shelter 

To: Sam's Gap 
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: light rain

Hiked a very short day today beause Commander needed to take care of his blisters which have been giving him a lot of grief.  He went to an outfitter store and got a different pair of shoes of a slightly larger size.  He has bravely endured alot of grueling ups and downs with painful blisters rubbing on his shoes for many miles now, and it was time to do something more then taping them or hiking in flip flops.Commanders' wife Brenda picked us up at Sams' Gap and brought us back to Bristol where I am a guest tonight.  Brenda cooked a wonderful Lasagna dish and we had a delicious salad as well as key lime pie.    Looking forward to sleep in a real bed tonight as Commanders' guest at their lovely home. Called Els tonight and I  got her caught up on my trail adventures and given her the details for the trail journal she is keeping up for me.
Date: 2018-05-05
From: Sam's Gap 

To: Spivey Gap pick up and back to Bristol 
Miles today: 13.3

Nice day he hiking with Commander, Wander Woman and some of Commanders' friends named Ed and David who joined us for the hike today.We were able to slack pack again and will be doing that for several days this coming week. Along the way we hiked over a grassy bald and enjoyed beautiful views from the top. Took some great photos to add to the memories and the journal.Name of this grassy area was Big Bald.During the day we enjoyed some trail magic on top of a mountain where the trail angels surprised hikers with hot dogs, potato chips, fruit and drinks. At the end of the day Brenda picked us up at Spivey Gap and brought us back to Bristol.  We showered and then went out to eat at a family homestyle restaurant in the mountains along a lake. We chose chicken and ham and cornbread salad which was delicious.   luckily ,  it did not rain during our hiking hours today but it started raining, thundering and lightning during our ride to the restaurant in the mountains and during the night.Hopefully the thunderstorms will have passed by tomorrow and we can hike with dry weather...Anyway I am grateful to have a house and bed to sleep in tonight...it would not be as pleasant to be in a tent tonight..
Date: 2018-05-06
From: Spivey Gap 

To: Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel and Campground / Erwin 
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

Started hiking in the rain this morning, and during the day it cleared up and the sun came out.Hiked from Spivey Gap to Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky River / Hostel, where Brenda picked us up again and we drove back to Bristol, about 45 min from the trail.  Saw beautiful white blooming Mountain laurel along the trail today. The morning mist in the mountains had its own special beauty as well.  ( see photo's)Tomorrow we plan to hike from Nolichucky River across the bridge to Beauty Spot Gap (at elevation 4098 ft).  Looking forward to the beauty to be seen there. I have been able to call Els ('Harriet') every evening the last 3 nights, it is great to be able to talk and give her updates on my trip and adventures.Looking forward to June, when she is retired from her job and plans to come out again to join me on the trail.
Date: 2018-05-07
From: Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel and Campground / Erwin 

To: Beauty Spot Gap 
Miles today: 11.4

Beautiful day hiking from Nolichucky River to Beauty Spot Gap, which is another bald mountain with big grassy areas and scenic overlooks.Along the way saw blooming white mountain Laurel and orange azaleas.  Pretty soon the rhododendrons will be blooming as well.  Hiked with another one of Commanders' friends, Brad and Wander woman today. My shoes are starting to wear out and looking forward to receive the new shoes Els has sent me, soon.I guess that is better then my feet wearing out ! Tomorrow we are planning to hike a long day , and it should be do able since we will be slack packing, once again.
Date: 2018-05-08
From: Beauty Spot Gap 

To: Hughes Gap Road 
Miles today: 18.6

Hiked along some beautiful areas on top of the mountain peaks today, for a total of 18.6 miles. I noticed that at higher elevations ( 4800 ft and higher) there are no leaves on the trees yet.   Passed over Unaka mountain, and when we reached Iron Mountain Gap we met a hiker from Ohio who was getting off the trail after having injured his foot by turning it wrong.  His foot was swollen and reminded me of my sprained foot a month before I started this hike. We passed by Greasy Creek gap and Little Rock knob vista where the picture was taken with this entry.  We reached Hughes Gap Road at 4:30 pm where Brenda picked us up to go back to Bristol.  We drove through Roan mountain state park with winding roads and campgrounds on the way down from the mountains. She had cooked a delicious rice and chicken dish ,corn and potatoes for these hungry hikers.  Tomorrow we are heading to higher elevations of over 6250 feet and plan to slack pack again, which is really nice when you are climbing up the steeper part. I feel alot better at the end of the day after having slack packed as compared to lugging my 30 + pound pack on my back.  It has kept me fresh for the next days hiking as well and you don't feel so used up at the end of the day.  What a nice opportunity to be able to slack pack these days. By the end of this week I will have hiked over 400 miles of the total  2190 !
Date: 2018-05-09
From: Hughes Gap Road 

To: Carvers gap 
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: clear sky

Today we hiked with Commanders' wife, Brenda, and Floyd ( husband of Wander Woman) to Roan High Knob Shelter as well as to the remains of the Cloudland Hotel on top of Roan Mountain.  We met Cotton and his dog Cricket who were hiking together with us as well, and I had a chance to visit with them today.  Cotton is on a budget and his girlfriend was planning to resupply him soon.I also met a sister and a brother who were hiking together from Kansan City, and Pensacola, FL who hike together for a week every year.  We decided to give them the trail names 'Hansel and Gretel' since they were a brother/ sister combination,  but Hansel did not like his name very well. The next day we changed Hansels' name to Handsome, and he liked that little better so they are now Handsome and Gretl. On top of Roan Mountain is the highest shelter on the entire Appalachian trail. The Cloudland Hotel used to exist in 1925 and people used to come with horses and buggies and spend a few days there, for various reasons, including to breathe the clean mountain air and get away from the smoky air of the city.  Wealthy people could get lodging and have meals there as well. Wander Woman has a satellite communication device which tracks altitude as well as average hiking speed. when she stops hiking it stops recording.According to her satellite phone it looks like we are hiking between 2.5 - 3 miles per hour so with breaks included we can easily do 16 miles in 7 or 8 hours including breaks.  We have definitely developed our trail legs !  I feel strong and my endurance has much improved. I can go up all the mountains now without much trouble. Tomorrow we will be hiking from Carvers Gap to Buck Mountain Road which will be a 16.1 mile day.
Date: 2018-05-10
From: Carvers gap 

To: Buck Mountain Road 
Miles today: 18.0

Hiked 18 miles today from Carvers' Gap to Buck Mountain Road.  I walked into Tennessee today passed the sign indicating " leaving NC" ! Hiked with Commander and Wander Woman today.  We walked to the top of Hump Mountain which was at 5590 feet elevation .  Nice 360 degrees views of surrounding mountains from there.  It was pretty windy and cold up there, requiring me to put my long underwear back on ! Our hike involved some pretty steep parts and unexpectedly chilly with the wind on top of the mountains. We enjoyed our lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on top of the mountain enjoying 360 degrees views of the surrounding mountains. Brenda picked us up and all of us including Sara, (Commanders' daughter) who has some time off her work, Wander Woman and Floyd went out to eat at EATS which is a southern style restaurant. I enjoyed a Jamaican chicken with mashed potatoes and beans, feeling nourished for a long day hiking tomorrow.
Date: 2018-05-11
From: Buck Mountain Road 

To: Dennis Cove Road 
Miles today: 21.4

Longest day hiking thus far 21.4 miles, from Buck Mountain Rd to Dennis Cove Road. We now have surpassed the 400 mile mark by more then 19 miles. We met some new hikers along the trail today. A young woman from Alaska named, 'Gouda girl'  who was camping at an area near a water source. She received that name because she brought a pound and a half of Gouda Cheese, which she realized was too heavy to lug along, so she sliced it up and shared with a group of people at a shelter.  She was section hiking from Hot Springs to Damascus VA.  Wander Woman was happy to meet another person from her home state of Alaska. We also met a young man called "eleven," because he is hiking for just 11 weeks. He was into his 4 th  or 5 th week and had hiked almost as far as we did in 6 weeks, averaging 20 miles a day.  He was planning to meet his father in Pennsylvania, hoping to make it there in the amount of time he has to accomplish it. For lunch we enjoyed our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which we ate by a stream along the trail.Today the weather was warm, at 80 degrees so I hiked in shorts again. Brenda picked us up and once again spoiled us with a delicious home cooked meal.I feel strong and good considering the distance we did today was over 21 miles,  but there were not too many steep ups and downs and the trail was in good condition. It did not rain much so not too muddy either.  A good day hiking !
Date: 2018-05-12
From: Dennis Cove Road 

To: Wilbur Dam Road 
Miles today: 13.0

Hiked with 3 of Commanders' friends (Scott, Ed and Randy) as well as Commander and Wander Woman from Dennis Cove Road to Wilbur Dam Road, for 13 miles today. It was warm at 80 + degrees and we wore our bermuda shorts. We saw the Laurel Falls and walked around Wautoga Lake. The Falls were spectacular. We are also starting to see blooming rhododendrons.. I can imagine how it will look with hundreds of them blooming everywhere... see photo's.Along the trail we came upon some fresh bear scat, and thankfully, did not see a bear.  All our conversation had probably scared the bear away.At the end of the day,  we got a ride with Wander Woman and Floyd in their RV back to Bristol and Commander and I ate out tonight at a barbecue restaurant. Tomorrow temperature promises to reach 90's, which is unseasonably warm here, so we plan to start early ,get the climbing elevations done early on and the rest of the day should be easier.
Date: 2018-05-13
From: Wilbur Dam Road 

To: TN 91/ Bristol
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked to Hwy 91 today from Wilbur Dam for 16.1 miles.  It was hot weather, the highs in the upper 80' s and I drank alot of water mixing gatorade powder in it to keep up my electrolytes.We passed by the monument for Nick Grindstaff.  He was a hermit that lived in the area for 44 years. Interesting story about his life in the write up below the photo.We were glad to be able to take showers at the end of the day at Commanders' house and plan to do a shorter day tomorrow.
Date: 2018-05-14
From: TN 91/ Bristol

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Our hike in Tennessee  took us through some pastures today.  We went by Double Spring Shelter which is at 451.6 miles into our journey where we took a break and signed the log book.   At Low Gap we were treated to some trail magic by some of Commanders' friends. Today we took a " nero" day ( only 6.5 miles), and took a bit of rest day the remainder of the day.
Date: 2018-05-15
From: Low Gap

To: Damascus VA
Miles today: 15.8

Hiked out of Tennessee into Damascus in Virginia today at 470 miles into this journey.  Here in Damascus  "Trail days" will be occurring this weekend.  This is an annual hiker event which is very popular and much visited by hikers and people who have hiked the AT in previous years as well.  We plan to return to Damascus on Saturday and take a zero day that day.  (more to come on that later) Still have not seen any bears but they are definitely in the area along the trail because we heard about several close encounters and incidents where bear activity have closed a camp sites. Today we saw a note about a bear taking someone's food bag, where the person may not have hung their bag up adequately high enough according to the guidelines. This caused that campsite to be closed to hikers.  It is always recommended to have your food bags at least 8 feet up in the air and 100 feet from your tent.  Bears have an amazing sense of smell and can locate food scents from miles away.  One of the hikers we spoke to today told us he had stopped on a spot to eat and saw a rattle snake. He had heard rattles but did not realize that is what he heard. Other hikers who met up with him said the snake they saw was 3 - 4 feet long .Along the trails through the woods saw some beautiful pink Lady slippers !!  In Wisconsin we have some yellow ones, but I had never seen pink lady slippers before.  They are about the size of a grown mans' thumb and resemble an orchid and may be in the orchid family.  There were golden orange azaleas by the hundreds as well as many other flowers in bloom.  The weather was quite hot today and we were glad to get off the trail at about 1:30 pm where Floyd picked us up to take us back to Bristol to Commanders home for the night.  We started at 7:30 am today so we hiked 17 miles in about 6 hours.  We are averaging about 2- 2 1/2 miles an hour depending on the terrain.  We also take short breaks for water resupplying and to eat.We plan to hike north the next 3 days and come back to Damascus on Saturday to attend Trail Days. Happy Trails !
Date: 2018-05-16
From: Damascus VA

To: Hwy 58 parking area next to AT
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked in the rain most of the day today from Damascus to Hwy 58 at Mile marker 487.1, where Floyd (Wander Woman's husband) picked us up in his RV to take us back to Bristol for the night. We met many hikers traveling on the trail heading south to Damascus for Trail Days. Most were looking for the next shelter so they could have a dry place to sleep for the night before others arrived. We hiked for about 7 hours doing 16.3 miles with about 15 miles planned for tomorrow. We enjoyed a night out at an Italian restaurant near Brenda and Commander¢s home. ( see photo)Tomorrow is predicted to rain again with a higher percentage chance.Until Saturday we will continue to go back to Bristol at the end of each hiking day and after that we will start staying in shelters, camping or finding hostels to stay at.
Date: 2018-05-17
From: Summit Cut on Hwy 58 

To: Massie Gap at Grayson Highlands State Park 
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

Hiking through beautiful Virginina Highlands. We saw the wild ponies today.. lots of them. Beautiful flowers in bloom, including more pink lady slippers, violets and other ones I could not name.Met another milestone today. :  500 miles accomplished thus far and started week # 7 of this journey.No rain today, beautiful dry weather made for great hiking today. Check out the photos from today, there are lots of them !
Date: 2018-05-18
From: Massie Gap at Grayson Highlands State Park 

To: Dicky Gap / VA 650
Miles today: 18.6

Hiked in the rain most of the day.  Left Grayson Highlands State Park in rainy, misty foggy weather with my rain suit on.  Ended up getting off the trail after hiking a little over 18 miles, at Dickey Gap where Floyd picked us up at VA hwy 650, to go back to Bristol for our last stay at Commander and Brenda's house tonight.Tomorrow we are going to enjoy taking a zero day,  attending Trail Days in Damascus.
Date: 2018-05-19
From: Damascus VA

To: Damascus VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was our zero day which we spent attending Trail Days in Damascus. There were speakers including Grandma Gatewood Look a like who dressed like Grandma Gatewood, a speaker who had completed the trail 17 times !  We missed some of the events due to some car issues but we still spend the afternoon there.  There was a parade whereby approximately 600 hikers walked down the Main Street , there were other speakers and there was someone on top of a van with a video camera recording all the events.There was entertainment, vendors for hiking equipment, other outfitters, books about hiking,  and places to eat.  It rained off and on today, but there were plenty of dry periods as well.  Temps were in the 70's today. All in all a fun day off the trail.
Date: 2018-05-20
From: Dicky Gap / VA 650

To: Mt Rogers National Recreation HQ
Miles today: 14.1

Back on the trail today after having enjoyed a day off yesterday.We hiked through more of the green tunnel,  from Dicky Gap to Mt Rogers National Rec HQ.  No rain today but more forecasted for tomorrow. Saw a few more hikers along the way some of which had gotten a ride back to the trail after Trail Days in Damascus yesterday.One of the hikers we met named EZ walked with us awhile today.  Commander had alot in common with him as they both retired from careers in the military service.  EZ is hiking the trail because he gained some weight and has lost about 25 pounds sofar. At the end of our hike today Brenda picked us up and we drove to the apartment of Commanders' daughter in Wytheville where we are staying tonight.