morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-17
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Matts Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We showed our trail savvy today. We ate the very last food in our packs on the 10.5-mile hike to the road leading to Glasgow, VA. No food means a light pack. A light pack means faster hiking. With two pretty good climbs and a break we still managed to cover the distance in under five hours. By engaging day hikers at the trailhead in conversation, we managed to get a 6-mile ride into town, where we arrived only 30 minutes after coming off the trail at 11:30. We went straight to the local pizza place for nachos, fries and a calzone accompanied by about a gallon of Pepsi. We stopped next at the hiker pavilion, a ministry of the local  Episcopal Church. There we took a hot shower and chatted with a hiker doing the IAT (international Appalachian Trail - Key West to Nova Scotia). From there we went to the laundromat. While our clothes were drying we sat on the porch of the closed library and used the wi-fi. Thirty minutes later we walked to Dollar General to buy food for the next 60 miles. When I called a shuttle service to take us to the KOA campground for our mail drop I found out the shuttle was operated from the campground. The driver bought us our box and took us to the trail. It was a 22-mile round trip for him and he only charged us $5. By 4:30 we were back on the trail for the last two miles of the day having done all our town chores and hiked nearly 13 miles. I packed in the leftover calzone and Hush ate gluten free pasta with pesto. What a day!
Date: 2013-08-18
From: Matts Creek Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I have a new favorite trail name. Sorry Carjacker but today we met Nice Lady. I love it. Last year she hiked Georgia to mid-VA, went off trail for awhile and returned to do NH and ME. This year she's working on finishing VA and maybe hitting WV, MD and part of PA. She's a delightful 59-year old Connecticut resident who just radiates friendliness. We got to visit with her while we ate and rested at the Thunder Ridge Shelter. Last night, not long after hiker midnight (I.e.,dark) the sound of raindrops hitting the tin roof of the shelter began. Hush and I thought the same thing, this is good, the storm will rain itself out over night and we won't have to hike in the rain tomorrow. We were both so wrong. It rained non-stop for the first twelve miles today, during which time we were also climbing out of the James River Valley back up to the Blue Ridge. Yowza!We are (hopefully) going to see some family members next weekend. It's difficult to coordinate a visit, Hush and I have to keep making forward progress so we can't just go to a town and wait until the weekend. But, once we get out on the trail it' can be hard to find a location to arrange a meet up. Throw in sketchy phone service and I have a headache. Still, it's all worth it to see people we haven't seen in months, especially since one of them is my granddaughter. If we could just see our other eight grandchildren...
Date: 2013-08-19
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: overcast clouds

18.4 milesThe best water is treated, potable water from a municipal water system. Next is spring water from a piped spring. Clear creek water is next, followed by discolored creek water and pond water. The worst kind of water is no water. That's what we had today. We knew the shelter where we planned to eat lunch lacked a water source, a rarity. We didn't worry since there was supposed to be water on the way up Cove Mountain, supposed to be. We finally found a creek 15 miles into an 18 mile day.Last night we battled the shelter mice. Eventually we had to place our entire packs on the mouse proof food bag hangers. I kept the shelter broom beside me and when I heard scurrying I'd turn on my head lamp and try to push the mouse out onto the ground. Oh, we also had a shelter bat. I had neither the energy or the nerve to mess with him.For the second night in a row, but for only the third time on our hike. We are alone at a shelter. It's great. I spread my gear all over the picnic table instead of confining myself to some small sliver of space. I changed clothes right in the open instead of furtively behind the privy. I have no worries about snorers or noisy air mattresses. And, best of all, I don't have to be quiet in the morning.When we started backpacking, before the AT, we carried some unnecessary gear (camp chairs) and  made mistakes (carrying way too much water). We were beginners and had to learn. Having said that, we saw some of the most clueless section hikers ever today. They told us they were out for a week. They had three lbs. of carrots, a glass bottle of Old Crow, canned food and a giant can opener. They wanted to know if there would be room to hang three hammocks in the shelters along the trail. I said "Sure".
Date: 2013-08-20
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 18.5

We now cover the same distance in three days that used to take us four days to cover up North. Although there are still plenty of rocks on the trail, theyaren't the type a hiker has to climb over. Nor are they the type requiring miles of 18 inch foot lifts. No, these are just regular rocks that hurt your feet, slide put from under you on descents and can be negotiated only with loud and prolonged bursts of profanity, at least in my experience. To be honest, the rocks here are only aggravating because there are prolonged stretches of trail without them. How quickly we get spoiled. In 18 miles of hiking today we faced only a couple of climbs lasting more than a mile. The last big one took us to the very top of Fullhardt Knob where we experienced another type of water, from a cistern. It was so bad I threw my water bottle away. We descended for the last five miles, mostly. Again, as my arthritic left knee will tell you, going downhill isn't as much fun as it sounds. Towards the very end of the day, as we walked a peaceful strip of trail right beside Interstate 81, we had to cross a cow pasture, an active cow pasture, with a grade so steep I had flashbacks to Mount Katahdin. Tonight we're at the Howard Johnson's in Daleville, VA, a town in need of sidewalks. Tomorrow we do laundry, buy food, rest, eat as much as we possibly can and wear dry clothes all day long.
Date: 2013-08-21
From: Daleville, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 0.0

In the woods, getting up to pee in the middle of the night involves finding ones Crocs and headlamp, stepping over sleeping hikers in a shelter and a long walk to a suitable location. In a hotel room I don't have to do any of that. Pretty cool, huh?This morning I didn't have to break out the stove, windscreen, alcohol bottle, lighter, pot and water bottle to make coffee and oatmeal. We just walked to the hotel lobby and helped ourselves. The gluten free selection was meager, but no worries, there's a store right next door!We walked several places today. I wore my backpack to none of them. And although we didn't make it to any mountain tops, we were still able to get enough of a phone signal to make important calls. We didn't have to treat any drinking water, dig holes to poop in or get wet in this afternoon's rain. I sat in several chairs and not once did I sit on a rock, log or the ground. I took three showers in less than 24 hours and will take at least one more before we leave. But, I didn't see any bears or deer. I didn't hear eagles scream or owls hoot or coyotes howl. I heard car horns. I saw litter. I didn't really do anything today that makes me feel as alive as reaching the top of a tall mountain. I can't wait for morning. I'm ready to hike.
Date: 2013-08-22
From: Daleville, VA

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Once again, at least so far, Hush and I are alone at a shelter. This one is a bit unique. It's got a nice deck with actual stairs on both sides. Normally stepping down from a shelter is accomplished using a large rock or sometimes a section of a tree. It's precarious, especially when it's dark and you are half asleep and wearing Crocs and its raining and you are so sore you are walking like Quasimodo. We are spending the night on the slope of McAfee Knob, the iconic symbol of the AT in the south. The next couple of days are full of memories waiting to happen. Aside from the knob, there's also the Dragon's Tooth and The Homeplace Restaurant. Stay tuned for details and pictures. Water continues to be a problem. Notes from other hikers inform us that the next two shelters are dry. I had to walk so far to get water tonight I almost got lost. Seriously, Hush was on the verge of coming to find me.  Rather than run the risk of dry camping tomorrow, we will probably push a couple miles extra to a road so we can hitch to a hostel near Catawba. It's billed as a three bay garage with a shower. There's no set price, it's run on donations. As I write this, the sound of a foraging bear further down the mountain entertains us both. Bears shred rotten logs and turn over rocks to eat the insects underneath. Here's to hoping Mr. Bear stays away from the shelter. The fire I built to drive away the bugs is working nicely. We've both eaten and had a cup of tea. There's a picnic table here. It's not quite a chair but it beats sitting on the ground. The humidity is low so our wet clothes just might be dry clothes in the morning. Good night y'all.
Date: 2013-08-23
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Virginia 620
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: light rain

Although it wasn't bright and sunny, our time at the summit if McAfee Knob was still spectacular and special. The short but steep climb from the shelter bothered neither of us, although it did serve to go ahead and dampen our clothes with sweat. Fine, it was going to happen anyway and I hate suspense. We had some time alone before a father and son team arrived, offering to take out picture. We ended up chatting for a few minutes, learning that the Dad thruhiked in 1994, making him the most experienced thruhiker we've met. Later in the day we climbed Cove Mountain, featuring Dragon's Tooth, agigantic stone monolith. It's a scary climb  for Northbound hikers who haven't experienced the White Mountains or Katahdin. It wasn't a piece of cake for us but it certainly wasn't scary. I'll admit I wouldn't want to do it in the rain or snow. The final trail legend left for us to experience today was a meal at the Homeplace Restaurant in Catawba. It serves all you can eat family style meals in a huge old farm house. Unfortunately, they only had a handful of things Hush could eat. Even their green beans, pinto beans and English peas contained gluten in the seasoning. She couldn't eat the cobbler, the biscuits, the gravy, the fried chicken or the au jus on the roast beef. I wish we'd just stayed at the hostel. Four Pines Hostel was great. Joe, the owner shuttled us around. The hiker amenities included a large lounge, a comfortable sleeping area, a shower and kitchen housed in a three bay garage on his farm. He charged no fee. There was just a donation box by the door. I could've lived without the rooster crowing at 3:00 A.M. but in every other respect it was a great experience.
Date: 2013-08-24
From: Virginia 620

To: Craigs Creek Road
Miles today: 8.0

Although we hiked eight miles over Brushy Mountain, today's highlight happened off the trail. For the first time in nearly four months, we got to see family.My Mom, my daughter and her husband and my granddaughter made the drive from Asheville way out into the Virginia countryside to pick us up for a whirlwind afternoon. Hush and I had our regular town chores to do but we interspersed those with a big meal, coffee, story telling, granddaughter watching and just generally being happy. I wish it could last longer but tomorrow morning we head back to the trail. We will see them again in October. Damn.
Date: 2013-08-25
From: Craigs Creek Road

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today, for the first time, we hiked with someone other than the usual AT suspects. With my mother leading the way we hiked up the north slope of Sinking Creek Mountain. Anna, my daughter, impressed me beyond words by strapping 35 lb. Jolene, my granddaughter, to her back. That's more weight than my pack with four days of food! Matt, my son-in-law scored major points by running down and back up the trail on a mission to recover my phone and wallet from the car. We spent some time visiting at the Niday shelter. They even signed the shelter log book. After the goodbyes, Hush and I hiked up to the north crest of the mountain to find out we were at the Eastern Continental Divide. Water on the east side flows into the Atlantic. On the other side it flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Our first opportunity for water after Niday shelter was a creek, a dry creek. Our second chance, at the Sarver Hollow Shelter involved me walking a mile round trip off the trail to very laboriously collect two liters of sediment filled liquid. We had to strain it through a bandana. Thankfully water us plentiful tonight here at the Laurel Creek Shelter. We're both mightily tired tonight. Hush went to sleep at 7:30. I won't be far behind her.
Date: 2013-08-26
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: broken clouds

For once we slept until dawn. Even after awakening, we took our time packing and eating breakfast. Yesterday's hike was tougher than we expected and took us longer than normal. We knew today looked tough as well. Why hurry into it?The day began with a 1000 foot climb, a 1700 foot descent and a 2000 foot climb. After that we walked a beautiful ridge line for several miles. Then a rock bomb exploded and the trail turned into an Appalachian torture chamber. The woods aren't empty of people but its often hours between encounters with other people. In federally protected wilderness areas with no paved roads and few gravel roads human contact becomes even scarcer. When hikers meet on the trail the dynamic varies. Sometimes the standard hiker interviews occur. "Where are you headed?""Where did you start?""When did you start?"In Virginia it's also prudent to ask "How's the water ahead?"Of course sometimes meeting another hiker doesn't create a conversation, just a head nod and a quick "Hey there".The interaction I most despise occurs while I'm climbing. Some young person with no pack out for a day hike coming down the mountain will offer encouragement in the form of "Your almost to the top. Keep going, you're doing good".Well Junior, "almost to the top is subjective" and I'm not "doing good", I'm a bad ass Appalachian Trail thruhiking machine on my fifth mountain of the day. That's why I look so tired. I know in my head the bright and shiny youngster is only being polite but he still wrinkled me in my grouchy fatigue.
Date: 2013-08-27
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 23.1

Today I hiked alone. Five miles into yesterday's hike Hush hit the wall as far as her feet are concerned. Since the very early days of the hike back in rocky Pennsylvania she's been plagued by chronic foot pain. Early on we attributed it to our lack of trail hardening. My feet were sore too. My foot pain went away and except for flair ups of plantar fasciatis there haven't been any more problems. Hush deals with foot pain every day. Her shoes come off any time we take a break. She's tried numerous insoles and arch supports as well as shoes. Nothing has helped. In her lovably stubborn way she's refused to see a doctor, until yesterday when the pain finally stopped her in her tracks. As always happens, we asked a couple we met day hiking to give Hush a ride to town and they went out of their way to oblige. Today she finally saw a doctor. Amazingly, he didn't tell her to stop hiking. In 2007, just four months before running the Boston Marathon she had surgery on both legs for compartment syndrome, a condition where the tissue (fascia) surrounding the muscles doesn't expand when the muscles fill with blood during exercise. As a result of the surgery she sustained nerve damage in both feet. The doctor she saw attributes her pain to the nerve damage and prescribed medication specifically to address the issue. He also advised her to use prescription strength Ibuprofen for her plantar fasciatis. Tomorrow we are doing a test run of 10 miles to see how it works. So, that's why I hiked 23 miles today. One night in the woods without her was enough. In real world news, Carol's Dad had surgery today at Duke and is doing OK. He will be there for 7-10 days.
Date: 2013-08-28
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: haze

Hiking the AT requires all kinds of planning, most of it centered on resupplying food, toiletries, toilet paper, insect repellent, water purification supplies etc. We have to know where stores are located, what they carry and what their hours are. The same applies to hostels, post offices and hotels. The distance we hike each day fits into a plan where the food we carry is almost exhausted when we reach our next resupply location We left Pearisburg today with enough food to get us to our next mail drop location, Woods Hole Hostel. The guidebook entry states it's open all year While climbing up Pearis mountain we met another hiker. We stopped to trade water info. In the course of the conversation he mentioned that Woods Hole was closed for renovation.  I had a phone signal so I called and got an answering machine. We hiked on hoping they would be there to give us our mail drop plus a care package from my friend, Glenda Thomas. The next place we could buy food was further down the trail than we could hike before dark  There are a lot more details too complicated to go into. The Woods Hole people were nowhere to be found. The trail head was a gravel road with no traffic for us to hitch. We had to call a shuttle service to take us to a grocery store/campground further up the trail. We have enough convenience store food to last for four days. Thankfully we have enough spare prescription medicine to last until our next mail drop. Hush was able to scrounge enough gluten free food. We've been able to shower, charge our phones and do laundry. I'm totally aggravated at the hostel but very thankful for the campground and the ride to and from the trail.
Date: 2013-08-29
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Helvey's Mill Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: clear sky

Sometimes you just have to keep hiking, especially if you want water. We got to a shelter with plenty of daylight left. The next shelter (and the next water source) was 10 miles down the trail. The  elevation profile didn't look to imposing so we went for it. We set ourselves up for a short day tomorrow There were places in New England where I didn't even carry water. When we crossed a stream I'd fill a liter Gatorade bottle, treat it and kill the whole thing 15 minutes later. When we set out on the 10-mile death march today I was carrying three liters. That's six pounds. I feel tired but happy tonight. Dr. Hush massaged the kinks out of my back, popped a big blister under my left big toe and appointed herself the water bearer tonight. She hiked .3 miles down a steep hill and carried 8 liters back up the same trail.  Sometimes while hiking little things start to add up: never ending spider webs, blisters, pebbles in your shoe, chafing - all the usual suspects. All those things got me today but Hush and her newly revived super feet picked up all my slack. Tonight we even have company, a married couple from St. Louis on their annual two-week section hike. It was nice meeting Blackhawk and Freebird. And, before my Dad asks, yep, Blackhawk is a former Army aviator. Goodnight y'all
Date: 2013-08-30
From: Helvey's Mill Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Jenkins Shelter14 milesWe covered ground faster than ever before. Similar to yesterday, much of the trail followed old mountain roadbeds, making the climbs gently graded and the path mostly free of roots and rocks. We did better than 20 minute miles for the last half of today's hike. That's twice as fast as the hiking in sections in New England. Still, I'm pretty down tonight. Hush got stung by hornets for the second time in three days. While I was hurriedly getting the first aid kit out of my pack, the back of my foot knocked our tent fly bag down the mountain where it rolled and rolled out of sight. Without the fly we are forced to stay in shelters and can't control our mileage. I started after it but after only a few steps I knew it was hopeless. Hush had to pull me back onto the trail using my hiking poles. The stings on her ankle are swollen. Hopefully she'll be able to get her shoe on in the morning. What's affected my mood the most is negative interaction with folks back in the world. Both of us are very proud of our accomplishments on the trail: hiking the 100-Mile Wilderness in five days, climbing Mt. Washington in 50-mph winds, summiting Katahdin on our target date. Yes, we gripe a lot, a whole lot, but it is an outlet for us. Overcoming the things we gripe about gives us a sense of accomplishment that home life doesn't offer. After more than 1500 miles of foot pain, Hush finally got an accurate diagnosis and medication offering almost instant relief. The fact that she missed 23 miles of trail is a bummer. If anyone takes anything away from her for that then deal with it on your own time. Feeling the need to point out the missed miles  is uncalled for and unkind. The ATC awards thruhiker patches to anyone who hikes 2000 miles on the AT. If you haven't put in time on the trail then you haven't earned the right to judge. In all the modesty I can muster, we are both veteran endurance athletes. Hush is a two time Ironman, has run numerous marathons including Boston four months after surgery on both legs and rode a bike across NC last fall. I rode my bike 21,000 miles in two years, have completed more than 75 bike rides of more than 100 miles, some of them on successive days and I've ridden across NC four times. I say that to illustrate that on any given day we have the experience and the ability to cover a lot of ground in any condition. Being questioned about our daily mileage illustrates an ignorance of our previous accomplishments and the drive we possess or a lack of willingness to acknowledge it.
Date: 2013-08-31
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Knot Maul Shelter
Miles today: 19.1

19.1 milesKnot Maul ShelterThis time of year, the sun comes up in Southwestern Virginia at about 6:45. That cramps our style since we much prefer to hike before noon than after. In the north we often were on the trail before 6:00. We decided to try hiking with our headlamps this morning. We found that we hike slowly in the dark. It's still worth it. The beautiful trail conditions of the past few days are gone and sorely missed. After an 1800 foot climb this morning, we knew we had five miles of ridge line to enjoy. It turned out to be a rocky mess with only about five feet of level ground in the whole thing. Sometimes though, technical trail conditions make the time pass more quickly so I didn't mind too much. While on the ridge line we were on a section about 50 feet below the crest walking parallel with it when we heard the sudden crashing sound made by a startled animal. Both of our heads snapped to see the largest and fastest bear of our lives. If you ever get chased by a bear, you are going to lose the race. Later we were eating lunch at the intersection of the AT and a dirt road. Two hunters in a pickup truck with a dog box on it pulled up. They were looking for dogs lost since the day before - chasing a bear. We got their phone number and promised to call them if we saw their dogs. Water will not be a problem tomorrow. A great big old thunderstorm with plenty of thunder and lightening rolled through this afternoon. Given the scarcity of liquid refreshment lately, I really didn't mind that much. One more thing - a month ago today we were on top of Katahdin. Time flies.