morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-26
From: Pond campsite

To: Thomas High Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today started at 8:00am to the realization that a mouse got in to my food bag last night. Oh well, serves me right for not hanging it. There was a lot of life around that pond. I stepped off this morning just after 9:00am for my morning hike. The AT went by the Creeper Trail again for a while, and all I could think about was fishing in the river that ran along side. It was a very pretty stretch of trail that was only modestly uphill. The early afternoon was a climb that lasted 2000 feet right up a long ridgeline. At the start of the climb, I saw my first black bear so far on the AT. He was 150 pounds by my best guess and eating about 20 yards down a hill. I took out my camcorder and filmed him for a minute or so before he saw me and ran off. It was a very fun first AT bear encounter.It was tough hiking all day today for some reason. By mid afternoon I was already drained and still had quiet a bit left to do. I didn't snack any after lunch. I just wanted to get to the last shelter before it got dark. The final 2 miles of my 16.3 mile day were uphill climbing in sub alpine forest up to Thomas High Knob Shelter. I pulled in to camp after 7:00pm, and didn't see any nice tent spots so I elected to stay in the shelter. It was nice inside with a second floor where I could escape the cold and wind. Dinner was my usual knorr rice side with summer sausage and spam. After all camp chores were done, I had a night cap of Jim Beam thanks to a hiker who had to call his hike short due to a busted pack strap. He had an unopened bottle and gave it to Uncareful, who gladly accepted the wonderful trail magic. That is it for today. Take care all.
Date: 2015-05-27
From: Thomas High Knob Shelter 

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: few clouds

I slept very cozy last night in the shelter. I did wake up a few times to change positions, and once during a torrential downpour that didnt last very long. Camp was long this morning at 90 minutes. One part of yesterday's hike I didn't mention in my post was that I saw my first wild pony. It was such an odd experience because the pony ran down the hill in front of me blocking the path so I couldn't get by. I think she was trying to strong arm us for food because as soon as Uncareful tossed her a Starburst, she moved out of the way. I'm sure we aren't the first hikers she has extorted. So, I saw a wild pony and a wild bear in the same day. Today I went for a walk through Grayson Highlands State Park. Most of the ponies I saw today were either before or after the park. It was a solid 8 miles of views and crazy terrain. After 10 miles of rocks, my feet were ready to be done for the day.I pushed on from Old Orchard Shelter to do 15.7 miles to get to Hurricane Mountain Shelter. The end of the day was a 900 foot climb over 1.4 miles, and I felt my trail legs take me all the way to the top without stopping. It was a very strange sensation not to stop and catch my breath. The final mile was easy, and spent thinking about town food.                                          Camp was nice tonight with a fire compliments of Star Stuff and Swayze. Off to bed for me. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-05-28
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Unnamed Tent Site
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

After a difficult night's sleep last night due to a lack of quality tenting options, I was up and moving at 7:00 this morning. After visiting with some other hikers and packing up, I hit the trail with Uncareful and On The Fence. We've hiked together for the last few days and have a similar pace a distance goals. The morning hike was mostly downhill and we did 3.1 miles in 65 minutes. There was a sign that said trail magic at a campground that was .7 miles off the trail, and elected not to go. We later learned while in camp when a couple passed us that the trail magic was hot pockets. I'm glad I didn't make the trip. From there, we pushed 6 miles to the first and only shelter today called the Tampini shelter. It was nice and had good water, and lunch turned in to a 90 minute mid day break.By the time we hit the trail, it was 2:40pm, and we hiked another 3.6 to make today's total 12.1 miles. We are camped in a nice site next to the trail. There is an error in the AWOL guidebook that says that the stream at 525.3 is srong, and it says the stream .5 miles before is seasonal. The opposite is true, and I had to hike .5 back down the hill I just climbed so I could get water.   It was a shortish day at just 12 miles, but it was well deserved after the two big days I did. Camp was fun, but it flew by and now it is late. Tomorrow is 6.3 in to town, and normal town stuff. I'm excited for a Taco Bell lunch in Marion, VA. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-05-29
From: Unnamed Tent Site

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 6.3

Today was a short hiking day in to Marion, VA. After a 60 mile leg, I was ready to be in town. Uncareful, On The Fence and I had to get to the visitor's center by 11:00am to catch he shuttle in to town. I was up and getting ready at 6:15am, and we started hiking at 7:45am. The miles were easy and we knocked them out quickly. Once in town, we decided on the America's Best Value Inn because they had a pool. After eating an all you can eat Pizza Hut buffet, we resupplied for 6 days and headed back to the hotel to go swimming. Unfortunately, they didn't have a coin laundry. So in true hiker trash fashion, we jumped in the pool with our clothes on. The chlorine did wonders for 5 days of hiker funk. The rest of the afternoon and evening was lazy and spent relaxing with some cold beer. My food bag is as heavy as it has ever been in preparation for the upcoming 77 mile leg to Trent's Grocery. It weighs almost as much as all of the rest of my gear combined. Time for some bad TV, and then sleep in a real bed. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-05-30
From: Marion, VA

To: Unnamed Campsite
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: broken clouds

I didn't sleep well last night for some reason. I woke up several times during the night for no good reason. I finally got up and started moving at 6:30am. I took my time getting packed up with the TV on in the background. I hit up the hotel breskfast, and had a waffle, a banana, cup of OJ, and cup of coffee. After a couple of trips to the privy, I felt good enough to start hiking.I had to stop off at the Post Office on the way out of town to mail some things hone to help lighten my pack. It totaled 4.5lbs of gear. That was a huge cut, and I'm excited for a light summer pack. My base weight, which means without food and water, is 18 pounds. By the time our crew hit the trail, it was 11:30am. We hiked the first 6 miles relatively quickly. This put us at a shelter for lunch. After a short lunch we got to walking again, and quickly came upon an old school house and museum dedicated to the original settlers of the area. I found it all very fascinating, and there was some great trail magic to go along with it. I had an ice cold A&W root beer and another banana.After a lengthy break here, we got to moving again and came across a thru hiker from 2012 who was doing trail magic with Mountain Dew and Little Debbie type cakes. I took a dew for the road. Not long after that, the trail goes right by a restaurant with a 16 ounce hiker burger for $7.25. I was surprised that I was able to kill the entire thing at once. Guess I was hungrier than I thought. After the burger it was 7:00pm, with a few more miles to hike. It was a long uphill to the campsite where we are staying tonight. We also made a mistake and didn't get any water at the last source thinking there was some here. We were dead wrong and now have a half liter each to get up 3 miles in the morning to the next source. It was such a nice day with so many cool things to see and do. I did 14.4 miles, but it felt almost effortless because of the fun I was having. Tomorrow should be a long day and I need some rest. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-05-31
From: Unnamed Campsite

To: Lick Creek
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

Today started how yesterday ended, with no water and a parched mouth. I was a tad dehydrated too, and never was able to shake the blah feeling today. It was still a 14.8 mile day, but it took me a long time to do them. I started hiking at 8:20 this morning and sucked wind on the easy morning climbs. After 3.2 miles I came to a water source. It certainly was glorious to see, and I spent some time there drinking a liter and eating a snack.The mid-morning hike was a nicely graded climb of 900 feet over 2 miles, and back down to the bottom. Then another climb of 700 feet only, very steep this time. When I got to the summit huffing and puffing, I happened to look to my left checking out the ridge line, and I saw a black bear go running off down the hill. That's the second bear I've seen in a week. I stopped and had lunch at the first shelter I came across today. I saw Uncareful and Fence as they were getting ready to leave. After they were gone, I had the shelter to myself, and hung out for an hour and a half just eating and relaxing. Nobody else came by the whole time I was there. After a good lunch and some R&R, I hit the trail again and did 3+ miles to get to a creek that happens to have a few camp spots. The actual camp spot listed in the guide book had a dry stream running through it. Virginia hasn't had much water lately, and so the water sources are few and far between. All the good dry hiking weather we've had has been very nice though. It is a double edged sword. I started a fire as soon as I got to camp around 6:15pm. 15 minutes, the are got hit with an afternoon thunderstorm. I ate a snacky dinner in my tent and was just finishing when another hiker showed up.There are 3 of us total here, and I met both of the other guys today. Tomorrow morning is a big climb of over 2000 feet to start the day. The terrain gets easier after that, and I should be able to get some good mileage under my belt. That's it from Lick Creek campsite. Take care all.                           -Andy
Date: 2015-06-01
From: Lick Creek

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I got a great night's sleep last night and awoke very refreshed this morning. Unfortunately, I slept in until after 8:00am. I guess my body needed the rest. I was a little slow getting out of camp like always, and it was ten minutes until ten when I started walking. The morning hike was difficult to say the least. It was a 2200 foot climb up steep rocky terrain. It kicked my butt and I would feel the effects the rest of the day. Not cooking a meal last night made it doubly tough because I had only pop tart energy to draw from and it wasn't enough. I reached the top and the Chestnut Knob Shelter. It was a really neat fully enclosed concrete shelter with a door. I ate some lunch inside and relaxed for a bit. When I walked out to look at the building storm clouds, I noticed a deer eating right next to the shelter wall. It was a smaller doe, and didn't seem to mind that I was 10 feet away. I got my phone and snapped some good photos. After lunch, I walked around thunderstorms all day on a rocky ridgeline. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be missing all the rain. Then about 4 miles from the finish line, the skies opened up and I got completely soaked. It rained hard for about 20 minutes then stopped. The problem with rain in the woods is the leaves hold all the water, and it still feels like it's raining for hours after it stops.I pushed hard the last few miles downhill to the shelter and made it here by 7:00pm. I'm staying in the shelter tonight because my tent is already soaked inside and out, and the forecast is for rain most of the night. I'm exhausted after a 16.3 mile day and I've got to do another one tomorrow. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-06-02
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

This morning started around 7:45am. I was out by 9:20 am and had an easy early climb. My legs felt good after a big meal last night. The trail today was some of the best I've seen out here. It was graded well with very few roots or rocks. It was definitely built for speed, and boy did I fly. Even after leaving as late as I did, I was able to hike over 15 miles by 3:00pm. I made it to the Helveys Mill Shelter about 15 minutes before it started raining, and it hasn't let up much in 6 hours. I wanted to push further so I my hike tomorrow would be shorter, but with all the wet weather lately, none of my clothes are drying. I've had some chafing issues that I didnt want to make worse. Plus I didn't want to tent in the rain tonight. The shelter is warm and dryish. I am thankful for the rain though, as the water sources for the past 70 miles have been weak to nonexistent. It makes it challenging when you aren't sure whether or not you can trust the guide book. I'm hoping for an early start tomorrow, and for a pain free 16+ miles to Trent's Grocery. They have laundry, showers, tenting, pizza, burgers, and beer. I'm pretty excited to get there. I'm going to try to get some sleep, but three section hikers are watching a movie on their tablet. Usually it's considered quiet hours after 9:00pm, so I'm not thrilled. Silly section hikers. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-06-03
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: River camp site
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

I had one thing on my mind when I woke up this morning, and that was getting food at Trent's Grocery, 16.5 miles away. I got out of camp faster than ever at just over 30 mins. I woke up before 7:00am, and was hiking by 7:30. It was the 4th straght day of weather I've had out here. While the last few days it has rained every afternoon, today it was moisture from the clouds condensing on trees and dripping on you. I made really good time in the cool weather and easy terrain, reaching the 10 mile mark and passing the 600 mile mark before noon. I pulled over at a shelter and ran in to Uncareful and Fence also eating. They did an extra 3 miles yesterday in the rain and camped. This afternoon was a bit of a climb and then just ridge walking for a while before descending to a gap where Trent's Grocery is located. It was a half mile off trail making my journey, 17 miles before 3:00pm. Food is a very powerful motivator out here. I had a double cheeseburger and plate of chili cheese fries, both were delicious. After doing a small resupply, Fence was able to get us a hitch back to the trail head where I'm camping. Uncareful purchased a Virginia fishing license and was tearing up the rock bass and bluegill with his not so ultralight fishing gear. Tonight is the coolest night I've had in a while, so I'm sure I'll sleep well. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-06-04
From: River camp site

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

I stayed up way past my bedtime last night, and 7:00am came really early this morning. I packed things up quickly, and the river view was enjoyable while I ate my pop tart breakfast. I started walking shortly after 8:30am and went 2 miles to a blue blaze that led .3 miles to Dismal Falls. It was a 15 foot falls that you could climb all around with a swimming/fishing hole at the bottom. Uncareful caught a rainbow and brook trout out of the hole in just a few minutes time. It made me really wish I'd brought a fishing rod. I am going to look for one to carry. After a nice early morning break, it was back on the trail, and it was as flat as I've seen so far. It was pretty muddy as to be expected, and there were many roots. I found myself looking down a bit while walking, and ended up running smack in to a tree that was hanging across the trail. I hit it so hard square in my forehead that I almost fell down, but caught myself. I made it to the Wapiti shelter and had   lunch with Uncareful, On The Fence, Savage, Smokey Bear, Breeze, Sunshine, and Home Grown. We all had a long lunch before the biggest climb of the day. Everyone was dreading it after the mostly flat morning, but we all flew up it quickly. After some pictures at a few scenic spots, it was time for the final push to Docks Knob Shelter. I rolled in just after 7:30pm with Uncareful and Fence not far behind. We are the only 3 here tonight with everyone else opting instead to stay at Woods Hole Hostel a few miles back. I am sleeping in the shelter alone, and the other two are tenting nearby. It is a cool evening like last night, and I am thankful for the mild weather in June. The highs have been in the 70s for 10 days or so. Today was 17.3 miles, and tomorrow is a quick 8 miles in to town. I hope to be there around 11:00am and get food. Until then, take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-06-05
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg, Virginia
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: broken clouds

I got a great night's sleep alone in the shelter last night. I only woke up once to the sound of mice scratching, but fell right back asleep. At 7:15am I started packing up, and was walking an hour later.The 10 mile hike in to town went by quickly, but it cost me a broken pack strap. I was flying down the trail with the thought of a hot shower and laundry on my mind. You know it's bad when your first thought isn't food. With the exception of some sink laundry in the last town, I hadn't washed my clothes in almost 2 weeks. Even after they went through the wash, they still smell bad. I think there is a permanent funk in my hiking clothes now. Anyway, I was flying down the hill at 3.5 miles per hour and stepped on a flat wet rock facing away from me and went straight down on my back. I landed on my tent, and the strap that holds it to my pack ripped off of the bag. I was able to tie a knot for a temporary fix, but it will need sewing. After checking in at the Holiday Lodge Motel, I took my first shower in a week, and it was glorious. I put on my last smelly clothes and made a beeline for the Chinese buffet across the street. It was mediocre, but I got my $5.99 + tax worth for sure. Afterwards, I headed next door to the Food Lion for my resupply. I need 6 days of food from here to get 100 miles to Troutville/Daleville, Virginia. It's going to be a very heavy pack leaving this place. It was pouring while I was checking out, but stopped 5 minutes later. Later in the day I got laundry done and electronics charged. After some R&R, I walked across the street again for a Dairy Queen Blizzard and socializing with some friends. It was a good productive day, and I'm ready for bed. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-06-06
From: Pearisburg, Virginia

To: Pearisburg, Virginia
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It was tough getting motivated today. It was so nice out, and the pool looked so inviting. I decided to hang out with Uncareful and Fence at pool before hitting the trail, but it wasn't long before I was inquiring to stay another night. This time, in the bunk house. It is huge and clean   and the best hostel value I've seen so far on the trail. We went to Hardee's for lunch and stuffed our faces with burgers and fries. For dinner it was Mexican with cheap beer, billiards, and good tunes. It's been a 163 miles since I've had a day off, and today was exactly the kind of lazy, gluttonous day I needed to get my mind right for the upcoming 100 mile leg. It will be my longest stretch yet between resupply points, and a good distance test. Good night from the Holiday Lodge bunkroom. Take care all.-AndyP.S. Thank you for all the kind words in my guest book. I do read all your comments, and appreciate everyone's support.
Date: 2015-06-07
From: Pearisburg, Virginia

To: Unnamed Campsite
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a great night's sleep in the Holiday Lodge bunkroom in Pearisburg, VA. There were only three of us in that huge room and it was ice cold. It was just after 8:00am when I got moving. I went to get breakfast at Hardees, and ate a bunch of food. After getting back to the bunk room, I fell back asleep for another hour. Fence reminded me that my boots were in their room, so I walked up the hill to get them. It was checkout at 11:00am and I hit the road. It was a 1 mile walk downhill to get back to the trail. My pack felt very heavy with 6 days worth of food weighing me down. It was uphill walking for the first few hours of the hike. It is almost always uphill out of town, but the question is, to what extent. Today was about 2000 feet of climbing to get up to the ridge. It was spread out over 6 miles, so the grade was very gradual.It was warm today and I took many water breaks. However, there were very few water spots through this section. I had to pack out 3.5 liters, or 8lbs, to where I am camping tonight. My pack was as heavy as I've ever felt at around 40lbs. I'm in the middle of a 11 mile stretch with no water sources. This afternoon, I happened to be hiking with Fence and Uncareful and we stumbled across a huge rattlesnake just inches off the trail in some thick brush. This sucker was mean, and one of the biggest wild snakes I've ever seen. It's body was as big around as the barrel of a baseball bat. He rattled at us for a minute and then slithered off. I heard one rattling in the bushes earlier in the day but couldn't see him. The ironic thing is I had just finished telling Uncareful about it, and we were discussing what we would do if we ever were bit by poisonous snake. Glad we didn't have to put that plan in to action today. After 13.1 miles and hiking until 7:00pm or so, I decided to pull over and call it good. I'm camping alone tonight, and will try to get an early start tomorrow as my goal is 18.1. Good night from an unnamed Campsite. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-06-08
From: Unnamed Campsite

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: broken clouds

I slept very well last night up on the windy ridge. It was cool, dry, and quiet. It was 7:30am when I started moving around, and 8:45 when I left camp. The morning hike was an uneventful ridge walk and downhill. I stopped at the first shelter about 5 miles in to the day to have a snack and get water. The early afternoon hike was also very uneventful save for getting caught in a thunderstorm. It was a long day at 18.1 miles and I'm pretty tuckered out. I'm tenting near the War Spur Shelter tonight with about 8 other people. It started storming again this evening, so I will be carrying an extra pound of water most of the day tomorrow. That's all from the War Spur Shelter. Take care all.-Andy