morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-03-31
From: Campsite at mile 643

To: VA 635 Road Crossing
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

It felt good to get started hiking this morning after a long windy night. The gusts were probably in excess of 35 or 40 mph from the sound of them. I need to learn how to stake out my new tent much tighter as the top was flapping in and out in the breeze which kept me awake for a good part of the night. It didn't help me to sleep better when a tree fell down at about 2:30 am just North of my tent!The forecast for today was for showers so I started out into the wind wearing my down coat and rain suit. Within 30 minutes I'd stopped to take off the down coat and rain pants as I was getting hot. It threatened to rain all day long however the only moisture I felt was a few drops during the afternoon. I ran into two NOBOs that I had met before, Nice Guy and TP. They were willing to hike along with me at my slower pace for an hour or so and I pushed myself to move along faster than normal as I was enjoying the conversation with them. They eventually pushed on ahead of me on the trail. I was surprised when I caught back up with them since they had stopped for a break at the next shelter. "Want to go to The Captains with us?" they asked me as I walked up."Sure, why not" I responded while thinking that I might like to sit down and rest instead. For the second time today I pushed myself along moving faster than normal so that I wouldn't slow my companions down too much. Before long we came to the zipline river crossing that you can see in today's photo. This isn't part of the Appalachian Trail but instead is used to cross over the river to get to the Captains place. He got this name because he looks sort of like Captain Kangaroo. He met us at the zipline and showed us around his yard which he makes available for hikers to pitch their tents on. I noticed a well made fire pit with benches around it that would seat 15 or 20 hikers. He provided us with free sodas declining any type of donation simply saying, "Just pass it on." I had a rootbeer and then had to "zip back" across the river so that I could hike another mile to meet my shuttle driver from Woods Hole Hostel. Tomorrow's going to be a well deserved rest day for me after six days on the trail.
Date: 2016-04-01
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I had my last of 3 delicious dinners at Woods Hole Hostel last night. Michael and Neville were great hosts and have one of the nicest hostels I've seen yet along the trail. The rain sounded great pouring down on the bunkhouse roof while I enjoyed staying warm and dry. I've realized that the perfect hike has it raining only when you're inside a shelter, bunkhouse, or a motel. I don't know how long my luck with this will last but I'm enjoying it for the moment. I drove down into Blacksburg, VA to hang out at a coffee shop with decent wifi this morning and then stopped in at a laundromat where I am now to freshen up my hiking clothes. I'm going to find a good Mexican dinner somewhere and then drive over to Four Pines Hostel which will be my home base for the next week. I'll shuttle tomorrow back to where I got off the trail yesterday and then take 4 or 5 days to hike North back to Four Pines Hostel. I'm quite pleased that I was able to hike for six days without over stressing my injured leg. I think I may be ready to bump up my daily mileage but I'm going to do so rather gradually to be cautious. I wanted to do something for April Fools today, ideally tricking my kids somehow. The only idea I could come up with was a fake story about how I broke my leg. The other hikers at breakfast this morning said that wasn't a very good idea so I decided to skip it. Oh, this may be interesting (or not : ) ...I wanted to get a drone, or hire someone with a drone to shoot some video of me at Mcafee's knob which is coming up soon for me. It turns out that using drones on the AT is highly discouraged and most likely illegal. Oh, well. It was a good idea anyway.
Date: 2016-04-03
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Camp by the Keffer Oak
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

Today's hike started out with a long uphill climb which is something that I actually enjoyed. My leg seems to work better going uphill than it does downhill so my preference is to climb uphill as long as it's not too steep.I also went through a number of nice grassy pastures today which is an interesting change from going along the ridge or through the woods. I seem to enjoy the nice view over the farmland which is greening up quite nicely as spring is well on its way. I stopped to fill up with water for dinner around four or 5 o'clock since my destination was the sarver hollow shelter. The shelter is 4/10 of a mile off the trail and I had planned on camping along the trail rather than going to the shelter because I did not want to do the bonus 8/10 of a mile that it would take to get to the shelter and back.It was about 7 o'clock when I went past the Keffer oak tree which is the second largest oak tree on the Appalachian Trail. It is over 300 years old. I noticed a very nice campsite there with a bunch of firewood stacked up right by the fire pit. I decided that since it was so late and the campsite looked so nice I would go ahead and stay there for the night. Several cows came by including a smaller calf who was curious about the fire I had going and the meal I was cooking. They came over to check me out since I was camping in their pasture. During the night an animal came and chewed on the edge of my cookpot which I had left out sitting by the fire pit. It had gnawed at the insulator and chewed off a bit of the rubber seal. I'll have to remember to put that away at night so this doesn't happen again.
Date: 2016-04-04
From: Camp by the Keffer Oak

To: Camp near Audie Murphy Monument 
Miles today: 13.5

I left my campsite near the Keffer oak tree this morning hiking up through some open pastures and saying goodbye to the cows who had spent the night near my campsite.Its a nice warm day and I enjoyed hiking along ending up the day climbing up a decent hill as I looked for a place that was flat and preferably out of the wind to set up my tent for the night.When I got to the top of the hill the trail made a turn on to a smooth fire road for a period of time as it headed towards the Audie Murphy monument. The wind was picking up as I hiked along and I was concerned about securing my tent in the wind. Fortunately the hill to my left rose up above the fire road and I saw where this would provide protection from the wind which was coming in off to my left. As a result of this I decided to camp right along the trail for the night. There was a little bit of rain and also some snow that came down during the night, however I stayed warm and dry inside my tent with the exception of some hot chocolate I managed to spill right before I went to bed. I used one of my hiking socks to mop this up while texting my oldest daughter about this little mishap.
Date: 2016-04-05
From: Camp near Audie Murphy Monument 

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

I started out today's hike by checking out the Audie Murphy monument which was just a short ways further up the trail from where I had camped for the night.Audie Murphy was the most decorated soldier in World War II and was famous also for making Western movies before dying in a plane crash near the monument when he was about 70 years old.A short ways after this I met a southbounder named Mountain Man who shared an amazing story about a skunk attack he had witnessed in his camp the previous night. This involved the two characters Otis and Mongo, whom I had met several days prior with their exploding fish adventures.It seems that a skunk had wandered into the camp during the night and they initially tried to shoo it away. Then the skunk came back and actually jumped on Mongos back as he slept out on his cot in the night. Mongo leapt up trying to get the skunk off of him and in the process cut the bottom of his foot open on a rock. After much yelling, poking with hiking sticks, smacking it with a hiking boot, and a final "Tiger Woods" swing of a large branch the score was one dead skunk and one seriously damaged Mongo foot.A skunk that acts like this is most likely rabid so while I feel badly for the skunk, I'm glad that no one was bitten. Later in the afternoon today I climbed up a series of ridges to get to Dragon's tooth. There was quite a fair amount of scrambling up over rocks to get up to Dragon's tooth so I was happy when I got there looking forward to an easy down hill trail to take me back down to the four points Hostel. I was quite surprised to find numerous challenging places on the trail where I had to carefully make my way down over the edge of small cliffs and other obstacles in order to get back down to the road.I was happy when I finally reached the road turning east and walking a half-mile up the hill towards the 4 pines Hostel. When I got there it was great to see Otis and Mongo who was recovering from his recent skunk attack.
Date: 2016-04-06
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

Today I made the hike up to McAfee's knob. This is something I've been looking forward to since the beginning of my Appalachian Trail journey last year. McAfee's knob is the most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail. The 4 mile hike up from the road crossing looked to be very well-traveled and I saw numerous groups of young Hikers coming down with music playing from McAfee's knob.I was excited to get to the top around 5 PM and there were five or six other day hikers up there who assisted me in getting some good photos taken.I was worried about getting close to the edge but wanted to get a good shot with me sitting on the edge of the knob with my legs hanging off. I follow the advice of another hiker and scooted carefully up to the edge while she used my iPhone to take numerous pictures. When it was time to get up I realized that my pack had slid over a piece of the ledge and that I was not able to push back from the edge by myself. I called out to another hiker who was nice enough to come over and grab onto my pack and pull me back from the edge. It was with a little bit of regret that I finally left McAfee's knob with its gorgeous views and made made my way less than a mile down to Campbell shelter where I'm currently spending the night. Two other thru hikers are here with me, old-growth and another northbounder who is starting out on day one of a flip-flop hike beginning here at McAfee's knob.
Date: 2016-04-07
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 15.4

I could not believe how wonderful the views were as I made my way from Campbell shelter down into Daleville today - this was my longest day yet over 15 miles. I kept stopping to look off the Rocky ledges and enjoy the wonderful Valley spread out below. This valley seems to be much wider than other valleys I've seen off the Appalachian Trail. The fluffy clouds in the sky provided a patchwork quilt of sunny and shaded spots to give the view a great deal of variety.It threatened to rain all day and I must've had my raincoat on and off eight or 10 different times. It even hailed for a little bit this afternoon at one point. I also saw a beautiful rainbow which I took a photo of however the actual experience came out to be much better then the photo.I was happy to get down into Daleville at the end of the day. At 7:45 pm Eddie from 4 pines Hostel came and picked me up, shuttling me back to the hostel.I'm now at the Hostel and there's 10 or 12 other hikers here including a bunch of young people in their 20s whove been doing big miles. One of them named marathon has the worst case of shinsplints I've ever seen. I encouraged him to take some time off the trail however he seems highly unlikely to to stop his momentum. I hope that he is able to find a way to heal his shin splints. I also met fresh ground who was an incredible trail angel last year making hot dogs and fresh french fries right on the trail down in Georgia for me as I hiked into Gooch gap. He is doing a through Hike this year and it was wonderful to see his friendly face again. Tomorrow morning I'm heading up to Maryland to spend some time with my amazing wife. She is so wonderful to support my hike and be willing to go without seeing me for months at a time.
Date: 2016-04-11
From: Daleville

To: Back on the trail
Miles today: 0.0

I took a total of four days off to drive up to Maryland to see my beautiful wife, check on my dog and surprise my dad for his birthday.A number of my brothers and sisters came over to mom and dads house in Frederick Maryland and it was great to see them all. My wife and I enjoyed staying in a nice bed-and-breakfast in Frederick and went out to a great restaurant in Frederick as well.It felt really strange to be off the trail for a few days. Today as I sit here writing this to you it feels really strange to be going from civilized life to living out of a backpack again.One of my biggest surprises was the discovery that I still have a hard time walking around town. I've been hiking so well on my leg that I assumed I would be able to walk much better once I was off the trail. I think when I'm hiking I have the support of my hiking boots along with my various braces plus the support of my hiking poles which help to stabilize my gait. Also my leg tends to warm up after a while of movement and found that when I was walking around at my parents house or in town I would be sitting still and then get up and move for a little ways and then sit down again before moving for a little ways so all of my movements were done while my leg was relatively stiff.It felt good to get away but weird to go from hiking to not hiking then back to hiking. I'm staying in a little motel near Buchanan where I'm going to leave my car when I shuttle back into Daleville tomorrow morning to get back on the trail where I left off four days ago.
Date: 2016-04-12
From: Daleville

To: Wilson creek shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I stayed at the Wattstull Inn last night near the Buchanan exit off I-81. It's a nice clean motel and it's up the hill above the highway so you look out across and see the beautiful mountains instead of looking out on the interstate.The restaurant there was closed so I drove down into Buchanan and had pizza and a Diet Coke at a bar there. It was interesting to watch the other patrons get drunker and louder as the night went on.Today was an interesting day because I've been off for four days driving up to Maryland to see my wife and family. It felt strange to take a break from hiking and now today it feels very strange to be back on the trail again. My leg and foot is bothering me quite a bit which is surprising since I had a four day rest. I think walking on it daily helps to keep it stretched out and nimble and so today may just end up being a little harder than a normal hiking day for me.I stopped at the Fullhardt shelter to try out the cistern water system which works great. Rainwater is collected on the roof of the shelter and runs down into a cistern, then a pipe runs a little further down hill where you open a spigot to fill up your water bottle.It was a fairly smooth trail today which was nice since my leg was a squaking a bit. I got more into the tempo of things as the day progressed. Late in the day my oldest daughter gave me a call while I was stopping to fill up with water and I was surprised that she was able to reach me even though I was completely surrounded by hills on all four sides. It's so nice when I'm able to text or talk from the trail. I didn't start hiking today until about 1030 so todays 11 miles took me until 8 o'clock to reach the Wilson Creek shelter. It's still light enough to hike at 8 o'clock without a light and I noticed that there was already one other hiker in the shelter in a sleeping bag when I got there.The other hiker was named DP and is an older gentleman who has spent two days hiking in from Daleville. He hasn't been feeling well and has been sick, throwing up. I'm a little concerned for him. I had a nice chat talking to him as I cooked my lentils and mashed potatoes and then we both thought it was a good idea for him to hike up in the morning to the Blue Ridge Parkway and perhaps get a shuttle back into Daleville so that he can rest up before continuing his hike.Overall, it feels great to be back out on the trail again, although still a little strange. I'm looking forward to enjoying the next few days of beautiful weather.Thanks so much for all of you who have sent comments to me either at my email or by using the guestbook on the left side of this page. I promise to respond to all comments that are sent my way and I appreciate any suggestions or encouragement that you can pass along.
Date: 2016-04-13
From: Wilson creek shelter

To: Campsite at mile 750
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I took my time getting out of my sleeping bag this morning and thus didn't start hiking until about 9:30 am. It was a beautiful sunny day with blue sky, white clouds, and the temperature was in the mid 60s. The trail was mostly moderate slopes and a smooth trail - A perfect day for hiking.My wife asked me when I visited her a few days ago what I think about all day long while I'm hiking and I couldn't really explain it. So today I was paying attention to what I think about. It's surprising that much of what I do when I walk along is to simply enjoy the moment of being out on the Appalachian Trail and hiking in the great outdoors. I also listen to audiobooks at times. John Grisham is one of my current favorites. Sometimes I think about funny things that my kids did growing up or many of the awkward, stupid, or fun things that I've done throughout my life. The nice thing about having so much time just to be quiet and think is that I can process through and get a chance to enjoy again many of the funny moments I've had. Or think through mistakes I've made and work my way towards forgiving myself for being less than perfect on occasion : ) At lunchtime today I walked past one of the scenic overlooks on the blue Mountain Parkway and Cory and Karen, some trail angels from Roanoke were nice enough to provide me with a delicious fresh salad that included pinenuts, feta cheese and strawberries. My leg and foot felt much better today so my theory that it takes a day of hiking to loosen things up that I mentioned to you yesterday seems to be accurate. I also was able to get into the groove or mode of hiking much better today and didn't tend to ponder how much more wonderful it would be to be home at my house with my wife, dog, hot tub, piano and nice warm water bed. The sun just went down and I'm watching the last coals of my campfire start to go out so I think I'll go to sleep in my tent soon.
Date: 2016-04-14
From: Campsite at mile 750

To: Jennings Creek Rd
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today was short and easy with under six miles of smooth downhill trail to get me back to my car at Jennings Creek Rd. While crossing the bridge I looked down to see Last Chance soaking his feet in the cool river. He started last year hiking North from Harper's Ferry to Katahdin. During this stretch he had two different incidents that could have easily ended his thru hike. The first was 1st and 2nd degree burns he suffered when he spilled boiling water on his leg. The second was a staph infection that infected an insect bite on his hip. Last Chance at 63 years is eight years older than me, hikes faster than me (like most people : ) and has incredible persistence. I found it quite motivating to talk with him today. After wishing him the best of luck on his remaining 270 miles I drove a mile up the road to Middle Creek Campground. I needed to pick up a box of gear I'd shipped and meet Stephanie, a reporter from the Roanoke Times. I had met a friend of Stephanie's a few weeks ago while hiking who introduced me as a possible news story. I have to admit that it was fun having a photographer snap shots of me while I browsed through the supplies at the store. We then drove back to the trailhead for more photos, and some hiking videos while I filled Stephanie in on the details of my motorcycle racing accident three years ago. My hope is that by sharing my story I can encourage other people who deal with chronic pain or traumatic injuries that life can go on. It's taken me a good three years to accept the fact that I'm injured for life. While I can't run anymore, I CAN hike the Appalachian Trail! I'm off to the airport in Lynchburg to fly down to Florida so I can see my son compete with the Clemson team at the Collegiate Paintball Nationals. For those of you who are injured please send me a message using the guest book on the left side of the page so that I can hear how your life is going and how well you are holding up. If you know of someone who is injured, please pass this journal along to them so that I might have a chance to give them a little boost. I'll be back hiking again within a few days.
Date: 2016-04-15
From: Jennings Creek Rd

To: Kissimmee FL
Miles today: 0.0

I'm down in Florida for a few days to watch my son play paintball in the Collegiate Paintball Nationals with his team from Clemson, SC. He's the president of the team and I really enjoy seeing him leading and encouraging his team mates. The plan was to fly down to Orlando, use Uber to travel the ten miles from the airport and then camp out at the paintball field in my tent. Uber worked great - my first time trying it out! Camping out... Not so great. The playing fields were fenced and locked when I arrived at 11:15 pm. Hmmm... last year there were all kinds of RVs, no gates, and plenty of room to camp out. This year the event is obviously being held in a new location. It's interesting how hiking the Appalachian Trail is able to convince me that I can get by with less. Rental car... don't need it. Hotel... Uh, maybe that's a good idea.I found a secluded spot behind the brick entrance wall that wasn't big enough for my tent but that would accommodate me "Cowboy" style, out under the stars. I checked the weather and it wasn't supposed to rain so I blew up my sleeping pad, pulled out my bag and went to sleep.That is, I tried to go to sleep. I quickly discovered that it's way easier to sleep in the cool, quiet, mountain air on the Appalachian Trail than it is twenty feet from a noisy highway in the hot humid Florida night. Then it began to rain... They say that hiking the Appalachian Trail will change you. Last night I felt uh.... homeless. I think I'll stay at the Marriott tonight.
Date: 2016-04-16
From: Kissimmee FL

To: Kissimmee FL
Miles today: 0.0

I'm in Kissimmee, Florida today to cheer my son's paintball team on at the Collegiate Paintball Nationals. The Clemson Tigers played well today. This is the first time they've competed at Nationals in the "A" division. Two other parents, several friends, and myself were kept busy loading paintballs into the pods the players use to refill their paintball guns while playing on the field. The games were played using the X Ball format where the same two teams play multiple rounds in a row with just a two minute break between rounds. The nine players rotated with five men at a time on the field. By the end of the day everyone was looking sweaty, dirty, and tired. I feel very fortunate to be able to get off the trail and make it down here to see my son and his teammates play. I really miss the days when my son would come and jump in my lap as the first thing he did each day. I enjoyed being able to see him doing something he's passionate about and I'm proud of the leadership skills he's developed. I skipped the idea of using the tent again tonight and am snug and warm at a nice hotel near the airport so that I can hop back up to Buchanan, VA to continue hiking tomorrow.