morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-04-14
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Mackenzie came over to pick us up at the house about 9:45am, surprising us with Starbucks. The drive to Pearisburg was busy, being mostly highway. We stopped at Wendy¢s just outside of Pearisburg for a fuel-up lunch then headed to our dropoff point off Johnson Street just on the outskirts of the town. As we drove to the dropoff Mackenzie said ¢OK. Here¢s your trail song!¢ and then turned on ¢Wagon Wheel¢ by Darius Rucker. (When we went to Trail Days in 2019 in Damascus, a group of hikers with guitars were playing that song. It reminds David of the AT every time he hears it.) After pictures, we got on the trail about 1:15pm. (I looked at the pictures and didn¢t realize that we are dressed like twins. The Goober Twins!) We hope to make Rice Field Shelter. It¢s 8 miles and mostly uphill so we will see. We hadn¢t been hiking long when we saw a sign for the Pearisburg Cemetery. The graves date back to the mid-1860¢s. Many are very small and unreadable. There were stone benches to sit on. I took the lead for a bit and accidentally stepped on a snake¢s head. I said ¢Oh I¢m so sorry little guy!¢ He shook his head as though saying ¢What the heck was that?!¢ and then quickly slithered into the underbrush. He was so pretty. Green with parallel yellow stripes down his back. We came upon 2 trail magics. One was a small cooler with 2 Cokes in it. (Right by a noxious chemical plant. Nice smell.) The other was a bag of pecans by a tree. We took one of the Cokes to share at dinner and marveled that the squirrels hadn¢t found and eaten the pecans. We met a lovely couple in their late 70¢s hiking down trail. They said that they had never completely hiked the AT but, in their younger days, had bicycled across America three times!So we made it to the Rice Field Shelter! It is in a meadow with a stunning view! We met Bandaid at the shelter. He started his thru-hike February 24th. (He told us a group of 9 of them were stuck in a shelter in the Smokey Mtns for 3 days due to snow and 45 mile an hour winds. They were finally able to hike out the 4th day. They built a snowman their third day there.)We ate a dinner of this mango sticky rice dessert thing. It was bad! Bland and mushy. Blah! We then walked to the top of the ridge (Rice Field Shelter is down a small slope from the view.) to watch the sunset. Another couple had walked in with their 8 week old border collie puppy named Dusty Rose. (That puppy¢s fur felt like velvet!) The woman told us that we were actually looking down on Petersburg, WV. We are kind of hiking along the border of Va and WV. Once the sun went down a chilly breeze started up so we said our goodbyes and went back to the shelter to hunker down for the night. It¢s cold already! The cell service peters out at the shelter. The best service is at the top of the ridge and it¢s too cold to stand there and blog. Love you guys but not so much I¢ll freeze to death blogging. :)We hiked 8.1 miles at 40 minute miles, per Coffeebean.
Date: 2022-04-15
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter 
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

What a night!! The wind blew into the shelter so it was cold! I normally sleep very warm so don¢t pack alot of warm gear. But i switched into my camp pants but kept everything else on. I also wore my fleece shirt, socks, gloves and a Buff on my head. I slept on my side most of the night so I could pull the sleeping bag around my face. If I switched to my back, the wind would blow over my face and down into the sleeping bag. I also don¢t know why I was still so keyed up even after hiking all day. I couldn¢t fall asleep. It was a miserable night all around. I only slept 2 hours at the most. Coffeebean didn¢t fair much better.My alarm went off at six and I got up to use the privy. When I came back, Bandaid was coming down from the ridge and said the moon was setting. We walked back up and the moon was this huge orange ball and it just seemed to slide right down to the horizon. It was beautiful! First time I had ever seen a moon setting. Just a few minutes later we were treated to a spectacular sunrise! Just breathtaking!Coffeebean asked if I wanted hot or cold breakfast. ¢Hot!!¢ I said. ¢As hot as possible!¢ We had oatmeal and hot chocolate. Coffeebean added coffee to his hot chocolate. We left about 7:30. Bandaid left about 7:15. He is going to the Bailey Gap Shelter. About 16 miles. We are shooting for the Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, about 12.5 miles.The day was a killer uphill and then a killer downhill. It started out nice and cool and then warmed up as the day went on.At one point I was leading. We had just come across a clearing with those giant electric towers and there was a utility road leading up to them. Part of the trail was on the rood so I was just bee-bopping along. I hear Coffeebean say ¢So I¢ll meet you at the shelter?¢ I asked ¢Why? Where are you going?¢ and he grinned and said ¢I¢m following the AT.¢ I was so intent in following the road that I walked right past the white blaze. I just gotta pay closer attention or I¢ll end up God-knows-where. :)I¢m wearing my Keen hiking boots, which I wear for all our day hikes. I¢m getting concerned that I have misjudged these boots for long distance. The little toes on both feet are really painful. I have wrapped them but I think they are rubbing against the boots. When we stopped for lunch I took off my boots and socks and rewrapped them completely. We got to the Pine Swamp Branch Shelter! A beautiful stone shelter with the river running across the trail. We are tenting tonight! I need warmth and sleep!We hiked 12.5 miles (or 13.1 if you count the backtrack for water) :) in 9-1/2 hours. There is no cell service so, once again, I cannot post. Hopefully you haven¢t given up on us. I¢m also going to try and upload more pictures. I can only put one with the blog entry but you can check the picture gallery for others.
Date: 2022-04-16
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter 

To: Stealth campsite 
Miles today: 7.78
Weather: overcast clouds

We had a great night¢s sleep! We stayed in our tent and had the sound of the river to lull us to sleep. We slept in until 6:30 then I got up to use the privy. Bricks was just finishing up packing and I said good morning and asked how he was doing. He said he was glad to have been able to pack up dry and I asked what that meant. He said ¢Oh, it¢s supposed to start raining at 7am until about 9am.¢ It was 6:50! Well, I hightailed it up to the privy and then ran back down and told Coffeebean to get up and pack quick before the rain started. I think we broke a camp breakdown record. We took everything up to the shelter and made breakfast and waited for the rain. Two other hikers, Smooth and Snooky, waited too but no rain. Yay!Snooky told us a funny story about his encounter with a bear. He was hiking up the trail and there was a huge rock. Around the rock came a good size adolescent bear. The wind was blowing towards Snooky so the bear didn¢t smell him. So he didn¢t frighten the bear he started yelling ¢Hey Bear! Hey Bear!¢  Suddenly he saw 2 women¢s heads pop up on the top of the rock, looking at him like he was nuts. They couldn¢t see the bear from their angle. The bear ran off and when Snooky approached he told them he was trying to scare away a bear. One of the women said ¢We wondered why you were yelling that. That¢s my trail name!¢ Smooth, Coffeebean and I laughed. ¢I think she needs to change her trail name.¢ I said. We left the shelter about 8:35. And headed towards Bailey Gap shelter, about 3.9 miles. Doesn¢t sound like much but over a mile of it was uphill with no switchbacks! Argh! We stopped to rest numerous times and took a good break at the shelter. One of our hiker friends from 2019, Crusher, told us to try laying on our backs and putting our feet up on the shelter wall. It helps with blood circulation and feels good on the feet. One of the nice things about the shelters we come across so far this trip is that they have all been right on the trail. No walking .1 or .2 or .3 miles in. That is soo nice! At the end of the day you just want to  set up camp and relax without having to walk anymore. Once we left Bailey Gap shelter, we were transported to Pennsylvania!! The entire trail was rocks!! We were having PTSD flashbacks! Big rocks, little rocks! That went on for at least 2 hours. It was the pits! The rocks eventually thinned out and the trail wasn¢t bad. We were just so tired. Achy and sore. We really wanted to reach Warspur shelter and catch up with Smooth and Snooky but we have to ¢hike our own hike¢. We ended up stopping around 3:45pm after only hiking 7.78 miles. We are whipped and need some recovery time.Dinner was a Mountain House beef stroganoff for Coffeebean and instant potatoes for me. (If I eat too much Mountain House I blow up like a pufferfish.) It was great to have a good hot meal. We ended up going to bed about 7pm.
Date: 2022-04-17
From: Stealth campsite 

To: Laurel Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up to 20-25mph winds with the temps in the 30¢s. This is a guess because we still don¢t have cell service. We haven¢t had service since we left on Thursday!We decided to just pack up, eat a protein bar, and then eat a hot breakfast at the Warspur shelter. The hike there was fairly level and the shelter was beautiful with lots of tent sites. Coffeebean made oatmeal and hot chocolate. Warmed us right up. We had already hiked 4.9 miles in only 2-1/2 hours. The next big climb was Kelly Knob. The first 3/4 of the climb was nice with switchbacks. The last 1/4 was straight up! The view at Kelly Knob was disappointing. It had huge flat rocks to climb on (like building blocks) but no view because of the trees.Hiked 10.7 miles today and finished up at the Laurel Creek Shelter around 3:30. No one else was here but we knew it would fill up because of the bad weather due tomorrow (rain all day). We shared the shelter with Cool Whip, Lightening, KG, Runaway, and GGnome (Garden Gnome). A couple came in later (Lovin¢ It and Livin¢ It). We told them we would move over for room in the shelter but they said they never shelter, only tent. GGnome showed them a nice site out behind the shelter. And still no cell service!! (I am sending ¢check ins¢ home to the girls via the Guthook app so they know where we are.)
Date: 2022-04-19
From: Laurel Creek Shelter 

To: Niday Shelter 
Miles today: 12.61
Weather: clear sky

It was SOOOO COLD last night!! I had all my clothes on and I cinched up my sleeping bag around my face but I was still cold and so didn¢t sleep much. I had picked a spot by the wall thinking it would give me a little more protection fro the wind but not much. I could hear the rain start and stop but the wind never quit. GGnome got up at 4:30am and it was snowing. I got up at 6:15am for my morning privy walk and the path was covered in snow! Privy path hidden by snow??!! Ahhhh!Papa Bear left first and early. Katie followed a while later. For once we weren¢t the last to leave!The trail was covered with snow and ice. We had to cross Laurel Creek twice. Didn¢t fall in though. The sun was trying to break through but that wicked wind!We hiked through some beautiful pastures. We came to the Keffer Oak Tree It¢s estimated to be 300 years old and is the largest oak tree on the AT in the south. Once we hit the woods the climb was a tough up but there were nice switchbacks and lots of stone steps. Finally reached the ridge and ridge-walked pretty much the rest of the day. That would have been a fantastic day except the day high was supposed to be 48 degrees. It never got anywhere near that because of the wind chill. I wore my Buff snd hat on my head, 3 layers from the waist up, 2 layers from the waist down and gloves on my hands and was still cold. The sun finally started to come out so we stopped and took off layers. Started walking again and didn¢t the sun go behind the clouds and the wind kick up again. Put layers back on!!We were finally able to walk just below the ridge and had some big rock scrambles to climb. That was fun!We made it to the Niday Shelter about 4:15pm. Professor and Jasper showed up a few minutes later. Jasper is from Canada. The first foreign hiker we¢ve met. Then Fish and Chips came in. They are from the UK. We had soup and then a chicken and broccoli side for dinner. We were hungry not having eaten anything hot or filling yesterday. Did 12.61 miles today.
Date: 2022-04-20
From: Niday Shelter 

To: Stealth campsite 
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

Another cold, cell service-less night. I woke about 6:00 and got up about 6:15 for my daily ¢walk¢. The privy at this shelter is new so the paths are not super obvious. Needless to say I got lost several times and walked through underbrush trying to find a path in the not-quite-light. We were the last ones out of the shelter. Professor and Jasper left very early. We never even heard them. Fish and Chips were next. We headed out about 8:30, our latest time yet. We crossed at least half a dozen cute little bridges crossing over Craig Creek. The up today was very big but wonderful switchbacks. (They make such a difference!) When we got to the ridge there was a bench! We took a little break and were able to actually get cell service!! I uploaded 2 entries before we left. (I tried to upload a picture but it says they are too big. I will have to check into that.)We ridge-walked a short ways to the Audie Murphy Monument. He died near there in a plane crash. He was the most decorated serviceman in WWII, receiving 24 decorations! The local Boy Scout troop maintains the flag that flies there. Alot of people have left items there such as dog tags, patches, flags, military caps, etc. It was a a very moving place. There were 2 benches there to sit too. We sat and just talked about the heroics of people that served in that war. We continued on and the day was really good. Great temps, sunny, but not too warm. Much of the paths were thick with dried leaves like you see in the fall time. It was fun to kick through them like a little kid. We just had to be sure there weren¢t any rocks or roots underneath to send us flying down the mountain. Finally came to a road crossing along side a beautiful river. We watered up and even took an extra liter each because there is no water for about 10 miles. I¢m telling you. Carrying a liter of water up a mountain feels like you are carrying a ton of bricks! You really feel the weight difference on your back.The next shelter, Pickle Branch, was only a mile away but the reviews on Guthook were terrible. It was also .3 in the water was down a long steep path. We hiked past about another .3 and found a gorgeous, grassy stealth site that could easily hold 5 or 6 tents. It was only 4pm and the next stealth site we knew of was straight up and we also didn¢t know if it would be as good as this one, so we decided to stay. Dug my cathole tonight so I don¢t have to do it in the morning. :)We are getting up at 6 am tomorrow to tackle the Dragon¢s Tooth. It is the first of what is called the Virginia Triple Crown (Dragon¢s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tink¢s Cliffs). I can¢t wait!!Hiked 10.3 miles today.
Date: 2022-04-22
From: Johns Spring Shelter

To: Stealth campsite 
Miles today: 12.64
Weather: few clouds

I slept warm again last night. It felt so good! Hopefully we are done with brass monkey weather!I woke up a pufferfish this morning with swollen eyes. Ugh!We left about 7:35 this morning to hopefully get up to McAfee Knob before it got crowded. We had already heard folks walk by earlier. The hike up wasn¢t bad, with steps in many places and it was only 2.6 miles from where we were at the shelter. There was only us and another couple when we got there. McAfee Knob is known as the most photographed spot on the AT and it truly is beautiful. We got lots of pictures and enjoyed the beautiful view and weather before moving on. The last of the Virginia Triple Crown awaited us - Tinker Cliffs. We met a group of 3 men and their dog, Ray, hiking to Lambert Meadow Shelter for the weekend. (It is on the other side of Tinker Cliffs.) We would leap frog with them throughout the day. Ray would always come running over to us to be petted whenever we met up with them. At one spot, Ray started to walk off with us and I had to tell him to go back. :)When we arrived at the bottom of the mountain of Tinker Cliffs and looked up, the trail was straight up. No turns, no switchbacks. Just straight up. There were about 5 sections of this. Straight up for 20-30 minutes, a very short flat walk, and then another straight up for 20-30 minutes. It was really grueling. I personally feel this was our toughest climb. We finally reached the top and the view was beautiful with a slight breeze. The cliffs stretched along the mountain for maybe .3 of a mile. Once down the mountain it was a nice walk to Lambert Meadows shelter. What a beautiful shelter right along the river with lots of flat campsites. There was a huge stealth campsite for at least a dozen tents just down from the shelter. A hiker at the shelter said that he had seen a 350 lb bear earlier that day as he was walking SOBO to the shelter. He said a ranger said that a mama bear with 2 cubs had also been seen in the area. We weren¢t staying at Lambert because we wanted to get within 5-6 miles of Daleville so we kept walking but kept a close eye out. We were walking down the mountain so the terrain was steep, nothing flat to camp on. It was getting close to 6pm and still nothing flat in sight. We were getting so tired. I said a couple prayers asking for help and doesn¢t the trail go down and end at a flat stealth site! God is good!We hiked 12.64 miles, 6.2 miles from Daleville.
Date: 2022-04-24
From: Daleville 

To: Wilson Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 11.26
Weather: clear sky

We checked out of the Super 8 in Daleville about 9:30. It wasn¢t a bad hike uphill out of town. (We love resupply! We hate resupply! But the weight!) The smell of the honeysuckle was amazing. We came upon a pasture that we had to hike through and when we got to the top of it we had a 360 degree view of mountains snd blooming trees and blue sky. It was just gorgeous and so peaceful. We got to the Fullhardt Shelter and found Cool Whip, Smooth, and Tin Man taking a break. We sat and talked with them a while. We ended up leap frogging with them all day. It was so hot! High 80¢s. On the ridge we would occasionally get a breeze snd would just stand snd revel in it. But those weren¢t too often. The heat is so exhausting!I was not having a good day. Between the heat snd my feet killing me, I really wanted to sit and have s good cry. I texted that to Kenz snd she said ¢Do it, Mom. Sometimes you just need s good cry to make you feel better. Like cleaning out a wound and then it can heal.¢ Ever the nurse. :)Late afternoon we stopped at Wilson Creek. Coffeebean suggested I take my shoes snd socks off snd soak my feet. That and a little cry snd I was feeling better. We finally arrived at the Wilson Creek shelter about 5:25pm. Cool Whip, Smooth, and Tin Man were already there in addition to a couple section hikers. It was my turn to get water. .2 miles downhill. Ugh! I told Coffeebean he had the next TWO times to get water. So we ended up doing 11.26 miles but they were horrible, uphill, downhill miles.
Date: 2022-04-25
From: Wilson Creek Shelter 

To: Bearwallow Gap
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

It was so windy last night! I have never had Coffeebean hang my shirt outside before but I asked him last night (he hangs his shirt out every night). Then hearing those hurricane-like winds made me worry that all our clothes had blown away. We had oatmeal, hot chocolate, and mini powdered donuts for breakfast. We left about 7:20 and it was already getting hot. Today is supposed to be a high of 87 degrees! We had decided that around 2 or 3 we would stop and set up the tent and siesta for several hours until the worst of the heat was over. The trail was not very bad initially. We stopped for water .2 down the trail. It was right on the trail so that was nice. The next water is not until Bobblets Gap shelter, 7.4 miles away.We made it to Bobblets Gap shelter and it was a beautiful shelter but it was .25 down the trail with about 4 switchbacks to get there. The water was right there by the shelter and the privy was close by too. After collecting water. I went down and soaked my feet. That felt wonderful! Cool Whip, Tin Man, and Smooth were there too. The 2 section hikers that were at the shelter last night showed up too. After a lunch of pita crackers and cheese on spinach tortillas, we started out again, about 1pm. The 3 guys are hiking to Middlecreek Campground (17 miles)so we probably won¢t be seeing them again. Too bad. They are so much fun!Except for the horrible heat, the trail was bad. A lot of ridge-like walking. We were walking along a flat section and there was a log across the trail. This is not uncommon at all and the log was not big (some you have to sit on and swing your legs and poles over). So my one leg and the piles went over but the other decided it didn¢t want to and I literally face-planted. I was worried I had broken my glasses by they sprang right back. My face. Not so much. I ended up with a gash over my right eye, a couple small bruises on my left knee, and the fatty part under my left thumb bruised badly. Coffeebean patched me up but I felt achy as the day went on.It was getting to be mid-afternoon so we started looking for a stealth site to siesta. We got to Bearwallow Gap and MADE a stealth site a little ways up from the stream. We just set up the tent (without the rain tarp) and climbed in. As soon as I laid down, I was out like a light!  We slept for at least an hour. Across the road was our next climb so we decided to call it a day and just camp there. We staked out the tent and put on the rain cover. We figured with a water source right here we could heat up a dinner and a breakfast and have plenty of water. The next water source is 6 miles. We still put in a 10.4 mile day even stopping short.