morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-10-11
From: Bearfence Hut

To: Hightop Mountain 
Miles today: 12.5

I woke up surprisingly warmer than I expected, and today was a gloriously beautiful day full of sunshine. Days like today make it hard for me to imagine freezing temperatures are possible soon. The sun shined through the colorful leaves still on the trees all the way down to the array of fallen leaves on the ground as I hiked up Baldface Mountain in the morning.I stopped for lunch at a picnic area again and enjoyed the sunshine as I did some yoga in the grass. Molly and her Dad were there as well and gave me some of their left over food as it was their last day. So grateful, and Molly was correct; the yogurt covered cranberries was the best part of her homemade gorp. Just as I was leaving Randy made an an appearance.  He had a knee replacement in April and is rehabilitating his knee by backpacking for as long as he can. Amazing! This is all with his doctor's approval. The steepest climb for me since being in the Shenandoahs was Hightop Mountain which came at the end of the day. I was rewarded when I got to the top and found huge rocks jutting over the edge offering spectacular views about an hour before sunset. Instead of hiking another half mile to the shelter I found a place to pitch my tent off the trail that did not have a no camping sign. I've been told the Autumn sunsets in the Shenandoahs are amazing so I had put it on my to do list. After putting up my tent as fast as I could and making my nest I grabbed some cheddar cheese and tortilla wrap for dinner and settled down peacefully on the rocks to eat dinner and wait for the sunset. My solitude didn't last long as a group of 12 college students that were staying at the shelter joined me to enjoy the view. They were very nice and I enjoyed chatting with them, but I was happy I didn't go to the shelter tonight.  The sun setting behind the mountains was gorgeous but the colors were not as spectacular as I anticipated.  I imagine I am spoiled by a lifetime of incredible Florida sunsets on the beach.My camping spot is perfect, and it was a perfect day. It can't get much better than this.
Date: 2015-10-12
From: Hightop Mountain 

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early and enjoyed the crisp autumn air that was just perfect. Not too cold for breaking down camp and packing up. I ate my breakfast on the rocks where I watched the sunset last night. Such a gorgeous spot with panoramic views. There was some fog covering a small part of the mountains, but the sun dappled over most of them exposing a variety of colors and light. Good morning sunshine! I had planned to hike and camp near the Loft Mountain camp store and wayside to eat dinner and buy some extra food, but I was really dragging today.  I stopped at the Pinefield Hut around 2pm to get water and was the only one there. My plan was to cook something hot and get moving, but I was exhausted and decided to stay. Not too long after Beetle, Hoo Hiker and Blaze came in after short days as well. Word on the trail was that it was forecast to rain from 5am to 10am. I met Hoo Hiker on my second day in the Shenandoahs, and he is going back home to Texas tomorrow.  It was great company, and we all had a great evening. Blaze made an awesome fire again. The huts here in the Shenandoahs are very nice and well maintained. Beautiful view from the hut of the babbling brook right in front which is an excellent water source nearby. We all got into our nests by 7:30. Feeling better already after rest and a big dinner. The sound of the water is very comforting and hopefully will lull me into a deep and peaceful sleep.
Date: 2015-10-14
From: Black Rock Hut

To: Calf Mountain Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Today had a lot of climbing uphill which was the only thing that kept me warm. I certainly kept my heart rate up today. The trail today didn't offer as many vistas unless it crossed Skyline Drive with all its scenic overlooks. I have heard that it is actually more impressive than the views from the trail.A former thru-hiker at the shelter last night who lives in Virginia said that the Fall foliage is not as impressive this year because of a very dry season this year and that it is at it's peak now. I can't imagine it more splendid looking myself. However, I am noticing the further north I go the browner the leaves on the ground and some trees are now almost bare. All the leaves on the ground make for a slippery trail at times especially when descending. They also cover up the rocks which are becoming more plentiful as I travel north. Something is always falling from the trees. Today it was acorns landing on my had instead of apples even though I am still seeing sections with rotten apples all over the ground. It seems like just yesterday I was picking apples from the trees and eating them for snacks. Tome is flying. I have been on the trail for five months to the day. It feels like a way of life for me and has been so nurturing. I have heard so much that the mental aspects of such a long distance hike were the most challenging as opposed to the physical. This has not been the case with me. The physical challenges and fear of heights has been the most daunting. The mental aspect is my strength, and I have never felt bored or deprived. I am starting to feel like the cold weather may get the better of me however.After a steep climb up to the shelter I settled in just in time to see a big barred owl Perch on a tree next to the shelter. I had never seen one come so close. There wereally a few others there who said it kept coming back and forth. This is the last shelter in the Shenandoahs and is actually out of the park boundaries. The shelters in the Shenandoahs all have bear poles instead of cables or boxes. They are very tall and difficult to reach for a shorter person. The last two nights someone much taller than me hung my food for me. Tonight the pole seemed even higher and there was no way I could reach my food bag up so I had to use a tree. I had been told last night that it was entertainment watching me attempt to get my food hung. Every loud clang that everyone can hear is an attempt. After much clanging and laughter someone came over to help me. I was more sore from trying to get my food bag up a pole than I was hiking all day. Tomorrow is my last day in the Shenandoahs, and I still haven't seen a bear.
Date: 2015-10-15
From: Calf Mountain Hut

To: US 250, Waynesboro
Miles today: 7.6

This morning one of the young hikers started hiking before daylight and was out of the shelter in a flash. He slept with his food bag so all that effort to hang our bags was for nothing. Still no bear came to visit.It was a big steep climb up to Calf Mountain and then opened up to beautiful open meadows. I love walking through meadows. Then much more steepness that reminded me that the trail is probably going to be more ups and downs again.I made it to Rockfish Gap around lunch time and called Adam from Stanimal's Hostel to pick me up. He answered the phone immediately and promptly picked me up as I was finishing a hot dog from the popular pop corn stand. Adam asked if I needed anything from the Outfitters which I did so he swung by and waited in the car while I looked around. I was so happy to find thin gortex mittens to wear over my gloves when it is raining. I have looked everywhere and have not been able to find them. I'm hoping this will keep my fingertips from becoming numb when wet and cold. Sunday night is supposed to be in the 20's in the mountains here. The hostel here is fantastic; so clean and comfortable. Adam is a former thru-hiker and opened this hostel two years ago in the bottom of a beautiful house in a residential neighborhood. I immediately took a long hot shower and did my laundry. I am here with Beetle and Fire Fox who thru-hiked last year. Adam took us to Ming Garden, a popular Chinese all you can eat buffet. I started with a plate of sushi and then sampled many different hot dishes. It was very tasty and hard not to over eat. I am settled in my bunk early tonight and plan to take a zero day tomorrow and resupply at Kroger's. It feels so good to be warm and nestled in a bed.
Date: 2015-10-19
From: Stealth Camping north of The Priest 

To: The Priest Shelter 
Miles today: 2.5

It was a freezing cold night for me at a low of 26 degrees! I hope I do not have too many nights like this. The only way I could keep warm was to have every inch of my head sealed up in my mummy bag. After that the biggest problem was when nature called. There was no way I was going to unzip my tent and step outside. My apologies if this is too much information, but I found myself a gallon size zip lock bag to pee into and then when I discovered how warm it was put it inside my sleeping bag with me until it cooled off. I did this three times during the night and thought I was Ms. McGyver.  Backpacking in the woods for continuous months changes one's perspective on what may have at one time been considered gross or disgusting.  When I woke up at 5am I felt victorious because I survived the night even though I had slid halfway down my tent because of the slanted surface I was on. This discomfort was compounded by the fact that I could only sleep on one side because my right hip is so sore from my fall yesterday that I can't handle any pressure on it. Still, I made it through the night.It was still too cold to get out of my tent, so I took advantage of excellent cell service and decided I would be lazy today and rest my hip and ankle in the comfort of my tent. When I felt brave enough to venture out of my tent I made two cups of hot green tea which I sipped inside of my tent while I journaled. What luxury. I felt like I was playing hooky. I even ate breakfast and then lunch inside my tent. It was great until I spilled the last of my tea inside my tent and soaked everything. As I packed up in the beautiful sunlight I decided to do some yoga and meditation while gazing at the mountain side and make sure my body was mended enough to hike. What a tranquil and nourishing way to restore my body and mind even though it was 2:43pm when I finally got on the trail. I felt like I didn't have a care in the world and only hiked 2.5 miles today up to The Priest Shelter where I stayed the night. The climb up The Priest Mountain was very steep but had so many spectacular panoramic views. I found myself saying good morning to everyone I passed as it felt like morning to me. It is hiker tradition to confess your sins to The Priest as you climb and then to write them down in the shelter log book. The log book made for entertaining reading this evening as I read pages and pages of confessions. I am not going to reveal any of them, but they all had common themes. My confession to The Priest was that I was too cold to hang my food bag last night. I did try but it wasn't going to happen.  I am all alone in the shelter tonight and getting quite cold again. My tent would have been warmer but I didn't feel like setting it up, and I had to come to the shelter anyway to get water. I ate a hot meal of mashed potatoes and left over rotisserie chicken I carried out if Waynesboro.  It was so good and helped warm me up. I confess I cooked in the shelter and ate in my sleeping bag.
Date: 2015-10-21
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Hwy 60, Buena Vista, Virginia 
Miles today: 6.0

The moon was so brilliant last night, and stars filled the sky. This meadow was a perfect spot for star gazing and deer watching in the middle of the night and wee hours of the morning.  I shared a breakfast of oatmeal and trail mix with the girls and said good bye. The trail continued through more meadows and majestic views. I love seeing an open narrow foot path in front of me surrounded by green grass and flowers. It is fun to see where you are headed and where you have come from, and it's a welcome change of scenery from the deep forest. I called Oma at Three Springs Hostel and left her a voice mail with a heads up that I would like to spend the night and my ETA.  The six mile hike to the road crossing was easy and pleasant. Oma was waiting for me at the trail head when I arrived which was a welcome surprise. Her hostel is in her home which is comfortable and relaxing. The stay includes dinner and breakfast, but she so kindly shared leftover stew with me for lunch. I was starving, and it was hearty and tasty. I was the only hiker there all day. Solar Body was slackpacking today and would be back by dinner. I met him at Stanimal's Hostel. He is trying to be the seventh Korean to thru-hike the AT. I enjoyed spending time talking with Oma today. She is a joy to be around and has a genuine love for hiking and the outdoors. She is a marvelous cook as well. Her meals are served family style and she uses whatever she can from her garden. We had curry chicken, sweet potatoes from her garden and a spinach salad with mandarin oranges, red onions and glazed almonds with her homemade dressing. Everything was delicious! Dessert was lemon cake with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce. I'm so glad I decided to stop here. My phone is charged, clothes washed, showered and clean, even used Oma's yoga mat, but the best part was the company.
Date: 2015-10-22
From: Hwy 60, Buena Vista, Virginia 

To: Stealth Camping near Hellgate Ridge
Miles today: 13.7

Oma made us a Fall Medley Vegetable Omelet for breakfast complete with bagels and yogurt and fruit. Yum! Yum! I felt so well rested and eager to hike when she dropped me off at the trailhead at 10:30. I felt like I was saying good bye to a friend. Buena Vista is 10 miles from the trail, so it is a great benefit when a hostel stay includes pick up and drop off at the trail. I still have not had to hitch a ride alone yet. Yay.The trail winds alongside the Brown Mountain Creek for a couple miles and was a lovely start to another gorgeous day. Nothing can top this perfect hiking weather now. It's hard to believe I was so cold a few days ago. There is an informational kiosk with a bench beside the trail talking about the old historic Brown Mountain Community consisting of freed slaves that lived along this creek at one time. There were many swimming holes and water cascading down rocks and ledges. What a great place to live! Soon I crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time. Punch Bowl Shelter was less than a mile away but I decided to push on and stealth camp because of my late start and to take advantage of this great weather.  I filled up with two liters of water because I knew I wouldn't have water nearby. The extra five pounds of pack weight made the steep climb up to Bluff Mountain a little more challenging. I may even have worked off all the extra calories from Oma's fabulous home cooked meals.It was almost sunset when I reached Bluff Mountain, and was rewarded with some fantastic views. I could see twinkling lights in the town below and orange and red streaks painted in the sky behind the mountains. There was a small monument at this site where the body of young Ottie Cline Powell was found in 1880. He was 4 years and 11 months old when his body was found 7 miles from where he had wandered off from a school house. After reflecting on what this must have been like for his family and community I continued hiking despite the flat spots here that would be great for pitching a tent. Unfortunately the trail was all downhill from here and it was soon dark, and I was hiking with a head lamp.  The moon was bright and provided some light, but I still had a hard time with my footing. I don't like night hiking and try to avoid it. One slip and I would be down the side of the mountain so I was extra cautious on this narrow ridge line.I finally came to an area between Hell gate Ridge and Bluff Mountain that had level spots to pitch my tent. My guthook app tells me this is the site of a gas line, but it certainly works for me tonight. Thank goodness it is so warm tonight. I just love stealth camping and this spot is perfect and not visible from the trail. The moon is providing some light into my tent, and the wind is offering soothing sounds through the trees. I am so thankful for this perfect day!
Date: 2015-10-24
From: Hwy 501, Glasgow, Virginia 

To: Hwy 501, Glasgow, Virginia 
Miles today: 0.0

I was so tired this morning when I woke up that I stayed in bed until 9am.  I was feeling really lazy and still had to go to the grocery store and get a few more days of food to get to Daleville. I thought about how nice it would be to have another hot meal at Scotto's and catch up on phone calls and personal stuff and still leave with a fully charged phone. Before I knew it I had talked myself into a zero day, mostly because I am so tired and feeling lethargic.  After getting way too much food again I sat at the restaurant for five hours and drank endless cups of hot tea to keep warm and hopefully get an energy boost from the caffeine which never came.  The fried green tomatoes and cheese steak sub I ordered was so good.  The sub was so big I could only eat half of it. It was nice to talk to friends and family and get somewhat caught up on journaling and everything that gets pushed aside when being on a long distance hike for months. I met Tao in the restaurant who is going to paddle with EZ E today and then stay in the shelter as well. My upper body is sore today from paddling as I haven't used it much in months except for climbing up rocks and boulders.My Osprey Aura pack is ripped in several places and I'm worried the bottom is going to fall apart. This is from butt blazing down all the rocks with my pack on in the north. I called Osprey when I was in Waynesboro and they mailed me a new pack to an outdoor center in Daleville which is waiting on me. They have a lifetime guarantee, but I still couldn't believe the high quality of customer service.  All I had to do was email pictures of my pack and they sent out a new pack that day.It was fun having company in the shelter tonight. Tao enjoyed the paddle trip as well. EZ E is going to slackpack him tomorrow 17.3 miles and then spend another night at this shelter and wanted to know if I wanted to do it too.  So that is my plan now for tomorrow.  I went back to Scotto's and had fried oysters and french fries for dinner. Tao made a roaring fire tonight. This shelter is awesome! I think it's the only shelter actually in a town for AT Hikers. What a great idea to get hikers to come into your town. Thank you to the boy scouts who built it and to St. Johns Episcopal Church who maintains it.
Date: 2015-10-25
From: Hwy 501, Glasgow, Virginia 

To: Apple Orchard Falls Trail 
Miles today: 17.3

Wow! I didn't expect it to get cold again this soon, but the temperature really dropped last night and this shelter was facing the wind. EZ E picked Tao and I up at 8am and drove us to the Apple Orchard Falls Trail so we could slackpack north today. It was supposed to rain today, but ipit wasn't much more than a drizzle. It was very misty and cold when we started, and we never saw the sun today. The climb up to Apple Orchard Mountain was helpful in warming me up. I saw the Guillotine which was a pretty cool rock formation to walk under. Some of the mist cleared by the time I got to the Thunder Ridge Overlook and it was magnificent; one of the best I've seen in Virginia so far. In fact, I think today's hike is my favorite in Virginia. It had so much diversity with being in the forest and a lot of Ridgeline hiking and being close to the James River. The fall colors seem more spectacular here as well. Along the Ridgeline you could see where you would climb next and what mountain you just finished climbing. I am going to be spoiled after all this Autumn scenery.  I think I am seeing Virginia at it's very best!I saw Special Agent on the trail today which was really cool. We shared a shelter together one night in the Shenandoahs. I also met Jolly and his father Power Slide who are thru-hiking together. They saw Tao and said he is miles ahead of me. Today had some big descents, and I really struggle with them. I fell several times today from the slippery leaves and once I actually slipped and fell over some very large acorns. When I got to Matt's Creek Shelter EZ E was there waiting for me with his dog Banjo. I still had another two miles to go and it was sunset when I finished.  The last mile paralleled the James River which was really nice, and then it continued over the longest footbridge on the AT. It was a great hike and was wonderful to have nothing on my back except for a small day pack. EZ E drove me back to the shelter as Tao had hitched a ride back already.Tao and I split a load of laundry and he put them in the washer while I ate some buffalo chicken wings at Scotto's before they closed. I stayed at the laundromat until they finished drying. I love teamwork!  Tao says Toad and Frog are only a few days behind us. I last saw them in Massachusetts I think. It would be great to see them again. There are two other thru-hikers here as well, Kermit and another name that escapes me. Tao has another great fire going.I dropped my camera on the cement at the boat ramp when I finished paddling and now it doesn't work. I'm going to have to find a Best Buy to take it to since I have the Geek Squad repair warrantee; however they say it may take 4-8 weeks. I'm really bummed because it looks like I may be without my camera for the rest of my journey. I will have to use my cell phone which is not nearly as great as my camera. I'm tired!
Date: 2015-10-26
From: Apple Orchard Falls Trail 

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter 
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light rain

We got dropped off at the trailhead around 10am and said goodbye to EZ E. Tao is so much faster than me so I probably won't see him again.   Today was cold and windy, and I just didn't feel so great. I'm hoping I'm not getting sick again. I have very little energy and feel like I could have slept all day. I stopped for lunch in the warmest spot I could find hidden between some trees where I was shielded from the wind. I saw Jolly and Power Slide go by. My goal was to camp at Jennings Creek tonight, but when I came across Bryant Ridge Shelter right on the trail I decided to stay here. It is the nicest shelter I have seen on the trail so far, and I found a corner away from the wind and cold.  It is two story and looks fairly new. It would make a perfect yoga studio. Actually, it's so nice that I would love to live here. I'm the only one here, and I'm glad I decided to stay because it's getting even colder. I ate as much as I possibly could to help keep warm.