morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-05
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Wind Rock
Miles today: 20.4

Windy night but wasn¢t too bad. Chilly in the morning which was a welcome change to the typical humidity. I¢ll always choose being cold than hot. Overall it was a pretty typical day. I met a guy named Golden Girl or GG who I¢ve heard about on the trail. It¢s funny hearing other thru hikers talk about people they know when using trail names. You always wonder what the person is like. Same thing when checking the hiker logs at shelters. I got word from Short Mile he¢s about 40 miles ahead of me and he met up with Tree Hugger! That¢s great news. Little bit a trail magic from a fellow thru hiker who is waiting for a friend and in the meantime got some pizza, fruit, and beers. I passed on the pizza, shocking I know, but I had just eaten lunch and was about to make an 1,100 foot climb over 2 miles. I chose a banana and a beer. But the beer I packed out and saved for when I made it to the top. I made camp at Wind Rock which is a great viewpoint with a lot of camp spots in the area. My beer was still cold so I was able to enjoy an amazing view with a cold beer. I don¢t normally pack out alcohol but when you know there is a good view coming it¢s always handy to have at least one beer. A lot of people here tonight. The picture for this post is a bunch of the hikers watching the sun set. I¢ve met dozens of people so far on my trip but I¢m in a whole different group of people now. In this photo I don¢t know anyone yet.
Date: 2018-06-06
From: Wind Rock

To: Viewpoint mile 683. 
Miles today: 19.3

Catching up on this post that I didn¢t get to write. Pretty typical day of hiking. I chose to go to this ridge around mile 683. Good mileage but I wanted to keep the streak going of camping near good viewpoints. I spend most of my time in forests and while they are beautiful nothing beats a good view. So I chose to go here. Tonight will actually be my first night camping by myself. Since I go to shelters or popular campsites most of the time there are always other hikers there but tonight I¢m in a stealth spot on the side of the trail. The term stealth spot is simply a term used for a camping spot that isn¢t used often. It¢s really just a flat spot off the trail a few yards. Great view from where I setup my tent. I ate dinner there and relaxed before calling it a night.
Date: 2018-06-07
From: Viewpoint mile 683. 

To: Lost Spectacles Gap
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: broken clouds

Late start to the day, got started hiking around 10:00am. Another sunny but cool morning which I¢m really enjoying. I ate a quick breakfast and made my way to the next shelter which was only 5 miles away. Two good sized climbs planned for the day. The first was a 1,600 foot climb over 3 miles which went smoothly. Shortly after coming to the top of Brush Mountain I came to a side trail which leads to the monument to Audie Murphy, the most decorated World War II soldier. Coming down from Brush Mountain was frustrating. Instead of a steady descent it was steep hills where you¢d go down 100 feet only to go back up 80 feet over and over again. After making it down the mountain I took a long break at a creek to rest, soak my feet, and hydrate. Water has been scarce during this leg of the trip and this would be my last water source for the night. I still had another 6 miles to hike tonight with another 2 in the morning. So I relaxed with my feet in the water and drank two liters of water to hydrate back up. The last 6 miles started of really smoothly. Steady incline but I was still able to keep a fast pace. But mile 4 was when it got difficult. I started to lose energy and the terrain became more complex and technical. Jagged rock formations that you had to climb, loose stones all over the trail. But it was well worth it in the end to come to Dragons Tooth, a stone monolith. Enormous rock formation coming out of the top of the mountain with 360 degree views when you climb to the top. The sun was setting and it was absolutely beautiful. I spent 20 minutes up there, the breeze cooling me down, relaxing. It was another 0.8 miles to my camping destination, Lost Spectacles Gap. Getting down from Dragons Tooth was even more technical than going up. There was a lot of rock scrambling but that¢s also a lot of fun. Combination hiking and rock climbing. I made it to Lost Spectacles Gap without much sunlight so I quickly hung my bear cord and setup my tent and ate a quick dinner. Hung my food in a nearby tree and climbed into my tent just after it had gotten dark. Overall great day. Challenging hiking with great views and beautiful weather. Can¢t ask for much more. Lastly, I passed mile 700!!!
Date: 2018-06-08
From: Lost Spectacles Gap

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Woke up pretty tired. The big climb at the end of the day yesterday seemed to drain my legs of energy. Did some warmups and stretched then hit the trail. I ate a small breakfast because my plan was to stop by Catawba Grocery for a breakfast sandwich and a few supplies. Soon after leaving I ran into a guy named Ben who I met a few nights ago camping at Wind Rock. We hiked together till getting road VA 311. Until that point my plan was to continue hiking another 10 miles to a shelter leaving only a 10 mile hike into Daleville tomorrow morning but I changed my plans. A mile and a half down the road is a restaurant called The Homeplace. All you can eat restaurant, family style. It doesn¢t open until 4:00pm and it was 2:00 so myself and the other hikers were debating how we¢d get down there, walk or hitch. That¢s when the guy with the motorcycle and sidecar pulled into the parking lot. I seized the opportunity and politely asked the man if he¢d mind driving me down the road the one and a half miles. He happily obliged. So yes, I climbed into the sidecar and put my backpack between my legs and we drove down the road. I must say it was pretty darn cool riding in the sidecar of a motorcycle . It was nice to get all the wind in my face. The guy¢s name was Bill. Really happy I ran in to him. The restaurant certainly lived up to its reputation. Fried chicken, roast beef, potatoes, green beans, peas, gravy and apple butter. So so so good. I felt like I was going to explode afterwards. We laid on the lawn for half an hour after eating because we couldn¢t move. After eating I hiked 4 miles up to McAfee¢s Knob. One of the most famous viewpoints on the Appalachian Trail. Truly amazing to get some of these views. I found a tick on me for the first time today. Will not be the last. It hadn¢t latched on yet, just crawling up my leg but it was a deer tick which are the kind that carry disease. Always need to take extra precautions with ticks.
Date: 2018-06-09
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 15.4

Well today was interesting. Woke up early to get a head start on my hike into Daleville, weather was cool in the morning but started getting hot. My day got interesting when I got to a fork in the trail with a sign on a tree that said ¢Shelter¢ pointing to the right. This is normal. Sometimes a shelter will be a little bit off the trail so instead of going down the side trail I turned the other way and kept hiking. I saw the vertical rectangular blaze on a tree that marks the AT so I was all set. A little further down the trail I noticed the blaze looked odd, instead of being white it looked off-white, even like faded yellow. I kept hiking. Then I saw a definite yellow blaze instead of the white. I saw a day Hiker and asked him if I was still on the AT and he reassured me I was and that the blaze was yellow because this section of the AT was on private land which was true for a few miles and I knew that. I kept hiking. I hiked 3 miles down the mountain before making it to a parking lot where there were more day hikers. I grew more suspicious of my whereabouts so I asked them and sadly I found out I was not on the AT anymore. So...I had hiked 3 miles off trail, down the mountain. I had to hike the 3 miles back up the mountain to get on trail so I added an extra 6 miles to a 15 mile hike. Gosh. What a bummer! But that happens. Luckily as I got back to the fork where I originally lost my way there was another thru hiker who made the same mistake I did and I saved them from making the wrong choice. The rest of the day went smoothly. I made it into Daleville and split a hotel room with Madamoiselle. We went to the Kroger¢s nearby for food resupply and then went back to the hotel to swim in the pool and order pizza for dinner. Tomorrow, Sunday, I¢ve decided to take a proper zero. Figured it would be a good time to rest my body.
Date: 2018-06-11
From: Daleville, VA

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

It was nice to take a zero yesterday but it sure was tough getting motivated today. Hot and humid day and just couldn¢t get focused and get my drive going. But I made it to my destination just before the rain hit which was nice. No good tenting spots so I¢ll be staying in the shelter tonight.
Date: 2018-06-12
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Harrison Ground Spring
Miles today: 26.9
Weather: light rain

Apologies to my readers, hiking has been wild lately. I¢ve been increasing my miles and my trail journal has fallen behind. I hiked a marathon today. 0.7 miles over a marathon actually. I¢d like to tell you a crazy story about the day but not much happened other than hiking. I made it to Harrison Ground Spring which is a big tentsite and I ran into a few people I knew including the Australian father and son, YeeYee and Goober. Always fun seeing them.
Date: 2018-06-13
From: Harrison Ground Spring

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Got started hiking around 9:00. No storms over night but there was some light rainfall. I could tell early that it was going to be a hot and humid day. My legs felt pretty good after yesterday¢s hike which is a good sign. Only the usual tightness and soreness when you first get out of your tent but you loosen up once you get moving. The plan was to head to US501 and hitch a ride 6 miles into Glasgow, VA for a food resupply. I hiked relatively slowly, my legs not able to fully recover but that was expected. I made it to the road by 2:00pm and tried to hitch but didn¢t get anything for an hour which isn¢t typical. A young lady named Megan picked me up in her van which she converted into a room and was living out of. That may seem very strange out of context but she seemed to have her life together but was just the free spirited type. Her cousin and golden retriever were there too. And thanks to them I got a ride into town. First to the express grocery store for 3 or so days of food to get me to Waynesboro. Then over to Scotto¢s Pizza and Sub shop for a late lunch. It was there I decided to shorten my hike for the day down by 8 miles. I didn¢t have the energy and it was too late in the day. So I relaxed and ate and made a new schedule for the next few days. Getting back to the trail was simple. Got a hitch from man named Mike who was part of a church group in town that does hiker feeds every Monday. It had been nice for the whole day. In typical AT fashion, as I hiked past a sign that said 0.6 miles to the shelter, it poured rain. Thankfully I was quick and threw my poncho over myself and my pack just as it started to pour. I was even listening to an audio book at the time but I could hear the rainstorm rushing in from the sound of the leaves. It¢s almost comical. Hiker hikes all day, blue sky and clouds. Makes it within half mile of destination and it¢s pours rain. Lucky for me the cool part of my day was at that shelter. I met Summer and Mike, Team #11 of LL Bean¢s relay hike. Over 40 teams from LL Bean are section hiking the AT and will be completing it relay style. Super cool! The photo for this post is the bridge going over James River, just before I hitched into Glasgow.
Date: 2018-06-14
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Cole Mountain 
Miles today: 25.1

The destination for today was the meadow at the summit of Cole Mountain per the recommendation from Summer, half of the LL Bean AT Relay Team who I met last night. It was only a mile past where I originally planned on camping. The hike getting there though was quite challenging but having only hiked 13 miles the day before I felt rested. From what I can calculate there was about 8,500 feet of elevation gain and 6,000 feet of loss. Pretty gnarly actually. I am quite impressed by how much of a stronger hiker I am now. Cool part of day. When atop Cole Mountain, I was laying in the meadow taking in the view. Looking out I could see miles and miles ahead of me. Some rolling hills and mountains. As I looked into the distance I saw what I thought was a plane. But it was level with me, same elevation which was 4,000 feet. Which was very strange because planes don¢t fly that low. Not even close. The plane was black and was making no sounds as it darted across the landscape. I sat there puzzled with what I was looking at when the sound caught up with the plane which I now figured was a military jet. A second followed. Really really cool. Lastly, Happy 2 Months!! It¢s hard to believe I¢ve been living outdoors for two months now but it¢s true. The picture is of my tent atop Cole Mountain.
Date: 2018-06-15
From: Cole Mountain 

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: clear sky

Waking up atop Cole Mountain was great. It wasn¢t very windy overnight and the morning was warm and sunny. I broke down my tent, packed up, and ate breakfast laying in the meadow. Today¢s hike was mostly along a ridge of mountains. Having climbed to high elevation yesterday there weren¢t any big climbs today. Only a very big descent of around 3,000 feet near the end of the day. I ran into Madamoiselle having finally caught up with her since leaving Daleville on Sunday. One of her shins is swollen so she is slowing down and will be taking a few days off after making it to Waynesboro on Sunday. My day ended by making it to Harpers Creek. Big creek with a watering hole. I wish I had more time because I would¢ve taken a dip but still had to feed myself and do my other nightly chores. There are a lot of people here. Not at thru hikers, some weekend hikers. There are a lot of tent sites. I am looking forward to Waynesboro on Sunday. I should be able to get into town early and do my chores; laundry and resupply. I then plan on going to the Chinese food buffet. There have been a few of these buffets in towns along the trail and us thru hikers talk about them a lot. I haven¢t been to one yet so I¢m thoroughly excited. Nameless, Silverback, and Rockslide will be in Waynesboro Sunday too and it will be great to see them. The picture is the view out of my tent this morning.
Date: 2018-06-16
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 22.0

Getting moving was challenging today. The higher mile days are catching up to me and am looking forward to resting. I was awake around 5:30, got my food bag from the nearby tree and ate some food then laid back down for awhile and caught up on some journal entries I had fallen behind on. Was hiking by 7:30 with 22 miles planned for the day. Another beautiful weather day. Blue skies and not too hot. Only downside is my body is definitely tired. Had a lot of big days this week which takes some getting used to. It was difficult to stay concentrated and took more breaks than usual. Summer is right around the corner and it¢s definitely hiking season. It¢s usually hard for me to remember the day of the week which doesn¢t surprise me but it was easy to tell today was Saturday. So many day and weekend hikers out on the morning mountains. The tenting grounds at the shelter are packed. That prompts me to ask you...have you gone hiking recently? If not, you should go for one. It could be in the woods near your house or research a nearby mountain. Climb it! Wildlife picture for this post. Just a doe I stumbled upon.
Date: 2018-06-17
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: StanimalÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

Happy Father¢s Day!!!Just a 5 mile hike to US 511 to get a hitch into Waynesboro. The road wasn¢t very hitchable so I tried calling a list of trail angels who give rides but no one picked up. I don¢t blame them since it was Sunday morning and Father¢s Day. Luckily a nice lady name Anne saw me and pulled over and drove me to Stanimals Hostel. A past thru hiker who converted a house into a hostel. Very comfy. I was starving by the time I made it to the hostel so I showered quickly and put on some loaner clothes so I could head down to the Chinese buffet. My first buffet since being on trail. I ate 5 full plates of food, including lots of veggies and then two full plates of dessert. Wow. And ouch. I think it¢s safe to say it was the most food I had ever eaten. I called my Dad and brother while I walked to the hostel from the buffet. My brothers family and my sister drove down to my parents for the weekend. Glad I got to talk to them. I did laundry when I got back and relaxed with my feet up. Madamoiselle got to the hostel around 6:00 and she promptly showered before her and I were picked up by friends of Rockslide, Nameless, and Silverback. I haven¢t seen them in about s month so it was a great reunion. We went to The Fishin Pig, a barbecue place. Lots of fun.
Date: 2018-06-18
From: StanimalÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: clear sky

Today I started hiking through the 100 mile long Shenandoah National Park which I¢ve really been looking forward to. Hiking through Virginia has gotten tough. Time has seemed to drag on and keeping motivated has been difficult. This is sometimes referred to as the ¢Virginia Blues¢ since the state is 500 miles long of hiking which is about 25% of the AT. I got started hiking around 10:30. Silverback and Nameless were still staying at their friends house so my plan was to meet up with them tonight. I started hiking with some new thru hikers I met at the hostel last night; AZ, Finger Lickin, and Tracks. The hiking was not very strenuous which was great. Big change to how it¢s been lately. I made it to the shelter around 6:30 and it sure was packed. So many section hikers in addition to thru hikers who I¢ve ever met. It¢s been said the Shenandoah is filled with bears. Everyone has seen them except me. I need to see at least one bear to help complete my AT experience. 20 miles in to the park and no bears yet.
Date: 2018-06-19
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut 
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

What a wonderful morning! I feel like my spirit has been rejuvenated. Easy hiking, bright sun but strong cool breeze. 7 miles to the Loft Mountain Campground Store to pickup a few things I forgot while I was in Waynesboro. And also a soda. I wished it was a slushee but it was still good. I hiked another three miles to a viewpoint for lunch. Still breezy which felt great compared to yesterday. The second half of the day went relatively smoothly. Still easy hiking but started to get hot and humid. I did however see a buck for the first time on the trail. It was young only a few small antlers about 6 inches long. Really cool. I got to within 2 miles of the shelter before a quick thunderstorm rolled through with pouring rain. But luckily it ended quickly. Made it to the shelter by 6:30. A good amount of thru hikers here and some new ones, Doc and Hummingbird, who I haven¢t met before. I¢ll be staying in the shelter tonight. Second day in a row. I don¢t think I¢ve stayed two night in a row in a shelter since it was required in the Great Smoky Mountain. There aren¢t any rules like that here in the Shenandoah. It¢s actually encouraged to stealth camp here in the Shenandoah to spread out the impact of camping instead of putting a lot of stress in certain areas. Rain is on the forecast for the next few days. Lots of storms. Hooray! It¢ll be fine I haven¢t had to deal with rain for awhile and it¢s due. It¢s important to have those rainy days to appreciate the sun.
Date: 2018-06-20
From: Hightop Hut 

To: Big Meadows Cabin
Miles today: 20.4

Today turned out to be quite the lucky day. I hiked with Nameless and Silverback to Lewis Mountain Campground which was about 11 miles away. Nice day and easy hiking. I¢m certainly enjoying the terrain and the trail isn¢t very steep. When we got to the campground for lunch we ran into Doc and Hummingbird who recommended the Area 51 Wild Wolf Blackberry Sour Ale from the camp store up the road. That sounded way too good and we were ahead of schedule so we got a 6 pack and had a long lunch. We also saw Jingles at the store too. I¢m not sure if I¢ve ever mentioned Jingles. But he rented a cabin for the night at the Big Meadows Lodge and invited the three of us to stay there and we were eager to take up his offer. We knew rain was on the forecast. And just in time we made it to Big Meadows and to the lodge just as it started to rain. Small cabin, one bed, but perfect for four hikers to spread out on the floor and stay out of the rain. One of the nice things about the Shenandoah are all these lodges and waysides that have restaurants and stores. At Big Meadows, Namesless, Silverback and I were able to go the the restaurant and get a good meal before heading to the taproom that is also there. AZ, Tracks, and Finger Lickin were already down there. Good night of hanging out, drinking beer, and most importantly...staying out of the rain.
Date: 2018-06-21
From: Big Meadows Cabin

To: Open Arms Hostel
Miles today: 17.6

Waking up in the cabin was great. It poured all night long. So lucky to have stayed out of that rain. We got an early start on the day so we could make it to Thornton Gap 17 miles away to be picked up by Alison who owns the Open Arms Hostel in Luray, VA. Pretty smooth hiking still in the Shenandoah. Clouds roll in and out but no rain by lunch. The first stop was Skyland Resort and Restaurant, another set of lodges and cabins for tourists and hikers. But there was something special about hiking here. When about a 1/3 of a mile away from the resort I heard and crack of a branch and a rustling of leaves up to my left. I looked up to see a bear cub bustling about 30 feet away, quickly followed by another two cubs and their mother. Bears!! Finally!! I had been hoping to see bears. Silverback, Nameless and I stopped hiking to check out the situation. The bears were near the trail so I clacked my poles together to let them know we were there. We took some pictures and kept hiking. Mama bear kept an eye on us while we hiked the trail which bent around them. Totally awesome. We had lunch sitting on some rocks outside Skyland Resort. I had a coffee too. More clouds rolling in and we knew the forecast was going to get bad so we kept hiking soon after eating. We made it to the Gap just at 3:30 and were picked up by Alison. The rain began to pick up. We stopped by the gear outfitter first because Silverback is having trouble with her shoes. Then onto the hostel which is Alison¢s House. Very comfy. Familiar faces there too! AZ, Tracks, Finger Lickin, and Short Legs. A few of us ordered delivery from the Italian restaurant which was delicious. Big plate of pasta and a gyro. So good!In the photo is the mama bear and one of the cubs climbing the tree on the right.