morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-04
From: Devils Backbone Brewery via Reeds Gap

To: Paul C Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The five-dollar breakfast at the Devils Backbone Brewery this morning may have been the best deal on the AT. It started with a salad and moved on to a large plate of eggs, toast, and potatoes smothered in cheese and bacon. After breakfast, Cole, a recent UVA grad, shuttled Red Beard, Snorelax, and me back up the mountain to the trail. Unfortunately, Ground Score, who partook a bit too much last night, failed to emerge from his tent by 10:00 am and missed the breakfast and shuttle.Back on the ridge I had service to post yesterday's journal entry from a wayside where the AT crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway. Just before finishing, a pickup truck pulled up next to me. The driver jumped out and introduced himself as Mallet, a 2013 thru-hiker, and asked if I was hungry. At first I said no, as it had been less than an hour since I'd finished the enormous breakfast. But when I saw what he had to offer, Coke, fried chicken, and honey buns, I couldn't resist. Nobody understands how much a thru-hiker appreciates trail magic better than a former thru-hiker. Thanks, Mallet!Notice yet how so much of this journal revolves around food? I suppose it reflects how much a typical thru-hiker spends thinking about, or eating, food.Rather than hike the 20 miles into Waynesboro today, I stopped five miles short at the Paul C Wolfe Shelter. I'm pumping the brakes a bit to maximize the time my son, Anders, and I spend together in the Shenandoah National Park. He joins me on Sunday and I know he's interested in sampling the food and milkshakes from the many waysides along Skyline drive, which the AT parallels for 100 miles.A few miles before the shelter I saw my second bear. When it saw me coming, it ran down the hill and, upon reaching a safe distance of about 50 yards, turned to look at me, at which point I was able to get a picture of it.After seeing almost no one on the trail, I was expecting the shelter to be nearly empty tonight. Instead, it's a mini-reunion. Chicken Feathers is here, along with Pockets, Thor the Red, Space Blanket, Scout, Chinook, Conductor, Blood Cookie, Red Beard, Snorelax, Vista, plus a few new faces.
Date: 2014-06-05
From: Paul C Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro via Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

My left leg has been bothering me for a few days and made it hard to sleep last night, so I was happy that today's hike was just five miles to Rockfish Gap, the Gateway to Waynesboro, VA, one of the most hiker-friendly towns along the AT. At the gap, there was a list posted of over two-dozen trail angels, Waynesboro residents you can call for rides four miles into town. Vista, Red Beard, and Snorelax were just hopping into the car of Angel Sara when Thor the Red and I emerged from the woods, so I worked my way down the list until I got an answer from Angel Alice, who sent her husband, Tom, up to the gap to fetch us. Tom, a member of the Waynesboro Economic Development Organization arrived 15 minutes later, the Elvis channel playing on his XM radio, and gave us the inside scoop on the Waynesboro hot spots while driving us to the Quality Inn.The first orders of business when arriving in town are food and laundry, which Thor and I accomplished simultaneous by assaulting the Hardee's while our clothes were in the washing machine down the street.I spent much of the afternoon arranging logistics for friends and relatives who will be joining me on the trail in the next several months. I sent my son, Anders, a list of things to bring when he meets me in the Shenandoahs on Sunday. It looks like my brother, Tom, will be hiking with me in Maryland or Southern Pennsylvania in about two weeks. And my friend from England, Dick, and two of his sons will be arriving by train in the Hudson Valley via Toronto in mid-July.In mid-afternoon, I took time out from all the logistical work, to run across the street to wolf down a pizza and then to walk to the supermarket for a resupply. On the way there, I got a text from ABear, the Arizonan, whom I last saw at the Partnership Shelter three weeks ago; he's now four doors down from me at the Quality Inn and joined Thor and me at the AYCE Chinese buffet for dinner. He filled me in on his bout with the Noro virus, which forced him to take a triple zero in Daleville. While we were laying waste to the buffet, another familiar face, Archer, arrived at the restaurant and sat down with us. I met him at Spivey Gap, just before Erwin, TN, over a month ago.Tomorrow we'll get a ride back to Rockfish Gap from another of Waynesboro's angels and enter the Shenandoahs alongside Skyline Drive. In doing so, I'll also move to map AT-10 of 22.
Date: 2014-06-06
From: Waynesboro via Rockfish Gap

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: clear sky

Waynesboro rivals Damascus and Hot Springs as my favorite trail town so far. It's compact, so all the essential thru-hiker resources -- fast food, laundry, groceries, and the Chinese ACYE buffet -- are within walking distance. But more important, the people here have an incredible hiker-friendly attitude. When I asked Jeff, the trail angel who shuttled ABear and me back up to Rockfish Gap this morning, if he'd be willing to stop at the outfitters on the way so ABear could buy a new fuel canister, Jeff instead swung by his house to pick up a spare he had there, as the outfitter wasn't due to open for over an hour. This town takes great pride in its treatment of thru-hikers, so I felt very welcomed taking a nero here.Just north of Rockfish Gap we entered Shenandoah National Park, which requires hikers to register. But unlike the Great Smoky National Park, which charges a $20 fee, SNP is free. I filled out forms for both me and Anders, who will be joining me Sunday, and tried to anticipate our pace through the park, as the form requires hikers to declare which shelters they'll be staying at. Since tenting is restricted in the park and the shelters are more spread out, traveling through it requires more planning than usual.SNP is teeming with wildlife, all of which is protected. Today I saw several deer in the morning near the top of Bears Den Mountain. They looked at me for easily a minute from 30 yards and only ran off into the woods when I commenced walking along the trail towards them. A rabbit jumped into the grass a foot off the trail to let my by and watched as I passed. But the big sighting for me today was my third, and by far the closest, bear.As the trail prepared to make one of its many Skyline Drive crossings, I noticed a car had pulled off the road and got excited that I might be encountering trail magic. Instead, the driver had spotted a bear across the road and had stopped to take pictures. The trail passed about 20 yards from where the bear was loitering, and as I crossed the road, it looked up at me, totally unconcerned, and returned to sniffing the ground. I pulled out my camera and took several shots while the low key bear just hung out, looking up at me occasionally. The walking today was as easy as any day on the trip so far. There were no steep up or downhills, the path wasn't particularly rocky, and the weather was ideal: sunny but not too hot with low humidity. The 20-mile day felt more like a 15-miler. I arrived at Blackrock Hut -- in SNP shelters are called huts for some reason -- shortly before 6:00 and found all of the decent tent spots taken. I pitched my tent on a sloped piece of ground and am using my backpack as a backstop to prevent me from sliding downhill all night.Rod and Reel and ABear just stopped by my tent with a bottle of bourbon. We did a shot together to celebrate reaching the trail's one-third point. I didn't bother to mention that we achieved that milestone over 100 miles ago.
Date: 2014-06-07
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: broken clouds

There was a buzz around the shelter last night, because a trail magic alert had been posted on its wall for Saturday (today) from 11:00 to 8:00 at the Loft Mountain Campground, six miles up the trail. And rumor had it that early arrivers would not be turned away. Despite eating my usual breakfast, I started getting real hungry an hour down the trail thinking about hot dogs and cold drinks. Thor the Red broke into a trot when we reached a sign indicating the campground was 0.1 mile away.The trail magic was hosted by Holly and Tom, AKA Mama Bear and T-squared, whose son, Hot Foot, thru-hiked in 2010 and received trail magic from his parents at this very spot. Hot Foot is currently hiking the PCT and arrived at Lake Tahoe yesterday. Since hosting trail magic on the PCT was impractical for the Northern Virginians, Mama Bear and T-squared decided to reenact the AT event of four years ago.The spread included hot dogs with optional chili, grated cheese, and onions, a cooler filled with cold soda and beer, plus apples, chips, and candy bars. And to top it off, they brought extra chairs so there was seating for everyone. Thanks so much, Mama Bear and T-squared, for an awesome trail magic experience. We were just one mile beyond the trail magic when we reached a short side-trail to the camp store. Five minutes later Thor the Red, ABear, Acorn, and I were parked on the store's back steps, eating ice cream, honey buns, and chips.Ho hum, we passed a bear cub on the trail today. There's been so much wildlife since entering Shenandoah National Park, I didn't even bother pulling out my camera.The temperature and humidity ratcheted up a notch today, and the trail had more climbs than yesterday, so overall it was a tougher hike. I finished the day with Rod and Reel, who walks with a pronounced limp due to a knee he injured a few weeks back when the sole of his boot split and he used duct tape to hold it together. With the help of ibuprofen and other pain killers, the Iowan, who originally thru-hiked decades ago, has been able to knock out 20-milers despite his gimpy leg.At around 7:00 I arrived at Hightop Hut, which was packed with hikers, including a Boy Scout troop from Richmond, VA. Tent sites were again scarce, but I managed to score one with a little less slant but a few more rocks than the previous night. Alex, one of the Boy Scouts, who appears to have a future in the food business, provided Vista, Belch, and me with trail magic in the form of s'mores cooked to perfection over the roaring fire the Boy Scouts made in the hut's fire pit.
Date: 2014-06-08
From: Hightop Hut

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 20.4

What an exciting day for me, as my son, Anders, flew down from Boston to join me on the trail. Our dear friend, Helen from DC, the same Helen who drove with Tor to James River to pick me up and spend two days with us in Roanoke, collected Anders this morning at BWI Airport and brought him to me in Shenandoah National Park. If there were a Trail Angel Hall of Fame, Helen would surely be its first inductee.I suggested a rendezvous point of Bootens Gap at mile 55 along Skyline Drive, 15 trail miles from Hightop Hut, where I tented last night. It's amazing to me that in the time it took me to break camp, cook breakfast, and hike that distance, my son could wake up, shower, be driven to Logan Airport, check in, go through security, fly 400 miles, collect his backpack from baggage claim, and be driven three hours to Shenandoah National Park.Of course, during that 15-mile hike, we passed a camp store, which any self-respecting thru-hiker feels obligated to stop at. Ajax, ABear, Thor the Red, Vista, and I did just that, gorging ourselves on various junk food. From the store, I got updates from Anders on their progress from BWI to SNP and timed my departure from the camp store to ensure I could cover the last three miles and arrive at Bootens Gap ahead of them. When Helen arrived, she had a car on her tail and little notice of the upcoming parking lot and consequently pulled off the road like an Indy driver coming in for a pit stop.Further cementing her trail angel status, Helen arrived with fresh squeezed orange juice, cold soda, chips, and cookies, perfect fare to revive hungry thru-hikers who hadn't eaten in well over an hour. Soon nine appreciative hikers were partaking in this impromptu trail magic. Helen, Anders, ABear, Thor the Red and I then piled into Helen's Subaru to visit the nearby wayside for a proper lunch before returning to the gap so we could continue our march north, now with one new hiker: Anders.Returning to the wayside where we had lunch, this time by foot with my son, were some of the most pleasurable miles of the trip for me. He was wearing my old orange external frame pack, the one my dad bought for me when I was a teenager. We're now lying in the two-person REI dome tent Anders brought down to swap for the much smaller tarp tent I'd been using so far on the trip. Anders has always had a great appreciation for music and is now playing songs on his iPhone from Bob Marley, The Beetles, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and Van Morrison while a steady rain falls on the tent. Life is good.
Date: 2014-06-09
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Luray via Thornton Gap
Miles today: 17.6

I thought we did well to be on the trail this morning shortly after 8:00 am considering I'm now hiking with a teenager capable of sleeping well into the afternoon. I chalk it up to his years playing hockey when he'd frequently have to rise early for predawn practices and games.Here's more evidence life is unfair. I'd been on the AT almost two months before seeing my first bear; Anders spots one his first full day on the trail. But I'm willing to forgive him, because he has a certain Joie de vivre that makes it fun to have him around. Today he played songs on his iPhone for several hours while we hiked, and occasionally, while walking behind him, I caught him playing the air guitar or dancing to music on his way down the trail. He even took requests from me, including Janis Joplin's Me and Bobby McGee, one of my favorites.I had suggested several trail names for Anders since he joined me on the trail, none of which appealed to him. Late in the day, he declared his trail name would be Granders, because he planned to escort his pop to the 1000-mile mark during his week on the trail. During dinner, we plotted the set of shelters to stay at to achieve this goal.On Friday, Tor and Anders went shopping for the clothes and equipment he'd need for the week hiking with me, including a new pair of shoes. In breaking them in on Saturday, he decided they weren't comfortable enough and brought an older pair to Virginia instead. Much older. When he showed me his shoes last night after his first five miles on the trail, I was shocked to see one shoe with a deep gash that divided the sole into completely disconnected front and back sections. He assured me his shoes would hold up for the week; I was skeptical. During the day, his shoe shedded several large chunks of rubber, and on the last rocky descent late in the day it disintegrated completely. We made a quick change of plans, hitching into the town of Luray, VA, instead of continuing to our original destination, the next shelter a mile farther north on the AT.Many cars passed before we were finally picked up by a fellow thru-hiker, Sherpa, who was being slack-packed by his wife and was staying in a cabin in the direction of Luray. Sherpa and his wife dropped us off at the Walmart in town, and 15 minutes later Anders was re-shod. We then hitched a ride in the back up a pickup to the Budget Inn, where we just finished watching an NHL playoff game.
Date: 2014-06-13
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Front Royal via Manassas Gap
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light rain

Thankfully, Granders woke up this morning feeling well enough to hike the three miles to the next road crossing at Manassas Gap, where we planned to hitch into Front Royal. He was able to hold down water during the night and this morning at the shelter, but he had no appetite, eating only a single granola bar. He's normally the biggest eater in our family, so I knew he was still far from right. I felt like we were escaping from prison when we walked up the side trail away from the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter this morning. Although it's one of the nicest shelters on the AT, the 36 hours we spent there turned out to be quite an ordeal. I had flashbacks to my post-Noro recovery day as I watched Granders struggle up the slightest hill on the trail in front of me. The tell tale sign that he's exhausted is when he puts both hands over his head, which he did several times on a fairly minor climb to the gap.We set, or at least tied, a record by getting a ride into Front Royal from the first vehicle that passed us on Virginia Highway 55. John, who works for a local company that manufactures steel structures, was delivering a canopy in a large flatbed truck. Granders and I were more than happy to squeeze ourselves plus our backpacks into the single passenger seat for the six-mile ride into town. John took great interest in our trip and told us he frequently picks up hikers with their thumbs out. He recommended we stay at the Quality Inn and dropped us at its doorstep, and his advice was spot on; for the price we paid at the Budget Inn in Luray, including today's hiker discount, we're staying at an infinitely nicer motel. John, you made two hikers very happy today!I saw two familiar faces leaving the Quality Inn as we were arriving. Trigger, who was with Shellback when the latter came down with Noro at Byrds Nest #3 Hut, and Duff, who I last saw when she was zip lining across the river to the Captains three weeks ago, were climbing into a pickup for a motel-provided shuttle back to the trail.While I started laundry, including my sleeping bag, which had developed a disgusting layer of slime with all the recent humidity, Granders took a shower. Later, when I got out of the shower and toweled off with the first piece of cotton to touch my body since Luray, my appreciation of the comforts of civilization at that moment was as great as it's ever been.I called Helen, our fairy godmother trail angel, and informed her that our plan to have her and Granders usher me across the 1000-mile mark will unfortunately not pan out. Instead, we arranged to have her meet us at noon tomorrow in Front Royal, where I'll treat her to lunch before she drops me back at Manassas Gap and Granders at BWI Airport for his flight back to Boston. While I'm disappointed Granders and Helen won't be with me when I reach 1000 miles, I'm pleased I was able to share a part of this adventure with my son and grateful to Helen for the huge role she played in making it happen.
Date: 2014-06-14
From: Front Royal via Manassas Gap

To: Dicks Dome Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: broken clouds

It was 8:30 am when I roused Granders and suggested we get up and have breakfast at the pancake house across the street, anticipating we'd need time to digest before eating lunch with Helen. When he ignored me, I prodded, "What do you think?" With a sleepy smile he replied "This bed is comfy." Civilization clearly agrees with him.Helen arrived at noon, and after swapping out the two-person tent I'd carried while hiking with Granders for the much lighter one I'd left in Helen's car a week ago, we drove to a barbecue restaurant near the trailhead. While we munched on pulled pork sandwiches, Helen told us about her high-stress job. She's been trying to resign since January, but management keeps convincing her to push out the end date, which is now set for August 1st.We then drove to the trailhead and I said goodbye to Granders and Helen. A minute after they drove off, I discovered map AT-11 was missing from my pack's hip pocket, where I normally keep it. I called Granders and asked them to return, as I thought it might be with the souvenirs I'd given to him to bring home. Turns out it wasn't, so until I get to AT-12, 45 miles to the north, I'll be relying exclusively on the AWOL guide, which unfortunately I can't look at while on the move.I felt lonely once again for a mile or so, as I'd gotten used to hiking with Granders and really enjoyed his company. It's impossible for me to adequately express my gratitude to Helen, who drove many hours back and forth between her house in DC, the airport, and the AT so Granders and I could hike together for a week. Helen, your gift to us was priceless.I was bursting with pent-up energy, having hiked only three miles in the last two days. Since I didn't get on the trail until mid-afternoon, my plan was to hike to Dicks Dome Shelter, seven miles up the trail, which I covered in just over two hours. I set up my sleeping bag in the four person shelter shaped vaguely like a geodesic dome and soon found myself eating dinner with several new faces, including Walkabout and Mad Jack. I shared with them the strips of London broil Helen had given me at the trailhead, and a pound of beef disappeared in minutes in a caveman-like feeding frenzy.The days after my recent resupplies in town seem to bring with them delightful weather, and today was no exception. It was sunny and cool with a refreshing breeze, but most notable was the low humidity. The trail was muddy from the frequent rain over the last week, but it wasn't particularly rocky. All in all, the conditions made for a very pleasant, short hike.I'm lying in my sleeping bag, listening to the rush of the stream that's 10 yards from the shelter. A younger group of hikers is celebrating Bluebird's 25th birthday by sharing a gluten-free, vegan cake they baked in the shelter's fire pit and setting off sparklers, which are completely illuminating the shelter.
Date: 2014-06-15
From: Dicks Dome Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: few clouds

Happy Father's Day, everyone!What an awesome day. It started with a great night at Dicks Dome Shelter, where the nearby stream drowned out the snoring inside the shelter, and the cool night air made for great sleeping.When I stopped at a high point along the ridge to post yesterday's journal entry, texts came in from Tor and my three kids with Father's Day wishes. That, plus trail magic from Blink Blink, a 2003 thru-hiker, put a spring in my step this morning. Blink Blink has been doing magic each year since her thru-hike around this time and has really perfected the process, handing out cold soda, water, bananas, brownies, and cookies, and she even collected my trash so I wouldn't have to carry it to the next trail town. My fuel canister had run out the night before, so I was happy to rid myself of both its weight and volume. Thanks so much, Blink Blink!All the recent rain was really evident today, as the AT in places was both a trail and a stream. At one point I was rock hopping along the trail when I lost my balance, put my foot down to recover, and found I was standing in six inches of water.I stopped at the Rod Hollow Shelter for a late-morning snack, and Frankie the Sleeper, who was one of the four at Dicks Dome last night, pointed out a spider on the ceiling that had the leg span of a kitchen sponge and a body the size of a golf ball. Also at that shelter were a group of four Korean day hikers eating a meal of noodles with chopsticks. Frankie and I agreed that a thru-hiker forced to eat with chopsticks would have died of starvation long ago on the trail.Just before noon, I entered an infamous section of trail called the Roller Coaster, which the AWOL Guide describes as, "13.5 miles of tightly packed ascents and descents." If the Roller Coaster were dropped down anywhere along the AT between Georgia and Southern Virginia, a thru-hiker would hardly notice the short ups and downs. But since it occurs in Northern Virginia, after the terrain has eased since Waynesboro, it definitely gets your attention.Fortunately, the Bears Den hostel, where I'm staying tonight, comes four miles before the end of the Roller Coaster, allowing me to tackle the rest of it with fresh legs in the morning. This hostel is housed in a large stone building that was built in 1933 and served as the summer home for a wealthy doctor from DC. The amenities here include a bed, shower, laundry, pizza, breakfast, and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I chose Cherry Garcia.