morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-06-27
From: Camp site past Reservoir Rd

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up regretting not going into Glasgow because now I will need to go into Buena Vista in the middle of the day. Which will eat into my mileage for the day. The first six miles of the day got me to the road that leads into town. I heard it was tough getting into town about nine miles away. I stuck out my thumb and the first passenger car to drive by picked me up. It was a young woman named Sarah with her dog Sylvanus. She has hiked and has had to hitchhike herself. She dropped men off right at the grocery store. After shopping a guy heading to his car waved me over asked me if I needed a ride into town. (The grocery store is just outside of town). His name was Piney and is a shuttle driver for hikers. I asked him how much to take me back to the trail. 15 dollars later I was on my way back and only lost an hour and a half of hiking time.The next part of the hike was much like yesterday. A two thousand ft climb over a three mile stretch. Then a mile downhill to the shelter where I realized the shelter was 0.6 miles off the trail. The next campsite was 2.5 miles away and uphill and I was out of water so I headed to the shelter. I figured no one else would want to veer of trail like that but there were two women at the shelter. There was tent sites a little further off and they headed there. Soon after a Quaker camp group of about 16 high school age kids showed up and went on to the same tent area. With there arrival I decided to set up tent near the shelter as did Red Fox a hiker that showed up as the kids were headed to there spot.
Date: 2017-06-28
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

When I first started back on the trail it was hot and muggy up until the last couple of days. Temperatures have dropped into the 70's and the humidity is down.  Overnight it was actually pretty cold. So cold the I did not want to get out of my sleeping bag this morning. The site I was in had two trails going out of it one was the trail I took in that gets me back to the AT. The other one connects with the AT further north. The difference is that that one goes around a mountain where as the one one I should take goes over. It was awfully tempting to go around but I did go over. There were some nice views from the top but I would not mind if the AT would go around once in a while. It reminds me of doing a day hike with the family in the Shenandoahs a long time ago. Part of our hike was on the AT but then We hiked to a waterfall that was not on AT. I thought at the time it is too bad AT hikers don't see this. Now I'm feeling I don't need to see every view and an easier hike wouldn't be so bad. By 3:30 I made it to a shelter where I took a break. The afternoon hiking just seemed to go on forever even though this was much easier hiking than the last two days. While there Foxy showed up and his friend Doc a woman he had been hiking with. I did not stay too long food and a rest put me in better spirits which was needed because I still had 6.6 more miles I wanted to get in to get to the next shelter. Hiking went fine for the first half then more uphills. It was a steep climb up to Spy Rock where there would be a detour and some rock scrambling to see the view but I was racing sunset. While I say racing I was moving pretty slow. I got to the shelter site right at sunset. When I was putting up my bear line I did not have enough slack in the rope and I rapped itself around the branch twice. So then I had to go find a ten foot stick to play pi±ata with the rock that was tied to rope until it unwound. Luckily it only took a few swings. By the time I was done with that and setting up my tent it was dark and everyone else was already going to sleep. Once again I settled on protein bars for dinner
Date: 2017-06-29
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I was the last one out of the shelter this morning. Songbird, Pearl and Lake who had camped up at spy rock to watch the sunrise this morning made it to the shelter before I left. Every shelter has a log book where hikers leave comments. I have never entered anything. With this shelter being named The Priest Shelter the log book here is a list of confessions by hikers. I did not read it but the others were commenting on some of the entries.  One was "I clogged the toilet an Uncle Johnny's Hostel and did not tell anyone"We all left at the same time but they were much faster than me. I caught up to them at the bottom of Priest Mountain, a 4.8 mile rocky 3000 foot descent. They stopped for a lunch break so I joined them. The plan for today was to go 15.5 miles to then hitchhike to Devil Backbone Brewpub. Little did I know what was ahead. Pearl then said now to climb back up the same elevation up Three Ridges Mountain. This was going to take place over a six mile stretch so it should be a little more gradual. I replied that I was enjoying my lunch in ignorance and she just ruined it. I figured I've done these climbs before and should be able to handle it. I was wrong. The first part was gradual to the first ridge but then It was like an obstacle course there were sections of the trail that were very rocky.  Then came walking across boulders. Then a steep section where I had to use all fours to get up. Including a break along the way it took me five hours to get up the 5.8 mile ascent. At the top I had phone reception so I called Sharon to let her know what a miserable day I was having. Even the hike down was unpleasant as it was just as rocky as the Priest Mountain descent. To make matters worse the pub closes at 9:00 on weekdays. Knowing that I would not make it I stopped at the shelter short of the road to the pub. The pub also allows for tenting on their property and is supposed to have a good steak and egg breakfast. Quite the bummer at the end of a miserable day.
Date: 2017-06-30
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Paul C Wolf Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

These miles came a little easier than yesterday's. Ground was fairly level compared to the last several days. There was an 800 foot climb to Humpback Mountain that was not too bad. The first part of the hike down the other side was a bit rocky. With two hours of hiking left it started to rain. I had looked at the forecast that showed only a 40% chance. I was hoping it would stay away but no luck. I got into the shelter around 7:30. It had a pretty big covered area over the picnic table which was nice. A couple other hikers had also gotten in late. It was nice not being the only one. The Three of us made our dinners and talked for a bit then it was off to bed. I slept in the shelter rather than setting up my tent mostly due to the rain. Putting in longer miles have left my legs in pain. Lying on the hard shelter floor there is no side of my body I can lay on without feeling pain. My back was the only part I can lay on. Hopefully a short day tomorrow will bring relief.
Date: 2017-07-01
From: Paul C Wolf Shelter

To: Waynesboro VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: light rain

I got to the road that leads into town before 11:00. I had just crossed the road when a car pulled up and asked if I needed a ride. It was a trail angel named Gizmo who was dropping off another hiker getting back on the trail. He took me to the Quality Inn and gave me a quick tour of town on the way. At the hotel I met up with Matt and Chris who were at the same shelter with me last night. As we waited around a bit a few other hikers I had seen on the trail showed up. After getting in the room and showering I went out for lunch and then to the laundromat where I ran into the same group. Back at the hotel I went down to the pool with some beers. I was disappointed to see no one else hanging out there. Chris and Matt swung by to say they were heading over to Heritage on Main, a sports bar. We wound up staying there for dinner and I was back to the hotel by 9:00.
Date: 2017-07-02
From: Waynesboro VA

To: Calf Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I Had breakfast in lobby of hotel. A lot of hikers were eating. I spoke with a southbound father and teenage daughter named Handstand and Walkie Talkie. They were recommending places to stay as I head north through the Shenandoahs. After gathering up my stuff and getting my pack ready I walked out of my room and there was a pickup truck that had just dropped off Doc a woman hiker I had run into off and on. The driver asked me if I needed a ride. He said he was building up some Karma for when he does the hike in a few years. I saw Matt outside and told him we have a ride. The driver was an older talkative guy who told us of some of the history of the area. We got to the trail and the driver pointed out the Zero mile marker for the Blue Ridge Parkway and then took our pictures at the marker. Starting up the trail we had to register for the Shenandoah National Park. There Pearl and Lake caught up to us. Unlike many of the other town visits, coming out of Waynesboro was not a big climb out. It started with a gradual 1000 foot climb and then a few ups and downs. Nothing greater than a few hundred feet. It was a dry hike. No water until just before the shelter. When I got to what I thought might be the stream it was pretty dry. It was 0.1 to the shelter so I figured I would hike there hoping that this was not the water mentioned in the book. Luckily it was not. There was another stream just 100 yards further. I got to the shelter now with four liters of water. Matt, Pearl, and Lake had already beat me there. There were a few other hikers already there too. After setting up my tent I joined the others at the picnic table where we each made our dinners and talked. Chris soon showed up and ate some McDonalds hamburgers he had brought from town.Saruman who I had met at some shelters recently and had also stayed at the Quality Inn showed up with his friend Karen. She just joined him on the hike today. They had gotten in late and were working on their dinners as the other were climbing into their tents for the night. I hung out talking with them as they ate and then it was off to my tent.
Date: 2017-07-03
From: Calf Mountain Shelter 

To: Blackrock Hut 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Just about everyone was up at the same time packing up and eating breakfast. I guess I missed the bear that was sniffing around Pearl's tent last night. JJ who was sleeping in the shelter yelled and scared it away. Pearl and Lake were planning on a 20 miler today so I told them I was sad that this might be the last I see of them. I was only doing 13 to the next shelter. I made good time but it seemed more difficult than it should have been. It was hot and muggy today and I also had some pains in my left knee and my right heel was bothering me. I wound up taking a lot of breaks which helpedThe trail crossed over the Shenandoah Skyline several times and you can hear the traffic sounds pretty much the entire day. I made it into the shelter site at 5:30 to see Matt (now "Short Cut" for walking off trail to avoid a rattle snake and then having a hard time finding the trail again). Grasshopper was also there. He was at the shelter site with us last night. Pearl and Lake had passed through this shelter earlier to get water and left a goodbye message in the Shelter Log book. As it got dark a woman called Mantis showed up she had hiked fro the shelter I stayed at three nights ago making me look like a real slacker. She had not gone into Waynesboro
Date: 2017-07-04
From: Blackrock Hut 

To: Pinefield Hut 
Miles today: 13.2

Overnight there was a bird just outside the shelter that had a repetitive chirp that was incredibly loud. It started as we went to bed and then off and on throughout the night with a really long string of the chirping at 5 am. About half a mile out of the shelter site was the top of the summit. I put my pack down to climb up the rocks to see the view. Had I come across this later in the day I probably would have walked on by. There were a few day hikers up there already. Hiking though the Shenandoahs you come across more day hikers than usual. So it was not as lonely as the trail was just south of here. About seven miles into the day I got to the Loft Mountain Store where I bought some more trail food along with a few beers. I had one of them outside the camp store where Grasshopper and his dad were as was Mantis and a few others hikers. Just up the trail another mile and a half was a Wayside Grill. Mantis and I headed there for Burgers and Blackberry Milk shakes and to drink the two other beers I bought.Continuing on from there we came across a few water sources but I had enough to get me to the shelter. Mantis had gone ahead as I was adjusting my backpack. She was looking to go beyond the shelter I was heading to. It was a four mile hike with a few ups and downs and my knee was starting to hurt more. I checked the guide book along the way anxious to get to the shelter when I noticed the water source at the shelter was marked as unreliable. I was so happy to see the stream flowing as I headed towards the shelter. Short Cut was already there along with Q2 another hiker I had met a long time ago. There was a group of a five section hikers from a hiking club in Ohio. They said the a couple local guys had run out to a store. There was a parking lot not too far down the trail. They came back with Pizzas and a beer for everyone.  They even had ice to keep the beer cold which was nice as I then used some on my knee. It was a wonderful end to a strenuous day of hiking. Also just before I hit the shelter I hit my 600 mile mark.
Date: 2017-07-05
From: Pinefield Hut 

To: Hightop Hut 
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: light rain

It rained over night and into the morning. It had let up enough for me to get out of my tent and join some other hikers in the shelter to eat my breakfast. It was mostly the southbound section hikers that were up and about. They were the first to take off in the rain. Everyone else just lingered around waiting the the rain to let up. I did not leave until around 11:00. I started out with my rain jacket on but a half mile in I was getting to warm and decided I'd rather get my shirt wet from the rain rather than from sweat. There were a few steeper climbs today compared to yesterday that were really bothering my knee. When I got to within a mile and a half of the shelter I tried to hitch a ride into town not wanting to do the last climb up to the shelter but there was limited traffic on the skyline on a foggy middle of the week day. I gave up on trying to get a ride and hiked on to the shelter which was not as bad as I thought it would be. The rain picked up again about halfway to the shelter. There were a few spots left in the shelter so I did not have to set up my tent in the rain. Q2, Matt, Pacman, and Ham Jam were there. We had all been at the last shelter together. Giggles who I had met at the LOFT Mountain camp store showed up but just for a break. She then continued on. The rain continued into the night.
Date: 2017-07-06
From: Hightop Hut 

To: Swift Run Gap
Miles today: 3.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a pretty foggy morning but it looked like the rain was over. I was getting off the trail today as my knee is hurting too much. Sharon and Caroline are coming out to hike with me for a few days. Hopefully resting my knee until Sunday will allow me to hike when they get out here. I reached Swift Run Gap with plans of hitching into Elkton. But then saw that there are no hotels in the town and catching a ride there could be difficult. I wound up catching a ride to Lewis Mountain Campground instead. An older couple, Buddy and Ruth picked me up on the skyline and took me to the park. After setting up my tent I showered and did laundry at the camp store.  There were hikers there that had come from the shelter I was at last night. Later on after they had left Q2 and Giggles showed up. They were just going to pass through but then a storm rolled in. We sat on the covered porch of the camp store drinking some beers waiting for the rain to let up. At 6:00 as the store was getting ready to close the manager had come outside. We had been talking to him off and on. Q2 jokingly said how about donating one of the vacant cabins to some through hikers. He said hold on a second and went and got the keys to a four bed bunkhouse and said it's all yours. With that he let us buy some more beer before closing up. I had a great time drinking beers on the covered porch of the bunkhouse with Q2 and Giggles as the rain started up again. And I got to sleep in a bed rather than being confined to my tent for the evening during the rain.
Date: 2017-07-07
From: Lewis Mountain Campground

To: Lewis Mountain Campground
Miles today: 0.0

I hung out at the campground store for a while with Q2 and Giggles in the morning as they got ready to hit the trail.  After that had a pretty boring day just sitting around the camp.  I talked to a few hikers that came into the camp as they were passing through.  The bunkhouse that I stayed in last night was booked for this evening and next so I would be sleeping in the tent tonight.  Luckily the rain was gone so weather was not a concern anymore.
Date: 2017-07-08
From: Lewis Mountain Campground

To: Lewis Mountain Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

It was another boring day at the camp.  One of the cabins across from the camp store was vacant so I the manager said it would be okay to hang out on the porch which was a little more comfortable than sitting at the picnic table back at my campsite.  I had a couple beers there and iced my knee for a while.Sharon and Caroline arrived around 9:30 at night.  We set up the tent they brought.  I asked Caroline if she wanted to have a tent to herself and take the one I had been sleeping in.  At first she wanted to but the Sharon suggested that it probably smells as I had been living in it for a couple of months.  So they both slept in the bigger tent.
Date: 2017-07-09
From: Lewis Mountain Campground

To: South River Picnic Area
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

Sharon Caroline and I got off to a late start this morning.  We did not have to carry our backpacks today.  Our plan was to hike south towards the spot where I got fo the trail the other day and then hitch a ride back to the camp ground which would give us 8.3 miles on the trail.An hour into the hike Caroline shouted bears.  We then saw two bears about fifty feet away from us then run off in different directions.  One of the bears the switched directions to follow the other.  They seemed to run towards the part of the trail that we were headed.  A short while later an oncoming hiker said that he did not see them.Five miles into the hike we stopped for a snack break.  This was at an intersection with a side trail.  Other hikers were crossing by and we learned that the trail was a loop that went to a waterfall.  Since we weren't carrying heavy packs and knowing that I was going to get off the trail we decided to take the 3.8 mile detour.  It was kind of liberating no longer feeling the need to concentrate all my hiking towards putting in AT miles.it was a gradual downhill with the first stop at a lookout point facing the top of the falls.  We sat there for a bit and debated whether to go down to the bottom of the falls.  My knee was a little sore and Sharon suggested that She and Caroline hike down.  I said I would go and could always turn around if it bothered me too much.  I glad we hiked down the waterfall was even more beautiful at the bottom.After a few pictures we started hiking out.  the sole of one of Caroline's boots started to fall off.  She had a hairband that she used around the toe of the boot to keep it in place.  She had borrowed the boots fro Sharon.  At a water break the two of them switched shoes.  The trail back to the top was more scenic than the route we took down.  the first half of it followed a stream for a while.  Caroline was slowing down quite a bit on the second half of the uphill.  We were happy when we finally reached the AT again.  At that point it was around 5:00 and there was still 3 miles to go get to our initial goal.  My knee was sore, Caroline was tired from the uphill and Sharon's boot was falling apart.  So instead we just did the 0.1 trail up to the picnic area.  While we only did 5.2 miles of the trail our total hike for the day was 9.0 miles.  At he picnic ground there was a couple that just finished hiking and the agreed to give us a ride back.Back at the campground I ran into Tunnel Rat outside the store as we were headed to the showers.  I introduced him to Sharon and told him I was calling it quits for the season.  The plan was to backpack north for another day but I had my doubts.Back at the campground a lot of the campsites were cleared out as it was now Sunday night.  Over the past few nights i could hear owls making a screeching sound.  Tonight we actually saw several of them flying from tree to tree.  Four of them had gathered on the tree near our campsite which attracted several of the other campers over towards our site.
Date: 2016-06-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Been thinking about doing this hike for the last 8 months or so, learned about the AT while listening to AWOL's book during my work commutes. Put my 9 month notice in three months ago after a long, successful career.. ready to transition to a new life. I'm in gear research mode now and surprised there aren't more clear winners in each category. Just when I think I've found the perfect spork, I read reviews on a better one.. I'm happy that Sapphire will be joining me on this quest in spite of what's sure to be a difficult but hopefully rewarding experience... tons to do to get prepared.
Date: 2016-06-05
To: Preparation
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Sapphire and I have hiked many of the Oahu trails and we've always enjoyed our hikes; but our passion has been anchored to the ocean, pursuing diving and fishing activities. We've caught marlin and ahi, mahi and ono and taken the boat to neighbor islands in search of new and exciting locations and adventures and we've found both. But after living in paradise the last 50+ years for me and 15+ for sapphire it's time for new places and adventures and to experience the rest of the country. What better way to start than hiking through many of the east coast states?I've read most of the AT trail books and feel very fortunate to have a partner that wants to share the experience (and load) with me. We both plan to read Appalachian Trials to help us make it thru together.To be successful in this hike, I figure we'll need to work out and get in better shape, prepare ourselves psychologically, have really good, light gear and enjoy the experience. Hele on!
Date: 2016-06-08
To: setting up account
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

One of the good things about planning this hike is getting useful hiking related gear for Father's Day gifts.. hopefully my daughter is picking up on the hints.. I'd really be excited to get a pair of injinji liner socks Sapphire's excited today about a new addition to the family.. her new grandson.We both work, so weekends are the only time available for us to hike. We'd like to break in our new boots and get in better shape but the weathers been pretty bad lately and Sapphires ingrown toe nails have been bothering her. I'm sure the stars will align and we'll get to going..Hele on!
Date: 2016-06-12
To: Plants
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We may have sharks but we don't have anything harmful (except for an angry pig or a centipede perhaps) in the mountains other than the terrain.. we don't have snakes, or bear or porcupines or moose or poison oak and ivy.. in fact we don't even know what poison ivy looks like.. so after reading Moose's (2016) journal we discovered another area of research to add to a lengthening list of things to research.Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the Orlando victims.