morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-18
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Narrows, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I woke up in the Holiday Lodge early and went to the laundry room to throw in my dirty clothes. I pack too many clothes compared to most thru hikers, I have two complete sets- one to wear and one to stay dry. I alternate them on laundry days. That's one luxury I need to think about doing away with to reduce weight. I watched some news (bad habit) while my laundry did its thing and made a resupply list. After my laundry was dry, I walked over to the Dairy Queen, which reportedly had the best breakfast in town. Down Under came in a little later and we talked about plans. I still hadn't decided whether to zero or push on. I then went to the Food Lion and resupplied food, went back to the Holiday and sorted through my stuff. Resupply days are a mixed blessing, more food choices but more weight. I just wasn't ready to get back on the trail on a cold overcast day so I made the decision to zero, but not here.I called the MacArthur Inn in nearby Narrows and arranged a pick up. The MacArthur had much better TripAdvisor reviews and looked like a much nicer place to relax for the day. I walked down to the Pearis Mercantile, bought some fuel, and waited for my ride.Alan Neely is the owner of the MacArthur Inn and he sports a huge mustache, biggest I've ever seen. He goes out of his way to be helpful to hikers and offers to help them with rides and anything else they may need. Alan took me to the MacArthur and gave me a little history of the Inn. It has been the host of a quite a few celebrities over the years, including John Wayne. The Inn has been restored by Alan himself and it is a beautiful property with 14 foot ceilings, antique furniture and fixtures. I settled into my room and intended to spend the day relaxing and recovering. Narrows, VA is a cute little town but lacks a restaurant, so I had to call for a pizza to delivered. I spent the afternoon catching up with email and updating Trail Journals. It started to rain, a slow drizzle, so I was glad to have chosen this as a zero day.As night fell I got lucky and found the movie Saving Private Ryan on TV. It was still raining outside, and I was warm and comfy inside a beautiful inn, watching TV, and still full from my pizza. It was a great way to spend a zero day.
Date: 2016-05-23
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: few clouds

I woke up at 6:30 am but didn't emerge from my sleeping bag until 7:30 am. It was cold, but at least it didn't rain all night. There was a bird's nest inside the rafters of the shelter and Little Bird, as I named her, was still on her nest. The only other hiker in the shelter had come in late. His name was Fresh Breathe and he had snored all night long. Fresh Breathe was a young kid, just out of high school, from western Massachusetts. I got my food bag down and made a breakfast of hot chocolate and a honey bun. As we were packing up Little Bird kept flying out while we weren't looking and then flying back to the best. I could finally hear baby birds chirping when she returned. While she was gone I climbed up in the rafters and got a picture of the baby birds in the nest. They couldn't have been much more than a day old. I hope that nest in the shelter works for them, Little Bird will be getting a lot of distractions with hikers coming in and out.I departed at 9:00 am, dreading the long climb back up to the AT. For all my belly aching and fretting, it only took 10 minutes and I was back on the AT. There were beautiful views from the ridge and many rock outcroppings that the trail went over, and I was glad I hadn't attempted them in the Tstorm yesterday afternoon. The trail took me down to NiDay shelter where I had wanted to get to the day before. I had lunch there with several other hikers - ShadowFox, Yukon, New Hampshire Bob, and Myles. After lunch there was a 1600 foot climb up Brush Mountain and a memorial to Audie Murphy, America's most decorated soldier. Along the trail to Brush Mountain, another hiker pointed out some seashell fossils to me. Amazing what you find at 3000 feet and hundreds of miles from the current shoreline.The trail then took a long downhill descent to Trout Creek, with a sign saying the shelter was only 1 mile. It started to rain and I didn't bother to put my pack cover on since it was only a mile. It was a LONG mile, and by the time I got to the shelter turn off there was a sign announcing it was another 1/2 mile to the shelter. I finally put my pack cover on as it was getting soaked. I made for the shelter site as quick as I could and when I got there there were lots of tents set up. ShadowFox said she thought there was still room in the shelter so I headed for it. When I got there there was only Fresh Breathe, Vera, and a section hiker Tim there so I piled in. I didn't want to have to deal with a wet tent in the morning. All in all a good day and it amazed me how lucky I had been to stop in the Sarver Hollow Shelter when I did. If I hadn't and tried to press on, I would have been trying to hike over those slick rocks in a storm and would have missed some beautiful views from the ridge.
Date: 2016-05-26
From: Daleville, NC

To: Daleville, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After getting in so late the night before, I decided Daleville would be my second zero day. I really needed a day to recover. When I got up in the morning I headed down to the breakfast area which was filled with hikers. It seemed like everyone of the hikers I had seen for the last week was staying there. I met up with Down Under finally, he had gotten in a few hours earlier than I had. He still had to resupply but wanted to push on in the afternoon; I told him I was zeroing. After breakfast I headed up the road to do my resupply and mail off some items back home. At the Outfitter, I found Down Under buying a new sleeping bag, air mattress, clothes, and boots. He was getting rid of his winter gear and going for lighter weight summer gear. I looked for a few things too and tried to buy some new inserts for my trail runners, but they were out of my size. I then walked the mile to the post office and finally back to the grocery store. It's amazing how at home I would never consider walking the half a mile to the post office, whereas here I thought nothing about walking a mile one way to the post office. Once I got back to the Kroger, I met up with Down Under again. He had been forced to take a zero as well because his shopping spree at the Outfitter had taken up his morning. We agreed to meet up for dinner that evening. I must have made 5 passes through each aisle of the grocery store trying to decide what to take for the next week's food. As usual I bought too much food, but it's easy to do when confronted with so many choices.That evening Down Under and I walked up the 3 Little Pigs restaurant. They reportedly had good barbecue, but unfortunately not Kansas City style barbecue. I had a craving for a beef brisket sandwich, but ended up with St. Louis style spare ribs. Good, but not Kansas City barbecue good. After a big barbecue meal and a few beers we were ready to crash, so we headed back towards the HoJo. As we were leaving we saw several other hikers including Wunjenna (also from Australia), Porsche, and Faith. Faith said she had finally made it in this afternoon, after camping just outside of the bear closure area last night.Once back at the hotel, Down Under and I agreed we would head out together tomorrow after breakfast, and we headed for our rooms. It was only 7 pm. A typical zero day - a lot of town walking to get food, mail or retrieve packages, eat as much good food as you can, and ultimately to rest and recover so you are ready to start walking again.
Date: 2016-06-02
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: US 60 - Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 11.3

I woke up at 6 but didn't get up till 7. We had cell phone signal here and so I enjoyed a few minutes of catching up on news and email in my tent. I packed up and was walking by 8:15. I had 11 miles to go and 7 hours to get there so it should be easy. Chuckles came up from behind me and we spent the rest of the morning talking and getting to know each other. It was nice to have someone to walk with for a change. Chuckles was a 35 year old lawyer who was taking a break for 6 months. Not really a mid life crisis, just a chance to something epic while he was still fairly young. We talked about different experience people had out here, and how it was different for the 20 somethings versus the mid-lifers versus the retirees. The number of mid-lifers had definitely thinned down as we moved north. How the 20 somethings think and experience the trail must be so different from the retiree generation. They don't have the health and fitness concerns, but they also don't have the full richness of life to look back on. They haven't been married, seen their babies born, experienced job loss or triumphs, watched their kid hit their first home run or scored their first goal, watched a parent die, or seen sunsets from all over the world. All of that experience certainly colors your view of this trail experience. For me the trail was a capstone to my career and a way to start experiencing some adventures in retirement, for the young people it is the start of their grand life of adventure. For those that walk this trail, there is no doubt that they will be successful in whatever they choose to do in their lives.The trail was great today, generally downhill and then relatively flat following a river. Another milestone was reached as we passed the 800 mile marker!! We came to the Pedlar River Bridge which was a very cool suspension bridge and it looked like a good place for a swim. We decided to press on to the shelter as the AT Trail Guide said there was a swim hole by the next shelter. There wasn't. There is a beautiful stream, but no swim hole. Arghh, I was looking forward to that swim. I was close enough to US 60 I decided to push on to make sure I was there early. Chuckles was right behind me and we got to the road with plenty of time to spare. He headed up the mountain and I waited for for my friend Matt. He picked me up at 3, and we went off to his house for a wonderful shower and to do my laundry. We then left and met up with our friend Don, whose house I had stayed at the previous night, and went to their Quiet Birdmen (QB) meeting. QB is a group of aviators that get together monthly for fellowship and a meal. Most of them were retired military and it was a honor to be able attend with my two good friends from our Oshkosh group. A beautiful night in the Virginia countryside, adult beverages, good food, great friends, and a great way to add another highlight to my AT trail experience.
Date: 2016-06-03
From: US 60 - Buena Vista, VA

To: Seely - Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 14.0

I awoke at 6 am in the comfort of my friend Matt's house. The second night out of the last three that I had been able to sleep in a bed. At 7 I joined Matt and Lynne for breakfast upstairs and had a real breakfast with cereal and fruit and milk. A real treat. Matt drove me back up to the trailhead and I was back on the trail by 8:50 am. Not a bad start for having come from town. This would be one of the last big climbs for a while, 2000 feet up Bald Knob. We had driven up in fog but it was clear here, slightly cool but very humid. The trail here was not pretty, lots of waist high weeds, Poison Ivy, no breeze, and no views. The climb seemed to go on and on, finally coming to a flat spot that you thought was the top, and then the trail would dip down a little and continue back up. The morning was getting hotter and I was sweating profusely in the high humidity. My feet were aching, blisters on one foot and bruises on the other trying to break in new boots. And this is when you start thinking it may be time to quit. Why do this if it means hiking up these miserable climbs, through weeds, and high humidity. I finally got to the top of Bald Knob which is not bald at all, and start back down 600 feet to a weedy, overgrown gap and then back up 600 feet to the summit of Cole Mountain. Cole Mountain has a few Rock outcroppings near the summit so at least I had an occasional view. At the top, Cole mountain actually had some large grassy bald areas with some nice views. Over the top, there were spectacular views of the mountains to the north and large grassy balds full of wildflowers that the trail extended across. And this is why you don't quit. After all the struggle and heat of the morning, this view makes it all worthwhile. For every mile of trail, there are 10 reasons to quit - it's too hot or too cold, it's too steep uphill or too steep downhill, you are walking though a tunnel of trees that look just like the tunnel of trees you've seen for the last 50 miles, you are soaked from the rain, you are out of water, you have blisters. But it's the highlights that keep you going, the inspiring views, the mass of wildflowers, the sighting of a bear cub- it's the journey, and the goal of Maine.I continued down and the trail as it alternated between dense forest and grassy balds. The trail would have gradual ups and downs for most of the rest of the day. The shelter I was headed for was 14 more miles for the day. A light rain started and that helped to cool things down. Finally there was a steep downhill to the Piney River, a chance to get some water and 2 more miles to the shelter. At the shelter, Kemosabe, One Step, and Windwalker were already set up inside. Since everything was wet and muddy from the rain, I decided to stay in the shelter too and they made some space for me. I cooked dinner, got some water from the spring, bear bagged my food, and settled into my sleeping bag. Mix, a young hiker showed up just as it was getting dark and piled in with us. A few notes for the journal and I was dead tired, ready for sleep.
Date: 2016-06-08
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 0.0

Tree Streets Inn was a supremely comfortable place to rest up. The rooms are very comfortable and it is very quiet. I awoke this morning, got dressed, and went down for breakfast around 8 am. They serve breakfast at 8:30 am, so I spent some time looking around the house. The owners, the Aldridges, have done a beautiful job decorating their B&B and have an extensive library. The other hiker staying there came down and introduced himself as Westy. We shared a little of our histories and ultimately got to talking about gear and food and how to lighten our loads. Westy had zeroed yesterday and would be taking off today. Breakfast was served in their formal dining room and we had blueberry pancakes, sausage, yogurt, homemade granola, and fruit. It was a wonderful breakfast. I got a ride with Bill to the Outfitter when he took Westy back to the trail. I wanted to see if they had any suggestions for my blistered feet, and to pick up some gas for my stove. The Outfitter didn't have any better suggestions other than what I was doing, so I would carry on. It was 1.4 miles back to town from the outfitter so I walked back to town. It seemed so easy without a pack.Once in town I stopped at the Kroger to do my food resupply. I tried to resist buying too much as I would be hiking through the Shenandoah next and there were Waysides to get food as well as camp stores with limited food supplies. Back at the Inn I spread all my food and all my gear on the bed and decided what to take, what to mail home, and what to donate to the hiker box at the Inn. I decided to mail back some more cold weather gear including my down jacket, pant legs, and long sleeve shirts. I was counting on summer weather for the next 900 miles and would just have T-shirts and shorts. At the last minute I decided to keep one long sleeve shirt, but bundled the rest up for mailing.Gear and food sorted I did something I haven't done in a very long time, I laid down and took a nap.When I woke up mid afternoon I walked down to the post office and mailed my stuff home, then walked around downtown Waynesboro for a bit. For dinner I went to the Green Leaf Grill which several people had recommended. It was a great choice and I had a nice meal and a couple glasses of good wine. I walked back to the Inn and spent some time catching up with the news from home and catching up on trail journal entries. It was a nice quiet zero day and a chance for my feet to recover some. I also felt like I got to know Waynesboro a bit, a place to come back to on future visits to the Shenandoah.
Date: 2016-06-09
From: Waynesboro

To: Stealth campsite on Turk Mountain
Miles today: 11.7

It was hard to leave the comfort and serenity of Tree Streets Inn, but I was anxious to get going through Shenandoah National Park. My feet had recovered a great deal with a day of rest, so I was glad that I took a zero day yesterday. After breakfast and goodbyes, Bill drove me back to Rockfish Gap to resume my march up the trail. There is a simple self registration sign along the trail where you register to camp in the backcountry of the National Park. I was now in the Shenandoah that I had been looking forward to!The trail began doing a fairly gradual ascent through the morning and then a steep descent into the first gap and road crossing of Skyline Drive. At the gap there was a wait styrofoam cooler marked "Trail Magic"! Score!! Even though I was fairly fresh from a short morning and two nights in town, the Trail Magic was SO appreciated. It looked like it had just been left as the ice had hardly melted but contained Cokes, juice coolers, Snickers, Reese's, donuts, and a number of other snacks. Another hiker who introduced himself as Gnome and I grabbed some Cokes and candy. A bunch of other hikers started showing up and digging in as well. There we all stood, fresh into Shenandoah and most of us had just zeroed in Waynesboro, just soaking in the love of someone who had left trail magic. We all started introducing ourselves - Ukelady, Wet Tent, O.D., Quasimodo, Booty Call, and Ranger - the other Ranger! We finally met! He was much younger and shorter than me as people had described, but to add to the coincidence he was from Olathe, KS too! He actually lives about 4 miles from where I do. We took our picture and then all started heading up the trail. We ascended up past a big complex of microwave towers and then down into a gap and up and over Little Calf Mountain. Little Calf Mountain was a grassy bald and so we had some nice views. The trail then went down a gap and up and over Calf Mountain. I descended down to Calf Mountain shelter turnoff and had to decide whether to stay there or go on. It was a 13 mile dry stretch, so I'd have to carry a lot of water. Since it was only 4, I decided to push on and look for a stealth campsite somewhere. I tanked up with all the water I could at the next spring and pushed on for another 4 or 5 miles. At a road side crossing O.D. had stopped and there was a nice stone wall to sit on, so I stopped also and ate a cold supper. I didn't want to use up my water cooking a meal. Ascending Turk Mountain I found a really nice spot and set up my tent. It had been a rather easy day but looking back, I also felt the views that we had seen were rather unremarkable. Here in Shenandoah, without the big climbs we weren't rewarded with the big views. Like most things in life, the harder you work the bigger the reward.
Date: 2016-06-13
From: Bearfence Hut

To: Skyland Resort
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: broken clouds

I had a reservation for a cabin at Skyland resort and almost 17 miles to get there so I made sure I got an early start. I was on the trail by 7:40am and had a relatively easy climb up Bearfence Mountain and Hazeltop Mountain in the morning. By lunchtime I was at Big Meadows Wayside and enjoying another meal of people food. Big Meadows Wayside was outstanding and had a great menu and table service. I met up with Slinger and ended up eating a fried chicken and mashed potato dinner! Slinger had a good looking hamburger and the famous Shenandoah Blackberry Milkshake.After lunch the trail went up a small climb and came out at a beautiful outcropping. Along the way I ran into the Mothly Stud and we got to walk together for a few miles and catch up since we last saw each other. Mothly posed for me at a rock outcropping and I got one of my best pictures of the Shenandoah. We also met Mango and Sunrise, a couple be had hiked with three years before when they started hiking the AT! Talk about chance meetings! They were finishing up the AT this year after three years of hiking long sections. We continued on to the shelter where Mothly was meeting up with Little Debbie, and then I continued on to Skyland resort.The trail was great for most of the afternoon and followed a ridge providing great views of the valley below. This was probably the easiest day of hiking yet! As we got within a few miles of Skyland the trail got rocky again which killed my feet. By the time I got into Skyland my feet were aching and I was ready for a shower and a nice meal. I had reserved a cabin and took a long hot shower, put on my clean set of clothesline as not to not offend the tourists too badly and went up to the Pollock Dining Room for dinner. The view was fantastic, the wine excellent, and even the steak was done quite nicely. I finished off my meal with their "signature" Blackberry Ice Cream Pie! Superb!! After dinner I went into the bar where they had live music and met up with Foxtrot, Snacks, and FunGuy and his parents. We had a great time sharing trail stories and life stories. A great day on the trail followed by a great night at a Shenandoah resort!