morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-25
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro. VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Distance: 1 miLast night I tossed and turned all night. We are staying at the Quality Inn, and the bed is very comfortable, but due to our high mileage yesterday, I had leg spasms all night, despite the 3 Aleve I took before bed. We decided to get up at 8 am for breakfast, which was included in the room fee. It was good - waffles, eggs, gravy, etc. We then got a Lyft ride to the local Rockfish Gap Outfitter. They were very helpful as I needed to buy a new sleeping mat and stuff sack. A local trail angel, Mark, was driving another hiker to the outfitter and offered us a ride back to the McDonalds in Waynesboro. He also told us about 2 local events happening tonight in case we were looking for entertainment. We ate and then started our resupply, mostly drug store items. We also picked up a sub for dinner at Subway. We walked back to the Hotel, dropped off our purchases, and then went to the Post Office where all our boxes were waiting. They all made it! Yay! We were very happy when we got back to the hotel with our stuff. We were tired, so were going to watch a movie. I took out my new sleeping pad and was instantly sad. I found that I had grabbed the wrong mat (a prolite vs a prolite plus) and need to go back tomorrow and return it. I called the Outfitter and they put one behind the counter for me. Then I called the trail angel Mark, and he said he could drive me back tomorrow. I am so thankful that there are so many people here in town that like to help hikers.
Date: 2018-06-27
From: Waynesboro. VA

To: Stealth site on Humpback Mountain
Miles today: 9.0

Day 22Distance: 9 miAscent: 1998 ftDescent: 1297 ftToday we left Waynesboro after 2 days off trail. The 18 mile day took a lot out of us and we were still limping around by the evening of that first day off. Today we felt good so we started toward Glasgow. We should be there in a week. We caught a Lyft ride to the trailhead and started hiking at 10 am. The trail today was very nicely maintained. The club in charge of this section is the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club. The grade was good and it was a pleasant hike. We got to Paul Wolfe Shelter by 1 pm. It is a beautiful new shelter. The builders did a great job. It has windows, a nice finished floor, an upper bunk and a porch. The site was beautiful too with lots of tent spots and a beautiful stream running in front. We took a two hour lunch break there. At 3 pm we headed up Humpback Mountain. 3 miles in we reached our site for the evening. We will finish the climb tomorrow. We made it by 5:30pm. When we got here I told Pop to set up the tent while I get the water. I had to hike up to the spring 0.2 mi up the trail. I told her to wear her whistle in case she needed help she could blow it and I would hear. So she did. When I got back she said that she heard an animal walking through the bushes. She almost blew the whistle until she realized that it was just a deer. After er getting a close up of 3 bears in the Shenandoahs, she doesn¢t really want to see any more.Tonight we are camping in the woods, so we hung a bear bag with any smellables that wouldn¢t fit on the bear cans. We put the bear cans in a different location from the bag. We¢ll see if we succeeded at avoiding the animals in the morning.
Date: 2018-06-28
From: Stealth site on Humpback Mountain

To: Devils Backbone Brewery Campground
Miles today: 10.3

Distance: 10.3 miAscent: 1860 ftDescent: 1723 ftDay23We were a bit slow getting out of bed this morning. We had no animal visitors, so our food and smellables are intact, yay! Breakfast this morning was dehydrated sweet potatoes and grits. The sweet potatoes were baked, prepared with sugar, mashed, dried, powdered in the blender, and vacuum packed before the trip. They are very good, especially when I mixed them with buttered grits, but they just don¢t pack the power punch for breakfast. Climbing the first 1000 feet this morning was a tough slog and the trail wasn¢t all that steep. I guess sweet potatoes will be dinner fare only.We ate lunch at the beautiful Wintergreen Overlook. It is a view that looks down in the Wintergreen Ski Resort. I didn¢t know Virginia had ski areas.The hike down from Humpback Mtn was a killer. All rocks and 12¢ stairs. My knees were screaming by the bottom. The rest of the day was the same, lots of unsteady rocks, tripping, slipping, and it was hot too. It was not a fun day and I was so focused on my footing that I didn¢t see much. However, we did pass two of the best views of the whole trip.It was not a good day to make high mileage as we were only averaging a mile per hour with the trail conditions. I started looking for alternate places to camp when I realized hat we were close to the Devils Backbone Brewery. It is a real brewery, but also has a restaurant, campground, showers, and a shuttle back to the trail in the morning. We decided to go for it. We got to Reeds Gap at 6pm and by 6:20 pm we hitched a ride and were on our way to the Brewery. We had dinner, set up camp, and now it¢s bed time at 10pm.
Date: 2018-06-29
From: Devils Backbone Brewery Campground

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Distance: 8 miAscent: 1969 ftDescent: 2886 ftDay 24Last night we tried to charge the phones and the backup battery wouldn¢t charge them. I think something is.occurring between charging it with the solar panel and the 99% humidity. So, I stayed up until past midnight charging the phones in the bathroom. We got up early to attend the hiker breakfast. Coffee, 2 eggs, potatoes, toast, jam, and a huge bowl of oatmeal for $5. Can¢t beat that. We were also able to charge our phones more and call Michael about the issue with the battery. We went back to our campsite to pack up in time for the shuttle that is provided by the Brewery. We caught the shuttle in time and were dropped off at Reed Gap. We headed up Bee Mountain and then continued up to Three Ridges Peak. It was a very hot and humid day, but we made it. We saw some amazing views, especially at Hanging Rock Overlook. We met some other SoBos here. Theyy were hiking the loop crated by the AT and Mar-Har trail. In the afternoon we descended steeply to the Shelter. We decided to stay in the shelter because we needed to get up early to climb the Priest mountain tomorrow. We thought we might have the shelter to ourselves, as all the SoBos had tented on the sloping tentsites. However, when we laid down at 8:00pm for bed, 2 thru hikers showed up. They were very polite and quiet while they set up and ate. I fell asleep before they were done.
Date: 2018-07-01
From: Priest Shelter

To: North Fork Piney River Stealth Site
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: few clouds

Distance: 8.5 miAscent: 1689 ftDescent: 2100 ftDay 26Today was pretty uneventful day. We left the shelter late, 9 am. We knew there was a 5.5 mile dry section so we drank lots of water at breakfast. We started out and the trail had lots of gravel on it. I slid and really tore up my leg. Not a great start to the day.Half way through the day we got to Spy Rock. It is a huge boulder that you can climb for a 360 view of the area. We climbed up the rock and spent some time.We then continued on our way and had lunch at Porter Gap. The water was a bit of a haul as it was down hill from the stealth sites. We spent a nice hour in the shade, eating lunch and enjoying the forest.We met the sisters at Seeley Wordsworth Shelter. We continued on 2 more miles to the campsite at the North Fork of the Piney River. We camped with their group and had a great time. It is nice to be traveling in the same direction as others in which you have interests in common.
Date: 2018-07-02
From: North Fork Piney River Stealth Site

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: broken clouds

Distance: 13.8 miAscent: 2458 ftDescent: 4576 ftDay 27We were up and out of camp by 8 am today. We had a 13 mile day planned, so we were hoping for some cooler weather. It wasn¢t any cooler though. We had 3 - 500ft climbs and a 2500 ft descent. The Tar Jacket Ridge didn¢t have a great view, but Cole Mountain was a ¢Bald¢, a grassy top. The scene was spectacular. Pop took pictures. We walked in the sun for a mile before heading back into the tree cover. Oddly enough Bald Knob wasn¢t a ¢Bald¢ mountain and had no view.We had lunch under a large tree at the turn off for the trail to the water source. We ate lunch with the sisters and one of them let me use her phone to contact Michael. She is such a wonderful woman. I was able to coordinate with Michael on getting a new battery. She and her sister have been great company. When we left we shared contact info.The descent down Bald Knob was a knee and toe jammer. We met some hikers trying to climb the mountain and struggling with the temperatures. By the time we reached US 60, we were thinking about heading to town. The last few days heat had made us feel sick and energy-less. However, we had no cell signal nor was there any traffic going toward town. We began the two mile walk to the shelter, but it was 7:30 pm. We hiked quickly until dark. We gave up looking for the shelter, so when we found a really wonderful looking camping area we stopped. We set up and cooked dinner in the dark. It was cool and peaceful. In the morning we found that we were at the shelter tent sites, but we couldn¢t see the shelter in the dark.
Date: 2018-07-03
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter

To: Stealth Site 1 mile N of Punchbowl Overlook
Miles today: 8.3

Distance: 8.3 miAscent: 2131 ftDescent: 1347 ftDay 28Today was 95 degrees and it just sapped the strength out of us. Pop has felt sick now for the past 3 days, and we are looking forward to our zero (rest) day. We made the 5 miles around the Lynchburg Reservoir quickly and arrived at the Reservoir road. We sat under a tree and tried to cool down. A section hiker parking for his trip gave us a baggie of ice each. So we reclined under the tree with the ice on our chests until it melted. We got going around 3 pm to climb the 1000ft Rice Mountain. Pop had a mini -breakdown half way up.  It was just too hot. We got water, cooled off and continued up the last 500 ft. We had another mile and 500 feet up to go in order to get to the road, but neither of us had much left to offer the trail. We found a nice stealth site and stayed there, a mile from the road. I¢m glad I packed up some extra water.
Date: 2018-07-04
From: Stealth Site 1 mile N of Punchbowl Overlook

To: Biena Vista
Miles today: 1.7

Today we slept in until 8pm. We are just so tired. We packed up and hiked to the road. Of course, there was no cell service. A wonderful couple out to see Otter Falls picked us up and drove us to Buena Vista. They even gave us snacks!Unfamiliar with the town, they left us at the Buena Vista Motel. It is a bit of a dive, but has a good hiker rate and was clean. We spent a few hours enjoying the air conditioning and began our chores.Subway for lunch and dinner was 0.8 mi away and the coin Laundry is 1.3 miles away. Family Dollar is half way between the other two. We walked down to Subway and did some shopping at the FD. We bought too much and had to carry it to the Laundromat. Pop wasn¢t happy. The Laundromat was about 100 degrees inside. Pop was really not happy. We called a taxi (E¢s-Y Ride) for a ride back to the motel.
Date: 2018-07-06
From: Biena Vista

To: Biena Vista
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday we did more chores. We got a taxi to Glasgow to pickup our drop box. We mailed some stuff home too. Our driver Julie gave us a history lesson of the area and was a wealth of information. She was great!We also had to go back to the laundromat and the Family Dollar. Pop still feels sick, so we stayed an extra day. Today big thunderstorms roll through and the heat should break for a few days. We leave tomorrow.
Date: 2018-07-07
From: Biena Vista

To: John Hollow shelter 
Miles today: 9.3

Distance 9.3 miAscent: 2116 ftDescent: 3225 ftToday we woke to a beautiful cool morning. I¢m glad we stayed at the motel again. It stormed with thunder and lightening all night last night. This morning the rain is over and it is about 69 degrees. We left the motel at 8:00 am and were on the trail by 8:30am. Pop is moving very slowly today. She has IBS and it has been acting up for about a week now. She is really not enjoying the trip now due to the pain and discomfort. By 1:30 we had completed a 1700 ft climb and 6 miles of trail. Lunch was deviled ham and crackers at an Overlook with a great view to the east and the James River.After lunch we had an easy walk for a few miles. We met Katz on the trail. He was the man who drove the shuttle in Waynesboro and helped us. He was hiking North. It was nice to see a familiar face.The hike down Bluff Mountain was steep and after 3 miles our feet hurt. We reached the shelter and set up the tent and had dinner. Another hiker arrived and asked if we had any power to let him charge his phone a bit so he could call his ride. We traded a 20% phone charge for a small can of gas. True bartering. I actually succeeded at getting the bear line in the tree after only 5 tries. It took an hour last time. I only have to use a bear line when everything won¢t fit in the bear cans.
Date: 2018-07-08
From: John Hollow shelter 

To: Lexington, VA
Miles today: 2.0

We woke up late today after hitting the snooze button on my phone 8 times. A thrujiker ¢Stef- with an F¢ had arrived late last nights guy and we talked with her during breakfast. The walk to the James River was mostly downhill and flat, so we made good time. When we got to the James River Footbridge, I tripped over a boulder and came crashing down on my face. My face now looks pretty bad with a giant goose egg on my forhead and swelled up nose. So I went to the hospital in Lexington to get checked out and now we are at the Super 8 motel resting, and I am icing my face.This is my biggest dream njury uet. Hopefully it will be my last on this trip. We head back to the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2018-07-09
From: Lexington, VA

To: Marble Spring
Miles today: 9.4

Day 31Distance: 9.4 miAscent: 2577 ftDescent: 1239 ftMarble Spring stealth campToday we got a ride from the taxi service from Lexington to the Footbridge. It is was supposed to be 87 today and sunny. We made it the two miles to Matt¢s Creek Shelter in an hour and stopped to eat all the remaining 1.5 lbs of cherries we had bought in town. We saved the half pound of blueberries for lunch.We began our 2000ft ascent. It really wasn¢t bad at all even though it looked very steep on the map. I was listening to my book and Jessica to her music. Jessica was having a hard time though. I wasn¢t sure what was wrong and she finally admitted that it was ¢leaving town blues¢. She was also upset that because she had asked for extra town days, we may not make our goal of Damascus. I told her not to worry and we will just go as far as we can. After our conversation, she started doing much better.At 1 pm, after 1000 ft of the climb, we stopped at a brook and ate lunch: deviled ham, crackers, jerky, and blueberries. We then climbed the other 1000ft and finished the remaining miles. Tonight we are camping at Marble Spring. There are other section hikers here and 2 thru hikers. So far today we have seen 6 thru hikers.
Date: 2018-07-11
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Bryant Rifge Shelter
Miles today: 10.3

Day 33Distance: 10.3 miAscent: 1573 ftDescent: 4240 ftToday we left Thunder Hill Shelter. We managed to complete the first 5.7 mi in 3 hours to the next shelter, Cornelius Creek Shelter. We took a long lunch and a 30 minute nap. Most of the morning¢s views were the Stinging Nettle covered understory of the forest. There are lots of deciduous trees dropping nuts on us. I¢m going to have to look us what kind they are. I started noticing that my chest hurts on the right side. Actually, exactly under where my sternum strap connects to my shoulder strap. I think I probably bruised my sternum and rib when I fell. I just didn¢t notice it until my face stopped hurting.After the shelter we climbed 400 feet and began the several thousand foot descent. Byyhe time we got to the Bryant Ridge Shelter, I couldn¢t use my right pole anymore due to the pain. Two Aleve helped with that. We passed the Guillotine today. It is a rock formation where you have to walk under a rock wedged between two granite walls. Pop ran through, not wanting it to drop on her!We accidentally found another dinner that is really good. 1 beef ramen pack, 1 chicken ramen pack, and 4 eggs( dehydrated and reconstituted). When cooked together it makes a noodle casserole type dish that was really good. Of course not in the civilized world, but in the woods heck yea! We set up our tent on the covered porch of the shelter, I can¢t climb up the ladder with my chest hurting. It is perfect anyway, no bugs!
Date: 2018-07-12
From: Bryant Rifge Shelter

To: Middle Creek Campground
Miles today: 4.1

Day 34Distance: 6.5 mi (4.1 trail miles)Ascent: 1091 ftDescent: 1289 ftToday we had a short day as we were heading to a campground for a resupply, laundry, and shower. We had a very uneventful hike to the gap and then had no cell service. So we hiked an extra 1.4 miles to the campground.we arrived around 1 pm. We ended up with a good site with AT&T service. Showers first, then lunch, laundry, and resupply. They had a hiker Den with air conditioning and a big TV, so we watched a couple of movies. Then off to our site for food organization and bed. Going to bed at 7:30 to 8 is weird, but necessary to get up at 5:30 am.
Date: 2018-07-14
From: Bobblet Shelter

To: Fulhardt Knob Shelter
Miles today: 13.8

Day 36Distance: 13.8 miAscent: 3388 ftDescent: 2676 ftWe woke up still alone at Bobblets Shelter. This shelter is not the best for sure. The water is drying up and the shelter is the only flat place in the area. The one level tentsite has a huge dead tree growing next to it, so it isn¢t safe. It is also 200 feet down vertically from the trail. However, the privy is new.We wanted to try and make 13 miles today so we only have 5 into town. We did well in the morning and made the next shelter by lunch. We ate and rested until 3 pm and started on. Jesssica seems to lose her steam in the afternoons and she wasn¢t sure she would make it. We ate dinner at Curry Creek which had great water flow. She decided to try the last 1500 ft climb. I carried up 4 liters of water just in case the cistern was empty at the next shelter.  About a mile from the shelter we heard the noise of a large animal in the bushes. As we walked around the edge of the rise we saw a bear digging in the soil for food. We stood quietly and watched it for a minute. When it saw us, it turned around and ran away into the brush. It was a very cool moment to share with Jessica. We succeeded and made it to our goal by 7 pm. We felt great! This shelter is also very nice and clean with a good privy. There also seems to be water in the cistern although we didn¢t need any.
Date: 2018-07-15
From: Fulhardt Knob Shelter

To: Howard JohnsonÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Daleville
Miles today: 5.0

Day 37 Distance: 5 miAscent: 375 ftDescent: 1756 ftDalevilleWe slept in the shelter again, inside our tent, because the mosquitoes were thick and persistent. Even inside the tent, I got multiple bites through the wall of the tent, as I was touching the side with my arm while sleeping.We had a long descent, but it was easy and there were switchbacks. At the bottom we passed over a half mile of private land. The steepness of the climbs always increases dramatically on private land. The pastures provided some nice views. The last mile into town was on Public Land again. The Trail Club in charge of the land had made it very parklike - mowed grass and trimmed plants and trees.It was very beautiful. We arrived at the motel at noon and began unpacking, showering, and completing chores.
Date: 2018-07-18
From: Howard JohnsonÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Daleville

To: Lambert Shelter
Miles today: 9.5

Day 38Distance: 9.5 miAscent: 2180 ftDescent: 1300 ftLambert shelterToday we left Daleville and headed back to the trail. It was a bright sunny day with fluffy clouds. We had a little difficulty getting going. Today was the first day since the beginning that I really felt like going home. I miss Michael. It took most of the day to get out of my funk. The hiking today was easy and had lots of great views. We didn¢t take too many breaks, except our long lunch break. We got to camp at 4:45 pm. I am worried for tomorrow as there is very little water left in the next 20 miles. Hopefully we won¢t be too dry by the end of the day.
Date: 2018-07-19
From: Lambert Shelter

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 39Distance: 6 miAscent: 1658 ftDescent: 1223.1 ftLast night about 1 am I heard a bear walk down the hill, through camp, and up the other hill. Of course this meant I had the get up to visit a bush. I kept looking around for bears, but none appeared. At 2 pm Pop heard a bear and cub walk through camp. This morning after the thruhiker and her dog left, another bear walked through camp. Pop watched it and it just ignored us and did it¢s thing. Then Pop went to water a bush and saw another one! Time to go.We went about 0.1 to Lambert Shelter to use the privy. Another bear trapped her in the privy for about 10 minutes. Not really trapped, but it was eating berries in front of the privy while she was in there. It didn¢t decide to leave for 10 minutes.We began the climb to Tinker Cliffs. A very straight forward 1000 ft climb. The view from the cliffs was incredible! It was a beautiful day and very clear. The cliffs themselves were also interesting. Giant sandstone columns of rocks with large gaps between made up the cliff face. We then descended and ran the ridge line between Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob. There was more bouldering to be done and it was more strenuous than we expected. We waited too long to eat lunch and were pretty exhausted when we arrived at Campbell Shelter. We got water and ate. We still hadn¢t reenergized in an hour and there were lots of campers here to talk to, so we decided to stay. Pop saw a momma bear and cub at the water. She seems to be a bear magnet today