morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-05-23
From: Maupinfield Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: few clouds

Day 71 -- Those of us that stayed behind got up around 5:15 a.m. in order to get out early to make the miles, so that, in the long run, our ride wouldn't have to wait on us. As promised, we rapped on Stomp and Shuffles' tent on our way out. Even five minutes into the day I was glad we decided to stick around last night--I just wouldn't have been in a good place to do the 3-6 more miles. We crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway multiple times today, had great views from Cedar Cliffs and many other overlooks. I pushed myself a lot today to make good time, even over the really rocky sections. I had fun climbing rocks on Humpback Mountain, too. I couldn't wait for the shelter to eat so we stopped early. When we did get to Paul C. Wolfe Shelter, the rest of our group was there waiting--guess they figured we'd take longer to catch up too--go us!! After a break, we all filed out, to finish the last 5 of the day. I fell in last after trying to stick it out in the front. I was just so exhausted from going harder than my usual pace over the last two days--I knew I only needed to keep a 2-2 1/2 mph pace to make it there for our ride and so I decided to slow my roll. I passed an old cemetery and an old cabin. Wrongway picked a black snake off a tree (one that semed to have just had dinner) and we held it. When we got to Rockfish Gap, Wing It was talking to three 19-year-olds who are cycling across the US--cool. Matt, Wing It's cousin, picked us up, took us to the Post Office, and back to his house, where we showered, did laundry, and hung out talking to Wing It's aunt and uncle. We had sandwiches. I talked to Mom, Dad, and Mike (who might come visit soon--yea!!) and enjoyed burgers and dogs, salad, potatoes, and Giardelli's brownies...mmmmm!! I also talked to Kelly today, who ironically was on the AT at Rockfish Gap two hours after I got off, looking for me...how cool of her and Tim to do that. I'm pretty excited about seeing them tomorrow.
Date: 2008-05-24
From: Rockfish Gap

To: I64 (technically Charlottesville)
Miles today: 0.0

Day 72 -- We had a fabulously lazy beginning to our day and a great breakfast of pancakes, bacon, orange juice, and fruit. We eventually headed to the post office to send stuff out, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports for things such as fuel. We went to an Italian food place and got meat stromboli and fries and saw Liz (Wing It's cousin) and Liz's boyfriend. We then resupplied at Krogers and headed back. We turned right around and went to the pool at Boar's head, where Peter (Wing It's cousin) was lifeguarding. Only Stripe and Downstairs actually got in but we had a good time chillin' by the pool, soaking up the sun. After returning to the house and packing up, Wing It drove Wrongway and me to Tim and Kelly's (friends I taught and lived with in South Dakota). We enjoyed a scrumptious meal at Thai '99--I had the Pad Thai and tried a new soup. We had great conversation of stories and catching up. Back at their place we stayed up way past hiker midnight (sundown)(which was totally worth it) talking, laughing, and having a great time. I walked to visit them--how cool is that?
Date: 2008-05-25
From: Rockfish Gap

To: about 1 mi north of Turk Gap
Miles today: 12.2

Day 73 -- We had a glorious shower and a big breakfast of eggs, fruit, and cake, courtesy of Tim and Kelly (thanks soooo much) and spent some time looking at my pictures on Trail Journals and telling stories about them. The crew came by, picked us up, and with a quick last minute stop at the gas station to replace the bagels Phoebe (their golden) ate, we drove back to the trail. Wing It and I walked over the trailhead to get Shuttle's information for her and we met a bunch of hikers both getting off and back on the trail. We met Mr. Burns (think Simpsons) and his son Popper, and two hikers who were finishing their section. A shuttle dropped off Apostle and Shiloh, the latter of whom I don't think I've seen since the day we were at Wayah Bald. We all started down the road towards Shenandoah National Park, and registered almost a mile later. Today was the first day for Erwin to wear a pack, and he took it well, but he was significantly slower so we took our time while the others went ahead. A little ways down the trail we met Dave from northern New Jersey who is doing sections of the park with friends, who we passed later, along with a ton of day hikers and sectioners. Today (and tomorrow will probably be the same way) rivaled our time in the Grayson Highlands when it comes to how populated the trail was. We stopped at Calf Mountain Shelter and met up with Wing It and Stripe who were eating lunch, and we did the same. When they were finished they parted ways for a while. Stripe and Downstairs are hiking ahead with Wing It, who will need to get off Tuesday for x-rays of her foot and then again for a wedding over the weekend. Going ahead of us will put her close to us when she gets back on and it will be easier for her to catch back up. Some section hikers came in while we were finishing lunch as well as Padre, whom I have have been looking forward to meeting for a while. On our way down the rest of Calf Mountain, Wrongway pointed out a huge deer in the brush. Further down the trail we crossed Bucks Elbow Mountain Fire Rd. and there was a guy on a reclining lawn chair in the middle of the road--random? On our way up the next ascent, I was still scanning the woods for movement and saw a small black bear which disappeared from view pretty fast, but then I got a profile view on its way down the side of the mountain. I was already pumped about being in Shenandoah National Park, but this escalated my excitement. As we came up and over the high point on this ascent, a huge deer blocked our way. About a mile past Turk Gap and just past Shiloh and others, we found a nice spot to tent. What a great day!
Date: 2008-05-26
From: about 1 mi north of Turk Gap

To: Trail to Loft Mountain Ampitheater
Miles today: 13.9

Day 74 -- Apparently a deer and a bear came through our campsite last night. I didn't see either, but Wrongway spotted them. We were lazy this morning and didn't get on the trail until 10:15. The forecast was for 84 degrees today and I wouldn't be surprised if it was accurate. We were sweating buckets all day. We started off with 3/4 liter each for a 7ish mile stretch of no water. I seem to get thirstier (or notice it more) when I have to ration it. We were hurting over the last few miles before the shelter (where we knew there was going to be water). By the way, we passed Sage, Chef, Sailboat, Ginger and Damascus as well as Dr. Zagus, slackpacking south. We practically inhaled the water from the piped spring at Blackrock Hut and filtered water directly into our mouths. Tripod Trekker stopped in to check out the hut. Wrongway noticed that the book states that the camp store at Loft Mountain Campground closes at 5:00 and since I was going to resupply there we got going and raced halfway there. Most people we passed couldn't confirm closing time for us, including a nice ranger, and we slowed down because looking at the time and distance left we didn't think we'd make it. When we finally got to the side trail that was going to take us there, we had 0.4 miles left--will we make it? On the way up the trail, Wrongway pointed out a small bear, which started bounding away. When we arrived at the store, the parking lot was empty and I was dealing with the fact that I was going to be going away from the store with a soda from the machine. However, the store turned out to be open and would be so until 8 pm. We raced for nothing...oh well. I resupplied and we treated ourselves to beef ravioli and cooked it right outside the store at the picnic table, so we could just throw away the cans and not carry them. We met three section hikers from Maryland who bought us ice cream--yea!! Thanks! We also met Stergle, Filadelphia, and Mohican Slopes. Stergle (sorry if I spelled your name wrong) is driving cross country on his Cruiser, and the other two are section hiking. As I was washing my pot it started raining. We waited out the rain and left as soon as there was a break. We camped down the side trail, closer to the AT.
Date: 2008-05-27
From: Trail to Loft Mountain Ampitheater

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: light rain

Day 75 -- Yes, you read that correctly--7.1 miles hiked today and it was great! After packing up camp we hiked to a side trail to take it back to the camp store to use the restroom--unnecessary, I know, but it's so close, you know?! ...and yeah, for chocolate milk! There we saw Lance, Filadelfia, and Mohican Slopes. Once back on the trail we spotted a deer only about six feet from the trail--stood looking at us for a while and then walked off. Soon after that, Stomp and Shuffles caught up to us and only had to mention that they were going to the Wayside for breakfast and we jumped on the bandwagon. We had a great breakfast (next to Slopes and Filadelfia), looked through the gift shop and hung around for six hours. We met Tanya (from Germany who is biking around the states). During lunch (yes, we stayed so long that we got hungry) we met three bikers driving to Florida after being in DC for a bike rally. Multiple deer wandered through the parking lot and a crow joined us for a while. It was such a relaxing time just hanging out, talking, and telling stories. Eventually we headed out, with Pinefield Hut as our destination. As we approached Ivy Creek I mentioned that this must be where Stergle (who we ran into earlier on a hike) mentioned he saw a couple of bears, and with that Wrongway pointed out a black bear sitting in the grass eating. We stayed there for a while taking pictures of our closest encounter yet. It noticed we were there, but was more concerned with its dinner. We arrived at the shelter just before it rained--lots of people here: Banjoboy, Swampy, a tenter unknown, Mohican Slopes, Filadelfia, and Midnight (Augie the Ridgerunner). We passed Midnight yesterday in our rush to the store and when he introduced himself to me a lightbulb went on. Yesterday I thought he looked familiar, but that's been happining a lot lately, so I didn't pay much attention. He is the one who gave a talk that I went to at REI about the AT. I had heard he had this section to do but had forgotten...crazy. So although we only did 7.1 miles today, it was eventful and we met a lot of people--good stuff!!
Date: 2008-05-28
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bearfence Hut
Miles today: 20.6

Day 76 -- Got up and out early this morning and was lucky all day with regards to the weather. It was supposed to rain good, but it only sprinkled, probably a total of 2 minutes all day. The day went by pretty fast--we were talking a lot (at least on the descents) and loving the terrain. It didn't feel like we did 20 today (my feet disagree). We lunched at Hightop Hut, and on our way out Stomp, Shuffles, and Dr. Zayus came in; the couple for lunch, and Dr. Zayus just to say hi--he rushed out to make it to the next shelter before 5 to meet some friends. We saw a bunch of deer today. One we scared down the trail and we kept creeping after it. There were three that didn't move much when we approached and passed. We stopped at Lew's Campground to go to the store (just for fun--hot dogs, ice cream?). BUT we arrived twenty minutes too late--closed! So we used the restroom to wash up and water up. I hobbled down the mountain to Bearfence Hut (ready to be done for the day!) and saw Hammerdown (I met him in Damascus), Treefingers, Partygirl, Scooter, Bill, and Ramble On. Their dog, Coyote, does NOT get along with Erwin, but they are pretty cool guys. They just got back from taking five zero days. Stomp and Shuffles came into camp as well as a section hiker. As I'm writing, Treefingers is playing a Martin--yea for music! Today was the first day in the park that we didn't see a bear.
Date: 2008-05-29
From: Bearfence Hut

To: Top of Pollock Knob
Miles today: 14.8

Day 77 -- Most everyone slept in this morning, which was much needed after our 20-miler yesterday, although I'd have to say I didn't sleep well. At the top of Bearfence Mountain we played on a rockscramble for a while before moving on. The rest of the morning was quiet and we cruised along, longing for a blackberry shake from the upcoming wayside. We arrived at the side trail earlier than expected but we sure weren't complaining. As we approached we could see lots of people around, walking, picnicking, lounging, etc. At a picnic table outside was Ramble On and Treefingers and Coyote (the dog) from last night, waiting for their third party to arrive (and waited until even after we left for the day). Inside we saw Stomp and Shuffles who came out and hung out with us at a picnic table for a while. We ate lunch and made phone calls. I had been daydreaming about family/friends meeting me in Harper's Ferry soon and decided to get the ball rolling after figuring out mileage to get there over a weekend to make things easier on working visitors. I also called Bigfoot, whom I hiked with my first week out--we are going to visit him tomorrow--it'll be good to see him again. We got our blackberry shakes and boy, were they good! I can't wait for another one at the next Wayside.As we were getting packed up I decided I wanted to take the honey mustard sauce leftover from my nuggets with me, and put it on top so it wouldn't explode/aquish. Well, just like that I forgot and when I pulled the compressions straps, they must've tightened over it and squish, it gets everywhere--great job, Peanut! Well, after I got everything all cleaned up, we headed out. We saw more deer (11 total for the day and probably more than the rest of the trip combined) and lots of day hikers all day, including a 60-year-old couple from Holland, a couple of young families, a couple of groups of ladies, along with a bunch of others.We stopped for water at a spring at Hawksbill Gap. A mother bear and two cubs were treed nearby. After plenty of pictures and after moving far enough away from her tree, she had them come down and while she watched us closely, they all ran off. The cubs were so small and cute! I felt like I was watching the Discovery Channel--Wow! Bear Count 7!! After all that excitement, the trail went back to following the ridge, which, since leaving the Wayside, has offered us tons of views. As we continued around it, we noticed the sun was setting and were excited to come into a grand open area where we saw Treefingers, Ramble On, Coyote, and their friend, and we enjoyed the sun sinking below the mountains. We moved on about another half mile and camped on Pollock Knob.Having that long break in the middle of the day at the Wayside (3 or so hours) made us feel like we just started hiking for the day--too bad the sun didn't want to stay up--we would've hiked longer!PS-- We saw two turkeys today too, and 2 skinks while rockscrambling.
Date: 2008-05-30
From: Top of Pollock Knob

To: Spur to Panorama Upper Parking Area
Miles today: 10.8

Day 78 -- We got up early this morning to make sure we had enough time to get to Thorton Gap at a convenient time for Bigfoot to pick us up. I was moving awfully slow this morning on the trail--I was very tired and dehydrated. I realized that we were mistaken about the water source being closer than it actually was. It was hot early plus there's always that feeling on the day you're going into town/off trail that I just want to be there, which makes the time go by slower. Early on we passed Treefingers, Ramble On, and Nobody (their new addition) who were packing up. As we turn the corner and see them, their dog, Coyote, barrels over and he and Erwin are in a knockdown-dragout. After some crazy maneuvers by owners, the dogs were separated, Erwin with two blood-drawn bites to a shoulder, which wasn't noticed until later (then Wrongway took weight out of his pack to help him). We passed a bunch of southbound section hikers today, one of which was taking a week to backpack to all the waterfalls in the park--cool. At the Pinnacles Picnic Ground (which I felt like I practically crawled to) we got water, lots of water. We chilled in the sun de-ticking and nursing Erwin, making phone calls for Harper's Ferry meet-ups, and eating. We left a couple of hours later and I, feeling better, talked up a storm and really enjoyed the ridge walk. After dropping packs (after peeking at the trail ahead) at the spur to Mary's rock we walked up and enjoyed a beautiful view of Thorton Gap and beyond. The descent to the gap was rocky and we pulled into the Panarama Parking lot area at the same time Bigfoot did. We loaded up and picked up Bad Idea, Andre, and two guys we met last night, Raggedy Andy and Pickle, and took them to an all-you-can-eat down the road. Then we made a quick Walmart stop for food and dog stuff and drove to Bigfoot's gorgeous house. We did all the normal off-trail chores (showers, laundry, computer), helped make dinner (spaghetti, salad, asparagus, ice cream) and enjoyed it immensely. We adored the sunset from the porch swing and chatted in the cool basement, enjoying the sofa and bug-free environment.
Date: 2008-05-31
From: Spur to Panorama Upper Parking Area

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 79 -- I woke up at 7 in a comfy bed to the smell of eggs cooking--yea! Bigfoot and his wife, Judy, made eggs and French toast for us and we had cut cantaloupe and strawberries, orange juice, and cooked mushrooms to add to whichever. When we take a day in town, we are used to staying in a hostel, hotel, or hiking back out, and used to either eating out of our pack or eating in a restaurant. It felt so good to be in a home, eating home-cooked food, hanging out with a family and catching up with a friend. Thanks so much to Jim, Judy, and Phillip!We started back on the trail around 9:30 and had a muggy but nice morning of hiking. Wrongway (actually Erwin first) spotted a big snake that slithered off so fast that he couldn't get it. And on two separate occasions, other SOBO hikers alerted us to a rattler, and then a copperhead on the trail ahead, but were gone by the time we got there. About a mile before Elkswallow Wayside, it started raining on us, which felt good until it got windy, and so we picked up speed. It stopped before we got to the bottom on the mountain, but we were still wet when we arrived at the Wayside. We joined a SOBO backpacker couple at a picnic table. We enjoyed our last chance at a blackberry shake, and then had a pork BBQ sandwich while chatting with two bikers who were under cover from the rain that hit again. We also chatted with Skyline who takes care of Pass Mountain Shelter and knows a lot about the trail. We eventually tried to leave, but it started raining again. We don't mind hiking in the rain, but thought we'd try to avoid it if we could and we had the time. We got chilly and had wonderful hot chocolate and chatted with Rosella, a worker. Good timing when we finished our drinks, the rain slowed and we headed out. Soon after, it stopped and the sky got all bright blue and white. We had a nice leisurely hike to Gravel Springs Hut where we saw Freestyle, and met Scrabble, Whisper, Stillwalking, and three guys.
Date: 2008-06-01
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: US 522 (to Front Royal)
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 80 -- Our intent was to get up early this morning to try to get to town early. We thought it would give us more time to hitch or walk to town from the trail. HOWEVER, we went back to sleep after the 5:15 alarm. Guess we needed the sleep more. A few miles into the day, most of the way up our first big climb, we came across a large pile of rocks that Wrongway just couldn't resist. I followed him up there to be rewarded with a beautiful view. We saw a lot of day hikers today and ran into a few groups of SOBO section hikers. It was a warm day, but there was a fantastic breeze pretty much all day. It was great. When we reached the parking lot at US 522, Still Walking and Whisper were there and Still Walking offered us a ride into town--great timing! We allstayed at the Super 8. I had a huge taco salad and baked potato at the South Street Grill, shopped at K-Mart, and had a turtle sundae.
Date: 2008-06-02
From: US 522 (to Front Royal)

To: Front Royal
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 81 -- Zero day today! It's not really necessary, but helps with my plans to be in Harper's Ferry over a weekend for those visitors who work during the week. We went back to the South Street Grill for a great breakfast, did laundry (I almost feel like I didn't deserve it--having only been two days since the last time), and got haircuts. We did a Chinese buffet and I talked to Wing It on the phone while Wrongway went back to the laundromat to look for his camera. Then we walked towards downtown to go to the post office to pick up his bounce box and my maps and then strolled over to the movie theater, but they weren't showing any movies until later--bummer...we'd been talking about it for days. So, after burning a picture CD and setting up breakfast plans with Wing It's family, we enjoyed banana splits and chilled for the rest of the evening. As lazy as a zero sounds, we are constantly walking around town to do chores, so it's nice to just hang out.
Date: 2008-06-03
From: Front Royal

To: just south of Sky Meadows State Park
Miles today: 15.7

Day 82 -- We got up early to have breakfast with Wing It's family: Paul, Gail, and Cathy...what nice people! It was great to finally meet them and get to talk to them. (By the way, Wing It is ahead of us on the trail still because she slackpacked some when she returned from the wedding.) While we were eating, a truck pulled into the lot to refill oil or something for the restaurant and pulled up to near where Erwin was tied up--poor guy was so scared of the noise it was making while filling up that he went to the bathroom that somehow ended up on the wooden fence and he was yelping and twisting and doing all sorts of acrobatics. Wrongway took him out back and washing him with water from the spigot.Wing It's family dropped us off at the trail and we made our way through the woods once more. We met a SOBO backpacker and a volunteer who was checking the game cameras and moving them. We got to Jim and Molly Denton Shelter around noon and even though we'd only been hiking for a couple of hours we decided to have lunch there. While Wrongway was napping and I was getting water, Noah John (the first April starter I've met) and Candyman came in for a quick snack. Soon behind them was Loveboat. We got to know each other a little bit and talked about our plans for the day. After our two hour lunch break we headed on down the mountain. Today was a cloudy but warm day. I was sweating like crazy, but my friend was a positive influence and reminded me that the forecast was for hotter and that the breeze was really nice. Halfway up our afternoon climb we stopped for a break and as I was bending my stiff legs I scwooshed (sp? hehe) a bee into stinging me--but all is good. The rest of the climb went by fast and we came upon some people at Manassas Gap Shelter. After they had moved on, Loveboat hiked in. Once we finally got moving again after snacks we flew down to Dick's Dome Shelter--I couldn't believe we were there already. We hiked the 0.2 in (so we could use the privy) and check out the uniquely-shaped shelter (see pictures). There we met Creek Diver (whom I had seen in Front Royal earlier). We decided to move on further until dark so that our hike tomorrow would be shorter to Bear's Den and so we would have more time to enjoy it. We passed up the first set of campsites to go further, but then the woods got dense and we were having a hard time finding anything good. We reached the Sky Meadows State Park boundary, and after reading the sign that said we couldn't camp on their property, we turned around and made the best of the area for a campsite. After eating, and setting up, it started to rain--what luck!