morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-06
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 25.1
Weather: clear sky

Yesterday was magical but today the trail took it all back. There is something called the Virginia Blues. It is the reason so many hikers do not make it to Harpers Ferry. Some say it¢s because Virginia is so long. I think it¢s because many of the wooded sections all look the same. There are times I actually think I'm hiking the same section over and over. There are some gorgeous spots in Virginia like McAfee Knob and Grayson Highlands. It's just that somedays I need a few spectacular sights and I just haven't gotten them.Trail Trash and I discussed how to get me out of this mood. We had several alternatives and decided an extra day in Waynesboro would help. Since we are running two days ahead it will not change our arrival in Harpers Ferry.After lunch we crossed the James River Foot Bridge. It is actually named for a man named Foot. He was once the president of the Natural Bridge Trail Club. It was a little difficult to cross with all the high school kids using it as a jumping platform.
Date: 2010-05-07
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Seely-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a better day. I knew I could could count on Cold Mountain for some great vistas so my mood was much better from the start. We also got an early start so I was thinking I would have a little time to relax after supper before bedtime. The day offered much more.After leaving Punchbowl we climbed through a forest with multiple road crossings. We also crossed a large suspension bridge at Pedlar River. Then we walked along a reservoir for awhile. As we left the water front I saw an older couple out walking. When they saw us they started back up the hill. Soon I was directly behind the man. He said I could pass whenever I was ready. But as I started to go around him, he started talking about opening the snack bar. I told him we would just walk slower and follow him. I was thinking about a cold Coke. He said all he had was lemonade. Trash and I both were checking our cash. We were going to eat!When we reached the road they went to a white SUV and opened the rear. This was trail magic at a whole different level. He poured lemonade and put out chips and dip. She made turkey salad sandwiches on onion rolls. Their names were Flash and Hot Flash and hiked in 1987. That's the year Trash was born. They told us stories from their hike and asked questions about ours. Meanwhile we ate big chunks of birthday cake and bear claws. We had a great time and an hour quickly slipped away.The next section of the trail passed through an historical area. Freed slaves built a community here along Brown Mountain Creek. All we could see was a stone wall along the creek. At the shelter a family was camping. Their three dogs kept trying to chase us off. They were harmless.We crossed US 60 and climbed Bald Mountain and Cold Mountain. In the grassy area of Cold Mountain we saw Bonnie Boy. He passed me an orange drink and congratulated me on making 800 miles.We sat in the grass and talked awhile before hiking on to find water. Five miles later we are looking for a spring. We didn't find it but we did see our first bear of the trip. Trash estimated it to be about 150 pounds. It was pretty with a jet black coat.We finally crossed a stream and got water. Close by was a boulder about the size of a small building with a huge tree on top. The roots wrapped down the sides.Tonight there is only one other person at the shelter. His name is General Lee. He did a 34.1 mile day. He is crazier than us.
Date: 2010-05-08
From: Seely-Woodworth Shelter

To: 1 mile past Blue Ridge Parkway at Three Ridges 
Miles today: 23.9

Destination: 1 Mile past Blue Ridge Parkway at Three Ridges OverlookStart: Seely Woodworth Shelter Mileage: 23.9Okay, today will be a shorter day and I'm ready for the break. Multiple days at 25 miles is hard and is leaving me really hungry. Of course everything leaves me hungry.The sky was overcast and it looked like we were going to walk in rain at least part of the day. We stopped at Spy Rock to check out the views. While we were up there I forwarded several journal entries to Susan.As we continued up the Priest the wind cleared the skies and the sun came out. It was still cool but only in the wind. We met a section hiker named Slow Mosie just before the shelter. He followed us in and told us about losing his way trying to get to a hostel the previous night. On the way down we met Utah. He had hiked part of the trail last year and was completing it this year. At the Tye River we sat on a rock and ate lunch. As I was leaving, a Scoutmaster and a couple of Scouts walked up. They were camped where Troop 1 camped last year. They said it was one of their favorite spots. I hiked up to Harper's Creek Shelter and took a break. I knew the next climb would be tough. Trail Trash and I talked with a section hiker going south. He warned us the rattlesnakes had been out in force when he crossed Humpback Mountain.Trail Trash found a journal entry in the shelter about a brew house at Reeds Gap. We discussed going there for supper. Monster burgers sounded so much better than a bowl of pasta. So we started climbing Three Ridges. On the backside we ran into Utah. He was up for Reeds Gap too. We stopped at Maupin Field Shelter for water and continued on. Unfortunately when we reached the road there was no indication of which way to go. We decided to head back into the woods and find a place to camp. So much for our evening of adventure and so much for my short day!
Date: 2010-05-09
From: 1 mile past Blue Ridge Parkway at Three Ridges 

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Who forgot to pay the heating bill? It was downright cold this morning. I was up and hiking by 7 AM. I was wearing all my clothing except my rain pants. That included gloves and a fleece cap. Trail Trash caught me at Dripping Rock Springs where we ate breakfast. Before we hiked on he called Susan to wish her a happy Mother's Day. While he talked I hiked a ways with Utah. At the top of Humpback we walked down to the Humpback Rock to take in the view. There were a lot of people there. When they found out we were thru-hikers they had lots of questions and words of encouragement.We stopped at Paul C. Wolfe Shelter for lunch. Our food bags are almost empty. We knocked out the next 5 miles in an hour and twenty-five minutes.At Rockfish Gap we called the Trail Angel Network in Waynesboro. Greg was there in 15 minutes to take us to the Quality Inn. Another Angel will take us back on Tuesday.After getting a room, we walked down the street to wash clothes. A lady approached us and told us she was a Trail Angel. We talked with her as we washed clothes and made trips to Dollar General for snack food. After showers we headed out to eat. General Lee opened his door and called us over. He will be here until tomorrow. Our plan was Italian, but when we got there we saw a steak house just across the street. Trash remembered it had a vegetable and fruit bar. Bet you can't guess where we went. Okay, you probably can. I ate more food than I have the last three days. Everything was good including the banana pudding (but not as good as Erin's).We're back at the room and I'm catching up journals. Time for bed.
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Waynesboro,VA

To: Waynesboro,VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was a zero day. I let Trail Trash sleep and headed down to the continental breakfast. It was actually pretty good. I started with yogurt and made a waffle. General Lee was there so I sat and talked with him while I ate. Trash came in just before we finished.Mark Doty, an old friend from college came by and drove us to Wal-Mart to pick up supplies. We also went to Rockfish Outfitters to get more Aquamira water treatment. On the way to the outfitter Mark picked up Strider. At the outfitter he offered rides to two other hikers. One of them was Flow Easy. We have been a day behind him for weeks. Mark left us at the outfitter while he took the other hikers to the trail. We stopped at Wessie's Kitchen for lunch. The meatloaf was excellent. At this point most food is. Mark took us back to the hotel. I think he had a ball shuttling us around and picking up hikers.The Quality Inn is several miles from the trail so I made a few calls to the Trail Angel Network and found a ride back to the trail in the morning. Trail Trash and I walked to Ming's Chinese Garden for supper. There was one whole bar of sushi and another of seafood. I ate until Trash started asking where I was putting all that food.Well, it's time to pack. We leave out after breakfast. There is just 165 miles left in Virginia!
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Waynesboro,VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up to a cold rain this morning. After breakfast we decided to stay in town one more day to let the weather improve.We walked to Subway for lunch and saw the Raffle Queen. She is a local trail angel we met Sunday. At the restaurant we saw General Lee and several other hikers. They had abandoned today's hike too and were headed to a cheaper hotel. We spent the afternoon napping and watching TV. There were also a couple of pints of ice cream that disappeared too.We didn't want to go far for supper so we went across the street for pizza. As we were leaving we saw General Lee and his group checking back into the Quality Inn. They indicated the other place was a bad experience and headed toward Ming's. We're back in the room and I've called home and talked a few minutes with my Scout Troop. I'll see you guys in a couple of months.
Date: 2010-05-12
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Black Rock Hut
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

The sky was clear when I looked out the window this morning. That was good because it was time to leave Waynesboro behind.I took one last shower and walked over to the hotel office for a couple of waffles and some apple juice. When I got back Trash was in the shower. I finished packing and called the Trail Angel to schedule our ride. He arrived just before 9 AM and we were on the trail 15 minutes later.After stopping to get a permit we headed for Calf Mountain Shelter for lunch. Utah was there drying out from yesterday's rain. We hung around about an hour talking and eating. After lunch we filled our water bottles since the next 12 miles was dry.As we hiked we began to hear thunder. The afternoon storms were starting earlier than predicted. At first the rain was light but after awhile it we were getting soaked. When we got to the shelter all our clothes were wet. Inside the shelter was General Lee, Seeker, Specs, Wild Man, and a couple others. We cooked supper and settled in for the night.I hope my clothes are dry in the morning.
Date: 2010-05-13
From: Black Rock Hut

To: High Top Hut
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning I was first out of the shelter. The sky was hidden by heavy fog. On the way up to Black Rock, Twigs caught up with me. He is a high school English teacher. We walked together for awhile then I needed to shed a layer. I walked the rest of the morning by myself. Everyone stopped at Pinefield Hut for lunch. A trail maintainer came in while we were eating and talked our ears off. He was still talking when we left.The climb up High Top was steep in places and I was wearing down. I still got there before 5 PM. I'll have to do better tomorrow. The plan is to stop at a camp store in the morning and a wayside near the end of the day for supper.Tomorrow is 24 miles so I'll need an early start.
Date: 2010-05-14
From: High Top Shelter

To: Rock Spring Shelter
Miles today: 20.9

I got an early start this morning. I hit the trail before 7 AM. Twigs and I hiked the first five miles together which was enough to cross the 900 mile mark. The weather was really humid and slowed my progress to Lewis Mountain Campground. When I arrived all my clothes were soaked. It wasn't long before I was cooling off with a pint of ice cream. The whole group of us sat in front of the camp store eating all sorts of junk food. I love this freedom to eat anything and everything and not worry about weight gain. Wild Man's dad came to pick him up for Trail Days. Hopefully he'll catch back up. Twigs asked everyone to keep him away from the car. He said he wanted to go but needed to hike more.We all headed to Big Meadows in the afternoon. We planned to eat supper at the wayside. We all arrived a little before 4 PM. That gave us a little time to dry wet clothes. The wayside meal was great. We topped it off with blackberry milkshakes. They were worth every mile we hiked.As we headed out the door a storm came up. It hailed dime size pellets. It cleared up soon and we started toward Rock Spring Hut. Before we got there the skies turned dark again. Another thunderstorm struck with more hail. It didn't last long but it was enough that wet clothes are hung all over the shelter.Tomorrow's plan is for 28 miles and supper at another wayside.
Date: 2010-05-15
From: Rock Spring Shelter

To: Elkwallow Gap
Miles today: 22.6

Today was a mixed bag of tricks. Some were good and some not so good. I spent the night listening to a section hiker roll back and forth on his Big Agnes air mattress. He had bragged about how comfortable it was when he was blowing it up. As much as he rolled on it, I have my doubts. Every time he moved it sounded like someone rattling a newspaper. My little torso pad is quiet and reasonably comfortable. I'll stick with it.At sunrise I was up and packed. It was to be a big day and since I'm slower than the rest of the group I wanted a good head start. I even decided to wait on breakfast until I found a water source next to the trail. It was 6:10 AM and I was already hiking.About two miles into the hike I saw something move in the trees ahead of me. I stopped just in time to see a black bear step out on the trail in my direction. As soon as he saw me he stopped too. I'm trying to get my camera out but he was too fast. In a flash he turned and ran off through the woods. My second bear and still no pictures.Before long I was approaching Skyland Resort. I decided pancakes sounded a lot better than mashed potatoes for breakfast. As I entered the dining room a rather curt hostess stopped me and ordered me to take my pack outside. I really don't like to leave it where I can't see it. Another hiker I know recently returned after a few minutes to find his pack dumped and his camera and money gone. I did comply and returned to be seated. My waitress was very nice and made sure I had everything I needed. The orange juice was especially good.After breakfast I hiked to Pinnacle Picnic Area. I had told Trail Trash I would meet him there. While I waited I decided to spread all my gear out in the sun. That would dry out all the dampness that collects in the quilt and clothing. Twigs came up and decided to dry his gear too. Soon everyone was there and I packed up to move on. Trail Trash told me before I left that his stomach was bothering him. I told him I was stopping at Molly's Rock for lunch and I would see him there. The rest of the group headed to Elkwallow Wayside as I climbed Molly's Rock. I was not sure I could made the wayside before it closed but my plan was after a short lunch I would hike as fast as I could to make supper. Trash showed up a little after I sat down and was not doing any better. I suggested cutting the day short but he was determined he could make it. He moved on while I finished lunch.I caught up with Trash later in the afternoon. It was obvious he was sick so we made our way to Elkwallow and caught a ride to Front Royal. Food selection was not great so we got what we could from a convenience store next to the hotel. I was hoping after a good night's sleep we could continue.
Date: 2010-05-16
From: Front Royal

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Destination: Home Start: Front Royal Mileage: 0This morning Trail Trash is in no condition to hike and I'm not sure tomorrow will be any better. What he needs is food and rest. I called Susan and she is on the way to pick us up.I'm not concerned about finishing the trail. We have covered almost half of it. I'm thinking a week at home will renew both of us and help get us moving again.We'll be back on the trail Sunday May 23rd.
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Home

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

Finally we are back on the trail. Trail Trash is all better and is drinking electrolytes with his water to prevent another episode like last Saturday. My daughter says we are just section hikers because we hike a section and come home. Whatever! If we get to Katahdin before next March we are still thru-hikers.Harold Barnhardt drove us up this morning. We only made one wrong turn. We got to Elkwallow Gap in time for lunch. About 2 PM Trail Trash and I started hiking. It rained on us just a little. I guess the trail was welcoming us back to our soggy existence.I stopped to check a couple of things in my pack and Trash went on ahead. We both wanted to leave the park as quick as possible since our permit had expired. It seemed a little silly to get another one when we would be out of the park by dark.I only stopped one time all afternoon and that was to fill my water bottle. With 17 miles to hike by dark I didn't have a lot of time to spare.Harold and his dog Libby drove to Linden and then hiked south to meet us. Their distance was about 11 miles. I was last to arrive at the shelter. It was full of section hikers and one thru-hiker named Moose. We set up our tents and fixed supper. Tomorrow we'll get back to our routine of hiking all day. Just 54 more miles of Virginia. I will be so happy to put this state behind me.
Date: 2010-05-24
From: Tom Floyd Shelter

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: light rain

The shelter was full last night so we were all in tents. I sleep better in my tent but I sometimes opt for the shelter when it looks like rain. I woke up to rain pounding on my tent. It stopped just as it was time to get up but we had to carry wet tents all day. This morning's trail was wet and muddy.   Moose walked with us until we got to the road for Front Royal. He hitched in to resupply. I stopped at the Denton Shelter for a break and to look at the solar shower. Unfortunately it was not working.I caught up with Trail Trash and Harold at VA 55 for lunch. Harold had stuff to make ham sandwiches in the van. They were great with the cold Cokes and bag of chips. After lunch we started running into other thru-hikers. I felt a little out of place since most of these hikers had been together for awhile. I did get updated on We'll See and Sonic. Both are only a couple of days ahead and we will probably catch up to them in the next week or so.At Dick's Dome we are spread out. Harold and Libby are the other side of the creek. Trail Trash is in the shelter and I settled in on the hill. Tomorrow we are going to Bear's Den. They have pizza and Ben and Jerry's ice cream.
Date: 2010-05-25
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: light rain

Destination: Bear's Den Hostel Start: Dick's Dome Shelter Mileage: 18.3Another early morning rain started the day. Nothing like carrying a wet tent all day. I went ahead and started packing but it was still after 8 when I got out of camp.The trail was over grown with vines and weeds. So much for trail maintenance. There were places north of Ashby Gap I wasn't sure I was even on a trail. Sonic had left a message at Rod Hollow Shelter about inventing trekking pole/ machetes. That way he could clear the trail as he hiked. There was also some mention of ticks. I brought this up to the staff at Bear's Den but all I heard back were excuses.After lunch we started hiking the roller coaster. It is reportedly a tough section of trail. We all cruised along with no problems. It was more like a few bumps in the road.Tonight we are at Bear's Den with Moose, Monkey Toes and Crazy Bear. Trail Trash got a free stay courtesy of a Trail Angel. I had to pay just to sleep outside. The shower was worth the price. I also got my clothes washed and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.I talked with Susan. She says it will be hot the next two days. I plan to leave early in the morning so it¢s off to bed.
Date: 2010-05-26
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Harper's Ferry, West Va.
Miles today: 20.3

It was not as early as I wanted to leave, but by 6:30 I was on the trail. I had even eaten a bag of mashed potatoes and drank the rest of a bottle of apple juice I found in the fridge. I thanked Harold for the ride back to the trail and hiking with us three days. He was calling his friend Mack to pick him up this morning. I asked Libby if she wanted to hike. From her actions I could tell all she wanted to do was sleep.I saw Monkey Toes and Crazy Bear at the first road crossing. They were ending their section hike in Harper's Ferry. Just before 10:00 I got to the Blackburn Center. It is run by the ATC. As I started down the side trail, Trail Trash shows up. I was surprised he had caught up to me. He said he was anxious to complete Virginia. We congratulated each other on completing 1000 miles. We ate some lunch and dried gear including my grass covered tent.We were about to leave when the maintainer drove up. When he found out we were thru-hikers he offered soft drinks and Oreos. Of course we accepted.I left first and headed for WV 9. There is a mini-mart there so I hiked over to get Gatorade and water. Trail Trash showed up just as I was leaving. We drank the Gatorade on the way back to the trail. Then we hiked the last few miles of Virginia together. By 3:30 we were at ATC Headquarters. We registered as hikers 131 and 132. As we were looking for friends in the register Baltimore Jack walked in. He remembered us from Neil's Gap and asked us about our hike.We then headed to the historic district to get a room and some supper. As we walked into the inn we heard someone calling Trail Trash. It was Sonic. He was on the way to buy new shoes but said he would meet us for supper.Moose finally made it to town. We saw him in the restaurant as we were leaving. Turns out he is staying in our semi-private room with us. Tomorrow we will be going to Matt and Maggie's in Maryland for a couple days. The weather is supposed to be bad tomorrow night so it will be a good time to be inside.