morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-21
From: Chatfield shelter area

To: Lynn Camp creek footbridge
Miles today: 20.3

Chatfield shelter to Lynn Camp Creek footbridge. 20.3 MHad a restful night in the tent. Woke early to raindrops on the tent. Got everything packed and the tent put up before it got wet. Had a banana for breakfast with water. On the trail at 7:10 am. Looking forward to a real breakfast in Atkins, only 4.5 miles away. Steady light drizzle all the way, but got to the restaurant before 9 am. Had an awesome and large breakfast. Three eggs, three bacon, three large biscuits with six butters and six jellies, hash browns, about five cups of coffee and a tall glass of water. Finished with a dish of warm peach cobbler. All very good. As I was paying at the cash register a man came in and asked me if I was hiking South. I told him i was hiking North toward Maine. He told me that by the time I got there, there wouldn't be anything left of me. Said I better fuel the furnace. I told him there wasn't a lot of me when I started. By the time breakfast was finished the rain had mostly subsided. Only a fine mist and occasional sprinkle. Hiking for the day was a mixture of grassy fields/pastures and lower elevation mountains. Some of the fields had cattle in them. Walking thru the fields in the morning was wet as the thigh high grass was wet and drooping into the trail. There were some pretty views of the grassy areas backed by Virginia mountains. Around noon the skies began to clear and there was no more rain for the day. Some of the trail passes thru private property and there are signs advising hikers to not stray from the trail without written permission from the landowner. Quite a few stair climbs over fences. Some of the taller ones can be difficult to cross. At one of these there was some trail magic. A thru hiker from 2006 had left two coolers with sodas and PB&J sandwiches. I picked up a soda as a Southbound hiker arrived from the other side of the fence. He was ranting about how the cattle in the field freaked him out by following him. He started up the muddy slope to the coolers when his foot slipped and he came stumbling down toward me. Directly behind me was a barbed wire fence and a steep drop-off. If I had not wrapped an arm around him he would have been into the fence and in trouble. When you lose your footing and are stumbling downhill with a heavy pack, it is really hard to regain control. He was even more freaked out after that. I continued on with the goal of reaching Knot Maul Branch shelter. Got there about 4 pm and went a couple more miles to a nice spot beside a rolling stream. It is in a low area so I won't have the early sun and may get a later start Friday morning. Will have a pretty good climb in the morning. About 2100 ft of elevation but it is over 4 miles so the gradient should not be too steep. Weather forecast for the next few days is pretty good. Hope it's right so my boots will dry. Although there are some sprinkles falling on the tent right now. Time to do some reading and get some sleep. Can't wait till breakfast time. I have raisins and some sugar to add in my oatmeal. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-22
From: Lynn Camp creek footbridge

To: Jenkins shelter area
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: light rain

Lynn Camp Creek to Jenkins shelter area. 18.6 MAll was quiet after the rain sprinkles last night after dark. Woke to a cold, cloudy morning. Had breakfast, got the wet tent put up and was on the trail at 8:10 am. This was a day of climbing up and down. The morning was very cold for me. Even wore gloves for a while. The clouds started breaking up by late morning. At lunch time I reached Chestnut Knob shelter, 4400 ft elevation. It was a very nice shelter. One of just a few that is enclosed, with a door. There were some nice views approaching and at the shelter. Hot Soup was there. He is a section hiker and is leaving the trail tomorrow. Snack Time and Detox joined us after a while, along with two day hikers from the area. After lunch I started down the mountain. Unfortunately I left my water bottle at the shelter. Will need to pick up another in town.Today I think I was starting to feel my age. The last few miles were tough. The legs were really tired. Reached Jenkins shelter about 5 pm, and Hot Soup was there. He felt the same as me. Snack Time and Detox arrived but did not stay long. They wanted to log a few more miles. EZ came in a little later and also indicated it was a challenging day. Finn arrived and was out of water and very thirsty. Luckily the water source is close at this shelter. Everyone seems to be stopping in the town of Bland tomorrow. It is 13 trail miles away. I need to pick up a few things so will get into town. But not sure about staying overnight. I also need to stop in Pearisburg to pick up a replacement part for my trekking pole. And that is only 2 or 3 days away. Will decide tomorrow what to do.For now, some rest is in order. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-24
From: past Helvey Mills shelter

To: 1.5 miles before Wapiti shelter 
Miles today: 21.0

Past Helveys Mill shelter to 1.5 M before Wapiti shelter. 21 MSlept well at this campsite. Woke early to sun and clear skies. The temperature was comfortable, no need for a jacket. Had oatmeal, banana and coffee and hiking at 7:30 am. Had the usual ups and downs thru the morning, but nothing to taxing. Elevation ranged from about 2100 ft to 3500 ft. Had one fall early but no damage. Saw two deer browsing near the trail and took a picture. Not sure if they will show up. Also saw one deer on the trail yesterday. Saw a garter snake today, and a large black snake yesterday at a shelter. The rhododendron continues to be the dominant blooming flower. Very pretty, and dense in some areas. I hiked all morning till 1 pm and did not see another hiker. Very unusual. Was having lunch by a road and Hammer Toe came by. He and brother Soul Seeker started before me this morning but were stopped at a shelter and I passed them. As I was sitting on the side of the road for lunch, noticed a large bruise on my left arm. Not sure how I got it or how long it's been there. Continued after lunch and took a .3 mile side trail to see Dismal Falls. It is a small falls on the Dismal River. A popular spot for local folks as there were quite a few people there. Also there was Poo Bear, the trail angel that was giving folks shuttle rides yesterday. He is doing trail magic at the Falls for two days. We helped him bring down coolers, grill, food, etc. Then he began feeding hikers. Hot dogs, watermelon, fruit, drinks, chips, etc. Very nice. The water was cold but people were jumping into the pool below the falls. I left the Falls about 4:30 pm and hiked a few more miles until I found a spot for the tent with water near. Set up camp and I'm good for the night. Have a few climbs tomorrow but it will be a lower mileage day. I'm only 20 miles from Pearisburg and I don't want to arrive before Tuesday. The new part for my trekking pole should be there by then. I expect to stay the night in town and leave Wednesday morning. I hope that holiday has not delayed delivery of the pole part. Don't want to have to spend an extra day in town waiting on the mail. All for now. Will do a little reading. Finished The Grapes of Wrath, and will start something else tonight. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-25
From: 1.5 miles before Wapiti shelter 

To: 3 miles before Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

1.5 miles before Wapiti shelter to 3 miles before Pearisburg, VA. 17 MGot going Monday morning a little slower than usual. Don't need big miles today so started hiking at 8:30 am. Beginning elevation is about 2400 ft and will be climbing to about 4000 ft. Thankfully most of the climbs use switchbacks so the gradient is not so steep. My goal is to reach a spot a few miles outside Pearisburg and camp there tonight. Took pics of several scenic views. Most from the top of a ridge looking down in the direction of Pearisburg. Passed a group of 6 youths and 3 adults hiking toward town. They got on the trail Friday and will get off Tuesday. All nice people. Also met another section hiker, Nemo. He was hiking South. Not unusual for a section hiker to do some sections in the South direction, and some in the North direction. The planned finish area for the day is higher elevation so I wanted to pick up water before I left the lower elevations. Unfortunately the two springs shown in the guide were both poor sources, so will make do with the water that I have. Got to a spot on the ridge with space for the tent at about 4 pm so stopped and set up camp. It is only 3 miles from Pearisburg. Will hike into town and do the normal town chores, plus pick up my new trekking pole section in the morning. Spend the night in a hostel, and leave Wednesday morning. Next resupply should be in the area of 4 Pines Hostel or Catawba, VA, around mile 708 on the trail. Over and out. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-26
From: 3 miles before Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: clear sky

3 miles before Pearisburg to Pearisburg, VA. 3 MMonday nights campsite was pretty good, although sloped a little downhill. Woke early with the sunrise and got camp broke fairly quickly. Skies are overcast and cloudy. Today will be a Nero. That means near zero miles. The trail is about all downhill into Pearisburg. There are several stunning views from rock outcroppings. One is called Angels Rest, and the name seems appropriate. Beautiful spot, and my photos don't do it justice. I arrived at the Motor Lodge early, about 8:30 am. Surprisingly, they went ahead and put me in a room. They have special rooms for hikers, with an affordable rate. The room isn't much, but compared to sleeping in the woods, it's fine. My package from Black Diamond has not arrived yet. I checked with them and they said the new pole piece should be here on Wednesday. Was hoping to get back on the trail early Wednesday morn, but will now have to wait on the FedEx delivery. I will take that as another opportunity to eat more in town. I got cleaned up and laundry done pretty quickly. Decided I wanted a big salad from Wendy's for lunch and had to walk 35 minutes one way to the opposite side of town for it. Got to see the downtown and some nice residential areas. There was a Civil War battle fought near here, and the Confederate troops won. There is a monument commemorating the victory downtown. After lunch and the long walk back I stopped at the grocery store for restocking. As I got ready to walk back to my room it started to rain very hard. I let it slow to a drizzle and walked back. Ate a pint of Ben & Jerrys Chunky Monkey for a snack. Spent some time getting my gear in order and cleaned. Went to an AYCE Chinese restaurant for dinner and had an outstanding meal. Food and service were outstanding. Ate too much I'm sure, but couldn't help myself. Will finish the evening with some TV, potato chips and Mt Dew. And keeping fingers crossed that Fedex arrives early. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-28
From: .1 mile before Dickinson Gap

To: Johns Creek Mountain Trail
Miles today: 21.5

.1 mile before Dickinson Gap to Johns Creek Mountain Trail. 21.5 MPartly cloudy skies and light fog this morning. The fog dissipated within an hour. Had oat meal and a banana before breaking camp and hiking at 7:30 am. Passed Pine Branch shelter mid-morning and reached The Captains a little later. This is a personal residence and the owner is very friendly to hikers. He allows hikers to tent in his yard. To get to it from the trail you use a zip line to cross Stony Creek. Sounds simple enough, but add a heavy backpack and trekking poles and it gets more complicated. I'll only say that I did get across, and for more details ask me sometime. The Captain has a pretty home on a very nice and fast moving creek. He keeps a refrigerator on his back porch filled with soda for hikers. No charge. He is having a big hiker feed this weekend. Fried fish on Friday and burgers and dogs on Saturday. I had some soda, took a few pictures and zipped back across the creek. The climb away from The Captains was long and difficult. Stopped at Bailey Gap shelter for lunch. In the afternoon I went by an area called Mountain Lake. Never saw a lake, but there was a great scenic view from a rock outcropping. Around 2 pm it started to sprinkle/drizzle. I stopped at War Spur shelter to let the rain pass and fill my water containers. The plan was to continue another 3 miles to a camp area. But the area had no water, so I had to fill up ahead. Could really feel the weight of 4 liters of water. Had some more drizzle as I hiked, but nothing serious. The last mile and a half to the camp area was a serious climb. Took longer than I expected and I arrived at about 6 pm. Worn out and hungry. Set up camp and ate a noodle and Spam meal. All in all a pretty decent day. Good mileage considering the difficult climbs, a stopat The Captains, and the rain. My left calf is pretty sore tonight, but should be OK by tomorrow. Now some rest and a snack. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-29
From: Johns Creek Mountain Trail

To: site at base of Brush Mtn
Miles today: 17.2

Johns Creek Mountain Trail to site at base of Brush Mountain. 17.2 MCloudy skies again this morning. Ate breakfast (oatmeal with raisins added & coffee) and broke camp. The two young men from upstate New York that were camped here have not stirred yet. Hiking was pretty routine with no major issues. Got to Laurel Creek shelter fairly soon and some of the over nighters had not left yet. Left there and the next stop would be at the Keffer Oak. This is the largest oak tree in the South on the AT. It is 18 ft around and over 300 years old. Took longer than I expected but did finally reach the tree. And it is large. It is near a pasture area where cattle graze. Gazed at it a while and took a couple of pictures. If only this tree could talk, the stories it could tell. It was 50/75 years old during the American Revolution.Hiked a while past the Keffer Oak to a spot near the Sarver Hollow shelter and stopped for lunch. Elevation was about 3400 ft in this area. After lunch followed the trail along the ridge top. Very rocky, but nice views between the tree cover. About 1 pm the thunder began, and it wasn't long before raindrops started falling. Couldn't be in a much worse place for a thunderstorm to occur. Just starting across a very long expanse of exposed, sloped, smooth rock. The wind and rain was coming directly at me from the open side of the ridge. No place to take shelter. Nothing to do but continue on. Each of these smooth, slick rock surfaces was from 20 to 40 yards across. So I am carefully crossing each rock expanse while the wind and rain are pummeling me. There must have been 10 or 15 of these to cross, but I finally got across the last one. Off the rock and back into the woods. Felt good to be there. More hiking, mostly downhill, brought me to Niday shelter (elevation 2000 ft). On the way down the rain had gradually stopped. There were four guys at the shelter, including Finn, who left shortly to try to get to the next shelter (10 miles). It was about 3:30 pm. While I was stopped there for a snack and to dry, a man and woman arrived. I decided it was too late for me to get to the next shelter, so instead went only about 2.5 miles farther and set up camp. In a flat area, but very low. Fixed dinner and got everything in the tent just in time. Significant rain falling right now. Hope it stops tonight and the trail can dry a little. Encountered another deer on trail today, as well as a black snake crossing the trail. The deer near the trail don't bolt away as soon as they see me. Instead they will hop a few yards ahead or off the trail and stop and watch. Maybe even continue browsing. Accustomed to hikers I guess. Think I will fix some hot chocolate and eat a candy bar with peanut butter gobbed on it for a snack. I know, bad idea to cook in the tent, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. That's all for now. Crossing fingers and toes that the rain will stop soon.O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-30
From: site at base of Brush Mtn

To: 4 Pines hostel
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

Base of Brush Mountain to 4 Pines Hostel. 13 MGot going early at 7:15 am. Want to get to 4 Pines Hostel and would like to get there before a chance of rain. Morning is cloudy and foggy at start. Very humid due to yesterday's rain. The serious climb for the day will be Dragons Tooth. An extremely rocky, craggy mountain. The climb up was a challenge. The climb down was an equal challenge. Very technical and tricky. Of course, wearing a 30 lb pack makes it especially difficult. Made it to the Hostel about 2 pm. Had a shower an they gave a group of us a ride to the Home Place AYCE restaurant. This place is renowned for the food. I ate way too much this time and was miserable for the evening. This hostel has a bunkhouse, a barn and tent camping. The bunkhouse smells pretty bad so I will sleep in the barn. Quite a few people here tonight, although the owner took a group of hikers to The Captains for the hiker feed this afternoon. This hostel has a real menagerie of animals. A bunch of different types of chickens and ducks, dogs, cats, etc. Met some nice folks on the trail again today. A mother/son duo from Indiana. Flash and Smoke. Thru hikers and they move at a very good pace. No doubt they will make it to Maine. Took some pictures of the Dragons Tooth and restaurant. The Dragons Tooth photos are not of the most technical, challenging area. Taking a photo was the last thing on my mind coming down from the top. Tomorrow will bring more climbing and should reach McAfee Knob early afternoon. This is a famous photo spot on the trail. Getting there on Sunday isn't great as there will likely be lots of people hiking to the Knob. OK, I know I was just whining about overeating, but had to have a pint of Moose Tracks ice cream, about 9 pm. About time to get ready to turn in for the night. A lower mileage day, but at least I didn't get wet. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-01
From: Daleville, VA

To: Wilson Creek shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

Daleville, VA to Wilson Creek shelter. 11.2 MForgot to mention in yesterday's post, the six folks in the picture at the Homeplace restaurant include Squirrel, an archaeologist from PA and Midwest Mom from Chicago, both section hikers. And Midwest Mom took a bad fall a while back and hit her forehead on a rock. Had to come off trail for a bit and get sewed up. She will be finishing her section soon. The other four at the table are thru hikers. Homer, my shuttle driver for the morning picked me up on time at 7 am. Dropped me off at a Bo Jangles restaurant for breakfast near the trail. Had breakfast and did some journal updating then hit the trail at 8:30 am. Still beating myself up mentally over the errors that I made yesterday. Resulted in me being over tired today and the body is sore, and feet have some trouble spots again. Will have to do better than that in the future. The morning went OK. Hiked 7 miles by lunch time. Then did another 4 miles to Wilson Creek shelter at 2 pm. Dark clouds and thunder kept a group of us at the shelter to see what the weather would do. Ended up staying at the shelter all afternoon and also tonight. Raining cats and dogs off and on all afternoon and evening. Will hope for better weather tomorrow although the forecast is not promising. Dry for now. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-02
From: Wilson Creek shelter

To: camp past Bryant Ridge shelter. 
Miles today: 23.9

Wilson Creek shelter to camp past Bryant Ridge shelter (M762.9). 23.9 MNo regrets about spending my third night at a shelter last night. Yesterday was a low mileage day due to stopping early at the shelter but I missed hiking in heavy rain and setting up camp in rain. The shelter was full last night, seven people I think. Looked like a package of hot dog buns in there. Also were about eight tents set up around the area. I slept OK and woke pretty early. Did not want to wake everyone so waited till nearly 6:30 am to get up. Had breakfast, packed and hiking at 7:35 am. The first half of the day was small ups and downs. No big climbs. Weather was overcast and foggy. The trail is very close to and crosses several times the Blue Ridge Parkway. Similar to when I got into the Smokies, the views were mostly obscured by the fog. But I did take a few pictures. I saw quite a few of the small orange lizards that I first saw in Georgia. First I have seen of them since GA. Also saw a nice green snake on the trail. Stopped for lunch at Cove Mtn shelter (752.8 M). Uncle D and No Name were there also. They would be following me out after lunch. The next shelter was Bryant Ridge shelter. It is one of the largest on the trail. Two story and room for 20. But I first had to get over Fork Mountain. Left Cove Mtn shelter about 1:00 pm and reached Bryant Ridge around 3:50 pm. The distance was 7 miles. I was feeling OK so decided to go another 3 miles up Floyd Mtn to another camp spot. There was some risk in this as the weather was threatening rain. Had been dry all day at that point. Anyway, I went for it. Fortunately I got to the site and got everything set up before the rain started. It did start raining steadily when I was cooking dinner, but no problem. I can't tell you how good it feels to have the tent up with all gear inside and dry and rain falling outside. And a high mileage day also. Will have to see what the weather is like tomorrow, but if all goes well I may reach Glasgow, VA. I think they have free pavilion camping and hot showers in the park. And a restaurant meal maybe. If I don't get there tomorrow then it should be by early Thursday. Have passed the one third point on miles now. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-03
From: camp past Bryant Ridge shelter. 

To: Glasgow, VA tent area. 
Miles today: 21.7

Past Bryant Ridge shelter to Glasgow, VA (mile 784.6). 21.7 MThe rain that began at dinner time Tuesday evening continued all night. Slept well and woke to a cool, foggy and rainy morning. Got things ready to go and waited a bit, but the weather did not change. So started hiking in the rain at 8:15 am. The morning was mostly climbing from about 2900 ft to 4200 ft elevation. Passed Cornelius Creek shelter at 5 miles and arrived at Thunder Hill shelter at 10 miles about 11:00 am. Had an early lunch there as the next shelter was 12 miles away. The rain continued all morning. There were some very nice overlooks, but nothing to see due to the fog or cloud cover. The afternoon was mostly downhill with short burst climbs mixed in. Ahead was Matts Creek shelter at mile 782.4, followed by the highway to Glasgow about 2.4 miles further. The last section of trail is along   the James River. The trail crosses the river on a large footbridge. Took a picture of the bridge and a plaque dedicated to the man that got the bridge built. Don't know where hikers crossed the river before the footbridge was in place. Decided to go into Glasgow for the evening. When I reached the highway there was Griffin and Parkay trying to catch a ride. I had planned to call for a free shuttle ride, but had no phone service. So I started walking the 5.9 miles to town. Thankfully, after about 15 minutes a car stopped to give me a ride. I was lucky with that as the road went up and down hills with warnings for trucks about the steepness and curves. Also, really no shoulder to walk on. Got to the small town and set my very wet tent up in the area reserved for hikers. Went next to a pizza place and had their Wednesday special. Large 16 inch pepperoni/cheese pie. Can't believe I ate the whole thing. After that it was Dollar General for resupply. Got all I needed plus a 48 oz Edys Butterfinger ice cream. Can't believe I ate most of that also. Got everything put away and ready to turn in. Listening to rain on the roof again. Hoping for some dry time tomorrow, but folks tell me more rain is in the forecast. Wonder if my boots will ever be dry again. Will have to find some way to call for a shuttle ride in the morning, as I don't want to start walking on that highway again. Definitely not safe. Over and out, for now. O'RYAN