morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-03-28
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Again, God is good! For a second day we were predicted to be in rain, but got a beautiful hike day. This morning Nikki and Brayden joined us. After a morning shutteling cars we started off. Janet joined us at first but Mary, Nikki and Brayden drove to Keys Gap to catch us there.Starting off across the Shenandoah bridge we were all bundled up against the chilly wind. We crossed under the bridge and stopped to shed layers before heading up the hill. Throughout the day we continued to shed and replace layers of clothing...it was cold, it was hot... it was hiking in March!We all did well, but where thrilled to be slackpacking this twelve miles. We cruised into Blackburn just about the time we were all about finished. Met Trail Boss (great guy!) who gave us the run down on the place. He then suggested that if Janet is spending the night tonight why not have her take our packs to Bears Den for us in the morning and slack pack tomorrow also. He had to twist our arms to convince us, but we finally consented to slackpacking a second day. We really liked this guy! :o)Now Roo and I are chilling out on the porched. She had a fantasic day by the way. I was very proud of her. Owl is working on some school work. She took some picture along the way today of historical markers and she is logging them in her journal.Tigger and Carolyn (I think she decided on csoring as her trial name) are down at the house grilling steaks for dinner. I LOVE slackpacking! Janet and Mary are shutteling cars from Keys gap, but will be back soon. Nikki and Brayden headed home with promises of seeing us again in SNP.It's a good day to be in the woods!Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-03-29
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Bear's Den
Miles today: 8.6

Nice start of the day at Blackburn. We got to meet the new caretakers just before heading out. What a fun job! Then we were heading south slackpacking once more thanks to Janet.The wind was our fickled friend today. It would kick up icey cold and we would pull on our hats and gloves only to have it disappear and leave us sweating. The sun on the other hand was steady and faithful all day.We took a lunch break at Cressant Rock. Owl and I dug into our stash of raspberry, chocolate peanut butter. We shared a little flat bread with Roo, but I think she knew she was missing something. We then stetched out in the sun for a short nap. It was wonderful.We crossed into the Virginia Roller Coaster today. Tomorrow our whole day will be ups and downs. The temperatures are supposed to drop severly tonight. Not looking forward to that.Tonight we are staying at the cottage at Bears Den. Dogs are not allowed on the Hiker room and with the temps prediced in the 20s tonight we opted for checking out the cottage rather than tenting. It's pretty nice, just no running water. But we've got a fireplace and beds so we're happy. We were able to get showers, wash some laundry and eat some Ben and Jerry's at the main house... and they shared some brownies. Yum! Chatted for a few minutes with Marie. Very nice lady!Tomorrow is a long, cold day with full packs...but I guess it had to come eventually. I fear we have rain predicted the day after that. I sure would like for that to hold off.Hikers are doing well. Owl is fighting a bit of a cold, but is hanging in there. Roo is learning the hike routine beautifully. She has learned quickly to hike just behind the lead hiker. She steps off the trail to allow other hikers to pass...she's doing terrific. Me, I'm a little sore in the shins, but nothing serious. All in all we are doing well and still moving south.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-03-30
From: Bear's Den

To: Rod Hollow
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: broken clouds

We woke Sunday morning to freezing temperatures and were very glad we had made the choice to stay in the cottage. We took advantage of having a microwave and cooktop and made up some pancakes and bacon. Dehydrated raspberries are excellent in pancakes :O) Before heading out we read Psalm 100 and said a prayer to start the day.Then it was on to the roller coaster. Right off the bat Tigger and Csoring got caught up in a conversation with a couple day hikers. The pace was a little fast for Owl and I so we hung back with Roo. Later in the day we caught up and flip flopped each other throughout the day. I didn't think there was any way we would make it to our planned destination of Rod Hollow by the end of the day, but we did. The Virginia Roller Coaster just about just about wiped us out, but we beat it!The day was still cold and threatening to rain when we arrived at the shelter. We discussed setting our tents up in the shelter since we were pretty sure we would be the only ones around. We hadn't encountered anyone other than day hikers all day. I had decided before we started that I would not sleep in any shelters with River. I just don't want to deal with any hike-dog conflicts. But since we really did seem to be alone I decided to do the shelter also.We were hanging our poncho tarps across the front to block out the wind when in walked a section hiker. Jenny was from Yellowstone and was planning to hike as far as she could in Virginia in three weeks. Today she had hiked from David Lesser shelter. It took us two and a half days to do that! She was one fit young hiker. And luckily she liked River, so we were okay. Of course I didn't sleep at all because I worried over River all night long. From now on it's a tent for us.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-03-31
From: Rod Hollow

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We rose to a dreary day, but just knowing we were out of the roller coaster was enough motivation to move on. Today we were going to be hiking over Sky Meadow, which promised to be some beautiful scenery. As we crossed the mountain in pea soup thick fog I was reminded of the time Norma took me to Max Patch to show me the view only to be fogged in. I'm assured that Max Patch is beautiful, just as Csoring assures me Sky Meadow is. Even with the fog it was an intersting walk. It reminded me of an old English novel.When we stopped for lunch Roo began to get the shivers. I realized I needed to keep her moving in order to keep her warm in this drizzle. So we pushed through the rest of the day without stops. Today we finished at Dick's Dome shelter. Owl and I set up the tent and immediately brought Roo inside to get her dried off and warm. She is such a princess. She perked up real fast when dinner was ready.Again we saw no other hikers all day, but just as we were settling in for the night along comes a crowd. Weird. Not sure who they are, I was already snuggled in when they arrived. I'll get the scoop tomorrow. For now, It's off to bed.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-04-01
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: moderate rain

Ahhh, this feels so good! Sitting on a comfy bench, beautiful blue skies, warm temps, fed, washed and cleaned up. But let me start at the beginning...Turns out the group that came in last night was a college group from a Christian school in Nashville. Mostly girls with a couple of guys leading them. I didn't get the whole story but a few snipets... hiked 18 miles...carrying 50+ lb packs...in the rain...in cotton clothes...didn't have enough fuel to boil water to warm up (Tigger bailed them out on that one) Hmmm...We packed up and headed out early. the weather was still overcast and drizzly. Ups and downs, ups and downs. By lunch we stopped at Manassas Gap shelter and the sun began to peak out. We had a great rest time, but eventually had to move on.As we moved into the afternoon the sun came out in full force and we found ourselves dropping more layers and beginning to be a little concerned about water. Our thru hiker guide said the spring at Denton shelter, our goal for the day, might be dry. We couldn't imagine after all the rain we had been in that it could be dry.The final hill after Rt 55 was a killer! I don't know if it was the heat or if we had just had enough by that time but it was tough on us all. At the top was a lovely meadow. We all dropped and just sat and stared at the beautiful blue sky and the hills off in the distance. Up again with still 1.8 miles to go.We pulled into Denton around 4 o'clock. The spring looked more like a muddy bog, but there was water running from the solar shower spout. We purified it to be safe. Set up tents, made dinner, washed up...and still plenty of sunshine left.We have a short day tomorrow. Csorings husband is picking us up to give us a ride into Front Royal for a Zero day. We were talking today about how the planning for that was perfect. We've had just enough time to evaluate our gear and decide what we are ready to drop or change. And physically we're ready for a break. Owl also has been making a list... steak, smoothie, ice cream... we need a break before her list gets much longer!It was a great day. As always, God is good.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-04-03
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Front Royal
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Zero Day in Front RoyalWe are really enjoying our rest day. Coming into town we were torn between staying one night in the hotel or two. Since Csoring is fighting off a cold and all of our bodies could use a good rest we decided to stay a full day... which meant two nights. Hopefully we won't need this much time in the future, but with the cold and rain coming in it seemed best for this time.I had a great rest last night, tho some strange dreams. And of course woke early out of habit. By 9 AM I had most of my cleaning up and reorganizing gear done.Now we are out to finish a little shopping, mostly for Roo. I found I had under packed food for her. When we hiked in Idaho she had little appetite and I found we were throwing away food at the end. But unlike the rest of us on this hike Roo got her hiker appitite right off the bat. We ran out of food a day early. She got some people food there for awhile, which she didn't mind. I've been feeding her Science Diet Active Dog dogfood. We've been told there is a Petsmart here, I'm hoping to find some more rather than changing her food.As for the rest of us, the hiker hunger hasn't kicked in yet. I have to say tho, that Canaverous Burger from Spulunker's I had for lunch yesterday was amazing!LATER...Took a break when we found PetCo. Found Roo's food and even her favorite liver treats. Also found a fleece jacket on clearance that we cut to fit her. We'll see if she'll sleep in it and stop the shivers. I'm hoping the temps will warm up afer the Shenandoahs and we can drop the cold weather gear.It's about time to head over to the Post Office to drop off our 'Bounce Boxes'. We're heading out early in the morning, uphill and probably in the rain. Looks like Greg will be able to meet us to hike for a couple days soon. That will be great!Thanks for all your encouragements.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-04-04
From: Front Royal

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: overcast clouds

This was an unusual day. We got up this morning at 3:30 (yes, that's AM!!) We needed to get on the trail early so Carolyn's hubby could get back to Maryland to work. Also we checked the weather and saw we were between two storms. The icey cold rain from the night before had passed and another much rougher looking storm was looming to the west. By 4:30 we were hitting the trail. I've never hiked in the dark before, it was very interesting but I'm not sure I would want to do it alone... just a little creepy. But it was a great experience with a group of friends.We also expected it to be cold and rainy, so we had bundled up. Quickly found out that wasn't necessary since the rain had stopped.We had 12.7 miles to go and we hoped to make it in time to beat the coming storms. By the time the sun had come up we had knocked out our first three miles... our toughest uphill of the day. We pushed and pushed and made it to the shelter by noon. For awhile as we set up camp the sun threatened to shine, but now it looks as if the clouds and cold are going to win out.We have hiked all the way from Dick's Dome shelter without seeing another single hiker. Today near Marshall Mountain we met the trail runner Midnight and had a brief chat.Then about thirty minutes after getting into camp River started to growl. Of course we are all on guard for bears being in the Shenandoahs, so we all ran to see. Turned out to be a NOBO (North Bound) hiker, Dozer. He's our first NOBO pass! He was filling us in on which hikers are close behind him that we should be meeting soon. Several I've read on Trail Journals. That should be fun.Tomorrow we are expecting Greg to join us with Nic and Stella. Not sure if the kids will be along, but Owl is hoping so. I think we will be able to arrange a slack pack for the day. Have I mentioned before how much we love slackpacking? :O)On Sunday Mary will be joining us along with a friend of hers. Really hoping to work a slackpack out of that day too... we'll see.I've never had much problem with allergies but something has turned my nose into a faucet, I'm sneezing and my eyes keeping watering up. So I took a Benadryl. I'm going to go crawl into my sleeping bag.By the way, thanks to all who prayed away the rain today. God is still good!Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-04-05
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Pass Mtn Hut/Thornton Gap
Miles today: 14.0

We had a wonderful chat last night with Dozer over a beautiful fire he provided for us. Good company.This morning we took our time heading out because we were waiting for Greg, Nic and Faith to arrive to hike with us. Since they came with two cars we were able to take advantage of the opportunity to slackpack the day (yes, again)A day that began overcast with a serious threat of raining hard on us turned into a beautiful sunny day. Our morning was inspired by the possibility of blackberry milkshakes at the Elkwallow Wayside. According to the Thru Hiker guide it should have opened today for business, but no. We were disappointed. Not only no shakes but the bathrooms were closed too! From there we moved on... up and down, up and down. Gorgeous weather (have I said God is good yet?) and great company.Our original plan was to hike to Pass Mountain Hut today and Skyland tomorrow. We already had a room reserved at Skyland. We realized that since we have cars available for the night we could stay tonight at Skyland also. Then tomorrow we could leave our packs in the room and slackpack another day... we are scheming a plan to slackpack four days in a row. We're going to miss leaving this area, our friends are spoiling us!We got into our rooms and Nic pulled in a cooler that Stella had packed for us filled with cheese and crackers, fruit, chips and humus. About that time Tigger turned on her phone and discovered a message from Janet. She was heading to Pass Mountain Hut with Subway sandwiches to surprise us. Wow! We managed to connect with her and detour her our way. We ended up with a feast and an impromtu party in our room. Of course we've been hitting the sack at sunset, so by 8:30 we were starting to drop off. Not real party people. :O)As for the trail today it was nice. Well maintained. Nothing much is blooming yet in this section so the forest is pretty brown. The lack of leaves though did provide us with lovely view of the mountains and valleys off in both directions.We came into Thornton Gap around 5:00, dropped our packs to chill and wait for Greg and Nic to retrieve the other car from Gravel Springs. As we were sitting there along came two NOBOs, Vegus and Stride. We had a short chat with them. Got some good beta on the trail ahead and heard some amazing hiking in the snow stories. They seem to be doing well and hiking strong.We also met section hiker Dr. Dick. He was out helping with a search and rescue for a missing hiker. Maybe we'll get to meet him again on his section later this year up north.After days of hiking without meeting up with anyone we are finally seeing more NOBOs. I imagine we will be finding shelters more and more crowded from here on out. But for tonight we've got a comfy hotel room. :O) And good company!Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-04-07
From: Skyland

To: Big Meadow
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

Skyland to Big Meadow CampgroundToday we strolled eight miles from Skyland to Big Meadow. Mary and her friend Carolyn joined us and gave us another opportunity to slackpack. The day was once more foggy and cold, but today we didn't have to deal with drizzle and icey winds. So it was really a very pleasant walk. We could easily have put in more miles but Big Meadow is our last chance at a nice warm shower and laundry for a few days.The only hikers we crossed paths with today were three ladies section hiking toward Front Royal. We chatted for a minute about good camping spots and just as I started to walk away someone asked where they were from. They were from Kentucky! Isn't it funny how that works... they were from Louisville and Adair Co., no where near my home town, but suddenly they were like old friends just because they were from Kentucky.That was it for meeting anyone for the day. As soon as we arrived at Big Meadow we headed straight for the shower and laundry. My first priority was to get things cleaned up and in order. Plus no one was using either so we figured we would have it to ourselves for a little while. I'm sitting on the floor of the laundry next to Roo, who is taking her afternoon nap. She did terrific today. Owl is showering and the last load of laundry is in.I'm hoping to get camp set up and still have some time to take a trip to the visitor center. I know they have a nice display of the history of the park. I'd like for Owl to go through it for her history credit. She'd been doing a pretty good job logging in plant life along the trail until we climbed up into SNP. The difference in the number of plants blooming in the lower elevations before Front Royal and here has been pretty distinct so the science journal is pretty bare the last couple of days. Though there were a lot of bluebirds flittering around the trail. And of course deer everywhere.Well, I think the last load of laundry is done. I'd better be off to set up camp. It's been a good day on the AT.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-04-08
From: Big Meadow

To: South River
Miles today: 12.0

Went to bed last night with fog so thick we could hardly see each other¢s tents. Woke this morning to a gorgeous sunrise and clear skies.Our opportunity to slackpack continued for a few more miles down to Lewis Mt. campground. Owl, Roo and I led out first this morning. As soon as we descended off of Big Meadow we reentered the fog. Several times Roo would stop and stare alertly into the foggy woods...it was a bit creepy. Probably just deer, but we never saw anything. By the time we were starting up Hazeltop the fog was lifting and the rest of the gang had caught up. On our way up Hazeltop we passed three Canadian hikers that Dozer had told us about. Later, crossing Bearfence Rock Scramble we passed a dad with his two kids. When we said we were thru hiking the little girl¢s eyes lit up. Reminded me of Owl just a few years ago. The only other hiker we met was a lady who had been out hiking alone for twelve days. Now that sounds lonely!We stopped at Lewis Mountain and traded day packs for our backpacks. Then we sat down and shared some lunch with Mary and Carolyn before they headed out. It was great to spend some time with them and great to get another slackpack. But now we are cut loose and on our own.Of course the rest of the day was tough readjusting to our packs. We didn't think we would ever get to South River. South River is a picnic area, so we cannot camp on the grounds. We are required to be 1/4 a mile away. I'm not sure we really made it that far away, but we found a hidden spot to stealth camp. First we ate our dinner at the campground so we wouldn't have any food smells near the tent. And we hung our bear bags at a distance.Today was a long and tiring day hiking. Tomorrows plan was for even more miles and we're not sure we can really handle that, so we've all agreed that this may be where we fall off our schedule. We'll see how we feel in the morning.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-04-09
From: South River

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Bummer, River beat me to bed. Now I'll have to fight for the air mattress.We made it! 15.3 miles to Pinefield hut. Our longest day yet, with full packs. I wasn't sure Tigger would make it. She was really struggling with her pack. At our lunch break atop Hightop Owl offered to switch packs with her. Owl is carrying an old WildThing pack just like Tigger's last pack. So she knew it would fit well, and it did. Her back is still hurting from the Six Moon Design, but she was able to move better.We took one hill at a time. Just before the last two hills we stopped at the bottom, took off our shoes and socks, ate a snickers bar and chilled out. I think that little rest is what helped push us all the way.We pulled into the shelter around 4:30 with plenty of time to set up tents, purify water, make dinner and get cleaned up. Then we headed to the shelter to share in the campfire with Tobasco and two British guys who are on holiday seeing the states. Their most amazing adventure so far has been visiting Super Walmart :O)Today we saw a new bird, but there is some disagreement over what type of bird it is, pheasant or grouse...no bird experts here. Owl took a picture. She'll identify it for us at our next zero. Science (check).Now it's off to bed. Today God has been amazingly good!Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-04-10
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

The day began beautiful! The sun was peeping over the ridgeline with a bright blue sky. The temps were already warm enough to tell me this would be a day to zip off the legs of my convertible pants.We started the day knowing our first four miles would be the hardest. We had three mountains to cross. The first was really two peaks in one mountain. At the bottom of that we would start up our toughest hill of the day, Loft Mountain.We decided before starting Loft we would take one of our 'feet' breaks. That had worked well for us yesterday. Turned out that Ivy Creek was at the foot of the hill. What a perfect place for a break! We all soaked our feet... as long as we could before they started going numb! Roo was in heaven. She got to play all her favorite games... fish the rock out of the water, chase the tadpoles, stick her head under the water and blow bubbles... but best of all, watch Tigger jump when she gets water shaken on her. What fun!From there it was up to Loft Mountain. The campground has not opened for the season but we had lunch on the lawn and filled up our water. From that point we had mostly rolling terrain into Blackrock Hut. Haven't seen any mice in the shelter yet, but probably because the horseflies have carried them off!We are the only ones at the shelter today. Didn't see many hikers today. Spent some time on an overlook at Loft Mt. chatting with some day hikers from MASS. Then after lunch we ran into Stormin' Norman and Water Bear. Chatted for a few minutes and gave each other the scoop on the upcoming trail highlights.Rolled into Blackrock with just enough time to get water, cook, clean up and settle into bed. 13 miles today and we did it well. Got a little sunburned, but we thank God for the sunshine. He was very, very good to us today.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9