morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-12
From: Footbridge over Trout Creek and VA 620 mile 690.3

To: VA 624/Newport Road - Four Pines Hostel mile 698.3
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: moderate rain

Took a taxi back to the trail. I wisely followed our route on my trail map. The driver thought he knew where we were going and started to let me out a long way from my destination.Today's hike started in the rain with a long climb. Initially there were no views through the clouds from the top of the ridge. The ridge ended at the Dragon's Tooth, a rock outcropping with one tall, slender monolith. A group of young people whom I had camped with at the Niday Shelter had zeroed a day in Roanoke and passed me as they slack packed were arrayed atop the rocks. By the time I got there the sun did come out and the clouds had lifted. I worked my way far enough up the rocks to see the vista and get some pictures. As I started the cautious process of working my way down I speculated out loud whether if, like a kitten who climbs up a tree he cannot climb down, you could call the Fire Department to rescue me. Immediately a young fellow who was sitting atop a second monolith announced "I'm a fireman", jumped a chasm, scampered over to me and offered me his hand like a Boy Scout helping a little old lady across the street. The first mile of the climb down from Dragon's Tooth was some of the steepest and most difficult rock climbs I have seen on the trail. In a couple of places there were rebar hand/footholds to get up and down vertical rock faces. I was glad the rain had stopped and I was relatively fresh. The section re-demonstrated the truth of Nathan's warning: "Wet rocks are slippery."Four Pines Hostel is an interesting place. The owner, Joe Mitchell, is a recently retired railroad bridge inspector who slipped into the hostel business when he offered a hitch hiking through hiker a place and ended up converting his three car garage into a bunk room. The place is full with hikers who arrived before me, so I ended up on the concrete floor, but at least it is dry. Mitchell hauled his guests to the Homeplace Restaurant in Catawba, a family dining style all-you-can-eat restaurant in an attractive old farmhouse. The nine hikers at my table put away an amazing amount of food.Mitchell is boarding Alpacas for a friend in the field in front of his house. Baby Alpacas are weird looking critters that make me think of pets for Starwars Wookies. Hostel discussion included a riddle from Rabbit: Three men in a canoe with four cigarettes wanted to smoke but found they did not have any matches. What did they do?Answer: They threw one cigarette overboard and the canoe became a cigarette lighter.Rabbit and I were the only two in the room who liked the joke.
Date: 2014-06-13
From: VA 624/Newport Road - Four Pines Hostel mile 698.3

To: VA 311, Catawba, VA mile 704.2
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Hostel was dry and pleasant, but the hikers who arrived ahead of me claimed all the available beds. My thin sleeping pad did not do much to soften its concrete floor.The short hike to reach my rendezvous with May Louise was relatively easy. It included several attractive open field crossings and lots of stiles to climb over. I arrived at the road crossing shortly after she got there. Came across a brilliantly colored little orange lizard in the trail.We arrived in Kingsport, TN in time for a quick shower and a delicious seafood dinner at a riverside restaurant overlooking the Greenway Trail that was built during my service in Kingsport.
Date: 2014-06-14
From: Kingsport, TN

To: Kingsport, TN
Miles today: 0.0

The purpose of our trip to Kingsport is to visit a dear friend who is losing her disturbingly short battle with cancer. Two other women from May Louise's circle of close Kingsport friends joined us in a bittersweet sharing of memories, love, and unstated farewells and we all received a lesson in demonstrating grace in the face of mortality.Watching another prepare for death inevitably reminds me of my own mortality and leaves me wondering how much of my motivation for trying the trail hike is a futile effort to stave it off.Since our friend's endurance is fading, we had a series of short visits. In between I made a run to a Bristol outfitter to replace my bent trekking pole and to purchase some summer gear.Each of May Louise's friends is struggling with a devastating life tragedy. I have been proud to watch how she serves as a rock of support for each of them and how the individual tragedies draw them even closer together as a mutually supporting circle.
Date: 2014-06-15
From: Kingsport, TN

To: Kingsport, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

In addition to another hospital visit we helped one of May Louise friends pack. She is preparing her home for sale and moving to the DC area. She had a basement leak that required excavating a large hole along the poured concrete foundation of the house to expose a crack for repair. When rain threatened today she asked me to cover the hole to keep it dry. All she had was a couple of undersized tarps with no rope. Using a railroad tie, ladder, twine, rocks, suitcase strap and a garden hose I jury-rigged a flimsy cover that might have deflected a little water if the rains had actually come and that will provide her contractor some entertainment.In an effort to protect myself from tick diseases I treated my clothes and gear with permethrin. Had nice Father's Day calls from our boys and got a wonderful greeting from our daughter-in-law. Nathan confirmed that he will join me on the hike for a week or so beginning July 4. He would like to hike in New England; so I will begin my flip-flop then and we will start by climbing Mount Katahdin together.
Date: 2014-06-16
From: Kingsport, TN

To: Troutville, VA
Miles today: 0.0

May Louise took me back to the trail, but since it was mid-day when we arrived, we got a room in Troutville. After I packed food for the next five days and organized my gear for slack packing, we drove to Roanoke for supper and a movie. Delightful evening in an Asheville-like neighborhood. Ate at a co-op grocery and saw Belle, a somewhat historic story of a girl who was the daughter of a titled British Naval Officer and a Black woman who inherited her dad's estate. The movie intertwined her dealings with the upperclass social mores that surrounded her and the Judge who was her guardian uncle's historic decision on a case regarding the drowning of a ship's cargo of slaves. We called Nathan and confirmed plans for hiking with him. He will fly up to meet me in Maine. We will start my flip-flop at Mount Kathadin and will hike south at least through the 100 mile wilderness before he has to go back to work in Asheville.
Date: 2014-06-17
From: VA 311, Catawba, VA mile 704.2

To: Holiday Inn Express, Hwy 11, Troutville, VA mile 7
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: scattered clouds

We drove my pack to the Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then May Louise dropped me off where she had picked me up Friday at the trail crossing outside of Catawba. I slack packed from there 20 miles back to Troutville. The driving took more time than I expected; so I did not get on the trail until 10:30. Trail was relatively easy with some nice ridge views including the out jutting rock at McAfee Knob which is supposed to be the most photographed spot on the trail other than Mount Katahdin. I took a picture, but did not take time for the iconic shot of me sitting alone on the point of the overhang.Had a little rain in the afternoon, but my real problem was running out of daylight. Fortunately I got past the last ridge top rock scramble before darkness, but I had to use my headlamp to see the last couple of miles of the trail coming down off the ridge back to the motel in Troutville. Had a little trouble getting my exhausted body to sleep because of leg cramps.
Date: 2014-06-18
From: Holiday Inn Express, Hwy 11, Troutville, VA mile 7

To: Bear Wallow Gap, VA 43 mile 745.6
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: light rain

Got up earlier than I wanted to avoid repeating yesterday's mistake of running out of daylight. After fairly gentle long climb the trail parallels Blue Ridge Parkway and crosses it several times at beautiful overlook pull offs. I pushed on hard and met my goal of reaching the Peaks of Otter Lodge in time for supper. The Lodge is 5 miles from the trail crossing, but my luck held. Just as I stepped on the Parkway a cab pulled up and the driver asked the location of the nearest gas station. He was taking his girlfriend to supper at the Lodge but his tank was about empty. After a detour back done the mountain for him to fill up we still made it to Peaks of Otter in time for a wonderful shower and a big supper. I was worried when the cabbie started his meter before starting down the mountain for gas and when his brakes started to smell from overheating, but he took my suggestion to drop to a lower gear and he did not charge me for the detour.The Lodge is in a beautiful setting. With dinner I had the view of fading twilight over their peaceful lake. I listened to Herman Hesse's Siddhartha today. It is the tale of an Indian Brahmin's life-long search for full enlightenment. Interesting, but not gripping. I wonder how an Indian would view the German's interpretation of their culture and wisdom..I am not sure I could repeat the feat without some rest, but I am impressed with my 40 miles in two days accomplishment. I have now completed one third of the whole trail.I slept hard and well without a repeat of my leg cramps.
Date: 2014-06-19
From: Bear wallow Gap, VA 43 mile 745.6

To: Jennings Creek, VA 614 mile 752.2
Miles today: 6.6

Arranged to meet May Louise on her way back home from Kingsport.I had anticipated that is would be easy for a backpacker to hitch a ride back to the trail from the Lodge since drivers on the Blur Ridge Parkway are not in a rush obeying the 35 mph speed limit. My anticipation was wrong. The fear of bad things that might happen is still present in the beauty of the mountains. I had to walk about 2 of the 5 miles before a local lady, who had handed me a bottle of water as she passed going the opposite way passed me again on her return trip and gave me a lift to the trailhead.The walk to my meeting place with May Louise was short and the trail was fairly easy, but my legs felt like they were made of lead all day. The combination of the two consecutive days of 20 mile hikes, the weight of my full pack with five days of food and extra water, and the fact that the day was hot and sultry left me exhausted. We got a motel room by the Interstate and went to Buchanan to wash my sweaty clothes. The washateria was a dying business. Half of its machines were out of order and the heat did not work in their dryers. But while the washer ran we walked across a rickety suspension bridge over the James River and had ice cream from a little shop that serves customers of the canoe livery and inner tuber float business on the River across the street. This section of the River looked like a good place for a cultural experience with the grandchildren.
Date: 2014-06-20
From: Jennings Creek, VA 614 mile 752.2

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter mile 756.0
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: overcast clouds

May Louise and I slept long and hard in the motel this morning. When we got up I took time to update my trail journal and to send "homework assignment" pictures to each of the grandchildren. I did not get back to the trail until 11:30. Morning climb was long and hot but not too exhausting. I had planned to push on through a second long climb to the Cornelius Creek Shelter for an 8.7 mile day. When I reached Bryant Ridge Shelter I found that it was exceptionally attractive and was tempted to stop for the night. Its design was the result of an architectural competition. When it started to rain my decision was made. I will try to make up for my laziness by starting early in the morning.If we get a little breeze to stir the air and if the mosquitoes do not come out it will be a pleasant night. Shelter includes Kilt and Lighten Up, a section hiking couple who live just north of us in Pennsylvania. They hiked past the shelter last year, but liked it so much that the came back to start this year's hike here. John, a seasoned hiker from Texas. who is hiking with his brother Mark, and who left brothers Matt and Luke at home, told me about the 50's Club. It is made up of hikers who have climbed to the top of the tallest mountain in every state. Since some of them require ice climbing, I'm not interested in trying to join. As dusk fell a very heavy rainstorm hit the shelter. I was delighted to be dry and inside instead of outside getting soaked. After the rain slowed to a steady sprinkle and before it became completely dark I could see lightning bugs flashing in the rain out the front of the shelter.
Date: 2014-06-21
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter mile 756.0

To: Harrison Ground Spring mile 769.4
Miles today: 13.4

Weather report on Friday had predicted 50% chance of thunderstorms today. I lucked out, although the day was overcast and muggy and I could see heavy rain in the distance from some of the overlooks, I did not get caught by any rain. Although I have been able to keep me and my gear from being caught in the rain, we are only nominally dry. Everything I have, even my sleeping bag and the few pieces of clothes in the dry sack that have not been worn feel clammy. I suppose more serious hikers who push on for weeks at a time without cleanup stops get used to it, I hate the sticky dirty feel of my skin and everything it touches. Thunder Hill Shelter was full and I still had some energy and daylight; so I pushed on for an additional three miles gambling that the rain would continue to hold off and that there would be a tent site at the spring three miles farther up the trail. Gamble paid off and I am alone in a pleasant campsite deep in the woods.I got far enough today that I will reach the James River crossing tomorrow. If the day is sunny as predicted I may be able to wash me and some of my clothes in the River and dry everything out in the sun when I get there. I listened to The Princes of Mars by Edgar Rice Burrows. It is a fun science fiction yarn by the author of the Tarzan books. I had never read anything other than Tarzan by Burrows before. He does stick to certain themes. He has apes on Mars and everyone there runs around naked all the time. I am seeing fewer northbound through hikers. I think almost all of them are past me. There is still an interesting array of day hikers and section hikers going both north and south. With the hotter weather I am consuming a lot more water and the water sources have become scarcer and farther apart. To be safe I am carrying more which males my pack heavier.As I rested in the sun at a spot where the trail crosses the parkway the same lady who gave me a lift from the Peaks of Otter Lodge drove by and handed me three bottles of water saving me from having to filter some more at a marginal stream. Some disgusting looking mold is starting to grow in the tube of my water system. I am looking forward to the break at home with May Louise where I can clean it thoroughly. It is 4:00 am and the rain has started in a heavy shower. I will soon find out whether I chose my tent site wisely.
Date: 2014-06-22
From: Harrison Ground Spring mile 769.4

To: Matts Creek Shelter mile 778.6
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: broken clouds

The rain continued until 10:30. Instead of trying to pack in the rain I stayed in my tent until it quit. As a result I did not get back on the trail until 12:30 cutting my hiking day shorter than I had planned. My tent and tent site worked well. The only thing I had to pack that was really wet was the tent rain fly. Everything else just felt clammy.Pleasant day for hiking. Most of the day was overcast and humid, but not too hot. Saw very few hikers along the trail. Got to shelter just after a light evening rain began. It did not get me very wet. Listened to Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World, the journal of a seaman who restored an old wooden boat and sailed it around the world just before the turn of the century. It is an adventure not unlike an early Appalachian Trail hike except that it has unfriendly natives along the way. I like the story, but the undertaking has no allure to me.
Date: 2014-06-23
From: Matts Creek Shelter mile 778.6

To: John's Hollow Shelter mile 782.5
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Talked with Double Nickels and Sweet Clover, a mother/daughter team from Raleigh hiking to celebrate daughter's graduation from High School and mother's turning 55. Walked two easy miles downhill from Matts Creek Shelter to impressive bridge over the James River following Mailman and caught a ride for the five miles into Glasgow with a fellow from western New York State who was dropping his wife, Tee Bird, back off on the trail after attending her sister's wedding. Town provides a nice shelter with hot shower. Laundromat is around the corner. By noon I felt like a human being again. Unfortunately the only restaurant in town closes on Monday; so instead of the meal I had been looking forward to I had to settle for convenience store gourmet: cooler packaged chicken salad sandwich, microwave defrosted frozen milkshake, bag of chips and jar of salsa, canned Starbucks mocha, and quart of orange juice. Sounds awful now but tasted pretty good at the time.I picked up enough supplies to carry me through Friday afternoon when May Louise will pick me up and take me home to repack for my hike south from Maine with Nathan. By the time I finished cleaning, eating, and re-packing in Glasgow and hitching a ride back to the trail it was 4:00 pm; so I only hiked 1 12 miles to the next shelter. In the humid afternoon weather even that short distance was enough to leave my clothes soaking with sweat again. The shelter in Glasgow is provided by the town and supported by Boy Scouts and a Church. The hot water for the shower is supplied by a propane tank heated water heater. It is comfortable enough that Mailman decided to take a zero there and one middle aged hiker was on his third day there. His excuse included recovering from a rattlesnake bite. He found the snake too close to some other hikers; so he tried to pick it up and move it. There is not much in Glasgow, but in the middle of town there is a large statue of a brontosaurus with a woman riding of it. I am sharing the shelter with John and Jane Doe, a young couple from Orlando who are into living off the land and are eating blueberries and mushrooms they picked. The have had a serious discussion of whether a mushroom he found really matches the picture in their guidebook of one that is edible. I have some bumps on my hands and feet that are either new poison ivy outbreaks or mosquito bites. Both are plentiful. So far the bumps are a minor nuisance and not a serious problem. The permethrin on my clothes and a little Deet at night have kept the bugs under control. Rains held off today. Jane Doe got a weather report that says tomorrow morning will be clear but 40% chance of rain tomorrow afternoon.
Date: 2014-06-24
From: John's Hollow Shelter mile 782.5

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter mile 800.8
Miles today: 18.3

When I went to he privy at John's Hollow Shelter this morning I found that some whimsical soul had applied interior decoration skills and installed strips of bright wallpaper, artificial flowers, a deodorizer, and other touches to create a surprisingly pleasant atmosphere.Pushed my upper limit hiking 18 miles with a full pack today to reach the shelter. After an initial hard three mile climb the trail was fairly easy, but I hiked from 7:30 to 6:30 and arrived thoroughly exhausted. I am glad I made it to the shelter. Shortly after I got into my bedroll a heavy rain shower fell from the heavens. Just before stopping I passes the 800 mile benchmark. A large group of slack packing young people passed me mid day looking forward to watching the World Cup Soccer games at a pub tonight.A day hiker with a outfitter in the area who was going south complained about a lazy coworker who was threatening the business's reputation by creating the impression that marijuana was available there while he offered around a pipe of "good stuff" to the slack packing group. Two miles before the shelter I passed Double Nickels and Sweet Clover by a creek with a jury rigged tent explaining that they had failed to follow the Nathan rule and look behind you before you walk away and had left their tent poles at a rest stop. Tonight's shelter is right beside the creek giving me a pleasant sound of water falling over rocks to go to sleep to. Finished Sailing Alone Around the World and listened to half of Wilkie Collins The Moonstone today. The Moonstone is a story of a sacred Indian diamond that carries a curse on anyone who steals it. The curse is backed up by a mystic group of priests devoted to protecting the stone and avenging anyone who steals it. The stone is stolen by a British soldier who avoids the priests but suffers the curse and passes the stone on to his estranged sister's daughter. The best feature of the book so far is the likable 70 year old head servant who serves as the narrator.
Date: 2014-06-25
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter mile 800.8

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter Mile 816.6
Miles today: 15.8

After yesterday's long hike I slept well and long and did not get back on the trail until 9:30. Mailman hobbled up to the shelter from his tent site by the creek with a leg problem that left him almost unable to walk. I brought his pack up to the shelter where he planned to rest and see if ibuprofen would relieve the pain. Before I was packed he decided to hobble to the road. By the time I caught up with him two miles up the trail at the road he had worked the pain out well enough to soldier on instead of going to town to see the doctor. I did not see him again until I reached tonight's shelter where he was already fed and in his sleeping bag. Up to an overcast day and prediction of rain. I had laid out a plan to hike a comfortable distance, make reservations at a B&B in Lexington, then slack pack tomorrow meeting May Louise and spending a pleasant night in the B&B before returning home with her. Unfortunately when I called all the Lexington B&B's were full. To make my rendezvoused with May Louise I had to hike a long 16 miles with my full pack starting with a grueling five mile climb on a swelteringly humid day. I made it at a slow steady pace that did not get me to the target shelter until 8:30 just before dark. Five other hikers were already bedded down in the shelter when I arrived, but they made room for me. I don't think I disturbed them too badly as I got water, cooked supper, and made my bed in the dark.One heavy downpour fell while I was on the trail. I soldiered on though it in my rain gear and did not get too badly soaked beyond the sweat that already had me damp all over.Route was pretty with some ridgeside overlooks and mountain field crossings with vistas under the surrounding rain clouds. The Moonstone is a longer book than I expected with several narrators telling parts of the tale. The likeable head servant is replaced by a thoroughly unlikeable religious fanatic whose part is recorded by a lady with a foreign accent that adds to her unlikability. Nevertheless the distraction of the story helped keep me going through the long day