morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-04
From: Glasgow, VA tent area. 

To: Brown Mountain Creek shelter area. 
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Glasgow, VA to Brown Mountain Creek shelter area (Mile 804.6). 20 MSlept terribly Wednesday night due to my eating binge. A lesson learned there I think. Woke early and the first mission of the day was to find a ride back to the trail. Got lucky in that I had phone service for a while. Called a shuttle service and scheduled a pickup for 8:30 am. Grabbed three other hikers so the cost per rider was less than 4 dollars. Hiking by 9:00 am. ADDITION: I laid the phone down Thursday to rest for a minute. When I woke it was dark and past my bedtime. So now on Friday I will give a brief overview of Thursday. It rained most of the day. The trails were wet, muddy, slick and messy. No pictures taken due to the rain and clouds/fog. Did not see many hikers on the trail, but passed a lot of tents set up. Guess some people just stayed in their tent for the day. The Brown Mountain Creek area was the home for a group of former slavrs around 1900. They had a farming community going there until the U.S. Forest Service bought the land. Foundations and chimneys from that community can still be seen. Late in the day the rain abated for a couple hours. I reached a camp spot at this time and was setting up the tent when it started to drizzle again. Got everything inside before it got very wet. At the top of Bluff Mountain (about 3400 ft) there is a memorial for the little boy that wandered from a school and died of exposure on that spot. He was only 4 years old. This happened in the late 1800s , I believe (Ottie Cline Powell). I can't imagine how a 4 year old could get up that mountain. So that's about it. Another wet day. Would love to have dry boots for a change. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-05
From: Brown Mountain Creek shelter area. 

To: The Priest shelter area. 
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Brown Mountain Creek shelter area to The Priest shelter area (Mile 827). 22.4 MIt wasn't raining when I got up Friday morning. Everything is wet but nothing falling from the sky. Hiking at 7:45 am. Starting the day with a 3500 ft climb over 4 miles. After that the terrain was not too bad. Until the end of the day. Hiked all day with no rain. Even saw a few patches of sun. Trails are still a mess but improving. My goal for the day was to reach the area of The Priest shelter which is near the top of Priest mountain (about 4100ft elevation). It was a challenging day and my legs were tired but I did make it. Got there about 5:30 pm. A pretty area, but the gnats are driving me crazy. If you stand still they swarm and bite. So I ate dinner while walking around. The tent was not up yet as I spread it on some rocks to dry a little. Most of the scenic views were still blocked by clouds/fog, but I did take one picture when the sun was shining thru. Also took a picture of the spring/water source at The Priest shelter. Not much to write about. Will try to do a little reading before falling asleep. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-06
From: The Priest shelter area. 

To: Camp at Mile 845.3. 
Miles today: 17.4

The Priest shelter area to camp at Mile 844.3. 17.3 MSaturday morning started with blue skies and sun. A big downhill from The Priest followed by a big climb up Three Ridges are on the beginning docket. The trails were still somewhat wet and slippery but it felt good to be able to hike with no rain. My boots are finally starting to dry out. A young man from Alabama stopped by my camp to get his directions straight. Rain Check is the name. Said he got the name early on when he always said he would take a rain check when offered a puff on someone's smoke. So they started calling him Rain Check. He liked to talk SEC sports. Nice guy. Stopped and talked to two trail workers that were repairing water bars on trail. They were an older couple, probably mid 70s. Very friendly, and dedicated to maintaining the trail. With the Natural Bridges branch of the Appalachian Trail Club. The day passed fairly quickly with some very impressive scenic views. Crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway two or three times. As I was coming down to a road crossing met a group coming up the trail. They asked if I was a thru hiker and if I needed anything. They were on the trail for the purpose of helping hikers. Gave me a banana and soda that were really good. Talked to them for a while, and moved on. About 4 pm I picked a spot to camp and quit for the day. Not a great spot, very rocky and sloped. Have to walk another one half mile to get water. And a half mile back. Not so bad without a pack on my back. Tomorrow, Sunday, I should get to Waynesboro sometime in the afternoon. Not sure where I will stay or what I will do, but looking forward to some restaurant options. Will possibly take a zero day on Monday, and back on the trail Tuesday. There have been some type of bear incidents near Waynesboro and they have a ban on camping on parts of the trail near there. Hopefully I won't have a bear encounter before I get there. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-08
From: Rockfish Gap. 

To: Rockfish Gap. 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Zero day in Waynesboro, VA. Staying at the Quality Inn has been a nice break. Basic motel, but a welcome upgrade from the trail. Talked to the technical support guy for my pack maker, ULA Equipment. They gave me some advice on adjustments that they felt would relieve the issue of shoulder pain. I'm hopeful it will work. Was also able to get a haircut. Feels less shaggy and should be cooler. Got the resupply shopping done and it all fits in the pack. Picked up some Cortisone cream for the Poison Ivy on the wrists and ankles. Should help with the itching. The air conditioning in my room did not work Sunday night and Monday morning. I changed rooms late Monday morning and now have AC. Should sleep better tonight. Met and talked to Ben Jali in front of the motel. He was spraying some items with Permethrin as tick prevention. I did this before starting the hike, and will probably do it again later in the hike. Ben was thru hiking last year when he took a serious fall and suffered an injury that forced him to leave the trail. So he started over this year and intends to make it to the finish. There are a lot of hikers at this motel. It is located close to the things hikers use. Another hiker that I have been going back and forth with for a week or so is here and may have to stay a few days. The frame on his pack (North Face brand) broke and he is trying to get it replaced. Will have breakfast at the motel tomorrow morning, or I might try Weasies, a popular, small restaurant about a 15 minute walk from the motel. Then back to hiking. Will have to call one of the Trail Angels for a ride out of town to the trail. Starting into the Shenandoah National Park, which requires a permit for overnight camping. Rain is in the forecast for tonight and there is a tornado watch for the area. But the weather should be good for the next several days. Read a report of a bear incident near the Fontana/Smokies area. Apparently a 16 year old was in a hammock when a bear attacked. The boy's father chased the bear away, but the boy was injured. Will likely be some areas closed in the vicinity of the incident. Had a great burger and fries from a place called Tailgate for dinner. They were voted to have the best burgers in the Valley. A small diner style restaurant and they get my vote. Had some ice cream later for dessert. Back to Rockfish Gap and the AT in the morning. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-09
From: Rockfish Gap. 

To: Dundo picnic area. 
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: light rain

Rockfish Gap to Dundo Picnic area (Mile 884.6). 23 MThe combination of air conditioning that worked and the Cortisone cream worked as I slept better Monday night. Was not bothered by itching. Got up pretty early and went for breakfast at the motel. Wrench Man and his friend were there finishing eating. He was getting ready to head out for more hiking on his current section. His friend has hiked it before and will be driving him to the start point and picking him up at the finish. I ate as much breakfast as I could hold then went back to the room to call for a ride back to the trail at Rockfish Gap. Called about a dozen numbers before finding a ride. Steve to my rescue again. He is the copy editor that moved from Manhattan to Virginia and he gave me a ride to town the other day. On the trail again at 8:30 am.   Filled out a back country permit and entered Shenandoah National Park (SNP). The morning was mostly gradual climbing. Good use of switchbacks so the grades were not too steep. When the grade was steep, it was not too long. The weather was pretty moderate so it was a good day for hiking. The pack adjustments that ULA suggested helped to reduce the shoulder pain. Passed a bunch of communications towers and antennae on Bears Den Mountain. I took a couple of pictures, but for some reason felt like someone was taking my picture so didn't stay there long. The trail stays fairly close to Skyline Drive, and crosses it numerous times. Kind of like it did with the Blue Ridge Parkway last week. Some of the shelters are called huts in SNP. I passed two huts, the last being Blackrock. Blackrock is also the name of a big pile of dark rocks, about 3100Ft elevation. Beautiful views from the top. There is a picnic area and group campground near the trail just a few miles past the Blackrock hut and that was my destination. Never did find the campground so set up adjacent to the picnic area, named Dundo. Probably not supposed to camp here but will take my chances. It has water, and that's what I needed. Tomorrow morning will bring Loft mountain. Then the afternoon has a whole series of ups and downs. Also expecting warmer weather. Hiking again. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-10
From: Dundo picnic area. 

To: Swiftrun Gap
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: broken clouds

Dundo Picnic area to Swiftrun Gap (Mile 907.1). 22.5 MA tough hiking day, but I will try to enter more details on that tomorrow. Have experienced the most amazing trail magic ever. Myself and Bull were at the Swiftrun Gap road crossing at about 5 pm and had just decided to hike another 3 miles for the day when a truck pulled up and honked as we were heading into the woods. Trail Angel Max Factor told us that he had a condo in the area (Massanutten, VA) and was inviting hikers to spend the night there. This is in a relatively high end golf development. Max is a physician, 65 years old, and he and his wife are retiring next year. He provides food, snacks, showers, laundry everything a hiker might want. He already had 5 hikers in the truck so we joined them. He had a total of 10 hikers and has two condos for supporting hikers. We all got cleaned up and Max cooked dinner (roast beef, carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, bread, corn). All kinds of drinks, from coffee to beer. And for dessert 7 different varieties of Breyers ice cream. The condo has every kind of snack that you can imagine available. And Max has boxes of hiker granola bars, oatmeal, and other things hikers use. Max will be cooking breakfast (bacon, eggs, toast, English muffins, etc.) in the morning. When we are ready he will take us back to the trail. And he will not accept any payment for his generosity. All he asks is that we listen to a story from a time in his life when he lost his younger son. It is a touching and inspiring story and Max would like for his loss and his reactions to that loss to move others to adopt a more giving attitude in their life. So, after a long, tough day on the trail I find myself sleeping in a real bed with a very full stomach. Did I mention that the condo has a sauna and a hot tub? And, because I am a veteran, Max gave me a silver US Constitution coin. If Bull and I had not spent about 30 seconds at the roadside looking at a map we would have missed Max. Got to get some sleep now, but will try to provide more details on the day tomorrow   O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-11
From: Swiftrun Gap

To: Rock Spring shelter area. 
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: clear sky

Swiftrun Gap to Rock Spring shelter area (Mile 927.6). 20.5 MWoke early to the smell of bacon and coffee cooking. Max had slept on the couch downstairs and was up at 5 am preparing breakfast for his guests. Want to mention that Max took his trail name from his younger son that died prematurely. His name was Max. Following an awesome breakfast (Max cooked 4 lbs of bacon!!) we were all dropped off at the trail to begin another day of hiking. The morning had some hills to climb. In the afternoon I came to a road parking area and Just Sue and her crew were providing trail magic. Cold drinks, snacks, chicken. I had a Coke, banana, and chips. Got a picture of them and back to hiking. The afternoon hiking was fairly good. Although I did manage to fall again. That's 3 falls in 3 days. More on that later. About 3 pm at another parking area a couple from Maryland was waiting for their hiker daughter and handing out cold drinks. Had a bottle of cold water. That made 3 trail magic episodes in less than 24 hours. The last push to Rock Spring shelter was mostly uphill and difficult. Arrived about 5:30 pm. It is a busy shelter. Found a tent site but it is not very level. I will be sliding tonight. Regarding my too frequent falls, I see 3 options. I can make adjustments to reduce the number of falls.I can continue falling until I break something and end the journey. I can preemptively end the journey before I break something. Plan to focus on the first option, but if it does not get better I will have to try one of the others. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-12
From: Rock Spring shelter area. 

To: Near Rangeview cabin. 
Miles today: 23.4

Rock Spring shelter area to near Rangeview Cabin (Mile 951). 23.4 MJournal entry for Friday, 6/12/15. It is Saturday evening and I am behind on the journal because my phone became squirrelly Friday evening and I could not use it. Friday was a pretty good hiking day. Got to enjoy an extra breakfast at the Skyland restaurant in the park. Ate with hiker Rip. He is from a city in Florida, Amelia Island. A school teacher that does some section hiking in the Summer. The day went pretty well. Stopped for pictures at a few spectacular overlooks. The Pinnacles and Mary's Rock. Fantastic views. Hiked most of the day with Bull, and Five joined us in the pm. We reached the Elk Wallow Wayside near the end of the day so stopped for a sandwich and milk shake. There was no camping in this area so we went a little farther and camped on a nice area under pine trees. My phone quit at Elk Wallow. That's bad for several reasons, but mainly because my only trail guide is a PDF file on the phone. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-13
From: Near Rangeview cabin. 

To: Front Royal Hostel. 
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

Near Rangeview cabin to Front Royal Hostel (Mile 965.6). 14.6 MMy goal for the day is to reach the town of Front Royal, VA and find a cellular phone shop than can fix my phone. Preferably an AT&T store. Five left very early, about 6:30 am. I started on the trail at 6:55 am, and Bull left a little later. The plan was to stop at the Hostel a few miles outside of town and get a ride into town. The morning was good for hiking and Bull and I arrived at the hostel around noon. Took a little time but I finally confirmed that there was an AT&T shop in town and got the address and phone number. They were open till 7 pm. Mike, the hostel owner had other commitments but could take me to the shop at 6 pm along with a town trip for the other guests, Outro and Gold Star. At the phone store the guy fixed the phone in about 30 seconds. Apparently there is a setting that results in a three finger touch on the screen enlarging everything. He got the screen back to normal and changed the setting to prevent it from happening again. I was very glad that it was a simple fix, but a little embarrassed that I could not do it myself. Returned to the hostel with the rest of the guests and plan to return to the trail in the morning. No pictures taken today due to the phone issue. Will be going over 1000 miles soon, and should be in Harpers Ferry in 3 to 4 days. Might be a good place for a day off. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-14
From: Front Royal Hostel. 

To: Signal Knob. 
Miles today: 20.2

Front Royal Hostel to Signal Knob (Mile 985.8). 20.2 MLeft the Terrapin Station hostel at 8:00 am. The owner, Grateful Greenpeace Guy was helpful and took good care of his guests. The day began with a long climb just to get back to the AT. There must have been some rain in the night and the trail surface was slippery. The trail elevation today is relatively low, varying between 2500 ft to below 1000 ft. Morning seemed to go by quickly and I stopped at the Jim and Molly Denton shelter for lunch. It is a very nice shelter. Even has a solar shower. Took a couple of pictures after eating and hiked on. Not seeing hardly any other hikers on the trail. Taking Sunday off maybe. Early afternoon I crossed a road and found a cooler with Trail Magic. Wander Woman was the Trail Angel. I had a bottle of ice cold water and an apple. Refreshing. Continued hiking and the climbs were tough due to the heat and humidity. After about 90 minutes I crossed an interstate highway and found more Trail Magic. Some guys had a table set up with drinks, fruit and snacks. Drank some soda and ate some grapes and started the climb up Manassas. A little later I regretted not taking a banana from the table with me for breakfast. Oh well, I have raisins to add in my oatmeal. Around 3 pm the skies were rumbling and we had some light rain. Not enough to be a problem. I had decided to stop in a spot just before Sky Meadows State Park but there was no water there so I filled up a mile before my stopping point. Interestingly, there was a group of jugs of fresh water at the side trail to my camp spot. So I did not need the extra water that I carried after all. Met Ridge Runner Kite on the trail to the camp spot. We talked for a bit and he gave me some advice on a good camp spot. As I was setting up camp another shower arrived. But I got everything in the tent in time to avoid getting wet. After a bit a lady stopped by and asked if I needed water. She was the Trail Angel (Graceful Not) that left the water jugs. We talked for a bit and she gave me a bottle of cold Gatorade, a banana, and a bag of Lays chips from her car. Really great of her and the other Trail Angels to provide help for us hikers on their own time and using their own money. Now I was glad that I did not pick up and carry a banana all afternoon from the other site. As I am entering this info had a pleasant surprise. Outro, Yoda, and Airlock arrived to camp. Outro and Yoda are hammock hangers while Airlock is tenting. Three very nice young ladies. They all started on the trail separately but met on the trail and hike together sometimes. Decent hiking day considering the late start, weather, and Trail Magic. Tomorrow should be interesting with the Roller Coaster. 13.5 miles of short ups and downs. Should go over 1000 miles tomorrow and may cross the VA/WV border.O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-15
From: Signal Knob. 

To: Bears Den Hostel. 
Miles today: 17.1

Signal Knob to Bears Den Hostel (Mile 1002.9). 17.1 MWoke early and ate a cold breakfast to get an early start. Some light rain falling as I took the tent down, but not too bad. Airlock was gone very early, with Yoda following, then myself and lastly Outro. After a few miles we got into the Roller Coaster section. It was surprisingly difficult. Made more difficult by very high humidity. The climbs were steeper and longer than expected. Off and on rain sprinkles for much of the day. Everyone was dragging today due to the difficult trail and weather. The trail was very rocky and slippery. Stopped at Sam Moore shelter for lunch (Mile 999.9). Three miles South of the hostel. This is about the 1000 mile point on the trail. Have heard a lot of good comments about the Bears Den hostel, about 20 miles South of Harpers Ferry. It is considered a "must" stop for hikers. So will be spending the night there. Arrived about 2:30 pm and was soaking wet with sweat. A shower and laundry felt great. Pizza and ice cream are included with the bunk price. Also can fix your own pancakes for breakfast. Weighed myself on the nice beam scale at the hostel. Down to 128 pounds. Started about 143 pounds. Have lost more than I expected and will have to try and remedy this. Will be trying to leave early in the morning to finish up the Roller Coaster section and make it to Harpers Ferry. Will be staying at the Teahorse Hostel in Harpers Ferry. My brother and his wife will be in town for a bit as they travel North to visit family. Will be good to see them. Have to find something to do on a zero day Wednesday.Another tough hiking day, with lower than normal miles. Good news is that I have not fallen in 2 days. I hope that trend continues. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-16
From: Bears Den Hostel. 

To: Teahorse Hostel (Harpers Ferry)
Miles today: 20.6

Bears Den Hostel to Teahorse Hostel in Harpers Ferry (Mile 1023.4). 20.5 MBears Den had nine guests Monday night. The three ladies, myself, Five and his brother, White Cloud, Champagne Jam, and Rick. We watched some women's World Cup soccer. It was nice because both Yoda and Outro played soccer in college. Great to have folks that know the game help me understand it. A quiet night and I slept pretty well. Got up at 5:15 am and went upstairs to start the coffee maker and pancake cooking. Ate 9 pancakes with butter and syrup. Airlock came up shortly after me and had some pancakes. After I was finished the caretaker came in and brought out some frozen Mulberries to add into the pancakes. Was sorry I missed them. I have been eating Mulberries from trees on the trail and around the hostel pretty often. They are really ripe now. Began hiking at 6:30 am. Starting early to finish the Roller Coaster before the heat and humidity get too high. Got through the rollers in two hours and the rest of the trail into Harpers Ferry was more hiker friendly. Arrived at the ATC Visitors Center around 2:00 pm and they took my picture and info to add in the book for 2015. Think I was number 633. Looking through the book I only saw two or three people that started after me and made it this far. Yoda arrived within an hour of me. After the ATC visit I walked down the street a few blocks to the Teahorse Hostel. Probably the cleanest hostel I have been in. Got cleaned up and went down the street to a 7/11 for an ice cream. A little later I went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. It was very good. We will have waffles at the hostel for breakfast on the morning. I will be meeting my brother and his wife later in the morning. I don't know their schedule now but we will find something to do while they are here. The hiking day went well, except I had two falls. Rats. Sunday and Monday, no falls. Then two today on easier trails. Gotta do better if I'm going to keep going. Looking forward to a zero hike day on Wednesday. Physical and mental recovery. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-17
From: Teahorse Hostel (Harpers Ferry)

To: Harpers Ferry, VA. 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Zero day in Harpers Ferry. 0 MWednesday was a day of no AT hiking and I was joined by my brother and his wife. The first familiar faces I have seen in over two months. We visited the ATC HQ, walked around some of the old part of town, had some good meals and ice cream and did our best to stay out of the rain. They also took me to Wal Mart for some resupply items. Of course, all good things have to end. They are driving North to visit family, and my foot journey North continues on Thursday. Would have been great to have more time and better weather but I am grateful for what we had. They had to make a major detour from their travel route to connect with me and I really appreciate it. O'RYAN