morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-04-29
From: BeeCh Hostel

To: BobbletÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5

Hiking day 49 Ending Elevation 2083 feetNo hurry to get up this morning because Beth and Yeehaw served breakfast at 8. Sometime after 7 a.m., we wandered over to the community room and drank coffee while we visited with the other hikers: Raven, Jelle, Poppins and her standard poodle, Wylie Coyote and a young man from New Zealand, named Burnt. Kerry was especially pleased with his breakfast; he finally got Pancakes! I was happy because Felix has been turning up his nose at kibble, but he ate it this morning and then he ate some left over eggs, so it seems his appetite has returned.I didn¢t think we would go far today because it was after 9:15 when we started but we had good energy to climb the never ending mountains, which seemed not so strenuous for a change.Shortly after we started walking, we passed a sign which read ¢1/3 of the way to Maine¢¢¦we hadn¢t thought about it so it was a nice surprise to start the day!When we look out into the forest now it¢s filled with green. When the sun shines it bounces off the leaves and we see every shade of green imaginable; a bright mosaic in monochrome.We walked through forest and along high ridges, and once in awhile we could see deep into the valleys on both sides, which seem to have opened up and widened out. The countryside is finally changing, and not just due to the arrival of Spring.Today, we saw different wildflowers¢¦Kerry has most of the photos. There were tiny pansy-looking flowers and the azaleas are rapidly opening up¢¦they smell divine, reminding me of honeysuckle. We saw more rhododendrons in bloom¢¦.they are going to be amazing when they really open up. Rhododendrons, all in shades of purple and azaleas, in shades of pink.We came to the shelter because there are supposed to be big storms tonight and rain tomorrow; at least we¢ll be dry tonight and can suit up for rain tomorrow!Kerry is happy with his new shoes!People:Judy and Wally, ATC volunteers from Lynchburg, out for a hikeLots of dayhikers and picnickers Shelter:The 2 Dave¢s and Superior Zeke, who we met for the first timIrish, camped near by (I hope he¢s ok in the storm)
Date: 2023-04-30
From: BobbletÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.4

Hiking day 50, Ending Elevation 3104 feetThe rain came around 4 this morning¢¦.a gentle soaking rain that stopped sometime before 7 a.m. we were glad to be in the shelter and slept later to give the rain a chance to stop. By the time we got on the trail at 8, the sky was beginning to break up and the cloud cover to rise. As we continued along the ridge next the Blue Ridge Parkway, we had occasional views across the valleys. At one place, where the trail crossed the road, we saw big white swirls of clouds in the valley, with Sharp Top and Flat Top mountains rising behind. We thought perhaps the rain was over, but it wasn¢t. We had two substantial showers during the day, the final one coming up the mountain to this shelter. It looked like the rain was done but those gray clouds keep coming back and we¢ve battened down the hatches on the tent, in anticipation of more rain. I¢m hoping that an earlier weather forecast that predicted sun for tomorrow is correct and that we will awake to sunny skies!Aside from the weather, which was cool and perfect for hiking, the day passed rather uneventfully. The terrain was much the same as yesterday, maybe steeper, but today after that initial view across the valley, the sky lowered and we walked in a cloud so the views disappeared. We saw a lot of blooming azaleas, many different wildflowers including trillium in various shades of pink. Toward the end of the day, Kerry spotted one of those rare orange salamanders we¢ve heard about. It was small, maybe 3 ¢, but we managed to get a couple of photos.We¢re higher than last night and the wind is blowing so I think it will be colder.PeopleThe 2 Daves and Superior are in the shelterWe saw Farmer Phil and his dog Diesel earlier today¢¦might be at the shelter, but we didn¢t see him.
Date: 2023-05-02
From: US 501 James River Overlook

To: Punchbowl overlook 
Miles today: 11.0

Hiking day 52, Ending Elevation 2139 feetWe had blueberry pancakes for breakfast and then New Knee, Bodhi, Kerry, Felix and I piled into the van with Spotter (and a couple of other hikers he dropped at James River), to drive up to the Punchbowl Overlook for an 11 mile walk back to the James River Trailhead. It was a cool, cloudy and sometimes sunny day and fast walking because once we climbed the 2 miles to the top of Bluff Mountain, it was mostly downhill the rest of the way. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to walk back to the trailhead. The time went quickly because we were busy talking most of the time. New Knees and Kerry talked and I spoke to Bodhi, an architect from LA who likes to sing musicals while walking.One thing we didn¢t expect to see¢¦near the top of Bluff Mountain a plaque that read, ¢This is the exact spot little Ottis Cline Powell¢s body was found April 5, 1891, after straying from Tower Hill School House Nov 9. A distance of 7 miles. Age 4 years 11 months¢The rest of the day we tried to catch up with stuff, washed our clothes, ate etc. I¢m feeling rather tired, some of it comes from being around so many people¢¦it¢s noisy after the silence of the woods.People¢¦.too many!
Date: 2023-05-03
From: Punchbowl overlook 

To: Lovington Spring Trail Tent Site 
Miles today: 21.1

Hiking day 53, Ending Elevation 3579 feetCharlie, the retired Scout Executive that I met Monday evening, drove Bodhi, New Knee (Nu and¢¦corrected spelling!), Kerry, Felix and I back up to Punchbowl Mountain Gap to begin our hike today. That was after blueberry pancakes and coffee. We hiked together briefly and saw them off and on during the day, but I think they stopped earlier than us.It was very cold today and there were many times I thought it would rain, which it did once in the morning and then in the afternoon we had a tiny bit of snow. The grey clouds are swirling and blowing this evening so I think we might have rain tonight as well. It was so cold, when the wind blew, we kept our warm layer on most of the day.We walked up and down the required mountains, I never remember how many but more than two or three. In between the climbs and descents, we walked along Brown Mountain Creek and read signs about the community that used to live there. In this land, totally covered in trees, they grew corn, so perhaps they cleared the land, and now that the people have left, the trees have returned. It was very peaceful by the creek. We also walked along high ridges with amazing views of the far mountains and the valleys below. At times, we thought we must be able to see all the way back to Georgia, or perhaps at least North Carolina!The wildflowers, tiny as they are, cover swaths of the forest floor in colors of pink, violet, white, yellow, blue and sometimes red. Always an accent in the sea of green.Up high, and farther north as we are, spring feels like it¢s following us, always trying to catch up. I can¢t believe it¢s May 3, and we¢re still this cold! The sun kept trying to break through, and a few times we briefly felt its warmth, maybe more tomorrow!I forgot to mention that yesterday we saw our first Cardinal perched in a tree near the roof of Stanimals Hostel. We hear lots of birds singing during the day and I was thinking about looking in the library for books with recordings of bird songs. They are very distinctive and with a little effort, I think we might be able to figure out some of the birds that we are hearing.It has started to rain, Kerry has put all the tent flaps down, and now we have to arrange everything so we don¢t inadvertently let the water in during the night!People camped near by (Far Out pointed this out as a tent site with a Spring, which we have not found):SoloDough Boy, Major, Smiles and ?2 unidentified people in a Nemo tent
Date: 2023-05-04
From: Lovington Spring Trail Tent Site 

To: Harpers Creek Tent Site
Miles today: 18.0

Hiking day 54, Ending Elevation 1759 feetWe were up and out on the trail at 6:25 AM and it was again very cold. Kerry lost his thermometer somewhere after Damascus so now we only guess at the temperature, but when we arrived at the next eshelter around 8 a.m., it was cold enough that we could see our breath. We stopped to eat, it was still too cold for eating but we needed food to keep going. This may sound a bit dire, it wasn¢t. In fact, it was cold because this enormous cloud covered the sun ominously for several hours and the wind was blowing but the scenery was amazing.When we got to Spy Rock, we took the .4 mile detour to climb it and enjoy the 360 degree views as recommended by my friend Arthur and Charlie, the retired Scout Executive. All in all we had a pretty leisurely day¢¦we didn¢t go any further tonight because there didn¢t appear to be any more camping opportunities before the next shelter 6.3 miles ahead.Today, the forests were all green and the brown dead leaves on the forest floor, still there, have faded to the background. Up higher, the trees are starting to bud out and we are treated to a constantly changing view as we ascend and descend. We walked through our first azalea forest where the giant azaleas are the size of trees, and depending on where we are, we are enjoy clouds of pink flowers as they bloom. I love the smell of them! We saw some day hikers and Southbound hikers today as well as Solo, Gonzo and Smiles on the trail, but for the most part, we just enjoyed the changing forest and the occasional sunlight dancing on the ground through the canopy of leaves.We¢re camping alone below the shelter because we like the privacy, and we can get up when we want without disturbing anyone
Date: 2023-05-05
From: Harpers Creek Tent Site

To: Tent Site at 855.6
Miles today: 18.3

Hiking day 55, Ending Elevation 2516 feetMuch warmer this morning, but darker in the canyon under the tree canopy. We got off to a good start but had a hard 2000 foot climb in about 3 miles; some of it was gradual but a lot of it was quite steep. On the way up, we saw clouds of wildflowers: at one point the green ground cover looked almost white it was so full of tiny white flowers. The violets that have been with us since Georgia line a great deal of the trail every day. Trilliums, geraniums and so many other flowers, it¢s quite a show right now. I noticed the air smells wonderful even though most of the flowers have no scent that I can smell, communally they must create a miasma of woodland scent around us. That must sound silly, but I think it¢s true!We saw a wild Turkey fly deeper into the woods today and I almost stepped on another snake, a garter snake this time. I hope I don¢t run into a rattler! Then when we stopped to camp, I fed and brushed Felix as I usually do, put his fleece on him and he snuck off to bed only to see a deer walk not 5 yards away! Fortunately, I saw it too and since it woke him up, I had time to grab him before the old lizard brain kicked in. He was on high alert for awhile after that, but thankfully, he¢s settled down now.It was a lovely, if tiring day, we especially enjoyed the sunshine which cast gentle light and made soft shadows. It wasn¢t too warm and it wasn¢t too cold, even when we were climbing the mountains.As we walked along the ridges, we had wonderful views of a deep valley with mountains in the distance. We asked some local hikers what we were looking at, and they told us it was the Shenandoah Valley. In grade school, Kerry and I both first heard that haunting song that ends:¢O Shenandoah, I long to hear youAway you rolling riverAcross the wide and rolling waterAway, we're bound away across the wide Missouri.¢Even though we¢re no where near the Missouri River, we couldn¢t help but think about it, looking out on our first view of a place called Shenandoah. It also made me think of my cousin, my uncle and my aunt that I lived with for year in California during the time I heard that song. They are all dead now. And I felt sad.Yesterday, we met two women day hiking and today we met the same two so we stopped and talked¢¦.they are section hiking in day hikes with two cars. Sarah Clayton, 71 and her friend Marybeth. They looked like sisters, but said they¢re not. Sarah¢s mother was a war bride from England and Sarah just got her UK citizenship. It was fun talking to them. Earlier in the day, we saw Toenail, who we met maybe a week ago, he has family in the area that he has been meeting up with from time to time. I suspect we¢ll see him again.Another deer just walked close by the tent, obviously totally oblivious to Danger Dog near by. We¢re going to have to keep a tight rein on the latter come morning or we¢ll never get to Waynesboro! (Just for the record, at home we encourage Felix to chase deer out of the garden because they eat our plants and vegetables, so we sort of trained him to behave this way).
Date: 2023-05-06
From: Tent Site at 855.6

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 8.7

Hiking day 56, Ending Elevation 1910 feetLast night, we were rather rudely awakened by a flashlight shining straight at us in the dark. This has happened before. I understand people come in late and have to shine a light to figure out where they can camp, but once they shine it on your tent, why do they keep shining it there? Are they afraid we might move or something? Sorry about the little rant, but I get grumpy when awakened from a good sleep.Anyway, it turned out to be Solo who is actually a nice guy¢¦he probably, like most others, didn¢t realize the commotion he was causing. We actually ended up in the same shuttle coming into Waynesboro. He went to Stanimals whilst we went to the Quality Inn.Another idyllic walk this morning, although we did have clouds forming, it was a lovely walk in the woods. No big mountains to climb and good tread to walk on most of the way. The blackberries are going to be prolific here this year; tons of white blooms and food for the birds and the bears. We were also fortunate to see some of our first wild roses, also white and filling the air with their scent. It was only 10:30 or so when we arrived at Rockfish Gap, but the much looked-forward-to food truck was not yet in service, so we sat and awaited the shuttle, which arrived from Stanimals with Listener driving. He stopped at the Outfitter for me so I could replace my 864 mile shoes (I got Altra, Olympus 5¢¦great cushion) and then on to the Quality Inn: lunch, food for the walk through Shenandoah in the next week, bathing, laundry and just hanging out, in that order.Danger Dog is catching up on his beauty sleep and I¢m looking at getting a leash with a bungee connection to give him more freedom!
Date: 2023-05-07
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Sawmill Run Overlook
Miles today: 10.5

Hiking day 57, Ending Elevation 2196 feetToday is the second luniversary of our hike (March 7 to May 7). I just thought I should acknowledge that!We got off to a slow start today. Our ride back to the trail didn¢t show up for some reason and we had to scramble. Dubose Egleston, jr. came to our rescue and dropped us off at Rockfish Gap at 9 a.m. just as Nu Ne arrived, so Dubose ferried Nu Ne back to Waynesboro and we went on our way.The tread was good and the gradient was kind, up and down but not too steeply most of the time. We paralleled the road and from time to time we would cross it to a ridge on the other side. We walked mostly under a green canopy but at one point we walked along a grassy ridge where we saw a rather large collection of microwave dishes and supporting equipment: an odd site in a national park. Another odd thing, we kept seeing signs with park rules on it; one of them was to keep pets leashed. I had been told that dogs are not allowed in any national park but this appears not to be the case in Shenandoah¢¦I will have to look into this. It also appears not to be a rule that we have to stay in shelters, but we are asked to use existing campsites along the way.We had heavy packs, loaded with food for 5 days and we were feeling every extra ounce, but we were enjoying the scenery. And then at about 2:30 p.m. it started to rain. We covered the top half of us but not the bottom half¢¦.a big mistake. I thought the rain would be brief, but it wasn¢t brief enough, we both got very wet from the thighs down and to top it off, Felix¢s poncho lost one of its straps. During the day, we met a section hiker who was slack packing, by the name of RC. At Sawmill Run overlook, he had parked his truck and offered to take us back to Waynesboro to dry out. We could have gone on, but the prospect of starting dry and getting organized better for the rain was very appealing to me, and that¢s what we did. We¢re back at the Quality Inn and will return to Sawmill Run Overlook tomorrow. Perhaps in the morning the view will clear and we will be able to see something!
Date: 2023-05-09
From: Loft Mountain Campground 

To: Swift Run Gap
Miles today: 18.8

Hiking day 59, Ending Elevation 2470 feetIt was supposed to rain after 6 a.m. so we woke up early in hope that we would be able to pack up before the rain came. As it turned out, the rain started about 9 a.m. and we were well on our way. We learned our lesson from a couple of days ago and set out in rain pants, rain jacket and packas (a sort of poncho jacket that also goes over the pack). Felix was wearing his newly remodeled orange poncho. We all stayed dry enough!At first, the sky was fairly clear, but clouded quickly and as we walked along the clouds lowered in the sky sufficiently for the mountains to rise out of them like islands in the sky. This view melted away into a fairly thick fog which we walked in most of the day. Undoubtedly we missed some amazing views! When the rain came, it was so dark; it felt like twilight, but on we trudged. I¢m pretty sure that the weather affects my mood¢¦.I was feeling rather down and lacking energy most of the day. Kerry checked for a weather update and learned that we would not have more rain and that the skies should start to clear toward evening. He may have said it to cheer me up!Meanwhile, we walked, in white and eventually came to HighTop Hut a little after 3. It was cold, damp and very foggy and also early so we decided to move on. This was a good decision because after we summited High Top Mountain and started to descend on the other side, the sky and the cloud we were walking in appeared to lift above us and the world returned. Kerry found a tent site mentioned by another hiker on the Farout App and surprisingly we found it. We¢re here alone, just the way we like it and 5he sun is shining in anticipation of tomorrow (I hope).As we walked, I realized that the forest is truly green now. The understory is a lush cacophony in shades of green with splashes of wild flowers in places¢¦today we had clouds of trilliums on High Top Mountain. Felix had some entertainment too, bunnies and deer; he makes almost neighing sounds when he sees them and his tail waves so fast, he looks like he could fly. If it weren¢t for Felix, we probably wouldn¢t see as much wildlife as we do, so I shouldn¢t be too hard on him!We didn¢t see any AT hikers today, I think for the first time! And, we went over mile 900!A beautiful sunset tonight¢¦.Red sky at night, shepherd¢s delight!
Date: 2023-05-10
From: Swift Run Gap

To: Big Meadows Lodge
Miles today: 16.5

Hiking day 60 Ending Elevation 3629 feet¢All the sounds of the earth are like musicThe breeze is so busy it don't miss a treeAnd ol' weepin' willer is laughin' at meOh, what a beautiful mornin'Oh, what a beautiful dayI've got a beautiful feelin'Everything's goin' my way¢(Rodgers and Hammerstein, Oklahoma)So it¢s true, the weather definitely affects my mood. We woke up to clear skies and sunshine and I am now certain that sunlight dripping through the trees feels a whole lot better than raindrops dripping from their leaves!We all slept well and we got a good early start¢¦in fact we arrived here about 2 for a late lunch at the Wayside: hamburgers for Kerry and I, and a hot dog (on bun with mayo-hold the relish) for Felix. Then we ate various other items to help with the calorie deficit!We had talked about moving on if we arrived early, but we are not in a hurry (we did see 5 other AT hikers on the trail and at lunch), and the prospect of food, a shower, clean clothes and more food seemed like a good plan¢¦.so here we are at the lodge in a nice clean room, all cleaned up and ready for a new day!The walk today, the same as yesterday, was just another lovely walk-in the woods. We realized that sorry as we were to miss yesterday¢s views in the fog, they probably weren¢t a lot different than the views we had today or any other day for that matter: that is a vast or small valley with more mountains on the other side. It¢s amazing to me that we have been walking for 2 months, more than 900 miles through nearly contiguous forest¢¦.I wouldn¢t have believed it possible to walk through that many trees, if we hadn¢t done it! That said, if anyone were thinking about trying a section hike on the AT, up to here, I would say Shenandoah National Park would be a great choice¢¦.it¢s very easy on the feet and the eyes.We saw an older couple with a pruning saw, they had just cut an obstructing tree from across the trail. The tree was probably 8¢ across and they cut it with that little saw. I was impressed. They are volunteers with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Cub that has responsibility for maintaining the trail in this area.We went to the lodge for another good meal and our first wine since leaving California! Way past hiker midnight and time to sleep!Note: For some reason, I am having trouble posting photos now as is Kerry. The file size is too big, it must be a camera setting, so if you are interested, please check back later, I hope to figure out how to fix it.