morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-05-24
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter campsite
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: few clouds

There was a brief but powerful rainstorm in the night.  We were safe and dry in the shelter. Some of those in tents or hammocks got a bit wet. Everyone started stirring between 5:30-6:00.  They were all anxious to meet the shuttle to the brewery. Many left before us.  We started about 7:30.We had a brief climb to the top of Priest Mountain then a long, twisty, rocky, tedious downhill stretch to a nice water source. I slipped once and landed hard on my seat but I¢m lucky to have plenty of padding there.  My neck felt whiplashed from the jarring fall.  That three miles was possibly the hardest downhill section I¢ve done.  We stopped at a rocky ledge overlook for a well-deserved break and took pictures there. At the bottom of Priest Mtn is a parking lot.  We started talking to a young couple who were just getting out of their car to hike up and back down for the day.  They agreed to take our trash and also gave us each a Gatorade.  Nice folks!We crossed a highway and then went over the Tye River on a suspension bridge. We leapfrogged with Legacy all morning and agreed to meet him at the next shelter for lunch.  As we took a snack break, a young couple from last night¢s shelter passed us.  I thought all of the younger hikers already had gone by us by then.  We had heard them coming, arguing, but they stopped as they passed us.  Twenty yards up the trail they started in again.  They were NOT happy campers.  From the Tye River at 901 elevation we climbed almost six miles to Three Ridges at 3956 elevation.  Most of it was rocky and steep.  Once I even had to collapse my poles and stick them in my pack so I could use my hands to help get up the trail. It was probably THE HARDEST DAY I¢ve ever had on the trail.  It was almost 6:00 when we finally summited, so we ate dinner at the top, and then we continued almost 3 more miles mostly downhill to Maupin Field Shelter.  There were several large family groups camping because of Memorial Day weekend.  Because it was late, we had a hard time finding spots.  And I had thought we might be the only ones here!!  We were in our tents by dark and it completely quiet at 9:00pm so I guess everyone was as dead tired as we were.
Date: 2019-05-25
From: Maupin Field Shelter campsite

To: Dripping Rock to StanimalÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs in Waynesboro
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: broken clouds

It was a really quiet morning as we all got up, used the privy, ate, and packed up.  Susan was starting to feel really tired, a symptom of shingles.  As we looked at the AWOL guide, we saw a potential place where we could be picked up in 6.5 miles. We had to hike uphill to find a place where we had phone service.  We called Stanimal¢s in Waynesboro and made arrangements to be picked up at 2:00.  It¢s always a gamble trying to figure out how long a section is going to take.  We always try to err on the side of US waiting, rather than a shuttle driver having to wait for us.  We made good time so we stopped at a nice shady spot along the trail for a leisurely, early lunch. At Cedar Cliffs we were taking pictures and a young couple was there with two children.  We chatted for some time and answered all their  questions about backpacking.  I even took off my pack so their 9 year old daughter could try it on. I told her about Emma backpacking with me as a 7 year old and about the trip I have planned with her for later this summer. Maybe I planted backpacking seeds in her young mind.I have turned my left ankle over and twisted it many times in the last few days and it always seems fine after a few tentative steps.  I have been thanking God often for good ankles these days!!!Today we met Buttercup and Boots. Buttercup is a military veteran hiking with her little support dog.  She made special boots and gaiters for him, hence the trail name.We got to our pickup point about a half hour earlier than we needed to be.  Our ride was not there yet, but there was trail magic!  Three friends had chairs set up in the shade for hikers.  They had served pancakes and sausage to hikers for breakfast and were offering pork chops and baked potatoes for lunch along with cold treats.  Knowing we¢d be leaving soon, we each just took a Gatorade and a big chunk of watermelon. Good stuff!! It¢s such a blessing and encouragement to run into folks doing random things like this!Our ride came shortly and we were delivered to Stanimal¢s hostel in Waynesboro VA.  We met Adam Stanley who immediately squirted heavy duty soap (the orange GoJo kind like John uses when he works on the car) into our hands and had us scrub before giving us the tour and rules of the hostel. We both claimed bottom bunks upstairs and showered.  Susan napped while I did laundry.  Later we walked downtown for a steak dinner.  We met two sisters our age at the hostel with the husband of one of them.  He has been slackpacking them as much as possible while they dayhike in the area.  Meanwhile John was in Charleston for Memorial Day weekend with our sons Matt and Kyle and their families.
Date: 2019-05-27
From: Turk Gap

To: US250/BRP Waynesboro 
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: moderate rain

I thoroughly enjoyed another of Glenn¢s breakfasts - pineapple pancakes with an egg cheese souffl© and sausage links.  The previous night I bought a bottle of sweet tea with a subway sandwich and chips for my next day's trail lunch. I heated the tea to go with my breakfast.  Yum!I got dropped off first about 8:00 at Turk Gap to hike back southbound to Waynesboro with a day pack.  The others were all heading north with full packs. After yesterday, today was really ¢a walk in the park.¢  The trail here in SNP was so neat and manicured.  Even the rocks were more manageable and the uphill grades were not so steep.  Maybe all of Shenandoah will be this way; I can hope so anyhow.  I encountered 8-10 nobo hikers in my first hour, including the Nashville TN couple we met a few days ago.  Later I met the Terry and Kate, the sisters who had been at Stanimal¢s with us.  I also talked with Angie, a young woman out on her own from MD trying to do SNP in a week.  I told her about the AT women¢s Facebook group and that it was a great group for encouragement and collective knowledge of women hikers. I found out later that she did join that group.We¢ve had temps mostly in the mid 70s and low 80s and breezy.  It only rained about an hour one morning out of 11 days on this trip so far and twice in the evenings when we were already in a shelter or a hostel.  Another first for me today. I came around a curve and see a guy standing directly in the trail ahead of me, peeing.  I just kept my head down like I was concentrating on going uphill and didn¢t know what he was doing and called out Good Morning as I got nearer. He quickly turned away. #traillife#onlyontheATLunch was my subway sandwich and chips at Beagle Gap where I got to use  the portapotties that were in the parking area.  Then I went up Calf Mountain whose peak is marked by a huge pile of rocks in the middle of the wooded trail and Little Calf Mountain whose peak was a sign in a meadow with beautiful views. There were stretches through head high grassy fields.  After McCormick Gap there was a half mile steep uphill stretch where I met many of the young people who had been at the hostel with us and the two guys I had met at yesterday¢s shelter at lunch time and Buttercup and Boots.  I only crossed paths with nobos all day; no sobos passed me.  About three miles from the entrance to SNP, I went through a stretch with several trees and branches over the trail.  It made things interesting, trying to get over, around, or under them; and it slowed me up a bit.  It looked almost like a tornado might¢ve come through recently. So much for my hopes for endless manicured trails through the whole park.I made it back to Waynesboro by 3:00, called for a shuttle, and got picked up. Its great to shower, do laundry, and eat town food multiple nights in a row. Town stays can get expensive but it is worth it to shower and sleep in a bed each night and be able to hike with only necessities for the day in my pack.  Susan has started to feel better so we made plans to slackpack and stay at Stanimal's again.
Date: 2019-05-28
From: Loft Mountain Camp Store

To: Turk Gap
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We had to set an alarm for 5:30 to have time to get, eat breakfast, and be ready to leave at 6:30 for our shuttle to Loft Mtn Campground inside SNP.  We plan to hike southbound back to Turk Gap, where I started yesterday. Once inside the park in the car, we saw a skunk scurrying across the road, then a deer on the side of the road, and then a good-sized black bear scampering up the hill beside the road ¢ all before we ever got into the woods!  During our hike, we only encountered one deer on the trail.  Since we hiked south, we again crossed paths with many of the same hikers we had hiked with before.  We saw sisters Kate and Terry, Buttercup and Boots, and Legacy all headed to the Blackrock Hut for the night - all friends of ours but none of whom have met each other yet.It was another great weather day but there were no water sources on the stretch of trail we travelled today.  We had each only brought two one-liter bottles, so we had to ration.  I could¢ve easily used another liter or two today.  Adam picked us up about 4:00.  He already had another hiker from WI in the SUV.  I asked him if there was a Chick-fil-A in Waynesboro.  Adam said there was but it wasn¢t walking distance from the hostel.   He asked if I wanted him to drive by it on our way back to the hostel.   I told him I¢d buy him a lemonade if he drove us there.  I placed a mobile order for four lemonades.  When we got there, I saw a sign outside advertising peach milkshakes and quickly placed another mobile order for a milkshake. it was great getting both a CFA lemonade and a CFA peach milk shake.We stayed at the hostel for a fourth night.  We showered and did laundry and walked down the street for a buffet dinner.  A sign on the door said they were closed because of electrical problems.  We walked down the street another half mile to a grill and got there at 7:10 to see a handwritten sign on the door saying they were closing today at 7:00.  SO, we walked across the street to a Walmart neighborhood market and bought dinner to make ourselves- steaks, watermelon, baking potatoes, fresh spinach and tomatoes, and frozen broccoli and cauliflower.  Of course we had to carry it all back to the hostel and make it then.  Finally about 8:00, we had dinner and enjoyed every bite!  I cut the watermelon and offered it to everyone else in the hostel.We settled our account with Stanimal's and went through our resupply boxes and repacked everything so we would be ready to leave about 7:00am.  We finally got in bed a bit after 10:00.
Date: 2019-05-29
From: Loft Mountain Camp Store

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: moderate rain

Glenn fixed blackberry pancakes, sausage and egg souffle for our last breakfast.  Next Tree (Cathy, a retired postmaster from OK) drove us to Loft Mountain campground.  On the way in her car, we saw a turkey, a red white and black snake, a deer, and a bear. The woman working at the camp store warned us that rain and hail were being forecast for late afternoon or evening.  We finally started hiking about 8:30. It was tough getting used to having a full pack after three days of slackpacking.  There was a lot of up and down too which made it even harder. I planned to eat the heaviest food first to lighten my pack faster.  Susan stepped off the trail to take a potty break this afternoon.  When she started to use her heel to dig a hole, she almost came down on a rattlesnake!  Yikes! Later in the trail, she asked me if I had seen the rattlesnake I had just passed.  It was coiled up asleep right on the edge of the trail and I had not seen it as I passed by.  I turned back and took its picture. Later in the afternoon we had to stop to let a five foot long black snake slither his way off the trail before we could pass.  Four snakes in one day was definitely a record for us.  We¢ve done some whole two week hikes before without seeing even one snake.It was a struggle at the end of the day.  We had only seen a handful of people all day and thought we might be at the shelter by ourselves.  When we arrived there was a group of high school senior boys here with a teacher and there were several section hikers and thruhikers.  A dozen or more came in after we did too.  There are a dozen or more tents scattered around but only four of us in the shelter - me and Susan and two GA brothers, one from Jackson and one from Alpharetta.Everyone was done eating and in the shelter or their tents for the night at 8:05 pm.
Date: 2019-05-30
From: Hightop Hut

To: Lewis Mountain Campground Cabin 
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

It never did hail or even rain in the night so we were safe and dry and got a good night¢s sleep.  We were up between 5:30 and 6:00 as the birds and other campers started stirring.  I was really hungry and decided to heat one of my mountain house dinners for breakfast. Chicken and dumplings with extra dehydrated peas added is a great way to start a day on the trail.  We were hiking by 7:15 or so.  Today was a relatively easy mileage and terrain day, but there was not much water on the trail.  We took a side trail about noon to a picnic area in order to eat at a picnic table, use the bathrooms, and get water.  Unfortunately when we arrived, there were signs posted that water was turned off because of low availability.  What a disappointment!  We enjoyed the bathroom and picnic table and were able to deposit all our accumulated trash in the dumpster so it was still a good detour.As we were coming down a steep section close to a road crossing, I slipped and slid down hard on my right thigh.  Of course, it was also right on a rock. My first thought, ¢That¢s gonna leave a mark!¢ And it sure did.  After lunch we pressed on.  The next water source was supposed to be a spring beside a cabin for rent by the PATC.  As we got closer to it, the skies were getting darker, the wind was picking up, and we began hearing thunder.  Just as we came within sight of the cabin, the rain began. Thankfully no one was renting the cabin.  It was padlocked so we sat under its porch at its picnic table watching the rain and we even had phone service! There is a hiking saying ¢The trail always provides.¢  I personally think God is the One Who provides and am thankful He provided this spot. We took the time to take off our shoes and let our feet air out.  Susan took a nap and I had a chance to talk to Bryndal my daughter-in-law and wish her a happy four-year anniversary.  The rain tapered off, the birds began singing again, and it got lighter.  While we waited, I called ahead to the campground we were heading to and reserved us a cabin with a real bathroom for the night.  Woohoo!When we got back on the trail, we only had two miles to go to get there.  Susan had a resupply box waiting at the store.  We checked in, ate, and showered.  It began raining like crazy again.  We were glad to be inside for the night!
Date: 2019-05-31
From: Lewis Mountain Campground Cabin 

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We have spent nights in hotels, hostels, shelters, and tents for the past two weeks.  We have not had any problem anywhere with any critters getting into our stuff.  Last night we paid for a two bedroom cabin at Lewis Mtn Campground. It was an expensive treat and it is the only time a critter got into our food!   We did enjoy the shower and bathroom, and we each had a separate room with a double bed.  I laid out my supplies for breakfast right before bedtime to make things easier in the morning.  Everything was in the original packaging.  In the night I heard scratching noises several times.  In the morning several of my food items had been nibbled on.  Susan said she had heard the mice also and had actually gotten up and taken our trash to the outside bin hoping to end the problem.  That fall yesterday did leave a nasty deep bruise.  Each time I rolled over in the night, it woke me up.  I felt like The Princess and the Pea!After the night's storm, we had a day of beautiful hiking weather and moderate terrain.  We began by climbing Bearfence Mtn.  Only three miles into our hike this morning we came upon trail magic at Bootens Gap.  I enjoyed an ice cold can of Coke there, provided by Papa Dude, a Native American former thru hike attempter from OK.  I NEVER drink carbonated drinks except on the trail.We climbed Hazeltop Mtn and then did a long stretch of ridge walking around Big Meadows Campground.  There were some far-reaching views of the valley below from rock outcroppings along the way.  A half mile or so before we reached our intended shelter, we were resting near a parking lot and met a couple from Worster MA out for the scenery on their drive home from visiting relatives in FL. We chatted with them a bit and they graciously agreed to take our trash out to their car for us.  We got to Rock Spring Hut before 4:00, a relatively early day, and were surprised to find K1 and K2 there.  We hadn¢t seen this husband/wife team since the hostel in Glasgow and thought they were far ahead of us.  It was fun catching up with them. The four of us were the only ones in the shelter.We got our water from a great spring and had a leisurely dinner.  A doe and fawn wandered through the campsite about twenty feet from us.  We were looking forward to seeing a beautiful sunset as our shelter was open to the west.  As we ate dinner, it started to sprinkle and by the time we finished, it was full out raining.  There was no sunset watching. Other hikers started coming in to the shelter area as we were getting ready for bed.  They were tenting but wanted to eat under the shelter roof because of the rain.  That meant there was no early bedtime for us either. By 7:30 they had eaten but couldn¢t  seem to bring themselves to go back to their tents.  Their stinky food smells were lingering.  Susan, K1 and K2 were in their bags for the night already at 7:30.  A little courtesy and quieter voices would have been surely been appreciated.
Date: 2019-06-01
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

Rain stopped around 9:00pm and we got a good night¢s sleep.  We were up early.  We got to watch another deer meander through the campsite nibbling on vegetation without taking any notice of us at all.  We had breakfast and packed up and left camp shortly after 7:00.   We had a bit longer day planned and knew we needed to get started early while it was still cool.After 4 1/2 miles we were at Skyland Resort & Restaurant.  We stopped in for their $15 breakfast buffet. It was delicious but it was hard to hike uphill on a very full stomach.Shortly after we left the lodge we came upon a large group of dayhikers stopped on the trail.  They were watching a bear 25-30 feet off the trail foraging without a care in the world.  He was not concerned about all the humans watching him and nobody seemed concerned about the wild animal so close to them either.  We watched for a few minutes and shot some video and continued on our way.  The rest of the day was moderate in temperature and terrain.  It was a steep 1.6 mile downhill section from Mary¢s Rock down to US211.  My knees and ankles both were aching by the time we finished the descent.  When we finally reached the gap, we used the restrooms, washed up, and filled our water bottles.  Then we took our shoes off and laid down on a picnic table for a little rest.I was dreading the last 1.4 mile uphill to our shelter but it turned out to be a very moderate grade.  I only had to stop once to take a breather.  I was sweating like a pig though.We met K1 and K2 (from New Zealand) at the shelter.  Sharp Shin from Nebraska was planning to stay in the shelter also and was gathering firewood for a campfire; he tried to shame us all into helping him gather firewood.  Several others were tenting in the area also.  We set up our sleeping area, fixed our food and ate, and gathered firewood.  There was a bear box so we didn¢t have to throw a rope over a tree branch to hang our food bags.  We enjoyed the fire until we were ready to go to sleep.  By 8:30 it was getting dusky so it was time for bedWe went to bed looking forward to finishing Shenandoah and the state of Virginia the next day and to John picking us up for some well earned rest!
Date: 2019-06-02
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Skyline Drive 15.9
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

We were all stirring in the shelter by 5:30.  K1 and K2 were first to leave and we said our goodbyes.  We were on the trail before 7:00 ourselves, anxious to finish SNP and meet John between 4:00 and 5:00. Most of the others heading north were talking about going .2 off trail to Elk Wallow Wayside about lunchtime for burgers and blackberry milkshakes.  We decided to eat the food we were carrying and get John to drive us there at the end of the day for one of those famous milkshakes.Again, the weather and terrain were almost perfect.  The rocky steep sections weren¢t too long or bad.  We leapfrogged with several hikers from last night¢s shelter all day.  When we stopped for lunch, we realized we were ahead of schedule. We tried calling John to let him know but never had service all day.  Around 1:00 a fellow hiker told us he had heard a weather forecast of thunderstorms due about 3:15. We picked up our pace hoping to beat the rain.  It began sprinkling just as we reached the road crossing where we were to meet John.  Making it to this road crossing finished my Virginia AT miles!! We were there early; John was not.  Those forecasters nailed it almost to the minute.  Since we were earlier than we had told John, we tried to take shelter under the info kiosk at the trailhead but got drenched.  We soon accepted that he was not going to be there early and set up Susan¢s tarp for some better shelter while we waited.  Wet and still, we got cold quickly.  When the rain let up a bit, I dug through my pack to get my dry sleep clothes out.  It seemed to take forever to peal off my wet things while sitting under the tarp but with some interesting gymnastic moves, I finally managed to get the wet things off and dry ones on.  The rain finally tapered off and John arrived about 4:30, right on schedule. We loaded our gear into the truck and set off.  John stopped at a few of the overlooks so he could enjoy the views and then we left the park.  We left VA, stopped at a Cracker Barrel for a hot meal, drove through WV and MD, and arrived at our Airbnb in Enola PA about 9:30.  We unloaded the truck quickly. Even though I was exhausted (on the trail we are asleep by 8:30), I knew I¢d sleep better if I showered so I did.  Finally got in bed by 10:30!