morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-08-15
From: Dickey Gap

To: Campsite At AT Mile 527.9
Miles today: 9.3

We got a late start today because I went to Urgent Care in the morning about sinus congestion, particularly in my ears. It got worse while in Marion and it felt like I had fluid in my ears, which as it turned out, I did. The Dr told me that she¢s seen a lot of people passing through the area having had similar reactions¢¦.something in the air. I got prescriptions for Claritin D and prednisone. Other than allergies, I had a great time in Marion! The hostel and people there were awesome, as was everyone I met in town. We also got to see Bones again, who we¢d met at a shelter just after Damascus. ShowMe and I both like talking to him. Turns out, after hearing one of his stories from when he was hiking in Maine, ShowMe and I gave him a new trail name¢¦ Moose Hoof ° Bones was a name he gave himself, which isn¢t as legitimate as one given by other AT hikers, like with mine and with the one I gave Nick ¢ShowMe¢. Bunny, the hostel caretaker, is a great lady, and the owner, Coach, was a cool guy. I enjoyed hanging out talking to them both. I¢ve met such great, generous, genuinely nice, friendly and helpful people on this adventure, both on and off trail, that it¢s helped restore my faith in humanity. I¢d been becoming a little cynical over the last number of years and this has definitely helped with that. I¢ve discussed this with several people, along the way, who¢ve had a very similar experience. Very cool!We got shuttled back to Dickey Gap and hit the trail at about 2:30. We hiked 9.3 miles through a great section and arrived at our campsite before dark. We¢ll hit it again tomorrow!
Date: 2023-08-16
From: Campsite At AT Mile 527.9

To: Campsite At AT Mile 539.5
Miles today: 11.6

I hiked 11.6 miles today. The first 6.5 were a pretty easy cruise. We stopped at the Mt Rogers Visitors Center and had pizza and salads delivered for an early dinner. It was a good thing we did, to fuel up, because the last 5 miles were much tougher. It was a continuous roller coaster of ups and downs with several steep climbs. The going was made tougher and slower by all the rocks and the trail being badly overgrown most of the way. ShowMe and I got separated and he camped at a different campsite a couple of miles ahead of me. I was ahead of him and went 100 yards down a dirt road and he must¢ve got ahead of me then. I¢m camping alone for the first time in quite a while. I¢ll catch up tomorrow!
Date: 2023-08-17
From: Campsite At AT Mile 539.5

To: Crawfish Trail Campsite 
Miles today: 13.1

Had a nice night last night camping up at over 4,000 feet and I enjoyed the low 50s temp. I hit the trail early this morning to cover the 3.1 miles, in an hour and a half, to catch up to ShowMe before he was ready to hike. I ended up doing 10 more miles, making it 13.1 for the day. We got to do some more sightseeing today, starting with a circa 1890 farm, which was quite interesting. A little further down the trail was a one room school house, of the same era, and the Settlers Museum. A nice man working there gave us a tour, with lots of farm and household implements and other historical items to see. We also were able to buy some snacks and cold drinks. At the farm, we got to eat some fresh grapes and I shared some with the resident rooster. A few more miles down the trail, we reached VA 683 and I-81 at AT mile 546. We got a couple of snack items at the convenience store and ate a late lunch at a Mexican restaurant right along the trail. We continued on along the road and passed under I-81, up through a grassy area, and back into the peace of the woods. >span class="s1">Overall, it was a very cool day, with lots of things to see and eat ° We¢ll hit it again tomorrow!
Date: 2023-08-18
From: Crawfish Trail Campsite 

To: Lick Creek Campsite
Miles today: 11.2

Right out of camp, we started the morning with a 2 mile steep uphill. There were two more tough climbs to come, ending the day with the toughest, a one mile very steep uphill. I got to the top in good time and exclaimed out loud ¢kiss my butt mountain!¢. ° We hiked a total of 11.2 miles, to Lick Creek °, and we¢re within a few miles of the first 100 miles in VA. In the middle of the day, we had a couple of pasture walks with beautiful vistas and cows and calves grazing. We stopped at a small community park pavilion, at VA 62, to get out of the sun and to charge our phones and battery banks. We got serenaded by coyotes, in the distance, as we were falling asleep. They make some eerie sounds! It was a chilly upper 40s overnight and early morning. Forgot to mention in yesterday¢s entry that I saw a bobcat yesterday. I surprised him as a I came over a rise. He took off down the trail way too quickly for me to even get my phone out for a pic. We¢ll hit it again tomorrow! Another climb right out of camp in the morning.
Date: 2023-08-19
From: Lick Creek Campsite

To: Davis Farm Campsite @ AT Mile 577
Miles today: 13.3

The day began with a grueling 5 mile climb up to Chestnut Knob! The last 1.5 miles of the climb were, field walking, trudging through waist high grass and vegetation much of the time, in the hot sun. It made the going that much tougher and slower. Wore me out and my legs were left bloodied! These were some of the most difficult 5 miles of my journey, and that¢s saying a lot, believe me! The payoff was a great view at Chestnut Knob Shelter. We did a total of 13.3 miles today, with a bunch more up and downs. A very taxing day for me!We¢ll get after it again tomorrow! We¢re at AT mile 577.
Date: 2023-08-20
From: Davis Farm Campsite @ AT Mile 577

To: ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂSunset CampsiteÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ AT Mile 587.1
Miles today: 10.1

We hiked 10.1 miles today. It was hotter and we had several tough climbs, so we definitely needed our breaks and stops for water refills. Met a southbound section hiker named Tomorrow, which I thought was a cool trail name. Nice guy and we exchanged info about water availability, places to find good resupply, the great hostel, Boots Off, where he¢s headed and where we stayed, and other things AT hikers discuss on trail. Speaking of resupply, tomorrow will be day 7 since we last were in a town. We plan to hike 4.7 miles to the VA 52 road crossing and hitch into Wytheville to get much needed supplies. We¢ve now at around 120 miles into Virginia and only 110 miles until I connect up with a short section I did with Mike and his family a while back. The section includes Dragon¢s Tooth and McAfee Knob. I plan to do that section again and continue past for a little bit, at least to Catawba, VA, around AT mile 710.
Date: 2023-08-21
From: ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂSunset CampsiteÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ AT Mile 587.1

To: US Route 52 Road Crossing AT Mile 591.8
Miles today: 4.7

Hiked only 4.7 miles today to Route 52 where we got a shuttle ride, into Wytheville Virginia from a nice lady named Pamela. We had been out on the trail for seven straight days and we needed a resupply. As always, a shower felt awesome and dinner at Ruby Tuesday, and their salad bar, was great! We¢re taking a zero day tomorrow to get some much needed R&R.
Date: 2023-08-22
To: Wytheville 
Miles today: 0.0

Enjoyed a zero day in Wytheville. Walked around downtown to do some site seeing, went to a laundromat, had lunch at Seven Dogs, and relaxed by the pool. We¢re all set to hit the trail again tomorrow. Unfortunately, we¢ll need to carry extra water, and therefore will have a lot heavier packs. The next 20 or so miles will be mostly dry as far as finding water along the trail. We may even need to eat dinner in camp without using any water the first night or two. We¢ll pass AT mile 600 tomorrow!
Date: 2023-08-23
From: US Route 52 Road Crossing AT Mile 591.8

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.9

After a good and productive time spent in Wytheville, VA, we hiked 11.9 miles today. After a mile long hot road walk, we had a steep climb that was also about a mile. After that, we had a fairly easy rest of the day, with most of the remaining miles spent ridge walking. I was quite worn out once we got to camp anyway. I think ShowMe was too. The extra pack weight, after a resupply, definitely contributed to that  The biggest challenge of the hot humid day was that we had no available water sources along the trail. It was the first time on this journey that I had no water sources during a full day of hiking. So, we had to carry more water than usual. We carried about 3/4 of a gallon each, and the extra weight. My pack was probably in the 40 lbs area, several pounds more than usual after a food resupply. We were finally able to get more water at the shelter after nearly 12 miles. During the day, I drank almost 2/3 of the water that I was carrying.It was exciting to pass Northbound AT mile 600 today! We¢ll get after it again tomorrow!
Date: 2023-08-24
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Dismal Creek Campsite 
Miles today: 11.3

Very humid, and more silk blazing today. I was constantly swiping at the air with my hiking poles like I was having a seizure or something ° Even with all my efforts, I still got covered in cobwebs many, many times throughout the day¢¦on my face a lot, but also essentially all over my upper body and legs  I saw another coyote. It ran away from a spot next to the trail that was only about 30 feet away from me, so I got a real good look ant it¢¦a pretty brown and black coat. We had another steep mile long climb in the morning. The Virginia rocks were back¢¦a lot of walking and clambering over them. I stopped at Trent¢s Grocery, a popular hiker stop about 1/2 mile off trail, for an early dinner. We hiked 11.3 miles today and ended at a nice campsite right next to Dismal Creek.We¢ll hit it again tomorrow!
Date: 2023-08-25
From: Dismal Creek

To: Tent Site @ Mile 623
Miles today: 7.0

Miserable humid day with a 2-1/2 mile very steep climb up to 4,000 ft of elevation from about 2,400 ft at Dismal Creek. I was dripping with sweat and soaked all day. We only went 7 miles. We didn¢t get on the trail until 1:00, because of a storm in the morning that kept us in our tents, and the difficult climbing in the heat and humidity really wore us out. We did manage to go past 600 miles hiked though, quite a milestone!Tomorrow¢s another day and we¢ll be back at it.
Date: 2023-08-26
From: Tent Site @ Mile 623

To: Campsite @ Mile 633.7
Miles today: 10.7

Hiked 10.7 miles today. The going was kind of tough at times because of often rocky trail. Rocksvirginia is becoming more and more apparent. It was another very humid day! Despite the oppressive humidity, I was able to complete the miles in about 6 hours. I arrived at Pearis Ledges, near our campsite, and spent an hour lounging on the rocks, drying my soaked shirt and socks in the sun, and enjoying the beautiful view of the valley below and Pearisburg, VA.Tomorrow we¢re hiking into Pearisburg for some supplies and to enjoy a couple of meals and likely spend the night.
Date: 2023-08-27
From: Campsite @ Mile 633.7

To: Cross Ave Road Crossing
Miles today: 2.4

Short day today¢¦2.4 miles to the road crossing and another 1.5 mile walk into Pearisburg and the Angel¢s Rest Hiker Haven hostel. We¢re taking a zero day tomorrow. I wasn¢t feeling great when I woke up this morning and I¢m hoping that the rest will do me good.
Date: 2023-08-28
To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Spent a relaxing day in Pearisburg. Got supply shopping done and had lunch downtown at the Happy Hog. The Angel¢s Rest Hiker Haven hostel is cool. Our rooms are in a vintage 60s era renovated mobile home¢¦very comfortable accommodations for $50 a night. We may stay another night to wait out more rainy weather.Spoke again with Boneless Thighs, a SOBO hiker from MD. We shared trail stories over a beer. Tomorrow I have an appointment with the hostel owner who¢s a certified acupuncturist. She said that she can help me with my nagging lower back pain after my fall a couple of weeks ago. I¢m willing to give it a shot for $40. I¢m curious to see what she can do  Getting anxious to hit the trail again!
Date: 2023-08-29
To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Spent another relaxing day in Pearisburg. Had some more good meals and hung around Angel¢s Rest enjoying talking with ShowMe and Boneless Thighs. BT is a cool guy with great stories. The three of us also enjoyed lunch at the Happy Hog. I also had an acupuncture and chiropractic session this morning with Doc Peppa, the hostel owner. Ever since my fall a couple of weeks back, my back has been more problematic than usual. She was able to realign me and the acupuncture seemed to help as well. Time will tell. I may also pursue more chiropractic help when I get back home. We hit the trail again tomorrow.
Date: 2023-08-30
From: Cross Ave Road Crossing, Pearisburg

To: Campsite @ AT Mile 650.5
Miles today: 14.4

After an enjoyable and restful time in Pearisburg, VA, we hiked 14.4 miles today. It was tough going for a lot of it because of two long tough climbs, walking over rocks, and the miles of very overgrown trail. I got a lot of bloody scratches on my arms and legs from the sticker bushes and briars. We made it to our campsite well after dark. I was very thankful to get my tent set up and to crawl in and get into my sleeping bag for some much deserved sleep¢¦worn out!We¢re now at AT mile 650.5. We should be at Dragon¢s Tooth and Catawba, VA by this holiday weekend.We¢ll hit it again tomorrow!
Date: 2023-08-31
From: Campsite @ AT Mile 650.5

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.1

We hiked 10.1 miles today to Bailey Gap Shelter. Spent some time in the 5th state of the journey, WV. There were again some very overgrown parts of the trail that we had to wade through before we came down from the mountain we camped on last night. 3.7 miles into the day, we passed the intersection with the southern terminus of the Allegheny Trail. A trail that¢s 315 miles long and goes to the Mason Dixon line. The day included two ridiculously steep climbs, both around a 20% grade! The second one, up to where we tented near the shelter, was an 1,100 ft climb in just over a mile. That¢s  Andy Layne Trail steep (Mike will again understand the reference °). We ate dinner next to Big Stoney Creek, to fuel up, before making the difficult climb up to Bailey Gap Shelter.We¢ll get after it again tomorrow!
Date: 2023-09-01
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 9.0

The day began with an anticipated water source, a spring right on the trail, that was dry. Most of the first part of the day was spent clambering over seemingly endless rocks, which really wears you out. You¢re grateful for a brief respite of relatively smooth trail for just 20-30 ft. On top of the 4,000 ft mountain near Wind Rock, in a very overgrown area, I made like a bear and feasted on wild blackberries for some hydration and nutrition. They were hard earned berries because of the climb and my scratched and bleeding arms from all of the overgrown trail  Water was scarce today. We passed by several anticipated sources only to find them dry. We didn¢t get a water refill until the end of the day by our camp¢¦I was nearly out of water. Thankfully it was a good flowing stream and I was also able to get a refreshing rinse off after dark.Though it was only a 9 mile day, I was worn out and very happy to climb into my tent. We¢ll do it again tomorrow.
Date: 2023-09-02
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Campsite At AT Mile 680.7
Miles today: 11.3

We hiked 11.3 miles today. There were several steep climbs, including a very steep one at the end of the day while heading up to our campsite at AT mile 680.7. We finished the climb after dark. Early in the day, we met a nice man named Mac and his Lab Luke that were out for a short section hike. We hiked with them for about 4 miles and enjoyed good conversation about the trail and such. ShowMe and I decided that Mac¢s trail name should be Vader¢¦¢Luke, I am your Father¢ ° We stopped for an early dinner beside Laurel Creek at AT mile 674.4. Today was just another example of the great people, and dogs, you meet along the trail. We¢ve also been seeing more and more SOBO (southbound) thru hikers. Been wondering lately what it¢s going to be like when I finish my hike. It¢s definitely going to be an adjustment period for sure, getting back to typical everyday life, maybe even be a little depressing. I¢m sure this experience has changed me, made me look at life differently, maybe even shifted what¢s most important in my life a bit. ShowMe and I both wonder what it will be like driving a car again after months of not¢¦stimulation overload? °
Date: 2023-09-03
From: Campsite At AT Mile 680.7

To: Campsite AT Mile 690.3
Miles today: 9.6

Camped right next to a rocky overlook last night. Ate breakfast and checked email and such while sitting on the rocks. Great start to the day!To get water for the day, we had to walk down a steep half mile blue blaze trail to Sarver Shelter. Then we had to scoop water from a little pool in a very old well/spring house foundation to slowly fill our bottles. To top it off, literally, I had to carry 6 extra pounds on my back returning up hill to the AT. Water can be very difficult to find/obtain at times! Makes you appreciate how easy we have it in our modern lives!!Spent much of the day ridge walking, Walked for a couple of miles along a very rocky ridge line along the Ledges playing billy goats on large sloped rock outcroppings ° It was then 4 miles down to our campsite near a stream at AT mile 690.3. We hiked only 9.6 miles, mostly because of the way the water and camping sites are spaced out in this section. What¢s more, ShowMe and I were both kinda having an off, hot, day after the tough climbing of the past two.We¢ll try again tomorrow! Big climb right out of camp in the morning.
Date: 2023-09-04
From: Campsite AT Mile 690.3

To: Campsite @ 698.2
Miles today: 9.0

Met Dr Danger on the 2.5 mile climb out of camp up Brush Mountain and to the Audie Murphy monument. Very nice man, a retired dentist hiking SOBO. We talked for a while exchanging intel. After the Audie Murphy monument, which was amazing, we then hiked nearly 4 miles down to VA 620 at Trout Creek. This is the point at which Mike and family, Victor, and I stopped our hike a number of years ago from Tinker Cliffs. When I reached 620, I was greeted by a well known local AT trail magic giver, Jason. He offered me a cold beer and great conversation. ShowMe got the same treatment when he arrived a short time later. Jason is a great guy and we all enjoyed the interaction! Jason said that ShowMe and I were unicorns, the latest NOBO long hikers, up from Springer Mountain, GA, that he has ever seen °After a 2 hour stop at Trout Creek, we decided to hike up the mountain to a campsite a little past Pickle Branch Shelter.  Because of the long beer break °, we only hiked 9 miles today, ending at a campsite at AT mile 698.2. It was a great stop, including fresh tomatoes left by the bridge by a kind soul, beers from Trout Creek Jason, and a water refill from the spring fed creek. It¢s Dragon¢s Tooth tomorrow, which is only 4.2 miles away. It¢s the first part of the Triple Crown, which includes McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs.
Date: 2023-09-05
From: Campsite @ 698.2

To: Campsite AT Mile 707.5
Miles today: 9.3

We hiked 9.3, mostly very challenging and HOT, miles today. I rang out my sweat soaked shirt more than once. There was a lot of climbing, including a long one up to Dragon¢s Tooth, which was my second time up there. I¢ve been up once coming from the North and today from the South. The descent down the other side was even tougher. It¢s a very technically challenging rock scramble, including some sliding down on your butt and letting yourself down by handholds and walking on very narrow rock ledges. Signs in the area call attention to the dangers  After we got down from Dragon¢s Tooth, we walked to a small grocery store in Catawba, VA. There I devoured a cheeseburger and fries, a banana, a large lemonade, and an ice cream sandwich and a chocolate milk. We also stocked up on some food supplies for the next several days until we get to Daleville, VA. When we reach there, we will have been out on the trail and camping for 8 straight days and nights. We¢ll go into Daleville on day 9 out of Pearisburg.After the Catawba stop, we hiked through some cow pastures and then got back in the woods where we stopped and laid down in a cool creek. It was great to cool off on the very hot day and rinse off my sweat soaked clothes. By the time we reached our ridge top campsite, my clothes had mostly dried because of the refreshing breeze. Overall, a very nice change from the heat of the day  We passed AT mile 700 today! We¢ll get after it again tomorrow!
Date: 2023-09-06
From: Campsite AT Mile 707.5

To: LambertÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Meadow Campsite 
Miles today: 13.5

it was another very hot and humid day with long miles between water sources. After the long uphill to McAfee¢s Knob, we spent over 2 hours hanging out, taking pics, relaxing and just enjoying the amazing views. After McAfee¢s, it was dinner near Campbell Shelter, 3/4 mile down the trail, then a 4.5 mile ridge walk and a grueling 1.5 mile steep climb up to Tinker Cliffs. The climb up to Tinker was in the dark, as well as the 1.8 mile hike down to our campsite  Luckily, we didn¢t dry camp because there was a small creek bed with some scoopable water.We hiked 13.5 miles today, which, given the heat and humidity and tough climbs, was a great accomplishment!  It also got us close enough to Daleville, VA to go into town tomorrow, which we¢re both excited about. I know I¢d love a shower and good meals after 7 days out on the trail! ShowMe and I also have a couple of Amazon shipments to pick up at the outfitter, including our third pairs of hiking shoes and dehydrated meals  Daleville is 9.2 miles from Lamberts Meadow, so we¢ll get after it again tomorrow!
Date: 2023-09-07
From: LambertÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Meadow Campsite 

To: US Route 220/Daleville, VA
Miles today: 9.3

Another hot day. We hiked 9.3 miles. A lot of the day was spent walking a ridge with large interesting rock formations like Hay Rock and the Monolith. I was anxious to get to Route 220 and the Super 8 just across the busy road. After 7 days on trail, I was so looking forward to a shower and some relaxation and good meals. We luckily got to town ahead of a strong thunderstorm and got dinner at a Mexican restaurant just down the hill from the hotel. We¢re taking a zero day tomorrow to rest up and get some supplies. Thought I had today while hiking¢¦You learn to appreciate things like a cooling mountain breeze on a hot day, simple things you take for granted back in ¢the world¢ or rarely notice at all.
Date: 2023-09-10
From: US Route 220/Daleville, VA

To: Wilson Creek Shelter AT Mile 741.5
Miles today: 11.2

We left Daleville around 11:00 this morning, well rested and well fed. The trailhead was 100 yards from the hotel, which was very convenient. After only a mile, it started to rain and we took shelter at the I-81 underpass. We ended up going a total of 11.2 miles, after taking refuge from rain again at Fullhardt Knob Shelter. We tented near the Wilson Creek Shelter.Tomorrow we¢ll pass AT mile 750! Also wanted to mention that this long adventure wouldn¢t be possible without the love, and help back home, that I¢m receiving from my awesome parents. Thanks Mom & Dad, love you!
Date: 2023-09-11
From: Wilson Creek Shelter AT Mile 741.5

To: Cove Mountain Shelter AT Mile 755.3
Miles today: 13.8

We hiked 13.8 miles today. We came across the Blue Ridge Parkway at Blackhorse Gap. We then hiked the rest of the day essentially following the Blue Ridge, crossing back and forth across it several times. We took a rest at Harvey¢s Knob Overlook. We received some trail magic there when an older man walked up and offered us homemade cookies. They were very tasty! We¢ll get after it again tomorrow, as we get closer to AT mile 800!