morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-12
From: Campsite

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

I was up early thinking I might go 21 miles? Right now we had 16, 16, 16, 16 planned into Daleville from here. If I did 21 today, I would go 21, 16, 16, 10...something like that. The first half of the hike went good and I was on schedule to make 21. The second half didn't go smoothly and I stopped at the original destination. First, the 2nd climb today, leading up to the original destination shelter kicked my butt, especially after 14 miles already. Second, a southbound couple told me there was a really rocky section between the 16-mile shelter and the 21-mile shelter. I hated some rocks we had yesterday at the 14-mile point so I definitely would not have enjoyed the hike with rocks at the 17-mile point....ouch!! Third, 16 miles comes "easy" now so why kill myself to do 21? It would be nice to only have 10 into Daleville instead of 16, but not worth 21 pain!The footpath today varied greatly. There were nice packed dirt sections, some nasty rock sections, some pine needle sections (my favorite), some grassy pasture sections, and some soggy stream crossings.One of the highlights of today's hike was Kelly's Knob viewpoint. Beautiful scenery. The second highlight was the Keffer Oak Tree, supposedly over 300 years old. Look how big the trunk is.I hiked alone all day today trying to go for 21. Don't think I'll try the big miles again anytime soon...too focused on the miles and didn't get into the "thinking zone" as much as I usually do when hiking alone.We had sunshine all day today....not a cloud in the sky. Amazing! (break) Wow. I have never heard a live Whippoorwill (a bird) until now! Holy cow. Long and loud. Think car alarm! (end break)I'm looking forward to the weekend! It will have been 18 days since our last day off in Damascus. My body is doing good, but I can feel the miles right now...not fresh. Basically, my mind set now, after the 21 try today, is to take it slow and easy into Daleville and get my body some good rest. Sunnuke's knee is hurting him pretty bad and I think Goof and Mr Buffalo Man would welcome some rest also.Good workout today....good day on the A.T.
Date: 2009-05-13
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

(Written this morning) Note about Sarver Hollow Shelter (last night): I really like this area. Very peaceful. It is a hike to get to this shelter as it is .5 miles off the trail on a steep side-trail. But I'm glad I stayed here last night. Nice shelter (even though I tented to avoid bugs), lots of tenting area, peaceful surroundings. The water source is even a good one if you go past the "official" source to a stream .1 mile beyond.Up at 6:30 this morning...should be out before 8:00 am. Gonna take an easy stroll through the woods today!(Written tonight)Today was a perfect day of hiking. The Trail surface was the best we have had in days. Very little rocks today....yea! The morning hike was along a ridgeline and over large boulders. It was much fun and the views were awesome. The 1st 6 miles went quick. We then climbed up a mountain to the Audie Murphy Memorial. Good climb on a great trail surface. Then the rest of the day was spent on a gradual descent.All 4 of us hiked together all day today. I basically did as planned and strolled through the woods today. Nice day today on the A.T.We have changed our plans. Tomorrow is our last day on the Trail before our Trail Day break. We were going to do 2 more days but we're pretty wooped and in need of a couple of days off. Plus, Goof will get to spend all day Friday with his Mom. Our original plan had us coming in late on Friday so his Mom would have been sitting around most of Friday waiting for him to arrive.So tomorrow we have just a bit over 12 miles, then my body gets a rest! Two days off in 36 days is not enough. But everything is in good shape....let's keep it that way.The sun has been out for 2 days straight! It's so awesome. It has been so pleasant hiking without having to deal with rain gear, sloppy trail, soaked feet, etc.We have added to our list of Trail Designers:Barbara Bridge; Trailname - Drysocks; she placed bridges over streams for us...we like her very much.Rusty River; Trailname - Ragin' Cajun; he's responsible for the flooded A.T. we hike in sometimes.Steven Stiles; Trailname - Grasshopper; responsible for the stiles getting us from one grass pasture to the next over fences.
Date: 2009-05-15
From: VA 311 (Catawba, VA)

To: VA 311 (Super 8 Motel in Dalevile)
Miles today: 0.0

Today I did nothing....and it was good. We hung out and ate! I got the greatest piece of trail magic ever......Lynn brought her laptop with her and let me use it to journal....and finally download some 300 pictures I had been sitting on. Thank you sooooo much Lynn. It was so nice journaling from the comforts of the hotel room...without worrying about hogging a computer. What a blessing.So I labeled all the photos I had not "titled" yet. Plus downloaded and titled the others. Sorry about the delay....I know a story without the accompanying pictures is not as good. I think I have figured a way to make the process even easier for the future....we'll see!I got my re-supply for the next leg done. I also got my equipment changes complete. I got my summer bag ready to go, new shoes (same kind, just new), and I'm sending old stuff home (old shoes, winter sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, long underwear (1 pair), winter gloves, and parka).Going to a BBQ joint for dinner!
Date: 2009-05-16
From: VA 311 (Super 8 Motel in Dalevile)

To: VA 311 (Super 8 Motel in Dalevile)
Miles today: 0.0

I actually slept in a little this morning....woke up at 8:30 when Goof knocked on my door....time to go to the Post Office. Sent some equipment home!Had lunch with Sunnuke, Big Daddy, and iPod. Big Daddy and iPod are good dudes and I have enjoyed hanging out with them. I hope our paths cross on the Trail again. Sunnuke and I did not go to Trail Days. We though it would be more beneficial for us to just relax here...and I think we made the right choice for us. It would be 6 hours in the van, which I would not have enjoyed....and then we would have been on our feet all day down there walking around everywhere. I'll see everyone I would want to see down there on the Trail after Trail Days anyhow....and no guarantee I would see them down there. I have no real gear issues. So I thought I would save the Trail Days for another year and come back as an alumni and relax and enjoy it. Who knows, right?So I'm relaxing in my room right now...working on the journal and catching up on other little stuff. It's nice to just piddle around with no time constraints.So I'm in here relaxing, playing on the computer. Sunnuke is in the other room setting up his new tent! Mr Buffalo Man, Goof, and Lynn are at Trail Days.
Date: 2009-05-17
From: VA 311 (Super 8 Motel in Dalevile)

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: light rain

I slept really well last night. No hurry this morning as we had plenty of distance options today and Lynn's plane didn't take off until late afternoon and we were all going to have one last lunch together before getting back on the Trail.So I eased out of bed late. Most of my stuff was already packed up and ready to go. So I checked out about 9:30 and had a couple of donuts at the breakfast bar in the hotel. Well, Sunnuke came down and says he needs to take a couple of more days off for his knee....it was really hurting him.So we all went to lunch at Cracker Barrel and discussed our options. The other 3 of us would continue hiking and when we came back through Daleville in a couple of days, we would see how Sunnuke's knee felt then. Lynn drove us back to the Trail and we said our goodbye's. Thanks for visiting Lynn......it was great to finally meet you. You're a cool girl! So the plan is to hike just a couple of miles today with the late start....then hike to US220 tomorrow where the hotel is that Sunnuke is staying at....the same place we have stayed for the last couple of nights. We will stay overnight there again in Sunnuke's room and see how his knee feels the following morning. If it's better, he'll simply hike out with us and do the section he missed at a later date after we finish. If his knee is still bad, we'll have to come up with a different plan. We'll see.Today's hike was an easy uphill to McAfee Knob. If you have seen photos of points along the A.T., chances are you have seen a photo of this rock feature. We hung out there for a while taking the traditional photos (feet dangling off the edge of the world)....then we messed around taking some fun, original photos! Fun place....great views.I am curious how the A.T. hiker flow is going to "shake out" after Trail Days weekend. People got off the Trail at many different locations and are taking a varying number of days off. So I'm interested to see who we start seeing on the Trail....some new faces, and maybe some we haven't seen in a while. Tonight we are at a shelter with a slew of new faces....people who didn't go to Trail Days or take any time off.Goof, Lynn, and Mr Buffalo Man had a good time at Trail Days. I'll go some day/year, but needed the rest and relaxation this year at this point. Good to be back on the Trail!
Date: 2009-05-18
From: Campbell Shelter

To: US 220
Miles today: 15.4

Today was an awesome hike!! The perfect weather today set the environment for a great hike. Most of the morning hike was on big boulders.....lots of fun.....highlighted by a walk through/on Tinker Cliffs. Other fun rock formations included Snack Bar Rock, Rock Haven, The Well, and Lunch Box Rock. Very Cool Morning. Blessed to be out here playing on the rocks!The afternoon hike was pleasant also and highlighted with a big break at Hay Rock, a large tilted sandstone upthrust. Of course, we had to stop to climb up on that.We ended up staying in the same hotel we were at just 2 days ago and all piled in Sunnuke's room. He says he is ready to hike, so we'll all take off together tomorrow morning.We stopped at the outfitters.....each of us needing a few items. I needed some fuel (I had given my fuel to Chance, another hiker who had run out.....I don't really need fuel). I also bought some Trail Runners (Vasque). I'll let you know how they work out. Risky move, trying out new shoes in the middle of a hike......yikes! I hope I chose well. Ordered Domino's and to bed.OK...a little about how I feel about the hike. First, it has been an awesome adventure so far. I have enjoyed 98% of it. Oh yeah....there were times when I was not a happy camper for sure. We are 1/3 of the way as far as mileage goes. I look at the first third as a great training program. I learned how to hike and how to use my gear. I got in great hiker shape and am ready to step it up a bit.For those of you who don't know me, I like to plan stuff and then execute the plan (goal oriented). I also like to challenge myself, so I kind of want to hike a little farther.....and I need to get the average daily miles up a bit.I would like to get to Harper's Ferry on a weekend to facilitate visitors.Bottom line: I'm feeling strong, ready to hike, and ready to get back on schedule. The weather has been awesome, scenery magnificent, and the Trail in Virginia is "kind".
Date: 2009-05-19
From: US 220

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

We were pretty relaxed getting out of town this morning....didn't get on the Trail until after 9 am.The hike today was awesome! The weather was perfect.....sunny, cool, light breeze, the trail was easy ups and downs all day over a good hiking surface. Hiked through Mountain Laurel all day long....beautiful. It is my favorite A.T. flower. Also had patches of blooming Rhododendrons.There were plenty of water features today providing good break spots. Sunnuke's legs are still bothering him and Goof's feet are bothering him. Hence, we only did 11.2 miles today.I have a plan to get into Harper's Ferry on Friday, 5 June. I'm going to try to execute that plan. I'm then planning on 2 zero days in Harper's Ferry. I'm not sure what this will do to our group. Obviously, if they don't want 2 zero days, they don't need to be there on Friday and can take a more relaxed schedule. We'll see what happens.Good day on the A.T......absolutely beautiful.OK....so I mapped out a plan for us to get into Harper's on the 5th.It's a fairly aggressive schedule, but nothing crazy. It does include 3 or 4 20-mile days and an 18-mile day. Everything else is 17 and below, including a 13, 14, and 15 mile day.Bottom line is that I'm going to take as many miles as the Trail will give me. So if the miles come easy on a given day, I'll keep hiking. And if unexpected tough mileage is encountered, I'll have to cut it short.If I can make Harper's Ferry on the 5th, I'll be back on the original schedule I had layed out this winter before even starting the hike. This would be cool! I'd like to take 2 days off in Harpers Ferry for anyone who would like to come visit. I have a friend in DC who is planning on coming to Harpers Ferry for that weekend. The other guys could come in a day or two later if they'd like and we could continue from there as a group. This is if they don't want to push it that hard. They aren't taking 18 days off the Trail in July, so there is no need for them to hurry at any point. They have plenty of time. We'll be discussing different options from here all they way into Waynesboro, VA. That's where we might have to do different schedules, but we'll be together until then at least. I imagine we'll come up with a plan to stick together some how and still fill everyone's needs/desires.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

Today was awesome!! Perfectly blue sky without a hint of a cloud anywhere. The temps were cool starting with 40s in the morning and rising toward 70 in the afternoon.....light breeze here and there.Today we started our hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway and we'll be close to it for the next 100 miles. The A.T. pops out sometimes at the Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks, which makes for some nice viewing spots.The Trail was generous today and was lined with violets, mountain laurel, rhododendrons, and other various blooming flowers. Very gorgeous forest today.We met Footnote today who was only 5 miles from finishing his A.T. hike. He started in 2008 and got off the trail when a friend of his died. Now he was back finishing up the Trail. Pretty Cool.We caught up with that young group I like today. The were hanging out at a swimming hole at Jennings Creek. We stopped and played for a while there. It was great to see all of them again and to be able to hang out a bit. And Goof finally got to go swimming! If you've been following along, you know I don't get too hung up on mileages as long as we're staying close to on track so that we complete the hike close to on schedule. But today's mileage is worth mentioning as it is the first time any of our group has gone over 20 miles. It's great to know we can do that kind of mileage if we have to.So I'm a genious, and an idiot. I'm a genious for picking up these trail runners. My feet feel better today after 20 miles than they did with my other shoes after 10. I'm an idiot for not switching sooner! Excellent day on the Appalachian Trail!
Date: 2009-05-21
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Marble Spring (campsite)
Miles today: 17.2

I had made my mind up last night that today was "workout day". We had a huge climb in the morning that was going to take 2-3 hours, some rolling ups and downs mid-day, and then a good climb at the end of the day.The goal today was to "sweat." My whole body was feeling good.... i.e. no pain anywhere. So off I went and I flew up Floyd Mountain. I stopped at Black Rock, a scenic overlook, and we all had lunch there. Next stop was Thunder Hill Overlook. I did stop along the way to take some trail photos, flower photos, and a photo of the Guillotine (boulder suspended over A.T.). So I flew all-out to Thunder Hill. Then it was a downhill for a couple of miles before the last uphill. I was pushing as hard as I could up that last hill still moving pretty good. When I stopped halfway up to catch my breathe and get some water, my legs were actually shaking. Awesome! The last time I remember working them that hard was when I used to run up this hill in Sugarcreek during the summer getting ready for football season (over 2 decades ago)! I'm telling you, this hike is the best thing I could have done for my physical well being. I've lost a good chunk of fat, my legs are as strong as they have ever been, and the aerobic workout I'm getting going up hills is just plain fun! I love going uphill, and I usually push it pretty good to make it aerobic (get the heart rate and breathing up). What is suffering out here is the upper body. I'm supposed to be doing push-ups and sit-ups but its the last thing I want to be doing! I need to up the effort in this area.Today was just another awesome day on the A.T.....sunshine, 70's, beautiful scenery.....flowers popping up everywhere. Oh yeah, hundreds of butterflies over the last couple of days....hard to get a picture as they never land on anything....I'll keep trying. I like the blue ones.Well, time for bed......I'm going to sleep good tonight!
Date: 2009-05-22
From: Marble Spring (campsite)

To: US 501 / VA 130 (Buena Vista)
Miles today: 7.7

Slept great last night! Because of that, I was up with the sun, shortly after 6 am. We hadn't planned on leaving until 8 am, but there was no way I was getting back to sleep, so I got up, packed up my stuff, and went and had breakfast down by the fire ring. Only one other hiker was up and we didn't want to make much noise so we just sat there quietly waiting, watching the surrounding forest.Sunnuke was ready to go by 7:45 so he and I left camp. Goof and Mr Buffalo Man were packing stuff up and I figure they left camp about 8:30. We hiked for about 2 hours to a ridge where we thought we would have cell service. We called a local guy, Ken, who provides shuttle services in this area. We didn't know how far behind Goof and Mr Buffalo Man were, so we just picked a conservative time of 2 pm. Well, they caught us about an hour later, and even taking it easy, we arrived at the road before noon. So we had time to kill. So how do hikers kill time? Watch other hikers try to hitchhike into town!OK. So Ken takes us to the Post Office to pick up our Mail-drops, then to the hotel for the night. Ken will be back at 8 am to take us back to the Trail. Thanks for the rides Ken.Normal town chores.....laundry, showers, and store for some groceries. We went to dinner at Captain Tim's Galley with a couple from New Zealand, Mr Ed and Lightweight. We've been hiking with them for the last several days. Very nice people. Captain Tim's has an All You Can Eat special for $25 that is out of this world. Outstanding. Not buffet, but cooked as you order. I had tons of trout and some grilled tuna. Among all of us, I think we had everything they had to offer....all simply fantastic. Eat here!!!! I know they were glad to finally see us leave! Side note: Goof ate more than anyone else at the restaurant....and later that night still went to Burger King and had 2 Whopper Jr's....wow!Oh yeah, the trail today was easy. We crossed the longest bridge on the A.T. dedicated strictly to foot travel, crossing the James River. Time for bed!
Date: 2009-05-23
From: US 501 / VA 130 (Buena Vista)

To: Pedlar River Bridge
Miles today: 14.9

Ken, our shuttle driver, pulled in early at about 7:30, but we were all ready to go and back on the Trail by 8 am.The hike started out great along Rocky Row Run and you know by now how much I like hiking along water features. So the first 2 or 3 miles were a nice warm up for the day.So I'm walking along surrounded by Mountain Laurel.....I mean all over. I get to John's Creek, basically going from one hillside to another, and go from totally surrounded by Mountain Laurel to wide open woods....with no Mountain Laurel at all. This is always surprising to me, but it happens occasionally out here where it really feels like you literally step out of one type of forest environment into a totally different kind. I love when it happens .... hits you in the face .... totally amazing.On the climb up to Bluff Mountain.....up, up, and more up....not so much hard as just long; we had some viewpoints where we could see the FAA Radar we passed a couple of days ago. It's not often you can tell exactly which mountain or point of land you were just on, but this was unmistakeable. It was crazy to see how far away it was and that we had "walked" to where we were now in a couple of days. Too cool!Beautiful day today......sunshine, warm, light breeze on the mountains.....just plain nice spring day. The woods have come alive recently; plants "greening" and flowering, more animals (deer, frogs, snakes, and bugs....nope, no bears yet), and more day-hikers on the Trail.The campsite tonight was well hidden, but Mr Buffalo Man and I finally found it. We left a note (made of sticks) on the Trail for everyone following behind, so they could find us.Bunches of hikers at the campsite tonight.....great to see them all together again......Goof, Mr Buffalo Man, Sunnuke, Turtle, Miss Scarlett, Newt, Squeegie, Half-Moon, Sunbeam, Chance, Dudley, Mississippi. Good day on the A.T.
Date: 2009-05-24
From: Pedlar River Bridge

To: North Forks of Piney River (Campsite)
Miles today: 19.0

Awesome hike today! Us 4 were the first 4 out of camp this morning knowing we had a long way to go. The 1st 5 miles were easy and we knocked them out in a couple of hours. We stopped at a shelter for a long break. By the time we left, everyone we had camped with had caught up, had a break with us at the shelter, and had continued hiking!!We finally got going again and the next segment of the day was the challenge for this day. A huge climb that was going to take 2+ hours. It ended up being the toughest climb we had had in a long time. Whew! We were working hard and sweating buckets. Mr Buffalo Man and I were cruising and we actually caught and passed most of the young group. We felt good about it, knowing now we had reached the point where we can hike with 98% of the people out here. We've come a long way since the beginning of this thing!The top of the climb was at 799.9 total miles. So we all gathered and celebrated 800 miles together!It was good to be leap frogging with Squeegie, Miss Scarlett, Newt, Half-Moon, Sunbeam, Hellbender, and some others. We hadn't hiked together for a while, at least not this much, since Hot Springs. It made for a fun day.The next stop was on top of Cold Mountain, a grassy bald. Beautiful place. All of us stopped and layed out on the grass and took a long break there, enjoying the views and fun conversation. We sang Happy Birthday to Hellbender.Next we all stopped for water at Hog Camp Gap. Don't let the name fool you....it is a very nice camping area. And there were several camps set up when we got there for Memorial Day weekend. The young group decided to stop there for the day and just hang out. We pressed on to our originally planned destination. Glad they stopped, because the camping at Piney river was root filled and we barely found 4 good spots for our tents.Today's trail had grassy balds, beautiful flowers, nice walking surface. Good day on the A.T.