morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-08
From: hurricane creek shelter 

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It was hard to muster the strength to leave Hurricane shelter. The sleeping bags were warm and the air was cold, but thoughts of the twenty mile day ahead finally forced us out of our warm cocoons. Dad and Paul woke up a little quicker than us and left camp around 7:30 whereas we left closer to 8. The first five miles the four of us were playing catch up with dad. We finally met back up with them at the road crossing for troutdale. We stopped and ate a little bit, and then kept going on. We passed trimpi shelter and then stopped in a field and ate some more before the big up to partnership shelter. The last 7 miles started off with a four mile uphill some flat and then another mile uphill to the end. Right on cue the snow started coming down when we began the climb. In the end we made it to partnership around 350. We met a guy named Rick who offered to give us a ride into town. Three of us had to sit in the back of the truck which I guess doesn't get to many second looks in Marion Virginia. We picked up a package for dad and Paul and then went to Pizza Hut. At Pizza Hut they were running a special were you could get two mediums for the price of a large. We ate 8 pizzas between the six of us. Once again I don't think Atticus's stomach was too happy. On the way back things got interesting when Rick decided to take the interstate. I was in the bed of the truck, but I heard dad tried to dissuade him and he said if he can do it with a dead deer, he can do it with three guys, and that was the end of that. He dropped us back off at the shelter where we played some cards and met a veteran who spoke fluent German, which was exciting for Atticus. Fat sister, bean, ash , and white rabbit rolled up around 9 that night after having done 30 miles. Unfortunately for them there was no shelter space left, so they had to tent outside. It's supposed to get really cold tomorrow night so we are going to try and push for Atkins, and stay at the relax inn.
Date: 2016-04-09
From: Partnership Shelter

To: atkins, va 
Miles today: 13.0

Getting out of our sleeping bags was hard this morning, considering how cold it was. There was about an inch of snow on the ground at partnership shelter where we slept. If someone had told me it was going to snow in April I wouldn't have believed them. My dad and Paul started their trek back over the mountain to there car. It is going to be very cold for them as they must cross back over the highlands to get to there car. Thanks again for braving the weather to hike with us. You guys are awesome and we really enjoyed your company ! After saying our goodbyes we headed off towards Atkins, Virginia (about 13 miles away). The snow on top of the mountain was much deeper than we we anticipated, probably around 3 inches in some spots. My running shoes don't do well in the snow so my feet were soaked, and I had slipped quite a few times by the time we reached town. We checked into a very cheap motel in town ( it was kind of scary) in order to let our clothes and shoes dry. While we were there we soaked our clothes in an insect repellent called prometheran, in anticipation of the mosquitos and ticks that await us in the coming months. Thanks to Spidey's family for sending the prometheran ! The shower and the bed felt so great tonight, but we can't wait to get back on the trail tomorrow headed to Parisburg, VA ! Hopefully most of the snow will be gone by the morning and our clothes will be dry.
Date: 2016-04-10
From: atkins, va 

To: Lick Creek
Miles today: 18.0

Today we got a later start, we didn't leave the motel till 930. We had a rough climb out of Atkins, made even worse by the fact that we saw a dead raccoon in the middle of the trail. The most bizarre part is that it was untouched. Maybe it died of the cold last night. We are lunch in a sunny field. We finally made it to the shelter around 4. We saw Paul (pacman), White Rabbit, and Large. We caught up with Paul and found out he had yellow blazed a bit, unfortunately it was only 15 miles in due to the late start, but we elected to do four more to lick creek. Even though there wasn't a marked campsite in the guidebook we hoped the creek would provide. We had one rough uphill, but made it there around 6. The creek was beautiful and we had a wonderful camp spot. We have 21 tomorrow with a huge 5 mile climb in the beginning. It should be interesting.
Date: 2016-04-11
From: Lick Creek

To: laurel creek campsite 
Miles today: 21.0

We started the morning out with a five mile uphill.... Needless to say, motivation to get going in the morning was low. Once we got to the top chestnut mountain we rested at the shelter, which was memorable because the shelter had a door on it ( fairly unusual). We marched along the spine of the mountain for most of the day. The elevation was fairly easy, but I think we all got a little sunburned. We stopped at a shelter to find a box of vanilla wafers had been left. We made crumbs of those pretty quick ! Also at the shelter was a flyer saying that there was a free breakfast every morning from the church down the gravel road. Well we decided to camp near the gravel road just in case we want breakfast in the morning. Our feet and legs are pretty tired after the 21 mile day, but we are planning another 20 mile day for tomorrow! We camped with white rabbit and large tonight, and it was nice to see knew faces and card players. It is supposed to rain most of tomorrow so hopefully our tent and rain equipment are up to the challenge! Also we will be at the 600 mile mark tomorrow so that is encouraging !
Date: 2016-04-12
From: laurel creek campsite 

To: Lick Skillet Hollow
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

We woke up to the pitter patter of raindrops on our tent. It had rained all through the night and the tent was soaked. We hung out in the tents till 730, when I ventured out to get the bear bags I realized it had stopped raining, and was just trees dripping. With that being said it was a lethargic morning for everyone, and we didn't leave camp until 9:30. The day started with an uphill, but it wasn't too bad on fresh legs. About 5 miles in we crossed the interstate and threw away some trash. We made it to the first shelter 9 miles in and talked with Large and Sooner or Later. We then rolled on determined to get to camp by 5. After this it was just ridge running to the campsite. On our way there we met a sobo named mountain man. He told us White Rabbit and Large were cooking smores, an hour later at the shelter we were sorely disappointed. After we met up with Large and White Rabbit we hiked another mile to camp. It was a good night. We played cards and had extra dessert to eat. Tomorrow will be 23 miles but on an easy elevation, so it should be a good day.
Date: 2016-04-13
From: Lick Skillet Hollow

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 35.0
Weather: broken clouds

We went to bed excited because the elevation profile for the next day was a hikers dream. 4-6 miles almost completely flat, a small uphill, and then a net downhill on the ridge to a shelter. We set off early in preparation for a long 23 mile day ! I think the terrain was better than we dreamed of, and I am convinced this is the easiest the trail will EVER be for us. With the ease of terrain we flew through the miles. By 12 we had already knocked out 14 miles, and we decided to take a lunch break and rest at the shelter. From the top of the next small climb we got a great view of Pearisburg,VA and the ridges we were going to be walking on. By 4:00 we had reached our 23 mile destination. As we stopped to rest we analyzed the situation. We could stay at the shelter that night and eat a dry meal, or we could hike the remaining 10 miles into Pearisburg and eat Mexican food. We were still undecided until our friend White Rabbit came in sick. We decided staying in the shelter with a potentially sick hiker was a bad idea so we headed for Pearisburg! The miles were fairly easy and we quickly started descending into town. We made it to the road around 8, as it was getting dark outside. We tried to hitch hike into town but no one would pick us up. The last mile and a half into town seemed to be all uphill. We ate dinner at Hardee's around 9:30 and checked into the motel across the street at 10. We immediately collapsed and fell asleep. 12 hours of hiking and 35 miles, it was quite the sense of accomplishment!
Date: 2016-04-14
From: Pearisburg

To: pine swamp shelter
Miles today: 21.0

I had my best nights sleep since getting on the trail last night. 35 miles and a bed is a lethal combination. I took a shower, and then the Doritos for breakfast, while watching Stanley cup highlights. City life at its finest. We didn't leave the motel till 11. We started off with 5 miles of climbing. It was tough but we made it up to the ridge and got a view of WV to one side and VA to the other. We then hiked along the ridge for a few miles and stopped for a late lunch. We've hiked on so many rocky Virginia ridge lines they are all starting to blend. We started playing the city game and cranked out some more miles, but the late start made it hard for any of us to find real motivation. By the time we hit five o clock we still had 7 out of 21 miles left. Atticus went forward to the shelter leaving goose, spidey, and me to suffer alone. We didn't make into camp until 730. We stayed at pine swamp shelter. The name was a little perplexing considering there were no pines or swamps nearby. By the time we ate dinner and hung our bear bag it was 8:30 and everyone was ready for bed. We crawled in to our sleeping bags excited for the eighteen mile day to come.
Date: 2016-04-15
From: pine swamp shelter

To: laurel creek shelter 
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

We woke up this morning and headed down the mountain to The Captain's house. The Captain is a trail angel who lives right next to the trail and provides drinks and wifi to hikers ! The coolest part about his house is that there is a zip line over the creek to get to his house ! The zip line was definitely the highlight of my day ! Once we got over to his house we enjoyed a soft drink, wifi, and the company of his dogs. After a bit of relaxing we headed out on the trail again. We were met with a serious, rocky uphill which was not fun considering how hot it had gotten. After a lot of ridge running we marched downhill into a gap. We took a break at the shelter and talked to our new friends trouble and lucky duck. We trudged once more up the mountain before reaching laurel creek shelter. Another long day of hiking in the books ! Our feet were grateful to rest after the 19 mile day. Tomorrow we are waking up early and heading 23 miles over some difficult terrain, but we are going to break the 700 mile mark tomorrow so that is something to look forward to ! Also looking forward to being in Daleville, VA in a couple days !
Date: 2016-04-16
From: laurel creek shelter 

To: Pickle branch shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

Today we got up at our standard 630, but we managed to get ready in 45 minutes. Fifteen minutes faster than our usual hour which was good since we had 23 miles. We started with a a 2 mile flat to the biggest keffer oak in the country, then had a steep 1000 foot climb. After that we ran a long the ridge for 8 miles, from the ridge we had good views of the valleys down below. Atticus and I got to widay shelter which was thirteen miles in around12. It was a good start to the day, but after that I quickly lost motivation. We hiked two miles and then stopped to filter water before our second big uphill. Filtering water turned into a 30 minute break in an effort to put off the climb. After about an hour we made it up the 2.5 mile hill and passed some boyscouts. At the top there was a war memorial to Audie Murphy the most decorated soldier I'm world war 2. A little ways down the trail we saw magic who had just thrown up a couple times. We think it might've been from dehydration, either way we drank a good bit of water after that. After this we had 4 miles down and 1 mile up to the shelter. The downhill seemed to take forever , and the whole time I was miserable. Amazingly though we met a VT professor and his wife who where handing out coke. It's amazing how the one little act can totally change your day. After that I knocked out the uphill no problem and wasn't even scared when I saw an 18 inch snake. We are going to bed early because we are waking up at 5:30 tomorrow for another 23 mile day.
Date: 2016-04-17
From: Pickle branch shelter

To: Lambert field shelter 
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

Well we woke up at 5:30 this morning in hopes to get an early start on our 23 mile day. Our legs were tired from the previous couple of days so we wanted to start early and walk slow. We were headed out of camp around 6:30 and headed to the dragons tooth. We got to the top rather early and enjoyed the last bit of morning light. We met several day hikers and hung out longer than we should have. The dragons tooth is a huge exposed rock that makes up the face of the mountain. We were able to climb up the rock and sit on the front, it was a nice place to hang out! We then headed down the trail toward our to our next point of interest, mcafee knob. When we reached the parking lot for mcafee knob we saw what seemed like at least 50 cars that filled the parking lot and overflowed down the mountain. As we trudged up the hill we passed an unbelievable amount of day hikers, all of which reassured us we were almost there. When we got to the top we were surrounded by people, it felt like an amusement park. We even had to wait in line to get a picture on the iconic rock. Needless to say we weren't very impressed with this section of trail. After being in the woods by ourselves for so long it was kind of strange/annoying to see all these people. We quickly left the knob and headed toward camp which was about 7 miles away. The last 2 to the shelter was all up tinker mountain. I think everyone was a little angry by the top because we were so tired and hungry. However, the view from the top made us forget all the pain. Tinker cliffs were had the least amount of hype, but in my opinion blew mcafee knob and dragons tooth out of the water. There was a great view of the sunset as the trail meandered along the cliffside. The best part was definitely that there was no crowd! Beat down and tired we made the remaining miles into camp. We made dinner and then immediately got into our sleeping bags. This was definitely one of the most physically demanding days on the trail for me, but we are looking forward to being in Daleville, VA tomorrow and a day of low miles!
Date: 2016-04-18
From: Lambert field shelter 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 9.0

We woke up early this morning, and left the shelter at 6:30. Seam tagged along with us hoping to split a motel room. That morning went by fast, on the way into town we had several quality views of the lake that serves as a reservoir for Roanoke. We made quick work of the ten miles into town, arriving at 945. There we met our uncle Larry and went to the outfitter. Goose and I picked up a package and spidey tried to find some shoes, but they didn't have anything in size 13. After that Larry generously treated us to barbecue which is one of the things Atticus had to have before crossing the mason Dixon line. After lunch we got a room at the Daleville Howard Johnson, and sat under a shade tree and talked with Larry. Larry left around 4. We finished the day out by having Mantis over and watching the capitals destroy the Flyers. Right now we are still in limbo, if spideys feet feel bette we hike, if not we zero.
Date: 2016-04-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well today we took our first true zero day in Daleville, VA. It hurt to lose a valuable day of walking, but I know our body's and Spidey's feet will enjoy the much needed rest ! We are looking forward to a relaxed day of lounging, watching movies, and of course eating!! hopefully we will be back at it tomorrow !
Date: 2016-04-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up early, around 5:30, and stuffed ourselves on breakfast. When we got back to our room it was decision time. Spideys feet where still killing him, and we couldn't zero again. Unfortunately the group had to split So we left spidey at the hotel and the rest of the group tracked on. It was sad to leave someone we've hiked 500 miles with, but hopefully his feet will get better and he can catch up with us later. Anyways, we decided to do 25 that day and we lucked out because it ended up being some of the easiest mileage we did the whole trip. We managed to make it to the mill gap over look (20 miles) by 4 which gave us some time to relax while we waited on Larry. While we were waiting magic found a tick on himself. That's the first tick we've seen, but I'd say it seems like it's becoming that time of year were we really have to start worrying. Larry pulled up around 430, and pulled out a full spread. We feasted on pastries, fruit, and sandwiches. He also brought is water for the next five dry miles. We left around 6, and saw a beautiful sunset on the ridge leading into Cove Mountain shelter. When we got into camp it was around 715 so we wrapped up our chores pretty quickly and then jumped in bed.
Date: 2016-04-21
From: cove mountain shelter 

To: Thunder hill shelter 
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We rolled out of the shelter around 7 this morning headed downhill to what people were calling a legendary swimming hole. In my opinion it wasn't quite legendary, but you could definitely go underwater. We all decided to pass on the swimming hole because it was a little chilly and overcast. From the map we could see that we had an 8 mile uphill approaching, and we really didn't want to start up the trail from our small break at the river. We trekked up the never-ending hill for what seemed like most of the day. After a while I kind of just forgot we were going uphill... A couple of miles from camp we came to a trail that led to a apple orchard falls, a drop of over 200 feet. The problem was that the trail down to the falls was a little over a mile off the AT. One of our cardinal rules is that we only go to overlooks or sights 0.5 miles or less off the trail. For some reason the group really wanted to go. We got down there to find a low flow waterfall (almost a trickle) falling maybe 50 feet, I'm not sure where they got 200. Needless to say the 1 mile walk back uphill thoroughly reinforced our cardinal rule. We walked the remaining few miles to where the trail crossed the parkway again. Here we met our uncle Larry, who again provided and amazing meal for us. He has spoiled us so bad with fresh fruit and meat every night that I am not sure if I will be able to go back to noodles when things are done. I could seriously write a whole blog post about this meal and how good it was, but I will spare you those details. Anyway, huge thanks to Larry and everything he has done for us ! He is our own personal trail magician. We walked the short distance to camp and got ready for bed. It is supposed to rain tomorrow which is a good and bad thing. On one hand we don't want to hike in the rain, but on the other hand, the springs are drying up and forest fires are breaking out. We are hoping it will rain hard after our miles tomorrow!looking forward to a short day tomorrow ! Thanks again to Larry for all the help !
Date: 2016-04-22
From: Thunder hill shelter 

To: Glasgow
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Today we had a mission, 14 miles by 12. We left camp at 7, and it promptly started raining. Up to this point we really haven't hiked in the rain for any considerable distance, but we quickly found out that no matter what you get wet. Rain jacket on you sweat out, no rain jacket and you get a nice shower. Anyways the first few miles were downhill and flew by, but after that we had a brutal climb up to highcock knob. The trail was straight up one side, straight down the other. Up on top of the knob though you could see for miles, it's amazing how quickly spring has taken hold. A couple of weeks everything was dormant, and now you can't see through the canopy. After the knob we bombed down the rest of the trail. We got to the walking bridge that everyone jumps off of, but it was still dark and rainy so no one felt like getting in. We made it across the river and met Larry who drove us into Glasgow. In Glasgow there is a community shelter with power, a microwave, and a hot shower, so we crashed there for the night. I'd say it was nicer than at least one motel we've stayed at. When we got there we showered and just hung out and talked. It was nice to have an easy day, and relax the muscles. Larry's friend Doug came and met us. We went to the best and only restaurant in Glasgow, Scottos. Surprisingly though I had one of the best calzones I've had in my life. Our table also had a prime view of one of the life size dinosaur models in Glasgow. After stuffing ourselves we went back to the shelter and played cards. In the time we were gone our shelter mates had a few beers, so sleeping tonight could be interesting. A special thanks to Larry for really helping us out the past few days, you've been awesome.
Date: 2016-04-23
From: Glasgow

To: brown mountain shelter 
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

We woke up to body's and cans strewn about the shelter. Apparently, things had gotten really rowdy after we had gone to sleep. Luckily, we slept through the yelling and roughhousing of the fellow hikers. I highly doubt these guys hiked at all today, judging by the chaos that had overtaken the shelter. We got to eat leftover pizza for breakfast, it was a nice change. We caught a ride back to the trailhead and started up the trail. We climbed for 5 miles before reaching the top. It was nice to have the big climb behind us for the day. From the top there was a beautiful view of the James river and the foot bridge we had recently crossed, it was satisfying to see how far we traveled. We tried to rush for camp because our guidebook promised a swimming hole, but we were thoroughly disappointed to find a small creek only big enough to get water. This is our first night in a while not receiving a meal from our personal trail magician (uncle Larry ), I forgot just how bad trail food is in comparison. All in all not a bad day, and really looking forward to tomorrow and getting a day closer to Waynesboro ! Also my buddy Paul is coming hike with us for a couple days so really looking forward to the company !
Date: 2016-04-24
From: brown mountain shelter 

To: Priest Shelter
Miles today: 23.0

Today we had a relaxed morning out of brown mountain creek shelter. We were meeting Paul at 9:30 two miles down trail so we just had to leave by 8:45. We met Paul at US 60, he and Erika brought us cinnamon bagels and coffee which was delicious. We then had a 2000 ft climb which went by surprisingly quick. At the top was the first bald we had seen in a while and it did not disappoint. After that we had some fairly uneventful miles, except we were informed by a passerby that now 40 miles of Shenandoah are closed due to forest fire. We the stopped for lunch at Elk pond branch, and filled up water. We passed the shelter and got to Spy rock. Spy rock had incredible views and you could even see the forest fire from there. We took some quick pictures and then went the remaining two miles to cash hollow rd, where Larry and Doug drove in and met us with the best spread yet. We had cokes, fruit salad, croissant, and shrimp pasta salad. Needless to say it was delicious, and made Paul a little apprehensive about the difficulty of hiking. We hung out until about thirty minute before dark, and left for the priest shelter 1.7 miles away. We were fortunate enough to do our first night hiking, and make it to the priest safely. There we made confessions in the log book and went to sleep easily.