morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-27
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 7.0

I left the Pickle Branch Shelter at 8:00. My pack is lighter as there is not too much food left and less and less water as I hiked today. There is no water on this part of the trail. Rain again today. It was a hard and treacherous climb up to Dragon's Tooth, a unique geologic feature that consists of quartzite spires which outcrop on the top of Cove Mountain. The tallest "tooth" projects roughly 35 feet above the surrounding rock. The hike down from Dragon's Tooth was crazy dangerous!!!. For me this was by far the hardest and scariest climb on the trail and made worse by wet rocks from more rain.   Got in to the Four Pines Hostel about 2:30. Joe Mitchell, the owner, converted his three car garage into this hostel. He took me down to the Catawba grocery for supplies and to get something to eat. I had a Coke and a double cheese burger! It sure tasted good. I also got a shower and washed by hand my hiking clothes. Happy to be here tonight! I am also here with SALAMANDER, POP TART and GLACIER. They are all in the picture here - SALAMANDER in grey, POP TART in green, GLACIER sitting down with no hair and Joe Mitchell over in the corner. GLACIER is an amazing hiker. He hikes from 28 -33 miles per day. He's a college runner but even so! He started at Springer Mountain only 33 days ago. These three had taken a ZERO day here today and they got some frozen pizzas for supper tonight so I have been eating high on the hog today!
Date: 2013-06-28
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: FOUR PINES HOSTEL
Miles today: 0.0

Today I took a ZERO day to rest my legs, get all my clothes dry and recover from DRAGON'S TOOTH! So I am still here at the FOUR PINES HOSTEL. SALAMANDER, MOHAWK and POP TART slack packed to McAfee Knob this morning. Later last night a German woman hiker arrived and she has been here today as well. Joe took us to the Catawba grocer store around noon so I added a few items to my food supply and ate another cheeseburger. I have been resting all day and reading " The Life of Robert E Lee". Another hiker came in this afternoon. We all shared some hot dogs for a quick supper. It's been a beautiful day. Why is it when I am not hiking the sun is always shining and as soon as I hit the trail the storm clouds seem to roll in? Tomorrow I will be hiking to McAfee Knob, another great spot for views. I surely hope I will see at least one famous view on this hike. There is a 40% chance of rain tomorrow so we will see. If I wait another the day the rain chances increase so I am going to chance it, hoping that the morning skies will stay rain free. Soon this section hike will come to an end as I need to head up to New Hampshire to work on our cabin. Barbara and I worked out a place to pick me up near Buchanan, Virginia on July 3rd.
Date: 2013-06-29
From: FOUR PINES HOSTEL

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 10.6

I walked the .3 mile from the hostel back to the trail and was back in stride just before 8 this morning. It was a pretty steady uphill climb all day. The early morning sun quickly turned to clouds but then it cleared up and I had a beautiful afternoon to take in the majestic views at McAfee Knob. It took me about 7 hours to hike up to it. Finally I got to actually see one of these great views the guides always mention because for once I was not rained out! I have to say, though, that I have seen many views along the trail. Everything is to be wondered at out here, not just the highlighted, spectacular views. There were about a dozen day hikers who had hiked up to McAfee Knob so I got one of them to take my picture. I stayed for a while, took several photos and soaked it all in. I had filtered some muddy looking water earlier in the day so when I reached Campbell Shelter I found a better water source to replace it with. I set up my tent near the shelter and cooked my supper in dry conditions- luxury! A couple of brown rabbits are hopping up the trail not 20 feet from me. A bit later RAVEN ( the German hiker) and THRU HIKER showed up at the shelter to join me.
Date: 2013-06-30
From: Campbell Shelter

To: north of Angels Gap
Miles today: 10.3

Today I saw my first black bear. It ran into the forest in front of me and I did NOT follow it. It's been another pleasant day. It was a 5-mile uphill hike to Tinker Cliffs with more outstanding views. I have had great cellular data coverage these past two days so was able to send all my photos to Barbara right after I took them. I stopped a mile later at Lamberts Meadow Shelter for some crackers and cheese chased down with a Snickers bar and plenty of water. There was a good water source there so refilled all my bottles. I think it is safe to say that I have become the Pickleball Ambassador on the AT. I often get asked by other hikers about the pickle ball I carry with me. Only one person I have met so far had even heard of it! I tell them it is a "neutral flotation device" to keep me afloat if I fall in a river. That's gotten me some puzzled looks. Anyway, after a run down of the rules, court dimensions, etc. they come away with more than they probably wanted to know about the fasted growing sport in the US! Tonight I am tenting near Angels Gap just a bit off the trail. It is starting to look a little threatening out there so I just put up my rain fly. Tomorrow I should reach Daleville by noon.
Date: 2013-07-01
From: north of Angels Gap

To: Daleville, Virginia
Miles today: 5.1

It rained all night last night from 8 pm to 8 am but I was dry in my tent. The thunder and lightning woke me up now and again but I had a pretty good rest. I waited for a break in the rain to pack up and get going but everything was damp and wet when I finally headed out.   Hiked over some rough terrain of folded bedrock and got to route 220 in Daleville about noon. Again I was hiking by myself. It is so peaceful out here. Some might consider it lonely but I like the feeling of being at one with my thoughts. Only did about 5 miles today. Checked into a Howard Johnson motel for the night to get dry and dry out my gear.
Date: 2015-09-01
From: Daleville, Virginia

To: Curry Creek
Miles today: 8.8

My plans to hike 5 miles yesterday did not happen as my flight from Sanford to Roanoke was delayed 51/2 hours. By the time I got to Roanoke it was dark. But I had the experience of meeting my first Trail Angel. We talked in the airport quite a bit and he offered me a ride to Daleville, taking me to the HoJos where I finished my section hike in 2013! Lucky me! I was up and on the trail by 7 this morning and hiked in relative cool temperatures until the heat of the day kicked in. My shirt is soaked through but it was sunny and bright and peaceful. There were no other hikers on the trail with me today so I walked in solitude. I saw one deer and a couple of rabbits. I stopped about 11:30 at Fullhardt Knob Shelter to eat some lunch, replenish water and rest. This shelter had a cistern and warned hikers to purify the water. So I did with a water purification tablet in my special water bottle.   It took me 4 hours to hike 5.1 miles with plenty of ups and downs and S-turns.The highest elevation was 2500 ft. I'm really feeling my thighs and hips tonight. My pack weighed in at the airport at 38 pounds (with 7 days of food). When I added my filled water bottles the weight came up to 43 lbs. I am tenting in the woods by Curry Creek tonight. The creek is dry but in 2 more miles I will be able to get more water at a stream near Wilson Creek. The Wilson Creek Shelter should have water as well. I looked at my Fitbit and it said I only walked 8311 steps and 3.92 miles! I guess it doesn't work well with my trekking poles. I know I walked a heck of a lot more than 8311 steps! Will see what it records tomorrow. Feeling tired at 5:30 so am inside my tent ready to sleep!
Date: 2015-09-02
From: Curry Creek

To: Fullhardt Knob Shelter
Miles today: 3.8

What a day! When I hiked down to the stream where there was supposed to be water there was NONE. The 60 ft. deep gully was bone dry. When I checked my trail guide the next 20+ miles looked pretty iffy for water and I was down to half a liter. So I made the decision to hike back to Fullhardt Knob Shelter where I had found water from a cistern. It was all uphill on the way back and so hot. The temperatures must have been in the nineties. I conserved my water as best I could but I was sweating bullets. I don't have my trail legs yet so hiking uphill with my 43 lb pack was a challenge. I made it back to the shelter just before noon and replenished my water supply.So good to be able to drink and rehydrate. Also I had water to cook with so I made my first real meal with my wood stove. It was a chicken flavored Knorr side with Stove Top Stuffing and Butter Buds.Mmmm...Tasted so good! I then made the decision to pitch my tent here and rest for the day, then head back to the trail head tomorrow. There is an outfitter near there that has shuttles to various local hiking points. I'm hoping that someone there will have local knowledge about the water situation on the trail. I may have to skip this first 20 mile portion if no water is to be found. As I was walking to my tent from the water cistern I passed by the shelter and saw a plastic bag sticking out from underneath. I pulled it out, thinking I would carry it out in my pack. BUT instead I found two huge unopened beers in there - 24 oz. Ice House beers, alcohol 8%! I am the recipient of another Trail Angel kindness. I drank one right there on the spot and am feeling mighty fine right now. I'm in my tent, it is 5:30 pm and I am going to sleep HAPPY!
Date: 2015-09-03
From: Fullhardt Knob Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 5.7

Today I saw my first person on the trail. Her trail name is SO FAR SO GOOD and she was heading north as I was backtracking south.I told her the water situation was poor and that she should think about turning back. She assured me would be fine with 3 liters of water and that she was a fast hiker. I encouraged her to drink as much as possible at the cistern at Fullhardt Knob but she seemed hesitant to drink that water. Treated and filtered it is fine. Hope she makes it the next 27 miles. Turned out I was right about the lack of water. I made it to the outfitters at the trail head and they told me that there was no water in the streams due to the extended dry conditions. They advised me to get to Buena Vista to be sure of water so I am taking their advice. Tomorrow a shuttle leaves at 9 am which means I should be on the trail by 10 AM. Today I clean up, wash my clothes and study my trail guide for my unexpected detour. I'm sorry to miss these miles but there's no way I could manage it without water. Stay tuned for the ever changing adventures of SEEKER.
Date: 2015-09-04
From: Daleville

To: Hog Camp Gap
Miles today: 7.3

I caught the 9 AM shuttle which took me to the trail head near Buena Vista, Va., so I ended up skipping over 70 miles of the drought ridden trail! As soon as I started hiking at 9:45 I noticed a difference in how green everything is . The earth is moist and dark, not dry and dusty. With few exceptions I have been hiking uphill all day long. My first challenge was Bald Knob (4,059 ft). It was three miles straight up. Part way up I saw a sign for Webster Spring Rd. Because of the name I thought there might be a spring with water so I walked an extra half mile off the trail to find it. Well... I found the road but there was no spring to be found. I renamed Bald Knob "kick my butt mountain". It was a tough climb. About half way between Bald Knob and my campsite tonight there were some open, rolling hills and it started to thunder. Lightning was flashing all around and there I was walking across the fields with my metal trekking poles acting as lightning rods. There was a light rain that cooled things off a bit. Needless to say I was relieved to get back under cover in the trees. My next mountain was Cold Mt. at 4,022 ft. There were some nice views from the top. My cellular data does not seem to be working so will try and resend my photos tomorrow. Can't seem to get my photos to post correctly on this site. They keep coming in sideways no matter what I do. My last mountain for the day was Hog Camp Gap at 3,486 ft. I am pitching my tent here tonight near the fire ring. I am off to find water near and cook myself up some supper. Then it's time to rest. Feels good to be back hiking again! I am tired but feel my legs getting stronger. I wonder what tomorrow will bring!
Date: 2015-09-05
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Seely-Woodworth Shelter 3770 ft.
Miles today: 8.5

I ended up cooking myself some mashed potatoes and gravy along with some beef jerky last night. Starting at midnight it rained most of the rest of the night, so the humidity this morning was 100%. It was too wet to collect wood to start my wood stove so I grabbed a granola bar, packed up my gear and got back on the trail by 7 AM. I was tenting under an apple tree so I picked a few apples to eat and carry in my pack! The water here is not the best but I found it .3 mile off the trail at Tar Jacket Spring, filtered and treated it so I have 3 liters with me. I was walking through fog this morning unable to see more than 50 ft in front of me. The rain has cooled things off a bit! A group of 6-8 Boy Scouts and two leaders is hiking behind me but I haven't seen them since earlier in the day. Just before noon the sun started trying to peak out. Four scantily dressed young women, each carrying only a water bottle, raced past me heading south. I also ran into a couple of fast walking guys heading south in a hurry. They did not stop to chat. Lots of ups and downs today. The promised great views at Tar Jacket Ridge were socked in today at 3850 ft. so I just kept trudging along. There is a stone wall I crossed that was built by slaves in the 18th century. Mountain lions have been reported in this area but I haven't seen any! My first water stop turned out to be a bust so I was happy to find a wonderful water source at Seely-Woodworth Shelter (3770 ft) where I am tenting tonight. There is a 4" pipe coming out of a spring that has clear, cold, wonderful water! I drank my fill, then decided I better carry 4 liters with me. My pack weighs probably about 47 lbs now with the extra water. I cooked myself 2 packets of instant oatmeal and ate some flatbread with it. A group of young kids and a couple of adults just arrived and are setting up their tents near the shelter, like me. Looks like rain tonight so I have my rain fly pitched.
Date: 2015-09-06
From: Seeley- Woodworth Shelter 3770 ft.

To: Priest Shelter 3841 ft.
Miles today: 7.0

Woke up to a sunny, bright day! I opened my bag of tuna fish and made myself a sandwich and shortly after got back on the trail. My first challenge was hiking up to Spy Rock (3450 ft.) Confedrate soldiers used it as a vantage point to track the movements of Union Soldiers during the Civil War. Great views from up there! People wise it was a busy day on the trail with lots of weekend hikers everywhere. I felt overrun with them. Mixed in with them were LASHER and later SPICES. LASHER was heading south and told me that there were adequate supplies of water north to Waynesboro so I will be carrying 3 instead of 4 liters. Yay! SPICES is a southbound flip flopper. She started in Harper's Ferry and hiked north to Katahdin. She returned to Harper's Ferry and now is hiking south to Springer. With the increased attention on the trail due to the "Walk in the Woods" movie, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is trying to get hikers to flip flop like this to avoid congestion on the trail. I made it to Priest Shelter about 3:30, set up my tent and cooked myself some Mac and cheese and ate two apples. I am dead tired so early to bed for me!
Date: 2015-09-07
From: Priest Shelter 3841 ft.

To: Harpers Creek Shelter 1910 ft.
Miles today: 7.6

Last night I slept long and hard - about 10 hours so I started off later than usual, about 8:30 AM. My first challenge was climbing Priest Mountain at 4063 ft. It is a bit overcast today but I got some pretty good views. I met two thru hikers heading south, SUGAR and BURRITO GRANDE. They took my picture on the summit. (Speaking of pictures, under the photo tab there are more pictures than what you see in my daily entries. I can only post one photo per journal entry but the others are organized under that tab.) According to one source "The Priest summit is arguably the hardest section on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia with a 3,000 ft vertical rise in about 4 miles." That may be true but what is also true is that the sharp vertical descent is a killer on the toes and knees. My toes have been pushed against the front of my hiking boots for most of the day so at 4:30 pm I am hurting. This part of the trail is reputed to be the steepest incline in the state of Virginia. This afternoon I crossed the Tye River on a suspension bridge ( see photos.) I have about another mile to go to get to Harpers Creek Shelter but first I need to stop at the stream crossing the trail to filter more water. I have one liter left so it is time to replenish. It takes about 8 minutes for me to filter one liter.I should get to the shelter area before 6 PM. Earlier in the day I met SMOKE SIGNAL and GANDOLF THE BROWN. They are also flip flop hikers, having begun in Harper's Ferry.   My pack is a bit lighter now, probably around 42 lbs as I am carrying less water and my food supplies are dwindling. However, I have more than enough to get to Waynesboro where I will get off the trail to resupply.
Date: 2015-09-08
From: Harpers Creek Shelter 1910 ft.

To: Maurin Field Shelter 2765 ft.
Miles today: 6.2

My tent was on an incline last night so I was rolling around all night trying to get comfortable. Sometimes it is hard to find a good, flat place to set up. Today is a beautiful clear day, my water is topped off and I am hiking uphill again to Chimney Rock at 3190 ft. After that I am continuing on to Three Ridges Mountain at 3984 ft. I was so tired last night that I forgot to turn my phone off so it was looking for cell towers all night and was dead in the morning. I have it connected up to my super duper battery powered charger and got enough power to call Barbara mid-morning. The charger is a RAVPower 16000mAh External Battery Pack Power Bank with iSmart Technology. It can charge an Iphone 6 times before it needs to be recharged. I discovered today that I have lost the cable to my battery charger - Whoops! My wife is on the lookout for a replacement. She and her sister Joan and her husband Craig are planning to meet me mid-September in the Shenandoah. We'll hike together for a few days. UPDATE: It was a hard hike yesterday up and down over the Three Ridges Mountain. My toes have not yet recovered from the descent off of Priest Mtn. so hiking down to the shelter was a challenge for my poor hurting toes. It is cool here in the early morning but when the sun gets high in the sky the temperatures get up to the 80s. I saw a couple of girl runners today and a young hiking couple took my picture with the mountains I have climbed in the background. When I get internet coverage again I'll send them along. For supper tonight I cooked mac and cheese with stove top stuffing. The water source here is not too plentiful so I have decided to go back to carrying 4 liters. I filtered the water and am all set for the morning. Just as I was drifting off to sleep a couple of young girls arrived at the shelter with their dog and then another couple. Even though I was tenting a good 200 yards from the shelter they were making enough noise to keep me up. But eventually fatigue took over and Zzzzzzzzzz....
Date: 2015-09-09
From: Maurin Field Shelter 2765 ft.

To: Laurel Springs Gap 2844 ft.
Miles today: 6.8

I have not been racking up the miles and here's why. The trail is very rocky with rubble and other small rocks. I have to pick and choose where I put my foot for each step. I know that one bad turn of the ankle could put me out of commission so I am being very careful and plodding along at a slow pace.   It has been fairly cool today. There have been many ups and downs but no extremes in elevation. My toes are still hurting so I was glad not to have a real steep descent today.   I hiked alone until I came upon a young guy - no trail name- hiking south. We chatted for a bit and he sounded worn out and frustrated. He told me he could no longer carry his full pack so he left a bag full of stuff at the top of the next mountain, and I was welcome to it. Sure enough, there it was - a red day pack weighing about 10 lbs. I pawed through it and found a harmonica! So I am now the owner of a musical instrument. The question is, will I be able to stay awake to try and play it - Ha! Mornings I am energetic but by mid-afternoon I am dragging and tired. The water situation has turned iffy again. The two streams I came upon were dry. I have one and a half liters so am hoping that tomorrow one of the two streams I cross will not be dry. I am stealth tenting tonight. I could not make it to the next shelter so I found a flat place off the trail to set up my tent. It's supposed to rain tonight so I am going to set out my camp stove to collect water. My rain fly is over my tent so my pack and I should stay dry.
Date: 2015-09-10
From: Laurel Springs Gap 2844 ft.

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 9.0

It turned out to be another hard hiking day due to all the loose rock, but so far so good. No turned ankles. I decided to try and make it 9 miles to the Wolfe Shelter. The weather was starting to look ominous so I thought it might be a good idea to sleep under cover. I made it there just after 4 pm and found a trout stream with lots and lots of precious WATER! I filtered and filled up my containers, hoisted my pack in the shelter and then the heavens opened up and it really poured heavily for a couple of hours. Around 7 another hiker JUST PAUL arrived so I had some company. The wind picked up and was something fierce all night. Limbs were cracking and breaking all around the shelter and on its roof. Glad I wasn't in my tent! We were visited by a black bear who was sniffing and snorting around the shelter. As you can see from the photo the shelters are 3-sided so open on the front. But we didn't have to share the shelter. He (or she) eventually ambled away.
Date: 2015-09-11
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 5.1

After a noisy night in the shelter - wind, rain, falling branches and a bear visit - I got up and hiked the remaining 5.1 miles through the vines of the green tunnel to the town of Waynesboro. It was just after 1 PM when I got there. I am badly in need of a ZERO day or two to rest my weary bones, wash myself and my clothes, and resupply. As I walked into town I spied King's Gourmet Popcorn, a place that specializes in all kinds of kettlecorn. I'm not a kettlecorn lover but I was interested in the chili dogs. I ate two and they sure tasted good. After several days of trail food eating "town food" is a real treat. I made my way uphill to the Visitor Center and asked about staying at the Inn at Afton. The clerk at the desk said he wouldn't recommend it. I was still going to go there until I met a woman who told me they probably didn't have running water there. So I crossed the Inn at Afton off my list. One thing I want is water! The Visitor Center had a list of three Trail Angels you could call to take you around town. I called all of them but all I got was voice mails so I headed outside to walk into town. When I walked out in to the parking lot I ran into a hiker who had just completed the same hike I had, from Buena Vista to Waynesboro. He lives south of DC and was heading back there. He looked at me and asked if I was SEEKER. He had seen my entries in the shelter registers as I was just a bit ahead of him. He offered to take me into town in his snazzy pickup so I took him up on his offer. I ended up on the other side of town and am staying at THE ROYAL INN, a very basic motel but with the essentials- a bed and hot water! I am feeling rejuvenated after my two chili dogs but will feel even moreso after I have a nice long bath...