morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-27
From: Fork Mountain Campsite

To: Marble Spring Campsite
Miles today: 19.3

Apple OrchardI was up at 6:15 this morning. I got attacked by bugs again and didn't sleep very well. I am really looking forward to a new hammock! I finished my Krispy Kreme dougnuts and was walking at 7:30. I hustled all morning because I wanted to get up Apple Orchard Mountain before the heat of the day kicked in. I was a hiking machine! I didn't stop except to get water. I drank 10oz of water every half hour and ate one of my energy bars every hour. I also chugged as much water as possible when I filled up, staying fully hydrated all morning. I made the 11.2 miles and 3000ft climb by 1pm, 5 hours of walking with about 30 min of breaks. When I got to the top I hung my hammock in the shade between some small fir trees, took off all my clothes except my kilt, and took a 2hr nap. It was so nice to sleep through the hottest part of the day and on a 4225ft mountaintop at that! I woke up at 3 and ate lunch then started hiking again feeling fully refreshed. The higher elevation still had some trillium blooming and the trees up there wern't fully leafed in. The walk up and down the ridge was full of blooming white mountain laurel and purple rhodedendron. A picture perfect day in the mountains which truly appeared blue today from the haze.The trail crossed the BRP a few more times and I met a bunch of day hikers. I scored 3 more Yogi points today, two older lady's gave me a soda. The hiking was mostly down hill for the rest of the day with the exception of climbing Highcock Knob. I flushed a turkey on my way up and saw some wild columbine. Quake was already at the campsite when I got there, he passed me when I was napping. There were also 6 section hikers from Virginia Tech. I got the detailed version of what went down in those shootings. Man, what a horrible story! They hooked Quake and I up with a cigar. The days are so long now that even with 3hr breaks I can still crank out 15+ miles.Today's StatsStarting Point:Fork Mountain CampsiteEnding Point:Marble Spring CampsiteMileage:18.3Elevation Gain:5960ftElevation Loss:5520ftHiking Time:11:50 (3hr nap)Weather:High 80's Sunny HumidPain Factor:3 pack chafing sides
Date: 2007-05-28
From: Marble Spring Campsite

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: broken clouds

Go Jump Off a BridgeI got bitten by bugs in my hammock again, but not that bad. The VT guys left another cigar near my hammock when they left this morning. Quake and I climbed down the mountain and followed Matts Creek to the James River. The trail followed the river for a mile to the longest pedestrian -onlybridge on the AT. There were about 20 people there, mostly kids, jumping off the 30ft bridge into the river. They seemed to be having a lot of fun so I figured I'd follow suit. I took off my kilt and shoes and climbed over the railing to the edge. It was kind of intimidating looking at the river down below, but I jumped, screaming on the way down. The water wasn't too cold, but still super refreshing. I had to do it again! After my jumps I sat and watched the kids jump as I ate lunch. Everyone that talked to us was fascinated at what we are doing. The looks on the younger kids faces when I'd answer their questions about how far we came and where we were going were priceless. After lunch I crossed the river and started a massive climb up to Bluff Mountain. There was an excelent viewpoint at Fullers Rocks of Apple Orchard and the James River. A thunderstorm rolled in on the way up. It wasn't raining, but the thunder seemed to be getting closer. I decided to stay in a gap until the thunder went away before I climbed up Rocky Row. Luckily the storm passed north and I didn't get rained on. I made the climb then followed a 2m ridgewalk before climbing up Bluff Mountain. That last climb almost did me in, but I made it to the top where Quake was waiting. We had an excellent view of a the hazy blue hills below. The last 1.5m to the shelter seemed to go on forever.We made it to the shelter and ran into Pootz there. We haven't seen him since Bland. Punchbowl shelter was set next to a small pond with a grassy area nearby for tenting. I hung my hammock 20ft from the pond. I really feel like I'm in the wildernes here. Owls are hooting and many different types of frogs are calling from the pond. As I am typing this in my hammock I heard an animal make a sound I've neer heard before. It sounded almost like barking, but was a little more hoarse and high pitched. My guess is a fox, possum, or racoon? I wonder if there are badgers, fischers, or marteens in these parts? It could have been something like that. Regardless, it was pretty freakin cool!Today's StatsStarting Point:Marble Springs Campsite Ending Point:Punchbowl ShelterMileage:18.2Elevation Gain:6550ftElevation Loss:6370ftHiking Time:11:03Weather:Md 80's Sunny HumidPain Factor:4
Date: 2007-05-29
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 11.3

Seafood OverloadI was walking by 9am and made my way down to Enchanted Creek near the Lynchburg resivoir. As I was crossing over the creek on the suspension bridge I noticed many trout below. I stopped and watched them for a while and got to thinking about the fish I used to keep. I threw small sticks in and 20 fish would frenzy the spot until they realized it wasn't a bug. As I was watching the fish, a muskrat swam by. It was busy making a home on the bank of the river. It would go on shore, cut down some greenery, and bring it into it's hole. After the muskrat went into its hole and didn't come out for a few min, I hiked on. The trail wound around the resivoir then climbed up to US60 along Brown Mtn Creek. Quake and I waited for a hitch about 30 min, but eventually got picked up and driven directly to the motel. Buena Vista is very spread out, not great for a hiker with no car. Quake and I just did laundry and showered and watched tv for a while. Around 7 we walked about a mile to Captain Tim's AYCE Seafood. We ate so much food I got nauseous as we were walking out. I managed to keep myself together and hobbled back to the motel where I digested myself to bed.Today's StatsStarting Point:Punchbowl Shelter Ending Point:Buena Vista, VAMileage:11.3Elevation Gain:2400ftElevation Loss:2810ftHiking Time:6:05Weather:Md 80's humid sunnyPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-05-30
From: Buena Vista, VA

To: Cold Mountain
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: few clouds

Cold MountainQuake and I slept until 10 and were out of our room at 11. I bought a foot long Subway sub for dinner and had a gas station breakfast of doughnuts and coffee. Williams, a local shuttle guy, picked us up at noon. He drove us to the Food Lion for a resupply then to the post office. I mailed home 3 stuff sacks (for my sleeping bag, underquilt, and clothes) so now I just stuff it all in my big dry bag. I also mailed thermal pants, a light hat and gloves, and my rain jacket home. I figure I probably saved over a pound!Williams had us at the trail by 130. I was only planning on going 5 miles to camp on Cold Mtn so I chilled at the picnic area until 330. A local stopped and gave me a container of organic strawberries. I ate as many as I could then left the rest for other hikers. I made the 2000ft climb with relative ease stopping half way up for about an hour. There was some serious thunder in the distance so I wanted to see what the storm did before I continued. No rain came and the storm passed south so I made the climb up to bald mtn and continued on to Cold Mountain.Cold mountain is bald with 360 degree views of the Blue Ridge all around. Technically no camping was allowed up there, but uh yeah, I didn't see that sign. Hemlock was up there waiting for me since I told him I was going to stay there. Quake and Rio pushed on. I ate dinner and watched the beautiful pink and purple sunset over the hazy mountains. Hemlock and I walked to the other side of the bald to camp so we'd get a sunrise view. I just slept on my pad on the ground under the stars. No tarp or anything!Today's StatsStarting Point:Buena Vista, VAEnding Point:Cold MountainMileage:5.0Elevation Gain:2590ftElevation Loss:690ftHiking Time:2:50Weather:Hot humid Thunder close byPain Factor:1
Date: 2007-06-01
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

Best Breakfast EverI was up at 7 and the sun was shining and the sky clear. I ate breakfast and put on my soaking wet clothes and shoes then started hiking. Hemlock, Rio, and Earthquake were camped on top of the mountain under a thin tree cover. They were in their tents for the storm. Rio's parents were coming to pick him up for the afernoon at the tye river so he called in a breakfast order for us.We practically flew 3000ft down the mountain and found sausage egg and cheese biscuits, prosuitto sandwiches, clementines, sodas, and cookies waiting for us. I ate so much I couldn't walk for about an hour. After digesting a bit we climbed 3000ft back up and over The Three Ridges.TDS, Earthquake, and I stoped to eat at the maupin field shelter then hiked about 3 more miles. We could hear thunder in the distance so we were hesitant to leave at first, but the 20 boy scouts that showed up helped us make our decision. Rain never came and we got 3 miles closer to Waynesboro.Today's StatsStarting Point:The Priest ShelterEnding Point:CampsiteMileage:16.9Elevation Gain:4510ftElevation Loss:5710ftHiking Time:11:18Weather:Md 80's humid partly sunnyPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-06-02
From: Campsite

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

WaynesboroTDS made us coffee in the morning and we started hiking. We stopped for a while at cedar cliffs overlook then crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trail went over some serious rock piles on Humpback Mtn then gradually went down hill for the next few miles.We got to Paul Wolfe shelter and hiked the last 5 miles into town. My feet got extra sore today. It feels like someone has been hitting the bottom of them with hammers. When I got to Rockfish Gap there was a trail angel waiting in a van to drive us into town.TDS, Earthquake, and I got a room at the Quality Inn. We showered then Traveling Teacher drove us to the Chinese Buffet that had king crab legs. It was delicious! After that we bought some beer at Kroger and stocked our hotel room fridge. TDS told us about this bar called the Schooner that is only open 3 nights a week and has ben around for over 30 years. They have a hiker register in there that goes back to 95 and Donna the owner loves hikers. When we walked in I thought we were in trouble. There were only 5 people in there, all late 40's early 50's, but they seemed happy to see us. Donna even remembered TDS. We played pool and drank buds and played good tunes on the jukebox. I even won a game of pool against a local. Tomorrow is a much needed zero day.Today's StatsStarting Point:CampsiteEnding Point:Waynesboro, VAMileage:17.5Elevation Gain:2940ftElevation Loss:3710ftHiking Time:8:31Weather:Hot humidPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-06-03
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero HeroCrawled out of bed at 9 to hit the breakfast at the motel. They had "make your own belgian waffles and sausage gravy biscuits!" Definitely a step above continental style. After I was stuffed I went back to the room and vegged out until 1 when traveling teacher took us to get food.We ate at a mediteranian style cafe called Chickpeas and it was excellent. Next we went to the outfitter and I got a new dry sack, a "hiker to town/hiker to trail" bandana to help with hitching, and body glide to help with chaffing. Next we went to Sprawl-Mart where I got some pics printed to make postcards then Travelling Teacher dropped me off at the laundromat. She rules, thanks TT for hookingme up with wheels!When I was done with laundry I walked back to the motel and used TT's computer to load a few pics onto my TJ. Around 7 her and I went to the steakhouse to meet TDS, Earthquake, and Whitecrow. As we were pulling into the parking lot I noticed a familiar black chevy. Mala was there! He drove up from Johnson City to slack pack us through all of the Shennies! TDS said he might be coming up, but we thought he was hiking with us. Mala and Tucker Dog are going to cook us pancakes in the morning, drop us at the trail, and pick us up at night to go to a campground. He brought his grill and coolers and will be cooking us dinner every night! Talk about trail magic! After dinner we all partied in the motel and got excited about the continued travelling party through Shenandoah.Today's StatsStarting Point:Waynesboro, VAEnding Point:Waynesboro, VAMileage:0.0Elevation Gain:0ftElevation Loss:0ftHiking Time:0:00Weather:Tropical Storm RainPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-06-04
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Loft Mountain Campground
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

PO MayhemMala had us up at 7:30 so I packed and got ready to roll by 8:30. I walked down to the post office and told everyone I'd meet them at Krogers. When I gave the PO lady my ID she said "we've been waiting for you to stop in, you have quite a few packages waiting". Waiting was my bounce box, gear from home, memory cards with music and a blank card for more pics from Mike, brownies from Paul and Jess, Cookies and brownies from Tribes and Tracy, and a new hammock from Clark. Woah! Thanks Paul and Jess for the browies and the adult mad libs! That will surley get some laughs at the campsites. Thanks Tribes and Tracy for the treats. You know how much I love those toffee things! Mike, the music is EXCELLENT! You rule! I spent an hour in front of the PO packing my ULA, writing post cards, taking care of bounce box issues, mailing 2 memory cards full of pics, mailing my used hammock back to clark, mailing my osprey pack to Harpers Ferry in case I don't like the ULA again, and mailing un-needed stuff home. When I was finally done there I walked to Kroger and met Mala, TDS, EQ, and Couch there. Mala was taking care of buying breakfast and dinners. We just needed lunches, snacks, and beer. It was cool buying beer for a resupply! When we were all loaded we hit up Arby's for lunch and were at the trail head by 12:30.We all took just food and water and a few essentials and were on our merry slackpacking way. We crossed into Shenandoah National Park and filled out our park passes. The trail was petty easy and we flew 11m in about 4 hours. I found a fawn laying on the side of the trail. This thing looked like it was born a week ago. I wouldn't have seen the fawn if it wern't for it calling for it's mom as I passed. It sounded like it was saying maaaaa, like a sheep would say baaaaa. I heard the mother snort in the distance so I knew the baby was safe. It was possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen!I made it to Turks Gap around 5 where Mala was waiting with his truck. He gave me a beer as I walked up. EQ and Couch showed up not too long after and we rode along Skyline Drive to Loft Mtn Campground. Mala made us chicken noodle soup and huge burgers. We all hung out eating and drinking until around 10 when we called it a night.Today's StatsStarting Point:Waynesboro, VAEnding Point:Loft Mtn CampgroundMileage:11.4Elevation Gain:3030ftElevation Loss:2300ftHiking Time:4:28Weather:Cool breezy sunny perfectPain Factor:1
Date: 2007-06-05
From: Turk Gap

To: Ivy Creek Overlook
Miles today: 20.2

Slackpack-o-ramaIt started raining briefly last night so I packed up my hammock and jumped in the huge 5 person coleman tent Mala had set up for us. TDS, Quake, and Couch were not too happy with me waking them up, but whatever. Mala had us up at 7 and we had bacon and eggs before starting our day. We didn't get to the trailhead until 9:45 and were hiking by 10. The weather was perfect today. Clouds covered the sun during the hottest part of the day, there was a nice breeze, and the temps were in the 70's. Couple that with a day pack and life was good. We walked at a quick pace until we reached the rocky summit of Blackrock Mountain, which gets its name from all the black lichen on the rocks. We soaked up the 360 degree views for a while then pushed on. I came across a black rat snake on the trail so I picked it up with my hiking poles. I dropped it and it coiled up, but I kept my distance. The deer in this park are so used to humans that I can regularly get within 5 to 10 ft from them before they will lazily run 20ft away. I even followed one up the trail for a quarter mile! Couch and I got to the trail to our campsite so we went up to check in with Mala. We had a few beers then hiked the last 4m to Ivy Creek Overlook. I saw an indigo bunting along the way, a first for me! Mala was waiting at the overlook and we rode back to the campsite. There was a regular party going on there. Hemlock, Rio, Dogs Life, Uncle Tom, Buttercup, Robo, and the 4 of us were all staying at our campsite. Mala made some killer pasta sauce and fed us all till we couldn't walk. We all spent the night telling stories and partying. I felt surprisingly great after my first 20! I think the no pack thing helps a little :-)Today's StatsStarting Point:Turk GapEnding Point:Ivy Creek OverlookMileage:20.2Elevation Gain:4280ftElevation Loss:4060ftHiking Time:8:15Weather:Cool Breezy partly sunny perfectPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-06-06
From: Ivy Creek Overlook

To: Lewis Mountain Campground
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: broken clouds

Bring on the MilesI was the first one out of the tent in the morning and was ready to roll before Mala even started breakfast. He made lavander bananna pancakes and coffee for us. TDS decided to stop slacking since he wanted to do his own thing so now it was just Earthquake, Couch, and I. We were loaded into Mala's truck by 8:15 and were at the trail head by 8:30. We jammed out to some reggae for 15 min then hit the trail. Today had some more elevation gain, but it really didn't matter. We felt like rockstars without those packs on.We cruised at 3mph and were 9m into the day by 11:30. Mala met us with the truck for a lunchtime beer and snacks. After lunch we climbed Hightop Mountain and hung out at the overlook for a while. We had an excellent view of the southern Shenandoahs. Mala met us again with 5m to go. Again another beer and snacks and reggae and off we went. I took Tucker Dog for this last stretch. I love taking the big black lab with me. When he walks behind me I can feel his breath on the back of my legs. My dog Halley would do the same thing to me. Couch was in front of me for the last section and he saw a mother bear and three cubs. They must have moved away from the trail because I missed them :-( Tucker and I rolled into camp and Mala had beef stew waiting. Then we had 3 bratwurst each and a bowl full of mashed potatoes. Today topped yesterdays mileage and I still feel GREAT! Today's StatsStarting Point:Ivy Creek OverlookEnding Point:Lewis Mtn CampgroundMileage:21.5Elevation Gain:5380ftElevation Loss:4680ftHiking Time:9:10Weather:Warm Cloudy perfectPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-06-07
From: Lewis Mountain Campground

To: Pinnacles Picnic Area
Miles today: 21.0

Freedom SlackingTucker dog woke me up at 7 and Mala handed us each a cup of coffee. He made bannanna pancakes with leftover cookie crumbs added which was a nice touch. Mala told us today was freedom packing day, meaning he would meet us every 2-3 miles where the trail crosses skyline drive. We didn't even have to carry our day packs since we could get water from the truck. We left camp around 8:15. It was a great feeling to be packless. I jogged the second leg for a couple of miles. At 11 we got to Big Meadows area and stopped at a viewpoint. Two bears walked in the forest below us. A mom and a small cub. They had no idea we were there so we got to watch from a distance. We got to the lodge in Big Meadows a half an hour before the restaurant opened for lunch so Mala made us walk another 1.6. Along the way we walked up on a single bear right next to the trail. I got within 10 ft of it and it did not care I was there. I took some excellent pictures before it ran off. Mala met us at the next road crossing to bring us back to the lodge. I saw a fawn running from us when we got to his truck. The lodge had a prety good menu. I got onion rings, a bbq sandwich, a sam adams, and blackberry ice cream. After lunch we got back on the trail and slugishly kept on hiking. We climbed stony man mountain and had some amazing views of the northern shennies. We met mala one last time and I took tucker dog for the last 2 miles.On the ride back along skyline drive we had to brake for about 15 deer and saw some wild turkeys. Back at lewis mtn campground we had burgers and dogs and drank the rest of our gorumet beers. I took a hot shower at the campground and climbed in my hammock. I heard some bears in the woods behind us, but tucker growled and they didn't come around. Today's StatsStarting Point:Lewis Mountain CampgroundEnding Point:Pinnacles Picnic AreaMileage:21.0Elevation Gain:4090ftElevation Loss:4130ftHiking Time:8:36Weather:Hotter more humidPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-06-08
From: Pinnacles Picnic Area

To: Gravel Spring Gap
Miles today: 19.8

Bear OverloadWe all helped break down basecamp and were heading north on Skyline Drive by 8:30. We saw a bear on the side of the road along the way. It ran back into the woods when we started backing up the truck to get a better look. The three of us started hiking and got a good look back at Stony Man Mountain on Pinnacle cliffs. We saw another bear off to our right a little farther up the trail. It also ran away when it saw us. Both of those bears were smaller, in the 200-250 range. The trail then passed Mary's Rocks which we climbed for a 360 degree view. Mala met us at US211 where we had lunch. As we were eating, a HUGE bear crossed the road about 100 yards away. This thing had to be 500lbs because it even looked big from a distance. After lunch we climbed pass mountain and half way up I damn near stepped on a rattlesnake. It's dark yellow head was in the middle of the trail and it didn't even rattle at me. I came within 2ft of it before I jumped back. That could have went down way worse, but I was thouroughly shaken up for a while after that. I grabbed a reeeally long stick and moved it. It coiled up about 4ft off the trail which made for some good photo oportunities. I continued on and started hearing thunder in the distance. I was only 10 min away from Elkwallow wayside and a milkshake when it started pouring. I was soaked intsantly, but it felt pretty good since the day was so hot. I got to the wayside and quake and couch were dry under an awning eating cheasburgers when I rolled up. I rung out my shirt and went and ordered a bbq sandwich, a blackberry milkshake, and beer. I was wet, but couldn't be happier. The next 5 miles to the road to meet Mala was gruelling. The larger miles have definitely worn me down. About a mile from the end we saw one more bear foragng about 20 yards from the trail. It just went about it's business as we quietly watched. At Gravel Springs Gap Mala was waiting with ready to eat chili dogs. The three of us each ate 4 dogs and worked on finishing our beers. We found a campsite away from the road and the 4 of us sat up talking and drinking as fireflies provided a natural light show.Today's StatsStarting Point:Pinnacles Picnic Area Ending Point:Gravel Spring GapMileage:19.8Elevation Gain:4020ftElevation Loss:4640ftHiking Time:10:23Weather:Hot Humid, 5 min thunderstormPain Factor:2