morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-25
From: Pearisburg, va

To: the captain's
Miles today: 20.5

5.25 - day 55Pearisburg, VA - the Captain's20.5 miles - 9.5 hoursEarly stop @ Food Lion for breakfast & last minute resupply. back down to trail, through cemetery, then forest, back onto street sidewalk across bridge over river and up to industrial plant. I lead the way up climb to ridge line, weather is sunny & 60, excellent, barely broke a sweat on uphill. some steep sections, some boulders then through forest at the top to Rice field shelter. spectacular view of below, we stop for lunch here to sit on the grass in the sun with the view. We see someone coming out of shelter, it is Fancy Feet, she comes to us saying she stayed there last night, super windy & cold, slept in this morning, then she started her hike. Flavor Saver came along & joined us for lunch, he too hiked up from Pearisburg. Up & over barbed wire fence then back to hiking along the ridge line through the trees shading out most of the sun. Rest of afternoon is through fields & forests then long descent with plenty of switch backs. At the bottom we walk along a river and follow signs to Captain's. We zip line across the river to get to his yard. He greets us, shows us where we can camp, & invites us to have a seat on the back porch. Blue, young guy from Pennsylvania is there along with St. Croix from Wisconsin & Walmart. The fridge had all sorts of flavors of Food Lion generic sodas. The porch had a sauna booth we were welcome to use. Walmart chopped wood & made fire in the pit. Blue caught crawfish in the river & boiled them in canteen with spices, St. croix played John Fogerty on iphone speaker for all to hear. The dogs barked at birds or anyone passing by on the trail. The Captain came out & chatted, told me & Fancy Feet that near the road were yellow lady slipper flowers, more rare than the pink version. I took a look & saw 2 dozen vibrant flowers. the Captain name come not from military career but from large white hairdo, reminiscent of Captain Kangaroo. He told us we were in west Virginia earlier today for about 100 yards, the cliff where we had lunch. Cold weather came as sun went down, near freezing overnight. I wore fleece & rain coat in my new lighter 50 degree bag to keep warm. Good end to fun day, listened to Adam Carola while going to sleep, his podcast is hilarious. Jai ho!
Date: 2013-05-26
From: the captain's

To: Laurel creek shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

Day 5617.3 miles - 8 hoursRocky hiking today, saw the same faces as we leap frog throughout the day: Honey Bun, Stink Bug, Fancy Feet, Dorothy, Flavor Saver, Tortilla. Great weather, excellent company & conversation throughout the day. 3 trail magics today; some from the captain, Yuenling beer & fruit from Quigley& Stacks, and sodas (3 quarters up a hill near end of day, thanks!) from Super Dave & Special K. Great view from Knob just before sunset. Dorothy did some cool yoga poses on the ledge while PL took photos. Over to the shelter, Ramen & tuna tonight, starting to get a bit too frequent. NWA on the headphones for sleepy time.
Date: 2013-05-27
From: Laurel creek shelter

To: pickle branch shelter
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: broken clouds

Day 5722.5 miles - 10 hoursSaw Keiffer oak, largest oak in southern half of trail, 300+ years old. Happy Memorial day! We celebrate by climbing up Brush Mountain to WWII hero Audie Murphy memorial and paying tribute. How appropriate that I happen to be here on Memorial Day.
Date: 2013-05-28
From: pickle branch shelter

To: CAMPBELL shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

Slight gradual climb in the morning up to Cove Mountain. Awesome day, up to Dragons tooth rock formation. Large near vertical rock sheet, tall and narrow with a pointed top. I take photos from different angles, sun is on the back side, shaded on the path where I stand. As I leave, Honey Buns and Stink Bug arrive with Fancy Feet, who will try to free climb up to check out the views from the top. Trail down has several areas of larger steep drop down, some spots have metal bars for feet and hands to climb down fastened into the rock. More nice views on descent. Further down more big rocks to go down. Lots of rhododendrons to zig zag through, then back into forest, down to the road. Left turn off the trail and onto the road to the Catawba Grocery a half mile down where they serve burgers, pizza, drinks and ice cream. Whole gang from last night sit out front on the walkway, resting and eating, boots off airing out the feet in the sun. We get funny looks from people filling their cars up with gas out front. Back to trail, later in the afternoon, we find a nice huge flat rock slab to rest on, cool breeze, looking eastward into open air with trees and homes way down below. Down to parking lot, Patchoulli and Buckeye Cornellius are there resting. Cross the Road to the base of McAfee Knob, trail is is better groomed and wider for heavier foot traffic. Switchbacks up under the trees, gets more rocky higher up. Large black snake lounges across the trail, slowly moves away as i approach and take photos. Trail curls around large rock slabs like a maze. Near the top is a McAfee knob elevation sign, exit the trees and onto the famous McAfee knob rock overhang. Hung around there a while, taking in the views from all angles. Feels like I'm flying when I walk out to the tip and look out onto the hills afar. Amazing. Perfect sunny clear weather, great time of the day, sun shines right on the rock side and illuminates the background to the east. Took the mandatory most photographed picture on the trail. Helped others do the same. Hog Grier was sitting near the edge looking out, writing in his journal. Wow McAfee Knob. I am now standing on the rock, last winter I was looking at photos of this place on the computer, wondering if I'd make it there.
Date: 2013-05-29
From: CAMPBELL shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: few clouds

Last night descended to Campbell shelter after the summit of McAfee Knob. Most of the hikers from last few days were all here. Sat on the large deck as we ate dinner and talked away until the sun dropped. My pack was hanging on a peg on the back wall, someone saw a mouse walk around the ledge on onto it. I thew my croc at the pack and saw the mouse run away. Everyones sleeping pads and bags were already laid out on the shelter floor. Looking at the inner walls i could see mice behind the posts walking gingerly. Not even scampering out of sight as they normally do. These ones seemed way too brazen and confident. I didnt want to worry about it during the night, so I pulled my pack down and set it on the edge of the deck outside. I pulled my pad and bag onto the deck, completely out of the shelter. I hoped the mice would not be inclined to come out here in the open during the night. Everyone else saw me do this and followed my lead, shelter emptied out. Last night became a cowboy camp, under the night sky just below McAfee knob summit. Luckily it was a comfortable dry night. In the morning was easy descent followed by gradual climb up to Tinker Cliffs, the trail straddles the top edge of the mountain for about a half mile. We walk on an open rock face with forest to the right and steep drop off to the left. At one point we can look back and see where McAfee knob was, this time the sunlight is coming from the east. In the afternoon, sun is strong, in the 80's and the air is dry, the trail follows the ridge line, hiking on top of big rocks most of the time, then trees clear, in direct sunlight walking on dusty gravel for a time underneath powerline towers. Back into the forest, cross over railroad tracks, feeling hot, no wind at all, over a concrete bridge, onto a grassy path that leads to the road. I look to the right and see RR walking towards me, he has a white plastic bag in hand, reaches in and hands me a cold Mountain Dew from the convenience store. Just what I needed. We sit on the curb waiting for others to catch up then off to nearby hotel.
Date: 2013-05-30
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 60 -zero dayDalevilleAnother hot day. Hotel has a pool but it is being worked on and out of service unfortunately. Otherwise I'm sure it would be overflowing with hikers. Did resupply, visited the outfitter and grocery. If I'm ever out here again in the future, will make make it a point to go to Homeplace restaurant in Catawba. Quite a few other hikers went there & gave their family style southern country cooking rave reviews when they got back. Sounds like a must visit location, especially since we are hiking out of the south, gotta enjoy the southern hospitality while it lasts!
Date: 2013-05-31
From: daleville

To: bobblets shelter
Miles today: 18.5

5.31.13 - day 61Daleville - bobletts shelter18.5 Miles -   10 hoursSlow climb out of town through woods, hot day out but we're under the shade most of the morning. Some trail magic bananas at road crossing. Stinkbug is waiting in the shade, said Honey Buns walked to the Post Office for mail drop pickup. I told him I sent a text message home saying that I was leaving Troutville now, however the spell check didn't recognize the name of the town and changed it to Testicular instead. He got a chuckle out of that. First lunch@ Fulhardt shelter, water source is cistern collecting water from roof of shelter, the last of it's kind on the trail. we see Side Show & Dorothy as we leave. Up & down to Wilson Creek shelter,a brief rest at the stream before it. Frog & toad jump around nearby, small fish scan for food in the streams side pools. Later Side Show told me if you dip your feet in their pool, they will nibble at your dead skin. Black snake 3 feet long, diameter a bit larger than a ping pong ball small head, underside of head is white, lays across the trail. I get closer, it is not afraid nor does it get aggressive, it slowly slithers off to the side, as it moves it reveals a bit of an "x" pattern on his side. Honey Bun, Stink Bug & Flavor Saver are already there as expected. Let the feet air out, cut open the cheese & crackers and Usingers summer sausage big bro mailed to me, apple from town, & water with crystal lite. Privy has warning of rattle snake living in or under it. Continued on through gentle climbs & descents, to my delight there were many rhododendrons with their bouquet of pink blossoms on display along & within view of the trail, finally!!! in previous journals, i mentioned i couldn't wait until they bloom & now it's time! Gave me something to look forward to & it's been worth the wait. Looking back @ pics from GA, it's amazing how barren it was back then & the progression to green leaves & flowering trees & plants of now. Also appreciate the endemic species seen in the different zones & elevations along the way so far. I'm sure the second half will have it's own uniqueness.Another progression we've seen is the loyalties of the locals as we drop into trail towns. Now we are in Virginia Tech country, before that it was Go Vols, Tar Heel nation, & U of GA. Saw two older guys at grocery ribbing one another since one had a West Virginia hat on. Laying down in full shelter, quiet night, sound of whipperwill flying further away. Warm, on top of sleeping bag tonight. No headphones, just reflecting back on today. Enjoying the moment.
Date: 2013-06-01
From: Bobblets shelter

To: cornelius creek shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: few clouds

6.1.13 day 62Bobblets shelter - cornelius creek shelter18.5 miles - 11 hours2 months on the trail. Hot morning after pleasant night. Hotter than yesterday, climb up in sun. Sweaty & thirsty, 1st lunch@ cove mountain shelter, same Yankees from yesterday, actually this pod has been together since after trail days. Down hill to Jennings creek & water hole. We take 3 hour swim/sun break. Mellow Johnny & Carbon show up with cases of Budweiser & Busch beer for all, cool! some sunbathe on rock in middle of flowing creek, me & others wade in the shallow currents to keep cool. What a nice change of pace, all commented on how this was healing & therapeutic for our worn feet & bodies. Thanks also to Blackhawk who left a cooler of sodas for thru hikers, perfect day for this trail magic. I head up the thousand foot climb, it is still pretty humid & i work up a good sweat. Another black snake sighting. Purple, violet & rare spider wort flowers line the trail. After descent we arrive at Bryant Ridge shelter, nice newer shelter that can accommodate 20 hikers, it has a patio, balcony, glass windows and 3 levels. I drink the trail magic sodas packed out earlier, River Song is already there eating & preparing to move on, she shares some really good Mexican Taza chocolate with us. Sno & Pundit arrive and snack on some Burger King whoppers they hitched into town for down at the creek. Flavor Saver arrives & prepares dinner before moving on. We move on to the big climb in humid air. Halfway up i get water from spring & chug a liter since so hot & sweaty. Blood Orange from Ohio stops at this camp. We push on up to Cornelius creek shelter where we are greeted by Stink bug & Honey bun. River Song is here also & share 70% pure dark chocolate. Almost all of her food is from mail drops, arranged it that way so she can keep control of nutritional value of what she consumes. Good strategy. Dinner now bedtime, nice cool breezy evening, lying on my back in the shelter, thinking about what a fun day it has been, good hiking and 1st big swim hole. I recall back to last winter when I was looking forward to days like today. Not a dream anymore, this is real.
Date: 2013-06-02
From: cornelius shelter

To: John hollows shelter
Miles today: 21.6

6.3.13 - day 63Cornelius shelter - John Hollows shelter21.6 miles - 11.5 hoursPundit & Sno leave camp early, waking everyone else up in the process. Sunny morning, early start uphill through tall grasses. Viewpoint@ FAA installation. Under circular rock wedged between 2 vertical walls called the "guillotine". A professional photographer was on the opposite end taking pics as people went under. To thunder ridge shelter, alot of black flies hover around me. River Song shows up at shelter and also had snacks. Rains all afternoon as we climb & descend ridge, get soaked. Down to shelter where I'm pleasantly surprised to see Green Blaze. He is stopping here for the night so can get to post office when it opens. We talk as i eat more & rest. Mouse traps adorn the back wall of this shelter. Along stream to James river, a box turtle is on the side of the trail Digging a hole. Further down another black snake lays motionless across the trail, hikers be alert for these snakes, they don't move out of the way quickly, so it could be easy to mistake it for a root or not even notice it & accidentally step on it. Turn right, trail follows the bank of the James river then turns towards the James river foot bridge, the longest foot traffic only bridge on the trail. It has an iron frame, supported by concrete columns in the water, and had wooden planks. In the past, hikers have jumped from the bridge & dropped about ten feet into the river just for fun, so frequently that police monitor the bridge & may fine anyone who jumps. Today not so pleasant to jump in. Later i found out our friend Hugs (same girl who karaoke Baby got Back in blue Spandex jump suit at Blue Blaze Cafe during Trail Days) was there and jumped of naked! Sheriff could've fined her for public nudity & for jumping but i guess they let it go. If you go just past half way on the bridge & turn to your left, pretty cool photo of river & hills in the back. Back into forest along a stream, many wildflowers line the trail leading to John Hollows shelter. Still overcast and light rain. Shady (formerly Solo from day 2) was there & gave me loud welcome Subaru!! & mentions how much weight I've lost, almost 20 pounds so far. River Song arrives & prepares dinner, always cold meals (doesn't carry a stove) and usually pretty healthy dishes, way better than mine. First fireflies of the season show up this evening. I watch them zigzag about turning on and off, as i lay on my front from the shelter floor in my sleeping bag before falling asleep.
Date: 2013-06-03
From: John hollows shelter

To: US 60
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: broken clouds

6.3.13 - day 65John Hollows shelter - US6021.5 miles - 9 hoursHumid morning during big climb, some great views, including mist & clouds. Top of Bluff mountain has a stone monument for Ottie Cline Powell, a youngster who died there under strange circumstances, read the placard up there, very errie. great view at summit, watched cloud move from left view, through forest into right side view. Descent to Punch Bowl shelter for lunch, i arrive first then RR, PL, then Shady & his women. Everyone makes it a point to air out the feet almost every time we stop for break. Shelter journal warns that Ottie Cline Powell haunts that shelter. Acorn passed at this shelter the night before, decided she would night hike to next shelter to avoid having to stay here. Down to next shelter then along stream where i see wild turkey run around in front of me before heading away, further along a deer watches curiously as i approach then runs away across stream. Finally i reach the road, RR & PL follow after 10 minutes, we get a ride to Buena Vista from local trail angel legend Aubrey Taylor who has been helping hikers in this area for 46 years, friendly old gray haired man in black ford pickup truck, also a legend, featured in the book An Appalachian Adventure. I rode in cab while others on the bed in back. He tells me of his meetings with Molasses, Lone Wolf & other renowned hikers he has met. He takes us to Budget Inn where im greeted by Hugs with a big hug. After dinner & resupply, we raise a Pabst Blue Ribbon and toast (prost) to reaching 800 mile mark, woohoo!!
Date: 2013-06-04
From: US 60

To: Porters Field Camp
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: light rain

Late getting out of town. Tried to hitch a ride with in front of the Autozone with Scarecrow for a while with no success. I suggested we go further down to the BP gas station, maybe we could ask someone stopped there. On the way a local guy, Robert Burns, was leaving Bible class and offered to give us a ride to the trail head. Thanks! Up Cold Mountain with some nice views. Lots of green today. Some open field hiking with the green hills not far away. Some trail magic!! Courtesy of Goman (2012 hiker) and wife. Still plenty of trailmix, snickers, twix and my fav, Moonpies in the cooler. They must have been here recently, not much if any was taken. Thank you Goman! Pleasant summer hike all the way to Seeley-Woodworth shelter where we saw Side Show and Acorn. Pushed on past another mile to the nice campsite at Porters field. Nice grassy flat tent spots with stream flowing nearby. Set up up shop here. Found a tick on my shin, it was not latched on yet so I flicked it off. Stretched out my hamstrings then retired to the tent for some shut eye.
Date: 2013-06-05
From: porters gap camp

To: maupin field shelter
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: overcast clouds

6.5.13 - day 66Porters gap camp - Maupin Field Shelter19.2 miles - 10.5 hoursMorning hike to Spy Rock, awesome views, cool mountain Laurel groves with full bloom in this area. Arrive at Priest shelter a few hours later, named after Priest mountain, not sure story of name origin. The shelter log theme here was hilarious, people were inspired to write down their confessions here. Most start with 'forgive me father for i have sinned, it's been x days since last confession. I confess that i usually go pee in the privy everytime.' or 'i confess that my sole reason for hiking AT is to eat honey buns everyday & not feel guilty' are 2 examples, most have hiker lingo or inside jokes that others would not appreciate. This has been the tradition year after year. If you're headed that way, take some time to read through, most entries are humorous, witty & clever, hard not to leave without laughing at some of them. Some nice views on the long descent, pretty punishing on soles of feet. Green tunnel no more with all the rhododendrons & mountain laurels plus all ground wildflowers out. We run into our buddy Flavor Saver @ gap, he is suffering from shin splints & will rest a few days. Long uphill climb. Anyway, we rest @ shelter after a thousand foot climb then proceed up 2 thousand more feet, very challenging to do on tired legs. Soles of feet already sore. Excellent views near top, down to Harpers shelter. Side Show shows up, sets tent near ours. Dinner, we met owner of Yama Mountaineering, Magnet aka Gen, thru hiked in 2004 then did unicycle ride on CDT last year! Chatted & shared stories by campfire, he packed in some PBRs which we enjoyed. Sleep time, need rest for big day tomorrow. Dream.
Date: 2013-06-06
From: maupin field shelter

To: rockfish gap
Miles today: 21.0

6.6.13 - day 67Maupin Field Shelter - Rockfish gap 21 miles - 9.5 hourswoke up at 6 am to the tapping of raindrops on my tent. Thought it would pass, instead we found ourselves packing up wet tents & having breakfast in the shelter. More waiting then we finally decided to go for it despite the rain. Crossed paths with Patchouli & Cornelius slack packing southbound. She asked if we wanted trail magic & gave us cans of Pepsi & bags of peanut M&M's, awesome! Later we found cooler from thru hiker Moon walker class of 09 filled with mountain dews & Twix, thanks gonna need the fuel for long day in rain. Climbed to open cliff and marked trails to overlooks but no view except fog & rain. Super slippery today. Late in the day several stream crossings, normally no big deal but raining all day, high water levels, gushing fast. Need precise footwork today to say safe. Finally reach Rockfish gap, call trail angel Jim Wilson for ride to Waynesboro. At quality inn lobby soaking wet, freezing from AC unit next to reception. Pundit is there on computer typing up something. In room takeoff & gather wet clothes, boots, & tents. Blast the heater in the room then off to the Heritage pub downtown, steak burger, onion rings, fried green tomatoes, side salad & 3 Brothers Brewery (Harrisonville, VA) Hoptimization IPA, all were phenomenal. Gump, Shady, Scarecrow & crew are there too. We watch Spurs beat the Heat game 1 & Blackhawks beat the Kings, oh yeah! Awesome to get to watch sports on tv again. Great games, meal & beers to close out wet challenging long day.
Date: 2013-06-07
From: Waynesboro

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 0.0

6.7.13 - day 68Waynesboro, VA Zero dayBreakfast @ quality inn like a farm feeding, all hungry hikers rush the free continental breakfast, standing room only. Shady, Sno, Pundit, Guru, Sriracha & more are there. Laundry while tent dries in the room. Coffee @ Micah's coffee hut next to hotel, nice to see coffee hut on east coast, thought they were only in Oregon, California, & Washington. Planned the Shenandoahs. Lunch@ Green Leaf: Bacon Buffalo burger, onion rings, Full Nelson Virginia pale ale & Northern Lights IPA (Star Hill, Charlottesville, VA.), carrot cake cup cake. Dinner is Buffet@ Ming's. A bunch of hikers are there, mostly faces I don't recognize, probably from the pod a day ahead. Garden girl is there sitting behind us. Back to room to get packed up & rested. Feet have been sore, toes have been numb. Spirits remain high for sure. The Virginia blues has not come close to happening for me fortunately. Also the green tunnel didn't bother me at all. Actually One of my favorites are all green, the ferns. Get your eyes up close to them and see the intricate patterns, there are a bunch of different varieties with their own patterns, colors, textures, some stand upright, others bend, some grow in patches others can fill a forest floor. Take a look, like a hidden gem despite them being everywhere. Checkout the area right before Woods Hole Hostel where there was a controlled burn for about a 2 mile stretch, neon green fern colonies spring up & contrast the black ashen soil. Green is good!