morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-03
From: Teahorse Hostel

To: David Lessing Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

Our first day as Southbound hikers was 100% rainy but otherwise uneventful. We spent an hour and a half this morning at the office of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Almost all thruhikers make the .2 mile trek there to have their picture taken "for the record". Hush and I are the 62nd and 63rd hikers this year attempting to complete the trail in a nonlinear fashion, In other words not walking the entire trail from start to finish in one direction. We enjoyed talking with the staff, they had a ton of questions about our hike and would like us to talk to them at the end about the flip flop experience. We are flattered.We crossed another state line. Virginia is our 11th state. There are 550 miles of the trail in VA so we will be here for awhile. That's 25% of the entire trail. The hiking was dreamlike. The trail was wide and smooth save for a few rocky miles. We did no rock climbing nor did we use our hands at any time. We purposefully hiked short miles so as not to shock our bodies too much after the stress of the last few days. We can't get to Front Royal too soon or we will beat our mail there. Not only are we getting our regular mail drop there, we are also getting the things we couldn't take on the plane: Hush's hiking pole, our stove and each of our knives/mulititools. So we did a short day today. We will try for a couple of longish days and shoot for arriving in Front Royal on Tuesday morning. The lean to shelters in Maine were pretty utilitarian. The shelter tonight is as dreamlike as the trail. It has a deck, benches, a three person adirondack chair, a covered picnic table and it is clean. We are sharing it with a father, his two children doing a weekend and a section hiker from Illinois. We read through the shelter log book until we found our friends entries from May. It made me miss them all the more.
Date: 2013-08-04
From: David Lessing Shelter

To: Morgan Mill Stream Campsite
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today we rode the Roller Coaster for 10 miles and the ride didn't even start until we'd already knocked out 7+ miles. We have another 3.5 miles to ride tomorrow. The guidebook describes the stretch of trail along the VA/WV border as "13.5 mile section of tightly packed ascents and descents". What? I thought the AT was a 2,186 section of ascents and descents. I'm not sure what makes this section special but it does serve to illustrate the PUD concept. PUDs are pointless up and downs. The trail does calm down a bit after the Roller Coaster is over. We hit a milestone today. We now have less than 1,000 miles left to hike. I tried to get a few day hikers to celebrate with us. No takers. When we get to Front Royal, I'm going to get a barber to take a few inches off my beard. It's starting to scare me. I won't be getting a haircut though. Gotta draw the line somewhere. Life goes on without us at home. A grandson took his first steps. Other grandchildren have had birthdays. I've missed two funerals. A new baby joins the family this week. Hush's Dad is having some health problems. Her sister too. Sometimes the enormity of spending five months away from home hits us hard.
Date: 2013-08-05
From: Morgan Mill Stream Campsite

To: Manassas Gap, Virginia
Miles today: 16.2

First, Happy 30th Birthday to my son Drew. There are so many mountains I'd love to climb with you. We were up and out of camp with the sun so we could get in big miles today. That way we could get into Front Royal early tomorrow and have plenty of time to do laundry, buy food, find a barber and a pharmacy and maybe, just maybe get some down time. Instead a moth flew into Hush's ear. There we were, just hiking down the Appalachian Trail near Sky Meadows State Park with me in front knocking down the cobwebs. Suddenly Hush yelled "Ow, ow. I need you". She told me a bug had flown in her ear. We spent the next 15 minutes trying to get it out with tweezers, water, hand sanitizer and cotton swabs. It was traumatic and painful, bringing Hush to tears and she is one tough person. Finally we consulted the guidebook and determined we were just over a mile from a side trail leading to a parking area. We speed hiked there and had just made it to the road when a pickup pulled over and offered us a ride to Winchester. He took us right to an urgent care and less than two hours after it flew in, the moth was out. The doctor used a syringe to flush the ear.  Hush has to use ear drops for a couple days, not from moth damage but from what she did to her ear trying to get the moth out. We hitchhiked to Front Royal and got a room. We've taken care of some of our chores. Tomorrow we've arranged to slack pack the remaining miles, so we should be done early enough to enjoy at least some time off.
Date: 2013-08-06
From: Manassas Gap, Virginia

To: Front Royal, Va
Miles today: 11.7

After an easy morning slack pack, we managed to cross almost everything off our town list. The only chore not completed was locating gluten free bagels. Front Royal is almost overwhelming. The New England trail towns were tiny. We are confronted here with multiple grocery stores, hotels and  restaurants. Best of all, everything is so much cheaper too. Believe it or not, I've had enough to eat so far today. Tomorrow we hike into Shenandoah National Park via Chester Gap. Based on everything we've been told, it should be possible to knock out some 20-mile days. I hope so. I love this country. It feels so good to watch the landmarks fly by as opposed to struggling just to make it to the top of the next mountain. The one issue we've had so far has been with water. The creeks and springs are very shallow, usually only inches deep. The bottoms are mud and silt covered. One sudden movement and you have crunchy water. Up north the water sources were deeper and usually had sandy bottoms. We may have to end up using a bandana as a water filter. We have mail drops in the following VA towns: Elkton, Waynesboro, Monroe, Daleville, Pearisburg, Atkins and Damascus. If you have friends or family in any of those locations, ask them if we can take a shower and wash our clothes. We sure would appreciate it. Better yet, come and see us for an evening. We miss you.
Date: 2013-08-07
From: Front Royal, Va

To: Jeremy's Run
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: moderate rain

Jeremy's Run19.6The Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park is a super highway. If the entire AT were like this, not only would we be finished by now, but I would have no stories to tell, except for ones about bears. The AT stays close to Skyline Drive, crossing it over and over again. Toward the end of the day we took a .1 mile side trail to a wayside, basically a grill/convenience store/souvenir stand. I had a blackberry milkshake, a hamburger and a Pepsi. Hush had sweet potato fries. It was surreal. Despite all that we've been told, the trail was not flat, just wide and smooth. The elevation coming out of Chester Gap was less than 1000 feet. By the time we got to Rattlesnake Point we were at nearly 3500 feet. After the remoteness of Maine, it seemed strange to look down in the valley and see farms and houses. Shortly before lunch we were climbing out of Hogwallow Gap when I looked up to see what I thought was a juvenile bear standing in the trail ahead of me. I gave Hush the universal sign for stop and get your camera. While we stared, a cub ran from the undergrowth towards what I now realized was Mama bear. Then another cub ran out, stopping to stand on its back legs in the "You want some of me" stance. It was all cute but we were trying to get big miles today so I yelled at them and they ran away. Hush did not approve. Despite being wet from the minute we started hiking, today was awesome. We had a long lunch and a power nap. We covered a lot of ground. We talked to some section hikers who treated us like rock stars and we got done in time to get plenty of rest. Virginia, I love you.
Date: 2013-08-08
From: Jeremy's Run

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Virginia is not flat. I'm just saying. I think part of the problem in translating the reports from our friends is that they hiked through the state headed North. Since at this point we are headed South our experiences don't match that well.   Despite the many climbs today, we made good time, had some nice breaks and we aren't devastatingly tired. We were on the trail at dawn. Seven miles in we stopped at one of the original AT shelters, built in 1939. Made from stone, it looked like it could last another 70+ years. There was a piped spring right behind the shelter. You don't have to treat the that water and it tastes delicious. At lunch, 14 miles into the day, we met a couple of guys from San Francisco who took their two month college break to hike. We showed them some pictures and videos from up North. It blew their minds. Finally we stopped by a lodge close to the trail for a cold Pepsi. It was quite possibly the best I've ever had. At Hush's command, We raced the rain to the shelter. We won. The last 4.5 miles were the fastest we did all day. For 95 days we've averaged more than a half a marathon a day with a backpack on. That's pretty good training for speed hiking when it's needed.
Date: 2013-08-09
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Elkton, VA
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: light rain

This morning about two miles into our hike we stopped so that I could get something out of my pack. As I was about to put it back on, I realized I'd failed to retrieve my Crocs from the shelter. I wear them around camp, especially when my hiking shoes (and socks) are wet. To say I was bummed is an understatement. Leaving anything behind is a giant pain in the keister. We carry absolutely nothing that isn't used regularly.At mile 11, right before lunch we came to a trail marker at a fire road. There, on top of the trail marker sat my Crocs. The section hikers who stayed with us last night at Rock Spring Hut evidently discovered my shoes, made their way to a car, drove South on Skyline Drive and used a map to determine where the AT came close enough to the road for them to walk in to stash my shoes. Gentlemen, I salute you. Trail magic from fellow hikers is super special.But wait, that's not all...After we finished hiking today we had to figure out how to make our way out of the park and down to a motel three miles outside the town of Elkton to get a resupply box. A park employee on his day off picked us up and delivered us right to the little motel where our box awaited us. After we checked in, the cashier knocked on the door of our room and handed us cold Cokes. Then the owner offered to drive us to town so we could do laundry, eat supper and do our shopping.All of that makes up for other things. The fast and furious pace of the past few days has our bodies a little trashed. Our clothes stay wet from perspiration, even if we hang them up over night. The constant rubbing of damp, salty fabric on various body parts reeks havoc. The new terrain changes our stride, thus our shoes wear differently, thus blisters. I've lost so much weight that my pack no longer fits. All of the weight now rides on my shoulders instead of on my hips, where modern packs like to transfer the load, thus some pretty righteous back pain. Finally in this litany of woe, our pace and distance has upped the need for Ibuprofen to keep the knee and feet pain at bay. How can two people whose bodies are such a mess be having so much fun?
Date: 2013-08-10
From: Elkton, VA

To: Pinefield Hur
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

Unlike a lot of hikers, we don't like to hang around town in the mornings if we've come in to resupply. We thought we'd try to wait until at least 9:00 this morning before returning to the trail but by 7:30 I was pestering the motel owner for a ride. He kindly dropped us off right at the trailhead. We walked for all of five minutes before the rain started. By the time we got to the summit of Hightop Mountain, the rains became torrential. We raced down as fast as we could until we reached the Hightop Hut where we sought shelter. Three section hikers who'd spent the night there hadn't managed to leave yet. We squeezed in and joined then in staring forlornly at the downpour. I made some hot tea to warm Hush and I. When the monsoon became just a drizzle, we were off with the section hikers following close behind. Two of them are buddies from Maryland who started hiking a couple weeks ago at the Mason-Dixon Line. The other fellow is from Newcastle in the UK. He is a former member of the Royal Engineers. He's also funny as hell. He  has a UNC logo tattooed on his leg, such is his love for our native state. Oh the people we meet and the stories they tell. Our tent smells like rotten shrimp. Two mornings ago it was covered with a couple dozen slugs when we woke up. We thought we got them all off. We were wrong. They've been just a stewing away in our packs for 36 hours. Stewed slugs smell like rotten shrimp. Remember that. Tomorrow we have two climbs coming up first thing in the morning then nothing but PUDs (pointless up and downs) for the rest of the day. There are only a couple days left in Shenandoah National Park.
Date: 2013-08-11
From: Pinefield Hur

To: Wildcat Ridge
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: broken clouds

OK, here is a confession. Sometimes hiking is just boring. When the trail has no unique features, when it is nothing but a green tunnel, when the views are clouded over, when no other hikers we meet seem interested in talking, there isn't much to make the day stand out.   When our alarm went off this morning we woke to the sound of a heavy rain, one that started in the middle of the night, necessitating a quick dash out of the tent by Hush to grab our wet clothes from the line we put up every day when we finish hiking. We decided to wait out the rain for awhile and when it slowed we quickly packed up all our wet gear. Then began the march down the green tunnel, up, down, up, down. We did manage to stop by a wayside run by the park service for an expensive but tasty breakfast. Since we only had one day of food left we bought one more day's worth at the camp store in case the rain delays our arrival at Rockfish Gap. We had a nice lunch at Blackrock Hut, just the two of us. We laid some of our wet gear in the sunshine to dry while we ate, which would have lightened our load a bit if we hadn't carried so much water out from the spring. The next available source is 12 miles away, the longest distance between water sources we've seen in the 11 states we've hiked in. The next shelter was too far away for us to make it, but it was too early to quit. We hiked on hoping we could find a place to stealth camp on Wildcat Ridge, which turned out to be pretty easy. It's only the second time we've dry camped on the trail. The first wasn't planned but tonight we have plenty of drinking water and enough for our morning coffee. We just couldn't cook tonight. It's OK. All in all it's been a typical day on the Appalachian Trail. Like every other day, I'm sure we will remember it after the hike is over.
Date: 2013-08-12
From: Wildcat Ridge

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Waynesboro, VA has the reputation of being the friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail. From the easy hitch from Rockfish Gap, to the staff at the local outfitter, to the hostel owner, postal customers and clerks our reception has been nothing but enthusiastically welcoming. Sometimes different elements of AT culture don't live up to their billing. This town certainly does. Today went by quickly. We knocked out 16 miles by 2:30. Sadly, our trip through Shenandoah National Park is over. Skyline Drive now becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Fittingly within a half-mile of leaving the park we immediately hit the steepest climb yet in the south. Thankfully it was short. We are the only guests tonight at Stanimal's Hostel. Run by Adam Stanley, former AT thruhiker and veteran of other long hikes. This is the first year of operation so things aren't as smooth as other places we've been but Stanimal is super friendly and accommodating. He even gave us some of his clothes to wear while we washed ours. Later he dropped us off for dinner. Tomorrow he's facilitating an 18-mile NOBO slack pack for us which lets us descend rather than climb 4K foot Humpback Mountain. On the techie hiker side, I am now on my third backpack of the trip. Pack #1 an Osprey Atmos couldn't handle a full four-day load. Pack #2, an REI Flash 65 developed multiple stitching issues. It also stopped fitting me about three weeks ago. Pack #3 is another Osprey but an Assos model this time. And, get this; it's a size medium. Imagine me, a former 300-pounder wearing a medium anything. Boy Howdy.
Date: 2013-08-13
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Reed's Gap
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: light rain

19.4 MilesReed's GapSometimes staying in town is an evil necessity. Last night when someone in the family of the hostel owner started organ practice at 9:30, evil was afoot. Picture us laying on an air mattress in someone's basement, dead tired from hiking 175 miles in the past 10 days. There are lights we can't figure out how to turn off. We are miserably full from Golden Corral.  And then the keyboard starts to pound. When my phone's alarm started chiming this morning, it was hard to get up. Luckily all we had to do was eat breakfast, the same stuff we eat on the trail. Our daypack was ready to go. Soon we were on the road to Reed's Gap. We were hiking before dawn. Rain during the night soaked the grass and covered the undergrowth in moist, clingy droplets. Within minutes the familiar squish, squish, squish of wet shoes and socks harmonized with the clank of our hiking poles hitting rocks and our labored breathing as we climbed out of the gap. A few miles in we realized our 18-mile day would be closer to 20. Oh well, keep walking. Don't get me wrong. Slack packing felt great. There were plenty of switch backs, adequate water sources, an interesting hiker to talk to and eventually some sunshine.We hit Rockfish Gap again, this time from the South. Using the trail angel list provided by the town (!) we got a free ride back into Waynesboro. We grabbed some pizza and orange juice among other things and hoofed another mile or so to the hostel. In the morning we get another ride to Reed's Gap where this time we will hike South, toward Monroe, VA, our next mail drop location. Hush's entry: Lefty had a much better day than I had. Today was miserable for me. My head began to ache last night after dinner (I had about 3 hours sleep the night before). It soon turned bad and I tried to just sleep it sway. Then the organ began to play. It was a long night and I woke with the same headache.I spent the entire day battling migraine with nausea. I knew there was a shelter 14 miles into our day. It is the only thing that kept me moving - the thought that I could take a short nap there to help ease the pain and finish the day. But when we arrived at the shelter it was full of hikers eating lunch. I nearly broke down in tears because I knew there would be no nap. It is now 9:00 pm and my head is still pounding. I hope I feel better tomorrow or it will be another long day for me.
Date: 2013-08-14
From: Reed's Gap

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

The Priest Shelter15.5 milesWe said goodbye to Waynesboro this morning as we headed up to the Blue Ridge Parkway for the next leg of our journey. Our next stop is 58 miles away at a KOA campground near Monroe, VA. In one last testament to Waynesboro's fabulous reputation, the 18-mile shuttle cost us $10. We once shared a taxi in Massachusetts that took us and another hiker less than two miles and it cost $15. After a two-mile climb we stopped in at a shelter to take a break. The area was full of conscientious young people with all the trademarks of short section hikers: hatchets, knives, canned food, thick books etc. While we were there we saw a map and I realized we were at a junction of the Mau-Har Trail and the AT. The two trails rejoined four miles to the south. Taking the alternate allowed us to follow a cascading stream through a steep ravine. For awhile the hiking resembled that of northern New England. I have to say I enjoyed it. Once back on the AT we came quickly to a suspension bridge (foot travel only) over the Tye River. We took another break there because right across the river was The Priest, not Priest Mountain or Mount Priest, just The Priest. It's a 4K mountain with massive elevation gain for hikers in the climb to the summit. We pushed hard and made it to the top in 2.5 hours, passing people on the way. Once there it was a short walk along the ridge line to a shelter, the highest one for us since Lake of the Clouds south of Mt. Washington. We've noticed many more camping spots around the shelters in VA. I don't know if this will continue but I like it. We pitched our tent, spent some time hanging out with another hiker who was taking a ZERO at the shelter (?) and called it an early night because it was cold, colder than anything we faced in Maine. Strange.
Date: 2013-08-15
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Hog Camp Gap
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

Hog Camp Gap14.3 MilesGreetings from Hog Camp Gap in the shadow of Cold Mountain, VA, not to be confused with the real Cold Mountain in NC, the one in the book. We are tented tonight in a large grassy meadow beside a tree where some playful hiker used bear bag rope and a plank to make a swing. From the look of the worn ground under it, plenty of other hikers stopped in for at least a picture. We were cold all day, except while climbing. Everyone warned us about how hot it was going to be in Virginia. I wish they could have seen the hiker walking around this morning wrapped in his sleeping bag. Still, it's August and as soon as we ask my daughter to mail our cold weather clothes to us, the temps will hit the 90s and we will have to carry that weight. The trail was nice all day. We didn't have much (any) level ground but nothing was as grueling as The Priest was yesterday. We stopped at 14 miles because the shelter on the other side of the mountain is .6 miles off the trail, a 1.2 mile round trip. There's no way I'm gonna end up walking that much uncredited distance without pizza being involved.  Tomorrow we'll do almost 18 and things will average out.
Date: 2013-08-16
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: broken clouds

Punchbowl Mountain Shelter17.6 milesI've got to apologize to Cold Mountain, VA. I insinuated yesterday that it wasn't the real Cold Mountain since the real one is in the Shining Knob Wilderness in NC. Well, Virginia's version lived up to its name this morning. When we got to the summit shortly after dawn, there was frost on the grass in some of the shaded places. In August. In Virginia. The next mountain was Bald Knob, another 4K peak. When approached from the North it's only a 500 foot climb lasting a little less than a mile. When approached from the south it's a 3000 foot climb that lasts forever. Since we're walking South now we got to walk downhill for about eight miles which is not as fun as it sounds. Part of that section was interesting, following a mountain creek where a community of freed slaves once existed, the ruins of stone fences and spring houses still evident. Our shelter is only .4 miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway tonight. When we crossed the parkway I noticed a 16 passenger van with a private school logo on the side parked in the overlook area. I cursed, dreading the possibility of arriving at a shelter over run by people using it as a group camp site. Although doing so is against Park Service regulations and in the end is just a selfish, douche bag move, it happens. Luckily, it did not happen to us tonight.  The shelter was empty. I'm going to drop out of the alternative AT universe for a moment and enter real life. Carol, my wife and hiking partner, is dealing today with serious news regarding her father's health. We hope for the best and for now we are still hiking but if circumstances warrant we will be heading to NC, maybe temporarily or maybe not.