morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-25
From: Johns Spring Shelter

To: Daleville (Howard Johnson)
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up at 5:00 AM and still saw stars in the sky. No clouds. I would be able to catch a McAfee Knob sunrise. Hawk was the only other one who came with me, the others being too tired (Birdman, Mechanic) or too hung-over (Sea Biscuit) to tag along. Yet the view was entirely worth the lack of sleep, for the creeping sunrise slowly revealed a gorgeous Virginia countryside below us. The knob is really more of a cliff face, allowing for treeless, panoramic experiences. I immediately understood why so many pictures are taken here, as I was infatuated.Unfortunately, the lack of trees also meant no protection from the wind, so after 30 minutes on McAfee Knob, we decided to continue on with our day. After a short ridge walk (and a red fox sighting!), we found ourselves at another landmark, Tinker Cliffs. This half mile cliff walk offered views of McAfee Knob and the valley below, and the area was supposedly named after Revolutionary War deserters who lived in these hills and repaired pots and pans (¢tinkers¢). By this point the rain had begun to fall, so after a quick snack, we were again on our way.The section to Daleville was relatively easy, with the tallest climb being McAfee Knob (3,197 ft.). This allowed us to get into town quickly, which was extra nice due to the rain and periodic rumbles of thunder. By 2:00 PM, Hawk and I were walking down the bustling highway in Daleville, where we found an excellent coffee shop. Even better, the barrister refused to let us pay, so we had all of our food and drinks for free (aside from a large tip, of course). By 4:00 PM, most of the other group members had arrived in Daleville, so we proceeded to resupply and evaluate our gear. Birdman and I went into the local outfitter first, as he wanted anew water bladder. I showed him my model and explained how my bladder valve had failed. With great luck, one of the outfitter workers heard me say this, and immediately replaced my water bladder with a newly improved version! I was ecstatic, as I had really started missing my bladder during the dryer sections of the trail.After feasting on BBQ and resupplying at Kroger, we turned in at our accommodations at the local Howard Johnson. I doubt we will get an early start tomorrow, as the allure of sleeping in an actual bed is typically more than any of us can handle.
Date: 2014-04-26
From: Daleville (Howard Johnson)

To: Daleville (Homer's Place)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The last thing any of us expected today was to be taking a zero. Well, let me step that back a bit ¢ the last thing we expected was the sheer amount and quality of the trail magic we would receive today. We started with our usual slow start, leaving the hotel and venturing to the post office around 10:00 AM. Afterward, we grabbed lunch and sauntered over to the coffee shop and lounged with large cups of mocha & cappuccino. It was looking very much like a typical low mileage day.   Yet while we were sitting at the coffee shop, a man approached us and asked ¢Hey, would you guys like to go to a concert? My daughter got sick, so now she and her friends can¢t go. Now I have seven tickets I need to get rid of. You guys interested?¢   Needless to say, we were. The headliner was: ¢G. Love & Special Sauce,¢ who none of us had ever heard of, but we were willing to try anything for free.    The main problem was that the concert was in downtown Roanoke, a good 20 miles from Daleville. We called a few shuttles, but most were either unavailable or too expensive to justify the trip. Finally, Birdman called Homer Witcher, a 2002 thru-hiker listed as a shuttle driver in our AWOL guidebooks. Homer thought for a minute, then said ¢Yeah, I¢ve got a van I can lend you for the day and then you can all stay at my house for the night.¢   We were flabbergasted at the generosity we were experiencing and gladly accepted. Within an hour, we had dropped off our packs at Homer¢s and were on our way to Roanoke. Being in a van on a major highway was an experience all on its own, as we were all used to top speeds of 3-4 MPH.   We got to Roanoke without an issue, grabbed a bite to eat at a local pub, and then found seats upfront at the concert. G. Love was a lot of fun, mixing a few styles such as reggae, surf rock, and hip-hop into an easy going, enjoyable concert. The weather was perfect as well, allowing us to wear t-shirts and shorts without risking a constant shiver (unlike in the mountains).   After the concert, we toured downtown Roanoke and met many of the locals, who looked and smelled so clean in comparison to us. The nightlife was bustling with several smaller concerts, as Roanoke is in the middle of some sort of music festival. It appears we hit town at just the right time.We returned to Homer¢s shortly after 11:00 PM, and we were all exhausted ¢ most of us in bed no later than 9:00 PM, so we were up well past our bedtime. Yet all of us were still completely energized by the trail magic we had experienced today, and while we may not have shaved any miles off of our goal, I feel as though we experienced a piece of what makes an AT thru-hike a truly spectacular experience.P.S. Happy day 50 on the trail!
Date: 2014-04-27
From: Daleville (Homer's Place)

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

After our late night in Roanoke, we were all moving a bit sluggishly as we arose at Homer¢s place, but after several cups of coffee and bowls of cereal, we finally rallied and made our way back to the trail. Like most days out of town, my pack felt like it weighed about fifty pounds, but my newly-upgraded water bladder fits noticeably better against my back.The terrain today was fairly easy, with long, slow inclines and several ridge walks. The main difficulty, rather, was the temperature. After weeks of hiking in the cold, today¢s high in the mid-eighties hit us like a brick wall. Everyone was moving much slower than usual, attempting to keep the sweat to a minimum. Every shelter and water source was surrounded by hikers resting in the shade or dunking their heads into the cold river water (note: the latter is one of the most satisfying things you¢ll ever experience).Around mid-day, Hawk, Birdman, Sea Biscuit, Mumbles, and I dove into the shelter to wait out the heat. We ended up waiting a bit longer than expected, though, as Hawk, Sea Biscuit, and I promptly fell asleep for three hours. When we awoke, the sky had turned to an evening orange, and we knew we had to hustle to reach our goal for the day.As we pushed toward the shelter, the AT began to zigzag across the famous Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic byway that traverses much of the southern Appalachians. We will be seeing a lot of this road for the next few weeks as it turns into Skyline Drive and runs the entire length of the Shenandoah¢s.We just arrived at Bobblets Gap Shelter, and there is a ridge runner staying with us tonight, so I¢ll have to be on my best behavior tonight (Even though Mumbles just ¢accidentally¢ squirted purple drink all over my backpack). Revenge will be swift and just tomorrow.
Date: 2014-04-28
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

After several days of worrisome forecasts, the skies opened up a bit after lunch today, turning the trail into a soggy mudslide. The main benefit, however; was that we were constantly cooled by the rain. I am typically a wet, sweaty mess by day¢s end; today I am just a wet mess.Today we climbed over Apple Orchard Mountain, the last mountain on the AT with an altitude over 4,100 ft. until New Hampshire. It¢s a weird landmark for me, as I know there will still be many tough climbs between here and NH, and it also signals just how far we have come. The halfway point will be arriving shortly.When the weather gets rough, most people tend to stay in the shelters ¢ no one likes packing up a wet tent. That goes double for when there is thunder and lightning, as it is nice to have a little more protection over your head than the silnylon of your tent. Thus, when you find an empty shelter, it¢s typically a good idea to take it. If you choose to move on to the next shelter, you may get lucky and find a spot. Or, you may find a shelter overstuffed with wet hikers.Birdman and I gambled today. And we lost.Our planned stopping point was initially Cornelius Creek Shelter, but we just hiked a bit too slow to earn a spot in the shelter. This was after passing up a completely empty shelter just a few miles before. Our gamble had left us without a roof over our heads.But instead of accepting our bad hand, Birdman and I decided to wave goodbye to our hiking comrades (who had hiked faster and won a spot) and take a gamble for a spot at the next shelter. Either way, even if that shelter was full, we would still be tenting in the rain anyway.This time, however; our gamble actually paid off. There were only two other hikers in the shelter when we arrived ¢ Do-Yi, a Native-American whose trail name is Cherokee for ¢outside¢; and Tender, who has hiked the same distance I have in about two weeks less time and has tender feet because of it. We settled into the shelter, and just before another wave of rain came through, Mumbles stumbled into the shelter as well. We¢re currently listening to water cascade onto the tin roof of our little three-sided escape. As we are high and dry, it is a sweet sound indeed.
Date: 2014-05-01
From: Lexington, VA (Howard Johnson)

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today began with one last bit of trail magic; as Debbie and Mrs. Daub gratefully ordered Birdman and me a cab all the way back to the trailhead. Thanks again trail angels!Our hike itself was also blessed today, as a strange long-forgotten glowing orb could be seen hanging in the sky. After some discussion, we decided it must be the sun, returned from a long vacation behind the clouds. We were glad to welcome its return, as well as the mid-60¢s temperatures it brought with it.A short six miles into our day, we reunited with our resident trail chef, Fresh Ground, and his wondrous Leap Frog Caf©. Fresh Ground had a rough few weeks, losing his dog and being in a car accident that nearly totaled his vehicle (thankfully, he wasn¢t at fault). Even with all this turmoil, he still finds time to come out to the woods and brighten our days with freshly cooked meals. Today I dined on homemade chicken and vegetable soup, hotdogs (lots of them), home fries, cookies and fresh coffee. Fresh Ground says he will be taking a break after this stop, but I hold out hope that I will see him again before Maine.While Birdman and I dined, Hawk, Sea Biscuit and Mumbles meandered into the caf©. Mumbles decided to camp out with Fresh Ground, while the rest of us forged onward down the trail. We summited Cold Mountain (4,022 ft.), our last mountain over 4,000 ft. until we reach Vermont. Otherwise, the trail continued to follow the ridgeline in a fashion very similar to the past several weeks. I have begun to realize why so many hikers get the dreaded ¢Virginia Blues,¢ and I am thankful that the late spring afforded us some views of the beautiful Virginia countryside ¢ I have no doubt that this helped ward off the blues.Despite today¢s heat, the temperature dropped quickly tonight, and I am bundled snuggly in my tent to keep warm. Tomorrow promises to be another eventful day, so I¢m off to dreamland. Happy May, everyone!
Date: 2014-05-03
From: DevilÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Backbone Brewery

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 19.2

I awoke still full and contented from the night before, and the sun and clear sky overhead foretold another beautiful day on the trail. There was one dark spot, though: the brewery had cancelled their breakfast special due to a special event. Yet with all of the hospitality we received, we all still left the brewery in high spirits.We quickly got a hitch back to the trailhead, hitting the AT for a lengthy but easy day. There were still many ups and downs, but none were particularly strenuous or noteworthy. It also helps when the conversation with fellow hikers is continuous, and talking with Hawk, Sea Biscuit, and Birdman definitely helped the miles fly by.After 19 miles we reached Rockfish Gap, the road crossing just before entering Shenandoah National Park. The park will have to wait for another day, however; as we had to resupply before traveling over 100 miles within its borders. After finding a handy list of trail angels at the AT trailhead, we were picked up by the sassy ¢Miss Lady¢. Miss Lady gave us a tour of all the places we would need to visit, and then dropped us off at the YMCA. The Y graciously allows hikers to tent on their grounds for free, as well as providing showers for hikers. After taking a shower (my first communal shower since high school, how lovely), we all walked over to Waynesboro¢s AYCE Chinese buffet, which was SIGNIFICANTLY higher in quality than the buffet in Pearisburg. I doubt my stomach will get revenge tomorrow, unlike last time.After dinner, we quickly resupplied at Kroger and returned to the Y to set up our tents. Now I¢m sitting here thinking about the Shenandoah¢s, our last major milestone before the psychological halfway point at Harper¢s Ferry. I know I am a fast hiker, but even so, I never expected the trail to be passing by as quickly as it is. If nothing else, that must be an indication that I am truly enjoying my time on the AT.
Date: 2014-05-04
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: scattered clouds

After completing laundry and eating one of the largest breakfasts I¢ve ever seen (and still having room for more), the crew and I crossed into our next major milestone: Shenandoah National Park. Covering over 100 miles of the trail, we expect to spend most of the week here, and so far the weather forecast appears to be in our favor. Today the weather was sunny and cool ¢ perfect ¢ for hiking.When entering the SNP, I immediately noticed how the trail was graded excellently. That isn¢t to say that there aren¢t steep sections, as there definitely are; it just means that the trail is smooth, well-tended, and mostly even making for easy hikes and happier feet and knees. Even when starting at 12:00PM, we were easily able to put in over twenty miles before 7:00 PM.I did make a mistake today, however; that slightly soured my first day in SNP: I did not pay close enough attention to the water locations in my AWOL hiking guide. There was a 12 mile stretch today featuring no water sources, and I didn¢t bother to double check for such a section. I figured it out fairly quickly when I ran out of water with 8 miles of uphill hiking left to go. I knew that this wasn¢t a mistake I was going to make twice.The shelter was mostly full with section hikers when I arrived, so after guzzling two liters of water, I decided to pitch my tent. That¢s when I noticed that the valley we were in was a giant wind tunnel ¢ I was nearly pulled down the mountain when the wind turned my tent into a giant sail. After staking it down, putting my belongings inside, and throwing in a rock for good measure (okay, three rocks), I am 73% positive that I won¢t be blown away in the middle of the night.Tonight is Hawk¢s last night on the trail for four days, as he is returning home to Rhode Island for a wedding. As a goodbye present, he packed in precut cookies and he is cooking them over the fire. It will be a good end to a long- yet- satisfying day.
Date: 2014-05-05
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: overcast clouds

The wind eventually died down last night, and I was very cozy and warm inside my tent. Despite the risk of being blown away, it seems that I made the right decision anyway. Apparently, one of the section hikers in the shelter snored so loudly that his own son eventually evacuated and set up his own tent. That probably wasn¢t a lot of fun at 1:00 PM.The terrain for the first half of the day was extremely agreeable, following the ridgeline and constantly weaving back and forth across the Skyline Drive. By 11:00 AM we had already covered 8 miles, so we decided to venture over the Loft Mountain Wayside. The Shenandoah waysides are small buildings housing restaurants, and gift shops ¢ especially, roadside tourist traps. By this point in my trip, my mouth was already watering for the SNP signature food: blackberry milkshakes. Of course, that meant that the milkshake machine had to be broken today. I sullenly purchased a blackberry ice cream sundae instead, knowing that a milkshake would likely taste 400% better.Hawk¢s ride will be picking him up from the wayside, so after a lengthy (two hour) break; we said our goodbyes and marched back onto the trail. By this point it had begun raining, making the first half mile a chilly event. After climbing the first hill, however; I was thankful for the cool water.The day again went by quickly, partially due to great views despite the rain. It was also due to my state of mind, which has definitely changed since the beginning of my trek. Before I would seek constant distractions, to keep my brain busy. Nowadays my imagination seems to be in overdrive, ruminating on everything from political situations to future goals to analyzing movie and book plots. I¢m rarely bored out here even when by myself, and when those situations arise, I simply listen to an audiobook or podcast. My mind is clearer than it has been in a long time and I feel like the hike has helped me to lessen the distractions in my life once my trip is complete.When we arrived at the shelter, our friends and fellow hikers Whiffle and Tuesday were there waiting. Our paths have been crisscrossing a lot lately, and they have been a fun pair to have around.   I am tenting again tonight, and just before I went to bed, Birdman (who is tenting next to me) killed a mouse that had tried to run into his tent. Hopefully we won¢t have an invasion tonight in tent city. Birdman left the mouse¢s corpse outside of his tent as a warning to any other mice that dare cross our paths.
Date: 2014-05-06
From: Hightop Hut (tent)

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: clear sky

I awoke this morning to discover that we were all visited by a bear during the early hours of the morning. Apparently, it attempted to knock down the bear pole where we had stored our food and when that didn¢t work, it began poking around the shelter for scraps. Apparently, everyone in the shelter yelled at it a few times and it eventually left.I, of course, slept through the entire event in my tent. Nothing was missing when I checked my stuff, but the dead mouse directly in front of Birdman¢s tent was conspicuously missing. We suspect that the bear found a mouse appetizer, putting it within a few feet of our tents. Yikes.Other than our bear encounter, the day was relatively uneventful. The Shenandoah Mountains continued to roll along peacefully, allowing for long periods of introspection and conversation with my fellow hikers. I did see an ample amount of one particular type of wildlife, however; whitetail deer are everywhere, and they are in no way startled by our presence. Apparently, many park visitors will feed the wildlife by hand, and now they seek out humans for handouts. They got nothing from me, though.Everyone decided to stay in the shelter tonight in the event of more bear activity. This is out of the ordinary for me now, as I try to avoid the growing number of shelter mice as the weather gets warmer. Hopefully we won¢t get any visits from four-legged creatures tonight, large or small.
Date: 2014-05-07
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 28.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Though today was certainly my longest day, it was in no way my most difficult day. The Shenandoah Mountains continue to be exceptionally agreeable in terms of hiking long distances, as even the tallest mountains (under 4,000 ft.) are smooth and even. I¢m probably just being spoiled before being rudely awoken once again, but so it goes.Despite it being a long day, we started extra early in order to work in several rest stops along the way. The first was five miles in at the Skyland Resort and Restaurant, where we all had cinnamon buns and coffee.   This also gave us an opportunity to wait out a light drizzle that was passing through. I took this time to chat with my wife and parents as well, finding a rare mobile signal within the SNP¢s borders.After that began a long -yet ¢ easy series of what we have come to know as ¢wig-a-wags¢, aptly named by fellow thru-hiker Sunbear. Wig-a-wags are quick, short ups and downs in the mountains ¢ similar to PUD¢s, but far less strenuous and annoying. We followed these wig-a-wags for roughly 20 miles, skirting the SNP ridgeline and finally, FINALLY seeing the Shenandoah River itself. I¢ve worried the AT would follow the wrong side of the ridge, but I¢m glad to say my fears were unfounded.At mile 946.5, we stopped at Elkwallow Wayside, our final wayside before exiting SNP. Here I got dinner and my much desired blackberry milkshake, which actually lived up to its reputation. Even better, Sea Biscuit and I were lucky enough to spot a mother bear and three cubs walking near the wayside. The cubs would chase each other about twenty feet, and then quickly scramble back to the protection of their mother. It was great to watch, though Birdman missed out due to ordering a third dinner.After our many stops, we finally rolled into camp shortly before 7:00 PM, joining Tuesday, Whiffle, and Mumbles who did not take as many leisurely stops. Tomorrow we leave the SNP, which seems crazy ¢ it feels like we just got here! I must be moving even faster than I thought¢¦