morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-10-11
From: Hightop Hut

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 102- This 20 mile day started just like my last one (and almost every other day since getting into the Shenadoahs), raining. Last night was it the first time alone (no one showed up ¢ go figure), but there was a mouse burrowing around the shelter all night. Well, it stopped when what sounded like a bat kept flying in and the frantic squeaking that ensued. The hiking went pretty standard for a 20 mile day. The rain kept me moving so I was making a good time. I even walked a 12 mile off the Trail for a wayside. Luckily, I will have some human company tonight, a couple of 1,000 mile section hikers going from Harpers Ferry to Georgia.
Date: 2005-10-12
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Rockfish Gap/Waynesboro
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Wednesday, October 12Day 103. Blackrock Hut ¢ Rockfish Gap/Waynesboro (20 mi.) Last day in the Shenandoahs today and it was still mostly foggy so I didn¢t get to see much. Didn¢t make it not a worthwhile day, though. About ten miles into the hike, I crossed the Skyline Drive where there was an overlook on the side of the road, and it turned out that they were filming a TV show there. I went over to take a look and not only did I get food, but I got to be in the show which was about the Appalachian Trail. All I had to do was sit there looking at my map. The show is called the Globe Trekkers in SE America and it¢s for PBS and the Discovery Channel. I¢ll be home when it airs, too ¢ sometime in January. I guess it was just another one of those weird things that happens on the Trail. So anyway I finished the 20 mile day in good time (by 4:30) and headed into town where I got a place to stay and was able to call Steiner¢s cell. I found out that they were 27 mi. behind me, and they convinced me to take a zero in Waynesboro and then 5 mi. out the next day with them. Sigh¢¦.
Date: 2005-10-13
From: Rockfish Gap/Waynesboro

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Thursday, October 13Day 104. Waynesboro, VA (0 mi.) So I started off the day with an AYCE (all-you-can-eat) pancake breakfast followed by a thorough cleaning of my clothes then groceries and post office. Afterwards, all there was left to do was eat, rest, and watch a lot of TV.
Date: 2005-10-14
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Peter Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 5.0

Friday, October 14Day 105. Rockfish Gap/Waynesboro ¢ Peter Wolfe Shelter (5 mi.) Finally the reunion with everyone. Emotions were running high ¢ hugs, tears, etc. Well, not really, but it was nice to be back together. So we ate some breakfast as I helped them with their pancakes and went around as they ran their errands before heading out.
Date: 2005-10-15
From: Peter Wolfe Shelter

To: Reeds Gap
Miles today: 15.0

Saturday, October 15Day 106. Peter Wolfe Shelter ¢ Reeds Gap (15 mi.) First real day of hiking back with the team. It¢s funny the way that a 15 mi. day has become so relaxing now. It used to be the equivalent of a 20+ mile day now. Instead we can take our time in the morning and during the day, enjoying the breaks. In fact one break was at a picnic area where I ¢crashed¢ my second family reunion this time with Barrel Roll. Family reunions are great because everyone is very enthusiastic and everyone (especially the moms) wants to take care of you. So once we came into their vicinity, they started piling food in front of us. This family was particularly enthusiastic about hot dogs ¢ hot dog hats, earrings, t-shirts, the works. So we had all the hot dogs we could eat plus egg salad, broccoli salad, soda, and desert, all of which was delicious. They even put us in their family picture. All said and done, it was a great time and one of the best trail magic yet. So after all this, Barrel Roll and I headed over to Reeds Gap on very full stomachs. There we hitched over to ¢Rusty¢s Hard Time Hollow.¢ This is a very cool trail stop. ¢Rusty,¢ the owner, is Amish, and so the hostel is very rustic. This was the first year that he even had electricity. It¢s also a place where, as a hiker, you feel very comfortable. And this is where we spent the night.
Date: 2005-10-16
From: Reeds Gap

To: Rusty's Hard Time Hollow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Sunday, October 16Day 107. Rusty¢s Hard Time Hollow (zero miles)   Sunday for a Christian means church, and for Rusty, being Amish, it was no exception. We accepted his open invitation to go to the service, and so the five of us along with 4 others we¢d been trying to catch (Funky Spruceter, Pokey, D-Spo and Bumfoot) all piled in his van and went to church. This was a more modernized Amish community so most have electricity and cars, but not much else, and they dress the way you might imagine. After church we mingled and then headed over to one family¢s house for a fantastic home-cooked meal. After all this we got back a bit too late to do any hiking, so we hung out more at Rusty¢s. We even got a chance to experience an old-fashioned wood-heated hot tub. Overall, a day of great new experiences.
Date: 2005-10-17
From: Rusty's Hard Time Hollow

To: The Priest Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Monday, October 17Day 108. Reed¢s Gap ¢ The Priest Mt. Shelter (15 mi.) Got a late start out of Rusty¢s because it was so awesome and he cooked us delicious pancakes. Eventually we got started on the two ridges/mts. that we had to climb. There were some spectacular views, especially after all the bad weather we¢d had. It was capped off with a great sunset followed by a view of a ridgeline in the light of a full moon.
Date: 2005-10-18
From: The Priest Mt. Shelter

To: Brown Mt. Creek Shelter
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: clear sky

Tuesday, October 18Day 109. The Priest Mt. Shelter ¢ Brown Mt. Creek Shelter (22.5 mi.) ¢The Morning Crew¢ was back in business as Barrel Roll and I woke up before everyone else when it was still dark and freezing cold. The early start gave us the chance to stop at some amazing view points. It was also because we were up at 4,000 ft. again which is nice. Everything went smoothly until we were at the shelter and everyone showed up except for Steiner. It turned out she¢d gotten lost at an overlook and met someone who offered her a ride to town which added 2 miles to her day. Anyway she showed up and it all worked out.
Date: 2005-10-19
From: Brown Mt. Creek Shelter

To: John's Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Wednesday, October 19Day 110. Brown Mt. Creek Shelter - Johns Hollow Shelter (16 mi.) A pretty leisurely day with great views again. The only point of interest would be how Barrel Roll and I honed our yogiing skills (the begging of food from people like Yogi Bear). When we got to a road crossing for lunch, we made a sign that said ¢Will hike for food.¢ and held it up when cars drove by. After a little while of nothing there was a car that actually turned around to give us a soda. We also got one from a day hikers. It was all capped off with a gorgeous sunset on a ridge.
Date: 2005-10-20
From: John's Hollow Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Thursday, October 20Day 111. Johns Hollow Shelter ¢ Thunder Hill Shelter (18 mi.)   We had to make a stop in town today to pick up mail and food. The road was only 2 miles away so we woke up early and went in for breakfast. We also decided to pack out a very big ¢fancy¢ meal: burritos, cake and Kool-Aid. After town, though, we had to hike 15 miles almost all uphill. This was made more difficult by the extra weight from the food. It was worth it though to have a Sobo feast. There were 8 of us: Steiner, Frogger, Barrel Roll, Bouie, Pokey, D-spo and me. Good times on the Trail.
Date: 2005-10-21
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Bear Wallow Gap
Miles today: 20.0

Friday, October 21Day 112, Thunder Hill Shelter ¢ Bear Wallow Gap (20 mi.) The weather today was reminiscent of the Shenandoahs, very foggy, low visibility. Barrel Roll and I got an early start as usual though and we were able to take a 2 hr. break at one of the nicest shelters on the Trail, a huge multi-leveled structure. We ended at a road where we met an internet friend of Barrel Roll¢s who he¢s known for 10 yrs. and we all shoved into his car with the KFC that he brought us. Planned zero tomorrow.
Date: 2005-10-22
From: Bear Wallow Gap

To: Lynchburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Saturday, October 22Day 113, Lynchburg (0 mi.) A Zero with the goal of relaxation and cleaning up. Dolan, Barrel Roll¢s friend, was real nice in opening up his apartment to us. It was also his birthday. So we rented some DVDs, played video games, and had a beautiful dinner cooked by Barrel Roll, topped off with a cake.
Date: 2005-10-23
From: LynchburgSaturday, October 22

To: Fullhardt Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

Sunday, October 23Day 114. Bear Wallow Gap - Fullhardt Gap Shelter (17 mi.) It¢s pretty incredible how we are in such better shape than when we started in Maine. Today, as usual with Zeros, we got a late start out of town. We weren¢t hiking until 10 til 1, and we still managed to hike 17 miles, just as it got too dark to see at 7:15. 17 miles used to be a full day of hiking. Barrel Roll, Bouie and I also got to witness one of the coolest things on the Trail so far. We were walking along the side of a ridge with a hill up to our left and we heard a rustling at the very top. We tried to see what it was, but it was still too far away to see. The noise, however, was coming closer and it looked like whatever it was was going to collide with us. Then suddenly we saw them: two 6 pt. bucks fighting with locked horns and rolling down the ridge. Bouie and I were trying to take pictures as they rolled within reaching distance. I thought they were going to knock me off the Trail and down the hill with them. But they finally saw us and ran away, one chasing after the other ¢ the ¢other¢ being much bloodier.
Date: 2005-10-24
From: Fullhardt Knob Shelter

To: Lambert's Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: light rain

Monday, October 24Day 115. Fullhardt Knob Shelter ¢ Lambert¢s Meadow Shelter (14.5 mi.) Cold this morning! And it lasted all day. We had to make a town stop today, mostly for mail, but me for food and fuel. We split up since I didn¢t need to go to the P.O. I first went to the Crackle Barrel with Pokey, D-spo, and Bumfast. After a nice breakfast I started booking for the big inter-section with I-81 and I figured one of the many gas stations would have alcohol as they usually do, but none did. So I picked up some Ramen at a CVS and hitched back to the Trail. The people who picked me up told me there was an outfitter that had de-natured alcohol and they took me. So I filled up and picked up some gloves and they took me to the trail again. It¢s about to get dark right now as I sit alone in the shelter. I guess I¢ll have to wait for everyone again. Time for Ramen noodles.
Date: 2005-10-25
From: Lambert's Meadow Shelter

To: Cambell Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: broken clouds

Tuesday, October 25Day 116. Lambert¢s Meadow Shelter ¢ Campbell Shelter (6 mi.) They showed up! I was sitting in this shelter and at 6:45 they showed up! Wait! Back track. Still freezing cold this morning but I got started by 8 and hiked 6 miles to the next shelter. When I checked the register, Ifound out that not only was no one in front of me, but that the hostel I was hoping to go to and get a shower was closed. So I decided since I didn¢t want to hike 17 more miles, I couldn¢t feel my toes, and I was lonely. So from 10 ¢ 6:45 I waited and slept and read. At 5:30 a Sobo I hadn¢t seen since Maine, formerly Captain Sobo, currently Wasso, showed up and said he hadn¢t seen anybody, so I thought that was that. But out of waning light came Frogger followed by 6 others.
Date: 2005-10-26
From: Cambell Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 17.0

Wednesday, October 26Day 117. Campbell Shelter ¢ Pickle Branch Shelter (17 mi.) It turns out that a 27 mi. day was planned for today to get to the next maildrop town, Pearisburg, before noon on Saturday. There were a number of obstacles to overcome though. The 1st was one of the best views on the AT, McAfee Knob, 1 mile after the shelter. So we stopped there, took the view, and took pictures. Then Steiner, Barrel Roll and I hitched to a store because I needed to re-supply one last time before Pearisburg. So we went to a gas station/minimart, had a lunch, bought food, and got an easy ride out. So at this point it was 1 o¢clock and we still had 23 miles left, hmmm¢¦. Well, onward! Over an hour later we took a break in a cow field where I chased after a cow. Finally, 6 miles from a shelter, 10 miles short of our goal, we decided, though reluctantly, to not push ourselves. So we enjoy our second amazing view on top of ¢Dragons Tooth.¢
Date: 2005-10-27
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 10.0

Thursday, October 27Day 118. Pickle Branch Shelter ¢ Niday Shelter (10 mi.) Well, we figured we wouldn¢t make Pearisburg before the Post Office closed, so we had to make some phone calls to forward our packages to a hostel. The postman sympathized and agreed to forward with a request over the phone. The other thing besides Pearisburg that had been on our minds was ¢the best food on the AT,¢ Home Place Restaurant at Cawtaba. It¢s only open Th. ¢ Sun. though, so we weren¢t able to take the easy hitch in the day before. We figured it was worth it to try and get the 10 mi., two road hitch in, and it was. This was a home-style, AYCE dinner and the food was delicious. The best part was that we didn¢t have to get up to refill our plates because the waitress just kept bringing the food. So on full stomachs we hiked 1.3 mi. to a shelter where we didn¢t have to do anything except get in our sleeping bags. (Didn¢t have to cook dinner!)
Date: 2005-10-28
From: Niday Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Friday, October 28Day 119. Niday Shelter ¢ War Spur Shelter (19 mi.)I love Virginia. It¢s a mix of all the best states: easy ridge walking, fun, hard climbs, awesome views, rolling, open cow fields. We got some of all this today. There was also an old abandoned, possibly haunted, house. Barrel Roll and I got in early so we made a fire. Bouie, Frogger and Steiner got in late because they got a ride from day-hikers from Virginia Tech to a store and bought pie, cake and Kool-Aid.
Date: 2005-10-29
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: few clouds

Saturday, October 29Day 120. War Spur Shelter ¢ Rice Field Shelter (25 mi.) Freezing last night and this morning. I can¢t wait to be in Pearisburg tomorrow to get my warm sleeping bag and clothes. The ridge we climbed up this morning had snow and frost. It warmed up a bit later though. We met the last Nobo thru-hiker, Trooper, who was finishing a section she skipped because she was hurt earlier in the year. We also met a 68 yr. old woman, ¢GG¢ (Great Grandmother) who attempted a thru-hike, but got hurt so was section hiking in 4 sections. Other than that, it was a good hike on the AT and it was a record day for us: most miles finishing at a shelter.
Date: 2005-10-30
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Sunday, October 30Day 121. Rice Field Shelter ¢ Pearisburg, VA (8 mi.) The shelter we stayed at last night was on the edge of a field on top of a mt. So this morning we had a good view of the sunrise and the surrounding mts. that were sticking up above the rolling fog in the valley. The day was pretty relaxed because we were making a town stop, running our usual errands: mail, laundry, shower, AYCE buffet at Pizza Hut and shopping. We met up with another Sobo tonight too, someone I hadn¢t met, but everybody else had, ¢Goldfish.¢ She¢s actually still a little ahead of us, but her mom is visiting and so she¢s waiting for us in a town farther down. As a group we decided we wanted to celebrate Halloween tomorrow. This required us being in town and we didn¢t want to zero. So we decided to slackpack. This also required us to do some shopping at Walmart at midnight for costumes. To be continued¢¦.
Date: 2005-10-31
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Big Horse Gap
Miles today: 11.7

Monday, October 31Day 122. Pearisburg ¢ Big Horse Gap (11.7 mi.) So the costumes:Bouie ¢ a woman (a woman¢s wig)Steiner ¢ a unicorn (an infant¢s unicorn costume and white long johns)D-spo ¢ a ninjaPokey ¢ gorilla ballerinaBumfoot ¢ Darte VaderBarrel Roll ¢ pizza sliceFrogger ¢ a dad bringing a baby on its first trick-or-treat (a bought a doll and put it in an infant costume.)Goldfish ¢ a ninja turtle (12 yr.-old¢s costume)Me (Hee-Haw) ¢ last night I shaved my head all the way down. So what better costume with a bald head than¢¦not Uncle Fester, but a Blue Man. So I bought the blue face paint and blue dishwashing gloves. Today we slack-packed 12 miles back to Pearisburg and we did it in our costumes. Since I couldn¢t hike with paint on my face, I borrowed a Jason mask that Bouie had been carrying. We didn¢t pass anyone on the Trail, but we got to all hitchhike in our costumes. It took a while to get picked up, but we got honked at a lot. So we got back to the hostel and started to get ready (blue paint) and met up with Goldfish who was still a bit ahead of us and was only slack-packing for a few days. So the 9 of us (everyone but me in their 20s) went trick-or-treating and got all positive responses. At the last house we stopped at we were invited in by an elderly couple, and ended up staying for an hour. They were very happy for the company and were very interesting. They lived in a beautiful house that they designed and built themselves. They were 85 and 92 years old and collected antiques. Love, the wife, was a free-lance artist and her paintings, which were all over the house, were amazing. Eventually, we went back to the hostel and did the usual post trick-or-treating candy horde look-over to see what we got.
Date: 2005-11-01
From: Big Horse Gap

To: Tenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Tuesday, November 1Day 123. Big Horse Gap ¢ Tenny Knob Shelter (18.7 mi.) For the past couple of days the weather has been amazing, much warmer than before. Today was no exception. A couple of days ago Daylight Savings Time started too. This created a problem because now instead of the sun being up from 7 ¢ 7, it¢s up from 6 ¢ 6. This isn¢t so much of a problem when we¢re on the Trail because we just hike with the sun, and so wake up an hour earlier. But when we have to leave for a town, it¢s a problem because things in town run at the same time (like the post office). Long story short, we got an even later than usual start from town, 11am (equivalent to the old 12). This wasn¢t too big a deal ¢ we just realized that we were going to have to night hike. So we hitched in to a gas station 6 mi. before the shelter for a meal. Mmmmm¢¦good times.
Date: 2005-11-02
From: Tenny Knob Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: clear sky

Wednesday, November 2Day 124. Tenny Knob Shelter ¢ Jenkins Shelter (24 mi.) 24 mile day today so we had to wake up early, which is now 5:30, but it was so cold that we didn¢t get started ¢til 7:20. There was great terrain for a long day, though, and so Barrel Roll and I made good time. We had a 0.7 mile road walk at about half way. The road went over an interstate and as the thru-hiker tradition goes, we mooned the cars from the overpass and went on our way. Since we were making good time, we decided to go into town, get some lunch and buy soda and snacks for everyone. So hitched in and out pretty smoothly, but it was still a 2.5 hour break. We also found out from Frogger that a cop was after us. As he was walking up the road towards the spot where we hitched in, a cop drove by and asked him if he¢d seen anyone on the overpass because two people (me and Barrel Roll) were exposing themselves and throwing stuff off (that last part wasn¢t true). The real funny thing was that this was just when we got our hitch, 5 minutes away, so we just narrowly missed the cop. Bumfoot, who¢s from Virginia, told us that if we were caught, we¢d become registered as sex offenders in VA. Phew! Anyway, it was a long day with an hour of night hiking involved.
Date: 2005-11-03
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Knot Maul Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

Thursday, November 3Day 125. Jenkins Shelter ¢ Knot Maul Shelter (19 mi.) Another freezing morning that turned into a warm day. Barrel Roll and I mounted the speakers and radio onto my pack and played a classical music station which was very fitting for a stroll through the woods. Half-way through the day we got up to Chestnut Knob and Chestnut Ridge where there was an awesome shelter/cabin and awesome views. We ended up doing a little night hiking, but since the time change, it¢s been pretty standard.
Date: 2005-11-04
From: Knot Maul Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

Friday, November 4Day 126. Knot Maul Shelter ¢ Chatfield Shelter (18 mi.) We hiked 14 miles into Atkins, VA where we picked up mail, food, and Goldfish who was going to start hiking with us. At the place where we ate/store there was one of those games with the claw where you try to grab a prize. So we blew a lot of dollar bills getting prizes for all of us. Barrel Roll had a Batman that he and Frogger had been carrying since NH. (It was from a claw machine, so it counts.) Frogger got a two face, Bouie a pelican, I got a Pollywhirl (a Pokemon) change purse, Goldfish got a pink polka-dotted monkey, and Steiner got a purple onion. The name of the game was ¢Big Choice¢ so we¢re called ¢Team Big Choice¢ now. We were hiking out 4.5 mi. to the next shelter, so we decided to hike out a big meal: bacon, eggs, cheese, bread and Koolaid. So we hiked out with a late start and heavy packs, did some night hiking and had a party. <*>It turns out that we lost D-spo, Pokey and Bumfoot today. They must've gotten a late start because of the cold and so didn't think that they could make it 19 mi. and stayed at the awesome Chestnut Knob Shelter. Hopefully, we'll see them at Damascus.
Date: 2005-11-05
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: clear sky

Saturday, November 5Day 127. Chatfield Shelter ¢ Trimpi Shelter (17.7 mi.) A very leisurely day of hiking. It was actually the first time in a while that we got in before dark. We had a big group break (minus Goldfish because she was ahead) at an awesome 2 story shelter. The shelter for tonight had a fireplace inside so I collected a lot of wood (in daylight) and got a big fire going in the shelter. Unfortunately, I left my headlamp at the shelter this morning so it makes things more difficult with just a pocket LED light.
Date: 2005-11-06
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: few clouds

Sunday, November 6Day 128. Trimpi Shelter ¢ Wise Shelter (20 mi.) We hit the 500 miles left mark today, hit 5,000 ft. elevation for the 1st time since NH, and entered the Grayson Highlands, a beautiful 3 mile stretch that we¢d been hearing about since Maine. So quite a landmark day.
Date: 2005-11-07
From: Wise Shelter

To: US 58/Damascus, VA
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

Monday, November 7Day 129. Wise Shelter ¢ US 58/Damascus (16.5 mi.) This morning we frolicked with ponies. We pet ponies, we fed ponies, we (Bouie) tried to ride ponies, we herded ponies. This was in the Grayson Highlands, which we hiked through 3 miles of this morning and it was a lot of fun. We weren¢t originally going to go to Damascus tonight. We hitched in about 17.5 miles short of where the Trail actually goes through Damascus, but there was a big football game on (Pats vs Colts) and Barrel Roll, being from New England, wanted to see the game. When we got to the hostel in town, we met a lot of Sobos, some new and some familiar faces. Bad Cheese was there with her fianc©, Stale Crackers, and we met Harvest Moon, Firefly, and Fantasy Feet, all 3 of whom I was meeting for the 1st time. So we all, except for Fantasy Feet, went to a sports bar to watch the game and talk about the Trail.