morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-10
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light intensity drizzle

Today was a great day. Hobo and I shoved off at 7:00 and made great time going down the mountain. It started pouring so I pulled out my trash bag rainskirt(it worked like a charm). My feet got wet for the first time--glad that I put Glide on my feet every morning . We took pictures at Nick Grindstaff's monument. He was a hermit that loved living up in the hills--tomb said "he lived alone, suffered alone and died alone". But I read though that he was very happy! We continued down and met Daddy Long Leg's family, he has 4 children (11, 7, 4,2) they meet with him every Saturday and then he takes a zero on Sundays. At the bottom of the hill the local church left us sodas and snacks. We talked with three 17 year olds from Maine. They were very entertaining. Hobo really wanted a hamburger so we tried to hitch into Shady Valley, TN. Nobody would stop because we were soaked and looked huge with our pack covers on. So Hobo called the restaurant and said that if anyone would pick us up she'll pay for their lunch! She's a girl that gets it done! Windy came and got us and then drove us back to the trail when we were done. We weren't on the trail for 2 min and Team Riff Raff had trail magic party style. There was disc golf and v****tonics with limes! Good thing Hobo dragged me out of there. We walked 3 more easy miles and got to the shelter. We literally bumped into a cow in the pasture leading to the shelter. I enjoyed talking with Pockets tonight, she is from Zurich. Pockets said she got homesick when she smelled the cows. She was shocked to hear that Roger Federer's wife had another set of twins-boys this time! Starting to rain again but I kept dry last night, hope to do the same tonight.
Date: 2014-05-11
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Scott and Denise's Damascus,Virginia home
Miles today: 18.2

We were hiking by 6:45. It was a dream to hike this morning. There was a cool breeze and not many ups and downs. HoboNobo and I stopped at Abingdon Gap Shelter for lunch. I decided to push on to Damascus. I passed the Tennessee/Virginia Border--three down and this time I'm not talking about toenails! I figure I'll be in Virginia for a month. Virginia has 538.3 miles on the AT. I got to Damascus at 4:15. I'm staying at Scott and Denise's home. I worked with Denise's sister, Kim Love, at Warfield Elementary. Scott and Denise treated me to SERIOUS trail magic. I fluffed my sleeping bag, did laundry, aired my tent, showered, was treated to a scrumptious dinner out, Walmart shopping and tour of Damascus. I will zero here tomorrow and I feel extremely lucky! Hobo, Major and Sweep are still on the AT and will stay at a B & B tomorrow night. It was a great day with more fun times to come tomorrow. Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there. I felt lucky to be able to speak to my mom tonight. And I'm thinking of the staff at Warfield, only 18 more school days left this school year. Warfield is so special because of you! Miss you.
Date: 2014-05-12
From: Scott and Denise's Damascus,Virginia home

To: Whitetop and Diet Coke's home, Damascus
Miles today: 0.0

Damascus is beautiful. I can see how some hikers never leave here! Denise and Scott now have trail names, Diet Coke and White Top. Whitetop is a mountain not far from here and Scott also has white hair. Denise just loves Diet Coke! We had an awesome pancake breakfast and then the three of us were off to shop. I purchased new hiking boots and camping shoes. I stuck with mid sole high tops, Merrill's. I'm excited to put some miles on them. My old boots' lining was balled together. It felt like there was a golf ball on the bottom of my shoe. I switched to Teva camp sandals, they're light but also will give me more wiggle room in the toe box area and more support. HoboNobo, Sweep, and Major joined us for dinner as well as Whitetop's brother (Gecko-a successful thru hiker) and his wife, Mary. We were spoiled with steak, burgers, salads, you name it!! What a feast! We also had the Mayor of Damascus drop by--beat that! The evening shower felt awesome! I haven't even been on the trail for 500 miles and I feel so fortunate to get to know such great people. We're already planning a reunion for next year! Oh, and their boxer, Maggie, is a sweetie!
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Whitetop and Diet Coke's home, Damascus

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: few clouds

Another big breakfast at the Lowe's house; eggs, sausages, grits, biscuits! Then another fantastic shower, it was then time to hit the trail. What a treat, Maggie (the boxer), Whitetop and Diet Coke joined Hobo and me for the first 5 miles. We bumped into Gecko, wearing his Hiker Trash t-shirt. My new boots felt so much more comfortable than the old ones. Hobo and I then had leftover hamburgers and made it to the shelter in good time. What a pretty shelter, lots of pine needle camp spots and a privy. The privy has toilet paper, Lysol and a do not disturb sign--we must be in Virginia! There were about 15 of us here, everyone had some fun town story to tell. Last night a bear went through the Lowe's trash barrel (right under my window ). I didn't hear a thing I had my ear plugs in! Thunder and lightening all around us tonight (and a lot of snoring, time to get my plugs!)Coffee update--my hiker pal, Coffee, is off the trail. His knees were killing him. I enjoyed laughing and trading stories with Coffee. He's looking forward to getting in his RV and handing out serious trail magic to fellow hikers! He's a great guy and I'm really glad that I had a chance to meet him.
Date: 2014-05-14
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Whitetop Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 11.0

Up at 6:15 (I have to set an alarm), hiking at 7:00. We walked about 6 1/2 miles and stopped at Lost Mountain Shelter for lunch. We put our tents on a line to dry out from the night before. I tried to snap a picture of a shelter mouse, but no luck. He wouldn't stay still, too busy eating Cheetos crumbs. We continued on over Whitetop Mountain, beautiful and windy. We came to a piped spring that was amazing. The water was gushing out plus the view was great. I stuck my head in the water and that woke me up. Lots of people slack packing today; and traveling South, heading towards Damascus. I saw Tim from Day 2. He recognized me right away! I remembered that I asked Tim if I could follow him out of the shelter because I was afraid that I'd walk right back to Springer! I guess I am getting more confident!! Dorrie just told us that a stranger gave her the keys to his car. He explained where the car is parked 20 miles up the trail. She is going to drive his car to Damascus so she can go to Trail Days. She asked him if he'd like her real name and he said that her trail name is enough! Now that doesn't happen in real life! Trail Days is the largest event on the AT. Hiker reunion and talent show, presentations, music, contra dancing, and hiker parade. This AARP Gang has figured out a way to get back to Damascus so that we can celebrate too!
Date: 2014-05-15
From: Whitetop Mountain Campsite

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: light rain

Well, it all started out nicely. When I laid down to go to bed last night it was so comfortable..nice and flat. However, I was in a gulley and it started to pour down rain at around 4:00. I woke up with that feeling that 'something just ain't right!'...wet...I mean water under my air mattress ...the ship was sinking!! I strategically packed the backpack, and took down my tent. I owe Hobo a big one, she went and gathered our food bags dangling from the tree. Off we hiked. We had to pass the side trail that takes you to Mt Rogers, Virginia's highest peak at 5,729 ft. Now it was really windy, rainy and there was a lot of standing water. I was trying to keep my new boots as dry as I could ..that wasn't working too well. So we dove into Thomas Knob Shelter had lunch and regrouped. We heard that the weather was only going to get worse. We only went 6.7 miles but staying put was the safest thing to do. There were 9 other hikers with me in the loft of the shelter. We played a memory game and drank hot chocolate and then around 4:00 four people started snoring and someone had bad gas so the party was over!! I think it will be a long day!
Date: 2014-05-16
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: The Lowe's Damascus home
Miles today: 4.5

We ended up with 22 people in the shelter last night. We were packed in like sardines. The wind howled all last night. The four of us started hiking around 7:30. It was freezing. We had winter gear still in our bags(thankfully), there were many hikers not prepared for this weather. Ice was on the picnic table. I felt nauseous, so Hobo hung back a bit and made sure I was okay. After about 45 minutes walking , I felt more like myself. It was so much fun when we had to go through a rock tunnel, Fat Man Squeeze. Then it was time to see the wild ponies in Grayson Highlands State Park. There were 12 ponies in the herd that we bumped into. The ponies are managed by the Wilburn Ridge Pony Association. Their grazing aids in maintaining open spaces and balds. Our trail angels, the Lowe's, picked us up at Massie Gap to bring us back to Damascus for trail days. Talk about Trail Magic! We stopped at the Blue Blaze for lunch. It was awesome we saw people that we hadn't seen since our earlier days on the trail. We loved going to all the different vendors. We had a great dinner at the Lowe's; thanks again to Whitetop, Diet Coke and of course Maggie,
Date: 2014-05-17
From: The Lowe's Damascus home

To: Wise Shelter, Virginia
Miles today: 1.5

I awoke to the smell of sausages, eggs and toast. After breakfast we walked down the street to the park. The parade was different! No music, everyone was paranoid about getting wet. They outlawed balloons so everyone had squirt guns. The spectators tried to soak the participants before the participants soaked them! That's fine, but it was about 55°. We started marching with the parade but when the fire truck started soaking with its big hoses we dashed into The Blue Blaze! It was fun seeing Trillium at Trail Days. She looked great. Her t-shirt was asking for a ride back to the Smokie area on Sunday--hope she gets a ride. Her knees are still not 100% but she's doing it. Denise then drove us back to Massie Gap and we hiked to Wise Shelter. It was fun doing late afternoon hiking. It was really chilly when we arrived. What a super fun Saturday. The Lowe's went above and beyond. We all agreed that we'll be returning to Damascus for a reunion next year!Remember, if you want to see more pictures, enlarge a picture and scroll through.
Date: 2014-05-18
From: Wise Shelter, Virginia

To: camp ground
Miles today: 14.1

The four of us were off hiking starting at 7:00. It was a nice easy hike to Hurricane Mountain Shelter for lunch. We met Jack Rabbit there. He's a Superior Judge in VT. Great guy, he ended up hiking with us in the afternoon and camping with us at night. I bet he's a super judge. He has many life experiences and was a great listener. He got a kick out of my (lack of) culinary skills. We made a campfire and had some laughs. It's great to hear a lot of birds chirping tonight. Good to be back out hiking. I'd say a pretty good week: first, I meet the mayor of Damascus, then AWOL (author of THE AT guide), and then a superior judge!
Date: 2014-05-19
From: camp ground

To: Partnership shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 6:00, out by 7:00. Cool breeze and easy terrain, made for a great hike. Well, I would say that it wasn't HoboNobo's day. We were about a mile from Dickey's Gap and I was about 7 feet behind Nobo. I thought I heard a boulder rolling down the hill. I looked up and a dead 30' tree was coming down quickly. Hobo saw it a second later. I yelled watch out and she was smart enough to run in the correct direction. The tree fell right on the AT Trail. Yup, a pretty close call. Then she nearly stepped on a pretty big snake (nonpoisonous); she was behind me and I heard a scream, I threw my poles (not sure why!)We arrived at Partnership Shelter. It was the best shelter so far. It had a shower, loft, sink, and the Mt Rogers Visitor Center was .1 miles away! We ordered pizza to be delivered there! Life is good! This is a shout out to my tennis pals, especially to Pauleen (great attitude about her breast cancer fight) and Nancy (recovering from a horrific bike accident). Shout out to my school pals, Carolyn soon to be retiring from her Media specialist position (she did an awesome job) and Deb, a superb teacher. Happy birthday to all my May baby pals! Thank you to Maura who gave me a HUGE retirement gift. Miss you all. I'm extremely happy. It's so neat to see all the different generations sharing a common goal and treating each other with the utmost respect.
Date: 2014-05-20
From: Partnership shelter

To: Travel Inn at Marion, VA
Miles today: 0.0

The shuttle came and picked up the four of us to go to Marion, VA. We're taking a zero day today. We went to Goody Goodies for breakfast and it was horrible! But the sad part was that we ate everything. Life of a thru hiker! We just finished laundry and we are planning the Walmart and post office trips! It was nice of Travel Inn to let us check in at 9:30. We're resupplying and reorganizing. When we got back to The Inn from breakfast there were tortillas drying in the parking lot! Okay...... Serious hiking tomorrow!
Date: 2014-05-21
From: Travel Inn at Marion, VA

To: Remote campsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

The shuttle picked us up at 9:00. It only cost us 50 cents to ride. We were hiking by 9:15. We stopped at The Barn in Atkins, VA for butterscotch pudding and chocolate cake. We also visited the Lindamood 1894 school house. We camped at a remote stop. I saw Energizer there. I met him Day 2 of my hike. It was great catching up. Not many people on the trail today.
Date: 2014-05-22
From: Remote campsite

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Thunder storms last night but I stayed dry. HoboNobo and I were on our way by 7:00. We had quite a work out. I was so pleased to see some cardinals. I saw written on the bridge-Thru Hikers take the obstacle course. So I crossed the river over a dead tree instead of the bridge. I loved it. We had lunch at Knot Maul Branch Shelter. We pushed on and completed over 16 miles. This is a picture of where we spent the night. Chestnut Knob Shelter was so unique. It was a concrete block shelter fully enclosed with a door. We were the only ones there. It was 4410 feet up and the stars were amazing.
Date: 2014-05-23
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Campsite
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I didn't sleep well last night because I was convinced there would be a lot of mice, I didn't see or hear any. I was dragging this morning but I perked up when I saw 2 deer. They had beautiful bushy white tails. Hobo and I both developed blisters....darn. Hobo has new shoes and our feet are sweating more. We weren't the only ones with sore feet. It seemed like everyone was hurting a bit.Tonight we found a great site near the stream. We had summer sausage roasted over the fire with Rambler (haven't seen him since the Smokies) and Miss America.
Date: 2014-05-24
From: Laurel Creek Campsite

To: Fairfield Inn, Virginia
Miles today: 7.0

What a day today was!! HoboNobo and I hiked 7 miles down the mountain and who was there....my crazy sisters and Mom drove to Bland, Virginia to see me! It took them 14 hours! They whisked Hobo and me off the mountain and took us to the Fairfied Inn for some pampering. Laurie upgraded my Verizon plan, Linda cleaned my mouth guard and Mom listened to all my stories. We did laundry, I left a dirt ring in the bathtub and we did the Walmart run. Dinner at Ruby Tuesdays was delicious!
Date: 2014-05-25
From: Fairfield Inn, Virginia

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: overcast clouds

We had an awesome breakfast and then had lots of pictures taken! My family is wonderful, I know how lucky I am to have them all in my life. We were put back on the trail where we popped out the day before. Our packs felt heavy from the caramel corn, grapes, cookies, carrots, banana bread, etc! Laurie left some trail magic at the AT sign, she made mini loaves of banana bread...delicious. HoboNobo and I hiked 12 miles to Jenny Knob Shelter. I learned what Sassafras looks like....the leaves on the plant look like a mitten, whole leaf or a leaf sectioned in three parts. We couldn't believe that we were the only ones at the shelter. The weather has been gorgeous. I'm enjoying the cool mountain air.
Date: 2014-05-26
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: light rain

Happy Memorial Day everyone. We were on the path by 7:15. We had fun walking over the Kimberling Creek suspension bridge. Then we made our way to Dismal Falls.....nothing dismal about it. Let's say the water was very refreshing. This Florida girl ducked before the Maine girl! We were treated by some Trail Angels and had an awesome lunch. We had apples, chicken fajitas, and chocolate turtles. Yum!! A young thru hiker was collecting craw daddies. We then had a six mile hike to get to our shelter for the night. I was delighted to see Freckles and Dragonfly there . Dragonfly kept me laughing with her 'mouse trapped in her backpack for a day and then loose in her tent' story. OMG!! Great day.
Date: 2014-05-27
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Holiday Motor Lodge, Perisbur,VA
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We were up and out by 7:00. We had gorgeous weather and headed for Woods Hole Hostel for a donut! Woods Hole was a slice of heaven. It's an 1880's chestnut log cabin. There is bee keeping, farming, organic gardening, yoga, and massage therapy. We bought fresh bread and chocolate cookies and listened to a thruhiker play the guitar. I got a kick out of watching a 7month old retriever play. We then went to Docs Knob Shelter for lunch. The volunteer trail/shelter maintainer had the newspaper, vegetables and beer there to share with us! We continued walking 8 more miles to Perisburg. It started thundering and we heard a tree crash. We called for a lift and we're staying at a place that looks like either a jail or barracks but it was clean and I slept good!
Date: 2014-05-28
From: Holiday Motor Lodge, Perisbur,VA

To: mile marker 639.2
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: light rain

Well, Rudy, Hobo, Daddy Long Legs and I left Pearisburg in style.....in the back of a pickup truck with trash. I wanted an adventure, I'm truly getting one! We hiked up to Rice Field Shelter for lunch. It was a really cute shelter. The 4 of us decided to tent at a campsite 2 miles from the shelter. There have been bear sightings so we continue to bear bag our food. Good and Plenty and Moonpie joined our group and we had a roaring fire. Hobo shared her broccoli side and we also had some hard cheeses. Rudy kept us laughing. Hobo and I played cribbage and had some good laughs. Little Bits and Oregon just showed up, they started on the same day that I did.
Date: 2014-05-29
From: mile marker 639.2

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Rudy, Daddy Long Legs, Hobo and I left camp around 7:15. We arrived at a shelter for lunch and met Bud. She is a smart 25year old from San Diego. She's a great girl that looked like she could use a little fun. So we talked her into hiking to 'The Captain's' place with us. Captain has a little zip line that zips you from the AT and deposits you in his yard. We had soda and swam in the creek and petted his two dogs. Every year 2 weeks after trail days, he hosts a huge hiker bash. It would have been awesome to hang there but we pushed on. We got caught in a loud, powerful thunderstorm. When we arrived at the shelter we were soaked. We all spent the night in the shelter and I laughed like I was back in the 4th grade at a pajama party! Hobo and I played gin rummy and pretended to be mad at each other and Rudy kept yelling, "Don't let this sour your relationship." Again, no mice in the shelter!! I wonder how much longer my luck can hold out!
Date: 2014-05-30
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Lots of rain last night. The rocks and roots were very slippery. It was slow going. When the sun came out, I was so excited to get a super picture of the rays shining down and poking through the forest. It was fun talking with Bud this afternoon. She made the miles go fast. I met all kinds of hikers that Hobo knew, it was fun hearing everyone's different adventures. One hiker was from Palm City! He told me that there is a woman a little bit behind us from Jupiter. Lots of hikers from Florida out here. A shout out to my base manager, Albert. When I call him he sincerely compliments me on the miles that I have logged in. That really helps because for the last 2 months I've been hearing about how flat VA is......I thought we would be getting more miles in. VA is not that flat. So I appreciate Albert's enthusiasm and encouragement. Also, I feel so fortunate to be HoboNobo's hiking partner. She has a super laugh and is so happy to be out here! Everyone loves her company. And she's a good cook!
Date: 2014-05-31
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was gorgeous hiking weather....love this mountain air. After hiking 4 miles we ran into The Keiffer Oak. It's the largest oak tree on the AT in the south. It's over 18' around and over 300 years old. We arrived at the shelter relatively early so we put out a clothes line and dried everything. Hobo and I played a mean gin rummy game. The first person who gets to 5,000 points is the loser!
Date: 2014-06-01
From: Niday Shelter

To: 4 Pines Hostel
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Again we have beautiful weather. The Audie Murphy Monument was really interesting. Murphy was the most decorated American soldier of World War II. Hobo served 26 years in the navy, she was really excited to get her picture taken at the monument. Little Bits and Oregon met in the Army, they were with us too. After lunch it was on to the Dragons Tooth..a stone monolith with some great views. We then ended up at the 4 Pines Hostel. Bud, Hobo and I quickly put our tents up in the owner's front yard. The dragon van was offered to us. Hobo drove us to Catwaba Grocery so we could get our fill of burgers, pizza and ice cream. It was quite a ride, Bud and I were hanging on for dear life! Hobo nearly took out a mailbox. Bud will be off the trail soon, she left Springer late in April....boy that girl is fast. She pushed hard but was not enjoying the camping part of this journey, so she will not be continuing. She's looking forward to seeing her friends in NY. She signed up to run a 10K. We're curious to see how her body will respond to the running. We're going to keep in touch. I'll miss her.