morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

Today seemed like many more miles then it really was, due mostly to the excessive heat which made each step seem more exhausting than it should have been..The Montanas and I awoke at 5am and hit the trail around 615. We descended for a short time before passing near the stream to 'the captains' and continuing over a few small hills to a road before heading uphill to the ridge line. We stopped at the Bailey Gap shelter along the way for a second breakfast and to write in the shelter log before beginning the steep climb. As we made our way up the mountain so did the sun, and by the top it was beginning to warm up considerably. We reached the Wind Rock viewpoint and found Jonny Blaze resting in his tent. We chatted for a few then headed along the road which the trail had been following. For some reason we missed where the trail turned and paralleled the road, and we soon found ourselves hiking along without seeing any blazes. We spotted a faded white blaze along the road so we figured we must still be on the trail. When we reached a small clearing mentioned in the guidebook we knew we must be off the trail, as we did not spot any blazes. Mike from the four Montanas decided to check for the trail and sure enough he found it a hundred yards or so off to the right. We breathed a sigh of relief and continued down the trail, stopping several times as some streams to water the dogs and to wet their fur. We began the steep and rocky descent to the War Spur shelter where we stopped for lunch and were soon joined by Jonny Blaze. We hiked another half mile downhill to the bottom of the valley where we crossed over a large creek. We took the opportunity to have the dogs swim a little to cool off, and to set our clothes for the climb ahead. It was quite refreshing to wash off in the cool water, but soon we found ourselves on the ensuing uphill climb into the sun and sweat. The 1700 foot ascent was steep and rocky and had little water availability. But the view up top was pleasant and as we hiked along the ridge line above a band of small cliffs we would occasionally catch a pleasant breeze which helped to alleviate some of our discomfort from the heat. On the way down we encountered some dog trail magic in the form of a well flowing spring. This made all the difference for keeping the dogs cooled off and it provided the Montanas and me a chance to soak our shirts as well. We made it to the Laurel Creek shelter in the early evening with intentions of continuing on to the sarver hollow shelter atop the next ridge, but when we arrived we encountered hiker Matchbox who advised us to do otherwise. He thru-hiked back in 2002 and was doing some sectioning in his weekend off work. We decided to stay for the night at laurel creek and push up the mountain in the morning rather than deal with difficult camping at dusk..
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was another hard day of hiking in the heat, and the difficult terrain unfortunately proved too much for Buddy the hiking dog...We began again early in the morning and climbed uphill for some ridge walking before the ascent up Dragon's Tooth. We reached the ridge just as the sun was making its way over the mountains, and it filled the branches with beautiful hues of red, orange, and even a light purple. The trail worked its way along the ridge and uphill towards Dragon's Tooth, which is a stone monolith which protrudes off the mountain summit and offers excellent views of the surround mountains and valleys. The trail down was steep and very rocky and a little tricky in spots. It proved difficult for the dogs to negotiate, but with a little help we got them through the tough section. When we reached a flat spot a mile from the road we found Jonny Blaze taking down his tent. He joined us on the trail and we made our way to the road and the grocery store around the corner for some resupply and refreshments. I noticed at this time that Buddy seemed a little sore on his paws and so I removed his pack and carried it for him. After enjoying some junk food and feeding Buddy a can of beef flavored dog food, we mad our way back towards the trail. By this time Buddy could barely walk, and I decided I would try and drop him off at the nearby hostel for respite. I called the owner and he said to bring him on by, so Buddy and I slowly made our way along the road to the man's house. When I arrived I searched for the man but couldn't find him anywhere, so I left him a note on his porch along with Buddy and his supplies and went back out towards the trail. I was quite sad to have to leave Buddy behind, and I wish he could have hiked with me longer. But on the trail you must go on, so I did. I continued up and over a small hill and stopped by a creek to rinse off and wet my clothes. I pushed on up the hill and soon ran into Jonny Blaze and the Montanas, and we hiked together towards the famous Mcaffee Knob. We stopped at the shelter after the parking area for some water, then pushed up to the top. The trail was very well graded and smooth going, and the top came quicker than I had expected. The views were great, but the bugs suddenly came out and were swarming so I had to cut my stay short. I called my parents and explained the situation, and my mom planned to come down to visit anyways so it worked out well for getting the injured Buddy.I raced down the mountain to escape the bugs and reached the shelter shortly after, only to find the bugs had a hang out there as well. I could not stand to be around them, so I quickly gathered some wood and started a fire, which helped to drive them away. I coked up my dinner, then retired to the shelter for some reading and sleep. In the night, as expected a thunderstorm blew in with heavy rain and lightning and helped to cool things off..
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: few clouds

I awoke in the morning to the sounds of the Montanas packing up their belongings for an early morning start a midst the fog. Jonny Blaze and I slept a little longer and then headed out around 8. The mist lingered around for a bit more and made hiking in the morning a little cooler. I headed uphill towards tinker cliffs, and as the trail made its way up the ridge the landscape became littered with boulders. When I reached the cliffs I missed the turn which headed up on top of the cliffs and instead ended up following a trail along the bottom of them. It was cool to see the cliffs from the bottom looking up, but as I winded my way around the trail became less worn in and I knew I had lost the trail. My intuition told me it must be somewhere along the top of the cliff band, and I pushed forward and eventually found remnants of an old fire ring and a faded blue blaze. I wedged up the rock and sure enough there was the trail. I descended and soon found myself at the lamberts meadow shelter where I ran into Jonny Blaze. He made the same mistake on tinker cliffs, and we joked for a while then snacked and headed out. The trail worked its way along the ridge and then the side of a mountain for a while before eventually returning to the rocky ridge line. The trail passed over several power lines and offered great views towards Daleville. We hurried down the mountain and arrived soon in town and enjoyed a wendy's lunch. I went to the outfitters and bought a summer bag, some new shoes, an inflater for my thermarest, some sock liners, and a drinking tube for my platapuses. My mom drove down from PA to come visit me and to retrieve the injured Buddy. We drove back to Catawba to get Buddy and to eat some dinner at the home place. When we arrived at the hostel we were greeted by the friendly owner. He explained how Buddy was well behaved, had quite the appetite, and got along well with the other dogs. My mom and I thanked the man for watching over Buddy, and when we tried to compensate him for his time he refused. I'm very thankful for the gentleman's hospitality and my hike from the hostel to Daleville would not have been possible were it not for his kindness. My mom and I went to the homeplace and enjoyed an excellent meal of AYCE homestyle food then headed back to Daleville to the hotel. We couldn't find a laundramat nearby so I decided to wash my clothes in the sink at the hotel. I cleaned them to my liking, but then my mom stepped in and offered her motherly kindness. She didn't seem to mind my smelly clothes and she worked for another half hour until they were finally clean. It felt nice staying with my mom, and when she cleaned my clothes for me it really gave me a home-y feeling. Buddy was quite sore when we first picked him up from the hostel, but after relaxing in the hotel a few hours we began to return to his normal self. (I guess he is used to being a bit spoiled at home with all the creature comfort). I relaxed for the evening and enjoyed some TV then crashed..
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a pleasant and much needed zero day in Daleville. We awoke in the morning and I worked on my journal for a while, then my mom and I headed into Roanoke and I got a relaxing full body massage. Afterwards we stopped at a BBQ restaurant on the way back to the hotel and I enojyed a delicious steak. When I got back to the hotel I recieved a text from Daypack that he just got into town. I drove around near the trail and found Flo and Skeetbutter at the grocery store. I dropped Skeetbutter off at hotel then went back to mine, taking Flo with me. I said my goodbyes to my mom who needed to make the 3 hour drive back home, then relaxed with Flo for the rest of the evening.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke in the morning to a sopping wet tent, and the splatter from the rain had also gotten mud on my sleeping pad and footprint. But thankfully it wasn't raining while I packed up my stuff, so I only had to deal with a heavy wet tent rather then soaked gear as well. Everyone enjoyed their breakfast and headed out respectably in the morning for what we knew would be a long day of ups and downs, culminating with a 2200 foot ascent to the shelter.The first part of the trail was pleasant and followed a gravel road before turning off into the woods and soon hitting the BRP at an overlook. The trail then descended into the woods before hitting a much neede stream, as the cove mountain shelter has no water. I headed uphill towards the shelter, and as I negotiated rocks here and there the mist which had been present in the morning was slowly lifting. I soon found myself at the cove mountain shelter just as Skeetbutter was departing. I enjoyed a snack there, having finally caught up with Daypack and Sunny. We made our way out along a small ridge before descending down to the large Jenkins Creek which had a very nice swimming hole. Unfortunately the weather was cold so I skimped on the swimming and headed up the large mountain I needed to scale before the Bryant Ridge Shelter. Daypack and Sunny had gotten out ahead, and I caught up to Sunny just as I reached the shelter. the Bryant Ridge shelter is quite huge and can house 20 people and features a large sectond story complete with windows. Unfortuately I neede to log some more miles so I only stopped for a snack before heading up the long incline to my final destination. The climb seemed to last forever, but I soon ran into Daypack who had gone ahead to make some phone calls. Eventually I reached the top of the mountain and jogged the remaining mile downhill to the shelter, arriving to find Skeetbutter relaxing already. I was able to dry out my footprint on a clothes line so I could sleep dry, then I cooked up dinner. Soon everyone else arrived in due time and before long we were relaxing in our bags for the night..
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Buena Vista
Miles today: 11.3

Today was a nice easy day of hiking, but after 30 miles the day before our feet were quite sore and so we took our time.Daypack and Sunny had opted out of the punchbowl challenge the night before so it was only Skeetbutter, Flo, Aloha and me setting out from the shelter in the morning. Before we set out we made a few calls to nearby hostels in hopes of finding a free ride into town, but were unsuccessful. We descended down from the shelter past the BRP and over a small peak before reaching a suspension bridge over the Pedlar River. Skeetbutter was running low on snack food at the time, so he concocted an interesting mixture of cinnamon oatmeal, ramen, and hot sauce. Aloha soon caught up to the three of us but only stopped for a few minutes before heading across the river. We soon followed and climbed a short but steep hill to reach the shore of a reservoir. A local man we ran into explained how the trail used to actually cross the damn, but was rerouted after September 11th. The trail traversed along small mountain folds lining the lake for quite some time, and we stopped once at a waterfall to rest and refresh ourselves a little. We were all quite tired from the day before, but we knew before too long we would be in town. The trail finally left the reservoir at the inlet stream, traveling slowly uphill while following the stream towards the next shelter. Soon we encountered the swimming hole we had been looking forward to and we stopped for a nice dip in the frigid waters. After passing the Brown Mountain Creek Shelter we continued along the creek towards the road to Buena Vista. In the past there had been a farming settlement community along the creek, and I noticed many remnants of old foundations uphill from the creek as well as many walls adjacent to the creek. This section was quite pleasant hiking and I enjoyed thinking about what it must have been like for those who lived there.Soon the trail started uphill, as seems to be the standard for "flat" Virginia, but before long we reached the road. We sat on a nearby picnic table and tried to find a shuttle into town. The man we had met earlier along the reservoir explained how the owners of a wine shop in Buena Vista had a whole network of trail angels. We found the number in the guidebook and got ahold of them, but unfortunately we could only find a ride for charge. When the man finally arrived he took us into Buena Vista to the Food Lion so we could resupply. While there we ran into a local who called the wine shop owner directly, who later gave us a ride to the campground.It made all the difference getting a ride to the campground, as it would have been a several mile walk. On the way there she explained how there had been a fire on the mountainside nearby, and we could still see some embers burning in the distance. When we reached the campground we thanked her, and she offered us a ride back to the trailhead the following day which we quickly accepted. We sorted out our sleeping pads under a large pavillion, bathed, and relaxed for the evening..
Date: 2013-04-18
From: Buena Vista

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we got off to an early start, as our ride needed to give us a ride before she went to work. We arrived at the trailhead by 830 and were greeted by a dense cloud of fog. Despite our attempts to donate some gas money, the 'trail angel' from the wine shop refused to accept our offer. This woman is a true trail angel and it is people like her that make the difference for us hikers on the trail. If I ever find myself in Buena Vista again I will be sure to stop by "uncorked" for some good wine and beer.The trail from route 60 headed straight uphill, and as we climbed the fog became more and more dense. It felt like I was heading into the misty mountains of an ancient land, especially with all the rocks and roots which riddled the trail. Finally we reached the top of the 2000' climb from the road to bald knob, which featured many large boulders all concentrated at the top of the peak. I was getting quite hungry by now and I stopped briefly to prepare a peanut butter tortilla wrap. It also began to rain slightly a midst the fog, but as I descended the weather lightened gradually. I soon reached the turnoff trail to the shelter, but since it was 0.6 off the trail we decided to skip it.The trail continued up and over several small peaks, with small grassy pastures between them. Soon I reached salt log gap, where I found skeetbutter enjoying some lunch. Flo, Aloha, and I joined but before long we headed out towards the next shelter. As we left I decided to try and keep pace with skeetbutter as I had the other day, and despite the exhausting effort I managed to stay within a few minutes of him. The trail continued along some mountain folds and over a few gaps with several rocky streams. The rain had lifted by now but the fog was still present in spurts. I decided not to stop at the shelter for too long, and soon after Flo arrived skeetbutter and I set out. It was only another 6.6 to the Priest Shelter, but it seemed to take forever as there were many ups and downs along the way. By the time I reached cash hollow road my spirits were much better, and I took my time up the pleasant 1 mile climb from there to the shelter. When I arrived at the shelter I encountered two fellow thru-hikers in addition to skeetbutter. They were 'the brothers' from Georgia who started at the beginning of February. They explained in great length how there was a 'hobo' hiker ahead and they warned us to watch out for him, as they planned to yellow blaze around him the next day. Flo soon arrived alone, as Aloha decided to remain at the previous shelter...
Date: 2013-04-19
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

Today was a pretty rough day of hiking, despite that it was relatively short mileage. Skeetbutter set out early in the morning despite the dense fog, as he was meeting a friend near Waynesboro. The brothers also left fairly early and by 8am only Flo and I remained in the shelter. We finally set out around 9, the fog sharply dampening our spirits. We quickly finished the short climb from the shelter along the shoulder of the mountain to the summit of the priest before beginning the long 3000' descent to the Tye river. It started raining lightly near the top of the mountain, but as we descended into the valley the rain and clouds lifted. Eventually we reached the river crossing where we stopped for some lunch. Some light showers started to roll in, so Flo and I set out up the mountain towards the Harpers Creek shelter.Soon we reached the shelter where we stopped for a small snack and to scout for arrowheads, but we knew the heavy rain would be rolling in shortly so we headed back out onto the trail for the long climb up the three ridges. The trail had many switchbacks along the way so the grading was not terribly steep, but there were many rocks along the trail in spots and as the rain began to roll in it became quite slippery. Just before the summit of the mountain the fog and the wind started picking up, and as we began our descent to the shelter the storm hit us.The rain picked up heavily and soon we were hiking in a complete downpour. The deluge created many streams and puddles along the trail, and despite by best efforts to avoid them my shoes were soon inundated with water. I could feel the skin on my feet turning into raisins and my urge to reach the shelter became stronger and stronger as we descended the mountain. After what seemed like forever Flo and I eventually reached the turnoff to the shelter and were immediately greeted by a barking dog, which meant one thing...the hobo we had been warned about.We quickly climbed into the shelter to escape the rain, and as we settled in we talked some to "spider" and listened to his stories. He talked for some time and we learned of his days roaming around the country hopping trains, and of the tragic death of his wife. I felt bad for the man and I found him much more tolerable than the brothers had described. As the night rolled in the rain moved out and I soon found myself asleep..
Date: 2013-04-20
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap - Greenville
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: clear sky

Flo and I set out at 6am, as we needed to reach Rockfish Gap by 3pm to catch a ride from my cousin. The trail made a small climb out of the shelter followed by a quick descent to the BRP before beginning a long and slow climb towards humpback mountain. The trail worked its way along the side of the mountain and over many rocks, passing by several rock outcroppings which offered nice views of the green valley below. Eventually we reached the base of humpback mountain, which featured several steep rocky areas with flat sections in between them. I stopped at the top of the mountain to make some peanut butter and trail mix tortillas. Flo caught up then we headed down the mountain. The descent was long and steep in spots, and there were many large groups of weekend hikers as well as a few trail maintenance crews. When I reached the Paul Wolfe shelter there was a crew of volunteers repairing some damage to the shelter porch caused by fire. I ate a quick snack then took off at lightening speed towards rockfish gap. Although I hiked through this section quite quickly I enjoyed stopping occasionally to look at the emerging flowers. The trail wound around the mountainside towards the gap, traveling over many ups and downs and crossing several small streams along the way. I stopped and chatted for a few minutes with a local man out on a short section hike, and soon I was surprised to see Flo racing up the trail. Within about 20 minutes we reached the gap, where we found Skeetbutter with his friend about to set out. Before long my cousin Anna arrived and she gave Flo and me a ride to my Dad's cousin Dave's house. When we first pulled in I was shocked to see how expansive the house was, and after we got inside my second cousin Kyle greeted us and gave us a tour. We relaxed out on the porch for a while and then Anna had to leave for work. Flo and I showered and did some much needed laundering of our clothes. In the evening I set out with Flo and Kyle into Charlottesville for some AYCE Chinese buffet. We stopped at a trader joes along the way and I picked up some of my favorite and long missed chocolate covered almonds. After dinner we went to walmart where Flo and I resupplied and also got slingshots..
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Rockfish Gap - Greenville

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a slow day of hiking, and since our packs were overloaded with supplies we took it easy on the mileage..We slept in pretty late in the morning, then went to the store for some eggs and bacon. Kyle graciously cooked them up for us while we sorted through our food and gear and packed our bags. By the time we ate and finished packing up our stuff it was after 12. Eventually we set out and reached the trail around 1pm... I really enjoyed staying at Dave's place and Kyle made an excellent host. It was very kind of him to allow Flo and I to spend the night and clean our stuff, and it made all the difference for us...Flo and I sluggishly made our way up the trail, entering the Shenandoah National Park and heading immediately into the rocks. The trail was not too particularly steep in this section and although the climb was quite gradual, the rocks and heavy packs slowed us down. Since we had gotten such a late start we opted to cut short at the calf mountain shelter rather than continue another 13 miles to the blackrock hut where we knew Skeetbutter was headed. We arrived to find many tents set up in the area, but the shelter was empty much to our liking. We talked with several hikers who were tenting there, including an older woman "lady slipper" who told us some information on edible plants. Flo borrowed a book on edible plants from Dave's house and it was nice to learn what plants might be in the area..