morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-01
From: Pig Farm Campsite

To: Troutville Pavilion
Miles today: 16.9

Been out here for 2 months now and 700 miles down. It seems incredible that we¢ve come so far. The morning¢s cool and windy; the first part of the hike was nice and flat. Oats spotted a bear cub in a tree, so we watched him for a while. There was a tough climb up to Tinker¢s Cliffs but the view is lovely. We are hanging out watching the world go by. It is 85 degrees at 6pm. The hike was hot, pine covered sandstone ridges, jutting slabs of stone on the mountain top, views down to a startlingly blue river. My feet hurt, it¢s too hot and we go down the mountain passing day hikers left and right. Glad to reach the road ¢ ran to Wendy¢s for a Value meal, mmmmmm¢¦..tasty, greasy cheeseburger! An older gentleman bought us Frosties- he used to hike the AT himself, a 1,000 mile section. Ran into Kroger¢s for bananas and ice cream then hiked the 3 miles to the Troutville road crossing. Trail ran through hot fields covered in honeysuckle and mulberry bushes through a thick, cloying sweet smell. Hitched a ride from a nice couple in a little sedan the 2 of us and Sandman. Arrived at the city park, staying at the Pavilion tonight with a cross-country cyclist. Ate all the ice cream and are drinking cheap port wine. Nasty storm clouds blew in with thunder, wind but only a tiny bit of rain. The guys at the fire department let us shower there and we did sink laundry. A few ibuprofen and I¢m ready for bed. Slept horribly again, although I was comfortable on the picnic table.
Date: 2008-06-02
From: Troutdale Pavilion

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Awoke to the cold, pre-dawn stars and the train¢s whistle. The park caretaker shuttled us to the PO to get our mail drop then back at the trailhead. It is a hot day, the trail a well graded climb out of town. Stopped to pick some yellow cherries. The pack¢s heavy but the terrain is not bad so far. Scared a grouse ¢ it ran into the trail, tail feathers ruffled. Stopped at Curry Creek for lunch ¢ Cool Breeze & Jenny joined us. Told us that the rest of the gang is behind us, so we¢re hanging out at Wilson Creek Shelter ¢til they catch up. Daisy rolled in late afternoon- Chili Pepper, Mustang Sally, Timeless and sectioners here for the night. Got a fire going, cooking rice - hungry all the time. Chainsaw, Rue & Rookie showed up late. Much harassment of Wild Oats for her disappearance to Beauty Spot.
Date: 2008-06-03
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: broken clouds

Cool, breezy morning. Easy hiking at first along stony red-soiled ridgeline covered in dying rhododendrons blossoms. Reached the first crossing of the Blue Ridge Parkway and decided to road walk since it parallels the trail and has better views. Sunny but not too awfully hot. Easy walking on the pavement, sweeping views of hazy blue mountains, as majestic as I remember it being on our drives to Florida, looking out at the Peaks of Otter and Purgatory Mountain. Took a good long break at one of the overlooks with Daisy. Realized we were going to run out of snacks so we hitched into Buchanan to hit the Dollar store and check email at the library. Started walking back towards the trail. Not many cars going by. Finally, we did get a hitch back. Cooked dinner at the road crossing ¢ no water at the shelter. Then it began to rain a bit, still it was humid/hot. Quick climb up the mountain and easy 3 miles to the shelter. Chainsaw, Mustang Sally were there, we joined them. Daisy had gone on a few more miles. Slayer and Ularu finally caught up. It ended up being a packed shelter and it rained all night with thunder and a great lightening show. Bad night¢s sleep again!
Date: 2008-06-04
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Wet, hot morning, very sunny. Bug bites are all up my legs. 3 miles down to Jennings Creek from Cove Mountain Shelter. Daisy was still in his tent. We stopped, took a long break. Slayer & Ularu swam a bit, I waded. We ate half our snacks. At about 11:30, we began the horrific climb up Fork Mountain. Hot, hard to breathe, soaked in sweat, completely tired at Bryant Ridge Shelter, we took a long nap break. Nice triple decker shelter, lovely privy. It was a hot, sweat-streaming climb up 4 miles to the top of Floyd Mountain with very few switchbacks, 80% grades over much of the trail. Too much elevation gain today, over 3,000 feet climbing total. We took a brief pause at Cornelius Creek Shelter before heading on 1.2 miles to a small creek surrounded by ferns. The last bit of hiking wasn¢t too hard, surrounded by blooming rhododendron. We¢re all camped here now; a bit beat after a long day of scaling mountains.
Date: 2008-06-05
From: Campsite

To: Campsite near James' River
Miles today: 17.3

Had a little fire last night, June bugs flying into it and burning to death. Daisy yelled at the crazy deer which kept raiding the encampment. Slept well, finally. Got up before it got too hot, nice gradual climb up Apple Orchard Mountain. Old, twisted oak trees, great for climbing amongst, gnarled apple trees, large flat stones, sweeping view from the grassy summit, gorgeous green grass, blue and orange and yellow butterflies by the dozens, flying around the trail. New-green ferns illuminated by the early sun. Cool and breezy, James Taylor¢s ¢Gone to Carolina¢ stuck in my head. A blissful morning. Reached the Guillotine, a boulder suspended in a crag above the trail ¢you¢d expect magic in a place such as this, so still and mysterious. Stopped for lunch at a Forest Service road, Oats, Daisy and I. A church group of kids doing an overnight showed up, made chaos unloading gear. A man named Ken showed up with cold Gatorade & Reeses, Ziplocs & fuel. Truly a welcome respite on another HOT (well over 90 degree) day. The climb up High Cock Knob was brutal in the mid-day heat. Saw a huge black snake. Passed all the kids. Gratifying to know I¢m hiking strong. After the summit, an easy ridge walk along sun-blasted shale, bleached trunks of dead trees, knotty pine. Resting my eyes on the green of the mountain opposite the range I hiked on. Last few miles I had tired knees, tired feet. Nice bit of trail maintenance before the shelter. A knee-killing descent. Slayer, Ularu & Oats were at the shelter. It was very buggy and we decided to hike .9 miles to the James River, set up camp on the bank. We had a refreshing swim. What a relief after such a hot day! It felt good to give my arms a workout for a change too. Oats and another guy went fishing, returned dragging a 20 pound half rotted carp! We all had a good laugh. Buggy night, slept on and off to the ¢distant¢ whistle of the train. We were up late.
Date: 2008-06-06
From: Campsite near the James River

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: few clouds

It¢s hot already! Ate breakfast after hiking 1 mile, across the bridge across the river-saw turtles swimming. Brief water break at John¢s Hollow Shelter before a 9.5 mile stretch with no water. The best privy on the trail! Brand new, smells of cut lumber, not poo, complete with nice cedar HANDICAP RAILINGS! Hot, hot awful climb, covered in bugs and sweat, crying, stopping every 10 feet to pant and sob. NO FUN. Got over Little Rocky Ridge and Big Rocky Ridge at long last and took a long lunch break at Salt Log Gap. Oats is way ahead of me, Daisy way behind, so I¢m soloing today. The trail eased up a bit, not a bad climb up the next mountain. Though I did encounter some mountain bikers who were too dumb to read the ¢Bicycles Prohibited¢ sign. Jerks. At the mountain¢s top, there¢s a memorial to ¢Little Ottie¢ a 4 12 year old who went to gather firewood from school and wandered off into the woods. They found his body where the marker stands, some 7 miles from the school. Of course, his ghost is said to roam. Bit spooky. Beautiful trail, though, through masses of Mountain Laurel blossoms. I startled a deer who came right up to me when she realized I wasn¢t dangerous. Decided not to hike the .2 miles to Punchbowl Shelter even though I figured the others were there. Left a note at the road crossing and filled up my water bottles at long last! There was a tiny salamander in the spring. barely a trickle, all silty, but wet. I hiked fast, wanting to get to the shelter before sundown. Gradual terrain, mountain laurels everywhere, white rhododendrons. Had a turkey fly over me, unexpected spring with a resident frog. Amazing how dark it gets under the canopy of leaves before the sun¢s even set. Neat suspension bridge over Pedlar River. The trail follows a ridge around Pedlar Lake. The water looked so cool too bad swimming¢s not allowed. Trail climbs along Brown Mountain Creek, nice, low grade, getting dark, I find appealing clear water. There are the ruins of a sharecropper¢s settlement that was inhabited by freed slaves until the ¢20¢s¢¦low stone walls, foundations ¢ must have been tough farming here. It¢s supposedly haunted. Glad to finally reach Brown Mountain Shelter. Just me in the shelter. Piddler¢s got his hammock hung nearby. Took a creek bath¢¦exquisitely cold water, loud creek. I¢m a bit jumpy sleeping completely alone for the first time on this trip.
Date: 2008-06-07
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter

To: Hog Camp Gap
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

Up at the crack of dawn, still cool. Slipped in the creek when getting water and started hiking with wet boots. Made it up and over Bald Knob surprisingly easily. Nice breeze today. Stopped for a break partway up Cold Mountain to soak in the view from a rock outcropping. Buggy again today ¢ clouds of them raise very time I take a step. Glorious grassy bald with yellow flowers blooming in the swaying grass ¢ easy downhill to Hog Camp Gap. HUGE encampment, ¢99 thru¢s doing major trail magic, cooking blueberry pancakes, tons of food. Jim arrived about a half hour after I did. Met Pop Arrowhead, Stitches & Crutch, who were helping put on the party. Baltimore Jack & Redneck were there along with Thru's, Snowplow, Rookie, Babu, Raccoon, K Bomb & Cookie Monster and others. They had 2 fire pits going, one grill, one with a Dutch oven, and Jim had his grill, too. We socialized for awhile before the one man, Dogbite, drove us all down to Bluetongue Falls for a dip. It was a hot ¢ 100 degrees--afternoon, so it was fun to immerse ourselves in the waterfall. About 20 dirty hikers were laughing and splashing and doing laundry. Clean and refreshed, we climbed back into the truck bed for the bumpy ride back to camp. We began cooking ¢ hot dogs, venison steaks, rockfish a¢la Baltimore Jack, burgers, there was food galore! There was punch & beer & peach wine. We whiled away the hot afternoon in the shade of a big old oak tree which had a rope swing rigged up in it. As evening drew on Daisy, Slayer and Ularu arrived (Oats rolled in about an hour after I did), just in time for pork butt & turkey that had been spit roasted on the fire. A 14-yr old SOBO, Banjo Boy, was playing his namesake. He was an incredibly good musician. It got dark, all of us sitting drinking by the fire to the sound of his banjo, eating fresh churned ice cream and eating peach cobbler, LIFE IS GOOD!! I found a raccoon skull and am wearing it. The stars above the meadow are exquisite.
Date: 2008-06-08
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Hog Camp Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up when the sun made the tent too hot for sleeping. Apples, steak, bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Discovered the joys of bacon-wrapped marshmallows. Gave people stupid haircuts. Jim finally had to head home. The rest of the day was spent eating and lounging around the fire socializing.
Date: 2008-06-09
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Hog Camp Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Slayer and Ularu hiked out early. Daisy and the two of us decided to stay another day. Most people had left, aside from Crutch, Aqua Maria, Tailgate, Tetris and SOBO's Leroy and Ha'witchaway. House the Cat and Micro and Sunny and Share hiked through in the afternoon. Much insanity and shenanigans...I had an empty 2 liter plastic whiskey jug that I was using as a water bottle--we decided to dye the water with cola so it looked like whiskey and I made a show of chugging it in front of section hikers...had them convinced that I was going to die of alcohol poisoning. Kept busy cooking: tinfoil dinners, baked potatoes and corn and the now famous Mountain Calzones. My campfire cooking is becoming a bit of a thing of legend. We hiked South a mile back to the summit of the bald to watch the sun set, Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujiah" playing on the shiny new mp3 player. It's such a relief to have music out here now. The wind was blowing strong, tossing the grass. We climbed up on a big rock to watch the sun turn fuschia, the mountains melting into the Virginia haze like a watercolour painting. Goosebumps. Hiked down in the dark, back to the fire. There was a spontaneous nudity "incident" which will never be forgotten...   Finally went to bed, cowboyed beneath the thick blanket of stars.
Date: 2008-06-10
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Harper's Creek Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

Up too early to feel good. Groggily ate a muffin, said my goodbyes and hit the trail. The music made the miles fly to the first shelter...took a break with Daisy and Chainsaw, who'd burnt his foot pretty badly in the fire last night. Had a run-in with the ridgerunner...the man gets on my nerves...the shelter register was nearly full, and he was going to remove it, arguing that some locals might use it as a fire starter or something...which is just as likely to happen with a new register, but the main thing is that he seemed oblivious to the fact that these registers have little use filed away somewhere--on the trail, they're almost the only means of communication we hikers have amongst ourselves. Bit annoyed, but c'est la vie. Hiked on, up to Spy Rock, a huge boulder conglomeration sticking out of the forest, offering great views and a fun scramble to its laurel-covered top. Below, there's a shady meadow filled with flowering rhodedendron and ferns. Barley and Rain were taking a nap there. Pushed on in the afternoon heat, a long, constant climb up The Priest...odd monolithic rock formation at the top. Stopped at the shelter to get water, use the privy, add a confession to the register and get eaten by bugs. The climb down--3000 ft. in 3 miles--was tough on the feet and knees, never seemed to end. It was overcast and thundering, but, fortunately, never actually rained. Got to the Tye River, beautiful crystal water running among smooth round pebbles, granite boulders. We found a good rock to sit on and immersed ourselves in the cool cool water. Little trout were swimming everywhere, nibbling toes. One of them had a spotted head and was moving pebbles with its mouth. Tetris joined us, we caught tadpoles. The boots back on, we began the 1000 ft. climb to the shelter. The storm clouds moved back in, made it prematurely dark. Scared of being caught alone in the storm, I hiked fast, barely able to see the trail, but I beat the rain to the shelter. Brief deluge thoroughly soaked everything but us. Slept decently dry.
Date: 2008-06-11
From: Harper's Creek Shelter

To: Campsite north of Dripping Rocks
Miles today: 13.0

Up late, already getting warm. Began the LONG ascent of 3 Ridges. Hot and sticky, but listening to Tom Waits kept me going, even though I was beginning to tire of the constant uphill. Chimney Rocks, great pillars and slabs of lichen-encrusted stone sloping down, giving glimpses of the valley. The summit was a glory of rhodedendrons and ferns and moss. I was feeling exuberant, glad to have the climb behind me, dancing down the trail. The climb down wasn't bad, a bit rocky. Got to Maupin Shelter, took a long break and nap before heading on....bloody hot, huge tracts of forest denuded by leaf-chewing gypsy moth caterpillars, nasty little rocks underfoot. Took a break to cook dinner at Dripping Springs, then a crazy climb up a sheer rock face and over sharp boulders. Tired and disheartened by the climb, we decided to stop at a cliff overlooking the valley. The campsite was perfect, mossy. Professor was camped there, too. We sat on the rocks and watched the sun set, a ball of flaming crimson liquefying above the ridgeline, spreading pink light through the evening blue sky. Glorious evening. Slept cold, not well.
Date: 2008-06-12
From: Campsite near Dripping Rocks

To: Rockfish Gap/Waynesboro
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: few clouds

Getting moving this AM we flew down the trail even though it was hot as blazes. Cool ruins of an old settlement¢ stone garden, terraces, foundations, a decrepit graveyard, a chimney. Got to Rockfish Gap in the sweltering afternoon. The friendly folks at the visitor¢s center called a local Trail Angel, Bill, who gave us a shuttle into Waynesboro. We stopped at the thrift store, so I could get a cooler dress ¢ all my hiking clothes are dark colors. And Oats found herself a dashing Indiana Jones hat. From there we hit up Ming Garden AYCE Lunch Buffet. $5.50 got us a plethora of tasty things like crab salad, beef & broccoli, fresh shrimp, lychee fruit, cream puffs, teriyaki chicken, more, more, more!   So full, afraid of throwing up, we stumbled across town to the church hostel. It was a wonderful place with friendly folks: Hot showers with shampoo & fluffy towels, comfy cots, free internet and phone and a lounge with a big screen TV and kitchen stocked with snacks. Sunny & Share, Slayer & Ularu, Double D, Professor, Zephyr, Bulldog, Brushstrokes, Tetris & Stitches were all there before us. There was a great atmosphere of reunion there, before us. Daisy looked terrifying in his silynylon skirt and crocs with his hair sticking out like a fright wig. The locals were giving him odd looks. LONG walk to the Laundromat in the humid night. Back at the hostel we ate ice cream and watched James Bond. Good times.
Date: 2008-06-13
From: Rockfish Gap/Waynesboro

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Awake at 6 AM for no good reason except that I slept lousy. The AC was cranked up too high. I socialized until everyone went off on their various errands. Babu & kBomb showed up with a car, offered us a ride back to the trail. It is another hot day and I am glad to have cooler clothes. It was smooth sailing down the trail into the first bit of the Shenandoah¢s. I am very, very sleepy. We stopped at the first shelter, Calf Mountain and took a LONG nap. The whole crowd from the hostel, plus Holler & Pixie wound up at the shelter. Carnage & hilarity ensued. It¢s good to be back with friends we haven¢t seen in a while (Bulldog, Sunny & Share) I slept decently for once.
Date: 2008-06-14
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Buggy and hot...had a hard time getting moving because my hips kept popping out of joint. We are moving fast, though, flying by day hikers, keeping a good 3 mph pace going. I saw a tiny fawn with its mother. The Shennies are infested by white-tailed deer ¢ they¢re EVERYWHERE and have no fear of humans. Took a long lunch at Black Rock Shelter ¢ the area had undergone a controlled burn to wipe out the Gypsy moths and was scorched and blazingly hot. We met the shelter maintainers, nice folks. It was a hot hike up, up, up to Blackrock summit ¢ immense blocks of dark, purplish stone, jumbled up above the trail, a confuse mess of rock. It was fun climbing it and the views of green hills showed too much civilization in the distance. It was easy, fast hiking, keeping behind Oats. We started hearing thunder and the wind kicked up. We stopped to cover the packs and were hiking fast, trying to beat the rain to the Camp Store. No luck ¢ huge claps of thunder, torrential deluge, and violent wind whipping the trees. My boots had puddles in them. I was sopping wet, cold, hiking down a river basically. My glasses were too fogged to be of use, so I was hiking blind. The storm had basically passed by the time we reached the camp store. (Ah, the Shenandoah¢s ¢ land of Yuppie vacationers!) We stopped to wring out our socks, then decided to push on to the shelter. Got to watch the fog rise up from the valleys, then the wind blew the fog over us. Wet trees, wet everything. There were craggy outcroppings covered n laurels. My feet are getting sore and I have a few rubbed spots from hiking in wet boots. The shelter wound up being crowded. Chaco & Toesocks, Double D, Slayer & Ularu, House the Cat & Micro were all there. I was exhausted, but too cold to sleep tonight.
Date: 2008-06-15
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

I woke to a damp morning. I am a bit annoyed at all the people who told me the Shennies were flat and rockless. I spent most of the morning going uphill. A bit warmer in the afternoon but the sky was threatening rain. I took a long nap break then pushed on through stumbling-inducing rocks, tasty strawberries over aggressive deer coming at me down the trail. We took a dinner break at a picnic area where we scared the tourists then six miles in the waning light over tumbled rocks and laurels thick with blossoms like snowdrifts. The foamflowers were growing in clumps. Stopped at one of the touristy campgrounds to call home¢¦.no luck. HAPPY FATHER¢S DAY, anyhow, Dad. Got down to Bearwallow (Bear Fence) Shelter at dusk. Micro & House, Double D & some sectioners shared the place with us. We built a nice fire yet froze all night. We were up late and still tired.
Date: 2008-06-16
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: few clouds

Hiked 11 miles today. Easy hiking 8 miles to Big Meadow Wayside. There is lots of green; the forest is so dense now. We found our way to the Wayside, got an 80 cent beer and stat in the grass to drink it. We were harassed by silly tourists. The wind started to kick up so we decided we needed to try to beat the storm to the shelter. We hiked the road to where the AT crossed the road, hiking furiously. Beautiful ridgeline massed with laurels. The wind was blowing flowers down onto the road like confetti. We had no luck, the rain came hammering down, great thunderclaps, minute hail, and I was sputtering with all the rain pouring down my face. Again, heavy boots on flooded trail made hiking hard but the trail kept going uphill, of course. The downpour subsided shortly before we reached the shelter. We changed into drier clothes, strung up a clothesline and tried to get warm. Double D showed up. There was a note in the register from a guy named Worm saying he was going to bring food & beer to the shelter that evening. We were hoping it was true but didn¢t think anyone would really want to brave the weather¢¦then the cloud¢s broke, the sun mad the pretence of shining. I went to get water ¢ beautiful spring issuing from beneath two huge slabs of stone. (Rock Spring Shelter) Back at the shelter there was a commotion on the trail and Worm and his dog, Peggy O, did, in fact, arrive with charcoal (all the wood was soaked from the storm) hot dogs, beer & best of all, fresh cherries, from the farm he works on. We had a splendid repast. Sunny & Share & Slayer & Ularu shoed up a bit later and Peggy O was quite taken with Ularu. It was a vicious cold night and I got very little sleep.