morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-05-30
From: Hurricane Shelter

To: Mt Roger's Visitor Center
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: light rain

Wow, Alberto came through last night. It rained and hard and the winds were something. Very glad to be in a shelter. The picture is of a tree about a quarter mile from the shelter. It broke off about 50 feet up and fell on a second tree splitting it in half. The picture does not do it justice. It was amazing. With the way the weather has been we decided to do 19 miles to a visitor center and get a ride into the town of Marion. Tomorrow we plan to do an 11 mile slack pack and return to the same motel. Fuego has had trouble being motivated since he is basically done. This wet weather has been really tough for all of us. We did 19+ miles in 7 hours getting done at 2:15. It is fun being able to adjust our schedule within reason and be able to physically perform. Finger Lickin even threw out the idea of doing the 11 extra today. We were not ready for another 30 mile day. It is nice being done early, showered and dry. We went out for an early dinner, went to the grocery store and are in line for laundry. Life is good.Elizabeth flies east tomorrow. She and Fuego will do trail magic on Friday while I walk north a bit. We then will drive to Lynchburg where Fuego will fly home Saturday and Elizabeth and I will visit a friend.
Date: 2018-05-31
From: Mt Roger's Visitor Center

To: Atkins
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

Clean and dry in a motel last night. This morning we caught the 8:20 town bus from Walmart back up to the Mt Roger's visitor center. It is $.50 a person, great deal for the hikers. It helps the local businesses as it makes it easy to get to town.We started hiking about 9 under cloudy skies. The forecast was ffor afternoon showers. We were hoping we could finish the 11.5 miles before the rains. You can tell our confidence is high as we left with empty water bottles knowing we had over 6 miles to water. We brought a couple snacks and that was it. Super light. The first 6 miles was all high on a ridge so the trail was nice and dry.We arrived at the water in 2 hours, got some water and ate some snacks. Only 5 miles to go. There is an old one room schoolhouse right on the trail. There was a sign indicating there was trail magic. We have not seen any trail magic this trip since we are late for thru hikers. Our first concern was it was an old sign. Turns out there were 2 coolers full of ice cold drinks and a big box of snacks and another box with miscellaneous supplies. There were two hikers there when we arrived. By the time we left there were probably 12. While we were sitting inside the rain started, quite hard. Not knowing how long it would rain we took of to finish our last 2.7 miles. We were now in much lower terrain with lots of clay which was super slick. I did fall once, my second fall of the hike. After about 30 minutes the rain stopped but everything was soaked. We were walking through fields so the wet grass drenched our shoes. Oh well. Fitting that Fuego would finish in the rain. He did 545 miles in 33 days. Tomorrow we will do some trail magic then drive to Lynchburg where he will fly home on Saturday. Elizabeth is driving from Roanoke as I write this so she is here till Monday. Most likely I will continue my journey on Monday. This area is really tough to do sections. I initially planned to do 12 miles tomorrow but it is a 45 minute drive to get to that road crossing.
Date: 2018-06-01
From: Atkins

To: Atkins
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Yesterday was fun doing trail magic. We started by going up to the Partnership Shelter and cooking omelettes for about 12 hikers. We also had drinks, doughnuts and ice cream. Elizabeth brought tons of snacks and misc hand outs as well. Finger Lickin decided she would hand out with us for the morning and hike in the afternoon. Fuego had fun as well. Lots of familiar faces as well as new ones. After the initial group, we moved on to a river crossing a bit south. It was fun driving through the beautiful Virginia countryside. We spent an hour at the river with zero hikers. We decided to head back to Marion. On the way we saw 2 hitch hikers at the Mt Roger's visitor center. We only had room for 1 so we gave the second guy food. He was good with that. We dropped off the guy at the Travel Inn where we stayed the past 2 nights. Brenno and Half Full were there. They told us Tracks was at the Chinese restaurant in the Walmart plaza. So we dash over there and did some trail magic in the parking lot.The plan was then to drop Finger Lickin off and head to the 1 room schoolhouse. She wanted to go as well so off we went. Within 10 minutes of arriving there were 8 more hikers. They finished off the ice cream which was great as it was quite soft by now. Elizabeth was very happy the ice cream was such a big hit. She brought all kinds of toppings and sauces from Phoenix. We finally dropped Finger Lickin off about 2. She was planning to do 15 to a shelter, hopefully she made it. We then had a 130 mile drive to Lynchburg.
Date: 2018-06-03
From: Daleville 

To: Daleville 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Another great day off trail. Elizabeth and I slept in till almost 6:30. We had the Super 8 breakfast (not bad) and then headed to the McAfee Knob trailhead. It was a nice 4 mile hike up to the top. The parking lot was almost full so we expected a crowd at the top. Nope, 4 nice young men. Two of the boys were born in Croatia and moved to the US a few years ago. They both spoke perfect American English. One of the other guys lived in New Zealand for a while. Always fun meeting people with different backgrounds. We chatted with them for a while and as they left 2 young ladies arrived. It was a great morning. We then hiked the 4 miles back to the car and did a bit of trail magic for 4 hikers. It was then off to lunch at the much anticipated Homeplace Restaurant. It is a 1907 farmhouse that serves all you can eat family style dinners. You get fried chicken and either beef or ham. For an extra dollar you can get both beef and ham. You also get an array of side dishes. It was very good and a beautiful setting. Now it was 1 mile back up the hill to the trailhead to see if we could get rid of the rest of our food. No problem. A stream of hikers came through. I fired up the fry pan and cooked the remaining eggs. The remaining food went quickly. Several of the hikers ate with us then hitchhiked to the Homeplace. As we were about to leave 2 hikers wanted a ride so we drove them to the Homeplace where we saw several familiar faces. Elizabeth had a great time again with the hiker community. Several hikers were asking about the Camino. We always love talking about Spain.Tomorrow Elizabeth will drop me in Pearisburg where I will head north. I should be hiking over McAfee Knob again next Thursday. After dropping me off, she will be off to Roanoke to catch a flight to Charlotte then on to Phoenix. I will continue north going solo for the first time as Fuego is now back home in Phoenix. We met a lot of nice people today so I will probably see some of them up the trail a bit.
Date: 2018-06-04
From: Pearisburg 

To: Pine Swamp Branch shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: broken clouds

Elizabeth dropped me off in Pearisburg this morning just before 10am. She then headed back to Roanoke to fly home to Phoenix. We had a great few days together. For me it was back to hiking north after a 3 1/2 day break. Full disclosure - I did skip a section of trail. This was for many reasons. I really want to finish in August. Missing this time would put pressure on me to make up time. Next weekend is also a payroll weekend and this area is very remote. I will now be back in Daleville to do payroll next weekend. The weather today was spectacular, not a cloud to be seen. I met a few new hikers and ran into Smurf again. He had jumped ahead a couple weeks ago. I also hiked with Giant for 40 minutes. He started May 4th and plans to be done mid August. He lives in Tempe, only a few miles from where I live. Today is his 23rd birthday. Tonight I am tenting. Nick is here as well as Smurf. It is 8:30 so probably it for the night.
Date: 2018-06-05
From: Pine Swamp Branch shelter

To: Keefer Oak Tree
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night I slept well in my tent. Three people walked by at about 3am. I have never night hiked and have no interest in it. The shelter is theoretically closed because of dead trees in the area. All the signs are dated Jan 2017 and all the dead trees have been cut down. Today was one of thosethose days that was hard. I did hike 22 miles with 2 big climbs and 2 steep descents but it just seemed harder than it should have been. It is also the first day I walked by myself the entire day. Yesterday I walked with Giant for a bit and Smurf.I am currently tenting with 5 other thru hikers by a big oak tree in the corner of a cow pasture. One guy started a week behind me, the others are all at least 3 weeks longer to get here. One guy is my age, the others are all in their 20s.I almost stayed at a shelter 4 miles back because there were 7 people there, all 55 and older. Unfortunately Giant was not feeling well. I passed him about lunch time. He was going to take a nap at the shelter. He lives only a few miles from me in Phoenix. Yesterday was his 23rd birthday. He never did go by me this afternoon.
Date: 2018-06-06
From: Keefer Oak Tree

To: Random campsite
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

No cows bothered us last night but as soon as I was a couple hundred yards into my hike a came upon a big herd of cattle including many young bulls. One of the young males was standing right in the middle of the path. I stopped and started talking to him, but he just stood there staring me down. I started moving slowly toward him and he finally moved out of my way. I was within 50 feet so I was relieved he gave up his ground.Tha day started with a thousand foot climb, perfect to get the sweat glands going. I was feeling OK, nothing is bothering me, just curious as to why yesterday seemed so hard. Once on the ridge it was quite rocky. No problem, just a lot slower. Still pretty quiet on the hiker front. I did meet two guys today, one started April 10, the other in March.Last night I did have a discussion with guys I camped with about finish dates. They have calculated that if they average 15 miles a day they will finish mid September. I reminded them that in 2014 I averaged 20 a day from here to New Hampshire and 14 a day the last 350 miles because the terrain is so much harder. Water is scarce in this section of trail. The shelter near where I am is 1/2 mile off trail so I ate my dinner at a river then headed up the hill, passing the shelter. I intended to do about 3 miles and look for a good spot. I have this system that if the spot is a 10 I stop. The later it gets the lower my standards. Well 1.5 miles in is a great spot so I stopped even though it is only a bit after 4pm. It still is 19 for today and over 60 the past 3 days, so that is good. Tomorrow will be 16.8 if I do what I am planning then 15 into Daleville on Friday. I am/ was very tempted to keep moving today but there are no designated camping spots for the next 8 miles and I do not want to get over tired.Right now the sun is out and there is a wonderful breeze. I have been here 30 minutes and only one hiker has gone by. I am on the edge of a small meadow so I have my clothes and sleeping bag hanging in the sun. This will be the first time I put on dry clothes in the morning, not counting town laundry days.
Date: 2018-06-07
From: Random campsite

To: Campbell Shelter 
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: clear sky

Turns out the spot I tented last night is the same spot we stayed 4 years ago. It is a great spot. Last night I was in my tent by 7 to get away from the mosquitoes. About 8 I heard a big animal not to far away. I was too slow getting out to see anything but I assumed it was a bear based on it being quite noisy. A deer walks much quieter.About 2 I awoke and was surprised as to how quiet the forest was. At 5:30 I woke up for good and the birds were all awake and chirping their songs.The morning once again started with a thousand foot climb. It was a chilly morning but I wasn't cold for long. The ridge was fairly rocky so slower going. About 4 miles in was Dragons Tooth, a popular rock formation. I moved on as 2 miles away was Catawba Grocery. They have a hiker friendly selection as well as a nice deli. I ordered a burger, fries and a large ice cold drink. I also had a chocolate milk to start with. With a full stomach I had a .4 mile walk back to the trail, then on toward McAfee Knob, 10 miles away. At one point I had cell reception so called Elizabeth and caught up on events at home.In the parking lot there were two other hikers. Even though it was only 2 they were going to head to the Homeplace for dinner. They open at 4. We ate there last Sunday. I headed up after about 30 minutes, repeating the hike I did with Elizabeth before we went to the Homeplace. It was busier today with several people on top. After a bit of time on top I moved on to a shelter a little less than a mile away. I am tenting but there are people here, a bear box to store food and a privy. This place is very popular. No one is in the shelter but there are lots of tenters. There are 4 section hikers my age here, so had fun chatting with them. It is now 8:30 so in my tent ready for bed. I want to get up early tomorrow to get into town. It is 15.4 miles.
Date: 2018-06-08
From: Campbell Shelter 

To: Daleville 
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

I got out of my routine and forgot to write my journal for today. The morning started early as several people around me got up to go to McAfee Knob for the sunrise. Didn't bother me as I wanted to get going to get to town. I was packed and moving at 6:20. I was thinking "only" 15.5 miles. Still a pretty productive walking day. I stopped for 3 or 4 short breaks but pretty much had pizza, cold drink and a shower in my head. The walk is actually quite pretty. You go along a ridge to Tinker Cliffs where you can see back to McAfee Knob. The trail goes right on the edge of the cliffs for a bit. You can walk away from the edge of you are concerned about the drop off. We then go along another ridge with a pretty reservoir down below. The down into town is gradual so not too tough. Then when you pop out of the woods you are on a busy road with a Pizza Hut 100 yards away. The Super 8 is right next door. A big grocery store and a nice outfitter are close by as well.I am staying 2 nights here. Saturday is a work day for me. I will be doing payroll and invoicing as well as catching up on all the little things I have let slide the past month. I have a nice room with good wifi. We are about 130 miles from Waynesboro, next next big town. I plan to go about 60, 3 days to a small town 6 miles off trail, then 4 days to Waynesboro. After that food and lodging options become easier. This past week I was 5 days out, I much prefer 3 days. The less food to carry makes a difference and a shower and clean clothes is always great.
Date: 2018-06-09
From: Daleville 

To: Daleville 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today has been productive as far as catching up on non AT things. My computer is acting up which could be a big problem. I got everything done today and have everything on a flash drive. I may end up having to do things on my phone and random desktops I can find. On my way down to the grocery store I saw Giant. The noro virus got him but he is back feeling better. He stayed at a hostel a couple days ago and is just walking thru town here. We exchanged phone numbers so we can connect this fall when we are both back in Arizona. I also heard from Finger Lickin. She will not be getting here today. She is going to try and catch me next week. There is rain in the forecast so I will probably shelter hop and do slightly less miles.Well my laptop is shot. I can't get it to turn on. I am now planning to stay here one more day. Monday morning I will ship it home. My wife will ship my old computer to Waynesboro. I have been very careful to take care of it, not sure what happened. Hopefully the old one holds up.
Date: 2018-06-10
From: Daleville 

To: Daleville 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Another zero mile day. Hurts the average but no big deal. Leaving Daleville in 2014 I got to Waynesboro in 6 days. This time I am planning 7, which is still 19 per day. I am still pretty much on the same pace as my 2014 hike.The hotel here has an old desktop computer so I was able to finish up a bunch of loose ends this morning. I have all my work stuff backed up on a flash drive so I will be good to go once I get my old laptop in Waynesboro. Tomorrow morning I will ship my broken one home.About noon I was heading to the grocery store and saw really dark clouds. The forecast was for afternoon storms. The further I got from the hotel the darker the skies got. It is 1/2 mile total. I bought a few items and a chicken dinner from the deli. As I stepped outside the rains started. Then a flash of lightning and a loud clap of thunder followed by hard rains. The store has a display of outdoor furniture so 4 of us (all thru hikers) sat there and ate. The other 3 also started late April so hopefully will be seeing them again up the trail.I looked at the updated forecast and it said storms ending at 2. At 1:45 the rains stopped and by 2 the sun was trying its best to shine through. I then had a nice dry walk back to the hotel.Still no sign of Finger Lickin. I was thinking she would arrive here today. It is now after 6pm. Tracks is 20 miles back at 4 Pines Hostel for the night. He thinks he will be here tomorrow night. Mouse and Jawz are further back.The forecast is for more storms tomorrow. We shall see how the day plays out.
Date: 2018-06-11
From: Daleville 

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

I was at the UPS store right at 8 when they opened to ship my computer home. Then it was short walk back to the trail and back into the woods. A few miles in I met Truck at a road crossing. She had gotten turned around and walked south for a bit. About 1/2 mile north we saw where she got confused. It was in a cow pasture, she took a cow path, not the AT, and when she turned back she took the wrong direction. The morning was cloudy and the forecast was for 100% chance of afternoon rain. I am feeling good and the terrain is a bit easier so the miles went fairly fast. We are now by the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were in the clouds so very low visibility. At one of the crossings I could not see any blazes so I pulled my phone out of my pack to use my app that has maps and GPS. It showed me the way.Soon after the rains started coming down hard. My goal for the day was a small shelter. I started wondering if it would be full because of the rain. When I arrived at 4 the shelter was empty so I have a place in out of the rain.At 5, I was still by myself. Soon after a SOBO section hiking father son showed up. They chose the shelter. Then Buckles came. I rented with him last week by the big oak tree. I chose the only real tent site here at the shelter. By 6:30 the rains had basically stopped. A couple stopped by who is driving cross country. Turns out there is a parking lot 1/4 mile north of here. It is now almost 8 and there have been probably 10 thru hikers come through. With the lack of tenting space most have moved on. Right now there are 4 of us in the shelter which has room for 6.
Date: 2018-06-12
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained off and on all night. Glad to be in the shelter. The rains are good for our water supplies, not so good for moral. There were two section hikers with us last night. This morning I am eating my breakfast as it is foggy and still raining. The section hiker says he is amazed at how thru hikers just go with the flow as far as the weather. The shelter is .3 miles off trail. The trail was on a forest road for about .1. Trouble is I missed the turn. After a quarter mile I realized my mistake. So a mile of walking and I have walked a tenth of a mile of the trail. Not a great way to start a long day. Today turned out to be my second longest day of the trip so far. There was a lot of climbing today. The trail was in great shape so it made it much easier. Again I saw very few people during the day. I am staying at the Thunder Ridge Shelter. This is the shelter that I made a donation in Ralph Etherington's honor to install a bear box. Ralph was a high school friend of my dad's. Ralph thru hiked many years ago and has been active supporting the trail till he passed away. Tomorrow afternoon Ralph's 87 year old wife is picking me up and bringing me to her house for the evening.
Date: 2018-06-13
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: US 501 - James River
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

Last night there were 4 of us in a shelter designed for 6. No snorers so a quiet night from the human side. The shelter has a metal roof and we were in the clouds at 4,000'. The winds were blowing so the condensation would come off the leaves and sound like it was raining. There were also 6 people tenting. This morning 3 of us were up and out before 7. It has really surprised me how late people start their day. Three miles in I passed a camping area with 6 tents, not a sole moving at 8:30. The two other people that left our shelter before 7 did 10 miles yesterday. It continues to amaze me that I can't find someone who likes to get up early and walk 18 to 20 miles. In 2014 it seemed like there were lots of people. I also realize how Fuego/Cooper was a perfect hiking companion. We hiked the same speed, liked to go early and not take big long breaks but instead finish our miles and be done for the day. Throw on top of that all the great conversation and it was a terrific match.I had told Barbara that I should be at the James River about 1pm. She had brought a friend who thru hiked after he retired in 1995. As I approached the bridge an older gentleman said "you must be AZ Cruiser" . Walking Eagle and I walked the quarter mile back to his car together. First thing he did was hand me a Snickers bar, a thru hiker staple snack. It was great fun sharing stories. He was involved with starting the AT museum in Pennsylvania. His license plate is AT GA ME. They brought me back to Lynchburg where we will all go to dinner tonight. In the morning Barbara is taking me out to her favorite breakfast restaurant then back to the trail. She has already done my laundry and brought me to a grocery store. I have a few minutes before dinner, all my stuff is airing out, I am showered, have a comfy bed, the sun came back out today. My laptop is already in Waynesboro. Not much to complain about. Oh yeah, I walked 14.6 miles today.