morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-29
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: light rain

We woke up to the sound of raindrops on the roof of the shelter, but at least we had managed to start dry through the night. Daniel was the first one to get up and get moving. He left around 8 am, soon after, a huge downpour began. We had a moment of silence for Daniel. It wasn't looking like it was going to stop anytime soon, and I was totally happy with just watching it rain inside my semi-dry warm sleeping bag. Weirman was up with Moxie, and they were putting their water bottles under the overhang of the roof catching rainwater. Moxie was the next to leave, so the pressure was on. I figured a zero day in a shelter was worse than hiking in the rain, so I got moving. Putting on wet rain gear is not fun. If ANYONE could try invent protective rain gear that actually kept you dry, they could make a fortune.   It doesn't exist. We said our goodbyes to Rabbit, he will be missed.   We headed out, it was nearly 10am.   The first quarter of a mile was brutal with creek crossings and branches on the trail. Then we got to a big pasture with cattle and lots of cocoons growing in the trees. I had never seen that before so it was kind of cool. We got to the Keffer Oak Tree, and I gave it a big hug. It is the biggest tree on the southern portion of the AT. There is a bigger one in New York, but it is over 300 years old, and over 18' in diameter we headed up a pretty hard climb to walk the ridge line. It was windy, cold, rainy, and foggy. There were lots of huge rocks we had to crawl over, and the rain was turning to sleet. I stopped to put on another layer along with my wool hat and gloves. Much better. When we finally got of the ridge, the wind and rain calmed down and it was much better. We only saw 4 other hikers all day, one was A Guy On A Buffalo. We expected to see Daniel at the next shelter, but when we got there it was empty. We ate dinner and settled in for the evening. Just before dark, we heard someone coming, it was a young guy from New Jersey. He is originally from South Korea, but has lived in the US about 5 years. He had started hiking the AT on March 30th, and his trail name was Catch Me If You Can.   That said it all, he was a seriously fast mover. He had no stove, no tent, and was definitely on a mission. We decided to pitch the tent in the shelter after we realized we would probably be the only occupants with him that night just to stay a little warmer.
Date: 2014-04-30
From: Niday Shelter

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up around six and Catch Me.... Was already up and moving, he left soon after, and we headed out then. It was raining, but just a drizzle. It was a nice hike with lots of streams and footbridges. Then we headed up a very big hill toward the Audie Murphy Monument. We stopped to get a snack, Weirman figured we had another hour of climbing, I was sure we near the top. I was right!!! First time for everything!! We walked another two minutes and there was the bench supposedly at the crest. But wait we are still climbing!! Another bench!! Now we are there.   The monument was on a little side trail. It was rainy and foggy so there was no view, but the monument itself was very impressive. He had died near this site in a plane crash. The trail from here was like a walk in the park, wide grassy and flat. You can tell a popular local hike, the trail is usually well maintained and traveled. When we got to the bottom of the hill, there was a cooler near the trail. I thought it looked like it had been there for awhile, so I took my hiking pole and opened it up. It was full of cold soda!! We were so thankful and enjoyed it very much. We left a note to thank the kind person who left it and headed on. The next adventure was one I had been fearing for weeks, Dragon's Tooth. It is a serious rock climb, and it was windy and rainy. I had worked myself up into such a tizzy about it. We met a hiker coming southbound, and said that it wasn't bad coming that way, but some northbound hikers had said it was the worst they had ever seen it. Not what I wanted to hear. We stopped and called the hostel to see if there would be room for us and he assured us he would take care of us. He warned us also about Dragon's Tooth. More fear.   We got there and just made our way through it. There were places were there was rebar in the rocks for helping climb down so that was reassuring. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought, thankfully. We only had 2 and 1/2 miles to go after that, but the first mile was almost worse than Dragon's tooth with rocks. We made it to the hostel. It was a third of a mile walk off the trail. It was 6 pm when we got there and we were met in the driveway by Donna. When we told her our names, she smiled and said that she had gotten our note in the cooler of soda. She was our trail angel earlier! It was so nice to thank her in person. We headed up to the hostel which is actually a three bay garage. It was packed. We walked in and Squirrel and Listen were the first familiar faces we saw. We hadn't seen them since Easter. Then we heard about the nasty weather forecast that never happened on the trail, thankfully. tornados and flooding. Most of the hikers there had called for a shuttle, and gotten off the trail. We were totally unaware of the nastiness that was predicted. We had a nice night there with good food and catching up with other hikers adventures
Date: 2014-05-01
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

Weirman made us a delicious breakfast of fresh eggs from the chickens at the hostel. We headed down the trail with the sun in the sky. We ran into Shy Bear not too far along the trail. Then there were quite a few stiles (A frame ladders over fences) in the next few miles. Hitting 700 on one of them. There were a lot of hikers out because of the nice weather, and we ran into B-man in the parking lot. We hadn't seen him since our second day on the trail! He was the first person to welcome us to our campsite the very first night on the trail. He had been bouncing around doing different sections, so we were pretty lucky to have run into him. The trail to McAfee Knob is a popular local hike so the trail is very well groomed and it was an easy climb even in the heat. We made it to the knob and Chef was there so he took our picture. From there we went to Campbell shelter and made dinner, then hiked on to Tinker Cliffs. It was a beautiful afternoon and the views were spectacular. We went to Lamberts Meadow Shelter and pitched the tent there.
Date: 2014-05-02
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 9.4

It was another nice day and we only had a short hike to town. We saw some great views of town from the cliffs. Weirman and I hiked under 5 power lines, one that was so huge we could hear the electricity flying around it. Weirman was having chest pains(of anxiety ) from all of the crackling. We got to town around 12:30 and were able to get a room at Howard Johnson's right off the trail. We headed right to the Mexican restaurant before we even showered. We ate so much food it was scary. Then we went back to do laundry and shower. A shower feels SO GOOD after hot days on the trail. Jim Montgomery arrived around 3ish and I met him in the lobby. He looked great, but his backpack did not make it to Roanoke with him, it went to Appleton, WI. we decided to walk to town to get a few groceries and the outfitters for some supplies. Weirman and I were able to weigh ourselves and we discovered that he had lost 17 lbs and I had lost 14 lbs.   We decided it was time to eat some more! We had a good meal at a restaurant called the three little pigs. Then we headed back to the hotel we stayed up and visited hoping Jim's pack would arrive, but we gave up at midnight and went to bed. We were able to talk with all of the girls, and Weirman got a call from Peg and Mark.
Date: 2014-05-03
From: Daleville

To: Curry Creek
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We got up after a fitful night in a very lumpy bed. It seems like the tent is more comfortable now than a bed. Is that wrong? We enjoyed a continental breakfast at the hotel, then Weirman and I walked to the Post Office to mail a box to his brother. It contained some extra stuff we hadn't been using, along with some winter gear. I also had to send my knitting project back. It got wet in the last rain storm and I was afraid it might get ruined. It is a sweater for baby Tilly. I finished the sleeve in the hotel the night before and kissed it good bye for awhile. Sad day for Knitter. We checked out of the hotel and I called Millie and planned her arrival later this month. We started around 11:45am, Jim's trail adventure had begun. We stopped for a break and Jim pulled out a fireball jawbreaker to eat. We decided his trail would be Arctic Fireball. He is carrying a gallon sized ziplock full of the jawbreakers. We hiked to the first shelter and got water and a snack. Then we contined on for a total of 8.6 miles. We pitched our tents ate supper, washed up, soaked our tired feet, and climbed in our warm sleeping bags at 8:00 and watched the moon rise from our tent.
Date: 2014-05-04
From: Curry Creek

To: campsite just past Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: few clouds

We enjoyed a nice leisurely breakfast this morning and got on the trail before 9 am. The terrain and the weather were perfect for ArcticFireball to start to get his trail legs. We got to Wilson Creek Shelter and ate a snack and met 4 other hikers two of them were only hiking for the weekend and offered us some snickers bars and said they would take our garbage. They had thru hiked in 2011 and knew how much we would appreciate it. We took them up on their offer and thanked them. Got back on the trail and hiked til we stopped for lunch at the Blue Ridge Parkway. We followed the road then for the last five miles of the hike. We saw a deer near the trail, she was very curious and watched us for quite awhile before running off. We had planned to go and pitch our tents near the shelter, but there were no soft flat spots so we climbed back up to the trail and pitched the tents on a nice site. Weirman went off to explore and Arctic Fireball and I relaxed and enjoyed some rest.
Date: 2014-05-05
From: campsite just past Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: middle creek campground
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We listened for a long time to what we thought was a car alarm in a nearby parking lot, when in fact it was a whippoorwill. He or she could go on FOREVER!! Thunder showers were predicted for today so we decided we would get a cabin for the night. We called to find out there was one available at the Middle Creek Campground, so we reserved that. We didn't want to push Arctic Fireball too hard and the terrain wasn't bad compared to what we had been doing. He was awesome. We were amazed at what he could do, he had never been hiking like this in his life. Just as we were about to get to the road, there was a bit of trail magic in the form of doughnuts. We got the last two to split between the three of us. YUM.   We tried to call for a shuttle to the campsite, but no answer. Then the rain came, it was like the sky had opened up and just let loose. We walked to the campsite which was over a mile away. By the time we got there it had stopped raining, and the sun was starting to peek through. We got a cabin and ordered dinner. Weirman had three hamburgers, and Arctic Fireball and I each got a burger and about 5 lbs of French fries for all of us as.   They were delicious. We each took a shower, and I did laundry. Then Weirman heard the store was open again so he went back down there to order a chicken sandwich, but they were out of chicken, so he ate two blueberry muffins instead. It was nice to have a dry soft bed to sleep on. We played Spades and Arctic Fireball kicked our butt.
Date: 2014-05-06
From: middle creek campground

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We arranged for a shuttle the night before, so we went down to the store to order breakfast. We ate some eggs, sausage, and great biscuits. We finished packing up and were back on the trail by 9:15. We started off with Slim, but she took off like a shot and we never saw her again. We hiked through some really pretty creek beds and got to Bryant Ridge Shelter in time for lunch. This shelter was amazing. I wish we had known about it earlier, I would have liked to stay there it had a loft and a covered area to eat, and windows. It was dedicated to a young man, and it was a nice tribute to him. From there we began the climb. It was long and hot. When we got to the top, we ran into Half Pint hiking southbound. We visited with her for awhile and continued on our way. The trilliums were finally blooming today!!! They are so beautiful. It seemed like there were fields and fields of them.
Date: 2014-05-07
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Marble Spring Campsite
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

We woke to a foggy morning. We had Arctic Fireball climbing and descending the Mountains until he asked if we had a deal with Nancy to finish him off so she could collect the life insurance. We also ran into a young friend of ours and her dog, Whitney, who now has the trail name, Studebaker, whom we hadn't seen since the early days in Georgia when we survived a freezing night with hail and howling winds in the same campsite. We finally arrived at our campsite for the night, much to Arctic Fireballs delight. We met Twizzler, Reroute, and good Company
Date: 2014-05-08
From: Marble Spring Campsite

To: Glasgow VA
Miles today: 7.7

Our camping mates, Twizzler, Reroute, and Good Company headed out and we were close behind. We had been hiking about an hour, when I heard a voice behind me say, is that Knitter? It was Flossie and Squirrel. We had communicated earlier through the trail journals site.. It was so great to finally meet them! Knowing we had a short day seemed to inspire Arctic Fireball and we crossed the footbridge over the James River and were at the highway to Glasgow in no time at all. Since we had no cell phone service, we decided to hitch a ride to town, since it was 6 miles.. Reroute was with us and the second vehicle to pass us stopped, and we all climbed in the back of the pickup and rode into town!! It was fun and Arctic Fireball wasn't so sure about the hitch. We got to Glasgow and headed for the restaurant. Weirman was so excited to eat, he ordered a huge pizza, and a pulled pork sandwich with fries. Arctic fireball and I ordered a chef salad. It was delicious. We found the shelter which was just behind the restaurant. It was just like a shelter on the trail, but there was a porta potty and a shower! I was excited about the shower, but we couldn't get the hot water to work. It was so hot, that it ALMOST felt good. We hung out there, did laundry, and shopped at the "grocery Store" In the evening a few more hikers, Hiccup and Sharp Knife, showed up and we had a nice evening.
Date: 2014-05-09
From: Glasgow VA

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

We were supposed to have a shuttle to take us back to the trail at 8:30 am, but they ran into car problems. We left Arctic Fireball sitting on the curb in Glasgow, and got a ride to the trail from a nice guy... We hated leaving him, but he assured us it would be fine. We got on the trail and hiked until we couldn't see anything anymore. Pitched our tent in the dark next to some other tents.
Date: 2014-05-11
From: Seeley-woodworth Shelter

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: few clouds

We woke up this morning to see just where we had landed last night in the dark. I could not find my thyroid pills anywhere, but figured they would show up... It turned out we had pitched our tent next to Flossie and Squirrel. We had just met them a few days ago, but we had communicated before we started hiking on-line. She is a knitter and had been looking for us on the trail.. As we headed out past the shelter, we heard someone call out our names.... It was Brian, now known as ROCKDOC. We had not seen him since day three when we climbed up Sassafras mountain.... This has been the week to reconnect!! We called Arcric Fireball, and he had made it out of Glasgow and was in Roanoke waiting to fly out later in the day. It was starting to rain, so we headed up the hill. It kept raining HARD, and then the wind started to blow!!!! we found refuge under a rock with Studebaker and Reset. I was soaked through to my underwear and changed into dry clothes and socks.... much better.... we made it to the shelter and were able to get the tent set up before the rain set in again.....
Date: 2014-05-12
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We decided we wanted to get as close to Waynesboro as we could today, so we got up early, and planned to hike 22 miles. The first 3.2 miles were all uphill, over 4000 feet. We made it to the next shelter, and enjoyed lunch with Studebaker, Reset, and Thin Mint. The rest of the day was pretty flat, but very rocky!! The ticks and bugs are out and are very hungry, I think I went pretty close to crazy with them swarming around. Finally I put on my treated shirt and lathered up with bug dope. It really helped and the rest of the hike went so much better. We got to the shelter, and Thin Mint was there, and said there's someone here you might want to see.... It was Flipper!!! We knew she was just ahead of us, but didn't think we could possibly catch her. IT was sooo great to see her again!!!! She is just about the happiest hiker on the trail. It was so good to catch up and share stories with her.
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: clear sky

We got up this morning, and had a relaxing breakfast with Flipper, when Ranger came walking up to the shelter!! we hadn't seen him in about a month. This was the week to reconnect with old friends!!! He had gotten off the trail for a family vacation, so he was catching up. It was so good to see him, he had frostbitten his thumb in the Smokies, and is still dealing with the healing of that. We headed down the trail to Waynesboro, it was only about 5 miles. We got to the road and my phone had been dead for several days, so we weren't able to call for a shuttle. We walked towards the parking lot, and a man who had a portable food truck parked there gave us each a gatorade and some kettle corn!! He offered his phone,and an electrical outlet so I could start charging my phone. We ended up getting a ride with a lady who had come to pick up another hiker and had some room in her vehicle. She recommended we go to the Quality Inn and said she would drive us there. We got there and were headed into the Inn, when she came out of her truck and invited us to stay at her house!! We were so grateful, and took her up on her offer. We had another hiker in the truck who has an ankle injury, and she took him to the doctor. We got to her house and she showed us our room, and we were able to do our laundry, take a shower, and walk to town. We found an ALL YOU CAN EAT (AYCE)chinese restaurant. for $7.50 each we got the best food!!! I think Weirman ate 7 platefuls!! We had a nice visit with Cindy(our host) and a great but very HOT humid night.
Date: 2014-05-14
From: Waynesboro

To: mile871
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

We packed up our gear and took Cindy to breakfast at Weasie's Kitchen a popular diner in Waynesboro for the over 50 crowd. Then Cindy drove us to the trailhead. We were about a quarter of a mile from getting there when the fog set in. It was thick!!! We so enjoyed meeting and staying with Cindy, she is the epitome of what the trail is all about.   THANK YOU AGAIN CINDY!!   We got on the trail and filled out our pass into Shenandoah National Park (SNP)   Reset showed up while we were there, and we visited with him and headed out. The fog was so thick that everything was wet, we were surprised it wasn't raining. Good temps for hiking after the blistering heat from a few days ago. My body is getting worn out and I have a huge knot by my left shoulder blade which pinches a nerve and makes it hard to catch my breath at times. Weirman had it in his mind to go around 15 miles, but I was done at 13 so he reluctantly stopped and we pitched the tent in a nice soft bed of leaves. We ate dinner, hung our food, and crawled into the tent for the night. We had pretty lively discussion about my attitude. I am not allowed to say "I can't " anymore, when I can so I need to remember to enjoy the journey, and we decided we would just push less miles and not worry about it. It helped a lot to get that talk over All is well May the forest be with you
Date: 2014-05-15
From: mile871

To: Loft Mountain Campground
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The fog had lifted by morning, and when I got out of the tent to pee, there was a deer stating at me from about 10 yards away. We got back on the trail fairly early and were at Riprap trail intersection when we noticed some gear just off the trail. We thought about checking it out, but figured someone was off in the woods taking care of business, so we kept going. A bit further down the trail there was someone's rain fly. We left it also, but hung it up so it was visible if they came back.   Then we found a set of tent poles.   Weirman picked those up and we continued on our way thinking we would leave them at the road crossing coming up. When we got there, three young ladies were sitting. They were the owners of the tent poles!! They probably lost the other stuff too, but didn't seem concerned enough to go back. We visited with them for awhile and they told us of a storm that was headed our way. I was able to get a hold of Millie on the phone and we made tentative plans for her to meet us on Saturday. Off we went, trying to beat the storm.   We got to the Loft Mountain campsite around 1:00, and set up our tent. We went back up to the road to find the rangers station to register, when he pulled up in a car. We volunteered to drive us to the station to register. Then he was so kind as to take us to the camp store. We figured it was going to be a long wet night, so we got 4 beers, a bag of Doritos, and 2 apples. By the time he drove us back to the tent site, it had started to rain, and rain it did!!! For the next 12 hours we felt like we were in a ziplock bag in the spin cycle of a washing machine. The wind was blowing so hard, I was sure a tree would fall on us, or the picnic table would get blown into the tent. Needless to say I didn't sleep much, but Weirman was sound asleep after his "dinner" of beer, chips, and an apple. Getting up to pee was a strategic move, waiting for a bit of lull in the downpour. We survived another storm in the forest!!!