morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-05-27
From: Dickenson Gap Campsite

To: JohnÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Campsite 
Miles today: 18.6

Day 56 Icechest FunIt¢s always a tricky manoeuvre to pack up a wet tent when it¢s still raining. In the confined space I gently deflate the air mattress and blow up pillow, careful to not touch the sides. Slowly I get everything I can into my pack. Then it¢s a manic dash: get the pack outside, hopefully by a tree that has a measure of shelter, then whip off the tent fly, cast that aside, then roll up the inner tent hopefully without getting it too wet. Inevitably there are splatters of mud, leaves and debris. Worse there¢s always a sock or item of clothing that gets missed in the mayhem that either gets rolled up in the tent, or gets cast aside into the wet surroundings. Nothing beats putting on wet socks and oh yes they sure smell by the end of the day.Nothing is too neat. Perhaps the worse thing is that the wet tent now weighs so much with all the moisture. Much of the morning was a gentle misty gloom, then out came the sun and it got very humidly hot very quickly. I was sweating bullets. All was good. But then disaster struck in the kindest of ways. Early afternoon the nicest of Trail Angels had left an ice chest full of a selection of beers and sofas all on ice. What can a Treetrunk do when presented with such manna from heaven. Oh dear! I had an amber fluid, and then another. So far so good. Then the grief! I had to climb up a ridge and in true AT tradition it was steep, unforgiving and massive. Not long into the assent I asked myself:¢Oh why did I have that second beer?¢ Then later ¢Oh why did I have that first beer?!!!¢ Well I did make it to the top, then down again and to a pleasant shelter where there was a fresh mountain spring with cool sweet water. Ahhh refreshment! I walked aways on, pitched my wet tent by a gurgling stream happy and content.I slept well.
Date: 2019-05-28
From: JohnÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Campsite 

To: Nidday Shelter
Miles today: 17.3

Day 57 Keffer OakOnce upon a time the Appalachia mountains had groves of massive white oak trees. Their canopy spread was huge. Then someone had the bright idea of chopping down one or two or more. Then disease came. Over time the groves were gone. I came across one of the last remaining large oak trees:The Keffer Oak. Sadly it didn¢t look in great shape. There is a symbiotic relationship between trees and their canopies. Someone ( who probably had the same wisdom of that other someone who started cutting down the first Oaks) had thought it a great location for electricity transmission lines. They¢d swathe cut all the vegetation beneath the wires so the Keffer Oak is deprived to one side of the adjoining canopy. How long it hangs on is anyone¢s guess but it was a sad sight. That aside I had a great walk. Once again very picturesque.
Date: 2019-05-29
From: Nidday Shelter

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 16.7

Day 58 Too Many Boulders Today turned out to be much tougher than I expected. As usual it began with a steep climb. That I could handle. At a Knob was a memorial to Audie Murphy who I remember when I was a kid as a western movie star. These days he¢s  more so remembered as the most decorated soldier from WW2. He had died near this spot in a plane crash. Now soldiers come from across the USA to place their old dog tags and leave a memorial flag. Whilst I was there I met up with a Vietnam Vet. He showed me a photo of when he was in Vietnam. Boy he was real fit, muscled and without doubt a mean fighting machine! We spoke of what the attitudes were towards soldiers back 50 years ago and how they were really reviled. These days if someone is wearing military insignia, without hesitation folks will go out of their way to say ¢Thank you for your service.¢ How times have changed. The trail dropped down from that point to a river where I had my lunch of instant porridge in my cup. ( My hiking ideas about what to eat, how and when have become very weird) Then there was another uphill all the way to the Dragon¢s Tooth, a major scenic drawcard on the AT. Actually it¢s a large slab of skywards facing rock monolith. To my way of thinking it wasn¢t that big a deal. But my thinking was very much tempered by my exhaustion from all the twisted rocks and boulders on a ridge top I had to scramble over to get there. I was totally spent! Then it got worse. The climb down was steep and in places they had embedded steel ladder rungs in the rock faces; the climbs were so difficult. At this point a massive rain storm blew in, and on one rock I slipped and twisted my knee. ¢Ouch ouch ouch¢ Actually I loudly used much more colourfully descriptive choice words. Somehow I reached the bottom and I knew I could go no further. Luckily nearby was a convenience store selling pizza of dubious quality. I didn¢t care! I ordered every topping they had. And once I had the pizza bliss: a van pulled up and I was asked if I wanted a ride to the Four Pines Hostel. By now the rain had started again and my mind was made up. Off to the Four Pines we went. It was run by an alternative hiker friendly man who had converted his large three bay home garage into a hostel. One bay was filled with bunks, another lounge chairs and the third had a washroom and dining tables. It was a fun atmosphere. I slept well.PS Today¢s picture is of a classic barn I saw yesterday. I love the agricultural architecture here!
Date: 2019-05-30
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Lamberts Meadow Campsite 
Miles today: 16.7

Day 59 McAfee¢s KnobToday¢s adventure saw the Appalachian Trail architects again throw in ridge top boulder strewn, jagged sawtooth climbs. It was brutal. And again I totally ran out of energy! But I did get to view two of the gems of the trail: McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs. I handled the climb up to McAfee well enough and took time out to laze in the sun. But by the time I¢d clambered over far too many boulders to get to Mt Tinker I was wobbly and my pace had reduced to a feeble shuffle. Perhaps I did have a bit of energy left because just as I was going to admire the view from the top I heard the unmistakable clatter of a rattle snake. I jumped a foot in fright. Then I saw the thing. It was huge and coiled ready to strike. I backed off but the serpent was not afraid and headed for me. What cheek! Well I then fast hobbled backwards, then made a vast detour. Nasty thing! It was all I could do to make it the 1 mile down the mountain to a creekside campsite. I went to sleep determined to find a relaxing bed in the next town and have at least half a day off!!!
Date: 2019-05-31
From: Lamberts Meadow Campsite 

To: Daleville 
Miles today: 9.1

Day 60 DalevilleThere were more boulders on the hiking menu today but I didn¢t care! It was only a relatively short walk to Daleville and there I was determined to find a bed for the night. Walking into Daleville was quite a surprise. The trail is enclosed in a tunnel of vegetation right until the moment it pops out onto a busy 4 lane highway. And right there was the Super8 motel. Lots of hikers were already there and to my luck ¢Smiley¢ a hiker I¢d met a few days back asked if I wanted to share her room with one other hiker. It was on the couch but I was fine with that. I gladly agreed. Ahhh couch time. Plus a short visit to numerous eateries! I ran into so many hikers I had met along the way. I think we were all of the same opinion that the last few days had been way too brutal and some time off was called for. I did also get to meet up with hikers who had chosen to stay in the rock and poison ivy infested meadow back at Chestnut Knob Shelter. They were covered in calamine lotion. Seems the poison ivy was particularly reactive. Though first unnoticed, a couple of days later it produced nasty welts from the plant¢s oils. Worse the oils transferred to sleeping bags and clothing so it went to all parts of the body. You can be sure I¢m gaining an eagle eye to spot that pesky verdure!
Date: 2019-06-01
From: Daleville

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 61 A ThirdThe AT route decision makers had obviously listened to the flood of complaints (* see footnotes below) about the previous few days and had significantly improved the conditions of the walking path. The way out of Daleville was such a change! It was now a manicured Avenue! Smooth, mowed lawn edges, manicured fine clipped path definition. I was enjoying this. And to top it off, not long after this the one third sign. I was a third done!Now the mathematician in me goes thru the obvious numbers ... the first third took 61 days ... the next two thirds should take 61+61=122 days or 183 Days overall. There is a slight problem here. My visa is only for 6 months meaning that the USA Department of Homeland Security might be on my case if my hike takes that long. There are two obvious options. Either Option A: I start walking faster or Option B: they make the Appalachian Trail a whole lot easier.I¢m planning on option B! I ended up doing 11miles for the day on top of a ridge at Wilson Creek Shelter (The Creek was way down the ridge!!) I so enjoyed not walking fast.Footnote 1: Many past hikers rate the previous few days section as their most favourite hiking days. - go figureFootnote 2: Those hikers must be masochistic.Footnote 3: My sincere thanks go out to all the true Trail Angels who maintain the trail as it is, especially along the difficult bits. An amazing job.
Date: 2019-06-02
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Jennings Creek (Middle Creek Campground)
Miles today: 17.0

Day 62 Dreams Can Come TrueThe day started with wonderful trail magic. Pretzel had driven from Durham NC and set up a large tarp and tables of fresh watermelon, bananas, oranges, yoghurt and drinks. It was an hour or so out from our camp at the shelter the night before so it was the perfect mid morning break. More trail magic followed a bit further on. From there on the trail levelled out for awhile. I asked myself ¢Could it be that the trail is getting easier???¢ Along the way my appetite seemed to disappear. Generally speaking, my foodstuff craving fluctuates wildly from non existence (5 minutes after trail magic) to intense hunger (15 minutes after trail magic). But today I really couldn¢t handle another dehydrated packaged hiking food product for supper. To pass the time as I hiked along I asked myself what I¢d like to eat for supper. Eventually I decided upon ice cream and a hamburger. Of course such a dinner is an impossibility but the mind yearns for strange things along the trail. As evening drew closer I dropped down into a valley where there was a swimming hole and campsite where I intended to stay. Just as I got to the dirt road which went by the campsite a minibus pulled up and a bunch of hikers appeared from the bushes and hopped on board. On a whim I thought ¢Why not join them?¢ So I did. Once aboard the bus I asked, ¢Where is this bus going to?¢ There was general laughter as to why I would get on a random bus without knowing its intended destination. But then came the answer. ¢It¢s going to the Middle Creek Campground where there¢s ice cream and hamburgers!¢ ¢Surely this can¢t be true?¢, I thought to myself. But sure enough 5 minutes later we pulled up at a caravan/camper van/camping park and there was a camp store selling ice cream and hamburgers. Sometimes dreams do come true. I was so happy I stayed the night, had a shower and was provided with a grassy level space for my tent. I even had a picnic table. Sometimes the simplest things bring such pleasure.
Date: 2019-06-03
From: Jennings Creek (Middle Creek Campground)

To: Marble Spring Campsite 
Miles today: 21.2

Day 63 Guillotine RockThe hamburger and ice cream must have been just what I needed as I was able to keep walking feeling full of energy.The day began with a stiff uphill (nothing new), and then another called Apple Orchard Mountain. I didn¢t see any orchards but I guess there once were. This peak was much higher than the first and at first I felt most intimidated. But then the path zigged and zagged and the gradient became the most gentle I could have imagined. It probably took a great distance to get there but for once it wasn¢t steep and my calf muscles were so relieved! Coming down, the trail did one of its quirky detours and this time it was to ¢The Guillotine¢. See my sketch. It¢s one of those fun features of the trail. This time a massive boulder hung precariously between two cliff faces. It¢s held in place by a number of wedged rocks. I wouldn¢t want to be underneath when one of these gave way. The original trail builders must have gone to great lengths to showcase the feature as there had obviously been a lot of effort in making random stone steps down to and up from it. I think that¢s one of the things I like about this trail - the care and attention taken to highlight nature¢s anomalousness. Camp that night was at Marble Spring, an open saddle with plenty of tenting space and just below that a clear cold spring with water gushing out.
Date: 2019-06-04
From: Marble Spring Campsite 

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 64 Resupply One thing which amazes me is the quality and extent of infrastructure that has been provided for the Appalachian Trail. A case in point is the foot bridge over the James River. See photo above. It would be over 300metres long - a massive structure all constructed just for the folks doing the Appalachian Trail.The bridge links up with a parking area for a busy highway and is an ideal place to hitch a ride to the nearby town of Glasgow for a food resupply. Once there I met a trail angel who asked if I wanted a turkey sandwich or other food treat. This sounded a much preferable activity than hitch hiking so I took a seat and spent the next half hour in conversation. She was a swimmer who had made an attempt on the English Channel. She trained in the James River and is soon off to Loch Ness in Scotland to see what swimming in that is like. I¢d say darned cold! We had a grand time talking of our common aquatic interests, then a car pulled into the parking area and I had a ride to Glasgow! Perfect timing. Once there it was straight into ¢Scotty¢s¢, a Grill.   It was full of familiar hiking faces. A side room with lots of open windows was set aside for us! Must be our smell!So I had a hamburger and more conversation about the adventures of the trail. A trip then to the grocery store, a sort out of my backpack, and the disposal of all my accumulated trash to a rubbish bin. I was now ready to return to the trail. No sooner had I stood on the side of the road than a car pulled over and I was on my way back to the trail head. More perfect timing! Surprisingly I got a lot of good walking in that afternoon. Once again there were massive climbs, but the hamburgers seem to do the trick in keeping me going! Our stop for the night was at a spring and large pond at Punchbowl Shelter. 15 or so hikers were there already. Most were section hikers. The numbers of through hikers I meet now are steadily declining as I head north. A fire was going so we made and had dinner whilst enjoying the warmth from the flames. The conversation centred around Ottie Cline Powell, a young 4 year old lad who had died of exposure nearby. This happened many many years ago when there was a high population in the area. He had wandered over 7 miles away from school whilst collecting firewood for the classroom stove. So sad.The banter was that our camp was haunted! That night I awoke to hear noises in the brush but it was just deer. There was however a very haunting glow over the pond. It seems there was a gathering of thousands of fireflies and they gave off the most mysterious and marvellous luminosity.
Date: 2019-06-05
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Hog Camp Gap Campsite
Miles today: 17.6

Day 65 800 MilesIt sounds repetitive but the day was more ups and downs! I did hit 800 miles which was exciting. Then it started to rain. A tropical depression was centred just to the west and was drawing in lots of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. So it wasn¢t cold, just drizzly tropical wetness. No need for a raincoat. No sooner would that be on than I would be drenched in sweat. There was a benefit to the rain : it gave my clothes a wash! Things had cleared by evening and I spent a very enjoyable time by a fire with three other campers at Hogpen Gap camping ground: a fine grassy meadow with a delightful gushing spring a ways down the hill.
Date: 2019-06-06
From: Hog Camp Gap Campsite

To: Harpers Creek Campground
Miles today: 21.9

Day 66 Spy RockThe day started much as yesterday: showers, hints of a significant deluge but nothing too serious. No need for a raincoat, with more wet clothes either from my perspiration or from cloudbursts.It was a day of history for me.The Appalachian Mountains used to be heavily populated during the 1800 and early 1900¢s. You wouldn¢t think it now given the thick vegetation and the steep valleys. It¢s hard to believe anyone could forge out a reasonable living here but they did. Every now and again I would come across rock walls disappearing into the thick undergrowth often with no sensible reason as to why they are located where they are. Why build a wall half way up a steep mountain hillside at a random angle? It made no sense to me. And then I would come across old chimney stacks again in the most curious locations. What history they could tell. Today¢s walk brought me across many such structures. Another reminder of the past was Spy Rock: a large rocky outcrop atop a hilltop Knob. It was once used during the civil war as it gave a strategic outlook over the far valleys below and potential troop movements. I took my time imagining what life must have been in those days past. Perhaps too much time, because I didn¢t make camp until late dusk. Light was fading fast and by the time I had supper I was eating by lantern light.
Date: 2019-06-07
From: Harpers Creek Campground

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: light rain

Day 67 NewtsAnother rainy day. This time with more significant precipitation but not enough to get me truly wet. It was a rugged, testing climb up to Three Ridges. The cloud was thick so what was supposed to be spectacular views was instead swirling mist. I have a particularly inflexible right knee so the slick rock was a worry and I took my time carefully negotiating every step either up or down. One hiker past me that morning and he seemed to be flying ... oh what I¢d give to have ninja legs! Coming down I came to Reed¢s Gap and I saw dimly through gloomy haze a red marquee. Joy what joy! Trail Magic. What a spread! There was even a driver there offering to take hikers down the road to ¢Devils Backbone¢ brewery! Given the weather I think every hiker took up his offer and didn¢t come back!! But not me! I pressed onwards through what was to be a very misty, view deprived day.One advantage of the rain was it brought out the newts. Australia has no native newts or salamanders so I don¢t usually get to see these fascinating creatures that look like a lizard but are not. They can be quite toxic, enough even to kill an adult human. Some Native Americans even used the toxin to poison their enemies. Perhaps because all animals know the newts are poisonous, they seem fearless and don¢t move at all fast when I get near. They move so weirdly. Even with their toxic poison, somehow, the newts and their young called efts swim in the rivers and springs without apparently affecting the water safety. At least I still feel fine! At days end I arrived at Paul Wolfe Shelter and once again it was late dusk. There were 3 other hikers there. All had left Reeds Gap before the offer of rides to the brewery! I set up my air mattress quietly in the lofty shelter and dozed gently off to sleep.
Date: 2019-06-08
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 5.0

Day 68 Chinese AYCEAll along the trail from about Damascus onwards I have heard hikers wax lyrical about the Ming Gardens Chinese Buffet in Waynesboro. Today was the day I got to splurge there!! First was a very easy hike to a trail head by a highway. I rang the owner of ¢Stanimals¢ Hiker Hostel in Waynesboro who came and picked me up. At the hostel (which is very very clean and tidy, I love it) I showered, washed my clothes and set up my bed. Then off to the restaurant. Stepping inside it was huge. Quickly ascertaining I was a hiker, the ma®tre de escorted me to a separate air conditioned area. (Hiker smell proof) I was the only one there. But not for long! Soon hikers I hadn¢t seen for a week or more started to flood in until we had a room full. Apparently they are a day or two back but the wet weather has been just way too much. So at the bottom of what was one steep slope too many they called a shuttle and headed into town. One hiker had a huge gash above his left eye - the slick rocks were taking their toll on everyone. The buffet lived up to our expectations. I think there were at least 10 different varieties of prawn and shrimps. There were even frogs legs! I finished it off with two servings of cherry cobbler. Oh what gluttony. I waddled back to the hostel oh so satisfied. 20 minutes later I was hungry again! I asked myself how this could be? That¢s what through hiking too many miles does I think!!
Date: 2019-06-09
From: Waynesboro

To: Stealth Camp near Sawmill Run
Miles today: 10.5

Day 69 Deluge The weather forecast predicted a tropical depression would bring lots of rain to the region. For once the forecast was correct only there was even more rain than lots of rain. It was a deluge.And there was no let up. It just kept coming down! But I wasn¢t too bothered. I spent a lazy morning at Stanimals enjoying the luxury of a proper bed. Breakfast was provided: blueberry pancakes, sausages and egg omelettes. A solid filling meal. A shuttle dropped me back at the trail head. Other hikers scurried past me, obviously anxious to get to the next shelter 8 miles away before the weather really set in. By the time I made it there the shelter was full - no space for me. I decided to press on. Although I was soaked through I wasn¢t cold. Eventually I saw what I thought was a suitable campsite. But just as I was putting up my tent the downpour really began. By the time I was finished there was a lake inside my tent! With all the nutrients on the tent floor from all my days of hiking I think fish began to breed! So I resolved to drain the swamp with whatever means I could. In this case I used my mini towel from my toiletry bag! Even after an hour or so of mopping  and wringing out my handkerchief sized sponge wipe there was still a fair sized muddy swamp to the bottom corner of the tent. Lucky I had pitched on a reasonable slope and with my thick air mattress I managed to keep above the sea!!! A fun night.