morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-14
From: Camp on ridge near mile 605

To: Docs Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: broken clouds

Well last night, just when I thought I would be alone, Beans, Sister, and Ash showed up at my campsite around 9:30. It was like neighbors coming to visit! Ash wound up staying and the boys left around 10pm. It was a very pleasant evening in a great little site.A late retirement last night led to an almost 9am departure this morning. I crossed the road to Trents Grocery and I decided to hitch down and get a breakfast sandwich and a coffee. A very nice guy named Bob brought me both ways so it worked out very well.The trail today was very easy for almost 9 miles. Shortly into it I passed a sign for Dismal Falls 0.3mi to the west. I could hear people down there so I decided to go. I also decided that if I took the time to go there that I would have to take a dip. When I arrived, there were Beans and Sister again. For all the time they spend night hiking, they don't always get very far! Sticking to my plan, I peeled off my hiking clothes and jumped in the river. Needless to say it was wicked cold!! I stayed in long enough to get fully rinsed off. It was the first "bath" I'd had since Sunday and cold or not, it felt great! I returned to the trail invigorated and ready to walk. I hiked with Ash for awhile which was fun. We had lunch at the Wapiti shelter, then I headed up a significant climb on my own. Most people were going to the Woods Hole hostel either for dinner or to spend the night or both. I opted out going to Docs Knob shelter instead 2.3 miles further where I arrived a bit before 7pm. Here I met Smoking Joe and the Preacher who is just that. We shared dinner and the preacher shared some bible stories and then an early night. This shelter doesn't have any good tenting spots so I am in the shelter unfortunately. Tomorrow I will head into Pearisburg where I plan to spend the night, clean up, and eat. I'm hoping to day hike the next 20 mile section on Saturday if I can get a ride from a local shuttle guy. That would leave me at mile 654 for the beginning of my two or three day break when Ann comes Sunday. I would feel very good about that. I am excited to see her and take a short break. I believe it will do my body good. My quad pain has become more of a Charlie horse type pain now and I have some continued issues with my shoes. I have a love hate relationship with my Salomon XA pros. I am going to look into different shoes. All the news thats fit to print for the day. Less than 9 miles to town tomorrow!
Date: 2016-04-15
From: Docs Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

An easy hike into Pearisburg this morning. Sunny, breezy, and uneventful. The gang is all here including Large and WR. Also saw Portage for the first time since the NOC at mile 137! Tomorrow I'm going to do a flip flop slack pack. That means I'll hike southbound back to Pearisburg for about 20 miles. After that a short hiatus from trail life at mile 654 if all goes well. I will be back on the trail by Wednesday. Lunch at Pizza Hut today, a medium sausage pizza and salad bar for me, then AYCE Chinese buffet for dinner with the gang. Boy can we eat! Not the nicest town here but I'm clean, have clean clothes, and as always, the locals are very welcoming. It is very cool touring America on foot!
Date: 2016-04-16
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Stoney Creek Valley, VA Rte 635
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today marked my first slack pack day. Quite an experience! I also did it southbound so I ran into all of my recent trail buddies. That was strange but fun. By the end of the day I had passed 18 northbound thru hikers, 5 section hikers, and 4 day hikers. On a usual northbound day I would see far fewer people on the trail and run into similar folks at camp. As I've mentioned, I'm taking a couple days off because Ann has come to visit. Three to be exact. I'll be back on the trail on Wednesday. When I get back I believe I won't recognize any thru hikers I run across. That will really be strange. As always, I will see what the day brings. Lots of opportunity in not knowing! I'm calling this my vacation and dont anticipate another until I finish. I also plan on taking no zero days when I return until I get to my neice Molly's in Maryland. If she'll have me of course. Hopefully I can be successful in that goal. Today's hike involved walking along the VA/WV border. This seems to be a well kept secret that you hike in WV before leaving VA. I always thought we didn't get there until Harpers Ferry. It was another beautiful day with temperatures likely in the 60s in the valley. While the valley is showing strong signs of spring in terms of growth on the forest floor, the ridges still look like winter although it looks like buds on the trees are beginning to swell. I did see three deer on the ridge this morning. Going to spend some vacation time in Blacksburg and check out Virginia Tech. College towns are always fun. My thoughts are with all who were affected by that tragedy as I believe today is the anniversary date.
Date: 2016-04-20
From: Stoney Creek Valley, VA Rte 635

To: War Spur shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: broken clouds

Well much to report after my three day break. It was great to see Ann. Thanks so much for taking the time to come down. We spent three days off trail in Blacksburg as college towns are usually fun places to spend time. My goal was to rest my body, drink beer and eat as much as I could to get ahead on calories a bit. Well all went well on day 1. Most unfortunately, I wound up with a stomach bug on day 2 and 3 which put a real damper on all fun. It also set me back on my whole nutrition plan. So my plan to get back to the trail rested and refreshed went awry. In addition, spending so much time lying down left me with a tight lower back which definitely affected my hiking comfort. I must say it was awfully tempting to just get in the car and ride back home this morning. I felt physically drained, mad that I couldn't show Ann a better time after all her effort in coming down here, and discouraged in general. So with a heavy heart I got back on the trail and did what I seem to do best in life. Walk. The back thing definitely slowed me down a bit and my appetite is still weak so the day dragged on. By 430 I had only covered 12 plus miles and in my best decision of the day I decided to lay up at this shelter. I don't like stopping this early but it was the right thing to do. Since I am now 2.5 days behind my usual hiking friends I did not know who I would see when I got back. Tonight I am camped with Shellback, who I camped a couple nights with back in Carolina, and also Dark Water who is from New Hampshire who I believe I met once before. I also met a few new people today including Teach and Steady who are very nice. It was wise to lay up and hopefully a good night sleep well come. Despite the shelter being empty, I opted to pitch my 18 square feet of truly personal space. Tomorrow will be better and hopefully I can make better mileage.
Date: 2016-04-21
From: War Spur shelter

To: Niday Shelter 
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Feeling much better today although still not 100 percent. I set a goal to reach this shelter and did so by about 5pm. This morning after a very respectable climb, I met Alpenglow who is from Quebec City. He is a very strong hiker who started the trail on March 17. He is making very fast progress. He told me he hiked alone most of the time because he hasn't found anyone who matched pace well with him. After a break at a shelter we wound up hiking the rest of my day together. Our paces matched up very well and I really enjoyed his company. He is making you tube videos as he goes and posts them online. We made a very spontaneous one when we arrived at the eastern continental divide marker. I never knew I had career potential as a show host! Alpenglow is pushing to meet his sister in Daleville and I did not want to go more miles as I am still recovering so we parted ways with hopes of catching up on Sunday in town. Today was very warm with a noticeable bump in humidity. We got some nice views on more of Virginia's long low ridges. All in all, a nice day and glad to be meeting some new people. Tomorrow calls for rain which is much needed around here. The trail is so dusty that I have an awesome dirt tan from my gaiter line up to my knees. Clouds of dust come out of my shoes when I hit them together at days end, then there are my socks and feet. Won't say much about them!42 miles to Daleville where I will once again cross I-81. Once we do that we are on a pretty direct northeast path that will bring us to the Shenandoah National Park in about 135 miles. Currently there is a fairly large fire burning there which had closed a 10 plus mile section of the AT. I am less than two weeks away so it will be interesting to see what happens when I get there!
Date: 2016-04-22
From: Niday Shelter 

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

Today it rained most of the day. It was an easy soaking rain that the land really needed. It was just warm enough to hike in my t shirt and shorts with out a raincoat. I hiked with Bigfoot and the Big O today. Bigfoot is in his 30s from the Buffalo area. Big O is in his 20s so we were a diverse group in terms of age. Much good conversation flowed with few stops on our way to the Four Pines Hostel. The highlight of the day was a ride to an all you can eat restaurant called the Homeplace. If you are northbound, behind me, and reading this, DO NOT MISS THIS RESTAURANT!! The food is fabulous and it is served family style with as much as you want. Not eating for two days earlier this week then hiking for three left me ravenous for food and this was perfect. Did I mention fried chicken? The return to the Hostel after dinner featured some competitive cornhole which was a blast. Joe Mitchell, the owner, loves the game and throws a mean bag. He does however hate to lose! I enjoyed being able to play. It reminded me of the weekly Sugarbush tournament last summer. (I needed you Saw!)I'm sleeping on a couch tonight which is never my favorite. However, it has been fun here and I'm grateful to be showered, fed, warm, and dry! Tomorrow I'll try to hike about 20 miles and camp about five miles out of Daleville. Not sure if I'll stay in town but I should be poised to resupply, eat a meal and hike out all in a day if I so choose which is my current thinking. There is a large group of hikers here tonight which includes many people I haven't seen in a couple weeks. It is very cool to have the same people sort of ease in and out of my daily life. While we may not truly know each other well, it is always great to see each other and catch up. Coming back to the trail after my days off is a lot like coming back to Vermont after a vacation. It's a great place to come home to!
Date: 2016-04-23
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Campsite at mIle 721
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Well the rain cleared and we had a nice day to go over McAfee Knob. I arrived at the parking lot a little before lunch. What pandemonium! It made me so happy that I didn't have to deal with a car. I had an early lunch and headed up amongst hoards of Saturday day hikers. Day hikers always smell so nice. I guess the bad part about that is if I can smell them, they can smell me which probably isn't so nice! I ran across Grandma, a nice young man from, most recently, Massachusetts as I was bushwacking back to the AT after a brief mistake. He was at the Hostel as well last night. We wound up hiking together for the rest of the day. We saw more people on trail today than I think I saw in the entire last month combined. And this did not count all the day hikers. There were multiple boy scout groups as well as section hikers. We arrived at a shelter around 430pm to numerous tents and young boys. As the volume was high, Grandma and I opted to pack water and go further down the ridge and find a campsite. After an hour and a couple more miles we pitched at a small non descript camp where we ate and turned in. He is a great guy and I really enjoyed hiking with him. Tomorrow I am hoping to get into town in time to have breakfast. Then I plan on doing my resupply and hitting the BBQ for lunch. This place has come highly recommended from friends that live as far away as Pakistan. Can't wait! Today I called Ann for her birthday from Tinker Cliffs. As I was sitting there talking and the boy scout people were walking around me, it occurred to me that the outdoors has truly become home. It was like they were walking through my living room while I was on the phone. I really don't have anywhere else to go whereas they all did. Strange! Whatever, if all goes well I should be to the Shenandoah in about 8 days. I hope everything is worked out in terms of the forest fire when I arrive. On to Daleville in the morning!
Date: 2016-04-24
From: Campsite at mIle 721

To: Fullhardt Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Today marks the first time I hiked into town, resupplied, and left the same day. It was a fun day but definitely hard to leave in the afternoon especially when many friends were staying overnight. After being off early last week though it just made sense. Grandma, One Feather, and I hiked the 6.5 miles into town in time for breakfast at a real nice diner called Angelle's. They had a deck and we had a great meal outside with some nice local music and also WiFi. Including time spent calling my family, I was there easily two hours. Afterwards, One Feather let me shower and base out of his hotel room for the day which was really key! I was able to wash a couple things too which dried in the sun while I did my errands. The most necessary things, grocery, meals, and the outdoor store, were all in a plaza within a quarter mile of both the hotel and the trail. Perfect! After shopping, I went to the seemingly world renowned Three Little Pigs BBQ which featured East Carolina vinegar based bbq which I enjoyed with a nice local Virginia pale ale. They even give thru hikers free dessert! (Note to Bill Powell, be sure to stop here on your next trip north. It is a quarter mile off I-81.) As I was leaving, a few other hikers came along to eat their meals.After reorganizing my stuff, I headed out of town for a five mile hike to the first shelter where I arrived around 6pm. Grandma, who said he was going to hike out as well, looked pretty comfortable with his friends when I left so I was very surprised when he showed up at the shelter just before dark. Points for him. I am very glad to be beyond Daleville. That stretch from where Ann dropped me off seemed like a sort of purgatory to get through before truly being back on trail. I crossed back to the east of I-81today and now begin a pretty steady northeasterly line of travel. I have meandered around southwestern Virginia for almost 270 miles. I am glad to now be on a beeline for more northerly climes as mentioned. Many thanks again to One Feather for his hospitality today!
Date: 2016-04-25
From: Fullhardt Knob Shelter

To: Campsite at Jennings Creek
Miles today: 23.2

What a fabulous day. I could tell you about the big black snake I saw on the trail today, I could tell you about crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time, I could tell you that it was my second longest day at over 23 miles, or that I found my first deer antler in 750 miles of hiking. But I think I will tell you about my faith in humanity and the good in people. It was hot today and rather than quit at 4:00pm at a dry buggy shelter, we pushed on to Jennings Creek so we could swim after a long day which was likely the hottest of the hike so far. The water was beautiful and felt so good after the walking! Grandma and I had seen in the book that there was a campground with a store 1.2 miles away so we decided, perhaps foolishly, to leave our packs by the river and see if we could get a ride there. One woman did stop and I asked her if she would be willing to give us a ride. I could tell she really wanted to but was uncomfortable enough that she told us no and drove on. I understood why she must have felt trepidation at picking two men up on a country road with all that can happen these days. Shortly afterwards, another woman and her daughter stopped and when we gave our story gladly let us in their car and brought us to the store. What we didn't know was that the store was near the end of a dead end road. The mom, who's name I did not get, offered to wait while we got cooked food then bring us back to where we had left our stuff. How kind they were! The daughter's name was Mary Catherine, a senior in high school, who will attend college in the fall for environmental policy, the same major that Grandma pursued at Dartmouth. In addition, she aspires to hike the AT when she graduates college. There was clearly much to talk about! We were so grateful to this mom and daughter who took time out of their day to help us fulfill a whim. Some say that the trail provides. I would say that good people provide for those on the trail. Those of us in need really, or sometimes just in want. It is a shame that some people fear strangers and a bigger shame that others have done terrible things to instill this fear. A risk taken by both sides this afternoon led to a meeting with both immediate benefit for us, and hopefully future inspiration for a young woman with big hopes and dreams! After a beautiful day and a better human experience, I am camped peacefully by a trout stream where I watched fish jump and bats fly with a quality hiking partner this evening. I don't believe it gets much better than this!
Date: 2016-04-26
From: Campsite at Jennings Creek

To: Campsite at Harrison Ground Spring
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: broken clouds

It was a really pleasant night by the river last night. The water sounded great and it was easy to sleep. Things were pretty damp this morning however but not to fear, another hot day was in store. As we climbed out of the valley, you could feel the heat mount. Today was another hot dry day which featured multiple climbs totaling close to 5000 feet. With no swimming hole at the end and rain forecasted, my mood was not the best. I felt somewhat discouraged throughout the day even though my body felt good and even my feet didn't hurt to speak of. While I do not think of quitting, today it was easy to think of a number of things I could, and might rather, be doing instead of wandering through non descript hardwood forests for the fifty third day in a row.Spring has sprung down low and it still looks like winter up high. It makes for interesting views from the ridges. The green leaves are still slowly creeping up. Perhaps some rain will finish the job. The highlight of the day was the number of wildflowers that are blooming. I saw carpets of pink trillium, these cool little white bleeding hearts, and countless other colorful flowers. Those and maybe the avionics globe on the summit of Apple Orchard Mtn were the most interesting things I saw today. Grandma and I continue to hike together. He is a good guy. We will likely go into Buena Vista to stay over and resupply tomorrow especially if the weather is bad. As always, I'll see what the day brings. Thunder is rolling as I complete this entry.
Date: 2016-04-27
From: Campsite at Harrison Ground Spring

To: James River Rte 501
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Short morning hike today that began with wet tents after a solid set of showers last night. I did not have the best tent set so a bit of water got between my footprint and my tent but it did not get any of my stuff wet fortunately. Grandma and I decided to come into town, get a room, and dry up and eat. We had to resupply anyway so it made sense. Tomorrow we will do a 22 mile stretch as a day hike and return to town. This will give us a three day stint into Waynesboro and the southern end of the Shenandoah National Park. The hike today was alternately wet and hot and humid. We did get some nice views along the way. I saw my first rhododendron in bloom today which were beautiful. Not much else to report on this short day.
Date: 2016-04-28
From: James River Rte 501

To: Rte 60, Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today Grandma and I slack packed from the James River bridge to Rte 60. It was drizzly and cloudy for most of the day. It was nice to have a light load to carry for a day. The hike was fairly uneventful with not much to report although we did cross the 800 mile mark today!Our next door neighbor at the motel, Allen, has been very helpful to us in terms of riding us around town. He had been on a cross country trip for three months and will be moving into a place in nearby Lexington this weekend. He is quite a civil war and local history buff. He has joined us for dinner along with a section hiker named Dan. Another unlikely combination of people that have shared some good times. Tonight we went to an Applebee's and I was able to have a steak dinner for the first time since I left home. It was really good. I sure wish I had access to a kitchen so I could cook a few meals of my own. I do miss that very much. Tomorrow morning we will head out for a three day stint to Waynesboro. Sadly the weather looks dicey for a number of days. As always, we'll see what the new day brings.
Date: 2016-04-29
From: Rte 60, Buena Vista, VA

To: Priest Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

I am sitting in my bag, in the shelter, in a very thick fog that appears to have hung here all day. On the hike today, we crossed a few Balds and could see fog hanging on certain other peaks. It is different as back home when the fog burns off, all of it burns off. I can't remember a time when it would stick around in certain places. This afternoon, after hiking thru much sunshine, we rounded a peak, the fog was waiting, and with it, much cooler temperatures. If we were on one side of the mountain it was a warm dry fog, the other, it was a cold wet fog. Guess which one we got when we arrived at the shelter. I'm afraid my sleeping bag will be very damp in the morning. I was pleased to make the miles today as tomorrow they are calling for heavy rain overnight. Being here tonight gives us an option on a shorter day tomorrow so we could shelter up and try to stay dry. A longer day on Sunday could get me to Waynesboro and indoors if need be that night. As always, we'll see what the days bring. Many thanks to our friend Allen who we met in Buena Vista who helped us again this morning by bringing us up to the trail on Rte 60. That was not before we all had breakfast together at a diner called TNT. In my opinion, this was one of the best, most reasonably priced meals on the trail. Grandma got sombe bad news today as he learned that his hiking partner, who had taken a little time off, had decided to head home due to injury. It was unexpected news for him. We have hiked well together. We have talked about continuing and likely will depending on some upcoming visits to relatives that he has previously planned.All in all a decent day today although I have decided that the potential for rain and my stuff being wet is my kryptonite.  Thanks again to Allen!