morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-31
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Early start to the day -- began hiking a little after 8:00 and had a big, BIG uphill about a mile and a half up to the ridgeline. Got up there in about 35, 40 minutes or so. That's one difference that I was talking with Leatherneck (another hiker, I think I've mentioned him in previous entries) about: the big uphills are challenging, but we're not stopping on the way up to take breaks any more like we were the first month or so. Once I got up to the ridge, it was up and down, some rocky sections that just beat my feet up. I had to stop and take care of a few blisters, then about 20 minutes after that I came up on a couple deer, one was a mother and her fawn. They ran up the trail a little ways, then they were about 20 yards off the trail and the fawn was feeding from the mother. It was really something, I stayed and watched for a few minutes. The fawn was gorgeous, probably came up to my knees and had spots all over it. Stopped at Doc's Knob Shelter (terrible water source, lots of bugs) for lunch, met up with a section hiker and talked for about 20 minutes or so before he left. Got going around 2:00 to do the last 8 miles or so to Pearisburg. On the way it started raining, eventually turned into a thunderstorm, so I got through it as fast as I could. I met up with a few dayhikers who were taking a break at an incredible view over Pearisburg and talked with them for a few minutes. One of them offerred me a Clif bar, which I gladly accepted and told them how I had just finished off all my food since I was going into town and they gave me a banana and a few granola bars. Really nice people, I didn't even get their names. Got going again and made it into town, was able to get a ride from a local to the church hostel on the opposite side of town. Met up with some people who had been a day ahead of me all week - Jake, G, Tater, Keymaster, Trailbait, Peaches, Radar, Rex (his birthday is today, we celebrated with a cake and sparklers), and a few other hikers. The hostel is pretty cool, GREAT shower and plenty of space to camp out.
Date: 2007-06-01
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Zero in P'burg
Miles today: 0.0

Zeroed today in Pearisburg, me and a few other guys (Jake, G, Tater, Blackfoot, Dirty) were on our way out of town and stopped at Dairy Queen to get Blizzards and while we were inside it started pouring down rain. So we wound up hanging around town, ran in to Birdstar who was celebrating his birthday. We went across the street to Goodwill to get party clothes -- I got this really great Levi's western snap-button shirt, hat, sunglasses. Went to eat at a Mexican restaurant and then the town fire department was having a concert/BBQ party down the street that we went to for a while.
Date: 2007-06-02
From: Zero in P'burg

To: The Captain's Hiker Feed 
Miles today: 18.5

Started the day in Pearisburg, did a big climb out of town up to the ridge. Pretty tough climb, something like 2 to 2 and 1/2 miles with a full food supply. Once we got up on the ridge it wasn't too bad, though. Hiked about 18 or 19 miles total to a trail angel's house who was having a hiker feed, a really great time with a lot of people. Burgers, hot dogs, soft drinks, beans, coleslaw, lots of great food and great people. Sat in the hot tub for a bit but got out because a lot of dirty hikers had gone in there before showering so the water was looking pretty dark and murky. Not your ideal hot tub. Zeroed the next day because it was raining all day long.
Date: 2007-06-03
From: The Captain's Hiker Feed 

To: The Captain's House
Miles today: 0.0

Like I said in the previous entry -- zeroed for the day because it was raining all day long and wouldn't let up. Watched the Braves lose to the Cubs and then the Red Sox lose to the Yankees -- Arod hit a game-winning homer in the top of the 9th. Hung out all day: played cards, watched a few movies, baseball....lazy day.
Date: 2007-06-04
From: The Captain's House

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

Finally got out of the Captain's place around 11 or so, pretty hot day. The Captain lives right on a river and there is a seat that hangs down on a rope that you use to pull yourself across. Well, I tried going across with my pack on, and that weighed me down and eventually pulled me backwards and I couldn't make it across. Wound up having to bail out in the middle of the river, a lot of my pack got wet and my shoes got soaked. My arms got pretty bruised up because I tried wrapping the ropes around them to keep myself from falling in -- I'm glad nobody saw it because it was pretty embarassing. Anyway, the rest of the day went well. We were gonna go another 6 miles or so but decided to take it easy to Catawba because there is this really good restaurant only open Thursday-Sunday and we didn't want to get there early.
Date: 2007-06-05
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

Two pretty big climbs today, one of about 2.5 miles and another only about 2 miles. Before the last climb, though, Jake, Blackfoot, and I got to a road crossing where we took a break. Jake and I decided to get a hitch into town to get some snacks for everybody. We wound up getting picked up by this incredibly nice woman -- she drove us 10 miles in the OPPOSITE direction of where she was going to the closest store. Jake and I got a few beers and hot dogs for everybody and wound up hiking them to the shelter -- 3.5 MILES UPHILL. Made for a really good night. It started raining pretty late but everybody was in the shelter so it made for a nice night.
Date: 2007-06-06
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Started the day out on a ridge, very good walking down to Niday Shelter for lunch then a big long 2 mile uphill. Got to Pickle Branch Shelter late in the day and hung out for a while -- big group of us. Tater, Blackfoot, Jake, Candy Bar, Bigby, Dirty, G, Rockhound....hope I'm not forgetting anybody. Great group, though, one of the funnest I've been in yet.
Date: 2007-06-07
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Johns Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

Got up over Dragons Tooth around 12 when it was very very hot and wound up hanging around up there for an hour or so. Blackfoot, who is hiking with his dog Jules, climbed up on top of one of the very tall, very narrow rocks. Normally Jules is very timid and very scared, but she climbed up on top of the rock to where Blackfoot was sitting. It took him about a half hour or so to get down because he was worried about Jules sliding or falling down. Hiking up to Dragons Tooth was a bit of a challenge, but hiking down it was a beast. Extremely steep with a lot of rocks to scramble over, there are even spots with iron bars to hold on to. Later in the afternoon we met up with Laura, a friend of Blackfoot and Tater's who had to get off the trail earlier due to a broken ankle, who was doing trail magic and met us about 6 miles before Catawba. She took our packs for us so we just had to hike that distance with poles and water. Dinner was at The Homeplace, a family-style restaurant in Catawba that is only open Thursday -Sunday. We got 4 meats and all the vegetables -- by far the best meal on the trail so far. Hung out outside at the gazebo for a while after we finished eating and then hiked the last mile to a shelter. None of us got any good sleep because it was too hot and lots of bugs and Tchako, one of the hikers in our group, was snoring really loud. Also, I got a package from my sister Katie and she sent me some goodies. A great way to finish off a section.
Date: 2007-06-08
From: Johns Spring Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

Excellent day, one of the best so far. Got up early in the morning and got to McAfee Knob around 10:30. If you don't know what McAfee Knob looks like, do a google search and find some pictures of it. It's a rock that juts out and the famous picture is of people sitting on the ledge with their feet dangling. It's also one of the best views on the trail, and when we were up there it was clear and very windy -- which was good because today was the hottest day of the year. After McAfee we went to Tinker Cliffs, which is where the trail follows the edge of these cliffs for about 0.5 miles. Really great views. After that the ridgeline walk into Daleville took forever, we got about a half mile out of town and it started pouring. Checked in to the Howard Johnson, ate at Pizza Hut (each of us had a medium pizza to ourselves) and hung out at the room for the rest of the night.
Date: 2007-06-09
From: Daleville

To: Zero in Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Went to run a few errands in Daleville and it was such a nice day we decided to spend it at the hotel pool hanging out. G's girlfriend Tammy came up to visit him and she drove us to Roanoke, only a few miles away. We went to the batting cages and then to the downtown area, had dinner at Macado's and then hung out for the night at a few different places.
Date: 2007-06-10
From: Daleville

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

Slow start getting out of Daleville today, we hung around the hotel for a while and then took our time getting out of town. Pretty good hiking, we were just tired all day. Stayed at Wilson Creek shelter, nice shelter but the water was kind of far away. Nothing too exciting from this day in particular, but I remember being glad to be back on the trail.
Date: 2007-06-11
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Long day hiking, but for the most part it was fairly easy. Lots of ridgewalking until the end of the day, when we had a 1000-ft climb over Fork Mountain in 1.6 miles. It was hard because it was at the end of the day and we were all tired. After we got over it we only had another mile to the shelter, and in that mile it started pouring down rain on us. Thunder and lightning soon followed, and for a few minutes it sounded like the thunder was directly overhead. I was hiking in front of the group (consisted of Blackfoot, Dirty, Tater, and Jake) and when big booms of thunder went off I'd start running. I didn't find out until later on at the shelter but lightning struck a tree really close to Tater and Jake. Tater turned around to Jake and said, "Do you think we should crouch down?" and Jake just grabbed him by the arm and said, "I think we should run." We got to the shelter after getting soaked, but it was a really big shelter so we had plenty of space to put our stuff up and dry out. Met up with a few other hikers -- Night Striker, Young Eagle, Moose, and a few others I know I'm forgetting and/or I can't remember if I saw them at this specific shelter. Good, fun day overall. The guys I'm hiking with are making this trip as much fun as it has been.
Date: 2007-06-12
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: few clouds

Big uphill section today up to the top of Apple Orchard. 9 miles and 3000 ft elevation change, to be exact. We got out of the shelter around 9 or so after hanging out with Night Striker (section hiker doing Daleville to I can't remember how far he's going) and enjoying his crazy antics. It was slow going all morning, at one point somebody (usually me) would say "water break" and we'd stop for 20 minutes or a half hour. It was tough, no denying it, but once we got over the top of Apple Orchard it got better. Passed through The Guillotine, which is a boulder suspended over the A.T. between two 20 foot tall rocks. Very cool, I climbed on top of it and got my picture taken (hopefully some day I'll get pictures up on this) before heading on to the shelter, only a mile past The Guillotine. We all met up at Thunder Hill shelter for lunch when it started thundering, and started getting cold because we were at high elevation. Eventually the storm came, along with pea-sized hail, and I bundled up in my sleeping bag and took a nap. I woke up about a half hour later and the other guys were doing the same thing. We all woke up around 5:30 and decided we'd stay there for the night. Originally the plan for the day was 23 miles, but because of the rain (but mainly because of our laziness) we only did 10. It was fun, though, and a good shelter. While we were eating dinner a deer came within 20 feet of where we were and grazed for a while.
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

Good day, got a somewhat early start (8:10) and most of the day was downhill. We had a big climb getting over Highcock Knob, but after that the day was pretty much a breeze. We got over the James River and tried hitchhiking into Glasgow for a nice dinner but had no luck, then met up with a father-daughter who were fishing at the river and drove Jake, Blackfoot, and I to a convenience store in Big Island. We bought a couple of things for resupply, were there longer than we wanted to be, and eventually got back on the trail. Met up with the other guys at the shelter, fun night but it started raining late.
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Brown Mtn. Creek Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

Long day to Brown Mtn. Creek, had a big uphill climb early in the day over Bluff Mountain and it was rainy and wet and foggy all day long. Stopped for a couple breaks along the way, got some trail magic from Renegade and Tomboy, aka the Mileage Assassins, two miles before the last shelter. Got a grilled cheese sandwich and a coke, but didn't stay too long because I was in wet clothes from the rain and had to keep moving to stay warm. The high only got up to about 67 degrees that day, and it didn't stay like that for long. Apparently at the bottom of the mountain it was nice and sunny, but the mountains had created its own weather system and held the clouds in. Got to the shelter, nice place, right next to a big creek.
Date: 2007-06-15
From: Brown Mtn. Creek Shelter

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: light rain

Another big climb to start off the day, about 2700 feet in elevation over 4.5 miles. The rest of the day was a lot of up and down ridgewalking, not a whole lot of fun especially because the weather didn't improve, and also because it was an almost 23 mile day. No good views, it was cold most of the day, and at the end of it we had to hike the last mile up a pretty good uphill slope to the shelter. Once we got there we found that the shelter was full and everywhere was wet, so no good places to camp and no good places to sit. Plus I started running low on food. Eager to get to town.....I was smelling extremely bad at this point, too. My last shower had been on the 7th of June....this was the 15th. It's kinda funny, though....as bad as I smelled, it didn't bother me as much as you might think.
Date: 2007-06-16
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Rusty's Hard Time Hollow
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked down the Priest, a 4.5 mile downhill stretch, to the Tye River. After that, we had a 6 mile uphill stretch over 3000 feet in elevation change (I know I've said this before, you don't get a good idea of how hard the hiking is when you hear those numbers, but just take my word for it, it's very challenging) over the Three Ridges mountain. Tough hiking, especially toward the top of the third ridge where there were some extremely steep sections -- so steep you could reach your arm out straight from your shoulder and touch the trail in front of you. Jake and I were hiking together for most of it. I guess I was getting my second wind and my endorphins were firing off because I was loving every second of the uphill climb. Normally it would've been real grueling to get through, but my body felt so good and I was able to handle everything. I had forgotten how long it had been since I had a shower or a decent meal and I was just thinking how awesome this moment was that I was doing something that I've wanted to do for years but never really and honestly thought I'd get the chance to do. Got over the climb and to Maupin Field shelter, where there is an access road that leads to Rusty's Hard Time Hollow, a very minimal, rustic hostel that I'll never forget. A great place to stay, I'll try to come back and write more about it.
Date: 2007-06-17
From: Rusty's Hard Time Hollow

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

Got into Waynesboro, Virginia earlier than expected....yellow-blazed* it. Some may call it cheating, others may call it skipping a section that has nothing exciting in it so why not. I've already slackpacked a few sections, so I'm not a purist anymore, and it had been over a week at this point without doing laundry or taking a shower, so G, Dirty, Jake, and I decided we'd just walk down the Blue Ridge Parkway to Rockfish Gap and get a ride into town from there. As we're walking down the Blue Ridge Parkway, we got a ride from a couple who Jake and I had seen the previous day up on the mountain. The guy actually turned out to be a Theta Chi, what a coincidence right? Anyway, we enjoyed the rest of the day in Waynesboro, went to a Chinese Buffet (meh) and hung out at the pool all afternoon. I'm loving the A.T. right now. *Yellow blaze: term used when somebody skips a section of the trail by hitchhiking or getting a ride from a friend. The A.T. is marked with white blazes, and side trails are marked with blue blazes. There is also the term "pink blaze," and that's when a guy finds a girl that he wants to hike with so he either hikes large miles to catch up with her or hikes low miles to let her catch up with him.
Date: 2007-06-20
From: Waynesboro

To: Calf Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Out of Waynesboro and into the Shenandoahs, this was a section I'd been looking forward to for a couple of weeks. The previous section in Central Virginia was pretty challenging, a lot of big-mile days with some long uphill climbs, but I'm pretty sure I've already talked about that in previous entries. The Shenandoah, if you are looking at a profile map, are a very moderate hiking section with some tremendous views and lots of wildlife. There are also a few waysides and campstores close to the trail where you can stop in and get a snack or a milkshake. The hiking today was a little harder than I expected, and I really think it was because I was expecting it to be extremely easy. There were a few uphill sections that I just wasn't ready for, sometimes hiking is hard because it's a mind-over-matter sort of thing: if you know you've got a lot of miles to do in one day or a long uphill stretch, your body handles it better; but if you think it's going to be nothing but flat, level hiking all day long, you're going to get frustrated with a short ascent. Got to the shelter and met up with a good group of other hikers. Good shelter, we were able to fit more in than we thought. I'm reading one of my favorite books again: "To The White Sea," by James Dickey, author of "Deliverance." It's an amazing book to read, even better in a wilderness setting.
Date: 2007-06-21
From: Calf Mtn. Shelter

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Good day of hiking, got out pretty early (before 8, I think) and had a half-mile uphill to the top of Calf Mountain. The rest of the day was a lot of up and down with some really good views over the Shenandoah Valley. Good weather, too -- not too hot and cool in the evening. I got to a spot where the Blue Ridge Parkway crosses over the trail (which is very often in this section) about half a mile before the shelter. There was a slight uphill stretch over that half-mile and I was hiking with my head down. I stopped for a break and looked up and about 15 feet in front of me, on the trail, was a bear cub, probably about 80-100 pounds. I took a step back, put up my hands in a non-threatening gesture, and watched it walk about 10 yards off the trail and start grazing on leaves. Every now and then it looked up at me, and I got a picture of it. It wasn't scared by me at all, and I could've watched it all day, but then I thought the mother was probably close by so I moved on. Very cool experience, being that close to a bear and being able to watch it. Got to the shelter and met up with the rest of the group, the original plan that day was to do 26 but everybody was set on staying at that shelter and doing big miles the next day.
Date: 2007-06-22
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Long day with a stop at a wayside for late breakfast/naptime. I got to the wayside at around 10:45 and met up with the other guys, got a breakfast sandwich and a milkshake and decided it'd be the last one that I got in the park. $6.50 for a sandwich and a milkshake -- way too expensive. The rest of the day went ok, got to Pinefield Hut and stopped for a bit in the afternoon with 8.2 miles to go to Hightop Hut, and in between there was a good bit of uphill. My feet started bothering me -- blisters on the bottoms of a few of my toes, and my heels were hurting with each step. I couldn't get a good rhythm going and it took me a long time to get to the shelter. Once I got there I met up with the rest of my group and some other hikers, found out there had been a bear earlier that day who walked right up to the shelter sniffing around. It didn't come back later, though. Good spring nearby, nice night overall. I was worried about how my feet were going to hold up, though, especially since the next day would be another 20-miler.
Date: 2007-06-23
From: Hightop Hut

To: Big Meadows
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Got a late start getting out of the shelter this morning, everybody else was up and moving around and almost packed by the time I got up. I didn't want to rush anything since my feet had been hurting me the day before, though, so I wanted to take it easy and see how they were doing. They hurt once I got up and walking around, but when I got my shoes on they were fine. I was able to do the first 3.5 miles in about an hour and a half, where I got to Swift Run Gap and met up with Jake, G, and Rockhound. Jake wanted to get a hitch into town to get some food, and I figured I'd like a break from the trail, so we got out to the road and waited for a hitch to take us to Elkton. One problem, though -- we got on the wrong side of the road, and this really nice couple pulled over to pick us up and we found out that Elkton was in the opposite direction of where we needed to go. But there was a some convenience store just a few miles from where we were, so we went down there and got a few things and hung out for about an hour or so. Then we hitched all the way to Elkton, where we got some lunch at Ciro's, an Italian place, and got back to the trail. We got to Big Meadows, which is a lodge/cabin area, at around 4:30 or so and hung out for a bit outside where there was a really great view over the valley. After an hour or so, a bear came walking up the mountain right next to where we were and walked around for a good 10 minutes. It got pretty close to us, but at the same time there was a lot of brush and weeds and stuff, plus a lot of people around, so there really wasn't anything to worry about. We stuck around and had dinner at the lodge, listened to a husband-wife duo play music for about an hour and a half downstairs, and then hiked less than half a mile and cowboy-camped (no tent, just sleeping out in the open) at an overlook. I didn't have any trouble getting to sleep, but I kept waking up throughout the night.