morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-09-11
From: Fullhardt knob shelter

To: Daleville, VA Super8
Miles today: 5.0

I slept lousy last night.  I¢m not sure why.  Sometimes it¢s because my feet or ankles hurt.  That was not the case last night; I was just awake.  I got out of bed just before 6 and packed up.  The guys I. The shelter were up and about so I w ent up there to the picnic table for breakfast. I was walking by 7:10.The shelter had a cistern for water. There was a mechanism to pipe the runoff from the roof.  I wish I had thought to take a picture of it.  It was great to have water at the top of the mountain!It was any easy walk into town.  I was there by 9.  Along the way I saw a variety of wildlife.  I ran into my fourth box turtle in VA!  He was right in the middle of the path.  I saw 2 flocks of turkeys, one in a meadow and the other in the woods.  And I saw a buck with velvet antlers.I decided to stay at the Super8.  They have a good hiker discount and I can do laundry here.  They even let me check I. Even though it was before 10am and it was way before a normal check in time.I dropped my pack in the room and immediately headed out for second breakfast.  I walked a short way down to a super plaza with all sorts of stores.  I strayed at Mill Mountain coffee shop.  They roast their own coffee.  The French toast and eggs were good.  The service was weak.  They didn¢t seem like they wanted to help customers at all.  They brought out my breakfast and silverware but I had to hunt down my own napkin, salt and pepper. Anyway... it filled me up.I went next door to the outfitters for fuel and some hunter orange stuff. I¢ve been a little worried about hiking with hunting season approaching.  So I bought a hunter orange buff and bandanna.  I also got some hiker meals and cliff bars while there.Then it was off to the next store down, Kroger¢s, for the rest of my resupply.Back at the Super8, I took care of laundry (because there are no loaner clothes here, I made a sun dress out of my rain kilt!), showering  and online bill stuff. It¢s great to escape the 90+ degrees outside and relax!
Date: 2019-09-12
From: Daleville, VA Super8

To: Campbell shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: few clouds

Slept great last night!  Went to bed at 8 and got up at 6 with only a couple of brief wake ups in between.  Had breakfast at the hotel (it came with the room).  There were lots of young Hispanic men who work for some construction company there.  I tried to find out what they were building but they did not speak English.I left at 7:15 for the trail. The hardest part of the day was getting across US220!  The traffic was heavy and fast.  I had to cross 4 lanes.  Luckily there was a median so I could do it in 2 pieces.It was an easy climb up to the ridge.  Most of the day was walking along the ridgeline.  This is the theme in Virginia.  The trails follow narrow ridge lines where the land slopes down to either side.  It¢s quite beautiful but impossible to capture in a photo.It was a super hot and humid day.  Temps were in the 90s.  That means I drank lots of water which means I had to carry lots of water because water is scarce. Carrying extra weight on a hot day is not exactly fun, especially when the terrain gets steep.It was quite a climb up to Tinker Cliffs. Once up there the views were spectacular!  The rock formations were also amazing.I got to the shelter about 3:30.  There was a section hiker, Todd, there.  He¢s a special education teacher.  We chatted a bit and then I went to get water.  The source was a literal trickle.  It took about 30 minutes to fill up 3 liters.Todd left and a father (spamster) daughter (driftwood) pair arrived for the night.  They are section hiking so she can complete her aborted 2015 thru hike.  She is a biologist interested in ecology so it was fun to talk about trail critters with her. 2 other SOBO hikers arrived later ( Boom and ?).
Date: 2019-09-13
From: Campbell shelter

To: 4 Pines Hostel (VA624)
Miles today: 10.3

I sort of took my time this morning.  It was an uncomfortably hot night in the shelter last night.  I actually think it would have been worse in the tent because you get more airflow in the shelter when the breezes are barely discernible.I got up about 6:20 and managed to be hiking by 7.30.  McAfee knob was only 0.7 miles so I was there by 8.  I was the only one up there.  There was no view.  I set up my pack so I could try to get a ¢classic¢ photo on the knob.  As I was Messi g around with that a day hiker arrived.  He is from England but currently living in Spain.  A friend and he are traveling in the US for 2 months.  Anyway, we took each other¢s pictures and then hiked down to the parking lot together.  He had lots of great traveling stories.  He also talked about work-away!  He was impressed that Jim and I are workaway hosts.I left him at the parking lot at 10am and then hiked in to 4 pines hostel arriving about 1pm.Donna And Joe (who run the hostel) are super nice.  The hostel itself is very basic:  bunks in a garage with a bathroom and shower and some kitchen facilities.  There are also a couple of dogs (Little Bit and Daisy), cats (Buddy and Sylvester), ducks and chickens...all roaming around.Joe gave me a ride to the convenience store so I could get a few things.  I got a pizza while there figuring it would make a good dinner and maybe lunch tomorrow.Lots of hikers showed up later in the evening.  A bunch had slackpacked NOBO today.  Jupiter and I tried to figure out where we had met before but could not.  It was probably while I was NOBO and she was SOBO.  She was with 3 other hikers (Sauce and...).  There were a bunch of section hikers (Ryan, Shazam, cupcake, and a few others) and Spamster and Driftwood were there as well!  A full house for sure.Jupiter¢s group ran into 2 Yellowjacket nests, one on either side of Dragons Tooth.  That¢s where I¢m heading tomorrow so I have to remember that!
Date: 2019-09-14
From: 4 Pines Hostel (VA624)

To: Niday Shelter 
Miles today: 16.8

I left about 7:20 to hike up Dragons Tooth.  I stayed mindful about the bees nests that I was told about last night.  I did not see a beat on the way up but I did find the nest on the way down the south side.  It was right in the middle of the trail!  Thankfully I saw it before I stepped on it!Dragons Tooth was shrouded in cloud.  It was a super cool looking rock that benefitted from the fog around it.I found a fifth box turtle on the trail today.  This one was a female.  When I picked her up, she totally closed her ¢box¢ so I could really see the hinges plastron (lower shell).I took a little side trip down the blue blazer trail to the Audie Murphy monument.  There were lots of offerings (flags and stones) to the memory of this most decorated American soldier of World War II.  He died In a plane crash near the site of the monument.Water is still scarce. Luckily there was some at both Trout Creek and Craig Creek.  I carried 4.5 liters the last 1.5 miles to this shelter because there is no water here or for the whole morning hike tomorrow.We did have a light rain yesterday afternoon and evening.  It uncurled the rhododendron leaves but that was about it.  A thunderstorm just started!  ...and there are puddles forming!  A good sign.I passed 1500 miles today.  It is hard to believe that I have hiked that far.  Less than 700 to go!
Date: 2019-09-15
From: Niday Shelter 

To: War Spur Shelter 
Miles today: 18.2

I was the only one at the shelter last night.  I¢m sure it¢s because there is no water here. I was on the trail just after 7:30.  First thing was a climb up to the Eastern Continental Divide Ridge. I walked that ridge for about 6 miles.  There were spectacular views!  The thunderstorms last night really cleared the air so there was no haze. There were low lying clouds in the valleys below the ridges.  I was looking down at all that.Coming down from that ridge I encountered 2 women from CA.  They were hiking portions of the AT.  They were thru-hiker wannabes so they had lots of questions for me.  One of them gave me a ¢survival bracelet¢.  It¢s made with 8¢ of paracord.  So if I need cord for anything, I got it!At the bottom of the descent, I saw the Keffer oak.  It is the oldest oak on the AT.  It was very large but not as big as the Dover oak I saw in NY.After that the trail went through some pastures and then up and over Kelly Knob.  At Rocky Gap I ran into Grizzly Gramps, one of the hikers that was at 4 Pines hostel when I was there.  We hiked the last 3 miles to the shelter together.  Chatting with someone always makes the miles fly by!There is quite a crowd at the shelter tonight:  Stumpy (section hiker) and NOBOs Rambler, Graybeard and Chris.  They all were super helpful in filling me in on where the water sources were going south.I stayed in the shelter so I wouldn¢t have to pack up my tent in the morning.  That way I can get on the trail sooner.
Date: 2019-09-16
From: War Spur Shelter 

To: Stealth campsite at mile 1539.7
Miles today: 16.7

Again I managed to get on the trail be 7:30.  I had a 1700¢ climb first thing!  Luckily VA believes in switchbacks so the climb was long but gradual.  On the way up I saw a fabulous buck.  He had to be an 8 pointer and he just stared at me for the longest time before taking off.I stopped at Wind Rock for a super view. Just after that I had to negotiate 2 miles of boulder field. That slowed me down and was tough on the feet.I went all the way to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter (12.7 miles) before stopping for lunch.  There was water there so I loaded up.  Of course it was uphill for 1200¢ after that and then a few more miles before I found a good stealth site.About a mile before my campsite I scared a very large (200-250#) bear.  I had heard there were a couple of bears on this ridge but I was not convinced I¢d actually see one.  The sighting motivated me to do a super duper good job hanging my food tonight!I found some sulfur shelf (chicken of the woods) mushrooms today.  They made a nice addition to my white bean and kale meal...yum!I also found a lot of gentian on the trail today.  I was surprised because I usually think of gentian as being in a wet place.  This species was w home on the very dry ridge.
Date: 2019-09-17
From: Stealth campsite at mile 1539.7

To: AngelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Rest Hiker Haven hostel 
Miles today: 16.4

It was an easy walk in the ridge this morning.  I found what I thought were American Chestnuts (the actual nuts) up there. This surprised me because I was unaware that any chestnuts were reproducing in the wild. My friend Charissa questioned whether they were buckeyes and after a little research, they are buckeyes!  I walked through an old orchard up on that ridge.  Most of the apple trees did not have apples but one was loaded.  The apples were sweet and crispy!  They actually reminded me of honey crisps (my favorites).  I ate 2!I stopped at Rice Field Shelter about 11am.  There is a spectacular view from there!  The shelter is just off to the side of a meadow that covers the top of the hill along the ridgeline.  There is a sweeping g vista there. It would be a great shelter to stay at. Unfortunately I was pretty much out of food so I had to keep hiking.It was a long descent down into Pearisburg. I made it to the road crossing by 2:50!  So I made great time today.  I called for the shuttle into Angels Rest Hiker Haven Hostel.  I did my laundry, took a shower, walked to the Food Lion for resupply.What is amazing is that way back in  PA, I met a hiker called Sir Stops A Lot.  He gave me a bracelet that would get me free laundry at this hostel (which I took advantage of).  Well he is here at the hostel!  It is pretty amazing that I hiked all the way to ME and then started south in WV and run into him again.  It has to be something like 1300 miles since I saw him last.  People say this sort of thing happens all the time on the AT.  Now it has happened to me!
Date: 2019-09-18
From: AngelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Rest Hiker Haven hostel 

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 10.6

Again I was on trail by 7:30.  Of course the hike was up up up...1600¢ over 2 miles...right into the cloud. I had no view at Angels Rest or anywhere else today.  I was in the cloud, light drizzle, and light rain all morning.  I actually put my pack cover on and my rain jacket.  It was damp and cold.  Those conditions kept me motivated to keep moving even though my feet and ankles were really feeling it today.I took an early lunch at Docs Knob Shelter.  Then pushed on to the hostel.  Here by 1 pm.
Date: 2019-09-19
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Weary feet hostel
Miles today: 15.2

Woods Hole is an awesome place. Neville has made the place a work of art.  Everything is artsy and has that handmade look: signs, dishes, wall hangings, floors, stonework, black oven, raised bed gardens, etc.  She did a yoga season with us last night.  Food was fabulous: homemade flour tortillas and build-your-own burritos (black beans- yum!).  Homemade ice cream!Breakfast was hash browns, eggs, and a spice cake. The coffee was out of this world.  She roasts her own coffee!It was hard to leave not only because of the food but also the conversation was terrific.  There was a couple from Chicago: Lee and Lott.  They were a hoot to talk to.I finally got on trail at 9:20! Good news was the trail was super easy today.  I was done by 4pm and I took a whole hour for lunch. In one section I did 3.6 miles/hr!Lunches at Wapiti shelter where I met Bothways.  He¢s a section hiker that hiked in and out for each section so he will complete 2 thru hikes when he¢s done.  It takes all kinds!It was really chilly this morning.  I was cold even in my jacket.  I left it in until 11:30.  Once I was off the ridge it warmed up a little.  Fall is in the air!
Date: 2019-09-20
From: Weary feet hostel

To: Stealth campsite at mile 1598.5
Miles today: 16.6

Julie (of Weary Feet) made a great breakfast: eggs, pancakes and fruit.  Brandy made a terrific dinner last night: saut©ed zucchini in marinara sauce over spaghetti and garlic bread.  I was the only one in the bunk room so it was like a private!It was mighty chilly this morning. I was happy to be inside.  The crew I¢ve been hiking around (Sauce, Spark, Jupiter, Green Machine, Nat 20 and Rhino (the dog)) all tented and were up to their eyeballs in condensation.The hike today was gentle ups and downs.  No views. I did have a doe stare me down first thing and then another doe and dawn ran across the trail.  Lickskillet hostel cached water at 2 road crossings.  At the second (VA611) I had lunch.  While there some of the crew showed up.  Jupiter and Spark got off at the last road crossing and the rest were meeting them at the hostel.  Long story short: there was extra water so I filled up 3.5 liters to carry to a stealth site rather than stay in another hostel.  Carrying that much water is heavy!  I hiked 7 miles with it.My campsite is right next to the trail.  It¢s not the best but it is convenient as a starting place for tomorrow.
Date: 2019-09-21
From: Stealth campsite at mile 1598.5

To: Mountain Garden hostel
Miles today: 17.6

Pretty easy day today.  Lots of ridge walking.  I hiked 11.8 miles by noon (left at 7 am). While having lunch, Flapjack showed up.  He¢s a SOBO. We both ended up at the hostel.  This place is a hoot.  It¢s owned by Mark . He¢s a D.O. and is in to western herbalism. I had great fun talking to him.Otsy manages the hostel.  The farmhouse is from 1906. They have cows and pigs and chickens. Raw milk is available.  The peaches, apples and grapes are ripe and we can pick as much as we like.  They made me an onlet for dinner.Overall it¢s a bit wacky but delightful. I sat in the porch and watched the bats pour out of the attic and head to the ridge in the evening.
Date: 2019-09-22
To: Lynn Camp Creek
Miles today: 14.2

I got the bunk room to myself last night. I guess Flapjack and Otsy fell asleep on the couches watching movies.  We had made a plan to do breakfast at 7.  I was up and packed at 6:45.  Otsy had just made coffee.  Then the waiting began.We didn¢t get breakfast until 8. The Flapjack has to go to an ATM.  That was 10 miles away.  When we get there it is out of service.  We have to go another 10 miles to a convenience store.  Otsy was almost out of fuel. So he got diesel.  I decided to get some cash and I bought a couple of honey buns.  I ate them both on the ride back to the trailhead.  I did get a nice tour of ¢god¢s thumbprint¢.I got on trail about 9:30.  Not too bad considering.  Flapjack was apologetic. It was a nice day in the woods.  It was a long climb up to chestnut knob (which is 4300¢).  I rested up there and enjoyed the gorgeous view.  It was a good place to call mom and Jim. (On the way up to the knob Iran into McAfee.  He¢s doing a wrap around flip flop so he¢s on his way to Harpers Ferry. I had met him on Katahdin!)It was 12:30 when I left there.  I decided to walk another hour before lunch. Much of the way was meadow with nice views.On the way down I met Pinky, another wrap arounder. He said there was plenty of water going south.  That¢s good news!
Date: 2019-09-23
From: Mountain Garden hostel

To: Atkins, VA Long Neck Lair alpaca farm
Miles today: 16.1

I woke up late! 6:36am! I slept great even though I¢m pretty sure I heard a bear right before I went to bed.  I was on trail at 7:45...so I was packed up quickly.I had a pretty easy day. I met some folks on trail today:  rainbow and Gwen ( rainbow had thru hiked last year at the age of 58 so we had lots of common things to talk about. She also flip flopped out of Harpers Ferry. Gwen was on her first backpacking trip.)Then Grambo.  She¢s 75 and is section hiking.  Her name is ¢like Rambo only old!¢Flapjack and I are both here tonight.  Ken and Cyndie (the owners) only charged us $15 for the night.  We got camping, shower and dinner (they even got me veggie burgers)!
Date: 2019-09-24
From: Atkins, VA Long Neck Lair alpaca farm

To: Partnership shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept really lousy last night.  The noise from I81 and lights from all over really affected my sleep.  The one highlight was I got to FaceTime book club!  I got y¢all to  all my girl friends.  That was a great surprise and rally made my evening special.In the morning I had coffee with Ken and then he shuttled me to the Sunoco station.  I got 2 egg and cheese on biscuit sandwiches.  I actually got sausage and eggs and removed the sausage.  The attendant gave me cheese for them.At the Settlers museum (which was closed) I met Mountain Man.he claimed to be a hiker but I think he was just homeless. He didn¢t know how to use his sawyer squeeze water filter. There was a very long gradual uphill today.  I felt strong but the bottoms of my feet really hurt on the rocks.  I¢m definitely ready for new shoes.I met Captain Caveman in the downhill side of Glade mountain.  He was section hiking but he really looked like he was struggling.I got to Mt Rogers visitors center about 2pm.  I plugged in my devices to charge and then chatted with the volunteer receptionist (Vicki).  She let me look at a tree guide they had on sale there.  I ascertained that the tree I¢ve been seeing with very interesting seed pods is a Magnolia.Flapjack, Rainbow and Gwen all showed up.  Rainbow and Gwen are ending their hike here.  Gwen¢s husband Ray brought lunch that they shared with me.  Asian noodles, grapes, strawberries and ¢pickled eggs¢ (unfortunately they were marinated in beef broth).Flapjack moves on to the next shelter.  Two other section hikers arrived (Doc and Sloppy Joe).  They are tenting here.
Date: 2019-09-25
From: Partnership shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter 
Miles today: 9.8

Because I didn¢t have far to go I slept in and took my time this morning.  I had a nice breakfast with Doc and Sloppy Joe.I spent a fair amount of time texting Kim and Mandy from the parking lot of the visitors center (the only place I have service here).  I panicked because Doc told me I would have no service from here to Damascus.  I needed to get Mandy my resupply list and make final arrangements to meet.  I did manage to get that done.On trail I met a day hiker, Lolligag.  She¢s a 2020 thru hiker wannabe. She¢s also my age.  She had lots of questions that I was happy to answer.  I think she appreciated my point of viewI got to camp at 2:30.  The spring is a real trickle.  I set up my cnoc bag over the pipe and left it for awhile. I did that twice and collected plenty of water.Then I worked on repairs to my glasses case and water bottle holder.  Everything that hangs from the pack eventually wears through so I have to repair the attachment strap.Looks like it will be quiet tonight.  I¢m the only one here so far.
Date: 2019-09-26
From: Trimpi Shelter 

To: Old orchard shelter 
Miles today: 13.4

Traildog showed up last night.  He completed the trail last year and is now doing random sections.  He had lots of stories about the people he met on trail.I slept good.  Was up at 6:35 and was on trail at 7:40.  I met a group of women hikers.  There were 9 or 10 of them.  One of them have me a wrist band for Boots Off Hostel and said it was worth 10% off.  Trail magic! (If I stay there)At the intersection of the trail to Hurricane Mtn shelter I met 4 folks.  3 (Bump, Pepas, Ollie) are wrap around they hikers that are Pinky¢s friend. I gave them the free laundry wristband I had from Sir Stops a Lot. I told them they had to relay that story to the folks at Hiker Haven! Mighty Mouse was with them.  She had started on the PCT, got a stress fracture and came bike to hike as much of the AT as she can get in this year.Just after they left, I started to eat lunch.  I checked the weather and it said rain at 12:30.  It was 12:11!  I moved to the shelter. It poured! I hung out there until 1:30; well after the rain stopped.Then it was only 4.2 miles to the shelter.  Just before I got here I ran into 3 older men on horseback.  They were from Tennessee and South Carolina.  They told me that the pony auction was Saturday.  That¢s when some of the wild ponies are auctioned off to the public.
Date: 2019-09-27
From: Old orchard shelter 

To: The Scales
Miles today: 3.5

I relaxed this morning and did not leave camp until 9:15.  Before I left, 2 SOBOS (Nametag and Froggy) came thru.  They had yellow blazed (got a ride) from Atkins because they were sick of the dry ridges.On the tril
Date: 2019-09-28
From: The Scales

To: Thomas knob shelter
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: moderate rain

Stunning day!Mandy and Crystal arrived about 4:30.  We did get to see a few ponies after dinner.I slept great.  I guess it rained some during the night but I didn¢t hear it.  It rained a little bit at breakfast...just enough to get everything wet!The trail today was over meadows, in the woods, through rhidendron tunnels and over rocks.  Very varied! We saw ponies, cattle and stunning views.  There was quite a bit of hiking in open sun and there was very little water.We stopped for a snack at Wise shelter.  We actually ran out of water before Thomas Knob Shelter.  When we got there the water source was just a drip.  It took 45 minutes to fill 1 liter.A troop of Girl Scouts were camped nearby.  I told them about a potential water source about 0.5 miles south.  They went and verified that!  So we went and filled up there.Our campsite has a fabulous view!  We are watching thunderstorms pass us on either side.  The sunset is spectacular.It is starting to rain just a bit as I write this in my tent.There were zillions of people around today.  Grayson highlands is a popular place! And there is a festival going on today. And they are auctioning ponies. And there is a group of 64 xtreme hikers doing a 30 mile hike to raise money for cystic fibrosis. They have raised $340,000!