morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-18
From: Crawfish Valley Campsite

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: light rain

Really tough hike today. It was mostly uphill and I'm getting another shin splint in the other shin, but at least I know what to expect this time. I figure I'll be cutting down my mileage now to compensate. Then I got sick going up the last climb to Chestnut Knob, I'll spare the details. I made it to the shelter just before the bottom fell out but unfortunately Babalou wasn't as lucky as I. He came in soaking wet. I'm glad to be in this fully enclosed shelter tonight because it is raining hard outside. My pen ran out of ink so I'm going to have to cut it short.
Date: 2010-05-19
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Campsite
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

Made good time on the 1st 10 miles but then the shin started hurting and slowed me down. Got to camp at 3:00 and just decided to take the rest of the day off. It's frustrating because the mileage through here should be easy. Camped with Eric the Red, Cervesa and Opus, Gonzo, Timber, and Bear Blaze.
Date: 2010-05-20
From: Laurel Creek Campsite

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: few clouds

Beautiful weather day. Didn't get hiking until 9:00 because I thought there was supposed to be a church group to come by and give people a ride to breakfast. KrispyKritter came by while I was sitting at the Forest Service road and told me that it was on a different day so I sat around waiting for nothing. I caught up to Hopper and Chicken Feathers at the road crossing to Bland. I got resupplied, ate at Subway, and went to the Post Office and was back on the trail in less than 1.5 hours. Got to be some kind of record. Got to the 1st creek crossing and soaked some of my stinky clothes. The hike from there went pretty easy despite the shin pain and I made it to Jenny Knob shelter after dark. I was suprised to see Stix there, it was a glorious reunion. He had met up with his niece and she is doing some hiking with him.
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: VA 606 - Trent's Grocery
Miles today: 6.5

Hiked in a lot of pain today. I had planned on going on to Wapiti Shelter but I need to take the rest of the day to rest. There is a grocery store about a half mile down a road crossing that lets you camp behind the store so that's where I opted to stay. Had pizza and coffee at the store then payed for a camping spot and did shower and laundry. For some unknown reason, I played hacky-sack with Gonzo and hurt my shin even worse. Hope things get better soon. There were thousads of fire-flies out in the field behind the store tonight on a brighter note.
Date: 2010-05-22
From: VA 606 - Trent's Grocery

To: VA 663 - Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 13.9

Had another painful day of hiking. The pain actually got better towards the end of the day. Got hit with a big rain shower a quarter of a mile from Wapiti Shelter. If I could have just gotten there 5 minutes sooner I wouldn't have gotten soaking wet. No big deal though. I've been lucky enough with the weather so far. Made it to Woods Hole around 5:30 and paid for a bunk. We just finished an awesome dinner with salad fresh from their garden and some kind of fancy chicken dish. Got a big crowd here tonight, I think I am in the "bubble". Me and Chicken Feathers are going to get a room in Pearisburg tommorow after a 10 mile hike into town.
Date: 2010-05-23
From: VA 663 - Wood's Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

Got up for the breakfast this morning that Neville and Michael cooked. This hostel is definetely first class. Anyone wanting to travel to this area should look into staying here. They have a bunkhouse or you can stay in one of the private rooms in the house. Everything that they cook comes from their garden and they get their meat from one of their neighbors so it doesn't come from a factory farm. The only complaint that I have is that it is a hard place to leave.Not much pain during the hike today. Maybe it is the massive amount of Ibuprofin that I am taking. Had a little slip before getting to town today and got really muddy. That's 3 times in 4 days that I have fallen. Probably time for new shoes.Got to the hotel around 2:00 and got all my chores done quickly. Found out that Babalou has been sick and that his pack came up missing from his campsite at Dismal Falls. It could be up to a week before he gets back to hiking. I'm sure I will see him up the road somewhere, he can crank out the miles when he wants to. Went to eat a Mexican Restaurant across the street from the hotel with Stix. There was a Mexican band setting up to play out on their deck and I randomly mentioned to Stix that it would be cool to hear some reggae music. The first song they played was a Bob Marley song. What are the chances?Got a 5 day resupply between here and Daleville. Not thrilled about carrying all that food, but it seems here recently that I've been spending more time in town than in the woods so it will be nice to get in some days in the woods. I'm loving Virginia so far. The terrain is much easier and there are far less roots and rocks.
Date: 2010-05-24
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Symms Gap Meadow
Miles today: 11.9

Started hiking today at 10:00. There was a big climb coming out of Pearisburg with 5 days worth of food. The shin felt fine all day and I stopped early at Symms Gap Meadow to camp. Really nice campsite with a view. Saw a double-rainbow before a rain shower came through our campsite. Camped here with Chicken Feathers, Pilgrim, Shag-man, Cervesa, Bear Blaze, Funky Monkey, and 2 section hikers.
Date: 2010-05-25
From: Symms Gap Meadow

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: light rain

No rain today but it was hot. Saw Wind Rock today where you have a nice view. Got to dry out all of my stuff today which has been wet for a while. I camped at War Spur Shelter with Pig Pen, Olive Oil, and Tarzan. Sorry for the short entry, it was a long day.
Date: 2010-05-26
From: War Spur Shelter

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

Tough, hot day. There were 2 big climbs and descents. Got a nice view at Kelly Knob and saw the Keffer Oak which is the second largest oak tree on the trail at 18 feet in diameter. The trail has been heading generally East lately which means we are crossing lots of mountain ridges and descending into creek valleys. The trail has been extremely steep and rocky through this section. Whoever said Virginia is flat needs to be shot. Since Pearisburg, this has without a doubt been the hardest section of the trail. There have been multiple 2,000ft+ climbs and by looking at my guidebook there are several more in the near future. When the trail is flat, it's been pretty rocky and tough on the feet. Camped at Niday Shelter with Gonzo, Tarzan, Olive Oil, Ice, and 12 outdoor education students.
Date: 2010-05-27
From: Niday Shelter

To: Catawba Creek
Miles today: 18.5

Hot, tough, rocky day. Big climbs up Brush Mountain to the Audie Murphy Monument close to where he was killed in a plane crash. Then climbed Dragon's Tooth during the hottest part of the day. I made a huge mistake by not paying enough attention to my guidebook and ran out of water on the way up. The trail up Dragon's Tooth was really cruel. There were at least a half-dozen places where you thought you were at the top only to be treated with another steep, rocky climb. The view at the top was pretty nice but I was extremely dehydrated at that point and not in a good mood. Then to my horror, the descent was probably worse than the climb. There were several ledges that had to be negotiated on the way down. That was the toughest up and down in my opinion thus far. At Newport Road, which is at the bottom of Dragon's Tooth, someone had left water and sweet tea that was still ice cold along with several other treats. I went from being almost ready to quit to one of the happiest days of my life in an instant. I don't know who left that there but I owe you big time. I then road walked 0.4 miles to a gas station that makes cheeseburgers and had dinner and bought a couple of 16-oz beers to take with me to my campsite. I passed several really nice campsites before moving on until dark. I really wished that I had stopped at one of the campsites earlier because I ended up in a cow pasture by Catawba Creek all alone. Oh well, at least I have beer.
Date: 2010-05-28
From: Catawba Creek

To: Lamberts Meadow Campsite
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Took an easy day today although there were some tough sections. Not as hot today because of some cloud cover during the hot part of the day. McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs were amazing. A guy named Beaver Chief was making pizza at a campsite at Tinker Cliffs. I totally would have stayed there but there was a really nasty-looking thunderstorm brewing and Tinker Cliffs is exposed. Took some long breaks today and met alot of new people that I am catching up to. Camped at Lamberts Meadow Campsite solo tonight. That nasty thunderstorm made an appearance but I'm all cozy in my tent. Hope Beaver Chief's doing alright.
Date: 2010-05-29
From: Lamberts Meadow Campsite

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: broken clouds

Got up at 5:00 AM and got into town at 10:30. Just going to take it easy today. I got a motel room at the Howard Johnson and am going to watch the Suns and Lakers tonight. This motel is really nice and is owned by very friendly people. Probably going to take a zero day tomorrow because it has been a while. I split a room with a guy I just met named Perfect Storm. He's an interesting character to say the least.
Date: 2010-05-30
From: Daleville, VA

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

Decided not to zero today. I had a full 24 hours off plus I need to send some stuff home but the Post Office won't be open on Monday because of Memorial Day. So I'll try to send some stuff home from Glascow or Waynesboro. I bought some new shoes today from the outfitter in town. They're not what I wanted but the store had a pretty limited selection. Me and Chicken Feathers left out of town together and ended up waiting out a storm under the I-81 overpass for 30 minutes. We were lucky not to get wet. Ended up camping at Wilson Creek Shelter with Hollywood, Hedgehog, Stix, Island Boy, Beaver Chief, and C. Feathers. Island Boy had some moonshine in a Mason jar and shared with everyone. He lives on a boat in Florida and has quite the interesting life.
Date: 2010-05-31
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Jennings Creek
Miles today: 16.9

Today we made it to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trail crosses the road at several points between here and the Shenendoahs. It threatened storms all day but we never got wet. Been lucky lately. Pretty easy day today because we took so many breaks. It didn't get a chance to heat up too much because of some cloud cover but it was still hot. We got some Trail Magic at Bearwallow Gap which included an apple, oatmeal cake, and a Mountain Dew. It's always much appreciated. Tonight we camped at Jennings Creek where we took a brief swim. I camped with Hollywood, Hedgehog, and Stix. We improvised hanging our bear bags off the bridge that goes over Jennings Creek.
Date: 2010-06-01
From: Jennings Creek

To: Thunder Ridge Overlook
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

So much climbing today. I was dreading today before it ever began. Not a good way to start a day. Went by Bryant Ridge Shelter which is arguably the nicest shelter so far. It's more like a cabin. Then we climbed Floyd and Apple Orchard Mountain. Apple Orchard has a back-up FAA radar tower on top and we heard there used to be a big Air Force base there. After that we got to the Guillotine which is a big crack in a rock with a guillotine shaped rock wedged at the top. It "kind of" looks like a guillotine. We camped at Thunder Ridge Overlook which is a turnoff from the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is a rock outcrop there with a stone wall around it where we set up our tents. Had a bunch of tourists come by for the sunset and enjoyed their company.
Date: 2010-06-02
From: Thunder Ridge Overlook

To: US 501 - Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

Made it to the James River Bridge by 1:30. We flew. The bridge is the longest foot-bridge on the AT. When we arrived, there were a bunch of high school kids jumping off of it. There were some pretty impressive dives. You could jump off of the top of the bridge which was about 40 ft or you could do some smaller jumps or use the rope swing. We stayed there and watched a few jump then went on to the road. Muddy Water was there and was giving out sub sandwiches and drinks. Later on he gave us a ride into Glasgow where we were only planning to do a resupply and leave but it turned out to be a nice trail town with a shelter so we decided to stay. I tented outside the shelter with Hollywood, Hedgehog, Pig Pen, Tarzan, Not Bad, Duchess, and Christine.
Date: 2010-06-03
From: US 501 - Glasgow, VA

To: Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 21.8

I had my pack sent to a hotel in Buena Vista with Pig Pen so that I could slackpack and get to the hotel there to watch game 1 of the NBA finals. We didn't get started until noon because we went to jump off the James River Bridge. It was totally worth it. I got caught in 2 thunderstorms that day, the 2nd one I made it to a shelter before it got started. We got to the road at 9:30 pm and had to call for a shuttle into town because it was dark. I got to the room just in time to see the last shot before halftime. The Lakers easily beat the Celtics which really wasn't much of a surprise. I was hoping the Lakers would have ended up playing the Cavs or Magic instead.
Date: 2010-06-04
From: Buena Vista, VA

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: broken clouds

I found out today that Island Boy passed away during his sleep at Cornelius Creek Shelter of natural causes. I only met him once, but it's not something that I wanted to hear. My thoughts are with his family.I wasn't in any hurry to leave town today. Had a 1,400 ft climb out of town today which I didn't start until the evening. It will be the last time I climb out of town right after eating Burger King. Mr. Williams, who is one of the nicest(and talkative) guys you'll ever meet, gave 6 of us a ride back to the trail. Camped at Cow Camp Gap Shelter with Bodacious, Not Bad, Quickstick, Duchess, Tarzan, Olive Oil, and 2 section hikers.
Date: 2010-06-05
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: The Priest
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Super nice day. Not too hot and it was breezy all day. The terrain was also pretty easy. Walked through a few mountain meadows around Cold Mountain. A deer just blew at me as I was writing this and scared the crap out of me. Anyways, I took a side trail up to Spy Rock and climbed up to a view of the Priest and Three Ridges Mountains. There were lots of weekenders up there. The climb up the Priest wasn't all that bad. There is a shelter before the summit where people confess their trail-sins in the register. I ended up going past the shelter and am camping on top of the Priest with Bodacious. We caught a pretty impressive sunset.
Date: 2010-06-06
From: The Priest

To: Campsite at Humpback Rocks
Miles today: 23.5

Did a big day to put me in position to get into Waynesboro early tomorrow. Really tough day with a huge downhill off The Priest then a big up to Three Ridges Mountain. I was glad to get it behind me. It should be the last big climb until New Hampshire. I considered going to Rusty's Hard Time Hollow at Maupin Field Shelter but it was too early. This is when I decided to go for the big mile day. It was very windy today with mild temps with a bit of drizzle in the afternoon which helped me to do a long day. I camped at Humpback Rocks with Bodacious.
Date: 2010-06-07
From: Campsite at Humpback Rocks

To: Rockfish Gap - Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Got up right at sunrise and got moving. Town has a way of drawing you in. Got to the road and walked up to a information building. When I got there, the wonderful Bill Gallagher was there to offer me a ride into town. I got him to wait a minute for Bodacious then we headed into town. I'm staying at the YMCA and will take tomorrow off then start into the Shenendoahs. I'm exited and am looking forward to some rest.
Date: 2010-06-08
From: Rockfish Gap - Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I had the urge to go jump off a diving board today. We went to the city pool but it was closed. So plan B was to swim at the YMCA pool but they were having swimming lessons. So I didn't get to go swimming. A bunch of us got together and went out to a local bar then watched the NBA Finals at Pig Pen's hotel room.
Date: 2010-06-09
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Stealth campsite north of Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Had breakfast at Weezie's with Hedgehog, Hollywood, and one of Hedgehog's friends. Hedgehog had his car so he drove us up to the trail. Today was the first day in Shenendoah NP. I saw a bear today which was the second one that I've seen. I had forgot to mention that I saw one the day that I hiked into Waynesboro. I was only able to catch it's backside as it was running away from me. I camped solo tonight at a flat spot about 5 miles north of Calf Mt Shelter. You are only supposed to camp at shelters and in spots that are at least 20 yards off of the trail. Most of the good camping spots are hard to spot because they are off the trail and the underbrush is really tall here.
Date: 2010-06-10
From: Stealth campsite north of Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: broken clouds

Nothing too interesting today except Blackrocks which is a collapsed cliff with views of the Piedmont. I mostly walked through a tunnel of briars all day. The trees aren't big enough here to keep the undergrowth down and there isn't much shade. The hiking was pretty easy as far as the elevation gain but the trail is beginning to get rocky which I hear is only going to get worse. I'm not carrying much food because there are some campground stores and lodges that you can eat at and get resupplied. I camped at Pinefield Hut with Hollywood, Trooper, Nails, and 2 section hikers.
Date: 2010-06-11
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: few clouds

Saw 2 bears early this morning. One was within 20 yards of me and was rather large. It just looked at me and didn't seem too concerned that I was there. It finally got up and slowly walked off. Today was hot but not too difficult. I bought some hotdogs at a campground store and then cooked them over the fire at the shelter and shared them with some other hikers for dinner. I camped at Bearfence Mountain Hut with Hollywood, Trooper, Grapevine, 2 section hikers, and the Ridgerunner for SNP.
Date: 2010-06-12
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Stealth campsite near Skyland Lodge
Miles today: 15.9

Pretty relaxed day of hiking. Saw 2 bear cubs on the way to Big Meadows Lodge. My first concern was where the Momma bear was. Turned out I was standing between mom and her cubs which is the worst possible place to be. Luckily the bear was pretty used to humans so she didn't act agressive or anything like that. I did get a pretty good picture of her before quickly moving along. Made it to Big Meadows Lodge for lunch and did some laundry and took a shower. A thunderstorm came by so I waited it out then made it to Skyland Lodge for dinner. After dinner me, Hollywood, and Trooper stayed to watch a band play. They played a bunch of Irish folk music which I'm not really a fan of. We set up our tents a little south of the lodge. I'm sure we are not camping at a legal spot but we made sure we were out of sight.
Date: 2010-06-13
From: Stealth campsite near Skyland Lodge

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: light rain

Long and tough day. I didn't get to the Hut until about 10:00 so I'm not going to make much of an entry today because I'm dead tired. My feet are killing me because of all the rocks on the trail. I saw yet another bear on Skyline Drive. It ran off as I was getting a picture of its backside. I made it to a campstore around dinner time and had a cheeseburger and a beer before pushing on. I camped at Gravel Springs Hut with probably 20 other people. Don't know where all these people came from. Lots of new faces that I'll have to figure out who they are.
Date: 2010-06-14
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Front Royal Hostel
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

Got up early and got to the hostel by 11:00. It's less than half a mile from the trail so I didn't need a ride in which is nice. Seems like a good place to get some rest. I definetely need it. Glad to be out of SNP with all the restrictions on where you can camp. There's a big group of hikers here tonight and we're going to some bar to play a trivia game. Next stop will be Bear's Den Hostel in a couple of days then I'll be in Harper's Ferry a couple of days after that.
Date: 2010-06-15
From: Front Royal Hostel

To: Trillium Trail
Miles today: 16.4

Resupplied and got breakfast this morning then got started hiking at about 11:00. I talked to Wizard at Jim and Molly Denton Shelter and he asked if I was interested in getting picked up by Mike(the owner of Terrapin Station Hostel) and getting a ride to his place to watch game 6 of the NBA Finals. I was game. We met Mike around 6:30 and got a ride back to the same hostel I stayed at last night. I had mistakenly called it Front Royal Hostel because that's what Awol's(bless his heart) guidebook called it.I was hoping the Lakers would win so that I could try to catch game 7 in Harper's Ferry. I got my wish but I'm really going to have to hustle to get there. Last night there were 10 thru-hikers at the hostel but tonight it is only me, Wizard, and Grapevine who is getting off the trail in Harper's Ferry and flip-flopping.
Date: 2010-06-16
From: Trillium Trail

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Another day, another hostel. I bought 2 dinners in Waynesboro and still haven't eaten them yet because I've been eating out so much. Today was pretty high on the difficulty scale. It started out pretty easily and I really enjoyed the section through Sky Meadows State Park but then I got to the section known as the Roller Coaster. 10 agonizing miles later I made it to Bear's Den Hostel. It was by far the rockiest section of trail I have done yet. Plus it was really hot today and there were a lot of short, yet steep climbs.There are several other hikers here that I haven't met yet. I got the hiker special at Bear's Den which includes a bed, laundry, pizza, soda, and a pint of ice cream for $27. I really needed to do the laundry because I got drenched in sweat today. The hostel is really nice. It is a stone castle just 0.2 miles off the trail. I'm going to Harper's Ferry tomorrow to catch game 7 of the NBA Finals so I'll probably be in another hostel then. I'm going to have to buckle down on my spending so I don't go broke.
Date: 2010-06-17
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 20.3

Got into Harper's Ferry today. The trail was rocky into town but it wasn't hot today and there was a breeze. I got to the ATC office right after they closed and called for a ride to a guy's house who lets hikers tent in his yard. I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to hike tomorrow so I'll wait and see how I feel. My feet are pretty beat up right now. Didn't watch Game 7 because I was too tired and didn't feel like hitching a ride back into town.
Date: 2010-06-18
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: clear sky

I toured the historical part of Harper's Ferry today. I came real close to going to DC for the day but I'm thinking I'd rather go to NYC later instead. I ended up seeing a lot of people that I haven't seen in about a week so I'm glad I stayed. I didn't end up leaving until 4:00 and I had to stop by the hostel outside of town to pick up a memory card that my mom had sent me. I camped at Ed Garvey Shelter which looks like a log cabin with Hollywood, Mountain Man, and a bunch of section hikers.