morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-05-04
From: Campsite at Bench on Southern Crest of Brush Mt.

To: Johns Spring Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: scattered clouds

05/13/11 - Adding 2 journal entries today (5/4-5/5)MaryWhat a miserable night, it rained steady all night and the wind blew. This caused the fog and dampness to penetrate everything. The condensation dripped, so my bag got wet and the temperature was very cold. Around 4:00 am I was so cold I had to put on more clothing in my bag to stay warm. In the morning I had everything for clothing on, including rain pants, coat, hat, and gloves while I picked up and got going. Shortly after we started it was clearing up and the sun was coming out. It stayed quite cool all day and was very windy. The first stop for the day was the Audie Murphy Monument. Audie was the most decorated World War II Veteran. He was killed in an airplane crash near this spot. The day¢s hike was spent on quite rocky terrain getting to Dragon's Tooth, which is a large stone formation with an excellent view if you climb up on top. The climb can be a little harrowing, but the view is worth it. Once we descended we thought about camping down low, but once more I convinced Chainsaw to push on another 5 12 miles up and over one more ridge to the base of McAfee Knob. This will put us within striking distance of Daleville, VA ¢ which would mean getting to town a day early. Will have to see how it goes. Another cold night tonight as I write this with my coat and stocking cap on.
Date: 2011-05-05
From: Johns Spring Shelter

To: Daleville, VA (Howard Johnson's)
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: few clouds

05/13/11 - Adding 2 journal entries today (5/4-5/5)MaryAnother cold night in the shelter last night. Some southbound section hiker was set up in his hammock length wise in the shelter when we arrived. He offered to move, but I was able to squeeze in and Chainsaw tented. His lack of shelter etiquette hasn¢t been common, and he suffered more than I in the cold, as I heard him tossing and turning and putting on more clothes during the night. I was up early as I wanted to get going so I would get into Daleville before it was too late. Today was the day we went over McAfee knob, and Tinker Cliffs. We lucked out as there wasn¢t a cloud in the sky. Pictures would have been better in the evening, but we did get all the iconic pictures at McAfee knob, and we enjoyed our lunch at the cliffs. After our lunch we tried to rush as much as we could because we had close to 19 miles to do today and we wanted to have time to do town chores tonight and be able to get out tomorrow fairly early. As the day dragged on our feet hurt, but we pushed on and made it in about 5:15. No new snake sightings today, but I forgot to mention that I¢ve seen a small lizard a couple of different times now. The lizard is about 5 to 6 inches long and blends in with the rocks, being a grayish black, speckled thing. They seem to be very brave, letting you get quite close. When they do take off they move very quickly and are funny to watch. Once we got in town we got our showers, laundry done, grocery shopping, and dinner. It is almost 11:30 and I¢ve finally got all my gear clean, dry, organized and packed for tomorrow. They offer a full hot breakfast at the hotel tomorrow, so hopefully we won¢t leave too late. I¢m hoping for about 18 miles tomorrow, but we will see.
Date: 2011-05-06
From: Daleville, VA (Howard Johnson's)

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: broken clouds

Up about 7:00, and down to the motel lobby for a cup of tea. I did get an envelope to mail home my journal entries, but they didn't have stamps. I happened to meet a guy in the lobby that gave me a ride down to the Kroger and back for stamps. So the day started good. I got all my town chores done and was ready to leave at 9:15. I left solo and enjoyed hiking by myself today, daydreaming as I hiked. The trail was graded very nice so I was able to make good time. I thank the Roanoke ATC for their good work from Daleville to Blackhorse Gap. The weather was nice this morning but I did get rained on in the afternoon. It was light though and cleared up by the end of the day. We entered the Blue Ridge Parkway today, following the road and crossing it several times. We went through 3 overlooks today, but there were no tourists around to practice my yogi'ing on. If you¢re not familiar with yogi¢ing, it¢s the practice of trying to separate the tourists from the contents of their picnic basket, like Yogi Bear does. This takes many forms, but generally when you intermingle with tourists and they start asking you questions about your hike, you casually mention how hungry you are, and you generally live on Ramen noodles. You don¢t ask for food, you hopefully just trade trail stories for the extra goodies they want to offer you so that you will hang around and talk to them more. The trail follows the parkway for quite a ways, so hopefully I will be able to hone that skill. I got to the shelter tonight and it was already busy with Evergreen, Bumknee, Schmuck, Hansel & Gretel and their dad already there. Later Breeze, Chainsaw, and Deadman came in. A couple going Southbound came in but couldn¢t find a place to tent so they headed back up the hill. I¢m hoping to get another 18 miles in tomorrow. If the grade is as nice as it was today, and the weather is good, I should be ok.
Date: 2011-05-07
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: few clouds

Today's hike didn't start so well. After I hiked the steep .2 miles up to the AT, I turned onto the trail which was a little service road and started to get loosened up and in a pretty good rhythm heading down hill. After about 15 minutes I realized I didn¢t see any white blazes. I checked the map and it showed I was supposed to be going uphill. I turned around and headed back up the hill, when I got almost back to the shelter I realized the AT veered off the road and went up the hill. When I was coming down there was a large mud puddle I had gone around and missed the turn off. This set me back about a half hour. I didn¢t feel too bad about it because at the next shelter register it was mentioned several times by hikers that they had done the same thing. A little later my luck changed when I got about 3 miles down the trail to Bearwallow Gap. I went to cross the road and a car pulled up and out got Larry, a trail maintainer carrying some trail magic. He had a cooler full of bananas, apples, Doritos, Oreos and Moon pies. He also had a cooler full of ice cold soda. I stopped to talk and thank Larry for a bit, and then hiked on in a much better mood. I saw some more of the lizards and even came across another type of lizard or skink that I got a picture of. All of the Mountain Laurel, Rhododendrons, and some other plant that is similar to the Mountain Laurel are in bloom. So the hike is very colorful and fragrant. I really wish I had a bird book because there are so many birds out here, and I¢d like to spend more time trying to identify them. I went to take a picture of what I thought was a bright Blue Bird when I realized it was an Indigo Bunting. I forgot to mention that we have been hearing Whippoorwills calling in the morning and evenings; they go on so long they make you laugh. Maybe when I get to Waynesboro I¢ll get some identification pamphlets on the plants and birds down here, which will help me out some. I¢m still pushing some to try to get to Waynesboro by next Friday, but the altitude changes are pretty big, so it is tough to approach 20 miles a day. The trail and scenery have been very nice lately, and I did get a chance to soak my feet in an ice cold stream today, so that made them feel good. Got to the shelter today and nobody was there, Chainsaw came in later. Schmuck, Bumknee, and Evergreen also came in for the night. Hopefully I will get up early and make the 20 miles into Glasgow for an in and out re-supply.
Date: 2011-05-09
From: John's Hollow Shelter

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today the alarm clock went off at 5:00 am. The clock was a whippoorwill that was about 10 feet from the front of the shelter. It started calling and went on for about 10 minutes. One Grey Wolf was hoping it would quiet down and let us get a little more shut eye; I did get up to go to the bathroom and it did move away. By the time I got back in my sleeping bag it was right back and went on for another 5 minutes (snooze button?). After that racket there was no way to really get back to sleep. I finally got up and got ready to go and was hiking by 7:00. My shin was very sore and I limped very slowly up the trail for about 2 miles before it started to loosen up. I knew I was in for a long day because I was planning to do 18 miles, so I tried to distract myself with other things. Again I tried to identify and photograph several different birds. I did startle a huge barred owl late in the day and it made a huge sweeping circle around me soaring through the woods. It was amazing to look back at the overlook and see how far I¢ve come. I could pick out the FAA Tower I was at only a day ago, and it was way in the distance. Probably the highlight of the day was coming to a footbridge at the creek and seeing Six String and One Grey Wolf and a few other hikers all sunning themselves. The three younger guys had gone swimming and One Grey Wolf was about to. It was very hot and I haven¢t showered in 4 days now so I quickly stripped down to my shorts and hopped in. Boy did it feel great. Chainsaw came along just as I was jumping in and he decided to do the same. We got in the sun on the bridge to dry off and it was definitely the best break of the day. It was only 5 miles to camp from there so we started down the trail. I limped along in the rear, and decided about 2 miles from camp I needed a snack, so I sat on a rock next to a stream. When I reached into my pack for my food bag I looked down and saw a snake right at my feet. Of course I jumped, but it was just a little one and I don¢t know what kind. I did get a couple pictures so maybe I¢ll identify it later. I forgot to mention a couple days ago that I¢m now done with over 1/3 of the trail. My latest plan is to try to lighten my pack more and perhaps try trail runners. Hopefully these things will help me to stop injuring myself. I¢ve been a little depressed lately because physically I feel great, but my legs let me down every time I try to up the mileage a little. Hopefully I¢ll get by this, and then I think I should have had my share. Oh well, enough belly aching; I am having a blast, and I don¢t need to rush, so I just need to relax.
Date: 2011-05-11
From: Porter's Field

To: Maupins Field Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Today was a much better day. It started very early, around 1:00 am. I heard this god awful noise which sounded like a Pterodactyl, or at least what I think a Pterodactyl would sound like. I thought it was a fox or something but didn¢t really recognized the noise. Hindsight, I think it might have been a screech owl, because after it screeched 10 or 15 times I heard a Barred Owl suddenly call out several times, not its normal call, but more like a scolding. This instantly quieted the other animal and I didn¢t hear it again. After threatening to rain all night with some distant lightning, it did start to sprinkle around 5:00, but stopped quickly. I was up early and packed and ready to hike at 6:30. I wanted to go early because I figured I¢d be going slowly. Today, after a few ups and downs we had a drop from 4,000 feet to the Tye River at 1,000 feet then right back up to 4,000 feet. I was dreading the downhill with my shin. As I left my shin was tight but not as bad as the day before. Once it loosened up it felt pretty good, so I walked pretty steady and even. As I started down the descent I met a ¢09 thru-hiker ¢Moonwalker¢ out for a day hike. We chatted for a while and as I left I met ¢Reuben 2¢ also heading down. We hiked together and chatted and before I knew it I was at the bottom, still feeling good. Moonwalker had left some trail magic at the bottom (water, chocolate, and starburst). Reuben 2¢s wife was waiting at the bottom for him with lunch and some additional trail magic. This is the second time I have received trail magic from her. She had some Gatorade, shortbread cookies, and some trail mix. I was still feeling good so I headed up to the next shelter, which is where I originally planned to stay. When I got there it was only 2:30 so I soaked my ankle in the creek, had my lunch, called Mary to wish her a Happy Anniversary, and pushed on to the top of 3 ridges. This must have been a mistake because the last 6.2 miles were tough, the rest of the big up and then a big down. I¢m quite tired now and my ankle is sore, but we¢ll see how it feels tomorrow. It is only about 20 miles to Waynesboro now, so I¢ll do 15 tomorrow than take an easy 5 mile day into town. As long as my ankle is good tomorrow I feel pretty good about my effort today, and I had a much better day. I¢d forgotten to mention that a couple of days ago we passed through a stand of virgin forest that the National Forest Service has set aside to study. The timber through this area was amazing; there were huge trees of many species and I didn¢t make good time as I was always stopping and staring. Most hikers may not have noticed, but it was one of my favorite stretches. I can add to the bird list ¢ Cardinal and Mourning Dove. If last night¢s noise was a screech owl then that would mean I heard a Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, and Screech Owl all in the same night.
Date: 2011-05-12
From: Maupins Field Shelter

To: Paul C Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Back hiking about 7:30 this morning, my shin was feeling pretty good. I took a leisurely day because I knew I was only hiking to the next shelter and the terrain was pretty mild. Today¢s hike started with the trail passing through a great deal of poison ivy, so we all did our best to avoid it. Once again I spent quite a bit of time trying to get a photograph of a Scarlet Tanager and an Indigo Bunting; they both kept jumping around while I chased through the woods. I made it to the shelter about 3:00 and everyone there had already hit the swimming hole in the river and they were drying off by the fire. I quickly hopped in the frigid water to ice the shin down and take off the first layer of grime. Most of the talk around camp centers around food, because everyone is hitting Waynesboro early in the day. Most are talking about the AYCE Pancake Breakfast for $5.95 followed by Ming¢s Chinese food buffet for lunch. I may partake of the breakfast, but Mary (my wife) will be here to pick me up for a couple of zero/nero days, so we may try to find something a little nicer for lunch. For the last four nights I¢ve camped with the following group: Chainsaw; Blue Sky; Forrest; Six String; and Day Man. Forrest, Blue Sky and Six String all carry Mandolins and play each night. They are actually playing as I write this. My plan has been to hike Southbound with Mary each day ending back in Waynesboro each night. I figured we could drop off trail magic at a road crossing and then hike south so that she could meet some of the hikers that I have been hiking with. In the shelter log Mammoth left me a note saying how he beat me to Waynesboro. It may take me several states after my zeros, but I still want to ¢hunt him down¢. Well off to bed, lots to do tomorrow.
Date: 2011-05-13
From: Paul C Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It¢s amazing what thoughts of an all you can eat pancake breakfast can do. Everyone was up and on the trail to town early today. Even the crowd that usually lingers in camp was up and out and dreaming of the wonders of pancakes. When I arrived at the road I found Chainsaw waiting for a trail angel. He said the rest were climbing into a car when he arrived, but there wasn¢t enough room for him. Not too long after another trail angel showed up to give us a ride. While we were waiting we talked to Enzed, Mammoth, and Cascade who were getting back on the trail. Chainsaw and I were dropped off at Weazies Restaurant for breakfast where we met One Grey Wolf, Blue Sky, Disco, Six String, and Day Man. After a very good breakfast I walked down to the Quality Inn to shower, clean my gear, and do my laundry before Mary arrived. Once she arrived we enjoyed an Oreo shake (decided to have a nice dinner later) and checked out a couple items at the outfitters. We asked at the Outfitters where to get a nice meal with a good beer. He told us that the South River Restaurant had good food, wine, and some good beer on draft. We went to dinner and enjoyed a Bourbon Stout with our meal. Mary had the beef kabob, and I enjoyed the Pulled Pork BBQ platter. For dessert we shared a very rich chocolate cake that was extremely good. If the weather is not too bad tomorrow we may drive up the parkway and hike south to meet some of the thru-hikers.
Date: 2011-05-14
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Even though we enjoyed a hike on the trail today, you will note I've entered today as a zero day, which will be explained at the bottom. - MaryMary and I were up and off to breakfast early at Weazies. We drove up the parkway through heavy fog to Jones Parking Area. On the way up we saw several deer, but best of all we saw a bobcat cross the road right in front of us. We started hiking southbound and before long we ran into Enzed, Cascade & Sierra. We chatted for a few minutes and they said we had missed Mammoth, he was already by us. We hiked about a mile and a half then returned to the car to jump ahead to see if we could find him. We left from the Loft Mountain Wayside and hiked south until we ran into Mammoth. We chatted for a while and gave him the chocolate milk we had brought along, one of his favorites. After finally locating him we decided to complete the section by continuing south until we came to the Jones Parking Area where we parked the first time. Once we arrived there we needed to get a ride back. Getting a ride proved difficult as there was very little traffic on the Parkway. Eventually a couple of fisherman came out to the parking lot and we caught a ride back to our car with them. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and going out to dinner again. Tomorrow will be an all rest day so hopefully my shin will fully recover.AlanI am waiting to receive more journal pages from Alan. Last night he called and was at the Bears Den Hostel. He said it is a beautiful hostel and he was enjoying pizza and getting ready for a hot shower. The night before the shelter was full and he tented, and of course there was a thunder storm, so he is also drying out his tent. He will pass the 1,000 mile mark today and will be in Harpers Ferry today or early tomorrow. It was nice to visit with him in Waynesboro and meet some of the hikers. He also got a chance to read the recent guest book entries and appreciates all the comments and encouragement. While in Waynesboro, since I had a rental car, we were able to bring Scholar & House from the trail to Waynesboro on Saturday, and on Sunday we brought Euro back to the trail. I¢m putting in today¢s mileage as a zero day. The reason for this, as I¢m sure Alan will mention in a future journal entry, is that he had to re-hike the section Northbound since he could not get a ride. When he came out to the road in hopes of getting a ride around this section, it was during a thunder storm. He tried walking on the road a bit hoping for some traffic to come by, but the storm was bad and he decided he better get back on the trail and find some shelter to ride out the storm. ¢ Mary
Date: 2011-05-15
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today we pretty much spent lounging around. We did go to the outfitters again, but I still didn't buy anything. I think I will have Mary buy a couple of items & mail them to me. After the Outfitters we saw a thru-hiker with a sign "Showered Hiker to Trail", so we stopped and gave "Euro" a ride to the trail. We did move from the Quality Inn to the Belle Hearth Bed & Breakfast. The accommodations at the Bed & Breakfast are very nice and I got to watch the Nascar Race and later we watched the Survivor Finale. We had the buffet at Ming's thinking we might see some thru-hikers there, but there were not any at dinnertime. We relaxed on the porch with a nice cold Stout and enjoyed the company of Roger & Hilary, from England, who were also staying at the Belle Hearth. The weekend is coming to a close much too quickly.AlanMailed Alan a new sleeping bag, lighter down jacket, and rain jacket. Hopefully these items will help him lighten his load, as well as free up some space in his pack as they are so compact. He called this morning, May 27, 2011, and he was in Waynesboro, PA. His mail drop will be waiting for him a little further along the trail. We saw the 2 deer in the picture when we hiked along the trail together. - Mary
Date: 2011-05-18
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: moderate rain

Much better today, it was foggy until lunch, but not raining. The trail is still muddy and full of water. I saw my first bear this morning, just a little bear cub crossing the trail. My camera was in my pack of course, due to all the moisture. I stopped and got out my camera expecting mom to come across next, but she must have been ahead. My shin felt ok for most of the day, until I stopped at the camp store about 1 mile from the shelter. When I got going again it was very sore. Apparently when I left this morning I took a set of hiking poles belonging to another hiker. When I got to the shelter he pointed out a couple of marks on his that identified them, and we swapped back. Tonight at the shelter are Breeze, Spoon, The Mayor, Euro, Wild Goose & Ducky, Delaware Dave, Billygoat & his brother, and Deadman. It¢s Deadman¢s birthday so we all sang Happy Birthday; he is 68. I guess I¢ll just limp through the rest of the park and if my shin is still hurting I¢ll have to zero until it feels better. We did pass the 900 mile mark today!
Date: 2011-05-21
From: Gravel Springs Hut

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

After a leisurely start today I hiked to the hostel fairly quickly, arriving at 11:30. I was the first one there for the day, so I showered and got my laundry done, then I kicked back to rest my shin. My shin felt about like yesterday, a little sore but pretty good. I¢ve rested my leg a lot today, and have kept it elevated. The hostel is great, run by a former thru-hiker of the AT & PCT. The hostel is filled up now with people coming in all day. Tonight Padre, Deadman, Breeze, Soon, Billygoat, Billygoat¢s brother Mike, Spaceman, Rocket, Indiana Jones, and Red Ryder are all here. Still not sure if I¢ll zero, I think I¢ll make that decision after we go to town for re-supply in the morning. The best part about today is that we ordered out for pizza tonight and it was excellent.