morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-09
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: overcast clouds

BROKE 500 MILES TODAY!I got up at 5:20am today and was on the trail about an hour later. I like getting up early to hike. The day always seems to go by quicker when I hike before sunrise. I had a big climb up to Buzzard Rock and Whitetop Mountain. It was an ascent for over four miles. It felt really long but there was a cool inspirational more on the the side is the trail. Actually there were a couple yesterday too. The trail ends up crossing a road and up into cow pasture. It was beautiful walking in a beaten down path in the middle of a huge grassy pasture. As beautiful as it was, it was pretty hot and there was no shade. The trail went through Greyson Highlands State Park today. I've heard about and seen pictures of the wild ponies that roam the area. It was pretty cool to actually to through it now. At first I didn't see any of the ponies. I only saw "signs" of them all along the way. I just kept walking though. Eventually I came up to a summit and I looked down and saw three of them a short distance away. I made it down to the ponies who are so habituated to people that they didn't mind I went over to them. Should I pet one? ABSOLUTELY! It was really cool! I took pictures with them and there were some shots with the mountains in the background. Who would have though ponies on the AT?I left the park and was planning on tenting just a short distance away. When I got to an area for tenting it was extremely rocky so I just pushed on. I figured I'd just hike six more miles and get to the next shelter. On the way to the shelter the trail does through more exposed pasture. At this time the weather was not looking so good. The skies were getting darker by the minute and it started to rain a bit. Soon there was thunder. I did not want to be caught with no cover in a storm! I put some urgency in my step to get to the shelter ASAP. I made it to the shelter before the heavy rain came down. I'm using the shelter actually...99% of the the time I tent at the shelter areas. It's supposed to storm and there is lightening in the distance. I'll be glad to be in a shelter then. The day was long but it worked out well. Tomorrow morning I hit Fresh Ground for pancakes! No sure what I'll do for mileage though.
Date: 2015-04-10
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

I was nice and dry in the shelter last night. The rain actually stopped so merger around 9:00pm. I didn't sleep well in the shelter though. With lots of people, they can be loud and sometimes the shelters are dirty. I like my tent and I always relax better in there. The trail was pretty uneventful today. Boring, actually. It was rocky in a lot of places. Streams were flowing. That's pretty much it. Well, I guess the hulking was that it was only 1.7 miles to get to Fresh Ground. I had a couple banana, chocolate chip, walnut pancakes. They were delicious!I made it to the Trimpi Shelter today. It's only 13.2 miles so the day was done really early. I decided to stop because my knees and ankles are pretty sore. I really wanted to move on but ended up just staying. Maybe the small day will help me out. I'm also staying in the shelter again. It MAY rain and storm so I figure is just stick out the night under a roof. I'm not sure what's on the game plan for tomorrow. I just hope my knees and feet feel better tomorrow. They've been hurting more and more.
Date: 2015-04-11
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

The weather was nice today. The bit of rain we had yesterday really broke the humidity and kept it cool out bit was nice and sunny and the tree cover provides just enough shade. We've been pretty fortunate with the weather lately. We also have made it over 500 without any bugs. With the warmer weather upon us they are starting to appear but aren't bothersome yet.The trail was nice today as well. Virginia does a really nice job maintaining the footpath. The only issues are the rocks. It's far more rocky that I ever imagined. It slows my pace, specifically on the downhills. I have been tripping on a lot of rocks lately too. Sometimes I smash my toe and then hit the ground. I've been lucky enough to not get hurt though. Knock on wood!Despite the rocks, the terrain was pretty mild and there were some farms in the distance. There were acres and acres of green grass where these homesteads sit on. It's a nice sight to see from a ridge in the woods.The trail also goes to the Partnership Shelter. It's amazing. The shelter itself is in nice shape, it has a real privy, a real shower, and there is a stocked pond down the hill. I was very much looking forward to a shower but the water hasn't been turned on yet. I guess it will have to wait. From the shelter it was just another 6.7 miles to the Chatfield Shelter where I'm tenting. Axon, Shrugs, Cheese Man, Just Pete, and Ironman Bill are here too. I know most of us are going into Atkins tomorrow for food and resupply. I need to resupply for the next four days to get me to Trent's Grocery. Should be fun!
Date: 2015-04-12
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: broken clouds

It was a little chilly last night but I was up and on my way for 7 AM. It was only four and half miles downhill to get to Atkins, Virginia where I was resupplying. The hike down was beautiful actually. There were farm houses and barns set and acres and acres of land. With the sun on the rise, the tall grass alongside the footpath was shimmering. The grass under my feet and surrounding the trailhead a thin layer of dew. Where I resupplied was a truck stop. It was interesting, though. As I was walking, still maybe 2 miles away, I could faintly smell the exhaust from track trailers on the highway behind it. I guess from being out in the fresh air for so long my sense of smell is keen to anything new or different. The resupply itself was not great at all. I ended up buying a whole bunch of overpriced junk food. There are no meals so it was honey buns, peanuts, snickers, sunflower seeds, etc. I did buy two oranges though. I guess that's slightly helpful. I also saw chocolate milk and sour cream and onion chips. I had to buy those. I finished them in just a minute or two. After the week resupply I walked across the street to a restaurant called the barn. I needed real food. I had a bacon omelette and a biscuit with gravy. Too bad they weren't serving burgers yet because it was only 9:45 AM. After a quick breakfast and a top off of my cell phone battery, back to the trail I went. A couple miles later I ran into Axon and Shrugs having a snack at the Davis Path Campsite. I stopped with them for a few. We even hiked together for short time afterwards. I haven't hiked with anyone for days now. It's been great we've at least caught up for snacks during the day or camp in the same place. The remainder of the day went just fine. There were a few large climes but I just power through them until I reach the top. Although the trail was rocky, it was far less than the previous few days. I hope that continues.It was a great day to put in 18.9 miles. The sun was out and I was walking through cow pasture at times. Tomorrow looks like it's going to be 20 miles though. I better get my rest.
Date: 2015-04-13
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Immediately as I was walking to tell my left shin is hurting still. I may be developing a shinsplints. It's either that or I pulled a muscle. I've been tripping on the rocks here lately. It's been primarily with my left foot two. Every time that happens I feel pulling my shin. I have to monitor every step now. It's pretty painful and it's pretty annoying. A couple miles into the day came a very large climb: Chestnut Knob. It was over 2000 feet of elevation gain. The climb itself was pretty challenging but the views on the top were well worth it. I was standing on a grassy bald where the shelter is. They were mountain ridges in the distance. In between us and them was a valley far below. It had thousands of acres of farmland and pasture. The fields were in grid formation and they were grain silos next to the barn. It was picture perfect. I had to take the time and soak it all in. I laid down in the grass with the sun shining on me and just enjoyed the view. Britt this day.From Chestnut Knob, it was 10.6 miles to the Jenkins Shelter where I am staying. Those 10.6 miles were awful though. One, they were boring. Completely, boring. Two, it was all rocks. The terrain profile looks flat but it's super rocky. And three, my shin was killing me. All I can do is take aspirin and keep hiking. It really slows me down and makes for a very tough day. I arrived at the shelter, made camp and ate dinner. I've had to ration my food yesterday, today, in the next two days. I didn't buy too much for my resupply. I'll get bye but I'm not as comfortable as I'd like. I'll get real food, or I hope real food, at my resupply on Wednesday. I know I get a much-needed shower and laundry that day too. It's just two more days until Pearisburg where I'll be staying the night. I can't wait for real food.It's supposed to rain tonight. I set my tent up under a rhododendron tree. I hope that helps. It's at least in a beautiful spot. It is supposed to rain all day tomorrow though. That means wet rocks, which means a slow day. At least it's only 15 miles tomorrow!
Date: 2015-04-14
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: moderate rain

It barely rained last night. I was told it was supposed to rain pretty hard, actually I was also told that it would rain today until 4 PM. Wrong again. It's 8 PM. It's still raining. Today I had my rain gear on all day. It was useless after a couple hours though. Even the best rain pants and jacket would give up the fight today. Everyone on the trail was soaked through, including me. It was steady rain at all times.Despite being soaked and my hands and feet looking like prunes, it was a great day. The train was easy and I was blown through the miles. My shin felt pretty good and there were no rocks. That's the complete opposite of yesterday.There was a road-walk today. It passed over I-77 somewhere here in Virginia. It was the only picture of the day. I tried taking a picture earlier but my phone wouldn't recognize my prune like fingers. The day was done just after 1:15 PM or so. I wanted to push on but the next shelter isn't another 10 more miles and I already did 15. Plus there have been zero campsites in between because of how the trail winds.Tomorrow means resupply, shower, and laundry. I hope tonight I stayed dry in my tent!
Date: 2015-04-15
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: Trent's Grocery
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: moderate rain

Last night I went to bed in the rain. Today I woke up in the rain. Today I hiked in the rain. That's the theme of the last few days. Thankfully the rain stopped around 5 PM. I got up and hit the trail at 7:15 AM. It was nice and flat in some sections but more importantly it wasn't rocky. Regardless, my shins still hurts. Anyway, after an hour or so I caught up with Axon and Shrugs who were stopping for a snack. We ended up hiking together for at least the next 6 miles.It was really great hiking with them. We had great conversation about work, school, and life back home. It made me a little homesick but it's all for the best. It was nice to have company and not just talk to myself.It's interesting to see couples hike the trail together. They are together 99% of the time. I'm jealous because they have each other to talk to and motivate themselves. They can experience this absolutely amazing journey together. For me, it's different. Nikki isn't here. No picture or description I give can show the true feeling of a specific moment I experienced. I'm fortunate enough to have this opportunity but Nikki isn't. That's what sucks, for me and her.Anyway, we hiked to Jenny Knob Shelter for a snack and they took off ahead of me after. I started hiking in 2.4 miles later I ran across a section hiker named Disciple. I met him the day before, actually. Today we hiked together for a couple miles but I moved on ahead for the final two miles of the day. I just needed to get to the road where I'd take a half mile road walk to the grocery store. The place is called Trents Grocery and I did a day and a half resupply to last me to Pearisburg. While I was there I had two hotdogs and some fries. It was the first real food since Damascus. I was pretty happy. Then for six dollars, I can tent, shower, and do laundry. I was super excited for that. Here's the lowdown. The tenting wasn't that bad. It was kind of in a field near horses and it must have been an old RV park. The laundry however wasn't the greatest. It did not include soap and they didn't sell any, so I ended up using shampoo as detergent. You make do as a hiker. I also found out that the dryer did not work. That meant a full load of laundry was now just socks and underwear. I guess I will do full laundry when I make it into Perisburg. Now is the shower on the other hand... It was, by far, the most disgusting bathroom I had ever been in. It literally hadn't been cleaned in months. Ants everywhere. Mold. Grime. It was just plain bad. The best part about the experience was dinner time. Me, Axon, Shrugs, and Klaus went into a 1970s RV where we ate dinner. That was the cleanest thing on the property. I don't know if we should have been in there but we were and it was awesome. Plus if we got kicked out it will we only spent six dollars.I was able to FaceTime with Nikki, Big T before writing in my journal and heading to bed. Looking forward to what's in store for tomorrow.
Date: 2015-04-16
From: Trent's Grocery

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.5

Here's a short entry.The day went by pretty quickly. I grabbed a chocolate milk from Trent's Grocery and took the half mile road walk to the trail. There were a lot of streams and footbridges along the way. Overall, the terrain wasn't terribly difficult, it was just rocky for the last 9 miles.There was mist, sprinkles and fog the entire day. There are actually a few vistas along the way but I couldn't see anything so I didn't even stop.I met the Diabolical Duo today. They are a father and son attempting to thru hike. However the son is only 11 years old. Thought that was pretty interesting. We hiked together for a few and it was pretty cool hearing their thoughts. I'm crashing the night at Doc's Knob shelter with Axon, Shrugs, and Klaus. That's about it. A short, uneventful entry for a 17.5 mile day.
Date: 2015-04-17
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Not a bad day on the trail. I was pretty sure and the weather was beautiful. The trail was very muddy but I made it down safely.The driving force today was getting to Pearisburg. I seriously needed to shower and laundry! I'm staying at the Holiday Lodge which is surprisingly nice inside. It's right in the heart of everything I need so that works out perfectly. The first thing I did was hit the shower and do my laundry. The next thing was to go to the Post Office and conduct some business. I needed to send back my sleeping bag and pick up the quilt that Nikki sent me. Then¢¦ Hardee's! I saw Axon and Shrugs there and they were enjoying the food for a first time visit. I had a stellar El Diablo Burger and then it was off to the Food Lion to resupply. It looks like, and feels like, I bought too much food. However I've been going through my food like crazy! I definitely have a hiker appetite. I'm not resupplying until Daleville which is six days from now so I do need to carry a large amount. The other thing that's been going on is a nagging shinsplint issue. Right now I'm icing and hoping it will help. I also added a soft insert to my shoe and hopefully that will help.It's back to the trail tomorrow and it looks like sun. Thank God!
Date: 2015-04-18
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pine Swamp Shelter
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: light rain

The first day after resupply is always the toughest. I had six days of food on me and my pack weighed a ton. It was the worst! Every climb seem longer and they were surely harder now. I know I need the calories for these tough climbs and long days but the volume and weight is killer. The day started off great before I had to do any real hiking. I had a road walk over a bridge which was pretty cool. I had my new shoes on, I just took a shower, I cleaned all my gear and my clothes were nice and clean. That's always a great feeling. However as the day progressed my feet could tell I was carrying extra weight of all this food. Regardless, I had miles to push through. The miles seem to go by pretty quickly but I was in just a bad mood. My feet hurt, I was carrying too much, I had a lot of miles to hike, etc. There was no faking happiness. I just didn't have fun. I know not all days are going to be perfect and today was one of those days.Despite the trail going by a shelter with an absolutely beautiful view, or the trail winding through an old apple Orchard, I just felt empty today. I think I'm homesick. I miss Nikki and my family. As I write this, everyone is celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversary. I'm just in my tentband I haven't seen anyone in a while. I hope to use it as motivation to get up north sooner. Right now it's just getting in my way. I'm hoping to have a positive attitude tomorrow. Choose your attitude, right? I'm going to give it my best shot at least. Maybe I'm just tired. I should go rest and get ready for a new day!
Date: 2015-04-19
From: Pine Swamp Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: moderate rain

I'm glad I was up early today. It was supposed to rain in the late morning so putting in the miles early was super important. It was great that I was able to hike 6 miles before the rain, which actually started at 10 AM. It made it slightly less miserable.The miles went by surprisingly quickly. I played an A-B-C hiking game a few times which helped pass the miles. Throughout the day I also set small goals to hit specific landmarks at specific times. Even those little things help out. I did see a painter turtle in the middle of the trail though. He was going north too. Irony?Yesterday I wasn't in the best mood. My attitude towards the hike was not as positive as it was before. It is boring and lonely sometimes. That combination makes me dwell on being away from everyone back home. I wanted to call Nikki yesterday and today but there's been no cell service anywhere. It's tough but I'll get through it.Anyway¢¦ It is rained all day and it's supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow all day. At least tomorrow I get to Fresh Ground for a hiker feed! It's about 12 miles in to the hike so that'll be a great motivation. Okay, I'm relaxing in the shelter tonight. I'm just watching the steady rain fall outside. I'd rather be in my tent but I do like staying dry
Date: 2015-04-20
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: broken clouds

Yesterday I needed a little pity party. I'm over with though. This is exactly what I wanted to do for quite some time. I'm living the American dream¢¦or at least mine.It rained really hard last night so staying in the shelter was perfect. Not everyone had that luxury so they woke up wet. The great news was blue skies were ahead of me. It had to be a great day. I started off down the trail and had to cross the stream. The stream was now a river with all the rain yesterday. After surveying my options I only had one: walk through it. I rolled up my pant legs and carefully walked across, making sure my footing was solid. I made it across, took off my socks to ring them out and did the same with my insoles. I continued on hiking and probably 30 seconds later, same thing. Another stream. Arg.The streams eventually lead to a cow pasture a few miles later. It's awesome that landowners grant hikers a right-of-way on their property. It also led to the Keffer Oak, a tree over 300 years old in over 18 feet around. It was massive. But the trail became very technical a few miles later. I was soon walking very slowly on slabs of slick rock at 45° angles. Slipping would've resulted in some serious sliding or injury. Even with dry rocks and dry boots it was dangerous. I cannot imagine in the rain! Those rocks were so weather beaten and slick but it worked out in the end. I continued on and it was just a few more miles to get to Fresh Ground. Unfortunately my feet were killing me though. They were wet from yesterday and it made the skin soft. I had to take a break and let my feet dry before I walked any further. I let my feet dry in the sun for 15 minutes or so and then it was a quick 1.4 miles to Fresh Ground. When I arrived he put three hotdogs on my plate and a bunch of fries and it was consumed in about two minutes.Axon and Shrugs were at Fresh Ground's when I arrived. I was planning to camp there but after I let my feet dry out again and have a bunch of food, I decided to push on another 8.7 miles. It was 4:30pm at this point. When I was on the trail, I hustled! There was a couple mile climb and it didn't stop. It also started raining and there was a bunch of thunder so I did not want to be caught on the top of the mountain. I ended up catching up with Axon and Shrugs (who left just before me) at a bench at the top. They did not expect to see me. We ended up hiking together until we reached the shelter. On the way we saw a rainbow too!I arrived at the shelter at 8:30 PM. The shelter was full so I'm in my tent. It's thundering and sprinkling a bit but I hope it holds out. I guess I'll find out in the morning
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

It was windy last night but the bad weather missed me. Talking to some day hikers, they said it got bad around the area. I guess I was fortunate.Today was windy but it was sunny and cool. It was a great combo for the day. It was only 17 miles but man was it a killer in a few spots. Specifically Dragon's Tooth. There is a monolith at the summit. There are some rock scrambles up to it but it wasn't too too bad. The monolith itself I think was overrated though. It wasn't anything too crazy. However the southside the summit was downright dangerous. The rocks were slick and very narrow. I had to buttslide and make sure every hand or foothold was solid. If it were raining I literally have no idea how a hiker would make it down safely. It was the worst part of the trail yet. Because of the difficult terrain, my miles per hour were very slow for the first 5¢8 miles. It picked up as the day went on though. I literally picked up the pace when I knew McAfee Knob was coming up. I had my headphones in and the miles were clicking away.I climbed up to McAfee Knob and it was a picture perfect day at a picture perfect spot. I've seen pictures of this very famous spot many of times but I couldn't believe I was actually there. The views of the valley below were incredible. I could see for miles and miles. The mountains in the distance had different colors on each of the ridges. It was really cool. It was a great day to hike and it's off to town tomorrow. Looking forward to it!