morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-12
From: Campsite near Damascus

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 2.3

Slept really long last night. Was up and out by 7:00. Tendon a little bothersome but was a short day. When we got to town Solo and Ramblin Man were standing outside of Dave¢s Place Hostel waiting to take us to breakfast. Went to Cowboys and I had a couple of bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits and a cinnamon roll, Solo picked up the tab which is great trail magic. The outfitter, Mt. Rogers, didn¢t open until noon seeing it is Sunday but was able to get my shower. Went to Subway for lunch, got my resupply, new shoes and did laundry at Crazy Larry¢s Hostel. He actually did it for us. Not much open here yet as season hasn¢t started and everything closes early in Sunday so it was Subway for dinner. Just Ramblin Man, Bonafide, The Swede and me here tonight. Big bubble a few days behind us. Might zero tomorrow if my foot still bothers me. I will make that decision in the morning. I am 4 days behind my 2012 schedule.
Date: 2015-04-13
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

Wasn¢t sure if I was going to hike today. I got up and went to the post office to mail my old shoes home along with my journal entries. Foot was feeling a little off. Got back to the hostel and packed up. Figured if it bothered me by the time I got to the edge of town I would turn back. Felt good so I went to the first shelter and checked the weather and decided to go to the campsite 2 miles further. Still felt good and it was early so decided to push here. If my foot started to bother me I knew there were plenty of campsites along the way and I could stop anytime. Full shelter here with 4 or 5 of us tenting. The Swede was surprised to see me because I never thought I would make it this far. Had a nice dinner and sat around and got to know some of the other hikers. Supposed to get rain tonight and I hope it¢s over by morning. Will be a short day tomorrow as I want to go off trail to summit Mt. Rogers which is the highest peak in Virginia weather permitting. That will let me take my time through Grayson Highlands State Park and hopefully see some of the ponies and catch Fresh Ground at Fox Creek for dinner.
Date: 2015-04-14
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: moderate rain

Woke to rain but at least it wasn¢t hard and there were breaks in it where I could pack up fairly dry. It rained off and on all day. I had 2 long climbs today and it was very rocky. Got here to the shelter before 2:00 pm. It rained really hard a short time later. Ate the chili Passionflower sent me and it was really good. Ran into Kyle and Margaret again who I haven¢t seen in quite a while. Will enter Grayson Highlands tomorrow but I hope to summit Mt. Rogers first. It is the highest point in Virginia but is 12 a mile off trail. Hope the rain is gone by then. It¢s a little cooler up here at over 5,ooo ft. Getting dark so off to bed.
Date: 2015-04-15
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: light rain

Didn¢t get to summit M.t Rogers as it rained hard until 10 AM when it dropped down to a sprinkle. I put on my wet socks and shoes and headed into Grayson Highlands at about 10:20. I ran into 4 ponies and was able to pet one of them. Just after that Margaret and Kyle caught up to Houdini and his girlfriend Evan who were with 6 more horses. We got some pics and then moved in. The terrain is very rocky and wet as we walked is a mist the rest of the day. We were all looking forward to seeing Fresh Ground and chowing down. I was the first one to the shelter and was reading the shelter log and seen an entry by Fresh Ground saying that he packed up yesterday. He ran out of energy and needed a break. He will set up again further north next week. With it still raining it was a no brainer for me to stay right here. Houdini and Evan made the same decision but Kyle and Margaret had to move on to meet up with Alex. There were still coals in the fire so I got it going again. 2 section hikers are here in the shelter with us. Hope this rain stops tonight and we get some nice weather tomorrow. Want to tent tomorrow night. One last thing, I want to wish my bother Donald a happy birthday and welcome him to the Half Century Club.
Date: 2015-04-16
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Had a good fire last night and this morning to dry out shoes and socks from all the puddles. Woke to temps in the 40¢s. Had 3 climbs today but the last 2 were gradual so didn¢t slow me down at all. Took the ACE bandage off my tendon and it seems to have healed just fine. Stopped at the Trimp Shelter for lunch. I had a peanut butter, honey, dried pineapple and M & M burrito. Loaded with calories. Then I pushed on. The sun came in and out all day but mostly in as the clouds took control. Ended up coming all the way to the shelter instead of staying short of it. Everyone was eating pizza which can be delivered to the Mt. Rogers Visitors Center a few yards away from the shelter. I ate my Ramen Noodles as I plan on eating KFC tomorrow. Will go into town to do laundry, eat lunch and mail off these entries. Then will take a bucket of chicken back to the shelter and decide if I will zero here or get a few miles in while the weather is good. They are calling for rain Sunday afternoon through Monday night. Going to shower in the morning as there is a shower here but it will be a cold one.
Date: 2015-04-17
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Partership Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Zero Day!! Woke up about 7:00 and got in the shower that is here at the shelter. They just turned on the water yesterday. It was cold but no nearly as cold as I thought it was going to be. A bunch of us went to the Mt Rogers Visitors Center to wait for the 9:00 am bus to town. I got dropped off at the laundry mat and did laundry then went to Wendy's for a little lunch. Had the triple cheeseburger with fries and a Frosty. I then went to grocery store and headed back to the laundry mat. At 1:30 I went to Kentucky Fried Chix and ordered a 10 piece bucket with coleslaw, biscuits, and fries. It came with a free red velvet bundt cake. I ate 8 pieces of Chix, the quart of coleslaw, 2 biscuits 1/2 the fries and 1/4 of the cake and gave out the rest. I then crawled into my sleeping bag feeling as full as a fat tick.
Date: 2015-04-18
From: Partership Shelter

To: Crawfish Trail Campsite
Miles today: 17.7

Was first one out at 6:50 am. Man is my pack heavy with 5 days worth of food. Had a fairly easy morning with the sun out and the terrain pretty tame. Stopped at the Chatfield Shelter for a quick snack then stopped at the Lindamood School which was built on the 1890¢s. Unfortunately the trail magic from the church was already gone as there was a huge group at Chatfield Shelter last night. For lunch I stopped at the Barn Restaurant in Atkins which is right on the trail. I had the 1 pound Hiker Burger with Tater Tots. Happy Camper joined me for lunch. I met him last night at the shelter. He¢s really moving as he started 18 days after me. Was hoping to do 8 more miles but my pack was just too heavy. Seems like I¢m not the only one as there is a total of 10 of us camped here. Supposed to rain tonight, tomorrow, and Monday. Could mean a couple of short days for me but we will see.
Date: 2015-04-19
From: Crawfish Trail Campsite

To: Knot Maul Branch
Miles today: 7.9

P.S. for yesterday : We hit the 14 of the way mark. 1640 miles to go. Short day! Woke up to the whippoorwill alarm clock just before daybreak. Packed up my gear and it started to sprinkle as I broke down my tent. It then proceeded to rain all the way to here. After looking at the shelter journal I could tell the next shelter would be full so I decided to stay here where it was dry. Mav, F-Bomb, and Dirt Time made the same decision. It was a good one as it stopped. About 16 people came up hoping to get in the shelter but it was full so they had to move on. There were a lot of disappointed faces as they walked up. I ate about 3 12 pounds of food. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow. It doesn¢t matter as I plan on staying at Chestnut Knob Shelter anyway. It has 4 walls and a door with a great view if I get to see it. Time to turn off the light and get some sleep.
Date: 2015-04-20
From: Knot Maul Branch

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Stopped raining about 12:30 AM. I actually saw 3 starts for about 30 seconds. Whippoorwill alarm clock again so I packed up and left at 7:10. I put on dry socks as my shoes had dried out overnight. 10 minutes after I left I had to ford a stream. Then I had to ford 4 more. The cold water felt good on my feet though. The sun came out for most of the trip here and stayed out. I was the first one here and by 1:00 there is only 1 bunk left. It will be full tonight. I have had 2 lunches so far and gathered some firewood. Hopefully the rain holds off. I had my dinner but we didn¢t have a fire as it was so windy. 7 hikers came in between 7:00 and 8:00. They were so loud I finally asked them to quiet down which they did. Sometimes you just have to ask for a little respect. I thanked them for their cooperation and am ready to call it a night.
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Campsite
Miles today: 15.8

5 of us got up at 6:00 am and seeing how the younger group respected us last night we respected them by packing up as quietly as possible. I hit the trail at 6:45. It has been getting light enough to see at about 6:15. Terrain wasn¢t too bad although there were a couple of steep climbs. The temps were perfect and the day was sunny. Stopped at Jenkins Shelter for lunch and to get water. This is the shelter where a bear was standing over Passionflower¢s tent while she was in it in 2012. After lunch I hiked with another hiker until I got here. Just as we got to the road we saw a cooler strapped to a tree. It was trail magic in the form of sodas. We each grabbed one. I am staying here where I saw Sparky after leaving Passionflower at the Jenkins Shelter on my way to night hike into Bland, VA on my 36 mile hike that year. So glad I learned my lesson to never hike that far again. Penguin showed up and is camped here along with Shadow Fox and 3 others who showed up just before dark. We had a nice fire going and am heading off to bed. Hoping to go 20 miles tomorrow as I will need to get more food on Thursday.
Date: 2015-04-22
From: Laurel Creek Campsite

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: clear sky

Hit 600 miles today. Was first one out of camp at 7:00. I was at this shelter at 2:00. I was able to move pretty fast due to it mostly being small ups and downs. It was nice to see the section that I hiked in last time in the daylight. I saw a deer today but didn¢t take a pic as no one could have seen it amongst all the trees. Hiked with a young lady named Hare for about the last 3 miles. Time goes by much faster when there is someone to talk to. Mostly everyone who stayed at the campsite went into Bland to resupply except Penguin and myself. Found out Recon who was hiking with Mav, F-Bomb and Dirt Time broke his leg and Bassanova who was hiking with Mingo is off for a week as he got a branch stuck in his leg. Ran into the Swede today and will probably see him on Friday morning. There are 9 of us here along with 3 dogs. Will have a shorter day tomorrow to put me within 8 miles of Woods Hole Hostel. Looking forward to a couple of relaxing days there. It is very windy and it is supposed to drop down into the mid 30¢s the next couple of mornings., Might change my mind on switching out sleeping bags for a couple more weeks, Will see when I get to Woods Hole.
Date: 2015-04-23
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

It was a little chilly this morning. Got up and packed up. Was first one out again. When it is cold I would rather be hiking than sitting around. Took my time today. The sun was out and with short mileage I felt at ease. First stop was Trents Grocery for a small resupply and a couple of cheeseburgers and chocolate milk. That gave me the energy to hike that last 8 miles. I took a little side trip to Dismal Falls. I had a little break there and moved on. I was able to see this stretch for the first time as it was raining and we were in a hurry last time. This is beautiful. The trees are starting to green up under 3,500 feet. Real quiet here tonight as 4 of us are tenting and 2 are in the shelter. On to Woods Hole Hostel in the morning.
Date: 2015-04-24
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 7.2

Got to sleep in past daybreak. Was still first one to leave. Another relaxing day of hiking. Got a couple of great views from some rock outcroppings. Got to Woods Hole at 10:15 and signed in. Unpacked my stuff, ate some fresh baked cookie bars, had several cans of juice, played fetch with the dogs and toured all the new things that happened since my last visit. They have been very busy here. They got the lower section of property all fenced off. Plenty of room for all the goats, pigs, and chickens. They expanded their gardens, built a bathroom with a shower and added a small 4 person bunkroom on the bottom floor of the bunkhouse. Was able to help out a little around here but mostly just rested. I have the entire bunkhouse to myself and there are 2 hikers in the house. Section hiker Grumpy and SOBO section hiker from South Africa named South Africa. Had a great dinner of a fresh salad from the garden, fresh breads and rice stir fry with beans and beef and cheese in tortillas. It was delicious. A little disappointed there will be no breakfast tomorrow but will have it Sunday before I leave. Sat and had some great conversations after dinner and am now off to bed.
Date: 2015-04-25
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Up at daybreak. Watched as the mice came back in the bunkroom from outside, climb up the wall and into the nest they must have in the ceiling. These mice are super fast. Grabbed a juice from the fridge and stared looking over the next few days of the guidebook to make notes and try to set somewhat of a schedule to Daleville. Spent most of the morning just sitting around and enjoying the peace and quiet. Rain came in pretty hard and so did the hikers. Amazing how the rain brings us to these oasis. Sat in the main house reading and sharing stories watching as the other hikers, wet and cold, came strolling in. By dinner there were 21 of us plus staff. Had a great dinner, I moved my gear to the top floor as the beds were more comfortable. Decided to keep my 15 degrees bag for a couple more weeks and trade it out in Waynesboro. Looking forward to eggs with sausage, fresh fruit and peach crisp for breakfast. Wish I didn¢t have to leave tomorrow.
Date: 2015-04-26
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke to cold temps and rain. Was waiting for the coffee bell at 7:30 but it didn¢t ring. Went up to the house to check but they had forgotten so I rang it for everyone in the bunkroom do they could come up. Had breakfast of eggs with sausage, bread with apple butter, juice and peach crisp. After breakfast, slowly by slowly, one by one everyone started to head out into the rain and fog. After settling my bill I packed up my loaf of homemade bread and my slab of Amish Cheese and took off myself. It¢s so hard to leave such a great place with such great people like Neville and Michael. I left at 11:15 and hit the Doc¢s Knob Shelter fairly quick. I then decided to go into Pearisburg to resupply and then to camp outside of town. After crossing the Senator Shumate Bridge and passing the factory I stared my climb up. With a full pack it was very tiring. I got to a campsite and Wolverine was there. We decided we were too close to the factory so pushed on. Next thing we know we are hiking next to the landfill so we keep climbing hoping to find some flat ground but to no avail. Being so close to the shelter we decide to head here. It¢s 8:15 when we arrive. We climb the bald on front of the shelter and decide to tent there. It¢s dark as we set up camp and I am eating a cold dinner of bread, summer sausage and cheese. I am exhausted but the view of the town lit up is great.
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: The Captains
Miles today: 13.8

Woke to a soaking wet tent canopy from the heavy dew. Could see pockets of clouds down in the valley below and the sun poking through the mist. By the time I am packed up the sun is shining. Still fairly cold though. The hike today wasn¢t too bad except for the pack weight. Ran into Shadow Fox and Clockwise and we leap frogged all day. No big views today just walking. As we neared The Captains it looked like I was the only one who was going to use the zip line over the creek to stay but once Shadow Fox and Clockwise got there they decided to call it a day also. The Captain lets hikers stay in his yard for free. He has a picnic table, a fire pit, 2 dogs to play with, WIFI and free soda. The zip line goes over Stony Creek to get to his yard. It was a blast. There are a dozen of us here tenting all over the place. It¢s nice to have my tent on soft grass. We have a nice fire going and are ready to call it a night. I wonder how far I will go tomorrow?
Date: 2015-04-28
From: The Captains

To: John's Creek Campsite
Miles today: 12.4

Got up early but didn¢t leave until 9:30. Once across the creek, by way of the zip line, the climb out was tough. It was pretty steep in places. Once we got to the top it got even more interesting as we had plenty of rock scrambles to deal with. This went on for about 3 miles. Took a break at VA 6-13 (Mountain Lake Rd) to eat lunch and dry out my tent. After that I stopped at Wind Rock to take in the view and continued on to War Spur Shelter where I found R2 laid out in the shelter. We got to talking about where all the people behind me were heading tonight. If most of them were to push on we would stay, but if they stopped there we would head to the campsite. Most everyone who stopped decided to stay so R2 and I came here to this campsite. It¢s just the two of us here. We had dinner and built a small fire. It¢s a lot warmer tonight so should be very comfortable. Supposed to rain tomorrow afternoon but I am hoping to do 17 miles tomorrow.
Date: 2015-04-29
From: John's Creek Campsite

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

Slept very well last night. Got up, had breakfast and headed out at 7:30. Took off by myself not knowing how far I was going to go. Hiked through some beautiful farms. Green grass for miles. Was able to pick a huge handful of wild onions. Stopped on top of one of the balds to dry out my tents and have lunch. After lunch I got to the Keffer Oak which is the largest oak tree in the South on the AT. The Dover Oak in New York is a little larger. 3 hours later I came to the Eastern Continental Divide. When I got to the shelter there was a large college group from Canada at about 20 people plus we had about 20 thru hikers on top of that. I hope to get an early start tomorrow as it is supposed to start raining at about 9 am.
Date: 2015-04-30
From: Niday Shelter

To: 4 Pines Hostel
Miles today: 16.8

Slept good in the shelter last night. Was up early and hit the trail at 6:30. It was supposed to have a good chance of rain after 9:00 so I wanted to get as far as I could before it hit. I ran into Mav, Dirt Time, and Guardian soon after I left. They told me F Bomb went home for good. Doctor said he had Giardia which comes from not filtering or treating your water. Right after leaving them I ran into 3 deer before I started my 1st climb of 1100 ft. which brought me to the Audie Murphy Memorial on top of Brush Mountain. He was the most decorated American soldier of World War II. The plane that he was killed in crashed near this site. After all this still no rain. Made my descent of 1,500 ft. I started my second ascent of 1,500 ft towards Dragon¢s Tooth. Dragon¢s Tooth is 2 large stone monoliths. I didn¢t have the energy to climb them last time but I did do a little climbing this time. By now I have had 2 quick sprinkles which didn¢t even get me wet. The climb down is very tricky but fun descent where there are metal rungs in a couple of places to help out. I came down to Newport Rd and walked here to the Four Pines Hostel. This place is simple but great. It¢s a 3 bay garage with cots, beds, recliners and plenty of floor space for everyone to sleep. Has a shower, pool table, darts and several instruments to play. Also free soda and shuttles to a family style restaurant called The Home Place which is excellent. All you can eat which is a hikers dream come true. There were 14 of us eating tonight and a total of 22 hikers and 1 dog here at the hostel. It¢s 10 PM so lights out.
Date: 2015-05-01
From: 4 Pines Hostel

To: 4 Pines Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Crappy weather this morning so I decided to zero so that I will have good weather for McAfee Knob which is the most photographed spot on the AT. It was all fogged in last time. Ran into Four and Five which I haven¢t seen since late March. Also here are several hikers I am meeting for the first time. Joe, the owner, is a great guy. He is so welcoming along with his girlfriend Donna and his right hand man Eddie. They go out of their way to make us feel at home. Went back up to The Home Place for dinner again and came back to the hostel where we played corn hole which is a game tossing bean bags in a hole in a board or at least get the bag on the board. Also playing darts and pool. Much quieter here tonight with only about 14 of us here. Going to call it an early night.
Date: 2015-05-02
From: 4 Pines Hostel

To: Lambert's Meadow Campsite
Miles today: 16.6

Got packed up, said goodbye to Eddie and hit the trail at 7:30. Was easy going in the morning and I was moving at a fast pace. I stopped and picked some wild onions early and when I got to VA 311 the parking lot for the trail to McAfee Knob was packed. It was about 10:15 when I got there and it was then that I realized it was Saturday. I started heading up the trail quickly and passed a lot of day hikers and 2 school groups. When I got to Mc Afee Knob there were quite a few people up there. I was thinking about skipping the photo op when the ledge everyone hangs their legs off of opened up. I asked a young lady if she would be willing to take my picture and she obliged. I then took off and headed for Tinker Cliffs. I forgot about how steep the climb up there was. Once on top I took my time enjoying the view. I then made my way down to this campsite where I stayed last time. There are 2 creeks that come together right outside of my tent. I ate lasagna for dinner, had a milky way for desert and did some reading by the fire. I am now in my tent and ready for bed. Will go into Daleville tomorrow for a small resupply then head right back to the trail.