morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2020-06-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My son and I left Pennsylvania in a rental and got as far as South Carolina before pulling over to a rest stop for the night. Drive - eat - gas - drive - drive - eat - drive - gas - drive - sleep. Should be on the trail late tomorrow morning. Beautiful green mountains in Virginia. Lots of truck traffic on I-81. Looks like things are getting back to normal.My last piece of gear arrived one hour before we left: a Zpacks Duplex tent. Was delayed a week in production so I only had a chance to pitch it and couldn't test it. Hopefully I made the right choice. My old Copper Spur has seen about 3000 miles and I don't trust it to last a thruhike. I took the opportunity to drop a lot of weight - 58 ounces for the Copper Spur vs 22 ounces for the Duplex, including stakes. That brings me close to ten pounds base weight. Now my Osprey Exos pack is the heaviest item. It too is showing its age and may get replaced soon. Looking at going frameless. My son needs a new trail name. Used to be Phantump when we hiked in Pennsylvania a few years ago. He's grown out of Pokemon though. We'll see what happens.
Date: 2020-06-07
From: Stealth spot past Neel Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

We broke camp this beautiful morning while water boiled for oatmeal. Nice and cool and lower humidity. Surrounded by green and a view of blue mountains in the distance. We planned on a ten mile day to Low Gap.A few minutes in we ran across Virginia breaking camp, the woman who got a pack shakedown yesterday. She immediately asked my opinion of her habit of carving crosses into trees. I told her it was definitely not Leave No Trace, and that it encouraged others to do the same. I can only imagine she knew this was a bad idea but wanted someone's blessing. Said she would call the forest service to get their advice. I'm pretty sure I know how that conversation would go. Up past Bull Gap was Boy Scout troop 61 from Tampa. About ten boys and five leaders. They backpack a section of the AT in Georgia or North Carolina every June. This year it's a 50 mile section from Neel Gap to Deep Gap in North Carolina. Some of the boys were using a collapsible saw to clear out deadfall from the trail. A mile north three trail maintainers passed us carrying a large handsaw intending to attack the same deadfall. They were thrilled to hear most of their work was already done.The ups and downs were pleasant and most had views of the hazy mountains as clouds lifted late in the morning. But they started to wear us down. Levelland Mountain, Rock Spring Top, Wolf Laurel Top, Green Cliff Top, Cowrock Mountain, Wildcat Mountain, Strawberry Top, Poor Mountain, and Sheep Rock Top. A lot of mountains for what was supposed to be an easier day after Blood Mountain!After Tesnatee Gap we climbed to a spot called Lunch Rock overlooking the valley and ate our salami and cheese on flatbread. But we foolishly let our water run low and had to scoop from a low flowing trickle down at Hogpen Gap.The last four miles were easy dirt trail but constant up and down. Sheep Rock Top had us ready to end our day at Low Gap. There we found a dayhiker prepping for a thruhike next year. Another guy, a young ex-Marine, came in to set up his hammock. He's out for a couple weeks. Had planned to thruhike starting April 1 but will try for next year. Trail name is Trail Arms for working his trekking poles so hard.The Mexican family stopped in for water and to splash around in the stream. I liked the idea and took a hiker shower by wetting my little towel and washing my arms and legs.One guy shared the large shelter with us. A Bostonian turned Austin resident. Took up hiking a few years ago and thrued the Colorado Trail last year. Now just going as far as he pleases.Pleasant evening. Can hear the stream gurgling nearby. Calling for scattered showers in the morning.
Date: 2020-06-25
From: Nolichucky River (Erwin)

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 26.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up in Uncle Johnny's hostel to rain that had started during the night. It alternated between drizzle and downpour until finally tapering off around 11. We took the breakfast shuttle to town to kill some time. The hostel cat took a liking to me as I relaxed in an Adirondack on the porch. Once the last downpour had exhausted itself Sunshine, Wesley, and I hiked across the bridge over the Nolichucky River and into the woods.I crossed paths with almost no one all day. Early on a pair of sixty-something dayhikers struck up a concert. One had a daughter who had thrued in 2013 and knew some of the trail in Pennsylvania. He thought it was pretty late to start. How many miles were we doing?The three of us caught back up at Beauty Spot, an open bald below Unaka Mountain. For some reason the bald itself, with the views, is not listed in the AWOL guide. Despite this oversight, it offered fantastic views back to Big Bald and down to Erwin. By now the rain had gone for good.Climbing Unaka I entered a dense spruce forest with lime-green moss-covered trunks. There was no ground cover at all. You could walk freely amongst the trees. They were so dense that any direction you looked there was very little to see other than trunks either near or far. The ancient feel of the forecast was accentuated by the near total silence, save for an occasional songbird.Weather was wonderful after the rain petered out. Moderate temperature, falling humidity. The trail climbed 3500 feet to Unaka from Erwin but it was well-graded. Often muddy and slippery in spots, especially with my aging shoes.After 17 miles we made it to Cherry Gap Shelter around 6. It had been planned as our stop for the night thanks to the rain delay, but Sunshine had a new plan. Hike 9 more miles to the next shelter so we can reach Rt 19E tomorrow and stay at Mountain Harbour B&B hostel, home of the best breakfast on the trail. I thought it over carefully for several milliseconds and agreed to join him. Even Wesley was in for another 9 miles. He wanted to keep up with the thruhikers for a day. The trail remained fairly easy with rolling hills. The sun set behind us, illuminating the trees from the side. We hiked the last two miles in the dark and reached the shelter around quarter to ten. There a strange sight awaited us. Two packs hung in the shelter, cookpots and other equipment strewn about, but no people and no sleeping bags. As I entered a mouse froze in my headlamp beam in the act of scampering down a line toward one of the packs. I grabbed it by the tail but it escaped and darted into a corner of the shelter. I scanned the area for tenters. Nothing. I called out to see if they were at some nearby viewpoint. No answer. Figuring they'd been taken by Bigfoot we flung out our bags and ate dinner. When Wesley went to get water he reported two hammockers were a mere 30 feet from the shelter but apparently dead to the world. Ah, well, no Bigfoot this time.
Date: 2020-06-29
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: light rain

Everything was wetter this morning than when I hung it last night, thanks to more heavy showers overnight. Two 37-year-old women, identical twins, came into the shelter last night having hiked up from the lake. They had thruhiked when they were 19 and were now sectioning to Damascus. As thruhikers they were called the Cubs, or cub reporters, for asking so many questions. And indeed they were curious about us and our hike. It was good to talk to some other hikers after a quiet day.All morning I hiked through a cloud, which sounds a lot more romantic than it is. In practice it means water condensing on trees and shrubs and dripping on passing hikers, grass and dense foliage soaking shoes and socks to the point you can squeeze a cup of water out of them, and mist dampening everything and reducing visibility to 50 yards. It's downright claustrophobic, and somewhat depressing. At a shelter after seven miles Sunshine and I sat without speaking, eating all of our snacks. Nothing needed to be said. It was miserable hiking. We headed out and eventually descended toward a road and below the cloud. A handicap-accessible portion of the trail led across a field of wildflowers with distant blue mountains. Then across a pasture with a minefield of cow patties. The herd had more calves than cows, a fertile spring. With the cloud lifted, the forest opened up and felt like less of a prison and more of a home. Though the trail remained narrow, muddy, and overgrown with invasive plants and prickly vines. Not my favorite stretch of trail. Met a backpacking family - mom, dad, two daughters - at a shelter break. Our conversation was interrupted by incredibly loud thunder that seemed right on top of us. It drizzled on us for awhile, but the worst of the thunderstorm struck farther north.I passed few people. Two pairs of backpackers near the end of the day, one pair with a dog carrying saddle bags. At the Abingdon Gap Shelter we found a retired couple out for a section to Roan. They've been hikers for forty years, doing the Long Trail, Maine, and Adirondacks with their kids, and in retirement sectioning nearly all of the AT. Also met a southbounder named Ramble who started last June and took the winter off. He has the gift of gab and would still be talking our ears off if he hadn't retired to his tent. All in all a quiet day of putting in miles, no matter the weather. Tomorrow we should reach Damascus in the morning. And I'm really hoping for a milkshake.
Date: 2020-06-30
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 10.4

Left the shelter early after a night of frequent heavy showers to get a late breakfast in Damascus. Spent ten miles walking through the clouds again - same drips, mud, and rain as the last God knows how many days. But the trail was easy and downhill most of the way and I popped out between two tidy lawns into a residential street in Damascus.Took a nero - near zero miles - and spent the rest of the day in town cleaning up, filling up, and resupplying. I picked up new trail runners at the post office and a new backpack from ULA called the CDT. Lighter and frameless, I'm a little nervous about the fit and feel. But now that my base weight is fairly low it's the logical next step to trim weight and volume. My old Exos pack has over 3000 miles on it and could enjoy a well-earned retirement. But it will go ahead a week or so to Pearisburg in case I want to switch back.We stayed at Broken Fiddle hostel where Treehouse and Smoky took good care of us. The Cubs, the twins we met two days ago, popped in as we had dinner around the corner, mildly surprising us by catching up. Other than that it was a chance to relax and regain strength for the next section: Grayson Highlands and beyond.
Date: 2020-07-12
From: Campbell Shelter (Pig Farm campsite)

To: Daleville
Miles today: 15.4

Waking at 4:45 to climb back up to McAfee Knob for sunrise didn't happen. Surprise! No worries, today's focus was getting to town. Only 15 miles away.I was last out and caught up with Lone Wolf at Tinker Cliffs. Some backpackers said he was "really flying". Since he introduced himself as being Pennsylvania Dutch I suggested he call himself Flying Dutchman. "Lone Wolf" came from hiking alone for the first month, but he's unlikely to be alone from now on.There was actually water at Lambert Meadows, unlike when I came through here in early September a couple years ago. The ridge walk wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered. The weather was sunny, hot but not extreme, and only moderately humid. Still, the ridge went on for far longer than it seemed it should have. I crossed under five separate high-voltage power lines within a few miles. Roanoke/Daleville must be a major power distribution point.As the ridge finally ended and Dutchman/Lone Wolf and I headed down to the road, we reached a wide concrete bridge over a creek. People were thigh-deep in the creek wrestling a huge fallen tree. An older guy supervising explained they were clearing a logjam that had blocked the culverts under the bridge and caused flooding. He turned out to be Homer Witcher, who had shuttled me when I did this section two years ago. He and his wife Theresa thruhiked many years ago with their 8 and 11 year-old kids. That 8 year-old son is now in his mid-20s and helping move the log. That 11 year-old daughter is now busy with a newborn 2 month-old at home, who Homer proudly announced has already traveled 120 miles on the AT!I stopped to help move the log and ended up in the creek for an hour and a half swinging an axe, levering a rock bar, wrestling a hand winch, and deadlifting a huge stump onto the concrete culvert. We couldn't push the tree any further. The next storm surge will push it through the culvert. I appreciate more than ever the exhausting work of trail maintenance. Folks like Homer, Theresa and their family deserve our utmost thanks for all they do to keep the trail clear and usable. I left smelling like creek water. I didn't know it was possible to stink more than I had after several days sweating in high humidity, but it kicked it up to a whole new level!After a burger and frosty stop at Wendy's, where I walked through the drive through (hint: just go to the window and ignore the cars, they will help you), I got to chat with my family back at the motel in the late afternoon. They are headed to the Shore soon for some summer fun. I miss them terribly. So thankful for video chat so I can actually see their faces.Just hit the one-third mark of the AT. It seems to be passing so quickly. As they say, the days are long but the years are short.Lone Wolf almost got us kicked out of the Three Lil' Pigs at dinner by asking for cheese on his barbeque sandwich. Apparently that is a major faux pas round these parts!
Date: 2020-07-13
From: Daleville

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: light rain

We crossed the interstate to get a big breakfast at Angelle's diner. Walking through the concrete jungle of ramps and bridges with tractor-trailers speeding by made me wish I was climbing a 3000-foot mountain. I feel safer among the bears! Didn't leave the Super 8 until after 11, trying to catch up on my journal while I had service. Never enough time in town, somehow!A rule of thumb for thruhikers is "ten by twelve". It means knock out ten miles before noon to take the pressure off the afternoon. Depending on their pace some shoot for 12 by 12 or 15 by 12. Today, I got in a whopping 2 by 12. What a start! And only 23 left this afternoon...Landmark wildlife day: my first bear sighting! I heard the crash downhill. It was strangely drawn out, more than a deer. By the time I turned my head I could see the black furry beast, a medium-sized fellow, running parallel along the hill below the trail, in the opposite direction. Within seconds he slipped below the curve of the slope.Later I did a double take at a five-foot-long black rat snake coiled near the trail. He saw me first though, and was already slithering toward a hollow tree flanking the trail. His body serpentined up over the bark and entered a crack into the hollow. Also stumbled over a turtle on the trail in two different places. They grumpily withdrew into their shells and stared morosely out of the crevice, satisfied they were beyond harm and content to wait out the intrusion.Crossed paths with an older hiker from Pennsylvania who I met at the Super 8 yesterday, dayhiking southbound. Also a soft-spoken young bearded section hiker from Charlottesville who called himself American Chestnut, out for two weeks heading south.The trail stayed mainly in forest after winding away from the interstate and briefly crowning a hilly meadow. The easy grades and smooth terrain felt like Shenandoah. Crossing over the Blue Ridge Parkway multiple times strengthened the similarity. Just missing the key ingredient: wayside grills!In the evening I caught up with Lone Wolf having dinner at a stream. There's no water at Cove Mountain Shelter where we planned to stay, so I carried extra from here for over three miles.Cresting Cove Mountain and descending the north side I caught a beautiful, clear sunset. Blue hills. Orange, pink, and gold lining.Once ensconced in the shelter - again, no one but us - a whippoorwill sung us to sleep.
Date: 2020-07-21
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

The sky cleared up last night so it would have been a great chance to see the comet after all. This morning I suggested Neal call himself Comet Boy, thinking it a reminder to seize opportunities when they're available. Turns out the high school in Millersville where he teaches calls its teams the Comets, so maybe it'll stick.Shortly after leaving I passed Tomorrow, a southbound LASHer hiking from Delaware Water Gap to Georgia. We exchanged tips on water, hostels, and waysides. Seemed like he wanted to chat more but ran out of topics. Long conversations are tough when you're going in different directions. We both had to get moving while the day was relatively cool.Stopped at Loft Mountain's campground store for an early lunch. Steve came in to shower and do laundry. I figured I'd be just as sweaty and smelly within an hour of leaving so why bother. The sun was brutal. I hung out in the shaded covering by the store until noon before ginning up the resolve to hike on.A couple hours of unremarkable rolling hills later I ducked into Pinefield Hut for water and a rest. Laid my pack and shirt in the sun to dry off. Wish I could dry my shorts as easily. I opened the soda I'd carried seven miles from the camp store and it fizzed all over me. You'd think I'd have learned that lesson by now. I left an iced tea in the spring to cool it down. It did make a little difference, but hardly ice cold. Passed Steve on the way out. This is his stop for the night, though it's only 3. But in this heat I would probably do the same if I could afford shorter days.Making my way to the next shelter I listened to thundering in the distance for an hour. Inevitably a storm blew through as I descended toward Powell Gap. It brought a light, refreshing shower and cooler temperatures. The shower lasted barely fifteen minutes, but the foliage was now wet, and that proceeded to soak my feet. That's the trade-off for cooler weather on a July afternoon in northern Virginia.Arriving at Hightop Hut I considered pushing a few more miles and finding a stealth spot. After I got water and returned to the shelter though, another front blew in bringing a heavy downpour. While it only lasted thirty minutes, that was enough for me to stay put. It was already seven o'clock.I've seen no one other than Steve, Tomorrow, and a handful of car campers and tourists near the overlooks since leaving this morning. For the last nine miles I was breaking webs, indicating no one at all has been through today. There is no one else at this shelter. I saw more backpackers in the remotest stretches of Virginia. I'm rather surprised given Shenandoah's popularity as a backpacking destination and proximity to major cities. It's mid-week, but also the middle of summer. Maybe it's just too hot for those monitoring the weather before they head out.
Date: 2020-07-24
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: US 522 (Front Royal)
Miles today: 13.7

A duet of snores from Tortoise and Chet serenaded me in the middle of the night. Haven't had to pull out the earplugs since Georgia. A heavy rain soon pounded on the roof, helping to drown it out. It's Friday, and the backpackers are finally out. Ran into a section hiker coming south from Jenkins Gap. Then 5 youth and 5 men with boy scout troop 1430 from South Riding, Virginia coming down Marshall Mountain. And two more groups of backpackers on Compton Peak and north of Compton Gap.But the surprise was meeting a thruhiker, going south! A girl named Scoob had thrued northbound, summited Katahdin July 6, and was back to finish Shenandoah which she skipped when it was closed. She started March 1 in Georgia and was already 500 miles in when the ATC asked hikers to get off. She kept going. A case of being safer on the trail than traveling home. Several of the backpackers mentioned a thruhiker being a couple hours ahead of me. Someone who started six days before me. Didn't catch him today. Maybe soon.I reached route 522 after fourteen miles and called it a day at Mountain Home B&B, which runs a hostel. It was barely after noon, but it's been five days since I left Waynesboro and I badly need a shower, laundry, and air conditioning. I'm no Daniel Boone! Lisa and Scott, a former thruhiker, have a lovely, huge historic Greek Revival home just off trail and were very welcoming. They keep the place sparkling clean.Two pairs of southbounders were lingering on the patio, waiting on Thai takeout and hoping to miss a coming thunderstorm. They are all LASHing from Harpers Ferry to Springer, just like Chet from last night. Seems they have a tiny bubble.In fact they seem to think there's a northbound bubble not far ahead. Fifteen thruhikers at Whiskey Hollow shelter two nights ago. 35 they've passed since leaving Harpers Ferry. We'll see. Other than Scoob today, I haven't seen a thruhiker since Sunshine and Lone Wolf pushed ahead after Daleville. Maybe that's a part of my lack of motivation. The social element is limited. I knew starting late and with this weird year I'd be hiking alone a lot, but it's different to experience it. Even a loner like me gains strength from shared experiences. If not for seeing the progress on Instagram of hikers I've met it would be even more isolating. Front Royal was a busy town. Found some Injinji liner socks at the outfitter, lighter and hopefully less sweaty than the padded Injinjis I picked up in Gatlinburg after melting my original liners by the fire. Still couldn't find any hiking/running shorts. Everything is basketball-style shorts with no liner. Closest I came was a pair with a liner at the thrift store in my size but in lavender. Maybe it shouldn't matter - function over form, right? - but I just couldn't do it.Spelunkers has awesome burgers and custard milkshakes. That is all.Spent the evening watching movies and catching up on bills, journals, and email. Service in Shenandoah was not as good as one would think.