morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-06-15
From: US Route 501, Glascow

To: Pedlar River Bridge
Miles today: 15.1

Heavy rain overnight, with a cool heavy mist that persisted most of the day. Diring ther night, there was a torrential downpour around 4:00-6:00. My tent does not hold up well in such rain and can leak badly, and I ended up covering up my sleeping bag to keep it dry. It was unpleasant, but such is life on the trail.Up at 6:00 with Moonlight headed to the Glascow Post Office to exchange one defective sleeping pad for another. He'd tried unsuccessfully to make the exchange back in Catawba (the company had sent the replacement by UPS, and the post ofice won't hold UPS or FedEx packages) and was anxious to get it right this time. He was successful, Doris got her supply drop from home, and we were off at 8:15. Moonlight and I successfully hitched to the trailhead, where we joined with Wingard and repeated the process of taking only light packs. The morning was a stright up for 2,200 feet. Not surprising, as highways are generally in the gaps between mountains, which means that we end the day going down and start it going up. We made slow but steady progressand made it 10 miles by 2:00, reaching the Punchbowl Shelter. Along the way, we passed the monument to Ottie Powell -- a sad story. Ottie was a 4 1/2 year old boy who one fall day in 1891 went out to get firewood. He disappeared and a long search turned up notheing. The following spring his body was found on top of a mountain, undisturbed by wild animals, 7 miles from home on top of a mountain. His ghost is supposed to still be trying to find its way home.Along the way we saw McGuyvor and his dog Oakie, whom we hadn't seen since Catawba. Also crossed paths with a couple section hikers, Gutsy and her husband Odometer, from Greenville SC. Gutsy had hiked the whole AT in the 1990s and they were out for a small section. We made it to the Lynchburg Reservoir around 4:30 -- 15 miles in quick time. Again, Doris was waiting along a forest service road, with a cold beer for each of us. We tented by the river, next to a pedestrian bridge. It was a cool but buggy night, and I've been completely bug bit, but the day was done and I turned in comfortably in my tent still wet from yesterday.
Date: 2009-06-16
From: Pedlar River Bridge

To: Route 60, Lexington VA
Miles today: 6.8

More rain overnight, but not heavy and my tent held up fine. The rain continued all day.Today is a short day, going slightly less than 7 miles to Route 60, a major road that leads to Buena Vista and Lexington VA. While wet, we made great time, leaving at 7:30, and finishing the day's hike before 11:00. Along the way we passed the ruins of Brown Mountain former slave settlement. After the Civil War, this was a sizable cfommunity of former slaves who worked the land as sharecorppers. It was poor land, and the community was abandoned in the 1920s. All that could be seen were a few rock walls and a tumbled down chimney or two. At the road, we met KEL, a woman hiking with her dog. We hadn't seen her since Pearisburg, and it was good to see her. She was about to head out, but we went into Lexington. Got a room at the Comfort Inn, ate well at the Country Cookn, showered, shaved, and did laundry. To Walmart for resupply, and to bed early. On to Waynesboro, another 55 miles, as soon as possible.
Date: 2009-06-17
From: Route 60, Lexington VA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Flash flood warnings....will it never stop??? Will decide on a coursae of action soon.Ended up deciding to stay the day in Lexington. Flash floods hit the mountains, and Wingard has hurt his back and has gone to the chiropractor. I'm just happy to sllep and read a Washington Post.
Date: 2009-06-18
From: Rte 60

To: Salt Log Gap
Miles today: 8.5

Rain threatened most of the day, but it held off, for a change. Cool, 70s, but no breeze.We did not start until early afternoon. Wingard's back is still bothering him and he went to the chiropractor again this morning. Moonlight and I continue to hike with him, and his wifeDoris continues to provide support, thus letting us walk with much lighter packs. The day was relatively easy. It took a while to find Salt Log Gap, the starting point, but we eventually were successful. An uphill hike and then down to Cow Camp Gap, a place that just oozed history. I kept looking for the ghosts of confederate of union troops that certainly were camped there earlier. There was a nice campsite under a huge oak tree, and the tree had a swing on it. During the day we saw Strider, a friend whom we had not seen since Atkins. Strider had developed Giardia, a nasty waterborne bug that likely comes from animal contamination.   He had been off for several days, but seemed to be functioning fairly well. He hikes alone -- he had been hiking with his wife, but she got hurt early on and went back to Albany. Good to see him.We also saw Cosimo, an efervescent guy who has views on just about everything. Cosimo had broken his ankle back in Georgia, but was back on the trail, hiking more slowly and presumably wisely. We ran into him as Doris was depositing us for our hike, and he managed to arrange a ride with Doris to Waynesboro tomorrow morning, so he could get to the Post Office in time to get a mail drop. Personally, the reliance on mail drops seems exteremely limiting and confining to me, but some folks swear by them, including Cosimo.We also ran ito two trail maintance teams at either end of our day's hike, neither group knowing the other was out there. The Appalachian Trail is supported and maintained by volunteers who organized into local trail clubs, each club being assgned a portion of the trail. We've passed a few trail maintenance teams, but never two in one day. Very impressive.
Date: 2009-06-19
From: Salt Log Gap

To: Rte 56, Tyro River
Miles today: 17.2

Crisp and cool in the morning, but hot, afternoon rain and incredibly muggy with no breeze in the afternoon.Once again, light pack with Moonlight and Wingard while Doris carries our heavier stuff forward. I'm getting to like this, and it certainly has kept me hiking at a time when I was prepared to quit. It's the difference between completing a day at 5:00 and being relatively fresh, versus staggering into a shelter at 7:30 and immediately crawling into a sleeping bag.Up at 6:00, and it started as a great day for a hike. There should have been decent views, but the haze and rain prevented us seeing anything. We did keep hearing a bird that had a four-note call which sounded like it was in an echo chamber. I caught only the briefest glimpse of it, and it was nondescript brown, but the call was distinctive.We camped by the road, in a parking lot available for hhikers. Another pair were tenting there as well. They were a pair of ultramarathoners from Richmond, VA, who were preparing for a training hike/run the following day as they plan to run the Pike's Peak Marathon. That's about it for today.
Date: 2009-06-20
From: Rte 56, Tyro River

To: Dripping Rocks Parking Area
Miles today: 15.4

Hot and extremely muggy morning. No breeze in the morning at all. This is particularly miserable because we started the day with a 3,000 ft climb -- the last such climb until Mass. In the afternoon we began to get a breeze and it cooled down a bit, even raining for a little while. Today we climbed the Three Ridges rock formation. There were a few fabulous views, and miles and miles of rocks. I've gotten very tired of jumping from one rock to the next for mile after mile after mile, but that's the way the trail is set up in certain areas. We did catch a view that gave us a unique view of the previous 10 miles we had hiked, and we could see the ridge line for miles and miles, including the spot in the valley below where we camped the previous night. Being Saturday, we crossed paths with a fair number of weekend hikers. There were a couple groups of boy scouts, a trio of girls from Va Beach who kept talking about whose father was hotter (not sure I needed to hear that conversation, but it was too loud to tune out), and a youngish guy who was bragging about his long hike today of 12 miles (we just smiled and agreed it was indeed a serious hike). We also crossed paths with another trail maintenance crew, this time a couple of women who were repainting the white blazes on trees to designate the direction of the AT. The day went fast, and by 5:00 we had completed our daily milage, met Doris and received a reward of a cold beer, and identifed a site we wopuld tent. The site was a pull-off on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We kept looking for any signs stipulating no camping, but we saw none and thus set up camp. This was, by far, the best camp site on the trail so far. There was a wonderful wind that kept everything cool and blew away most of the bugs. It overlooked the town of Stuart's Draft, and when it got dark the lights were magnificent. And the stars....it was the first time I'd really seen the stars during the hike. Most nights, we're camping under trees or in a shelter, and stars are hard to find. Plus, with all the rain this year, clear nights have been few and far between. So I took extra time just to look up, and think how much better this was than sitting at home in Washington, planning to go into work the next day. Sometimes, life is extraordinarily good. And to think a little over a week ago I was so worn out that I was ready to call it quits.
Date: 2009-06-21
From: Dripping Rocks Parking Area

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: few clouds

The day began cool, clear and breezy...perfect hiking weather. In the afternoon the breeze died down, it rained a very little, and got typically hot.June 21 is naked hiker day. Not sure who came up with this idea, but supposedly AT hikers are encouraged unofficially to hike in the buff on the summer solstice. Now, Moonligth and I are both in our 50s, and Wingard is in his 60s, so there was little risk of any of us going sans clothes; but I did expect to see someone else participating in the nude. But no such luck. Hikers we encountered were day hikers, and most were couples. All were well and fully clothed. So naked hiker day is, as far as I am concerned, still just a rumour.We again started early, leaving at 7:30. The day was to be relatively easy, with a few gentle ups, none more than 1,000 feet, and a long down to get to Waynesboro where we could get showers, food, and do laundry. A few things of note today. First, we encountered a lot more rocks. I'm pretty tired of rocks -- they can hurt you, and they tend to hide nasty things like snakes. But that's the way the trail is set up, so rocks it is.Also, the trail followed an old stone fence, in placed perhaps 3 ft high and 18 inches wide. This fence was originally constructed by slave labor in the 18th century, designed to limit the movement of wild hogs that even today root for acorns (and in the 18th century, chesnuts). They were maintained until sometime in the mid to late 19th century, and since this are became national forest it's become an minor attraction. Interesting, and it clearly involved a frightening ammount of human labor.We also walked through the ruins of an old settlement, a couple of stone fences, a chimney or two that was still standing, and a small overgrown cemmetary -- all of which are reupted to be haunted. We managed to get through them all without mishap, however, and made it to the pick-up spot to meet the ever faithful Doris by 3:00. Checked into a Super 8 Motel, and went to do laundry. The guy at the motel said it was a 1 mile walk to the laundramat. 2 1/2 miles later we made it to the laundramat. Shortly thereafter, ever-gracious Doris, who knew have far the laundry really was, drove down there, gave Moonligth and I the keys to her car, and then had Moonlight dfrive her back to the Motel, all so we wouldn't have to walk yet another 2 1/2 miles. Bless her. She and Wingard are truly wonderful friends. We met Cosimo at the laundry, agreed to meet for dinner, and the five of us (Moonlight, Cosimo, Wingard, Doris, and I) ate at a steak place. Again, life is good.Tomorrow, I enter the Shenandoah National Park, and do not know when I will be able to make additional entries. I've gotten kicked off by management, so good-night to all.
Date: 2009-06-22
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: RipRap Wayside 
Miles today: 16.5

Cool and breezy day, clear, but hot in the afternoon. Great day for hiking.Up early, as usual. Breakfast at the Motel 8, checking out by 7:30 and on the trail at 8:00. Into Shenandoah National Park! The day begins with a nice gentle climb. After a couple miles we came to a kiosk where we self-registered to enter the park and get a permit to camp in the back country, if needed. Shenandoah is an entirely different part of Virginia on the trail. The ups are relatively easy, and the rocks are smaller and fewer. Early on we met some southbound section hikers who said they say five bears yesterday. We did not see any bear, but we saw dozens of deer, including a lot of young fawns that still have their spots. We had one possible bear, hearing very loud noises of movement about 10 yards from the trail in a patch of mountain laurel, but we didn't see anything and it could have been a large deer. Just noise and a lot of movement.We met Doris, Wingard's wife, at the RipRap crossing and headed off to a campground where there were flush toilets, hot showers, and a coke machine. Very nice day.
Date: 2009-06-23
From: RipRap Wayside 

To: Pinefield Gap
Miles today: 16.8

A repeat of yesterday's weather, clear and cool in the morning with a mild breeze. Warm to hot in the afternoon as the breeze died down. As per usual, we were up and out early, getting to the trail at 7:40. Hiking in Shenandoah is by far the most pleasant experience of the hike to date. We've had great views, and the trail is very well maintained. We made it to Rte #33 by lunchtime, where we sat and ate. McGuyvor, the section hiker from Alabama, and his dog Okie joined us for lunch. Tomorrow is McGuyvor's last day, as he heads back to work on Monday. As we were sitting, Doris drove by, having just returned from the big city of Elkton. We got fresh water from her, talked a bit, and headed out again for the afternoon. We passed the 900 mile mark today. 110 miles to Harper's Ferry. Amazing how the miles now fly.Ran into another thru-hiker that we vaguely knew, and we got an interesting reaction from him. Since we are carrying only light 10 pound daypacks rather than the full 35 lb pack, our hike has become much, much easier. The thruhiker seemed a bit condescending about our light packs, intimating we were not "purist thruhikers". In truth, I probably had this view before I started with the light pack. But it's also true that I probably would have quit hiking had I not met Wingard and Doris and begun slackpacking with them. The only rule about hiking the trail is that you can't skip sections and you can't cheat. So any guilt I have about not carrying my full pack is counterbalanced by the fact that I am actually enjoying my hike lately. There's no rule that you have to be miserable.Tonight we stayed at the Big Meadows Campground. Another shower, and laundry. Another coke with dinner. During the night a skunk tried to get in my tent, probably smelling something that approached being edible. I ignored it and eventually it went away.
Date: 2009-06-24
From: Pinefield Gap

To: Lewis Mtn Campground
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: clear sky

What luck. Yet another clear, cool morning. Out at 7:30 as usual. This means getting up at 5:30, breaking down the campsite, having a breakfast bar and drinking a cup of Wingard's coffee, and looking at the maps of the day's hike. We did 11 miles by lunch and were moving quickly. As we passed the Loft Mountain Campground, I went into the camp store and bought maps for the rest of the Shenandoah, having outwalked my existing maps. We ran into a very pleasant British couple from Newcastle who couldn't stop asking questions about our hike. Stayed at Big Meadows Campground, buying a can of Dinty Moore beef stew for dinner. Also bought a small box of Vanilla wafers, for no reason other than I saw them. The bugs this eveing were bad, so I ate and got in my tent as soon as I could. I've also developed a nasty case of poison ivy all over my back. Not painful, but it itches badly.
Date: 2009-06-25
From: Lewis Mtn Campground

To: Stony Man Mountain Wayside
Miles today: 17.8

Yet another perfect day to hike. How much longer can this luck last?We plan to say in this campground tomorrow as well, so we did not pack up this morning, simplifying our morning.Making good time early. Finally we saw our first bear about 10:30. It was a juvenile, and took off as soon as it saw us. Still, I now have confirmation that bears exist. We were perhaps the only people hiking who had not seen a bear, and I was beginning to think that bears were a myth, and that everyone was pretending to have seen a bear just because that's what they were supposed to say. At lunch we stopped at the Big Meadows lodge, as we passed it right at noon. This is an old, WPA era building made of old chestnut trees. Food was not the best, but the setting and the views were outstanding. Highly recommended.We had a second bear sighting at 2:30. This was a much better view. Another juvenile, we surprised it and got within about 30 yards. As soon as it saw us it took off, stumbling through the woods. The skunk returned to the campsite tonight. I just ignored it.
Date: 2009-06-26
From: Stony Man Mountain Wayside

To: Elkwallow Gap
Miles today: 16.6

Humid, warm and almost no breeze in the morning, and hot in the afternoon. Rain seems to be coming tonight.Today Moonlight's son, Adam, joined us for a couple days. Adam works in Washington at the International Republican Institute's resident China expert. He got in about 1:00 am. We were up and out a bit later than normal, getting off about 8:00 am. Wingard and Doris saw a huge bear on the way to our starting point, but Moonlight , Adam and I did not. While hot and a rocky trail, we moved on nicely. Got to Thornton Gap by lunch. Along the trail, someone had left a case of water and Mountain Dew. Took one of each and thank whichever angel left them there. When we got to Elkwater gap, we stopped at the camp sptore and got an ice cream cone. What a treat. I also bought a grilled cheese sandwich. We got back to camp and I immediately went into my tent and slept. Very tired tonight. Asleep by 7:30, and slept soundly through the night. It did threaten to storm about midnight, I do remember that, but I did not hear the dozen or so motorcyclists who left about 3:00 in the morning. Tomorrow we will leave Shenandoah.
Date: 2009-06-27
From: Elkwallow Gap

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Another perfect day to walk, although Moonlight's son, Adam, is hobbling around and suffering after two tough days. Still, he's doing well keeping up with us.In the last week, From Sunday to Saturday, we have hiked 122 miles. By far a record. The hiking has been gentle, but this is still a lot'a miles. We will be in Harper's Ferry by midweek, at which time I intend to go into Washington for a long break. Just as we started out, we saw another bear, this one a large adult that just ambled along, not at all bothered by humans. Still, he was gone before I could get my camera out and turn it on. So I've got not actual evidence that bears really do exist, other than my word.Another bear sighting about an hour into the hike, a juvenile up a tree right next to the trail. He jumped down and bolted as fast as he could. Great views this afternoon, seeing a 180 degree of the Valley. We slowed down in the afternoon, but still made good time. Ended up doing almost 20 miles by 5:00. Adam's car was at the end point, and we loaded up to go in to Front Royal to an overpriced Super 8 motel. A couple of other thruhikers came by just as we were loading up, and we gave them a ride into town as well. Shower, shave, shopping and out to dinner for Mexican food. Searched town for a laundry, finally finding one and doing a small load (I've still got poison ivy and need to keep my clothes as clean as I can).Back out tomorrow, with intention to get to Harper's Ferry on Wednesday.
Date: 2009-06-28
From: Front Royal, VA

To: VA Rte 55
Miles today: 8.3

Muggy and overcase after rain last night.After putting in serious miles for the last couple weeks, staying in a motel (albeit overpriced) was a pleasant change. Moonlight's son cointinues to hike with us, and he seems really tuckered out. Wingard remains anxious to continue to do larger milage, but Moonlight and I argued for a light day (arguing we need to easy on Moonlight's son, Adam; but in reality we were burnt out) and Wingard oblidged. The problem is that at this part of the trail, there are only a couple road crossings and Wingard requires a road crossing in order to meet up with his wife. So it was either 8 miles or 20 miles. Making the decision to sleep in, 20 miles ceased to be an option and we settled for the 8. We eventually got off at 11:30. There wasn't much of note in the day's hike. Two serious ups and a bit of downs. We got to the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter, which is relatively new and noteworthy for having a solar heated shower. First shelter with a shower since Mt. Rogers, 450 miles ago. It had separate covered picnic table, which I've never seen before. We stopped to have lunch at the shelter, and ran into Kel and her dog Gracie. By 4:00 we got to the road adjoining the I66 interstate, and then took Adam's car, which had bee prepositioned, to a private campground. The campground was on a lovely area on a ridge above the Shenandoah River. We had a nice, relaxing night and to bed early.
Date: 2009-06-29
From: VA Rte 55

To: VA Route 605
Miles today: 19.1

Clear, light breeze, warmer.Up early again, leaving camp at 7:00. We're going to stay at the same campsite tonight, so we don't take down our tents or pack our sleeping bags. Adam, Moonlight's son, gives us a ride to our starting point, letting Doris sleep in today. We get off well and make a good start. Sometime in the morning we crossed Sky Meadows State Park. I didn't really know anything about it, but the place is beautiful with broad open meadows and is definitely a place to which to return. We got into the Roller-Coaster today. This is a 15 mile section with 10 ups of 1,000+ ft. over a very rocky trail. The official guide is almost apologetic about this section, saying that the narrowness of the available land prevents walking on the ridgeline.   But the folks who maintain this section haave left signs that make it clear they take sadistic pleasure in this section's difficulty. Today we did only 3 of the 10 major ups, with seven left tomorrow.Another quiet night at the same campground.