morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-03
From: VA 606 Trent's Grocery

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: light rain

I was up until 2 am packing and preparing for this trip. I drove to VA 606 where I stopped before. I got to the parking area of VA 606 and the AT at 4:30 pm. Jukebox and her friends were just coming to the parking area. I offered them a ride to Trent's grocery and hit the trail at 5 pm. I walked by the sign saying 0.3 miles to Dismal Falls. I saw the waterfall on the internet. It appeared much smaller than the waterfalls where I live. Plus I had gotten started so late. My goal was to spend the night at Wapiti Shelter. I came to a large cairn of rocks and a trail with blue blazes to the left. I thought it was to the shelter. I took the trail. As it was starting to get dark, I realized this was not the trail to the shelter and turned back to the AT. I had never camped by myself, with no one around. I had camped near shelters by myself with other tents nearby, but never with no one around. It was 8:45 pm and almost dark. I decided to camp by myself. I slept with my light on my head (turned off). I had my whistle and hiking stick in my hands.
Date: 2014-06-04
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: campsite before Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 12.0

I woke up after an uneventful night, thankfully. I walked past the Wapiti Shelter fairly quickly after starting my hike. The flame azalea were beautiful. See attached picture. This day I was planning to hike 21.2 miles. Mind you, the most miles I ever hiked before was 19 miles. Also the trail in this part was relocated. I only had a 2004 Appalachian Trail Data Book and 2012 Northbound The A. T. Guide "Awol" Miller.       My last section I think I was out to prove to myself that I could hike the trail by myself. This section I had already proved I could do 7 days, now could I do it day after day, month after month?      By 2 pm I was tired, so I ate a food bar. 30 minutes later, I was more tired. So I decided to spread out my Frogg Toggs in the grass, some yards from the trail. As I laid down, there was a small garter snake less than two feet from my feet, still with shoes on. The snake stared at me and I at him. Neither seemed to advance, so I laid down. I thought of a person who had thought of being my hiking partner, who was afraid of sleeping in a tent and a snake getting in the tent. Here I was on a poncho, next to a snake, and going to sleep!   The nap did me good. As evening approached, I saw a HUGE Chicken of the Woods mushroom, with a note from Gandalf identifying it. Again I slept in the woods with no one within sight. It was after I passed a power line. I did not come close to doing 21 miles this day. I ate a bit of humble pie this day.
Date: 2014-06-05
From: campsite before Rice Field Shelter

To: power line before Angels Rest
Miles today: 13.3

It rained heavily for about an hour or two in the wee hours of the morning. I stayed dry under my 8 x 10 tent tarp.    I woke up to two birds (vultures?) squawking at each other. I came to the conclusion that even animals do not always get along. So why do I think that all people should get along?   I walked to Angels Rest. All I saw was fog.   I walked to Cross Ave (VA 634) where there was a sign on a tree with a sketch of the town of Pearisburg. On another sign was a phone number to call for a shuttle. I figured there was cell service there and called my husband. He was going to meet me in Dalesville. I was one full day behind my original plan. I also called my aunt, who lives near Buena Vista, where I was going to finish my section hike. I let her know I would be a day later than I originally thought. Generally cell service was good on mountain tops, but here I was in a valley but very close to a town. I crossed Cross Ave and continued on to Lane Street, where I was in a neighborhood.   A kind man in his yard pointed out the sign for the AT through a vacant lot. He said someone had removed the old sign and he made the new sign. I thanked him.   As I was nearing the Senator Shumate Bridge, I encountered a ferocious feline. See picture. Actually it was a very soft kitten. Everyone had warned me about the animals on the trail. I do not think this is what they were referring. I told the kitten she could follow me, but was on her own for food and water. The kitten looked like it was a house cat and did not follow me very far.   After I crossed US 460, I met up with Robert. Robert works as a foreman of his father's construction company. Business is slow and he had taken the day off to hike the trail. We hiked a few hours together. Most of it was uphill. I gave him my lecture of the lies I once believed.1. Women become ugly as they get older. Though it is true, some do, it is not ALWAYS true. Sofia Loren and many other women over 50 are still very attractive.2. People get fat as they age. This is more a reflection on their activity level than on their age. 3. The older you are, the harder it is to lose weight. I believe this is also a reflection on their activity level. I am having no problem losing weight while hiking the trail.   Robert decided to turn around and planned to camp the night near Angels Rest. I hiked on.   After no water all day, a fellow hiker pointed out a piped stream. I filled up and had dinner. As it turned out, it was the water source for Rice Field Shelter. With the relocation, I had not been real sure where I was. Now I had a landmark. Many hikers passed by while I had dinner. They too had been confused where they were in relation to the trail guides.   There were many people and tents at Rice Field Shelter. I spent the night at the campsite 1.6 miles after Rice Field shelter.
Date: 2014-06-06
From: campsite after Rice Field Shelter

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

It was a beautiful day for hiking.At lunch time, I took pictures of Pine Swamp Branch Shelter and continued on.When I passed the zip line to "The Captains", I could hear faint echoes of last year's hiking partner, "Oh, come on. It will be fun." But alas I did not try the zip line. See the picture.
Date: 2014-06-07
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: broken clouds

Another beautiful day to hike. There were many beautiful views. I saw some healthy hemlock trees that I do not think were treated. They were about 30 minutes south of the intersection of the AT and War Branch Trail. See the hemlocks in the 06/07/14 photo section. Kelly Knob had some more awesome views that I shared with some hikers. They were having dinner while waiting for the sunset. They invited me to stay but I said I was going to push on to the shelter.   I had dinner at Laurel Creek Shelter with no one else there. It felt weird to be at a shelter with no one else. I was purposely hiking in the thru-hiker bubble, yet there was no one at this shelter. I thought about staying. If a weirdo showed up after I was unpacked, it would take me 30 minutes or so to pack up. Way too much time to give a weirdo. I asked God if I should stay at the shelter. "No"   There was excellent water near by. I filled up and hiked on.   Now it was dark. I've only hiked in the dark once before, and it was with a group. Years ago, at midnight, the leader of this group, tried to find a bridge to a campsite on the other side of the river and never found it until the next morning. The leader had camped at the site a few years earlier. I, of course, had never been on this section of the trail. I was very attentive to every white blaze on the trail and a few reflective white tacks. I prayed for guidance frequently.    I stopped along a fence line of a cow pasture near Sinking Creek VA 42. I did not setup my tarp and camped under the stars. As I laid down, the firefly display was phenomenal. It was a very special moment.
Date: 2014-06-08
From: VA 42 Cow pasture

To: Craig Creek
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: light rain

I woke to a lightly fogged pasture. It was beautiful and peaceful in the early morning light. I started hiking a little after sunrise, downhill. At the bottom of the hill was a marsh with a small bridge with a white AT blaze, on the opposite side of the marsh. I walked through ankle deep water to get to the bridge. I crossed the bridge and came to the road. This area was confusing because even though I was a North Bounder, to my right was actually west, away from the sunrise. I was confused by an AT sign and walked right/west to the Level Green Christian Church. I realized it was Sunday morning. It was 7:30 am and Sunday School did not start until 10:30. Besides I had not showered in days and my shoes were wet from the marsh. I anointed the church doors. I continued walking and realized I did not see any white blazes. So I returned to the confusing AT sign. The AT continued left/east only feet from the AT sign. Strange that I missed that.   At VA 630, I met a lone female section hiker. She has hiked a lot of the AT, but this was the first time by herself. I met Honey Bun a thru hiker who was just joined by her son. As her son was using the in line filtration system that is very popular, the platypus that came with the filter broke.   I saw Keiffer Oak, the largest oak tree on AT in south. There are pictures in the Photo section. Many more beautiful views. To see the views required walking on rock with a 30 - 45 degree angle. If you lost your balance, there was nothing to stop you for 10 - 50 feet and then there were bushes that did not look soft.   I had dinner at Niday Shelter with the hikers above and several others. Honey Bun's son played a miniature guitar. The lone female section hiker had already set up her tent. It was very pleasant company. There were a few drops of rain and the six places in the shelter were staked out. I hiked on. I was at Craig Creek when the rain started getting hard enough, that if I did not stop, what I was wearing would take hours instead of minutes to dry. So I set up my tarp at Craig Creek. As I was setting up my tarp, from the north, came a couple that had passed me three times before. They were slack packing with two cars.
Date: 2014-06-09
From: Craig Creek

To: Scout Trail to Dragons Tooth Parking
Miles today: 15.0

Yesterday when it started raining harder, I saw a bridge and thought I would be like the homeless people in cities. I would stay the night under the bridge. I got under the bridge and was still getting wet. The bridge had slats! That is when I set up my tarp.      It did not rain much during the night. Being close to the river made it easy to fill up my water bottles. I climbed the first mountain of the day. I met a fellow hiker at the bench near Audie Murphy's monument and chatted a bit. The view from the overlook was wonderful. See in the Photo section.   I started Dragons Tooth at 7 pm. I am not sure I would recommend this for most people, but I seem to be having my best energy in the afternoon/evening. That is when I feel I am "in the groove". I seem to spend the first part of the day getting settled, eating breakfast, bathroom breaks, shedding layers of clothes, eating lunch, more bathroom breaks, adjusting my pack. By the afternoon, I am settled. So I did Dragons Tooth at sunset. I had the place to myself except for one woman who seemed to be running the loop.   Anyone who thinks Virginia is flat, has definitely not done Dragons Tooth. I wish I had put my hiking pole away because it was NO help on the vertical rocks. It was closer to caving (my first hobby) than hiking. As a north bounder, I was going down all the vertical rocks you see in the Photo section. I much prefer to go up than down. It was definitely a challenge and I was proud of myself when I was finished.   I spent the night by myself on some moss in a campsite near the Scout Trail.
Date: 2014-06-10
From: Scout Trail to Dragons Tooth Parking

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

As I sat up in my tarp, Flipper came by. The advantage of a tarp is everyone can see you and is free to talk to you while you are in your sleeping bag. He had tried to get up early enough to do Dragons Tooth at sunrise. He was a little late. He was looking for his friends "The Lost Boys". He was looking forward to breakfast at the store on VA 624. I had not seen them.   I decided to go to the store on VA 624. My food bag was getting low, especially since a day had been added to my itinerary. I decided I needed to purchase food bars to make it to Dalesville to meet my husband. I had plenty of "Just add water" healthy shake I purchased at Wal-Mart, but I was having more and more difficulty actually swallowing it. It also had more fiber than I needed.I purchased a few food bars and a banana. I ate the banana at the picnic bench outside watching a man paint the car stops school bus yellow. It was going to be a hot day.   I went back to the trail and hiked on. As I was crossing VA 311, Patrick was being dropped off. Patrick was from Alabama and had been thinking about hiking the Appalachian Trail for four years. This was the beginning of his journey. He was planning to get to Harper's Ferry in three weeks. We chatted and passed the three shelters that are very close together. McAfee Knob was beautiful. See the attached picture.   By the time we got to the sign for the water for Campbell shelter, we were thirsty. We walked down the trail and saw a boxed spring. In hindsight, it looked questionable. We continued down the trail where there was a pipe. We filled our water bottles and proceeded to the shelter. There we met Grizzly Bear. Grizzly Bear said he did not like being woken by early hikers packing their bag near his head. He takes his stuff to the side of the shelter and packs there. Then sleeping hikers can stay asleep. We chatted amiable and we decided to stay the night. The three of us retired in the shelter before sunset. Grizzly Bear did not appreciate someone who came after dark and disturbed his slumber.
Date: 2014-06-11
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Dalesville VA
Miles today: 15.4

Campbell Shelter is very close to some power lines. As soon as it was light, I ran out to the power lines to see the sunrise. It was a beautiful morning. As I was coming back to the shelter, I was concerned about waking Grizzly Bear but he was already awake. He hit the trail pretty quick. Patrick was awake too. I waited for him to pack, then we filled our water bottles and hit the trail.   Patrick was thinking of going back home. His feet refused to wear the boots he wore the previous day. He was wearing some hiking sandals. He said his pack was too heavy. I thought I may have hiked faster than he was comfortable. I said he needed to hike his own hike and left him when he took a break.    Tinker Cliffs were beautiful. When I got to Lamberts Meadow Shelter, Grizzly Bear was there. He said the privy was full up to the top. He had called the person in charge of maintenance of that part of the trail. They would be out in a few days. I got water below the shelter.   I came back and chatted a bit with Grizzly Bear when Patrick hiked in. He said he saw a bear yearling shortly after I left him. He was going to send things back home to lighten his pack, when he got to Dalesville. He wasn't going to give up so easy. Some of the "Lost Boys" hiked in. It seemed everyone was disappointed the privy was full.   The views were beautiful, as you can see by the Photos section. Mike met me on the trail, yards from the trail head in Dalesville on US 220. He took me to the motel, then we went out to eat. By 8 pm I was vomiting. Probably narovirus, from reading the other trail journals about that date and near Dalesville. Mike kindly got me Dramamine, Pepto Bismol and Gatorade at 11 pm, just before the store closed. I slept all day the next day, except for moving from one motel room to another, that completely wiped my energy for the day.The following day we drove the four hours home. I was sad to cut my trip short and not continue on as planned, but it seemed wise.
Date: 2014-07-20
From: Hightower Gap

To: Gooch Shelter
Miles today: 7.2

I woke to rain on my tarp. I waited, hoping the rain would stop. Mother Nature is a great motivator for me in the morning. I got out of my tarp and found it was just dripping out of the trees. There was plenty of fog and mist. Tracy came out of her tent a few minutes later. There was a large truck parked near our campsite. As we ate breakfast, Tracy wondered what she looked like. I told her it was a bad idea to look in the truck's side mirrors but she did anyway. Yep, it was a bad idea for both of us.   We packed up and started hiking in the drippy fog. Just feet from where we had tied up our bear bag was a nice camping spot! Too bad we were too tired to go the extra feet yesterday.   The trail continued to follow the road we had driven in the day before. We met a nice group of guys from Florida. The group was called Dead Man Walking. They were from Florida, on the AT for a week. We spent the night at Gooch Shelter with Dead Man Walking. It was nice to share our experiences. It was especially nice eating the pie one of them made. Shortly after eating the pie, a man showed up at the shelter. He seemed confused and difficult to understand. It took him three tries before we understood what he was saying. He wanted to stay the night in the shelter. He had come from Springer that day. He laid down in the shelter and passed out. One of the men of Dead Man Walking said that is what happens if you do more than you can do.I did not take very many pictures these days because all we could see was fog most of the time.
Date: 2014-07-21
From: Gooch Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Dead Man Walking at Gooch Shelter in the morning. They were getting off the trail today to stay in a hostel and eat steak. The confused man from the night before was a whole new person. He was alert and coherent. He hiked out of the shelter with us. We told him we were concerned about him the night before.We had many miles to go. We hiked past the Blood Mountain Wilderness sign, across GA 60 at Woody Gap. At Preaching Rock there was a nice view. It was nice to have a view. We had had so much mist and fog. There were very few views. There was no sign at Preaching Rock but a couple with a day pack between, validated we were at Preaching Rock.We stayed the night at Woods Hole Shelter, just the two of us.
Date: 2014-07-22
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Whitley Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The water was dripping out of the trees when we woke up. It sounded worse than it was. We hiked to Blood Mountain Shelter at the top of the mountain. I was desperate for the privy. Fortunately, the privy was a few yards before the top and the shelter. Tracy caught up to me as I got back on the trail and entered Blood Mountain Shelter as it started to pour. It is a two room concrete shelter with four walls on each room with a two sided fireplace in the communal wall. It actually has a door! Inside we were greeted by a coed group from Honors Florida Atlantic University. They were making M&M pancakes in a cast iron skillet. They offered Tracy and I chairs to sit in as we waited out the rain. What luxury!   When the downpour eased off, we continued on to Neel Gap. Tracy and I picked up the boxes we had mailed a few days before, from home. Now I had more food than I needed, so I left a few food bars in the hostel. Tracy bought a new pair of pants because the ones she had were not working for her. We leisurely ate lunch with the resident cat in the courtyard with the shoes hanging fr om the oak tree. It took a while to repack our stuff and headed up the mountain. There was a group doing trail maintenance. We thanked them for their hard work. Our packs were heavier than when we started. Coming up the mountain was a challenge.   We spent the night at a campsite between Wildcat Mountain and Whitley Gap Shelter.
Date: 2014-07-23
From: Whitley Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Tracy and I were hiking to a water hole. I was in front. Tracy said, "Stop!"So I froze. After a second or two, I asked Tracy what I was stopping for. She said a snake to your left. It took me a moment or two to see the timber rattler in the shade under a dead branch. I waited a minute or two and it did not move. So I got my camera out of my pocket and took a few pictures from a couple angles. It seemed strange that the snake had not moved while I was taking pictures.   As I was mentioning this to Tracy, the chipmunk took two hops away from the snake. I had not seen the chipmunk until it moved. Tracy figured out the snake had bitten the chipmunk and was waiting for it to die. The snake moved very slowly closer to the chipmunk. Just when I thought the snake was going to eat the chipmunk, the chipmunk would take a few hops away. Then the snake would again slowly moved close to the chipmunk. We were there about an hour and never did see the snake eat the chipmunk.
Date: 2014-07-24
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: few clouds

We had a very up and down day. In Virginia, switchbacks ascend, then level, ascend, then level. In Georgia, the switchbacks ascend, then ascend, then ascend, then ascend. There is not time to recuperate. This was the day I realized why so many people quit before their first 100 miles. It was tough. We took it step by step. We rested often.    I talk even going uphill. This ability was developed when I trained to be a Jazzercise teacher. I am not sure if it is admired or annoying or both to my hiking partners. They say it helps distract them from the difficulty of the climb.
Date: 2014-07-26
From: Buzzard Knob

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we were going to cross from Georgia into North Carolina. A few years ago, I heard hiker Nimblewill Nomad speak at the Nantahala Hiking Club meeting. He spoke highly of "The Tree" at the GA/NC border. Unfortunately I did not remember what the tree looked like. I told Tracy I wanted to be sure to see it. We hiked a little slower at the sign for the border. Plenty of trees, but not "The Tree". We kept hiking a few hundred yards and there it was. The trail goes right by it. I could not have missed it if I wanted to!
Date: 2014-07-27
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Mooney Gap
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Last year I hiked from Deep Gap NC to Nantahala Outdoor Center with my friend with Janet. It included this section. When I hiked last year, I was on a mission. When I saw the sign for Standing Indian Mountain, I walked past it without seeing the view. It was 0.1 miles off the trail. Months later, another hiker friend said Standing Indian is the most beautiful view she has ever seen. So this time, I was determined to see it. It was very beautiful. It is not for people who are afraid of heights, especially since the rocks were wet. In the late afternoon, Tracy said she wanted to stay in a hostel. We tried to call Neels Gap but it was 7 pm. There was no answer. They appeared to be closed.  We stayed the night at Mooney Gap near dirt road USFS 83.