morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-06
From: half-mile before Powell Gap. 

To: Bearfence Mtn Hut
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: light rain

I'm glad I wanted an early start. There was still a cool breeze trying to make me want to stay in my tent, but I got up & packed a few minutes before the rain started ¢ it kept going ALL day! So the view from my campsite was the only view I got; everything else was fogged in. My poncho keeps my pack fairly dry; so I didn't lack for warmth. With the sides open, I don't get sweat condensation underneath either. Both sides of my ribs hurt all morning, finally loosening up after lunch. The Trail was still rough till then too, but now I was finally getting to the smooth trail usually associated with SNP, tho I STILL had to go up & down mtns. I was passed by Lady & Home-Brew, the Ursas, Quattro Fromaggio, & Roadrunner.I don't think Shenandoah National Park has very nice woods. It's really different from what we've been walking thru mostly on the Trail so far. The forest floor has lots of vegetation, but it's the kind that you find in overgrown farmland & pasture, because in fact that's what much of the park is. So you see a huge mixture of practically every plant or weed you might find in your yard or garden, including more grass than you usually see on woodland trails, noxious weeds like poison Ivy & stinging nettles, & taller plants like gooseberry, blackberry, & roses. Only occasionally do ferns or some ground-cover type plant grow as a monoculture, crowding everything else out. Besides giving a different appearance to the woods, this makes it very hard to find a place to camp. No bare dirt just covered with leaves, like I'm used to. The presence of poison ivy almost everywhere makes it particularly difficult to even walk around in the woods looking for a flat spot. Even so, the other side of a mountain may have a different mix of plants that doesn't include poison ivy. Different light, different soil, different trees? I don't know what causes that. I walked about a mile past Lewis Mtn campground (still raining!) to get to Bearfence Mtn hut. I wanted to stop in the camp store & use the showers, but first I wanted to find out how crowded the shelter was. I got there a little after 6:00 (earliest for me In a long time) & found only one couple: Toast & Rusty Ramps. Fast Times [started 24 April] came in later, & that was it! Amazing, after such crowding recently! Apparently a lot of them are off "aqua-blazing", taking rafts down the Shenandoah River parallel to the Trail. Guidebook said the store closed at 7:00, but when I got back there the sign said 6:00. The shower was open & had an outlet where I could recharge my phone. The sink had hot water, but the shower was only warm. A dollar for 5 minutes -- I had thought of going for 10 but changed my mind.
Date: 2013-06-08
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Pass Mtn Hut
Miles today: 15.3

Mtn. Laurel is just starting to bloom here. Azaleas are much farther along. I've seen red & pink ones, but I haven't yet seen any orange ones. Bluets are out again along the Trail-- they always seem to be rejoicing in the day that the LORD has made. In SNP hikers hardly ever get to see hills ahead. I was the first one out out of the shelter as I had a little peanut butter & jelly bread (getting messierall the time) & then headed for Meadowland restaurant for the all-you-can-eat breakfast. They had the usual buffet stuff plus lots of fruit. I like fruit, but I haven't had so much while on the Trail. The Quattro Formaggio was there with me. Afterwards I felt not only very full but very gassy. After some slow going, I took a little nap, which helped some. What really helped was a couple of pit stops (one I just barely made it into the woods in time), the last one at a picnic area with a privy. There I met a group I hadn't seen for a while: Tabs, Jetlag, Mother Theresa, & Peaches. I walked with them the rest of the afternoon, keeping up quite well. Peaches likes to talk, & after so much hiking alone, I guess I did too! I found out that he had actually stayed at the Inn at Afton at Rockfish Gap ¢ beat out the one in Adkins for "worst motel on the Trail".At the last road crossing there was some Trail magic, I soon lost track of how far the shelter was ¢ a very long 1.3 miles! While searching for it, I met a couple of guys who are doing some sort of photo documentary. After getting to the shelter, one of them got into long conversation with Tags about photo equipment. This is the first time since Nantahala that I've been in the same place with both Tags' group & DipNSip's. Interesting how that works out.
Date: 2003-08-19
From: Canopus Lake

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: few clouds

For several days, today's hike has been a little black cloud on my horizon, getting ever larger. I knew it would be tough. Sixteen miles with 3-4,00 feet of climbing (and the same back down) is a real stretch for me. So much would depend on the terrain. I was up and away early, stopping in at the pavilion on my way back to the trailhead to wish the SOBO's good luck. They were all headed to the Friary today. The ridge above Canopus Lake was the first of five sizeable climbs in front of me. I hadn't gone far when I met two more SOBO's rushing to catch up with their friends ahead. They were 'Fisherman' and 'Dax', a very nice young couple. I asked 'Dax' if she took her name from the Star Trek character. She had. Apparently her face had borne some similarity after the blackfly in Maine had finished with her. From then on I moved with a purpose and in half an hour had climbed to a fine vantage point overlooking the lake and its beach area. I'd read somewhere a physiological study in Backpacker Magazine that described hikers as 'athletic studs' - "They just don't happen to shave their legs, wear lycra, or talk about how fit they are," I remember it saying. Well, I felt like an athletic stud this morning. I was really pumped up, and reached my lunch-time target, the RPH shelter, before midday, a remarkable (for me) eight miles in just over three hours. It had been much cooler last night, and I had slept very well. The humidity today was very low, the sky was blue, and the terrain wasn't rough enough to slow my pace. Conditions were perfect for me. From three sides the RPH Shelter looked like a small church or 18th century schoolhouse. Only the remaining side was completely open like any other shelter. I pumped and filtered water from a well nearby. The water still looked orange and didn't taste too good either. I would only use it as a last resort. After lunch I blasted on in the same manner and came out on NY52, the Stormville Road, around 4.15pm., time enough to detour a half-mile down the road to a pizza parlour and deli for an early supper. Supper would be two great slices of pizza, soda, and an ice cream. Time lost here was more than saved by not having to cook when I got into camp. Back on the Trail, I flew up Mt.Egbert, my last climb of the day, and strolled into the Morgan Stewart shelter about 6.45pm. 'Slow Motion' is here, and we were joined later by 'Best', a young woman heading south. Tonight I feel surprisingly good. Including blue blazes I did nearly 18 miles today. Tomorrow will be another 16+ mile day. Can I do two back to back?
Date: 2013-06-09
From: Pass Mtn Hut

To: Tent site on trail to Spring
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

11.0 miles to tent site on trail to spring. Slept in this morning, at least till most of the others had left. I fixed myself some oatmeal & dressed up a little for town, then went back 1.4 miles to Hwy. 211. There weren't many cars out at that time, but it didn't take very long to get a ride into Luray. We quickly found St. Mark Lutheran, where the service didn't last very long, because there was no singing & the sermon was read, in the absence of the pastor. I'd run into this before: the Virginia Synod regularly holds its Synod Assembly to include a Sunday, & the bishop writes a Sermon to be read in all the churches while their pastors are away. The young man who read it read well but without much attempt at feeling or emphasis. The older man who assisted did his part well. I looked around town afterwards to see if any other churches had a 9:30 or 10:00 service I could go to as well, but all the churches seemed fixed on 11:00, & I didn't want to be getting back to the Trail so late. After buying a few food items (I didn't see a good place to eat on Sunday morning) I set out to get a ride -- had to walk all the way out to the highway & the wait a while. A chiropractor from Delaware, whose parents had recently moved to the Shenandoah Valley, gave me the ride. After walking back up to the shelter, I fixed a big lunch of chili & macaroni & started off just before 1:00. Well, this was the most enjoyable afternoon of hiking I've had since my fall. Everything seemed to be working well physically, & I felt I was making good time. I was only passed by one thru-hiker, Roughneck, everyone else was ahead of me, that was quite a bunch. While I stopped to eat at Elkwallow Wayside, Thunderfoot & Oatmeal came up & said that the ridge runner had told them she'd seen 30 NOBO thru-hikers today! (All headed for the same shelter, which I would be late getting in to.) A Trail Angel Named Dr Dick offered to ferry our packs to the shelter, & the others accepted. I didn't really like the idea, & had by then concluded that I'd be camping before the shelter. Dr Dick (I forgot to ask if Dick's Dome shelter was named after him') then told me where to find a site a mile or two before the shelter. Before I got there, I saw Wander Woman & Clark Kent camped along the Trail. Actually, it is easier to find a suitable space here in the Northern part of the park than in the Southern. I ended up going down the whole quarter-mile trail to the spring(s) before finding the spot on the way back up. Got set up just about dark when the rain started.
Date: 2013-06-10
From: Tent site on trail to Spring

To: Compton Gap
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

Compton Gap is a place just off the north end of SNP, where Susan & I had started a hike about 13 years ago. Not a very exciting day today -- rained most of the night & ALL morning! One of the problems with using an established tent-site is that the ground is free of vegetation. When wet, that means MUD. Rain drops hitting the ground splatter dirt onto & into the tent, so everything feels like a mess. If the sun comes out, it can be dried -- sometimes that doesn't happen very soon. Three days out of 8 in SNP have been rainy. Most of the Trail here is a "long green tunnel". When all the viewpoints are clouded in besides -- it gets a little oppressive. My ribs weren't bothering me, & again I felt good hiking. I kept thinking the rain would stop long enough for me to get a snack or lunch. Obviously, I need to plan better on days like this. I stopped at Gravel Spring shelter, the one I thought would be crowded last night. At 9:00 a.m. it still looked crowded, even tho most people had left! In addition to 20 thru-hikers, they had had 20-30 Boy Scouts camping nearby. Since the scouts were Southbound, I had already met them on the Trail. Oatmeal & Thunderfoot were still at the shelter but passed me soon on the Trail. When I got to the Terrapin hostel, it was crowded too. Mike, the proprietor, even offered to take me to some place in town, but some of the other hikers (Peaches, Mother Theresa, especially) kindly agreed to rearrange things so there was room for me. Since the rain had stopped, I hung some things out on the line & started to think about laundry for the clothes &, most of all, a shower for me. Just about that time came the news that there was something wrong with the water -- I'd have to wait for the well to replenish. After a couple of hours, there was no progress on that front (& the stuff drying in the sun was getting wet with additional rain); so I called for a ride with Sharon's shuttles in Front Royal, thinking I'd go to a motel, but she offered a place to stay as well. It was much nicer than the hostel, & I had the place to myself! It dawned on me that I could guess her age by her name: every woman I know named Sharon was born in 1940-42! We didn't figure out why that is true.I had picked up a mail drop at Terrapin which looked to be just about the right size. Sometimes I don't get everything I need, but more often it has been daunting to figure out what to do with it all. That's what a "bounce box" is for: a package I mail to myself at a future location, containing stuff I think I'll need there. It's just hard to predict weeks in advance, so I haven't always been able to give Susan very good guidance.
Date: 2003-08-23
From: Kent, Conn.

To: Silver Hill Campsite
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Morning chores took a while, and when we marched out of Kent, it was late morning. We went off at a brisk pace and in no time were back at the trailhead on Conn341, scene of our dying swan routines two days ago. It was sunny, yesterday's humidity was gone, the terrain was fine, an excellent day for walking. In less than two hours, about four miles on, we clambered to the top of Caleb's Peak, a climb of about 800 feet, out biggest climb of the day. A good spot for lunch and we shared the flat rock summit with a friendly young couple, and a more aloof family of five, both out for weekend day hikes. In the valley below, we were just able to see Kent's church spire poking up through the dense blanket of forest. The descent after lunch was much more difficult. Very rocky, very steep, this was St John's Ledges, and we often had to throw poles down ahead, and use all fours to make our way down. Thereafter the walking was very straightforward, quite a bit of it along the banks of the Housatonic River,Very pretty too. On this stretch we met two SOBO's, 'Vent' and 'Mode'. 'Vent' is Australian, originally from Victoria, but now living in Scarborough, a suburb of Perth in Western Australia. He is a geologist and works in the mining area of Marvel Loch. A little further on we arrived at the Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to where we met a young woman southbounding, 'Almost There', and an elderly man going north, 'Cimarron'. 'Cimarron' is a wiry little fellow, brown as a berry, and will be 81 years old tomorrow! He is from near Pensacola, Florida, the same area as 'Bumpkin', and a rather comical conversation ensued between them. Slowly, with growing disbelief, they established that they had both lived in Brownsville, Fla., that they had some mutual acquaintances, that 'Cimarron', real name Mr Caetano, had taught Science at the high school that 'Bumpkin' attended, and finally that Mr Caetano had supervised detention classes frequently attended by 'Bumpkin' (she had not been a model pupil). I feel a cliche with Disney associations coming on. Our last climb of the day brought us to our final destination, Silver Hill Campsite, which is proving a delightful place to camp.  We have fine tent spots close to a wooden pavilion sitting over two picnic tables. A rusty, screeching pump draws excellent water from a well, and there is a wooden bench seat attached to a swing. An observation deck juts out over the ridgeline sufficiently to take us clear of the trees for once, giving us an unusually full view of the night sky. There are two families here with four children between them, all between about seven and eleven years old. The children share one large tent, and I ate supper to the sound of high jinks, tee-heeing and excited voices trying to be hushed. They were having a great time. It took me back to when my own children were that age. I think 'Bumpkin' felt the same way.
Date: 2013-06-14
From: Vacation

To: Returning to Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

The flight back to Dulles went well, & I decided to try a different way to get back to Front Royal. I was carrying everything in a doubled plastic grocery bag, which kept breaking or losing things out the top. I should had used a cloth bag, but I didn t want to have to carry it while hiking. I took a bus from the airport to the METRO & from there to the MARC train to Harpers Ferry. The trains were delayed -- if I'd gone to a different station I could have caught the [once a day] AMTRAK train to Harpers Ferry & got there earlier for the same amount of money.I had no luck hitching a ride in Harpers Ferry, so I walked out to the edge of town & caught a ride on the highway out to Charles Town. The young man who gave me a ride in a convertible had done some hitch-hiking in the area, so he gave me advice on the best place to stand (he was going North) to go South & West to Front Royal. From there, a couple from Maryland headed for >NC gave me a ride as far as the freeway exit to Front Royal. Sharon picked me up there, so I spent another delightful evening with her.
Date: 2003-08-24
From: Silver Hill Campsite

To: Belter's Campsite
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

'Bumpkin' gave 'Chafe' and me a call about midnight and the three of us went over to the observation deck to look at the sky. Mars is at its closest for 60,000 years, she had told us. The planet was low and very bright in the sky, like the landing light of an incoming aircraft. It was also the first time in over five months on the Trail that I was able to see the Milky Way. It was (literally) awesome. Today has been hard work, especially in the morning, with PUD's aplenty. We stopped for lunch by a rocky area with an overlook, selected by 'Chafe' who has been going much better since we left Kent. Earlier I had mentioned an ache inside my right shoulder blade that had become increasingly painful over the past three weeks. Today it was killing me. Over lunch, I gave 'Bumpkin' an open sandwich of Gouda cheese and tomato on pumpernickel. She gave me a wonderful (ie. quite painful) massage to the upper back that seemed to relax some knotted muscles and has really done the trick. I walked more easily in the afternoon than I've done for some time. By mid-afternoon, we reached Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to. It is well named. Pine trees crowd round the shelter, there is a swamp adjacent to it, and a creek (or 'brook', we are in New England) runs into that. 'Mosquitoville' would have been as apt a name. We filtered water here, and then 'Chafe' confirmed his return to health by declaring he would walk the remaining five miles in one go. And he did. He blitzed it. 'Bumpkin' and I plodded wearily into Belter's Campsite fully half an hour behind. The 'Chafe Master' is back!
Date: 2013-06-15
From: Compton Gap

To: Jim & Molly Denton shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

Started the day at Sharon Johnson's house. I had two things to mail, but I couldn't find the camp stove. I thought I had left it at Johnson's, but not so. Susan couldn't find it at home, so I called Mike at Terrapin; he said he'd found it & put it in a hiker box at the hostel.   So Sharon made an extra trip out there, but it had disappeared. I was trying to send it back to the company, so now I'm out of luck.I got the filter cartridge mailed anyway & got left off at the trailhead. Immediately, I met Joy-Ride coming in from the Trail, asking questions about the hostel. I've got to do lots of eating -- my pack is way too heavy. That plus the rib problem really slowed me down. I quickly decided I wouldn't be doing two 20-mile days & getting to Bears Den late Sunday. I only did 11 today, so that leaves two 15s, & maybe getting there early enough to enjoy the hostel Monday. Very easy trail, as expected, so I felt I should be making better time. But it's just not the day for it; so I felt justified in taking more time than usual for trail maintenance. At Rt 522, I met Dreamer, waiting for wife, & also Silent & Weird, a German couple. In this area, the trail moves along the side of the National Zoo Conservation & Research Center. There are some red-roof buildings in the distance & chain-link fence all along the boundaries, behind which exotic animals can sometimes be seen. But none today.Jim & Mollie Denton is one of the fancier shelters on the Trail with a cooking shelter separate from the sleeping shelter. When the water is flowing, there is even a shower! Not much water today. A section-hiker named Topo & his young daughter, Chipmunk, were in the shelter with me. She wanted to sleep out in a hammock, 30 feet from the shelter. In the middle of the night she started calling for her Dad ¢ hearing "too many noises" ¢ & spent the rest of the night in the shelter next to him.   Other people I met today [many of whom are camped near the shelter] were Mr Gigglefitz & Paisley, Pink Lady + 2 others, Jiffy Girl, & Rank OutsiderTopo's setting up in the shelter with mosquito net reminded me, "Where's MY mosquito net?" Bummer! I must have lost it along the road while hitch-hiking or in a car that gave me a ride. Oh well ¢ the bugs weren't bad tonight.
Date: 2013-06-16
From: Jim & Molly Denton shelter

To: Mile past Ashby Gap
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I walked 3 miles to the first highway to hitch a ride to church. I had two choices: a Methodist church in Linden at 9:00 or a Lutheran church in Front Royal at 9:30. It took a half hour to get a ride, & the driver was going only as far as Linden; so I arrived at the Methodist church a little late. It turned out to be the pastor's last Sunday before retirement, so part of the service was a farewell. However, to his credit he said he was going to preach his regular sermon anyway. It was a good one presenting the Gospel in a good Lutheran manner. Some people from the church gave me a ride back to the Trail.Everybody talks about heavy packs after re-supply; but if I'm hanging 3 food bags & most others are hanging one, is something wrong with this picture? On the other hand, my pack does seems little lighter today ¢ am I just getting used to it, or did eating 2 meals make a difference?I stopped in to see Dick's Dome shelter. It's a small hexagonal one, a geodesic dome about 5 feet on a side, which has always made it hard to figure out how to fit any significant number of people into it [at least, if they are over 5 feet tall]. They've now put an extra roof over it, apparently because the dome leaked. I forgot to take a picture. Off & on, after that, there was a very light rain, just enough to increase the humidity. I had several miles of easy Trail crossing Sky Meadow State Park & thought I was making good time. During most of that time I could hear highway noise from U.S. 50. After crossing it & going over the next hill, things were quieter, & the cell-phone reception was good; so I spent a hour or so on the phone talking with my kids. That was good, but it kept getting darker. No way to get to the next shelter in time, so I had to find a spot along the trail to pitch my tent. It wasn't easy with all the steep hillsides & trees. But one advantage of my tarp tent is that it can be set up in rather odd configurations, including having shrubs inside the tent, as long as I have a little bit of level ground & two trees to attach the ropes to. So I managed to camp before total darkness.