morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-05-02
From: Hy 19E, and Campsite ar mile marker 410.4

To: Pond Flats
Miles today: 30.3

Chris, (Finn), dropped me at the trail head yesterday, Tues. May 2 nd. and I hiked to a tent site 16.7 miles from the trail head. Hope Finn had a safe journey home. Weather was great for walking, so that's just what we did. I say we because I met a man from IL. by the name of Duce. We hike at about the same speed, so it was easy to walk together. All the hikers I have met and walked with earlier on the trail are now 10 days ahead of me. You hear how they are doing by way of journals that hikers sign at each shelter that they stay at. Assuming of course that they are hiking the same direction as you.We set up camp at 7:30, ate supper and fell asleep by 9 pm.  Today was another great day for walking. Temp was about 75 with little wind. Duce and I separated early today as he wanted to go into the town of Hampton to resupply. I continued on and he was able to catch me about an hour before setting up camp. Today I managed to see a beautiful water fall and river system not to mention the mountains. Past hiker midnight now so have to go for now.
Date: 2017-05-03
From: Pond Flats campsite

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: mist

Today I managed to hit the trail by 8 am, after a nice breakfast of grits, dried raspberries and a cup of hot chocolate. This is the first time I cooked breakfast in about 3 weeks. Usually I skip breakfast but snack as I walk. After walking for about 2 hours, I came to a highway where some nice people set up trail magic. Now, if I forgot to mention it earlier, trail magic is where some folkes would set up at a road crossing, where the AT comes out of the woods, and give the hungry hiker food and beverages. There is no charge for this unexpected treat, except to give a great big hug and a thank you.This trail magic couple came up from southern Georgia, with a camp stove, to cook pancakes, sausage, ham and eggs. Also provided juice, milk, pop and coffee. Beyond all that they made up ziplock bags full of snacks, for each hiker, to take on the trail. Truly trail magic. Some day I hope to give back with some trail magic myself.
Date: 2017-05-04
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

Rained off and on most of this day. Walked along Lake Watauga for about three miles, turned east and crossed over the Watauga Dam. As the day went on, my pack continued to gain weight from the rain that it was soaking up. I didn't utilize my pack cover as I thought the rain would let up as the day progressed. On my break this afternoon, I met Atlas, Wolfdog, Achilles, and Ansel. Nice group of young people. I think they felt sorry for this old man hiking this trail. Little do they know that I'm in my glory and living the dream. I'm stealth camping tonight.
Date: 2017-05-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Overcast all day today. Stayed at Abingdon Gap Shelter, because of constant off and on rain and fog. The shelter was crowed with people all trying to get out of the weather. Tomorrow I will make it to Damascus, VA. Talked to some people who were heading south and they strongly recommend I take a zero in town, and ride the Virginia Creeper. We'll see.
Date: 2017-05-07
From: Abingdon Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: moderate rain

Woke to clear skies and warm temperatures, finally. Today I made it to Damascus, VA. 10.5 miles, all downhill. Hiked from 7:30 till 11:30 and headed straight to a B & B called Lazy Fox. Some ladies had told me about this place today on my way in and said it was a must stay. This is one of those "trail town". which means it not only is located right on the AT, but it also is HIKER FRIENDLY. The people of this town actually want hikers to come and stay here and enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation. In the middle of May, they host "Trail Days". Its a 4 day event where all previous and current hikers get together and enjoy activities, a parade, lots of food and camaraderie from fellow hikers.   In Damascus I plan to replace my current pack with a new ULA, which would be lighter by about two and a half pounds. I'll also ship my old Osprey home. There is a lady here at the Lazy Fox B & B by the name of Ginny. She is 92 years old and still cooks a seven course breakfast for the hikers. Can't wait.
Date: 2017-05-08
To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light intensity drizzle

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm staying here at the Lazy Fox B & B in Damascus, VA. I woke to the wonderful smells of bacon, pancakes, eggs, sausage, fresh blueberry muffins and much much, more. upon arriving downstairs, in the dinning room, I saw before me a magnificent hiker feast. Ginney had made a breakfast fit for a king that fed the eight hikers who were staying here. Today I bought a new pack which was only 2.5 pounds empty compared to my old pack that weighed over 5 pounds. Also rented and rode a bike on the Virginia Creeper trail from the top of Mt. Rogers back to Damascus. My brother Val, recommended that I take an afternoon and ride the Creeper trail, so I did. It was one of the most beautiful rides I have ever been on. Thanks Val. "The Creeper" basically was a railroad that existed back in the 1880's. The railroad began in Abingdon, Virginia as the Abingdon Coal and Iron Railroad Co. It was believed that the land, in the area, was rich with minerals such as coal and iron. During the late 1880's the rail company began to secure land rights to build a railroad from Abingdon to Damascus. By 1890 not a rail had been laid. Expenses were mounting and after thousands of dollars were spent, the company was broke. In 1884 the company was taken over by another rail company and after it too filed bankruptcy, another rail company took over the rights to the land. At this time lumber was big in the area and at the top of Mt. Rogers there was plenty of forested land to be had. It took several years of laying timbers for bridges in the area, and by 1918 the line stretched 75 miles and included more than 100 trestles. The locals referred to the train that climbed eastward ever so slowly up the mountain as the "Virginia Creeper". A steam engine laboring up mountain grades with heavy loads of lumber, iron ore, supplies and passengers. The last train to run on these tracks occurred on March 31, 1977.  Track removal began the following year. In 1979 the rail bed was converted to a bike trail from the top of Mt. Rogers all the way down to Damascus. A total of 14 miles. All downhill. To do the whole length of this trail you would start at Mt. Rogers and go all the way toward Abingdon, Virginia. A total of 34.3 miles. After that I decided to go to the outfitter store in downtown Damascus to replace my pack. My old pack, which is an Osprey Exos 58, just wasn't fitting me right. I picked up a new pack call ULA circuit, medium size, and it fits me much better. Also while there I did my resupply for the next five days. The new pack feels and works great.
Date: 2017-05-09
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

After breakfast I left the Lazy Fox to hike to the Lost Mountain Shelter which would be 15.8 miles. I arrived at the shelter at 6:30 PM. At 2 AM I hear the pitter patter of rain on the metal roof of the shelter and  I knew it would be a rainy day as that's what the forecast called for. I was on the trail by 7 AM Tuesday morning fully dressed in my finest rain gear. I was going rather slow due to the weather conditions. At 10:30 AM I went to step up on a rock which was rather tall and in the process of pushing off with my right leg I tore a muscle in my calf.  The pain put me on my knees for a short period. After I recovered I tried to walk but it was quite painful. Shortly after the pain subsided a little, I decided to take three Advil. As the day went on the pain became less and less. I knew something was terribly wrong and for that reason decided to go slower, as if I wasn't going slow enough already. Catch the continuing story later.
Date: 2017-05-11
From: Hurricane Shelter

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: broken clouds

I'm in Marion, VA. at an Econo Lodge. I need to let my leg rest for a day or two before continuing on this adventure. I will resupply here and try to get back on the trail tomorrow or the next day. Also I plan on blogging 2 or 3 times today to bring everybody up to date. Right now I need to find a hamburger joint. Later. Huckleberry
Date: 2017-05-11
To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Let me back track a little to get caught up. After spending a zero in Damascus, I hit the trail with my new pack and did 15.8 miles to Lost Mt. Shelter. While setting up in the shelter, a group of high school kids came in to camp behind the shelter. Also I met two men who had hiked the Camino de Santiago two years earlier. They highly recommended that I do that hike with my wife. It sounds very interesting and will require a little research. I think that is something that Chris would enjoy doing. Evidently you walk all day, and then spend the night in a hostel where they provide food and wine before retiring for the night. Just the kind of hike Chris would like. We'll see. The image on this page is of the markers all along the Camino making the "Way".
Date: 2017-05-12
From: Marion, VA

To: No where
Miles today: 4.0

The story continues. As the day went on the rain let up and I continued to walk at a slower pace than normal. I favored my right leg and the pain seem to be getting less. At this point the plan was to try to make it to Thomas knob shelter which would be about a 12 mile hike. This area that I was approaching is called Grayson Highland and is known for its wild ponies that roam free. And yes indeed I saw several wild ponies and even petted one of them.  By mid afternoon the fog had let up and I had arrived at Thomas knob shelter, only to find the shelter completely full with people and many campers outside the shelter as well. This meant I had to move on to the next shelter which is called Wise Shelter  and would be another 5 miles of hiking which I was not looking forward to. But I had no choice. I arrived at Wise shelter at 6:30 in the evening and found it also crowded with people.  There was room for camping though, so I proceeded to pick a spot to set up my tent. As Murphy's Law would have it, it started to rain just as I unpacked my pack. I put things back in quickly and covered my pack up and stood there with my raincoat and rain pants on for one hour while the storm passed overhead. Finally the storm pass and I was able to set up my camp and crawl in bed for the night. This will have been my worst day on the trail so far due to the weather,injuring my leg and stumbling over rocks in the Grayson Highlands as well as walking farther than I had wanted to, do to the overcrowding in the shelters.
Date: 2017-05-12
From: Econolodge

To: Motel
Miles today: 0.0

This hikers name is Nemo and is evidently on some type of marathon trek. I met him at Hurricane Shelter as he ways flying by. I managed to stop him for a few seconds, as I saw he was wearing a very small pack and was wondering "how much does that pack weigh"? 14 pounds he said, minus food and water. This is what we call a packs base weight. "Why are you moving so fast?" Need to do 18 more miles today. Then he said he left that morning from Damascus, VA., (42 miles back),and needed to finish the next 18 miles to get his 60 miles done for that day. CRAZY!!!!!!
Date: 2017-05-12
To: Still here in Marion, VA
Miles today: 0.0

When crossing the Grayson Highlands, we came across this lost pony. He was wet and shivering, so a concerned hiker decided to pick it up and try to find his mom. We are cautioned not to pet or feed the ponies in the Grayson Highlands. Obviously this person neglected to read the signs before entering the park. I cautioned her not to interfere and then left to continue my hike. Wednesday, May 10 was a sunny day when I woke up. After drying out my gear and packing up I had boots on the trail at 10 am. Made it to Hurricane Shelter by 6 pm. Even had time to wash some clothes and enjoyed a nice supper before retiring for the night.Thursday found me on the trail before 7:30. I hiked to a road crossing and found a shuttle getting ready to leave for the town of Marion, VA. I asked if they had room for one more and they did.We were dropped off here at the Econo Lodge, where I have decided to take a zero on Friday and hit the trail again on Saturday. This will do wonders for my leg, and will also allow me to resupply.
Date: 2017-05-15
From: Marion,VA

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 49.6
Weather: clear sky

This will be a short note just to let everyone know that I'm still walking but have poor cell service.I left Marion, VA on Saturday the 13th. Made it to Partnership Shelter, and was able, with a couple other hikers, to order pizza from town. They actually delivered to the shelter, as it was close to the highway. Mileage that day was 13.1.Sunday found me on the trail early and hiked 18.3 to Crawfish Trail campground. At noon this day, I was treated to trail magic by a group of United Methodist people. They set up outside a very old one room school house, which brought back memories from my youth. The host served up barbecue hamburgers, hot dogs, hot dishes and cherry cobbler done in a Dutch oven. Needless to say I pigged out.Left Crawfish camp early and walked 17.4 miles to here at Chestnut Knob Shelter. Beautiful spot over looking the valley below. Nice sunset tonight. Tomorrow I might try for my first 20 miler. We'll see.
Date: 2017-05-17
From: Laurel Creek campground 

To: Helmets Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: broken clouds

It's been a couple of days without service, so will get caught up now. This picture shows us hitchhiking out of Bland, VA, after we hitched a ride into the DQ for lunch. Quite the fun day except for the heat.Total miles to this point is 592.3. I would like to go further today except I'm very hot and tired after the DQ. Yesterday I was hoping to do a 20 mile day, but everything was against it. The terrain was up and down a lot, it was very hot and sunny and the trail was full of rocks. That requires a slower pace so as not to turn an ankle or worse. Ended up at a stream that passed right by my tent site. As I was alone at this site, I decided to take a quick bath as well as wash clothes. Worked out great. All Alignment's and pains are now gone and am feeling healthy again. Maybe that's the DQ talking.
Date: 2017-05-18
From: Helmets Mill shelter

To: Trent's Grocery
Miles today: 31.3
Weather: light rain

Another very hot day on the trail. Unusually warm for this time of year. I managed to get on the trail by 7:15 while it was still cool. I seem to be lacking energy to climb these hills and walk the distance. I think it's due to the heat. Hopefully it will pass as I continue to walk towards Maine. Most of the problems I have encountered earlier on are now gone, but replaced by new little aches and pains. I guess that's normal. It would be best to zero tomorrow here at the campground behind the convenient store. Also it's suppose to rain and it would be nice to stay put.Got here at 4:00, ate a chicken sandwich, fries and 2 cokes. Later was able to share a pizza with some other hikers who are staying here as well. Most of the other hikers will leave the trail tomorrow for trail days in Damascus VA., and won't return till Sunday. It's a big thing to attend, but I feel I need a zero more than to go to a big party.
Date: 2017-05-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: overcast clouds

These entries will try to get everybody caught up on what's happening now. I am now at Trent's grocery store and campground, and I thought I would zero tomorrow due to the impending weather situation. After waking up, though, the next morning and finding the sun shining I decided to pack up and head on. This day I only wanted to do a short mileage day of 8 to 10 miles. It was an uneventful day and a pretty easy walk but nonetheless still very hot. I made it to Wapiti shelter which was 8 miles from Trent's grocery. That is far enough for the day. The unique thing about this days hike was all of the footbridges that crossed over the river called Dismal Creek.
Date: 2017-05-22
From: Wapiti shelter

To: Pearisburg Virginia.
Miles today: 17.8

II am now at the holiday lodge in Pearisburg Virginia.I understand the temperature Saturday was 88°. No wonder I was so hot and sweaty by time I got to town. About 3 PM Saturday a storm blew in and I was caught up on the ridge during the storm. Needless to say I was drenched by time I got to town. After checking in at the hotel I made a beeline for the Dairy Queen and a banana split with a Coke. Then it was back to the hotel for a nice long hot bath. As I was walking on the ridge, I realize I had cell service so I gave Chris a call to see what's new in her world. She had told me that Papa choo-choo and Elsa Lynn were in Narrows Virginia which is 4 miles away and that I should give them a call when I get into town.While talking with Elsa Lynn, she told me that they were planning on slack packing from Stony Creek Valley Road crossing back to Pearisburg Virginia on Sunday. That would be a distance of 15.5 miles and asked me to join them and I said I would. Sunday we got a ride up to Stony Creek Valley where we started to slack pack back to Pearisburg. And about 3 PM a rain storm blew in and it rained all afternoon till we got back to the hotel. Everybody in our group were drenched. Got cleaned up and went to a Mexican restaurant for a shrimp burrito two beers and nachos. After words headed over to the Dairy Queen for dessert.Monday I'll have to decide if I want to zero a day here at the hotel or pick up at Stony Creek Valley and start hiking north again.
Date: 2017-05-22
To: Zero
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Now that I have brought everybody up-to-date I would like to do some bookkeeping cleanup. First of all I would like to say thank you to all the people who have responded to my journal entries. Please understand I cannot answer your inquiries from this site. Also it would take quite a bit of time to respond to everybody's comments. Time that I need to spend on the trail walking and not on the internet. But I do appreciate the comments and they do give me encouragement to continue walking. Several people asked me to define a thru hike. A thru hike is defined as starting a hike on a specific date and finishing within 12 months of that start date. Some hikers might start their hike at the end of June, in Maine, and hike to Harpers Ferry in one year and then the following year start hiking north from Georgia to Harpers Ferry and get done before the end of June of that year and then that would still be considered a thru hike. By the way I should apologize sometimes when I am not able to get a journal entry sent out only because I do not have cell service in some of the regions that I am hiking through. When I am in town at a hotel or hostel then it's easy to get caught up on all my journal entries thus you will see sometimes that I might have a daily mileage of 60.1 miles. That might be an accumulation of three days of hiking. The running mileage would be correct up to that date. Today's date being 22 May I have gone 655 miles to Stony Creek Valley Road. Tomorrow Tuesday, May 23, I will be heading north again. One other comment on my journal entries, I usually type them on my phone and I may miss spell a word or two or miss the proper grammar and for that I do apologize.
Date: 2017-05-22
From: Stony Creek Valley

To: Slack pack
Miles today: 15.5

What would my typical day be like? I usually wake up around 6 AM, have a quick breakfast of oatmeal or grits, and start packing up by 7 AM. Once I crawl out of the tent I would take the tent down, put it on top of my pack, lash everything down and start walking.I usually start out at a slow pace until I get warmed up. I will have studied the map the night before so I know where I'm headed for on that particular day. I would also be looking at the water availability for that particular days hike to make sure I don't run dry. I usually carry 1 L of water with me for the days use. You really don't want to carry more than 1 L of water for the days use as water runs 2 pounds per liter. If it's a hot day and I run low on water I would stop at a stream or a spring, collect and filter water. I do take breaks during the day while hiking. Usually around 10 AM, lunch break at 12 noon and again maybe around 3 PM. I would like to be in camp by 6 PM each night. I typically do not stay in shelters and I only use shelters as a mileage marking point. I have only slept in a shelter four nights so far on this trip. Once I arrive at a designated camping spot, whether it be a shelter or not, the first thing I usually do is collect water for cooking my supper. At that time I also get water to replenish my drinking water. That water has to be filtered. The cooking water I boil for at least one minute before using it to cook with. After supper I wash up my pot that I cooked supper in and get ready for bed by 7:30 PM. I am usually asleep by 8 PM which is called hiker midnight.That would be a typical day. Of course things change a little when we get a rainy day or we go into town.
Date: 2017-05-26
From: Pickle shelter

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 53.8
Weather: light rain

Hard to post an entry when I don't have good service. I have hiked from Pearisburg to Catawba in four days and 53.8 miles. The weather has been tolerable but quite humid. I'm staying at a hostel called Four Pines and its only noon now. Will try to get more info out later, as I'm here at a restaurant waiting to eat.
Date: 2017-05-27
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

This lady was doing a thru hike a two years ago, when she fell and broke her leg in several places. Glad to see her back at it this year. Left Four Pines Hostel this morning at 7 AM and will walk a little over 12 miles to my destination of McAfee knob. Have service on my way to town but once I leave town there will be no more service till later. McAfee knob was one of my milestones for this trip. It is not raining today so far, just little cloudy.
Date: 2017-05-27
To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

A milestone made. I have seen and heard of this rock for years and now I'm here! As you can see, I kept my distance from the edge. It was a beautiful view down into the valley below and there was no need to get any closer to the edge. I would like to have stayed longer and enjoyed a picnic up there but needed to get going to the shelter before it fills up with other hikers. I arrived here at Lamberts Meadow Shelter around 7pm and immediately set up camp. Also here at this campground I caught up to Papa Choo Choo's group. Its always fun to see someone you haven't seen for a while and catch up on the latest.
Date: 2017-05-29
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: Howard Johnson Hotel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

In Catawba I was able to secure a bed at the Hostel called Four Pines. Only spent the afternoon and eve there before heading out again. My knees really needed a break after coming down from the Dragons Tooth. It was quite a rock scramble. Ate supper at an AYCE place called the Homeplace Restaurant. There were nine of us hikers at one table and it was like nine pigs at the trough. They couldn't bring the food fast enough. Left the hostile Saturday, May 27 and hiked to Lamberts Meadow Shelter. Met up with Papa Choo-choo and Elsa Lynn. We all hiked to Daleville where we are now in a Howard Johnson's for the night. Tomorrow I will hike on by myself as Papa Choo-choo and company will take a break. Hopefully my knees will feel better tomorrow.