morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-31
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Blue Ridge Parkway, mile 51.7
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: scattered clouds

First, I way to say a great big THANK YOU to all the people who made it possible for my son, Matthew, to join me today. Matthew will hike with me until the end of July and I am sooo happy to have him join me on this journey!Thanks to my wife, Anita, for making all his flight arrangements and coordinating plans with everyone. Thanks to my niece Meghan (trail name: Runs Like A Duck) and her husband Jason (trail name: Nerd) for allowing him to crash at their house for a week and for driving him over to meet me. Finally, thanks to my sister Beth (I can't tell you her trail name because mom always made me pay her 5 cents when I called her that) who helped babysit the young ones and treated us all to lunch. You all are AWESOME!!! After visiting with family and getting chores done, we got on the trail about 1:30. Meghan kindly drove us north for a slack pack back to the wonderful hikers shelter in Glasgow. Before we left we visited with Tracy McG, her sister Breezy, and her husband Food Walker. I also want to give a shout out to Tracy McG's mother who apparently reads my journal. You have a great daughter and its always a pleasure to run into her on the trail. We started out the climb over Bluff Mountain. Matthew seemed very comfortable for his first day on the trail and was soon leading the pack with his young physique and fresh legs. I'm thinking I'm going to be looking at his backside a lotOur climb brought us to the sad monument for Ottie Cline Powell, a little boy who was almost 5 years old when he wandered away from his school house April 5, 1891 and walked for nearly 7 miles. The monument marks the spot where his body was found. Allegedly his ghost inhabits the nearby shelter. Sobering . . . We had many pretty views of the James River valley below us. We ran into our section hiker friends again and made plans to meet them for pizza tonight. We also ran into Dreamer who's wife (Socks) is here supporting him and other hikers. He offered to give us a ride back into town and of course we accepted. I really like Dreamer and Socks - they are good genuine people. There isn't much water on this section so many hikers were struggling with the heat and lack of water. Socks not only gave us a ride, she had a cooler of ice cold drinks! When got back to our campsite Faucet, Rapunzel, and Weight Watcher were finishing up showering and we all went to Scotto's pizza. We toasted the section hiker and thru hiker bond we had formed. They will head home tomorrow and I'm sorry to see them go!A hiker who mooches stuff off of other people is called a "Yogi". Kind of like Yogi the bear. I feel like a Yogi today as my sister bought lunch and Faucet bought dinner. Yogi or not, I am very grateful for their generosity!
Date: 2013-06-02
From: Brown Mountain Creek Campsite

To: Spy Rock Road, Dutch Haus
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up about 5:15 and started packing up. As soon as I got things organized I crawled out of my tent and woke up Matthew. We made a quick stop at the shelter to say hello and to use the privy. Today we passed mile 800 with no fanfare other than some high fives. We had a big climb above 4,000 ft to the top of Bald Knob to start the day. Even though we got n early start, it was a muggy day. Several hours later when we summited I stopped for a break on a rock outcropping with a view and removed my shirt. My shirt was soaked with sweat and I rung it out, tied it to my backpack, and hiked without a shirt. Water has been scarce on this part of trail and sometimes when there is water it's more than a mile round trip off the trail to get it. We carefully rationed our water. When we came to a nearby spring Matthew agreed to walk the 0.6 miles round trip to refill our water bottles. THANK YOU Matthew!!!While we waited for Matthew another hiker came by and warned us about a large rattlesnake near the trail a little further north. It was probably 45 minutes before we reached that spot but we didn't see the snake. That being said, we didn't exactly go in search of it. On the bald of a mountain we stopped for lunch and watched as the clouds slowly consumed the mountains around us and began drifting across the bald. The wisps of cloud would obliterate the view and then would suddenly clear as the cloud passed. The afternoon hike was not as steep. There was a light rain and distant thunder but thankfully no storms. Our goal is to reach the Dutch Haus which means a hike of 20.2 miles when you include the 1.1 miles you have to hike off the trail to a parking area where they will pick you up. Around mile 14 I realized that this was too aggressive of a goal for Matthew's third day out. We slowed down the pace, treated blisters and chaffing, and gutted it out the rest of the way. The Dutch Haus is definitely a "must do" place along the AT. It is a log house with several other buildings. The main house has several rooms and the bunkhouse has about 8 beds on two levels. Lois and Earl are the owners and are gracious and engaging hosts. Unfortunately for us hikers and fortunately for them, they will close the Dutch Haus at the end of this month for the rest of the year so they can travel and hike. When we arrived Lois showed us around and gave us robes to wear while she washed our clothes. After showers it was funny to have everyone sitting around in robes eating dinner. Lois is an outstanding cook and certainly knows how to feed hungry hikers!There are 5 of us and 2 dogs in the bunkhouse tonight. In addition to me, Matthew, Trouble, and Melkie are Truth from Camden Maine and her dog, and Double Dare who thru hiked in 2003 and is doing it again this year. Matthew and I have the upper level to ourselves. I am bone weary and glad to have a full tummy and a bed to sleep in . . .
Date: 2013-06-03
From: Spy Rock Road, Dutch Haus

To: Dutch Haus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

To recover from over doing it yesterday we decided to zero today. The day pretty much consisted of sleeping late (7:00), eating a big breakfast, talking to other hikers, talking to Lois, journaling, going to a little country store to eat lunch and get a few supplies, helping Earl and Lois pick up a gas grill at a fish hatchery and dropping it off at the volunteer fire dept, napping, sitting around some more, and eating dinner. That about sums it up. Pretty low key. Lois offered Matthew and me a room in the main house and we gladly accepted. It's nice to have more privacy. Another nice aspect of the Dutch Haus is that it is one of the cleanest places I've stayed on this journey. Tomorrow we'll slack pack about 10 miles to the Tye River and then return to the Dutch Haus. The next day will be tough with a climb over 3,000 ft and then it should finally get easier . . . famous last words.
Date: 2013-06-04
From: Dutch Haus

To: Tye River
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

If you are a woman considering hiking the AT you may want to read this post. What a great day of hiking it was today. The temperatures are in the mid 70's and the humidity is low. We slack packed north starting at Spy Rock Rd. We immediately climbed and took a short side trail to Spy Rock. The climb up the rocks was steep so I left my pack and poles at the bottom. The resulting view was spectacular! I used the altitude to quickly update my journal since I haven't had much cell reception recently. It was so peaceful and beautiful. A group of young hikers arrived and it was amusing to watch them try to do handstands on the rocks while having their pics taken. They had fun spelling words with their bodies and being goofy. We were surprised when Magic Scout arrived. You could tell from his aura that he had successfully caught Yoni (the other Israeli) and usurped his power in Buena Vista - lol!The climb up to The Priest (4,063 ft) was surprising easy - maybe because we were already pretty high. Again, the views were just great and the trail was lined with blooming Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, and Azaleas. I was shocked when we reached the trail to The Priest shelter because I didn't think we were that far along. It is a tradition that hikers write their confessions in The Priest shelter. We ate our lunch and laughed at the creative and funny confessions. We also ate the last of our home made rice krispy treats, THANK YOU to my sister Beth, they were yummy and a nice change from our usual trail food We had a little over 4 miles of downhill after The Priest to get to the Tye River. That may sound easy but 4 miles of downhill can reek havoc on your knees, feet, and quads. On the way down we ran into Mud Butt and Zipper. Mud Butt is from Atlanta and started an organization called Trail Dames. Trail Dames organizes hikes for women and promotes women hiking. If you would like to learn more go to traildames.com. Zipper is from New Orleans and runs an organization that helps women plan to hike the trail. They have conference calls where women hikers talk about what they've learned and participants can ask questions. If you want to learn more search "wild and white blazing". Matthew did well today and we will continue to "break him in" slowly. When we emerged from the forrest Earl was waiting for us and drove us back for our last night at the Dutch Haus. After we showered Lois served us a delicious dinner of salad, lasagna, meat balls, fresh bread, and peanut butter pie. I will really miss this place!
Date: 2013-06-05
From: Tye River

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

In an odd way it is places like the Dutch Haus that sometimes make me think about quitting. No, I'm not going to, but the wonderful meals, family type of environment, and a real bed are definitely an attraction. We could have stayed another day and slack packed one more time but I knew it was important to get back out in the woods. We enjoyed another wonderful breakfast before we loaded up in the pickup truck and headed off to the trailhead at the Tye River. According to Circuit Rider who has hiked the trail 9 times, he has never hiked over the Three Ridges Mountain that we will hike today without seeing a rattle snake and/or copperhead. According to other previous thru hikers this will be the last big climb for a while to come - sweet!It was a muggy day and the climb was challenging with a lot of rocks. We stopped at several overlooks to enjoy the view and cool off. As Matthew said, we walked up for what seemed forever and then we walked up some more. Actually we only walked up for 5 hours. Luckily we did not see a rattlesnake or copperhead. We decided to stay in the shelter since the forecast is for early morning rain with afternoon thunderstorms. At least we can start out dry even if we don't stay that way. For dinner Matthew and I had oriental ramen with dehydrated peanut butter (THANK YOU Hannah!), and tuna fish. It's supposed to taste like a Thi dish. I think Matthew liked it better than me. At least it was filling and lots of calories. Matthew built a nice fire and it made me wish we had hot dogs. It was a real treat when Candy Pants, Animal, Head Stand, and his cousin came by. I was glad Matthew got to meet some of these characters. There are only four of us in the shelter tonight with others camped nearby. In addition to Trouble, Matthew, and me; a section hiker, Forrest Wind, a recent graduate from Penn State, is in the shelter with us. Magnet (real name: Gen Shimizu) hiked in and gave us a tour of the tent he was testing. He is the owner of Yama Mountain Gear and designs and makes his own tents. We are now only 2 or 3 days from Shenandoah National Park. I've heard so many good things about hiking through the Shenandoah's - I can't wait.
Date: 2013-06-07
From: Dripping Rock,

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The hotel breakfast room was packed with hikers. I swear that every hiker I know that's within 25 miles north or south of Waynesboro must be at this hotel. Some of the hikers at breakfast in addition to me, Matthew, and Trouble were Magic Scout, Animal, Scarecrow, Circuit Rider, Sherlock, Sparky, Kokopelli, Rerun and his 12 year old and 14 year old daughters, Backtrack, Tex, Dreamer, and many, many more. We spent the morning continuing to dry things out and doing laundry . . . truthfully it was Trouble who did the laundry. THANK YOU Trouble. This hotel is full so we have to move to a new hotel. After packing up we stored our packs in Magic Scout's room and walked across the street in the rain for pizza. We met Sue at 1:00 and she took us to our new hotel and let us use her car while she was at work. That gave us time to get Matthew a new tent, resupply, get Trouble's phone partially fixed, mail my old shoes home, and help shuttle several other hikers around town. It still amazes me that complete strangers offer to let me use their car. THANK YOU Sue!!! We toped off her gas tank and bought her a box of chocolate truffles. We have arranged a ride back to the trail at 8:00 tomorrow and I can't wait! I didn't take any pics today so I used one from yesterday.
Date: 2013-06-08
From: Waynesboro

To: Shenandoah National Park campsite
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I really wanted triple hashbrowns from the Waffle House this morning but we were running short on time so I settled for the hotel breakfast. Rooster came to pick us up at 8:00 and returned us to the trail at Dripping Rock Overlook. THANK YOU Rooster!Just to put us in our place, the trail gods decided to bestow rain upon us for the first hour. After that it turned into a pretty day, albeit muggy. The first part was rocky an I wasn't feeling very well so I lagged behind. Since its Saturday we ran into a lot of SOBO weekend hikers. We met a few NOBO thru hikers but most of them I didn't know. Tom is a section hiker that we've met several times and was at the Dutch Haus with us. He is a talented guitar player and entertained us at the Dutch Haus. He was planning to go all the way through the Shenandoah's but has decided to get off in Waynesboro instead. He has abrasions on his face and leg from falling on the wet rocks and he has had enough. He's a nice guy and I'll miss talking to him on the trail. The only significant climb we had today was over Humpback Mtn (3,612 ft) but it wasn't that difficult compared to previous climbs. Large sections of the forrest floor were covered with ferns giving it an inviting appearance. We lunched at Paul C. Wolfe shelter. By the time we arrived my left foot was pretty painful so I laid down and propped my foot on top of my pack and took a catnap. After retaping part of my foot and some vitamin-I, I was much better the rest of the afternoon. At Rockfish Gap we bought some hotdogs from a stand and some absolutely scrumptious Girl Scout brownies. It was exciting to finally reach the Shenandoah's. We are only a few miles into the park and are camped in the woods. Matthew saw a deer and an oriole soon after entering the park . . . a nice welcome!
Date: 2013-06-09
From: Shenandoah National Park campsite

To: Wildcat Ridge campsite
Miles today: 12.0

I think a bear could have taken my food last night and I wouldn't have woken up. Trouble asked me what I thought several noises were during the night and I didn't hear any of them. I sleep better in my tent than I do in a hotel room. Water has been more scarce than previously so we are rationing our water. That means no brushing our teeth until we get to a water source. We climbed Bear Den Mountain which has multiple communication towers on top of it. We found tractor seats cemented into the ground in a semicircle (see pics) . . . how random is that?!?Next we climbed Little Calf Mtn and Calf Mtn   At Calf Mtn Shelter we ate lunch and stocked up on water. We also spent some time talking to a vet who we've previously met. He is struggling with PTSD. I feel bad for him because his symptoms are pretty severe. This was the day for wildlife as we saw several deer and rabbits. One of the deer ran across the trail right in front of us. At the shelter Matthew had walked about a tenth of a mile to get water. As he was filling up the last bottle a bear cub came crashing through the woods about 20 yards from him. He looked around for the mother but decided he didn't want her to find him so he quickly returned to the shelter. We were all excited that the first member of our group had seen a bear!Not long after lunch it poured down rain for about 45 minutes - just long enough to get our shoes and socks thoroughly soaked. When we came to a parking lot at a road crossing we spread our things out to dry with other hikers. We were a sight to behold Finally we climbed Turk Mtn and decided to set up camp early since its supposed to rain more. We set up close together so we could talk in the morning and not leave our tents if its raining. We are already in the clouds. The thunder and lightening are moving closer and closer . . .
Date: 2013-06-10
From: Wildcat Ridge campsite

To: Loft Mountain Campground
Miles today: 13.7

I am sleeping like a baby out here. Trouble and Matthew said they were nervous during the thunderstorm in the middle of the night, but I never heard a thing. It apparently rained all night and was still raining when I awoke around 5:00. I dozed off and on listening to the rain until about 7:00. It only sprinkled while we packed up but that didn't last long. Matthew was anxious to get on the trail so he headed out with the agreement that we would meet in 7 miles at Blackrock Hut. In the Shenandoah's the shelters are called huts. As soon as we got on the trail it began to pour. The rain lasted all morning and I was soaked to the bone by the time I reached the hut. We were surprised to find Son Driven at the shelter. Other people that were there are Mammoth, Human, Tom, Weasel, Canadian Bacon and Zen Master. Many of the hikers were trying to decide if they wanted to sit out the rain or push on. I knew I wanted to push on to the campground and a hot shower. The afternoon was more pleasant with threatening sky but no rain. We saw several deer and two of them let us get close to them when Melkie wasn't around. When we reached Loft Mountain Campground and found a site, it began to pour rain again. We all took cover in our tents and hammock until the thunderstorm had passed. Then we walked down to the camp store where we bought some things for dinner, showered, and did laundry. While we were doing laundry I met Ron and Cynthia from Yarmouth , Maine (see pics). They had ridden their motorcycle down from Maine and camped most of the way. If the weather is decent in the morning our plan is to get things dried out before we get back on the trail.
Date: 2013-06-11
From: Loft Mountain Campground

To: Pinefield Hut campsite 
Miles today: 7.1

This was not my finest day. I didn't sleep as well as I had previous nights and I seemed to drag all day. Even though we didn't do big miles my feet hurt a lot today. It is only the fourth day in my new shoes and for the last two days my feet have been wet so maybe that's the root cause. After hanging everything out to dry we decided to try to get to a small restaurant called the Wayside. We tried to hitchhike without success. Today would would definitely go under the category of "ask for what you need, it increases your chances of getting it". Since we weren't having luck hitching, Trouble went over to a pickup truck and asked if they would give us a ride. They weren't going our way but they said to get in the back and they'd take us. I think I've ridden in the back of more pickup trucks on this journey than I have the whole rest of my life. The breakfast was delicious but there were even fewer cars going back our way than coming. Finally, I walked over to a van from Texas and asked if they would give us a ride. Pam and Tony cleared out their back seat and gave us a ride. They had just dropped their grandson off at Davidson for Duke's TIP (talent identification program). Since my daughter, Sarah, attended the same program it gave us a lot to talk about. By the time we got back to our campsite our stuff was dry and we packed up and started hiking. On the trail we met a day hiker named Ernie. He is the Associate Dean of Education at the University of Memphis. After we had hiked about 3 miles it was already past lunch time, we were all hungry again and we were only a half mile away from the Wayside restaurant. Had we know we were going to come this close we probably would have not hitchhiked there this morning. Ernie and I chatted all the way to the restaurant. During lunch we ran into Truth, Sun Driven, and Home Brew and his mom. I was surprised to learn that Son Driven has decided to flip flop and is catching a bus to Maine and will be SOBO. Home Brew's mom was very nice and seemed to enjoy meeting some of the characters her son had been telling her about. We also enjoyed talking to some Canadian motorcyclists who were curious about our journey. When we stopped to get water each of us felt like we were getting lots of little bites on our backs when we put our packs on. We couldn't see any bugs or anything but it lasted for about half an hour. It was an odd feeling, like lots of tiny pin pricks. We weren't in any vegetation so I don't know what caused it. We had run into some hikers several days ago who had a similar experience and they thought it was fiberglass coming off their packs. Does anyone know what might cause this?By the time we reached the hut I was beat and more than ready to stop for the day. We have a nice campsite on a hill above the hut. Trouble had packed in some chocolate bars so we celebrate Matthew having gone more than 100 miles and Trouble and I will reach the 900 mile mark tomorrow. I ate a quick dinner and crawled into my tent early. Goodnight world . . .
Date: 2013-06-12
From: Pinefield Hut campsite 

To: Former South River Shelter campsite
Miles today: 14.2

I slept later than I wanted to this morning and didn't wake up until 6:15. We wanted to get an early start to beat the heat. I guess I'll set an alarm next time. As Matthew said, today we will climb three mountains that are big, bigger, and biggest. Matthew and Trouble headed off like jack rabbits while I maintained my steady-eddie pace. I was relaxed and enjoying the sights and sounds of the forrest. At the 900.1 mile mark we came to a spectacular view and it was lunch time. Mayer, Floater, and another thru hiker came by and we took turns taking each others pictures. We celebrated in our traditional method . . . with some gummy bears. Mayer is a section hiker and lives near the Delaware Water Gap in PA. He gave us his contact info for some trail magic when we get close to that area. The afternoon was really hot and muggy. Matthew and Trouble began to drag but I was still feeling my steady pace so I took the lead. Matthew has a blister between his big toe and second toe so we'll need to keep a close eye on that. We came across some trail maintainers who told us about a former shelter where there are campsites, water, and a privy. Flavor Saver from West Virginia caught up with us and we all hiked together. He's a nice guy and I enjoyed talking to him. We decided to go to the place the trail maintainers suggested and Flavor Saver joined us. When we got there the campsites weren't so great but we'll make do. The privy, however, is another matter. This is the cleanest and best smelling (or should I say least stinky) privy since Springer Mtn, Georgia. It is also the first privy I've come across that has its own logbook! The last weather forecast we heard was for severe thunderstorms tonight with high pressure system moving in and several nice days. We have everything buttoned down for tonight but so far there is no sign of storms.