morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-09
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Since I only had enough food for today, I had to hike 23 miles to Four Pines Hostel. Fortunately, the weather cleared up overnight, and I left the shelter around 7:00 am.Today was probably my toughest 20 plus mile day so far. The first couple of miles of trail required walking over a slanted rock face on top of the mountain ridge. The rock face was still wet from the rain, and one slip would have sent me rolling down the mountain. Then I had a relatively large climb and descent in the middle of the day. However, the last six miles were the toughest as I had to climb up and down Dragon's Tooth. That section of the trail was definitely the most technically challenging thus far and consisted of a lot of rocks, tough climbing, and cursing. I didn't think I was ever going to get through that section, and my feet were killing me. Despite the difficulty, I think I would have really enjoyed it if I hadn't been so tired and hadn't been hiking in wet socks and shoes all day.I finally arrived at Four Pines Hostel around 5:00 pm and met the owner Joe. After I took a shower, Joe drove Truck Surfer, Spacey, and I to the local gas station/grocery store where we got a resupply of food and then dropped us off at the Homeplace Restaurant. Homeplace is a popular all you can eat restaurant that serves family style meals. The restaurant reminded me a lot of the Dillard House in Georgia, which means it was awesome. We stuffed our faces for about an hour with fried chicken, vegetables, and homemade biscuits with homemade apple butter. It was definitely my best meal on the trail so far.The hostel is packed tonight with about 15 other hikers. I plan to take it relatively slow tomorrow and enjoy McAfee Knob.
Date: 2013-05-10
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

After the long day yesterday, I took it easy today and didn't start hiking until 9:00 am. I hiked most of the day with Lintel and Fifer and looked forward to seeing McAfee Knob, the most photographed spot on the trail. As we hiked up to it, we passed quite a few day hikers and realized today must be the start of the weekend (we usually don't know what day of the week it is unless we see a lot of hikers or need to go to the post office). We were worried that McAfee Knob would be slammed with day hikers but fortunately they had left by the time we arrived. We took a really long break there and enjoyed the views. We also ran into Fidget, who I don't think I have seen since she snapped my picture at Springer Mountain on day 1.After McAfee Knob, we had to book it for the next 6 miles to the shelter as we had heard thunderstorms were to roll in this afternoon. We took one wrong turn at the Tinker Cliffs and had to backtrack about a half mile, but we still made it to the shelter before the storm started.Tonight I'm in the shelter with Lintel, Fifer, Truck Surfer, Spacey, Dumbledore, and NBC.
Date: 2013-05-11
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 9.4

I started early this morning as I wanted to reach Daleville as soon as possible to take a shower and wash clothes. I haven't been able to wash my clothes in over a week. But when I arrived at the hotel around 11:30 am, I learned that a main water pipe burst this morning, so the hotel had no water. I about lost it, but they said they thought the water would be running in a couple of hours. The hotel manager informed us that a nearby Mexican restaurant had water though, and we could go eat in the meantime. So, Trucker, Shadow, and I headed to the Mexican restaurant. I felt sorry for the people sitting around us, because we really stunk up the place. When we returned from lunch, fortunately the water was back on.Besides washing clothes, I had a busy day walking all over town. I had to get a resupply of food and mail some of my winter gear home. I also did a lot of damage at the outfitter buying new gear including shorts, insoles, fuel, and a few other items. I should be well equipped for the warmer temperatures now though.
Date: 2013-05-12
From: Daleville, VA

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: scattered clouds

After a huge breakfast in Daleville and a call to my mom for Mother's Day, I hit the trail around 7:30 am with a goal of 19 miles, which would get me to the 3rd shelter. The weather was great today with temperatures in the 50s and lower 60s most of the day. The trail was also fairly easy. I made it to the 3rd shelter by 3:00 pm and decided to hike on to the next one. I didn't notice in my guidebook that the next shelter didn't have a water source. Fortunately, I ran into a trail maintenance volunteer who gave me the warning that I passed the last water source a half mile back. I had to backtrack to the water source and then haul 8 pounds of water uphill for the last 3.5 miles to the shelter. I was exhausted by the time I finally made it there.Tonight I'm tenting outside the shelter with Z Man and Goose to avoid some of the snorers and get some sleep. However, as I'm sitting here writing this journal entry, some kind of large 4 legged animal is circling my tent. I hope it's just a deer, but I am not about to check. Hopefully, this creature walks away soon.
Date: 2013-05-13
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: clear sky

Well, the large four-legged creature from last night circled our campsite and my tent until about 5:00 am this morning. I probably only slept about 4 hours. Fortunately, the creature was just a deer.I hiked with Z Man and Goose most of the day, and we had really good weather once again. However, unlike yesterday's relatively flat terrain, we had 3 large uphill climbs today. I still made good time and reached my goal of the 3rd shelter by 3:30 pm. I thought about pushing further, but the tenting and shelter options are limited for the next 10 miles. Plus, I need to get some sleep after last night.I cooked my dinner around 6:00 pm and noticed the temperature had dropped considerably. But the sun was still out with partly cloudy skies. Then, while the sun was still shining, it started snowing. It's May 13th and it's snowing. You have got to be kidding me.I'm in the shelter tonight with Z Man, Tugboat, and Life-Raft. We had another small snow shower before we went to bed. Hopefully nothing accumulates overnight.
Date: 2013-05-14
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

I hitchhiked for the the first time in my life today, which I thought I'd never do. Trucker, Shadow, Z Man, and I left the shelter around 7:00 am and hiked a quick 14 miles to the road to Glasgow. We were told this town would be an easier hitch for a resupply than the other small towns between Daleville and Waynesboro. We saw a bunch of cars go by for about 30 minutes with no luck and then two cars pulled over back to back to give us rides.As soon as we arrived into town, we hit up the local pizza place and ordered large pizzas for each of us. While eating, the mayor of the town and the town's only police officer introduced themselves and offered rides back to the trail in the morning if we couldn't get a hitch. They also gave us directions for getting around town.Glasgow recently built a shelter and tenting area with a shower in the middle of town to attract more hikers and business. Their plan is working well as the four of us and several other hikers all resupplied at the local grocery store, washed clothes at the laundromat, and hit up the town's only restaurant twice. I also got my first haircut since before I started my thru-hike. Tonight we are all tenting outside the shelter with about 10 other hikers.
Date: 2013-05-15
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We had a slow morning as all of our tents were covered in dew when we woke up. When we got ready to leave Glasgow around 9:00 am, we all had a hard time hitching out of town so I called the town manager who we met yesterday. The town manager, police officer, and water and sewer manager arrived at the shelter about 30 minutes later and gave about 8 of us free rides back to the trail head. We were very grateful, but I think they enjoyed it more than us.We hit the trail around 10:00 am with the temperature already around 80 degrees. It's hard to believe we had seen snow just a couple of nights ago. The first 10 miles were tough in the heat since we had nothing but uphill climbs. We also didn't have any water sources for the first 12 miles, and I ran out of water 3 miles before the next source. When I finally arrived at the next water source, which was at a shelter, I took an hour and half break and rehydrated. Fortunately, the last 8 miles of the day were fairly flat, and I made it to next shelter by 6:30 pm.Tonight I'm tenting with Trucker next to a river below the shelter, and Shadow and Z Man are staying in the shelter. It was nice having the river at the shelter after such a hot day. We all took turns bathing in the river and washing our hiking clothes.
Date: 2013-05-16
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: overcast clouds

After the really hot day yesterday, I got off to a very early start at 6:45 am to try to beat some the heat. I had a tough 3,000 foot uphill climb to start off this morning, but the rest of the miles were fairly easy.Around 3:00 pm I started to hear thunder and almost took a side trail to the Dutch Haus Hostel, which a lot people have been claiming is the best place to stay on the trail. I wanted to push on to the next shelter though so I could arrive at the next trail town in two days. That turned out to be a bad decision as I ended up hiking in a thunderstorm for the last 3 miles. For a few minutes, I was even being pelted by pea sized hail.I finally made it to the shelter soaking wet at 5:00 pm, and the rain stopped shortly thereafter. Tonight I'm in the shelter with Shadow and Shrek. I didn't see Trucker or Z Man today, so I assume they must have stopped at the hostel for the night.
Date: 2013-05-17
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Dutch Haus
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Rain was forecasted for late this afternoon, so I started early to beat the rain. The hiking was extremely tough today as I had a 3,000 foot descent immediately followed by a steep 3,000 foot ascent to Three Ridges Mountain. Unfortunately, I didn't get up early enough to beat the heat going up the mountain and was absolutely whipped by the time I reached the top.About half way up the mountain, I ran into Z Man going southbound with a slack pack. He and Trucker made the wise choice of staying at the hostel last night before the rain started and are both hiking back towards the hostel to stay the night again. However, Trucker was dropped off further north up the trail than Z Man. A few hours later, I ran into Trucker who was struggling and said he didn't think he would make it back to the hostel in time. I told him I would call the hostel to warn them if I got cell service when I crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway a few miles later.When I arrived at the Blue Ridge Parkway crossing, I called the hostel to warn them about Trucker's late arrival. I also asked if they would pick me up further up the trail at the next road crossing so I could spend the night at the hostel, and they said yes. I made it to the next crossing around 5:00 pm and Earl, the owner of the Dutch Haus, arrived shortly thereafter. I ended the day just in time as it started raining as I loaded my pack into Earl's car.Tonight I'm staying at the Dutch Haus with Z Man, Trucker, and 4 section hikers. The Dutch Haus is a really nice place and the owners (Earl and Lois) are great hosts. They cooked us a fancy dinner, which we ate at the table while wearing provided bathrobes as they washed our clothes. We really enjoyed not having to wear our rain gear while doing laundry for once.
Date: 2013-05-18
From: Dutch Haus

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: moderate rain

After staying at the Dutch Haus, I'm probably going to have a hard time staying at other hostels. Earl and Lois cooked us a huge breakfast this morning including quiche, pancakes, bacon, and fresh fruit. They also gave us some great advice for resupply and trail town stops further up the trail. I'm also really glad I decided to stay here as the rain continued through the night and this morning.After breakfast, they drove us back to our respective locations on the trail. I was hoping the rain would stop by the time they dropped me off, but no luck. Thankfully the rain wasn't too heavy or extremely cold, so the hiking wasn't too bad.There were a number of views of the valleys and landmarks on the trail today that I had been looking forward to seeing, including an old cabin and a cemetery. However, I unknowingly walked past all of the views and sites due to the rain and thick fog. I did get to see a lot of poison ivy though as the sides of the trail were lined with it almost all the way to Waynesboro. I'm really fortunate that stuff doesn't affect me.Around 3:00 pm I made it to the road to Waynesboro where a trail angel named Astros and his wife gave me a free ride into town. I tried to pay them but they refused. They were surprised I wasn't staying at the Quality Inn like most hikers do. Unfortunately, the University of Virginia and several nearby high schools had graduation today, so I had an extremely tough time finding a hotel room. To make matters worse, both hostels were closed this weekend. The only room I could find was a smoking room at the Deluxe Budget Motel away from town, so I'm stuck here tonight. I plan to zero here tomorrow if I can find another place to stay.
Date: 2013-05-19
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0

I managed to reserve a hotel room at the Quality Inn in Waynesboro and took a much needed zero day. After a resupply at the grocery store, I hit up the all you can eat Chinese buffet for lunch. Then Trucker, Shadow, Z Man, Blue Eyes, and I found a free ride to the movie theater. Z Man and I saw Iron Man 3 while the others saw the new Star Trek movie. The movie was great, but it definitely felt weird being in the theater with other people.After the movie, everybody wanted to go to the Chinese buffet since they hadn't been yet. I joined them even though I had just been there for lunch. I think I had 8 platefuls from there today.
Date: 2013-05-20
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: light rain

After a trip to the post office this morning, Yellow Truck (a local trail angel) drove Trucker, Shadow, Two Speed, Blue Eyes, and I back to the trail head. Shortly thereafter we entered Shenandoah National Park, where we are almost guaranteed to have deer and bear encounters since no hunting is allowed in the park. Luckily none of us had any bear encounters today. However, Shadow and I saw several deer within the first hour of hiking. I assume other people must occasionally feed the deer, because they looked at us like we were just another food source.The hiking was fairly easy today as we had no really big climbs, so we managed to easily hike the 20 miles to the shelter by 6:30 pm. I have been looking forward to Shenandoah, but it's been a little disappointing so far since the trail crossed the road 5 or 6 times today. We could also tell we were running parallel to the road most of the day as we could often hear cars. We did get some trail magic after lunch when a former thru-hiker left some drinks in a cooler next to one of the road crossings.Tonight I'm in the shelter with Trucker, Shadow, Spider Mac, and lots of mice. We have already spotted 3 before getting into bed. I definitely would have setup my tent, but it looks like it's going to rain.
Date: 2013-05-21
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: broken clouds

Today was an extremely hot and eventful day. Trucker, Shadow, Two Speed, Blue Eyes, and I started early to beat some of the heat but took a detour after 10 miles of hiking to a nearby restaurant in the Shenandoah National Park. We loaded up on real food and took almost a 2 hour break. It was almost 1:00 pm by the time we started hiking again and around 90 degrees. I think I ended up drinking almost 7 liters of water throughout the day, but I was still dehydrated.After lunch I took a break at the next shelter to get more water and to use the privy. When I arrived at the shelter, I found a person laid out on the shelter floor in an awkward position and thought for sure the guy was dead. Luckily he awoke after I filtered some water from the spring and said he had eaten too much at the same restaurant where we had stopped. Then I walked up to the privy where I found a huge rat snake guarding the door. I tried to make him move but he wouldn't, so I finally resorted to finding a spot in the woods.Towards the end of the day, with about 1.5 miles left to the next shelter, I had one final uphill climb. About half way up the mountain, I heard a loud noise about 30 feet to my left. I looked over and noticed a huge black bear was making the noise. I would have liked to haven taken a picture, but I was too scared. I just kept hiking as if nothing had happened. The bear sighting did get my adrenaline going though so that final climb to the shelter seemed extremely easy.Tonight I am tenting outside the shelter with Two Speed, Trucker, Shadow, Blue Eyes, and a lot of sections hikers. Several of the section hikers are Virginia Tech alumni and/or current students. We discussed college football for a while including the upcoming Bama-VT game, which I should be attending if I finish my thru-hike by then. We also had to give the section hikers some moleskin and tips for their feet as all of them were covered in blisters after two days of hiking.
Date: 2013-05-22
From: Hightop Hut

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: few clouds

We had another extremely hot day with temperatures close to 90 degrees. Luckily the terrain was fairly flat during the hottest part of the day, but I was still exhausted by the end of the day. I have been drinking almost 2 gallons of water a day for the last several days.Trucker, Two Speed, Shadow, Blue Eyes, and I finally made it the Big Meadows Campground around 5:00 pm. We resupplied at the store and had dinner there. Tonight we are tenting at the campground which has a laundromat and coin operated showers. I didn't even know those existed. A southbounder named Texas Pete is also tenting with us, and we plan to walk up to to nearby lodge to see a live band.
Date: 2013-05-23
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: light rain

Trucker, Shadow, Two Speed, Blue Eyes and I walked up to the lodge late last night to catch a live band and get some dessert. As we were walking up to the lodge, a huge thunderstorm rolled into the campground. I was very nervous about my tent holding up since I haven't tested it in more than a light rain yet. Fortunately all of my stuff was dry when we returned, and my tent was completely dry this morning.We got off to a late start since we stopped by the lodge once again for breakfast before leaving. Then as we were leaving the campground, a group of car campers asked if wanted some fresh donuts, which we couldn't resist. They gave us a ton of food including an entire pound cake, which I decided to stuff in my backpack for lunch.I hiked most of the day with Two Speed and Shadow. We took it very easy today since we only had 18 miles to the shelter. About halfway through the day, Shadow walked right over a large snake without seeing it. Based on its color we thought it was just a black snake but quickly realized it was a rattlesnake. We snapped some pictures, and Shadow tried to get it to strike his camera at the end of his trekking pole. The snake just rattled his tale and quickly moved away from us.Tonight I'm tenting outside the shelter with Airborne and Hawkeye, whom I hadn't seen since the mountain plague. They were surprised to see me since they weren't aware that I took time off the trail to attend my brother's wedding and was no longer hiking with Oz and Silent J. We talked for a while and gave status updates on other hikers we knew, including those who had left the trail for good.Also, I heard from Oz and Silent J today. They made it to Harpers Ferry two days ago and are doing well. I would like to see them again but there's no way I can catch them. They are on a much tighter deadline than me and are pushing big miles now. I am enjoying the new group I'm hiking with now though.
Date: 2013-05-24
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Terrapin Station Hostel
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: mist

After going to bed last night, we got hit by heavy winds and a large thunderstorm. My tent held up well though, and the rain stopped early this morning. However, we woke up to 30 mph winds with 50 to 60 mph gusts and much colder temperatures, which lasted all day. Trucker, Shadow, and I ran into some cyclists at one of the Shenandoah's many road crossings who told us that their thermometers read 40 degrees. Since I have sent most of my winter gear home already, I had to wear every piece of clothing I have, including my rain gear, to stay warm.It was actually kind of fun battling the wind on the mountains. I even got knocked down a few times from the gusts. Trucker, Shadow, Two Speed, Blue Eyes, and I all made it to the Terrapin Station Hostel in Front Royal, VA by 5:00 pm. I'm glad to stay here tonight because it is cold outside.I added a video of the winds. Hopefully it will come up if you click on the link for my videos on the left side of the page.
Date: 2013-05-25
From: Terrapin Station Hostel

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 27.4
Weather: clear sky

I left the hostel early this morning as I wanted a big day and wanted to exit the Shenandoah National Park. Due to the shelter spacing and lack of tent sites on this portion of the trail, I had to either hike a really short or really long day through Sky Meadows State Park. I opted for a long day since I'm ready to finish the state of Virginia soon.The weather was much nicer today, and I kept a good pace for most of the morning. However, I ran into some trail magic (free drinks and food) twice this afternoon. The trail magic was great, but I spent way too much time at both locations. I actually ran across a sign at a side trail for a 3rd trail magic spot but bypassed it since it was already 7:00 pm and I still had 2 miles left to the shelter. Two Speed caught up with me shortly thereafter and asked why I didn't stop. Apparently it was a big mistake to hike past the 3rd site since she said it was the best trail magic of the day with hot dogs and glass bottled cokes.Two speed and I arrived at the shelter around 7:45 pm and found the shelter and tent sites packed with weekend hikers and tons of Boy Scouts. After some searching, we managed to find two tent spots away from the shelter. Since I didn't stop at the last trail magic site, I got to watch the other thru-hikers go straight to bed while I had to stay up and cook some dinner. I finally got into bed around 9:15 pm.On a positive note, today was my longest day yet, and I felt like I could have hiked many more miles if needed. I plan to keep my mileage around 20 miles per day though. If I hike more than 20 miles, then I usually don't enjoy the day as much. Unless something crazy happens, today will be my longest day on the trail.