morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-06
From: Salt Log Gap

To: VA-56
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Saturday, June 6th. The Iceman had a good day hiking even though there were a few very difficult places to navigate on the trail like the descent from "The Priest" which is at an elevation of 4063' and drops to 970' at the highway - tough on the knees. Before the Iceman knew it he had gotten off the trail and onto a blue blazed trail that lead to "Spy Rock", a popular day hike. Spy Rock was worth taking a photo of but the Iceman was so flustered, that he had gotten off the trail, that he quickly turned around and headed back to find the white blazes of the AT and resume his hike. At that point he felt badly that he hadn't taken a photo of the rock. It's tough enough having to hike 2,200+ miles without doing any extra, but as life would have it, one can't help going in the wrong direction once in a while. The trail had it's fair amount of large, ankle twisting boulders but the 4 young through hikers that passed him didn't seem to notice as they raced ahead. The Sherpa moved base camp today to Waynesboro, VA to a Holiday Inn Express, and since the room wasn't ready, proceeded to Staunton, VA to the Blackfriars Playhouse to see the best production ever, of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing". Truly fabulous and hilarious! The theater is an exact replica of a theater during Renaissance times. It was sold out and it usually is. The Sherpa got lost trying to find the Iceman at the pick up point but finally got there to see poor Iceman sitting near the road very worried that some tragedy had occurred but relieved to find out that it was just lousy navigation on the part of the Sherpa. Dinner was late, since the trail was quite far from the hotel and it was at a chain restaurant next to the Holiday Inn Express. Just OK and nothing more.The photo is of a strange rock formation that the Iceman came upon on the trail.
Date: 2015-06-07
From: Humpback Peak area

To: VA-56
Miles today: 19.3

Sunday, June 7th and the Iceman flip flopped today and came back to the VA-56. The hike was one of the rockist yet and so it was quite exhausting. There wasn't much vertical but very large rocks to hike over. He saw the "ridge runner" again today, she's making her way north, but he didn't stop to chat with her because he wanted to get his miles in. The views from the mountain peaks were breathtaking- a memory he'll have for a lifetime. The trail ended over a suspension bridge (the one pictured here) and all in all it was a great day hiking in warm sunny weather. Since it was a weekend day, Sunday, there were lots of places to visit that aren't opened during the week, like the Democracy Winery, owned by two lobbyists (there's a photo of their wine in the photo section). It is open but there isn't any live music on weekdays and it's always more enjoyable to sample wine when there's nice music playing in the background. A duo, Two Wishes, were playing and singing as the Sherpa sipped some very good wine, and as you can see, bought three bottles. Each has a unique name. The second stop was at a Cidrerie, Bold Rock Hard Cider. It was another great place to sip a drink made in the great state of Virginia, Hard Cider, on a lovely sunny day out on their back porch with lots of other folks. The Woodrow Wilson Home and Presidential Library is in Staunton and the tour of the house Wilson was born in was interesting. The Library also displays his Pierce Arrow that was given to him after he negotiated the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 and many other items. It was a good day for the Iceman and the Sherpa.
Date: 2015-06-08
From: Humpback Mt.

To: Beagle Gap
Miles today: 16.0

Monday, June 8th For 8 miles the Iceman hiked in cool sunny weather with a nice breeze on a relatively smooth trail but then came the next 3 miles and they were as rocky as yesterday's. He slipped once and hit his head on a tree next to the trail and one would think that some sense would have been knocked into his head but NOOOOO a little further down the trail he slipped again and this time he received a very bad abrasion on his left arm and side. He said that, except for getting beaten up, it was a good day. Only a true hiker would make that statement. During the day a young through hiker stopped to chat with the Iceman and mentioned that he had been averaging about 28 miles a day but was going to increase that to between 30 and 40. Some of these kids are jet propelled. He met one south bounder on his way to Roanoke. He also met one south bound box turtle on the trail. He was moving pretty fast for a turtle but the Iceman believes he could still pass him if he were headed north. Monday was a day for the Sherpa to do laundry and catch up on other mundane things so nothing exciting happened today. Planning to do something nice on Tuesday. Picked up the Iceman at Beagle Gap which is a stop on Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. The Blue Ridge Parkway is called Skyline Drive at a certain point in Virginia. It becomes a National Park and one must pay to enter it by car. The drive is 105 miles long and the views, from the 75 overlooks, are fabulous. Dinner tonight was at the Mill Street Grill and was excellent.
Date: 2015-06-09
From: Beagle Gap

To: Brown's Gap
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

Tuesday, June 9th On this lovely warm day, with a nice strong breeze, the Iceman had an easy hike with only one section that was covered in a boulder field and that was on top of Trayfoot mountain. The photo you see is the Dundo Overlook and is a rock outcrop that runs along the Dundo Cliffs. Because he was hiking northbound he only saw one other NOBO through hiker but he passed at least two dozen southbound section hikers including a Boy Scout group and five teenagers out for a day of hiking, they were local kids. Nice to see young people doing outdoor activities. The 17.6 miles went by quickly because of the great hiking conditions but the Iceman's toe is still giving him some trouble. Hiking is hard on the body. The Sherpa visited Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, today in Charlottesville, Va and what a magnificent place it is. It is an 11,000 sq. foot house and originally was on 5000 acres. It took 40 years to build and had all of the modern conveniences of the day. The Gardens and all of the landscaping are almost to their original state as are the out buildings where the slaves lived. There is a dig site where UVA students work to unearth artifacts, from the period when Jefferson lived there, and determine where buildings were during that period in order to continue building those structures so that the entire site is brought back to it's original state. This place is definitely worth a visit at some point in one's lifetime. Dinner was a bit disappointing at Aioli but every once in a while that's bound to happen. We move again on Wednesday, going further north to a very small town, Stanardsville, VA. The B & B is about as close to the AT as possible and we believe has Wifi - we hope.
Date: 2015-06-10
From: Brown's Gap

To: Smith Roach Gap
Miles today: 17.1

Wednesday, June 10th was moving day for the Iceman and the Sherpa. We are now in Standardsville, VA which is only 25 miles from the The University of Virginia which is located in Charlottesville, VA and about 3 miles from the entrance to the Shenandoah National Park a continuation of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is a small rural town with just a couple of streets serving as the main part of town. The Sherpa dropped off the Iceman on the Parkway at Brown's Gap and then went back to the Holiday Inn to pack the remaining items and post a journal after that it was off to the Audi Dealer in Charlottesville for some minor repairs on the Audi. While the Sherpa was enjoying the company of another Audi customer the Iceman was doing his thing and today that was a 17.1 mile easy hike. He leap frogged with a few through hikers that he met in the last few days and some others passed him by. On this day he met a family of 5, two parents and three children ranging in age from 11 to 16. They are on their way to Maine! He hiked with the father of the family, A Simple Man and two of the children, Lollypop and Jigger, a girl of 16 and a boy of 11, the mother and other 3 children were a little behind. These children are home schooled and the Iceman was very impressed by their manners. He also meet Buffy, the Iron Woman, a friend from the course he took in Mountain City, TN. Buffy was off trail the same amount of time that the Iceman was and now they're running into each other again. The hike today was an easy one and the Iceman probably could have done a few more miles but the problem is communication. The Sherpa needs to know where to pick up the Iceman and in the mountains, most of the time, one can't make a call or send a message, therefore all arrangements must be made in advance. We are now at a B & B called the Lafayette Inn & Restaurant and last night the other folks dining, along with us, at the restaurant were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary so we had an enjoyable time chatting with them and then it was off to bed to get an early start in the morning.
Date: 2015-06-11
From: Smith Roach Gap

To: Bootens Gap
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

Thursday, June 11 Today was a similar hike to yesterday's, few rocks and roots, except for the last half. After leaving the top of Lewis Mountain, the trail became a boulder field and for 1/4 mile the Iceman walked on pointed boulders, his feet hurt and his legs felt like jelly. During the hike the Iceman was passed by about a dozen hikers and he feels that he is now the slowest hiker on the trail. The photo is of Cow Parsnip and when it's young, just sprouting up, the leaves and stalks can be cooked and eaten. Psoralen is found in the root and is now being tested and shows promise in helping treat those with AIDS, leukemia and psoriasis. This plant grows to a height of 9 feet and the root, eaten by cow,s, has been known to kill them. The day was very warm, in the high 80's, and sunny but the Iceman hiked in shade most of the day. The Sherpa had a day of exercise and it started with a class in Charlottesville, at Pure Barre, and then an hour and a half latter, still in Charlottesville, a class in Pilates. Lunch was a chocolate milkshake at a shop on the pedestrian mall in town. The mall is a typical walking mall with many, many shops and restaurants and goes for blocks - a great place to spend a day. Back at the Lafayette Inn and Restaurant the Iceman, now showered and ready for dinner, together with the Sherpa, drive to Charlottesville for dinner at the restaurant Fleurie. This is truly an exceptional restaurant and the chef and staff are excellent. In our travels for the last 3 months we have eaten at many fine establishments but none of them can come close to this one. The food is prepared and served expertly and our dinners were extraordinary as was the Virginia wine, a bottle from the winery of Barboursville. What a wonderful way to end a day of exercise in outdoors and out.
Date: 2015-06-11
From: Smith Roach Gap

To: Bootens Gap
Miles today: 16.2

Thursday, June 11 Today was a similar hike to yesterday's, few rocks and roots, except for the last half. After leaving the top of Lewis Mountain, the trail became a boulder field and for 1/4 mile the Iceman walked on pointed boulders, his feet hurt and his legs felt like jelly. During the hike the Iceman was passed by about a dozen hikers and he feels that he is now the slowest hiker on the trail. The photo is of Cow Parsnip and when it's young, just sprouting up, the leaves and stalks can be cooked and eaten. Psoralen is found in the root and is now being tested and shows promise in helping treat those with AIDS, leukemia and psoriasis. This plant grows to a height of 9 feet and the root, eaten by cow,s, has been known to kill them. The day was very warm, in the high 80's, and sunny but the Iceman hiked in shade most of the day. The Sherpa had a day of exercise and it started with a class in Charlottesville, at Pure Barre, and then an hour and a half latter, still in Charlottesville, a class in Pilates. Lunch was a chocolate milkshake at a shop on the pedestrian mall in town. The mall is a typical walking mall with many, many shops and restaurants and goes for blocks - a great place to spend a day. Back at the Lafayette Inn and Restaurant the Iceman, now showered and ready for dinner, together with the Sherpa, drive to Charlottesville for dinner at the restaurant Fleurie. This is truly an exceptional restaurant and the chef and staff are excellent. In our travels for the last 3 months we have eaten at many fine establishments but none of them can come close to this one. The food is prepared and served expertly and our dinners were extraordinary as was the Virginia wine, a bottle from the winery of Barboursville. What a wonderful way to end a day of exercise in outdoors and out.
Date: 2015-06-12
From: Bootens Gap

To: Pinnacles Picnic Area
Miles today: 17.6

Friday, June 12th The Iceman had a typical day of hiking with about 3000' of vertical climbing over the 17.6 miles that he hiked. When he was dropped off at the trailhead the temperature was in the low 70's in the mountains but in the 90's in the valley. He hiked over several boulder fields which really did a job on his ankles. In the late afternoon, just before 3pm, an isolated storm came over the mountain and soaked the Iceman. The cool rain was a refreshing shower. There is a succulent plant that seems to only grow in the boulder fields and always faces the sun (see photo in photo section). If anyone knows what it's called let us know. The Iceman spoke with a dozen people that are now in his new bubble. One of the section hikers, that the Iceman stopped to talk too, was from NJ and this fellow started at the Delaware Water Gap and was on his way, going south, to school at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. to study Criminal Justice. How many students hike 500 miles to get to school? As of today, the Iceman is within 50 miles of Harper's Ferry, Va. which is considered the halfway mark. The day was uneventful for the Sherpa but just before picking up the Iceman she stopped at one of the visitors centers on Skyline Drive, Skyline Resort, and had a delicious bowl of corn and crab chowder and perused the gift shop only to buy postcards. Dinner was at the Bavarian Chef, in the town of Madison, VA., just a few miles from our B & B and it consisted of typical Bavarian fare.
Date: 2015-06-13
From: Pinnacles Picnic Area

To: Hogback Overlook
Miles today: 17.7

Saturday, June 13 Another warm and sunny day for the Iceman to hike but today there was no rain to cool him off. The hike was much more strenuous than yesterday's because of the 4000 vertical feet he had to do, over 17.7 miles. There weren't many through hikers but there were a lot of section hikers who were only hiking in the Shenandoah park and most were going south. The entire park, driven by car, is 107 miles long but to hike from one end to the next may be longer since one can't hike on the road. The road is two lanes and quite narrow. At one point in his hike he was stopped by a group of about 8 section hikers and they asked his age and how far he was hiking. These folks were in their 50's and some were having difficulty climbing. They must have been very impressed by the Iceman and probably thought that, if he could do 900+ miles at his age, they should be able to do their hike. Base camp changed again today and the move was from the B & B in Stanardsville, VA to a Hampton Inn in Front Royal, VA. On the way north, after dropping off the Iceman the Sherpa decided to stop at the Visitors Center in Front Royal. As it turns out the Sherpa pulled the car over right in front of a laundromat and found out that the Visitors Center was just across the street. Wash was loaded into a machine which gave the Sherpa 25 minutes to check out the Visitors Center. Standing outside the center was one of the volunteers who was watching the opening ceremony of a new ice cream store. We chatted a few minutes and she pointed out the owner of the business who was dressed as an ice cream cone and the mayor who was dressed in casual summer shorts and shirt. They cut the pink ribbon and all those who came to witness the grand opening went into the store to celebrate. The Sherpa gathered up some literature regarding a walking tour of Front Royal and then proceeded to give some business to the ice cream store owner. How pleasant it was to sit, in the Front Royal park in the historic district under a tree, and drink a delicious strawberry milkshake. Just before picking up the Iceman the Sherpa stopped at the Skyland Resort on Skyline Drive to buy a cold soda and a new cap for the Iceman. Dinner was at Osteria 510 in Front Royal and it was very good Italian food. We will go back for more. The photo is of a poster at one of the overlooks and it tells how one should calculate the difficulty of a hike before setting out.
Date: 2015-06-14
From: Hogback Overlook

To: VA522
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Sunday, June 14th The Iceman's hike took him out of the Shenandoah National Park today and off the Skyline Drive. He hiked in hot humid weather as the temps rose to mid 90's and the trail was very rocky. His feet and knees were hurting most of the time as he made his way to Front Royal. Three through hikers passed him going north and one of them started from Springer Mt. on April 28th and hoped to get to Mt. Katahdin before August. The two other through hikers, Cyclops and Tawanda started about the same time as the Iceman. Many, many hikers were section hikers and it seems that the ones in the Shenandoah park prefer to hike north to south for the length of the park. There are about 500 trails to chose from in the park and therefore there are many day hikers. The park offers cabins and lodge rooms for overnight stays and there are several places to eat, some are fancier than others. There are also campsites for camping overnight or for a longer time. The Rangers give talks and there are other activities in the park for visitors. It's a wonderful place to spend a family vacation if you enjoy the outdoors and nature. The Sherpa traveled to Belle Grove Plantation today which was about 40 minutes from the Hampton Inn. Belle Grove was the home of James Madison's sister and it's an authentic 1797 Manor House situated in Middletown, Va. The tour of the house was interesting and the layout of the home was reminiscent of the layout of Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello in that there were no indoor stairs (a waste of space) and the rooms on the north side of the house were painted in bright colors (for light). The Madison's and the Jefferson's were friends and Jefferson helped design Belle Grove therefore the similarities. For dinner we dined in the historic district of Front Royal, a district of about 5 blocks, at a rather ordinary small restaurant, nothing to talk about. The town had been badly hurt by the last recession in 2008 and hasn't recovered. There are many vacant stores and it doesn't look like it will recover anytime soon. I hope I'm wrong. The photo is the last one of the Iceman to be taken in the Shenandoah National Park, VA.
Date: 2015-06-15
From: VA522

To: Ashby Gap US50
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: light rain

Monday, June 15th This is the last day of our stay in Front Royal and tomorrow we're moving north to Winchester, VA which is only about 15 miles north but closer to the trail as it moves north. Today the Sherpa spent a great deal of the time in the car driving to and from pick up locations. Originally the Iceman was going to hike 8 miles and the Sherpa was to pick him up at noon but when she got to the pick up spot the Iceman decided to continue on and do another 11+ miles, so that meant that the Sherpa had until about 6PM to do anything else she desired. It was time for a manicure and the woman at the reception desk in the motel recommended a nearby salon. After the manicure and a stop at Target it was off to pick up the Iceman. Reaching Front Royal is a big event for northbound through hikers because it's the northernmost and last of the hiking towns in Virginia and almost all of the hikers take a day off to resupply and have a little R & R. Today's hike was not difficult but it was long and the weather was hot and humid which caused the Iceman to be sweaty all day. The vertical climb was about 3000' over 20 miles. There's a saying among hikers, "The trail provides", and today it did. The Iceman passed three Mulberry trees and a cherry tree and took samples from all of them. In addition to the fruit salad Trail Angels at three different road crossings left soda's, energy bars, candy and peanut butter cheese crackers. What more could a hiker want? It was a great day! One through hiker passed him and eight section hikers passed going south. The photo gives a hit of what the Shenandoah has to offer.
Date: 2015-06-16
From: Ashby Gap US50

To: Snickers Gap VA7
Miles today: 14.0

Tuesday, June 16th The photo of the "Roller Coaster" sign was taken today the 17th because the Iceman missed the one yesterday. Tuesday's hike was the most difficult the Iceman has hiked in a long while and to top it off, it was in the high 80's and humid. 10 of the last 14 miles were through what's called the "Roller Coaster" section because this section is a series of 8 small very steep and very rocky mountains each about 300 to 400 feet high. Basically, they are large boulder mounds and they suck the energy out of one. As the hiker is about to enter the trail there's a large sign proclaiming that the trail is extremely strenuous. THAT is an understatement! The Iceman's new name for the trail is "Nightmare Trail" and it just about broke him. Throughout the day 2 NOBO through hikers passed the Iceman and he passed one. One section hiker passed the Iceman going south and the Iceman asked him what the trail ahead was like and the answer was "terrible" the Iceman said "Well, you can expect the same". When the Sherpa went to pick him up he was really beat, soaked with sweat and tired, BUT there's always enough energy to go to dinner, plus he was famished. During the afternoon, while driving from Front Royal to Winchester, VA, the Sherpa saw a sign on the highway indicating that the "Museum of the Shenandoah" was the next exit. There was time to pullover and see the museum which is lovely, filled with many exhibits about the Shenandoah Valley and there's an historic home on the property called "Glen Burnie" with beautiful flower gardens. We're now at a TownePlace Suites by Marriott which is similar to a Residence Inn and is in a shopping mall. Kinda strange, but it's in the back of the property and surrounded on three sides by woods, not too bad. Dinner was on the pedestrian mall in Winchester at a Thai restaurant and the food was quite good and authentic. The mall is just 2 blocks long but there's a lot of activity going on with kids playing rock music and many people shopping in the quaint shops.