morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-21
From: VA 624

To: VA 620
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: broken clouds

My alarm went off at 5:30 this morning. Not that I needed one. The 4 Pines Hostel rooster had been crowing for a few minutes already.  Breakfast was poptarts and a clementine.  We walked to our start and headed southbound to Dragons tooth. The path was rocky. Very rocky! We spent a fair amount of time scaling rock walls. It was dangerous in several places. But dangerous or not, I loved this day! Dragons Tooth was awesome!  On our way up we crossed paths with another box turtle. We must have scared him because he booked it as fast as a box turtle can go across the path. His brakes didn¢t work though and before I could help him he tumbled a couple of feet down the side. Wish I could have got him in time.  Hugs could see him down there and said he was upright. I hope he didn¢t get hurt.  Shortly after the turtle wipeout we heard large animal movement off to the right. The forest is grown up now and we never did see what it was. Based off of the noise and movement, my money would go on a bear.  Today is National Hike Naked Day. I told myself when this adventure started that I will do what hikers do...and so I did. The whole tramily did our part to carry on the tradition.  It was crazy and fun! I have photos, but my kids would die of embarrassment...so I won¢t post them.  The photo I chose for today is of Big Kahuna scaling one of the rock walls. I¢ll put the actual Dragons Tooth photo in the photo album so you can still see it. Our trek down was smooth sailing. A few rocky areas, but mostly dirt. I like that.  We beat our shuttle to the pick up location. It was right beside Trout Creek. Trout Creek is crystal clear with a rocky bottom. Hugs saw a fish. We¢re assuming it was a trout. Soon enough Finn our shuttle driver pulled up. He got out for a quick look at the creek and drove us to the store. Chips and soda for me, then back to the hostel.  After a shower and laundry we shuttled to The Home Place and enjoyed one last all you can eat dinner served family style.  We were joined by Photon. He¢s a thru-hiker who started May 13. He hikes a marathon every day! I¢m feeling more and more stressed with my timeline.  They say if you reach Harpers Ferry by the 4th of July you¢re ok. I won¢t be there by the 4th, as I have one more time to be off trail this month.  Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018) Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-06-22
From: Va Rte 311

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: light rain

I was able to sleep in a little this morning. The rooster was crowing but I managed to ignore it until almost 7am.  Breakfast was a tortilla with almond butter, baby bell cheese, and leftover diet root beer.  Breakfast of champions!  This will be my last morning at 4 Pines Hostel.  Can¢t say I¢m going to miss that place.  Hands down it is THE worst hostel I¢ve stayed at. Ever!  However, I stayed there 4 nights, which is the longest time I¢ve ever spent at one hostel.  It served its purpose, I was able to slack pack all around it.  Today was a planned NERO. This is our first day full packing in over a week. My back needed the break. We hiked up to McAfee Knob at 3118ft elevation. We all had a little photo session, then hiked to the shelter 0.7 miles north.  We arrived early at 2pm, but went ahead and claimed a space.   Big Kahuna went on a water run and returned with a nice bounty of blackberries!  They were perfectly ripe!  Just as we started collecting wood for a fire, the rains came.  This shelter is a bit narrow. The bottom of my sleeping bag got damp...and the firewood is wet. So we sat inside the shelter and played Hearts.  I usually play Pitch so for me there¢s been a learning curve. But today was my day! Winner winner chicken dinner!  Except my dinner is a Mountain House turkey casserole.  Hot water with honey to drink and gummi-worms for dessert.  Hoping to catch the sunset at McAffee Knob tonight. We¢ll see if the weather cooperates.  Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-06-23
From: Campbell Shelter

To: LambertÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: light rain

I woke up at 5am to that wonderful sound of rain on a tin roof.  It was nice to sleep outside again.  That hostel was so hot and musty. The cool air was wonderful!We were hoping to catch the sunrise this morning at McAfee Knob but the weather changed that plan. The same thing happened last night when we were going to try to catch the sunset.  Two other hikers had joined us at the shelter last night. Wicked is a young guy from Massachusetts, and Incubator a young girl from Pennsylvania. It¢s obvious how Wicked got his name. He¢s wicked awesome!  Incubator got her name in the Smokies. She picked up her backpack after sleeping in a shelter and a mouse jumped out of it.  Upon further investigation a small nest with 4 babies was found inside.  Eek!  Hence the trail name incubator!  The first mile of my hike was ok.  There were more rocks than I like, but a lot of soft flat path too.  I came across the most pleasant smell coming from the tiniest little purple flowers. Wish I knew what they were. I had to do a little boulder climbing.  Nothing I needed to take my pack off for, but still took some strength.  Eventually I came down to a gap. I could see the start of a steep climb going up from there, so I decided to drop pack and take a break.  We all came together during break and fueled up for the climb.  I lead the way straight up, no switchbacks, all the way to  Tinker Cliffs  2052ft elevation. The cliffs were super cool!  It was a series of cliffs overlooking the valley below.  Today¢s photo is one of the views.  As I sat there enjoying myself a cloud came rolling in.  It was just a grey mist that eventually engulfed me completely.  A short while later it was gone.   After it passed I took a moment up there to FaceTime Papa Big Swig.  He¢s got our granddaughter Charley for the week.  I think they¢re having a good time!  I¢ve had fairly good cell service the past few days, but my FaceTime call dropped.   There was a shelter just a couple of miles past Tinker Cliffs.  We agreed to stop there as it is the last water source for 9 or 10 miles.  Shortly after we re-supplied water, the rains came again.  We decided to just claim a space in the shelter and hike extra miles tomorrow into town.  We¢ve had many short days in a row....Not too much time passed before I had a blast from the past! It¢s Reflex!!! I met her a long time ago up on Tray Mountain.  That was the time I was stuck in my tent for 11 hours because of bad weather.  Those winds were unbelievable!  Anyway, the last time I saw her was at Fontana Dam. She looks great! We had time for another game of Hearts. Hugs is current reigning champ.  I¢ll be trying to change that in a few minutes. Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018).Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-06-26
From: Peaks of Otter Overlook 

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

I woke up a little late this morning at the Holiday Inn Express. Our shuttle arrived at 8am and I ran out there with breakfast in my hand. This hotel really offers a great breakfast!  We were thinking of doing another flip flop slack pack but decided to start back at Peaks of Otter Overlook and go north. Homers wife was our driver this morning. She¢s just as lovely as he is. We had great conversation.  It was raining when I woke up this morning and it rained all day.  This rain was heavier and required my fancy new rain gear. I love my Packa! It was the best decision I¢ve ever made about rain gear!  The terrain again today was great. There were occasional rocks and roots, but mostly soft dirt or sandy path. Last year¢s fallen leaves covered the trail in many places making it even softer, and sometimes colorful.  I stopped for lunch at a shelter and was soon joined by Hugs and Big Kahuna. It was nice to get out of the rain to eat. After lunch I ran up the path a short distance to the privy. WOW! This was the Cadillac of privies! It was very new made with fresh cut wood. There was a handrail, and nice vent pipe.  All I could smell was cedar...instead of...well you know. I put my rain gear back on and continued walking north. I noticed the fungi was enjoying the rain today. Mushrooms were popping up all over. Lots of white ones, and every so often an orange one. Until this hike I had no idea there were so many different kinds of mushrooms. I should know better than to keep walking while looking at mushrooms. Sure enough I stepped on wet tree roots, and of course they were sloped downward. My left foot started sliding and I just knew I was going to land on my left hip. Somehow I got my right foot planted in the dirt and saved myself. I still have no clue how that happened. There were no falls for me on this wet day! Over the course of the next mile I saw two deers. They were much bigger than any previous deer. Their white tails were probably 8 to 10 inches long and they stood straight up. Until today the tails have been much shorter and they twitch them from side to side. I walked beside a stream quite a ways. It was flowing good from the rain. It triggered a thought about the term ¢babbling brook¢. This brook babbled. It talked to me for about a mile. I loved it! I hiked in to the second shelter. There were two ladies there. These were the only people I saw all day long. I hiked 7 hours today mostly alone. This shelter had a really nice privy too. Virginia does a fantastic job of maintaining the trail! I understand that most of it is done by volunteers like Homer and his wife. These people are a blessing to us hikers! Speaking of Homer. Just past the second shelter we took a blue blaze for about a mile out to a gravel road. This is where Homer picked us up. He drove us to Stanimals Hostel in Glasgow, Virginia. This place is lovely. Dinner was all you can eat spaghetti at the only restaurant in town. It was delicious! Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-06-28
From: Lexington Virginia 

To: Cartersville Ga
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We stayed at a hotel last night in Lexington, Virginia. I slept pretty good except when one of the dogs started whining to go outside. Papa Big Swig took her out, and the other one started whining. He took her out too.  I slept in until about 7am. The hotel breakfast was good. Charley Faye and I started packing up, while Papa Big Swig loaded the SUV. Soon we were on our way to Cartersville, Georgia. We made a quick detour to Damascus and checked out some property. We¢re both interested, so who knows what our future holds.  That¢s the future though, let¢s talk about right now. Right now I¢m planning the rest of my trek to Katahdin. If possible, when I get back I really just want to go north all the way to the end. If I can reach mile marker 1056 by July 31st, I can make it to Katahdin on time. Papa Big Swig will start slack packing me August 1st, and he¢ll help me all the way to Katahdin. I have a mileage chart that gives me one day to zero or nero every week. I¢m so determined!  Today I¢m posting a photo of Homer Witcher. I hope you really do take time to google his name. His story is very interesting.  Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018) Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-06-29
From: Cartersville Ga

To: Cartersville GA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

We stayed with the sisters-in-law last night. I always sleep so good when I am there. We went to breakfast at a local mom & pop place. I usually love mom & pop diners, and this one was no different. Breakfast was terrific!I made a quick run to Target with my granddaughter.  I needed re-supplies and she needed slime supplies. We both found everything....including Starbucks.  I was thinking about blue blazes today. You know the saying ¢where in the blue blazes are we¢? I wonder if that has any origin from being lost while on a blue blaze? I¢ve been lost plenty of times on a blue blaze myself. My daughters and granddaughters have all arrived! We¢re at a hotel tonight and tomorrow is the big event! It¢s a gift to my sister-in-law Tammy. A fancy ¢princess¢ party. If anybody ever deserved to be a princess for a day, it¢s her!  I¢m looking forward to lots of fun and laughter!!Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2017)Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-06-30
From: Cartersville GA

To: Cartersville Georgia
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up this morning in our hotel. It¢s a new chain by Hilton called Home 2 Suites. I want to go on record saying this is a really nice place! Our dogs are allowed, the kitchenette is great, and the rooms are big. Our complimentary breakfast was actually a gourmet breakfast of sorts. My breakfast was a whole grain bagel sandwich with fried egg, pork sausage, and cheese. Hot tea to drink and a little cold cereal on the side. They offer way more than that though.  After breakfast we all went to the venue to help decorate. My daughters jumped right in with the event planner and helped get things done. I helped too. I¢m just not arts & crafty like they are. I really love the way it turned out! I think Tammy did too. This was HER special day after all!  While we prepared the venue Tammy went to the hairdresser. She has very long hair, so she got a beautiful up-do. I hope her morning was relaxing and stress free. Papa Big Swig was the DJ, all of my granddaughters got to be little princesses. It was so much fun! Papa Big Swig got to meet some of his family members that he¢s never met before. Tammy and Maryann is my photo of the day. When I talk about the ¢sisters-in-law¢, it¢s these two. We love them to pieces! Tomorrow we will drive back to Virginia so I can be on the trail Monday. My oldest daughter, her husband and their eight kids plus another granddaughter are joining me for two days of hiking. I¢ll be taking a zero on the 4th. I will be back with my tramily northbound on the 5th. We have a plan. Boots on the trail all the way to Katahdin!  I need to thank Julianne for recommending the bank system with my miles. It¢s a good method, and I¢m going with it. Ready to get back out there! Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018) Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-07-01
From: Paducah Ky

To: Glasgow Virginia 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, this has been another long day riding in a vehicle. I¢m finally back in Virginia and anxious to hit the trail tomorrow.  13 of us are in the hotel between two suites. Tomorrow we will all hit the trail together. I hope the kids get to see a bear!  We¢ve got the boys sleeping in our room. My picture is of Papa Big Swig and three of the boys. Two more are sleeping on the pull out in the other section of the suite. Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-07-04
From: Sleep Inn

To: Sleep Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up in our hotel again this morning. The kids and grands were rushing to get packed and loaded. I had to say a sad goodbye to them. It will probably be Thanksgiving before I see them again.  Papa Big Swig will get to spend time with them though, and they regularly read my journal.  Papa Big Swig and I have decided to enjoy the rest of our Independence Day together.  Big Kahuna and Hugs are slack packing today. They are pounding out the 18+ miles I did with the kids. That will put us all back to even.  Tomorrow morning Papa Big Swig will take the three of us back to Stanimals and drop off our big packs. Then he¢ll drive us to our starting location for a slack pack flip flop. On Friday we¢ll head out with our big packs and a plan. Boots down... no pain, no rain, no Maine!We got this!  Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-07-05
From: Punchbowl Overlook 

To: VA route 812
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: scattered clouds

As planned we dropped our big packs off at Stanimals Hostel this morning. Papa Big Swig drove us north to Punchbowl Overlook and sent us off for a flipflop slack pack back to Stanimals.  Papa Big Swig is now gone for another month.  Our day started out going UP. BIg Kahuna led the way to the top of Bluff Mountain at 3351 ft elevation. The terrain was pretty good going up, but it was hot and humid. I was huffing and puffing way more than usual.  We stopped at the summit and enjoyed another great view. There were old concrete steps up there to sit on. So we did that and took a snack break. Some section hikers stopped by and chatted for a while.  I took the lead after lunch. Just as we left the summit we came to a marker for a little boy named Ottie Powell. He had wandered off from school at the age of four and was found dead at this location 7 miles away from school.  Hugs immediately said that boy didn¢t wander there, he was taken.  I agree. The year was 1891 and I don¢t think folks thought like that back in those days.  The path started out great going down, but eventually became very rocky. Down is rough on the knees but down with rocks is REALLY rough on the knees!  There were several lizards basking on those warm rocks today.  I tried so many times to get a picture but they must sense me coming. They¢re extremely quick! Earlier in the day I did get a nice picture of a beautiful blue butterfly.  Eventually our path went back to a nice dirt trail, but those rocks had really slowed us down. Suddenly we realized we had only a few minutes before our shuttle would be there to get us. Big Kahuna took one for the team and jogged down to the road so our driver wouldn¢t leave us. Hugs and I eventually made our way down just as I swallowed my very last drop of water. Perfect timing. We went to the only restaurant in town for supper. I had a cheeseburger and fries. Strawberry sundae for dessert. I¢m fat and happy in a comfy bed at the hostel right now.  Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-07-09
From: Harpers Creek

To: Reeds Gap
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to the sound of Harpers Creek. Ahhhh its like a breath of fresh air, but the sun wasn¢t up yet so I closed my eyes again, but I thought I saw a light.  I had to be dreaming I thought but I opened my eyes up wide just in case. Sure enough a light was flashing above me.  A lightning bug had flown up under my rain fly and was giving me a little light show.  I did get up about 6:30.  Not sure what time we headed out of camp, but I was the first one out again.  I knew I had a big climb right out of the gate this morning, and I just wanted to get moving.  I must have also been the first one on the trail at all this morning. It was me spitting and sputtering with every flying web I ate!   Very early my UP became a very difficult up.  There were a lot of rock scrambles. Some of them required hand over hand climbing. When I wasn¢t pulling myself up over boulders, I was gingerly stepping on jagged rocks.  My feet are REALLY mad at me right now! So that¢s how it went all the way up to Three Ridges at 3965 ft elevation.  We had already started the climb up last night before we pitched our tents. That made my UP only about 2300ft. The roughest 2300 ft I¢ve done UP to date! And the cherry on top was the weeds that were taller than me and grown in on both sides sides of trail. I¢m apparently allergic to them.  My arms and legs were itching all day long.  When I finally reached the summit I was gifted with a prancing doe!  She was beautiful and big! I wish I could say that was the only UP...nope.  It was just the biggest up.  My glutes were on fire again today!  Hugs says this is a good thing.  I¢m not so sure!  I just kept trying to focus on my breathing.  After only 8.1 miles we came out on a road at Reeds Gap and hitched a ride to Devils Backbone micro brewery.  Word on the trail is that they cater to thru-hikers.  We had planned to eat lunch and head back out but quickly decided to stay the night.  They offer free tenting with a state of the art bath house, and free breakfast.  SOLD!  We¢ve all showered, ate, and drank.  We¢ll be good to go tomorrow! Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-07-12
From: Stanimals

To: Stanimals 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It¢s my Birthday! 54 and ready to explore!  I woke up about 6am even though it¢s a zero day. I had a banana, a snowball, and coffee for breakfast.  Chillin¢ on the front porch of Stanimals Hostel here in Waynesboro, Virginia.  Begonia, a work for stay hiker is leaving today to go back home to New York. Her father is here to pick her up. I¢ve really grown to like her and will miss seeing her. She¢s a hula-hoop fanatic and now my interest is sparked! Maybe I¢ll start teaching a hula-hoop exercise class!?! What fun that would be! I spent about an hour organizing my pack, and still haven¢t gone through all of my food. I¢m going to be super tired tomorrow but will have to do it then. Big Kahuna was gone all morning. He returned with flowers and a birthday card for me. He¢s such a great trail brother!  The three of us had a steak & buffet for lunch. My steak was cooked perfectly! After lunch we walked around to find a nail shop without any luck. Stanimal gifted me a free shuttle for my birthday, so Hugs and I used it to go across town. No more ingrown toenail for me! Wish I could say my feet feel great, they don¢t, but they definitely feel better.  Just when I thought there could be no more I was called downstairs to be surprised with a birthday cake! AND everybody sang happy birthday to me. They also participated in my family fun and wore a stick-on mustache for a photo. I sent it to the kids, they loved it! We finished up the night playing cards. Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?
Date: 2018-07-13
From: Stanimals 

To: Stanimals 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We had our shuttle scheduled to pick us up at 6:30 this morning, but after a long night last night, this day has turned into a double zero. It¢s a bit of a sad day as Big Kahuna will be going home tomorrow.Hugs and I chose to zero so we could spend this day with him. It¢s impossible to express how much I will miss him. He¢s a great trail brother!  I took advantage of the time to finish going through my food supply. Hugs and I will be going into the Shenandoah National Park tomorrow for a flip flop. We¢ll spend one more night here at Stanimals. Sunday morning will start our full pack northbound through the rest of the Shenandoahs. I¢m taking very little food with me. The word on trail is that there¢s a town restaurant available every day through the park. If that¢s wrong, I¢ll be in trouble.  We decided to enjoy a steak and salad bar again today. Hugs and I both needed to shower for that. She usually goes first because her hair requires a lot of time. So first she was while I continued with Hike preparations.  When she came out of the shower she was wrapped up in towels and laughing at herself. Hugs had managed to fall completely out of the shower! Butt on the floor feet up over the tub, and water everywhere!  It was slippery from all the cream rinse she uses on her hair. We laughed a good bit as I envisioned the whole thing.  It was funny for about an hour when she started to stiffen up from the fall. The repeat steak dinner was good. Not as good as yesterday¢s, but good. Food takes on a whole new meaning when I¢ve got hiker hunger going on. Today I did not.  One last Walmart run, a game of cards. Hugs is current champ. It will stay that way until Big Kahuna gets back. Boots on tomorrow Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?