morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Happy Hiker Hostel, Atkins

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Absolutely beautiful hiking weather, crisp and still misty, but you can feel the warmth gradually creeping in. But why is it, that after a zero day, I always tend to feel lethargic and tired? So, during the day, found a comfy nook beside the Holsten River and took a much needed rest. It was easy hiking today, and a further five miles on, took time out for some lunch. Sprawled out on the ground, I happened to check my leg and noticed my very first tick. Will need to keep an eye out for them, as ticks undetected, turn into Lime's Disease. No thanks!Once at the shelter, there were many bodies sprawled out, so as usual, took out my tent and made myself comfortable under the stars.
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: moderate rain

The day started off with a very long and winding climb up to Chestnut Knob Shelter, the only stone hut on the trail. Once on the ridge line I thought the hiking would be easy, as it turned out, I was in for a surprise. It was steep up and down the trail, on horribly rocky uneven ground. Having to watch out for not turning your ankles, made it strenuous work. After 5.5 miles of hard going, I was absolutely knackered by the time I got into Jenkins.It's strange, but I seem to be walking in a void at the moment. I know there are a bunch of hikers in front of me and many behind leaving from Damascus, but the only walkers I seem to come across are either going too slowly or are section hikers. The only one doing the same miles as me is Fireball, a German guy from Frankfurt, and we seem to be meeting up at various intervals.
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Back to an easy terrain today and comfortably cool hiking weather conditions, hence the big distance. Still hiking with Fireball, he's an interesting guy and certainly keeps the European jokes afloat, reminds me of Krystyna's attempts at joking, only he delivers good one liners with a suitable ending. The weather's holding out and for once, the mists have subsided, so we can actually appreciate the views.
Date: 2010-05-24
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Big Horse Gap
Miles today: 18.8

Fireball and I took a detour before lunch on VA 606 into Trent's grocery store to resupply and have a decent lunch which of course comprised of a burger, and another burger, some chips and something to wash it all down with. Fireball got through three burgers. Spent about two hours talking to some locals who sit outside the store as it's their common meeting place and went about divulging interesting pieces of gossip. Just about everyone in this place is a paid up member of the NRA and drive these monster trucks. I was also informed that the commies are infiltrating the government and there will be another civil war - hmmmmm!Planned to reach Wood's Hole Hostel tonight but because of the late start, it would be a bit of an ask. Hiked till about 8.30pm and as it was getting dark, set up my tent in a clearing in the forest. Didn't get much sleep though, as during the night I could hear a big animal, most likely a bear, moving around, close to the tent. Didn't have the inclination to go out and inspect where the grunts were coming from, and just hoped that it moved away soon, as I wasn't feeling too good at the moment. Seem to be tired all the time and am finding it hard getting motivated. Planning to spend a zero day at Pearisburg to recover, otherwise might invest in some vitamins to boost the immune system into drive mode.
Date: 2010-05-25
From: Big Horse Gap

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The terrain could have been easier, if it's not rocks and boulders, it's slippery underfoot, so had to watch every step which just adds to the tiredness. Decided to take a zero day, as I'm struggling to maintain a normal pace. Am feeling tired constantly and run down and all I seem to want to do is sleep and more sleep. And when I wasn't sleeping, I hung out with Suger Ray, Wolf Pack and a few others. We ate at the local Mexican a couple of times, resupplied, did the usual household chores like laundry, etc. When the others went out partying, I hit the sack and just slept most of the time.
Date: 2010-05-27
From: Zero Day

To: Symms Gap Meadow
Miles today: 11.9

Eventually left Pearisburg around noon after sorting out all the bank details. I still felt absolutely terrible, my feet hurt right from the start and I almost died on the climb of the day. Stopped at Jenkins Field Shelter to take in the magnificent views. Met Eastwind and Loon, slack packing South. Felt guilty for hiking only about 7 miles, so headed off to Symms Gap Meadow campsite which was a glorious location with scenic views, but with a dreadful water source that was full of tadpoles. Could things get any worse?
Date: 2010-05-28
From: Symms Gap Meadow

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

I now realise that I have something seriously wrong with me, as I'm running a high fever and aching all over. Just hope it's not Lymes disease. Made it to Bailey's just as a thunderstorm hit. Spent a terrible night at the shelter by myself. Wasn't good having a high temperature with aches and pains whilst outside was bucketing down, with thunder and lightning for company. At about 3am I woke up dripping with sweat and finally - the fever broke. Don't feel so bad for complaining, at least now I know I was sick, it wasn't just in my mind.
Date: 2010-05-29
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

What a difference feeling good again, felt so much better, stronger, motivated, back to my old self and ready to continue with the hike. Picturesque views made the day's walking that much more enjoyable, especially along the ridgeline where you can see beyond and over. Unfortunately the terrain was very rough as is usual along this stretch of the AT.Stopped for a light lunch at War Spur Shelter where I met a young couple out for a weekend trek. The people one meets are so generous and friendly, this couple supplied me with fruit and gaterade which was seriously appreciated.It was a hard and strenuous climb out of the Spur and continued on to Laurel Creek where I decided to spend the night. Met Road Runner, a retired school teacher hiking the trail. We spoke well into the night, it was good to have an intelligent conversation and staying up till late for a change. Feel great compared to last couple of days.
Date: 2010-05-30
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Only a short one today but it was hard! Steep climb out and then staggering along on a rocky ridgeline made the hike really haphazardous, as it was hard going scrambling over rocks and gullies virtually most of the time. Average speed was about half a mile an hour! Eventually made it into Niday Shelter about 3pm, absolutely worn out.Road Runner was already there along with Sprawl, Bear Bait and Blue Sky - whom I haven't seen in over two weeks. Spent the afternoon talking, exchanging stories and just relaxing. What I would do for a foot message and a decent meal!
Date: 2010-05-31
From: Niday Shelter

To: Catawba, VA
Miles today: 22.7

Everyone had the same agenda today - make it to Catawba grocery store where they did these great pizzas and also allowed you to camp behind their store for just $3 a night. Started off with a steep climb as usual, and at the top, we were greeted with trail magic. It's a real treat to have friendly people take the trouble of providing hikers with treats that re-energise aching bones, and helped myself to two hot dogs and three cokes. Little did I know that it would be my last meal for the day! My intention was to have lunch at the Devil's Tooth which was at the end of the ridgeline.For a change, it was easy trekking that day and we were rewarded with glorious views. I managed to capture some spectacular shots of a thunderstorm brewing in the next range. Just as we got to the Devil's Tooth, the thunderstorm hit. We didn't want to be caught on the ridge in a lightning storm so we made our way for the track down. It turned out to be the most difficult and technical descent on the trail so far. We had gone down about 100ft when the heavens opened up and there was a torrential downpour with lightning and thunder as special effects. We were basically rock climbing in a waterfall! This by far is the most terrfying experience I've had on the trail so far.We made it to the bottom OK with seven miles still to walk. We had all run out of water and with the sun now out again, it was in the 90's and we're all feeling dehydrated, as we really pushed the pace knowing that the store closes at 8pm and it was 5pm already. For the rest of the afternoon we fantasised about soft drinks and pizza and when we finally arrived at around 7.30pm, guess what? The store was closed for Memorial Day. What a downer!!By this time, too tired to eat, we all set up camp and then drank about three litres of water and felt rehydrated again. We laughed and chatted about the day's events well into the night.
Date: 2010-06-01
From: Catawba, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: light rain

Started packing up early as it was obvious it was going to be another sizzler. The first thing we did was get into that pizza store and make up for dinner with a big breakfast and lots of fluids. Renergised, we set off and two miles on, we came to McAfee Knob where the views were just spectacular, didn't need to rest, so continued on. The day was unremarkable until we got to the Tinker Cliff area and more stunning scenery, and more photos.We finally made it into Daleville Va, 730 miles and still going strong.
Date: 2010-06-02
From: Daleville, VA

To: Buchanan, VA
Miles today: 21.6

Still having a good time although sometimes I get the blues. For some reason first thing in the morning when I wake up is the worst time. I lie in my sleeping bag feeling terribly homesick and wishing I wasn't here, as I know it's going to be another similar day of hiking. But it usually passes pretty quickly once I get going, and then it becomes more interesting with the people you meet, the trail magic which is just great, as it seems to appear when you most need more sustenance, and knowing I'm nearly at the half way mark. But the walking is still hard especially when it's hot. These hills just never stop.
Date: 2010-06-03
From: Buchanan, VA

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

About 60% of the original hikers have left the trail by now and it's just the hard core hikers left on the AT. I'm with a loose group of about 10 hikers. Most are a lot younger than me bit there a couple my age - Road Runner a retired teacher and Load Stone who retired from the Army. Then there's Sprawl and Bear Bait who are section hikers that I walk with whenever we meet up. Good mix of people and it's strange how quickly you make friendship on this trail, I suppose we have the same daily goals, to keep going to the end.Trail Magic to finish the day off!
Date: 2010-06-04
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: John Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

When you are spending every day hiking, often times alone, your mind seems to have a will of its own. Your thoughts just bounce around; but foremost is the comfort items we take for granted....namely, food and of course a pint or two. If you happen to be near a road and can see or hear traffic, you start wondering where these people are all going to; what their home life may be like; will their evening be quiet; is there a nice hot "supper" awaiting them. You think about how many miles they will cover in a car in just a few minutes while it will take you hours to cover the same distance. You'll think about how nice it would be to walk to the fridge and get a beer or have a snack.....the mind never stops wandering.So, when you get into town you seem to want to make up those times you were 'cheated' out of.....and have a leisurely beer or two along with your pizza. After getting your stuff ready for hiking and that usually means: post office trip to mail home journal; trip to store to resupply; laundry; bath; - then you can relax.
Date: 2010-06-05
From: John Hollow Shelter

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiking routine is hard....it can be boring at times... and seemingly without end. Keep in mind that after hiking all day - different to walking, it's up and down mountain after mountain, hour after hour, and finally arriving at a shelter, pitching your tent, getting water (filter it) cook the same meal (never enough to eat)...clean up, maybe dry out some wet stuff, fight the bugs, nurse your feet, and then finally relax - on the hard ground, no recliner here, no A/C, cold water/showers, etc. You're also subjected to people who are annoying, loud, know-it-all, chatter-boxes, etc.....And when camping there is hardly a way to get away from them unless you retreat to your tent and nobody wants to spend hours confined to a small tent if it can be avoided.
Date: 2010-06-06
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: broken clouds

Hiking has other pitfalls, such as arriving at a spot where a supply of water was to be available to find it is dry; encountering a bout of diarrhea for a day while trying to put in some miles; finally reaching a roadway into town and find yourself standing for hours (literally) unable to catch a ride (feeling anger as a lone vehicle approaches and speeds on past obviously on their way into town); slopping along the trail after a rainstorm where the mud goes over the tops of your shoes; loss of concentration for just a moment which causes a fall (maybe not a serious injury, but certainly a blow to your pride); getting into town and finding the grocery store is a mile or two down the road from where you are staying and the Post Office is closed as well as the town Library; having to pack a wet tent in a drizzle in the morning; sharing a shelter with so many mice you can hear them crawling around and feel them running over your sleeping bag as soon as it gets dark; having to ration your water and fuel to make sure you have enough to last till you can resupply; an unexpected equipment malfunction - stove or water filter; a tent that starts leaking during the night; etc, etc, etc...... so many things can go wrong.
Date: 2010-06-07
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: broken clouds

When I met up with Relic in Damascus, he said that every step while hiking is an accident waiting to happen...and he's not wrong. You have to pay attention to where you are placing your feet all day, every day. If you want to enjoy a view you more or less stop so you can look up safely, or finally reach a mountain top to see wave after wave of mountains in every direction. If you are unlucky, you climb for hours and reach the top only to find there's no view available....Even with all those 'disruptions' I'm glad I'm doing it, it's a real challenge to 'keep going the distance' ....and you get rewarded along the way with some amazing views, meeting some remarkable people...and the rewards of unexpected hospitality and trail magic. When you are doing something you enjoy the negatives are just temporary distractions; tomorrow is another day...
Date: 2010-06-08
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: clear sky

Waynesboro is a really nice little town, although like all American cities it is designed with a car in mind. With a population of about 20,000 it's spread over about 5 miles. It's just about impossible to go anywhere on foot, the library where I am at the moment is about 2 miles out of town. If you want to get to the mart to restock your food supply and other necessities, it's another 1.8 miles out of town and there's no pathways, you actually have to walk on the road or highway and the drivers are often not watching out for walkers!So when you're finally done with all the work, you head down to a reasonable cafe and hope for the best. I say this, because the menus and eating habits are very different to what we're used to. Any chance of getting baked vegetables, tender steak with a Greek salad on the side is a sight to be seen yet!
Date: 2010-06-09
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

Lucked out when I left the motel and managed a lift straight off to the trailhead. Met up with Sugar Ray at the registration point for the Shenandoah National Park camping permits. Hadn't seen him since Pearisburg. Lunched at Calf Mountain Shelter and on the way out bumped into Fireball.The trail is fairly easy going with beautiful views and lots of weigh points where it crosses Skyline Drive. Made it into Blackrock Hut at about 7.30pm. Camping is pretty ordinary with not many sites and the ones that are available are rocky. Saw my first bear tonight!! It was in the trees above the privy eating berries. I couldn't get a decent photo due to all the follige. Camped with Sugar Ray and Bodacious, another hiker I hadn't seen in a while. The new boots are comfortable but the planter fasciitis is playing up a bit, have a good supply of voltaren.
Date: 2010-06-10
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hard going today as I ran out of water in the second half of the day. Most of the hiking was done with Sugar Ray and Fireball. Loosely travelling and camping with a group consisting of Red Lobster girl about 28; Zen Dog a guy about my age and Firebal and Sugar Ray. Really hitting my hiking stride now, am able to knock off 20 miles fairly easily. You realise how fit you have become when you meet section hikers, whereas through hikers typically do twice the distance and at a much higher pace.
Date: 2010-06-11
From: High Top Hut

To: Big Meadows
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Meant to mention that yesterday I caught up with Zeb, Vegiescrap and Luna (a dog) hiking in the Shenandoah's where the scenery is just beautiful. The gradients are not that severe and the trail criss-crosses the drive, a scenic parkway that traverses the park. About every ten miles the trail will pass through a campground or wayside so there are lots of opportunities to hit trail magic for drinks and food, we're really spoilt here.A group of us met up at Lewis Mountain campground for lunch and we all agreed to meet that night at Big Meadow campground and have a proper meal at the lodge there. It was a great night. As they allowed five tents on one site only at $4 per tent, we were able to have our first three course sit down meal. Afterwards, we bought some beers and sat around talking till the early hours.
Date: 2010-06-12
From: Big Meadows

To: Byrds Nest # 3 Shelter
Miles today: 15.8

Feeling pretty tired after the three big days and late night, so settled on an easy day. Slept in for a change and left around 10am and walked to Skyland restaurant with Red Lobster, Sugar Ray and Fireball for lunch. Back at the park, we lounged on a grassy nook and took it easy yet again, watching all the tourists. As it is a Saturday, hundreds of families come up here for the weekend and converege on the park.About 4pm we noticed clouds forming and so decided to hit the trail again. Just as I was coming off an exposed ridge, a summer storm hit. The storms here are tropical in force with lightning and torrential rain, but they last only about 30 mins. During the storm I saw my second bear. Halfway down the ridge I came across Red Lobster on the trail, totally soaked and shivering with cold. A lightning strike was so close to her that she got a shock through her hiking sticks. We increased our pace to get out of the area and continued till we reached Byrds Nest Hut. As it was still raining and being soaked through, we decided to sleep at the shelter and were rewarded with an absolutely beautiful sunset!
Date: 2010-06-13
From: Byrds Nest # 3 Shelter

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

Had an early start and we decided on lunching at Elkwallow Gap, Skyline Drive which is a picturesque picnic spot with lots of people about and a Blue Grass band playing. Red Stick and Eric were already there.   We did some hard work for a change and spent the afternoon lying on the lawn, eating and drinking beer, being entertained by the band and talking with the tourists.Made it into Gravel Springs Hut Lake and the first thing that struck us were all the "Beware of Bears" signs and as luck would have it, we saw a mother bear with her two cubs, but it was too dark by that stage to take a photo.It's peculiar how people get their trail names. Sugar Ray got his trying to hang a bear bag. The rock he used to throw the cord over a branch became stuck and when he yanked on it, the rock flew back and hit him in the face, breaking his nose. Fireball got his name on the second day of his hike when an antique stove he was using blew up in his face. Red Lobster is of Irish descent with red hair and beautiful pale skin. She turns red like a lobster in the sun.
Date: 2010-06-14
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Front Royal Hostel
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

Easy one today as it was the endof the Shenandoah and we all wanted to get to the hostel to have a desperately needed shower and do laundry. Sugar Ray and I arrived about 11.30am. The hostel was run by a guy called Mike Evans who is a keen cyclist. His hostel was basically his garage but most AT hostels are like that. It's amazing what you are prepared to put up with!Feeling clean again, and once the laundry was done, we then took it easy yet again. Sat around all afternoon relaxing and resting. That night Mike drove us all to a local pub in town for a counter meal. We all had a really good night, lots of Yueng Lings (local beer), great food, music and stimulating company as we were entertained by the local rednecks. You get some pretty colourful characters in these little towns.
Date: 2010-06-15
From: Font Royal Hostel

To: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Didn't get away until about 12 noon as we had to resupply our food stocks. We were all feeling pretty seedy and moving slowly, so it was going to be a short day. Tonight's shelter is one of the best on the trail, it even has a primitive shower! As usual, sat around the campfire till way after dark, talking.
Date: 2010-06-16
From: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Not one of my best days! Terrain wasn't that difficult I was just off the pace all day. Absolutely exhausted by the end of the day and was asleep by 7pm. Can't handle the late nights anymore!!! Stix, a guy about my age from Tennessee joined our little group. Everyone's nervous about tomorrow - it's the start of the roller coaster that everyone talks about. 13 miles of tightly packed ascents and descents.
Date: 2010-06-17
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn Trail Centre
Miles today: 17.8

Had a great night's sleep and woke feeling good with lots of energy. Hit the trail about 7.30am and the first ascent about 8.30. Don't know what the fuss is all about, either I'm getting seriously fit or it's just for show. Made it to the halfway point - Bear's Den Hostel and stopped for lunch. Eric was there taking a zero day as he had caught a bug. Eventually the others rolled in and we spent a relaxing couple of hours before heading for the Blackburn AT Shelter.I'm walking much of the time with Stix as we walk at about the same pace and get on quite well. He's suffering from Athlete's foot, as are many others on the trail. When it rains, your feet get soaked and then you walk for the rest of the day in hot humid conditions - perfect for tinea.