morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-15
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

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

Did not sleep great, woke up a few times and finally stayed up at four. I think I was cold, left my fly off and didn¢t put on warm clothes when I went to sleep and paid for it.The morning was all pretty easy except for one climb over Highcock Knob. It was actually pretty steep downhill from the ridges to the James River.There is a footbridge across that is the longest pedestrian-only on the AT. On the other side is a parking lot where I met the Francises, Red Crossers from Durham. No one visits me for six weeks and then I get three in the following two weeks!Anyway, they brought a bunch of fresh food for a picnic and there were a bunch of hikers eating under the bridge so it also became trail magic! It was funny because a lot of people I mentioned in this blog - Philly crew, Big Money, Odys, Ball Flap, Cam and Seamus were there so they could put faces to the names. I can¢t imagine how y¢all think they look!Everyone lazed around for a while, I think delaying because there was a big hill coming up. I said goodbyes, hope to see them in Waynesboro or at least Harpers Ferry when Big Money completes her hike.Kim and Micheal chauffeured me to the grocery store in Glasgow so I could resupply. Both the store and the town were smaller than I imagined and the people were a little... different. And this is not my first small town in Virginia but it was definitely sketch. They randomly did have a farmers market open, not a lot of produce but I was still impressed.I needed to find a table to go through my purchases and rebag. We drove to Natural Bridge State Park which is not as cool as it sounds, so found a road pullout. They opened the gate to the truck bed and I showed them the process (pouring oats into ziplocks, etc). It is so second nature to me now, I didn¢t think how weird it looks.They finally said goodbyes and I hit the trail again. Luckily, I was only going a couple of flat miles to the next shelter. My feet were super swollen, so I put them in one of creeks for about half an hour and figured I could elevate later.The shelter was empty when I got there, so I set up my tent and went to hang my bear bag line. I don¢t know if I was too tired or what, but the whole process took an hour and a half, negating the chance to really rest my feet. Luckily since I had so much food at lunch I wasn¢t really hungry for dinner so just had a pastry from the farmers market. Fortunately it wasn't too buggy. A few other people showed up including Front Loader and others I didn¢t recognize, but I was too tired to socialize so just did my thing and hit the sack as early as possible.
Date: 2018-06-16
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept well and woke up regular time, but was lethargic getting ready and was the last one out at 8:30.The morning was mostly tough climbs up to Bluff Mountain, but I took it slow and enjoyed some nice views. At the top was a sad monument to a child that was found on that spot in the 1800s and also a copperhead snake that has apparently lived there for years.I randomly ran into Ziploc who was going southbound. Don¢t think I¢ve seen her since Hot Springs! She was going southbound so she can end near Roanoke then fly to New York to meet a friend. She is still making pretty good time though!I took a long lunch at the Punchbowl Shelter (where I think my group stayed last night, at least Ball Flap did), and elevated my feet. There was a family there when I arrived and when they found out I was thru hiking the dad asked me a bunch of questions, said he would love to do. He offered me water, but I had just filled. He apologized they didn¢t have any food and they all left. I thought that was the end until he came back alone and sheepishly offered me weed. I told him I was probably one of the few people that don¢t smoke, but thanks anyway. In hindsight I should have accepted so I could use it for trading! He was funny though, like trying to be a serious adult father but by himself still a kid.The afternoon was pretty flat and easy, but I still took it slow and arrived at the shelter later than planned . There were lots of tent spots along the creek and not many people so I was pleased. Another evening that wasn't buggy so was nice to sit around and actually enjoy the air. A bunch showed up later including Bo, Misty, and a whole tramily (trail family). There weren¢t many good trees to hang lines so it was funny watching everyone else struggle and know I¢m not the only one even after 2 months! Which reminds me that today I officially have been on the trail for 8 weeks. Oh and I passed the 800 mile marker today so all is good! Ready for a zero though...A guy came after ten and set up near me. Luckily I was still awake. But his headlamp was so strong so I had to close my fly door and I kept hearing his tent poles clicking and was wondering what was taking so long. I didn¢t recognize who it was, but he didn¢t even put the fly on. Misty was talking with him and said he looked beat.
Date: 2018-06-17
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter

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

Up at regular time and one of the first out at 7:30. Last night a guy came after ten and set up near me. Luckily I was still awake. But his headlamp was so strong so I had to close my fly door and I kept hearing his tent poles clicking and was wondering what was taking so long. This morning I tried to look and didn¢t recognize who it was, but he didn¢t even put the fly on. Misty said he had looked beat.The first couple of miles were easy until tough climbs. I like getting them over with in the morning though. Big Bald actually had a wooded summit so don¢t know how it got the name, but apparently is the last summit over 4,000 feet for a while.Lunched at an overlook and the afternoon was pretty easy. Dark clouds threatened, but I stayed dry. Spent a while at Spy Rock which had awesome 360 degree views. Finally got signal for a few minutes so could call my dad for Fathers Day.Made it in decent time to the Priest Shelter. It is named for the mountain it sits on, but people took it literally and in the log book wrote confessions. They were hilarious. My favorite was ¢Drunken hookup in Hot Springs ten feet from a Jesus statue¢. The only thing that sucked was no one signed their names so you couldn¢t actually see who was there (trying to catch up to some people).It was super buggy, so I went to find a tent spot as soon as possible to hide. The existing tents looked familiar and I see it¢s Double O and the Philly crew! Apparently their tramily name is ¢Mighty Ducks¢.Misty came a bit later, but I finished camp chores as quickly as possible to escape to my tent. Need to look into what plants are natural bug repellents because not a big fan of chemicals...
Date: 2018-06-18
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Humpback Mountain
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: few clouds

I was one of the first out around 7:30. The beginning was steep rocky downhill. About a half hour in, I fell forward. Hard. Everything hurt at first, but the worst was a gash on my left hand. The Philly crew came through shortly after and helped me out. We covered with a wet wipe and wrapped in leukotape to keep out dirt. No addition to the pain, I had to worry about not sweating as much on my left side so started only using my right pole. This was only somewhat successful since it was so hot I was basically sweating all over.I went to the next shelter to regroup and elevate my feet. I knew Four Step was ahead of me, but I figured everyone else passed me during the break. Fedex was just walking by so we hiked together up Three Ridges Mountain. It was probably low 90s with high humidity, but we took it slow and made it to beautiful Hanging Rock Overlook for lunch. Apparently we weren¢t the only ones struggling because Odys, Professor, and Cam arrived a while later. It was cool, because they pointed out you could see the way we had come- down the priest, up chimney rock and then three ridges mountain. Ten miles seem so short now, but it really put it in perspective how far we went.The afternoon was pretty easy terrain following along the ridge. But it sprinkled a bit creating a bunch of smooth wet rocks. I fell a couple of times on the abrasion which was awesome.There is a brewery only a few miles from the trail, Devil¢s Backbone, which is known for being hiker friendly. They let you camp in the yard for free and will shuttle back to the trail in the morning. A few people I know were going, but I just wanted to get to town so skipped.I finally made it to where I was close to the campsite destination when I realized I still had four more miles to go. I wanted to be finished setting up before sunset so I could enjoy the view so started to book it. I also needed to camel up on water since there was none at the top. There was a spring about a mile before but it was only trickling. Magically, someone had left about eight 2 liter bottles filled with tap water. The trail provided!I was hoping it would be an easy climb at the end, but unfortunately were some of the biggest steps I¢ve seen so far. Finally made it to an overlook where some teenagers were sitting. They said the campsite was just ahead and they were right! The sites didn¢t have a view, but it was only about a hundred feet away.Even though I didn¢t make it in until almost 8, I still got to watch the sunset while making dinner. Gotta love the long days of summer! The bugs were pretty bad even though I was a few thousand feet up, so wouldn¢t have helped much if I had gotten in sooner anyway. The leukotape had come off with the sweat, so I tried to use the rest of my duct tape so it wouldn't get blood over my gear overnight, even though the wound was starting to close up.
Date: 2018-06-19
From: Humpback Mountain

To: Stanimal's
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up to high winds, but they were mostly blocked by the trees. I still caught some of the sunrise for breakfast and was out by 7;30. The flies were already starting so I knew it was going to be a hot one.The morning was mostly flat with a few ups and downs. There were a couple views as well, although more of farmland than mountains. Guess I should start getting used to that!I stopped for water break at the Wolfe Shelter which was awesome. It sits right behind a bunch of cascades and has great tent spots. The shelter has a covered picnic table and counter as well. It looked pretty new, only issue was a weird design that didn¢t really maximize the space.I got to Rockfish Gap around noon and called the hostel for a shuttle. Stanimal was actually on his way to pick someone else up further on so it was only a couple minutes. Then we drove down the Blue Ridge Parkway to pick up Ranger Z, another hiker. It was interesting seeing the views from the road.The hostel is pretty nice, it has small bunk rooms and I found a bed in a little alcove with a curtain in one so it is semi-private. Stanimal was very welcoming and personable, sounds like a one man show so a bit overwhelmed.After showering, I went across the street to a steakhouse that has an all you can eat (AYCE) buffet. There is actually a well known AYCE Chinese buffet in town called Ming¢s, but it was far and I was more in the mood for salad bar.Well, two hours and about eight plates and bowls later, I was full. Well, uncomfortafull actually. I knew I was going to do that, should have just gone to a regular restaurant. But I wasn¢t hungry for dinner so was able to knock out two meals for ten bucks. Can¢t beat that! The food wasn¢t bad, but about what you would expect. The locals definitely gobbled it up. I can¢t imagine going there without the hiker hunger! If I recall correctly, I had:Plate of salad with cornbreadPlate of additional veggies with blue cheese dressing and cottage cheeseLoaded baked potatoCup of beef vegetable soup with rollCup of broccoli cheese soupPlate of Mac and cheese, baked ziti, fries, butter beans, and small steakBowl of apple pie topped with brownieI wanted to have the chicken, other cooked veggies and fresh fruit but my stomach said please no!I went back to the hostel to recover and do laundry. I am not used to zeroing and usually am running around to resupply, etc. so it was nice to just chill in my alcove. A big thunderstorm came through so it was good to be in town!I actually got a little hungry later so went to the store and grabbed some naked juice and stuff for breakfast. No one came into the other bed in the alcove so I had plenty of room. I'm not sure if it's because of the big lunch, but had trouble falling asleep. Didn't mind the soft bed though!
Date: 2018-06-20
From: Stanimal's

To: Stanimal's
Miles today: 0.0

It took forever to fall asleep, I still had to resupply and finish town tasks, and wanted to nurse my hand so decided to continue with my plan of taking a zero. Plus I love my little nook in the hostel!I woke up at normal time and most people were still sleeping. The kitchen had fresh local eggs so I scrambled some, they were good but should have gotten veggies or cheese or something to add.Ranger Z had called around and arranged for a local trail angel to drive us to the outfitter. The town layout is not hiker friendly, but they definitely have a lot of resources to make it easier and are trying hard. Cindy picked us up and was super nice. She is a fourth grade teacher so is on summer and just loves meeting hikers. The outfitter was actually pretty big and had a lot, the biggest since at least Damascus.I had Cindy drop me off at the library to update blog and Cam and Seamus were there! Sounds like the Mighty Ducks stayed at the free YMCA camping last night and will half day today. So I won¢t be too far behind.I went to the health foods store for lunch, but they only really had vitamins. So I went to a pub and got nachos, something I haven't had in a while. Unfortunately, they were super disappointing - was like they just took everything out of the fridge. Guess I should have gotten a burger! It started raining so I hurried to the market, where I saw Four Step. It was a bit of a walk back to the hostel, but not really good options for hitching. When I got back, it was packed. The fridge was full, people were everywhere, and the little extra mattress in my nook had a note that said ¢saved¢. Guess I should have gone to the motel if I wanted privacy!I just had a salad for dinner, and hid in my room from the rain and the people. My roommate didn't get in until late, but I was already asleep.
Date: 2018-06-21
From: Stanimal's

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: thunderstorm

Slept in until 6:30 and only woke up because of a cramp in my leg, which is funny to be dehydrated in town. Everyone in my room was still asleep as I was getting ready, and when I went downstairs to eat I saw how packed it was- people sleeping on couches. They shuttled me and another hiker, Mademoiselle, to the trail about 8. She is from France but actually nice and not pretentious. It was about a mile to the Shenandoah permit kiosk. They are free and more for tracking/safety.I leapfrogged Mademoiselle a couple of times and the terrain was pretty easy (even though I had a heavy bag full of food). I did get confused a couple times where the trail was due to side trails and lack of blazes. I¢m also a little confused why it¢s a National Park- no offense it is pretty and all but the National Forest to the south was much prettier. Even when crossing overlooks on Skyline Drive I wasn¢t impressed. Guess that¢s why some people aqua blaze here (canoe/kayak instead of hiking). I was looking into it, but was expensive and logistically complicated.Some storms came through in the afternoon, but luckily was just rain. I got to the hut (what shelters here are called) early, around 5, but it was already pretty full. I think it was mostly people that just came from the last shelter. But I looked at the tent sites and the only open ones were not ideal, either rocky or pooling water, plus not really blocked from the weather. So I debated the options and decided to go for the crowded dry with probably snorers.The hut had a bear pole, the first I¢ve seen. All of my smellables didn¢t fit in my dry bag so Mademoiselle let me put some in hers. But it was so heavy that it took two of us to hang!It was nice getting to the shelter so early that I was done with dinner and chores by 7 and could be in bed by hiker midnight. Definitely going to need the earplugs tonight!Oh and for those of you who are wondering, I did not observe Naked Hiker Day/solstice
Date: 2018-06-22
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: moderate rain

It rained a lot overnight, but I slept through it. I was the first one up around six. Surprisingly, none of the old people snored and they stayed in bed a while.I got out around 7:30 to fog but it wasn¢t raining. The easy terrain continued and I got to the Loft Mountain campground in a couple hours.Shenandoah has a few car camping facilities that are near the AT (since the trail basically follows Skyline Drive). The nice thing is they also have amenities for thru hikers - bathrooms, showers, laundry, convenience store, and restaurant.When I got to the store complex, there was a group of young adults hanging around in their sleeping bags. Turns out they were section hikers who tented in the campground but got flooded out. They decided to cut their trip short so had a bunch of extra food. I grabbed a mountain house and some oatmeal packets. I went in the store where they had a smoothie machine. This was very exciting to me, but it wasn¢t really working. When we finally got it to work, I wished it hadn¢t as I was disappointed- basically ice with sugar. Not sure why I expected better.But then I got a great idea. I put the free oatmeal in a coffee cup and heated in the microwave- warm oatmeal and no cook stove required! Was especially nice as the smoothie was cold.The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. The weather was perfect as I wasn¢t sweating or dealing with bugs, but sad all the views were fogged in. The trail was pretty muddy and wet in some places. A couple of parts were basically creeks. Every time my shoes dried out, they¢d get wet again. And creek crossings were a bit more treacherous than normal. But overall I was dry! Plus hit the 900 mile mark.Made it to the shelter pretty early again, and there were a few people already inside including Misty. I was debating tenting, but didn¢t see any great spots and everyone was saying we might get a few inches again, so set up inside. Mademoiselle arrived shortly later.Just as we were wrapping up dinner, a brief downpour came but it only lasted half an hour. But the water falling off the trees worries me because I think there¢s a few leaks in the shelter above my spot!
Date: 2018-06-23
To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: light rain

Slept in until 6:15 and was out around 7:30. Unfortunately, even though I used the privy at the shelter, I had to cathole it 20 minutes later. That is the second day in a row I¢ve had to cathole shortly after leaving camp which is really annoying. Will have to figure out another system.The morning was foggy and pretty easy. There was a picnic area with a parking lot a few miles in, but the water was turned off. The sign said it was due to ¢low water¢ which was funny because everywhere seemed flooded.A few hours later was the Lewis Mountain Campground. I wasn¢t planning on stopping there, but the trail went right by the camp store. I just got a juice and yogurt to supplement my lunch as I need to reduce my pack weight! On the way out we passed a car camper that was providing trail magic. He had just gotten back from purchasing supplies so didn¢t really have anything set up yet, but did give us some chips and sodas for a nice dessert.The afternoon was super easy, including what I think were the three flattest miles on the trail. And we actually got some blue skies for a change.Around 5 I reached the turn for Big Meadows. I wasn¢t sure about going to the wayside here as it was supposed to be almost a mile round trip, but Jason a section hiker kept talking about burgers all day. It really wasn¢t that long off trail, and I was glad I went because it randomly poured for the half hour I was inside.They had a to go counter which was nice so I could be quick. I got a cheeseburger and one of their famous blackberry milkshakes. I had low expectations and everything was ok. About what you¢d expect from a touristy spot. The milkshake mostly tasted like milk and sugar, I guess blackberry is a subtle flavor (or they skimped).When I got out it was sunny skies again so decided I still had time to press on to the next shelter. Actually got some views from the overlooks for the first time since entering the park, so that was nice. It was looking west so could see the sun setting in the valley and foothills behind it.When I got to the shelter there were a few people here including Misty. The tent options left weren¢t great, so had to set up on a slope. At least I know my feet will be elevated! Hopefully rain holds out tonight because I didn¢t couldn¢t stake out my fly very well.Luckily there was a bear box so made finishing camp chores easier. But I didn¢t crawl into my tent until after 9!