morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-03
From: Virginia Beach

To: Virginia Beach
Miles today: 0.0

The beach was an absolute blast! We walked up and down the board walk many times. We got a bunch of free stuff from all the vendors since it was "Patriot Week." We also got to see Jake Owen and Little Big Town live on the beach from stage. That was my highlight for the trip, but I do not beleive it was The Rock's as he hates country. We hit many of the little beach bars around the area. One day we were on the beach from 10am until 6pm. That was awesome! I soaked my body and ankle in the salt water for hours. It was amazing how fast my feet went from looking like death to having a little life in them. This was the perfect break from the woods and we could not have gotten luckier. All of us look like we live in Florida from getting so dark. We might as well be beach bums. We checked out of our motel on Tuesday morning. The hitch back to Waynesboro was not so easy. It took us five hours to get a hitch 20 miles up the interstate. Then, out of no where, two lovely ladies named Ginger and Brandie picked us up and gave us a ride all the way to Richmond, VA on their way to DC. This was a little further then halfway back. They video interviewed us and were a blast to ride with. We got a motel for the night in Richmond to wait for a ride from Tamborine's husband Chris. He is coming by tomorrow morning on his way to pick her up in Waynesboro, so it works out great. He picked us up later than we expected around 4pm and took us right to the YMCA in Waynesboro where hikers can camp for free in their field. They also have free showers and the library is right next door. We set up camp and walked the .3 miles to the Kroger to resupply. We got a LOT of food. There are many other hikers here tonight. Thunderstorms rolled in with heavy rain showers this evening. We plant to be packed up and hitching pack to the trail by 8am. It is awesome to be starting the SNP! Anna is meeting The Rock in Harpers Ferry on the 17th so we plan to be there by then. 160 or so miles to Harpers Ferry. I'm ready to see it!
Date: 2014-06-04
From: Virginia Beach

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

The beach was an absolute blast! We walked up and down the board walk many times. We got a bunch of free stuff from all the vendors since it was "Patriot Week." We also got to see Jake Owen and Little Big Town live on the beach from stage. That was my highlight for the trip, but I do not beleive it was The Rock's as he hates country. We hit many of the little beach bars around the area. One day we were on the beach from 10am until 6pm. That was awesome! I soaked my body and ankle in the salt water for hours. It was amazing how fast my feet went from looking like death to having a little life in them. This was the perfect break from the woods and we could not have gotten luckier. All of us look like we live in Florida from getting so dark. We might as well be beach bums. We checked out of our motel on Tuesday morning. The hitch back to Waynesboro was not so easy. It took us five hours to get a hitch 20 miles up the interstate. Then, out of no where, two lovely ladies named Ginger and Brandie picked us up and gave us a ride all the way to Richmond, VA on their way to DC. This was a little further then halfway back. They video interviewed us and were a blast to ride with. We got a motel for the night in Richmond to wait for a ride from Tamborine's husband Chris. He is coming by tomorrow morning on his way to pick her up in Waynesboro, so it works out great. He picked us up later than we expected around 4pm and took us right to the YMCA in Waynesboro where hikers can camp for free in their field. They also have free showers and the library is right next door. We set up camp and walked the .3 miles to the Kroger to resupply. We got a LOT of food. There are many other hikers here tonight. Thunderstorms rolled in with heavy rain showers this evening. We plant to be packed up and hitching pack to the trail by 8am. It is awesome to be starting the SNP! Anna is meeting The Rock in Harpers Ferry on the 17th so we plan to be there by then. 160 or so miles to Harpers Ferry. I'm ready to see it!
Date: 2014-06-06
From: Skyline 87.2

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I was up by 7am because it was already so hot in my tent I was soaked from sweating. I heard The Rock and Ponds discussing something outside. I heard "dude! How about we get bikes and ride the Skyline Drive the rest of the SNP!" I said "What the hell?" We went to eat at the small town diner again and discussed it. After that, we were on the hunt for bikes. We tried to find them all over Waynesboro at every 2nd hand shop and yard sale we could find. All the stores wanted $80-$100 for a ten year old piece of crap bike with a bent tire and no brakes. Once we got back to the campground, a guy pulled up looking for someone to help him move a fridge for $10. The Rock jumped in his truck and was gone. Sure enough, he shows up two hours later yelling "I GOT BIKES." He scored two old school classic 700c road bikes. One he found in the dump where they were dropping off the old fridge, and the other was in the ladies basement where they got the frdige from. She just gave him the bike. They both had flat tires so we walked down to the gas station and filled up the tires to make sure they were good to go. Everything seemed good as new. Unbelievable! I needed to find a bike since Ponds took the other one he found. So, we climbed in the back of a pickup truck and got a ride to Wal Mart. I got a 26" Huffy mens mountain bike for $60. So, it begings. We have 80 something miles left in the SNP and we are going to ride bicycles to Front Royal. The AT runs right next toe Skyline Drive the whole time we are in the park, and all the views are from the road. So, why not cruise the road? That is our plan! Almost half the hikers I talk to coming into Waynesboro are Aqua Blazing and spending close to $500 to ride in a canoe for seven days. For close to nothing we are going to do almost the same thing, just inside the park, and in half the time. It is going to be a blast! When we get to Front Royal, I may try to return my bike to WalMart. Or, if that does not work, do what The Rock and Ponds are planning to do; give their bikes to a local hostel or Miss Janet. Either way, they will be used and not sitting around in a dump, basement, or on a store floor. We rode our bikes all around town. I wento to Jake's Bar and Grill. I also used the local library to update journals. I made at least 10 loops around the town to make sure everything is good. Tomorrow morning Miss Janet will drop us off where we hitched back on Skyline Drive and our bike tour will start. A man who is doing a tour across the country had all the tools we needed for a quick tune up. We checked spokes, tightened brakes, adjusted seats, and lubed our chains. These "Class A" bikes are going through the SNP! It's going to be a blast on only adds to our adventures. There is no way I would pay $500 to Aqua Blaze, and this seems like a lot more fun because we get to meet up with everyone hiking at the road crossings. Also, we get to check out all the sweet places in the SNP on Skyline Drive. Let our "bike tour" begin!
Date: 2014-06-07
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Again, I woke up around 7am because it was so hot in my tent. Short after that 7 of us went to the YMCA to take showers. It was like a prison shower. One big room, 7 naked guys, pushing a button to keep the slightly hot water on. We decided to stay another day today because 15 or so of our friends are here and we haven't seen them in a while. We have all been hiking in and out of different groups for a while now. Also, Willy Wonka is coming back to the trail today. She told us the day she got back to Texas after getting off and saw her brother, she knew she needed to finish the trail. We all wanted to see her plus she promised us beer of we stayed, so we did. We went craw fishing on the river near by. We also went swimming in it for a bit as well since it was so hot. My allergies are very bad here. I finally bought some Claritin hoping it works a little. Willy Wonka arrived around 5pm. We walked to the store and picked up some beer. Around 10pm we all decided to go to the local bar after eating dinner. It was a blast! They had a live band. Needless to say hangovers are in order for many tomorrow. It should be an interesting first day on bicycles. Hopefully it all works out. We should make it through the SNP in 3-4 days now. We have ridden them all over town and they seem fine, so hopefully it stays that way. A ride up to where we left off tokorrow would be great but I don't see it happening with bikes. Off to bed around 3am. What a fun few days.
Date: 2014-06-08
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Loft Mountain Campground
Miles today: 10.0

What a day! 3-4 hours of sleep and still killed it. I got up and rode my bike to the YMCA to take a shower. Oh yeah, it's Sunday; closed! Then I rode over to the gas station to get a Gatorade before we took off; closed! I guess I competely forgot it was Sunday morning in a small town southern town. Ten of us went to the local diner for breakfast which was actually open. After that we packed up our stuff, threw our packs on our backs, and hit the road on our stallions. It was definitely a little weird at first with a pack on, but I quickly became use to it. We rode the few miles to the outfitter. They were all taking to us about how awesome it is that we are riding the SNP the way we are. Full backpacks, no helmets, no lights, POS bikes, and some brakes. They loved our hot rods. After hanging out for a bit and clearly seeing we were not getting a ride with bikes, we hit the road. It was a straight up climb from Waynesboro to the SNP gate. Just shy of 6 miles. They ranger at the gate laughed when he saw us. We were supposed to pay the $8 a piece to use the road (the AT is free). But, when he heard what we were doing, he waved is by and said "I want to see you boys make it!" So, after a snack at Rock Fish Gap and entering the SNP for the second time, our journey started. Another 5 miles straight up after the gate. We ran into everyone who hiked out early that morning at Beagle Gap. There was also trail magic there. After that, it was annoying little ups and downs. I love the down hills! It is an absolutely beautiful park. It's a shame the AT does not hit more of the overlooks because they're great. We stopped at every one of them. We still have yet to see any bears but hopefully that will change soon. We made it ten trail miles passed where we got off before getting the bikes. We did 25 miles on Skyline in the park and 6 miles before that for a 31 mile day on bikes. It was awesome! Tomorrow we are going for 30-40. Hopefully into Front Royal, VA the following day. M brother is driving to Maine so we are going to stay with him on his way up. We all quickly learned that riding a bike takes much different muscles compared to hiking. It is a lot of fun though. My lea and butt are pretty sore. A lot of rest and sleep tonight. A guy names Art we met just before the campground bought our site and is camping with us tonight. He is kind of a wandering soul. Very nice guy though. Thankful for his help!
Date: 2014-06-09
From: Loft Mountain Campground

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 32.7
Weather: clear sky

All three of us woke up sore this morning as we expected. Riding a bicycle reminds me of the murals I haven't used in a while. We were packed up and on our road stallions by 8am. We stopped at the Loft Mountain Wayside and has breakfast after a fierce 2 mile downhill. It was pretty funny to watch Rock as his bike barely has brakes. Then, we did 13 miles in about a hour since it was mostly all downhill. It so was much fun cruising down in the morning mountain air. I also knew a long downhill meant a long uphill. We made it to the US 33/Elkton, VA road crossing around 2pm. This is where I finally saw my first bears of the trip. I spotted a massive black beast about 20 yards away behind a sign. There was a mother and two cubs roaming around in the bushes. I was just about get a picture when The Rock yelled "bears! I love bears! My first bears!" They went scattering up the hill and Ponds and I sat there with our camera ready to snap a shot. It was hilarious though. I had cell service and found out Steve is on his way to Maine today, not tomorrow. So, we made a plan for him to pick us up tonight around 10 or 11 when he gets in the area. He said he would get us a motel room tonight and tomorrow night if we wanted. Of course we said hell yes! We knocked out the next big 8 miles uphill. I got to Big Meadows Campground around 8pm. We covered almost 33 trail miles today. It felt great and the views were unreal. We scored a ride into Elkton, VA which makes it easier on Steve to pick us up. We of course had Pizza Hut followed up by Dairy Queen. Then we hung out behind the dumpster like true buns until Steve showed up around 11. I strapped the bikes down to the top of the u haul trailer. Then we went to Harrisonburg, VA to get a cheap motel for the night. All of us were worn out and passed out by 1am. Steve is going to hang out with us for another night tomorrow. I'm sure we'll sleep in before we ride from Big Meadows Campground to Front Royal, VA. That will be our last day on bikes and end our epic tour on our road stallions. We will find a motel when we get there as hang out with Steve for the night. Skyline Drive is absolutely beautiful! We have been told numerous times we are crazy for riding with our packs on our backs. It has been one hell of an awesome time!
Date: 2014-06-10
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 44.9
Weather: light rain

Today was such a fun day! We all walked over to Waffle House for breakfast. After that, Steve and I spent some time rearranging his Jeep and u haul trailer. It pretty much looked like he has just thrown his apparent into them and then left. Steve droppe is off at Big Meadows Campground near the top of the mountain. We cruised all day without our packs which made riding a lot easier. We stopped at every overlook which was a blast. The waysides are really cool as well. We tried not to stop for too long while on our breaks so we could hang out with Steve in Front Royal. There was a lot of downhill which made our day fly by. We rode right into Front Royal which is a very cool little trail town. Steve got us a room at the Quality Inn. It is right off the road that we need to hitch back to the trail tomorrow. We ordered pizza, hung out by the pool, had a few beers, and washed all our clothes. It was a very productive day. Steve also showed me everything my camera can actually do which is nice to finally know since I'm almost halfway in. Expect some awesome pictures to come! Steve is going to take my bike with him since he is going to our dads house in Maine and WalMart definitely is not going to take it back now. I loaded it in his Jeep so he is ready to roll in the morning. Ponds and The Rock are leaving their at the hotel for trail magic. I cannot believe we bike over 110 road miles since we left Waynesboro, VA 2.5 das ago. Might as well be bicycle pros now. We are very please with how the bikes held up, and how well our bodies adjusted. Tomorrow morning we will hike out and head for Harpers Ferry, WV! We are only 54 miles away which is exciting. We all have great smelling clothes too! We soaked them in baking soda before doing a heavy duty laundry load. The baking soda worked great. Major thunderstorms tonight. Also more moving in tomorrow. The a Roller Coaster is coming up so that should be interesting. 13.5 miles of intense up and downs, one after another. My able feels 100% better now so in ready to roll. I'm almost at the 1,000 mile marker which feels unreal! Bring on the half way point!
Date: 2014-06-11
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

It was a very nice and easy day today. It was very humid and muggy all day. Steve was up and ready to go by 7am. Ponds and I got up and ate the great continental breakfast with him before he hit the road. I went back to sleep after we said bye for a few hours before getting all my stuff ready to hike out. Rock, Ponds, and I had a sandwich and coffee at Dunkin Donuts before checking out the visitors center. We score some free stuff there which was awesome. Once we walked back to the road heading up to the trail, we had our thumbs out for less then ten minutes before an elderly man picked us up. The Weather Channel said severe storms along with 80mph winds are moving in tonigh so we all hike straight to the first shelter. I was soaked after the small climb up. It was an easy five mile day today. The trail was very slippery and everything surrounding the trail seemed very green due to the heavy rains last night. This is definitely one of my favorite shelters. The way it is setup is amazing. Two nice privies, a pavilion with a picnic table, a front porch with chairs and benches, cool single bunk spots, and a solar shower near a great spring. Needless to say we called it a day here when we arrived around 3pm and heard thunder coming in the distance. There are three others here with us tonight. I am staying in the shelter in case the big storms come. I plan to head out tomorrow around 6am and stay at the campsite right before the start of the Roller Coaster. I'll save that 14 miles for Friday, because it's going to be intense. I'm off to bed early tonight around 9pm. We had a massive dinner that we all contributed to. I'm 30 miles away from the 1,000 mile marker. That is exciting!
Date: 2014-06-12
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: VA 601/Reston, VA
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: moderate rain

It was a very random day today, that is for sure. It rained all night last night. Every time I got up to pee I got soaking wet which made it fun falling back alseep. There were some very strong storms that came in around 11pm with small hail and very strong winds. A few people were stirring by 5am and one younger guy was puking violently behind the shelter. I finally got up at 6am when the rain had stopped for good. Everything was absolutely soaked. It looked like a river had come through the area. The Rock got up and was running around like a kid on sugar. He was packed and hiked out around 7am. I left not long after him. I arrived at the I-66 underpass and met up with Rock. Ponds was by far behind me. A south bound hiker told us there was trail magic just ahead, so we booked it over there. It was great! Fresh donuts along with hot coffee. Gatorade and fruit too! Long Bow and Little Spoon hiked up a few minutes after we got there. It turns out they camped about .2 miles from te shelter we stayed it. I was returning calls since I had service and called my friend Cheech, whom I met on the trail in 2011. He quickly asked if we wanted to crash at his place tonight and hang out with them. Of course we said yes! He had to work for a bit so we walked to the Apple House to get lunch. The one mile the guide said it was turned into about three. We thankfully got a ride back to the trail after lunch. We took off for the VA 601 parking lot where Cheech was going to pick us up at. We beat him there thankfully. We went to his place about 45 minutes away. The first thing we did was shower, then attacked his wardrobe before a night out. Polos and his finest shorts; we looked nothing like hikers. Cheech and Junzi paid for literally everything tonight. All our drinks, dinner, pool tables, and so on. AWESOME TRAIL MAGIC! Thank you guys so much! We arrived back at his place around 3am and watched a short part of a movie before falling asleep. We may take a zero day with him tomorrow but we will see what the severity of our hangovers are. Cheech has to work all day so we may have Junzi drop us off to tackle the Roller Coaster. Just about to the 1,000 mile marker. That is amazing to think about. I hope the storms they are calling for again tomorrow hold off. Looks like a perfect weekend coming up so that will be great. I cannot wait to hike into Harpers Ferry and see the ATC!
Date: 2014-06-13
From: VA 601/Reston, VA

To: Blackburn AT Center
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: light rain

This place is aboalurelt amazing and such a fantastic way to end a very tiring and long day. All of us were up by 7am and very hungover. We were slow moving to say the least. Cheech has already gone to work and left Junzi his car just so he could take us back to the trail. It's amazing what trail family will do for one another. I took a quick shower as they were already packing up the car. We got some food and then Junzi dropped us back off on the trail. It was storming like hell all day long. I did not like that too much when I was climbing up every one of the many peaks belonging to the Roller Coaster (13.5 miles of steep ascents and descents). The rain started to let up towards the end of the day. It kept things cool for the most part but was muggy and brought out the bugs by the end of the day. We still made a pretty good day out of it and hiked into the evening. My feet have some hot spots on them from all the ups and downs. Everything on the trail was soaked again. I crosses the 1,000 mile marker about 7 miles before where we stopped for the night. I also cross into WV, although I go back into VA one last time tomorrow before being completely finished with the state. We hiked into the Blackburn AT Center around 10:30pm. There are a few PATC members here that are doing trail work this weekend. The building is unreal and the view of the lights below are very cool. This place is over 100 years old. Tomorrow I have an easy 14 mile hike into Harpers Ferry, WV. That is the unofficial halfway point. I get to finally get my picture taken at the ATC. I have been waiting to do this since I got off the trail in 2011. I am interested to see what number NoBo thru hiker I am. I will probably hang out there for a day or so. I cannot wait to finally be out of GA for good. It has been one heck of a long hike through VA. Onto WV, MD, then PA! So exciting. I am so pumped for what is to come!
Date: 2014-06-14
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I was up by 5:30am as the ATC ridge runner was getting ready to head out. They were very nice and wished us luck on our easy hike into Harpers Ferry. I was hiking up the steep .2 mile blue blaze trail back to the AT by 8am. The AT to the first road crossing six miles in was a cake walk. It took me about 2 hours. I had a quick snack and then flew by some day hikers as I got closer to Harpers Ferry. I crossed the Shenandoah River around noon. I hiked straight to the ATC which is actually a blue blaze trail off the AT. I have been on the trail for 99 days. 3/7/2014 to 6/14/2014. I am north bound thru hiker number 572 to pass through Harpers Ferry. I added my picture to the 2014 hiker book. This means there are still hundreds behind me. I hung out in the ATC hiker lounge for a bit before going know the historic district for a beer and burger. Simple, Pond, and I walked to the 7 eleven after. Then we tried to figure out what we were going to do. There is no camping in the town limits of Harpers Ferry and the hostels are pretty expensive. We saw Bliss and Jukebox at the bar. A tripple crowner (AT 1994, PCT 1999, and CDT 2000) bought the five of us a round of beers. We called the cheapest motel in Charlestown, WV (5 miles away). $55 compared to the $130 in Harpers Ferry. We decided that was our best bet. The casino is right across the street as well. We all took showers when we arrived and passed out shorty after. It is great to be where I am on the trail. It seems unreal!