morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-10-16
From: stealth camp

To: stealth camp
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: light rain

10/16/14 - day 971303.1 - stealth camp near Big Run Loop Trail20.1 milesIt almost went all day without raining. I had high hopes when I got up and saw a star low on the horizon. I finally saw some of the big views that Shenandoah is famous for. These happen when the trail crosses Skyline Drive at an overlook. They are stupendous! One of them is the picture for today. Up until now I would have just seen a wall of fog, so I missed four days of views.The clouds hung low, and looked like rain all day. It finally let loose again at 3PM, and I stopped and geared up with a heavy heart. But it didn't last long.I made it to the campstore at Loft Mt campground about 4. I bypassed the diner at the wayside, since it would have added a mile to an already long day. Instead I got something called an Apple Ugly, which I ate on the spot, and a tube of oreo cookies that I packed out for dessert later. I emptied all my trash, filled my water bottles, and hit the trail again. Except after I shouldered my pack, a guy walks up and wants to talk, so I let him pump me for info about the AT while I am standing with pack on and in the cold wind. I hate to be rude to someone who is enthusiastic...So I managed to do a few more miles, without getting lost going around this campground like I did the last one. One thing I have noticed is that obvious camping spots just don't exist in this park. I am talking about spots where others have camped for years that you can see from the trail that are not at the huts (that's what they call shelters here). Camping is allowed, as long as you obey the minimum distance from the trails rule, which is conveniently written on the back if the permit. Is everybody afraid of bears? I'm no longer carrying my bear bag line setup, so I am hanging everything from a line under my tarp. I'm cooking while sitting in the hammock anyway, so everything, including me, smells like tuna. If a bear comes up and swats me on the butt to see what I am, I'll probably wake up!
Date: 2014-10-17
From: stealth camp

To: Calf Mt Shelter
Miles today: 16.7

10/17/14 - day 981319.8 - Calf Mt Shelter16.7 milesI think I might be out of the National Park now - notice the shelter is back to being a shelter not a hut. There's no difference between the two except the name.But there were more great views and clear, cool weather on the way. Blackrock Mt was very impressive - see today's picture, which cannot show the almost 360 degree view from the top.The goal today was to to get close enough to do a NERO into town tomorrow to get my resupply box. I think I have less than 8 to go, and a lot of running around to do when I get there.The bad news is that I think my plantar fasciitis has returned. It started yesterday, and really hurt today. I took 3 of the prescription pills today (2 is supposed to be the limit per day). Its hurting now as I lay in the hammock. I think it was way back in Maine that I had my last PF pain. I know it takes forever to get over it once it starts.Tomorrow is another day...
Date: 2014-10-18
From: Calf Mt Shelter

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

10/18/14 - day 991327.4 - Waynesboro, VA7.6 milesA nero day into town, then picking up boxes, grocery store, laundry, drug store, cheeseburger. Exhausting! Its easier to hike all day.It felt, and looked like winter this morning - see today's picture. A lot of the leaves fell already during that 4 day storm I suffered through a few days ago. The high winds knocked green and fall leaves down.Shenandoah National Park was great. The trail was in excellent condition, and the sidehill trail (trail that contours along the steep slopes) showed a lot of hard work with rock walls and treadway work. That must have been built by the CCC? If so, that puts the lie to the standard NOBO claim that Skyline drive follows the original AT. Plus, Skyline Drive doesn't summit any mountain, and the AT is constantly going over the tops, which I'm pretty sure the original AT loved to do.So I think that claim about the old AT is just an excuse to walk the easy road. Like everything northbounders have told me - don't believe it without looking for yourself.The forest in the park was very mixed. Not much of it was really "mature". Its beautiful, but obviously all the flat or gentle slopes were farm or pasture not that many decades ago, and everything was logged or burned at some point. There's a lot of different mixes of vegetation.The trail is easy, everything is a walkup. There ate great views from the auto overlooks as well as from the traditional viewpoints on rocky cliffs and mountaintops. Provided you are not in the clouds as I was for 4 days!The diners and the restaurant make a great break from trailfood too, which is really rare on the trail. So I have to say a thru hike of the park would be a great intro to backpacking the AT.Tomorrow, back to hiking, no day off. Got a full food bag and winter gear, and headed up to 4000 feet for the first time since Maine and New Hampshire.
Date: 2014-10-19
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: stealth camp
Miles today: 14.7

10/19/14 - day 1001342.1 - stealth camp14.7 milesLate start from town. I got a ride from Trail Angel DuBose Egleston, who does shuttles around this part of Virginia. He charged me nothing to drive me up to the trail. He also agreed to mail my bounce box for me, and wouldn't take any money for that either (I did give him the postage money). So if you need a shuttle around Waynesboro, his number is in the guidebook.Saw lots of day hikers today, a Sunday, including some who were lost. The Blue Ridge Parkway parallels the trail here, but I can't help you get back to your car if you don't know at which crossing you parked!Went over Humpback Mt today - that's the picture. Trying to get in position to climb the Priest on Tuesday- its a 3000 foot climb!And today is my 100th day on the trail! So its easy to figure my average miles per day today: 1342.1 / 100 = 13.421 miles per day. Its creeping up gradually, after its low point around Hanover, NH. Every day that I do more than the average helps.
Date: 2014-10-20
From: stealth camp

To: stealth camp
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

10/20/14 - day 1011357.5 - stealth camp south of Tye River15.4 milesPerfectly set up for the Priest tomorrow. From this spot it is all up to the top, 4.3 miles away and ~3100 feet higher. Its one of the biggest climbs on the AT, but only for Southbounders, NOBOs climb more gradually. Not rugged, like Maine and New Hampshire, but a walk-up. I hope, since I have never been there.The mountains are taking on the feeling of the southern appalachians. Massive, substantial, with big trees, Mountain Laurel, Rhododendron, and plenty of flowing water. Today's picture is 3 Ridges, which is an actual wilderness area (not a fake one like in Maine, but a federally designated wilderness). The Priest is sitting in another. I left the Blue Ridge Parkway behind for a few days.And I just heard 2 shots in the woods behind my hammock. Somebody probably got a deer. I'm hiking with a blaze orange vest pinned over the top of my pack - I'll take a picture someday...
Date: 2014-10-21
From: stealth camp

To: Greasy Spring Road
Miles today: 15.0

10/21/14 - day 1021372.5 - Greasy Spring Road15.0 milesWell, it took me 3 hours to get up the Priest. It was a walkup, as I hoped, but still, you've got to do the miles and the climb. Had some nice views from the walk up, and a cliff at the top. See today's picture.The weather was in a typical winter pattern, with a cold wind blowing from the west. Whenever the trail crossed to the east side of the spur or mountain, it was sunny and calm and mild. Then the trail would go through a saddle or round the spur to the west side, and it would be shady and windy and cold. I've seen that so many times down in GA and NC.The terrain in the afternoon was very familiar. Saddles and hilltops, spurs and big reentrants, with an occasional boulder in a very open oak and hickory forest. I kept looking for an orienteering flag! It could have been Oak Mt in AL or Pine Mt in GA, except on a much larger scale.Late in the afternoon I rounded a spur and saw rain clouds out to the west, so I quickly rigged for rain. I got a few sprinkles, and then the wind picked up and the temperature dropped. So I am hunkered down in my hammock now, wondering if the first frost date for this section of Virginia is Oct 21!
Date: 2014-10-22
From: Greasy Spring Road

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: overcast clouds

10/22/14 - day 1031394.0 - Punchbowl Shelter21.5 milesNo frost this morning, but plenty of cold wind, and the trail seems to delight in staying on the cold side of the ridges.There were some nice balds this morning. Not true balds where trees can't grow, but fields maintained by the Forest Service with tractors and bush hogs. Still very beautiful - see today's picture. Couldn't stay up there long with the cold, evil wind blowing.Then there was a long downhill, which finally got me out of the brutal wind. Today seemed like the day to make some extra miles, which are not really extra, because I need them to get to Daleville before my food runs out.The Brown Mt Creek area was very interesting, with the remains of an old farming community along the creek - just chimneys and stone walls left.So it was a long day, and my foot pain is about level 3...
Date: 2014-10-23
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Marble Spring
Miles today: 18.2

10/23/14 - day 1041412.2 - Marble Spring18.2 milesWoke up to the second day of brutally cold wind, still out of the west. Unfortunately, the climbs all seemed to be on the windy, shady, cold side of the mountains.There was an excellent view from Rocky Row of the James River and the bridges far below. I found a sheltered spot in the rocks and ate a power bar (I have to keep the day's power bar in my right front pocket so it is warm enough to eat. Have you ever tried to eat a cold Power Bar?). I got phone reception and tried to call Laurie - no luck, but did make motel arrangements for Daleville on Sunday. Now I just need to get there.Then there was a long descent down to the river, where the trail crossed on the longest footbridge of the trail - very impressive. But then I had the long climb away from the river and back into the mountains. Foot pain about a 5 - one level below starting to limp.But the views from back up high were achingly beautiful. These were winter views, with most of the leaves off the trees. A photo would just show bare trees, but the human eye can look beyond the foreground branches to the mountains beyond. Late in the day, with the low sun highlighting the convoluted spurs in the mountains, repeating but slightly different, marching on and on into the distance, I just wanted to sit down and cry, it was so heart achingly beautiful. The pain in my foot didn't help any - maybe that's why I really felt so low. Today's picture is none of those things, but my pack with its orange vest on. I pin it on inside out, because the other side says, in big black letters, "DON'T SHOOT, I AM A HIKER". If I were a hunter I would be a little insulted by that, so I use it inside out.
Date: 2014-10-24
From: Marble Spring

To: Bryant ridge shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

10/24/14 - day 1051429.3 - Bryant Ridge Shelter17.1 milesEvil wind again this morning, cold and unrelenting. Most of the AM trail was right in the teeth of it.But by the time I got to the mountain with the FAA towers on it - Apple Orchard - it had slacked off considerably. That's a beautiful installation. A big dome on top, with probably a radar antenna underneath. Hopefully hikers are not irradiated too much while hiking by. I'm enough of a tech geek to see beauty in something like that, where others might be upset by the intrusion on the trail. The trail passes by cell towers, under powerlines and across buried pipelines, under and over and across everything from gravel roads to interstate highways. So technology and signs of civilization are everywhere.The foot pain was much lower today, and I had a better attitude. I always seem to get in low spirits after 5 or 6 days into a section. Today is day 6. I will get into Daleville on day 8. Today is my 16th day without a zero. No wonder my foot hurts!Plus it has been very up and down, with some steep climbs. All walkups, but you still have to get up them.The leaves are thinning out considerably at the higher elevations. Reds are very scarce here. There is a very striking range from green to yellow to gold to bronze to russet to dead brown. See todays picture.
Date: 2014-10-25
From: Bryant ridge shelter

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: clear sky

10/25/14 - day 1061450.1 - Wilson Creek Shelter20.8 milesI left the wilderness areas behind and rejoined the Blue Ridge Parkway today. Didn't I just mention the other day about all the road crossings? Well, this was a little too much. Back in Shenandoah, when Skyline Drive was parallel with the trail, there was a lot more separation. But here, the trail seems an afterthought, and sometimes the parkway is always just a few feet away and I am always looking down or up at it. The views from the overlooks were great, but overall I felt a little crowded by the proximity of the parkway.I am alone at this shelter tonight, as I have been most nights on the trail, especially lately. I checked the shelter register (a common school notebook), and it was full of Stinkbugs snuggled into the pages! They are looking for a place to get out of that evil cold wind too.Lately I have seen a great many "Walking Sticks". Usually, when I see them at home, they are still, with their lugs tucked up, looking like sticks, of course. But they must be on the move, looking for a place to escape the ECW (evil cold wind), so I see them walking down the trail. I discovered one on my pack, and I think he was looking over my shoulder as I walked, his tongue out and his ears flopping, his nose into the wind. I know I am giving the Walking Stick too much credit - after all, his head is the size of a twig, so how big could his brain be?Anyway, I only saw one other hiker today, a northbound section hiker. I haven't seen another southbounder in days.
Date: 2014-10-26
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

10/26/14 - day 1071462.3 - Daleville, VA11.2 milesI passed the 2/3 point today - only only 724 miles left to go!So I am going to take a zero tomorrow, the first one in 18 days. I will take one more before the end (at least that's the plan), probably in Hot Springs.So I climbed up and over Fullhardt Knob today (get your mind out of the gutter). The ECW (evil cold wind) was back, even though the temp was milder. Close to Daleville the trail entered a pasture, which it has done many times, but this time I looked over, and there were two huge Black Angus cows, sitting in the sun, chewing their cuds. They had seen too many hikers, and ignored me. Today's picture shows the view from the pasture, looking back at the mountain.This is a perfect trail town. I crossed a few roads, went under I-81, then came out on a road, and the motel was right there - no shuttle needed!
Date: 2014-10-27
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

10/27/14 - day 1081462.3 - Daleville, VA0 milesRepaired my tarp this morning with the special tape that HammockGear sent me. Looks as good as new. If my handiwork holds I should be dry.Walked up to the outfitters here. This town is very convenient for hikers. Got my poles repaired. I had broken one tip and bent the other long ago and been walking crooked ever since. Maybe now I can hold it in the trail.Did laundry, bought some more supplies and alcohol fuel for the stove, packed up the food Laurie sent me, and took a nap. All before lunch time. So I'm good to go to the next resupply at least. Resting the foot as much as possible and taking a break from the pills today.Today's picture was taken yesterday by a couple of day hikers I met. That's me, holding my brother Jerry's dogtags, with Fullhardt Knob in the background. Jerry passed away 6 years ago on Oct 21. As I have said before, he was always my hiking buddy, and we hiked much of the AT in GA and NC together. If things had worked out differently, he would have been out here with me. I sure could have used his moral support!I'll be back at it tomorrow, with a plan to finish the last third before I become a frozen hikersicle. There's still lots of great trail left.
Date: 2014-10-28
From: Daleville

To: Catawba Mt Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

10/28/14 - day 1091479.1 - Catawba Mt Shelter17.8 milesIt was trivial to get out of Daleville. I got my free hot breakfast at the motel at 6, walked the 100 meters up the road to the trail, and was walking by 6:30 via headlamp.That's become normal for me, walking first thing in the morning by headlamp. The days are getting shorter and I'm not getting faster to compensate, so the get in my 11-12 hours of hiking I start in the dark and finish just before dark. I usually end up eating by headlamp. That is not going to change, but get even darker as I move into Nov and Dec.Today was one of the more scenic parts of Virginia. I climbed up to a knife-edge ridge and followed it all day, with lots of up and down and minor scrambling. Excellent views in different directions, especially from Tinker Cliffs.Got to the shelter before Mcafee Knob at 4, filled my water bottles (no water at the next shelter!?!), and to the amazement of the section hikers at the shelter, started the climb up to the top.I thought there would be no one at the top to take my picture on the ledge where everybody gets their picture taken, but there were plenty of day hikers around to help. Turns out there is a short access trail on that side, and lots of people go up to look down on the night lights of Roanoke. That's me with Jerry's dogtags in the photo.The view was magnificent, what can I say? I could see the skyscrapers in Roanoke and the entire route I had so laboriously hiked to get there.But I had miles to go, etc., and got down the other side before darkness closed in.Just about everyone I saw felt they had to tell me the rain was on the way. It was a real Indian summer day, too warm for my winter hiking gear. But I know it won't last, and I will be glad of the warm clothes soon.
Date: 2014-10-29
From: Catawba Mt Shelter

To: Trout Creek
Miles today: 15.9

10/29/14 - day 1101495.0 - Trout Creek15.9 milesThe rain never really happened. Another non-event that everyone warned me about. The terrain was a little more rugged today though, withe the climb up to the Dragon's Tooth coming in early afternoon.Its a tilted rock layer, which I am sure my Geologist friend Martha could explain (where is Martha when you need her?). Anyway, its practically vertical, and does look like a big tooth (see picture). There were great views from up there too of the valley I had just crossed.The climb down was no picnic, and was another case of the trail going the hard way. It stayed right on the spine of the spur, right where the tilted rock layer was exposed. Move the trail 10 meters to either side, and I could have cruised down the spur, but instead I had to pick my way through the rocks. Oh well.Now the temp is dropping. I knew that Indian Summer day wouldn't last!
Date: 2014-10-30
From: Trout Creek

To: stealth camp
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

10/30/14 - day 1111515.0 - stealth camp20.0 milesA 12 1/2 hour day. Two big climbs - Brushy Mt and Sinking Creek Mt, and a couple of wilderness areas.Then in the afternoon I got into water trouble. Sinking Creek Mt was high and dry, a long ridge walk. The guidebook let me down when all the listed sources were bone dry. I got to the turnoff for Sarver Hollow shelter. 0.45 miles off the AT to water, steep downhill, so about a mile round trip.I could spend that energy getting water, or invest it moving forward, with hope for water later, so I kept going. Found a suspect stream in about 3 miles, and dosed it with Aqua Mira. But where to camp? Houses everywhere and cow pastures. So I had to go all the way across the valley and climb up the other side. By headlamp I found a spot just inside the woods.On the way across the valley, which was very beautiful - rolling hills, pastures, barns, houses - I heard several shots from all around. But I had my orange vest on my pack!Today's picture is my brother Jerry's dogtags on the Audie Murphy memorial on top of Brushy Mt. He was the most decorated vet in WWII, and died in a plane crash on the mountain. Many people had left little mementoes of their own service.
Date: 2014-10-31
From: stealth camp

To: spring stealth camp
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: broken clouds

10/31/14 - day 1121531.0 - spring stealth camp16.0 milesAnother rough day with 2 big climbs, one that took me over 4000 feet. Which is where it started raining, a cold drizzle that is still dripping as I type this. At one point I hoped I could make some miles before it got too wet, but there was a lot of stony ground covered with deep, wet leaves, so I was stumbling most of the day.This is the kind of winter rain that I hate. But I still have winter clothes that I haven't worn yet, so I guess its not all that cold. We'll see what tomorrow is like - its supposed to rain all day.Today's picture is a rock troll in honor of Halloween. Someone with a sense of humor arranged some rocks below a big boulder so they look like teeth. One of the little subtle surprises of the trail!
Date: 2014-11-01
From: spring stealth camp

To: spring stealth site
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light snow

11/1/14 - day 1131545.6 - spring stealth site14.6 milesI heard the rain stop about midnight, but I had to get up and water a bush about 2 AM. I discovered why I couldn't hear the rain anymore. It was snowing! Trick or treat! Its not supposed to snow at Halloween...So there was a couple of inches when I got up. I packed everything, then was taking down the tarp when I got a sudden hot flash, felt dizzy, and had to go down on my knees in the snow to keep from fainting. What was that all about? I suspect I was just dehydrated. I don't care much for this area of Virginia - long ridge walks, lots of up and down, and little water.Anyway, I got my stuff together finally, and started to feel better when I got moving. The snow was wet and heavy, and the rhodies and pines were hanging in the trail, so I was covered in wet snow. I used one of my poles like a baton to knock down the worst and clear a path.It was pretty though, see the picture. At the 4000 foot level it was about 3", less lower down. But I pushed on, mainly because I needed to get to water and I wanted to get within 10 miles of Pearsiburg.Then the evil cold wind picked up, and the temperature started to drop. I finally stopped at the first water, a little spring that was just a puddle I had to dip from. I was determined to get hydrated.I set up below the ridge line, hoping to stay out of the wind - didn't work. But I was proud of that 14.6 miles in the wet snow, especially considering my shaky start.And today was the first day I saw no one.