morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-03-18
From: VA 16, Mt. Rogers Visitor Center

To: Crawfish Trail Campsite MP 552.0
Miles today: 18.3

I slept well st the Travel Inn last nite. Got to facetime with Eric and the girls this AM, always a good way to start the day.  Got picked up at 8 by Jim Sparks, who shuttled me back over to the AT at the Mt. Rogers visitor center. Jim is 72, and he and his wife have lived in the Marion area for over 40 years. A very nice guy, I much appreciated the lift. My pack I think is the heaviest it has been so far, no scale to weigh it but my guess is 33 lbs with food/water. I am carrying 6 days worth of food, could easily make it last for 8-9 days if I had to. I tried to organize my food bag a little better this time, having taken lessons from Night Train. He was very organized and had a ziplock bag of food for each day. I have my food organized differently, which is still an improvement as before I just tossed all my food in the bag.It was an absolutely beautiful day today, sunny and very pleasant temps. There were a few small, isolated patches of snow still on the trail, but otherwise the trail was dry. I was in a tee shirt and shorts for the afternoon. The trail was once again in great shape, and no major climbs. Towards the end of the day the trail had a series of ups/downs one right after the other. Kind of like a roller coaster. No major hills, just one after the other. AT thru hikers affectionately refer to these as PUDs (pointless ups and downs). I hiked alone all day, just enjoying the trail. Had a nice leisurely lunch around 11:30, cooked myself up some Ramen and tuna. I also stopped at the 1894 Lindamood School, which was open so I could go in. An old fashioned 1 room schoolhouse just like you see on tv. Where the trail crossed under I81 I also stopped at a minimart and treated myself to a pint of Hershey¢s butter pecan ice cream and a drink, enjoying them while sitting on the grass in the sunshine. Life is good. The only people I saw on the trail today were a couple with their adopted son, who is from China and has been here in the US now for 3 years. They were out for a Sunday afternoon walk on the trail. The boy, who looked to be maybe 9 or 10, wanted to know if he could ask me a question. Of course I said yes, and he asked me if I knew about Jesus. His question surprised me a bit, but I was able to answer affirmatively which seemed to satisfy him. I am camped here by myself in a camping spot near a stream. I even found a good tree from which to hang my bear bag. From what I understand bears go into a state of semi-hibernation here in this area for the winter, but around this time of year is when they start becoming active again. Hanging a good bear bag can be a challenge, as inevitably there never seems to be a good tree/branch near shelters and campsites. I hang my bag PCT style which presents more options in terms of a suitable tree, but nevertheless it can still be a challenge. I have no cell coverage tonite, so was unable to check in with Kayanne. I have Verizon which generally provides the best coverage along the AT, but lately cell service has been sporadic at best. I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite. Goodnite!
Date: 2018-03-19
From: Crawfish Trail Campsite

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: clear sky

Overall another nice day on the trail, no rain and partial sunshine. I enjoyed quite a spectacular sunrise this AM while up on a ridge. Most of the climbing was towards the end of the day, approximately 2,000 ft. up to Chestnut Knob Shelter, Elev. 4409. This is a fully enclosed shelter with a door on it, used to be a fire warden¢s cabin that has been converted to a shelter. As of 7 pm I am the only one here. Great view to the north to Burke¢s Garden, an 8 mile by 4 mile limestone sinkhole. Quite spectacular to see really. Tomorrow I will be hiking along the rim of this sinkhole for about 8 miles. I have not investigated the water, which is 0.2 miles from here. Comments on Guthook indicate there may not be much flow, but I¢m OK with water. I filled all 3 of my water bottles at a spring on the climb up, I have plenty of water for tonite and tomorrow AM. The only person I encountered on the trail today was The Ghost, he was sitting in Knot Maul Shelter when I arrived there at about 11:30. Apparently he was carrying a container of permithrein (sp, an insect repellent) that leaked in his pack during the nite and got on some of his gear, so he was drying everything out. The rest of the gang that had also spent the nite at that shelter (Capt. Blackbeard, Mainer, Sour Patch & T500) had left in the AM. The Ghost got on the trail just a few minutes after I left that shelter, and he blew by me. It was his intent to catch the group by the end of the day, and as fast as he hikes he¢ll probably do it.On thing very curious happened this afternoon just as I was starting my climb up to Chestnut Knob. First I found a perfectly fine and unopened granola bar laying on the trail, then about 50¢ later an unopened snack pack of crackers with peanut butter. I naturally picked them up and ate them later that afternoon, but I wonder....could these snacks be a sign of some kind, that someone is watching out for me and that I absolutely need to finish this AT thru hike???? Hmmm...Thinking of my family and friends a lot while hiking. Missing them. I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite. Goodnite!
Date: 2018-03-20
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Man, it came down in buckets a couple of times last nite at Chestnut Knob Shelter and the wind was howling. That shelter sits on an exposed hill, no tree cover. Let me tell you, was I glad I was in the shelter and not outside in my tent. The shelter was nice and solid, new metal roof and no leaks that I could see. It sure was noisy though when those storms came through, but thanks to my earplugs I was able to get a decent nites sleep. Got a little bit of a later start (6:45 AM) than I would have liked for two reasons:  i) the fog/mist was so thick, I was mildly concerned with finding my way along the trail before daylight; and ii) it was raining very heavily at 6, and I could see from the radar that this heavy band of showers would soon be past me. It was worth waiting. As it was it turned out to be a dreary, miserable day. Thick mist and a cold intermittent rain. I am glad to be in a shelter again tonite. Once again I am the only one here. I saw not a single person all day today. Where is everybody?  I know there¢s a group of 5 (Capt. Blackbeard et. al. ) about a day ahead of me, and there¢s several folks behind me. Of course the really big hiker bubble started maybe 2 weeks ago and will continue thru mid April, but those folks that started in March are quite a ways behind. I really do miss the rest of the Four Horsemen right now.  Capt. Blackbeard is about a day ahead of me and is doing big miles.  Jeep is a few days behind me.  Night Train is back home getting ready to start PT on his knee.All in all a pretty uneventful day, although I did carry a bag of wood shavings back to the moldering privy at Jenkins Shelter. That is the least I can do. I am not looking forward to putting on my cold wet boots and other wet items of clothing in the morning. Last forecast I saw was it is supposed to get cold overnite, oh well. The best remedy in the AM is to get dressed and pack up quickly, then get moving and keep moving. I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-03-22
From: VA 606

To: Sugar Run Road
Miles today: 15.2

Last nite staying at the hostel was section hiker Scratch and his wife and daughter who were visiting him on the trail. To make a long story short, last nite Scratch got his vehicle stuck in a ditch about 200 yds. from the hostel. Been there, done that, I can relate. It is no small wonder he slid off the road, Woods Hole is very remote on a long and curvy gravel road that is not plowed, and it was snow covered and icy yesterday. The first task of the day was to get him unstuck, which we thankfully accomplished in short order. Neville then shuttled me back to VA 606, where I continued my northbound hike. I did carry my full pack, thus I am so far at least sticking to my guns of avoiding a slackpack. Overall it was a pretty decent day today, still a fair amount of snow on the trail but the sun did come out in the afternoon and there were some views from on high of Wilburn Valley. The high up high I¢m guessing was maybe 32 degrees, and the wind wasn¢t bad. Again I did not see anyone on the trail today. One thing that I did have to contend with was the low hanging mountain laurel branches (see photo). Many sections of the AT here in the south are lined with these bushes and they form a canopy if you will over the trail (hence the reason that the AT is sometimes referred to as the green tunnel). Well with freezing rain of two days ago, followed by a fairly significant snowfall, the branches of these bushes were really bent down forming an obstruction that you couldn¢t get around. Your choices were to plow through if able, or on occasion crawl under. I did manage to head butt quite severely one of the thicker branches, to the point that I was seeing stars. Ouch, that hurt, I niw have quite a lump on my noggin. I thought to myself if I knock myself out I might be laying on the ground in the snow for awhile. PAY ATTENTION DUMMY I told myself. If the other 3 horsemen would have been there to witness my head butting incident they would have been laughing it up pretty good. I can hear them now:  ¢...Hey Opa, when the branches are as thick as your arm don¢t try to ram through...Hey Opa, you¢ve already demonstrated that you are a hard headed German, no need for a further demonstration...Hey Opa, maybe you should start wearing a hard hat on the trail...¢.  I do miss those guys!When I arrived back at Woods Hole late this afternoon, lo and behold the gang was there taking a Nero:  Capt. Blackbeard, The Ghost, T5000, Sour Patch, Mainer. Also here is a flip flopper, Juice Box. Good to see all these young folks together, they are a good group and seem to get along very well. My plan for tomorrow is to do a Nero into Pearisburg, about 11 miles from here. I have a maildrop waiting for me there thanks to my loyal trail angel Kayanne back home!I am safe, warm and dry in the hostel tonite.  Goodnite.
Date: 2018-03-23
From: Sugar Run Road

To: Narrows Road Parking Area Outside Pearisburg
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light snow

Left Woods Hole Hostel at 5:45 AM, hiked a half mile down the gravel road to the AT and was on the trail hiking at 6. It was chilly (water bottles started to ice up) until the sun came out, then it turned into a nice day. I arrived at the Narrows Rd. Parking area exactly at noon, and was shuttled over (I had previously called from Angel¢s Rest up on the mountain) to the Angel¢s Rest Hiker Haven hostel by Handy who manages the place. He showed me around when we arrived, it seems like a great hostel. Well organized, clean and all the hiker essentials (heat, bunks, showers, laundry, gathering room, kitchen facilities, etc.). Handy is an AT thru hiker, he knows what hikers need, and has been extremely helpful since I¢ve been here. I like the place. As far as today¢s hiking was concerned, at the lower elevations there wasn¢t much snow. However I had spent much of the morning hiking along a wide ridge that was between 3,000 and 4,000 feet. Lots of snow up top, including some drifts that were up to my knees. I had to trailbreak much of the way along the ridge, postholing through the crusted over snow with every step. That really slowed me down, and it was tiring. In addition in some cases it was difficult to tell where the trail went, I had to rely on Guthook¢s GPS a couple of times. Once again I didn¢t see a soul on the trail. Another winter storm is being forecast for the area, with significant amounts up top. For tomorrow the forecast for up high is rain first, then sleet and freezing rain, then snow. Staying here at the hostel are thru hikers La Copa, Bolt and Tuna, nice guys and strong hikers that I had run into before. This AM they were heading north from I believe Rice Field Shelter. They said the conditions were the worst they had seen on the trail, with deep snow and drifts up to their waist. After about a mile they elected to call Handy for a shuttle back to the hostel, and will be taking a Zero tomorrow - and maybe longer depending on what the weather does. It sounds to me like they made a good call. We need a break from all this winter weather, and need some of the snow to melt. My plans for tomorrow were originally to have Handy shuttle me to a point near Rice Field Shelter and then hike back southbound approximately 20 miles to the hostel. We were going to leave early 5:15 AM with about a 20 minute drive to the trailhead so that I¢d be able to hike the ridge line and beat the worst of the weather.  However after following the steadily worsening weather forecast (Urma) I¢ve decided at the last minute to cancel and will be spending a Zero here tomorrow, maybe even on Sunday. This afternoon I walked to the nearby plaza to get something to eat and ran into Capt. Blackbeard, The Ghost, T5000 & Sour Patch. They, along with Mainer, hiked here later this AM from Woods Hole and all five of them are crammed into a single motel room to save some bucks. We ate together at an AYCE Chinese restaurant. They plan on taking a Zero tomorrow.  I am safe, warm and dry in the hostel bunkhouse tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-03-25
From: VA 100, Mile 636.5

To: Stealth Campsite Mile 645.2
Miles today: 8.7

After looking outside and checking the radar, I decided to hit the trail today. The snow had stopped and the radar looked good. I expected to hit heavier snowcover up top, but I needed to get moving even if it was only for a few trail miles. After breakfast I hoofed it over the 1.7 miles to Holy Family Church to attend the 8:30 Mass. When I got there the parking lot was empty, the doors were locked and there was agentleman just finishing shoveling the sidewalk. He made a call and informed me that mass was canceled due to the weather. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Pearisburg did receive some wet snow overnite and there were isolated power outages (including a brief outage at the hostel), but the roads were plowed on my walk over. The weather in my opinion certainly didn¢t merit cancelling mass - on Palm Sunday no less. Oh well, I tried.  The gentleman that had been shoveling gave me a ride back to the hostel, I made myself a sandwich for a quick and early lunch, packed up and headed out. I said my goodbyes to La Copa, Bolt and Tuna, as well as to Handy (the hostel manager). Overall I really enjoyed my two nite stay at Angel¢s Rest Hiker Haven, and would recommend it. Handy is a great guy,  being a hiker he knows what we want in a hostel, and he made me feel very welcome. I had a 1.7 mile road walk from the hostel back to the trailhead at VA 100. I tried hitchhiking, but no luck. I was finally back on the trail. After about 3 miles the gang passed me (Capt. Blackbeard, The Ghost, Sour Patch, T5000 and Mainer). Trail breaking wasn¢t too bad up to that point,  but the snow was steadily getting deeper as we gained elevation. I was more than happy to let the young gang take over trailbreaking duties. About 2:30 we reached Rice Field Shelter, 6.7 miles into the hike. The gang elected to stop there for the nite, but being there was still plenty of daylight left I elected to push on a couple more miles and stealth camp.  Let me tell you it was very slow going as at this point I was on the ridgeline and the snow was deep. Staying on trail was also a challenge, and several times I had to rely on the Guthook GPS feature to keep me on trail. I found a good spot to camp, setup camp quickly, made dinner and hung my bear bag. I am now in my sleeping bag for the nite. Tomorrow I¢m not going to proceed with my customary early start in view of the deep snow and difficulties with staying on trail; rather I will wait for daylight before heading out. Aside from all the snow, it was a pleasant, sunny day today. I hope it continues. I didn¢t pound out a lot of miles today, but am OK with that as it was slow going. I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-03-26
From: Stealth Campsite

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a chilly morning, took me about 20 minutes to thaw my boots out enough so that I could get them on. I got a later start than normal, not because I needed the sleep but because I wanted full daylight to follow the trail. The trail was unbroken and the snow was deep, so it was difficult to follow. White blazes were also pretty far apart in spots. It took me 3 hours to go 3 miles. Every step I took was a posthole; sometimes only a few inches deep, sometimes up to mid-calf. Very exhausting.  The snow had a crust on top as well that I punched thru, which made it even worse. The gang (Capt. Blackbeard, The Ghost, T5000, Sour Patch and Mainer) caught me somewhere around 11 and took over trailbreaking for me, which was a huge relief. Once we dropped down off the ridge to a lower elevation the snow depth got progressively less. The way the day started I figured I¢d be doing well with an 8 mile day. It took all day, but I am pleased with the 14.5 miles. However my butt was dragging by the time I got to the shelter. There are 6 of us at the shelter tonite, me plus the gang.  I did manage to smash my head into a branch again. It happened at a stream where I was getting water, and this time I drew blood. The Capt. was there to witness it. I tell ya, if I was any clumsier they¢d have to put me in a straightjacket.In going forward tomorrow it appears that the trail is broken out with a few footsteps anyway, that is good news. Hopefully the warming trend that has been forecast will also pan out - it will be good to get rid of this snow so that we can all pound out some miles. Everyone kept telling me the ¢....once you hit Virginia it gets easy and you¢ll really be able to rack up big daily miles...¢. HaHa, I haven¢t seen it yet!I¢m safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-03-27
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

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

I am certainly glad that I wasn¢t in my tent last nite, as it must have rained/sleeted overnite and froze judging by the coating of ice that was on the trees this morning. It would have been a real joy packing up my tent in that mess. I knew it got down below freezing overnite, as my boots were once again frozen when I went to put them on this AM. I did get rained on for the first hour of my hike, but then it stopped. It remained overcast all day till about 5 PM when the sun finally made an appearance. The trail itself wasn¢t that bad. The snow was still deep in spots, but it had been broken out. I believe the tracks we were following were those made by AT thru hikers La Copa, Bolt and Tuna. The back roads must have finally been clear to the point where they were able to get a shuttle ride back to the trailhead from where they got off a couple days ago. Having a broken out trail certainly made things easier for those that followed. From my perspective, and taking into account the weather and trail conditions, Virginia has been the toughest state I¢ve hiked in so far - and I¢ve only covered about 200 miles in Virginia so far, with still over 300 to go. Those 300 miles could be a flatlander turkey walk, and I¢d still say Virginia has been the toughest. Tougher than Georgia. Tougher than North Carolina. Tougher than Tennessee. And folks always say that once you hit Virginia you¢ll really be able to pound out long miles. Ha!  I¢m not buying it. The Virginia weather and deep snow put it over the top. Today I only did 14.6 miles, and in view of the trail conditions I¢m very happy with 14.6 miles. Things did start to warm up this afternoon, so I am optimistic that trail conditions will quickly start to improve. It¢s supposed to reach the 60s tomorrow, which will really help to knock down this snow. I passed by a flip-flop thru hiker headed southbound by the name of Crockett, and a section hiker that goes by Nameless. I was also passed by a gal that flew by me. She was not interested in conversation, as she seemed on a mission. I later found out that she was a former hiking record holder of some kind, and that she is in training. Tonite I¢m in a shelter with section hiker Brant and his dog Garvey. Brant is hiking back yo Damascas, as he works for one of the outfitters in that town. The gang of young ¢ens went on ahead another 6 miles to the next shelter. Ah, to be young again, HaHa. Cell phone coverage is really spotty the past couple days. No service in the last couple shelters, meaning I¢ll try to post this tomorrow from up on a ridge. I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite, looking forward to tomorrow and improved trail conditions.
Date: 2018-03-28
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickel Branch Shelter
Miles today: 22.5

Last nite we heard the howl of what sounded like several coyotes. And tonite as I lay in my tent I hear cows mooing as I am apparently camped not too far away from a fenced meadow. It¢s all good. This morning, for the first time in several days, my boots weren¢t frozen. Sure they were still soaked from the wet snow we hiked through most of yesterday, but I¢ll take wet boots over frozen boots any day. Today¢s hike took me past the Keffer Oak. With a trunk that¢s 18¢ in circumference, it is the second largest oak on the AT (the largest being in NY). Wow!  Today¢s hike also took me past the Audie Murphy Monument. According to the plaque at the monument, Mr. Murphy was the most decorated soldier of World War II. I also passed by a sign on a ridge that read ¢Continental Divide¢.  Rainwater on one side of the ridge ends up in the Gulf of Mexico, and on the other side in the Atlantic Ocean. There were also long sections of ridge hiking today along cliffs that afforded great views - reminded me of some of the trails that I¢ve hiked in the northeast. I also enjoyed a nice leisurely hot lunch at Nidday Shelter.  All in all it was a great day of hiking. Temperatures got up into the 60s, which really knocked down the snow. For the most part the trail was clear of snow. In the afternoon I was in a tee shirt and shorts. It felt great!I saw a few more people on the trail, a couple of section hikers and a dayhiker. Here tonite at Pickle Branch Shelter there are 3 section hikers camped out in tents, and the gang of 5 young ¢ens that I¢ve been hanging with are staying in the shelter. A little rain tonite as I lay in my tent. Not sure what the forecast looks like for tomorrow as once again there is no cell service here at this shelter. I am looking forward to tomorrow as my brother John will be picking me up where the AT crosses VA 311 just outside Roanoke. A relatively short 13 mile hike from where I¢m camped tonite. John has reserved a motel room for 3 nites so I¢ll be taking a few days off from the trail, which is great - I can use some down time, and I¢m looking forward to spending some time with my brother. John lives in Winston-Salem, NC which is a long ways from Rochester, NY so we don¢t get to see much of each other these days. I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite. Goodnite.