morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-11-06
From: Dicks Dome Shelter, VA - 970 miles from Springer

To: Front Royal, VA (Scottish Inn) 1218 miles
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we are ¢blue blazing¢ in to the Linden Post Office then back out to the trail. So we will be ¢blue blazers¢ today. This is generally a derogatory term for people who set out to avoid parts of the trail by taking an alternative easier and/or shorter route. We¢ve got a mail drop at the Post Office. What makes us blue blazers is that we are not returning to the exact point on the trail where we left it. There is a tension between perfectionists and people who are simply practical. And then, there are the ¢yellow blazers¢ which, as I understand, involves driving or hitchhiking etc ______! You¢d be surprised at how many people we¢ve met who actively try to avoid the trail. Why are they here? Maybe to be able to say they¢ve done it? But who cares? For us, if we say we thru-hiked the AT, people at home will say what/where is that?Later - We have now arrived in Front Royal, having hitchhiked in. Dave rang the Scottish Inn from the top of a hill (on our new mobile phone) and had a hopeless miscommunication with the non¢English-speaking proprietors who turned out to be a lovely, friendly couple from India. So we didn¢t know if we had successfully booked a room or not until we arrived. With the help of their daughter we got our room and it turned out to be one of the best motels we¢ve had. Roomy, 2 queen-sized beds, clean, fridge, microwave, large TV, very reasonably priced and centrally located. I'd highly recommend it! I forgot to mention that we had a present waiting for us at the Linden Post Office. Someone we met on the trail, Sasquatch is his trail name, had sent us a care-package with green tea, coconut flakes, vegetable snacks, and other goodies. We must have complained about not being able to get these things. He had emailed to say he was sending something but we certainly didn¢t expect anything as generous as we received. Chris, thanks very much, and may you never get another blister!Sasquatch (Chris Everett) also has a journal. You can read his at http://www.trailjournals.com/Sasquatch/
Date: 2007-11-07
From: Front Royal, VA (Scottish Inn)

To: Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Hut (SNP), VA
Miles today: 18.3

Today is our introduction, long awaited, to Shenandoah National Park (SNP). No hunting is allowed here so we are fairly certain we will not be shot. Apparently the animals feel the same way as they are supposed to be unafraid, relatively speaking, of people. It was a hard day due to a long climb of about 900 metres with heavy packs, since we decided to forgo re-supply problems for 5 days. During the season (summer and fall, up to about a week ago) you can buy food from businesses along Skyline Drive (road running along the top) but we are too late and they are all shut. It is the coldest day we have had so far and will be a very cold night. We are holed up on the porch of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Hut, about 18 miles into the park. There is a spring here and no shelter anywhere near. This was going to be our most difficult night because of no shelters or camping anywhere convenient. Worry about water supply is a big issue, also this is proving to be the coldest night so far just to add to the problems. So far so good, however, we are warm and comfy, in fact a bit too warm. The wind has died away and it is time to clean my teeth and get out my book!
Date: 2007-11-08
From: Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Hut (SNP), VA

To: Skyland, SNP
Miles today: 18.9

The temperature was 0o C when we woke up in the morning. We are not carrying all the gear that we have available in anticipation of the cold weather, but what we have more than met the challenge last night. Both of us are carrying a little stock of hand-warmers ¢ the kind you use on the ski field. They produce heat for about 8 hours and are like a tiny hot water bottle in our sleeping bag or pocket. I used one last night and was toasty warm. You can shut them down by putting them into a plastic bag, so mine was still good in the morning when we were getting up - always the worst time. This is our first taste of winter.We got away at 6:45am aiming for Rock Spring Hut. In the first 12 hour we saw 4 bears. There was a female with two cubs running off through the woods, then a much larger one on the trail just looking at us. After a bit of a standoff, he lumbered off. Other than a few deer and a couple of mice that was it for the day. Maybe bears are early risers too!The trail consisted of a lot of ups and downs and by the time we got to Thornton Gap it was clear we were not going to get to Rock Spring Hut. We implemented Plan B and stopped at Skyland instead. Skyland is a huge complex with nearly 200 rooms, not to mention cabins and a conference hall, restaurant etc. It seemed like a good alternative to a 3-sided shelter! So we had a warm cabin and good meal. Climbing today was 1650 metres (1408m down). Apparently a lot of hikers blue blaze along Skyline Drive to avoid the ups and downs along here. This would be a good option if all you wanted to do was get from point A to B in the shortest possible time. We met a young woman at Thornton Gap who said she was going to yellow-blaze (hitchhike) to Skyland because she was too cold to go on. She had lost large amounts of weight, she said, but was too cold now, so she was going to Skyland for a good meal!The trail is very attractive, and more so because a lot of the rock has been moved off the trail to form a pretty good path. Because the trees have lost a lot of leaves and there is no understory in most places, we can see out over both valleys on either side of the ridge most of the time. The road, on the other hand, is a truly sterile place and would be an unattractive option, despite being relatively flat going.Skyland in the SpringView from Skyland room photo by StumpknockerSNP bears, internet photo!
Date: 2007-11-09
From: Skyland, SNP

To: Bearfence Mtn Hut, VA
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light snow

It was a tricky beginning to the day as the leaves were deep and there had been a dusting of snow during the night. I found that combination difficult wherever there were hidden rocks. After a couple of near misses, we decided to give the road a go. That lasted all of a mile as we both agreed the road walk was not an option. So back to the trail and strangely, it was much better the second time around. Climbing today was 839m (962m down).We made good time to Big Meadow campground where we had a second breakfast at their caf© and bought more snacks in their surprisingly well-stocked store. Then a few more hours brought us to Bearfence Mtn Hut. It snowed quite heavily after we arrived and at 3:00 pm the temperature was 3oC (37oF). Then it steadily "warmed" up till now, at 7:00 pm, it is 5oC (41oF)! Two other people have showed up so there are 4 in the shelter. They have recently been to New Zealand so we all extolled the virtues of the New Zealand hut system which they thought was wonderful. Apparently the AT trail powers-that-be felt there was a need for rusticism, there being a lack of it in the average person¢s life. There is also more of a connection with the environment if the shelter is open-sided. And they are good if the weather is fine. They are therefore aimed at being rustic and a reminder of the hardships endured by the pioneers. Actually we think the pioneers probably did a lot better for themselves. They would have had 4 walls and a door and would have designed their houses to keep out the elements. No animals today. Even the deer laid low, and I expect the bears, smart animals that they are, stayed in their dens. Only the dumb humans were around.
Date: 2007-11-10
From: Bearfence Mtn Hut, VA

To: Zero Day (Keep warm & dry day)
Miles today: 0.0

We are becalmed today in Bearfence Mtn Hut with about 6 inches of snow around us and a picture postcard view of snow laden trees out in front. We can¢t think of a good reason to venture out and risk wet boots and cold feet when it is 7 days since our last day off. We are due a zero, although we would not have taken it until Waynesboro. The two others who were here have gone on towards Big Meadow and then to Rock Spring Shelter ¢ at least that was their plan on leaving here. I have my doubts since both were wearing shoes, not boots, and they were already wet from yesterday. However they were very experienced hikers, unlike so many we have met, and without doubt knew what they were doing. They said the foot-warmers, like the hand-warmers, work very well, so I will be looking for some at the outfitters in Waynesboro. I¢d planned to anyway, but had reservations about their effectiveness. If they work, what a boon they will be. We have been following, and catching up slowly to, Canvas Pack. He is from the UK and is, we think, section-hiking. I wonder if he is making any progress today. Yesterday we were one day behind according to 3 northbound hikers we met. You often know who is in front by looking in the shelter registers and talking to people but you do not know who is behind. The trail community is a funny thing. You can feel quite isolated but in fact are part of a long procession going both ways. I wonder if the procession has come to a complete halt today. It usually does on wet days, so I suspect it does when there is snow on the ground too. If there is too much of this, it is clear to us that we will not make the end of the trail in the Immigration Service timeframe. Dave says I am rambling due to having too much time on my hands, so it¢s back to the book for now. Lucky we have lots of food.Later -We now have even more food. A man and his son showed up and gave us a small amount of food, then a couple arrived to stay the night and since they had their car just up on the road they gave us some food they¢d had left over from car camping. So we didn¢t have to stretch our rations at all!It dropped down to 2oC (35oF) during the night, but again the gear was up to the challenge and neither of us was cold.
Date: 2007-11-11
From: Bearfence Mtn Hut, VA

To: Pinefield Hut, VA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We got away very promptly at 6:30 wondering what the trail would be like underfoot. However it was pretty good and my boots actually kept my feet warm. Thanks to God and Cabela¢s for great, comfortable, well insulated boots! It¢s about time I had good luck with footwear. There was a reasonable amount of snow on the trail and it was crusty and a bit slippery but we soon ran out of it as it seemed to be fairly localized. Dave tried out his Yak Tracs and was really happy with them. They work well on rocks and logs as well as on ice. The trail is now stony rather than rocky with just the odd rock to trip us up. It was very fast going and we covered 20.6 miles in 8 hours with 1400 metres of climbing (1623m down). I couldn¢t believe we¢d done that amount of climbing! And I¢m not particularly tired tonight either! Temps are back up at around 14C.Hightop SpringWe are at Pinefield Hut (they aren¢t called ¢shelters¢ here but are still 3-sided) and have just realized it is raining very lightly. We had a great dinner thanks to Chris (Sasquatch) whose mushrooms and dried vegetable added flavor and interest to a pasta and tuna dinner. Dave seems to have pulled a muscle in his back so I rubbed it a bit for him, but he is still complaining. Both of us have tired backs, in fact a few worn bits that make us think we will sit around for a while after finishing the trail (if we do).As we were coming up the last hill a couple above us were photographing something which turned out to be a very bold deer fawn standing just to one side of the trail. It did not move as we all went past within 6 feet of it. I wonder where Mother was. The two told us they¢d just seen a bear, but by the time we got there it had gone.Bailing waterThe water source at this shelter is a slowly refilling shallow puddle and we are lucky to have it to ourselves. I do not have a book to read but someone thoughtfully left an ¢OK¢ magazine here (resembles Woman¢s Day), so I now know all the latest on people like Britney and Brad and Jen, etc, etc, and a whole slew of others I¢ve never heard of. Absolutely riveting stuff! ¢How she stays thin¢ - this I¢ve got to know, maybe I'll get a few hints.
Date: 2007-11-12
From: Pinefield Hut, VA

To: Blackrock Hut, VA
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

We could go only 13 miles today to Blackrock Hut as there is nowhere to camp (with water) between here and Calf Mountain Shelter, which is too far away. So we made the most of a short day and spent some time planning the next 2 weeks. Also we aired our sleeping bags and some other gear and generally sorted out stuff out. It was an easy day with 868 metres of climbing (802m down)in temperatures of 6-21o C, perfect for hiking. Blackrock Mountain is spectacular with a river of huge rocks tumbling down its side. There were 2 men sitting on the top admiring the views, and they said we were lucky not to have rattlesnakes and copperheads amongst the rocks. It is too cool for them now, but you would not want to be on the rocks in summer. The views were pretty good but noticeably better out west than towards the east. All along the way we saw viewpoints out each side. Eastward views were so hazy as to be nonexistent, while westwards you could see houses and farms in the valley. The trail is rock-free mostly and an easy gradient.Looking east from Loft MtnBlackrock Hut is in a pleasant spot with piped water down in the dry stream bed in front of it. Blackrock shelter water supplyWe have been watching deer in the trees just across the stream, but no bear. Tomorrow is our last day in Shenandoah National Park and it would be nice to see more bears before we leave. We met 2 men today who live locally and one said he¢d never seen a bear here. We think he probably doesn¢t come here much. There are, however, plenty around the local town where he lives as they are attracted by the rubbish bins. Justin Gates Photo of the tumbling rocks!!
Date: 2007-11-13
From: Blackrock Hut, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

No bears today. They must all be in Waynesboro and Elkton stalking rubbish bins. We hiked 20 miles today and climbed 1340 metres (1561m down) in 7-14 degrees C. We stopped for lunch at Calf Mountain Shelter along with a deer which grazed peacefully a few yards away. After Calf Mtn, the trail changed from an easy grade relatively rock-free path to fairly rocky, steepish and rougher. This must be the fag end of Shenandoah National Park. There are no viewpoints to attract the motorized clientele, so it looks as if not much work has been put into the trail. So the last 7 miles were harder and took longer than we had expected. However, we arrived at Rockfish Gap at 3:30. There is an information centre there and the very helpful people on duty rang around the local trail angels till they found someone who could pick us up, thus we got a lift into town. Time spent in town is desperately (it seems) busy, so got to go and do chores! SNP Hiker Info Sign
Date: 2007-11-14
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Paul Wolfe Shelter, VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We left Waynesboro at 1:00 pm after a frantically busy evening and morning trying to get all the chores done. Being in town is hard work! The Quality Inn was an excellent place to stay, cheap, central and breakfast thrown in. Also, we had a very large room with microwave and fridge. We are now at Paul Wolfe Shelter after about 5 miles of easy (but small ups and downs) hiking which seemed much shorter than that. In fact the mileage seemed wrong to us. Either that or we¢ve suddenly got a lot faster because we arrived far too soon. It is a lovely spot and the shelter itself a vastly superior model to the norm. Even Dave was impressed at the quality of construction. It has a deck with picnic table, and all is covered so you can be pretty sure it would keep you dry in a storm. It even has a couple of windows so you don¢t have to read by torchlight until nightfall. We are enjoying our evening here.Looking out from Paul Wolfe shelterPosted before the actual update:Email received from Weka. They are in Waynesboro, VA. That means they have been enjoying the beautiful Shenandoah National Park and hopefully seeing lots of animals. Many of them are protected and therefore become tame. Here's a cute photo of a fawn taken by Hungus this summer. Everyone say aawwwwww . . . . Then Hungus also saw this huge bear . . . yikes!!! But no, they are also tame and tend to ignore hikers . . . They'll be crossing the Pkway several times (a good way to be able to leave their trash in the trash cans). Below is a very colorful photo taken along the Parkway, internet photo, beautiful!I 'm hoping to receive their next journal entries by tomorrow or Saturday at the latest, so stay tuned for more updates. I'm curious to know if they have seen many animals including deer. The following photo is so pretty, can't you just feel the warmth of the sun shinning on his back?!
Date: 2007-11-15
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter, VA

To:  Maupin Field Shelter, VA
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: few clouds

I am writing this in Maupin Field Shelter where we arrived at about 2:00 pm after 16 miles of pretty rough and rocky travel and 1300 metres of climbing (981m down). For some reason it was a hard day for both of us, even though we weren¢t all that slow. Some days just seem hard, and today we had a pretty strong wind, especially on top of Humpback Mountain where it made a lot of noise in the tree tops. Then there was a 4 mile stretch along the windward side of the ridge which seemed to go on and on. Shortly after we arrived here we were joined by 2 section hikers. They were thru-hikers in 2005 by the names of Jersey Judge and Acronym, though they don¢t use their trail names now. They are in filling in the gaps. It is pretty cold (4oC) and the wind is still blowing strongly. We had minor snow flurries this afternoon but nothing much, and now there¢s a moon. There is supposed to be sunny weather tomorrow! The water supply is a very slowly refilling puddle. At least we think it is refilling. A stag ran across in front of us just before we got here. I don¢t like its chances as hunting season for deer starts on 19 November. All the states have different seasons.
Date: 2007-11-16
From:  Maupin Field Shelter, VA

To: Seeley Woodworth Shelter, VA
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: few clouds

We are in Seeley Woodworth Shelter after the biggest climbing day on the whole trip so far (including Mt Washington) at 2218 metres (1882m down). The trail was pretty good and although we are tired we aren¢t exhausted. It is cold and the handwarmers are really wonderful to have. We saw 2 deer on the top of something and they were unexpectedly tame and did not run away till we got very close to them. Shooting them would be no sport at all. There are a couple of other hikers camped out behind the shelter tonight. It is the weekend so we expect to see a few people despite the cold temperatures, currently 0oC in the shelter. We covered 20 miles today and have a shorter, easier day tomorrow. Canvas Pack stayed here last night and noted in the book that Smiles is going too fast for him. I expect we will meet him pretty soon.
Date: 2007-11-17
From: Seeley Woodworth Shelter, VA

To: Brown Mountain Shelter, VA
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

Brown Mountain ShelterWe had a nocturnal visitor last night in the shape of a bear. The three men camped behind the shelter said they just sat tight and hoped it would not bother them. It prowled around their tents and they said they were hoping no food had been forgotten and left in a pocket or somewhere. We just lay in our sleeping bags while the bear huffed and whuffed out in front and (probably) investigated our ur-sacks (bear-proof food bags) which were tied to a nearby tree. Eventually I fell asleep again and I presume the bear just went away.We didn¢t get up till 6:00 a.m. this morning as it was meant to be an easier and shorter day of 16 miles. It was shorter but we climbed 944 metres (1682m down) so we are fairly tired tonight. Cold Mtn Smiles has shown up ¢ he had stopped in Buena Vista to re-supply. Canvas Pack is still ahead but, according to the book here at Brown Mountain Shelter, not far. Hunting season has just started in Virginia. We always tell hunters we meet that we¢ve seen nothing at all! We also saw 3 different groups of Boy Scouts and quite a lot of hikers just in for the day, being Saturday.
Date: 2007-11-19
To: ZERO day in Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

At risk of repeating myself, we had the best town day on the whole trail at Glasgow. Neither Wingfoot nor the Companion (hiker guides to the trail) particularly emphasize Glasgow as a place to stop and maybe that has been due to mixed reports about the Tired Feet Motel and Caf©. Well, all that has changed as of about 1 month ago. The new proprietor of the place, renamed Howard¢s Family Restaurant and Motel, has created a place perfect for hikers. She is a great cook and they do AYCE (all you can eat) buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were in hiker¢s heaven. There are 4 generations of the family involved with running the place and they treated us with great friendliness and courtesy. I suspect they have some problems of goodwill to overcome after the previous ownership because we did not see much patronage. I¢m sure that will change once the word gets out. Other reasons for stopping in Glasgow include the Dollar General, the grocery store across the road, the laundromat, library and Post Office, all right within a block or two. No, no one is paying me for this plug. We just found it really good and a contrast with some of our other town experiences. Tired Feet Restaurant and Motel before name changeColorful leaves by Sasquatch
Date: 2007-11-20
From: Glasgow, VA

To:  Cornelius Creek Shelter, VA
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: broken clouds

The helpful people at Howard¢s Family Restaurant and Motel shuttled us back to the trail at 6:30am, having expressed concern at the dangers of hitchhiking in the dark. We were lucky that it was possible for someone to get away to do this for us. We have come 20 miles and are now in Cornelius Creek Shelter. We climbed 1865m (1093m down) and it was quite a warm day (up to 20C). Except for the James River and a little stream running into it, there was no water to be found until we arrived here. Thunder Hill Shelter's water source was dry. This was a disappointment as we had planned to have lunch there. No water meant no lunch, but luckily Cornelius is only 5 more miles so we ended up having a late lunch here. There was a sign at the Thunder Hill Overlook about the amount of air pollution that causes the haze that obscures the views. It showed 3 photos of the view from the overlook, taken on different days with different levels of pollution. We had a pretty bad day but took photos anyway. We have not seen many clear days.On Apple Orchard MtnMulti-coloured trees