morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-05-23
From: Jenny's Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Day #40 On The Trail!(Check out day 39 too!)Today was a spectacular day on the trail. A new friend, 3 Hats, and I decided that we only needed to do 14 miles today, setting us up for a 6 mile waltz into the Woodshole Hostel early Tuesday morning. In my guidebook, the hostel is described as "A slice of heaven, not to be missed." Well, there's a few of us that will be there for the better part of at least a day.Anyways, the hiking today was pleasant, and we left room for two wonderful diversions. The first was a half mile trek off the trail to Trent's Store, a convenience store/cafe where I got some curly fries, mini donuts, a large tomato, and a soda. Ahh the simple things in life. And then we diverted off to the poorly named Dismal Falls, a nice cascade with a good sized swimming hole. I think there were about eight of us down there altogether enjoying a bit of sunshine, and braving the frigid waters. It was fairly glorious, and highly invigorating (a.k.a. cold).We reached camp at around four, and the rest of the day has been a slow parade of friends trickling into the site.Tomorrow we feast on the slices of heaven.Cheers blog directoryp.s. AT 2011
Date: 2011-05-24
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Woodshole Hostel
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: mist

Day #41 On The Trail!(P.S. Day 40 has a link to some AT photos on my Picasa Page)Wow. Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes today. I had such a special day, chilling, running errands, hanging with friends, and eating great food.But, it's time for:THRU-HIKER PROFILE #5!Trail Name: 3 HatsReal Name: Avery ForbesAge: 25Hometown: Fairfield, CTStart Date: 03/31Backpack: Mountainsmith MuseStove: Esbit (Solid Fuel Tab Burner)Trekking Poles y/n?: YesFavorite Trail Snack: Dried Mango SlicesShelter/Tarp/Tent/Hammock: Anything but a shelterGo To Dinner: Black Bean Soup On a TortillaLuxury Item(s): Zero Degree Sleeping Bag, and 4 Hats#1 Most Favorite Piece of Gear: iPhone ("it does everything")Favorite Moment So Far: Taking a moment alone to swim in Laurel Creek a few days agoI met 3 Hats for a brief minute just before trail days. She is a very smiley lass with a wonderful attitude. And she has three hats she carries with her (although she just procured a fourth yesterday). We've been hiking buddies for the last few days, and really been having a great time of it. But, she is going to stay an extra day in Pearisburg to regroup, and hopefully let a special friend catch up.She has been plotting her AT thru-hike since she was about 11 years old. As a girl, during summer camps in Maine, she had hiked short sections of the trail and encountered the 'professional' type thru-hikers. Inspiration struck. And now she finnally has a free window of time to do it in.3 Hats is one of the few people I've met who has a job to return to when she gets back to the real world, working for a company that designs and decorates costumes and props for TV and cinematic purposes.Mid-June she will leave the trail to go on a family rafting trip,and she plans on flip-flopping on her return, meaning that she will go to Maine and complete the trail hiking back south to where she left. I will definitely be saving a high five and a smile for her. Good luck my friend. See you on the flip-side.Cheersblog directory
Date: 2011-05-25
From: Woodshole Hostel

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: broken clouds

Day #42 On The Trail!Today marked the end of week number six on the trail. Wow. Every Wednesday is it's own little milestone, with every Thursday signalling the start of another week to be conquered. This morning while having coffee, my friend Low X and I were perousing some older AT publications, and one of them listed the statistical percentages of what happens to most thru-hikers that began the trail. These days, about 30% of hikers that start, end up finishing the whole thing, which is a vast improvement over the years. Ultralight gear is a big help. The book we were reading was from the mid-nineties when completion percentages were down in the teens at times. According to the book, injury was one of the least common reasons to drop out, and the biggest one was that people just lost the will to continue.Low X was saying that the state of Virginia has a reputation for having negative psychological effects on people, because it takes about a month to get through, and can be very tedious and monotonous. So milestones are great. Whether they be border crossings, percentage chunks completed, 100 mile points, Wednesdays, birthdays or.... anything really. Every 109 miles is aother 5% completed (which means I'm more than 1/4 of the way done!) Coming up soon, at around mile 727 is the 1/3 milestone. In a few days, there will be less than 1500 miles to go. And in a week, it will be Wednesday again. And don't forget the solstice. At this rate, I'll be in Maine in no time. Or at least in August.Cheers
Date: 2011-05-26
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Bailey's Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

Day #43 On The Trail!Oh man. The sunset last night was fairly glorious. The place where I camped afforded a nice view, and I told myself that I wanted to get up for the sunrise, but when time came for that, I was feeling a little lazy, and slept in until 7:30 or so. That's okay too.Today, the hiking was brisk. The weather is starting to trend a bit on the warm side, with highs in the 80's. Sweaty weather. I'm only two days without a shower, but probably already smell like an unkempt yeti. The current plan is to make it to Lexington, VA in the next 8 days, where I have a couchsurf lined up. I just found out that they have two movie theaters there, so let me know if there's something I should go watch.I also have way too much correspondence to catch up on. It's tough trying to stay in touch while on the trail, partly due to limited cell service, and also becaue my phone is a battery sucking monster, and I try to use it sparingly, mostly to update my journal and to check the NBA playoffs. And the days that I do find myself in town, there is so much going on and so many errands to run, that it's hard to get everything done.Case in point: on Tuesday I caught a ride into Pearisburg and had only one hour in which to mail a jacket back to Outdoor Research, walk to the grocery store and buy food for 5 days plus a Carvel ice cream cake for my birthday, and walk back up to the pharmacy to get batteries and clif bars. In between stops I ran into people from the trail, and it takes more than a few moments to say hello ad catch up. Somewhere in there I also managed to squeak out a call to my parents, and update my journal.So, I will be taking a day off when I get in to Lexington, and hopefully I can get some more calls and e-mails out.But, the hills between here and there aren't going to hike themselves.Cheers
Date: 2011-05-27
From: Bailey's Gap Shelter

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Day #44 On The Trail!(Just posted days 42 and 43. Check em out)Yesterday there was a fighter jet buzzing the cliffs on and of through the whole day. At point, it sounded like it couldn't have been more than 100 feet overhead. And it was loud. But at the same time, I thought to myself, "I've heard lightning louder than that."Lo and behold, another powerful weather system came through last night, and there was one crack of thunder that put that jet to shame. It even hailed for a bit.But today, the weather was very pleasant, with cooler temperatures and a little drizzle, off and on. The walking has been going well lately. My energy levels are good, and all the body parts are feeling fairly intact. My appetite still seems to be increasing, which is problematic only in regards to the weight of food that I have to carry.I hear it's supposed to be back up in the 80's tomorrow. Time to work on my suntan.Cheersblog directory
Date: 2011-05-28
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

Day #45 On The Trail!Today was fabulous. I woke up, planning on a lighter day. You know, walk for sixteen miles, get to camp around 2, get a fire going and take it easy.But everyting changed when Tex, Die Hard and I got down to a road crossing and ran into a fellow who was teling us that he was setting to have a little hiker cookout up top the next hill, 5 miles short of our destination. The only catch was that he wasn't planning on getting it rolling until 4 p.m. We got to the top of the hill around noon.But, it was nice to have a lazy day, chatting with everyone who caught back up to us. And then there were sodas, hamburgers, hot dogs, donuts, chips, brownies, cinnamon rolls. The whole nine yards. And to top it all off, my friends Blackfoot and Smiley caught up with me just in time for the feast, and as I hadn't seen them in nearly a week, it was nice to have a moment to catch up with friends.And then we waltzed down the trail to camp, getting in just as it was getting too dark to see anything. I think it may be time to get myself a bug net, as the biting gnats were a little meddlesome last night.But all is well, and my belly was more than able to handle the 2 cheeseburgers, hot dog, chips, 2 brownies, 4 krispy kreme donuts, pack of chocolate mini-donuts, 2 sodas and a cinnamon roll. On toward the north.Cheersblog directory
Date: 2011-05-29
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Lambert Meadows
Miles today: 24.0

Day #46 On The Trail!Today was a long day, but another great one for the books. Apparently, I inadvertently did the Virginia Triple Crown, which is some sort of day hiker's challenge/feat/goal. The triple crown includes three of the most beautiful spots in the state, which all fall within the same 20 miles of trail: the dragon tooth, McAfee Knob (which is on its own the most visited day hike/phot spot in the state), and the Tinker Cliffs. All cool, and beautiful and.... well... spread apart.I started the day cruising with my friends Blackfoot and Smiley, and we were having a nice stroll through the woods, until I had to part ways after we scaled the dragon's tooth (see picture attached to day 45) because they were only planning on hiking 9 more miles, where I still had 19 to do.McAfee's Knob proved to be a leisurely stroll among day hikers, with my main concern being not to offend too many people with my strong body odor. I've pretty much limited myself to wearing only one shirt due to comfort issues, and it's been five days since I've been in town.... so, yea, I probably stink.I met "the twins" on the Tinker cliffs, and having heard about them previously (they are both on a gluten free vegetarian diet, which is tough to accomplish on the trail) we had a lot to talk about on the waltz down to camp. They rely on mail drops for their food needs due to their limited diets, and can't pick up their next package in Dalesville (10 miles away now) until Tuesday, what with the holiday weekend and all.Down at camp, we encountered a lovely bunch of section hikers, out for the weekend, who shared some fire cooked brownies, and good vibrations all around. They are hiking this weekend as a fund raising effort for a domestic violence support organization.So, tomorrow I plan to get 9 miles into town, resupply, maybe buy a new pair of shoes, call my mother, send out a few e-mails, get back on the trail and still try to sneak in 12 more miles before bed time. I feel I have a strong chance at success due to the fact that there is a Wendy's in town.Maybe I will have two Frosty's.Cheersblog directory
Date: 2011-05-30
From: Lambert Meadows

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: clear sky

Day #47 On The Trail!Today was hot. But still another great day in the life. I cruised the 9 miles into town, and was a little disappointed to see that the outfitter was closed for the holiday, but that was expected. Once again I think I bought way too much food, but somehow I think I will find a way to eat it all. I aways do.And then I went to Wendy's and made a few calls and other technoligically related things while I charged my phone. On my way out of town, I stopped by the Goodwill store and purchased a new set of bottom wear, as my boardshorts, although fashionable, have been slightly chafing me since day 1. More information on this new development will come in later posts.And then I hit the trail, in the heat of the day, but it was really pleasant hiking and my spirits were, somewhat unexplainably, extra high. It probably had a little something to do with crossing the 1/3 milestone at Salt Pond road. Awesome.Tonight, I feasted on oatmeal and broccoli, since I had enjoyed a larger lunch than normal. Tomorrow is supposed to be hot again, but 16 miles from here there is a real nice swimming hole. What more can you ask for?Cheers
Date: 2011-05-31
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: clear sky

Day #48 On The Trail!I think the weather man said it could get up into the nineties today, but I don't think it ever got past 85. Nonetheless, I probably drank close to 3 gallons of water today.Other than the heat, the hiking went smoothly. One boot is held together by athletic tape. It looks like it will last another 50 miles or so, which is all it needs to do.Around mile 13, I popped into a shelter site to take a quick break and perouse the register there. Someone who had stayed the night before mentioned something about trail magic 3 more miles down the road. So, I left with a nice amount of vigor and caught the last bit of a breakfast party hosted by two local parties. I made a sandwich out of 2 mini-donuts with butter in the middle and apple butter on top. It was awesome.And then four of us went for a dip in the creek for a bit, before we had to climb moderate hill during the heat of the day. Arriving at the massive 2-story Bryant Ridge shelter in the early afternoon, I spent the rest of the day doing camp chores and playing with fire.The fire looks like it could last until morning and the lightning bugs are starting to come out. Cheers
Date: 2011-06-01
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: James Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 26.7

Day #49 On The Trail!(Just posted day 48 too, so check it out)Wow. The first day of June and it also just happened to fall on my favorite day of the trail week: Wednesday, the end of my 7th week on the trail. For the last few days, the trail has been paralleling and criss-crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway, with stunning views abounding. Quite a beautiful piece of country I find myself in these days.I had several loose plans for my day, but it all had to begin with a fairly strenuous climb up Floyd Mountain. But, as the day wore on, I started to feel pretty good and buzzed right past my initial intended camp site and found myself at a lovely spot right next to a stream, just short of the James River. A few minutes later, friends from the day before, A-Game and Manks, caught up and talked me into going 4 more miles with them. We encountered the longest footbridge on the trail and, naturally, had to join in the ranks of kids who were jumping off of it.When we cruised into camp, there was a large group of teenage boys set up there, out on the first night of a week-long trip. Their leaders came over after lights out and chatted us up for a bit as we enjoyed a good sized fire.I am definitely ready to take a day of the trail in a few days. I hear they have this thing called A/C in the real world.Sounds great.Cheersblog directory
Date: 2011-06-02
From: James Hollow Shelter

To: Lexington
Miles today: 20.2

Day#50 On The Trail!Dear Diary-Last night was probably the worst night of sleep I have had on the trail. There are these evil little bugs, I think people call them no-see-ums, that swarm and bite viciously day and night. They don't leave marks necessarily, but the bite is of the stinging variety. And they really just started coming out 4 days ago.Most nights, I have been able to fend them of with a smoky camp fire and bug spray. But, unfortunately, I arrived too late to camp last night to build a fire that would last long enough, and the weather was too hot to even consider using my sleeping bag as a shield.Yet, in the morning I awoke and the new day began and all was fresh and well with the world. My new friends A-game and Manks had the plan of heading into Lexington in the evening, as A-game has a cousin that lives there. And after last night, getting ino town a day earlier than planned sounded real nice.So, another day began with a strenuous hill climb, but the day was relatively easy after that. We found an unexpected lake/reservoir along the way and, for the third day in a row, took a dip in the water. It was glorious.And last night we went out to eat at a little pizza/pasta/sub place where I downed a chef salad, an order of garlic bread, a large cheese steak sub and a plate of chicken parmesian.It looks like I will have two days off, which is fine my be, since I haven't had a whole day off for the last 330 or so miles. Let's see how clean I can get my feet.Cheersblog directoryJust added more pics to my AT photo album. Click the picture to view.AT 2011
Date: 2011-06-03
From: Lexington

To: Lex
Miles today: 0.0

Day #51 On The Trail!(Day 50 has a link to my AT photo album)Today, I had the day off, but accomplished a lot of things I needed to get done, and spent most of the day walking around town. Lexington is a beautiul spot, with lots of ties to American history and the Civil War. Stonewall Jackson retired here. Robert E. Lee buried his favorite horse here. And it's also the home of VMI and Washington and Lee University.I got new shoes, swapped out my down winter sleeping bag for my synthetic summer bag, took everything out of my backpack and re-organized, bought new socks and a new Therma-rest and got rid of the two sleeping pads I was carrying, mailed home my extra pot, had some homemade black raspberry ice cream, made several phone calls and sent out e-mails, got some super sweet camoflauge bug netting, and met up with my couchsurfing host.Somewhere in the middle there, while I was cruising down the sidewalk, a car pulled over and out popped my friend Die Hard, who is taking the weekend off to visit with his wife. They drove me around a bit and it was randomly awesome to see him.So, all is well in the world. And as I walked back to my host's house from Walmart, I found a small bench on a hill and got to watch the sun set over the mountains I had just hiked down from.Cheersblog directory
Date: 2011-06-04
From: Lex

To: Lex
Miles today: 0.0

Day #52 On The Trail!Today was a great zero day. We went up to Goshen pass and laid out in the sun on a rock by the Maury River, eating food, swimming and all that good stuff. Then I walked the 3 miles into town to help break in my new shoes and to get food for the 3 day trek to Waynesboro. I made it down there just in time to get to the health food store before they closed and was able to pick up some great little specialty items there to add a little pep to my dinners. Plus I had a solid lunch at Arby's.Back on the trail tomorrow, and I can hardly wait to be back in the woods again.Cheers
Date: 2011-06-05
From: Lex

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Day #53 On The Trail!Back on the trail after two days off, and of course I had to kick it off by climbing a good sized hill for 3 miles. I felt like a new man, what with having new shoes, a new shirt and semi-retooled gear. Once I got rolling, the hiking went smoothly. I had planned on only going 14 miles, but my plans changed as usual. I foun out that Blackfoot and Smiley were just ahead of me, and were headed to the next shelter. If I had a dollar for everytime I talked myself into hiking more miles by saying "it's only 6 more miles," I would be a rich man. So, I caught up with my friends, after a brief stop at Spy Rock which offered a wonderful 360 degree panoramic view of the surrounding wilderness. And it's been a lovely evening of catching up. I made myself a super dinner stew of sundried tomatoes, red quinoa, taco rice, hickory smoked tuna, butter and herb instant poatoes, and nutritional yeast.Onward we cruise to the Shanandoahs.Cheers
Date: 2011-06-06
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Sunset Campsite #9
Miles today: 20.5

Day #54 On The Trail!(Check out the recently posted day 53 too)Today was a long day, but it was a day spent with good friends. Having caught up with Blackfoot and Smiley the night before, I decided that it would be nice to hike with friends instead of going solo like I usually do, even though it meant getting into town a day earlier than I had planned.The going was pretty slow for the most part. The day began with a long downhill section as we descended the Priest. And as the trail goes down, it must come back up, and we found ourselves on a long, rocky, tricky ascent up the three ridges. Plus, it was relatively hot out. But the views were nice. If I have't mentionedit yet, the mountain laurel and rhododendron are blooming, and it's quite breathtakingly indescribable.The campsite we had picked out for the evening didn't have a water source, so we had to carry our water up there. I usually go through 6 liters between drinkin water, cooking dinner and water for the next day's hike. Water weighs 2.2 pounds per liter, and it definitely felt like that as we had a few steep hills to climb in the 1.7 miles to camp.But the campsite turned out to be pretty sweet, with a nice spot to watch the sunset and plenty of firewood. And with clear skies, I decided to camp cowboy style without setting up my tarp. As I drifted off, I had visions of treats waiting for me to pick at the post office on the morrow. Thanks friends and family.Cheersblog directory
Date: 2011-06-07
From: Sunset Campsite #9

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Day #55 On The Trail!Today, we waltzed the 12 miles into town. It's amazing how easy and quicly the hiking goes when a hot shower, chinese buffet, and a/c wait at the days's finish line.Waynesboro is a great trail town, just big enough to offer everything a good hiker's needs: Kroger, Post Office, Outfitter, buffet, etc. It sits about 3 miles off of the trail, but there is a network of people who offer free rides into town to all hikers. Thanks Tom Brown. You rock.We grabbed a room at the Quality Inn, a decent motel complex complete with pool and free breakfast. Then to the post office where I got packages from my parents, my aunt Susie and my friend Pam. Wow. Thanks. I may not even need to buy more food before heading back into the woods.The rest of the day was fairly lazy: eating, pool time, e-mails, phone calls, chinese buffet, walk about town, tv, sleep.Tomorrow, town chores. And mabe Kung Fu Panda 2 3-D.Cheersblog directory