morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-11
From: Damascus, VA

To: Catawba, VA
Miles today: 0.0

I'm still in VA. Mile marker 700. Boy, VA sure is a big state. After Damascus I hit Mt. Rogers and the Grayson Highlands. Loved it!! My favorite section so far. I first started my hike at night. I got to watch the sun set and then the full moon rise up over the mountain. So much beauty! Then continued my hike under the full moons bight light. Hiking at night is very peaceful but also can be a bit scary. Your mind can play tricks on you. Its super cool though. I highly recommend it.The following afternoon I hit the balds right before Mt. Rogers. That was probably my favorite view so far. What a privilege to see such beauty!Continued my hike just after night fall. Once again I watch the sun set that night as I was hiking. In a distance field I finally found the wild mini horses that everyone talks about. It was totally dark by the time I set hammock up. The only light was the moon.I woke up the next morning to the sound of hooves. Confused, I peaked out of my hammock. There no more than 15ft away was the herd of wild mini horses. I was shocked and amazed. Even Flicka didn't frighten them off.Even after I packed up camp they actually followed us. Super close too. A few even nibbled the back of my pack. Curious little things they were. Especially over Flicka. Flicka was going crazy too. The most technical climb so far is Dragons Tooth. I swear your actually rock climbing. It was super fun! However it would have been a lot less scarier if I wasn't wearing a huge pack, I wasn't attached to Flicka or if the rocks weren't wet from the thunder storm I just hiked in. It was still super cool and a great view opened up once on top.Last night I spent the night at Four Pines Hostel. I was able to set my hammock up in the owners barn. He also has the whole yard fence in, so for the first time flicka was able to run free with the other dogs. Flicka got to run free and I got to eat a big pizza. What a perfect way to end the day!
Date: 2003-06-23
From: Va. 624

To: Catawba Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

start Va.624destination Catawba Mtn.ShelterIt was goodbye to the garage this morning, and hello to the trail. I made one last stop at the store to send my pocketmail. I took advantage of the opportunity to eat another breakfast. A pint of milk, a banana and a package of powdered sugar donuts. They weren't Krispy Kreme, but they were good. For most of the morning the trail followed a small stream. It was evident that last weeks rain had swollen this stream out of it's bank also. There were several stiles to cross, but I never got even a glimpse of the ornery bull I had heard about. I was glad for the past few dry days. There were still places in the pastures I crossed that were very mucky. The climb today was tough only because I have slack packed the last two days and I am carrying too much food. I still do not know why I have five days worth of food when I am going to be in a town in two days. I just wasn't thinking clear. The second half of the hike was a dry one, so I was really glad to see the shelter and the spring. I sat by the spring and just drank and drank and drank. The cool mountain streams have a wonderful taste. Pirate was at the shelter when I got there. His pipe smoking did little to chase away the mosquitos that were there also. I hurridly ate my supper, swatting my spoon around between bites. I got my tent set up and headed up to McAfee Knob to watch the sunset. I knew it would be pushing dark by the time I got back to the campsite, so I took my headlamp. The view was stunning. Another panoramic scene. Cars on the road below looked like specks of color. The sunset was pretty, but not worth coming back in the dark. The nights seem to be getting warmer. I spend more nights on top of my sleeping bag, than I do in my bag. The weatherman was calling for a high of 85 here today, and a low in the 60's. I am just cool enough right now. I only wish I could see the stars. There are too many trees that are blocking the night sky. I am still delighted though, just to be out here another night. My little tent is cozy and keeps the bugs out. There are no bright lights to glare and keep me awake. Or even any little tiny lights to annoy me. When it gets dark,it gets DARK. And usually very very quiet. Sometimes you can hear some bugs, or an owl or some other night sound, like Mudbut snoring, but usually it is silent. I love it!!Total miles 10.7
Date: 2013-01-05
To: Special Bond
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I have six sisters. I am close to each of them.Barb and I share a unique love of the outdoors, especially hiking. Every chance we get we are either hiking, biking or kayaking together.It will be fun to be on this adventure together. I really look forward to it. It doesn't matter if we make it 20 miles or 2000. The step we take each moment is what is important to me.Ray
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Troutville, Va.

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

start Troutville,Va.destination Wilson Creek ShelterAfter a nice continental breakfast at Holiday Inn Express, it was time to hit the trail once again. I felt rested and ready to hike. There was a covering of clouds most of the day which kept the temperatures down. I was thankful for that. The terrain for the next few days is pretty easy. Well, easy may not be the best word to describe it. It is easier than some of the previous day's terrain. There were lots more ripe blueberries along the trail and I took advantage of that fact and picked some for the celebration treat we are having tonight. I stopped at Fulhardt Shelter and waited for my companions so we could eat lunch together. Charlie had a special treat for us. Chocolate pudding cups!!What joy!!! They are as good as they are heavy. There were a couple of knee jolting downhills this afternoon. I took it slow and easy. I made good time to our spot for the night. The water source was a long downhill walk, which meant a long uphill climb fully loaded with water. Mudbut had a really good hike. She is not sure whether it was the red meat or the gatorade she had that made the difference, but she was rolling today. I am at the exact 1/3 mark of the trail tonight. To celebrate I made up a blueberry cheescake mix. Then I simmered some of the fresh bluberries with some sugar to pour over the top. It was scrumptious. Pirate was here so he celebrated with us. I look at my feet and they do not look any different than they did months ago.I cannot comprehend that I have hiked 724 miles. There are no signs on the trail to remind me that I am in Virginia. When I go into towns, they look just like the town at home. Stores, gas stations, post office. The people look the same. You don't realize that you are states away. I do not realize this, yet. The next big mark for me will be the 1/2 way point. I just wonder if I will be able to better comprehend that fact. I hope so. It is strange how comfortable motel rooms can be at night. But then when I set my tent up at night, and listen to the woods go to sleep, I seem to be just as comfortable, but in different ways. It is not hard to adapt. I seem to do it quite well and quite quickly. It is such a tremendous blessing to be able to be able to liten to the woods go to sleep. The sounds of the birds. The wind dies down. All of nature seems to rest. To rejuvenate itself for the next day. Without the harsh artificial light to stimulate the senses, even the human body begins to slow down and prepare for rest. It was a grand day for a hike...Again...total miles 9.7
Date: 2013-01-09
To: Hiking with Barb
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I drove down to Barb's to do some adventuring for a couple of days.Today we took a nice hike together - just a short one - about 6 miles. We talked about the AT, gear, etc. It was a beautiful sunny day in the mid 80's. In the evening Barb grilled a couple burgers for dinner. My mouth is watering again just thinking about them :-)After dinner we watched Southbounders - again! I love that movie. It is fun to watch.Early to bed - big adventure together tomorrow....
Date: 2003-06-30
From: Jennings Creek

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

start Jennings Creekdestination Cornelius Creek ShelterIt was the loud obnoxious cry of a crow that woke me up this morning. He seemed to be sitting in the tree over my head. Of all the hundreds of trees out here, he wants to sit in this one and holler. I wanted to smack him off of the limb. It was way too early to get up in my estimation. Never the less, he continued cawing until all hope of sleep was gone. I fixed some breakfast, still another yeast roll. This time split open and filled with peanut butter. I fixed a packet of oatmeal and a cup of hot tea. The trail started out with a climb up the side of Fork mountain that took me an hour to make. I climbed from 951 ft. up to 2042 ft. in just over a mile and a half. What a way to start the day!! It is already hot and muggy, with no sign of a breeze blowing. I remember the cold swim from last night. It would sure have been nice to have had that creek up on top of this mountain, instead of down below. I get to Bryant Ridge Shelter and wait for Mudbut so we can have lunch together. I also want to hike with her for the afternoon. We have another big ugly climb out from the shelter and I figure we can encourage each other. This shelter is a grand one. It has three levels to sleep on and a stream right in front of it for water. The book says it holds 20 hikers. It is one of the largest shelters on the At. It also leaks!! The rest of the afternoon I spent climbing, climbing and more climbing. It seemed as if I would never get to the top of Floyd Mountain. It was a twelve hundred foot climb in five miles. It sure felt like fifty miles to me. I can't remember a day being this hard in a long time. We did not get the miles in that we had hoped to do today. The climbs took it out of both of us. We had supper together, then headed for our tents. Again,the bugs were hungry and relentless. I can hear them buzzing outside of my tent. I am sure they are looking for a way to get in. We are still 20 miles from where we are to meet Papermaker on Tuesday. We may end up walking along the Blue Ridge Parkway once again.total miles 8.7
Date: 2013-01-14
To: Brooker Creek Headwaters Preserve Hike
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I got a late start on this one. I didn't get on the trail until almost 11am. It was a warm sunny breezy day. 10.5 miles. It felt good to stretch my legs again after the kayak trip :-)The cool item of the day: Barb received AWOL's northbound guide in the mail! I feel like driving down to Englewood just so I can look at it!Treasure Hunter
Date: 2013-01-15
To: Backpack Arrived!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Well, after many years of gazing at a picture of it on the internet, I finally received my backpack today and could see it for myself.The box and pack were in excellent condition. I am giddy with the anticipation of using it.The picture here is from their website. I will take a picture of mine once I have my gear loaded in it (still a couple weeks away). At first I thought I had the wrong backpack and it was not the telescoping kind. I sent an email to Bruce Warren I found out that I hadn't tried pulling up correctly on the top bar. Voila, it is the right one! Thanks Bruce!I look forward to putting in many miles with that pack on my back.Treasure Hunter
Date: 2003-07-04
From: Lexington, Va.

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: few clouds

start Lexington,Va.destination Thunder Hill ShelterThe alarm went off too early for me this morning, especially since the ocupants of the room above us had a track meet in their room until the wee hours of the morning. Even with three calls to the front desk, the bangs and booms continued. Our free breakfast at the motel restaurant was even worse. It was free of course, but milk and juice was a whopping 3.00 per glass. The best thing about breakfast was we got to watch the hot air balloons drift across the sky. Eveready is once more bouncing off the walls to hike. We are going to hike down to Apple Orchard Falls off of the AT, then hike as far as time allows us and camp. The data book says the 3 mile round trip to the falls is well worth the time. That might not be quite true for everyone. The falls were beautiful though, and we all had lunch there. On the climb back up to the trail(of course it was all up hill) we stopped and let Eveready take his boots off and play in the water. When Mudbut got there with her empty water bottle, somehow just filling her water bottle turned into a water fight and we all ended up soaked. It sure refreshed us though. Papermaker said he thought he heard thunder, but Mudbut said no, it was cannons from the fourth of july celebration in town. Well, it was thunder and a few minutes later the thunder was followed by lightning and shortly after that, rain. Of course the weather forecast called for zero chance of rain for today. We hiked on through the forest with rain falling for about an hour. Then the storm moved away and we were left with much cooler temperatures. We took everyone's picture as they hiked under the Guillotine Rock. It is a huge boulder stuck between two rock formations on either side of the trail. It is one of the three places where you hike under a rock on the trail. Of course Eveready was much impressed with it. He and I were standing under it posed for a picture when my stomach gave a long, low growl, which sent Eveready into a panic wanting to know what that noise was! We got to Thunder Mountain Shelter and set up our tents. Eveready decided to sleep in the shelter in hopes of seeing a mouse or two. This, after Papermaker had carried his tent the whole day for him. There were two other thru hikers in the shelter and they were kind enough to take in Eveready and talk to him. I taught Eveready how to filter his water and use his alcohol stove to cook his dinner. He said mashed potatoes never tasted so good. Once again our plans have changed for the next few days. My new boots have started coming apart, so we are going to check with the nearest outfitters in the morning. I would rather be hiking. I once again am laying here in my tent listening to the birds singing their little ones to sleep. The cars on the park way close to here disturb the sounds of the woods. But once again I am reminded of how blessed I am to be able to experience this. total miles 5.3
Date: 2013-02-06
To: Stuff On The Way
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I've been getting emails from Amazon daily. UPS, FedEx and USPS get ready - you will be making some stops at my house over the next few days! I feel like it is Christmas again.I have a detailed spreadsheet and have been weighing stuff and setting it up in my pack. Unless there are inaccuracies with estimated weights of the stuff on the way - it looks like my pack will weigh about 27 lbs with water and 4 days of food.Treasure Hunter
Date: 2013-02-13
To: Pack Trial
Miles today: 0.0

Well, at least I made it twice around the neighborhood. That was a two mile test. It felt okay. I did adjust the belt a little tighter and also rearranged the items in the top canister. They were causing a load shift and the pack kept wanting to lean to one side, or it could have been me toppling over :-)I was a bit embarrassed to walk in the neighborhood but got over that. I had to. The closest trail to me is at least 30 minutes away - and I need to be carrying this pack. We have to develop a close relationship :-)While walking I was sheepishly smiling at passing cars and saying hello to people in front of their homes. A lot of them know me because I have walked in this neighborhood for the past 19 years. But, now the guy has a backpack on, and that's weird.On my second lap there was a woman walking toward me. I didn't know who she was. I was prepared to give the shy smile and hello. When she got closer she had a big smile and said "Hi! Are you training for a hike??" When I told her yes and it is for the AT she said "That's what my husband thought when we drove by earlier!!" Well, that made me feel REALLY good. A little magic already.The pack weighs about 27 pounds (food for 4 days and 60 oz water). I have a couple items to add that will bring the weight to about 27.5.Treasure Hunter
Date: 2013-02-15
To: Date Change!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

While I was on the treadmill this morning, wearing my fully-loaded pack, testing how it felt on an incline versus the flat Florida terrain, Jenny and I talked about Barb's travel plans and other family events occurring around our planned start date of Wednesday, April 10th. With me trudging uphill and Jenny working with an oversized calendar so I could see it, we finally figured that a start date Monday, April 8th would work out best. We gave Barb a call to confirm that it work for her, too, then called Amicalola and made the lodge reservation for Sunday, April 7th. We figured it was a good sign that they actually had the exact type of room we need, available for the date we want.   Our original start date of April 10th was chosen to honor our father's birthday. We will still observe that day and do a toast to Dad with our water bottles, but it will be two days into our hike. The change in our start date will enable something very special to happen. Jenny is going to take Barb and me to Amicalola to see us off, then make the drive back to Tampa. The original start date would have occurred in the middle of a school week, which meant that Claire and Eric would have had to stay home because their rigorous school schedules make it difficult to miss that many days of school. Now, with the new plan, a Monday start, Claire and Eric will be able to come along on the trip! This is so important to all of us, and missing one school day is much easier to manage than 2 or 3. When Claire came home from school and we told her the new plans, she cried and gave me a huge hug. (I admit, I cried, too.) Eric was also very excited about being able to go. He was too young to remember our last trip to Amicalola, so we pulled out the pictures from that camping trip, over 10 years ago. The lodge room at Amicalola will have two double beds **and** another double bed located in a loft accessible by a ladder. How cool is THAT!Another date was also set: My sweet Mother-In-Law is having a party in our honor, and she was getting eager to finalize the date and send out invitations.   On Saturday the 6th of April, we'll get to see close friends and family before we head off. So, here's the recap: Saturday, April 6: Party! Sunday, April 7: Drive to Amicalola, stay Sunday night.Monday, April 8: Big breakfast at the Lodge, then START THE AT! Treasure Hunter
Date: 2013-02-16
To: Barb's Gear
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Barb drove up from Englewood and arrived at the house at about 10am. We immediately got down to business :-)We weighed each piece of her current gear and placed it on a spreadsheet. Then we talked about all the other items that were on the spreadsheet. We deleted many and added a few. She made a list of items to purchase while we did that.Barb, me and Jenny then headed across the bridge to Bill Jackson's Outfitter again. The FJ Cruiser can almost drive there by itself now :-)Barb purchased a tent first. After seeing the size of the Big Agnes SL2 that I purchased and talking about it, she decided to have a tent of her own. She purchased a nice one person MSR tent.She also bought a backpack, hiking poles, rain gear, food sack, underwear, Bronner's soap. I think I remembered it all. She said her Discover Card was on fire at the cash register. I think all the hikers can relate to that!During our shopping it was mentioned how chilly it was going to get that night. Tampa was expected to have a low of 40 degrees. I mentioned that we should try out our tents in the back yard. Barb said YES! immediately.So, after we got home we set up our tents before dark. Jenny made a wonderful dinner for us. Then we watched a movie together for a bit. Then we headed out to our tents.Treasure Hunter
Date: 2003-07-12
From: Fish Hatchery Road

To: Tye River
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: few clouds

start Fish Hatchery Rddestination Tye RiverIt was great to wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking. A fruit cup, sweet potato pancakes, Siced ham and a generous portion of southwestern quiche with fresh salsa greeted us at the breakfast table, along with juice, a variety of hot teas and coffee. We should be able to hike really good with that kind of food. I had taken my leftover pasta from dinner and added some Italian Salad Dressing to it and put it in a zip lock bag to take with me. No bagels and peanut butter for my lunch today!! I also took a slice of ham left from breakfast and put it on a left over biscuit. We were on the trail outfitted with day packs provided by Lois by mid morning. I was amazed at how light I felt with the day pack. All day long it was like the Lord was impressing upon me, that this is how I should feel when I truly cast all my cares upon him. Once again he reminds me that I am not to carry burdens until I am weighed down and disheartened. I am to give them to him and let him deal with them as his will dictates. It is such a glorious feeling. So light and carefree. I literally skip over the trail. I see several deer as I hike. I wait for Mudbut to catch up and we decide to climb SpyRock. She is apprehensive to say the least. She does not like heights, and really dislikes rocks. Especially those she has to climb over. But I prevail and with some encouragement, it is not long befoe we are sitting on top of Spy Rock. The views are 180 degrees. Gentle rolling mountains in every direction. A wonderful breeze keeps us cool. There is a family with three boys up there and I take their picture promising to put it on my website. I hope they are going to become hikers when they are older. We spend too much time at Spy Rock so the rest of the day is spent trying to make up lost time in order to meet our shuttle at the river. The trail is rocky and the hard decent makes my knees feel like a hammer is hitting them. We make it to the shuttle just a little late and are whisked off back to the bed and breakfast. Tonight we are having homemade pizza. Several different varieties, vegetarian, meat, cheese. All fantastic, hot from the oven. Another fresh salad completes our meal. Then there is dessert. Huge slices of fresh peanut butter pie!!! At least 1000 calories per slice!!Chocolate chips, sprinkles and peanut butter chips decorated the slices. Mmmmmmmmmm.... We visited with the other guests who were very much interested in our hike. Then a couple of section hikers came in, Sam and Jeff and we visited with them as they enjoyed slices of the pie. We both feel pretty good about our hike today, although it took us longer than we thought it would.total miles 9.4
Date: 2013-02-20
To: AWOL!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I'm down at Barb's for two days of fun and adventure. First we headed out on a nice 3.25 test hike with our packs. We even took a nice break and had some lunch. We had our lunch while sitting on a bench overlooking the Myakka River. It was a sunny warm day with a light breeze. Our hike was at the Jelks Preserve near Englewood. In the evening we had a great time at a meeting of the Sarasota AT club. We arrived at 6:30 and had dinner first. The dinner was pot luck and .... GREAT! Barb made her signature layered Mexican dip. That was a hit. At 7:30 it was time for the guest speaker. We were treated to a presentation by none other than the man himself, David "AWOL" Miller. The slide show and question and answer time was a fun time for sure. We also met a lot of nice people at this event. Many were interested in our hike plans. There were a TON of thru hikers there! Lots of fun stories were told during dinner. Treasure Hunter