morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-05-10
From: Davis Path Campsite

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We went to bed early last night but we were wakened and joined by three hikers around 10:00. When I first woke in the night and heard footsteps, it was unnerving. I imagined a bear circling my tent. I was very thankful when I saw the red glare of their headlamps and heard giggling and realized it was hikers not bears!  We were up, packed and gone in the morning before they even got up. We had to hike four miles to the first water source. It was a pleasant clearing so we had breakfast there and rested while we enjoyed the sound of the stream.  A half mile down the trail we were stopped dead in our tracks by an ominous rattle. It was a 3-4 foot rattlesnake coiled in front of us, and it was in no hurry to get off the trail. We waited 10-15 before it finally slithered over the sloping side of the trail. We had another relaxing stop by a beautiful spring and chatted there with a solo sobo hiker.  Today we climbed Little Brushy Mtn, Walker Mtn, and Brushy Mtn. Between them, we walked through a couple of large cow pastures and through gaps and along ridges. We finally got to the night¢s destination, Knot Maul Branch Shelter, about 5:30, just beating the rain. It only lasted a few minutes and then last night¢s threesome arrived (much earlier than last night thankfully) and joined us in the shelter. We¢ve eaten and hung food bags and had time to hang out before bed. Three others are tenting here also. My feet are doing better thanks to more rest stops and fewer miles these last couple of days.
Date: 2018-05-11
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today began innocently enough. Rain woke us up around 5:00 for about an hour. We got up about 6:30 and packed up as quietly as possible since the younger hikers were still sleeping. An easy 1.2 mile downhill took us to a nice campsite beside Lynn Camp Creek where we stopped for breakfast. Then it was a mile up Lynn Camp Mountain and another mile down it. We had a pleasant shady walk almost two miles alongside Lick Creek before crossing VA 625 and starting a 4+ mile uphill to get to tonight¢s shelter. The first mile was very steep before the grade became a little easier to handle. I took too many rest stops to count, two miles through the woods then a two mile clearing and open ridge line. Unfortunately the thunder began in the distance just as we got to the open area. The thunder and lightning got closer and then rain started. Then it was hailing pea-sized hail for 15-20 minutes, although it seemed longer.  We finally struggled into the Chestnut Knob Shelter, a concrete block fully-enclosed structure with a door. I was soaking wet from head to shoes. There were a few hikers there waiting out the storm. When it quit, they moved on but other wet hikers straggled in. By 6:00pm, I¢d eaten and changed into dry clothes and had my sleeping area set up on a bunk. There wewre posters up in the shelter advertising a ¢Hillbilly Hiker Feast¢ the next day from 7:00am to dark thirty. That was only 1.3 miles away so it became our incentive for the next day! If it¢s still raining in the morning, we¢re just going to stay here though.9.4 hard miles today
Date: 2018-05-12
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Gap at VA623
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We got a good night¢s sleep in the shelter last night, out of the wind and rain.  It was easy packing up inside the fully enclosed shelter.  It was not fun putting on wet socks and shoes though. The combination of a step mile downhill, wet socks and shoes, and not-yet-healed blisters on the bottom of my feet was not good.  When we got to the Gap, we met a local guy who had section hiked the whole trail with his dog Apache over the last several years. Now he takes a whole day every year in May to provide trail magic for other hikers.  His whole extended family helps out.  They had hot dogs and beans and chili, chips, fresh veggies and dip, fresh fruit, several sheet cakes, and cold sodas and milk.  What a feast!  And they had several camp chairs for hikers to sit in.  We filled our plates and cups twice and enjoyed chatting with them as we ate.  With full stomachs we tackled the next mountain.  The temperature was rising and without leaf cover yet, it got hot quickly.  The heat, my feet, and my uncomfortably full stomach made it slow going for me.  After a couple of painful hours I was beat.  Knowing we were about to come to a gap with road access, I made the decision to get off the trail.  We called ahead for a shuttle driver who met us in the gap and took us to Daleville where Susan¢s car was waiting at the HoJoExpress.After showers and a good meal at Shoneys, we are ready for bed.  Tomorrow we will drive home.
Date: 2018-05-13
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I¢ve heard and applied this advice before, "never quit on a bad day." Yesterday I ignored it.  I was hot. I was tired.  My socks and shoes were wet.  Blisters on the bottom of my feet were not healing.  I quit.We called for a shuttle and waited at a gap on a dirt road with questionable company almost two hours for the ride to come.  The twisty narrow dirt road out of the gap in the back seat of an unfamiliar car was not fun.  Amazingly I did not throw up. Although we did not know it before we called the shuttle, there was a hostel less than half a mile from the road crossing where we had arranged to be picked up.  Looking back, I should have gone to the hostel and taken a real zero day.  After rest, I might have been ready to continue hiking.  Hindsight is a tricky thing.  Since I¢ve been home, I¢ve beaten myself up mentally for quitting and questioned whether I¢ll ever finish section hiking the trail.  If only I¢d stuck it out one more day...After several weeks of being home, I started making plans for another hike in August.  Hopefully things will go better....
Date: 2018-08-20
To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I left home at 6:50am, picked up Susan at her home and headed north.  My pack fully loaded with food for three days and two bottles of water was only 28.4 lbs. i think that¢s the first time I¢ve had it under 30 lbs!We had no traffic or construction on our trip to VA, but it was a long drive and we had some rain. We got to Lickskillet hostel about 2:00. $90 for a shuttle by Mark from St Luke¢s put us at VA 623 where we stopped in the Spring.  We were on the trail by 3:45. After a brief climb it was slightly downhill about 4 miles to Jenkins shelter. It sprinkled on us a few times but just enough to cool us, not enough to make us stop and put on our rain gear. There was one other guy there already when we arrived at the shelter. It was the last night of his section hike. It was early enough to have a leisurely dinner, fill our water bottles at the nearby stream, and get our food bags hung well before dark.  In the middle of the night the other hiker slammed his shoe or something on the wood floor and yelled that he couldn¢t sleep because one of us was snoring. I woke startled and scared to death! I wondered if he would have done that if it had been a guy snoring?? I don¢t think I¢ve ever slept in a shelter without someone, and usually multiple people snoring. Ironically he had wakened me already several times with his hacking cough and twice when he got up with his headlamp on to use the privy.  Most people use earplugs when they stay in shelters, or they sleep in tents or hammocks if they don¢t want to be disturbed by anyone else.
Date: 2018-08-21
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Lickskillet Hostel
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: few clouds

We got up and left the shelter before 8:00.  Our shelter mate didn¢t say a word to us. We hiked 1.3 miles uphill and stopped for breakfast, then downhill to the VA 615 road crossing and a beautiful cascading stream. We rested and enjoyed the sound of the water while getting water there.  We stopped for lunch at the intersection of the AT and Trail Boss Trail. We had mostly level soft trail today lots of soft dirt and mulch with few rocks.  We reached US52 about 2:30 and stopped at Brushy Mountain Outpost. I enjoyed a bacon cheeseburger and chocolate milk. As we were leaving I noticed a large jar of pickles on the counter; I got one to go for later. I also have blueberries and sea salt cracked pepper chips leftover from our lunch on the drive to VA that I left at the hostel. Can¢t have too many snacks!We called Mongo of Lickskillet Hostel to let him know we were done eating. After hiking along the road for .8 mile, we met him at the VA612 parking area by Kimberling Creek. He brought us back up Lickskillet Hostel.  The hostel is an old white frame church building. We¢re fed, showered, snacked up, and sheltered from the rainstorm which just began. Tomorrow morning Mongo will be letting us leave our gear at the hostel and dropping us off at the trail. We will only have to carry food and water for the day. This practice is called slack-packing.
Date: 2018-08-22
From: Lickskillet Hostel

To: Lickskillet Hostel
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We got ready leisurely in the morning at the hostel. We parked the truck where we would end hiking and then Mongo took us to the spot where we had stopped yesterday. We started hiking about 9:00 with plans to hike back to my truck.The first 1.1 mile was a steep climb but we were fresh and it was cool and misty and it went quickly. It rained lightly for an hour or so, not enough to get out the rain gear, just enough to keep us cool. The day¢s hike was on soft pine straw trail or small gravel, nice on the feet, plus we only carried about 5-6 pounds in our day packs. After our beginning climb, we walked along a ridge most of the day staying between 2800 and 3200 elevation, with about a mile downhill at the end. Easy terrain, cooler temperatures, and lighter packs made the day go by quickly.We didn¢t see a single person all day, but two dogs joined us for a time. We got back to the hostel about 3:30.  Two nights in a row we¢ve been able to take showers and do laundry; what a treat!  Tomorrow Mongo will take us back to the trail and we¢ll take three days to hike 31.1 miles to Pearisburg.
Date: 2018-08-23
From: Lickskillet Histel

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: clear sky

In the morning at the hostel, my pack with 64 oz of water and 3 days food weighed 28.4 again. It¢s always good when i can keep it under 30lbs. Mongo drove us to Dismal Falls and we hiked a very short distance from the road to see it first thing in the morning. This meant we wouldn¢t have to take the .3 side trail both ways off the AT to see the waterfall when we hike by it in the afternoon. There was another hiker on the far side of the Falls already.  Mongo drove us to the spot where we stopped hiking yesterday and we began the day with about a mile and half uphill section. Unlike yesterday¢s steep start, today¢s had lots of switchbacks, so it was much easier. After the initial uphill climb, we spent the rest of the day with a lot of ridgewalking again.  The forest floor was soft from recent rain but not too muddy and it was covered in cushy pine straw in many places. There were many wooden bridges across streams and ravines. There were not many rocky sections so it was easy on our feet again. It was sunny and clear but only in the low 80¢s, there were nice breezes much of the day, and we hiked near Dismal Creek most of the day so we had plenty of water. It was perfect hiking weather and terrain! We saw two men fishing in the distance at one point during the day but did not cross paths with any hikers all day.We had planned to stop at a campsite near Dismal Creek but it was only 3:30 when we arrived there. We enjoying soaking our feet in the ice cold creek for a bit then decided to hike on a couple more miles to the nearest shelter.We arrived at Wapiti Shelter about 5:30 and had plenty of time to eat, hang our food bags, and set up our sleeping area in the shelter. No other hikers ever joined us so we didn¢t have to share the shelter.
Date: 2018-08-24
To: DocÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: light rain

It got chilly in the night and I was thankful I had packed my heavier warmer sleeping bag and sleeping clothes. We got up, ate, packed, and started by 8:30 but had to stop after just .2 for water. There was more water in about a mile, but then no more until we reached the shelter for the night so we had to carry it all day and ration it through the day.  The first 2 miles were uphill and seemed to take forever. There were a lot of rocks today too. The weather was sunny and clear with mild breezes almost all day.  We talked with a group of 9 guys at one of the road crossings. The were mostly from Raleigh and just out for a few days, heading southbound.We passed several areas that had been burned and were just growing back.  We wondered if it had been a prescribed controlled burn or a forest fire.  We got to a nice rocky overlook about 3:00 and enjoyed a rest with the view.We made it to Doc¢s Knob Shelter about 4:00. It is a small shelter but has a newly built deck, picnic table and Adirondack chair. Those maintaining it also included interesting laminated news articles about the local area in with the shelter register. No other hikers joined us and we were in bed by 7:15 just waiting for it to get dark.It¢s only 8.3 miles into Pearisburg tomorrow and most of that is downhill so we will arrive in time to enjoy dinner there, as well as a shower and bed for the night.
Date: 2018-08-25
From: Docs Knob Shelter 

To: Angels Rest Hker Haven
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: scattered clouds

We saw three deer this morning as we ate breakfast on the deck.  You can tell we are off-peak hiker season in this area because not much trail maintenance is happening. There have been many blow downs across the trail the last few days and the trail is really overgrown in places, but we are having a great time. We had great views of the valley below from Pearis Ledges and Angels Rest.  Since it was a Saturday close to town, there were more people hiking today. We met a sobo guy running early this morning and then he passed us going the other direction right before we got to town. He said he had ¢only¢ gone ten miles out today. There was a single VA Tech girl, 3 recent Clemson grads, three different couples, and another group of young people. The weather was perfect again today!There wasn¢t much elevation change until we started descending into Pearisburg, then it was steep switchbacks for a couple of miles. We got picked up by Mongo and shuttled to Lickskillet to get the truck, drove back to Pearisburg to check in at Angels Rest Hiker Haven, went out to eat at a Chinese buffet, picked up a few things at WalMart, got our showers, and were in nice soft beds in the bunkhouse by 9:00. Only one other hiker was in the bunkhouse with us.PS I got to see a groundhog at the hostel but couldn¢t get a picture of him.
Date: 2018-08-26
From: VA42 at Sinking Bridge Creek

To: Intersection of AT and War Branch Trail
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: scattered clouds

We got shuttled north to the VA42 footbridge at Sinking Creek by Aaron (Mule) from Angels Rest and were on the trail by 9:00. As usual we started out uphill. Made it to 2.5 miles to Laurel Creek Shelter about 10:45, just in time to take a snack break out of the rain that had just started. After a brief rest, the sun came out and we were back to climbing uphill again.  We had lunch at Kelly Knob with three local ladies who were out hiking for the day. We had been hearing dogs barking during the way up to Kelly Knob. The ladies filled us in on the cause. They had seen some hunters out running their dogs getting ready for bear season and they had seen the dogs tree a bear on their hike up to Kelly Knob. We didn¢t hear or see the hunters, dogs or bear on our way down that trail.  After the long steep downhill we began an even longer steeper uphill. We passed War Spur Shelter and were tempted to stop for the night. There was only one guy there. We decided it was too early to stop and began an uphill climb, never fun or easy at the end of the day.We had planned to make it to camp at Wind Rock, but stopped where the War Branch Trail intersects with the AT. It¢s not an official campsite, but it worked. Thankfully I got the rope over a great branch on my first try. Our tents are up, supper is cooking, and our sweaty clothes are drying out some. I hope to be in bed by 8:00.
Date: 2018-08-27
From: Intersection of AT and War Branch Trail

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We were asleep by 8:00 last night.  It was a nice cool breezy night.  We were up by 6:00 this morning. The hiker who had stopped at the previous shelter passed our campsite about 7:00. He said he had been joined by 4 others in the shelter last night. Good thing we didn¢t stay there. As we were packing up, two of the others from the shelter passed through.  We got on the trail just before 8:00. On our way uphill, a day hiker crossed paths with us. He said he was surprised to see so many of us out this late in the season. We hiked about 3 miles before stopping at Wind Rock (last night¢s intended campsite) for breakfast.  The rest of the day was more level but very rocky so we weren¢t coasting. We ate lunch at Bailey Gap Shelter.  During the day we crossed paths with Grace from ATL as she was going northbound. She belongs to the AT Women¢s Group (Bethann Johnston). She¢s doing a four week section. We also met Pathfinder, a 70ish year old who started at Springer and wants to get to Harpers Ferry this season. Since we¢re going southbound back into Pearisburg, we may see them both again on our Pearisburg-Daleville section. We also met a group of 10 kids out from Washington and Lee University.We stopped around 3:30 to soak our feet in the river then hiked another mile or so to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter. Since a long uphill was beginning and there wouldn¢t be another campsite for three miles, we decided to stay there the night.  There were also a couple of thru hikers there with us. Windrider is a sobo flipflopper our age who has done Harpers Ferry to Maine, and now is hiking south from Harpers Ferry to Springer Mtn.  Webster was thruhiking nobo and had to get off the trail in Damascus because of his grandmother¢s death. He rejoined his tramily (trail family) in Pearisburg a few weeks later and finished at Katahdin with them. Now he is filling in the Damascus to Pearisburg section he missed. Tonight is his last night on the trail.A trail maintainer came by the shelter and let us know he was working on some of the blowdowns that we¢d be encountering tomorrow. We all thanked him for his volunteer work maintaining the trail. It¢s truly amazing to realize the whole 2000+ mile trail and all it¢s shelters and privies are maintained by volunteers!
Date: 2018-08-28
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Super 8 Daleville VA
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: few clouds

8/28 We left the shelter about 8:00. We had 4.1 miles uphill then stopped for breakfast about 10:00. We hiked along a rocky ridge most of the day, then through sunny overgrown pastures to Rice Field Shelter, where we called and arranged for a shuttle to pick us up at the first of three road crossings before town. Back at Angels Rest Hiker Haven, we showered, did our laundry, and restocked our packs for the last leg of our hike. We ate at the Chinese buffet again then drove to Daleville and got a good night¢s sleep at the Super 8.
Date: 2018-08-29
From: VA42 at Sinking Creek Bridge

To: NiDay Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

Our trail angels, Homer and Therese Witcher, picked us up in Daleville at 9:00 to take us back to VA42 near Pearisburg. They are the ones who got us off the trail earlier this year when my feet were raw. I was glad to see them again with my feet in much better shape. Homer and Therese maintain 16 shelters in VA and much of the trail between them. They are truly an amazing couple. They are retired but work on the AT just about full time! In their ¢spare¢ time they run marathons.  They asked about our plans for finishing this section and graciously invited us to stay with them when we get back to Daleville in a few days.We started with an uphill as usual when leaving a town. It was a hot day and that it made the uphill a killer. it began with a walk up and over a grassy sunny meadow, so we were soaked with sweat before we even hit the tree line.  We stopped to see the the Keffer Oak, the largest oak tree on the AT in the South, at over 18¢ around and over 300 years old. We chatted with a local guy taking his cousin from Indiana there to see it. We also crossed paths with two SOBOs flying down the trail.  We had to do about two sometimes steep miles up to the Sinking Hill Mountain. We passed through an old apple orchard with piles and piles of rock cairns. We thanked those farmers from long ago who had cleared those rocks off the trail for us!  We were looking forward to what appeared on the map to be a ridgewalk but turned out to be two miles of exposed sunny slanted granite that dropped off straight down to our right! No relaxing ridgewalk today, but there were beautiful views.   Finally we started heading downhill, but it was not easy either, still with some steep sections and lots of rocks. It was on this section I finally saw my first bear. It was a cub climbing out of a tree and taking off away from us and the trail. It was probably only 50-60 pounds. It happened so fast I couldn¢t get a picture.  It did make us nervously watch for mama bear for the next few minutes.We heard voices before we saw the shelter. Upon arriving at NiDay Shelter, we met another group of 8 students from Washington and Lee University. They explained that they had 12 or 13 small groups on the trail before classes begin; we had crossed paths with another group of them a couple days ago. They have a tradition of a few upperclassmen taking a few underclassmen out for bonding before classes begin. There was also one sobo about our age, Ole from Minnesota. We had good talks during dinner but they were all tenting so again we had a shelter to ourselves.