morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-03
From: High Point Shelter

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.4

It rains again last night. Not as hard as the night before but a long steady rain nonetheless. It¢s mostly stopped by morning but everything is soaked and the dripping on the tent makes it hard to get motivated. We do motivate and after morning routine are in the trail by 8a. Not great but not bad again since we¢re only hiking 11-12 miles. This means we¢ll be at camp plenty early again. The rains have made the trail a slogging mess. There are stretches of trail where only the carefullest of steps avoids sinking ankle deep into thick black mud, and even then the shoes have a thick layer of muck encasing them. There are also some grassy fields to walk through. Nice for the views and getting out of the trees, but again, with all the rain, there¢s no way to avoid the water on the grass that continuously seeps into our shoes. Both socks and shoes are soaked, a potential hazard for blisters. The day breaks up nicely though with a quaint town visit into Unionville, NY. We stop in at Horler¢s General Store for a few supplies and then cross the street to Anabelle¢s Pizza. The pizza is delicious and we take our time lunching and charging our phones. Before leaving we also grab a couple sandwiches to go, cheesesteak for Connor and a chicken parmigiana sandwich for me. We¢ll carry these into camp for dinner. After lunch it¢s only 5 miles to camp, so again, no rush. We decide to sleep in the shelter tonight since rain is 100% in the forecast. Sleeping in the shelter allows us to avoid packing our tent and gear in the rain, making it easier to break camp and get back on the trail. The downside is that a shelter is always shared space - hikers, bugs, critters, what have you. Still it¢s the lesser of 2 evils after 3 nights in the rain. We need showers and tomorrow is shaping up to be a town day. It will be good to hit the reset button and the forecast is kinder beyond tomorrow. Walk on!
Date: 2018-06-04
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: Greenwood Lakes, NY
Miles today: 22.0

I¢m shivering in my sleeping bag. With last nights rain also came cooler temperatures, somewhere in the 40¢s. If I turn on my side and ball up I¢m able to retain more warmth and stop the shivering. As chilly as it is in the sleeping bag, the temps actually feel nicer once the pack is on and we¢re moving up the trail. It rained all night and the trail is often a muddy mess. Again. I never realized how swampy New Jersey is either and we¢re often walking on wooden planks over marshy land. The scenery is still nice, certainly different, but for one little problem...mosquitoes. They are ferocious and their numbers are plentiful. Certain sections of trail are noticeably worse and we press forward with all haste that can be mustered over uneven terrain while carrying a pack to outrace these predators. The plan today is a short 7 miles to a road crossing where the motel we¢re looking at will pick us up. I call the motel around 9a to let them know we¢re only a mile from the road. She replies that she can¢t pick us up until 11:00 and that check in isn¢t until 2:00 anyway and checking in earlier will be an additional $15. Connor and I briefly ponder this before deciding to pass on this option and pressing on. It¢s been 5 days and we still need showers though. The next town is about 15 miles away. A long day ahead for sure, our longest yet, but our sights are now set. The first 10 miles are pretty standard fair as far as terrain goes but the last 5 are something else. We cross from New Jersey into New York, noted by a marking painted into the rocks. The trail has now become a rocky scramble with lunging steps up or down that take a toll on already fatigued legs. On several occasions I have to pass my hiking poles to Connor in order to perform some hand over hand climbing. In fact one section is actually labeled ¢ladder¢ and it¢s exactly that, metal rungs affixed into the rock in order to get up. The trail is also poorly marked along this section and we often pause to get our bearings and ascertain the correct route. The day is taxing and we are utterly spent by the time we reach town. Rest on!
Date: 2010-08-05
To: Daleville, Virginia
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Appalachian hike-cation......Southbound from Daleville to Damascus. I decided to fly to Roanoke instead of driving a rental car. The flight is $100.00 cheaper and I don't have to drive. My plan is to start hiking the day I arrive in Daleville unless it is raining. I have always had a rule that I don't start out hiking in the rain.
Date: 2010-08-13
From: Daleville, Virginia

To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

Friday the 13th! Up at 2:30am to get ready for my 6am flight to Roanoke. Sarah with Outdoor Trails outfitters picked me up at 11 and I was hiking by 12. I bought fuel, packed my pack, and bought a Wendy's chicken sandwich to have later up the trail. Mid-80s, sunny and hot! I met a couple on the way to Lambert Meadows shelter. Pachyderm, Amanda and their dog, Tucker. I stayed in the shelter alone, and they tented near the stream. I hiked under 4 power lines today so I shouldn't need my headlight tonight.
Date: 2010-08-14
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: light rain

I woke up to rain at 5:00 am - lasted until 8:00 am. I started hiking at 8:30 and it was very foggy and misty. Couldn't see more than 100 feet ahead so no view at Tinker Cliffs. I was headed for McAfee Knob, but wouldn't be able to see anything so stopped early at Campbell shelter. Later two hikers came in, a father (Fatigue) and son (Random Dash) section hikers from Illinois. We had a lot of time to talk trail talk. The water source was listed south and another .1 off the trail so I caught rain water to cook dinner and an extra cup for morning coffee.
Date: 2010-08-15
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Johns Spring Shelter
Miles today: 3.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Still very foggy when I woke up but lifted a little when I got ready to leave at 9:30. I was headed for McAfee Knob hoping I would have a view but there wasn't one. I met a local hiker named Teresa out for the day. Thank you Teresa for being there to take my picture.I found some rain water in the rock pools and was able to fill up while I waited an hour for the fog to lift. It didn't so I hiked on and stopped at the spring going down and filled up so I could make some coffee at the Johns Spring shelter. I met Sliver/St. Petersburg, FL hiking up to McAfee Knob for a day hike. He drove up today on his way to Maine to finish up his last section of the AT. I was making my coffee when the rain started so I moved everything into the shelter. A few minutes later Sliver came back down and we talked for an hour about our experiences on the trail. Good luck with your last few miles and thank you for the water and carrying out my trash. A couple of teenage boys came by for about 30 minutes and then they hiked on so I have a night alone in the shelter.
Date: 2010-08-16
From: Johns Spring Shelter

To: VA 624
Miles today: 6.9

I left the shelter at 7am and the sun came out making this the prettiest day. The temp was in the 70's. I hiked thru cow pastures and talked to the cows and took their pictures. I met 10 teenagers hiking north so they cleared all the spider webs and snakes from the trail. I climbed over 6 stiles during this short sectionI was getting water from the stream and a local couple came by on a 13 mile day hike. It is always nice to chat when so few people are on the trail. I got off at VA 624 to go to the store for a cold drink and something to eat. I called Bill and he told me the rain was coming again in a couple of hours. He called Homer Witcher (540-266-4849) who lives in the area and he picked me up an hour later. The storm arrived an hour after arriving at Homer & Teresa's home. Good timing! Homer, Teresa, Taylor and Bennett are so nice to let me share their home for the night. I got a shower and did laundry. When Teresa came home from work she prepared a great dinner for all of us including Taylor's boyfriend Travis. This family thru hiked in 2002 when Taylor (Cascade) was 11 and Bennett (Rockslide) was 8. http://www.aldha.org/witcher.htm.
Date: 2010-08-17
From: VA 630

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

Homer drove me to the trailhead at VA 630 and I hiked to the shelter. Incoming rain was holding off so I stopped only for a rest and water at Laural Creek. I stopped again at Johns Creek for my water to cook dinner and plowed ahead to War Spur shelter. The rain came - did it ever. No cell phone signal. Rainy night, and another night alone in the shelter. I remember this shelter well in 2006 with Chainsaw and Able Jack. A section hiker brought in a gallon of whiskey and there was quite the party until about midnight. I skipped 25.7 miles or otherwise known as yellow blazing.
Date: 2010-08-18
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

Weather still wet, either drizzling or raining. Left War Spur and headed for Pine Swamp shelter. Ran into '09 hiker, Headstrong, who was making up a short piece of the trail. Still no cell phone. The trail hasn't been maintained here in several months. Very brushy and snakey looking - guess the trail maintainers take a break after the north bounders. They fixed the roof after a tree fell on the shelter in 2007. It is very weird to be here by myself when four years ago this place was very crowded and I have been thinking about my 2006 hiking buddies a lot these past few days. There is an entry in the trail register about a bear that comes up to the front of the shelter. OMG!
Date: 2010-08-19
From: Pine Swamp Shelter

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: moderate rain

I headed out this morning at 6:30 with my headlamp on trying to get a jump on the rain. (As far as I know the bear didn't show up) A lot of water is falling on me off the trees and the weeds I am walking thru are wet. I crossed the Allegheny Trail crossing and headed to Rice Field Shelter. Bill tried to find a shuttle driver in Pearisburg to come get me, but there are no road crossings before Rice Field Shelter. I will have to make the trip out tomorrow morning. Here comes the rain again - Predicted to last all day. Oh, well . . . .I called Bill many times but he couldn't hear me. We were both talking thinking the other could hear, but we couldn't because the phone said it was on Mute. I spent an hour trying to figure out how to remove the mute but never figured it out. Someone left a gallon of water and that was a good thing since I didn't have any and the water source was too far away to hike back to get some. Thanks, Trail Angel! Of course I gave it the sniff test and boiled it first before using any. Finally reached Bill at dinner time - for some reason the phone worked - maybe it was damp and shorted something. No other hikers tonight so I read my book and listened to NPR.
Date: 2010-08-20
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA Holiday Motor Lodge
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: scattered clouds

About 1 o'clock this morning someone arrived at the shelter with their headlight on and scared the hell out of me! Cyron and his Iguana named Moe from Massachusetts were night hiking. Moe will be the first Iguana to thru hike.I took a picture that I will post later. Very cute! I hiked (climbed) down a five-mile boulder field to the road that enters Pearisburg. I couldn't remember this climb up 4 years ago but I guess it is harder going North. I stopped at Hardee's before going to the motel because I really needed a cup of coffee and biscuit. I met a hiker named John that got off the trail in Pearisburg to settle down. I then headed to the motel that Little Wing and I stayed at in 2006. I got a bath and started cleaning up the mud-mess that was my clothes, boots and pack. Litte Wing, the laundromat is still the same but not as far as I remember it. When I returned to my room I decided to go out to the pool and dry my boots. There were a couple of teenagers hanging around and we had fun talking and watching them swim. I walked across the street and bought groceries and a go order at the Chinese Restaurant and their food is great! Also, I went in the thrift store and bought another book to read. I finished the book, To Kill a Mockingbird and left it at the last shelter. Maybe a south bounder will pick it up later. Now, lets see what is on the TV.
Date: 2010-08-21
From: Pearisburg, VA 

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

I left the motel at 7:30 am and climbed to Angel's Rest. It was a very beautiful day and the slight rain chance was not expected until late afternoon. I arrived at Sugar Gap Road and then on to Wood's Hole Hostel. Neville (Miss Tillie's granddaughter) that I met in 2006 has done a lot of improvements and added a whole new wing. I know Miss Tillie would be proud of her little cabin. Nathan Osgood (from England) and his brother John Hooker from Virginia were staying for a couple of nights checking out a farm that Nathan can use to film his new movie. His last movie was Ditch Digger.
Date: 2010-08-22
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: VA 606
Miles today: 13.9

We all enjoyed a wonderful breakfast on the porch and the weather looked like it would be a great day for hiking. I had planned a slack packing day from Woods Hole to VA 606 -Trent Grocery. Around 12:30 I decided to have lunch at the Wapiti Shelter where Raymond Lee Smith killed the two hikers in May, 1981. Later,I read a book that said the original shelter was torn down after the killings and a shelter with the same name was moved to this location. The original shelter was located next to a road farther down Dismal Creek. It was still a sad time thinking about the two young people that lost their lives trying to enjoy nature and complete a thru hike. In May, 2008 Raymond Smith shot two fishermen a few miles from here and died as a result of an accident following the shooting. Or say it goes......I was looking forward to stopping at Dismal Falls since I had bypassed it in 2006. It is a very pretty place and will add it to my places to return to. There were about 20 locals cooling off on a hot day and they allowed me to take their picture. If I had not been slack packing I would have joined them. I hiked on to Trent Grocery on VA 606 (another place I didn't stop at in 2006) and Neville picked me up around 5pm. Thank you Neville for a great 2 day visit.
Date: 2010-08-23
From: VA 606

To: VA 611 - Bland, VA Big Walker Motel
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

Neville dropped me off at VA 606 and after a few steps I crossed Kimberling Creek Bridge where Little Wing and I decided to camp in 2006. We were a little afraid because we were so close to traffic, but after 18.5 miles we called it a day. I remember how happy we were when Old Drum came hiking across the bridge at 7:30 to join us. Old Drum always camped at 7:30. I hiked on for a few miles and started thinking about my hitch into Bland. I checked my contact numbers and decided to call a shuttle person to pick me up early and drop me off at the Big Walker Motel. Patti's husband was busy so she agreed to pick me up at VA611. (I skipped 9 miles) Patti dropped me off at the Big Walker Motel and agreed to shuttle me tomorrow if I wanted to skip some more miles. Thank you Patti! 276-688-3257. I ate dinner at the Dairy Queen, bought a few supplies at the Dollar General, and came back to the motel to watch T.V. Later after I checked my guide book I called Patti and she will pick me up tomorrow morning and drive me to US11/VA683. Yes, I am skipping another 44.7 miles. I figured I couldn't resupply without hitching and I don't hitch by myself. This will all work out great and put me in Damascus a few days early so I can do other things. This is a hikecation and not a thru hike so I want to enjoy myself.
Date: 2010-08-24
From: US11 Rural Retreat

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

A couple of miles up the trail around 7:45 I hiked by the Settlers Museum but it was closed. The museum was founded in 1987 after the Forest Service acquired the land for the A.T. At VA644 I met two section hikers, F and Waldo taking a break. They are good friends and hike two weeks every year slowly making it up the trail. Keep it up guys and you will eventually make it to Katahdin. Arrived at the Mt. Rogers HQ in time to buy a drink and talk to the rangers before setting up in the Partnership Shelter for the night. The Partnership Shelter was built in 1997 by volunteers from six trail clubs. Later, Sarah (Head Ranger) came over while I was cooking dinner to tell me about a situation. (I will tell you about this later) P.S. The situation was that the rangers were notified that an "Odd Man" was hiking the trail that needed checking out due to an anger management problem. They searched his pack and ran a check on his ID. He wasn't currently wanted for anything but had served time in prison and they were going to watch him until he got through Mt. Rogers. Sarah wanted me to know so I wouldn't share time with him at the next shelter and possibly upset him. Wow, now I have to worry about an ex-con with an anger problem! Also, she told me about a bear that I would probably encounter about 5 miles south on the trail. I think I will take the bear over the ex-con.
Date: 2010-08-25
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Hurricane Campground - Site #2
Miles today: 16.6

I left the shelter about 7 and about 4 miles down the trail I spotted a young bear coming down a tree. I banged my poles and he took off running. When I reached VA670, South Fork of Holston River there was a 120 foot-long footbridge. I took my shoes off and laid down with my feet elevated for about twenty minutes in the sun. Nice! I continued on another mile and met a retired ranger from KY hiking Northbound. His name is Mule and he is out hiking a section which he does every year. He invited me to join him on his site at Hurricane Campground and I agreed since we haven't seen anyone on the trail in days. It was fun listening to Mule's stories when he worked at Red River Canyon. Thanks Mule for the chips, donuts, water and free shower. Happy hiking and I hope your wife Ann joins you next time. Have I mentioned it has quit raining and has been cooler these past few days. Great hiking weather!P.S.The reason I hiked more miles today to join Mule was the "Odd Man" was at the Trimpi Shelter where I had planned to spend the night. I decided he needed the shelter to himself.
Date: 2010-08-26
From: Hurricane Campground site#2

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Since I started around 10am this morning I decided to only hike to Old Orchard Shelter. The next shelter is 6 more miles and I wasn't in any hurry. Later an outward bound group from Huntsville, Alabama came in and it was nice to hear their voices from the tent sites. Their leader came over and we talked about being from Alabama. Another beautiful hiking day. This shelter was built in 1970 and accommodates six. It was not actually an orchard, but rather a lumber camp and sawmill, though some apple trees grew from discarded fruit.
Date: 2010-08-27
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Grayson Highlands State Park - site#15
Miles today: 8.7

I passed through "The Scales", rail-fence livestock corral. Once the site of scales for weighing cattle that grazed on the highland meadows before they were shipped to market. Today, it is still used to round up the livestock that graze in the Crest Zone and by horses and riders. also, there are toilets located here.I crossed Big Wilson Creek on a footbridge and the stile south of the creek marks the boundary between Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area and Grayson Highlands State Park. I was hiking to Thomas Knob Shelter to spend the night, but decided to head down the Backpackers Spur Trail to Grayson Highlands State Park. Thank you Tyler for the ride to the host office from the trail head. The rangers and volunteers were very nice and invited me to their camp fire to share S'mores and I stayed up past hiker midnight. Thanks Kevin, Roy, Jean, Jerry, Gina, Larry, Elizabeth, Roy and Evelyn. P.S. When I stopped at the Wise Shelter for lunch the "Odd Man" was there with all his clothes and things spread around. He was very angry because someone had used cuss words in the trail register. (Remember he has an anger management problem). It was around 11:30 and his clothes and things were spread out in the sun and shelter. He told me he was sick and thinks he has Giardia and inquired about what I used to purify my water. I told him and he said he couldn't afford anything. There were periods of time when he was talking out of his head about a past money situation in Florida and then he would come back to something recent. I told him I was leaving but a group that was hiking behind me were due to arrive any minute. He said there better not be more than 10 in the group. I am glad the group from Huntsville were only 9 because there might have been some problems. After leaving I ran into a couple out day hiking and inquired what trail they had used. They told me to take the blue trail down to Grayson Highlands State Park Campground. I took the trail and ran into Tyler ('07 SOBO thru hiker) at the trailhead. He was very nice to drive me the mile into the park and to the host campsite. The host called the rangers and they came to my tent site to interview me about the "Odd Guy". All the rangers on the trail had been informed he was coming and to watch him. They were glad I knew where he was and they would go to the shelter later to see if he was there and that he hadn't bothered anyone or anyone bothered him.A couple of hours later they drove the truck up to the shelter and the guy was not there. I was glad because this meant he was ahead of me and I would leave late the next day giving him plenty of time to move on. I did not come all the way to Virginia to worry about someone getting angry about something.
Date: 2010-08-28
From: Grayson Highlands State Park

To: Lost Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Thanks Jean for the ride back to the trail head. Since it is Saturday there are a lot of people hiking everywhere. I talked to so many heading up Wilburn Ridge and on to Thomas Knob. After a short break at the shelter I headed on to Lost Mountain Shelter and along the way I ate a pint of blueberries. Yum! A group of about 8 young guys camping behind the shelter were very loud and RUDE! P.S.While I was enjoying my break at Thomas Knob Shelter and talking to the Huntsville Group. (They had stayed at this shelter last night) up walks the "Odd Man". He is behind me! I figured out he either hid from the rangers last night when he heard their truck coming or he only hiked a couple of miles because it is only 5 miles from Wise to Thomas. I left after a couple of minutes and hiked 15 miles to the next shelter. There were a group of young guys camping behind the shelter and they were pretty loud until midnight.