morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-03-07
From: Campsite near Davis path

To: Chestnut Knob
Miles today: 19.8

Tues, 3/7Slept good under the stars in the hammock last night. Was actually too warm. Woke up about 6:30 and broke camp. Got on trail about 7:30. Had a decent descent off of little brushy mountain then a good ascent up Walker mountain (aptly named). Met a group of 22 hikers on a 4 or 5 day school trip. They were planning on camping where we camped last night. The morning was nice and uneventful, some up/down but a lot of walking thru rolling farmland. Over lunch at Knot Maul shelter we met ¢06 thru hiker Lumbermack. It was great talking to him. The early afternoon was warm but around 3 it started cooling off. By the time we got to Chestnut Ridge the wind had picked up and it was downright cold. But this is a unique fully enclosed shelter with a door. Snoopy is already snoring and I hope to add to the melody soon . Good night
Date: 2023-03-08
From: Chestnut Knob

To: Helveys Mill 
Miles today: 23.5

Weds, 3/8Snoopy and I were packed up and hitting the trail from the very unique Chestnut Knob shelter about 7am. The temperature was just below freezing but the wind was screaming over the ridge. The first bit of the trail is very exposed and we just couldn¢t get warm.  I was wearing gloves but my fingers were loosing feeling. I had on every bit of clothing I had. Finally, we dropped down into a low spot (Walker Gap) but since this is the AT, we started climbing up into the wind again! It was another couple of miles of exposed ridges before we dropped 1500 feet and left the wind behind! Whew! The rest of the day as uneventful. Passed only one hiker, he he wasn¢t interested in talking. Hustled to get to an outfitters shop that is right on the trail at us hwy 52, but it was closed. Worse, there was no exterior outlet to charge my phone and it¢s almost dead. We pushed on to the next shelter and posted up for the night.
Date: 2023-03-09
From: Helveys Mill 

To: Dismal Falls
Miles today: 16.5

Thus, 3/9We have two relatively light days planned. Today we left the shelter and made good time to the next one. Saw a couple of deer that paid us no mind and passed the 600 mile mark! The big treat was getting to a road where just 1/2 mile West was a gas station/convenience store/bait shop called Trent¢s grocery. Finally got the phone charged up while Snoopy and I put some calories in our bellies. A couple of short miles back on trail brought us to Dismal Falls. It was a 1/3 mile detour to get to the falls but a pretty place and so we decided to set up the tent. A beautiful way to wind down the day with a bag of popcorn to munch on¢¦ can¢t get much better that that, eh?
Date: 2023-03-10
From: Dismal Falls

To: Woods Hole
Miles today: 15.5

Fri, 3/10Woke up to rain about midnight, it started slow but started falling heavier around 3am. Finally, there was a bit of a break about 5:30 so I started packing up. While we stayed relatively dry in the tent, everything outside was soaked. Rolled up a soaking wet tent that added about 5 extra pounds to my pack weight. By the time we were hiking it was raining steadily again. One good thing about the rain is it makes ya move¢¦ no beautiful views to check out, no sitting to rest on a mossy rock, just keep your feet moving. So we made good time to a shelter where we finally took a break. Soaked shoes, damp shirt under my rain jacket and it was easy to get going again after we ate. Only passed one gentleman, who was removing trees that had fallen across the trail. Chatted with him a bit and then on to Woods Hole shelter to get dry and clean! We are the only hikers staying the night here tonight. 10 miles to go tomorrow to get to Pearisburg, where there is a re-supply box waiting for us at the Post Office! Forecast is calling for windy conditions for the next few days!
Date: 2023-03-11
From: Woods Hole

To: AngelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Rest
Miles today: 10.2

Sat, 3/11Snoopy and I woke up early at Woods Hole  Hostel. This is one of the oldest hostels on the trail. We are the only hikers that stayed last night. The hostel is run by the granddaughter of the original owners. It¢s a neat place with tons of AT history. The coffee pot was set to brew at 6am so I got a cup, finished packing up and we were walking back to the trail at sunrise.  The wind was picking up as we came down the steep descent into Pearisburg. We found the Post Office, which was only open from 10-noon, so it was good that we didn¢t sleep in! Got our box and then made our way to Angel¢s Rest Hostel. Again, we are the only thru hikers here. Opened a can of pineapple that Angie had included in our box while we checked out the hiker box and made a list of what to accomplish today, We popped over to a grocery store to supplement the dog food and other goodies we got (including some gf Girl Scout cookies and doggie treats from Indy clan!). Came back with too much stuff but made chorizo tacos and organized Snoopys food bags. Ice cream for dessert! Caught up on some phone calls and other chores. And we were in bed by 8.
Date: 2023-03-12
From: AngelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Rest

To: Rice Field
Miles today: 8.8

Sun, 3/12Slept in a bit this morning, getting spoiled sleeping in a bunk two nights in a row! But, we had everything done we needed to accomplish so around 10, the owner of Angels Rest Hostel, Doc drove us back to the trailhead. It was a cold morning and the wind was still blowing so it was pretty slow going as we made our way across the New River and back into the woods. As we gained altitude the temperature kept dropping. Even though it was only 8.8 miles to the Rice field shelter, that¢s where we stopped. I didn¢t feel like we should push on another 12+ miles to the next shelter and didn¢t really want to set up the tent in this weather. So I read for a while. Over the wind, I could hear an occasional train pass below us. It ended up being a nice (but cold) night.
Date: 2023-03-13
From: Rice Field

To: Bailey Gap
Miles today: 16.4

Mon, 3/13Did 16.4 miles today thru the ice and snow. Saw zero ppl. Snoopy and I are nestled together at Bailey Gap shelter. It¢s not too high up here, only about 3500ft but it¢s 16 degrees and the wind gusts are blowing ice chunks off of the trees. They are crashing down on top of the shelter roof and Snoopy doesn¢t like it! I tentatively planned out the rest of this week, and since the weather doesn¢t seem like it is going to get much better, we plan to just do between 12-15 mile days , stopping at shelters each night. That way we won¢t feel rushed. The ice covered trail is slick, especially the rocky areas. We will just take our time the next couple of days! Good night to all!
Date: 2023-03-14
From: Bailey Gap

To: Old hay barn
Miles today: 15.5

Tuesday 3/14. 6 weeks on the trail. Another chilly morning but we stayed warm all night. I sure appreciate my zero degree rated sleeping bag and insulated pad. Snoopy has a foam sleeping pad with a synthetic blanket on it and then I wrap him up in a down quilt so he stays plenty warm and comfortable too. He gets up and ready to go way faster than me. He just needs a stretch and a shake and he would be happy to get moving. Unfortunately he needs to wait the 1/2 hour or so that it takes me to fold everything up and repack the bag before I¢m ready. He¢s not a big eater first thing in the morning but I like to get a granola bar or something in me. I usually shove another one in my pocket to eat on the go too. I do like to stop and feed him though, usually within a couple of hours of when we start. He¢s ready to eat once he¢s burning calories on the trail. We were plowing thru a couple of inches of snow for the first couple of miles today, actually probably the first 5. It was slow going with all of the recent blown down trees we need to pick a path around. Luckily the trail is well marked here, lots of blazes to help keep us straight. As the trail finally started to head downhill I felt like I should be skiing, instead of hiking . I have the poked, just need a pair of skis! After only about 1000 ft of descent, tho , the snow really thinned out. After 8.8 miles and over 2200 ft of elevation loss we reached the next shelter and the sun was even out a little bit. But this is the AT, so what¢s at the bottom of a hill¢¦ your next up hill!Did a total if about 15.5 today and it felt good. We found on old hay barn to stay in tonight. It¢s still cold, snowing and our water bottles are frozen but it¢s warm enough here for us and this weather has got to break soon. We did pass a couple with a dog this afternoon. Willow thru hiked the AT a few years back and her hubby, Kelly and her do trail maintenance now. It was good to talk trail with the both of ¢em. And a big thanks to them for taking our trash. That¢s about a pound less weight in my pack.
Date: 2023-03-15
From: Old hay barn

To: Pickle branch
Miles today: 19.0

~ 19 mile day, 697.9 Pickle Branch shelter Got up at first light. This barn stood thru another night. Snow was filtering thru the wall boards all night but it was as good as a trail shelter. I learned that when we get into the Shanendoa NP next park next week, shelters are what they call day use picnic structures and huts are what we can stay in overnight. They are swapping up the terminology on us! Passed a huge old oak tree this morning on the ascent to the ridge we hiked all day. The sun finally pushed thru the clouds and although it doesn¢t have a lot of heat behind it, it definitely helps lift the spirits to be hiking in sunshine! Came down off of the ridge in the early afternoon and who was filling up a water bottle at the creek but Cayenne! I haven¢t seen him since day 3 or 4. We hiked the rest of the pm together and are now sharing a shelter with another guy, AAron, who is doing some sobo section hiking getting ready to do the Continental Divide trail next month. Seems odd after having shelters to ourselves for so long to be sharing with two people. Good catching up with an old friend tho and hearing about what¢s coming up on the trail. And so nice to be in the sun most of the day. It¢s still cold (below freezing rn) but we have much to be thankful for.
Date: 2023-03-16
From: Pickle branch

To: Campbell
Miles today: 17.0

Mar 16Cayenne is an early riser. He probably hit the trail around 6. Snoopy and I got up around 6:30. Hit the trail around 7. The section hiker in the shelter, Aaron, hadn¢t stirred yet when we left. This day brought some really cool sections to hike. First up was a section of trail called the sawtooth because it¢s just these 10-15 little rocky ridges we were scrambling up, then down, up down. It only lasted about two miles but my legs were screaming! That section of trail concluded with a huge rocky outcropping called dragons tooth (see above pic). Then it drops down to a parking area, and since it was a beautiful sunny day, a few day hikers passed us on their way up. Around lunchtime the trail crossed a road (VA 624) and I noticed there was a gas station about 1/2 mile off trail so Snoopy and I detoured and picked up a cup of coffee and some snacks ( I was out of sunflower seeds!) Back on trail, we passed thru some farmland and another road crossing and then started climbing up to the most photographed spot on the AT: Mcafee knob ( see pic on 3/14). It was breathtakingly beautiful (and busy!) Lots of folks out enjoying the view and weather. We ended up in a shelter just 1/2 mile past McAfee knob with a SoBo, Leaf. He was full of good information about places to check out up north and assured us that the best of the trail is yet to come. Hard to believe after such an awe inspiring experience today!
Date: 2023-03-17
From: Campbell

To: Fullhardt knob
Miles today: 20.4

3/17-Woke up to a gorgeous sunrise right outside the shelter, the sky slowly changing from hues of pink to orange to red and then, bam- suns up. We continued talking to Leaf as we packed up to hit the trail. Yesterday from McAfee knob we could see the ridge line we¢d be on most of today. It wrapped around to the South and then turned North and eventually the trail was taking us right along a section called Tinker cliffs with more awesome views down into the valley and back toward everything we scrambled over yesterday. Just phenomenal! Another ridge line walk brought us views of a lake to the East before we began a long descent into a pair of towns: Daleville and Troutville. Snoopy and I got down into town about 2:30 and our first stop was a BBQ joint. Great lunch (St. Paddy¢s day specials) and then a stop at an outfitter to replace my worn out trail runners and grab some hiker meals then a grocery store to top off the shopping! Much thanks to a sweet trail angel, Katherine, who gave us a ride back to the trail head and made it so we didn¢t have to cross a fairly busy 4 lane hwy, frogger style! We were out of the towns and back into the woods about 4pm for a push uphill the last couple of miles to a shelter with a cistern! I read it was the last one left on the trail. Reminds me of our house in Ketchikan, where most homes had cisterns. We made good time up despite the cold and wind. Just us here tonight but another great day to be on the AT!
Date: 2023-03-18
From: Fullhardt knob

To: Middle Creek
Miles today: 23.0

3/18Getting excited to see Abe and Cay. Not sure when we¢ll meet up but Snoopy and I plan to stay near road crossings tonight and tomorrow so that we can be ready to meet up with them fairly easily. We made good progress today. About 23 miles to a campground. Still cold when we arrived at about 4pm, the sun just didn¢t have much heat in it today. But the campground has a little store with a grill so we got some nachos, French fries and a shake! Sprayed all of our gear down with a bottle of tick killer treatment and let it air out before setting it up. On the trail, we met both a nobo and a SoBo today. Both gentlemen started their hikes last year and circumstances took them off trail but they are back to give it another go! The SoBo is Laptop, can you guess what he is carrying in his pack? I didn¢t catch the nobo¢s name but he ended up at the same campground, but he got a cabin. We pitched the tent in the lee of some trees but the wind picked up overnight and really rocked the tent. We also made a fire since there was a nice fire ring. We haven¢t had a fire for probably a week or two now. Met some of the other campers (rv/ trailer) and went to bed.
Date: 2023-03-19
From: Middle Creek

To: 3 level shelter 
Miles today: 5.0

3/19, Sunday Woke up to a windy morning at the campground. Packed most of our things up and then went and took a shower. The water was hot and plentiful. Decided to do a quick South bound slack pack so after breakfast Snoopy and I emptied out most of the gear from the pack and road walked up the AT access north of where we came out of the woods yesterday. It was only a few miles back to Middle Creek Campground Rd where we packed up the gear we¢d left and then downhill to a motel where we will spend the night.
Date: 2023-03-21
From: Cornelius Creek 

To: Marble Spring 
Miles today: 13.4

Tuesday, 3/21I knew Abe had a full few days leading up to his getting caught up to Snoopy and I so we slept in till about 8 this morning. He¢s packing a camp stove so it was great to have a hot breakfast! The plan for today is to just walk as far as feels right. After only a couple of miles there was a side trail that led to some waterfalls, so we decided to check it out. Beautiful! Got back on the AT around noon and made pretty good time the rest of the day. Passed a family of 5 out enjoying the day and then later a very encouraging older couple. Abe¢s sore but doing great! I¢m excited to see what tomorrow brings! Abe-¢¢ Tuesday, March 21st, 2023 It was hard to sleep last night. Not sure if it was nerves or nerves. Kept drifting then reawakening, rinse and repeat. The hammock is hard to get out of, my legs are already busted. But, it was incredibly comfy. No complaints here. Wake up, make some eggs. They boil over and get everywhere, good thing we have a dog to clean up those messes. And we¢re off. Trail starts slow and I appreciate that because I am starting to feel blisters coming in. Then we kick it into high gear for a 1,500 or so foot climb. My body isn¢t ready got all that, I find myself taking a water break every 1/8th of a mile. Feels pretty pitiful but my body is facing the music of the trail. Dad is quick as lightening compared to me. We meet on the ¢top¢ (it¢s actually one half of the way there) and make a few phonecalls. It¢s nice to hear my partners voice, sounds like an angel after that hill. A few more miles of simple up and downs, foot  starting to throb now. One more peak, highcock knob, and a 1 mile decent to the bottom. I rip my boots off and can barely move today. I¢m starting to feel doubt creep into my mindset. Food was good and it¢s always nice to chat before bed. Dad mentions something about pissing off the mountain, I told him that¢s not very novel. He¢s starting to re-tell stories already but I don¢t mind. Sleep well outside of some midnight leg cramps. Pretty much cowboy camping, Need to drink more water.
Date: 2023-03-22
From: Marble Spring 

To: Saddle Gap
Miles today: 14.0

Weds, 3/22Ran into SoBo Pink hot dog, actually doing a flip flop. Harpers ferry to Springer then headed North and hiking Katahdin to HF. Cold mnt, hog camp gap, big bald rock wall fences ad astra and two two other sobos/ flipfloppers. Woke up refreshed after hammock camping . Not in a rush today, just going to see how far we get. Talked to a ham radio operator at Matt¢s Creek Shelter while we ate lunch. He had a lot of knowledge and knew the history of this area. It was cool talking with him. Passed over James River on the longest foot bridge of the entire trail. It was very pretty. Got to John¢s Hollow shelter and still had some daylight and energy left it the tank, but I told Abe to make the call whether to continue or stay. He said he was alright so we put in a couple of more miles on a big uphill push onto Big Rocky Row. Passed a SoBo who had a sweet camp. We found a not as nice spot further on and set up. We were all tired and ready for bed!Abe-Little bit of up, whole lot of down, then more up. My blister is MAD the whole way down the mountain. I¢m debating on popping it but aren¢t sure on how well it will heal. It¢s either in a crusty sleeping bag or in a soaking with sweat shoe. I decide to keep the blister around. We stumble into a cool police looking gentleman with one arm. I take a dookie and we (dad and I) both got a Virginia history lesson from the guy communicating with the Italians. Eventually we roll up on the longest walking bridge on the AT, not as exciting in person as I had hoped, a nice treat nonetheless. We pound up a few more miles ofThe mountain, meet a couple frat boys on the trail, and call it quits about 4,000 feet up. I lay in my hammock immediately, I¢m pooped. The views are gorgeous, my blisters are bigger, and I think I¢m getting used to this.
Date: 2023-03-23
From: Saddle Gap

To: Brown mnt creek
Miles today: 13.7

Thurs, 2/23Beautiful cloudy morning greeted us as we woke up. A quick nobo-er, ET, passed us as we were breaking camp. He left Springer on Feb 23rd. ! One big push up (~2000 ft elevation gain) then mostly downhill after that. We crossed over the BRP again after not seeing it yesterday. Our travels took us across a cool suspended bridge and then along a reservoir for a couple of miles. Abe is holding up well. He does have a blister on one of his pinky toes. But he¢s bandaged it and it doesn¢t seem to be bothering him too badly. The day ended with a small ascent to Brown Mt shelter. It¢s a pretty little spot, with a creek babbling in the background. We made a fire in the fire pit and then went and soaked our feet and rinsed out some of our clothes. Hung them up to dry and made dinner. It¢s just us in this shelter. We talked till about 9pm and now we are ready to sleep. It¢s the warmest day so far, 70+ degrees today and only supposed to get down to 50 tonight. Good night!Abe-Thursday, March 23rd, 2023Wake up To ¢E.T¢ flying by our campsite around 8am. He has been clearing 30 mile days since the last days of February, Impressive. All downhill this AM, my feet are not happy with me. A symphony of ¢ows¢ is rolling through my head as we stomp down the hill. It¢s gorgeous today, got up to the 80s. Dad and I push through a couple of decent sized hills in the sunshine with some wonderful views. While shuffling down the hill on my toes, a SOBO biker named ¢pink hotdog¢ was cruising up the mountain. Didn¢t catch the story behind that one. Maybe it is best not to know. Our decent ended at ANOTHER suspension bridge, I ripped my feet out and let them dry out In the sun, crushed another tuna packet, and filled up waters. I¢m hoping my feet are able to sustain the journey, they haven¢t failed me yet but I¢m really not sure. They seem to be weak at times, blistery etc etc. I get up and we continue up hill. As the sun beams; the mountains flatten out into a gorgeous creek where an old community used to exist, The park Service took the area over in the early 20th century. This led us to ¢Brown creek Shelter,¢ we made a fire and soaked our feet in the river. It was a wonderful grove that I would love to visit again. I¢m SO sore but am so glad to be here. Another night in the hammock. Signing off.
Date: 2023-03-24
From: Brown mnt creek

To: Seeley-Woodworth 
Miles today: 15.8

Fri, 3/24Woke up to a nice morning. The sky had some light cloud cover. Our wet clothes that we had hung out to dry were still a bit damp so Abe tied off a couple of pairs of socks to the back of his pack. We hit the trail about 8. The day began with a 2500+ ft ascent over the first 4 miles¢¦ just up, up, up. We were rewarded with some amazing views from Bald knob and then some even better ones 2-3 miles later from Cole Mnt. We met some day hikers near the US 60 crossing and they gave us some granola bars and oranges! Fresh fruit is always such a treat on the trail. A big thanks to them. Most of the rest of the day was either slightly downhill or flat so we made good time in the later afternoon. The water sources are getting more spread out. The last two days I¢ve had to take 1mile+ detours off trail to top off the water bottles. But you do what you need to in order to stay hydrated. We are now at  Seeley-Woodworth Shelter. There was another nobo here when we popped in, Mouse Killer. His thru hike was cut short last year due to a number of soft tissue injuries so he just got back on trail 4-5 days ago. It¢s always nice to talk trail with a fellow hiker. He lives in GA now but is originally from upstate NY and has lots of trail experiences. I¢m looking forward to stopping at a little store tomorrow and supplementing my food bag with some needed snacks . Supposed to be a wet one tomorrow so it may be a short day for us¢¦ guess we¢ll see what tomorrow brings!Abe-Friday; March 24th, 2023Hills hills and hills. These HILLS. I cried a touch this morning. Felt good to cry off a mountain and drown my self pitying tears with stark Virginia beauty. I¢m finally finding somewhat of my stride. It¢s a little Jenky and SLOW but I am happier with how I am moving. Go up a hill, go down, get water, go up another hill. I¢m gracious for the company because good lord I¢m starting to go crazy, I hope my brain can make it. Coles peak was gorgeous, wide open views ranging from the plains of VA to the rest of the Appalachians. Stopped for some lunch and discussed what tuna tastes like.. My blisters still hurt but haven¢t popped yet! Yahoo! Started pouring on us for the last hour of hiking today, increased my pace by a touch. Short day predicted tomorrow. ¢Mouse killer¢ is our Sheltermate,  He was a real funny guy, had some serious health issues from his hips to his feet that ripped him off the trail last year and makes me gracious for the small troubles I have. We may see him tomorrow at ¢the priest¢ Shelter.