morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-08
From: VA 624

To: Howard Johnson - Daleville, VA via US 311
Miles today: 5.9

The only good thing today was rest and reaching 700 miles!Other than that, it was not the best day for me. I woke up to an upset stomach, nausea, and a little bit of vomiting. I felt a little bit better after eating breakfast and drinking some water, so we decided to press on.The feeling did not last long and the nausea returned and I knew I wasn't going to make a long day of hiking. The heat was stifling and added to the nausea - I just had to keep moving slowly to hold the nausea back.We arrived at US 311 and called a shuttle to take us to Daleville. While we were waiting I just rested and looked to keep fluids down. The shuttle arrived and as we stood up the nausea kicked in and I lost it. Felt a little better after but it was slightly unpleasant.No issues on the way into town with Del and his little dog. Del was a great shuttle guy - very informative and helpful and got us everything we needed. Settled into the room at the Howard Johnson and we saw Fritz, Pyro, Chocolate, and Cheese at the hotel. I spent the rest of the day in bed resting and getting fluids in me while Big Dawg took good care of me. The culprit is believed to be dehydration mixed with some bad food.To keep on schedule, may do some slackpacking - we will see how it goes!
Date: 2014-05-09
From: US 311

To: Travelodge - Daleville, VA via US 220
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up in the morning feeling much better. Tried out breakfast and everything was good so we continued on to do the slackpack. Initially I was against doing it but it turned out to be exactly what I needed after the previous day. Slackpacking is great if you need to rest some while still pitting in miles to keep on track - do it if you need a break!Del drove us to US 311 and we started the 19.8 mile slack back. A great hiking experience after carrying our full packs for 51 days! Overall we did not hike much faster than when we carry packs (longer breaks and not overworking myself) but it was much easier on the body.First big stop was McAfee's Knob - most photographed spot on AT! It was extremely beautiful up there on a nice sunny day. Got my photo taken on the knob and talked with the Lorax, Wikipedia, Owl, and Scrambles on the knob. Walked around the rest of the cliffs there and saw Roanoke and Tinker Cliffs.Stopped at the Campbell Shelter with those guys for lunch and water - this shelter had a little stage on it! Nice relaxing lunch and then moved on to Tinker Cliffs. What amazing views we had from the cliffs! You could walk right up to the edge and see McAfee's Knob and the Virginia Valleys. We followed the cliffs for 0.5 miles then went down to Lambert's Meadow for more water. After a rest we started the home stretch to Daleville. We ran into a little bit of on and off rain but nothing that soaked us. The rain and clouds kept it cool and helped me stay hydrated.We knew we were close to town when we saw many powerlines crossing over the trail - takes away from the nature but is necessary for our needs. We walked into Shoneys for dinner and in time to watch some basketball!Back to real AT hiking tomorrow!
Date: 2014-05-10
From: US 220

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: light rain

A rainy start to the day! We walked six miles to the first shelter without rain gear, which was fine until the heavier rain started. We had to put the rain gear on since it was a little windy and chilly at the top and once we started walking again the rain stopped shortly after that. Saw several orange salamanders on the trail enjoying the rain - as well as two pretty box turtles! Stopped for water and lunch at the second shelter and met Pussel-gut and Spyro while eating. They are hiking partners who hike separately and meet at designated points - Pussel-gut was a ranger at Philmont as well!We continued hiking and reached the Blue Ridge Parkway and are following it on and off up to Skyline Drive - very scenic! We passed several overlooks on the BRP and kept going to the shelter. This shelter is 0.2 mile downhill with no good sites for hammocks and tents but had a good water source. We slept inside the shelter to avoid rain and we had no place to set up. Later on Pussel-gut arrived with Mike (out testing the AT and works on aircraft simulators) and chatted with him before he returned to the Parkway. Aphrodite arrived later on and we finally got a fire going (not a lot of loose firewood around) and we called Mom to finalize plans for their visit tomorrow and Tuesday. Then bedtime!
Date: 2014-05-11
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy Mother's Day everyone! Do not forget to thank your momma for everything she has done for you and treat her to something special. Hikers - don't forget to call her!The shelter floor was a little hard but overall a good sleep. We woke up early and rolled out - big hills to climb today! As we left the shelter we were treated to great views of the valley down below shrouded in fog - very neat! Left the Blue Ridge Parkway to climb up a mountain that led us to a beautiful field of flowers. - see the attached picture!Really nice hiking in the morning - cool weather, easy climbs, and great views. After the first climb we stopped for a snack at the shelter with no water. Would not willingly stay there since it would be odd to not be near water.From there we climbed down to the swimming hole at Jennings Creek and ate lunch near it. An excellent spot to eat lunch and dip your feet in the cold water. It was not hot enough for me to want to jump in though!Looking back we should have went to get burgers and shakes at the Middle Creek Campgrounds - maybe another time!From Jennings Creek we started the first large up - the climb was not too bad although a little steep. The heat also kicked up and I wanted to jump in the creek! We reached Bryant Ridge Shelter and rested there before the last big 2400 feet climb. Met six college freshman from Duke who were doing a 3-5 week section hike along the AT - nice to see others my age (and 4 girls!)And so the long up began - it was a long tedious steep climb that never seemed to end! Some sections were pretty flat while others were quite steep. Stopped several times because of the climbs and heat - last stop was to get water before powering over the top.The climb down to the shelter was nice but we encountered a lot of bugs! Spent the night at the shelter again with Pussel-gut and Spyro but we hammocked instead of sleeping on the ground. Had a great fire to end a long but good hiking day - cannot wait to see family tomorrow'
Date: 2014-05-12
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Best Western Plus - Lexington, VA via VA 812
Miles today: 21.0

Day 58: Family Reunion!Woke up extremely ready to see my mom and twin sister today! Both Big Dawg and I were excited to see them and we started out the day hiking pretty fast...until we reached the hill to the FAA tower. Big Dawg started flagging and we went fairly slowly up that hill. Had to rest at the top and get some energy.After the tower we walked through the Guillotine (and kept our heads!) and continued hiking slowly to the next shelter. Rested again and finally the energy kicked in as we passed the Blue Ridge Parkway and another beautiful field of flowers. It was a hot day so we had to stop more frequently for water to drink and fill up. Kept moving towards our family and stopped for lunch at Petite's Gap. A good choice because the next uphill was extremely rough - steep and no switchbacks.The climb tired us out but we felt better on the climb down before the next hill. After refilling water we powered up the next hill and kept moving - seemed like rain was coming in but still seemed far enough away.The rain caught us though and thoroughly soaked us...not the quick 10 minute rain we expected. Soaked the boots completely and we stopped at Matts Creek Shelter to wring the clothes out. But it was for naught because as soon as we left it rained on us again!Finally let up near the James River Footbridge - longest one on the AT! A very nice walk path across the river. It was nearing six pm and we were trying to call Mom and Stef but no signal. So we walked to VA 812 and waited for them to arrive.Only waited eight minutes before Mom showed up - great to see her! She brought us food and got us into the dry car to pick up Stef - she left her at the footbridge in case we were coming in late. At the bridge we had another great reunion and drove to Lexington to stay in the hotel with them. We got all the clothes washed and a nice hot shower while catching up with them. The boots started drying out and we ate a great dinner at Applebees.Loved seeing the family and excited to be with them tomorrow! Slackpacking with my twister and trail magic from Momma!
Date: 2014-05-13
From: VA 812

To: Best Western Plus - Lexington, VA via US 60
Miles today: 20.7

Good hotel breakfast got us ready to slackpack 20.7 miles! As we were going back to the trail we passed Fritz and Pyro trying to hitch back to the trail from Glasgow - we made a little room in the packed car and squeezed them in! Mom encouraged them to slackpack with us so we had a five person slacking train!At the first shelter I named my sister Hello Kitty because of her love of Hello Kitty - a new section hiker was born! From there we continued the first of the long set of ups for the day - luckily we were slackpacking it was hot! Misjudged the water a bit so we hiked for a bit sans water. Met Martial Arts on the trail and had some great views back down to the James River. Slowly conquered Bluff Mountain and paid our respects at the Ottie Cline monument. - poor little five year old kid in the 1800s that got lost in a blizzard and walked seven miles to that mountain because he was lost.Hurried down to the next shelter for lunch and water. We met Youngbeard and Sunshine getting ready to move on and Oops and Spiderman resting in the shelter. Had a great lunch and a good rest from all the uphills. It was getting later in the day so we pushed on down (and up!) the trail all the way to the last shelter before US 60. The hiking after lunch was fairly slow - no one was hiking real slowly, but our slackpacking pace is not much faster than our regular speed. Hello Kitty was feeling the hiking and the heat - she cannot believe we do this every day!Rested at the last shelter and I was sent up ahead to make sure she was not worried about us coming in too late. I did not mind going faster because she set up trail magic for hikers and us! A great setup of trail magic - tacos, milk, soda, Gatorade, snacks, chips, and a chair! She had fourteen people come through but there was still plenty left. Twenty minutes later the rest of the group showed up and enjoyed the magic. Finally we packed things up and returned to the hotel, dropping Fritz and Pyro off at a hotel in Buena Vista. A tiring day even without packs - Hello Kitty was feeling it!
Date: 2014-05-14
From: US 60

To: Quality Inn - Waynesboro, VA via Spy Rock Road
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

A sad departure this morning - Mom and Stef had to return home and we had to keep moving on up the AT. Hopefully we will see them again further up north (with trail magic)!As we headed back to the trail, we called several people looking for a shuttle to Waynesboro to avoid the rain coming in Thursday - no one wanted to pick us up near Spy Rock Road though! We got to the trail and said goodbye to Mom and Stef. Fritz and Pyro started at the same time as us and we all started the huge climb out of US 60 - very steep and no switchbacks! Slow going up to the top but we made it and kept going to get water. On the way up we finally set up a ride with Homer from Daleville to Waynesboro so we are good to avoid the rain.A slow lazy lunch near the spring and it was nice to relax a little before pushing on to make our meeting time with Homer. The speed after lunch was faster but the terrain was nicer with fewer steep sections. We reached our original destination of Seeley-Woodsworth Shelter and rested. Still had enough time to go 2.3 miles further to Spy Rock Road and down 1.1 miles to Fish Hatchery Road - shuttles cannot pick up at the top because the road is private. Homer picked us up and started the drive to Waynesboro - great guy who thru-hiked the AT with his wife and two young kids at the same time's interesting conversations on the ride and he set us up at the Quality Inn in Waynesboro. Settled in at the hotel then ate at Ming's Garden - great AYCE Chinese Buffet with sweet decor! Returned to the room and relaxed. Zero day tomorrow!
Date: 2014-05-15
From: Quality Inn

To: Zero Day 05: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Not much to report here. Slept in, kinds caught up on journals, uploaded pictures, finally found a shuttle back to Spy Rock Road tomorrow, walked in the heavy rain (only briefly thank goodness!), and watched some basketball games. Walked down to the outfitter to get shuttle contacts and met a guy who grew up in Noblesville - small world! Glad to be avoiding the heavy rain - back to the AT tomorrow!
Date: 2014-05-16
From: Spy Rock Road

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: few clouds

Real late start today for hiking - started at noon to do 18 miles! We scheduled a ride with Dubose from Waynesboro but he could not pick us up till 10:30.Interesting ride with him back to Spy Rock Road - if you need a shuttle guy around Waynesboro or beyond use him! He dropped us off for a reasonable price and we climbed back up to the trail. After starting at twelve, we climbed up to the Priest quickly and ate lunch at the top. Tradition is to make a confession in the shelter log of something you have done (confession to the Priest). Since we did not stop at the Priest Shelter I will make it here - I stole a precious artifact from the temple. I narrowly escaped the boulder while making a hasty exit - is that my penance?A cool day outside with nice sunny weather and nice temperatures - from the Priest we climbed down to the Tye River. A steep down at times but overall pretty nice. Passed several streams that were flowing real well after the heavy rain Thursday - cool to see but a bit scary to cross! At the road crossing we ran into Martial Arts who was going to Harper's Creek Shelter. Saw a sign near the trail telling people to contact the FBI about a kid whose body was found near the trail there a couple of years ago - sad to read about losing a fellow hiker.From there we did the first climb up to Harper's Creek Shelter - since we were making good time and wanted to keep on schedule we stopped and ate dinner at that shelter before moving on. Met several section hikers from Richmond Virginia out for the weekend.Left the shelter and pushed on up Three Ridges - initially a nice climb that got steeper as we went up. Great views from the lookout points and once we were at the top it was smooth sailing to the shelter - with a little bump at Bee Mountain.Got to the shelter just before it got dark and set up quickly. Met Long Haul Trucker in the shelter and a group of six Boy Scouts that came into camp around nine thirty.Pretty amazing that we made the miles with such a late start - still on schedule and ready for Waynesboro tomorrow!
Date: 2014-05-17
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Stanimal's Hostel via Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 20.9

Returning to Waynesboro via trail. Started out the day early because we knew we had a long 20+ mile day into town - plus we could not have slept in late anyways because the group next to us got up at six and was making a lot of noise. They were some Scouts and leaders preparing for Philmont - they left via the Mau Har Trail as we ate breakfast.It was pretty chilly in the morning - think it got down into the mid thirties last night. Had to keep my jacket on until several miles into the hike warmed me up. After breakfast we made good time on the trail since it was relatively easy. The miles offered us some good views but as the day progressed we saw less and less water. We decided to push over Humpback Mountain but on the way up Big Dash started flagging on energy - unfortunately we had to keep moving since we needed water to cook our meal. As we were going down the other side of the mountain we ran into a surprise water source. We quickly filled up and stopped for lunch - much needed energy at the time!Throughout the day we ran into many trail crews working on the trail - we even met a couple that was literally re-blazing the white blazes on the trees! We greatly appreciate all the work the Virginia clubs have done for the trails - shelters and trails in great shape!Going down to Paul C Wolfe Shelter we encountered a lot of water still flowing by and on the trail - the three to five inches of rain from Thursday was still coming down the mountains! A slightly hairy crossing over Mill Creek to the shelter but we made it and rested - very nice shelter!Last 5.1 miles to town flew by and soon we were at Rockfish Gap. Found some trail magic left by current thru-hikers and saw the end of the BRP and the beginning of Skyline Drive - both sad and cool simultaneously.Called for a pickup from Stanimal and waited by the popcorn stand for him to pick us up. Great guy and former AT and PCT hiker who started his own hostel at a separate part of his house! A nice setup in a residential area near groceries and food. Has everything you need at the hostel - food, laundry, shower, and a place to sleep! Shared the place with two section hikers from PA and Naked Ninja from Maine. Naked Ninjas is doing his second AT hike and the guys from PA were hiking the AT in sections for the second time.Had a great spaghetti dinner at the house and spent the evening with everyone in the day room - listened to a song written by the PA hiker about hiking the AT called Katahdin's Song on YouTube - great song!Ready to be in Shenandoah tomorrow!
Date: 2014-05-18
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

Our first day in Shenandoah National Park was a great one! After eating breakfast and Stanimal dropping us off at the gap, we entered the park on foot and filled out our backpacking permit. It was a little chilly in the morning but the bright sunny day warmed it up over time. We followed Naked Ninja into the park and crossed Skyline Drive for the first time - the first of many to come! So far in the park the hiking has been much nicer than the rest of Virginia - a couple hard spots but nothing like we encountered in lower Virginia! Great hiking in great weather was a big part of this great day!Filled up our water and stopped for lunch at a road crossing - met a local from the area who told us a lot about the area. It was very informative during our lunch break!After today's lunch and more than 850 miles we finally saw our first bear on the trail! About twenty minutes after leaving the road crossing I heard some rustling in the woods and a bear popped up near the trail! I alerted Big Dawg to stop and we got a far away picture of the bear since it had run off further in the woods. Very cool to see a bear so close!Not twenty minutes later we almost ran into a deer standing in the middle of the trail - the animals in the park are not really afraid of humans! About ten yards away from it the deed finally moved into the woods but not very far. Great animal encounters today!Arrived at the shelter later in the evening and met three section homers doing the park with their cute little beagle and thru-hiker Chops. Naked Ninja was at the shelter as well. Big Dawg was tired from the hike but dinner perked him up. Great group of guys at the shelter - a big fire kept the conversation going until nine thirty at night!Ready to encounter our first wayside tomorrow!
Date: 2014-05-19
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

After hearing movement in the night (turns out it was only deer) we woke up early and left the shelter last - turns out everyone rose early too! Decided to do a short day and to stop at the Loft Mountain Camp Store and Wayside. Beautiful views from Black Rocks early in the morning! Crossed Skyline Drive several times and encountered our second bear - it was not more than 10 feet away from us on the trail and just watched us pass by - very neat!Stopped by the Loft Mountain Campgrounds for snacks and a resupply - ran into Naked Ninja and the three Marines at the camp store. Pushed on to the Loft Mountain Wayside via an access trail that passes a PATC maintenance hut. On this little side trail we ran into three more bears - a momma bear with two little cubs! The cubs ran off a distance and watched us from afar and momma kept a steady eye on us - we continued to move along but cool to see cubs!Wayside had good but slightly pricey food and we enjoyed a good lunch there. After eating we returned to the trail to hike to the first shelter of the day. Over two little climbs and passed a nice overlook on Skyline Drive we finally reached the shelter. At the overlook we watched someone stop, roll the car window down, and take a picture without even getting out - absurd! It was not even three pm yet but Big Dawg wanted to rest his legs so we stopped and set up the hammocks and relaxed.Shelter was full today! Naked Ninja was resting at the shelter when we arrived before he pressed on to the next one. Green Ghost arrived and moved on as well - doing big miles. Bill (PATC Trail Patrol) arrived at the shelter and stayed the night. Informative guy who knew a lot about the park and other things hiking related. Later on the three Marines arrived with their beagle Beans and set up in the shelter - two ran back to get beer from the camp store! Sully was one of them and he runs ultrathons - he did fine! Smitty went to Philmont and was an Eagle Scout so we talked about that.Several section hikers came to the camping area (Mike and some others) and several thru-hikers stopped by and moved on - Sprout and Long Haul Trucker. Met new thru-hiker Matterhorn from Germany. A great night around the campfire with some drinks and good stories - stayed up way past hiker midnight! The best description of the night: when watching someone take a dump through infrared goggles, it looks like a volcanic eruption coming out of their rear!