morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-10-29
From: Wilson Creek Shelter 

To: Daleville 
Miles today: 11.2

The skies cleared today and the sun even made a brief appearance. What a difference a day makes! I treated my feet to a dry pair of socks since I would be in town tonight. The trail was pleasant and easy today. There were several stream crossings that normally would just be easy rock stepping but because of the rain the rocks were covered with water. I had to walk through all of them and soak my feet each time. The last few miles into Daleville went through cow pastures and a very steep hill. The 360 degree views were spectacular and radiated with bright crisp colors.Towards the afternoon I stopped to say hello to a man and woman who were hiking north. He looked familiar and I asked him if his name was Dale. We are Facebook friends but have never met until today. He thru-hiked the AT last year and was backpacking for a week with his sister Darlene.  This was very cool and I am so happy to have met Dale. I am always amazed at how the trail provides and how it is such a tight community.I made it to Daleville and am staying at the Howard Johnson's which is right next to the trail. This is such a great trail town! Everything is so close by in walking distance.  I had three packages at the HoJo's. My daughter and Mom had sent some resupplies I had requested including a few things to help keep me warmer in the event of colder weather. My biggest surprise that just made my day was a big box of homemade goodies from Leo and Kim in Texas who are reading my journal.  Thank you Kim and Leo! Everything is delicious and so filling which is just what I need to keep me going. I was so full I didn't even need dinner tonight. My laundry is done and now I'm just going to rest in this comfy bed. My plan is to take a zero tomorrow.  I've got lots to do in town and many chores to do.  It feels fantastic to be dry and warm!
Date: 2015-10-30
From: Daleville 

To: Daleville 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I miss the zero days I took on the northern half of my journey where I relaxed and explored the towns.  On this zero day I got up at 5:30am and started making my lists of what I needed to accomplish today.  It is almost 1am as I write this journal entry, and my alarm is set for 5am to do a 20 mile slackpacking day. I have not stopped all day long except for breakfast and dinner. Lunch was two more yummy bread and dessert bars.I spent two hours on the phone trying to sort out some issues with my health insurance and numerous phone calls with my doctor's office and pharmacy here. I did another pack shakedown and packed up a box to send home including my purple hiking dress. It's just too cold for it now. It was afternoon before I walked to Outdoor Trails to pick up my new back back they were holding for me from Osprey.  I decided to go with the eggplant color instead of forest green. Next was UPS, Kroger, Super Cuts, Three Little Pigs BBQ, Goodwill and back to Outdoor Trails. I bought a pair of Airwalk plastic clogs at Goodwill to replace my keen sandals for camp shoes to save about half a pound. They are very comfortable and will also dry quicker. I splurged and bought a 2.3 ounce thermarest air pump to blow up my neo air mattress pad.  It now takes me about 30 breaths to blow it up at the end of the day instead of 17 when I started my hike. I'm hoping this $40 purchase will make setting up my nest easier when I'm cold and tired. Next I looked for another pair of insoles to try and settled on Sole because they would put them into an oven and mold them to my feet. I have used Super Feet for years, but my feet are always sore so I wanted to try another insole. I had to walk in the dark back to my hotel to get my trail runners for the fit and then walk back. Both pairs of my Injinjini toe socks have holes in them so I bought a thicker pair for the colder weather. By thicker I mean from ultra thin to thin. I don't want to change this system because since I started wearing them in Pennsylvania I've only had one blister. I made arrangements to slackpack tomorrow with Four Pines Hostel 26 miles south of here. They have a day pack at the Howard Johnson's I can use and I will leave my pack here and someone will pick it up and bring it to the hostel for me. At 20 miles I will call and they will pick me up at a road crossing and drive me to the hostel. This is more miles than I normally do in a day so I am leaving in the dark to get a head start in the hopes that I will finish before dark.Daleville was a great stop and great trail town. The Howard Johnson's is very hiker friendly and was a great place to stay for me. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow as I will be hiking through Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob, the most photographed spot on the AT.
Date: 2015-11-02
From: Hwy 624, Four Pines Hostel 

To: Hwy 624, Four Pines Hostel 
Miles today: 0.0

I hung out at the hostel all day, and it was great to rest and eat all day. There was another couple here that left in the morning and then I had the place all to myself. I last saw them in Vermont. They are planning to write a book on all the privies on the AT. It feels kind of strange being in this big place all by myself. The owner told me that during the heavy NOBO season they have 40-50 hikers every night. I cannot imagine staying at a hostel with that many hikers. I do everything I can to avoid crowds. I am highly motivated to get to Georgia through the cold just so I don't have to hike in the spring with the big groups of NOBO'S. The Flip Flop or SOBO hike is perfect if you want more solitude and want to get space at shelters and hostels. It was a perfect choice for me although hiking through the rocky state of Pennsylvania in the very beginning was not good for my feet. I had some nerve damage from the very beginning. Eddie took me to the post office to return my new insoles I just bought. They really hurt my feet, and I don't dare wear them anymore. They have a 90 day guarantee. I plan to slackpack tomorrow to give my body a little more rest and because I keep hearing how difficult Dragon Tooth is. I read some trail journal entrees from NOBO'S saying it was extremely difficult and dangerous and by far the most difficult section encountered so far on their hike.
Date: 2015-11-03
From: Hwy 624, Four Pines Hostel 

To: Hwy 621
Miles today: 15.5

Dragon's Tooth was SO MUCH FUN! I slayed the dragon as someone wrote in my guest book, and it was a good confidence booster. I kept waiting for the steep hand over hand climbing that I had been warned about, and before I knew it I was finished. It must be different from a NOBO's perspective.  There was a very short side trail that took you to the gigantic rock formations that resemble a dragon's tooth. They were spectacular looking and well worth exploring. I noticed hundreds of lady bugs all over the rocks as I walked closer to inspect. I was dropped off at Craig's creek early in the morning, and it was a beautiful walk. Virginia is not flat, and it definitely has mountains but the trail feels great comparatively speaking.  Virginia is beautiful country and beautiful hiking! I am loving it! I took a view moments to visit the Audie Murphy Memorial; he is the most decorated WWII veteran. I passed many hunters today, and had a nice chat with Davis who is hiking SOBO. I ran into Old School again who had been slackpacking for a few days by his wife. He was surprised to see me with two poles and said he looked for my lost pole near Daleville but could not find it. I was hiking back to Four Pines Hostel and one mile before the road crossing I stood on open cliffs and could see the valley below including the hostel with the four big pine trees in front of the property.  It is easy to see because there is a house and huge detached garage which is the hostel and a barn and chicken coops. I love being able to see where I am going and have been from mountain tops.The hostel was a full house when I arrived, and I was so happy to see Frog and Toad again whom I last saw in Massachusetts. They are planning to hike to Damascus in time for Thanksgiving and then section hike the rest of the trail. Everybody is in a hurry to finish or get some where by Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving may be lonely on the trail. It was also great to see Birdy who I met at Welcome Hikers Hostel when we slackpacked Mt. Moosilauke the same day. It turns out Stately is her father who I met at Carter Notch Hut. He is out here somewhere slackpacking the rest of the hike. It was a nice evening with lots of company and good conversation.  I cooked up some more sausage and fresh eggs with dehydrated okra and summer squash for dinner. Catawba is a very small town with one restaurant, the Home place which I hear is fantastic, a post office, market, convenience store and gas station. I never made it to the Homeplace, but did enjoy my stay at the hostel in this tiny slice of small town America.
Date: 2015-11-04
From: Hwy 621

To: Stealth Camping near Hwy 630
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning I started at Craig's Creek and walked straight up to the ridge crest of Sinking Creek Mountain and saw the sign for the Eastern Continental Divide.  This seemed monumental to me so I took some time to sit on a log and reflect. Today for the first time I really noticed all the bare trees, especially at this junction.  It feels like it was just yesterday that the leaves morphed into brilliant colors, but it also feels like it was forever ago. I started my journey the last two weeks of spring and walked through the heat of the summer and then entered Autumn and now the trees have lost there leaves, and I am reminded that winter is fast approaching. I will be walking through all four seasons. This is pretty amazing for someone who lives in a tropical climate with just one season. The trail continued along a ridge line for a couple miles and there were large slanted rock slabs to walk over. Not my favorite terrain, but the views were fantastic and far reaching. A perfect lunch spot. I also walked through cow pastures and farm land again and could see the cows grazing on the hillside. Everything looked so green and pretty. I love trees and stopped to look at a Keffer Oak which is the largest oak tree on the AT in the south.  Apparently there is a larger one in New York, but I don't remember seeing it. This tree is over 300 years old. If only it could talk I'm sure it would have many stories to tell.I set up camp right before dark next to a stream before it started raining. I can see a road with cars on a hillside above. Normally I don't camp near roads, but this works perfect for tonight. I've got all my gear in my tiny tent to keep it dry. Not hungry tonight so I'm skipping dinner. I had a gigantic pay day candy bar at 4:00 and am still full. I alternate between being ravenous and eating huge amounts of food and having a very small appetite. Not sure why that happens. I'm too old for growth spurts. Today was a satisfying day, and I like the sound of the rain on my tent even though it will make my pack heavier tomorrow.
Date: 2015-11-05
From: Stealth Camping near Hwy 630

To: War Spur Shelter 
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained all night long and into the morning causing me to get a late start. Last night I tried to charge my phone with the battery pack I just got in my resupply, and it had no charge. I switched to a four time charge instead of the one I had been using because I'm not able to get to outlets as often. My phone is almost dead, and I was hoping to make it to Pearisburg with it. Someone told me I could charge my phone at the Captain's porch and camp in his yard. It is right off the trail, and he has set up a zip line for hikers to cross the creek. Sounds interesting and awfully nice of him. I will give this a try as I need my phone.Midmorning just as I crossed Laurel Creek the sun made an appearance so I took this opportunity to filter more water and dry out my tent. Old School came by just as I spread my tent across the trail in the only sunny spot. It was nice to see a familiar face. It seems like I am seeing more hunters than hikers on the trail lately. Kelly's Knob was a tough climb even though it was short. I thought I was at the top and took my lunch break for an hour only to find a couple minutes away was a small side trail with an overlook. I chose to bypass it and was glad I did because I finally ran into Stately. We stopped and talked for awhile. He and Old School are also doing less miles like me and are really enjoying their hikes. We are older than the typical thru-hikers so our hikes are going to be different. Stately will be finished in a few weeks as he planned an intricate flip flop leapfrog kind of thing and is slackpacking the rest of it. He seems so happy and has planned this since 1998. If I pick up my pace I may see him at Woods Hole Hostel. He will be slackpacking from there for three days. I have heard great things about this hostel and look forward to visiting. They have yoga and massage and sometimes local organic dinners for guests . My kind of place.Some of the descents today were sketchy for me. The Ridgeline got very narrow in some areas and was slanting down so that a misstep would take you over the edge of the mountain. I've already done that once, and it was enough. The layers of leaves on the trail are so thick, wet and slippery and do a great job of covering rocks so an unsuspecting hiker may trip on it without ever seeing it. I was one of the unsuspecting hikers today and went painstakingly slow to try and avoid injury. I fell countless times and even my poles weren't as helpful because they were slipping all over the place as well.I finally made it to the War Spur Shelter which had a big creek nearby. Old School was already there and Tao showed up right after me. I have been worried about him and was relieved to see him. He said he is doing much better and that the sores are healing. Such great news! Old School made a great fire and everyone enjoyed. A couple young girls in their 60's and 70's provided some interesting conversations. We all laughed when we were in bed by 7pm. It was a great day and so nice to run into these hikers again.
Date: 2015-11-07
From: The Captain's Place 

To: Stealth Camping 
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: light rain

Heavy rain all night and today so I headed out on The Captain's zip line in a downpour and barely made it across without falling in the creek. It was difficult to follow the trail with all the rain, and I accidentally forded a creek up to my knees thinking it was the trail. It was not, and I had to go back across. I am so used to the trail taking the most difficult, impossible looking route, and it is not the case in Virginia thank goodness. Today was not the greatest of all days and about 20 minutes later I was navigating myself around two fallen trees and did not look up to see the third fallen tree that was eye level and ran right smack into the middle of it giving me an instant headache. Today was the second day in a row that I did not see one single other hiker. Or hunter. Everyone else was smart enough to stay indoors in all this rain and increasingly colder weather. I was on an exposed Ridgeline in windy cold conditions and when my fingertips became numb I decided to stealth camp without water before I became too cold to set up my tent. I knew I wouldn't make it to a shelter before dark, and I would only have a few miles before I came to a spring in the morning.  The apple orchards I passed were full of rotten fruit on the ground and the trees looked sad and gloomy. I kept going until I found a small area with flat ground that wasn't too sopping wet to pitch my tent.I had a very hard time setting up my tent because I was so cold and my fingers so sore and numb. The ground was wet and the wind was strong, but it was a dry safe haven for the night. I was chilled to the bone and did everything I could to prepare for an evening with temperatures forecast to be below freezing. I only had a few sips of water but had drank three liters today so I was good. The stars are in abundance tonight, and I can see the city lights below in what I think is the town of Pearisburg.
Date: 2015-11-09
From: Pearisburg 

To: Woods Hole Hostel 
Miles today: 12.0

It was 41 degrees and raining hard when I left the hotel room at 9:08am. I seriously considered staying put for a zero but knew I was headed to Woods Hole Hostel at the end of the day. What a mistake! I have NEVER been so dangerously freezing cold and completely wet all day long in my life. I hiked over a mile on the road before even getting on the trail and then had a grueling climb uphill. It was a 2000 foot upclimb the first two miles and then several miles on a windy ridge line. Within one hour I was soaked to the bone. My rain pants were plastered to my legs and my shirt was soaked through my rain jacket. My shoes, socks and gloves were ringing wet. I later found out the temperature had dropped to 37 degrees all day long. The rain pelted me in the face and never let up. My fingertips were hurting from the cold, and I could squeeze the water from my fleece gloves and waterproof glove shells. I stopped at Angel's Rest to eat two hard boiled eggs, but didn't dare stop again. Old School and I kept leapfrogging each other all day which was a measure of comfort, but other than that no one else was on the trail. We both stopped at Doc's Knob shelter for a very quick lunch but had to keep moving. My hands were so numb and painful I don't think I could have put my tent up if I needed to. Parts of the trail went over large flat rocks that looked stable but moved when stepped on. Today was very scary, and I hiked faster than I have in a long time just to make it to the hostel safely. I could smell the fire from the hostel even before I got to the road crossing where I had another half mile to go.  I practically ran the rest of the way and was greeted at the front door by Stately, Old School and Neville who owns this sustainable retreat. Stately helped me unsnap the buckles on my pack as my fingers did not want to work. Neville gave me a big fluffy robe to put on as I tore my wet, numbing clothes off and then was ushered to the front of the wood stove to warm up. I finally stopped shivering and laughing uncontrollably and was able to engage in normal conversation. Neville had talked Stately and the two day hikers Pete and Rich out of hiking today because of the weather. I will not hike in these conditions again if given a choice. I was borderline hypothermia and was very lucky I had a hostel to come too. I can do cold or rain, but not cold AND rain this severe.Neville cooked a fantastic salad, homemade bread and hearty chili for dinner and then topped it off with Pina Colada ice cream. Jim who is shuttling hikers gave a slide show presentation on his trip to Alaska. Neville and Michael have two sweet dogs and three cats who love to cuddle. They have a bunkhouse for hikers which is closed this time of year so I stayed in a bedroom loft in the house made from chestnut trees. Such a perfect evening with wonderful people in a rustic and comfortable setting!
Date: 2015-11-10
From: Woods Hole Hostel 

To: Kimberling Creek, VA 606
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: broken clouds

Neville prepared a scrumptious breakfast of farm fresh eggs, baked french toast with yogurt topping, bacon and more homemade bread with her rhubarb strawberry jam. What a delicious way to start off a beautiful day. Neville had us all hold hands and go around the table and say something we are thankful for before eating.  I am most thankful for a warm and comfortable night's sleep. Jim was slackpacking Stately and Rich and Pete today and picking them up near Trent's Grocery and bringing them back to Woods Hole for another night. He surprised Old School and I by saying he would carry our packs for us as well and meet all of us at Hwy 606 . We would then camp near the creek and road crossing. Sweet! Neville let us borrow day packs for essentials. What a difference a day makes. The weather was in the mid-forties and gorgeous. The trail was some of the easiest I've been on so far and a real treat after yesterday. It was easy on the feet and such pleasant scenery. We passed countless streams with footbridges and many rhododendron tunnels. The trail was wet and looked like a stream itself in places, but everything was green and lush and beautiful with the sound of water cascading over rocks in the creek paralleling much of the trail. After miles of thick rhododendron bushes on both sides of us, we entered a tall pine forest which reminded me a little of Vermont. Jim was waiting for us at the road crossing as promised and drove us to Trent's Grocery half a mile down the road where we bought hot dogs and buns to cook over a campfire accompanied by a bag of fritoes and wine. Old School and I camped right next to Kimberling Creek and a suspension bridge that was part of the trail. We had ourselves a real feast tonight. Great camping spot with a clear sky full of twinkling stars. Wonderful day.
Date: 2015-11-11
From: Kimberling Creek, VA 606

To: Stealth Camping North of Shelvey Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 12.8

Today was a good uneventful day of walking in the woods. No rain, not too cold, not too many ups and downs and even a little sunshine. I am still not in a hurry to rush to finish even though I am off pace to finish by the end of December. My phone has almost no charge again so I am planning on stopping in Bland tomorrow. It is a tiny trail town and only has one hotel which is where I will spend the night. I need to order some new shoes and make some small gear changes again for the weather. I am also going to throw away my battery pack that is malfunctioning and order a new one. Friday and Saturday night is supposed to dip into the mid twenties. I wish I could spend those nights in a hotel, but that's not going to work so I will shoot for shelters instead. It will be freezing but no rain in the forecast so I will be good. Tonight I am camped in a cozy little spot right off the trail where I watched a brilliant sunset through the trees. The horizon turned different shades of reds and oranges before turning black.  It reminded me again of the abrupt change from Fall to Winter and was strangely comforting. There is something to be said for the calmness and stillness of the forest this time of year, and I am enjoying it more than I thought I would despite the cold. It reminds me that life is fleeting as well and not something I want to rush through. There have been times in my life I couldn't wait for the week to end just so I could enjoy the weekend. That is not how I want to live. This journey has really allowed me to live in the present moment and enjoy each day to the fullest. I think my slow and unhurried pace has turned out to be a gift and enriched this experience in ways that I did not expect. I hope to take these life lessons from trail home with me.