morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-10-07
From: Northern Virginia

To: Old Rag Fire Road Area
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up this morning to thick gray skies that quickly turned into a hard driving rain. As Molly was leaving to take Olivia to school she asked if I might want to stay another day before heading out on the Trail. A little while later Laurie called to say she was sitting in traffic on 66 but had heard there were severe thunderstorm warnings and a tornado watch up for a number of counties including Shenandoah. "Are you sure you don't want to wait another day before heading for the Trail?" Not really. It's time to go. A little while later Laurie picked me up and we headed down the road, often driving through sheets of rain. However, by the time we got to the general area I wanted to start, the rain was down to a slow drizzle and the clouds appeared to be thinning and rising substantially. The weather was looking up and all the watches and warnings had expired! The forecast for the rest of the week looks good, so my timing may have been pretty good after all. Laurie dropped me off at the Nicholson Hollow trailhead and I hit the trail about 1:00 pm. Although the gate was locked at the Old Rag trailhead parking lot there were no signs at the Nicholson Hollow trailhead saying trails were closed, so off I went. It was a very pleasant walk upstream along the Hughes River, a fine looking Brook Trout stream with lots of pools and shallow runs. I didn't see any fish because the water was running the color of coffee from the heavy rains, but I'm sure it would be a good brookie creek when it clears up. I passed the PATC Corbin Cabin and it was locked up tight. The cabin sits in a small meadow beside the river and looked to be a very pleasant place to stay overnight and enjoy the nearby creek. At this point I turned and went up the Indian Run Trail to the Corbin Mountain Trail, then up the Old Rag fire road. After a quick water stop for my evening's water supply I headed on looking for a place to stealth camp out of sight. A short ways up I found a nice tent site and set up just as it was getting too dark to see. My intended destination was the Rock Spring Hut but it didn't seem wise to hike the remaining distance by headlamp so I decided to camp right where I was. The most amazing thing about the hike was the fact that the rain had stopped as I left the car and what had looked to be a miserable day in the rain turned out to be a very nice afternoon's walk in the woods. High temp 63, temp at dusk 53, winds gusting out of the west at 15 to 25. Temp overnight looks to be headed for the low 40's.
Date: 2013-10-11
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Seemed a bit like the Groundhog Day movie. Was this today, or a repeat of yesterday? It was 44 when I got up, thick fog swirling around my headlamp and a night of on-again, off-again heavy rain. Like yesterday, I was glad to have a dry shelter to stay in and not have to pack up a wet tent. Like yesterday, it stayed foggy pretty much all day, although it never actually rained much during most of the day. Just like yesterday, it began raining almost as soon as I reached the shelter, which was well before 3 pm. Much like yesterday, I could either do a shorter day of 13 miles and stay at the shelter, or I could do a much longer 20+ mile day and likely arrive at my destination after dark. And much like yesterday, the high temp I saw was 51 and it didn't get out of the 40s until after noon. Saw a few deer but no bears today, and heard Barred Owls calling on two separate occasions. Haven't seen any other people yet, hikers or rangers. What a pleasure to spend five days walking the center of one America's finest National Parks and not see another human being! When I got to the shelter I took advantage of weak cell service and finally tracked down a hotel room in nearby Waynesboro. It seems fall weekends are when all of northern Virginia wants to sightsee in the Waynesboro area. Everything was booked, except the Best Western where I was told I had the last available room. High temp 51, temp at dawn 40, heavy rain overnight with strong westerly winds. Calm and foggy in the morning.
Date: 2013-10-13
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was the first of several zero days I'll have to take because I didn't make the post office before 5 pm on Friday to pick up my mail drop. The Saturday hours my guide book showed for the post office have since been cancelled, and Monday is Columbus Day, a federal Holliday, so the post office is closed. I won't be able to leave town until Tuesday morning. So, today was a day to relax, stay off my feet and watch football. Meanwhile, outside, it continued to rain all day...
Date: 2013-10-14
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Another zero day today, while a light rain continues outside. At this point it has been a solid week of constant rain. Very unusual for this time of year I am told. I finished the remainder of my town chores that could be done before getting my mail box, then finished re-packing my pack for tomorrow. It's been too long in town. Time to hit the trail again.
Date: 2013-10-15
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Laurel Springs Gap
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a ride from Mystery Lady to the post office this morning to pick up the box I've been waiting on. Made a quick stop at a nearby grocery store then met Mr. Gizmo for a ride back to Rockfish Gap. THANKS again to both of you for your generous donation of time shuttling hikers such as me to and from the trail! Vey much appreciated!I asked Mr. Gizmo why the Blue Ridge Parkway from here south wasn't gated closed when Skyline Drive from here north was closed. Both roads are NPS roads. Why the difference? He said that the BRP is as much a local transportation corridor as a scenic drive so it remained open as a service to local communities. Whereas the Skyline Drive doesn't have the same local transportation function. It is primarily a scenic byway providing access to the Park rather than providing access to local communities. It was a busy day on the trail today. I counted 24 people, mostly going north but a few going south. I was passed by my first southbound thru-hiker, a guy named Chewy. He is on pace for a 4 1/2 month hike, hoping to finish by Thanksgiving. I enjoyed a quick conversation with him on the top of Humpback Mt before he scooted on down the trail. The weather today was thick fog in the morning but clearing and turning into a beautiful day, cool with low humidity and sunny skies. It was a very nice day to be walking in the woods.Heard 2 more Barred Owls, an almost daily occurrence. Also heard a number of Carolina Wrens singing throughout the day. Given the lack of bird song in the forest at this time of year, I enjoyed each of them.I found a nice campsite near Laurel Springs Gap and called it an evening. Another nice day on the trail.
Date: 2013-10-17
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

After a night of on and off sprinkles, I awoke to a surprisingly dry tent. The Barred Owls of last night were nowhere to be heard in the gray light of approaching dawn. Got on the trail relatively early and made good time on the gently downhill grade to Cash Hollow. I was surprised to find a rather perky-looking, and very large, toad along the trail going up Maintop Mt. It seemed a rather cold morning for a big toad to be out for a stroll, but there he was. When I arrived at Spy Rock I had to do the short scramble up the steep ledges to wide rocky summit. The views were as I remembered, sweeping far and wide for 360 degrees. This seems to me to be one of the finest viewpoints in central VA. Such a fine view that I ended up spending almost an hour on top of the rock. Although the skies were completely overcast, the ridges and peaks were clearly defined and marched away in wave after wave to the horizon. The skies look and feel like rain, but not yet. When I arrived at Salt log gap, the area looked very familiar from my winter visit here 3 years ago. By this time, clouds were descending fast all around. I couldn't see a thing from Tar open meadows and hillsides along the top of Tar Jacket Ridge. It began getting cold and windy as I moved along the ridge crest, and a light rain was being driven along by the gusty winds. By the time I got to Hog Camp Gap it was raining hard, and blowing hard too. By the time I got up into the large mowed ridge top on Cold Mt the visibility was no more than about 20 ft. In the teeth of the dumping rain and strong gusty winds I could only pull my hood down tight and keep on going. An hour later it was still dumping rain when I got to the side trail down to the shelter, and I was soaked and getting cold. The weather made it seem like a very long half mile down to the shelter. In the very thick fog I had a hard time finding the spring. By mistake, I went past it in the dense fog and spent half hour filtering from a very shallow pool and only got half of the amount I wanted for the evening. When I got to the shelter, I found a fellow hiker from Birmingham, AL. He was a very friendly section hiker, like me. Turns out he was doing a similar section of trail, but northbound. Like me, he was very grateful to have a dry shelter on a rainy, cold, and foggy evening. I also found the water source for the shelter, a clear creek running strong, and right in front of the shelter! I just hadn't seen in in the dense fog and gathering darkness when I arrived It rained hard much of the night, with thick fog swirling into the front of the lean-to. By morning however, the weather had cleared out and it looked to be a clear and crisp autumn day. Temp never got above 50 today. Generally light winds until PM, then strong and gusty. In Pm, rains, hard at times, and temp hovering in mid 40's all afternoon. Very foggy much of PM.
Date: 2013-10-18
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: broken clouds

The rain blew out overnight, and dawn found the skies clear and cold. The temp when I woke up was 38. My Alabama shelter-mate was up early, before 5, so we both left the shelter as soon as it was light enough to see. After a short climb up to yet another bald mountain that wasn't really bald (Bald Knob), the trail began a continuous downhill run to US 60, about 2,000 feet below. I spent what seemed like a very long 1.5 hrs trying to hitch a ride into Buena Vista, and finally got a ride from a karate teacher who was headed in to town. I decided to stay at the Blue Dog Art Cafe hostel and ended up being the only one there. Apparently they hadn't had any hikers in quite a few days. The Hostel was in rather poor condition and reminded me a bit of The Place. It smelled a little mildewed, and some facilities, like the shower, were in need of repair. However, folks at the caf©, and the food, were wonderful. Deb and her husband, who own the caf© and the hostel, are fine folks who seem very devoted to serving hikers. Their hospitality and kind, caring nature were genuine, and greatly appreciated. After lunch I walked to the Post Office to get my mail drop, then back to the hostel to repack my food for the next section. While taking a shower I found deer tick, imbedded and fat and happy. Eventually, I made a mess of it while trying to pull it out. the red ugly patch around the bite had me a bit worried so I tried to find the only doctor's office in town, which happened to be closed early on this particular Friday. However, I was lucky enough to catch a nurse in the parking lot as she was leaving. She said not to worry about it for 5-10 days and look for the big red bulls-eye and flu like symptoms. Without either one most doctors won't treat you for lymes anyway. She said about half the people bitten by deer ticks never contract the disease. The only grocery in the center of town, which I remembered from my '07 hike has since closed down so I had no choice but to walk out to the Food Lion for the few remaining things I was wanted for the next week on the trail. I got there right before dark, shopped quickly, but couldn't talk any of the patrons who were leaving into giving me a ride back to town. It was not a fun walk back after dark with no headlamp along busy roads with no sidewalks. And, the laundromat ate my socks. I got to bed late after what seemed like an eventful day.
Date: 2013-10-19
From: Buena Vista, VA

To: Saddle Gap
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up early and pretty well packed then walked to the Hardware store for denatured alcohol. They opened at 7. Had to buy a $8 can to get the 6 oz I needed for fuel for the next five days. There was no other option. I left the rest of the can at the hostel for other hikers who will surely need it too. Had a great breakfast at the cafe, it came with the night at the hostel. Enjoyed listening to the chatter among the 5 regulars. We were the only ones there so I couldn't help but overhear. Interesting stories about driving log trucks, deer hunting and favorite venison recipes, and the finer points of choosing a mower to fit a tractor's PTO and 3-point hitch. The hostel owner's husband, Butch, then drove me back to the trail on his way out to go deer hunting. It is nearing the end of archery season and he has yet to fill his freezer. The ride back to the trail was included in the stay at the hostel and was much appreciated because it saved me what would likely have been an extended hitch. Very nice guy. We talked a long time about fishing and hunting and hiking. Great folks and a wonderful cafe. Enjoyed the walk along Brown Mt Creek, as I had during my '07 thru hike. Lots of remains of an old sharecropper community that stretched more than a mile along this pretty little creek. It was active from just after the Civil War until the early 1920's. There were several very interesting interpretive signs along the trail and next to the creek. Had a little fun on the suspension bridge over the Pedlar River below Lynchburg Reservoir, bouncing up and down in the middle of the span. Got to the Punchbowl Shelter before 3 and spent some time to get photos of the shelter from across the pond. Got my shoes slimed in the process. Took on a total of 5 L of water to carry to my planned campsite further up the trail. Good thing I toted the water up to the top of the ridge because the trail down to the spring from Salt Log Gap had been closed years ago and I could find no trace of it. The half mile hike down to the spring would have been a challenge without a trail. I went on to Saddle Gap where the terrain looked suitable for camping. At Saddle Gap I found a very narrow ridge with barely enough level ground to set up my small tent. Once set up, the skies cleared off and stars came out and light faded into a beautiful, quiet evening high on a mountain ridgetop. I hope it doesn't get too windy overnight, sitting in this narrow gap on a high ridge is a bit exposed. Temp reached 63 today in early PM then settled back into low 50's by dark. Winds calm most of the day. Skies overcast almost all day, clearing by dark.
Date: 2013-10-22
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Had a nice start to the day when the Barred Owl and coyotes from last night were talking again just as the skies began to gray before dawn. I shoved off down the trail about the time a headlamp was no longer needed to see rocks in the trail. Not far from the shelter there was a small flat area with an interpretive sign. Apparently this site had been used in the late 1700's for making charcoal that was used to fuel local iron forges. It was abandoned in the early 1800's when coal was discovered nearby. Interesting! Without the sign, I would have walked right past it thinking only that it would have been a nice little flat tent site. While walking up and along Cove Mt, there were several very nice views off both the east and west sides of the ridge. It appeares that the narrow wind-prone ridge tops have lost most of the leaves off the trees, providing much better visibility than earlier in the season. In one such place I came upon two guys about my age, also out for a short section of fall hiking. Like me, they had paused during a climb to enjoy the nice views through the thinning tree canopy and off into the distance over the nearby ridges. We wished each other happy hiking then continued on our respective hikes in opposite directions. When I reached Bearwallow Gap I stopped for a short break. At this point, I decided to walk the Blue Ridge Parkway instead of the AT which parallels the road, generally no more than a few hundred yards away in the trees. I was enjoying the views and fine weather today and wanted to take advantage of the much better visibility from the BRP. Having walked all the white blazes in this section in '07, I wanted to take the more scenic route this trip. I also wanted to see if I could find the hawk migration counting site I had been told was somewhere along the BRP in this section. Although walking long segments of pavement can be tough on my feet, I really enjoyed the afternoon and the new views from every turn of the road. There were pullouts and overlooks about every mile or so as the road crossed back and forth across the crest of the ridge. Vehicles were few and far between and it was a very pleasant afternoon's walk along the scenic BRP. I finally found the hawk counting site at Harvey's Knob Overlook. The lone counter, a retiree named Chris, was having a somewhat slow day but was counting a couple of hawks each hour. The most recent raptor was a Peregrine Falcon that had passed less than 10 minutes before I got there! I spent nearly an hour talking with Chris and we had good looks at a kettle of more than a dozen Black Vultures. I finally left a little after 4 pm with about 5 miles to go to the next shelter. At Blackhorse Gap I got back on the AT. From here it was about 2.5 miles to the shelter and I made it just as it began to get dark. Weather today was clear to partly cloudy, not reaching the 50's until after noon, then topping out in the upper 50's. Winds gusty but generally light from the northwest.
Date: 2013-10-23
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

It rained a little overnight so I was happy to have been inside a dry shelter. This was one of the rather rare nights on this trip that I have shared a shelter with another hiker, a fellow named Bob. He is hiking much the same route as I am, but in the opposite direction. He is an experienced hiker having completed all the trail from Georgia to this point. He also worked in Lyons, CO for a while for the CO State forest service on forest fire mitigation projects. As forest managers we have quite a bit in common, including at least one coworker. It was a fun evening and breakfast with an interesting guy. The walk to Fulhart Knob Shelter was mostly along ridge tops with only minor changes in elevation, and was quite pleasant. The temp was 44 when I left the shelter with partly cloudy skies. Just as I got to Fullhardt Knob Shelter for an early lunch break it clouded up and a very strong rain squall moved in. The temp dropped to 41 in a matter of minutes, and the wind blew sheets of rain pounding on the propanel roof for about 20 minutes. My timing couldn't have been better! Half an hour later, the skies began to clear a bit and I pushed off down the hill toward town. By now, the temp had jumped up to 56 and the sun was peeking through again. How quickly the weather can change! I arrived in Daleville and checked into the Howard Johnson Express hotel that is right beside the AT. After a quick shower and dumping the contents of my pack all over my room to dry I headed up the road to the post office to pick up my last mail drop. To get to the post office is about a mile walk along the side of a very busy 2-lane divided highway, and there are no sidewalks. It appears that few people walk around towns here in Virginia because sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian crossing signals at busy intersections have been very rare. Very different from home where things are much more walker friendly. After retrieving my box from the post office I stopped at the local outitter for a couple of items including stove fuel and shoe repair glue, then hit the nearby Wendy's for a frosty. The remainder of the evening was spent doing laundry, repairing my disintegrating boots as best I could, and drying out all of my gear. Outside, it had turned into a blustery, rainy, cold and raw night. Walking back and forth between the building where my room was located and the building where the laundry was located, dressed in only my rain gear and flip flops, was Cold! The weather predictions are calling for more rain tonight and all day tomorrow, then clearing and much colder for most of the next week.
Date: 2013-10-24
From: Daleville, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I spent today trying to stay off my feet. The blisters that have developed over the past week or so haven't gone away, and both heals and balls of my feet feel like they've become bruised. After going thru the contents of my mail drop, I repacked my food and walked back to the post office to mail home the maps and data sheets from the section I just completed. On the way back from the post office I stopped at Outdoor Trails, the local outfitter. Sara seemed very knowledgable about boots and foot care. She spent a great deal of time, asked some detailed questions, looked at some things, and offered some good advice. In the end I got a new pair of Montrail insoles. They seemed to have much better heal cushioning and seem to fill my boots a bit better than the Superfeet I have been using. Hopefully these new insoles will reduced the foot movement inside the boot, prevent some of the heal bruising I've developed. She said that the Keen Voyageurs I am wearing are developing a reputation for being comfortable, but falling apart very quickly. It seems that what makes them comfortable also reduces their durability. Thanks Sara for all the time you spent with me!The weather appeares to be clearing a bit and hopefully will dry out by tomorrow. Weather reports include 4-6 inches of snow today in nearby mountains of West Virginia. Cold I can deal with, wet and cold would make things a bit more challenging. But, that's what hiking in the fall is all about and keeps things interesting. I'm looking forward to McAfee Knob, Tinker Cliffs, and the Catawba Valley over the next few days.