morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-08-30
From: NiDay Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter tent site
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: broken clouds

We got on the trail about 8:30 and had an easy 1 1/2 miles downhill to the nearest water source. We filled up and began our uphill for the day. It wasn¢t as steep as yesterday¢s and it wasn¢t as hot either, but it was longer. I started the day with a dull headache, maybe from lack of water yesterday. I was moving very slowly and had to take several breaks. When we finally made it to the top, there was a nice wooden bench waiting for us. While we were enjoying our lunch there, we saw our first hiker for the day, a local guy our age named Rusty.  We chatted briefly and he continued up the trail to the Audie Murphy Memorial. Murphy was the most decorated American soldier of WWII. He died in a plane crash here on Brush Mountain on the AT. He is buried in Arlington, and I had visited his grave when I chaperoned our PCS juniors on their trips to DC.We covered the 3.7 downhill miles much quicker than we had gone uphill. We caught up with Rusty and we all filled up with water at Trout Creek Footbridge and had another mile uphill to get to the shelter.  Pickle Branch Shelter is a long .3 off the trail. We had originally planned to tent on the side trail to the shelter. With some menacing thunder and lightning getting closer and closer, we decided to go all the way to the shelter. If it did rain, we wouldn¢t have to pack wet tents in the morning. We knew we would appreciate having use of the privy too.  As we got closer to the shelter, we heard several voices and thought it might be full and our .3 walk was in vain. It was another group of Washington and Lee students. They were hanging out around the shelter and had all their food on the table covered with a tarp and all their gear under the table or in the shelter.  They told us we could have the shelter because they were sleeping under their tarps.  Even though it seemed like it was going to rain, the kids did not set up their tarps or cook their food. They sat around talking and playing cards. We cleaned up and ate. When it began to rain, we all moved into the shelter. It was after 6:00 but getting dark because of the rainy weather and they were still sitting around playing cards and having fun, but making no preparation for eating or sleeping. We already had our rope in the tree so we hung our food bags, packed up, and moved away from the shelter.  If they had just told us when we arrived that they would all be staying in the shelter, we could have moved then and set up our tents before the rain began. Instead we took them at their word and when it was apparent they were not leaving the shelter, we left in the rain and set up camp away from them in the rain. The two other groups that we met from the university were very polite, courteous, and friendly, but this third group did not make me a ¢happy camper¢.
Date: 2018-08-31
From: Pickle Branch Shelter tent site

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: overcast clouds

It stormed last night for a couple of hours. I was counting 6-7 seconds between the lightning and thunder. We were snug and dry inside our tents but we had to pack wet tents in the morning and wet tents are heavier than dry tents.  Today would¢ve been my fathers 90th birthday. I shared a few stories about him with Susan as we hiked.Today was a short mileage day. We crossed paths with several sobo thru hikers trying to get through the Smokies and finish at Springer Mtn before weather gets cold. There were also several section hikers like us. It¢s always interesting to hear an individual¢s story for why he is hiking. Because it was a long holiday weekend, there were many dayhikers on the trail too.Our hike today included Dragons Tooth. We had to collapse our poles and stick them in our packs so our hands were free to navigate the sheer rock descent. It was actually fun, but I wouldn¢t have wanted to do it in the rain! Just before the end of our hike, I whacked my left knee in a rock. The scab from a previous fall ripped off and the blood seeped through my pants and dripped down my shin. Good thing we were headed to a hostel for the night!  When the AT crossed VA624 about 2:30, we caught up with Rusty. He was waiting there to be picked up his nephew whenever he got off work.  We hiked along the road for .3 mile to Four Pines hostel. While walking on the paved road, I slipped on the wet slimy edge of the road and my feet flew out from under me. I landed hard on my right hip. Ouch!Joe and Donna have converted the 3-bay garage on their property into a hostel called Four Pines. We got showers, washed our clothes and hung them to dry, hung our tents to dry, and will be spending the night inside clean and dry. All this for a suggested donation of $15 each. We enjoyed watching the chickens and Guinea hens roaming the yard while we waited for our clothes to wash and dry.The couple also let us use their old van to drive to the nearby Home Place restaurant. When we passed the trail crossing, we saw Rusty was still sitting there. We stopped and invited him to join us for dinner but he declined saying his nephew was finally on the way.  The Home Place serves family style meals and we had plenty. We definitely got full and got our money¢s worth of good southern home cooking! I put the leftover country ham and bits of fried chicken into two biscuits and will have them for lunch tomorrow. As we were finishing our meal, we saw Rusty and his nephew arriving. Within a few minutes the hostess seated them right beside us. We enjoyed chatting with them as we finished our dinner.  Now we¢re clean, fed, and ready for bed! We have heard that this hostel is a party place during the thru-hiker bubble but there are only two others here with us (both thru-hikers in our age bracket - a woman of Japanese descent from San Diego and a man from Canada), so we should get a good night¢s sleep.  Another great day on the AT!
Date: 2018-09-01
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Campbell Shelter area tent site
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: moderate rain

9/1 The rooster woke us early and we packed up and left Four Pines Hostel and walked down the road .3 mile back to the AT. Our first 2 miles or so were easy ones through pasture land. After walking through the fields of goldenrod and ragweed, my pants looked like I had rubbed up against the old chalkboard, covered in yellow ¢dust¢.Then we walked along a ridge for a few miles. As we crossed VA Route 311, we began the 4 mile ascent to McAfee Knob. Being a weekend, there were many hikers out for the day. There was sporadic thunder rumbling as we hiked.  We stopped at Johns Spring Shelter hoping to refill our water bottles but the spring was bone dry. It began to rain while we sat in the shelter there, so I set my bottles on a rock, hoping to collect some drinkable water. I didn¢t accomplish much.  We stopped a mile later at Catawba Mountain Shelter and managed to fill our bottles from the puddle that was listed as a stream. We finished our lunch there and then began the final hike up the mountain.  There were probably 25-30 others already there when we reached McAfee Knob. We enjoyed the view and took some pictures. Someone was using a drone that was really annoying.  We finally headed down the mountain to the Campbell Shelter area for the night. We chose a campsite near four young men from First Baptist Church of Cary NC and one other guy from Roanoke VA section hiking. Several others are camping in and around the nearby shelter.We enjoyed talking with the guys as we set up our tents and fixed and ate our dinners. On our way downhill to the water source, my feet flew out from under me again and I landed on my right hip again. Bruises upon bruises! I¢ve taken my nightly ibuprofen, so hopefully I¢ll be good as new tomorrow morning.  We¢re hoping to get an early start tomorrow morning. We¢ll see if that happens......
Date: 2018-09-02
From: Campbell Shelter area

To: Daleville VA
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: broken clouds

We were packed up and ready to go before it was fully light.  We stopped for breakfast at a nice spot with a huge flat rock.  The climb up to Tinker Vliffs was tedious but we enjoyed the views there even more than McAfee Knob.We stopped for lunch at Lambert Meadow Shelter and filled up with water there.I was expecting an easy ridge walk from there but it was rocky and more strenuous than I would¢ve liked but we finally made it to the downhill into town.  We called Homer and Therese and got directions to their home.After showering, we enjoyed meeting their daughter and sharing Therese¢s wonderful home-cooked meal.  We were in bed early again so we could get on the road home early the next morning. This trip included:5 nights in shelters4 nights in hostels3 nights in tents1 night in hotel1 night in a home
Date: 2018-09-03
From: Daleville VA

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

As we drove home I kept exclaiming that my feet felt better and were in much better shape than on any previous hike.  Scaling back on miles and taking more breaks during the day really helped!  Of course the wonderful weather helped too since we weren¢t wading through inches of water flowing down the trail either.  Although it felt like I was wasting time when we stopped hiking before supper time, it was better for my feet and let me enjoy the overall experience more.  It was hard not to push myself for more miles but it was better in the end.I can¢t wait for my next section!  Our buddy Steve is meeting us in three weeks to camp with us in Shenandoah National Park and slackpack us through the whole park. We¢ll be able to take more clothes, heavier sleeping bags, a bigger tent, and better food, because we¢ll be able to leave it all at the campground during the day.  We¢ll be able to cover more miles per day easier since we¢ll be carrying lighter packs with only enough for one day at a time.  Woohoo!
Date: 2018-09-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Susan and I met Steve at SNP and pitched my big family tent in the rain. We awoke to puddles in the tent as the rain continued.  Steve dropped us off at the northern end of the park in the rain and made arrangements to pick us up at a road crossing at the end of the day.After hiking the entire day in the rain, we cleaned up and enjoyed dinner at the lodge.  The tent had more puddles so Steve slept in his car, Susan slept in my truck, and I strategically placed my air matttress between puddles in the tent.In the morning rain, we had breakfast at the lodge. The weather forecasted increasing rain for the rest of the week. We made the decision to end this trek.  We packed up all our wet gear and drove home.
Date: 2019-03-07
To: Gearing Up Again
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

This year¢s five week section hike is being planned. I am affectionately dubbing this hike, ¢Connecting the Dots¢.  I will be completing 5.2 miles near Pearisburg VA, 230 miles from Daleville to near Front Royal, and 121 miles from Duncannon PA to Smith Gap Road PA.  This will mean I will have have hiked every mile from Springer Mountain to Delaware Water Gap.  I will then continue north toward Bear Mountain Park.  This will be my longest time on the trail ever.  As I get farther from home, it just doesn¢t make sense to drive so far for only two weeks at a stretch.  If all goes well, I will plan to finish the last 781 miles in the summer of 2020. Stay tuned for more updates on my progress.  ,
Date: 2019-05-16
To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

John, Susan, and I left home about 8:00am and drove 4 1/2 hours to Pearisburg VA.  We ate at a Chinese buffet and then hiked 5.2 miles in Pearisburg from Clendennin Road to Cross Road that I had missed on a previous trip.  While we hiked, John mailed our first three resupply boxes at the post office. That would be enough for us to finish VA.   We drove another 1:15 to Daleville VA and John dropped us off to hike another couple of miles while he checked into a hotel and unloaded all our stuff from the truck into our room. We hiked from S VA 62 back to US 220 in Daleville.  When he picked us back up, we ate at Shoneys, showered, and relaxed at the hotel. Too bad the pool wasn¢t scheduled to open until Memorial Day, in two weeks.Today was gorgeous!  I will have to remind myself of the 74 degrees and low humidity and easy trail on the rough rainy days that are sure to come eventually.  7.2 miles
Date: 2019-05-17
From: Blackhorse Gap

To: S VA652
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Friday 5/17, Day 2I picked up a sandwich and cookie from Subway to take for lunch on today¢s hike.  John dropped us off about 9:00am in the rain.  What a change from yesterday.  The rain made it cool so that was ok.  It stopped after about an hour but the wind continued to shake water from the trees on us for another hour or so.  We crossed paths with almost 20 hikers heading north out of Daleville but no one else passed us heading south into town.  John picked us up about 3:30 and brought us back to clean up at the hotel.  We headed out for a steak dinner then we got our packs ready and enjoyed one more night in a bed at the hotel before heading north for the next five weeks of trail. John will drop us off at the trail again in the morning.  We will head north and he will head back home.
Date: 2019-05-18
From: Blackhorse Ga

To: Jennings Creek campsite
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We had breakfast and checked out of the hotel.  I got another steak and cheese Subway sandwich to take on the trail.  I also cored and cut up an apple and had about half of a pint of blueberries left from home.  That is not a typical trail lunch, but I need to take advantage of town food while I can!We were on the trail about 9:00 heading north from Black Horse Gap.  We had our bottles filled from the hotel. After this, we¢ll have to treat all our water.  We stopped for lunch about 10:30 and then again about 2:00 for another lunch.  Skies were clear and there was not much big elevation change today so we averaged 2 mph or a bit better.  We stayed roughly between 1000-2000 elevation all day.  We leapfrogged with Legacy (a solo guy our age) but didn¢t see too many other hikers.  I guess all the kids are at Damascus for Trail Days.By 4:20 we were at Cove Mountain Shelter, our intended destination.  There was no water source there but we used the nice new privy and fixed our dinner at the shelter¢s picnic table.  Legacy was there already for the night and a couple of younger guys came while we ate dinner.  After dinner we packed up and hiked four more miles.  We were so tired.  We found tent sites by a nice river so we have pitched our tents, washed up, soaked our feet in the cold river water, and hung our food bags.  It started to sprinkle so we got in our tents by 8:30, hoping that the sprinkle of rain on the tent and the sound of the rushing river as it gets dark would be enough to lull me to sleep.  It¢s nice to be ahead of schedule.
Date: 2019-05-19
From: Jennings Creek campsite

To: Stealth site near Apple Orchard Falls Trail
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

What a LONG HARD day.  I am so glad we did those extra miles yesterday to balance out today!  Today literally was almost all uphill often at steep inclines.  I had to stop frequently and about 2:30 we even spread out our ground cloths and took a short nap.  It was hot but very windy and there were plenty of water sources right on the trail so that helped some.We met some nice young people today, Noodle from McCormick SC (near us), a couple from Virginia and a couple from Tennessee.  We also met four retired guys our age (Red, the Colonel, Sweetwater, and Sky Pilot¢ three of whom are veterans) who have met on the trail and banded together, and two young women hiking together, one from Finland and one from France.We made it to Cornelius Creek Shelter about 5:00.  The four retirees were already there getting water and fixing dinner.  We fixed and ate our dinner and then did a couple more miles to a stealth campsite.  It is still very windy and there are two tree branches rubbing together in the wind making weird sounds.  I hope they don¢t keep us awake tonight!  10.6 miles
Date: 2019-05-20
From: Stealth site near Apple Orchard Falls Trail

To: StanimalÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs in Glasgow 
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Monday 5/20, Day 5I left our campsite at 6:45 and took a long time summiting Apple Orchard Mountain.  2.2 miles up to 4205 elevation.  Phew!  Susan was still eating her breakfast when I left camp but she caught up to me at the top when I finally summitted and stopped to eat my own breakfast.  The four retired guys all passed me as I sat there eating. I enjoyed taking pictures of the flowers that are in full bloom along the trail. We had moderate temps with gusty winds almost all day.In the afternoon we called the hostel to arrange a pickup at the James River Footbridge, elevation 654, which we estimated we would reach between 6:30-7:00.  Unfortunately they told us their last pickup time was 6:00, so we really had to hurry.  I turned my ankle on a steep downhill stretch and fell over.  I am so thankful I was able to get up and walk it off with no pain at all.  I thank God frequently for strong ankles on the trail, unlike my husband and my sons. We made it to our pickup point by 5:45 with time to spare, but we were exhausted. We hiked 18 miles 6:45am-5:45pm .When we got to Stanimal¢s hostel in Glasgow, they were almost full.   Susan and I are sharing the only bed left, a king size bed in a bunkroom with Legacy and one other guy.  The four retirees are here also along with 8-10 others in a bunk room downstairs.   We have showered, done our laundry, and baked and ate a frozen pizza.  We have arranged for the shuttle driver here to drop us off tomorrow morning at a trail head north of here and we will slackpack back here for another night¢s stay.It¢s only 8:30pm but as soon as I read my Bible, I will be in bed asleep.  18 miles
Date: 2019-05-21
From: Punchbowl Overlook

To: StanimalÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs in Glasgow 
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: broken clouds

Our shuttle driver took us to Punchbowl Overlook first thing this morning.  Along the way we almost hit a deer.  That would not have been a good way to start the morning.  We began the day with a steep two mile climb up Bluff Mountain to beautiful views.  On this uphill trek I passed my 1000 mile mark!  While snacking at the summit on ruins from an old fire tower, we watched 7 or 8 military jets fly by.  The thunder from each one came a couple seconds after it passed so I think that meant they were  flying faster than the speed of sound?  Several flew level but a couple flew by on their side.  It was fun to watch and I was so caught up in it that I forgot to take pictures or video.  Not sure where they came from; there must have been a base nearby. They would strike terror in me if I knew I was their enemy. It was a relatively easy slackpacking 10.9 mile day so I had time and energy to take pictures of the views and flowers and critters.  We saw a 3-4 foot black snake, a lizard Susan thought was a skink, and many wildflowers.  We took our time and enjoyed the views, took a long lunch break, and talked a lot, unlike yesterday when we were racing against the clock to meet our shuttle driver by 6:00. Since we were hiking sobo we crossed paths with several nobo hikers that we had seen yesterday.  It¢s always fun to recognize a hiker coming toward you and stop for a few minutes of trail gossip.When we finished our hike, we were shuttled back to town.  We bought a few things at the grocery express and Dollar General, then we went back to the hostel for showers and laundry. I enjoyed a Klondike ice cream bar and a chocolate milk in town and bought a frozen chicken pot pie to fix at the hostel for supper.  Supper under the carport with some other hikers our age was entertaining. Trivia questions:  What was USGrants first name?  (I knew this one from a biography I read in elementary school - funny the things that stay with you!) Hiram Ulysses GrantWho was the only person in the civil war to enlist as a private and end up as a general?  Nathan Bedford Forest of KKKAfter supper, we emptied our packs and resupply boxes and organized and repacked everything.  We needed to be ready for the shuttle driver that would come at 7:00am.  I bought two Naked Mango juices and a chocolate milk to go along with my bacon jerky for breakfast.
Date: 2019-05-22
From: Punchbowl Overlook

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

Our shuttle driver arrived early and six of us with full backpacks crammed into the Ford Bronco with him.  Along the drive he regaled us with stories from his youth, growing up in a farm nearby in these mountains - plowing behind a horse, baling hay by hand, roaming the hills, hunting squirrels, and raising almost all their own food. It¢s a dying way of life.He dropped us off at the same place he did yesterday.  One day we hiked sobo with only daypacks; one day we hiked nobo with all our gear and enough food for five days.  What a big difference all that weight makes!Our hike began leisurely with gentle terrain but I had to run into the woods for two hurry-up calls.  Maybe I won¢t drink so much fruit juice next time I¢m in town.  We heard the jets again today but we were too deep in the woods to see them.  Yesterday we had great views of them.  We made it 9.1 miles to Brown Mountain Creek Shelter about 12:30 for lunch. We met a couple of guys there from TN and WI that had been on the top of Bluff Mtn with us yesterday watching the jets. It was a killer climb and took me almost five hours.  For those who started thru hiking at Springer Mtn, it is on this stretch they hit the 800 mile mark.  There were several ¢800¢ spots spelled out with sticks or stones along a short stretch of trail.  After finally trudging to the top, we fixed dinner at the summit and ate there.  One by one a group of eight young people passed us by.  We were all heading to the Cow Camp Shelter so we weren¢t sure what to expect.  When we arrived all the young people were setting up their tents so we had the shelter to ourselves. We¢ve stayed two nights in a hotel, two in a hostel, two in our tents, but this was our first in a shelter on this trip.A group of four young men, recent grads from Liberty University, came into camp while we were eating, but decided to go elsewhere so they could be by themselves.  They said we ¢real hikers¢ intimidated them! LOL They set up camp just a little back up the approach trail to the shelter. It was a refreshing change talking to them compared to most of the young guys we meet out here who can¢t seem to speak at all without including the f-word at least once every sentence.At 8:50 it was pretty dark down in the gap and we were ready to call it a ni