morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-27
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: light rain

When I got up, Terry and Jay were also up, so I had some breakfast at the shelter before leaving. Jay left a little before I did, and I was on the trail by 6:30. Terry was still enjoying his coffee, and I don't think he planned to go as far as I today. I'll probably see him again after my time off trail.Today was the day for blooming Rhodie tunnels. Really gorgeous! I've seen Rhododendrons blooming for a number of days now, but only the single bushes with space around them. Now the big clumps of big bushes were blooming, at least along this section of the trail. Rhodie!The Mountain Laurel were also blooming, but I didn't go by any large groups of them like I did the Rhodies. There were also numerous scenic views, especially when the trail crossed the Blue Ridge Pkwy and along quite a long section where there had been a fire some years ago. Cool to see all the new growth slowly overtaking the burned out trees. Even some small blooming Mountain Laurel bushes taking hold. Croak!Jay and I leapfrogged all day. I passed him fairly early (he's still getting his trail legs back) and he passed me when I went down a steep side trail for water. I caught up at the following shelter for a lunch break and surprised him since he didn't know he had passed me. I left ahead of him, then he caught up when we both stopped for a swim in a creek - brrrrr cold, but super refreshing! Let¢s go for a swim! Aaahhhh!Right after I left the creek, it started to rain lightly. I just put my pack cover on since I was already wet from the swim. Although I could hear thunder west of me, the rain never got heavy and soon stopped. I hustled on to the shelter and arrived just as Jay did about 4:15. We both thought about moving on to the next shelter 5 miles further, but the thunder was still booming in the distance and it's mostly uphill to the next shelter. This shelter is fairly new and quite large with an upper level, so I decided to sleep in the shelter. Mother Earth, a young woman, is here tonight and two other men whose names I forgot. Bryant Ridge ShelterAfter I had settled in and ate dinner, Bear Juice walked in about 6:00. He had passed thru Daleville yesterday and stayed at the shelter before mine last night. He had talked to Terry at the shelter where I got water earlier and knew I was ahead of him. He decided to press on for the next shelter.Tomorrow I finally get to see my sweetie! The plan is for me to hike 10 miles in the morning while she and Sarah drive down and meet me about noon at one of the places where the AT crosses the Blue Ridge Pkwy.I'm excited!!! :-)
Date: 2014-05-28
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: James River, US 501
Miles today: 24.8
Weather: light intensity drizzle

All the guys got up early, and Mother Earth slept in. I waited to eat breakfast before departing and all the guys left ahead of me. A while later I passed Jay when he stopped for breakfast.Linda and I had originally planned to meet where the AT crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) at trail mile 765.9, just before Thunder Hill Shelter. However, I got there well ahead of them, so we moved our meeting point up the trail to where the trail just brushes the BRP parking lot at Thunder Ridge Overlook at mile 767.6. I still had to wait a while so I worked on my journal some until YAAAAAAYYYYY! They showed up!!! Hug, hug, hug!!! A Thorn between Two Roses!The next two road crossings were Petites Gap, 3.3 miles down the trail, and US 501 at the James River, 9.3 miles beyond that. So after we had lunch together, Linda and I hiked the first section while Sarah drove the car to meet us, then Sarah and I hiked the second section while Linda drove the car to check out the hostel and then meet us at the James River. The Sarah Flower amidst the Rhodie Flowers!It was sooooo great to hike with each of them! We talked most of the way, plus the Rhodies cooperated and both sections had good displays for them. When Sarah and I were finally crossing the James River Foot Bridge, there were some high school kids there thinking about jumping off the bridge into the water below. One of them finally did. We learned later it's illegal to do so. We also learned that although the bridge is the longest foot traffic only bridge on the AT, it's named after Bill Foot, who was a big supporter of the AT and instrumental in getting the bridge funded. Sunset from James River Foot BridgeIt was late when we all finally got to the Three Springs Hostel - what a nice place with nice people! It just opened this year so it's not in the guide books, but will be next year. Oma had waited to fix dinner for the three of us and it was delicious! The only other hiker there was a young woman named Twist and her dog Oliver (get it?), and she was already asleep in her bunk. After dinner and showers, we turned in, too.So good to be with my sweetie and our daughter! :-)
Date: 2014-05-31
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Linda, Faith, Laurel and I drove up to Sarah's today to help her pack her finish packing and load her UHaul trailer. We stopped by REI on the way so I could get a regular Sawyer Squeeze water filter. The word is out on the trail that the regular one has a much higher flow rate than the Mini, so all the places along the trail are sold out of the regular one. I had pretty much stopped using my Mini, relying almost solely on my Aqua Mira drops.A fun, but very tiring day. We finally got the trailer fully loaded - not another cubic inch available! Good teamwork! We'll pack her things going to our house in our car tomorrow. Sarah treated to dinner at a great place in Falls Church, the Dogwood Tavern. We all slept in Sarah's apartment - Linda on the couch, Faith and Laurel on a blow up mattress and Sarah and I on the floor. I had my pad and sleeping bag, just as if I were in a shelter somewhere on the AT!
Date: 2014-06-01
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Loaded up our car and Faith's car and said our good-byes to Sarah. I'm hoping to see her later this week while I'm in the Shenandoah, but if not, in August when I go to CA. Faith and Laurel followed us to our house, unloaded Sarah's stuff from her car, and headed home. Spent the rest of the day shopping with Linda, doing some work around the house and getting ready to get back on the trail tomorrow. Had hoped to work on journals and email, but ran out of time!
Date: 2014-06-02
From: Home

To: Hog Camp Gap
Miles today: 6.3

I had hoped to leave home mid-morning but didn't get my act together until mid-afternoon when Linda drove me back to the trail. We arrived at 6:00 pm and chatted briefly with an older guy who was waiting to shuttle a hiker to town. It was hard to say goodbye to Linda, but I did and then watched her drive away before I turned and headed up the trail.It was uphill for the first 2.8 miles, but my body felt strong and I headed up easily. I soon noticed that the trail maintainers had been out recently, probably over the weekend. The new spring undergrowth crowds the trail and they had cut it back one to three feet on each side of the trail. Made it much easier to walk down the trail, especially with poles. Thanks again, trail maintainers! My goal was to get to Hog Camp Gap before 9:00 when it gets dark. Going up the second mountain there were a couple of views where I stopped briefly to see the sun getting low over the mountain ridges in the distance. I was making good time and figured I would get to the camp site before 8:45, when I ran into Lop Sing (met her at the Dragon¢s Tooth), Crusoe and Britta. Crusoe had heard about me and was happy to meet me. I was happy to meet him, too! He's from Connecticut, as is Britta. Britta is just out for several weeks and will head home soon. They were all sitting on a rock formation in the middle of the bald at the top of the mountain, watching the sun go down. They had brought up a whole watermelon as well as a dozen eggs and some bacon for breakfast tomorrow! WE chatted for a while and then they decided to stay and watch the full sunset. So I stayed with them! It was beautiful!Then I headed on down the mountain in the semi-dark, using my headlamp when I entered the trees. I arrived about 9:30 and met some more hikers around a campfire - as usual, I can¢t remember all their names! :-( This gap is a large grassy area with lots of space to set up a tent, so I chatted a while then set up my tent in the dark and turned in.I surely had a good time with my support team the past few days, but it¢s time to get hiking again. I¢ll get to see Linda again in a few days before she heads to CA with Sarah. Looking forward to that! :-)
Date: 2014-06-03
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 28.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I was packed up and hiking about 6:15 this morning, while everyone else was still in their tents. Lop Sang, Crusoe and Britta had arrived after I set up my tent last night and camped with another group of tents further down the meadow where their closer friends were. There was also a large swing there - in the tree on the left in the photo. (I think the orange color in the trees is from the sunrise behind me.) They had invited me to a bacon and eggs breakfast, but I didn¢t want to wait around that long. I¢m sure it was good!The trail was good and I was making excellent time. More evidence of recent trail maintenance along this section, too! Before Trail Maintainers Thank You, Trail Maintainers!Before long I started thinking that this might be my first 30+ mile day, and started planning for it. Unfortunately, that¢s not conducive to actually enjoying the trail! It puts me under pressure to not linger anywhere. Also, when I hit a rocky section of trail, rather than enjoying the challenge of ¢bouldering¢ along it, I resent it slowing me down. And in the late afternoon, I ran into lots of rocky sections! Rocky Trail exampleFortunately, I was already re-evaluating my stopping point when I pulled into the Maupin Field Shelter in the evening for water and to eat dinner after 28 trail miles. I knew I could go another 2 miles before dark, but my body was tired and I¢d be finding a tent site without water nearby just to make some relatively meaningless goal. I had dinner at the shelter picnic table with Pockets, Flower Child, L Dog, Rod&Reel, and Bandana Bill and thoroughly enjoyed chatting with them. That settled it! I stayed and continued to enjoy their company until it got dark, then I just slept in the shelter. L Dog was a photographer with the Navy, so we had some good yarns to share!
Date: 2014-06-05
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Doyles River Trail/Big Meadows Lodge
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

All four of us in the shelter were up early, so I got to meet the two occupants of the sleeping bags near me - two very delightful older women! (NOTE: When I say older, I simply mean beyond the twenty-something to mid-thirties group. I¢m not a very good judge of age beyond that! :-)) One of them had thru hiked last year with her husband. This summer, she invited her neighbor to go with her for a few weeks section hike. The AT in SNP runs on or close to the ridge, so water sources are far apart, especially in the southern part before the camp stores and waysides start. Today, there was a stream about a mile from my starting shelter and no more water until the next shelter, Blackrock Hut, 12 miles later. So my focus was on managing my water and limited food resources, which worked out fine. Of course, my focus was also on meeting my sweetie this afternoon! Other than that the hike was pretty uneventful. Black RocksI haven't mentioned the birds much since I'm not good at identifying them. But I enjoy their singing along the trail. Today there was one that sounded like a mezzo-soprano gargling.I got to our meeting place at Doyles River Trail and Skyline Drive about 3:30 and Linda showed up soon thereafter. She had made me a wonderful sub sandwich which I devoured quickly! We drove to Big Meadows Lodge, about 30 miles north on Skyline Drive, where Linda had made reservations. Our room was in a separate building - basically a two level motel building with the doors on the parking lot side and patios/balconies on the back side. But it¢s right on the ridge, so our balcony had a majestic view of the mountains to the west!After settling in, we had dinner in the lodge and then drove over to the camp store and wayside dining area to check them out since there are several I¢ll be passing as I work my way through the park. The camp store has a good hiker resupply and the wayside is an informal dining area where one can get basic diner food service.We then returned to our room in time to sit out on the balcony and enjoy a relaxing time watching a beautiful sunset!Head Tunes: Some new ones mixed in with old ones - Put Your Hand in the Hand of the Man Who Stills the Waters, Good King Wenceslas (?!), California Here I Come, Thy Word is a Lamp unto My Feet, I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover.
Date: 2014-06-07
From: Hightop Hut

To: Skyline Drive crossing at mile 902
Miles today: 2.1
Weather: light rain

I slept later than usual and Flash was already getting up. I apologized for the noise I had to have been making last night, but he was sympathetic. I tried a few sips of water and it stayed down, so I continued to take some sips as I packed up. I took my phone out of Airplane mode but still had no signal. Soon Pockets, Gloria and Tom came by and I told them about my night. Flash and Pockets left while Gloria and Tom stayed to fix their breakfast. I headed up to the privy and started getting text messages bleeping in my pocket - there was signal up there! So I texted Linda to come get me before heading back down to the shelter to finish packing. Before leaving, I suddenly had the urge to throw up again, but only made it to the edge of the clearing before throwing up the water I had drunk. I apologized to Gloria and Tom for throwing up in their dining room!I had to hike about 0.7 mile up to the top of the mountain, then another 1.4 miles down to the next road crossing. When I got to the top I had good signal and called Linda. She was already on the road to come get me! I was obviously dehydrated and out of energy and took it slowly. I even had to stop frequently to rest while coming down the mountain! It was a pretty view at the top, though.Before long Linda drove up. That was really easy to consider pure joy! I took some sips of water on the way home, and it stayed down for good. Now it's just a matter of resting and recovering my energy. Update: I recovered in a couple of days, but still went to the doc on Mondayin case it was something besides poisoning or norovirus. (My sister made me promise I'd go see the doc!) He put me on drugs in case it was something else, but we'll never know for sure. Linda and Sarah delayed their departure for CA until Tuesday to make sure I recovered OK - I'm a blessed man!Thanks for all your prayers!
Date: 2014-06-21
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Although I've been feeling great, I decided to not get back on the trail until next Wednesday, June 25, after Linda returns from CA. I wanted to be by a phone while they were towing a UHaul across country, plus I wanted to attend AFI Docs on Wednesday. I also decided I didn't want to do the trail in short spurts, but to wait until I can keep going uninterrupted. I'll still be getting off the trail the last half of August for a couple of weeks of family get-together time. I had toyed with the idea of flipping up to Katahdin and hiking south in order to be closer to home when I get off in August, but decided against it for a variety of reasons.I'm all caught up on my journal. Last week I:-- Uploaded pictures and a couple of videos from May 21-June 7-- Entered posts for May 16-24.-- Updated posts for May 25-June 1 with pictures and video-- Entered posts for June 2-7.In the meantime, I've been doing some hiking and kayaking locally. I also had a great time at the opening gala of AFI Docs - the American Film Institute's international documentary film festival. The opening night feature film was "Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey" - a documentary our son-in-law made about Hal Holbrook and his Mark Twain shows spanning 60+ years. It's awesome! Check it out on Facebook. Of course, the best part of the evening was seeing Jen and Scott and several of their film industry friends we've known, Scott's folks, and my sister Faith and Laurel.Thanks for all your prayers!
Date: 2014-06-25
From: Skyline Drive crossing at mile 902

To: Hazeltop Mountain, Mile 915.8
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: broken clouds

Back on the Trail!Linda dropped me off a little after noon at the same spot where she picked me up two and a half weeks ago. It was hard saying goodbye again, but after some big hugs, she headed off down the road and I headed up into the woods. The trail itself was uneventful - mostly smooth path with a few rocky parts and although constantly up and down, not very steep. It was good for breaking in my body parts after being off trail so long! But I did get to greet lots of people, mostly day or section hikers headed southbound, but a few thru hikers, too. A dad and his middle school aged son out to do just the park, a group of about 8 teenage boys doing 50 miles, and others. About 4:00, I stopped at a campground camp store for an ice cream bar and a quart of Gator Ade. I sat next to 5 thru hikers avidly discussing the difference between norovirus and food poisoning. Apparently there have been numerous incidences of norovirus on the trail well south of here sometime after I had passed through there. Several of these guys had had something. At any rate, everyone agreed that neither is much fun!As I was getting ready to leave, I chatted with Glitter Feet and Gary, a nice young couple from Oregon. Glitter Feet, the guy, grew up in Maine, so they were hiking to see his folks. :-)I headed off, not sure how far I'd go. A little while later I started hearing thunder off to the west. I decided that when I reached the too of Hazeltop I'd call Linda if I had a good signal, then start looking for a campsite. I even had data so I could check the weather radar - a series if storms were headed my way. Storm Moving InAs I hiked on, I couldn't see any good places to pitch my tent at first, then I saw a small trail headed off to the left. A short distance down it passed several good sites, then ended at a rock outcropping with a great view to the west. The storms were coming! I quickly pitched my tent and dove in just as it started to pour. Gary and Glitter FeetAfter an hour or so the rain stopped and I crawled out to eat dinner on the rocks and watch the sun getting low above the distant mountains. A little while later, Glitter Feet and Gary stopped by and we watched the sunset while they ate dinner. They hiked on to do some night hiking and I turned in - tired but feeling good on my first day back!
Date: 2014-06-27
From: Pass Mountain Hut, mile 939.1

To: Mountain Home Cabin, US 522, Mile 965.8
Miles today: 26.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I pitched my tent with several other tenting hikers nearby while Blackbeard slept in the shelter last night with a few other nice folks. When I left this morning, everyone else was still sleeping except Blackbeard who was fixing his breakfast. I didn't have much to eat since I was planning to get breakfast at the Elkwallow Wayside 7 miles down the trail - my last meal stop in the Shenandoah!I arrived there about 5 minutes before it opened at 9:00. There were several other thru hikers outside, so I chatted with them until the Wayside opened. I got a breakfast tortilla and a bagel with cream cheese! It's tough eating out here in the woods! Blackbeard showed up and he and some others were talking about hiking down Skyline drive rather than the trail in order to get to Front Royal today. T The AT crosses back and forth across the Skyline Drive and from here until it leaves it for good is about two miles longer and goes up and down more. But it's also in the shade and the trail is softer on my feet than the pavement!I headed down the trail and as I approached the next road crossing I say two hikers hiking down the road where it crossed the trail in front of me. I waved, and when I got to the road I could see about 6 or 8 other hikers hiking down the road ahead of them! I thought about joining them, but I like the shade and my feet like the dirt path! :-)As I hiked along I was debating about whether to stop in the Front Royal Hostel about half a mile down a side trail at what would be 22.7 trail miles for me today, or hike a little further to a shelter at 23.6 miles. A shower and bed sounded good, but I really didn't want to hike the extra mile off trail and back in the morning. When I got to the side trail I decided to press on to the shelter. On the way there, I met two guys slackpacking southbound back to the hostel. They mentioned seeing a sign on a bench down by US-522 about a hostel nearby there. My legs were telling me they'd like to stay at the shelter rather than hike the additional three miles today!When I got to the shelter, no one else was there, so I ate some food while resting and checking out my AT Guide about the hostel. It's an old brick barn that Scott and Lisa just renovated this past year as a hostel for thru hikers. Scott thru hiked the AT in 2012 and they bought this place last year. After resting, my legs agreed that three more miles downhill was doable, especially with a hot shower waiting, so off we went ("we" being my various body parts).Sassafras was the only other hiker there along with Lisa. I got a fresh banana and cooked a frozen pizza for dinner and had a good time chatting with Lisa and Sassafras. The barn belongs to an old old house that Scott and Lisa plan to spend the next five years renovating into a B&B, keeping the barn as a hiker hostel. They still live primarily in their home in northern Virginia and have day jobs there.Another good day on the trail hiking and meeting good folks!