morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-08
From: Marble Spring campground

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: moderate rain

Day 63 - Today was another big climb (2400 ft). Everyone I hiked with was dreading it because it was hot and humid. Fortunately, as I got higher the wind picked up so that the heat and humidity weren't so bad. Rumor has it that on Wednesday the temperature is supposed to be 95 degrees - that, if true, might be tough. Today I crossed the longest footbridge on the AT, across the James River. The big climb started shortly after that. I've been very fortunate with the rain and have had dry weather despite numerous forecasts of rain. I think that on Wednesday, however, rain might be welcome. There's another big climb coming up, a mountain called The Priest. At the shelter at the top of The Priest, you're supposed to confess your sins in the shelter register. I think I'll pass, I don't think the notebook would have enough pages. Tomorrow I'll pass the 800 mile point - another big milestone. I think I'm doing about 100 miles a week now. If I keep up this pace, finishing in mid-September shouldn't be a problem. When the terrain flattens out in Northern Virginia and points north from there, I hope that 20 mile days will be a common occurrence. Tomorrow's plan will only be a 10 mile day. I have 4.5 days until my wife picks me up, but only 2.5 days of food. I'm going into Buena Vista to resupply. My phone will be almost dead so I'll be able to recharge it if I spend the night there in a motel. My phone is the only way my wife will know where to find me and it's my camera as well, so that's important. I've heard some people say they could never do long distance hiking like this because they'd be bored. I am rarely, if ever, bored while hiking. There is so much beauty and peace in the woods and mountains - sometimes when I stop for a break I almost go into a trance just taking in everything around me. Then I realize I've spent 20 minutes just sitting there, shake myself out of it, and force myself to start walking again. Towns, in comparison, are places of noise and confusion. It's always a relief to leave them in spite of the good food, beer, warm showers, and clean clothes. Until tomorrow.......
Date: 2015-06-09
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: US 60 - Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 11.3

Day 64 - Today's my last chance to resupply before Waynesboro. I'm short about 2 day's food, so today's distance ended up being shorter. Five miles after leaving Punchbowl Shelter, I passed the 800 mile mark - always a Kodak moment. Aside from that, nothing too memorable happened today. It was hot and humid, though, and that turned even the small climbs (less than 300 ft) into sweaty events. I got to US 60 about 1:00 pm. Within 15 minutes, I was able to hitch a ride into Buena Vista from a guy who hiked the trail in 2002 with his family. He's going to do it again next year with just his wife. Someone wrote a children's book about his family's 2002 thru-hike, complete with lots of pictures. He showed me a copy of it - very interesting. I have a 2100 ft climb to Bald Knot (4100 ft) first thing tomorrow morning.   After a 7:00 am breakfast at the nearby Burger King, I'm going to hit the trail early to avoid the day's heat. Then I'll just bounce around between 3500 - 4000 ft for the next 18 miles. Looking forward to getting together with family!!
Date: 2015-06-10
From: US 60 - Buena Vista, VA

To: Spy Rock campsite
Miles today: 16.7

Day 65 - I've been eating tuna once or twice a day for about 50 days. It's available in small foil packages that don't require refrigeration, it's inexpensive (about $1.25 a package), relatively light weight, and each one adds about 100 calories and protein to my diet.   A tuna salad package combined with a flour tortilla make a great mid-day sandwich, goes great with a Knorr Side, and I really like the taste (still). A hiker told me that there is mercury in tuna so I shouldn't eat too much. There's no warnings on the packages. It's hard to believe that long standing brands like Starkist, Bumblebee, and Chicken of the Sea would sell something with lots of mercury in it. Here's something that does really bother me: bugs in my tent at night. Each evening after I zip up my tent, I go on a bug hunt. My brother, Cotton, and my sister, Spyder, think I have a bug phobia. I think my tent should be a refuge from these biting little critters. There are many squished bug carcasses on the walls of my tent - I think I'll have a tent washing on my time away from the trail. OK, enough griping. Today was an absolutely beautiful hiking day - even the 2100 ft climb at the start of the day wasn't that bad because I did it in the cool of the morning. At 4000 ft, the temps all day were in the mid 70s, compared to the forecasted 84 degrees for Buena Vista. Tomorrow is supposed to be a carbon copy of today. I've been very fortunate with the weather except for Georgia (where it rained every freaking day). It's only 37 miles to Waynesboro and I have almost 3 days to get there. If I get there early enough, I just might go to a movie matinee while waiting for my beautiful wife, if I don't smell too bad. Until tomorrow......
Date: 2015-06-11
From: Spy Rock campsite

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Day 66 - Today was a difficult day because of the heat and humidity. I started the day at Spy Rock at an elevation of about 4000 ft (cool there), hiked downhill a bit and then climbed 800 ft to the top of 'The Priest' Mountain. From there, it was all downhill to about 1000 ft and then a mid-afternoon climb back up to 4000 ft. The climbs took a lot out of me, but eventually I reached the top and it's cooler again. This may have been the last big climb for me for awhile. If I'm recalling correctly, Shenandoah National Park has less steep climbs for the most part as the trail pretty much follows Skyline Drive. At the Priest, there is a shelter register where hikers are supposed to confess their sins. I photographed a couple of pages (see photos section). Yes, I confessed some sins, but they shall remain secret to the readers of this journal. There's bear activity in this area. A hiker in my bubble (that means I see him often), Mantis, didn't do an adequate job of hanging his food bag a couple of nights ago. A bear was able to get it down from the tree and ran off with it. A couple of miles north of here camping is not allowed due to bear activity. With any luck, maybe I'll get a bear picture or two. It's only about 20 miles to Waynesboro from this shelter - I could make it tomorrow - there's a hiker feed planned with showers and laundry - all free. I could be all cleaned up and smelling good when my wife arrives on Saturday. On the other hand, a 20 mile day in this heat and humidity would be tough. I guess I'll just see how it goes.......
Date: 2015-06-12
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Paul Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 15.8

Day 67 - I wasn't sure how far I'd go today - the humidity was lower, but the temperature seemed higher. I was still sweating profusely on the uphills. In the end, I decided that 15 miles was enough and there wasn't a really good reason to push on the last 5.5 easy miles to Waynesboro. I'll still get there by 10 am tomorrow, time enough to clean up and participate in a hiker feast before my wife arrives around 4 pm. A thunderstorm hit in the afternoon and lasted quite a while while I was hiking.   After getting pleasantly cooled down, but before I was soaked, I happened upon a rock overhang. I was able to keep from getting drenched by taking refuge underneath it. Sometimes you just get lucky. The storm broke the humidity and cooled things off nicely for the evening. The shelter here is spacious and clean so I decided not to tent. It should make getting out of here early easy and maybe I'll even get into town in time for a big breakfast. There will probably be only 5 of us here tonight unless there are some late arrivals. Pickles just spilled a big pot of cooked orzo on the shelter floor. Do bears consider orzo to be food? If so we might have visitors tonight. We are at the northern end of the 'problem bears' section. Zissou is staying here tonight - he has been feeling bad all day and has vomited multiple times. He thinks it's food poisoning from some bad cheese or an overripe avocado he ate. I'm hopeful it isn't a norovirus. That is somewhat common on the trail, is very infectious, and lasts for 1 to 3 day. It causes severe vomiting, severe diarrhea, and in really bad cases hospitalization is called for. This may be my last post for about a week. I may post some pictures from the Outer Banks of NC, but that will be up to my wife, who may want a vacation from Trailjournals. So, until whenever.....
Date: 2015-06-13
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap, VA
Miles today: 5.5

Day 68 - I was able to get on the trail by 6:30 this morning, my earliest start so far. I was driven by the prospect of a scrambled eggs/bacon/coffee breakfast and shower in Waynesboro before meeting up with my family. The hike took 2 and 1/2 hours and then another hour to catch a ride into town. I was able to get a shower at the YMCA and sat down to eat by 10:00 AM. It was TrailFest Day in Waynesboro; all events sponsored by the YMCA. They provided free camping in town, free showers, an AYCE lunch at a local restaurant, and a free movie at the Zeus 8 cineplex - not a bad way to spend the time waiting to be picked up. Half the hikers watched the new Mad Max movie. Most of the rest, including me, watched Jurassic World, with many of the hikers rooting for the dinosaurs. There were about 40 or 50 hikers in town taking advantage of theTrailFest activities. While eating lunch, I heard that last night Stretch and several others had encountered a bear about 1/4 mile past Paul Wolfe Shelter. They had decided to continue on into Waynesboro for beer and pizza instead of staying at the shelter like me. The bear actually charged Stretch, but she held her ground and it veered off into the woods. My wife and daughter got here by 5:00 pm and by 9:30 pm, we got to Oxford, NC, where my son lives. We intend to complete the drive to the Outer Banks of NC on Sunday. A hot week is forecast in Virginia for next week, so this may be a good time to be off the AT.
Date: 2015-06-14
From: Rockfish Gap, VA

To: The Outer Banks, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Dear Readers - This entry and the next 5 entries have been entrusted to Mrs. Pockets to compose as both of us did nothing but rest and relax while Pockets took time off the trail and I took time off Trail Journals. Hah! It's not too much of a stretch to imagine that I, Mrs. Pockets, have pretty much turned into a Trail Journals junky since I'm intently following my husband's journey and entering his data on Trail Journals almost daily. I've read lots of entries in hikers' journals about how thrilled they are to come upon unexpected trail magic. I thought it would be lots of fun to be a trail angel, but heck, our house is nowhere near the AT. As I prepped for the road trip from Western NY to Virginia to pick up Pockets, I got the brilliant idea to leave a couple of styrofoam coolers with water bottles, coca-cola, apple juice, and packaged snacks somewhere along the trail. Since Pockets was sure he'd be enjoying TrailFest in Waynesboro, VA by the time I made it there, I decided to leave trail magic off Miller's Gap Road- between Carlisle and Duncannon, PA. I didn't see any thru-hikers when I dropped it off.   I hadn't been following any hikers on Trail Journals who were already in Pennsylvania. I wasn't sure how many hikers would come across my trail magic. My plan is to fill the coolers back up as I head back up north after dropping Pockets back on the trail.
Date: 2015-06-15
From: The Outer Banks, NC

To: Vacationing in the The Outer Banks, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Dear Readers: Mrs. Pockets here - Nearly every summer for over 25 years, Pockets' side of our family has gathered for a week long family reunion. His parents have since passed on and his siblings and their offspring have scattered all over the USA-a nephew and his wife even joined us from Germany this year. Gatherings in those early years tended toward small cabin camping accommodations somewhere in the Eastern USA and especially in the state where he and his 7 siblings grew up. As the size of our extended family grew, we have headed more toward The Outer Banks of North Carolina, where there is an abundance of very large multiple bedroom vacation houses. Not all of the family made it this year and some that were there didn't pose for this photo, but this is a bunch of us. Today was Pockets 62nd birthday! Two cakes, off key singing and liquid refreshment followed the taking of this photograph.
Date: 2015-06-16
From: Vacationing in the The Outer Banks, NC

To: Feet in the sand on The Outer Banks, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Dear Readers: Mrs. Pockets here - What else could you expect for today's entry? We're at the beach after all! The first full day at the beach is always anticipation, excitement and hurry - get up, lather up, head out, set up, sit a spell, and hit the water. It was over 90 degrees most days we were there. So repeat the lather, the water and sitting several times over again. Try hard not to look like a lobster after the first day and end up being confined to the house until the sun goes down. Throw in some reading under a beach umbrella, interesting conversations, beach games, body boards, and a kayak too. Well, that's how we gear up for happy hour.
Date: 2015-06-17
From: Feet in the sand on The Outer Banks, NC

To: Happy Hour(s) at The Outer Banks, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Dear Readers: Mrs. Pockets here - hmmm...Happy Hour(s)- let's just say they are a family tradition that goes way way back. I'll let the photos do the talking for this entry. What is not apparent from the photos is the decibel level. Um, just a tad high. There are also several family members who fancy themselves as singers, which is always a hilarious treat and often results in sing-alongs.
Date: 2015-06-18
From: Happy Hour(s) at The Outer Banks, NC

To: On the Beach at the Outer Banks, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Dear Readers: This is Mrs. Pockets here - I must admit that today's entry was totally NOT MY IDEA. Pockets insisted on it. Something happens to most of the guys in this family when they get together that promotes a bit of manly men behavior. To be fair though, I suppose the gals get a little crazy too, but you won't see us adding any photos on here like the guys did. A special note to Pockets' former co-workers and long time friends: Viewer Discretion is Advised. You may NOT want to click on his photos page right now.
Date: 2015-06-19
From: On the Beach at the Outer Banks, NC

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Dear Readers: Mrs. Pockets here - I'd like to think we got up early on our last day at the beach and watched the sun rise over the ocean, but that story ending might be more for movies. It didn't happen like that. We scurried around looking for all our stuff, which, of course, was not organized because we really didn't want to leave. The sunrise photo you see is from a day or two before the last day.   We had just watched several incredible night time lightning storms from the rental house's crow's nest deck though. They looked like mini fireworks. We dropped our son off at his new apartment near Raleigh, NC and then headed for a hotel in Waynesboro, VA. Our daughter drove us back to Rockfish Gap bright and early the next morning so Pockets could get back on the trail. Goodbyes are always hard, but hey, he's hiking north. That's closer to home base and that will make brief visits with him more possible. On the way back to Upstate NY, we again stopped at Miller's Gap Road in Pennsylvania to see what was left of our trail magic and to restock, if necessary. We were rather surprised to find everything had been comsumed- so we reloaded as best we could with water and snacks. Our daughter flew back to California today. Now it's time to get these journal entries up to date. When Pockets reaches the area near Miller's Gap, I plan to return and add more trail magic there. Next up, back to Pockets' TJ entries. Mrs. Pockets is signing off...
Date: 2015-06-20
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Blackrock Hut - SNP, VA
Miles today: 20.2

Day 75 - This was a difficult day, both mentally and physically. I forgot to check where the next water source was before I started hiking. I was carrying just 1 quart of water. That, plus a diet coke I had yogi'd had to last about 10 miles on a hot and humid day. 20+ miles is a long distance on any day on the AT.   On the first day back on the trail after 6 days off plus wearing new shoes, my feet were complaining loudly. Mentally, I was having a hard time getting back into the trail routine after all those days on the beach doing absolutely nothing - and now I was working very hard, wishing I was back at the beach. I hope I can make the mental switch back to the trail soon. I saw my first rattlesnake today - it was on the trail looking at a rabbit that was about 2 feet from it, also on the trail. It was way too big for the snake to eat so I don't know what was going on. As I approached, it turned to look at me and rattled, which is when I realized it was a snake and not a 2.5 foot long stick. As I fumbled to get my camera out, it slithered off the path except for it's tail. I guess I'd better start watching carefully where I'm putting my feet. With my eyes on the ground, I almost ran into one of the pretty tame deer that are here in the park. The thunderstorms held off until late in the afternoon. Given the heat, I was glad to get slightly rained on. There's a full shelter here tonight and a campground full of scouts. No one here is planning to hike naked tomorrow for the annual 'Hike Naked Day'. I was going to wear the speedo I wore on the beach, but decided against it - too many bugs!!!Until tomorrow....
Date: 2015-06-21
From: Blackrock Hut - SNP, VA

To: Pinefield Hut - SNP, VA
Miles today: 13.2

Day 76 - Today was another challenging day. The long miles on my first day back yesterday gave me a couple of blisters, and at some point along the way, I must have overextended my right knee. The heat and humidity weren't quite as bad as yesterday, but still an issue. I made it a point to keep the miles lower today and will continue to do so until the blisters and knee are better. That means I can sleep in later if I'm in my tent, hike slower, and still get to the day's destination a little earlier. The big event today, aside from ice cream, soda, and sardines at the Loft Mountain camp store, was a rattlesnake that was blocking the trail. It refused to budge despite my prodding it with my trekking pole. All that accomplished was to piss it off and make it curl up in an attack pose with it's tail rattling furiously and still occupying the center of the trail. There was thick brush on both sides of the path. Eventually I decided that I had to end the impasse and eased my way past it. I was much closer to it than I wanted to be - about 2 feet. Someone later told me that they can strike their full body length - in this case that would have been at least 4 feet. I will be more cautious in the future. I've met up with hikers HVAC and Lorax, a married couple from Montana who are my age. They started late March and are also keeping a journal on Trailjournals.com. Everyone but me seems to be seeing bears. I'm ready to start seeing bears and to stop seeing rattlesnakes. At least with bears, I can stop fixating on the ground and don't have to worry about where I put my feet. Today was supposed to be 'Hike Naked Day', but I didn't see any naked hikers in spite of my best efforts. They probably passed me while my eyes were on the ground looking out for snakes. I had considered wearing my beach attire (a speedo), but this was also Father's Day, a weekend day and I'm in a national park. I could just imagine all the section hikers talking about that 'crazy old speedo wearing hiker'. Until tomorrow.......
Date: 2015-06-22
From: Pinefield Hut - SNP, VA

To: Stealth campsite @ mile 911.5
Miles today: 16.0

Day 77 - The huts aren't spaced well in Shenandoah and don't easily allow for 15 to 18 mile days. I was going to have a short day today. When the sun rises at 5:30 am and other hikers start getting up at 6 am and make a lot of noise as they tear down and pack up, it is difficult to sleep in late. Once I'm up, there's not much to do except start walking. Since I'm camping by myself tonight though, I can sleep in as late as I want. My knee is feeling better, but my left foot has a blister on the ball underneath a large callus and any pressure on that is painful. That's the main reason I stopped short before reaching Lewis campground. That was my goal for today and which, if I had made it, would have resulted in another 20 mile day. I passed the 900 mile point today, but I missed the marker on the trail, so I have no picture of it. I'll try to get one from someone else. But 900 miles - damn that's a lot of miles! Lorax and HVAC are dealing with the hut spacing a little differently than I. They hitched on the Skyline Drive ahead, I think to a lodge. I considered hitching myself, but the traffic was thin and HVAC wasn't having much luck. So stealth camping totally by myself is a first for me. I think I was stung by a bee while taking a break at a picnic area. It's either that or a brown recluse spider bite. It's on my back at that one spot that's impossible to reach with either hand. I think it's a bee because they were swarming all over my pack for some reason while I was taking the break. One may have become trapped between the pack and my back when I put the pack back on. Most things won't sting you through a shirt, but I think a bee can sting through one. I'm getting back into the hiker mindset - it's taken a while but I think I'm going to be okay. Until tomorrow.....