morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-11-28
From: Campsite South of Pa 72

To: Ridge before Shikellimy Trail
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I had remembered crossing the valley from Rt 72 to Rausch Gap as a pretty easy 5 miles, & it didn't disappoint me. Once again, I started out in the dark with the help of the moon. If I'd had a better headlamp, I could probably have done enough of it last night to camp on Second Mtn. Some parts that had seemed poorly-marked last time thru seemed better now, at least in the opposite direction.   The sun rose as I passed a place I had camped before.By the time I got to Rausch Gap Shelter, a light rain had begun & continued the rest of the day. I stopped to get water & cook a meal. There were some people camped nearby who were getting packed up & two guys in the shelter who were still sleeping at 8:30. I tried not to disturb them.Moving on, the Trail continued pretty level [but still occasionally rocky] along the side of Second Mtn. & then Cold Mtn., descending to cross over Clarks Creek to Peters Mtn. Both Rausch Gap & Yellow Springs were mining towns that have entirely disappeared. As usual, I met no one one the Trail till I got near PA 325 & Clarks Creek. Then I saw some hunters & a couple of women taking pictures of the pretty area along the creek [No camping permitted, yet it's obvious there's been lots of camping there].Continuing on up the hill, I could tell I was in a different trail-maintenance territory from the past few days. This group [Susquehanna ATC] does a much better job of blazing, builds stone steps, & uses switchbacks.   After a cloudy day, it got dark quite fast as I went up Peters Mtn. It was already obvious that I wouldn't make it to the next shelter [6.7 miles from the last road], but I thought I could get somewhere close. After I slipped on some rocks along the ridge & was having trouble with my headlamp again, I decided it was time to camp, even tho I was within a mile or so of a decent campsite. So I set up on a slightly level spot between some rocks just below the ridge & spent the night. My tent doesn't pitch very well in this kind of situation; yet it worked well enough. I find it encouraging to know that I can spend a comfortable night even in weird places like this. I thought I had about 5 miles to go to Peters Mtn. Shelter, then 8 miles from there to Duncannon. If I could get up early enough, with the help of the moon & the little diode light in my phone charger, I could still make it to church by 10:00 am. So I set my alarm for 1:30.
Date: 2015-11-29
From: Ridge before Shikellimy Trail

To: Cove Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, it didn't work out as I'd hoped.It took a while to get packed up in the dark with a wet tent; I didn't get started till almost 3:00 am; & there was no help from the moon because of clouds & mist on the Mtn. Also, the Trail was rockier all along this ridge than I'd remembered [especially, I thought it got easier after Rt 225].It was still totally dark when I got to Peters Mtn. Shelter. No one there ¢ I just signed the register & went on. It sure seemed farther than the 5 miles I'd estimated; & it was definitely farther than 4 miles to the next shelter. When I came thru here in 2000, the Rt. 225 crossing was quite dangerous; slopes & curves in each direction made visibility very poor, & the cars crossing the Mtn. are in a hurry to race down the other side. So it's really a good thing that they've built a pedestrian bridge across ¢ hikers can now be almost oblivious to the road.I got to Clarks Ferry Shelter a little after 9:00 & didn't stop. With 4 miles to go, I was already late, & I still had more than a mile to go on a ridge that seemed to keep getting rockier & to go on forever. So at 10:00, I was beginning the easy switchback descent & could clearly see the church across the river, but there was no way to get there till the service was over. Disappointing.The upshot was that I walked across the long bridges & down practically the whole length of the town, to arrive about 10:20. I decided to go visit Christ Lutheran Church anyway. Pastor Beth was still there ¢ she & several of the other people remembered me from 2 years ago [when I stayed at the Doyle Hotel & had no trouble getting to church early]. Back then, I had offered some suggestions on what the churches could do to make the town more hiker friendly. They were happy to report that they were now offering regular hiker meals during the Summer & providing other assistance. They even gave me some snacks from their hiker basket. That felt good, even tho I didn't get to worship with them.After having lunch at the Doyle [I remembered the restaurant as being much better than the hotel], I was ready to move on, up the steep ascent to Cove Mtn. Shelter. There was no way I could do another 7 miles to Darlington Shelter.This is a fairly new shelter that has been chewed a lot by porcupines. There are lots of warnings & they have protected most edges of the shelter with sheet metal. I had the place to myself, so the porcupine threat was the only reason I decided to sleep in an upper bunk. Unlike Allentown Shelter, this one has a lip around the edge, so that you don't have to worry about sliding off the shelf in your sleep. Unfortunately, the ladder arrangement seems dangerous, especially for stiff older hikers who have to get up several times at night. It requires a 180o turn at the top with very little to grab onto. Otherwise, a nice place.
Date: 2016-02-17
From: Home

To: Heading for Waynesboro
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

The plan is to do 3 weeks in Central Virginia, then take a few weeks off & come back in April with Tagalong, my wife, to do some of the easy trail in Southern Pennsylvania. I think this will be easier for her than were Massachusetts & Connecticut, & that she'll be able to continue thru Maryland & into Virginia. After Shenandoah National Park [with or without her], I'll jump down to Southern Virginia & continue on to Springer. Susan is very kind to take me down to Central Wisconsin Airport for a 6:08 flight tomorrow. That means getting up at 3:15 a.m. for an hour drive.
Date: 2016-02-18
From: Home

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: light snow

My sweet wife brought me down to Wausau to fly to Chicago, then to LaGuardia, & then to Charlottesville. I got picked up the Charlottesville Airport by Adam Stanley has a hostel now in Waynesboro.Because of an accident blocking the highway, we took a very long way around to get to Waynesboro. I had thought that he would bring my package and my fuel canister with him, that I could pack them on the way, and he would drop me off at the trailhead with the possibility of going most of the way to the first shelter in daylight. Going such a long way around, then stopping at his house/ hostel first, meant the last light was disappearing from the East side of the mountain just as I got to my starting point. But his price to shuttle from the airport was good; and that's a hard airport to get out of without a car. Bright moon on a cold night, walking on a lot of crunchy snow. There were foot-prints in the snow, both human & animal, which was sometimes helpful, sometimes not, since they were frozen in.I got to the Paul Wolfe shelter in about 2-1/2 hours, with my pack feeling very overloaded [both overfilled & overweight]. I had mailed too much stuff to Waynesboro or conversely had brought too much stuff that I should have mailed on to Buena Vista. So to save $15-20 in postage, I am carrying an extra 5 pounds for several days. Doesn't seem like such a good trade-off now!No one at the shelter when I got there, which I expected this time of year.
Date: 2016-02-19
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Just before Dripping Rock
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: broken clouds

It was a pretty cold night, but I was ready enough for it.Getting out in the morning involved crossing a stream on rocks. My legs are always stiff first thing in the morning, and there was plenty of spray from the water that froze on the rocks; so I couldn't just go bouncing across. I had found a pole at the beginning of the trail last night, & I made lots of use of it as I slithered across the ford. Managed not to fall in -- Hallelujah! Wouldn't have been a good way to start the day.The Trail went uphill for some distance after this. The main difference from last night was that the crusty snow had NO footprints [maybe some bear prints later on?]. The 2 "Frenchmen" who had signed the shelter register must have come in & gone back the same way. They'd said they now had done 1/1000 of the AT, but I can't see how they could have gotten there in only 2.2 miles.The day got warmer as I went on, but that meant more slippery spots, as the surface melted. That, plus too heavy a pack made for slow going. As I reached the highest point on Humpback Mtn., near the end of the day, the wind began to pick up, and for the first time I actually met someone. Two guys out for the weekend were speeding up the hill just as I started down. I began looking for places to camp because I could see I was not going to make it very far across the Blue Ridge Parkway. The wind was picking up as well, which made it a little hard setting up the tent, but once I got it set up and got inside, it was a nice warm night.
Date: 2016-02-20
From: Just before Dripping Rock

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

A busy Saturday on the trail! It was a nice day, warm enough & low enough in elevation that the snow was mostly melted, but with surprisingly little mud. Even though the parkway wasn't open, the access point to it at Reid's Gap had about 25 cars. People going in both directions from there. The place where I had camped was just before the Blue Ridge Parkway Crossing at Dripping Rock. Just as I was all packed up and ready to go, the two guys I had seen last night came down past me and headed South on the trail. I caught up with them and they caught up with me a couple of times during the morning, but I also met a lot of other people: 11 pairs of hikers & 3 trios, plus 6 dogs.I stopped for lunch & water at Maupin Field Shelter, where I may have missed a few passing hikers.On a bright sunny afternoon [almost 60 degrees], I met a bunch more people: 3 couples, a group of 5, then 2 singles (m&f), & a fast mover at the end of the day. I think his name was Gandolf. He told me there were at least a dozen people at the shelter; so he was camping on top of the hill. After going uphill all afternoon, it was a long descent, getting dark [& muddier] as I went. When I got to the Shelter, it was empty, tho there were a lot of tents up & down on various sides of the stream. So I had the place to myself.
Date: 2016-02-21
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, being a Sunday, I intended to go to church. I had learned that there were Episcopal & Presbyterian Churches in the little town of Massies Mill, 6-8 miles East of the Tye River AT crossing, but I couldn't get any info on service times. I got up & got going a little before daylight [good moon]. It was mostly downhill to the road, before the massive uphill to Priest Mtn.[3,000 feet in 4 miles, 42 switchbacks]. I remember this downhill as being very muddy trail on a previous trip ¢ I'm glad I was doing it before everything thawed.I got to the highway before 8:00 & hitched a ride quite quickly. I had hoped that the Episcopal church would have a service at 9:00, or at least by 10:00. No, it was 11:00! I walked up to the Presbyterian church ¢ they had nothing to indicate time of service. Not much else in the town: a general store not open on Sundays, an old post office about to fall down, a few houses, & 16 mailboxes taking the place of the post office. After getting a Coke & a little charge on my phone, I decided I didn't want to wait till afternoon to start up the Priest; so I hitched a ride back. On the way, there was a Baptist church: also 11:00!I was able to start up the Mtn. by 9:30. It was slow going & raining most of the way. At one spot there was about 12 feet of slick ice, which could send you down into the creek below. I met a couple of overnight hikers coming down & two who were still camped part-way up. Too misty for good views.I had lunch at the Priest Shelter. Everything around there was VERY muddy, & the spring didn't look too great, so I decided to wait to get water.Then the Trail led across several bumps to Spy Rock & then several slightly more level miles [some in the dark] to Seeley-Woodworth Shelter. Again, no one else around.
Date: 2016-02-22
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter

To: US 60 -- 3 Springs Hostel
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I spent part of today looking for the place I fell & cracked some ribs in 2013. Lots of easy trail, but that's how it had seemed when I fell. Things seem so different from the other direction, I could't be sure.Tar Jacket Ridge, Cole Mtn., & Bald Knob are each almost as high as Priest Mtn., but there are not significant descents in between. Visibility very poor again. The first 2 look like balds; however, Bald Knob doesn't, having a few rocks sticking up thru the trees. I did about a half hour of trail work today, plus a quarter yesterday morning.Hikers like to complain about the "long green tunnel" ¢ I had the "long white tunnel" with so much mist yesterday & today [tho no leaves on the trees].I got down to US 60 by 4:00, having called the 3 Springs Hostel from atop the Mtn. This one is new since my last trip & is not located in Buena Vista; so I'd have had to pay extra for a shuttle to re-supply. I am already carrying too much; so that didn't bother me. No cell-phone reception & somewhat limited internet; however, they let hikers use their land line. Actually, it's not really open yet, but she's not turning anybody away. I got to do some laundry & somehow lost a glove in the process. Since my left hand is always colder than my right, I guess that will work out. I had a good supper & breakfast at the hostel.
Date: 2016-02-23
From: US 60 -- 3 Springs Hostel

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

I had hoped to make big miles today, starting out in a fairly level valley & then going up Bluff Mtn. to camp on Big Rocky Row. That's the reverse of how I had done it 3 years ago. But apparently I'm slower now.After a good breakfast, I got dropped off at the trailhead just as the rain started. There we met NOBO Speedstick putting on her rain-gear & talking a lot about a hiker behind her named Wildcat. Apparently, he had stayed at the hostel recently & was now hiking back to finish the thru-hike he started last year. Speedstick is hoping to do a "triple crown" this year, so she started early & has been moving fast.For a while, the Trail goes down thru Brown Mtn. Creek valley, thru an area where there used to be a community of ex-slaves. I stopped at the shelter, where Speedstick had left a note for Wildcat. A little up the valley, the Trail forded a stream. After I'd passed that, I thought I should have taken a picture; so I left my pack & ran back to take one. I didn't do so well on my next photo op. After skirting the Roanoke reservoir for a number of miles, the trail crosses a suspension bridge. I like to take pictures of well-built Trail structures, so I was trying to figure out what angle to get. I was interrupted by seeing a hiker on the other end about to cross. He looked just like me! Bigger beard, but same Tilley hat, same blue jacket, same-colored pants. I talked with him for a while, totally distracted from taking a picture ¢ then he was gone, & it was too late.Wlldcat looked to be in his 60s & was being sponsored by a Methodist conference as a "Trail Chaplain". We talked about that & other things for a while. When he gets to US 60, he only has 7 more miles to go. When I told him how far I wanted to go today, he seemed skeptical. He was right ¢ I only made it up to Punch Bowl Shelter. That was just another 5 miles past the bridge, but it seemed a long ways. Even stopping to cook lunch along the trail took a long time!Another shelter to myself.
Date: 2016-02-24
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Matts Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light snow

I felt I made fairly good time getting up & over Bluff Mtn. & Big Rocky Row. Lots of switchbacks coming down, but not nearly as many as Priest Mtn. [about 24 compared to 42]. I had rain most of the morning (still n the "long white tunnel" too). At Johns Hollow Shelter, I used the privy & met a young man who'd been hanging out in the shelter most of the morning, reading his Bible & enjoying God's world. He was about to head up the hill & then home ¢ maybe a backpacker someday.The streams dow the valley were looking pretty full, but no problem fording where necessary. When I got to the highway, it took a half hour to high ride into Glasgow. I had a good meal in the Italian restaurant, charged up my phone, & picked up a few items in the grocery store & Dollar General. While I ate, the rain got very heavy for a while, but by the time I was leaving town the sun was out, & it got pretty warm.Glasgow is not an easy town to hitch out of because the road divides, & you don't know which way people might be intending to turn. I found what I thought was a good place, but it still took an hour to get a ride.I could see I wasn't going any farther than the next shelter; so I didn't push at all.After crossing the longest foot bridge on the AT, the Trail follows the shore for a while. The bluffs all had pretty waterfalls that probably aren't there except after so much rain. Same along Matt's Creek, which seemed pretty high. When I got up to the shelter, I could see that the next thing to do would be to ford the stream ¢ the rocks were under water, with a small waterfall just downstream if you fell in. I hope the water will have receded by morning.Again, I had the shelter to myself. Got there by 6:00 ¢ ready to sleep by 7:00.
Date: 2016-02-25
From: Matts Creek Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, I could soon see that the water wasn't down much. I didn't feel safe on the fording rocks, so I waded across a bit upstream. The shoes I'm wearing this trip are waterproof up to about 2 inches. Now I was going to find out what they were like when they got water inside!The water wasn't particularly cold, & I'm OK with walking in wet socks; so I continued on up the Mtn. ¢ uphill most of the day. The Trail takes a long circuit around to avoid having to go down & up again. Once I got up on the ridge, it started to turn cold & continued the rest of the day. It wasn't long before I started to notice ice forming in my water bottles. Then it started spitting snow. First it was the tiny ice-balls, then they got more artistic: 6- & 5-pointed stars not at all like the flakes the children's books show Jack Frost designing. The wind produced something else unusual. Along one cliff the wind was quite strong, & I saw a hawk soaring sideways on the wind. It seemed totally unperturbed by not going straight!I had thought I could stop for a break at Marble Spring Campsite, where I had camped last time. It looked so different, even when I passed a sign saying "Spring 100 yards", I didn't know I was there. I was also a bit confused about whether Petite's Gap came before or after; so I kept going till I crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway. Stopped there for a bit, then continued on up Thunder Ridge. No thunder today, just cold wind.I did about 12 hour of trail work on the way [to keep warm!].Thunder Hill Shelter is pretty exposed, but I stopped to cook a meal, then went on with very cold hands past the "Guillotine" [hanging rock above the Trail] & the FAA tower on Apple Orchard Mtn. [the highest in this area].Then I went downhill & around the Mtn. where it became a bit warmer because of less wind. I wanted to make it to Cornelius Creek shelter, which I did, just about dark. I figured there would be a nice moon later that might help me get going early in the morning. I didn't pay enough attention to how I got to the shelter from the Trail.
Date: 2016-02-26
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Cove Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 10.9

Another cold night, first of several for which I broke out my wool sweater. There WAS a nice moon when I got up to pee around 4:00. At this time, I discovered that my shoes [still wet from the morning ford] were freezing. I put them in a plastic bag inside my sleeping bag, & they were OK when I got up in another hour. I also took precautions not to let my water filter freeze [carrying it in my jacket pocket all day too]. I'm not used to cooking breakfast, but I thought hot oatmeal sounded good today. Mistake. My stomach doesn't tolerate oatmeal very well, & this was just plain oatmeal. I cooked it just the way I usually prefer but couldn't eat it all & felt some nausea the first few hours of hiking. I put some GORP into it to try to make it more palatable ¢ really hated to waste that! Plus the time!This turned out to be a confusing shelter to get out of. I knew I had come in around a bend in the ridge, but in the dark I was confused about what direction that was. By daylight, there was a clear trail to the privy & beyond, leading eventually to a red-blazed trail, but there was no obvious way to return to the AT. I had hoped to start early, but I ended up having to wait for enough daylight [& making enough trips around the area looking for a trail], before I got oriented, looked down the ridge, & saw the trail to the AT. Still not knowing how to get there, I just went straight down the hill. It seems like clear blue blazes from Trail to shelter is always a good idea. So it turned out to be a much later start that I'd hoped.Only 5 miles [downhill] to Bryant Ridge Shelter; however, I was ready for dinner by then. There were some substantial blowdowns in the next couple of miles; so I spent 134 hour working to clear those up as much as I could. Then t was up & over Fork Mtn., which seemed a lot higher than it looks on the map, to eat again at Jennings Creek. No one else around there, tho I had met some day-hikers earlier. I've never stopped at the swimming hole there & certainly wasn't going swimming today! Sun was out tho, & it did warm up a bit.Cove Mtn. Shelter is one not many people stop at because there is no water. I had enough & was ready to stop; so I got in & got to bed early, figuring I'd get up before daylight. Just after dark, a couple of guys came in to camp. They did a pretty good job of keeping quiet as they got set up for the night.