morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-21
From: US 11 - Relax Inn

To: Lynn Camp Creek
Miles today: 15.8

Nice day to hike-- sunny and very little wind. I got up this morning and took one last shower for the next several days. Packed up and hiked to The Barn restaurant for breakfast. Slippery Doc joined me there a few minutes later. The terrain wasn't too steep heading out of town. I crossed under I-81 then headed into the woods. After taking a zero day, I met a whole new group of hikers! Several times I walked through pastures with good views. Stopped for lunch at the top of one pasture, and I could see the trail a half mile behind me. I saw at least 7 hikers heading my way. I got to this site a little before 5:00. Two Clicks was here setting up and expecting several friends to join him, and they kept rolling in! There are probably 10 hikers here, but there is plenty of camping space (I got a great spot). I'm by a stream so have some background noise. It's now 8:30, cooling off, and I'm snug in my tent! Town food is great, but it's nice to be back in the woods. Highlights of the day were some great views and a 3-4 foot black snake right next to the Trail!Fitbit steps 39121   floors 421
Date: 2018-04-22
From: Lynn Camp Creek

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a late start this morning. Sometime before sunrise it got chilly, and I pulled my sleeping bag over my head. The next time I looked out it was daylight. By the time I got organized and out of the tent there were only three other tents still in camp. So it was 8:45 by the time I was hiking. Started with a good climb up and then back down, crossed a road, then started the climb up Chestnut Ridge-- eventually arriving at Chestnut Shelter at 4400 feet. I had some great views from the ridge. My hiker appetite is kicking in. When I stopped for lunch I kept pulling "one more thing" from my food bag. Had some Trail Magic late in the day! Gary has been camped at this road crossing for 5 days doing trail magic. He was getting low on food, but I had a couple pancakes. I finally got to this shelter about 7. By the time I got my camp chores done, it was after 8:00 and time for bed. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so my schedule may be altered. Fitbit steps 48634  floors 530
Date: 2018-04-23
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: light rain

Today I got an earlier start, and the trail was good. The weather was the wild card today. The forecast was for rain. It did sprinkle a little before I got out of my tent, so I put on my rain jacket and pants. You do get hot hiking uphill in rain gear, but the temperature was cool and the uphill not too big. After 11.5 miles I got to an outfitter/restaurant. I stopped in to eat and charge my phone. I was there a good hour and a half. It rained a little harder while I was there. Other hikers there were also deciding what to do. One group had been planning 12 more miles, and before I left, they were going to the next shelter, 2 miles away. I left about 2:30 not knowing for sure how far I'd go. I stopped at the shelter and loaded up on water-- then kept going. It rained off and on as I hiked. I found this spot about 6:00. It was raining, not too hard but steady. I quickly set up my tent, threw my pack in, then got in and unloaded the pack. It's 8:00 now. It's raining steady and has been since I got here. There's more rain in the forecast for tomorrow so we'll see how that goes!Fitbit steps 43060  floors 412
Date: 2018-04-24
From: Stealth Camp

To: VA 606 - Trent Grocery
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Today's weather wasn't a wild card, it was just rain! It rained all night, paused a little while I packed up, then rained pretty much all day. After about 6 miles of hiking, I decided to see if I could find a place to get out of the rain. I called Trent Grocery because that would let me get a few more miles in. It's walking distance (0.5 mile) from the trail, so I can hike out whenever I want in the morning. I have a private room with a washer/dryer in the bathroom all for $20. You can also get a hot meal at the store.Highlights of the day were seeing a scarlet tanager and crossing Kimberling Creek on a suspension bridge just for hikers.Fitbit steps 30698   floors 24
Date: 2018-04-25
From: VA 606 - Trent Grocery

To: Doc Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.5

Weather today was spotty showers, more so in the afternoon. When I hiked down the road back to the trail, Clipper and Pace Car were just getting dropped off. They had stayed at a different hostel last night. I hiked with them most of the morning, then we all ate lunch at a shelter. I headed out first as they were doing a short day and didn't see them the rest of the day. The streams are running full after all the rain and the trail sometimes looked like a stream!I thought about hiking a little further and camping, but it's really wet. So I decided to stay here. I'll get to Pearisburg tomorrow and am planning to zero on Friday. As my Dad would say, "I have a little hitch in my get along." One hip is sore after I rest - until I get going. My PT son gave me some stretches to do, so I'll take a day off to rest and stretch. Thanks Ben! (It can't be bothering me too much, I did 17.5 miles today.)Fitbit steps 43299   floors 374
Date: 2018-04-26
From: Doc Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a beautiful morning-- sunshine and no wind. I was the first one out of the shelter, and I was hiking by about 7:45. As the weather warmed up I slowed down, not because I was tired but just to enjoy the morning. I took a break at Angel Rest overlook and enjoyed the view looking down on Pearisburg. After that I started the 2000 foot drop to town. There were more and more wildflowers as I went lower, and they slowed me down also!Part way into the roadwalk to town, a pickup pulled over and gave me a ride the rest of the way to the Dairy Queen. Thanks Jug! After consuming about 3000 calories there, I walked to the hotel and checked in. I'll zero here tomorrow. Fitbit steps 24587   floors 120
Date: 2018-04-27
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

First of all a shout out to Dr. Gaby Lopez, who defended her dissertation today! Congrats Gaby! So Gaby has her PsyD, Matt has his PHD, Ben has his DPT, Molly had her PHD, and me, well. . . I know a lot of doctors! (paraphrased from The Big Bang Theory)For my zero day, I did the normal chores, resupplied, ate multiple times, and got organized for tomorrow. I also got a haircut, so I'll be lighter leaving town! I had hoped to get a massage, but there is no place in town to get one. I did get to talk with Julie and my parents. My oldest son, Matt aka Knobs, is coming out to hike with me next Friday. Frida and Harley, his two German Shorthair Pointers are coming also. He'll only have 3 days to hike as he needs to get back home for Gaby's graduation. So we have those details mostly worked out.I also texted Ironman and Ester to see how their hikes are going. Ironman and that group are at least 2 days behind me, and Ester is 3-4 days behind. Good to know they are all still hiking!Tomorrow it's back to the trail, and the weather sounds good for a change!Fitbit steps 6507  floors 11
Date: 2018-04-28
To: Campsite
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

I was slow getting going this morning. It was after 9:00 when I left the hotel. I did make a hotel reservation in Daleville for Thursday night. That's where I'll meet Knobs. Then Friday morning we'll get shuttled 44 miles north and hike south back to Daleville and Knob's car.Today was very nice, weather wise. I did a bit a of sweating until early evening when it definitely cooled off. The hike was mostly on ridge tops with lots of small ups and downs. At one road crossing there were two police officers. They were explaining the rules ahead, as this is where a pipeline is being installed. At one point I was not to vary 2 feet either way from the centerline of the trail. There were some great views along the way. A little over 8 miles into today's hike, I came to the last water source for 10.5 miles. I wanted to camp i7 miles ahead, so that meant I had to carry enough water to cook tonight with a little left over for morning for 3.5 miles. My pack was heavy this afternoon! Two young guys went by me early. I also met Foghorn. We leap frogged each other several times during the day, but he didn't want to dry camp-- so he was headed to the next water source.I got here about 6pm, setup and cooked dinner. It was cooling off.  Tomorrow's high is supposed to be in the low 50's then warm up each day until it hits the mid 80's by the end of the week. Fitbit steps 40791  floors 433
Date: 2018-04-29
From: Campsite

To: Campsite
Miles today: 20.1

This is my first day over 20 miles. We'll see tomorrow if that was smart! A wise man once said, "A 500 foot climb in the afternoon is harder than a 1500 foot climb in the morning." That was me 11 years ago-- I seem to have a hard time remembering that this hike. Today's hike was less hard overall (never easy!), so I made good time until the end. The last 3 miles had a 1700 foot climb, and I got slower and slower. I arrived at camp about 7:00, cooked dinner, put up the tent, and enjoyed the sunset. As a bonus after watching the sun set, I looked to the east and there was a full moon coming up! Maybe this was worth the climb!Two highlights of the day were coming up to a bridge over a river and remembering that 11 years ago the old bridge was washed out. Back then, I had the choice to detour 3 miles or wade. I waded.Second highlight was hearing a hiker coming up behind me, turning around, and seeing Robbie. He's young and hikes fast. I last saw him in Georgia, almost 600 miles ago. He'd been sick and had some foot problems, so he just got back on the trail today. The guys he was hiking with are 200 miles ahead. We chatted for a bit then he hiked on. I've been meaning to say thanks to everyone following along with this journal. I do appreciate it and all the messages of support! Fitbit steps 52277  floors 503
Date: 2018-04-30
From: Campsite

To: Campsite
Miles today: 17.3

Beautiful day on the AT. I watched the sunrise while still in my sleeping bag; I can see out a narrow band below my rain fly. It was cool starting, and I even had my gloves on to begin the day. I stopped at Laurel Creek Shelter, the young folks were still there, so I saw Robbie (now Rodo) along with Foghorn, McGyver and several others. There was some nice hiking through fields (some I'm guessing were in CRP and planted to natives) with good views. Just before noon, I started a big climb that kicked my butt. Once I got to the ridge top, there were many miles that were mostly level-- but sometimes very rocky. I took a lunch break a little after 1:00 and Epic came by. I last saw him slackpacking back to Damascus when Tang and I were headed to Thomas Knob Shelter. We chatted awhile, then he hiked on. There were some great views from the ridge including a view of some smoke. I was hoping that it was a controlled burn, but it's not. Rumor has it that a section of the AT may be closed, the section that includes MacAfee Knob. I guess I'll find out for sure on Wednesday!I camped low tonight -- near water in a nice valley. Epic was here when I arrived and had a fire going! Nice evening. I was up until almost hiker midnight (9pm). Fitbit steps 47071  floors 292
Date: 2018-05-01
From: Campsite

To: Campsite
Miles today: 15.2

Happy May Day everyone. Nobody left me a May basket outside my tent!First, an update on the forest fire. I spent much of the day wondering whether a part of the trail would be closed. This would mean that I would miss seeing MacAfee Knob -- which is a highlight of the trail.  I heard tonight that the fire is out and the plan is to reopen the trail either tonight or in the morning. I have about 5 miles to go to reach the section that was closed.Back to today's hike. It was hot and dry with many highlights. The hike started with a big climb and that warms me up, so I was down to shorts and a t-shirt by the top. At the top Epic and I found Rodo and Skywalker camped there. We chatted with them for a while, then I hiked on. It was on the ridge, which is nice, but there's no water up there. Just as I came to the Audie Murphy Monument, I saw an owl fly. It didn't go far. So I walked up to where I could see it, and we stared at each other for a while. It flew off when Epic walked up. We went to look at the monument dedicated to the most decorated man of WW2 who later became a movie star. He died in a plane crash near this site.The ridge line provides plenty of great views. Then before noon I dropped to a road crossing and crossed a stream. I drank my fill and loaded up with water for the next climb and ridge walk.Along this ridge I saw a pileated woodpecker and a scarlet tanager. It eventually lead to Dragon's Tooth, a rock monolith that you can climb (not easily, though). There were awesome views from up there. The trail leading down from there was tough, a lot like the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I ran out of water on the way down. At the road crossing, I could go right to a hostel or left to a convenience store that cooks burgers. I went to the store, bought a 32 oz drink and adouble cheese burger with fries. I finished my drink and filled in up with water! I was thirsty. The hostel shuttle showed up, and I debated about staying there. Four of us, Rodo, Skywalker, Smores and I, decided to hike another mile or so to camp in the woods. Got to this spot and set up just as it was getting dark. Now it's past hiker midnight and I'm ready to sleep!Fitbit steps 45686  floors 47
Date: 2018-05-02
From: Campsite near brook

To: Campsite near Lambert's Meadow Trail
Miles today: 15.8

This was a great day on the AT! It was warm waking up, and the first couple of miles went through some pastures with good views back to Dragon's Tooth. Then we climbed to a ridge, and I saw several pink lady slippers and azaleas in bloom. I then dropped down to the parking lot at Va 311 where the trail had been closed. A Roanoke ATC member informed me that the trail reopened, following the fire, at 8am! There was also trail magic provided by Vagabond Jack, He's on Trail Journals, and I recognized him from there. Unfortunately he has a hernia and is pretty sure his hike is over for this year. He had a huge spread: I had 2 Pepsis, a turkey sandwich, fresh fruit, and Oreos. He also gave me some fuel for my stove. There was a big crowd as some hikers had been waiting a couple days to hike. Once I started into the section, it didn't take long to get to the burn area. It burned right up to the trail but didn't cross it. The trail made a little fire break and the fire fighters had set fires from the AT to burn back down to the fire. As I hiked, I saw some areas still smoking, and then I saw some isolated areas still flaming. Fire fighters were there keeping an eye on the hot spots.After a couple miles I was out of the burn area and climbing to McAfee Knob. The day got hot, so I took a long break at McAfee. I did the photo thing, sitting on the edge, and had some snacks. Next I dropped down to a lower ridge for about 4 miles then climbed back up to Tinker Cliff. Tinker is not the iconic photo that McAfee is but there are awesome views there. I took a long break there with Rodo, Skywalker, and Smores. If you add all their ages together, they have me by one year! Skywalker pointed out that age must not matter that much because we started the same day in Georgia and here we are at the same spot in May!After I left Tinker Cliff, I hiked to this campsite and setup for the night. The young guys were hiking to town, another 9.5 miles. Sunshine is here with Little Blue and Spider. Sunshine and I met the second day on the trail, the others just today. Pace Car and Clipper were here eating and then night hiked to town. Pace Car gave me his number, so we can meet for dinner tomorrow night. I also saw Cave Dave and Grandpa Jim who shared the very cold night with Tang and me at Thomas Knob Shelter. The trail has a very interesting community!Fitbit steps 43739   floors 43
Date: 2018-05-03
From: Campsite near Lambert's Meadow Trail

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice morning today. It's easier to get up when it's not cold. Good day for a walk into town. Also I've been on the trail for 2 months now and I'm just a couple miles short of being a third done.The hike started with a climb to a ridge with good views in each direction. I continue to see pink lady slippers; I'm sure I didn't see this many last time. When I got to the road I headed for Pizza Hut, I found Clipper was there, and I ate with him. Then I checked into the hotel and got cleaned up. I texted my oldest son Matt, aka Knobs, to see where he was. He thought he'd be here around 7.Next, I walked to the outfitter and bought new boots, I have 620 trail miles on the old ones and the cushion isn't what it once was!Pace Car texted me that he and Clipper were going for bbq, so I joined them there. Matt texted that he was at the hotel and needed to walk his dogs, so I went to resupply. Matt came to get me after the dog walk. We loaded up my stuff, and I got to ride back to the hotel! After getting the dogs settled in the room, we walked over to the Mexican restaurant to get Knobs some dinner. I did have some chips and a margarita. We returned to the hotetl where I decided that I should have packed my food bag before the dogs got here! Now it's time to sleep. We catch a 9 am shuttle 44 miles north and will hike south back to here where Matt's car will be waiting. Fitbit steps 28565   floors 143
Date: 2018-05-04
From: Thunder Ridge Overlook

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: broken clouds

We got up this morning, ate the hotel breakfast, packed up, and headed to the outfitter to catch our shuttle. It was a beautiful drive up the Blue Ridge parkway but none too fast. We got dropped off about 10:30, so it was close to 11:00 by the time we got hiking. This was a new experience for Harley -- and Frida had carried a pack only one other time.  We took several breaks to take everyone's packs off and to give the dogs water. During one break, we let them explore a creek a bit. Harley and I led the first part of the hike and Matt and Friday the second half. Since we drove north out of town and are heading back south, we will have more downhill hikes than uphill. The dogs did very well. We used their prong collars which keeps the dogs from pulling us off the mountain! We got to this shelter about 6:30, and by the time we got everyone fed and all chores done, it was dark. This is a huge shelter, so we actually set Matt's tent up on a deck under an overhang. It is still warm, but dogs are sound asleep and we will be soon!Fitbit steps 33306  floors 217
Date: 2018-05-05
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Bobbets Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Good day hiking with dogs (and Knobs too). Dogs do make it slower getting ready to hike. I was up before 7 and Knobs shortly after that, but it was after 9 before we started hiking. Hiking south you meet a lot of northbounders. We met Spider, Sunshine, Rodo, Skywalker, Cave Dave, Smores, Chickapea and Rooster. Here at the shelter are Pace Car, Clipper, McGyver and 2 section hikers from Australia. It started out hot today and about halfway through the hike, we came to a creek where we took a long break and the dogs played in the water. I put on my tevas and waded some also. For a hike back to town, we seem to have a lot of uphills. The dogs are doing pretty well. We tried not using the prong collars, but Harley pulls pretty hard, which is ok on the uphills but not as helpful on the down. Frida pulled so hard on the uphill that I think she wore herself out. By late in the day she was not as excited about hiking, but we got to the shelter by 6:00. It's 9pm now and the dogs are crashed, and we will be soon. The dogs did well in the tent last night. They were bothered when the barred owls were calling, but we got decent sleep. Tomorrow we hope to get back to Daleville which is a little over 18 miles, so we need a bit earlier start!Fitbit steps 36572   floors 359
Date: 2018-05-06
From: Bobbets Gap Shelter

To: Daleville, VA, USA 220
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: light rain

Big mileage day for us. This seemed to be the best option to get Knobs back to San Antonio on time. We took most of the weight out of the dogs' packs to make the hike a little easier on them. It rained some in the night, but the morning was nice. We decided to hike a bit before making the dogs breakfast. After 3 miles we came to a pull off on the Blue Ridge Parkway that had a picnic table and a trashcan. (We didn't have to carry our trash anymore - on the AT the little things are big things! ) There were also nice views of the valley below. Mostly we kept moving. We had a couple of big climbs and then it was downhill into town. The dogs are catching on to this hiking thing. Harley and I have been following Knobs and Frida, and the first time we came to switchbacks Harley wanted to shortcut the trail, now she just follows the trail to the turn. They also did well in the tent and learned quickly that when we stopped, they needed to get their naps in!We got to town about 7:30, checked into the hotel, and cleaned up. The dogs crashed! Knobs and I went to eat about 9:00.We plan to sleep in tomorrow.  Then Knobs will shuttle me back to where we started. I'll head north, and he'll head home. Fitbit steps 49246   floors 380
Date: 2018-05-07
From: Thunder Ridge Overlook

To: Marble Spring Campsite
Miles today: 5.5

Lazy day for me today. We woke up at the hotel about 7:00. Knobs took the dogs out, and I started loading my pack. Back to having to carry my own tent!We ate the hotel breakfast then weighed ourselves on the scale the hotel has for hikers. I haven't lost much, if any more, weight since I last weighed and that is good!Knobs shuttled me the hour's drive back to where we started hiking south a few days ago. We said our goodbyes, and he began his 21 hour drive home while I started hiking north again. It was a fun 3 days of hiking and should help Matt and Gaby as they prepare for their Colorado Trail hike with their dogs this summer. Thanks for coming all this way Matt, Frida, and Harley!The next town is only 13.2 miles from where I started this morning, and I knew I didn't want to hike that far today. So when I came to this campsite with a nice spring nearby, I set up camp. It was about 2:00 and I had hiked a whole 5.5 miles. I had a very relaxing afternoon. I even did some physical therapy exercises for my shoulder (it has given me zero problems). Then I did some conservation work and pulled garlic mustard, an invasive plant, that was growing in this camp area.I ate dinner early, and then it started raining. It rained pretty hard for a couple hours. I had a nap! It seems to have stopped. Just now, I heard a whip-or-will outside, calling loudly.Also camped here are a southbound section hiker and Blue. Blue introduced himself and then asked if I had a spoon or fork he could borrow to eat dinner. (He had lost his.) I pointed to a stainless steel spoon that was by the fire ring. He was tickled to have a spoon and remarked that wasn't the first time he's needed something and found it on the trail. There is a saying out here, "The trail will provide," and I've seen it happen, too.Fitbit steps 17445   floors 132