morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-18
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 37- April 18 Abingdon Shelter to Damascus, 11 milesWith visions of bacon dancing in our heads we were packed up and on the trail before 7 AM! This 11 mile stretch was mostly downhill with a couple of small ups to give my knees a break. 6.3 miles into our hike we crossed the Tennessee-Virginia border, marked with a nice wooden sign. Big Tex was there so we took a photo of him on his camera and then he reciprocated the favor. We arrived in town shortly after 10, just in time for a second breakfast. We chose the first restaurant we saw and discovered some other thru-hikers there ready! This place had a limited breakfast menu, not even willing to sell a plate of eggs and bacon even though both items were on the menu in other offerings. And no juice! So we had good pancakes and bacon, enjoyed the company of the other hikers and then moved on to get some town chores done. We stopped at Mt. Rogers Outfitters where the replacement parts for my sticks were waiting for me. Jim repaired my sticks while I Iooked for a pair of hiking shorts, which I found. From the outfitters we went to the Post Office to mail some of our coldest weather clothes to our Trail Jeannie. Then it was time for lunch so we walked to another restaurant at the other end of town where we had a good lunch, along with most of the hikers that were with us at the first restaurant! A trip to the local grocery store rounded out our errands in Damascus so we called Sandy and Tom and soon Sandy was picking us up in the Food City parking lot. We met Sandy's mother, Joan, who is in town for tomorrow's party. Sandy and Tom live in a lovely home outside of the city of Abingdon, near Damascus and have made us feel very welcome. We went to dinner at a local pizza place and we each ate our own pizza! It was delicious! Then we had to go to a famous dessert place where we got scrumptious cheesecake desserts! Sandy and Tom are doing their best to tame our hiker hunger! They loaned us some clothes so we were some what presentable out in public. And now we are dying some Easter eggs! All is well.
Date: 2014-04-19
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 38- April 19-Tom and Sandy's house, Abingdon, VA, 0 miles. Today is a zero miles day and we are enjoying it in the comfort of Tom and Sandy's home with their family. While we were sleeping Sandy's sister and family arrived from Birmingham, AL. We then went to Tom's parents house for a tasty breakfast for all the family. It even included a southern classic-biscuits with sausage gravy. We helped get things ready for the party and by 4 PM the party was rolling. It was great to see Griff and Cassie as well as all the family and friends who came to celebrate their upcoming wedding. There was plenty of food and we once again ate until we were stuffed! Lots of people asked us lots of questions about our hike and we felt like mini-celebrities! It's late now and tomorrow we return to the trail after a great stay with Tom and Sandy. All is well.
Date: 2014-04-21
From: Campsite 484,6

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 40- April 21- Campsite 484.6 to Old Orchard Shelter, 21.8 milesFirst off, we passed the 500 mile mark today! Five Hundred Miles-can you believe it? I almost can't, except I've walked it!Our plan this morning was to walk about 16 miles, do a check on how we were feeling and what time it was and decide if we wanted to go 5 more miles. When we looked at the map last night we saw that we had one big climb immediately after leaving camp and then we thought we'd be going up and down the rolling hills of the Grayson Highlands. The unknown was the trail conditions and today that meant rocky. Rocky with a capital R! Big rocks, little rocks, round rocks, pointy rocks, solid rocks and wobbly rocks for miles and miles. This made for slow going and was a real workout for the ankles, knees and hips. The weather was great and the views were exceptional. The unique feature of today was the wild ponies. We crossed into Grayson Highlands State Park and were greeted by a small herd of these resident creatures. Several of them came right up to us hoping that we might feed them, which is against the rules. We saw a couple other horses as we hiked the trail, but mostly we were looking at our feet because of all the rocks. One interesting rock feature we encountered today was a rock tunnel. The trail went through a short section where some huge rock slabs had fallen, creating a tunnel that was just big enough for a hiker with a backpack. The first mountain we climbed today was Whitetop only it wasn't white, but rather black at the top. Most of the ground had been control burned, leaving the vegetation charred. We have seen other areas of controlled burns in NC. We also hiked through a grove of maple trees, which were connected with maple syrup tubes and spouts in the trees. I guess we missed maple sugaring time in this area this year. I am really tired right now so this is it. All is well.
Date: 2014-04-22
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 41- April 22, Old Orchard Shelter to Partnership Shelter, 24.7 milesHappy Birthday, Tucker! Thirty years ago you were born on an Easter Sunday morning. From that day forward you have brought joy to our lives and these birthday wishes are filled with love! What would you do for a pizza, garden salad and a pop? Well, the answer for us is hike 24.7 miles, a new record for us! We were going to do 18 miles today and 18 miles tomorrow into Atkins, VA for a mail drop pick-up. Eighteen miles had us at a campsite with non-existent water and a group of people firmly encamped there. It was 2:15 PM and we knew that if we went 6 more miles we'd get to this shelter which is right next to the Mt. Rogers Visitor's Center. From the visitor's center hikers can call an Italian restaurant in a nearby town and order pizza which will be delivered to the visitor center parking lot! So here we are with our sleeping bags laid out on the first floor of the shelter, waiting for our pizzas, salads and pop to be delivered! Today was supposed to be a rainy day and we did have some light showers this afternoon, but none of the predicted thunder storms. The trail was much less rocky today which made 24 miles possible. Of course, I am exhausted and hope to sleep well tonight. It will definitely be an earplug night! Tomorrow we only have 12 miles to get us to our resupply box in Atkins. We plan to spend the night in a motel right near the trail. It is with much sadness that I report the death of a long-time family friend and very faithful reader of my travel journals, Roger F. Rest in peace. All is well.
Date: 2014-04-23
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

PDay 42- April 23, Partnership Shelter to Atkins, VA, 11.4 milesTown Day! Our day dawned cold and clear and we were either cold or just barely warm most of the morning! The wind was pretty strong early on but we didn't realize it when we first walked away from the shelter. But when we climbed to the top of a ridge line the temps in the low 40's along with strong winds just sucked the warmth from us. Of course I was wearing shorts, but I did have a wool shirt, a fleece jacket and a wind jacket on top! But all this chill just kept us moving as fast as the trail would allow. A highlight today was coming upon Lindamood, an old one-room school house with a sign in the window inviting hikers to come in. So we did and inside we discovered all the seats from the old school along with the wood stove and Trail Magic! A local church was using this old building to provide supplies and snacks to hikers! We ate an apple and drank a cold Coke which once again led to a real burp-fest! This school house was built in 1894 and served as a school until 1937. I even used the the old wooden outhouse labeled "Girls" in the back lot! That trail magic got us into the outskirts of Atkins where our first stop was The Barn Restaurant where we met up with some other thru-hikers who were enjoying a restaurant lunch. We also picked up 2 resupply boxes that our Trail Jeannie sent to us. After lunch we walked a short distance to the Relax Inn where we had a room booked and this is a case where you get what you pay for. Our room is pretty crummy but we only paid $45 and the showers are hot and the washer and dryer worked. We seem to have an abundance of food and that is because we came into town with more food than usual. We hiked this last segment one day faster than planned and last night we ordered pizza instead of eating one of the dinners we've been carrying and today lunch was at a restaurant and now we have the food that Jeannie sent us for 5 days! We may have to leave some food in the hiker box at this motel. A hiker box is a place that hikers can leave extra food or other hiker-friendly items. Many hikers check nearby hiker boxes before buying food, to see what they can get for free. It is a great system, especially for hikers who are trying to do this trail on a tight budget. A couple of things that we were excited to see in the latest box that our Trail Jeannie sent are dried apples from Tucker and Alison and some of my beef jerky. Both will be great snacks while hiking or waiting for dinner to cook. Tomorrow we head out on the next leg of this journey which will take us to Pearisburg, VA, where Trail Jeannie has sent another resupply box. I added a bunch of photos to the photo gallery. If interested, click on "Photos" on the left and them use the scroll bar near the top of the page to scroll through the pictures. All is well.
Date: 2014-04-24
From: Atkins, VA

To: Lynn Camp Creek Campsite
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 43- April 24, Atkins, VA to Lynn Camp Creek campsite, 15.1 miles. We had more of a casual start today as we ate breakfast at The Barn Restaurant before stepping back on the trail at 8:10 AM. It was a cool morning with a few clouds and the promise of clearing skies this afternoon, which is exactly what happened. I am wring this while sitting in the sun (75 degrees) on a rock along side a lovely mountain steam, soaking my feet in the cold little rapids of the stream! Life is good! Shortly after I posted yesterday's journal I got 2 Guest Book comments which had a local connection. The first one was from a woman with the last name of Lindamood, which was the name of the old school house where we found trail magic yesterday. She was happy to know we found it because that is a project of her church. I emailed her back and asked about her connection to the school and she replied that her husband's grandfather was a teacher there in its early years! How cool is that! Thanks again to the church for the magic!The second journal comment of local interest was from a former thru-hiker who wanted to let us know that we would get to his trail magic today. And that is what we did. Thanks to Lumbermack for leaving 2 coolers with cans of pop and Little Debbie treats! We encountered this trail magic about 12 miles into our hike and the cold drinks were exactly what we needed! There is nothing like this trail family!A couple other things about our hike today: we hiked through several farmer's fields which reminded us of our Coast to Coast hike across northern England. This time, however, we didn't see any sheep or cattle, which were constant companions in England! Also today we passed the 546.975 mile mark which means we have now completed one-quarter of the trail. Please join us as we do the Happy Dance! And the last thing to mention is that we passed under Interstate 81 today and that road will parallel us as we move north through Virginia. We could hear the road noise from the interstate for quite a while this morning, but now we've put a few ridge lines between us and it so all we hear is this beautiful babbling creek! So if you are traveling on I-81 in VA, don't forget to wave as you go by.Two of my friends, Vanessa and Ann, both asked about how my pack was feeling. I am happy to report that as of this writing, my pack fits well and is comfortable to carry. Today it weighed about 5-7 pounds more than yesterday because we resupplied with food and I got a couple of extra shirts that I requested from our Trail Jeannie. At the next opportunity, I have a few more things to send back to her like my winter hat and mittens and at least one shirt. I am careful when I lift up my pack to put it on, trying to do it in a controlled manner so I don't hurt my back. So tomorrow my pack will be lighter than it was today and the next day it will be even lighter until we get to Pearisburg on Monday and get more food! Thanks for asking! All is well.
Date: 2014-04-29
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: light rain

Day 48-April 29, Pearisburg/Narrows, VA to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, 19.3 miles. After a good night's sleep in the McArthur Inn, we turned on the TV to get the morning news and weather report. The forecast for today and tomorrow was very rainy with thunder storms. I was OK with hiking in this weather but camping in an open shelter or in our tent was not too appealing. So when Allen (owner of the Inn) took us back to the trail he assured us he would come get us anywhere we needed a ride and would let us sleep in his house if his Inn was full! That was a nice feeling as we set off hiking in the rain. I mis-read the map and thought today was going to be a 14 mile day and was a bit bummed when I realized my error and that we had 19+ to do. Plus it was raining and blowing at that point so I was not the happiest camper. But I didn't get crabby, I just marched on. After 6.7 miles we came upon the first shelter of the day and we stopped for a quick lunch and a privy break (one wall, no roof, and did I mention it was raining?!). It wasn't long before we were both shivering so we moved on. Fortunately the rain stopped shortly after our lunch and we continued hiking on a ridge line in the clouds. The weather turned out so much better than we dared hope. We had no thunder storms and the rain quit. Tomorrow is another question mark though because this morning the weather people were still predicting more intense storms with heavy rains. So we'll see what Mother Nature has in store for us. We are staying in this shelter tonight, thinking that we might be more comfortable in the shelter than in the tent if heavy rains move in. We were sitting in the shelter this afternoon with a thru-hiker who was taking a break here when an older couple came southbound on the trail. They live near here and drove up the road which is less than a mile from the shelter. They just wanted to see who was in the shelter for the night and we had a great time chatting with them. They also brought apples to share which was delightful trail magic! I have checked the map for tomorrow and it will be a shorter mileage day. We have our days planned out through this next weekend because we will be taking a zero day in Daleville. All is well.
Date: 2014-04-30
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Warspur Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 49- April 30, Pine Swamp Branch Shelter to Warspur Shelter, 12.7 miles. We had a good night in the shelter and if it rained, I never heard it (ear plugs!) but the ground looked damp in the morning. Today was a day where I lost track of how many times we put on and took off our raincoats. Sometimes we wear our raincoats for warmth even if it isn't raining, as was the case when we left camp. We started to take them off when the trail started to go up hill, but then the rain started so they went back on. This continued for the rest of the day. There was nothing unique or notable about the trail today. We climbed up to the ridge line, hiked the ridge line and then came down. It was cloudy all day with occasional rain. There were lots of rocks for the first half of the day but the trail improved once we were hiking below the 4,000 foot elevation level. Once again we lucked out on the weather. Some southbounders we saw today said that later this afternoon the temps are supposed to rise (70's) and mix with the cold front that is supposed to move through causing high winds and potential thunderstorms. We hiked in a little rain today and are now settled in a shelter if these storms materialize. Better weather is forecasted for the next several days! Yippee! Today was a short day for us, 12+ miles. There is a chance that Corey may drive down from DC on Saturday and hike in to meet us so we have planned our days through Saturday to be in a good meeting spot if he can make this plan happen. We hope so because we'd LOVE to see him! But fear not, tomorrow we're back up to an 18 mile day! This morning, about a mile away from last night's shelter we were walking next to a creek when we saw signs for Captains place. Captains is the nice, grassy yard of a local guy who lets hikers camp there. The interesting part of all this is that the yard is on the other side of this large creek or river. The guy (Captain) has built a zip-line type thing for getting across the water. A hiker sits on a wooden swing type seat that is suspended from a cable and pulls him/her self across the water! The seat must be about 10 feet above the current water level. We did not see it in action, but it sure looked interesting! Wildlife Update: yesterday we saw a box turtle on the trail that was about 7" long. Today Jim spotted our first red eft (newt). We expect to see more of these. Last night our shelter mate was Reset, a guy we met for the first time at our lunch spot yesterday. He's a nice guy and we enjoyed our evening of conversation with him, especially when we learned that he's been to Australia 5 times. His daughter lives there so when he goes for a visit he stays for a month and has travelled to many of the places did during our 6-month stay. What fun to reminisce! He is going 6 more miles today than we did so hopefully we'll see him again! All is well.
Date: 2014-05-03
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Lamberts Meadow Campsite
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: few clouds

Day 52- May 3, Four Pines Hostel to Lamberts Meadow Campsite , 16.6 milesI'll start writing today's update as I soak my feet in the stream right next to our campsite and wait for Corey and his two friends to arrive!The Rock Report: the trails were much less rocky than previous days but rocks were still an important feature of the day. Our miles today took us past two well-known rock formations at the top of ridge lines. Almost ten miles into our hike we came to McAfee's Knob, a large out-crop of rock that overlooks the gorgeous Virginia lowlands. When I was researching and reading about the AT, there always seemed to be a photo of someone standing on this one rock that seemed to be suspended out over the valley. It captured my interest and I really wanted to be in one of those photos on a beautiful day. Well, my wish came true and McAfee's Knob did not disappoint! We climbed the trail to the top and there were people willing to take our photo standing on the jutting rock. It was a great day for views so we ate our lunch on top and enjoyed the scenery spread out below us. From McAfee's Knob we had about 5 miles to get to Tinker's Cliffs. Our route went down from the knob a bit to a lower ridge line, followed the ridge for a bit and the started up the final climb to Tinker Cliffs. We now had a view back to McAfee's Knob and the ridge line we just traversed. Because it was so clear we could follow the ridge lines all the way back to a pointy mountain top which was the Dragon's Tooth from yesterday's hike. It was spectacular. Plus with the leaves coming out on the trees, the mountain slopes are a variety of shades of green. So rocks were a big part of our day, they just weren't under foot all day. This morning, shortly after leaving the hostel we passed the 700 mile mark! We won't get to the one-third completion point until after we leave Dalesville on Tuesday (zero day on Monday). A note about the hostel, we didn't sleep real well last night for a variety of reasons. First, the rest of the hikers kept the lights and music on until 10;45, way past our bedtime. Our chaise lounges weren't as comfortable as we first thought and then the resident rooster started crowing at 2AM! Oh well, it was still a great experience and we would highly recommend the Four Pines to other hikers! And now for the best news of the day: Corey and friends arrived, with food! Corey, Allison and Kathleen arrived shortly after 5 PM and we were so happy to see them. Corey's pack was like a Wegmans delivery truck with sub sandwiches, peanut butter pretzels, trail mix, candy and beer! The beer went into the creek to chill and we ate the snacks. We had so much food that we were able to share with 3 other thru-hikers! And then Corey comes out with a cheesecake complete with birthday candles to celebrate my March birthday!!!! What a treat! Tomorrow some of them (all but me) are going south to Tinker Cliffs (a repeat for Jim) first thing in the morning before we hike into Dalesville. It has been a great day and now it is time to go to bed! All is well.