morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-07
From: Nolichucky River

To: Iron Mtn. Gap
Miles today: 19.1

stayed with Miss Janet last night. This am she dropped us off at Iron Mtn. Gap and then we hiked south back to Erwin. This is known as slackpacking we left our packs at Miss Janet's, she dropped us off 20 (ish) miles north of Erwin and then we hiked back. She provided small day packs for our water and snacks. After being off the trail for 5 days it was a nice way to ease back into the trail.
Date: 2003-05-08
From: Iron Mtn. Gap

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Due to utter chaos this am we did not get dropped off at the trail head until after 3:00 pm. I wanted to hike about 12 mi today but also wanted to stay at a shelter and was only able to make it to the first shelter. Its been hard hiking without my friends. I am meeting new people but its like starting over in the social situation. Hiking alone kinda sucks for now, but I'd still rather be here than anywhere else. I did meet some new people that I like... "Twigs" & "Nuts" and "I.B" who stayed at the shelter tonight along with some others. I am looking forward to catching up with Chef, Pipes e.t.al. but trying to enjoy the opportunity for new friendships.
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked alone today. Did play leap frog with Twigs and Nuts. Roan Mtn. was a big haul. Kinda dissapointed in myself that I cannot be more content with the present company which made for a hard day. Spirits were lifted when I got to the OverMountain shelter which is an old converted barn with a beautiful view named for the Overmountain men http://www.ovta.org/ (if yer interested in reading about them). I need a serious attitude adjustment.
Date: 2003-05-10
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: 2nd campsite on messed up re-route
Miles today: 18.0

Not sure the exact miles for today. Hiked most of the way to the first shelter this am which was about 5 miles when I ran into "I.B" who was having some attitude problems of his own and said he didnt much feel like hiking past the shelter which was coming up in a mile or two. We sat and talked for awhile and dedided that we would hike there together and take an extended break and then continue on at night to avoid the heat of the day. The next shelter was only .5 mi from a road which lead to a convenience store so "I.B." walked down to the road, hitched a ride and came back to the shelter with sodas and snacks. We inteneded to sleep, but continual hikers stopping by for a break prevented that and we spent most of the afternoon chatting and visiting with them. We took off around 6:00 and planned to hike another 14 mi. (ish). We took our time. Hiking in the evening was really cool as the humidity and air temp during the day has been going up and become pretty nasty on some days. We hiked well into the night, unfortunately we were moving really slow since we hadn''t slept so at midnight we finally decided to stop at a campsite where everyone else was already set up and sleeping. We tried to be quiet, but an unassuming sleeper had aroused from his tent and Dylan felt the need to bark his head off at him. No doubt waking everyone else up... ewps....
Date: 2003-05-11
From: 2nd campsite on messed up re-route

To: Dennis Cove Road
Miles today: 14.7

Got up at 5:30 am and started hiking. It took a long time to get going as we were so tired from having not slept. Our little scheme to blast ahead of the group back fired... we ended up stopping every 30 mins for the first 2-3 hrs of the day ...argh. Anyway, we made it to Laurel Creek Lodge where we had some great hamburgers and I was finally able to catch up to a few people that have been in front of me since my Nashville hiatus. I.B and I are still hiking together and we made arrangements to slackpack the next 4 days.
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Dennis Cove Road

To: Watuga Dam Road
Miles today: 13.0

John from The Laurel Creek Lodge dropped I.B. and I off North of his hostel at Watuga Dam Road. We took our time getting to the swimming beach on the other side of the lake. In passing by the rope swing that goes off over the lake, I opted not to get wet as the weather was cold and the wind had picked up, so being wet was not on the top of my list of things to do. But then when we finally got to the beach at 12:00 we ran into "Carolina Cruiser" who is doing a documentary of the trail. He really wanted me to go off the rope swing so he could tape it... I ended up hiking the .2 mi back to the rope swing and ended up soaked after all! It was incredible rush tho and well worth it! AND as a reward for my efforts, I'll be in his documentary so look for me on PBS or Discovery Channel when it's released next year! :)
Date: 2003-05-14
From: TN91

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: broken clouds

Left Tennessee for the last time today!! Arrived in Virgina and very happy to be here! We got into town late (around 7:45) and we still had to walk another mile or so ot the campground and Cade, decides that she is NOT going to walk one more step. As I was preparing to carry her the rest of the way to the campground, "Hailen" walks by and offers to carry her for me. I refuse the offer, but he then insists on running to get his car and picking us up. I.B. and I were so hungry we offer him $10.00 to take us to get food, but he wouldnt take our $$. After ordering a pizza I ran into Windtalker, Pipes, Superman? & Torch (formally Dam Brite, formally Heather - I wish she'd get it straight!) anyway... all my buds are here and I am soo happy to see them. stayed up late hanging out, meeting new people and catching up with old friends.
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Damascus, VA

To: Feathercamp Branch/Hwy 58
Miles today: 5.6

Been just hanging out at trail days and enjoying being with friends again and meeting new people. I caught a shuttle 5 miles or so north of town and hiked back so I could move a few miles closer to where my friends are on the trail (they are at mile 500 and I am currently at mile 464.5). They will not be hiking on Sunday and Monday so I will try to make up the rest of the miles in that time. I have met the greatest people today including "Bear" aka "The Cabin Guy From Maine". He has lent me his tent so that I would have more space to shelter the dogs as it has been raining off and on all day. He has also been so generous as to shuttle me around town, buy me lunch and let me use his truck! The amazing generosity of people on this trail has ceased to amaze me.
Date: 2003-05-16
From: Feathercamp Branch/Hwy 58

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Trail Days is/was fun. A great time. I was so happy to see my friends again and party until the wee hours of the morning... but now... it has become overwhelming. Mass amounts of people have arrived in Damascus and the entire town has become one big party. Its too much to deal with so I have decided to head up to Abingdon (which is about 15 miles from Damascus) with Capn' Ben and Auntie Em for the night. They both live here in Virginia and since Auntie Em was sick a couple days ago, her parents came and delivered thier car to them so we have easy trasportion. We spent the evening just being quiet and relaxing in the hotel room.
Date: 2003-05-17
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Stayed in Abingdon again tonight. We spent the day in the craziness of Damascus, but it is soooo nice to be able to leave it all behind and return to a calm, peaceful hotel room. Capn' Ben and I decided to join some of our other friends for a movie. The Matrix 2.. uh....yea, lemme get back to you on that one.... on second thought... no I'll just tell you... STUPID STUPID, LAME, BIG DISSAPOINTMENT! DONT WASTE YER $$$ahh, I feel so much better having let you all know my real feelings about that.
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Feathercamp Branch/Hwy 58

To: Hwy 58 Summit Cut
Miles today: 11.3

Auntie Em's sister came to pick up the car today so we are staying in Damascus again tonight, but we are staying at the Hiker Inn, a really nice hostel that accomodates 4 so we basically have the place to ourselves. Kate (Aunti Em's sister) dropped us off so that we could slack pack a few more miles before heading out on the trail again tomorrow. Since I had already done 5 miles out of town, I hiked 11.3 then caught a hitch back to town so I wouldnt have to re-hike any miles. After dinner we were all hanging out in the hostel when we noticed Dylan staring at a picture of a Wolf hanging on the wall. It was pretty cute. Then, his gaze became a bit more intense as he got closer to the wall to inspect the picture. He then became very upset and jumped up on the wall and was barking and whining at the picture. We tried to quiet him down, but he was very distraught over the whole thing so we had to take the picture down and turn it around so that he couldnt see it. He continued to stare at the blank wall for quite awhile after that, I guess just to make sure we had really disposed of the picture!
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Hwy 58 Summit Cut

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Finally! I am free from the whirlwind of Damascus. In case you haven't noticed a trend here... leaving town is really hard! Warm beds, hot meals and nice people make it difficult to leave. I am happy to be back out on the trail but am exceptionally tired. Most likely due to lack of sleep and all the chaos in Damascus. I met Bumble Bee and Bull Frog today and spent most of the day hiking with them. They are really nice, and it was nice to meet some new people. The Shelter we are staying at is at a high elevation and is in an open field. The clouds moved in on us and it is REALLY REALLY cold here. It's weird hiking in the sun all day and then freezing yer ass off at night. I am wearing all my clothes and luckily it is enough to keep me comfortable. Oh..... and the privy here is really weird, it has a solar panel on it which controls a fan which aids in the decomposition of the ... well... shit.. (literally) and anyway... its really strange to see this contraption up here in the middle of BFE.
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

PONIES!!! We hiked through the Greyson Highlands first thing this am (well, after a short .5 mile jaunt on the WRONG FREAKING TRAIL!) anyway, PONIES!! They are so cute. There are about 3 herds of feral ponies here. We sat in the middle of the herd and fed them gorp and let them lick our arms. It was so cool sitting there with all these little guys surrounding us. At one point it was a little scary as there were so many, it was like attack of the midget horses... but then they dispursed and they were cute again. I was so dissapointed that I didnt get a picture of myself there as I dont have a camera this week, but you can see pics of where we were by using the following link: http://www.angelfire.com/ok2/machimoodus/rogers.html (I dont know the guys in the pics, btw, but the ponies are really cute and the views were beautiful)
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

Remarkably easy hike today. I got going early then caught a hitch to Sugar Grove at a road that was only 4 miles from the shelter. The couple that picked me up was uh, how do you say... interesting?? She explained in their backwoods drawl...... "you got to bea careful who you git yer rides frum, a guy took off with a hykers pack and he didn't git it back." I was worried by this advice that I might have gotten into a bad situation....She gave me their address and a picture of her son to take with me even before we had actually introduced ourselves. A strange encounter, but they did drive me all the way to town , waited while I bought my stuff and then drove me back to the trail. They even offered to drop me off further down the trail if I wanted (you know, so I wouldnt have to walk all that way) but I explained, that it would kinda be cheating to do that... they didnt really seem to understand, but dropped me off where I requested anyway. While at the store, I picked up a sandwich for dinner and sodas for my friends. They were very appreciative when they arrived at the shelter with sodas waiting. The shelter here is pretty cool as it has a fireplace and since it was cold and rainy all day it was a GREAT place to warm up, dry out, and spend the night.
Date: 2003-05-22
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

Got up and out early this am again as I was really excited to shower at the delux shelter known as "Partnership Shelter". I guess some kid who had hiked the trail died and his parents built this shelter in memory or something. Anyway... it has full plumbing... a shower actually attached to the shelter, a sink with running water out back and a really nice privy. Also, another big bonus, it is only 100 ft from a ranger station which has a phone, flush toliets and a soda machine. On the way to the shelter we had a little incident with Dylan again...Let me begin by saying that we have crossed a multitude of cow pastures without a hitch yet. We began our trip through todays pasture as we would anyother pasture we walked by a number of cows that of course were interesting (especially to Dylan) but we were able to pass by them without incident. Until... The lone calf, standing smack dab in the middle of the trail. Capn Ben told me if you look them in the eye, they'll move (cows that is) so I stared this little guy in the eye like you wouldnt beleive. Well apparently, this guy didnt get the memo on moving when big scary people stare you in the eye so he just moo'd at us. Well... the mooing was just too much for Dylan who decided at this point that he had enough of looking and no touching and he wanted to touch (or at least chase). And so the chase began... it was slightly funny, until the calf started mooing is freaking head off and all of a sudden the ENTIRE heard came over the hill to aid in the rescue of the calf, while the mother came bucking and flailing her head all over the place. My idiot dog is still chasing the damn calf when he is obviously about to get flattened by this pissed off mom (of course you cant blame her)... anyway..... we all managed to get out of there alive, but it was very traumatic (at least for me and and the calf, Dylan seemed satisfied). Kinda funny tho... heh... another guy (Krazy K) was headed through the pasture only a few minutes behind us with his dog and when he got to where the cows where he said they chased him out of there.... heh... ewps. Partnership shelter is THE BEST shelter EVER! I got there early and showered immediately. Then waited for Capn'Ben, Auntie Em, Flatlander and The Viking to order pizza. Flatlander and I shared and extra large pizza and a 2-liter bottle of soda. mmmmmmmmm Capn Ben says his parents live really close to here in Blacksburg, VA so we are hiking to Atkins tomorrow and they will pick us up. Tenitive plans are to slack pack the entire state of Virginia... I doubt that will happen, but we can try!
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Arrived early in Atkins, with Pushing Up Dasies who we met up with at the shelter last night. Capn Ben invited her to join us on our slack packing mission so her and I left the shelter early to meet Bens parents and get some Dairy Queen for lunch. Bens parents where waiting for us when we arrived in Atkins and we enjoyed our fast food lunch while we waited for everyone else (Capn' Ben, Auntie Em, Flatlander & The Viking). Bens parents are soo cool. I will be staying at their house with Capn Ben, The Viking will stay with his parents who live here as well and everyone else will stay with Auntie Ems parents who also live nearby.
Date: 2003-05-28
From: VA 606

To: Bland, Va
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Argh, got lost on the way to the trail this am so didnt start hiking until just before 2:00. We were supposed to hike 18.6 miles but I absolutely refused to hike past dark without my full pack so I bailed out a couple miles early at a road crossing while The Viking and Pushing Up Dasisies moved on. Capn' Ben picked me up at the road. I feel a little bad about missing those miles, but not THAT bad. I'll just have to come visit Virginia again and make them up later.
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Oly'sty Pavillion

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

Well, we have been doing this slackpacking thing for the past few days. It is not all it is cracked up to be. Driving an hour or more in the am to get to the trail head, hiking then driving an hour back it a lot to coordinate. It has become so stressful that it has become more of a chore than a part of the journey. Ben, Christie and Chucks parents (Capn Ben, Auntie Em and The Viking) have all been so wonderful. They have treated us like their own children. They have been cooking for us, letting us borrow their cars and have just been all around wonderful to us. Christies mom even did a Sams club run and picked up some requested items for us. Due to a lack of communication among the group, a general feeling of dissatisfaction or maybe funk is a better word, I'm not really sure what to call it, but it is definately negative in nature. The Viking, Flatlander and I have all decided to take tomorrow off to get out things together and will head back to the trail as real backpackers on Sunday. I really miss the simplicity of the trail and am very much looking forward to moving forward instead of stagnating in a sea of frustration. I will miss the parents of my friends who have treated me SOOO well and am not sure how I could ever make it up to them, I hope to do something special for them before I leave but am not sure how I can express my sincere gratitude for all they have done. Its late now (about 1:45 am) and i'm not thinking clearly enough to express everything I wanted to in words, but I think the gist of it is there. I may be updating again tomorrow but if not, I will update from Troutville.... (my next stop aproxx 91 mi up the trail). :)
Date: 2003-06-01
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Random Campsite
Miles today: 12.0

When I started this trail I was scared of Bears, Snakes and Bees. I am no longer scared of these things. However, I have redirected my fears to the following list:CowsClouds andTreesA funny list you might say, but let me tell you this sh** is scary. First of all, it has not stopped raining in over a month. Clouds mean thunder and thunder means lightning, not the best weather conditions for a ridge walk which is what 50% of Virginia hiking is, the other greater portion is pastures and I dont exactly like being the tallest point on the trail. Trees, ah yes, infested with Beetles and Mothes that kill them, the trees out here are pretty weak and when the wind blows (which is does regularly) the trees come falling down. And the COWS! ARGH those mother f****rs chase me every time we come to a pasture. They are especially agressive when calves are present. So anyway, today I was planning to do a short hike to the first shelter, however, it was in the middle of a cow pasture (it was separated by a fence) but the cows were right there and after being chased by the pasture and having to throw myself over the fence at the shelter narrowly escaping them.... I decided that I should move on. SO I waited in the safety of the shelter and after they passed, I made a break for it.
Date: 2003-06-03
From: Campsite

To: Sarver Hallow Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: moderate rain

The rain started up again all night and didn't stop. We made it to the shelter only to find it packed. Luckily it was a fairly large shelter with a covered porch. Designed to fit 6 people, we squeezed 19 people and 3 dogs!
Date: 2003-06-04
From: Sarver Hallow Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: light rain

The rain cleared up today. Hiked with Hot Rod, Moxy, Pipes, Windtalker and Moon Shadow and met up with Steamboat and Singsalot at the river. We had a kick ass hike up a mountain that seemed to go on forever, but it was cool because at least we could enjoy the views for a change. We oringinally planned to camp at a river, but there were no tress passing signs, so we had to create a stealth camp off the trail. There were no flat sites and I was really glad I had a hammock.
Date: 2003-06-05
From: Campsite

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: broken clouds

Another huge climb and then a scramble down a shear rock face called "Dragons Tooth". It was a beautiful view from the top. The dogs looked like professional rock climbers as they balanced on 3 inch wide ledges and jumped off 5 foot boulders. We made it to the Four Pines Hostel which is this guys converted 3 car garage. Basically, just some mats on the floor with a bathroom and a big sink to wash clothes. He shuttled us to "The Homeplace" for dinner. An all you can eat southern food served family style. Our table had 24 hikers and someone heard a conversation between a server and the cook that this was over 120 hikers just that day which was a record. We had a great time seeing everyone as a bunch of people got shuttled up from behind and some were shuttled back from ahead. It was like a mini trail days all over again.
Date: 2003-06-06
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

A GREAT DAY! McAffees knob for lunch. A rock outcropping high on a ridge with a view that goes on for miles. Ate lunch there with Sleepy Floyd, Pipes, Windtalker, Superman?, Torch and Pushing Up Daisies. After and hour or so we pushed on to Tinker Cliffs another outstanding view where we could see the entire ridgeline that we had just hiked.
Date: 2003-06-07
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: Troutville, VA
Miles today: 10.9

Woke up at the crack of dawn so that we could arrive in town before the post office closed at 11:30. Got drenched again. I checked into the comfort Inn where I had plans to meet my mom who flew in to hike with me for a week. A trail angel named Dell insisted on taking me to pick her up at the airport when he heard that she was going to be taking a taxi. It was fun surprising her. When she got to the hotel we did a shake down of her pack and removed about 10 lbs of excess gear, then went to the Winn Dixie to buy food for the week.
Date: 2003-06-08
From: Troutville, VA

To: Cornilus Creek Shelter
Miles today: 2.6
Weather: light rain

I made arrangements with all of my friends to meet my mom and I at the Waffle House for breakfast so they could all meet her. Since my mom brought my video camera with her, I was able to get footage of most of my friends. Dell picked us up at 1:00 and dropped us off about 30 miles north of town and we began our hike back. It was the first time my mom had ever put on a backpack and she did a great job. Once we got to the shelter I showed her how to get water and treat it, then we cooked our first meal on the trail. We stayed up listening to the MP3 player she brought me.
Date: 2003-06-09
From: Cornilus Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

We slept in then began a hike that was mostly downhill. Good terrain for a beginner. About a mile into our hike we ran into Doc and LLama who informed us their dog Coy had just been chased/attacked by a deer that was guarding the trail. So we went into stealth mode and for about .6 mile my mom hiked ahead and looked for the deer then called the dogs to her. We finally did find the deer and it was DEFINATELY guarding the trail. Doc and LLama reported that it was not scared at all by Coy barking and growling at it. Luckily for us, it was scared of Dylan and it ran away when he chased it, but it was a little nerve racking for a minute. Got to the shelter and my mom concked out, but as other hikers started to arrive, she got up to meet everyone. Sleepy Floyed showed up and as I was introducing her to him he put out his hand and exclaimed "Sista Sledge!" and thats how my mom got her trailname. :)We had a great time sitting around the campfire with Moose Munch, Millipede, MoonShadow, StoneHendge and Hoops trying to solve a riddle provided by Moose Munch.