morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-22
From: Bearwallow Gap

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: few clouds

May 22, 2004 ¢ Bearwallow Gap to Thunder Hill Shelter ¢ 20.4 milesOur first two 20¢s back to back. I forgot to mention yesterday that we passed the 1/3 mark mileage-wise. Had a lunch break at the Bryant Ridge Shelter 10 miles into the hike. It should be called a lodge of something else. It was pretty fancy. I think we made almost as good time today as slacking yesterday.Trail magic (!) at the shelter. Fruit, chocolate chip cookies and gatorade.The Hendersons from Bedford, members of the local trail club, brought in goodies about 7:00 pm. They walked in on a short cut trail from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Wow! That was great! Snagged an apple, banana, and orange for tomorrow too.Lots of uphills today. Will be mostly down tomorrow. Saw a neat rock formation today called the Guillotine. A big boulder suspended over the trail.And now it¢s hailing! And I thought I wasn¢t going to have anything to write about in my journal. Two weekend hikers just showed up with a dog and of course he wanted to be in the shelter. I helped grab him and haul him out, with the requisite mud and wet dog. The girl has her hair done and makeup on and is worried about ruining her shoes. This is apparently her first time camping.   I wonder how long her trip will last. Another note from yesterday ¢ went by some folks camped right on the trail with clothes line up, huge water jugs, and a Pullman suitcase ¢ a big one! Very bizarre. There was a USFS road about 200 yards away so I guess they came in from there. But a suitcase?Got a picture of some of the folks camped here and in the shelter ¢ folks we¢ve met before. CNN (Charles and Nancy), Gadget, King Alamar (with dreadlocks), Ranger Jim. We also saw the two guys from Cambridge again, Chapo and Reader. I hope their tents weathered the hail ok.
Date: 2004-05-23
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: few clouds

May 23, 2004 ¢ Thunder Hill to Johns Hollow Shelter - 16.3 milesYesterday we climbed up over Apple Orchard Mountain, so today we came down the other side. We passed below 1000 feet yesterday for the first time on the whole hike. Today we got down to 710 feet when we crossed the James River. The foot bridge there is the longest pedestrian-only bridge on the Appalachian Trail ¢ 625 feet. The no-see-ums are fierce. My exposed skin is starting to look polka-dotted. Oh, mailman¢s hair is turning green! He has a green bandana he uses to mop his forehead and it doesn¢t appear to be color fast any more. His temples, eyebrows, and even chin where his beard is growing in are starting to be tinted. It¢s very funny. We tried taking a picture, but I¢m not sure you can really tell.Hiked some with Ranger Jim today. He took my picture on the bridge. Heard someone say today that catnip works as well as DEET. I wonder if Pandora would mind if I borrowed some.
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: overcast clouds

May 24, 2004 ¢ Johns Hollow Shelter to Brown Mountain Creek Shelter ¢ 17.9 milesHad some nice views this morning back the way we came. From the first overlook, Fullers Rocks, you could see all three bridges over the James Rivers, the car bridge, railroad bridge and pedestrian bridge.   I had my first snack break there this morning. Went over Bluff Mountain this morning. If it wasn¢t so hazy the views would have been spectacular. There is a memorial there to a 5 year old boy who died there in 1891 after wandering 7 miles from his school house. Went over, well by, Pedlar Dam this afternoon. Pedlar Lake is Lynchburg¢s reservoir. There has been a nice breeze all day and we got to hike next to the stream for the last mile of the day. If it weren¢t for my feet, it could have been a great day. The rest of my body could have done some more miles, but my feet went on strike. Four more days to Waynesboro where there is supposed to be a good shoe store. Maybe I can get some advice there. It¢s going to be a long haul to Maine if every step hurts.Had a 2000 foot climb first thing this morning. We¢re going up almost 3000 tomorrow morning. Water on the ridges is sometimes limited so you have to carry several quarts. Not fun on a climb to have those extra pounds on your back, but in the summer heat you need it. Summer! It¢s only the end of May!
Date: 2004-05-25
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter

To: Fish Hatchery Road
Miles today: 18.1

May 25, 2004 ¢ Brown Mountain Creek Shelter to Fish Hatchery Road ¢ 18.1 milesIn Montebello, Virginia tonight at a B&B/hostel. Hiked another 1.6 miles down a fire/hatchery road and caught a ride to the Dutch Haus. Only my second ride in the back of a pickup truck. We¢ll have dinner and breakfast here and get a ride back to the trailhead in the morning. I saw a turkey this morning, but he got suspicious of me before I could get my camera out. Saw several skinks and toads. Saw several more of that strain of stupid deer. Part of the ridge today was open and grassy and there were some good views though still pretty hazy. Made a bunch of edits on the guidebook today. There were view points and vistas that weren¢t mentioned. But more importantly there were several springs listed that I never saw. There was a stone we were supposed to cross and tock steps that I didn¢t see and one spring that said just ¢spring to right¢ was over 500 yards away!I got up extra early this morning to get here at a decent hour since I¢m not making very good time lately. I was on the trail at 6:05 am! Had done the 18.1 miles by 3:30. My snack schedule was all off today since I got started early. I had 3 snack breaks before lunch instead of 2. Of course, I still needed 2 afternoon snacks so I had to improvise a bit. Feet are still hurting. This afternoon as bad as when I was headed into Pearisburg. Then of course when I walk funny to try to keep my feet from hurting so bad, my knees and legs start to hurt. What fun. It was a nice day for hiking today. It wasn¢t as hot as it¢s been and there was a great breeze.Dinner was wonderful. Chicken, pasta, veggies, salad and carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow and a short day.
Date: 2004-05-26
From: Fish Hatchery Road

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

May 26, 2004 ¢Fish Hatchery Road to Harpers Creek Shelter ¢ 12.0 milesHad quiche, sausage, cornbread muffin and juice for breakfast. Got a ride up the fire road to within about a half mile of the trail. Got started about 8:30. Had some views before and after the summit of The Priest Mountain. Crossed a pedestrian suspension foot bridge over the Tye River. Got to the shelter about 3:00. Feet are a bit better today but I didn¢t want to risk going over their limit and trying the 6 miles to the next shelter. So we¢re staying here. We¢ll have a big climb in the morning, just over 2000 feet, and then more gradual terrain. I think we¢ll end up camping about 16-18 miles out. That will make the hike into town Friday 8-10 miles. No flowers today and only one toad for wildlife. Did go through another poison ivy gauntlet. Pretty spot for the shelter right by the stream.There were 13 of us at the Dutch Haus last night. Two section hikers, one southbound (SDBO) thru-hiker (Bulldog) and the rest NOBOs. Hiked out with mailman, Flippy and Sojourn. Ranger Jim and Speed Stick were still eating breakfast when we left. Tumbleweed and Timber (NC State grads) had a ride back a little further on the trail.   They¢ve been hiking with Tumbleweed¢s parents (from Hickory, NC). Mississippi Mule and ??? slack packed yesterday to Reeds Gap and are slacking into Waynesboro today.We lucked out on the weather again. It got pretty dark pretty early and started thundering about 5:30. By then we were just starting dinner. It rained from about 6 o¢clock on, heavy at times. It cooled off a lot too. I think I¢ll be wearing my long johns and fleece to bed. So much for sending them home in Waynesboro. Rule is: If you haven¢t used it in a week, you don¢t need it.
Date: 2004-05-27
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: tent site
Miles today: 18.2

May 27, 2004 ¢Harpers Creek Shelter to tent site ¢ ~18.2 milesNot sure of the mileage exactly today since we¢re not on a guidebook specified spot. But we¢re a little past what we think was Bear Spring, where we got water, which would put today¢s mileage at 18.2. It will be ~9.1 tomorrow. Feet are sore but it was a long day with lots of rocks, so that¢s to be expected. I¢m going to see if I can find a doctor or urgent care clinic tomorrow to get them looked at. Saw two snakes today ¢ one big black one and a little tiny one we think was a rattler, but he didn¢t rattle at us ¢ just slithered off. It was still raining a little when we started out this morning and it was cool so I had my raingear on. Always hoping my rain pants can keep my socks and boots dry. It warmed up and dried out during the day and right now we have some blue sky even though two sets of section hikers told us it was supposed to rain all day. Even if it rains tonight we can dry out our tents in town this weekend.Came up three ridges today and saw some good views. One of the best views of the trip so far was from Cedar Cliffs. It¢s only 12 mile hike from the Dripping Rock parking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway (mile 9.6). Definitely worth a return visit with a picnic lunch.Lots more poison ivy today. I¢m really surprised I¢m not one big rash. Did see some azaleas and rhododendrons in bloom at the higher elevations today. I think spring has really outpaced us. Kind of disappointing not to have new flowers and plants to look for every day.At Reeds Gap I talked to a trail angel, Bill Gallagher, for a little while and had an ice cold bottle of water. had chicken and minestrone soup for dinner and picked the M&Ms out of my gorp for dessert. BTW (by the way) GORP was originally an acronym for Good Ole Raisins and Peanuts. It¢s now come to mean a wider mixture of nuts, seeds, dried fruit and other goodies.
Date: 2004-05-28
From: tent site

To: Waynesboro, VA / Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

May 28, 2004 ¢Tent site to Rockfish Gap ¢ 9.1 milesRained quite a bit during the night. But this morning we only had to deal with the dripping trees and a few sprinkles after we broke camp. Tent fly is soaked and heavy. Had a short hike out to the gap and called the B&B from the Info Center there. Bill from Tree Streets Inn came to get us. We also went a but further back down the parkway and picked up CNN. They¢re staying at the Inn too. Bill gave me a ride to the post office to pick up my packages and then dropped me at the Urgent Care Clinic to get my feet checked out. One of the spots I was worried about is just a bad callous. The other the doctor was concerned about too. I had x-rays to check for a stress fracture which were negative. Though Dr. Bell said sometimes a small stress fracture won't up. So, I¢ve been diagnosed with fasciitis. An inflammation of the tissue lining the bones of the feet. The bruising on the bottom of my left foot is likely from broken blood vessels. Basically an overuse/trauma injury. Dr. Bell recommended I stay in town for a few days (48 hours off my feet) and rest and then take it easy for a while after that to give my feet time to heal. I have a 10 day prescription for a heavy duty anti-inflammatory and am soaking my feet, while I¢m in town, in warm Epsom salt baths. And trying not to walk everywhere.If you have to be stuck in town for a few days, the Tree Streets is the place to be. The rooms are wonderful. Fuzzy slippers and robes. A terrace and pool, sunroom, etc. Nickie made brownies for us this afternoon and I can¢t wait for breakfast. I¢m really glad they had room for me Sunday night too.This does mean the mailman and I will split up for a while. He¢s going to hike out Sunday as planned and head for Harpers Ferry where he¢ll be spending a few days with his wife, Joy. I hope I can catch up with him there and we can reassess my situation.
Date: 2004-05-29
From: Waynesboro, VA / Rockfish Gap

To: Waynesboro, VA - Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

May 29, 2004 ¢Waynesboro, Virginia ¢ ZERO DaySoaked my feet this morning before breakfast. I had eggs & bacon, potato casserole, toast & marmalade, cranberry juice and tea. Tried to get a bit more organized this morning. Then I went to the Post Office and library. I know I¢m supposed to be off my feet, but it was only about 10 blocks total. I sent home a lot of the stuff that came in my maildrop boxes. I¢m going to try to resupply at the campgrounds through the Shenandoahs. That will mean I only have to carry 2-3 days of food at a time. Of course, I¢ll be at the mercy of camp stores in terms of both price and selection. Checked e-mail and my web site at the library. Even though I take pictures I don¢t get to see how they came out until they¢re posted. It¢s fun to look back.Had a black bean burrito and a root beer for lunch. I¢ll have another MRE for dinner so I don¢t have to go out. Looked at maps and guides for the stretch to Harpers Ferry today.   If I take it easy it¢s going to take be about 14 days to get there from here. The terrain looks pretty mild. Lots of ups and downs but no single climb greater than about 1200 feet.Well, I had an absolutely amazing surprise this evening. I was sitting in my room and there was a knock at the door. It was Bob Sides and Laura Comer, two friends from Raleigh. I still can¢t get over the fact that they came out here just to see me! They treated me to dinner (salad, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed flounder, cheesecake, and a glass of wine at a local Italian place), and we sat in the parlor and talked. It was just wonderful to see them and get caught up a bit. And I got two hugs! I¢m still all aflutter by their generosity and thoughtfulness. They have a room in town, though not, unfortunately, at this B&B, but they are going to join us for breakfast. (I also got to talk to Allen, Gram and Barbara today.) It¢s amazing what a lift in spirits can do for the body as well as the soul.
Date: 2004-05-30
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA - Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

May 30, 2004 ¢ Waynesboro, Virginia ¢ ZERO DaySlept late this morning ¢ until 7:30! Got up and soaked my feet. Had a great breakfast with the other guests and Bob and Laura. Buckwheat pancakes with pecans in them, sausage, strawberries, cereal, juice and tea. Said goodbye to CNN and mailman. I really do hope the feet will be better and I can catch up with mailman in Harpers Ferry. I was lazy the rest of the day. I had a mid-morning AND an afternoon nap! The Roman Noodles and SlimFast came to the Inn this afternoon. It was neat to have some familiar faces around again. Bill & Nickie (B&B proprietors) did a cookout for us for dinner. Burgers and hot dogs, potato salad, corn on the cob, cantaloupe, watermelon, and brownies. I only skipped the brownies since I¢ve eaten all the ones mom sent. I¢m mostly packed up and ready to go tomorrow morning. Took another shower and am soaking my feet before bed. I am certainly going to hit the trail well rested and well fed.
Date: 2004-05-31
From: Sawmill Run

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: light rain

May 31, 2004 ¢ Sawmill Run to Rockfish Gap ¢ 9.8 milesSouthbound slack pack. Woke up this morning to thunderstorms and a weather forecast of more thunderstorms this afternoon.   I wasn¢t looking forward to starting a 10 day stretch WET. SlimFast was going to slack pack today so I started considering that. Of course, the Inn could accommodate me tonight and the Roman Noodles were going to try to talk me into slack packing. No one was encouraging me to put on a full pack today so ¢¦I guess 9.8 fairly easy miles with only about 6-7 pounds is a good warm-up and break-in after two full days off. I saw Goldfish, Coy, Tumbleweed and Timber today. They were heading out of town. They¢d heard I was having trouble with my feet and were glad to see I was still on the trail. Met ¢over under¢ at the Visitor Center. Hamburg (section hiker from Germany) and Noname are joining us at the B&B tonight. I saw an orange newt on the trail today and a box turtle.
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Sawmill Run

To: Black Rock Hut
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

June 1, 2004 ¢ Sawmill Run to Black Rock Hut ¢ 10.2 miles At the trailhead about 9:30 this morning after another great breakfast and good night¢s sleep. Juice and tea, homemade granola, turkey sausage, baked maple toast, and fruit. The hiking was pretty easy today but the feet are still hurting. Resisted the temptation to go further since I was here by 2:00. Got passed by some storms today. I just got sprinkled on but some others got pretty wet. Well, they gave all the views to Skyline Drive, none left for the AT. The Roman Noodles read a book about Earl Shaffer¢s hike. Apparently he had trouble finding the trail through here since most of it was under the road construction. When they blasted for the road they dumped the loose rock down the hill so when you are downhill from the road the trail is all rocky. When you¢re uphill from the road the trail is much nicer walking. Saw some more stupid deer today and a bunch of squirrels. There have been lots of reports of bear and rattlesnake sightings but none yet by me. Litefoot and OverUnder were here when I got her for a lunch break. SlimFast came in a bit later. Timber, Tumbleweed, Goldfish & Koi, NRChi and his friend came in for a long afternoon break and hiked on. Eight others, 7 new faces, and Easy Does It are here for the night.Had to learn a new technology tonight. The bear pole. It¢s a tall metal pole with four shorter poles angled out from the top. There are hooks on the end of each. There is a shorter pole you use to hoist your food bag up to the loops. Tank and Diesel have rolled in, the Roman Noodles, Hamburg and Noname. There will be a line for the privy in the morning.
Date: 2004-06-02
From: Black Rock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: few clouds

June 2, 2004 ¢ Black Rock Hut to Pinefield Hut ¢ 13.2 miles Woke up just before 6. Laid there for a while stretching my feet. Managed to leave a little before 7. Black Rock summit was pretty neat, basically a boulder field with a 360 degree view. Saw some more stupid deer, some chipmunks and towhees. Also saw a really big bird with a red head, a woodpecker I think. Had some good views today: Doyles River Overlook, some cliffs looking down Patterson Ridge and Ivy Creek Overlook. I stopped at the Loft Mountain Campground store a little after 10 am. I had root beer, made a sandwich with ham and cheese and MRE crackers. I bought two Mountain House dinners, Peanut M&Ms, some combos, Oreos and Pringles. The rest of the cheese and some deli roast beef will be lunch tomorrow. Had a nice long break and one more root beer.SlimFast and I and Hamburg and Noname are in the shelter so far. The Roman Noodles are camping nearby. After I filled my water bladder this afternoon I put my feet on it like an ice pack. Still need to stretch some. I got my first trail note today. At a trail junction there was a piece of paper in a sign post. It was addressed ¢Hobbit of anyone else who stayed at the Black Rock shelter 6/1¢. It was from NRChi. He was looking for a shirt he thought he¢d left at the shelter this morning. It was fun to get a note.NRChi and Tourist are tenting here tonight as well as Rock Dimples and Wrong Way Brown.
Date: 2004-06-03
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Lewis Mountain Campground
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: scattered clouds

June 3, 2004 ¢ Pinefield Hut to Lewis Mountain Campground ¢ 19.9 miles I know, it was a much longer day than it should have been. But the shelters and water just aren¢t spaced right and I didn¢t see any good camping spots short of here. Did get a load of laundry done and a shower. Unfortunately in the wrong order, so the clothes I¢ve been hiking in are still nasty. But my fleece, long johns/pjs, spare clothes and town dress are clean now. I¢m debating hanging around in the morning and doing my hiking clothes and even my sleeping bag. It¢s a front load washer. Only 2 or 3 views today and since we¢re hiking pretty straight up the ridge, you see a lot of the same valleys. Saw more deer today and a bunny who let me get within 5 feet before he made a bee line for the bushes. I saw a bunch of Columbine today too. Had Mac & Cheese for dinner. Out here I can eat the whole box. Had two root beers too. Picked up some Ramen for the next two nights and snacks for the next two days. Then I¢ll have to hit another camp store. I¢m either allergic to something here in the Shenandoahs or I¢m getting a cold. I sneezed all day Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday I started blowing my nose a lot. Had to apologize to those in the shelter without ear plugs last night. I¢m sure I had them up. Tourist gave me some Sudafed and that seems to be helping. At least I can breathe. My bandana got really nasty. One of the reasons I¢m paying to tent at the campground is so I can pilfer toilet paper and blow my nose. And they have trash cans here so I don¢t have to carry my dirty tissues. The moon was really bright last night. I think it¢s full tonight or tomorrow. From the shelter registers, it looks like mailman and CNN are 2 12 days ahead, and still planning to do 20+ mile days. If they keep that up I¢ll be a week behind them by Harper¢s Ferry.
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Lewis Mountain Campground

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 0.7
Weather: light rain

June 4, 2004 ¢ Lewis Mountain Campground to Bearfence Mountain Hut ¢ 0.7 milesYes. Really only 7/10 of a mile. I talked to a ranger early in the day yesterday who said it was going to rain last night and then clear up. Well, it was raining when I woke up and hasn¢t stopped. I hung out in my tent for a while. Finally packed up about 9 am. Decided to wash the clothes I¢d been wearing to hike in so I hung around the camp store for a while. I had a burrito and a root beer. It was getting colder ¢ only about 50 degrees.   I hiked to the next shelter and was thinking. Why am I doing this? It¢s June and I¢m hiking in my long pants and fleece. When I stop I¢m going to get chilled, and I already have a cold. So, it¢s not quite a zero day, but almost. It¢s 5:00 now and I¢ve been joined by 9 wet, cold hikers. Two others stopped for a break and went on. Latest forecast from Fredericksburg is clearing in the morning after rain all night. Guess I won¢t be hanging my tent to dry any time soon. Maybe I can tent tomorrow night and it will dry. I think everyone here tonight will be going to the next shelter and I¢d like to get out of the pack, particularly the incense burner, his brother with the wooden flute, and their colorful language. Had my Ramen Noodles for dinner, made some tea. It¢s amazing how warm food can warm you up. I¢m glad my bandana is clean. I¢m going to wear it tonight to keep my head warm.