morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-03-31
To: Five Weeks and Counting
Miles today: 0.0

I am really starting to get serious about preparing for this year's hike. It's amazing to me how much more relaxed I am this year than last. Not that I'm not excited, mind you, but I'm not in a frenzy about gear, maildrops and planning the hike down to the hour like I was this time last year. Maybe it's that I have more confidence that we can hike without a plan, go with the flow and just enjoy the experience. Last year I was such a total rookie that I made up for lack of experience with excessive (alright, I admit it! compulsive) planning. I think letting go of my "plan" and just hiking was one of the more valuable lessons I learned on the trail last year.We haven't been as religious about our workouts as I'd hoped. I still walk 4-5 miles five days a week and lift weights three times a week, but I won't be in the spectacularly good shape I'd planned on (there's that darned "P" word again!)unless I get REALLY serious over the next five weeks. I know I'll still need to be broken in on the trail, but I want it to be as painless as possible! So I'm resolving right now to beef up those cardio-vascular workouts in April. Starting tomorrow. No, really, I mean it. Tomorrrow...
Date: 2004-04-01
To: Spring Fever
Miles today: 0.0

I've started following trail journals for the people who are starting at Springer now. I figure they'll be hitting Damascus in mid-May when we show up for Trail Days, so there's a chance we'll be doing some hiking with them in Virginia. It's fun to read about their exploits and remember our experiences last year.It will be strange to consider ourselves "section hikers" this year. Last year, right up to the day we got off the trail, I thought we were going to be thru-hikers. And I still identify with the thru-hiker mentality. I think there ought to be a special name for section hikers who do the trail in two or three consecutive years. Like "Serial Hikers" -- but that conjures images of hatchet murderers, so that won't do. Anyone have any ideas??? Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but admiration for section hikers. It's got to be lots harder to go out year after year for two or three weeks at a time and knock off the entire AT. Every time the trail legs kick in, it's just about time to get off for the year. That would be extraordinarily frustrating to me! I just want to be able to say we're "____" hikers and have everyone understand exactly what we're doing. Our hike last year was so convoluted that I felt like we wasted time at every shelter explaining to people (who probably didn't much care anyway) what we'd hiked and what we hadn't. Maybe my yearning for a unique "title" stems from that experience, and just calling myself a section hiker will suffice...I don't have much else to add. I just wanted to get a third entry up so my journal will show up and our trail friends will know we are coming!
Date: 2004-04-13
To: A Life-Changing Experience
Miles today: 0.0

When we stepped onto the Appalachian Trail last year, I had high expectations, and even higher hopes. I expected to get out there and hike the farthest I possibly could. I hoped to make it all the way to Maine. I expected to be tired, sore, and, at times sick to death of hiking. I hoped that I could get past the hard times and persevere.Now, nine months post hike, after much thought and contemplation, I can look back on what we accomplished in 2003 with two conflicting emotions: pride and disappointment. I am, quite naturally, disappointed that we didn¢t make it to Maine! But I am really proud of what we were able to finish, and the perseverance we showed when the going got tough. We overcame some pretty significant obstacles and stayed on the trail longer than the vast majority of hikers who start at Springer.Aside from the obvious trail experiences, what I have taken from our 2003 hike is a new sense of confidence. I can safely say that our AT hike was the most physically challenging thing I¢ve ever done. As a child I was never very athletic, and as an adult (until I had a cardiac ablation done in 2001) I was unable to participate in any exertional activities. So it¢s safe to say that hiking 650+ miles of the AT was a significant challenge for me.My practical experience when we started the AT was as close to zero as one can get. I¢d spent one night in the back country pre-hike. I had read everything I could find about long-distance hiking, and had lurked on several on-line lists soaking up information. I¢ll never forget my first stream crossing on the AT. I¢d read that you should always loosen pack straps and release the hip belt when crossing a stream, so, in case you fall in, you won¢t be pulled under by your pack. So as we approached the stream, I began loosening straps. Hoover stopped dead and looked at me in surprise, asking what I was doing. I explained the safety tip I¢d read on the internet, and it was all Hoover could do to keep from rolling with laughter at my ignorance. You see, the stream we were about to cross had (maybe) three inches of water in it and it was only two feet wide! You can just guess how often I got teased about this little piece of stupidity over the next ten weeks¢¦So starting off in Damascus this year will be a totally different person. I am now an athlete. I hike, I run, I play tennis, I ride my bike, and I lift weights. In May 2002 my idea of exercise involved carrying my novel from the car into the Burger King and back. Today I exercise an average of twelve hours a week, not counting day hikes. I am not intimidated by trying new things. I plan to take up kayaking and golf in 2004. And I am anticipating my first beach vacation in 30 years where I won¢t have to hide my body behind a cover-up. Hiking the AT in 2003 freed me to try new things, and gave me the confidence to believe in myself. It truly was a life-changing experience in more than the obvious ways. I can¢t wait to get back out there and enjoy the wilderness experience again! Twenty two days ¢til departure¢¦
Date: 2004-05-04
To: Heading to Virginia
Miles today: 0.0

We're busy finishing up some last minute details, hoping to hit the road to Virginia early Thursday morning. All of that is dependent, of course, on having the A/C on my Jeep functioning by Thursday a.m. All bets are off if the A/C isn't working. It's kind of funny how I'm willing to hike for eight weeks in the dead of summer, but I'm not willing to DRIVE across three states without my air conditioning!I'm switching this over to "hiking" mode now. The next update will be from the AT whenever we can get computer access.
Date: 2004-05-07
From: Atkins, VA

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: clear sky

After a "nutritous" meal at the Dairy Queen, we started hiking southbound towards Damascus from Atkins at about 6:00 p.m. today. Our goal was the Chatfield Shelter 4.5 away. The weather was perfect, and this short distance was an excellent reintroduction to hiking on the AT. The climb started up over gently rolling hills, over Virginia backroads and into a lovely forested area. We pitched our tent at Chatfield Shelter just as it started to get dark. We enjoyed getting to know a thru-hiking couple, Pablo and Laura, recently of Chile, soon to be living in Oregon. We also ran into Do-rag and Lil' Ponderosa, section hikers who are also heading into Damascus. A great start to Laura and Duane's Excellent Adventure, Part II!
Date: 2004-05-08
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: Campsite South of Brushy Mountain
Miles today: 13.8

We had a little trouble getting into the routine of breaking camp this morning, and it was nearly 9:00 before we finally hit the trail. We need to get back into the groove again, but I'm sure we'll do better with a little more practice!Our hike today took us to the Mount Rogers Recreation Area Headquarters and the nearby AT hiker facility, Partnership Shelter. This is a unique shelter as it actually has a solar-heated shower. We were also able to use the phone at the park headquarters to order pizza for delivery from nearby Marion. Our original hiking plan had us quitting for the day at Partnership, but after showers and a lunch of salad and pizza, we felt refreshed enough to continue on. We had a great hike through the beautiful scenery and found a campsite near a stream. It had the added advantage of overlooking horses in a pasture, and we enjoyed watching them while we ate our dinner. This would have been an idylic campsite except for the fact that we shared the area with another hiker. We never actually met her, but decided that her trail name has to be Bad Karaoke Girl. She must have been singing to music only she could hear, and it was sad. Later I decided Snoring Girl would also be an appropriate name. I'm sure she is called one or the other!
Date: 2004-05-09
From: Campsite South of Brushy Mountain

To: Campsite Near Fox Creek
Miles today: 16.3

Are you all impressed? 16.3 miles on our second full day out. When we started, we intended to take 6-7 days to hike back into Damascus, but everything just feels so good (feet excepted) that we want to hike more each day. It's certainly been easier to get back into the rhythm of long distance hiking than we had anticipated.Along that line, we are getting into a camp routine, too. This morning we were on the trail by 7:45, a big improvement. We had beautiful trail all the way to Trimpi Shelter, where we stopped to eat breakfast. Our hike took us over several stiles and through cow pastures complete with cows and cow patties--lots of cow patties! We ate our lunch in a beautiful meadow near Dickey Gap. It was such a perfect spot, we spent nearly an hour recuperating and working a crossword together.Our hike this afternoon took us over Iron Mountain, our first big climb of this hike. Suffice it to say, it was a big psychological hurdle for me to haul myself up and over that climb. Especially since we hit it right at 4:00 p.m., my lowest energy point of the day. Hoover is such a great hiking partner, though, he encouraged me when I needed it most.Iron Mountian conquered, we hiked on to Fox Creek and a great tentsite there. Now we feel like we're real AT hikers again.
Date: 2004-05-10
From: Campsite Near Fox Creek

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: broken clouds

I have looked forward to today for a year and a half. Ever since I started reading about the AT, I've heard about Grayson Highlands and its feral ponies. Today I was going to see my ponies!We set out at about 7:30 and headed to a breakfast stop at Old Orchard Shelter. There we met Badger and Papa Bear who are thru-hiking together. They gave us some trail magic--Werther's Candies--to help us get over the big climbs we faced today.The hike today took us up and over Stone Mountain, and to "The Scales" (a place where cattle used to be rounded up from pasture, weighed, and shipped to market). After lunch at the Wise Shelter with Canada Goose, Daddy No-Legs, Half-way, Flamingo Joe, and Dingle, we headed up over Massie Gap and onto the Grayson Highlands. As we were approaching the "bald" mountain that marks the beginnings of the Highlands, we could hear a thunderstorm approaching. We briefly debated turning back, but decided to press on (hikers do NOT like retracing their hard-won mileage). We were racing the weather, hoping to see the Highlands, the ponies, and make it to the shelter before the weather broke. Fortunately we were hiking with Canada Goose, who is tall and carries an external (metal) frame pack, so we figured he could be our lightning rod.I got to see my ponies. Lots of ponies, including several young foals and some expectant momma ponies. I got a great photo of Dingle communing with a pony--I'll try to post it here soon. I was happy that the ponies were everything I was hoping they'd be. And the weather held until we were safely in the shelter for the night.Tonight we were treated to S'mores by another hiker, Scraggly Roo, and had a great time getting to know Flamingo Joe, Dingle, Paco, Starlight, Little Chicken and her mother, Mama Bird. We had the best night's sleep so far, despite sleeping on a hard wood floor in a shelter with 14 other hikers--one of them snoring heavily.
Date: 2004-05-11
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Logging Road near Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: light rain

18.4 miles--Woo-Hoo!We got an early start from Thomas Knob Shelter, and had a great hike down past Mount Rogers and over Whitetop Mountain. Just past Buzzard Rock we began a steep decline that was tough on the old knees. It was made more bareable by the beauty around us. We hiked through wildflower-covered slopes, one of which Hoover nicknamed "Honeybee Heaven". We ran into a photographer who was taking wildflower photographs and he told us the names of some of the flowers we didn't know.Just before lunch during a steep descent, I slipped on a wet rock and wrenched my left knee. We stopped to eat and rest, and I took a Vioxx and wrapped my knee. Although it hurt, I decided to try hiking through it, and by the time we reached Lost Mountain Shelter for a break at 2:30, I was past the worst of the pain. We met Paco and Starlight there, and Paco offered to lend me his knee brace. I decided I didn't need it, but he earned his trail angel wings for offering.We headed on and hiked a bit on the Virginia Creeper Trail (an old railroad bed that has been converted to a bike/hike trail) where it merges with the AT for a mile. We finished the day with a brutal uphill to the area near Saunders Shelter, where we tented on an abandoned logging road. Just 9.6 miles tomorrow and we'll be in Damascus. After five days hiking in the same clothes, we are in serious need of a shower--and a pizza.
Date: 2004-05-12
From: Logging Road near Saunders Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke up early, excited with the prospect of gettin into town and taking a shower. The hike today was predominately downhill, but we did have a tough climb up and over a big mountain, name unknown--2 1/2 miles of up. it really annoys me to have to climb a mountain that isn't named on our maps or guide book. If I have to climb it, I want to know its name! We were pretty impressed with ourselves, as we knocked off this substantial climb in under an hour. From there it was a cruise into Damascus, and we were in town with a huge Subway salad by noon. Now we are showered, our clothes are clean and the trail journal is updated. We are tenting on the lawn of "The Place" a hiker hostel run by the Methodist church here. The grass is softer than what we usually sleep on, and there's a real flushing john and a shower ten yards away. Luxury! We are doing well, missing family and friends, but as happy as can be. Thanks to all for your love and support.
Date: 2004-05-13
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Today we did a one day "slack pack" from Atkins to O'Lystery picnic grounds. Since we got into Damascus a day earlier than planned, we decided to get a little ahead of the hiking schedule and still do all we wanted to do at Trail Days on Friday and Saturday.The hike was fairly tough, and we got drenched in an early afternoon downpour, but it was worth it to get that section out of the way. For some reason my legs felt like wet noodles, and my boots felt filled with lead, so the ups seemed interminable. I have two blisters on my left foot from our hike into Damascus yesterday--wet socks on my tender feet! Getting soaked again today didn't help the blisters any, so I'm glad we're planning a couple of days off. Some days on the AT are tougher than others, and you never know when it'll happen to you. Of course some days seem easier than they really are, too--so it all evens out. Today it helped to know we had a hot shower, dry clothes and a hot meal waiting in Damascus!
Date: 2004-05-14
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We had a great time at Trail Days today. I went and had my boots refit and tried to find another pair I like as much to replace my Lowa Renegades. They have over 900 miles on them--the manufacturer's rep was impressed with how good they look, as they are intended to last 500-750 miles. I know there's no way they'll make it another 600 miles, so I thought I'd get another pair and start breaking them in. But no luck--I'll try REI in northern Virginia when we get there.We also had fun looking at all of the newest hiking gear. Other than an AT hat for Hoover, we resisted purchases. We went over to the Side Track Cafe for pizza and beer, and ran into a whole slew of hikers from last year. We saw Loser (who was playing guitar at the Side Track), Footslogger, and Rumbler among others. It was great catching up on their post-hike lives. All of them did manage to finish the AT last year, so we are proud of them.It was fun to have a day just to relax and catch up with old friends. Tomorrow should be fun, as I will be hooking up with the women from my Yahoo WomenHikers group.
Date: 2004-05-16
From: Va 612 near Hwy 52

To: Somewhere in the Woods near VA 623
Miles today: 16.1

Our day started out with beautiful trail and perfect hiking weather. When we stopped for lunch near VA 615, we were lucky enough to snag the last bottle of apple juice (on ice) that a trail angel had left. We also had the luxury of lunching at a real picnic table, and shared our repast with Texas Turtle, another section hiker.Texas Turtle told us that some hikers she had met this morning had advised her to take the high-water blue blaze trail that circumvents Little Wolf Creek crossings. In this section the AT crosses and recrosses the creek twelve times over a two mile stretch. Texas Turtle said the hikers told her that the water was high and the crossings were tricky. Hoover and I talked it over, but we were reluctant to leave the real AT to follow a blue blaze trail, so we decided to try the stream crossings.At first the crossings were a lot of fun--they involved hopping from rock to rock or balancing on half-submerged logs to cross the creek. It was a bit tricky to find a path that kept your feet dry and didn't involve too long a "leap", but we did great through eight of the crossings. On the ninth I slipped on a wet rock and went down hard on my left hand. Amazingly, I stayed perfectly dry, but I did jam two fingers. After soaking my hand in the cold creek for a few minutes, I decided the best thing was to grab my hiking poles and get moving. If my fingers were going to swell, I wanted them to swell around my pole...Have I mentioned what a terrific hiking partner I have? He always pumps me up when I need it, and he knows just what to say to me. I managed to fight back tears of pain and frustration after the fall. When he told me how proud he was of my grit and determination, I was on top of the world. I'm such a lucky woman!After the usual tough late afternoon climb, we found a place to camp and ate a quick supper. By 7:30 we were in our bags, ready for recuperative sleep. The AT has a lot in store for us tomorrow, so we have to be ready.
Date: 2004-05-17
From: Somewhere in the Woods near VA 623

To: O'Lystery Pavillion
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

We got an early start this morning. Our routine for setting up and striking camp has improved greatly, and we're able to get up at 6:30 and be ready to hike 45 minutes later.The first miles today were over a very rocky ridge with tough footing. This slows us down, because we have to examine every foot placement carefully. Some of the rocks are "rocky" -- unstable, so that they'll try to pitch you off if you step on them wrong. The tree roots also present obstacles. They are especially treacherous when wet, particularly the rhododendron roots. We are always warning each other of "rocky rocks" and "rhody roots" when we hike a trail like this one.By 9:30 we were at Walker Gap. We stopped there to eat breakfast (bagel, cheese and pre-cooked bacon--yum!) and filter water. We have to filter all of the water we drink, even from seemingly clear mountain streams. Giardia and cryptosporidium are ever-present dangers, so we're careful about purifying our water before we drink it.We had a 1,000 foot climb out of Walker Gap to the top of Chestnut Knob. All the way up, we caught glimpses of the valley below, Burkes Garden. From the top of Chestnut Knob, we had a clear view of this valley. Burkes Garden is an oval-shaped valley, surrounded on all sides by mountain ridges. It has been called "God's thumbprint" and it is easy to see why. Very impressive.The shelter at Chestnut Knob is unusual, in that it is a real building, with four walls, windows, and a door. Most AT shelters are wooden and three sided. The shelter sits directly on top of the 4400'knob, so I suspect it gets a lot of wind and the four sides come in handy!The walk down Chestnut Knob and across Chestnut Ridge was terrific. The trail was smooth and gently graded, and led past a pretty little pond, over a bald, and through the woods. We ate lunch at Lick Creek, made a few donations to the mosquito blood bank, and hiked on. By 2:30 we knew we were within three miles of our destination, and we were eagerly anticipating an early day with lots of time to relax in camp. Then came the afternoon thunder showers.Have I mentioned that it pours rain every afternoon here in Virginia? It's a challenge to keep the packs and feet dry. Everything else can get wet, but wet feet cause blisters and wet packs weigh more (and make for uncomfortable sleeping if the contents get wet). So we scurried to Knot Maul Shelter to dry out and wait out the rain. There was a pretty good crowd at the shelter already. I finally met Peak-a-Boo's friend, Cuppa Joe, as well as Chill Out and Salt Lick and Coyote. Within an hour the rain had passed, and we arrived at O'Lystery Pavillion just before 5 p.m. Once again, we were in the sack before 8:00. I guess our bodies crave the recuperative powers of sleep, because we slept soundly and long, even on the hard ground with our 3/4" sleep pads.
Date: 2004-05-18
From: VA 612 near US 52

To: Trent's Campground near VA 606
Miles today: 17.8

Today was tough on Hoover. He tried wearing his Lowa Renegade (high-top) boots today for the first time since he had tendon trouble last year. He has since been hiking in low-top Merrills, but decided to give the Lowas another try. This plan would have been okay, if we'd remembered to take along his back-up footwear. A little over half way through the day, it became apparent that the Lowas were irritating the right ankle tendon. This is exactly the problem that took us off the trail for a week last year, and we were anxious to prevent another flare-up. It was then that we discovered that his hiking sandals were not in his pack. What to do?We considered having Hoover bail out at the next road crossing, having me hike the remaining 7 miles alone, get to the car, and go retrieve him. Neither of us was wild about the idea of splitting up--we are a team, and a good one. But we didn't have much choice...Then we came up with the idea of modifying his boot on the spot. We unlaced it, rolled the ankle collar down, and fastened it in that position using Hoover's belt. No more pressure on the tendon, and Hoover had a pain free hike into our predetermined destination.Despite these worries, today was one of the nicest days of hiking we've had. The trail followed a ridgeline, so we had nice views and relatively flat hiking. The only rain shower caught us just as we arrived at Jenny Knob Shelter for a rest stop, so we stayed dry. And at the end, we had a car to take us to a shower, laundromat, and a hot dinner. This is the life!