morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-26
From: Elk Garden, VA 600

To: Damascus
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Linda was so gracious to get up so early and take us to Elk Garden to start our hike back to Damascus. We started at 7AM and finished at 5:30PM. It really was a great day for hiking even though we did get rained on for a couple of hours in the afternoon. The trail was good and we were able to make good time. Our pepperoni rolls were all eaten as well as our bananas and apples we brought along. We met The Owl as he was hiking north, as well as Loner Bohner, and several others we had not met before. Flint and Hobo and Mr. Easy had signed a trail register but we did not see them. They must have been in the shelter that we did not go to because it was one fourth mile off the trail. After we got in to Damascus and Linda met us we went to the Old Mill Restaurant for dinner. Wonderful food!!!My feet feel bruised after so many miles. My insoles are still doing good but they are not miracle workers. Toto's insoles are feeling good on his feet, also. All in all we did OK today. Just a bit tired and sleepy. We've done laundry and had showers and are ready to start out again tomorrow. We'll be out for 3 days and then we'll be picked up by Linda and Barry and taken back for laundry and showers again. We will leave some food and other pack weight here so we will have lighter packs over the next 3 days. Life is Great!Dorothy & Toto
Date: 2007-04-27
From: Elk Garden, VA 600

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

Linda had us at the trailhead at 9AM this morning. Toto and I were a bit disorganized this morning trying to repack our packs and trying to decide what to take and what to leave behind for 3 days. It had rained during the early morning and it looked like we were going to get rained on the whole day. When we reached the trail it was misty and foggy and cold. We had our rain jackets on but needed them for only a couple of hours before it stopped being misty and the sun started showing through the clouds. The day remained cool with a brisk breeze all day, though. The hike was up to Mt. Rogers at 5490 feet first thing this morning and it was over a lot of rocks. The peak, at 5729 feet---Virginia's highest---is reached by a side trail, but does not have a view so we were not interested in going up. It was beautiful going through coniferous forests with its wonderful scent of the trees and the moist rich soil surrounding us. After passing through this area we reached the Grayson Highlands where we saw many wild ponies, some with their young foals. We had brought carrots to feed to them but after one pony took a couple from my hand it turned and walked away. Others did not seem interested in coming near, but they were fun to watch. Toto was getting ready to take a picture of a beautiful area of rhododendrums when 2 deer appeared and so he was able to get them also in the picture. Those were the first deer we have seen on the trail. About 3 miles before the shelter we are in we came upon some trail magic. A couple of thru-hikers from last year, Otter and Cohiba, were offering hamburgers, chips, sodas, beer, fruit, and cliff bars to any hikers that passed through. So we did not have to cook tonight.We shared the shelter tonight with Loner Bohner. Two hikers out for a few days are tenting---we met them at the last shelter after they had just gotten on at Grayson Highlands State Park. Bligh, a thru-hiker we met today, also stopped by the shelter but decided to go on since he wants to get as close to Adkins as possible tomorrow. The next shelter is only 3.9 miles further but by the time anyone mentions hiking on I have my pack unpacked and I am not about to repack to hike on. Besides, I don't think I have anymore miles left in me today. It is breezy and chilly this evening and going to be a cold, but not freezing, night. The shelter is made of logs but has no chinking in it so if it rains and/or the wind blows tonight it could be a bit cold.Tomorrow we have just over 14 miles planned but we want to increase that if possible so we will have a shorter day hiking into Adkins the day after tomorrow. So we had better get some rest for a possible big day tomorrow.
Date: 2007-04-28
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: light rain

We are over 500 miles, almost a fourth of the way to our goal of 2174 miles. Today we made a big step toward getting to 600. We were afraid it was going to rain today. It was very windy and cloudy. About 2 miles before we reached Trimpi Shelter it started sprinkling a little. We decided that if it looked like it might hold off raining anymore after reaching the shelter that we would hike on to get as close to Partnership as possible. We were at Trimpi at 1:30PM and had plenty of time to hike and the weather looked like it could either rain or not so we decided to go on. There was a lot of ridge walking with more ups than downs but we finaly did make it about 5:30. There were 3 other hikers there. Oh My and Stump, both hiking from Damascus to get as far as they can get in a few weeks. Also, Bonnie-Carolyn was there. We had run into her before but never stayed in the same shelter until tonight. There is a hot shower here and they had all showered, ordered pizza from a phone at the nearby Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area Headquarters. We ordered our pizza, then showered, and ate our pizza after it came. After we had ordered our pizza, The Owl came and then Bligh. They also ordered pizza. They are sleeping in the loft tonight, leaving us older hikers to ourselves, as we are all senior citizens. A young hiker yesterday told us 23 miles was a lot for guys like us. I assume he meant people as old as us. Then he quickly said it would even be a lot of miles for him! It is really good to see a lot of older hikers out here. We usually need more time to do the same miles the younger ones do but we make it. Tomorrow we now have only about 12 miles to hike to Adkins where our friends are picking us up. We are so glad we hiked the extra 10 miles today!!
Date: 2007-04-30
From: I-81

To: Campsite @ Lynn Camp Creek
Miles today: 14.3

It was very warm today--some day hikers said it was 87 degrees. The sun shone all day and it was a relief when the trail would duck into a thicket of rhododendrums where it was cool. A breeze could be caught in certain places and it did feel so good whenever we could catch it for even a brief moment. We drank water and just about ran out before we got to the last shelter where we refilled all our water containers. We decided to walk a little further than the shelter in order to have a little head start but it is not much of one. We are in between 2 mountains by the creek and the trail takes off up the next mountain and we don't know if there are any further camping spots before it gets all the way to the top. We did cook at the shelter also so that all we had to do was set up the tent and hang our food bag. Toto took a refreshing dip in the stream and said it felt great. The mosquitoes are out and even ticks. A hiker we just met today, Hoosier, was at the shelter andsaid he just found the first tick on him while he was sitting in the shelter. Yorkie has joined us here to camp. When he stopped by the shelter Bligh, Packrat and Lucky had arrived to share the shelter or tenting space with Hoosier. We had planned to do more miles if possible today but there was so much climbing and it was so warm that we decided we could not do anymore. We did not get to the trail until almost 9:30 because we stopped by the post office first to mail some things ahead to Pearisburg and to mail some things home that we don't need.      One thing we were thankful for today was that at least for today there were very few rocks. And the climbs were not too terribly long. Linda sent us off with a bag of brownies again. They were sooo good!! We shared some with The Owl and Yorkie when we saw them at the post office. We saw quite a few deer today. Toto kicked some up from near the trail this morning and this evening at the shelter we saw 4. They don't seem to be very afraid. Well, it is getting dark and the sound of this creek is going to be wonderful to lull me to sleep.
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Lynn Camp Creek

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: clear sky

What a grueling day it was today. All we did was climb and starting at about mile 10 or 11 rocks were thrown in. We had wanted to hike an extra mile or two but we just did not have it in us. And the temperature was 90 degrees. We refilled our water containers at around 10 miles and when we got here to the shelter our water was half gone again. When we had been here a while I began to filter water I had brought up from the water source and I began to feel weak and dizzy. I had been here about 15 minutes before Toto because he had stopped at a stream to splash some cold water on him. Before he came I had swept out the shelter and went down to the water source to check it out and had felt OK except for being very exhausted. After I ate and drank more water I began to feel better. On top of all this I have a sunburn on my arms which I am sure does not help.We did not pass anyone today and the only one that passed us was Yorkie. We kept passing each other because we would stop and he'd pass us and then he'd stop and we'd pass him. He was here at the shelter for a while and cooked and got water but he left to push on another few miles. He is young so can do it. He is trying to get to Pearisburg by Friday evening also. Going southbound were 4 female section hikers and that was the extent of the hikers we saw today.So Toto and I have the shelter to ourselves as of 8:50PM. We hear noises around the shelter and when we shine our lights out toward it we see sets of eyes staring back at us. So long as they are not bears. Hikers have written in the shelter register that they have seen deer all over this area so we are assuming they are deer.An interesting view we had today was of Burkes Garden from Chestnut Ridge where we stopped for a break at the last shelter. This ridge overlooks this unusual geologic feature which was the Vanderbilts' first choice for their Biltmore estate. The Garden is a large crater-shaped depression surrounded on all sides by a high ridge that the A.T. follows for almost 8 miles. Another name for this crater-like depression is "God's Thumbprint." By the time we had hiked about 5 miles and had seen the garden a number of times from the ridge we saw a sign that said "View". Both of us thought to ourselves, "Who cares, just get us down from here." Our feet were feeling pretty sore from the rocks and we were tired of the ups and downs of the ridge. A beautiful site though it is of farmlands below.Well, it is after 9 and dark. We want to be up early to get as early of a start as possible. I wish I could remember what the terrain will be like but for some reason I have had a difficult time remembering much about the terrain except in a few instances.
Date: 2007-05-02
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I forgot to add in yesterday's journal that as I was walking along I was thinking of the things I was grateful for in spite of the rocks, etc. I was grateful for a water source when we needed water so badly, for cool breezes that cool the body when it is so wet with perspiration, for not having an injury after tripping over a rock or root (I did take a fall yesterday), and for Toto not having a fall in his exhaustion. I do try to look on the positive side of everything but it is difficult at times.The trail today was much easier to hike and we made much better time. The day was warm and sunny with frequent cool breezes. Then about 3 miles before the shelter the sky let loose all of a sudden with rain. Well, not all of a sudden---we had felt a few drops of rain occasionally to indicate that it was going to rain and the wind had started blowing harder. But we had not put our pack covers on until the sky just poured the rain on all at once. Then the pea-sized hail came followed by thunder and lightening. When we came to the shelter there were 8 hikers in it already and it holds 8. Three of the hikers that were in the shelter said they were going on and that when they left there would be space. It must have been an hour before they finally got out and we were able to get a place to put down our sleeping gear. Mountain Mike came in after us and just told someone to make room and he got his place right away. I went to the privy and changed into dry clothes after we secured our spot on the floor. Toto cooked our dinner and it was very tasty tonight. Usually I don't have much of an appetite for the trail food. Yorkie offered to get water at the spring and then we filtered. By this time it had stopped raining and we able to get out of the shelter to use the picnic table. The wet clothes we took off will be still wet in the morning when we put them back on. Brrrr.A milestone we made today was crossing over I-77. I-77 runs close to our home in Ohio and is the highway we take north to Kirtland, OH when we go there. So we were pretty excited to cross over it. Toto even took a picture of it from the trail. The first shelter after I-77 is Helvey's Mill and we stopped there for water. The shelter itself is .25 mile from the trail and then the water is down a steep drop with about 6 switchbacks. Then when we got down there it was steep a short way down to the water. Toto's feet slid out from under him and he slid down several feet on his rump. So we did some extra mileage there that is not counted in our miles today.Today was a good day for hiking except for the rain and the shelter dilemma. There was a lot of ridge walking with the usual ups and downs. Tomorrow we plan on Wapiti Shelter at least and further if at all possible. We also plan on stopping at Trent's Grocery a half mile off the trail at the second road we cross. We plan on breakfast and/or lunch when we get there and also picking up a few extra snacks. So, now we are very tired and happy to be somewhat dry and warm. Tomorrow it is wet clothes and hopefully a sunny day to dry us out.
Date: 2007-05-03
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: light rain

Well, we didn't make it past Wapiti Shelter for a couple of reasons. First it has rained all day long and hiking has been messy. Second, we spent 2 hours at Trent's Grocery. It was a great place to take a break! The people were great and the food was great as well. We got to the grocery at just after 10AM and after 6.2 miles. We took off our boots and put on our crocs and I changed into a dry bra and long-sleeved shirt. I still was cold but warmer. We had breakfast and then Toto had lunch--a double cheeseburger and fries. We also had a banana and I had tomato juice and coffee and Toto had a coke and coffee. Yorkie came in and we bought his lunch since he got our water last night. We also bought deli sandwiches for our meal this evening and they tasted pretty good. This moring as we walked from the shelter to the trail we saw a beautiful pink ladyslipper along the path. I was sorry we had packed the camera inside the pack to keep it dry because it was a perfect picture. Also, we saw pink azaleas blooming and mountain laurels just beginning to bud. Soon we should be seeing lots of color as we look down the trail. Tonight in the shelter is McYoda, New Knees, Flapjack, and us. Tenting is Confucius, Minnie Mouse, and Mayhem, their dog. It is 7PM and all of us have been in our sleeping bags pretty much since we got here. It has been raining since we got here. We are hoping for sun tomorrow for our 16 mile walk into Pearisburg where a shower and a soft warm bed awaits.   Life is Great!
Date: 2007-05-04
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Lane Street, Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

Toto was up before 5:30 this morning and packing up. It was a rough night. Toto was sleeping next to McYoda who snored all night and kept Toto from getting any good sleep. I was awake around midnight and had trouble getting back to sleep. The snoring was a problem, but also my feet were aching. McYoda had warned us night before last that he was sparing us in the shelter by tenting. Little did we know how true that was. Toto and I both had earplugs in place but they were not working very well. Mine need to be replaced and I think Toto's do, too. It was not raining when we left the shelter at 6:20 today. There was water dripping off the trees and as we walked along the trail and brushed against the rhododendrums and other small trees and bushes that were becoming overgrown next to the trail we would get more water on ourselves and our packs. Our clothes were already wet from yesterday and our shoes soaked. The trail was a flowing stream of water from yesterday's and last night's rain. The streams that we crossed were rushing and loud. Yesterday the streams were crossed on wooden foot bridges. Today we crossed them on rocks, some of them submerged below the water level. We have seen so much water in the last two days! Yesterday there were times we had a roaring stream on both sides of us. Soon after we left the shelter today we started climbing and soon left the larger streams behind but the water was flowing down the trail like a stream. Water bars were clogged with leaves, sticks, and other debris pooling the water on the trail. It was a mess of slippery rocks, roots, and deep soggy mud. Toto has been getting blisters on his heels and had to stop several times to wring water out of his socks or apply moleskin, although moleskin wouldn't stick to his damp feet. We have decided we will take 2 days off here in Pearisburg to rest our feet and let our boots dry out.Outside of the messy trail the trail was not to bad at least for the last 8 miles. The first 8 were steep climbing and lots of rocks. We both fell once--me, on a slippery flat rock and Toto on a slippery root. It is a wonder we did not fall more because we had numerous "almost" falls.      After getting to the motel, almost a mile from the trail, we showered and went to Hardee's for something to eat. Tomorrow we will need to go to the P.O. and do laundry. Most of all we plan to rest our feet and legs. A Restoration Trail Foundation person, Don, will be here late tonight so will not see him until tomorrow morning. I just calculated our total miles for the last 7 days---123.6 miles. We will be slowing up a bit more when we leave from here on Monday. Our bodies are feeling the effects of our long miles days.
Date: 2007-05-05
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

This morning we met with Don, the person over the fund-raiser we are walking for. He wanted to meet us and find out something about our passion for the site and why we chose to make this hike a way of raising funds for the national historic site, Kirtland Temple, that we volunteered for for a year before we started our hike. We went out to the trail for some video-taping in the rain and the mud. We had talked earlier over breakfast with him and it was easy talking to him but in front of a camera it was very intimidating. I am afraid there won't be much there to make a decent DVD. Don, after breakfast took us to the P.O. to pick up our mail and then to the laundro-mat to do our laundry. We spent the biggest part of the day with him before he left to go to Roanoke to be nearer the airport for his flight out tomorrow. Toto misplaced his AT hat somewhere today and we back-tracked to try to find it but it was nowhere to be found. As I said earlier, it rained today some but not the entire day. It was very cloudy and cool. We have decided to keep our winter gear at least another week so will be sending summer gear to Daleville to switch out there. Surely, by then, it will be warm enough to send winter sleeping bags and fleece home. Many hikers are in town. We've seen Diamond, Boo Boo, Bucket, Stretch, McYoda, New Knees, Confucious, Minnie Mouse, Tattoo, Mountain Mike, Magellan, and a few others we do not know as yet. Yorkie we heard is out at the church hostel on the other end of town, and at the time he was the only hiker there. We saw Santa's Helper, an older hiker we met at Jenny Knob Shelter, and he just made it in. He is not sure if he wants to hike anymore because of the rain, mud, slippery rocks, etc. that he has been experiencing over the last few days. We know exactly what he is feeling. After the last few days we have had we don't want to be out on the trail until we see lots of sun and very few clouds. Dinner tonight was pizza Hut making 3 full meals today for us. We need to eat while we can because once we go back on the trail we'll be out for 6 days before we get into town again.Then a stop at Rite Aid to pick a few necessities like ear plugs. When I saw McYoda today I told him I journaled about his snoring. I was glad that Toto got a good taste of having trouble sleeping due to snoring because I have had to deal with it at home with him. We were told about majoram oil, an aromatherapy that has helped Toto with his snoring and we can now sleep in the same room. Tomorrow is another zero day and we have a few more town chores to take care of before leaving on Monday. We will enjoy the rest we get but will be ready to hike on after tomorrow as long as we do not have to walk in the rain or the clouds.
Date: 2007-05-06
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was somewhat busy with resupplying at the grocery store, washing our water containers, packing our packs, getting a bounce box ready to send up the trail, etc. A bounce box is a box of things we won't be needing until we get to town again, like chargers, deodorant, maps, extra supplies, etc. We haven't done this much before but it does cut down on the weight. And it works great if the box is there when we arrive. The only problem is getting into town on a weekday or Saturday before the P.O. closes. The morning started out with sun but soon it was cloudy again. The mountains looked like they might be in clouds all day. But before noon the clouds had moved away and the sky was blue and the sun bright. Tonight, though, there are frost warnings for the area. If it frosts down here it will be colder up on the mountains. A good idea to keep our winter gear. Magellan slack-packed today and said that it was getting very cold up on the mountain. I wonder what it will be like tomorrow and tomorrow night. Life is Great!Dorothy & Toto
Date: 2007-05-08
From: Symms Gap Meadow

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

It got cold last night and most of the hikers that were cowboy camping set up their tents in the night. There was frost on the grass this morning. When will it ever be warm?We were on the trail at 7:15 and had decided to do 20 miles today if possible. By 5:30 we made it to the shelter but there was a group of about a dozen or more high school girls from a school at the shelter. They were noisy but we didn't have energy to go on. Toto went down to get water and McQueen came down the trail and told him of a great campsite just north of the shelter. So we are camped along a stream just north of the shelter. Here also is Flint, Signage, Ross, McQueen, and 2 section hikers, High Five and Snakebait. The trail was tough today with a long climb up and lots of rocks. Our feet, ankles, and knees have had it today. We shall sleep good tonight and it should not be as cold tonight since we are down at a lower elevation. Tomorrow we plan to do at least 15 miles in order to get to Daleville by Saturday. Ninety-two miles in 6 days means we have to average 15 a day. We are trying to get the miles down so that by Saturday we only have a few miles to do so we can get in to town early. Life is Great!Dorothy & Toto