morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-13
From: Partnership Shelter

To: US/11-VA683
Miles today: 11.6

Zzzzziiiiippppp! That's the first sound you hear in the morning. Someone is getting out of their sleeping bag. The next 15 min, no one says a word, but the zzziiiiipppp is contagious. Soon everyone is out of their bags. Some go right to the privy, others go to the picnic table to start their stove to make coffee. I stuff my sleeping bag into the dry bag and start to reassemble the puzzle that results with a fully loaded pack. Now, what did I forget? Food bag in the tree? check Anything left on the picnic table? check Anything on the shelter floor? check Camera? Cell phone? Hiking Poles? Taken vitamins? All set. It's a daily checklist and a big responsibility to be self-responsible! When I arrived at the Chatfield Shelter mid-morning, I signed the register and read a few of the entries. Barry Manilow (trail name) stayed at our shelter last night. He left very early this morning and had forgotten his cook pot! He wrote instructions about where he was headed just in case someone had picked it up. So what does Barry Manilow do without his cook pot? He'll figure it out because he has a family on the Trail who will help him until he can get to an Outfitter to buy a new one. On the way to this shelter there was a sign on the ground near the rocks which alerted us to the rattlesnake a hiker had seen there the day before! A deer leaped across the path in front of me. Another sign on a post indicated they were having controlled burns on the AT. "The purpose of the treatment is to reduce forest fuels, improve wildlife habitat, encourage oak regeneration and restore table mountain pine." Clearly the first plant to grow back is the fern. CNN and Blue Yonder arrived at the shelter while I was resting. CNN told me they have decided to leave the Trail tomorrow to return to TN to let Nancy's swollen ankle heal and get an x-ray to be sure it's not a stress fracture. They hope to go to Trail Days in Damascus next Saturday and return to the AT the first of next week. I have really appreciated their companionship this week, with AT70 off the Trail. CNN and I hiked from the shelter to our destination today, the Relax Inn, right on the AT. We had a buffet lunch, have done the laundry, showered, and now I am catching up on Mother's Day phone calls. Tomorrow my brother, Bob, aka Skiman, will arrive at the motel at 11 with my nephew Blair. I haven't seen Bob since January or Blair since last fall, so I am looking forward to tomorrow and my new hiking partner!
Date: 2007-05-14
From: US/11?vA683

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

My brother, Bob, and his son, Blair, arrived at the Relax Inn about 9:30 am. I congratulated Blair on his recent graduation from James Madison University and the job that he will start soon with Chrysler. We went through the food boxes to make our selections for the next 6 days and divied up what we would each carry. Then we packed a maildrop for Blair to mail to us ahead on the AT. Bob and I weighed in with our packs on and off. Our fully loaded packs weighed about the same, 34 lbs, which included 4 lbs of water. We said good by to CNN and I thanked them for a wonderful week as I transitioned from AT70 to Bob. They were going home for a few days today and get Nancy's swollen foot checked out. We said good by to Blair and wished him luck in his training in Baltimore. So,at 10:30, Catchup and Skiman, sister and brother, started hiking the Appalachian Trail together at mile 534.8. We arrived at the Davis Path Shelter and Skiman signed the register for us. We met a new Thru Hiker, O2 (for Oxygen). Today we went through farmlands and saw cows. We climbed over 10 stiles (ladders over barbed wire fences) and enjoyed the coolness of the Rhododendrum tunnels. Skiman commented about the many beautiful flowers. He met Bonafide with Bone and Wrongway. When we were getting low on water, we decided to fill up at a stream big enough for us to get soaked in. We purified the water and were nice and cool for the next few miles, wearing wet shirts, shorts and bandanas. We pressed on to the Knot Maul Shelter for the night, arriving past my bedtime, at 6:30. There are 3 of us in the shelter and probably 5 tenting. We have had an exhausting first day! I cooked dinner for the 2 of us while Skiman went to the spring for more water and did dishes. We're pooped.In bed at 8 pm. Good Night!
Date: 2007-05-15
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Four years ago on this date, my son Kevin (aka Tucker) started his Thru-Hike of the AT. Skiman and I were projecting where Tucker's hike would have intersected with ours. He decided around northern VA, near Big Meadows. Tucker averaged over 20 miles per day, whereas I am averaging 12. Today Skiman woke me up at 7 am. It was a luxury to sleep in. GW was leaving and made a comment to me that today was the first day he has gotten on the trail before me! I am an early bird! Today we had a steep ascent for 9 miles to get to the Chestnut Knob Shelter. We started at 2800', descended to 2250', then up to 4410'.The shelter is an enclosed stone home, with windows and a door. It used to be the firewarden's cabin. The fire tower is no longr here. Inside there are two sets of bunkbeds and a picnic table.The fireplace has been blocked off. We are at the top of a hill with a clear 360' view. Everyone who stayed with us last night has gone on to the next shelter, but we are enjoying being lazy today and welcoming another group of hikers including Midi, Matterhorn, Circuit Rider, Sherlock ,Yellow Shoes and Tree Whisper. A cute puppy with no collar has followed hikers for 10 miles to this shelter. They said they thought the puppy had been abandoned because there was a laundry basket with a towel in it nearby. The puppy is adorable, but we hope it will find its way home.
Date: 2007-05-16
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: VA615 Campsite
Miles today: 14.7

Skiman and I have decided not to return to Damascus this weekend to attend Trail Days. I hope that we will go next year, because it is something I have wanted to do for a long time. Since Skiman is new on the Trail, he doesn't have friends to connect with at Trail Days, so we decided to save our zero days when we can be with family VA through ME. It was very windy in the stone house shelter last night. We latched the door so it wouldn't keep blowing open. I woke Skiman up to look at the stars late at night. This morning, we left the shelter shortly after 6:30. The puppy had left before us, following Circuit Rider down the Trail. We stopped at the Jenkins Shelter and cooked our main meal there:lasagne and rice pudding with raisens. We enjoyed meeting Jerry from Australia, who started his Thru Hike April 11. Matterhorn was also eating a hot lunch. When we returned to the Trail Jerry spotted a big black snake on a rhododendrum, and I took a photo. The sky was treatening rain, so we moved quickly to locate our campsite. A cooler of Gatorade was waiting for us by the Local Methodist Church providing Trail Magic. I took a movie of Skiman and it took three tries to get me to work the camera correctly. Then, the skies let loose and it poured. Of course, Jerry and Matterhorn had their tents all set up! Skiman suggested we just set up his new two man tent, so we did, in the rain, and fortunately he knew what he was doing and it set up fine. I got inside and changed into dry clothes, while he went to the stream for a "bath". We are in the tent together with my food bag and our sleeping bags at 5:30, wondering whether to go to sleep or if the rain will stop!The rain let up, and we socialized with the hikers until 8pm, then called it a night. Nos (from VT) arrived later that evening to tent nearby.
Date: 2007-05-17
From: VA615 Campsite

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

Skiman and I woke up at 6:30. It was chilly from the cool night's rain, so we made hot chocolate and mulled cider. Many of my clothes were still wet and the tent was wet. We packed up know eventually we would make a clothesline on the back of our backpacks. We arrived at a road and decided to hitch into Bland,VA, 2.5 miles away. Three of us got a ride from a woman in a Bronco. Skiman and I got in the back with the seats folded down with the packs. I felt like college kids squeezing into a phone booth! She told us the difference between the black snakes we were seeing. The ones that run away are black Racer snakes.The ones that stick around are Rat snakes.I had a yummy grilled cheese sandwich with onion rings and a Klondike bar. Skiman engaged another customer eating lunch in conversation. They discovered they had both served in the Air Force at Hahn AFB, Germany. This kind man was recently widowed and told us about the airplane he was building in his backyard. This brief friendship resulted in him giving us a ride back to the AT for which we were very grateful. We had 11 miles to hike from our noon return to the trail to the shelter. The weather had turned warm with occasional breezes. We met Hiker Chick and Blue Meenie who were slack packing south. We got to the shelter at 5:30. Matterhorn, Tree Whisper,Jerry and Yellow Shoes are also with us. Yellow Shoes has adopted the puppy and has named him Chestnut, after the Chestnut Shelter.
Date: 2007-05-18
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: broken clouds

Skiman and I left at 8 am not sure how far or what we would do today. The terrain was very flat which was a blessing with Skiman's first blisters and a lttle heel discomfort for me. We climbed Brushy Mt(again). I think there are as many Brushy Mts as there are Main Streets! When we got to Kimberling Creek I asked Skiman to take my picture going over the suspension bridge. I handed him my camera, and he dropped one of his hiking poles into the Kimberling Creek, 20 ft below. Skiman said that he guessed that was the end of that pole. I scolded him and told him to get in the water and get it back! So, he undressed down to his shorts, ready to jump in. I suggested he get down to his birthday suit so he wouldn't have to wear or carry wet shorts the rest of the day, and he agreed! The water was cold, but the pole floated and he got it back. I gave him my 12" x 24" pack towel to dry off and we had a good laugh. Then, we went back up on the suspension bridge, for the photo originally requested. However, I wouldn't let Skiman wear his pack or take his poles on the bridge! Directly after the bridge was the choice to continue hiking 8 miles to the shelter or to walk .4 mi on the road to Trent's Store for lunch, phone, and possible tenting and laundry.The weather was threatening rain, so we asked the locals what the forecast was, and Skiman kept an eye on the cumulous nimbus clouds. We ate lunch, I sent Pocketmail journal entries home, and we decided to continue on the trail. So, we walked .4 mi back. We took the blue blaze trail to Dismal Creek Falls. I clearly remember these falls from the Apalachian Impressions video. I only wish it was a sunny 85' day to encourge us to jump in, but Skiman had all ready had his swim for the day. We compromised and soaked our feet for a few minutes. What a pristine spot! An hour and a half later, it had hailed 4 times and we arrived at the Wapiti Shelter, mile 605.5. The group that we have been with continues to be on our same schedule:Tree Whisper, Matterhorn, Jim E Crickett and Jerry. We are having a great time, and it hasn't rained....yet!
Date: 2007-05-19
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg VA
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: few clouds

It was very cold in the shelter last night. When I got up to go to the bathroom at 2 am, I realized I had not put out my headlamp. It was still in my backpack which was hung on a peg near a sleeping hiker. I could not get to it. So, I carefully walked away from the shelter in the direction I knew it was safe to "P".(You are not supposed to P in the privy.) As I was doing my business, I heard a snorting and a leap into the woods. I think a deer was near me, but I'll never know. I'm not sure who was startled more!I had on all my clothes last night, including gloves and hat. I went to Skiman's tent at 6 am to see if he was awake, hoping we could get going quickly because I was so cold. He was up and got packed in 45 min, the fastest yet. (It takes me 20!)While waiting, I boiled lemonade, so we could start the day with something hot in our bellies. The shelter we stayed at was at 2640'. We had a 1200' ascent first thing in the morning, and stopped for a snack at a scenic overlook. We watched the hawks and buzzards soar, as I got a lesson on thermals from my pilot brother. Throughout the day, he would look for the perfect hang gliding cliff. We then descended 2200'into the town of Pearisburg VA, where we hitched a ride to a local motel for the night. As I am writing this entry in the laundormat, a mile from the motel, Skiman is resting and waiting for his clean clothes! He'll take his turn sometime in the future! He has hiked 89 miles in his first 6 days on the AT and he is understandably exhausted. He has done so well!Ok,so a kind woman in the laundomat gave me a ride to the Holy Family Hostel to pick up our mail drop of food for the next week. However, it was not there! I did receive some nice letters and cards from neighbors and friends. Thank you so much! I particularly appreciated the toilet paper from Stephanie, since it would have been in the mail drop and we have none!So, I got a ride back to the motel and gave Skiman the clean clothes and disappointing news. We went out to supper and then grocery shopped at the Food Lion next door. We spent $66 on food for 5 days for the 2 of us. We tried to count calories and it amounted to about 2500 each per day, which is a little low. It was a challenge trying to find foods you can cook with only water that don't come in a can, serve two, are not microwavable,are packaged conveniently, etc. This was a good learning experience for us and we'll see how well we shopped. Our staples are Bumblebee chicken breasts in a pouch, peanut butter and bagels. Today is my 50th consecutive day of hiking! I am hoping to have my first zero day this week when my husband returns to visit Memorial Day weekend. I can't wait to see him!
Date: 2007-05-20
From: Pearisburg VA

To: Campsite after Symms Gap
Miles today: 11.9

The phone rang at 6 am this morning in our motel room, when we had hoped to sleep in for a change. Oh, well! Skiman went to the motel office to start his first Trailjournal entry. I wrote postcards and packed up. We went out for breakfast and joined Jim E Crickett. Skiman approached a man at the gas pumps for a ride to the Trailhead. He obliged and we were able to start hiking at 9 am. Pearisburg was at 1620' elevation and we climbed all day to a beautiful panoramic viewpoint for lunch. Then, we hiked on a ridge to a campsite at 3450', joining 501 (from MA) and his friend, Dave. We have the same beautiful view here as we had at lunch. It is a little windy so once again we are watching the birds soar.Tonight is Skiman's turn to cook. We are having Ramen Noodles, chicken breasts and fruit cocktail. Yum! Skiman,Dave and Matterhorn are playing frisbee with one Matterhorn found in a hiker box. Bonifide's dog,Bone, joined in the fun. There is a beautiful crescent moon tonight
Date: 2007-05-21
From: Campsite after Symms Gap

To: Campsite before Salt Pond Mt.
Miles today: 16.1

Early this morning I got up to, you know, do my usual business, and as I was getting out of my tent to put on my Crocks, I mistakenly put pressure on my tent pole and it snapped. The tent stayed up for the rest of the night. When I looked at it this morning the casing had ripped. To get the pole out, the casing ripped more. The pole is in 6 segments attached together with an elastic cord. So, I started the day wondering how to fix the break and the rip. Ductape? We packed up and started hiking. Now, where are my prescription glasses? Where else? In my tent hanging from the loop on the ceiling. The only problem was I stuffed my tent into the stuff sack and it's the first thing that goes in my pack in the morning. Everything else goes on top. I wore my prescription sunglasses today in the sun and the shade, and hoped my other glasses would be in one piece at the end of the day. Skiman said things come in threes, so I was all set. I forgot to mention that yesterday I sliced the tip of my finger with my jackknife at lunch! I have a bandaid on it with duct tape holding it on! Matterhorn saw a bear first thing this morning as soon as he left camp. Lucky guy!Our hike today started and ended at about the same elevation. We're at 4000' now. However, to get here, we descended to 2000'. We hiked on huge boulders for quite a while, on a tarred road for 1 1/2 miles, and then on little sharp flat rocks, just the right size to make you twist your ankle. We were the recipient of Trail Magic by following signs to the laundry basket in the river of soda cans. What a treat! We did stop at the Bailey Gap Shelter and saw Rafiki. He had just returned from Trail Days and gave us a report on his 4 days back in Damascus. He had a great time! As a bird lover, he confirmed that the bird Skiman and I saw this morning was a scarlet taninger. The 16 miles took longer than we anticipated. We arrived at the campsite at 5 pm, and were disappointed that it was small and sloping. Matterhorn was all ready set up. We wondered if anyone else would be coming. Next came 501. Dave had gone home with bad blisters. Then TKExpress(Kimmie and Trevor) arrived followed by new friends to us, Cheeks and Step Small. So, there are 6 tents, wall to wall, and they are all enjoying getting to know Skiman. I tried to get to sleep at 6:30 but my tent is caving in and it was fun to get up and greet the late arrivals. I found my glasses, right where I hung them, in perfect condition. Phew!I have not been getting cell phone connection this week. Matterhorn is going off trail tomorrow to meet his wife and has offered to call my husband, Richard, to ask him to meet us in Catawba Thursday night at the Homestead Restaurant. I don't know where we'll stay, but I know where we will eat. Lots of other Thru Hikers are planning their week around this restaurant's AYCE barbecue buffet which opens on Thursday.
Date: 2007-05-22
From: Campsite before Salt Pond Mt.

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: broken clouds

In our small sloping campsite last night there ended up being 8 tents. An owl woke me up hooting 5 hoots at a time, and he did it about 10 times, probably just to make sure we all woke up! Then, a little later, another owl came along that just hooted once. Then, after a long pause he hooted once again, etc. Finally, there was a third sound, which I presume was another owl, but he sounded like an elephant! In the morning, I woke up earlier than usual because my tent had caved in and due to condensation, the inside of the tent was wet and my sleeping bag was damp. Skiman and I were up and out before the others had stirred, just before 7 am. We were hiking in the fog. We signed the register at the War Spur Shelter about 4 miles down the Trail and enjoyed a can of soda from the Trail Magic left at a road crossing. We signed the "guestbook" as the note requested in the tupperware tub, and left our trash in their garbage bag. We shared an apple at White Rock overlook where there were huge slabs of rock with a beautiful view (when its not so overcast). At the Laurel Creek Shelter, we met new friends, M & M and Grasshopper, who are retired men. We found out they actually stayed at the same campsite we did last night, but they got in around 9 pm. After lunch, we heard thunder and wondered if we could beat the storm. We walked through farmland up and down hills, over stile after stile, watching the cows and watching out for the cow patties! We admired the Keffer Oak tree, which is estimated to be more than 300 yrs old. It is a white oak and is over 18 ft around. It reminded me of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house. When we got to blue blaze trail for the shelter and water, we were disappointed that it was .25 miles downhill, after a hard 16 mile hike up and down today. The alternative would have been to continue hiking 4 more miles but we were too pooped. After Skiman and I left our packs at the shelter, we followed the signs for water and found two old log cabins with roofs caved in. The stream nearby was poor and it took alot of effort just to fill one platypus. It is likely the crowd we stayed with last night, will not descend to this shelter, and that is smart! The thunder storm we anticipated never did materialize. There is a bird living in this shelter, perhaps feeding its young in a metal disc suspended from the ceiling. Below the disc is a string which hikers hand their food bag from to deter mice. We don't see a nest, or hear babies, but the bird is flying in and out and I'm sorry not to be able to tell you what kind of bird it is. Today completes mile 666 on the AT! PS All our group hiked down to the shelter, complaining about the steep grade and then the poor water situation. There were 12 people in our shelter, because it was too rocky to pitch tents.
Date: 2007-05-23
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today Skiman and I left at 6:30 and we hiked to the Niday Shelter. We met Kelby and his Grandfather who were out for a day hike. We showed Kelby how we purify water, send journal entries home with the Pocketmail composer, and talked with him about our mileage. The Mt Laurel was in full bloom. It was like walking in a flower garden most of the day.There were also flaming azalea and purple rhododendrum. We saw a deer, racer snake, and a rabbit. We took a blue blaze trail to the Audie Murphy Memorial. He was the most decorated veteran in WWII and was killed in a plane crash in this area in the 1970's. We went in swimming at Trout Creek, just a mile before the shelter. It was great to rinse out our clothes and scrub our feet. Many of us are planning to go to the AYCE buffet at the Homeplace Restaurant in Catawba tomorrow. We plan to meet my husband there after he gets his rental car at the Charlotte airport. Hurray!