morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-27
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: Troutville, VA
Miles today: 10.9

We weren't planning on staying the night in Troutville but the location of the services we needed were a bit further apart then we expected, our muscles and feet were exhausted, and just to get a shower it costs $9 a person at the truck stop! so we got a room at the comfort Inn for the night. Ahhh, a bath! It has been great to relax. I needed this although it puts a big dent in our $200 budget. I'm hoping that the rest will make it a bit easier to hike to Waynesboro.
Date: 2005-05-28
From: Troutville, VA

To: Cove Mtn.
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: broken clouds

As you can see we're back on schedule with our mileage. Amazingly today we left at noon and still hiked over 21 miles. The terrane was smooth so that allowed us to get the mileage we needed. It still was a hard day with our very full and heavy packs! As we leave town our packs are somewhere around 30-32 lbs for Blue Light and 50 for Bootz. We decided toward the end of the day (about 6:30pm) to split up so that Bootz could get us water and I could hike ahead the last 2.5 miles that we needed. We set up a meeting place and as I arrived at that point I found that there wasn't any place to camp. We I decided to move ahead a bit and at this point it's near dusk. Little did I know that I had to hike up this mountain. I thought for sure there would be a place a few feet up the mountain to pitch our tent, but to my surprise the entire mountain was covered with dense rhododenren (spelling) bushes and other dense ground cover. By the time I made it to the top of the mountain I it was really getting toward dark and I knew Bootz wouldn't think that I would go up that far. He would probably wait at our meeting place. But I had already climbed this 500ft mountain so I dropped my pack, grabed my head lamp and went looking for him. I was getting nervous and a bit scared and hated being apart from Bootz. I vowed never to do that again! Anyway, I hiked back down the entire hill and finally met him just as he was getting to our meeting place. I told him that my pack was on top and we were so glad to see eachother. All the griping we'd done with eachother that day was whiped away! So we climbed the mountain by the light of my head lamp and got to my pack (which was okay, no bear had found it!). We pushed ahead for 10-15 minutes until we found the first place to camp. It was dark now, we had to set up camp and still make dinner. Hanging the bear bag was an ordeal but all in all we made it through just fine. This experience instantly pulled us together! It's interesting how things like this really make you think about what is important. Oh, even though this story may sound dangerous, we do put safety first!We've decided to tent as much as possible as we sleep better that way and we can stop just about anywhere we want that is suitable for camping. Sometimes we need to haul water for a bit so that we can have enough for dinner but that usually isn't too bad. The rest was worth it though. We were able to catch up on sleep, watch a movie, and relax. The weather is nice, possible rain but so far so good.
Date: 2005-05-29
From: Cove Mtn.

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We are now crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway several times a day. That actually started yesterday but today was when we really got to see some views. It is neat to be hiking across the BRP when all I've done in the past is drive on portions of it in NC. Today began the first day that we had a huge climb to make. You'll learn in a few pages that we end up with these each day for a few days. We went down to our lowest point so far - 950ft and then had to eventually climb back up to 4225ft!!! Isn't that awful! Yes it was over many miles but still a 3000 ft climb. We thought GA was bad with the ups and downs but this is really tough. It also makes our challenge even harder because we have so many miles to cover along with the huge climbs. Our feet are hurting/aching which is normal I guess. We ended up at a tenting at a shelter no too far off the BRP. Nice place. It's interesting on the trail now because we have seen a real drop off in the number of fellow thru hikers we see each day. I guess we're between groups or maybe the number of people dropping out is increasing. Hiking as many miles as we are a day does lend us to getting ahead of others. I hear there is a big pack of folks still a few days ahead of us. ALso, we seem to be mostly hiking with other young married couples like ourselves. NEat!On a funny note, for those who know me well, I have a liking for Werther's candy. Our friend Cycle Hiker surprised me with a big bag of them as a thank you for getting him some items at Trail Days! Thanks Cycle.
Date: 2005-05-30
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 25.1
Weather: scattered clouds

This is our longest day yet! Yes the mileage above is true. The terrane was good aside from another one of those killer climbs. WE did however arrive pretty late. But before dark. We got a really early start, out by 6:45am, so that helped us along the way. We don't have to push too hard and can take breaks. WE arrived at this shelter which was pretty full. By the time we got our routine finished it was after dark and we were tired. We did get a late start though the next morning. It also rained some at night but we stayed dry! Rumor has it that the shelter is haunted! But the guy who stayed in the shelter said it was fine.
Date: 2005-05-31
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Hog Camp Gap
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

After a late start (9am) today brought fewer miles. Also our feet and muscles were tired from our 25 mile day yesterday. We get frustrated (and other hikers do too) with our guide book by Wingfoot. The information is often misleading. He'll list two points at the same elevation but won't list that you have climb all the way down one side and back up the other. Plus we get frustrated with the AT clubs in some areas because they route the trail up and over these huge mountains for nothing! It would be okay if there was a view of some other interesting thing at the top but no one wants to climb 2000ft to go up and over and back down again. I can't tell you how many of these we've encountered. Anyway, we arrived at this beautiful field with swings in the trees and large trees. I looked at Bootz and said "Can we stop here?" I knew we hadn't hiked our 20 miles but I was dead. So we set up camp and for the first time in several days we stopped before 6pm and enjoyed a few hours of rest. We did decide though to get up and going real early the next day so that we could hike further.
Date: 2005-06-01
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Three Ridges
Miles today: 25.7

Now this is our longest day! I can't believe I'm saying that after just writing it a few pages back. We began discussing how we are going to meet our goal of being in Harpers ferry by next Friday. We decided that if we could push a few more miles today and tomorrow we could get into Waynesboro on Thursday night. THat would allow us to get a few miles in on Friday and reduce the number we'll need to hike each day next week. We also have much lighter packs since we've finished most of our food. We had another killer climb today but we were lucky to encounter some trail magic just before the climb! The local Sierra Club for Nelson County, VA had a tent set up and they were cooking burger's with all the fixin's. We loved it! A nice way to relax for a bit. Since they had had a slow day with not many hiker's they had lots of extra food that they wanted us to take. We left with 2 burger's for later and 2 beers! As I mentioned several entries ago, beer and hiking don't mix for us. We'll we only needed to go about 5 miles from the location of the trail magic, but once again we had trouble finding a place to camp as we hiked up these series of 3 mountains and 3000ft. It was again getting towards dusk and I was getting nervous but we kept at it and amazingly reached the summit and found a great place to pitch our tent. We warmed the burger's over our stove and I had the beer! For all the work it took, it was a great way to end the day!It did rain a bit that night but we slept great.
Date: 2005-06-02
From: Three Ridges

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: light rain

Yuck!! Today we had horrible weather ( I guess it could be worse though). It rained and poured all day! We were soaked to the bone and cold. WE did however meet our goal of getting to Waynesboro by Thursday pm. Actually we amazed ourselves by getting into town by 4:30pm!! We hiked like crazy. Barely stopped (too cold and wet). The terrane was much better and we didn't have one of those killer climbs as we finished that up the night before. We found a great place to stay at the Grace Lutheran Church hostel. They just opened up the hostel a few weeks ago. They provided us with showers, towels, a great large space in the fellowship hall to sleep and dry our stuff. They even had lots of food, coffee, hiking supplies, movies, a phone!! This is paradise for a hiker! We went to the all you can eat chinese buffet for dinner. We had been thinking about it all week. WE left with very full bellies but we were happy. After a movie and some social time with other hikers we settled in for the night. Today (6/2) we have spent the day doing laundry and hanging out at the library. We were able to get our mail drop last night and do our shopping. We've weren't able to meet our $200 portion of the challenge. We'll be over by just a little bit but we decided it was worth it to leave with a full stomach today. We've actually done pretty darn good with the challenge so far. We'll be leaving soon to get a few miles in today. It has stopped raining! Thank goodness. Our next stop is Harpers ferry where we can't wait to see our family!! We also hike into the Shenandoah National Park today. It has been said that the terrane is smoother.....famous last words...we'll give an update next week. We want to send a special thank you to our parents: Bonnie, Carol, Dick, and George for your kindness and amazing support throughout our hike. Whether it is sending our mail drops, making fleece summer sleeping bags, buying almond butter, updating online pictures, keeping things going with our properties; our families are amazing. Thanks for your love and support! We love you all very much.
Date: 2005-06-03
From: Waynesboro

To: Calf Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

We awoke to more rain today but as the day continued it dried up! Thank goodness. I'm not sure we could take another day in the rain. We decided to leave later in the day so that we could get some rest, do errands yet still get some miles hiked. We spent a lot of time at the local library. Checking email and updating the journal. We are so computer dependent these days and it is a great service that the local libraries have free access. Waynesboro is a very hiker friendly town. They have a group of 15 or so volunteers who are 'on call' to shuttle hikers around town or to/from the trail. The trail is about 5 miles outside of town so to have this service is awesome. We got a ride back to the trail from a gentleman named Norman who has ties to NC. His late brother went to UNC and his wife is still a big UNC supporter. Unfortunatly we will miss Hiker Fest which is tomorrow. Waynesboro throws a BBQ party and then takes hikers to a local movie theater. We entered the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) as we left Waynesboro. We have to register and get a permit to hike through the park. You must have the tag visible on your pack at all times. We're looking forward to this section through SNP because it should be a smoother (less big hills) trail. We're hoping to have an easier time with the miles. We made it into our shelter by 7-7:30pm. We spent a few minutes talking with a couple of hikers who just started a large section hike and were having some trouble. We gave them some tips and we hope they are still hiking! Our packs are HEAVY!!!!!!!!!!!! We have so much food and my mom sent us 2 fleece sleeping bags to use for the summer. Since we didn't want to mail our regualar bags home (instead we will send them back with family from Hapers Ferry) we had to carry both sets of bags! Actually, Bootz is taking most of the load because I'm maxed out.
Date: 2005-06-04
From: Calf Mtn Shelter

To: Ivy Creek Spring
Miles today: 22.5

Its official, Bootz has found the upper limit on the amount of weight he can carry. The 7 miles yesterday weren't too bad but when we began our regular amount of miles, wow did we feel the extra heavy packs. He struggled in the beginning part of the day, his pack is almost busting at the seams. He even said that we need to try and find a place to send some things home. We're both eating more food too because of the increased amount of weight. Although that helps to decrease our pack weights, it means that we won't have enough food to get us to Harper's Ferry. We are in our last week of the challenge. Our spirits are still high but we're ready to be done with the challenge so we can see our family and take a few days off. The SNP has proven to be a gentle hike so far. We only expect for it to get better. In the SNP there are several places where you can either get to a campground that has showers, a store, grill, etc or to resturants. They border the trail and although we were trying to stay on a $200 budget, we have decided that it will help with our pack weight (and the amount of food we need) if we eat a few meals along the way! Yeah! real food. We did make it out of Waynesboro with only having spent $212. So I call that a success. Now we'll spend a little bit more.We met a trail maintainer near the end of the day who gave us a tip on where to stay the night. Although it wasn't 'allowed' we ended up having an excellent water source and a safe private spot for the night.
Date: 2005-06-05
From: Ivy Creek Spring

To: Bearfence Mtn Hut
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: light rain

We are getting up at 5:30am most mornings. The weather is getting hot and we like to have some time to relax during the day and still hike a lot of miles. The bear situation has really increased since we entered SNP. They are everywhere, although we haven't seen one yet. That changed today! At just about the 900 mile mark we saw our first, huge black bear. It just stood to our left and looked at us for a bit and then ran away. We didn't freak out, actually it was pretty cool. We tried to get our camera but by the time we got it the bear was too far away. We found that a campground with showers was located just before the shelter we planned to stay at tonight. We decided it would feel great to shower and hike slowly (so we don't sweat! ) to the shelter for the night. When we got to the showers we found that they cost $1 for 5 minutes and took only quarters. We'll we had money but no quarters. Ughh! Luckily the guy who works at the campstore made change for us even though they were closed. I can't even say how good that shower felt!We were the only people who tented at the shelter and it was kinda nerve racking because the folks at the shelter had a visitor bear just before we got there. Then the entries in the shelter register spoke of various bear encounters. Even one bear who stepped on a tent. We hung everything that smelled in our bear bag. They provide tall poles to have the bags from. Bootz had a small pile of rocks and his Leki pole sitting just outside the tent just in case. We had no problems though, thank goodness. We did hear the folks down at the shelter shooing something away during the night!
Date: 2005-06-06
From: Bearfence Mtn Hut

To: Byrds Nest #3
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: few clouds

Yummy second breakfast at a resturant! We got up and going around 6:30 am and decided to hike to the first location where we could walk a short distance to get a hot meal. The best pancakes! We eat so much out here. It was hard to believe that 3 hours after we ate our regular breakfast that we were ready for another one! But both hit the spot. We found too that we could hike 9 miles from our breakfast spot to a lunch spot! So off we went, just needed to get there before 2:30 when they closed. We saw another bear along the way. You can hear them stomping in the woods. It really sounds a lot different then deer or other animals. They are so heavy that the sticks break under foot so you can tell if one is near. They do mostly stay away from people because they get scared of us. So we try not to yell or throw things, just watch and they'll go away.We made it to Skyland resturant for lunch. this place was a bit 'nicer' than the last one but they still took us stinky hikers in and gave us a table We even got dessert! Cobbler!We spent the night near a day use shelter that was 'off limits' but we felt safe there because a storm was threatening and the bears were everywhere. we still slept horribly because of the sounds in the woods and my legs and feet were aching really bad from the long miles. We decided to sleep in a bit the next morning and try and get to the next spot that we could buy coffee. Just 4 miles or so away.We say yellow lady slippers flowers a few days ago. They are a rare orchid and I'll have pictures up soon.
Date: 2005-06-07
From: Byrds Nest #3

To: Hogwallow Gap
Miles today: 21.2

Neither of us wanted to hike this morning! Bad night sleep and tired bodies. Can't wait to end this challenge. The coffee place was closed. Ughh, just when we needed it. But there is one more spot today that we can get a bit to eat before we leave SNP. The hike today was tough, we are drained. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. We're not too impressed with SNP. We heard that the views are awesome. We don't really agree, we've seen better. Maybe it's a good place that is close to folks from DC etc who can't get to the larger mountains further south. The trail is smoother which is nice but the bear situation makes it harder to find a place to tent. The shelters are located quite far from on another so it makes it hard to get to one. The water locatios are often scarce. And they have this problem with huge flies. They are everywhere! Sometimes it seems like they think we're dead with the way they swarm on us.
Date: 2005-06-08
From: Hogwallow Gap

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 24.8
Weather: clear sky

 We met a new friend "Tri Guy" a couple of days ago. We've been hiking some with him. It has been nice to meet some new faces. Since we are hiker faster and longer days we're catching up to folks ahead of us. That means new people to meet and catching up to some that we know but who moved ahead. We left SNP today and now there are shelters everywhere! We stopped for lunch at this great place the Jim and Molly Denton shelter. It was new and had a great bench seat, a spring fed shower, and hose for water. If we weren't having to do these long days we would have called it a day right then and stayed. It has really gotten hot on the trail and it is really humid. We fill so yucky and sticky by the end of the day. Actually we usually begin sweating by 7am! That makes for a long 12 hour sticky day. We do wash off in streams along the way and clean up at night as best as we can. Its going to be a long hot summer!
Date: 2005-06-09
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Pigeon Hollow
Miles today: 20.3

We again had a hot day of hiking. Today we started the 'roller coaster'. This is an extended portion of the trail that takes you up and over several mountains. One after the other. Steep climbs with steep downhills. We'll as the name implies, it was a roller coaster and it was pretty tough. After having such smooth terrane in SNP, these hills were awful and the heat/humidity made it worse. We had to take lots of breaks and get lots of water. We found that about .3mile off the trail toward the end of the day was a pub that we could walk to. Since this was our last full day of hiking before we got to Hapers ferry we decided it was time for a treat. So Tri-guy and us went to the Horseshoe Curve. We got there around 4pm and within minutes it started to pour outside! As we ate our hamburgers and homemade fries we enjoyed chatting and getting out of the rain. Today is our last over 20 mile day that we have to do in order to get to harpers Ferry. It has been a long hard challenge but we are so proud of ourselves for making it. Tomorrow we'll have about 18 miles to complete. The roller coaster should be almost over and then it should be smooth sailing into town!We finished up dinner, it stopped raining, it cooled off a bit and the bugs went away. No problem finishing up a couple of miles before we found a great place to camp for the night next to a stream. We slept good but we are anxious for tomorrow.
Date: 2005-06-10
From: Pigeon Hollow

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke at 4:30 but made myself sleep until 5:30. I could taste hapers ferry. We made really good time. We arrived by 1pm. That's great for 18.5 miles. We didn't stop much. It was really hot and humid. The trail was a bit easier but as we neared the end the trail was full of rocks. It is very hard to hike on the rocks. They make planting your feet tough and they hurt the balls of your feet. Plus they slow you down. There is poison ivy and oak everywhere. We're not highly allergic but both of us have small patches of it. WE MADE IT!!! CHALLENGE COMPLETE!! SUCCESS!!! 400 miles in 20 days. The first week we thought it wasn't possible but we were determined and took it one day at a time. Our feet and lower legs are pretty sore but the rest of our bodies are fine. We're glad to be here and can't wait to see our family. We visited the Appalachian Trail Conference Headquarters. They take your picture and you register as having made it to the almost half-way point. We are thru-hiker numbers 241 and 242. There were 1300 or so that began in GA and as of now that is about how many who have made it this far. They say 10% of those who start finish. We'll be one of them. The actual half-way point is about 80 miles north of here in PA. We'll get there sometime this week. It is amazing how far we've come, 1009.2 miles!!! We have grown closer every day and we love the challenge of the trail. But when it all comes to an end we'll be ready to begin our next projects. We have reservations at a local hotel, so after our trip to the ATC HQ we headed there for showers. Unfortunatly our rooms weren't going to be ready until 3pm so we had a few hours to wait. They did have a lunch buffet so we went crazy with that for awhile and then rested a bit before we got a shower. I decided it would be a good idea to get our laundry errand done before the family arrived so that there was one less thing to do with them. I ended up meeting a trail angel in town who let me use his laundry and he took me to the store so we could get a few items. All in all, a very easy errand. Bonnie, Jim, Maw Maw, and Ike arrived around 7pm. It was great to see them!! It's been almost 3 months. We chatted on the porch for awhile before realizing that it was almost 9pm and we hadn't had dinner. We went to a local place and had a nice meal. Bonnie brought us lots of stuff from home (mail, computer, etc) so we stayed busy with that.