morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-02
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 12.6

I slept well despite the snoring etc at the shelter. I ate breakfast and left at 7:30. The hike over Brushy Mtn and Glade Mtn was rocky and tedious. It rained most of the day. I enjoyed my visit to the Old School House at the Settlers Museum. I took my first fall while going down a slippery wooden ramp at the end of a nice board walk. The only injury was a bruised ego. Joe Kick Ass was on the trail a short distnce from US 11 with trail magic. The rain did not deter Joe. He was grilling hamburgers and hot dogs and had a cooler of beer. In addition to Joe was his girlfriend and parents. They had come down from Illinois to help celebrate Joe's birthday. Ten to fifteen hikers were enjoying the treat. I checked into Relax Inn at 1:30, picked up my food drop, showered and did my laundry. I ate dinner with Greg, Old Goat and Ck 6 at The Barn restaurant. The food was good. At my hotel room I watched the weather channel and was ready for bed. I talked with my wife and there were a number of problems at home that needed my attention. The primary issue was dealing with my retirement funds. My financial advisor for the past 35 years resigned from Wachovia Securities and joined the Merrill Lynch staff. There were papers to sign and decisions to be made re allocation of my funds etc. I was packed and ready to hike the following morning but reluctantly decided to leave the trail. I had planned to hike another 10 days to Daleville but that can wait till later.
Date: 2009-05-03
From: Atkins, VA

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 0.0

I thought about the issues all night and with a heavy heart confirmed my decision to get off the trail. It is not fair to place all the pressure on my wife. In addition, the weather forecast was for heavy rains for the next week so it was not going to be pleasant. I ate breakfast at The Barn with Greg, Old Goat and Ck 6 and told them about my delima. Greg was also going home, his wife was picking him up,but this was all he planned to hike. I arranged a shuttle with the motel owner to Damascus, picked up my car and proceeded home.
Date: 2009-09-27
From: Atkins, VA

To: Atkins
Miles today: 0.0

A fellow hiking friend,Doug Hale,called me a couple of months ago and wanted to hike a section of the AT with me. I made an itinerary and discussed it with Doug. He wanted to keep the average hike at 8-10 miles per day which was fine with me. We left my home early Sunday and drove to Atkins,VA; my section hike in the spring terminated at Atkins. Our destination was the Happy Hiker Hollow Hostel in Atkins. We arrived @ 3:30pm and were greeted by RamBunny and Aqua. They bought a home that was built in 1842 and was sold to them by Warren Doyle.Aqua had done a great job rennovating the old house. Their dogs, Gypsie and Angel met us in a very friendly manner. Doug and I had private rooms with a large comfortable bathroom which she stocked with nail clippers, lotions, shaving cream,toothpaste etc; every need most hikers would want or need. RamBunny cooked a delicious dinner, shepherd pie, green beans, salad & cornbread. We planned a slackpack hike for the next day.
Date: 2009-09-28
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins
Miles today: 11.6

I woke up @ 6am and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee while Aqua prepared breakfast. He cooked French Toast,Eggs, Sausage Patties, Hash Browns, Biscuits and homemade Jam. Again it was AYCE. Fred, a friend of Doug's, met us @ the Barn Restaurant and we shuttled our cars to Mt. Rogers Visitor Center. We started our hike at the Partnership Shelter. Initially we hiked in light rain and it was very windy but soon cleared. We stopped @ a creek just prior to Chatfield Shelter and had lunch. We also stopped @ the Settlers Museum and School House and took a tour depicting the hardships early settlers in SW VA had to endure. The settlers were primarily German and Scotch Irish. I saw thee snakes on the trail, two Black Snakes and one that might have been a Rattlesnake, Fred said he saw rattles. Fred left his car @ The Barn, so he drove me back to pick up my car.RamBunny prepared another big dinner, Beef Patties,Cheese Potato Casserole. cooked Carrots and Raisins and a Salad. Pooh Bear, a south bound thru hiker, checked into the hostel and joined us for dinner. He had three helpings!She also served Keylime Pie. Pooh Bear's hiking companion, Mighty Mouse, was to drive in late that night. They are from Maryland.
Date: 2009-09-29
From: Atkins

To: Crawfish Valley
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I had another good night of sleep @ the hostel. For breakfast Aqua served pancakes, eggs, sausage patties, hash brown potatoes, fresh cantaloupe and rolls with gravy.Pooh Bear again impressed us with his appetite. Mighty Mouse did come in last night and joined us for breakfast. RamBunny shuttled us to the trail in her van and we began our backpacking portion of the hike. Early we passed through a nice green meadow with a gentle slope uphill. We passed the old Davis Path Shelter which had been torn down and now is only a platform and privy. The climb up Little Brushy Mtn was not too bad and we decended down into Crawfish Valley. The weather was windy and cool but no rain. The camp site was about .3 miles off the trail and was nice. Three thru hikers joined us, twin brothers and "Guy with a Dog" with his dog. They witnessed a horrible accident a few days earlier. A fellow hiker's dog was hit by a car and killed in Pearisburg. They were depressed and concerned re their friend. I ate a freezer bag meal, mashed potatoes with cheese and mixed vegetables; it was good. We enjoyed a campfire and retired about 9pm.
Date: 2009-09-30
From: Crawfish Valley

To: Knot Maul Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept well in my 15 degree bag. I woke up at daybreak, ate oatmeal for breakfast, packed up and left camp @ 9:45. Fred was slow; therefore, he wanted to get a head start on us. I told Fred to turn @ the Big Walker Mtn Trail sign and to stay on the orange blaze Crawfish Valley Trail till he reached the AT. He said that he would wait for us @ the trail junction. When Doug and I arrived, there was not any sign of Fred. We shouted & blew our whistles to no avail. After a few minutes we assumed that he had tired of waiting and began going up the AT. Big Walker Mtn was a steep climb and I knew would be strenuous for Fred; about 80 percent up the Mtn I told Doug that I would go back down the Mtn to look for Fred for peace of mind. About 15 minutes down, I found Fred. He said he went past the AT and continued for a long distance down Crawfish Valley Trail, remember the camp site was only .3 miles off the trail. He decided he had missed the trail, so he came back and missed the trail junction again and realized he was wrong when he came to our camp site. He turned around and this time,the third attempt, he recognized the AT trail junction and started up the Mtn. When I found him he told me the story and concluded that since Doug and I were not at the trail junction that WE had erroneously gone up the Big Walker Mtn trail and that WE were LOST!The three of us climbed up Brushy Mtn and arrived at Knot Maul Shelter @ 3:15. There was a good water source about 400 yrds on left side of the shelter.After a good camp fire and fellowship, we decided to sleep in the shelter but not well. Fred was a big time snorer.
Date: 2009-10-01
From: Knot Maul Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Not a good night of sleep due to Fred's snoring. Doug actually moved out of the shelter during the night and slept on the ground. Again I was up at daybreak and had oatmeal and coffee again. I have enjoyed my MSR filter with coarsely ground Eight O'Clock coffee. It has a better flavor than my instant. We had a 600 foot climb up Lynn Camp Mtn and later had lunch @ USFS 222. I ate Smucker's Uncrustables which are individually wraped peanut butter and grape jelly sandwhiches. They can be found in the freezer section @ the grocery and I have had no problem with them staying fresh even five days out. I also eat dried fruit and a Buddy Bar(Nutty Bar) by Little Debbie. Backpacker Light Magazine stated that it is a good dense food ie # calories for a light weight. The second week I ate tortilla wraps with peanut buttter , jelly and raisins as a wrap. It is difficult to find the uncrustables in small grocery stores. Sams and Costco sell them, 18 for about $8-9 and they are 2.8 ozs size vs 2.0 ozs at a normal grocery.After lunch we had a 2100 foot climb up Chestnut Ridge. There was plenty of water the first mile but dry after that. There was a pond about 400 yards south of the shelter but the water, even after being filtered, looked like tea; I presume fron tannic acid. I collected my water at a spring fed pond 1.8 miles south of the shelter but had to carry it strapped to my pack. The heavy weight on the back side of the pack when leveraged made it tough.I arrived first @ the shelter; it is stone with four walls and a door. Very nice inside also with platform beds and a picnic table. The views were 360 degrees and beautiful. I enjoyed cooking and eating my meal,spaghetti, inside with the cold wind howling outside. No one joined us that night and we did have a nice sunset.
Date: 2009-10-02
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept well last night, Fred was on the far side of the shelter and the noise of the wind combined with the distance,I was not affected by his snoring. I had cheese grits for breakfast weth my coffee. After leaving the shelter, I descended 1.2 miles to Walker Gap which is the last source of good water from the north side of the shelter. I passed three southbounders, Curse, Little Dipper and Professor. Later I met another SB who had a full white beard, He was from CA and was my age( maybe I am biased but he looked older). I also passed "Goggles" and he had terrible BO and also quite a reputation on the trail for being strange. Neville(Woods Hole) and RamBunny(Happy Hiker) tried to help him. He was homeless and did not have a sleeping bag, adequate clothing or food for the cold weather that he was about to face. They gave him a pack, sleeping bag and clothes.I hope he will be safe.I ate my lunch @ The trail which led to Davis Farm Campsite. I saw 6-8 deer on my way to Jenkins shelter. Shortly after arriving @ the shelter I saw a large Black Bear crossing the blue blaze trail to our water source about 60 yds from the shelter. We obviously stayed alert but saw no further signs of the bear. Two section hikers came into the shelter, Marv(MillMan) and Buddy(Old Bull). They were very nice and I hope to arrange a time that we can section hike together next spring.I ate Pasta with Sweet Red Peppers by Mary Jane and it was tasty. We had a good camp fire despite a light drizzle most of the night. At times the rain was hard but we were dry in the shelter.
Date: 2009-10-03
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

I did not sleep well last night. I was too warm in my 15 degree sleeping bag. I was cold out of it and warm in it. I should have brought my 30 degree bag with my silk liner and thus could have used the liner on the cold nights.Oh well, I will learn.I ate oatmeal and was on the trail by 9am. Our destination was the Big Walker Motel in Bland for a hot shower, laundry and to get our resupply boxes. The sky was clear blue and sunny. The trails were foot friendly, pleasant and passed through a beautifull hardwood forrest. I arrived @ highway 52 @ 2:15 and called the motel for a shuttle but Bubba had left only a few minutes earlier to go hunting. I was walking to the road to hitch and Aqua drove up in his truck. He was called to pick up another hiker so he gave me a ride to the motel. Doug came in later abd was able to hitch a ride easily. Fred told Doug that his knee was hurting so he was able to get a ride from one of the forrest service roads and obtained a shuttle back to the hostel. He left in his car so I did not see Fred again. The hot shower was terrific but there was not a laundry @ the motel or anywhere in town! Therefore, Doug and I washed our clothes in the tub and hung them on a fence outside of the motel. I was able to watch the last 5 minutes of the Alabamma/Kentucky football game but it had been decided by that time in Bamma's favor. We ate at the Dairy Queen which was across the street, bought a beer at the service station and went back to our room to watch the Auburn/Tennessee game. I went to sleep during the fourth quarter.
Date: 2009-10-04
From: Bland, VA

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: few clouds

Needless to say, I had a very good night of sleep at the motel. Doug and I ate breakfast at the DQ again. I had pancakes, bacon and hash brown potatoes. I bought a sausage and egg biscuit to eat later on the trail.Bubba was available and gave us a ride back to the trail which we definitely appreciated, it would have been difficult to hitch a ride early on a Sunday morning.WE were back on the trail by 9am. We passed 5-6 SB hikers but the only name that I remember was LB for Laid Back. The trail was rolling soft and easy but very few views.I ate my sausage and egg biscuit at 11am and it was wonderful. I arrived @ Jenny Knob Shelter at 3pm. The water source was a small puddle but was spring fed and thus clear. "Root Beer Float" from GA stayed with us at the shelter for the night.We had a pleasant conversation with him. I ate Lasagna and was in bed by 8:15. We did have another good camp fire.
Date: 2009-10-05
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Dismal Creek Falls
Miles today: 8.4

Another good night of sleep, I still had an issue with being too hot in my bag but finally went to sleep. We had a light rain early in the evening but heavy after midnight. No problem staying dry in the shelter. I woke up about 7 and the rain had stopped. Oatmeal and coffee for breakfast. We hiked up Brushy Mtn(again) and stayed on a ridge for several miles. There were some rocky areas and also a lot of poison ivy. The suspension bridge over Kimberling Creek was neat, so we stopped and took a few pictures. We turned left on VA 606 and went 0.4 miles to Trent's Grocery. My initial plan was to stay in their campground so we could shower and do our laundry; but the campground was full of hunters. The bow season for deer started a few days earlier. We decided to order pizza and beer and proceed on to the first suitable camping site. About 2 miles up the trail we took tthe Dismal Creek Falls trail and found a nice tent site with a fire ring and close to water. My guide book did not list water being available but the entire ceek was only 100 yds from our camp. Therefore, we carried extra water unnecessarily.I saw a large black snake just before the falls. There was plenty of firewood,so we enjoyed another camp fire before retiring to our tents. The weather was clear but still a little warm for sleeping (in th low 50's).
Date: 2009-10-06
From: Dismal Creek Falls

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: broken clouds

I did not get into my bag last night. I simply used it as a cover and was more comfortable. I had the same breakfast and was slow getting out of camp because it was to be a short hike to Wapiti Shelter. The trail was almost completely flat, covered with leaves and wound through the hardwood forrest on an old road. There was a light rain early but was pleasant to walk in. The woods were quiet except for a few birds and the chatter of squirrels. Autumn was on its way, a number of the leaves were beginning to change color and fall like rain drops, very pleasant. Wapiti Shelter is a famous shelter. In 1981 a male hiker was shot to death and a female hiker stabbed 18 times at Wapiti Shelter. A book, Murder on the Trail, was written about the incident. The killer lived in Pearisburg and pled guilty. There was a plea bargain because most of the evidence was thought to be circumstantial. The orginal shelter was torn down and relocated to the present site and is technicantly Wapiti II. The killer was released after about 15 years to his home in Pearisburg and last year he shot two men who were camping and fishing at Dismal Creek. They were not hikers; although injuried significantly they were able to escape. Their description of the attacker led the police to arrest the same man but while fleeing in his truck he wrecked and died of a head injury the following day. There was a documentary about the whole affair on TV, I saw it and believe it was on Sixty Minutes.A SB hiker,Red Beard, from Chatanooga came into camp and stopped only for a "snack" which consisted of two sandwiches, trail mix, a snicker bar and several other things. He was hiking 25 to 30 miles per day and liked to hike late into the night with his headlight. I ate Black Beans and Rice(Mtn House), had another camp fire and went to bed early.
Date: 2009-10-07
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 6.2

I slept resonably well in spite of being spooked by the history of Wapiti Shelter. Wapiti means elk, what a shame to associate such a heinous crime with a beautiful, majestic animal like the elk. There was a heavy rain about 5am but had stopped when we crawled out of our sleeping bags. We were excited about our next stop at Woods Hole. A number of the SB hikers encouraged us to stay and the registry @ the shelters also had glowing compliments. There was a steep climb out of the shelter to the crest of Sugar Run Mtn. The remainder of the trail was rolling and was a comfortable walk. I arrived at 1pm and was greeted by Neville(Tillie Wood's granddaughter) and Michael. Neville showed me to my room that Doug and I would share. There were two choices,the bunkhouse with mattresses in the loft of an older building or to pay extra for a room. Doug and I opted for the latter. Tillie Wood operated the hostel for 21 years until her death a few years ago. The Wood family had the cabin rennovated, Doug and I estimated at least a hundred thousand dollars. Foe example,we had a lavatory with a granite top and copper fixtures in our room. The cabin was not only comfortable but beautful. Neville did our laundry, she provided internet, phone and movies at night. The bunkhouse was still the original structure but they plan to convert the solar shower to electricity in the future. For a small fee the bunkhouse hikers can use the indoor shower and restrooms.Neville prepared spaghetti with a salad and home made bread. Ice cream was our desert. "SixSrings", from GA, came in after dinner but in time to enjoy the ice cream. We went upstairs to our room for a comfortable nights sleep.
Date: 2009-10-08
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

After a very good nights rest, we had coffee and Neville served us fresh eggs, grits and sausage for breakfast. We relunctantly left the hostel at 10am. Neville gave all three of us a lift to the top of the road to the trail. SixSrings went south and we headed north. The hike to Pearisburg was great with a number of good views of th farming valley around the town. Angels Rest was a good stop with my camera. I had excellent views of the New River and the town of Pearisburg.After a long descent down Pearis Mtn I came to VA 634 and Aqua was waiting for us. I dropped my pack and continued down the trail while he waited for Doug and they picked me up at The Rendezvous Motel. We picked up two more hikers at Bland and headed back to the Happy Hiker Hollow Hostel. They were a father and daughter from Colorado and he came to complete a 30 mile section that he missed on his thru hike last year due to illness.RamBunny had prepared another good meal with Pecan Pie as desert. After a good shower I went to bed.
Date: 2009-10-09
From: Pearisburg

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

As expected I had a comfortable night of sleep. I woke up to a pot of hot coffee. Aqua served another great breakfast,pancakes,sausage, hash brown potatoes and biscuits.Doug and I said goodby to our hosts and had an uneventful drive home to the Bedsole Shelter.
Date: 2010-04-24
From: Birmingham

To: Woods Hole
Miles today: 0.0

I am updating this journal from home. It is March 17, 2011. As you will soon read, I fell and injured my left knee the second day and had to get off the trail in Daleville. I was so depressed about my misfortune that I neglected to write up my journal after returning home. I will leave in a month with my new friend Gerda from Munich,Germany We will pick up our hike in Daleville the first of May and hopefully,this time make it to Harpers Ferry. April 24,2010. I left Birmingham at 7am to begin my next section hike on the AT. I plan to start in Pearisburg and hike to Hapers Ferry. My destination today is Woods Hole Hostel just outside of Pearisburg VA. It was a 9 hour drive with me arriving at 5pm, just in time for dinner. Neville and Michael do a great job with the Hostel and also accommodating the hikers. We were served a delicios dinner and they topped it off with homemade Amish Ice Cream. Fourteen hikers were staying for the night, First Man, Magellian, Hollywood, Red with her boyfriend and several others.Nevlle assigned me to the loft bedroom. I had the joy of sharing my bed with Neville's two large Labrador Retrievers. They were on top of me and would not move; it was a little crowded but I slept well anyway.
Date: 2010-04-25
From: Pearisburg

To: Ricefield Shelter
Miles today: 6.8

I woke up in the hostel at 6am, had a hot shower and enjoyed a big brekfast, grits, eggs and sausage. My plan was to drive my car to the Howard Johnson Inn in Daleville, VA and leave it at the motel. Michael agreed to shuttle me back to Pearisburg. He let me out at the Rendezvous Motel, the portion of the trail I got off of last year. I started hiking at 12 noon and had a 1600 foot climb up Pearisburg Mtn. The combination of the climb, 70 degree weather, a pack weight of 46 pounds and me not being in great shape made it difficult. My next supply was 7 days aways, so I carried 14 pounds of food. Once I topped the Mtn, it was not too hard. I arrived at Ricefield Shelter at 4pm. There was a 40 percent chance of rain; therefore, I elected to stay in the shelter. I enjoy freezer bag cooking and ate a rice and chicken dinner. I met several hikers at the shelter-Shel Lep, Gerda(from Munich,Germany), Ken and Flying Turtle. We built a fire and had a peaceful evening.
Date: 2010-04-26
From: Ricefield Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

I woke up at 7am, cooked oatmeal and was on the trail by 8am. It did indeed rain last night, I was glad to be in the shelter. I began my hike in the rain wearing my rain jacket but was able to take it off in about an hour.There were a few showers off and on the rest of the day but nothing too bad. Todays mileage was 12.5 and resonably flat. I felt stronger and had no problems with the hike other than my fall. It was drzzling rain and I was hiking downhill and knew that I was close to the shelter;therefore, was looking for it. I did not see a flat rock that was wet and slimy. Suddenly, I slipped on the rock, falling forwards and had a hard landing. My left knee struck another rock. I lay on the ground for a few minutes to assess my injuries and the only significant one was my knee. I got up and hobbled a few hundred yards to the shelter. I applied a cold compress, took 2 aleve tablets and was able to walk well enough to prepared dinner and gather my water. Shel Lep and Gerda were at the shelter. Flying Turtle came by and stopped briefly but decided to proceed to the next shelter. We built a fire and enjoyed each others company til bedtime. My knee was very swollen and tender but I was hopeful that with care it would improve.