morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Lynn Camp Creek

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up in a rain forest this morning. I don't think it rained during the night, so I guess the dew was really heavy. Everything was soaked, which sucked. A wet tent/tarp means a heavy pack.The hike started with a small climb, then followed by a tough and long climb up to Chestnut Knob. On top was a four sided stone shelter. The summit is most bald and offers some great views. One of the best is the view down into a valley to the west. The valley is actually surrounded completely by ridgeline. So it's more of a crater than a valley. It is known as God's Thumbprint. I felt so blessed to be there to see it.I ended up spending at least two hours there. The sun was out and there was a stiff breeze. So I managed to dry out my tarp while soaking up a few rays.After leaving Chestnut Knob the trail followed the ridge northward over some rocky terrian. The rocks made for some slow hiking.Just under 4 miles to the shelter I came to a road crossing and decided to wait for Ladybug (who was close behind) and Bear. After they arrived, Ladybug suggested hitching for a soda. While I didn't mind the idea iof a cold soda, we were on a dirt road. There was a guy waiting there for a friend who was sick and a good distance back. He told us that he had been there for two hours and only one car came by. Just then I heard a truck coming up the road. Ladybug jumped up and got the guys to stop. Turns out they were going into the valley to the General Store for a burger and then going back. So not only did Ladybug manage to get us a hitch to the store but a ride back as well.Soon we were being wisked off to the store, where I enjoyed an ice cream sandwich, an ice cream cup, a bag of Doritos, two hot dogs and a soda. Wow, what a dinner! That sure beats the normal hiker stuff.Ladybug also got a bunch of sodas and Cracker Jacks as Trail Magic for those behind us. A really nice gesture for our fellow hikers.As quickly as the trip into town, soon we were back on at the trail. There were a few hikers at the road crossing and the sodas and food realy made their day. It's always nice to see someone's expression when given such small and simple things.The last 3.8 miles to the shelter seemed as if it would not end. It was mostly downhill, but just went on, and on, and on. Finally I arrived at the shelter area and secured a secluded spot for our three tents. Unfortunately at that point it was a race to beat the rain, which we could hear rumbling in the distance.It's a good thing I'm not hungry, because I would not have gotten dinner made before the rain arrived. I did manage to get the tarp up and everything inside. Now, it's sprinkling as I type away. Oh, it's stopping or at least slowing down. Time to get water and hang the food.Tomorrow is a short day, under 14 miles. I'm looking forward to that!
Date: 2004-05-26
From: Helveys Mill Shelter 

To: VA606
Miles today: 16.3

The day started out fairly easy. The trail pretty much followed an old logging road across the ridge to Jenny Knob Shelter, which was 9.8 miles into the day.The bad part of the day is that my feet were really hurting by that point in the day. Until recently I've been able to hike 16-17 miles before my feet would start to hurt. That has decreased significantly in the last few days. I'm also experiencing a pain in my left big toe. Anytime I load up weight on it, ie pushing off going uphill or rolling onto it coming downhill. I'm wondering if it's a stress factor.Anyway, I loaded up on Advil during our two hour lunch break at Jenny Knob. That helped make the last 6 or so miles bearable. It also started to rain while at the shelter. Another reason for our long break.Once the rain stopped the forest became a sauna. The humidity was really high. So the last few miles to VA606 seemed to drag on.The plan for this evening was to head to a small grocery store that allows camping and has showers. As it turns out they also have laundry too, all for the price of $5. I'm so happy to have clean, dry clothes for a change.The store also serves food as well. So after eating my normal hiker dinner, I headed off to the store for a pizza.It has been raining on and off since getting here. I hope it stops and we have a dry night.
Date: 2004-05-27
From: VA606

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

Man, did it ever rain last night. Fortunately, none of the rain which fell came into my tarp. Of course that doesn't mean I stayed dry. When I button things up completely condensation builds up on the inside. Normally that is not a problem, but I've discovered that in heavy rain it is. The large rain drops hit the outside of the tarp and knock the condensation loose. So it's like a fine mist or light sprinkle in those conditions. So my sleeping bag got pretty damp. The good news is that I was able to dry it in the dryer prior to leaving this morning.The sky was overcast and some lingering rain drops were present when I crawled from the tarp. Bear and I ran to the store for breakfast which was pretty good. Then we got packed up.The trail for about 3/4 of the day was a stream bed, with water flowing down it. Impossible to keep my shoes and feet dry. Fortunately the trail didn't have many difficult or steep sections.Soon after hitting the trail again, Bear and I arrived at the Dismal Creek Falls. I'm so glad I took the time and energy to walk the .2 miles off the trail. All the rain made for some really gushing falls.Around noon, we got to Wapiti Shelter. I pulled out my tarp and set it up with the hope it would dry. Since I was there for almost two hours, it did dry out making the pack much lighter.After the shelter the trail climbed up onto a ridge, where there was a great overlook. It looked north and I could many of the ridges that we'll be walking on soon.Oh, after being on the trail for about an hour the clouds cleared and the sun was out. It felt so good to see blue sky and have sun all day.The walk to the shelter took us past the road to the famous "Woods Hole Hostel", but in an effort to get into town early in the morning Bear and I pressed on.Now we are at the shelter. Big change from Knot Maul, as there are only three of us here tonight. I'm so glad that group thinned out!Tomorrow should be a fairly easy day into town. Then comes the town chores. We also plan to take a zero day as well. Much needed rest for my aching feet and toe. Which by the way, the toe still hurts, but drugs are keeping that pain to a minimum.I didn't get a good night of sleep last night, so I'm heading off to bed. Tomorrow is another day.
Date: 2004-05-28
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

Got up this morning to the sound of rain on the shelter. Shortly after that Ladybug arrived at the shelter. She was slacking back into town.So reluctantly I managed to drag my butt out of the sleeping bag and pack things up. I beleive it was about 8:30 when I got heading north again. I was pleased to find the trail followed an old logging road for 3 to 4 miles. It then crawled up a steep, but short section to the top of the ridge.The view from Angel's Rest was really nice and provided a nice view of Pearisburg. I've been to Pearisburg back in 2002 and I was able to spot many of the landmarks in town.I rolled into town about 11:15 and hiked the one mile to the hotel. I was really tempted to stop at the DQ for some ice cream, but I wanted a shower even more.After the shower, I was looking to put some damage on the Pizza Hut buffet. However, by the time we all had showers, we missed it. So we went across the street to a Chinese food buffet instead. Not nearly as good as some others I've been to, but did hit the spot.For dinner, Ladybug had Steve West from Hospice of Cinncinati in for a visit. That is part of her charity. Steve took Ladybug, Bear, myself, Kipp and his girlfriend next door to the Sports bar for dinner. The food was pretty good, the beer was even better, but the service was pretty poor. It seems every place we go has crappy service. Is it just us, or is it just the south?Many beers this evening, now it's time for bed.
Date: 2004-05-29
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Not much to report today in terms of hiking. There was no hiking done today. A zero day was in order to rest, relax and take care of some chores.I got my summer gear along with my maildrop and had to send home some winter gear. Paying bills (online) was in order too. A majority of the remainder of the afternoon was spent by the motel pool. It felt so good to lounge and do little to nothing. Well, I did catch up on email.That's about it for the hiking and chores. The injury report has my toe still hurting. I have done some research and it appears that the pain I'm experiencing is not the same as a stress fracture. That was good news to me. However, the pain is still present. That makes things a bit uncomfortable.Now, for another update... When I decided to come out and hike the AT, I knew it was a roll of the dice as to whether or not I'd get the time to complete a thru-hike. I'm on a leave of absence from work right now. I had grand hopes to be laid off prior to my leave being over, which would give me the 5-6 months needed.Well, I needed to have my 30 day notice by this week for my time to go uninterupted. Unfortunately, I did not get notice. That means my hike will soon come to an end. The unanswered question now is, when will I go home? That I'm not sure of at the moment. I'm going to play that by ear. I still want to get some trail miles, but need some time to assimilate back into society. I also need to pay attention to the pain in my toe. So time will tell when I head home.
Date: 2004-05-30
From: Pearisburg

To: VA635
Miles today: 22.0

Today was another slack pack day. The weather was calling for rain all day. That makes for a rough hike and rough sleeping. So the idea of getting miles in today and coming back to a warm shower and dry room was an awesome plan.Ladybug, Bear and I got a ride out to VA635 to start our hike. Back in 2002 I did the section from Peearisburg up to Daleville. Fortunately, I remembered much of the trail, because at first it was a bit confusing which direction we needed to go. So we managed to get heading the right way.As we climbed up onto Peters Mtn the thunder and clouds rolled in quickly. I was happy that the rain held off until we got on top of the ridge. Climbing up really sucks with raingear on! However, when the rain did roll in, it really started to dump. The rain today was a cold rain too. While it did make things a bit more comfortable in my raingear, Bear did not bring any. So he was a bit cold this morning. In fact he had to keep a pace just under a jog to stay warm, since he was soaked. I was pretty pleased when the rain stopped. I caught up to Bear soon as well, since he no longer had to jog to keep warm. Then we reached the mid point for the day, Symms Gap.At Symms Gap, I took a short break for some water and wring my socks out. Also there was Jolly Time, who was heading to Pine Swamp Shelter.Not long after leaving Symms Gap, Bear and I made it to Rice Field Shelter, were we quickly ate our lunch. At the shelter was Austin and Froggie Pete. About 30 minutes later the rain started and soon after hikers started to arrive. Red Beard and A^2 were first. Then T and Blue, followed by Tara. By that time the rain was coming down in buckets. Ladybug also arrived as well, but she only stuck around for 10-15 minutes.It was nice to spend some time with that crowd of hikers, they are so funny. They all decided to stay at that the shelter rather than press on. That means the crowd will still be behind us, unless they put in some serious miles.After an hour and a half lunch, Bear and I decided to pack up and head out. Just before leaving Bear spotted a trash bag in the corner which he converted to a rain jacket. The crew at the shelter liked Bear's new fashion. They wanted to see him model it, which he kindly did. A little hip sway and everything. It was hysterical! It happened so quick I didn't get a chance to take a picture. So you had to be there to enjoy it.The hike back into town went rather quicly and soon I was back in Pearisburg. The 22 miles were hikd in about 9 hours. Nothing like my 6 hour flight into Damascus, but it was pretty quick.Off to do laundry again since things were pretty muddy today. The off for some dinner at Pizza Hut. A little TV. Now time for bed. Tomorrow brings another hiking day.
Date: 2004-05-31
From: VA635

To: VA42
Miles today: 18.5

It really sucks to get up and see it raining outside. That's what happened this morning. I guess it takes walking in the rain to get to Maine. It's just that the rain is getting so annoying. I do realize the rain we '04 hikers have seen is nothing like last year, but nevertheless still makes it rough.The hike today was actually fairly easy and the rain did stop just after we started hiking. As I mentioned before, I have hiked this section two years ago. I'm finding intering that I do remember most of the trail. Also interesting is that I'm not finding it as difficult. I guess that should be expected. Two years ago I had a pack that weighed too much and I was really out of shape. Not that I'm in shape now, but I have hiked a lot of mils to get here. Now a 1200 foot climb is a run of the mill and an average grind.I stopped at War Spur Shelter for lunch and takd up on water. The climb up to Kelly Knob was indeed a butt kicker, but not nearly as bad as two years ago. There was some trail magic at the road crossing just before the top.The view from Kelly Knob was really nice, but we had to push on quickly to make it to the VA42 road crossing.I guess all-in-all my Memorial Day holiday was rather pleasant. I guess any day I stay dry from the rain, is a good day. Tomorrow is suppose to be a sunny and rain free day. I sure hope that forecast is correct.Time to get things ready for the hike tomorow.
Date: 2004-06-01
From: VA42

To: Pickle Branch Shelter 
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Ladybug wanted an early start today, so it was really rough getting going today. I'm simply not a good morning person.The weather today was absolutely wonderful. It was kind of cool (70's), the sun was out and there was a breeze to keep us cool as well.The downside to the day was the 19.9 miles we hiked with full packs. That in turn put a hurting on my feet in general, but my toe really felt it today. Until today the pain was simply dull and not too noticible. Well, today on occasion I knew it was there and hurt pretty good. So that's the injury report. If this keeps up, I might be going home in Daleville. Been there, done that. It was my section hike two years ago that I ended in Daleville, due to injury (knees). Of course that was after much less miles than this go around.Oh, also there is something I'm allergic to around here. Last night I had my left eye swell up and was really itchy. With my eyes giving me problems, I can't wear my contacts and I'm back to glasses. Hiking in glasses sucks!The terrain was pretty nice and there were a couple good views and also the Audie Murphy Memorial. I was surprise yet again at how much and detailed my memory of the trail I have two years later. What surprised me even more was that the hike seemed much easier. Don't get me wrong, I was sucking wind on the climbs, but I was able to grind the whole way to the top without a break this time.Tonight we had hoped for shelter spots. Actually we could have squeezed into the shelter, but opted to tent. There are three guys in the shelter, and the three of us would fill it up. That would be a little confining. I just hope the weather man was right and we have a clear night!!Guess, we'll see how things go... Tomorrow should be another rough day with 3 climbs. The good news is there wil be at least one good view from McAfee Knob (that is if it's not raining). Hope the feet and toe feel better in the morning too.
Date: 2004-06-02
From: Pickle Branch Shelter 

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

The wind blew hard all night, which caused pine needles to keep falling on my tarp. I thought it was storming all night. I was pleasantly pleased to see the sun out when I awoke.After packing up a dry tarp, the trail led up to Dragon's Tooth. The climb wasn't too bad, but seemed to drag on and on. It was a long 3.5 miles for some reason.Once getting to the top I waited for Bear before going down to see Dragon's Tooth. We both climbed up on the rock outcropping and had our pictures taken.The trail off the ridge was really steep. It reminded me of the White Mountains. There was even a spot that had steel rods pounded into the rock for steps. Geez, it was interesting.The first time I hiked this section I had my first touch of trail magic at the VA624 road crossing. There was a cooler with sodas and sandwiches there. There was also a chair to sit and enjoy the treats. So, on the hike down I was explaining all this to Bear and hoping for a repeat. Unfortunately at the spot, we found nothing. So we decided to hike the .4 miles to the store for our treat(s) and wait for Ladybug.When we got to the road there were some kind people there doing trail magic. They were VA Creeper, Two sticks, Waterboy and No-name. They had deli sandwhiches, hot dogs, chips, soda and of course a large cooler of water. Bear and I enjoyed their hospitality while waiting for Ladybug. Soon she arrived and endulged in lunch as well.After an hour and a half it was time to go. We had only hiked 6 miles in 5 hours. Not too good considering we wanted to put in a 16+ mile day. Just then our hosts offered to take our packs up to the VA311 road crossing (6 miles ahead). That certainly helped our progess for the day.The day was pretty hot and the inpromptu slack was great. Before long I was at the 311 crossing and I was reunited with my pack. At the road Bear and I waited for Ladybug, but she didn't show in the 15 minutes we waited.From there I hoisted the pack and headed north. A mile from the road I encountered the new Johns Spring Shelter. Man, what a nice shelter. Wish they were all like that! This new shelter replaced the old all metal Boy Scout Shelter. After a quick autograph in the shelter register, time to move on to the next shelter.Bear and I had dinner at Cataba Mtn Shelter and waited for Ladybug. Our plan was head to McAfee Know for sunset then hike the .7 miles to Campbell Shelter.As we finished up dinner, Ladybug showed up. She apparently got lost back on the other sie of 311. However, she ran into a day hike who pointed her in the right direction.The hike up McAfee wasn't too bad, as I made the 1.5 miles in 30 minutes. The view from the summit is so great and made the climb worth it. Unfortunately the sunset wasn't that great as there were some clouds in the way.Next we were scooting down to the shelter were I am now. Got here just at dark. Time for bed.
Date: 2004-06-03
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: few clouds

Got up this morning and quickly packed up with the intent of getting to town. I had hoped it would be a quick and easy trip. From what I remembered from the section hike it shouldn't have been all that bad.Well, the hike to Tinker Cliffs went quickly and I was rewarded with a fantanstic view. I sat and soaked in the beauty for about 30 minutes or so.Then I was off to the next shelter.The forest leading to the shelter had a nice floral smell in the air. It was a really nice change. At the shelter I had some snacks and got some water.There was about 9 miles left to get into town.Unfortunately, those 9 miles seemed to drag on and boy was it hot. To complicate that, there was no water to be had until town. The ridgeline had few trees and the sun was beating down.Both Bear and I managed to reach the 220 road crossing about 3:30PM. So much for a quick trip to town. After getting some Gatorade at the Gas Station next to the trail, we made our way to the Motel. We found out that the Best Western has changed it's name to Howard Johnson. Same place, different name.I'm looking for a day off. I hope that helps the feet and toes. Time will tell I guess.
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Daleville, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

It's amazing, but I've been hiking the AT now for two months now. It seems like yesterday that I was boarding a plane for Atlanta. All-in-all this trip has been really great, I've seen a lot of great things along and I've met soo many great people!Today was a rainy zero day. I took care of my town chores. Part of that was a trip to the outfitter. Bear needed a few things and I needed Aquamira.While there I stepped upon a scale. I'm down about 30-35 pounds since starting this adventure. That is a lot of weight, but I needed to lose it.Ladybug's husband is in town this weekend, which means we have a vehicle to transport us. So tonight we went to The Homeplace restaurant. What great food!! I say it's by far the best dinner I've had on the trail.Tomorrow we go back to hiking so it's time for bed. Hope the toe holds up.
Date: 2004-06-05
From: Daleville, VA

To: Bearwallow Gap
Miles today: 20.2

Since Ladybug's husband, Bruce is in town that means a slack pack day. So we were taken out to Bearwallow Gap for a hike back into town.The trail was fairly easy and paralleled the Blue Ridge Parkway for quite a way. The weather was cool and the clouds were really low, which blocked many of the views from the overlooks.I made it to Wilson Creek Shelter shortly after noon for lunch. At lunch I heard about some homeless lady who stays at the next shelter. I thought that was a bit strange. After lunch was a pretty rough climb up to the ridge that Fullhardt Shelter is on. I stopped in at the shelter for a break to rest the feet. I got to see who I believe was the homeless lady. So I guess she does exist. She was there talking with another thru-hiker. Nothing else to report there.The toe was really hurting today. My naproxen prescription made it bearable and got me back into town. I guess that is good and bad. Good that it makes the pain seem to go away. And bad that I have to take a bunch of drugs to make it tolerable.Will wait to see how things progress tomorrow before making a decision to continue on or head home.