morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-09
From: Chestnut Knob shelter

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

We had hard rain last night. It was really nice, being warm and cozy inside that stone building, listening to the wind lashing the rain across the metal roof.Today was not an easy 10 miles, like it looked on the map. Maps lie...It was 10 miles of rock scrambling. I can't make any kind of time at all on a trail where you have to plan every step. Others coming into the shelter were complaining about it too, and a bunch had taken falls. At least I stayed upright!This shelter has a very interesting privy. I think I have mentioned the open-air privies out here, with just a plywood screen on one or two sides. This one has no screen at all, just a platform with a toilet on it. On the other hand, the smell is minimal.See you on the trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-10
From: Jenkins shelter

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today was long in miles but the trail was very good, in part because a bridge was washed out and we had to take the "high water route". The water is not high right now, in fact Virginia is experiencing a drought, but the bridge washed out in a flood that followed a hurricane a couple of years ago. The high water route followed the path of an old logging road, so it was smooth, with gentle ups and downs. Even I can make good time on a trail like that!Five of us got to the road into Bland at the same time, and a local dude in a pickup truck gave us all a ride down into town to the local Dairy Queen, where we managed to give strong support to the local economy! It's amazing how much a bunch of hikers can eat once they get to town.I sent half of my last mail drop here to Bland so that I wouldn't have to carry so much food (food is heavy), but since today is Saturday, I have to wait here until Monday when the post office is open to pick it up. So I am comfortably ensconced at the Big Walker motel, up a very steep hill from the Dairy Queen. I have washed some clothes out by hand, but there are no laundry facilities here in Bland, and the motel will not allow us to do it in their laundry. There are several of us here, and there are clotheslines strung everywhere!See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-12
From: Bland, VA

To: Helveys Mill shelter
Miles today: 2.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a very short day because it was noon by the time I picked up my maildrop, got it sorted and packed up, and got shuttled back to the trailhead. The next shelter beyond this one is another 9.8 miles, and I didn't think I could do that far leaving this late in the day.I tried to send my journal updates from Bland but the phone there wouldn't work to send the emails for aome reason.I saw another deer today, also an orange salamander or newt. These things are about three inches long and so bright orange they're almost florescent.This shelter is about 0.3 miles off the Trail. Unfortunately, that mileage does not count towards total mileage.There are 4 other hikers here tonight, a married couple and two solo hikers like myself. Only two of us are in the shelter; the others are tenting. But we had a nice fire this evening and sat around for a while socializing.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-13
From: Helveys Mill shelter

To: Jenny Knob shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a fairly easy hike across mixed terrain with only little ups and downs. At times it looked like it might rain, but it held off, and then finally cleared up.The only problem with this shelter is the water source is about half a mile away, downhill, which means uphill with the filled water bag. But another hiker took pity on poor tired old me, and got water for both of us. I had been told that if I looked older that some of the young hikers would do stuff for me, but this is the first time it has happened. Have I visibly aged in the last few days, I wonder?See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-14
From: Jenny Knob shelter

To: Hwy. 606 (Trent's)
Miles today: 6.5

This was a short day, but if I had gone on to the next shelter, it would have been 14.2 miles, and that is still more than I can do in one day. We had moderate ups and downs, but nothing really major, so I got in here fairly early in the afternoon.The most interesting thing today was a suspension bridge across Kimberling Creek. It was fairly long, and I was well out onto it, when I thought I was having an attack of vertigo, because it felt like the bridge was moving. Then I realized that the bridge WAS moving; that' what suspension bridges do!Right after the bridge was Hwy. 606, and 0.4 miles down the road is Trent's, a country store with a campground. For $6, a hiker gets a tentsite, a shower, and laundry, all things precious to hot sweaty dirty hikers. They also have food and beverages available for sale. I got my shower, did my laundry, then went back up the lane to the store, where I bought a double bacon cheeseburger, got a large bag of chips and a 24 ounce beer for just over $5. There is one other hiker tenting here tonight; the young man who got me my water last night. This is definitely not a luxury resort, but for $6, including laundry, I don't expect it to be!See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-15
From: Hwy. 606 (Trent's)

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

This morning started foggy, but the fog lifted while the two of us packed up, and the day was sunny and warm. I stoked up with 2 sausage and egg biscuits, orange juice, and coffee from the store, then hit the trail.A couple of miles up the trail, there was a side trail to Dismal Creek Falls, 0.3 miles. So I stashed my pack beside the Trail, and took the side trail to the falls. They were more a cascade than a fall, the water running over wide rock ledges, and quite beautiful. There were several great campsites down there, the river for water and swimming, and I admit to being just a little peeved at Wingfoot (the writer of the guidebook I use) for not mentioning that camping was available there; it would have been a much more pleasant campsite than Trent's.The rest of the day was just easy ups and downs; the big climb to the ridge comes first thing tomorrow. It is about 1500 feet up over about a mile.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-16
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: clear sky

Today started with a big (about 1500') climb, then mostly ridge-running. After the climb, it was good trail, and I was making good time. So when I crossed USFS Road 103 at Big Horse Gap and saw the sign announcing that the hostel was at the next road crossing, in 1.6 miles, I figured that I would be there in a little over an hour, relaxing on the porch of the hostel after a nice hot solar-powered shower. Well, that 1.6 miles was all rock-hopping, so it took a lot longer than an hour for me, but it was sure worth it.The hostel is 0.5 miles off the Trail. It is operated for a couple months each year by a fantastic lady named Tillie Woods. She and her late husband, Roy, found this homestead in the early 1940's, when Roy was doing a study of elk in the area. Roy passed away here in 1987 (Tillie told us that he went up the stairs to bed, singing "Amazing Grace", and died in his sleep that night), but Tillie continues to keep the hostel open, with help from volunteers. Her grand-daughter Neville is helping her this year.I'm not sure how many years Tillie celebrated on her last birthday. I've heard 88, and 90, and if someone asks her, she says she's "pushing 100". She is sharp as a tack, and has wonderful stories to tell about the days when Roy was doing his elk study, and when he was Assistant Secretary of the Interior in the Carter administration.Neville has a degree in fine art, is an artist, and is also a licensed massage therapist. There are four of us here tonight, and all of us took advantage of the opportunity to get low cost massages. Sure felt good!The other hikers here tonight are Conquered, Dr. Dobee and his wife, Alki. All four of us are older hikers, so we have a lot in common. The hostel is in an old barn, with the loft section set up with mattresses for hikers. Tillie lives in the old log house on the property -- truly beautiful.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-17
From: Wood's Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today, Tillie and Neville offered to slack-pack the four of us to Pearisburg, and we eagerly took them up on the offer. (Slack-packing is hiking with no pack, or with a very reduced weight pack). They took our stuff into Pearisburg for us, leaving mine at the hostel run by the Catholic church there, and the other's at the Rendezvous Motel. I did carry my pack, but all that was in it was water, snacks, and my camera.Conquered left right after breakfast, in a hurry to get to town before the post office closed. The rest of us hiked together most of the day. I learned a couple things today -- what kind of leaves are the best to use for toilet paper in case you run out, and what chestnut tree foliage looks like. The blight that killed the American chestnut killed the trees, but did not kill the roots, so the roots still send up new trees each year, which live for a few years before being killed by the blight.The trail was rough and rocky, but not nearly as difficult with no weight on our backs. There were great views from several places along the trai, and then a long steep descent into Pearisburg. While I wasn't staying at the Rendezvous Motel, the owner, Brenda, gave me a ride over to the hostel. Pearisburg is very spread out, and the hostel is almost 3 miles, most of it uphill, from where the trail crosses the road.The hostel is located behind the church, on top of a hill, with great views from the porch/deck. It is an old barn that was moved here, remodeled, and turned into a hostel, with kitchen, baths, and living area downstairs and sleeping upstairs in the loft. There are several of us here tonight. Bill, who manages the hostel for the church, came by in the afternoon, and a couple of guys who I had met on the trail, J-man and John McEnroe, are working on an addition to the hostel. Got some funny pictures of them fighting off wasps with a big plastic baseball bat...There is a trail to a superWalmart down the hill about .3 miles, so I went down and got some fixings for supper. The trail goes through a hayfield and some weedy areas, and after getting to the store as well as back to the hostel, one needs to check carefully for ticks.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-18
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Zero day in Pearisburg.Today is Sunday, and since the hostel at which I'm staying is on the grounds of the local Catholic church, and they're having special festivities today, including a chicken dinner, I decided to be a good girl and go to Mass.It was extremely interesting. The priest here also pastors a Vietnamese congregation in Roanoke. The priest is fluent in Vietnamese, having spent a long time in Vietnam during the war there. His Vietnamese congregation came up for the festivities today, and the Mass, including the homily, was bilingual. Then after Mass, they had a procession to four altars that had been set up outside, with prayers at each altar. Little girls, in their first communion dresses and veils, led the way, sprinkling rose petals (fake) on the ground. Next was a group of little boys. Then the priest, followed by four men carring a litter containing the Consecrated Host in an ornate container, then the congregation.After the procession was completed, we adjourned to the lawn, where chicken had been grilled, and members of the congregation had brought pot luck accompaniments, of course including Vietnamese dishes. Two of us staying at the hostel had attended Mass and were invited to share in the meal. It was delicious, and AYCE (all you can eat), the hiker's favorite.When dinner was finished, we were entertained by a group of young Celtic dancers, who were very good. There were a bunch of them, apparently all one family.Certainly not the church experience I expected in a small town in Appalachia!See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-19
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero day in Pearisburg.Tomorrow I'm being shuttled north to Rocky Gap, and hiking south back to Pearisburg. I did this in Damascus for much the same reason, to avoid carrying so much food. Another hiker is being shuttled at the same time, Rickles McPickles, although he is slackpacking to another road crossing and being picked up there. Rick is from Kirksville, MO, very close to where I grew up, and he even knew where Laddonia is! In fact, he told me that a biodiesel plant is being built there! If so, that would be good news for my sister and me, because we are still trying to sell our late parent's house there.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-20
From: Rocky Gap

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: scattered clouds

A very short day today, but the next shelter is another 8.8 miles, and it was late when we got started.It was nice hiking with Rick for that short distance. Usually I'm hiking by myself, only seeing people when they pass me on the Trail, or in the shelters at night.And we had an adventure of sorts. On the bridge crossing Johns Creek, we ran into a mess of yellow jackets. I got stung twice on the hand, and since I'm allergic, it was scary until I knew I wasn't going to have a generalized reaction (I do carry an Epipen). Rick, who somehow mananged not to get stung, stayed with me, and put warning signs on the bridge; we had found the nest under the handrail.We went on from there to the shelter, where we socialized briefly and shared a snack before he hiked out to meet his ride. He is slackpacking, trying to recover from shinsplints.Shortly after he left, another hiker I knew, Stoker, came along and decided to stay there as well. I had met Stoker way back when; at the time he was hiking with Straw and Locomotive Joe (of "Going to a Hootenany with Granny Franny" fame). He had also been at the hostel in Pearisburg when I arrived there. Weather mild and pleasant, clear to partly cloudy. No animal sightings today, except for the yellow jackets and other assorted bugs.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-21
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today, the summer solstice, is Hike Naked Day. I hiked clothed, because a) the bugs are bad enough without being naked, and b) nobody wants to see this old body anyway, LOL.The hiking was fairly easy today; either that or I'm finally getting into shape. I stopped at a shelter 3.9 miles from here and wrote about my sorrow in not seeing any naked hikers so far. I had no sooner gotten back on the Trail, when to my surprise I saw one! It was also someone I knew, Camel, and he had tucked a bandana in the hipbelt of his backpack in front, so he was "shielded". His wife, Little Billy Goat Gruff, hiking with him, was not naked. It shows you who has the sense out here in Mosquitoville, the men or the women!See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-22
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: clear sky

I learned one thing today... Although I can do 12+ mile days, I still shouldn't try to do two in a row. By the time I dragged into this shelter, I was worn out, and I still had to go almost a half mile and back for water. Water, when distant from a shelter, is always downhill, which means you are carrying the full (heavy) water bags back uphill.Lots of deer in the woods today. I do see deer almost every day now, but they seemed to be everywhere today, even right around the shelter.Tomorrow will be a shorter day, thank goodness, with a lot of downhill, back into Pearisburg.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-23
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I arrived back into Pearisburg early in the afternoon, stopping once again at the Rendezvous motel and begging a ride from Brenda, the owner. Once again, she was happy to do it, and refused to accept a donation. She's good people...There are several of us at the hostel, and it looks like rain, so probably everyone will be sleeping inside tonight. When the weather looks fine, some people either sleep outside on the deck or set up tents on the grass.The lawn here was at one time a cemetary, but few of the graves are marked in any way, but you can see the slightly depressed areas in the grass. Some of the folks here were spooked by the fact that they had their tents set up over someone's grave, but since I was staying inside anyway, it didn't bother me.It's nice here; we have a full kitchen, a library, and showers/flush toilet. What luxury!See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-24
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero day in Pearisburg.It stormed last night; thunder and lightening and a downpour. The weather forecast is for more of the same through the first part of the week, so being the weenie that I am, I'll wait it out here! There are several of us here, and we are mostly staying put, rather than hike across exposed ridges during electrical storms.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-28
From: Pearisburg

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Short day today, but nice to be hiking again. My driver was not able to shuttle me until mid-afternoon, so only walked three miles to the first shelter along the trail. The weather was beautiful, the forest rather drippy from all the rain the last several days. Don't have to worry about the springs being dry!Lots of berries are ripe. Delicious hiking!See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-29
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was a fairly easy day, with a climb towards the end of the day. Lots of walking across pastures with stiles (I hate stiles). One was attached to the Keffer oak, a huge old oak tree that is one of the largest along the trail. We have a number of huge oak trees in Savannah, where I live, but not many this size.This shelter is 0.3 miles off the trail, and some people don't like to stay here because it is 666 miles from Springer Mountain, and they associate that number with the devil. I'm not particularly superstitious, and no devils bothered my sleep here. Mosquitoes, yes, devils, no!See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-06-30
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: John's Spring Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a very difficult day.Quite a bit of the trail today was the kind that I don't like, across rocks that slope to a steep drop-off. I'm not partial to exposed heights. I was sitting on one, trying to get up enough nerve to stand up and walk across it, when another hiker came across me. It was Gomo, a woman from New Hampshire who is finishing up the trail this year after section-hiking it. When she gets back home, she will have done the whole thing.She encouraged me to stand up, trust my boots to hold on the rock (it wasn't slippery), and somehow got me across. She is a faster hiker than I am (isn't everybody?), so went on ahead.I caught up to her at the Niday shelter, shortly after a fall crossing a blowdown on the trail. I thought for a few minutes that my arm was broken, because it hurt to wiggle my fingers, but gradually it got better. She was staying there, but I had decided to go on to the next road and hitch into Catawba to eat at the Homeplace restaurant, where supposedly they have some of the best food on the trail. It is only open Thursday thru Sunday, and a lot of hikers plan their week in the Catawba area around getting to the Homeplace.I had no trouble getting a ride right to the Homeplace. I hiked up their drive, to find a sign that they were closed for vacation. Some other disappointed souls in a car, gave me a ride back to the trailhead on Hwy 311. This cut out a portion of the trail that I will have to pick up another time.So instead of eating an all you can eat meal, served family-style, I'm eating a Lipton's side and drinking Gatorade...Tomorrow is McAfee Knob, one of the most photographed places on the trail.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-07-01
From: John's Spring Shelter

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 3.4
Weather: few clouds

Short day today, because I wanted to get pictures on McAfee Knob, and nobody was there when I arrived to take mine, so I took my stuff to the next shelter and left it there and returned to the knob. I'd like to be here for sunset, but hiking in the dark is something that I don't do.The view from McAfee Knob was excellent, truly excellent. Some people get their picture taking sitting out on the point with their legs dangling, but not Mr. & Mrs. Wilson's little girl, no sir. I got as far out on the rock as I was comfortable with, and someone took my picture. They stayed up there and came into the shelter well after dark, saying that after dark big rats came out of the rocks, and they were afraid they would be bitten. So glad I hit McAfee Knob on a clear day.The trail today was really easy, designed for dayhikers to the Knob. They had bridges built across the sloping rocks that we were expected to scramble across yesterday...
Date: 2006-07-02
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Lambert Meadows Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

Today we passed both Snack Bar Rock and Lunch Box Rock, but I didn't see food either place!We hiked along Tinker's Cliffs, where during the Revolutionary War people who did not want to fight hid out, working as tinkers. The trail went right along the cliffs. I kept assuring myself "You're doing fine, just watch the trail, don't look down, don't look down". It was really not nearly as bad as the sloped rocks the other day.Tomorrow I get to Daleville and a chance to get cleaned up and resupplied.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-07-03
From: Lambert Meadows Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I ran into Gomo again, and we are sharing a room here in Daleville. This is a fairly nice motel, a step up from the usual hiker accomodations, so it is nice to have someone to share the cost. We are both taking a zero day tomorrow, then hiking out the next day.See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-07-04
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: haze

Happy Birthday, USA! We are looking forward to the fireworks this evening.Tomorrow I am getting shuttled north to Bearwallow Gap, and will hike back south to Daleville; that way I can leave some stuff here and not have to carry so much weight. My pack seems awfully heavy, even though I have sent some winter stuff back home. Food is the real culprit as far as weight goes, and slow hikers like me have to carry more because it takes us longer to go the same distance.I have been enjoying visiting with Gomo. She is also a nurse, a few years younger than I am, and in much better shape. I am getting really skinny...See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-07-06
From: Bearwallow Gap 

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 3.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a shuttle from a trail angel named Del Schlecterly. He dropped me off at Bearwallow Gap, and I had a nice walk to this shelter. We are along the Blue Ridge Parkway here, and the trail comes up to the Parkway every so often, but there wasn't anybody out doing trail magic today. I kept hoping!See you on the Trail!granny franny
Date: 2006-07-07
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

More Blue Ridge Parkway today, but still no trail magic. I guess I am far enough behind the crowd at this point, that no one is expecting many hikers. The shelters I am staying in are generally either empty or 1-2 other hikers, sometime people doing short sections, but the thru-hikers are up in Pennsylvania by now. I do wish I was capable of doing 15-20 mile days like so many of the others, but I'm just not.See you on the Trail!granny franny