morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Campsite MP 650.1
Miles today: 21.2

A longish day, but the terrain wasn't bad and the temperature almost perfect. I hiked in shorts and a tank top, but a breeze generally kept me cool. A long ridgewalk followed by a steep descent brought me to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, which had a stone fireplace (could have used that last night!). On the way, I passed the southern terminus of the Allegheny Trail.The bridge over Stoney Creek washed out in 2004, but I decided to make the ford rather than taking the roadwalk detour. I'm glad I did--the trail was overgrown in places due to unusually poor maintenance, but the ford was no big deal. There was even Trail Magic along the way--orange sodas cooling in a creek. Bailey Gap Shelter unremarkable. This is a nice campsite, though, with a piped spring. COLD!My entry in the Bailey Gap register went something like this:UNBEKNOWNST TO JUNIPER, A CROWD OF UNRULY RHODODENRONS HAD SPENT THE WINTER PLOTTING TO TAKE OVER THE TRAIL. MUTATED BY POISONOUS FUMES FROM THE CELANESE PROCESSING PLANT, THEY POSSESSED SUPERFLORAL POWERS OF GROWTH AND INTELLIGENCE. ALREADY THEY HAD ALREADY DEVOURED SEVERAL LOCAL TRAIL MAINTAINERS WHO HAD DARED APPROACH WITH LOPPERS. HUNGRY FOR PROTEIN, THEY CAPTURED JUNIPER BY THE FRAME OF HER EXTERNAL FRAME PACK AND BEGAN TO DRAW HER DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO THEIR SHADOWY HEART. BUT ALL WAS NOT LOST! ARMED WITH HER SECRET WEAPON, THE POWERFUL UNDERARM STINK, JUNIPER FORCED THE EVIL PLANTS TO LET HER GO. WITHERING IN THE STENCH, THE RHODOS DREW BACK FROM THE PATH AND NEVER BOTHERED THRU-HIKERS AGAIN.It seemed funny at the time.
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Campsite MP 650.1

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

Most miserable day on the AT so far. It was so cold last night that I spent the night in Sal's tent (one-person, but a roomy one-person), and we awoke to the sound of wintry mix falling on the fabric. There was 1/2 an inch of slush on the mesh of my hammock; I just stuffed it in its bag and was on my way by 10, having failed to wait out the nasty weather.It rained or sleeted the whole day, heavily at times, and both rainpants and jacket were soaked through early on. Mostly I hiked in a tank top, but frigid winds put an end to that a couple miles from here. The Keffer Oak, despite being guarded by cows, was really the only redeeming feature of a day--truly magnificent. I'm glad I ended up at this shelter, as it's the nicest I've seen since palatial Mountaineer. There is a very large covered porch with a picnic table, a multitude of hangers and nails, and a ton of space inside. Sal never showed up (it's 3:00 am now), so I have the place to myself, but the wild animal moving around in the bushes is keeping me awake.Thankfully, the night is comparatively warm, and my sleeping bag is keeping me comfortable. Not looking forward to putting on wet clothes in the morning...
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

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

I left the shelter at 8:00 or so, and after about 2 miles I came across Salamander's tent (with Sal in it) on the side of the Trail. The visibility was so poor on the ridge last night that he didn't see the shelter sign and kept on walking. By the time I found him, he thought North was South and South was North. We hiked together until VA 621, when I went ahead. The 1,000 foot climb was switchbacked and reasonably easy walking, and the Audie Murphy Memorial was worth the short side trip. He apparently was the most decorated American in WWII, but died in a plane crash.Pickle Branch Shelter is fairly small and dark, but it's water source is a wide, pretty stream. Most of my wet clothes have dried on nails and hangers here. Catawba tomorrow!-Juniper
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Catawba Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 14.6

A stressful day due to time constraints (P.O. hours in Catawba), but the weather was perfect after a chilly, windy morning. I started out the day cold, since the shelter had cracks in the floor a good 1/2 inch wide, and it was blustery on the ridge approaching Dragon's Tooth. At one point, Sal and I went off to the bathroom on opposite sides of the ridge and then sat down, each unaware that the other was waiting--we spent a cold 10 minutes or so this way before I turned around and saw him.Dragon's Tooth proved to be an adventure, even though I didn't take the side trail to the Tooth itself. Due to the lack of a double blaze, Sal, two section hikers, and I all missed s sharp turn to the left and had scrambled miserably a good ways down the mountain before the "trail" disappeared. I ditched my pack and climbed back up to find the turn, but the incident cost us quite a bit of time and energy. The next section of Trail was so steep that metal handholds had been driven into the rock, and even then it was slow, difficult going. So I separated from Sal at Lost Spectacles Gap and hurried onward toward the P.O. (did 4 1/2 miles in the first hour!). The valley crossing involved stiles, some over electric fencing, and the cows were unusually vocal, though they never trudged over to investigate me. Met a section hiker, Easy One, at Catawba Creek, then ascended steeply to a roller-coaster ridge with recent maintenance and lots of rock stairs. Finally, I reached the road and got a ride into town from an RATC guy--he gave me an apple, too. I'm at the store now--next is The Homeplace.
Date: 2007-04-14
From: Catawba Mt. Shelter

To: US 220
Miles today: 17.8

It was raining when we woke up this morning, and continued to drizzle off-and-on all day. Sal and I got a reasonably early start, but hiked slowly (Kentucky Blue and Tau had left Johns Spring Shelter even earlier and had already passed us.) The views from McAfee's Knob, which I had really been looking forward to, were of clouds below and all around us -- I got some pictures anyway, and they turned out all right, just kind of gray and black.We accidentally got off the Trail both at Snack Bar Rock and Tinker Cliffs; there is a definite need for double blazes there, as at Dragon's Tooth. There were a couple of eagles perched on Tinker Cliffs, and I saw them flying in the mist several times as we walked along the rocks. Their droppings were large and had an unfortunate resemblence to white blazes. The rest of the day was mostly steep, rochy trail up a lots of PUDs -- the kind of tread that destroys ankles and makes feet throb. By the time we reached 220, I was tired and very grouchy, wiht a painful right ankle. We hiked that last section with an alumnus thru-hiker who had seen a bear four times in the last week in the area. No bear sightings for us.I'm sharing a room at the Howard Johnson Express with Sal, Kentucky Blue, and Tau; the Stache brothers have a roon nearby, and Comer and Jean are staying somewhere around here too. The Mexican food from Rancho Viejo was delicious.
Date: 2007-04-15
From: US 220

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: moderate rain

We got up early and hit the continental breakfast, which was a fairly good one. It's still raining, but not too hard, and I'm writing this entry now rather than in the shelter tonight because I know I'll be wet and cold and not enthusiastic about anything but food and sleep. My nose bled again this morning -- wish I know why this keeps happening...I'm off to find an ATM.
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

Yesterday's hike was fairly easy, with two substantial (but well-switchbacked) climbs. More of a problem than the terrain were the stream crossings, since the streams were raging torrents that had covered up most stepping stones. I crossed the first one on a log and managed to scratch myself up pretty badly; poor Tau, though, tried to use the stones and fell in, getting wet up to the waist and ruining an expensive digital camera. Kentucky Blue and I both got our shoes soaked at a later crossing, so Salamander (who arrived several hours after us) was the only one with dry feet.It was a cold, very windy night, and the wind was gusting at probably 40 mph when I started hiking at 7:20. The terrain was fairly easy today, especially the section along the Parkway, and it would have been a most enjoyable day of hiking if not for the stomach and back cramps I was having. Only one big ascent -- Cove Mt. -- and some PUDs.Bryant Ridge Shelter is newish and a triple-decker, one of the fanciest I've seen on the Trail. Nicer even than Sarver Hollow, so I'm very glad to be staying here. Same folks here with me -- Kentucky Blue, Tau, and Salamander. Pix Take, the section hiker/reporter from Wilson Creek, hasn't shown up and probably won't.Convenient water source and decent privy here (no TP, alas). My shoes and socks have finished drying on the porch, but I got a blister on the bottom of my foot from hiking in wet stuff all day.
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Matts Creek Shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: clear sky

A day of scenic hiking in good (esp. by midday) weather was brought to a disturbing close when a trail runner brought us news of a massacre at Virginia Tech. Apparently 22 students are dead, as well as 30 more wounded; the shooter killed himself in the end. I won't find out if anyone I know was involved until I get home in a few days, but it worries me.The climb up Floyd Mt. and then Apple Orchard Mt. was long and fairly steep, but the grading and footing were decent. After an hour or so of uphill, my legs seemed to adjust to it, and I reached the summit of Apple Orchard tired but not excessively so. I started to recognize landmarks easily once I entered James River Face Wilderness, and also saw a copperhead stretched out across the Trail. It was a very stubborn snake and difficult to prod off the pathway. Matts Creek Shelter is not particularly nice but is located right next to a powerful mountain stream that has cut a deep, stone channel not far from the picnic table. I would have soaked my feet if it weren't for the stupid blister.Kentucky Blue and Tau are only doing two miles to the road across the James River tomorrow, where Cough Drop is going to pick them up and take them into Glasgow, but it's another 20-mile or so day for me tomorrow (unless I decide to stop at Punchbowl.
Date: 2007-04-18
From: Matts Creek Shelter

To: Brown Mt. Creek Shelter
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: overcast clouds

(There's a relocation in this section -- very well marked -- so mileage may not be accurate.)Easy, pleasant hiking in the a.m. to Johns Hollow Shelter. Flowers were blooming in rock clefts along the James, and the river itself was slow and tranquil, unlike the rushing streams I've grown used to. The high winds over the last 2-3 days have brought down a lot of branches and whole trees in this section and the rest of the way to Brown Mt. Creek; some of these required elaborate gymnastic maneuvers for which neither my pack nor I are particularly well-suited. But today the weather was perfect, a big change from the last time I hiked around here, during a lightning storm and downpour.The climbs up to Fullers Rocks and Bluff Mt. were somewhat tough for me (probably due to the two previous 20+ days!). Little Orrie's memorial was depressing. It's hard not to wonder how he died, and how he managed to wander up such a huge mountain, being not over five years old. I stopped for lunch at Punchbowl, and felt pretty tired for the rest of the hike. The last five miles seemed endless.When I arrived, I soaked my feet in the creek, which was painfully cold, as I pumped water. The shelter is dark and dirty, but tomorrow I go HOME for a day of rest and chance to switch out gear. Even better, I'll have some time with my computer to do some poetry writing. I've decided to carry a full-sized notebook for the rest of the hike rather than a little journal and a book -- I want to re-write the first part of my story. Got some great ideas for it.Now, off to fetch more water ...
Date: 2007-04-19
To: Fish Hatchery Road
Miles today: 0.0

Cool weather turned unpleasant as I crossed Cold Mt and Tarjacket Ridge today, with sleet turning to rain as soon as I lost a little elevation. By the time I reached Seeley-Woodworth, it was drizzling pretty steadily; unfortunately, my distaste for taking breaks in the rain landed me at the Fish Hatchery an hour and a half before my parents were due to pick me up. Of course the picnic shelter and restrooms were closed--just my luck--so my pack and I sat up against the chain-link fence together and got very wet. I recited every poem I knew to kill time (it took almost 40 minutes!), then tried to nap. From time to time someone in a car would stop by and ask if I was all right, so I guess I looked at least as miserable and cold as I felt. Finally my parents showed up and drove me home; after I showered, we went out for Mexican food. It felt good to see the cats again, and they didn't even pretend not to know me. Most un-catlike.
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Charlottesville, VA

To: Charlottesville, VA
Miles today: 0.0

A zero day at home proved to be at least as demanding as a long day on the Trail...there was so much to do! I started looking online for housing in Oregon, sorted through a bunch of irrelevant emails (how long will it take UVa to figure out that I've graduated?), added a few entries to my trail journal, and then headed to the outfitter. The service there is usually pretty poor--you can walk around for ten minutes with a stupid look on your face and no one will ask if you need help finding something--but once they found out I was a thru-hiker, I had three people fitting equipment, checking warranties, and answering a bunch of questions that I had. One guy fixed my LEKI pole for me, which was great; it's hard to trust your weight to a pole held together with duct tape. Anyhow, I ended up buying a smaller, light pack (an Osprey Aura 50) and a new sleeping bag (a 32-degree MSR one that zips partially down on both sides). I took out the bag at home and got into it, at which point one of the cats hopped onto my stomach and refused to move. My arms were trapped in the sleeping bag, and I just lay there thinking, "Well, at least it isn't a bear".Ate a lot.
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Fish Hatchery Road

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I stayed up late last night at home, writing poetry and organizing gear and maildrops, then spent most of this morning doing the same. I didn't start walking until after 12:00, and reached Harpers Creek as it was getting dark. The Trail was busy with dayhikers today, and there must be about 50 people--no exaggeration--overnighting in this area. Lots of tents and campfires, both Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, and still the folks at the shelter (mostly UVa students, and two CNU profs) made room for me. Hiking with my new, lightweight pack was a pleasure for the most part, except that it seems to have shifted my center of gravity; my balance was a little off, but I'm sure I'll adjust very quickly. I was sad to discover that the shoulder straps were already soaked with sweat by the time I summited the Priest. Good views from Spy Rock as usual, and the Priest heading northward is no big deal. I HATED climbing the Fish Hatchery Road, just like last time I hiked in the area...why can't they just leave the stupid gate open??? Grr.
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

I was on the Trail before 8:00 this morning, but the heat was already bad enough to give me trouble on that rocky climb up Three Ridges. A breeze picked up later on, but I did a lot of sweating today. It was a relief to leave the crowds at Harpers Creek, even though the people I met there were all friendly, and I saw only four or five hikers on the way here (I have this lovely shelter all to myself!).There were quite a few rockslides across the AT today, and walking on sharp stones made my feet ache early on. I was glad to take a break at Dripping Rock, where I met my mother (with the parrot in his traveling container!) for lunch and to pick up my supplies for SNP. She fed Nacho (the bird) bits of cucumber from her sandwich through the vent holes, and he seemed content to sit on his perch and listen to us talk.The privy here is great, well-ventilated and with a view of the stream. Everybody was raving about it in the register; it's amazing how little it takes to make a distance hiker happy! The stream is deep enough for foot-soaking and loud enough to cover up the usual night rustlings that keep me awake. It also has put me in a poetic frame of mind, so I worked on a couple of stanzas for about two hours. And read some of Rilke's Duino Elegies. Maybe I'll try to memorize them all...
Date: 2007-04-23
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: clear sky

My longest day on the Trail so far, and one of the hottest. I started hiking at 6:15 (made it here by 3:00), and began to sweat almost immediately. It wouldn't have been so bad if the leaves were out, but I ended up walking in direct sun the entire time. Only a few small evergreen groves provided any relief. So it was difficult for me to appreciate the decent footing and terrain, although I was certainly pleased about the breeze that picked up in the afternoon.I kept my mind busy reciting the part of Rilke's first Duino Elegy that I learned last night, and working on some lines of my own. Carrying a full-size notebook seems to help my mind function more fully as well, even when I'm not actually writing things down. Weird. I laugh when I remember the guy at Walasi-Yi suggesting that I just tear out a few pages of paper at a time rather than carrying that entire miniature notebook I started out with...The register here is full of warnings about a "giant rat" (or two, according to one entry!) that eats big holes in people's packs and otherwise wreaks havoc. I may not get much sleep tonight. It looks like I'll have the place to myself--rats aside--since Orange Blaze is going to put in a few more miles once the air starts to cool down. No sign of Tau, Kentucky Blue, or Salamander in the register.The fuel canister that should have been in my Dripping Rock resupply bag wasn't, and the one I've got is hardly even sputtering little orange flames. Fortunately, someone left a box of solid fuel tablets here, so I'll help myself to a few of those.
Date: 2007-04-24
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I left the hut at 5:15 this morning, hoping to beat the heat and catch sunrise on Blackrock summmit. It was still dark when I got there, and in a few minutes it began to rain, sending me rummaging for the pack cover. Ordinarily, I would have been pretty peeved about the lack of sunrise and the wet weather, but after miserably hot walking yesterday, my reaction to the clouds was more like jubilation.A good day for seeing wildlife: deer posed on and along the Trail for me, about as "wild" as the Mt. Rogers ponies. The rabbits were out for silflay, and would hold absolutely still until I was only a few feet away. Lots of squirrels and birds, too. No bears, though, only scat. Much of the hiking early today was on level, smooth pathway, and the first five or six miles seemed to fly by. My feet were feeling pretty achy by Powell Gap--I had smashed one sideways against a pointy rock while negotiating a blowdown--and I was glad to reach Hightop Hut and spring (great spring!) just as the sun was breaking through the cloud cover. I did take the time to remove some of the smaller blowdowns in the Smith Roach Gap-Powell Gap section, since I had put in so much time there doing trail work in the past. What a mess the ice storm made of that area!It looks like the hut is going to be crowded tonight. Orange Blaze is staying here, along with some section hikers and others who haven't introduced themselves yet. Some are going to tent, I think. Not me--SNP still looks like a disaster zone from the storm and high winds, and not all the branches have blown all the way down. I'll stick with a roof, thank you.Made some progress on a poem while walking. And I've got the first page of the first Duino Elegy memorized now.
Date: 2007-04-25
From: Hightop Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: few clouds

I was up at 4:30 and out of camp a little after 5:00, making the climb up to Hightop summit while it was still dark. The sky was clear, so I was worried about heat later in the day, but the temperature never got up quite as high as on the previous two afternoons. I caught up with Orange Blaze at the Lewis Mt Campstore, where we bought ice cream sandwiches and drinks. Caffeine sure makes a difference! Bearfence and Hazeltop felt like nothing.The two of us took the side trail to Big Meadows Wayside later on, where we did a parital resupply and ate short-order food from the grill (veggie burger, fries, Pepsi, and cinnamon roll, followed by two ice cream bars). EXPENSIVE! But so delicious...It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow, and I'll probably take a short (well, shorter) day into Pass Mt Hut, or maybe stealth camp near Byrds Nest #4 if the weather happens to cooperate. I can still make Snickers Gap--what a name!--by the evening of the 28th. And I finished a first draft of section 1 of my (potential) long poem today! Time for section 2. When I wasn't composing poetry in my head, I entertained myself by coming up with the following:YOU MIGHT BE A THRU-HIKER IF...1. You can't smell your cooking over the smell of your socks.2. You think that what the last Pizza Hut did to your digestive system is an appropriate topic for dinnertime conversation.3. You can't understand why dayhikers are so thrilled about those annoying rock scrambles.4. You're thrilled when you come across a trash can. It just makes your day.5. You can understand without a moments thought sentences such as: "Well, today was just dull PUDS, but I did meet some interesting SOBO's who told me about an AYCE place in the town they were nearo-ing out of." (Although I have to admit that PCT hikers win the acronym award for their ADZPCTKO).6. Your socks stand up on their own after you remove them from your feet.7. You no longer believe that there's any such thing as a complete breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner.8. You think that the five food groups are starch, fat, sugar, salt, and that mysterious PowerBar goo.9. The privy graffiti weekenders find so creative (for example, "here I sit, buns a-flexin', just gave birth to another Texan") has become positively cliche.10. You no longer feel the need to remind yourself that "floaties mean fiber!" In fact, you know longer notice the floaties. Unless they happen to be swimming around.
Date: 2007-04-26
From: Rock Spring Shelter

To: Skyland Lodge
Miles today: 4.7

Well, here I am back in Charlottesville again, due to a variety of problems...I was going to be coming back in two days anyway, so I guess it's not so bad. Somehow I managed to lose the bag with my water purification stuff, prescription meds, and other important things last night; my shoes (badly needing to be replaced) have also begun to come apart and pulled the skin off one of my heels. On top of that, I've gotten a cold sore with some kind of totally disgusting secondary infection. So here I am, off the AT but finally able to catch up on my trail journal (I'm working backwards to the 19th based on paper notes I took along the way).It was actually chilly this morning, and the shelter was in a thick cloud. I was relieved that the temperature had gone down, but not very happy when it began to sleet on me while I was walking. I stopped at the Skyland Lodge with Tau, Kentucky Blue, Salamander, and a nice guy named John who is just hiking SNP. Breakfast was outstanding, and not really much more expensive than a Mexican dinner--I highly recommend stopping there. The blackberry syrup for the pancakes was particularly good.