morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-10
From: Campsite before Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 46: Today was long and hot and the bugs were swarming my head all day. I'm going to pick up a head net at the outfitters in Damascus.There have been a few additions to the wildlife list over the past few days. Two days ago I saw a decent sized brown snake, about 2 feet long and about 1 inch in diameter. It was pretty cool, but Iron Chef saw a huge Rattlesnake the same day a few miles south so the snake we saw was pretty lame in comparison. Yesterday I saw a turtle right on the trail and a huge frog where I set up my tent. The register at Iron Mountain shelter had an entry by Thistle and Carnethy Bob that said they saw a bear there the night before we passed through. Today I saw a really strange red and brown frog on the trail. It was about the size of my fist and its coloring was nice.The shelter area is packed tonight. Mr.Magoo, Radar, Moo and 42, Katori and 56, Foxie, Two Speeds, Chafe Master J, Pipes, Wrong Way Brown, Dimple Rock, Mountain Butterfly, Sparky, and Hellcat are all here! I'm hoping that I will be able to get a spot at "The Place" hostel in Damascus tomorrow, but I'm worried it will be packed with all of these people and Trail Days coming up.
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: The Place Hostel, Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Day 47: It was a rainy 10 mile hike into town this morning but now the weather is beautiful! This is a great little town, I'm at the laundromat finishing up my laundry now and later I'm going to catch some live music at the town park. Trail Days has already started but its still pretty empty. We are going to take it easy for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning then head out to hopefully hit Grayson Highlands before we come back on Thursday for the end of Trail Days.
Date: 2003-05-12
From: The Place Hostel, Damascus, VA

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: broken clouds

Day 48: The weather today was absolutely perfect. I couldn't have asked for any better. It was in the mid sixties, mostly sunny and there was a nice cool breeze to keep to cool and dry while hiking. The best part was that for some reason there were almost no bugs today.We didn't get out of town until about 2:30pm because we had to do all of our town chores and we stopped for cheeseburgers and ice cream at the Ole Barn on our way out. I'm still impressed that we managed to get out of Damascus without taking a zero day. We are planning to hitch back for Trail Days on Thursday so we wanted to get some mileage in before we got sucked back into town.There is a really nice camping area behind the shelter so I'm in my tent right now. The area is a little cluster of tall pines but many of the lower branches are dead and the wind is blowing hard, making it sound like they area all about to fall on out tents. I'm using my new silk sleeping bag liner for the first time tonight and its awesome! It feels so nice, fits well, and the fabric pattern is great. Thanks Angie and Mom!
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Campsite Past Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: few clouds

Day 49: I started out feeling very tired today and I wasn't really looking forward to doing big miles, but it turned out to be an amazing day! First of all, I'm hiking with an awesome group of people including Moo, 42, Superman?, Torch, Sleepy Floyd and Pipes and we are having a blast. The climb up Whiterock mountain kicked my ass but it was all worth it for the beautiful views over the balds at the top. So far Virginia is getting our vote for the best state on the AT because the scenery is amazing, all of the climbs have had nice switchbacks, and the privies are all brand new and deluxe! When we got to Thomas Knob Shelter we were all exhausted and we came in to find Radar (GA-ME'02) sitting there with all of the fixings for strawberry shortcake! Thanks Radar! Talk about great trail magic, he rented a car in Abington drove to side trail and hiked in with all of the food! We all ate dinner and then decided to push on to a nice campsite Radar told us about half a mile north of the shelter.Right now we are all camped out in a gorgeous grassy spot on the side of Mt Rogers with a great view of the stars and hopefully a great view for the sunrise tomorrow morning. Its very cold and windy out right now and it is supposed to get down into the 30's tonight. I'm very glad that I didn't send my winter gear home in Damascus like some hikers did. My sleeping bag liner is so warm and cozy!
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Trail Days Tent City, Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 51: I'm actually entering this journal entry myself at the public library in Damascus, VA. I'm finally here for Trail Days and its pouring rain outside right now.Yesterday was the most amazing day for hiking! The weather was perfect and the terrain between Thomas Knob Shelter and VA603 was the best so far. The Grayson Highlands were beautiful. We hiked over rocky bald areas and I took several great photos. The wild ponies were everywhere and we fed them right out of our hands. I even took a short video using my digital camera.We heard that the hitch from VA603 back to Damascus for Trail Days would be pretty easy but when we got to the road there was almost no traffic. We tried for about 45 minutes to hitch a ride but there were only a few cars and they just sped past. Eventually we happened to flag down some people who worked at the Grindstone Campground a few miles down the road and Pipes and I jumped in the back of the truck to use the phone at the campground. We called Mount Rogers Outfitters and they came to pick us all up for $5 a person. The group included Moo and 42, Superman? and Torch, Pipes, Sleepy Floyd, and Rif Raf (both of them). We made it here around 7PM or so and set up our tents in "Tent City". It wasn't that crowded when we got there but it is really starting to fill up now. I really want to go check out all the gear rep booths but its a mile walk back from the library and its still raining!Mr. Wizard is coming down for Trail Days so I'll finally get to meet the person who has been so helpful updating this journal! I also can't wait to see all of the hikers who have gotten ahead or behind me. VA605 was at the 500 mile mark so I think after 500 miles its time for a little break.
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Trail Days Tent City, Damascus, VA

To: Konnarock Trail Crew Campground
Miles today: 0.0

Day 54: 0 AT miles today, 5 miles lugging wood and privy walls up a steep hill... Today I participated in a trail maintenance event called "Hardcore" that happens every year following Trail Days. Thru-Hikers and other volunteers spend two days maintaining sections of the AT to give back to the trail that we use everyday. I am working with a group that is building a moldering privy at Davis Path Shelter near Atkins, VA. I'll say this - I'll never look at a privy the same way again. Next time I step up the four wooden steps and open the door I'll wonder who had to lug all of the wood and tools up the side of the mountain to get it there! We spent all day carrying the wood and other construction materials up a tiny steep backwoods road and then up the trail to the shelter area. It was exhausting! I can't believe what a few days off in town can do to you, I feel like I'm totally out of shape again. We were also all very tired because it was hard to get any rest at Trail Days. Of course we had fun today, but it was very hard work. Its actually really interesting to learn how a moldering privy works and how its built.Tomorrow we will finish the construction of the privy. Right now we are all camping at the Konnarock Trail Crew Campground and we had a wonderful home cooked meal in the dining hall. I'm so tired and full I can barely stay awake to write this!I guess I should give an update on Trail Days because I didn't really have time to write the past few days. I had an awesome time and met up with many of my trail friends who I haven't seen in awhile. We all hiked in the hiker parade (which actually just turned into a giant water fight, so you have to come armed with water balloons and a supersoaker!) One of my trekking poles was broken when someone tripped over my tent guyline in the campground but the Leki gear reps fixed it for free even though it is a Komperdell brand pole! Now the bottom half of my pole is Leki and the top half is Komperdell. I checked out all of the booths, gear tables, and music in the town park and spent a lot of time in the Side Track Cafe listening to live music. I finally got to meet Mr. Wizard and a few of his friends from his hike last year, Presto, Jitterbug, and Mariachi. It was great to check out their photo albums and talk about their hike. After 500 miles, I'm finally starting to believe I can do this!
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Konnarock Trail Crew Campground

To: Konnarock Trail Crew Campground
Miles today: 0.0

Day 55: Another awesome and exhausting day! My team finished building the whole moldering privy and it was a great experience. Moxie and I got to use the power tools which was the only thing I really wanted to do! The privy isn't useable just yet because we need to add duff and worms to the first bin and drill a hole and place the seat on top. The privy will be on a 3 year rotation using two bins for composting. The worms help break down the waste and it works above ground at higher temperatures and with much better ventilation. When you use a moldering privy, you add a handful of dried leaves or other material that is usually kept in a bag near the privy. This helps to keep the pile loose and allows the worms to move around and help with decomposition. Every 3 years, the privy is moved over the other bin and the first bin is allowed to compost without any new material. If you haven't ever used a moldering privy, they are much better because they don't smell nearly as bad as a traditional pit privy.Anyways, enough about privies....Tomorrow we will hit the trail where we left off before Trail Days at VA603 (about the 500 mile mark) I'm pretty excited to hit Partnership Shelter in a few days because there is supposed to be a phone there that you can use to order pizza!
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Konnarock Trail Crew Campground

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: broken clouds

Day 56: It felt great to finally get back on the trail today. I thought I would be feeling really tired from all of the time I took off, but I felt awesome. I flew through the first several miles. That is, until about a quarter of a mile before the shelter when I fell and sprained my ankle. Again! This time it was worse because I couldn't stand up for about 10 minutes and then I couldn't really put weight on it for another 10. I'm actually considering switching back to boots now because this is getting pretty ridiculous. Then the evening got even more exciting when I was sitting at the picnic table trying to rest my ankle. All of a sudden Crazy Talk spilled his pot full of boiling water across the table and the water ran through the gaps in the table top and spilled all over my legs. I was screaming so loud I think they heard me back in Damascus. I couldn't get up fast enough because of my ankle so it just drenched the whole bottom half of my body. We spent the next 30 minutes pouring cold water from the stream over my legs trying to reduce the damage. The boiling water completely covered my left leg and also spilled on my lower right leg. It looks like I will only have major blisters on my left knee and ankle but I guess I will find out tomorrow. Wow, what a great first day back out on the trail...
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

Day 57: Today started out pretty lousy because it was raining. It has rained for 7 of the past 8 days and the forecast is for rain for the next 7 days, help!!!!. It turned out to be one of the best days I've had on the trail so far! There is a group of about 25 of us at this shelter right now and Loser just played a concert for us on the steps of the Mt. Rogers Visitors Center. He plays guitar and he's awesome! I was just sitting there thinking how I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on earth and I never wanted it to end. We all ordered pizza because it is a tradition to use the visitors center phone and have pizza delivered right to the shelter. I'm so glad I didn't push on the next shelter because I just had the best time tonight.Moxie and I hitched into Marion, VA because she needed to resupply and I needed an ankle brace. We had a hard time getting a ride back so we broke down and asked all of the people in the Laundromat! It was hilarious, but it worked and a guy with a truck brought us back. I felt like such a hobo carrying my grocery bag full of belongings and begging for a ride, but it was still so much fun!I also saw my first big snake today! I was hiking pretty fast and I almost stepped on it. It was a decent sized King snake, about four and a half feet long, solid black, and about an inch and a half in diameter. For a few miles after I saw it I thought every root I stepped on was a snake, I'll be a little more careful to watch where I'm walking from now on!
Date: 2003-05-22
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

"The drop of rain maketh a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling." -Hugh LatimerDay 58: It rained again today....surprise surprise. I sprained my ankle again today...surprise surprise. Right now I'm icing my ankle and its swollen and bruised. I've decided I'm going to switch back to my boots in three days when I get to Bland, VA. At least for a while until I can get to an outfitter and see what else might work for me. Even though its raining and cold I'm still having a great time, the mist was beautiful this morning and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Virginia in the sunshine and there is definitely a LOT more of Virginia left to see!!
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: broken clouds

Day 61: The miles were quick today, I got to US21/52 by 1:30 pm and waited for Sleepy Floyd for about an hour so we could hitch into town together. It was nice to have a motel room to myself for a few hours before Opie, Colleen and Laura showed up. I took a nice long shower and Sleepy and I went to Dairy Queen for some cheeseburgers and ice cream. Then I spent the night hanging out and catching up with friends.
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Bland, VA

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

Day 62: Today was great, the weather was better than expected and I was really impressed that my friends did 12 miles with no problems! Colleen got a pretty nasty blister but she said it really isn't bothering her too much. In fact, she really didn't notice it until she took off her shoes at the end of the day! I found out that Pipes and most of the gang are still behind me. I can't believe they still haven't caught up after that long day. I guess Moo,42, Superman?, and Torch did get ahead because they pulled a 22 mile day yesterday but everyone else is still behind. It was strange because I spent the last few nights in really crowded shelters and then today there was practically nobody on the trail. We only ran into a few people all day and nobody was here at the shelter until after dark when Stinger showed up. I'm hoping the rain will hold off again tomorrow but the forecast is for afternoon thundershowers. I'm outside in my tent right now and I'm trying out my old Ridgerest again to see if I can switch back for the summer. I've been using a Therma-rest but I'd like to get rid of the extra weight and I'm not as concerned about warmth for the summer. I used the Ridge-rest at the beginning of the trip but it just didn't give me enough padding. My hip bones were bruised! I'm going to give it another try now that I mostly sleep in my tent where the ground is softer.
Date: 2003-05-27
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: moderate rain

Day 63: Mmmmm...Little Debbie is my friend. Pipes caught up today! She stealth camped last night and pulled a 22 mile day today to catch up! Dismal Falls was awesome and Opie, Colleen, and Laura did a great job hiking over 14 miles today. We hit 600 miles today and we were at 500 exactly a week ago. Making good time!
Date: 2003-05-28
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: broken clouds

Day 64: I was on top of Springer exactly 2 months ago. Tonight I will be spending the night at the Woods Hole Hostel. This place is really great, there are about 15 of us here right now. Mostly new hikers I haven't met yet. There is a solar shower but it is freezing cold so nobody is really using it. Its basically a little bunkhouse with a little cooking area, refrigerator with cold soda, and privy. Tomorrow morning we will get a hot breakfast and hike on to Pearisburg.
Date: 2003-05-29
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 10.5

Day 65: Today we got an early start out of Woods Hole hostel. Pipes and I had the home made breakfast for $3.50 made by Tille Wood and her granddaughter Neville. It was a nice way to start off the morning, especially since it was raining out again. Opie, Colleen, and Laura really made good time because they only left about 1/2 hour before me and I didn't catch up for almost 5 miles! Of course we were at the highest point on the ridge when the thunder and lightning started. We actually missed the lookout for Angels Rest because there were a few nice lookout points before it and we didn't bother to get out the handbook in the rain and figure out where it was. It was extremely muddy coming down off the mountain so it made for a slow and careful hike down. When we got into town we ate at the All Sports Bar and Restaurant, a tiny little restaurant in Pearisburg. We found Sleepy Floyd, Moo and 42 who were a day ahead of us. They let us shower in their motel rooms because we were headed into Blacksburg later to stay with Viking, Capt'n Ben, and Auntie Em. Blacksburg is about 25 miles outside Pearisburg and it is home to Virginia Tech. Viking, Capt'n Ben, and Auntie Em's parents live there and have been hosting some of their thru-hiking friends for a few days. Pipes and I stayed with Viking and his mother had a wonderful lasagna dinner waiting for us when we arrived! It's so nice to be in a real home!
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Blacksburg, VA

To: Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Day 66: Today we took a zero day in Blacksburg to go to the outfitters and check out the town. Downtown Blacksburg reminded me of Ann Arbor, it was a very cute little town. We spent the day hanging out downtown in coffee shops and stores and had a great time. I scored a pair of 1/2 off Patagonia Baggies hiking shorts and looked at few trail runners. My feet have grown at least 1/2 size already. When my mom sent me my new balance trail runners I used before I left I couldn't fit into them anymore!Later, Viking, Two Dog, Flatlander and Pushing Up Daises met us and we went out for Indian Food. They have been slackpacking for the past few days to make up time and catch up to us but I think it is stressing them out more than regular hiking. There are so many logistics involved in slackpacking several people and there is also a lot of driving involved. I think they might have made better time if they just hiked! Now they have to take another zero day to regroup before they start hiking north out of Pearisburg.Pipes and I plan to hike out tomorrow morning but Pipes has to pick up a mail drop in Pearisburg and we both have to resupply so I'm not expecting to get out very early. It is supposed to thunderstorm AGAIN tomorrow so it will be difficult to do all of this when you have to walk everywhere in town and then hitch back to the trailhead. Plus, I'm staying outside of Vikings house in my tent because I'm allergic to his cats so my tent is going to be soaked and consequently about twice as heavy as normal. Apparently this area of Virginia has gotten much more rain in the past month than they did all year last year!
Date: 2003-05-31
From: Blacksburg, VA

To: Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Day 67: I got sucked into another zero day in Blacksburg today. It got complicated because Pipes had to pick up a maildrop at the Rendevous Motel in Pearisburg and we still hadn't resupplied. There was nobody to take us to Pearisburg because everyone else was taking a zero. To top it all off, it was thunder storming so basically we said screw it and just took another day to figure everything out.It was probably a good thing for my body, but it was extremely stressful and as it turned out, also expensive. My tent was blown over by a really strong gust of wind and it broke my trekking pole again (I use my trekking poles as tent poles)! Last time I was lucky because it happened at Trail Days and the Leki reps were nice enough to fix it for me. This time I was stuck here with no car. I called Sierra Trading Post where I bought the poles and they finally agreed to replace them, but I have to send them back with a note telling them where to send the new poles and it could take several weeks. That wasn't going to work because I need the poles for my shelter and I also can't hike without them because I would probably damage my knees. I ended up getting a ride to the outfitter when we went to resupply and I had to buy new Leki poles because they couldn't fix them! I don't even want to think about the price because they were so expensive, but I did get 10% off for being a thru-hiker and the situation was resolved.I really want to avoid town as much as possible from now on because it always ends up costing a ton of money and causing more stress than relaxation. Its difficult because you need and want to go to town after several days out hiking so I'll try to keep it short and sweet from now on. On a more positive note, we did end up watching Office Space, one of my favorite all time movies. It was a good way to end my zero day!
Date: 2003-06-01
From: Blacksburg, VA

To: Symms Gap Meadow
Miles today: 12.0

Day 68: I can't believe its June! I'm camped out on a beautiful mountain top meadow with Pipes, Two Dog, Daisy, Yaker, Jay, Sleepy Floyd, Flatlander,and Viking. We just watched a gorgeous sunset and has a blast trying to hang our bear bags. I saw the sun for the first time in a while today but it is really cold right now, only in the 40's! Its also extremely windy. Last night it was so windy my outside tent pole kept blowing down so I eventually went inside despite my allergies to Vikings cats.So I know this is really terrible but I sprained my right ankle again. This will be the last time though because I am going to switch back to my boots ASAP. I'm elevating my foot tonight the best I can and hopefully I will be able to walk on it tomorrow. Right now I'm going to finish reading Into Thin Air and then get a good nights sleep...
Date: 2003-06-02
From: Symms Gap Meadow

To: Backcountry Campsite
Miles today: 16.1

Day 69: Nice hike today, my ankle started to feel better throughout the day as it warmed up. Tonight a bunch of us are camped out here at a site just after Wind Rock but south of next shelter. Most of us made in it just before dark. It is supposed to rain tonight and thunderstorm tomorrow (what a surprise). This rain thing is getting seriously old. Someone told me at the beginning of this hike that on average if you make it to Katahdin, it will rain one out of every three days. I remember thinking, wow that is SO much rain. As it turns out, I would be glad if it only rained that much!!! It has been raining more like 9 out of every 10 days and its starting to get a little ridiculous. At least maybe it could warm up because its only in the 40's again tonight and rain with weather only in the high 50's is not much fun.Tonight I finally jumped on the bandwagon and I'm not hanging my food. I always hang it but we know its going to rain and its a pain to have a wet food bag in the morning. Plus, we have two dogs camping with us tonight and about 10 people so its not likely that the bears will bother us. (hopefully...)