morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Doll Flats

To: Elk River
Miles today: 10.0

We hiked from Doll Flats down to US Route 19E and treated ourselves to lunch at a restaurant, followed by several games of air hockey and pool and a trip to the grocery store for more dog food. Bailey's appetite seems to be growing and we are finding it necessary to carry a lot more food. We also found ticks on her today and realize that the warm weather will bring these little pests out... Grrr.... Dan's mom sent him a package in town and the home made cookies were a huge hit and made me miss home and my mom's cookies. The weather was extremely hot today, nearing 90 degrees. I took Bailey to swim in a creek out behind the Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast to help her cool off and avoid the heat.Hiking out of town came late in the day and we were surprised by the amount of trash people had thrown into the valleys from the main road. I was disgusted by the piles of old appliances and garbage cast down into the streams and valleys by careless people. We checked out a cool old tree and a waterfall, Jones Falls, and then made our way to camp out along the Elk River. A tent village had sprung up along the banks when we arrived and it was a great night. We hiked in hot dogs and others had brought in marshmallows, so we feasted! The river was cold, but I still stood in it until my feet felt numb and I doused my head under the ripples, it was refreshing! Night brought the serenading chorus of peepers and the light of the full moon shrouded in hazy clouds. Another great day on the trail!
Date: 2007-05-02
From: Elk River

To: Laurel Fork Lodge
Miles today: 18.0

I am writing this from the Laurel Fork Lodge computer, which is an awesome place to stay, the people are friendly and very helpful and the accomodations are terrific. We rented a cabin for Kevin and I, Dan, Mattlanta, and our new friend Fish Bowl. After hiking 18 miles, it feels great to do laundry, take a shower, eat pizza and hang out. We're hiking back out tomorrow and heading to Watauga Lake Shelter which has a beach near it! Today's hiking was hot, hot, hot and took a lot out of me. We had hiked 12 miles to the Moreland Gap Shelter and Kevin wanted to hang out and rest for a while, then night hike in to the lodge. I debated doing so, but I knew if I sat for long my muscles would stiffen up and I wouldn't want to go any further, so I hiked out on my own. It was after 6 pm when I left and I made it here by 8 pm, so I was excited about doing 6 miles in under 2 hours. Kevin and Dan made it in later, just in time for the pizza we had delivered. Tomorrow will bring a rumored-to-be-tough climb, but we're hoping Bluegrass and Newt will be catching us soon. Damascus, Virginia is well within range and I can't wait to get there and take a zero. Time is so short unless you take a zero, so it's been quick errand running then back out into the woods. For everyone reading, I miss you and love you and will be calling from Damascus in several days. I'm doing great and feeling good and can't wait to say hello. Take care and happy trails!
Date: 2007-05-04
From: Watauga Lake

To: Vandeventer
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Short day today on account of not feeling all that well. We hiked out in the rain after a late start. Kevin informed me that I was sleep walking at night and woke him up in the middle of the night saying that the trail was all smoky and I had to go sweep it, then I tried unzipping his sleeping bag telling him to let Bailey out... I think I was really over tired! I felt pretty lousy all morning but was excited to meet Low Branch's wife and kids who were out to meet him. I didn't catch your name, but it was so nice to meet you and to know that you're reading my trail journal! By the time we'd gone 7 miles to Vandeventer we heard that the weather was supposed to get really bad with 2 inches of rain in an hour and severe thunderstorms. We decided to call it a day and stay in the shelter. I finally got some cell phone reception and called my mom and it was wonderful to hear her voice, I felt a little homesick :0( I miss ya guys! The funny thing was, as usual, when we try to outsmart the weather, it decides not to be stormy. We spent all afternoon in decent weather and I went to bed early.
Date: 2007-05-05
From: Vandeventer

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: light rain

Short entry... will expand later... it's May 7th and we've hiked 450ish miles... wow! We are in Damascus after hitching in from the trail because I was really sick for a few days. I couldn't manage to keep down food and that's a big problem when you're hiking all day. We came into town and I took some medicine and slept all day, now feeling much better. I think we were all tired and I needed rest. Now we're hanging out at the Baja Cafe with our friends Newt and Bluegrass back with us, enjoying life and thoroughly happy. More later... Happy Hiking everyone!
Date: 2007-05-11
From: Thomas High Knob Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was an incredible day that I will not soon forget. After waking up in the night during a wild rainstorm, we were very thankful to have a warm, dry tent. It made for wet packing in the morning but the day proved to be an amazing one. Grayson Highlands is one of those places that you visit and don't want to leave. We hiked across grassy fields and large rock outcroppings in a scene that looked like pictures I've seen of the Scottish Highlands. The sky seemed enormous over our heads and bluer than I've ever seen it with white billowing clouds that felt close enough to touch. Early in the day we rounded a pine grove and came across 5 wild ponies grazing. They didn't seem to be very interested in us but we took lots of pictures. About a mile later we found another herd of 15-20 more that were very interested in us and came right over to check us out. One even tried to chew on my backpack and another followed behind Bailey for several minutes. I don't think Bailey knew what to think about them but her body language conveyed that she was not thrilled at their nosiness or invasion of her personal space! Because of the stunning scenery, it took us all day to make minimal miles and we didn't care because we had such a wonderful day. By the time we reached the next shelter, we decided to call it a day because it was surrouded with shady trees and fields and was too nice to pass by. As the day was drawing to a close, a couple came into camp with their trail goats... yes, you heard me right. They had two goats that they'd raised from babies who were carrying their own packs and everything! Whenever they couldn't see their owners (the "leaders" of the unique little herd)they started making sad little goat sounds. Just when you think you know what you can expect to find out here, BAM... you are constantly surprised! I laughed out loud when I saw them! Bailey seemed to think that the strange dogs with horns should be avoided and she stuck close by us. It was hilarious watching her peer out at them from under the picnic table. What a wonderful day... I wish everyone could have experienced how amazing this day was.
Date: 2007-05-12
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: campsite
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night I slept on a slant and kept waking up with my face pressed into the mesh tent wall, then I would roll back up and inevitably repeat the process several times. I might have laughed if I'd seen myself! Coffee and oatmeal for breakfast seemed to be great fuel because felt like I could walk all day. The weather was great for walking and the clouds blocked the worst of the sun's heat. By lunch I'd already hiked 15 miles and felt more than capable of hiking more. I wanted to cruise all the way to Partnership Shelter (24.6 miles total) but the group didn't all seem ready, so we called it a day after hiking around 20 miles. Tomorrow we will hike into a town called Marion, Virginia to resupply and take care of errands. I'm excited to call home and wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day, then take a hot shower and eat some yummy non-trail food.    The mood has shifted a bit these days and Newt and Bluegrass are no longer planning on going all the way to Maine. They're talking about hiking to the halfway point at Harper's Ferry. I can understand this because it's a long trip and it's expensive, and by this point the novelty's worn off. We have hiked over 500 miles so far, roughly a quarter of the way. That feels like an accomplishment and I want all the more to make it home to Maine. There are definetly times I'd love to go home and see my family and friends, but adventures can't always be easy... there has to be challenges along the way or no one would even try. I try to remember that when I start missing all my pals at Center Drive School or my family and friends all over the place. Tonight finds us camped out at a tent site, rather like a little tent city by the time we were all pitched and settled for the night. The water source was intermittent and not the best we've come across so far, but it's wet and we're thirsty and appreciative. A wonderful man named Tree Whisperer camped with us in his hammock, both tonight and last night and I am again thankful for all the people I've been able to meet our here. Dinner was an experiment tonight because I was bored of trail food so I decided to add some peanut butter to my Ramen noodles, a kind of low-budget pad thai. I thought it was great but Kevin was less excited. The things we think of out here! People are adding peanut butter to EVERYTHING, from oatmeal to Ramen, to summer sausage sandwiches! Well... That's about all for tonight and I am anxious to see what tomorrow brings, as usual! Happy Trails everyone!
Date: 2007-05-19
From: Helvey's Mill Shelter

To: VA 606
Miles today: 16.3

Today we planned on hiking 18.2 miles to Dismal Falls but got a bit distracted and opted to hike .4 miles off the trail on the road (VA 606) to a store that had fresh, hot pizza and cold drinks. We ordered our pizza and decided to pitch our tents on the nearby campsites for a nominal fee so that we could wash our filthy clothes and ourselves. The tent sites were located adjacent to a farm with 3 horses and several enormous pigs and were scattered amongst old RVs that had been left behind in various states of aging. Some looked like they were in working condition, others much less so. There was a bathroom/laundry building nearby and luckily the washer and dryer worked, but the showers and bathrooms were beyond disgusting. I¢m usually not too bothered by a little messiness, even though I prefer my own home to be clean, but this was ridiculous.   I don¢t think they had been cleaned in months, maybe even a year. The showers were large, open cinderblock structures that didn¢t work and had black mold spreading upwards along the floor and walls and mushrooms were sprouted along the edges of the floor. Old, dead beetle and june bug carcasses were scattered across the floor and the toilets were non-operational and appeared to have been so for quite some time. The trash cans hadn¢t been emptied in ages and smelled so much that I put them outside and opened the doors to get some fresh air in. Mattlanta (did I mention he¢s my hero?) was able to get one toilet working, which was appreciated by all. Once it was working, I got some bleach and comet and cleaned it before I used it, that¢s how bad it was! We spent the evening sitting in the laundry room and telling stories because it was the warmest and least filthy room. While our clothes were in the washer, I opened the lid and saw that we had turned the water completely brown like a mud puddle. I guess I couldn¢t be too bothered by the condition of the bathrooms given how dirty we were! Needless to say, we had the clothes go through multiple rinses with lots of soap! We met another guy from Maine named Radar and several other hikers, Usual Suspect and a nice man from Texas whose name I can¢t remember. The whole group sat around the laundry room and by the time our laundry was done, it was after midnight and falling asleep was not an issue.
Date: 2007-05-20
From: VA 606

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

So we brought the term laziness to whole new heights today! However, we fully redeemed ourselves by the end of the day (actually by 11:30pm) and actually accomplished some hiking. After leaving the campsite, we walked the .4 back down the road to the trail and managed to make it 1.9 miles when we came across the blue blaze side trail for Dismal Creek Falls. Intrigued and hounded by the heat, we decided to hike down the 3/10 of a mile and check out the falls. This was an excellent decision and the falls were beautiful and inspired us to spend nearly an entire day there. We dunked our feet in the frigid waters above the falls and had a snack and then decided to walk down to the pool below the falls. Dan and Kevin tried to no avail to catch a fish using some line, a stick, a discarded bobber and a hook baited with some summer sausage. I attempted the same feat with a worm but there were so many minnows on the surface of the water that my hook couldn¢t get down to the rainbow trout on the bottom before the worm was devoured. Oh well, it was a lot of fun anyway! The water was too cold for swimming for us, but Bailey had a ball as usual. I think she¢s the happiest when she is in the water and I love it when we can hang out in places that she can swim. We ate lunch and lay around in the sun like tourists until we realized it was time to get going.   By 4ish we were packed and at least looked ready to go. We hiked to Wapiti shelter and met our friend JP there, along with a lot of other hikers. They were surprised when we ate our dinner (dry Ramen noodles and snickers bars) and prepared to keep hiking the other 8.4 miles to the next shelter. We wanted to hike more than the 7.7 that we¢d hiked so far, so onward we went. There was a big climb rumored to come after the shelter as some south bound section hikers warned us about, but I didn¢t find it to be that bad. It was pretty hiking just before twilight and I hiked a bit faster to catch a glimpse of the sunset from the top, happy to stumble across several deer on my way. Dan and Maximus and Kevin caught up at the top and we took some photos at sunset atop a rocky vista overlooking the valley before continuing on. It got dark pretty quickly and Kevin didn¢t have a headlamp. We made it to a road crossing and thought it was only another 12 mile to the shelter but were wrong... we had miles to go. Night hiking on a full moon would be nice, but this wasn¢t. My feet hurt from the rocks and Kevin was pretty sore from stumbling over them in the dark. I thought it would be kind of spooky in the woods at dark, but even when I hiked on ahead and was by myself I didn¢t mind it. Being alone in the woods seems to suit me and several times I stood and listened to the forest around me, liking the feeling of being a tiny part of it. We reached the shelter around 11:30 and had to find water and a tent site quietly without disturbing those that were already sleeping in the shelter. We did both and quickly fell asleep, exhausted and sore but very happy to be in our tent at the end of a very long day.
Date: 2007-05-22
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: scattered clouds

After last night's night hike we awoke feeling surprisingly ready to continue on into Pearisburg to re-supply. We hiked over Pearis Mountain and took a snack break on Angel's Rest, a rock high on the ridge overlooking Pearisburg, and then headed down into town. Initially it seemed that there was no place to stay in town. We've found that virtually no hostels are dog friendly so we had to wait for a hotel room to open up, which eventually happened at the Holiday Motor Lodge where we met up again with Bluegrass and Newt. We ate some delicious Mexican food and then enjoyed hanging out on the deck with them, Mattlanta and Dan (of course) Jungle Jim, Queso and Denny Dog, Ring Master, Touch My Stuff, Lynx, Billy the Kid and Bear, MA, and several others. It was fun and Kevin bought speakers for his IPOD so that we could all listen to music. A Chinese AYCE (all you can eat) made for an excellent dinner. Kevin¢s mom sent us another wonderful care package and so did his brother Adam, both were very much appreciated. The only things we had to buy when we re-supplied were dog food and toilet paper! The next day we ate lunch at a pizza place and bumped into a former thru hiker from New Jersey named SouLive, who automatically knew we were hikers and offered to give us a ride back to the trail. He was so helpful and took two trips to get us all back to the trail. Apparently he drove all the way down here to help out hikers and do some trail magic, amazing! You have to love people like him! Once we got started I felt a terrible stomach ache coming on, probably from too much pizza, and bought some medicine in the store before the bridge. We hiked the ugly stretch of road along the Senator Shumate Bridge over the New River and past the Celanese Plant. After climbing up over a hill we ended up back on the road on a seemingly pointless stretch of trail. We eventually really entered the woods and crossed several streams where we let Bailey drink to her heart¢s content. Water gets more limited the farther north we get so we now carry lots of extra water for Bailey (and ourselves) so that she doesn¢t get dehydrated. Bluegrass, Kevin and I stopped for a break on a log and contemplated why buttons haven¢t been invented to morph us to the top of mountains. It was very hot and humid and I climbed with my stomach feeling pretty rotten. When I arrived at the Rice Field Shelter a thunderstorm seemed to be closing on, so I pitched the tent and Kevin went to get water. Bailey ate a big dinner and we got everything storm ready, even thought the storm never came. I still felt lousy so I didn¢t bother eating but we enjoyed an evening with our little group, Sleeping Beauty, Fire Ball, and Jungle Jim.
Date: 2007-05-24
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Pearisburg, Virginia
Miles today: 6.7

Yesterday I awoke still feeling pretty lousy, to say the least, and after contemplating hiking, Kevin and I decided to head back to Pearisburg and get to a doctor. I was unable to eat or keep anything down and was having sharp stomach pains. On the way back to town we ran into some friends who said that some bug is going around, so I guess I know where it came from. I worry that maybe it's giardia (water-borne parasite)... because I've had this problem a few times now and that's not typical of me. We hiked back into town and spent the night last night and will tonight as well. So far I've been able to eat popsicles but not much else. It turned out that there are no low-cost clinics around so I'm opting to wait it out and see if it gets better, fingers crossed! Tomorrow we'll head back to the trail and get a ride to a road crossing so that we can catch our friends.
Date: 2007-02-02
To: prep 1 
Miles today: 0.0

I can't believe I only have 37 days left before the big day. My living room looks like a warehouse with boxes and boxes of food and other things. I get up every day and put on my boots their feeling good. My backpack is ready to go. Other last minute details are coming together.      Thanks to all my family and friends for all your support. My mom who I talk to every day still thinks I'm nuts for going well I prefer "hiking nut". James my youngest would like to repeat 6th to hike with me, but we settled on Pennsylvania. He loves rocks. Crazy. Lynn my "Mailgirl" thanks for all you have done and will be doing for me and my daughter Kelly for entering my journals. Happy Trails!                                                                                          Luna*
Date: 2007-03-21
From: prep 1 

To: Springer -> Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: scattered clouds

First Official day of spring. I can now say "I'm walking with spring" and what a beautiful day it is. Blue sky, warm air and a little breeze makes for a good hiking day. Met some good people here at the shelter, had a good meal and we all exchanged family, life and oh yes...food stories. It always seems to come back to food :o) There are some buds on the trees but no flowers yet. I'm sure everything will come in time. I'm off to well I'm not sure yet but I'll figure it out in time. Time for some sleep.
Date: 2007-03-22
From: Springer -> Hawk Mountain

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Well Hawk Mt was interesting at night. It seems the soldiers do night training on this mountain. Needless to say they were around my tent last night. So that was fun. Today's hike was good, but my feet were a little sore. Met up with Vermont Oewte and met a section hiker going south. A nice guy named Jeramie. Taking it easy on Friday. I'm watching the sunset as I write and it's beautiful. The sky has strips of clouds with purples and grays. Very pretty. Well, off to bed. Oh, I forgot our wake up call this morning was a Bared Owl. These owls don't hoot, they have a sort of howling call. Very strange but a treat to hear.
Date: 2007-03-23
From: Woody Gap

To: Slaughter Creek Campsite
Miles today: 7.3

Today I took myself a short day. Legs feel good. Feet, well a little sore. I've got a "Zero Day" tomorrow. I need a bath and to wash my clothes. I'll stay at the Hiker Hostal and get myself an AYCE meal in town. AYCE is "All You Can Eat" :o) Today I saw a squirrel take a suicide leap to run from me. Crazy. I laughed and right there were 2 female deer. That was nice to see on a great sunny day. Well, up again early to get a spot at the Hostel.
Date: 2007-03-24
From: Slaughter Creek Campsite

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Up early today. What a great morning. Last night I met some great guys. One guy played acoustic guitar, one a harmonica and the other is a real southern picker. They sang some tunes I knew, other not. Had a great night of sleep. Blood Mt. was so beautiful, the day was all blue skies and sunshine. the views are really something to see. Here at Neels Gap there are just about the friendliest people I have ever met. We went to the Cookie Jar for an AYCE meal- I love southern cooking. They say where I'm hiking tomorrow I'll have a good chance to see bear! We'll see...
Date: 2007-03-25
From: Neels Gap

Miles today: 11.4

Up early, but what a hot, hot day! Water sources were few and far between. I hiked to Whitley shelter for water- a round trip of 3 miles. Beautiful view but one hell of a climb in and out. I stayed at Low Gap...thought I would see some bears, but only heard raccoons. The night was warm but too many bugs makes you run for your tent. Slept better tonight than the last and learning a lot about Georgia. Well, long day again tomorrow.
Date: 2007-03-26
From: N/A

To: TRAY Mt. Rd.
Miles today: 13.8

Good day for hiking. Sun didn't shine until around 1:00. Had some great TRAIL magic and then some. Lone Wolf put together a pizza and soda run with other great snacks. His good friend Ox brought soda and cookies to Unicoi Gap. We all hung and recouped for a while. All the hikers really enjoyed this- thanks to Lone Wolf & Ox. :o) Finished hiking around 4:00. Ended at my destination and was greeted with all that great food. We sat around the fire and I listened to all of their trail stories. The way they go out of their way to help is so amazing. This certainly renews my view on how people are. Thanks to you all.
Date: 2007-03-27
From: TRAY Mt. Rd.

To: Cloud 9 Hiker Hostel 
Miles today: 11.3

What a great day for a hike. had an awesome dinner last night of pizza and such. Thank you Lone Wolf and Ox. Took off early, had a good breakfast finally. Haven't been eating much- no hunger cravings yet except for today. Stuck a Mountain Dew in my pack and drank it right before "Kelly's Knob" 1000ft climb. It was great! I got to Cloud 9 by 3:30, set-up my tent, and relaxed my feet. Beautiful night for a campfire and Wayne (a picker) entertained us for some time. Up late but no hiking for me tomorrow. Taking a zero day.