morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Catawba Mtn Shelter

To: Lamberts Meadow Campsite
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: few clouds

After the night on the slope, my back was really hurting me. We packed up and hiked on the McAfee Knob. The view was great, as advertised. The weather was excellent. We took all the usual pictures from this great vantage point. King K and Veto were headed for Daleville.    Since I was to meet up with Sue and Ben in Daleville the following day, I had no need to get to Daleville until the next day, so I was planning on spending a short day hiking, then on into town tomorrow. My back was pretty sore so I was intending to just lay flat for awhile. I got to Lambets Meadow around 3 pm and set up camp and just relaxed. It was a very pleasant campsite and even had a picnic table. Since I was going to be in town the next day, I ate up most of the food in my pack.
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Lamberts Meadow Campsite

To: Daleville
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: moderate rain

Back felt much better after my afternoon of rest and good night's sleep. The hike into Daleville was fairly easy and pleasant. Some nice views, nice rock exposures,although also some garffiti as I got closer to town. Ran into Freeman, and we talked about wildflowers and such for awhile. Got to Daleville before Sue and Ben arrived, was able to get into the motel room and get my laundry done before they arrived. We met up with King K and Veto for dinner that evening. They told me that JB had decided to leave the Trail and had already left for home. Sorry I did not get to say goodbye to him.The plan for tomorrow is for Ben and I to do a slackpack. Hope I don't push him too hard.
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Daleville

To: Black Horse Gap
Miles today: 13.6

Sue dropped me and Ben off, then took King K and Veto further up the Trail for their slackpack. Sue was planning on doing some Trail Magic while we hiked. Ben and I had a nice hike, the terrain was not too difficult, but there wasn't a lot of good scenery or wildflowers so it was pretty bland. We stopped at a shelter for lunch, ran into Highway and a few others.   Also ran into Michigan and three or four others hiking with him. It started to rain just as we got close to town, so Ben got a taste of walking in the rain. That evening we met up with King K and Veto and went to a mexican restaurant. We also went to an outfitter and Ben gave me a father's day present - a new pack cover which I desperately needed, my old one did not keep the water out very well.
Date: 2010-05-24
From: Black Horse Gap

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: light rain

Jerry is doing well. On Sunday he slack-packed with his son for 13 miles. Way to go, Ben! He is now north of Daleville VA at about 740 miles total and expects to enter Shenandoah National Park in about a week. Longer post and pictures to follow in a couple of days. Promise!Sue and Ben dropped me off in a drizzle, and was headed further up to drop King K and Veto off where they had left off. The rain let up after a while. It felt good to be hiking, all my body parts were feeling good. I enjoyed the two sandwiches Ben had made for me, and the memory of the great town food was fresh in my mind also. I saw a deer right on the side of the trail who pretty much ignored me was I stopped and observed him for awhile. Greendog came along behind me and also stopped to watch the deer. Ran into Highway on the trail, walked with him for awhile. He said he heard there was a swimming hole coming up later in the day. Sure enough, we came to a stream crossing, and saw Alkaline sunning on a rock. Highway jumped in and so did I. Shortly Thin Mint and Creepy came along and they also jumped in. It was very refreshing. Saw Seeker, and her brother Richard at the shelter; Skippy, BooBoo, Michigan passed through, making a few more miles yet. Veto and King K are in the shelter. They were not feeling well, seemed to have caught the stomach virus that many hikers have had. Got a nice campsite just beyond the shelter, which is a huge shelter, fairly new, sleeps about 20. My camp is at a trail intersection, with the stream close by. I had to clear out a few tree branches that had been placed there to discourage someone from camping. I will replace them when I leave, and "Leave No Trace" of my presence. There was a nice little waterfall just downstream from my camp.
Date: 2010-05-25
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Marble Spring Campsite
Miles today: 17.1

Okay folks, pay attention now. There are some changes in the wind.Today (or as soon as possible) I will try to attempt to update his total miles, if trail journals will let me put some outrageously high numbers in.We¢re also going to try the technique of having Jerry leave a message on the answering machine for all of you and then I will transcribe it on his journal for you to enjoy in his own words. Finally he is changing his name as he will explain in the first ¢new¢ entry.Hopefully, there will be new pictures posted soon also.Now, to play a little catch up.   Ben and I met up with Jerry in Daleville VA on the 22nd. Lucky for us Jerry had a chance to shower before we got to the motel. We met up with Veto and King Krawler for dinner. It turns out that JayB got off the trail that morning. Sunday morning I dropped Ben & Jerry off for a 13.5 mile day of slack packing. King K & Veto bailed out of the van for a 17 mile day. At that point the van turned in to a ¢magic mobile¢ at an overlook on Skyline Drive. I had about 12 dozen hikers come through between 9:00 ¢ noon. I decided to call it quits but on my way out of the park there was another pull off that I stopped at. The AT crosses through the parking lot. I found a picnic table in the shade and decided to stick around for a while to enjoy the view and the quiet. In the next hour or so I had about a dozen more hikers come through looking for ¢the gray van¢. Word spreads quickly on the trail. It was so good to meet some of the hikers Jerry has talked about. One was ¢landfill¢ who also has a blog on trailjournals. I went to his blog and this is what he had to say about the time he met Jerry: ¢I met "Jerry from Kentucky" and did a big uphilll section with him. Jerry reminds me of every biology professor I've ever had.¢ I thought that was worth sharing.One thing about trail magic ¢ it makes the hikers really happy but it also does wonders for the trail angel.Sunday evening we ate dinner with Veto and King K. On Monday we dropped the hikers off back on the trail. They headed north and Ben and I headed west.Major photo op today was the Guillotine, a large rock that is wedged between two other rocks and the Trail goes right under it. So, you don't want to dally too long, it will fall one of these days. Camped at Marble Springs. The rocks around the area were indeed marble and very pretty. I ran into Fig who took a short break at the campsite before heading on, trying to catch up with the "youngsters", Supermax, Cheese, Brooklyn, Landfill, Stitch. Also met a hiker, Daily Dozen, who did part of trail some years ago but had to get off for medical reasons, and is now back doing a section up into Pennsylvania somewhere.
Date: 2010-05-26
From: Marble Springs camp

To: Big Rocky Row
Miles today: 12.5

Took my time today. Hiked at a slow pace.   Met up with a hiker, Daily Dozen at the shelter.Crossed the James River. I resisted the urge to jump in as is the tradition among hikers. No one else was around so I just walked on across.Had a big climb up Rocky Row Mountain and met up again with Daily Dozen. We found a nice campsite near an overlook and camped there. Cooked over a fire which was good ¢ chicken stew which I had dehydrated at home before leaving. Had to carry water to mountain top. Site was nice had a great view. Earlier today I contacted a friend from Covington. We hope to meet up on 6/12 near DC. He is traveling with other friends. Looking forward to the gathering.Flowers = spider wart & columbine.   Rocks on climb up were beautiful. Nice stream at bottomThe past several months I¢ve hiked over 750 miles without an official trail name. Lots of people have suggested possible names, some serious, some silly, some sorry, but I rejected them all up to this point. The other day I was talking to my wife and I said something like ¢I haven¢t really picked a trail name. I¢m okay with not having a trail name but if something happened where a name was revealed, if there were some eureka moment then I¢m okay with it.¢ Then my wife said, ¢well what about Eureka.¢ The more it thought about it the word really captures a lot about the trail and my experience with the trail and how I feel about it and so I¢m going with Eureka. We¢ll see if it sticks.
Date: 2010-05-27
From: Big Rocky Row

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

Long stop at Punch Bowl Shelter today which has a pond, lots of bull frogs and the water sources was the over flow from the pond. Interesting choice for a water source. Tasted fine.Ran in to a hiker, Bird at Oddie Cline Powell Memorial on top of the mountain.After Punch Bow I went swimming in a creek. Very hot day, able to float in cool water for a few minutes and felt very refreshed. About 4:30 I was really running out of gas and going up a hill towards the shelter for the night. I came to a forest road crossing and there were trail angels, Ruth and Howell, trail names Hot Flash and Flash. They had set up there and were waiting for hikers . They had thru hiked in 1987 and have since been involved with the AT. They served as campground host at a hostel along the trail. Daily Dozen was already there enjoying the feast. They gave us sandwiches of Polish Sausage. The ice tea and lemonade and a chocolate ©clair fully lifted my spirits and help me make the last couple of miles. The last few miles to the shelter were beautiful. Swimming hole at shelter so I jumped back in to creek and had my second bath for the day. Unusual for the trail. Trail magic was great. Life on the trail is good. Tomorrow I should hit 800 miles quite a ¢ mile stone¢. Daily Dozen and I are both staying in the shelter tonight. Seeker came in late and is camped down by the stream. That¢s it for now.
Date: 2010-05-28
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

Had a long stiff up hill between bald knob and cold mtn. ele change of 2500¢ in 5 1/2 miles.Met Veto & King Krawler & Highway. They were slack packing. They both had had a stomach virus but are feeling better at the moment.Walked part of day with Daily Dozen ¢ still saw & smelled pinxters in bloom. You can smell them before you see them. As we got close to the shelter the skies open up and it started to rain really hard so we got very wet at the end. The lightening was striking all around us but it blew through after a while. I was able to set my tent up and have a quiet restful evening. Got a good night sleep. There was another hiker Shotgun in the shelter who carries a fishing rod and a slingshot to take advantage of food along the trail. He is just taking his time, not driven by any urgency to get to Maine, more interested in fishing along the way where possible. Also a couple of section hikers in the shelter who came in really soaked after the rain. It was good to be able to take refuge in the shelter and get into dry clothes. During the night I made a trip to the outhouse. It was extremely misty and I had trouble finding the path there and back. It'd be embarassing to get lost in the woods looking for the privey.
Date: 2010-05-29
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter

To: Priest Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Did a 2 mile to resupply side trip to Montebello. Went to The Dutch House for lunch where Lois and Earl Arnold and their niece Hannah had a wonderful B&B operation with a free lunch to hikers. They also shuttle to and from a store and trail.Really nice people. I thought about staying there. Daily Dozen decided to stay, and Seeker's brother Richard was staying there. It was hard to leave but I wanted to get moving. About 2:00 I hit the trail and headed to Spy Rock. It was foggy and so there was no view. Took a long side trip off AT to Crab Tree Falls of 3 miles. Stiff down and then up hill and of course carrying the pack all the way. The Falls were very impressive and beautiful. It was very enjoyable.Now that I have resupplied I have plenty of food to get to me to Shenandoah National Park. Having a little trouble with the phone so we¢ll just hope for the best. Camped on the top of the ridge, a quarter mile up from the shelter. Highway was in the shelter, and he said King K and Veto had passed through earlier. I was pretty whupped due to the side trip I made so called it a day.
Date: 2010-05-30
From: Priest Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: few clouds

Trail rugged today. Up to Priest Mountain, across Cripple Creek and down to the Tye River. Enjoyed a short swim. Ran in to King Krawler and Veto. They had camped on top of priest mountain enjoying good view.   I missed out on that one.After the swim it was a 3000 ft climb to Three Ridges Overlook.Ran out of steam climbing up, hiking with King K. We were very short on water when we noticed a tiny spring coming from the base of a tree trunk. Getting out my trusty scoop we managed to coax about 3 L of water from the stream. We treated it and added some Gatorade powder to mask the taste.By the time we got to the shelter it was very foggy and we were exhausted. Some food and a good night¢s sleep does wonders. Others at the shelter were Highway, Jibbitz, lots of others I don't remember, and lots of weekend hikers. There was a crew doing trail maintenance, and they were leaving so they offered their leftover food to us. I scored a bag of granola, and some nuts.
Date: 2010-05-31
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Paul C Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

Morning hike was very enjoyable and fairly easy. The walk was through a rain forest full of life- beautiful flowers, ferns, trees, shrubs, flowing streams, and overlooks where the sky was crisp and clear to the horizon. I felt overwhelmed by the need to spend more time in the woods, listening to the voice of the forest. Walking on the rocks became like walking on a sidewalk, but you have to visualize the sidewalk amongst the jumbled rocks, selecting just the right one to land on. Came to a road crossing where Trail Angels Sara and Joe were doing magic ¢ burgers, hot dogs snacks, drinks ¢ wonderful!A great lunch break.Got to the shelter about 5:00 One hiker saw bear today and another saw a rattle snake. I missed them both. Darn. Close to the shelter there is a nice stream, great for washin¢ and wadein¢. There is a nice bench by the stream to sit and listen to the flowing water.Enjoyable evening. Others here: King K, Veto, Highway, plus others. I'm hiking happy!
Date: 2010-06-01
From: Paul C Wolfe Shelter

To: Stealth camp at mile 868.6 in SNP
Miles today: 20.5

I started the day with a nice breakfast sitting on the bench by the stream, and got an early start. Got to Rockfish Gap, then on into Shenandoah National Park, after registering at the ranger station. Saw Cheese, Supermax, Stitch, Brooklyn, Landfill and Fig at the entry to SNP. Later I saw Michigan, BooBoo, Skippy and some others in their group. Met Marty McFly, Southpaw, and Eddy From Germany. I walked in the rain for about an hour, and stopped about 3 pm at Calf Mtn Shltr for some dinner before pressing on. I wanted to get as far as I could so I could get to Loft Mountain Campground to meet Sue and Karen the next day. The trail meandered over the tops of the mountains, where there were lots of antennas and towers. Also a gazillion blackberry bushes. I can only imagine what the harvest will be like in a month or so, but for now they are just blooming. Down in the forest off the hilltops I saw quite a few deer, rabbits, squirrels, all of which seemed remarkably unafraid of me. I hiked until 8 pm, found a nice campsite, and got my tent set up just as the sun was hitting the horizon. I felt really great for doing a 20 mile day. During the night I kept hearing movement outside the tent. Finally I shined a light out and there were deer just sort of strolling through my campsite. Better deer than bear.
Date: 2010-06-02
From: Stealth camp at mile 868.6 in SNP

To: Loft Mountain Campground
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: few clouds

I got up at 5 am, packed up and started hiking to meet Sue and Karen. Saw a bear about a mile before Black Rock Hut. He was about 20 yards off the trail, and just sort of staring at me. I took a few pics and he wandered off. Other hikers reported that there had been a bear hanging around the hut last night, unafraid of people, just hanging around looking for an opportunity to score some food. Might have been the same one. There was a guy at the hut taking pictures of hikers so I got my pic taken and he said he would email it. Later the Trail went to Black Rock Mountain where it skirted the summit but I clambered up the rocks to the top. The rock structure was very interesting. I'd like to be able to understand the geology of the area better. In fact I'd like to understand the geology all along the Trail better than I do. Along with a better understanding of the birds and other creatures.    I was pushing it to get to Loft by noon, and got pretty tired. Finaly got there around 1 pm, and got some refreshments at the campstore. Sue and Karen arrived around 2 pm and we got a nice campsite. And they brought Food! Orange juice, and bearclaws (a pastry, not real bear claws), and lots of stuff to cook. I'll do some slackpacking the next few days during their visit.   Also hope to meet up with Veto and Robohiker (Larry and Gwendolyn) who are going to be camping here also.   Gwendolyn is coming up from Tennessee to visit with Veto for a few days while King Krawler is attending a car rally for a car club he belongs to.
Date: 2010-06-07
From: Skyland

To: Stealth Camp near mile 937.5
Miles today: 15.3

Sue and Karen dropped me off after breakfast. We had a wonderful visit. I ran into two dayhikers, Bill and Suzie from Columbus Indiana, saw a bear, and many nice vistas. Went up to Mary's Rock where there was a large group of kids from a school. Feeling sad about Sue leaving, wondering again whether to continue. Found a nice tent site late in the day off on the left side of the trail, but was short of water so had to conserve carefully.
Date: 2010-06-08
From: Stealth Camp near mile 937.5

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: clear sky

From my stealth camped along the trail, hiked for about 3 miles then stopped for a hot breakfast and coffee at Elkwallow Wayside near a campground. I had to wait an hour for them to open but it was worth it. The day was beautiful, weather perfect and the vistas magnificent. I left Shenandoah National Park today. Just at the marker on the edge of the park I saw a bear off in the woods, one final bear before exiting. Sad to be moving out of the park. It is truly a place that I hope I can return to someday in order to explore some of the side trails and take in the vista once again. There was no one at the shelter when I got there but a civil engineer from Kansas hiked in ¢ Freight Train.   The name comes from the fact that he is a pretty good snorer but I think I kept up with him. Headed towards Font Royal today in rain.Sue's comments: Summary of 6/1-6/6 total miles 89.4On 6/1 Jerry hiked into Shenandoah National Park. Met up with wife, Sue and friend, Karen at Loft Mountain Campgrounds. Slacked packed throughout the period while Karen and Sue hiked some and did magic. Enjoyed campfires and friends in the evening. Dan and Kathleen joined us from MD Friday-Sunday. Veto and his wife Gwendolyn were camping nearby. King Krawler was off the trail during this time. Veto was waiting for him for their turn to slack pack. The park was very enjoyable, great views. The weather was very interesting ¢ one fierce storm knocked out power to part of the campground, another wind storm took out power to a visitor¢s center, one more brought tornadoes to towns on both sides of the mountain ridge. We saw a lot of deer and a fair number of bear. Turned over 900 miles during this time.Good trails, good friends, good food ¢ who could ask for anything more?
Date: 2010-06-09
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: moderate rain

Rain. Hard to get moving. Must...walk...in...the...rain...Had lunch at Jim & Molly Denton shelter - a regular Palace among shelters. Did a hot lunch and hot chocolate to offset the cold and drizzle of the day. Met three guys from Houston who are General Contractors, doing hospital construction work. Rings a distant bell,but seems like a different planet. "That was then, this is now". Slipped in the mud, and fell on my right hand, but all seems ok. Also fell yesterday, did a full body "face plant", but no harm except bent my glasses a little bit. My mantra has been "Go slow, go long, go safe". I must keep that in mind.Dick's Dome is a tiny little shelter, looks like one of those molded dog houses only a little bigger, sleeps maybe four people. Freight Train was there with two others, and there were six or eight weekend hikers camped there also. I found a tent site nearby up on an old forest road, grassey and soft.
Date: 2010-06-10
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: broken clouds

My feet are sore from hiking in the rain yesterday, but I doctored them up with some ointment and duct tape and am good to go. Hiked in the morning to Rod Hollow Shelter, did a lengthy lunch there, then hoofed it toward the Bear's Den Hostel. But the problem was this little thing they refer to as the Roller Coaster in the way. Uuuuupppp and Dooowwwwnnnn, again and again, relentlessly. When we go to the Red River Gorge, we used to refer to some of our escapades as "Killer Hikes", and this would qualify. Although come to think of it, there have been a lot of those the past few months...but anyway, the thing that kept me going was my destination - a hostel that offers a hiker's special that includes a bed, shower, laundry, a pizza, and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I finally dragged in around 6:45 this evening, and have now had the pizza and the B&J's I(Cherry Garcia, my personal favorite) and feel much better. But will probably not be able to sleep tonight despite being exhausted. Some random thoughts on the hike. As Sue has faithfully reported, I am enjoying it immensely. The awesome progression of the season, the parade of wildflowers, the power of the weather (good and bad), the pure physical challenge of the hike, the marvelous vistas and views, the waterfalls and streams, the people - it has all been amazing. I am a lucky man to have the opportunity to do this, and to have such a wonderful wife and family to encourage and support me. Thanks especially to Sue, and to all of you.