morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Dutch Haus B&B (Montebello, VA)

To: Zero Day (Dutch Haus)
Miles today: 0.0

Well, the weather report said 100% chance of rain today in the Waynesboro area. Yep, you guessed it, that meant a zero day. This morning it was storming pretty good and it rained hard. Although it has been cloudy all day, it has only sprinkled here and there.Nugget, Yahtzee, Coconut Monkey and Slip-n-slide all came in for lunch. Nugget & Yahtzee are staying the night also. Nugget is retired Army, so of course we had a lot to talk about. Yahtzee is still having the feet problems he had when I last saw him in Pearisburg. Nugget is just getting back on the trail after having suffering a ligament strain in the Smokies and will complete the section he missed after going to Katahdin.Soooo...my original "plan" changed. That was to hike to Rusty's Hard Time Hollow, take a zero there, head on into Waynesboro, get my mail drop, camp at the YMCA 1 night then hit the Shenadoahs. That turned into stop for lunch at the Dutch Haus on the way. That turned into it's raining so I'll spend the night. That turned into more rain today, so lets stay another night. And, oh, by the way, while I'm at it, throw in a couple of home cooked dinners too.As a result the new plan is this. Hit the trail tomorrow, get to Rusty's the next, stay 1 night there, then head to Waynesboro and continue from there.One good reason to stay here the night is that the Hurricanes start the playoffs tonight against the Montreal Canadiens so I can at least get the score.Had a good breakfast this morning (pancakes, sausage, eggs and some fruit) and lunch with more of that chocolate cake I had yesterday. Of course I've been drinking coffee all day so I can have a restless night of sleep instead of a restful night of sleep. Think we're having lasagne for dinner.Soooo....til I get to the net again, which should be in Waynesboro on Tuesday or Wednesday here are some truth's about the trail, which happen to be opposite of the 8 lies already published.10 (or 8) biggets truths on the trail:1. It's never "all downhill" unless you happen to be doing a face plant. Then it's all downhill from the distance of your face to the ground.2. Shelter's never seem to be a close as you think they should be.3. Weather forecasts are rarely 100% accurate (consider todays "100% chance of rain...it's not raining now!)4. Because of the lay of the land, it only seems you're near the top. Actually, there are still a lot of switchbacks to come (that is if you are lucky enough to have switchbacks)
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Dutch Haus

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

It's 9:30 a.m. As usual I am the last hiker to depart. Lois took Nugget and Yahtzee back to the trail head about 8 after another fine breakfast. Since I am in town, I decided to attend a church service this morning before getting back on the trail. I will make it to Harpers Creek as a minimum, which is about 12 miles up the trail. If time and terrain allow I might shoot for Maupin Field which is 18 miles up the trail.So, for the 2nd or 3rd time, I will sign off here and update again in Waynesboro.Lois called Madeline to see if she could give me a ride to te church service, and she agreed, so Lois drove me down to the general store to meet with Madeline. At the church I was obviously the new guy dressed in my hiker clothes. I met Preacher Wyatt and many other members of the church who welcomed me and inquired about my hike. Near the beginning of the service, Wyatt asked if there were any birthdays or anniversaries and I volunteered that today was my anniversary but that my wife was in Aberdeen, NC. The parish sang me a short "Happy Anniversary" song. I thought Wyatts sermon was good. It was about Daniel 5, the Writing On the Wall and how idolatry caused the fall of King Belshazzar. It made me think about the things I have worshipped in my life and how I had placed them above my relationship with God and let my spirituality go by the wayside.After the service Madeline gave me a ride to the trailhead. As I was preparing to walk up the jeep road back to the trail, Earl and his dad drove by. This gave me a chance to thank Earl since I had missed him when leaving the B&B.I walked a little over 4 1/2 miles to the Priest shelter. By the time I got there I decided that my Montrail boots were going to give me trouble. Not enough room in the toe box. And, as usual after a rest day, my ankles and knees didn't feel so hot either. The Priest is the last 4'000' summit I will cross for quite a while, I believe. Heading north over this summit was not very difficult at all, but I can see why so many SOBO's thought the Priest was hard. From the Tye River it would be a climb of over 3'000. I spent the night alone in the shelter, only my 2nd night alone in a shelter since leaving Georgia over 800 miles ago.
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Rusty's Hard Time Hollow
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a slow start this morning since I knew I had a short mileage day. I didn't get up until 8:45 and didn't start hiking until 10:30. It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining in the shelter, Harpers creek gurgling by just 20 feet away, birds singing with a visit from one or two that landed in the shelter to peep at me. The forest is blooming with greenery now thanks to the recent rains. Looks to be another fine day.My slow adventurous day continued with a blue-blaze along the Mau-Har trail. I wanted to see the waterfalls along the trail. Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the base of the main falls along the trail fpr a picture and had to take a shot from the top of the falls. I had considered taking a dip in a pool but it wasn't terribly hot and the water was still terribly cold.As I walked south along the BRP to get to Rusty's, my hiker instinct noticed a sign in through the brush to my right. It said, in part, "Deli, Open, 100 yds on the left". So I made a beeline for the chow. There was a general store among some vacation cabin rentals just around the corner of the road that led off the Parkway. Unfortunately, the deli was not yet open for the season.Out of luck, I continued to hoof it to the Hard Time Hollow. Rusty was not at home when I arrived but his 5 month old puppy, Frosty, was very glad to see me arrive. She seems to love hikers, jumped all over me and nibbled on my beard before laying on my lap. I got aquainted with the hikers porch, gave myself a tour of the farm and read my book some before Rusty got home. He then startred weed whacking an area he was trying to clear until just about sunset.When I heard the weed whacker quit, I came to his front door to meet him. He met me cheerfully and we shared some hot dogs, soda and popcorn on the hiker porch. He showed me how to cut up the potatoes he had on hand that he was getting ready to plant and I cut up a box of red potatoes for him. We talked until about 10:00 p.m. We were both yawning so I said goodnight and headed to the loft of the barn.Today, I think, was my best lazy, lovely day.
Date: 2006-04-25
From: Rusty's Hard Time Hollow

To: Waynesboro (Gourmet Dave's House)
Miles today: 15.4

Rusty's roosters began crowing early; early as in I didn't even see a glimpse of daylight yet.I got up about 6:00, packed up and went to the hikers porch to make scrambled eggs and toast. Rusty came out to see if I needed anything for breakfast but I told him i was all set. About 8:00, he started his pick up and away we went. He dropped me at Love Gap on the BRP where I had left the forest service road yesterday.It was another beautiful day with the sun shining but a cool morning breeze was a-blowin'. I saw lots of smaller wildlife today, including an owl, which was funny since it was morning.Arriving in Waynesboro, I went to the Visitor Center where I met a nice gentleman named Dick Maupin. He gave me the phone number to a trail angel named John and an AT hiker info pamphlet. I called John who agreed to come and shuttle me into town. On the way we stopped at Rockfish Gap Outfitters where I got some real snappy service in getting the tips of my trekking poles replaced, exchanged my platypus bladder for one that didn't leak, a bottle of bug spray and a few ounces of white gas.Next stop was the post office where I got my maildrop and one that had been missed in Pearisburg, VA. Then John took me to the YMCA where I met yet another nice local Waynesboro citizen who gave me the particulars of camping there. I offered John some mmoney for gas at the campsite, but he politley refused, so I thanked him and off he went.Yahtzee was at the campsite talking to Len Graff, another person here who helps out hikers. I noticed Yahtzees left foot had swelled up pretty bad. Half way through sorting out my mail drops, Mrs. Gorp came in with "Gourmet Dave" Hennell. Dave invited me and Yahtzee to stay at his place. Once there, Mrs Gorp, who knows everybody along the trail, called a hiker doctor she knew, Bill, aka "Tigerpaw", an '02 thru hiker. He came over to examine Yahtzees foot and confirmed that it would have to be amputated...I mean it had an infected blister and required antibiotics.In the meantime, Sue, Daves wife, came home to find that a horde of hikers had descended on her home. She did expect Mrs Gorp, but tomorrow, not today. She made us a delicious dinner of cajun chicken and linguini. Dave "forced" me to eat everything left in the pot after everybody had there share. Then he "forced" me to eat a huge bowl of heath bar ice cream for dessert.It's now 11:52 p.m. and all through the house no one is stirring, not even a mouse. Thats good cuz my food bag is easily accessible. Will be heading back out tomorrow and hope to reach Harpers Ferry, West Virginia by the end of next week.
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Waynesboro (Gourmet Dave's House)

To: Zero Day (Gourmet Dave's)
Miles today: 0.0

Yet another zero day. I was going to head out this morning but Mrs Gorp said she was staying behind behind of her cold. Of course, Yahtzee isn't going anywhere. In fact, dave is looking for a place for him to stay tomorrow. not sure when he will be able to get back on the trail. Must say, he is able to limp and hop around quite well on one foot.After breakfast, Dave asked me if I was staying or going. I had to think about it a few minutes. The thought of enjoying the company and the trail magic outweighed my desire to head out. I used my time to sew a few buttons back on my shirt and repair the button on my shorts. I borrowed Dave's bicycle to ride into to town and got a resupply of glucosamine and fish oil at CVS. Then I went to Weasies Kitchen for lunch and swallowed 5 huge pancakes.Riding through town I saw a crew filming some scenes for a sequel to "Bruce Almighty". I didn't see any famous stars but heard Morgan Freeman has been in town. The scenes they were shooting were of pedestrian traffic. When I got back to Dave's house, I took a well needed nap.Today was much cooler than yesterday, and cloudy too. Hope I don't regret sending my sleeping back home. The rest of the weeks the temps look like they will be about the same which is 60's for daytime and 30's for nighttime.I'll end with some more trail truth's:5. Trail guides are rarely 100% accurate. If you don't believe that, compare the Thru Hikers handbook, The AT data Guide and ALDHA's Companion. They all contain different data. Also, since parts of the trail are moved frequently, it's hard to keep all that data up to date.6. Shelters do get full.7. Springs do dry up as a result of this thing we call "drought".8. You never know how far your going, so your rarely ever halfway there.
Date: 2006-04-27
From: Gourmet Dave's

To: Blackrock Hut, Shenadoah National Park (SNP)
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Interesting day. Dr. Bill came by to see Yahtzee. The sad prognosis was that he would have to go to the emergency room. The antibiotics didn't appear to be killing the infection. Yahtzee outwardly seemed to take it well, but inwardly, I know he was dissappointed.Mrs. Gorp and I got a ride back to Rockfish Gap from Len Graff. Made another stop at the PO to send my bivy sack home and a few things I decided I could do without. Now without food and water my pack is about 27 lbs. Also stopped at the outfitter looking for grommets to put in the piece of tyvek Dave gave me but there were none in stock. From now on when I say I camped, that means I "tarped" or just cowboy camped, which is my preference anyway, as long as it is not buggy.Mrs. Gorp and I left the gap about 10:30 a.m. Just after entering the park we met 3 ladies on the trail: Purple Rose, Zig Zag and Amoeba. Mrs. G knows Amoeba, who was heading back north after today's hike, and told her about Yahtzee. Amoeba volunteered to drive Yahtzee home if need be. Later we found out that is exactly what happened. He was basically releived of trail hiking duties by his infection.We got to Blackrock Hut (in the SNP, shelters used for overnight stays are called huts, but still only have 3 sides and a roof) and found 3 SOBO section hikers, Ed, Gary and Dominic. Around dusk there were 2 deer wandering around the shelter. I went down to the privy and there was one I got about 10 feet away. Of course I had left my camera in the shelter.
Date: 2006-04-28
From: Blackrock Hut, Shenadoah National Park (SNP)

To: Hightop Hut, SNP
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: few clouds

Mrs Gorp left bright and early at 7:15. She asked me my destination. I later suspected she went on farther than Hightop because I snore too much! My Montrails continued to damaged my feet. Today got a deep blister on the ball of my left foot. Saw another deer 20 minues after I started hiking. Really hoping to see a bear.Arrived at Hightop to find the hut monopolized by a group of guys and a few kids. I said I did not have a sleeping bag or a tent, but they made to effort to offer me a space. If it had been raining I would have invited myself in. Whats worse, is they violated Leave No Trace principles by leaving non-burnable trash in the fire. So I cowboy camped on a tent site next to Just Jack, a NOBO section hiker. By 8:20 p.m. it was 43*. I suspected I would freeze my butt off. Last night it was in the 40's and that felt chilly. I wrapped up in the tarp to try to keep some heat in, but condensation was a real problem by morning. Now I am thinking that I should have kept my sleeping bag.
Date: 2006-04-29
From: Hightop Hut, SNP

To: Rockspring Hut, SNP
Miles today: 21.4

9:00 a.m. It got down to 34* last night. After putting my butt back on, I left Hightop Hut about 9:00 a.m.2:30 p.m. Made a pit stop at Lewis Mountain Campground. Althought there is no grill here, I did get a few cups of hot coffee and plenty of snacks. I am pretty sure that Mrs G stayed here last night after talking with the staff in the campstore. Boots continued to torture my feet. Have a new blister around most of the nail of the "ring" toe on my right foot. I padded it with gauze and tape and that made another blister on the bottom of the toe. While working on my feet, 2 tourists from England came over and we talked for a few minutes about my hike. They say that Bill Bryson's book "A walk in the woods" is very popular in England. Left the campground wearing my pacmoc's which didn't do too badly on the trail except offered little protection from point rocks.Around 5:00 p.m. Managed to hoof it into Bug Meadows CG before the grill closed. Bought a pricey cheesegurger, fries and a drink for about $8.50Saw some more deer on the way to Rockspring. I took a few pic's. Hope they come out good.Beginning to loose track of the number of deer sightings I've had inside the SNP. There were 5 weekend warrior hikers at the hut, all of them tenting though. Spent most of the time with Gene (1973 [?] thru hiker) and Jim, AKA Moyhman, (2003 thru hiker) and Rebecca. Mothman got a fire going and Rebecca offered me some smores. Naturally, I accepted. Then we sat around and shared trail stories. After they went to bed, I stayed up by the fire until 11:00 p.m I wasn't eager to freeze my butt off again.
Date: 2006-04-30
From: Rockspring Hut, SNP

To: Pass Mountain Hut, SNP
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Last nights temp got down to 39. I didn't use my tarp for added warmth (I was afraid of too much condensation again). The result was having to do pushups several times over night to try to generate some heat. Mothman was up early and got the fire going again. I enjoyed his, Rebacca and Gene's company, so I made more coffee before I left.I am sitting in the dining room of Skyland Lodge. The best thing is I am right next to a heat register. I got many starnge looks and heard many comments as I walked to my table. The food was pretty good and my waiter was pretty snappy. The lodge seemed to be pretty full of weekend tourists. I wore my pacmocs leaving the hut. I have another new blister, this one on the ball of my right foot. Arrived at the hut and ate 2 dinners. That's the best way to lighten my load. Didn't really like the trail coming down from Mary's Rock. Would have been better if my feet were in better shape.
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Pass Mountain Hut.

To: Terrapin Station Hostel, Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: clear sky

Was awake at 4:30 a.m. so I decided to move out early. Ended up departing about 6:30 a.m. Saw the 1st deer only minutes later right on the trail leading to the hut.Got to Elkwallow wayside about 8:45 and had to wait for it to open before I could get coffee, an egg sandwich and blueberry bread. I only took one break after that and got Terrapin Station at a reasonable time. I met Mike Evans, AKA "The Greatful Greenpeace Guy", who owns the place. It's his house. Also met a hiker named B-Man who is staying around a few days to give Mike a hand. B-Man is probably one of the friendliset hikers I have met on the trail, but it throws people off when they see him hiking with a hockey stick (that's another long story).Mike drove me into town so I could get a few things at Rite-Aid. More moleskin was one item. I was favoring my right foot because of the toe blister. As a result got another blister on the outside heel of my right foot. It is hard to get to to work on. Then I got a pizza and Mike got a sub for B-Man to bring back to the hostel.Earl Shaffer's book "Walking with spring" is appropriately named. Back by the Tye River, spring was blooming, trees were budding and popping and the flowers were becoming abundant. Then in the SNP, it seemed like fall again at the higher elevations. The trees had not yet popped and the cold nights were killing the smaller flowers. Now just north of SNP, averaging about 1,000 feet in elevation, spring is back in full force.I also have to say that the SNP was my favorite section of trail so far. Probably because I saw so much wild life. A scene in the movie Blade Runner occurred to me. It is the one where the villain, played by Rutger Hauer, says to the hero, played by Harrison Ford: "If only you could have seen what my eyes have seen".
Date: 2006-05-02
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Manassaes Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

I left Front Royal late today, so I had a short mileage day. Mike drove me to town again. 1st stop was the PO. 2nd stop was Wynnns Restaurant, where B-Man and I ate. Mike isn't a breakfast guy so he didn't eat. Outstanding blueberry pancakes with big fat blueberries and french toast made from homemade bread.After breakfast I said bye to Mike & B-Man and went into the outfitters. Brandon, the owner, offered to let me leave my pack in the store and ride me back to the trail when I was done hanging around town.Got back on the trail about 1:30. Shortkl after met a SOBO lady called Hitch who is doing the section from Front Royal to Delaware Water Gap. She was headed to Terrapin Station. Stopped for a break at the Denton memorial shelter. That place was like a mini shelter farmstead. Had a real deck, cooking pavilion and rain water shower. All the amenities almost made me decide to stay. Later I met a local and his pit bull Rita. The dog reminded me of Missy hiking, running around in the woods with her toungue hanging out. And the Jack Russell that bit my boots near Jennings Creek was more vicious than Rita.Today was pretty warm compared to the last few days in the SNP. Daytime temps got up into the 70's. Not sure if it hit 80 or not. There was a chance of showers so later in the day there was some cloud cover which I hoped would trap some heat overnight.
Date: 2006-05-03
From: Manassaes Gap Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: broken clouds

As I was leaving Manassas Gap shelter this morning a local watching birds wandered in. We talked for a while before I left at 7:50. I wanted to go all the way to Bears Den hostel, but I didn¢t have the time to get in the last 3 miles without getting there kind of late. Today¢s miles seemed hard. My middle back seems to be getting tweaked. I may need to adjust my pack. My toe blister is slowing me down too. I met 4 Bears, a 73 yr old section hiker closing in on 2,000-miler status. He stayed at Rod Hollow shelter. I had lunch there while there was a short rain shower. Along the trail I saw 5 other bird watchers. The trail wasn¢t bad til I hit the roller coaster, a section that has 10 climbs in about 13 miles. The elevation changes weren¢t as bad as putting up with the rocky surface.The forest on this part of the trail is in full bloom. You can smell it. Avg elevation is about 1,000 compared to the SNP, which mostly ran between 2,500 and 3,000.Forgot to mention in yesterday¢s entry that I found the 1st tick crawling on me while I was talking to Hitch.
Date: 2006-05-04
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: scattered clouds

8:20 a.m. Short easy day today. I am already taking a break after only 45 minutes of hiking. The temp is 65 but it is humid this morning and I am sweating pretty good. I am halfway to Bears Den Hostel (only 3 miles from Sam Moore). At 9:15 a.m. just after my break I met Loopy who was headed SOBO coming from Bears Den. He enjoyed his stay and filled me in on the important stuff to know. I went into the dining area on arrival and raided the pastry counter and had a coffee. As I was chowing and reading the paper, Circuit Rider came in to meet me. He is one of the caretakers. He had to close the upstairs because he was going into town, but said I could hang out in the hostel below. I had a nice shower and warmed water in the coffee pot for more coffee. Wisconsin Dave and Sherlock came through so I got a chance to meet them too.About 2:30 p.m. i hitched into Bluemont to use the PO. Took a while to get a ride but finally John picked me up. (Rt 7 is a pretty busy road. I think lots of folks just didn¢t want to stop). I would have gone to the general store for lunch but it was temporarily closed. Instead I hitched back up 7 and was picked up by Bernard, who drove me to the trailhead. Horse Shoe Curve was 14 mile from there so I walked down and had a burger, fries and mozzarella stix. It was pretty heavy. Felt like a bowling ball in my belly.Finished up the Roller Coaster and arrived at Blackburn Trail Center about 7:00 p.m. Not nearly as nice as Bears Den, but then again, it operated on donations. I left all the cash I had right then which was only $3. From Rt 7 to Blackburn was hard. I did not wrap my toe and it was killing me. At Blackburn, I met Redwing, the caretaker. Nice guy. Settled in for bed in the hiker bunkhouse and got a few sprinkles of rain. Saw a mouse on the porch trying to get into the bunkhouse, but I foiled him by shutting the door.Saw more deer and a porcupine in the woods today. I also passed by the VA/West VA state line. Will be hitting the 1,000 mark real soon.