morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-23
From: War Spur Shelter, VA

To: Niday Shelter, VA
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: clear sky

What happened to Spring? It seems to have gone straight from winter to summer. The past couple of days have been almost unbearably hot, and none of the trees have leafed out to provide any shade. Of course, having said this, it's probably going to snow tomorrow.Even through the heat, the hike was beautiful today, crossing ridges, then dropping down and crossing a rich, green valley, before climbing up the ridge on the far side. Along the way, the trail passed by the Keffer Oak. The only word to describe it is: big. It's a towering, massive old oak tree, and it dominates the surrounding fields.   Looking at it brings a sense of awe and wonder.The BrainDowned trees & rock slide-1 - Click picture to see full sizeDowned trees & rock slide-2 - Click picture to see full sizeChipping sparrow - Click picture to see full sizeKeffer Oak-1 - Click picture to see full sizeKeffer Oak-2 - Click picture to see full sizeAn inquisitive lizard-1 - Click picture to see full sizeAn inquisitive lizard-2 - Click picture to see full sizeEastern Continental Divide - Click picture to see full sizeIrises-1 - Click picture to see full sizeIrises-2 - Click picture to see full size
Date: 2007-04-24
From: Niday Shelter, VA

To: Catawba Mountain Shelter, VA
Miles today: 24.5
Weather: broken clouds

Who's idea of a joke was it to move New England to Virginia? Today was really rough, so forgive me if I stop making sense. The first few miles weren't bad, but then the trail climbed (steeply, I might add) up to a rollercoaster of a ridge. Not only did it go pointlessly up and down, but it did it while climbing up and over large boulders, kind of like the Whites. Eventually, the trail came to Dragon's Tooth, an overlook with a nice view of the valley, but not as spectacular as others had made it out to be.From there, the trail descended very steeply along the side of the ridge. There were places it was so steep that there were iron staples driven into the rocks for hand and foot holds. At the bottom, the trail crossed a road, and XI, who had come in late last night, said he was going to a nearby store to get pizza. Pizza sounded good, so I went as well, as it was only 3:00, and the store was only 0.4 miles away.Unfortunately, the store didn't have the oven turned on, and it would take at least a half hour to make a pizza. The good news is, they had a grill as well. We ordered double cheeseburgers, and a couple minutes later, the woman asked, "Did you mean two slices of cheese, or two burgers?" I told her we wanted both. She kept saying, "I don't know how you're going to eat it all."But eat it all we did, and I also had a bag of chips (400 calories), a bottle of chocolate milk (400 calories), and an iced honey bun (500 calories). I guessed that the burger, which was the biggest I have ever seen, complete with extra everything, had about 800 calories, bringing the total to over 2000 over the course of about 20 minutes. It was all delicious, and I'd been hungry all day, so I was finally satisfied.Back in the woods, the trail wandered around a couple fields before climbing back up to the ridge, but this time, there were no rocks! Even better, the trail had recently been rerouted to take more switchbacks and avoid going over some of the little knobs on the ridge. Even still, I was exhausted by the time I got here. My feet were hurting, so I soaked them in the stream for a while, and they feel better (read: numb) now.I was still full from the burger, so I didn't eat dinner, just had a couple of snacks. Now, even though it's early, I'm going to go to bed. XI and I are going to get up at 4:00 tomorrow, and if the sky is clear, hike up to McAfee Knob in the dark and watch the sunrise.The BrainMiniature Stonehenge - Click picture to see full sizeAudie Murphy Memorial - Click picture to see full sizeA Virginia valley - Click picture to see full sizeDragon's Tooth - Click picture to see full sizeXI & I enjoying a double cheeseburger - Click picture to see full size
Date: 2007-04-26
From: Econolodge, Daleville, VA

To: Bobblet's Gap Shelter, VA
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Two months ago, I was standing on top of Springer Mountain, just starting out on this journey. It's been quite the experience getting this far, filled with surprises. I've gotten a nasty infection, but because of that I've met a wonderful family; I've seen sun, clouds, rain, snow, and ice; I've had to adjust from hiking with a partner to hiking alone; most of all, I've had a lot of fun. And I'm only a third of the way there! Each day brings new challenges, but it also brings new experiences, new memories.Today's biggest challenge was getting out of bed. In two months, never was it as hard to get up and go as it was today. I was still exhausted, having been up from 4:00 AM to almost midnight yesterday, and wanted nothing more than to stay asleep all day long. Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed, and XI and I went to breakfast. Since the motel's "breakfast" consisted of donuts and toast, we walked over to a Shoney's for their breakfast buffet: eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, homefries, pancakes, and French toast. It wasn't exactly gourmet, but it was perfect. I could barely move by the time I was done.By the time I made it back to the room, packed up and got up the willpower to get off the bed and leave, it was 11:30. the good news is that the hiking was easy (no rocks!) and well graded. I got to the second shelter, about 11 miles out, around 4:00, and there were two men there, an older thru-hiker named Sticker, and a young man named Keith. I knew that Dice had left town today as well, and he left an entry saying it was his two-month anniversary as well, so I figured that having started on the same day, we should finally meet after two months, and pushed on.When I got here, Dice was here, as well as Hike and Caterpilller, who he's been hiking with for a while. Also here is Slow Goin', a past thru-hiker doing it again in sections. They had a fire going, and it was good to meet some new people and talk. Dice is from Kittery, ME, and Slow Goin' is from Berlin, NH; we've got quite a bunch of New Englanders here tonight. We talked a bit about the AT in New England, especially in New Hampshire and Maine. I discovered today that I'm carrying too much food. It'll only take me two more days to get to my next box, but I still have enough for four dinners, even after eating one tonight. That would explain why my pack felt so heavy today. The problem is that I'm hiking faster than we'd originally planned, and I'm eating more meals in towns then we'd planned. It also didn't help that I carried a bottle of Coke all the way from the first shelter. Bacon had left some, and I wanted one, but didn't want to pound it right then and there, so I put it in my pack.   Do I feel silly for carrying a Coke for 13 miles? A little, to be sure. Will I feel justified and vindicated when I drink it with breakfast tomorrow? No doubt about that one.The BrainView from Tinker Cliffs - Click picture to see full size
Date: 2007-04-27
From: Bobblet's Gap Shelter, VA

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter, VA
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: moderate rain

A bottle of Coke is the perfect supplement to oatmeal and granola. I'd chilled it in the stream overnight, so it was nice and cold. I enjoyed every drop. When I left camp, the clouds were still sitting on the ridge after having rained overnight, sometimes hard, and I hiked the morning through a dense mist. Every time the wind blew, water droplets fell from the trees. By mid-afternoon, though, the sun had burned off the clouds, and it was hot.Dice, Hike and Caterpillar had left before me, but I caught up with Dice a few miles before Bryant Ridge Shelter, and we talked as we hiked in together. He's a fun guy to be around, and we hike at almost exactly the same pace. It was good to have someone to talk to for a while. We all stopped at Bryant Ridge for lunch, and it is a beautiful shelter. It had a deck, several sleeping levels, and a loft, all under a roof with windows under the eaves. It could have easily slept 20 or 30 hikers on a nice night.When we finally got to the shelter here, after finishing the day with a long, 4.5 mile climb, there was a woman here, out for a few days. She's from Waynesboro, and told us all about the town. She said there are a bunch of volunteers who, if they can, will shuttle hikers to and from the town. She left her cell phone number and told us to call when we get to the road crossing near town.The BrainBryant Ridge Shelter-1 - Click picture to see full size
Date: 2007-04-29
From: Johns Hollow Shelter, VA

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter, VA
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Spring has finally come! For a while now, the valleys have been green, and even as far back as Pearisburg the trees were leafed out but the mountains are just now getting green. At the highest points the trees are still just budding up, but the line of green is working its way up. It's nice to have some shade as it starts to get hot again.This morning started with a long climb, so we all got out of camp early to try to beat the heat. It worked, and although it was steep, there was a nice breeze, and it was still early, so the heat wasn't too bad. On top, the views back down to the James River valley were outstanding, well worth the hike. I even saw some lily of the valley in bloom. I tried to bend down to smell it, but my pack got in the way, and I couldn't get low enough, so I took the pack off and dropped to my knees. It is one of the best smells I know. I took a moment just to enjoy it before getting back up.The rest of the hike was easy and we got into camp by 4:00. I ate a Lipton packet that Dice gave me, then sat and digested a while before eating a real dinner. After dinner, Cat started a fire, and we sat around talking. He and Hike wanted to know about hiking in the Whites and in Maine, and Dice and I did our best to explain, although it's impossible to fully explain that area. There's just nothing to compare it to.Tomorrow starts with a big climb again, almost bigger than today's so we're going to all get up fairly early again. Depending on what time I make it to the shelter, I may push on to the Dutch Haus, a very hiker-friendly B&B, to try to make it there for dinner.   If I do go on I'll stay until afternoon the day after, to rest up and hit their free hiker lunch.The BrainHeinz - Click picture to see full sizeJames River Bridge - Click picture to see full size
Date: 2007-04-30
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter, VA

To: Dutch Haus Bed & Breakfast, Montebello, VA
Miles today: 18.1

Getting the worst climbs of the day out of the way first thing in the morning makes the rest of the day go so much better. Yesterday started with 2-3 miles uphill, and today started with 5 miles of steep climb, but both days were easy afterwards. Today would have been even easier had there been more water, but there were no sources close to the trail for the first 12 miles, so I had to carry two full nalgenes, which is a lot of weight, and conserve water all day. Fortunately, I had plenty to make it to the B&B. When I got to the second shelter of the day, about sixteen miles out, Dice and Hike were already there, as well as two section hikers, Jaybird and jigsaw. Jaybird and Jigsaw were heading on to the B&B, so I decided to as well, but Dice and Hike decided not to. Hopefully I'll see them again in a few days. When we got to the road, Jaybird took out his cellphone to try to call for a shuttle from the trail. After not getting service all day, even at the shelter, which was at the high point, he got enough signal to call and arrange a pickup. They would meet us at the parking lot, a mile down the hill.Just as we got to the lot, a truck showed up. It was perfect timing. A man got out, introduced himself as Earl, and drove us about two more miles to the B&B. I took a long, hot shower, and they had a robe to change into while I did laundry. Dinner was an appetizer of quesodilla, followed by cream of asparagus soup, then lasagna, then some sort of pie for dessert. I'm stuffed to the gills now. Tomorrow, I'm going to have breakfast, stay for the free hiker lunch, then hit the trail early in the afternoon.The Brain
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Dutch Haus Bed & Breakfast, Montebello, VA

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

Despite being full and happy, I didn't sleep very well. It was hot in the room, and I tossed and turned for a long time. Even when I fell asleep, I couldn't stay asleep for long. Nonetheless, I was up at 5:30 to dance the sun up (see note below). I grabbed a bandana, a washcloth, and a hiking pole, and went out to the driveway. Dancing in crocs, on gravel, with a washcloth as a handkerchief is not quite the same as normal, but I did my best, then went back to bed for a nap.I got up again a little after 7:00 and called the Behrens. I talked with Eva for a while, and the crowd sang to me over the phone. She relayed everyone's greetings, and I had her say hello to everyone for me. It was good to talk with someone from home, to hear voices from home. I promised to be in touch when I come through, then got off the phone so it would be free when Patrick called from Africa.Breakfast was a delicious omelet-cheese, spinach, and sausage-some fruit, and pancakes. It was the best breakfast I've had in a long time. After, Earl took Jaybird and Jigsaw to the store, and I came along to get some trail mix. Sitting on the front porch were Dice, Hike and Caterpillar. Earl drove Jaybird and Jigsaw to the trail, then picked up the four of us on his way back. I stayed at the Dutch Haus until after lunch, then said farewell to Lois and the hikers staying the night, and rode back to the trailhead.The mile back up the road to the trail itself was long, but after that, the hiking was fairly easy, and mostly downhill. I made a short detour to climb to Spy Rock, which had some beautiful views. When I finally got to the shelter, Jaybird and Jigsaw were here, as well as XI. He'd been pulling long miles as well, after doing a short day out of Daleville. Tomorrow starts with a rough climb, and I'm going to try to do a long day to get a short day into Waynesboro, so it'll be another early morning for me. Morris Dancing is a traditional English form of dancing, with dancers holding handkerchiefs or one or two sticks in their hands. One tradition is that on May 1st, Morris dancers have to get up and dance the sun up, or else it won't come up at all.The BrainLink to Karl's Morris team's home page: Green Mountain Morris Team.Links to other morris dancing references:Morris Dance page in WikipediaWhat is Morris?The Morris Ring: Morris Dance in EnglandJaybird, Karl, Jigsaw at Dutch Haus - Click picture to see full sizeLois - Click picture to see full sizeEarl - Click picture to see full sizeCaterpillar - Click picture to see full sizeCaterpillar, Dice, Hike, channeling their inner Hefner - Click picture to see full sizeDutch Haus-2 - Click picture to see full sizeFun with shadows - Click picture to see full sizeView from Spy Rock-1 - Click picture to see full sizeView from Spy Rock-2 - Click picture to see full sizeFrom the Priest - Click picture to see full size
Date: 2007-05-02
From: Harpers Creek Shelter, VA

To: Paul C Wolfe Memorial Shelter, VA
Miles today: 22.3

When I woke up this morning, it felt like rain. I felt pretty good, and had slept much better last night than at the Dutch Haus, so I tried to get as much as I could done early on. The first climb was long, but not nearly as bad as I'd been afraid it would be. I was on top by 9:30, with an easy stroll ahead of me for the rest of the day. However, around mid-afternoon, as I was climbing along a ridge, I started to hear thunder. I tried to count how far away the storm was, but there were cells on all sides, and it was impossible to tell which crashes went with which flashes. I was getting a little worried, being on top of the ridge with the storm moving in, but I came to the edge of the ridge and started to go down off the mountain just as it moved overhead and started to rain.The rain drove me to hike faster, trying to get to the shelter, and I was feeling good, even though I had to be careful of my steps on the wet rocks. Although it rained hard for a while, it stopped quickly, and when it did, my zip left. It kept rumbling for a while, but I was dragging for the last mile or two.When I finally got here, I was glad to see that it was a very nice shelter. There are some southbound flip-floppers here, and they said there was a crew here earlier, putting in some pegs for hanging backpacks. It's been nice talking with them about the trail that's coming up, to try to get an idea of what it's going to be like north of here.The Brain
Date: 2007-05-03
From: Paul C Wolfe Memorial Shelter, VA

To: Pam Bennett's House, Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: light rain

A couple days ago, when I was checking my email from the Dutch Haus, I saw that the woman I had met at Cornelius Creek, Pam, had left a comment on my journal, offering a place to stay when I got into town. So, after I had hiked the easy 5 miles this morning, through a heavy mist and light rain, I gave her a call from the visitors center, right on the trail. She was at work, but offered to meet me in town and put me up for the night when she got done.I told her I'd wait at the library, and called another number from the list of Trail Angels who have volunteered to give hikers rides from the trail into town and back. I got a hit on my first try, and soon was checking my email at the library. A little later, I walked over to Veasie's Kitchen, for the All-you-can-eat pancake special. The current record is 24, and I have no idea how anyone could eat that many. They were the size of frisbees! Nonetheless, I told the waitress I'd start with three, and by the time I'd finished them, I was even hungrier, and asked for three more. But, those filled me up, and I finished off having eaten 8. If it had been the one to break the record, I think I could have forced another down, but I wasn't going to make myself sick for nothing. Still, I noticed that nobody else had eaten more than 6 this year, or more than 12 as far back as their register went, to early 2004. I was satisfied with my performance.I walked back to the library, and read until Pam came by. We went to her house, where I started some laundry, took a shower, then threw on some of her husband's clothing, and we all went out to dinner at a Chinese buffet. It was quite good for a buffet, with lots of options, including some enormous crab legs! Back at the house, I called home, then had a wonderful dessert of strawberry shortcake. Pam has to be at work early tomorrow, so she called another of the Angels, and found me a ride back to the gap. In all, it's been another wonderful day, even though it's still raining. After all, I'm not out in the rain tonight, so let it pour!The Brain
Date: 2007-05-04
From: Pam Bennett's House, Waynesboro, VA

To: Black Rock Hut, VA
Miles today: 20.0

I was thinking I was going to spend my first night alone on the trail, but just before 7:00, a section hiker named Peasely came in. I guess my streak will remain unbroken, until some other night. He started at the north end of the Shenandoahs and is hiking down to Troutville, as part of his second complete section hike. We've been discussing the trail north of here, especially the restaurants and short-order places. He's going to pitch his tent, though, so I'll still be alone in the shelter.This moring started out great. I woke up feeling refreshed, having slept like a log, ate a wonderful breakfast of Pam's biscuits, sausage, eggs and bacon. I even had a cup of coffee, for the first time since starting the trail. It just smelled too good to pass up. Pam dropped me off at the post office on her way to work, handing me a small bag of cookies (they were delicious, thank you so much!).Even though the post office wasn't open yet, there was already a long line waiting outside. Fortunately, they had three windows going, and it didn't take very long. I sent off a letter to my grandfather, as well as sent home my 25 degree sleeping bag, having replaced it with my dad's new 35 degree bag. It's noticibly lighter, but of course, having sent home the warm bag, the weather has turned chilly again. I should still be warm enough, just not extremely toasty.I've finally made it into Shenandoah National Park, and the hiking is as easy as everyone has said it would be. I cruised along all day today. The hardest part of today's hike was figuring out how to fill out and attach the backcountry permit to my pack. I didn't see a lot of other hikers, but it was gray and threatening all day long, although it only sprinkled for a few minutes. A couple more hikers just pulled in, so I'm going to go be sociable.The BrainFog from Rockfish Gap-1 - Click picture to see full sizeBurnt area - Click picture to see full sizeWrong Way sign - Click picture to see full sizeVenerable tree - Click picture to see full sizeCement signpost-1 - Click picture to see full sizeCement signpost-2 - Click picture to see full sizeView of the valley - Click picture to see full sizeBlackrock shelter-resident rat-2 - Click picture to see full sizeBlackrock shelter-resident rat-3 - Click picture to see full size
Date: 2007-05-05
From: Black Rock Hut, VA

To: High Top Hut, VA
Miles today: 21.4

Today was a day for wildlife. I saw all different kinds of birds this morning, including an indigo bunting and something that looked like an oriole, but the women at the shelter tonight say it wasn't. At one point, I looked up, and 100 yards away, a deer was rounding the corner, coming up the trail. It came closer, and three more came around the corner behind it. I stood still and waited, and they eventually came very close. One of them got about ten feet away before it turned into the woods and walked around me.Just as I was wondering if I could make it to the next shelter for lunch, before I got too hungry to move, I came into a parking lot, where two women were waiting with their cars. They came up and offered me food, drinks, and snacks. They were out as the support crew for four men doing some training for ultramarathons. They're running the AT through SNP in two days and the women were meeting them at the roads with snacks and advil. They had PB&J sandwiches, cheese crackers, cokes, energy bars, and Twinkies. I'd never had one before, so I had to try them. They were sugary and artificial, but a great snack. I left them, having eaten my fill, but they told me they'd leave a snack for me at the last road crossing before this shelter.When I got to the road, there was a note telling where the food was, and there it was. I had myself another good snack before taking off up the hill. There are four women here, three of whom have section hiked, and the fourth is working on her section hike. They've been sharing stories about hikers they've met, and other trail stories. I guess that's one of the biggest things that hikers talk about, after food and gear. I always learn something new talking with other hikers.The BrainClouds from Blackrock Mt-2 - Click picture to see full sizeDeer encounter-3 - Click picture to see full sizeDeer encounter-4 - Click picture to see full sizeDeer encounter-5 - Click picture to see full sizeDeer encounter-6 - Click picture to see full sizeIce storm damage-1 - Click picture to see full sizeAnother view - Click picture to see full sizeIce storm damage-2 - Click picture to see full sizeOdd tree at Hightop - Click picture to see full size