morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-13
From: Raccoon Branch Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

If only every day on the trail was like this. Big miles over fairly easy terrain, not a cloud in the sky, warm but not hot, and a big meal to break it up. Yep, today was just about ideal. I hit the trail this morning with close to the earliest start I¢ve ever had and made the 12 miles to Partnership Shelter quickly. Partnership is often considered, for good reason, one of the best shelters on the trail. It¢s right next to the Mt. Rogers NRA Visitors Center, and there¢s running water and hot showers. The thing I was thinking about all morning, though, was that you can call from a public phone outside the visitor¢s center and have pizza delivered. I got a large pepperoni and mushroom and ate all but a slice of it in probably under 15 minutes. Let me tell you, it was darn good. It hit the spot like no pizza ever has. So the rest of the hike today, for the most first time since leaving Damascus, I was hiking on a full stomach. Of course, I still had no problem finishing off my usual dinner tonight plus a few extra things I didn¢t eat today because of the pizza.I hear today that Tennessee might have yellow-blazed up to Pearisburg. That would surprise me, and I don¢t know if I believe it. But it¢s better than hearing she might have gotten lost in the snowstorm.
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

One of the best aspects of hiking the trail for me is that I can change my daily plans on a whim. Yesterday was a good example. The original plan was to get up and get hiking early, get to where the trail crosses I-81, eat a big breakfast at a nearby restaurant, pick up my maildrop, and then do the 14 miles to this shelter. The plan was working up through the huge breakfast part, but when I went to get the maildrop, it hadn¢t arrived yet. The guy at the hotel where it was supposed to be said that the packages generally weren¢t delivered till the afternoon, so I decided to get a shower and do laundry and hope it came in then. I hung out with a thru-hiker named Jeff who christened himself ¢Two Sheets¢ during the course of the day (for reasons I don¢t quite get) waiting for the mailman to show. He finally shows up about 3:30, but says he¢s bringing packages on his second run. There¢s a shelter a bit over two miles out of town, so I decide to wait longer and aim for that one instead. At 5:30 the mailman comes back with packages, but mines not among them. I pay for a room for the night. A little after 6:00, the UPS guy shows up and, lo and behold, there it is. I go get my money refunded and pack up to hike. As I¢m about to go, A-train comes walking in saying Grunt, Dimples, Java, Red Streak and Squirts are coming in to and that they¢re going to celebrate Java¢s 21st birthday. I haven¢t really seen these guys since Erwin, and I¢m in a mood to drink, so I go pay for a room for the second time. So that was it. We all got dinner and drank the night away. I was pretty buzzed off of four beers. My tolerance is way down! It was good times. Great to see these guys again. And we¢re all here again tonight, though a bit more sober. The hike today was warm and under sunny skies again, but pretty uneventful. I¢m sitting here outside the shelter after 10:00 writing this in my shorts and fleece jacket and completely comfortable. I¢ll probably be hot in the sleeping bag tonight. It¢s almost time to send home the cold weather gear.
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Again I am writing this really late at night, which on the trail is anything after 10:00. Today, though, it isn¢t due to a late start. I was actually on the trail by 8:00 this morning. Around midday I took a really long break on top of Chestnut Knob, and that put me into this shelter right at dusk. It was well worth it, though. The views from the top of Chestnut Knob were phenomenal.I¢ve got other things on my mind to write about, but I¢m no going to. Like I said, it¢s late.
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: HelveyÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mill Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

For the past several days the hiking has often seemed more like a chore than fun. I don¢t know why really. The weather¢s been good, though a bit warm, and the terrain hasn¢t been particularly difficult. It¢s just that my mood hasn¢t really fit the hiking. I guess this may be what other hikers before me have called the Virginia Blues. When I heard other hikers from years past talk about it I didn¢t really believe them. How could you be depressed when you¢re hiking on the AT? I still don¢t understand it, but maybe a few days off the trail coming up will help me snap out of it. Where¢s all the energy and zeal I had around Hot Springs and Erwin? I hope it comes back. It¢s a long trail, and I guess this is just part of it.
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Hotel, Wytheville, VA

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Once again I went to town for a couple nights, which means late bedtimes, which means no journal time. So here¢s another catch-up entry. Let¢s go back to last Thursday night when Subman and I were in Helvey¢s Mill Shelter asleep at 10:30. Four hikers come in right about then and set their stuff up in the shelter, waking us up. There was plenty of room for them, and they were very apologetic but it¢s my feeling that if you come into a shelter that late and see people asleep, go to the nearest flat spot and pitch a tent. No matter how quiet you try to be, you¢re going to wake someone up. To me, it just seems like hiker etiquette. So I was a bit irritated but maybe I¢m just too anal.The next morning I was out of the shelter by 7:00 so I could get to Rt. 606 to meet my parents at 3:00. That was 16 miles, so I figured that would be the right pace including breaks. It was raining though. So I didn¢t stop until I got to a shelter 10 miles in. I was soaking wet and freezing cold, so I got out of my sleeping bag and stayed there for a good hour. (Forgive me if this is choppy. I am talking with Red, Pop Tart, and Tinker while writing). I finally coaxed myself out into the rain again and met my parents. We got a hotel room in Wytheville and I took a shower and put on cotton clothes and my Birkenstocks for the first time since I started. It¢s the little things like that that I miss. Yesterday, we went hiking in the Grayson Highlands and covered ground that last week was under snow. Then we went down to Damascus to eat at, where else, the Sidetrack Caf©. There was a lot bigger crowd of hikers there then when I came through. The perhaps the highlight of the weekend was when I found Lawton a.k.a. disco (the transcriber), Lauren, and Elaine (thru-hiker friends of mine) at Sicily¢s and talked with them for a while. (Okay, so it¢s taken me about 2 hours to write this because I¢m talking at the same time, so I¢m just going to wrap this up). All in all it was just a fantastic weekend. Big thank yous to Mom, Dad, and KD for making the trip and feeding me all weekend.
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Church Hostel, Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Sorry for the rambling entry last night. There were just a lot of distractions, and I couldn¢t keep a coherent train of thought in my head big enough to write down. The jist of it was that I had a great weekend with my parents, did some day-hiking in the Grayson Highlands which was a nice change of pace, and saw some friends by chance in Damascus.Today¢s hike was pretty easy, though wet at times. Pop Tart, Red, Tinker and I kind of hiked together into town. About two miles out of town I passed a viewpoint called Angel¢s Rest that I day-hiked to several times while in college, and I remember dreaming about one day walking by that point on a thru-hike. Walking by it today reminded me that right now I¢m getting to live a dream, and that I¢m extremely fortunate to be out here. I think that a combination of the recent wet weather and long days has made me lose sight of the dream and has had me down a little. I felt a lot better today, though, refreshed from the weekend, and the miles passed a lot quicker.I¢m planning on going into Blacksburg for a few days coming up, both to see some friends and to get my grad school applications done. I think that I might just get a ride in tomorrow, even though I just got back on the trail after a few days off. That would save me from hiking on a schedule again, having to meet someone at a specific time and place. When I get back on again I can just do my own thing according to my mood, like I had been doing for most of the hike up until now.Sad news tonight. Red just got word this evening that her grandfather passed away. She¢s going to stick around tomorrow and maybe only put in a few miles to think things over, like whether or not she should get off the trail for the funeral. Pop Tart I think will stick around with her to give her a friend to talk to.
Date: 2003-04-22
From: Church Hostel, Pearisburg, VA

To: PorterÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Apartment, Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

No Entry for Today.
Date: 2003-04-23
From: PorterÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Apartment, Blacksburg, VA

To: PorterÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Apartment, Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

No Entry for Today.
Date: 2003-04-24
From: PorterÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Apartment, Blacksburg, VA

To: PorterÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Apartment, Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

No Entry for Today.
Date: 2003-04-25
From: PorterÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Apartment, Blacksburg, VA

To: PorterÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Apartment, Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

No Entry for Today.
Date: 2003-04-26
From: PorterÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Apartment, Blacksburg, VA

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

My first night on the trail since last Sunday. I feel like I¢ve been slacking. Taking a vacation from a vacation.Tuesday morning I woke up rather late to rain and called up my friend Porter in Blacksburg to come and get me. This guy qualifies as a true trail angel in my book since he not only drove me to and from the trail, but also put me up at his place for 4 nights. I had a fantastic time seeing many of my friends again, including the Vtones (with a special shout-out to Kim who tells me she follows this journal) and Lee Ann with her new puppy Black Jack (the cutest darn thing you¢ll ever see). I also got some grad school application stuff done and found out I am about to be published in a scientific journal for some research that I had a small hand in. Pretty cool. Last night, though, I was drinking at a bar near the VT campus. It got super crowded to the point that I just had to get out of there, and the whole time I was thinking ¢man, I wish I was back on the trail.¢So here I am again. I almost pulled a twenty miler with my well-rested legs and new lighter-weight shoes that I picked up in town. There was a bit of rain today, but it didn¢t last long. It actually held off long enough for me to get some great views from the Rice Fields and Symms Gap. I left a notebook at the Rice Fields Shelter as a register in hopes that when it fills up someone will be kind enough to mail it to me. I left my home address in it and told whomever that I would pay them back for the postage. I seem to know a few of the folks hiking in this area right now, but most of the people I had been with are several days ahead. I will miss them and may never catch up, but there will be new people everywhere I go.
Date: 2003-04-27
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

It doesn¢t get much better than this! Today was an absolutely gorgeous day for hiking. I was on the trail at 8:00 on the spot this morning, and the miles just seemed to disappear behind me. I ran into Earlyriser and Dutchess of Denmark, who I haven¢t seen since Hiawassee, just as they were starting out on a southbound slackpack back to Pearisburg. They were carrying cookies for the hikers they met, and their generosity put me in a great mood. Just goes to show how kindness can really go a long way. Thank you two. There were a couple significant climbs today, but overall the terrain was pretty easy. About 2/3 of the way up the second climb I found Super Dave at a road crossing giving out sodas and candy. I talked with him for a good while, and he told me he attempted a thru-hike last year and got all the way up to Franconia Notch in New Hampshire but had to get off due to unfortunate circumstances. He plans to finish it up this year starting in August. He also identified the call of a pileated woodpecker for me. I¢ve been listening to bird calls on the trail for a while now and have gotten so I can distinguish some of them, but I don¢t know what call belongs to what bird. There¢s one call that I here all the time that is three quick chirps at one pitch, then one more chirp at a lower pitch. It kind of reminds me of Beethoven¢s 5th in a happier key. If anyone can tell me what bird makes that call, I¢d really like to know. Anyway, after I left Super Dave and continued the climb, I ran into Sara Opseth, someone I know from Virginia Tech. She was on a day hike up to Kelly¢s Knob with a guy (her boyfriend?) that I¢ve met before but can¢t remember his name. I love running into people I know on the trail by sheer coincidence. When I finally got to the top of Kelly¢s Knob, the view was phenomenal. Among my favorite on the trail so far. I could easily see Blacksburg and the surrounding mountains and valleys. It was enough to make me long to be back in Blacksburg as a student, though I bet all the folks getting ready for final exams would think that¢s crazy. I was up there alone for a good hour when Freeman, whom I met yesterday, showed up. We talked for a while before heading to the shelter. We¢re the only ones here tonight, and both of us plan on trying to pull 22 miles tomorrow. If tomorrow is anything like today, then I¢m looking forward to it.
Date: 2003-04-28
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter ???
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: clear sky

Today didn¢t quite live up to yesterday as hoped. It started off well enough, but a few factors combined to make part of the day a rough go. First, it was hot. Easily the hottest day yet. Otherwise the weather was great, hardly a cloud to be seen. Second, the terrain was pretty tough at times. There were only two significant climbs today, but a lot of the trail was rocky. That combined with the long miles today made my feet really hurt during the last few miles. Third, I ran out of Aqua Mira, the stuff I use to treat my water with, last night. I¢ve been boiling all my water, which is quite time consuming on an alcohol stove. Because of that I really haven¢t drank enough water today, and I¢m quite dehydrated. I¢ve been sitting here after dark beside a stream, about a mile shy of the shelter, where I think I¢m going to spend the night, just boiling water. I¢ve already eaten dinner, so I think I¢m going to do a short night hike and then go straight to bed.
Date: 2003-04-29
From: Pickle Branch Shelter ???

To: Catawba Shelter
Miles today: 13.9

The views today were great, but it was the people that made the day memorable. I met this group of 3 section hikers, Broken Spoke, Smilin¢ Bob, and Patty, this morning at the shelter. They¢re out here struggling through the terrain and heat just like me, and they¢re absolutely having a blast with it. And they¢re some of the nicest folks I¢ve ever met. I got to the first road crossing and I was looking between a store and a hostel for some denatured alcohol for my stove. Neither place had anything, and I was trying to figure out what to do about it. They came up and offered me their stoves for the night and iodine for my water. Saved my butt. So I¢m here at the shelter with them tonight just talking away.I¢m pretty tired tonight, so it¢s time to go to bed. Tomorrow I have to write about the guy I met at the Rt. 311 road crossing. I got a picture of his car you¢d have to see to believe.
Date: 2003-05-01
From: Best Western

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: few clouds

Pile Up¢s entry in the Fullhart Knob Shelter Register: ¢Ahh May. So April showers are over now, right?¢        Yesterday, after leaving the three section hikers and passing by some spectacular views at McAffee knob and Tinker Cliffs, I got doused by a major thunderstorm while coming down the ridge into Daleville. I went from dry one minute to sopping wet the next. It was the first time this whole hike that I was actually somewhat afraid for my safety. As I was hiking along the ridge, I watched the thunderstorm come over the ridges to the west and shower lightning upon them. The ridge I was on was really narrow and rocky, not the safest place to be. So I was hiking pretty fast hoping to best the storm, and at one point turned my ankle and completely collapsed on the ground. It was a pretty nasty tumble, but I was pleased to find nothing hurt. I got up and was thinking, ¢I got to get off this ridge, but I can¢t hike so fast.¢ I just kept going at a slower pace, and luckily the storm held off until the trail took me down the mountain a little ways.                When I got to town I immediately spotted Tunnel and Patch headed toward Pizza Hut and joined them. We got some pizza boxes to put underneath our packs so as not to have them drip all over the floor. After having our meal there we ran into Freeman and all checked into a room at the Best Western. I also picked up some Aqua Mira and stove alcohol at the local outfitters, so I¢m no longer dependant on other people for that stuff.         Today, I did my grocery shopping and hit the trail a little before noon. At one point I was totally sure it was going to storm again this afternoon, but as of 9:30pm it hasn¢t yet. Its pretty windy out, though, and it wouldn¢t surprise me if it stormed tonight.   I¢m in the shelter with several people whom I just met in the past 24 hours. Since Pearisburg it seems like I¢ve been in a thru-hiker bubble, so its nice being back with a group again.
Date: 2003-05-02
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Campsite next to Jennings Creek
Miles today: 16.9

I¢ve discovered a new use for my rain gear: keep the mosquitoes from eating me alive. Okay, maybe not discovered as I¢m sure many a hiker has done that before, but it¢s new for me. After several days in a row of hot, sticky weather, the bugs are out in force. I¢ve heard its supposed to cool off tonight and stay cool over the weekend, so maybe that will help things out a bit.         Gung-ho Rider (also from Nashville), Lion Cub, Timber and I all reached Jenning¢s Creek this afternoon and took a dip in a swimming hole to cool off. The water felt so wonderful, just the right temperature for a dip after a hot day. Following that, we all hitched a ride about a mile down the road to a campground store that was supposed to sell ice cream. We found the ice cream selection to be lacking, but were instead pleasantly surprised to find a grill that served hamburgers and all kinds of other wonderful greasy foods. I¢d probably never eat that much greasy stuff in the real world, but out here I crave it.         Tomorrow is going to be the biggest climb that we¢ve had in a while, so I¢d like to get an early start to beat the afternoon heat.
Date: 2003-05-03
From: Campsite next to Jennings Creek

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

I hike so much better in cool weather. It was like I wasn¢t even trying today; the miles just happened. And it was all uphill, too. The trail was in the clouds most of the day, but I didn¢t mind. Actually, I rather enjoyed it. It just felt so good to be outside. Wildflowers were everywhere!        Along with cooler weather, though, comes problems for those who have sent their warm sleeping bags home. Not me, but its rather comical watching Gung-ho Rider and Lion Cub get ready for the night. I think they¢ll be all right, though. Headlamp is getting dim. Time for new batteries.
Date: 2003-05-05
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Brown Mtn Creek Shelter
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: light rain

Quick entry tonight because I have been looking forward to getting in my sleeping bag for some time now, and now that I am there, I don¢t really feel like writing.         Yesterday Timber, Gung-ho Rider, Lion Cub, Rise-and Shine, and I had a gorgeous and easy hike down to the James River. It was such a sweet hike at times and I almost felt like I was cheating somehow. We all hitched into Glasgow for some great hamburgers. Timber and I got a hotel room for the night since I had to wait till this morning to pick up a mail drop and she was hoping to call her husband (in the Navy) in the morning. So I had a shower, bed, real food, and laundry last night after a great day of hiking. It was the life!        This morning I picked up my mail drop and got back on the trail about quarter after ten. It was pretty windy and chilly out, so I was hiking with a few more layers on then I have been recently. About 4 miles from the shelter the skies opened up, and I got soaked by the time I got to the shelter. And that¢s why being in a warm sleeping bag right now is such a good thing.
Date: 2003-05-07
From: Dutch Haus, Montebello

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: clear sky

It must be getting to that time of year where the weathermen have no idea what the weather is going to be like tomorrow. They just put down afternoon thunderstorms everyday to cover their butts. The forecast for today was quite ominous, like we were facing impending doom. I was quite concerned about it, because a large part of the hike today was on exposed ridges, the last place I want to be with a severe thunderstorm bearing down. And so I hiked my legs off today trying to beat any storm to the shelter, but a storm never materialized. I was so sure this morning from the forecast that there would be a storm that I was quite surprised there wasn¢t, but I guess that¢s the good kind of surprised. Only now my feet and legs aren¢t happy with me. Whoever said that hiking the AT in Virginia was easy wasn¢t talking about the section of trail between here and the James River. There¢s been a 2-3,000 foot climb each day since crossing the James, with today¢s climb up three ridges being the toughest. Yesterday, was the climb up Bald Mtn., but I didn¢t mind that one as much, probably since it was early in the day. There have been lots of good views to make up for the terrain, though. Yesterday from Cold Mtn., and today from the Priest and Three Ridges, to name a few.         Yesterday I decided to treat myself to a night at a B&B for my birthday. I ended up going to the Dutch Haus in Montebello, about 2 miles from the trail. I¢d heard good things about it, and they had a special backpacker rate of $25 ($35 w/ dinner) for a night¢s stay. When I got there, Timber, who beat me there by an hour or two, greeted me at the door in a bathrobe. Not something hikers usually carry in their packs. So when I asked, she told me hikers who stay there got one while their clothes were being washed. Oh boy, I knew right then it was going to be a good night. The owners were super nice and cooked great food, did laundry for us, and basically let Timber and I have the run of the place. It¢s only been open for a couple of years, but I bet it will shortly known as one of the places to stop for hikers along the trail.