morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-03
From: 1 hour north of Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Relax Inn Motel in Adkins, Va.
Miles today: 29.1
Weather: scattered clouds

29.1 miles todayRelax Inn Motel in Adkins, Va.I slept really well last night, even with all the rain. The storm came through with alot of lightening and wind, but the worst was over within 30 minutes. It rained a few more times before dawn. I was looking forward to an evening with the full moon, but it was so cloudy and rainy all night that you couldn't even tell the moon was out. I had a hard time getting up this morning. It was 7:20am before I started hiking and I started slower than normal. I hiked by where Raccoon Branch Shelter used to be. The sign for the turn off is still there, but I didn't go down to see what's left there. I hiked on to Trimpi Shelter and took a short break and ate some breakfast and got water. About 4 miles before I got to Trimpi, I started hiking at a faster pace, just incase I decided to go on to Adkins, Va and get a motel. I hiked on and passed a girl, Barbara Duffy, that Jan Liteshoe and I met on our section hike about 6 or 7 weeks ago. Her name is Slow Barbara and she lives close to Jan. Then I passed Daddy-O, Little Engine and Screamin' Steven. I talked for a little while and although Little Engine and I recognized each other, we couldn't figure out where we met. I've the the excuse of a poor memory of being over 50, but she's only in her 20s. I hiked on to Partnership Shelter and signed the register and then walked over to the Mount Rogers Visitor Center and got a couple of cokes and ate lunch. I spent about 45 minutes there. Kev-dog was there and hiked out a little before me. When I hiked out I saw alot of very nice yellow azaleas. I stopped to take a picture of one that was in a beautiful setting, but I was out of film. There were also alot of fire pink and I even saw an indian paintbrush. That was only about the third one of those i've seen this year. I climbed over Brushy Mountain, Locust Mountain and Glade Mountain before I got to Chatfield Shelter. There was a south bound section hiker there and we talked a while before I left. I hiked by an old one room school house that is open to explore. I went in and signed the register and took a short break before hiking on. I was sure I could smell the restaurant about 3 miles away putting a cheeseburger for me. I hiked on down into Adkins at 5:15pm and went and got a motel room. I rinsed my shirt out and wiped the dirt off my legs and went up to The Barn Restaurant and had sirloin tips with mashed potatos and gravy and green beans. On the way back to the motel, I stopped by the Dairy Queen and got me a large vanilla milk shake and a fish sandwich. I ran into D-Bone who I met last year on my southbound hike. The weather today was perfect. It never got real warm and had a slight breeze and the sun was out all day. I don't usually walk this fast, but today it just seemed to happen. I was at Partnership Shelter at 12:45pm and that was way too early for me to stop and this place was only another 12 miles, so I just kept walking. Another great day on the A.T.
Date: 2004-06-05
From: Lick Creek in Va.

To: 5 minutes north of Trail Boss Trail,Va
Miles today: 22.8

22.8 miles today5 minutes north of Trail Boss Trail,VaStealth tentingI was very slow getting up today. I woke up at 6am and rolled over and went back to sleep. I didn't wake up again until 7:30am. I packed up everything before I got out of the tent and then rolled up a soaking wet tent. I just couldn't get moving very good, so after about 45 minutes I found a nice place to sit and I made coffee and ate breakfast. The low area I stayed at last night wasn't a real god idea because the trail was very muddy. The sun came out for about 15 minutes and then the clouds rolled in again. I climbed from about 2200' up to the Chestnut Knob Shelter that is 4410' high. On the way up I saw a bunch of baby turkeys that were about the size of a quail and the mother came out and got my attention and went in a different direction than the younguns. I was only 10' from the little guys when I scared them out of their resting spot. About 10 minutes later I saw another group of turkeys in the distance. Just before I got up here I saw a baby chipmonk in the trail, but he wasn't moving and I doubt he'll be around long. I nudged him with my hiking pole, but he didn't move.I walked into the clouds on my way up and the wind is blowing a gentle 10mph and it's chilly when you stop walking. The cloud is so thick right now that I can only see about 100'.I'm eating an early lunch and trying to dry out my tent a little so it doesn't weigh so much.I got my energy back about half way up the hill, but I probably won't get very far today. I'm done eating and my tent hasn't dried out any, so I guess I'll pack it up anyway and start walking.I hiked down to Walker Gap and then back up to a rough ridge and followed that to Jenkins Shelter. I stopped there and ate dinner and talked to Doc and Grizzly Dave. I had met Dave on an earlier hike. We talked about 45 minutes and then I left. I walked about another 2 1/2 hours and found this nice spot on a ridge. I picked this spot because there should be a slight breeze overnight and it will dry my tent out by morning.The sun came out finally just before dark. It was a really nice day and it stayed mild, but I was just having a low energy day. I GOT TRAIL MAGIC!!!! I forgot that there was such a thing. I stopped and got rid of my garbage at a trash can that the local church left for hikers just past Laurel Creek. I started walking and there was a cooler. There was apple juice and orange juice on ice. That can go a long way to brighten your day. A little earlier in the day I was walking along and started thinking about fried chicken and how nice it would be if someone showed up {hint, hint} with fried chicken, but I have to say, I really enjoyed the juice. I must be in a good spot because a mockingbird is singing. I hope he's here to wake me up in the morning.We must have had quite a bit of rain because the trail was very muddy and the streams were all high. It stayed wet all day, but it looks like it might dry up some for tomorrow.Another great day on the A.T.
Date: 2004-06-10
From: Along Stony Creek, Va.

To: Kelly Knob, Va.
Miles today: 15.2

15.2 miles todayKelly Knob, Va.Stealth tenting8am I'm still in my tent, can you believe that??? I woke up earlier, but I didn't finish my journal for yesterday, so I just layed here and wrote. I guess I better get going before someone passes by and I get a reputation for sleeping in.8:30am I've had breakfast and I'm all packed and heading out for another day of hiking. It is a very humid morning and I'm climbing up to Wind Rock which is 4100' high. Near the top I found a nice spring and I loaded up on water and got out my silnylon water bag and washed my shirt and bandana after I was done washing me. I would probably wash my clothes more often out here, but my silnylon washing machine is not automatic. I stopped for an early morning break at Bailey Gap Shelter and then finished the climb to Wind Rock. I sat out on the rocks and enjoyed the views and ate a snack. I left there and walked by a fire ring and I found a quarter...makin' money on the A.T. I was walking through an area of alot of ferns and there was a little 1 1/2' snake in the trail and the little bugger came right at me and then took off into the ferns.For about 90 minutes I was walking through an area of nothing but rocks ranging in size from little ones to some the size of a sofa. With all the humidity this morning everything is very wet and the rocks are slippery. It just isn't drying up this morning.It seems like a tropical forest this morning. There is still beads of water all over the leaves so I'm getting pretty wet just walking through here.I met a couple that were still where they camped last night. Her name is Banana and his name is Yertle. We talked a while and I filled up with water at the nearby spring and I hiked on. 2pm I got to War Spur Shelter and I took a 45 minute break. There is thunder behing me and it's just starting to rain, but I'm hiking on out of here anyway. The rain lasted until about 3:30pm. The thunder stayed away, but it rained pretty hard for a while.4pm I've been climbing ever since I left the shelter and I just came to a gravel road and there's trail magic!!Super Dave left a bunch of cokes. I drank one and packed one out so I will get some caffiene in the morning.5pm I hiked up another mountain and there is an overlook called Kelly Knob and I came out here and rock hopped out to the edge and sat down and ate dinner. I was planning on hiking on, but decided to stay up here and set up my tent. I can see a thunderstorm in the valley below and it's getting windy and cool up here.My food bag is hung and I think I'll go to bed early and listen to the radio. Another great day on the A.T.
Date: 2004-06-11
From: Kelly Knob, Va.

To: Just south of Dragons Tooth, Va.
Miles today: 25.8

25.8 miles todayJust south of Dragons Tooth, Va.Stealth tenting6am I'm sitting on the edge of the cliff here on Kelly Knob. I've already packed up my tent and I'm having breakfast while I'm watching the sky turn pink. I can't see the sun rise because it's behind the mountain, but I'm enjoying watching the sky turn and in the valley below is a thick blanket of fog.7:05am I just got to Laurel Creek Shelter and Moose is here and another thru hiker that doesn't have a trail name. After I left the shelter I hiked into a field and 3 deer were watching me from about 50 yards away. I guess they thought I was ok since I wasn't heading right at them. A little farther along in the field are 4 donkeys.8:35am I'm sitting next to the KefferOak Tree and I'm taking a break. This is one of the biggest trees on the A.T. A little later I passed a lady by the name of Polly who seemed to be struggling a bit. I climbed the mountain up to the Sarver Shelter and took a break at the side trail to it. I didn't want to walk back down to the shelter because it's a long way down the hill, so I just took a 10 minute break by the turn off. After that shelter the trail took me up to a ridge where the whole ridge is on quite a slant. It wasn't too bad a walk because it was dry and my running shoes grabbed the rocks pretty well, but I wouldn't want to walk that when the rocks were wet. Good water is kind of scarce in this area and I got lucky and saw a little water down the hill about 50 yards and I bushwacked to it and it was a very nice spring. I drank alot and filled my bottles. 12:15 pm I'm at the Niday Shelter and there are 5 other thru hikers here. I don't remember all their names, but I do remember Dolphin, Roadster and Doc. I ate lunch and hiked on out. About a mile after the shelter was a road crossing and there was more trail magic!! I had a Gatoraid and a Dr. Pepper thanks to Josh and Bob. I have really been running into alot of trail magic lately and I'm really enjoying it. At about 2:45, I sat down at the Audie Murphy Memorial and ate an early dinner. This is close to where his airplane went down in 1971. Doc and Dolphin showed up and we talked a bit. I spent about an hour there. I passed Pickle Branch Shelter, but didn't go to it because it was too far off the trail. It started raining just a little bit later and rained on and off until I found this spot to set up my tent. I'm only about 3 1/2 miles from the Four Pines Hostel where I plan on staying tomorrow, so it will be a short walk in the morning. The wind is whipping my tent around ! pretty good right now. Another great day on the A.T.
Date: 2004-06-12
From: Just south of Dragons Tooth, Va.

To: Four Pines Hostel, Catawba, Va.
Miles today: 3.4
Weather: overcast clouds

3.4 miles todayFour Pines Hostel, Catawba, Va.6am I'm already hiking. I woke up at about 5am and slowly packed and when it got light enough to see, I started the climb the rest of the way up to Dragons Tooth. It was so foggy that I didn't have any views and the rocks were wet so I had to be extra careful walking on the thin edges. I hiked on down to the road and went left to the store instead of right to the hostel. I had COFFEE!!! I also ordered a couple breakfast sandwiches and when I left there, I started walking down the road and Joe Mitchell drives up and rolls down his window and yells..."Stumpknocker". He had room, so I got in and we went to the po and then back to the hostel. Welsh Nomad, Roadster, Mr. T and Flint were there. I got a much needed shower and washed my clothes. I even took a short nap. 8pm Ohhhhhhh, my stomach hurts...ohhhhhhh, I ate too much fried chicken at The Homeplace. I don't ever want to see fried chicken again. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, ohhhhhhhhhh, but I have to admit it was good and the vegetables were excellent and then there was the peach cobbler....ummmmmmm....ohhhhhh.Moose, Banana, Yertle and Yoga Monkey came in later and stayed the night. I was going to get off the trail for a short time to take care of some personal matters, but for now I'll hike on and I'll see when I need to do that. I'll be in Daleville, Va in 2 days and maybe I'll know more then.Another great day on the A.t.Good night.
Date: 2004-06-14
From: 2 1/2 miles north of Lamberts Meadow Shelter, Va

To: EconoLodge Motel, Daleville, Va.
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: broken clouds

6.9 miles todayEconoLodge Motel, Daleville, Va.5am I woke up early after a very good nights sleep. I knew better than to set my tent up facing the way I set it, but I just wanted the view of the valley below last night. A fog rolled in over night and with the prevailing wind everything was damp...but it was worth the view. I shuffled through the woods about 75' and got my food bag down out of the tree and then got back inside and ate breakfast. I very rarely eat inside my tent, but I just felt like it this morning while I waited on the sun to come up. There were no views left because I was in a cloud of fog, but even that is nice in it's own way. After I got packed up and started hiking, it started raining, but only for about 15 minutes. With all this moisture in the air from the rain and the fog, it is harder to breathe going up the hills. I passed a small box turtle that was in the middle of the trail...hikers aren't the only ones that use the trail. Just before I got to town, the sun came out. I haven't seen that in a few days, but it didn't stay out long. I got to town a little after 10am and walked down to the outfitter and checked my email and then grabbed an early lunch. I got this motel room and took a shower and washed my clothes. I just left a hostel yesterday morning, but this shower felt really good. I dried out my clothes and my tent on the balcony and took care of some paper work, yes even hikers have to do that sometimes. I started to walk about a mile up to the po to mail it and when I walked by the trailhead, Damascus Dave was there. He shuttled a couple all the way up here from Damascus. He gave me a ride to the po and waited on me and brought me back. We talked a while and he told me about the plans he has for a trip this year. He's going kayaking in Maine in July and September. He headed back to Big D....that's right...Damascus, Va. I waisted the rest of the afternoon laying in a room so cold from the a.c. that I needed to stay under the covers. At 6pm, I walked next door to the Pizza Hut in the rain {yes, it's raining again} and ordered a personal pan pizza. Moose came in and joined me a little later. I came back to the room and made a few phone calls. I got lucky when I called the Klingel's house to get an address...my sister-in-law answered instead of her husband, the Porch Potato. We talked a while and I got the address I needed and then I called my mother to wish her luck with her double knee replacememnt that she's having done in the morning. I got done talking and fell asleep early. Another great day on the A.T.PS Hey Skeemer, I'm 51 years old and my comment about that elderly couple in their mid fifties was correct. Anyone who is 52 or older is in the elderly group. Are you in THAT group???PSS Hey Shoe, good to hear from you. Since you are off the trail for a few weeks, you have more time to click on my journal and run up the counter....I'm closing in fast on Liteshoe's 302,000 hits. (Transciber's reminder:http://www.trailjournals.com/liteshoe/)
Date: 2004-06-15
From: EconoLodge Motel, Daleville, Va.

To: Comfort Inn, Daleville, Va.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero miles todayComfort Inn, Daleville, Va.Today was a confusing day. I had decided to take a couple of weeks off the trail to take care of some business, so I tried to hitch a ride to my truck in Ga. I hitched for 1 1/2 hours with no luck. NaviGator came by and said she was going to City Center at downtown Roanoke, so I rode with her and went window shopping. I ended up in a restaurant...imagine that!! She took me to the airport and I tried renting a car, but none were available today. I went and tried to get an airline ticket to Atlanta and they wanted over $500.00. They had to help me up off the floor after they told me that price. I rode back to Daleville with NaviGator and tried hitching again for another 1 1/2 hours. I gave up and went and got a room at the Comfort Inn and made some calls and reserved a car for tomorrow afternoon. Then I went and ate dinner. I ran into Sticks and Sheriff. I hadn't seen Sticks since N.C. and I had never met Sheriff before. I came back to the motel and talk to NaviGator's husband, Ole Man, who had just hiked in. Banana walked in and got a room. I went back to my room and called Terry, one of my brothers, to find out which hospital my mother was in. {He was understandably happy to hear from his favorite brother} We talked a while and I found out my mother did great with her two knee replacements. I called the hospital and talked to my mother. It was funny to hear her all doped up, but I like talking to her better when she isn't. I let her get back to her own spinning world. It was just good to hear her voice. My poor father is going to have to cook his own food...he may just loose a few pounds until my mother can start getting around again. Hey Dad, Happy Father's Day!!. Well, I have decided to cancel my reservations for that rental car and hike on tomorrow. I never worry about things working out on the trail and I'll just take the hard time getting out of here as a sign to keep on hiking, but I think I'll wait until after lunch tomorrow to hike out! . I've got to eat!!Note to Goosebump...I was just kidding when I said I didn't want anymore fried chicken after I ate at The Home Place a few days ago, so you are NOT off the hook when I get to Pa.
Date: 2004-06-17
From: .4 miles north of Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Archie's Notch, Va.
Miles today: 28.5

28.5 miles todayArchie's Notch, Va.Stealth tentingI started out with alot of energy today and by the end of the day I was beat. It started out very warm and humid and got very hot and humid. I just kept walking and didn't stop alot. I was soaked all day long and the bugs were relentless...even had black flies to deal with again. It was so hot all day that I was actually starting to feel like I had a fever. I just kept drinking water and kept walking. When I got ready for dinner, I thought about it and didn't want anything to eat. Can you believe that!!! I got tired of bugs dive bombing my eyes and I set up my tent about 1 1/2 hours before dark. I hardly ever do that because I really enjoy hiking that time of day. I layed in my tent and watched bugs crawling all over my tent. I've even got a whole in the top of my tent from when I packed my tent up this morning, I must have trapped some kind of an insect that ate a hole right through the silnylon. I did get to see a buck deer that was bedded down just 10 yards from the trail. He didn't move and I thought his antlers were tree roots from a downed tree at first. I looked closer and saw the antlers in a lite brown velvet and I counted 8 points. I also saw another box turtle in the trail today. If I had to say which day I enjoyed least out of all my backpacking over the last 6000 miles of hiking, I would have to say today. It had nothing to do with the trail...the trail was as beautiful as always. It was a combination of high heat with high humidity and tons of bugs and being soaked for two days from sweat that made my legs chafe so bad that I looked like I had rode too many horses when I walked. The last few miles today were probably the hardest few miles I've ever walked. That's all I'm going to say about today.
Date: 2004-06-18
From: Archie's Notch, Va.

To: Glasgow, Va., Spending the night on a Greyhound Bu
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: few clouds

9.3 miles todayGlasgow, Va.Glasgow, Va.Spending the night on a Greyhound Bus..I was done eating breakfast and packed up and hiking by 6:05am. It didn't feel too bad out that early because it was windy. the humidity hasn't left though because by the time I made a short climb of about 300', I was getting wet with sweat again. I stopped at an area where a couple of people had stayed and there was a spring nearby so I went down and got out my washing machine and did laundry. I also took a bandana bath and felt much better. {I knew I would be hitching a ride before long} I met a hiker by the name of Hiking Bear and I never saw him again. When I got to the shelter, Mr. T said that Hiking Bear gets lost alot. Mr. T had a tick on her and was busy trying to get it off. I warned her about Lyme Desease and told her what to watch for...I'm an expert on that subject. {first hand knowledge} I hiked on down to the James River and crossed the bridge and started hitching. Within minutes I had my choice of two rides into Glasgow, Va. The first one was two guys in a pickup truck that were checking out a camping spot and said that they would be back in 5 minutes and the ride I took was from a trail angel named Ken. He lives in the area and does alot of shuttles for hikers. He gave me an orange juice and took me right to the restaurant. I never even thought about having a sit-down breakfast this morning. I told him my plans to get to a bus to go to Ga. and pick up my truck at Amicalola Falls and he said that he could get me to a town tomorrow for a ride. I was eating breakfast and I was sitting in a booth facing an 83 year old lady that was facing me. We had a nice long conversation and she asked what I was up to. I told her about getting back to my truck and she said that she was going to Buchanan and that a bus would stop there. Her name was Mrs. Monday and her and her husband used to own the local grocery store. At 3:30pm I boarded the bus for Ga. This is what I was talking about 2 days ago. I never worry about anything on the trail. I tried so hard 3 days ago to get back to Ga. and nothing worked out. Today I didn't even try and I had two choices for everything I wanted to do. You can't fight the trail, you just have to go with the flow. I just wasn't supposed to leave a few days ago. My plans now are to get back on the trail in Maine and walk south to Glasgow, Va. I have a side trip planned for Sept. 3rd to go with a group and hike the John Muir Trail in Ca. So it looks like when I get back on the trail, I can hike to maybe Glencliff, N.H. and then go do the hike in Ca. I'll then get back on the trail in Glencliff and hike south to Glasgow, Va. That should put me back into some of the winter weather that I love to hike in. Those are my thoughts right now...I reserve the right to change my mind. Another great day on the A.T.