morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-23
From: US 220-Daleville, VA - Econolodge

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 26.6
Weather: light rain

I'm here early. It was a short day and I left before a lot of the other folks. I wanted to get here and have abit of quiet time. I met Warren Doyle on the trail a few days back. He was slackpacking with his son. We sat and talked about the trail a bit. He said after Troutville, we would see another kind of Virginia. If today is any indication, I think I will like it. I don't know if my mood today is improved because of the easy terrain or the idea that I may have an out when Paul comes up to see me, or if the idea that I'll be seeing my dogs has anything to do with, but today so far has been an improvement. Then maybe Riva is right. Laundry, a shower and a real bed can change a mood.Today's walk has been nice. I took breaks when I wanted and no one to share break time with. It occurred to me when the group and I were separated, that even though I like the company, sometimes I really like quiet, STILL time. During the day, I have quiet time but my mind is on concentrating on where my feet are. At night, the company in the shelter is nice, but at times a distraction. People want to talk about what they saw on the trail and thoughts they've had. Talk, get water, talk, set up bed, talk. Then it's supper time and bed time. We'll see how much more this group will be together. It seems to be working fairly well. The mileage we do is high enough we all feel good about what we did each day, but low enough that no one is getting hurt. We're close in age, yet spread out enough to have a varied thoughts and experiences. Tonight after supper we all looked at the maps and made a decision by consensus where we will hike to tomorrow. Everyone thinks it's reasonable and the plan for the day is made. Sometimes, we hikers are funny group. Like tomorrow, we plan to hike to a non-AT campsite, 0.2 miles from the trail. Our choice is because another 0.7 miles from there we can get ice cream. Yet there are times we won't go to a campsite because it's 0.3 miles to the water. We won't go to a shelter 0.5 miles from the trail, but we'll walk 0.5 miles to a hostel with showers. Priorities change out here. Tonight the sunset made a beautiful salmon orange sky. I hope it means no rain tomorrow, but it'll be okay if it does. Namaste'
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: VA 614, Jennings Creek
Miles today: 16.9

What a day, what a day. It was a beautiful day for hiking. Today we started the Blue Ridge Parkway crisis crossing. I stopped at each one and read the plaques. I wonder how many people who drive the Parkway have read any of them. I left early figuring with all the breaks I like to take, I would need nine hours. The terrain made the mileage go quickly. I did the miles with all the breaks I like to take in eight and half hours. The big animal thrill today, as I was walking through the parkway, a deer came out onto the trail and ran in front along the trail in front for about twenty feet before heading back into the woods. I also realized that the animals I see scurrying into the woods are not mice, but are lizards. Reddish grey lizards, black and grey lizards, grey lizards. They are really different lizards.And the rhododendrons are starting their blooming. Mixed with the Mountain Laurels, it's pretty. The wild strawberries are ripening. I ate a few, not much flavor right now. Zippy says wait. And the best, Jenning Creek. Our goal was a supposed camping area near the creek. When we got to it, the sign said NO CAMPING. We found the illegal camping. We've got a small tent city here tonight. The creek was a great ending for the day. The creek was cold and we were hot and sweaty. The creek was full of tadpoles and fish. The creek is stocked with trout. The fishes were more then trouts. They were cute. Zippy and Sanguine and Pipesmoke went to the It's a Wonderful Life Campground for beer and snacks. We're sitting around talking. We'll probably be going to bed from the long day and in preparation for the long day tomorrow.Namaste'
Date: 2004-05-25
From: VA 614, Jennings Creek

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: few clouds

Today¢s walk was up and down and up,up,up and down and up,up and down. The first over four thousand foot elevation change we've done in one day in a long time. Except here in Virginia, we got to do it over five miles. Which meant we spent the whole day going up. It was a good day to be going up. The morning was abit humid from the rain early in the morning (3a.m.). In fact, I spent most of the first hill with my glasses fogged up. As the morning wore on, the humidity let up enough that I could see where I was going. I was feeling pretty good and thought I'd do an extra six miles to cut my time going into town. But about three miles from Thunder Hill Shelter, my hip decided to act up. Caught me by surprise. It's been a long time since the hip decided to lock up on me. Pretty much put a stop to the idea of an extra six miles. So, got to the shelter and took some naproxen sulfate and chilled out, talking to Riva and our plans for the next day. Town stops can be a real pain. I'm the only one going in. The rest of the group will keep moving on. Depending on how successful I am with the hitch to and from town, I may catch up with them. Zippy gave another edible food lesson. Spider worts. He also found me another Indian Cucumber plant. For some reason, cannot remember what one looks like. I might be able to remember this time. The afternoon rain came. We ended up cooking supper inside the shelter. I had harvested some dandelion greens and plantain. Saut©ed them in olive oil and added them to my vegetable couscous. Yummy. The night is cool. A nice breeze. A lavender incense stick from Sanguine is burning. Time to call it a day. Namaste'
Date: 2004-05-28
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

Woke up to the sound of rain. It looked like rain. It must be rain. I went back to sleep, hoping it would go away. By six, it was still raining. Time to get up and get moving. Had a big climb today, Bald Mountain. The section hiking couple from New Jersey was up and on their way. Half a mile to pick up. They were a cute couple. We had a nice evening together. They were also a wealth of information for the next few days. Thanks Meg and Rick. The morning was pretty much up and down, up and down. Not feeling pressured about getting together with the group, I found myself looking at the flowers again. Columbines. Sweet Cicely. Galax. Even a couple Indian Pipes. And the sweet pea looking plant is in my book, Goat's Rue. Passed through a valley with a creek through it, Brown Mountain Creek. If there is any place on the AT that I would consider haunted, it was this little valley. It's the location of a community of freed slaves who farmed the land. The remains of their stone works lay like ruins amongst the trees that have over grown their fields. The forest has silently covered their work with ferns and trees. Of course since the day was cool and grey, maybe that made an impression on me. As I crossed the last "bridge" over the creek (a two log bridge) my foot slipped and I fell into the creek, a three foot drop.   Was able to catch myself and land on my feet but I let my legs give and my butt hit the water. I had to be okay. I had a Pepsi and a fried chocolate pie from trail angels Flash and Hot Flash with me. I didn't want to waste them. Took a break. The Pepsi wasn't too badly shaken. Also ate a few Slim Jims and cheese. Lunch. Then onward and upward. Finally caught up with TreeFrog and Adam. They seem to be made to hike together. Adam has someone who will get up at the crack of dawn and get it together and walk all day. TreeFrog has someone who walks closer to his speed, but since they walk twelve hours, they get miles done. I like them both. We chatted and agreed that one way or the other, we three would be at the B&B tomorrow. Then came Bald Mtn. Two thousand feet in two miles. Kind of like some hills in Georgia. I made it to CowCampGap Shelter. At first I was alone. I figure to send an e-mail to Paul to make arrangements for his arrival in Front Royal. As the evening wore on, I was joined by Boonie, then a group of young folks under supervision. Not a boy scout troop, but something like that. I forget. Any ways, they were a good group. They go quiet when I laid down.One of the little girls started asking me questions about thruhiking. I remember Skirt telling me about her fascination when she was young when she met a thruhiker. I answered her questions and shared with her some of my adventures. Maybe a future thruhiker is born. As the group gets quiet, it's time to call it a night.Namaste'
Date: 2004-05-29
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: Fish Hatchery Road-Dutch Haus B&B, Montebello, VA
Miles today: 12.5

What's with these little orange salamanders? I saw so many, I quit counting. Are they the dreaded salamanders Gayle told me spit poison? Whatever. The rains must have them fooled. I got up before everyone and headed out. The little girl I spoke to last night woke up enough to say goodbye. That was nice. Today's walk was a lot of little up and downs. The best part was Cold Mountain. The top is grassy and I had great views in a panoramic way. There was haze but shadows of the far mountains could be seen. I had lunch at a river campsite. It was cool and sunny. First all day of sun in a long time. My laundry on the back of my pack actually got dry. Arrived at Fish Hatchery Road. I thought the group plan was to stay the night at the B&B. But while I was taking a break, Zippy and Switchback showed up. Apparently plans changed. The group went down and did laundry and got in on the free lunch at the B&B, and they were headed out to the next shelter. Adam and TreeFrog showed up. We all had a discussion and it appears the group will stay split up. Adam, TreeFrog and I elected to come down to the B&B to spend the night. I wanted to see Sanguine off. I figure I had spent more time hiking with her off and on then with Zippy and the gang. So, down the last long hill. 2.5 miles to Montebello, no trail mileage here. Montebello is a VERY small community. A camp, a camp store, a post office, a volunteer fire department. The sign for the town was double sided. The B&B was another half mile down another road. It was okay. We stopped off at the store and got cold drinks and snacks. Yoo-Hoo and a moonpie. Yummy. The VFD was having a fundraiser. The smell of BBQ chicken was delectable. I asked if we could have some. It turns out this is an all weekend event trail ride. Oh well.As it turns out, the B&B had bought tickets for dinner for their guests. Ha-Ha. We ended up in the bunk house. Upstairs was accessible by ladder. I made it up after supper. All in all, it was a nice day of confusion and letting go. It's been fun being with Pokie, Zippy, Riva and Switchback. But their mileage is just a bit more then I can comfortably do. I've been enjoying the pace I have. I may need to make adjustments. Namaste'
Date: 2004-05-30
From: Fish Hatchery Road-Dutch Haus B&B, Montebello, VA

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: light rain

Woke up swaddled in a sheet, covered in a real blanket, cuddled by soft mattress, to the soft snore from Adam across the room from me. There were enough folks at the B&B we had two breakfast shifts. Adam and TreeFrog wanted to go to Church. I thought would jump out in the morning, but at breakfast someone pointed out I had a bloodshot eye. This is the second time this has happened. I decided to call my sister and get her to look up some info. While she was doing this, I elected to go back to bed. Breakfast was great, scrambled eggs, French toast sandwiched with strawberries, sausage, juice and coffee. I drank three cups of coffee.   I was afraid that the coffee would keep me from going to sleep. Boy, I must have been tired. I pulled the cover over my head and I went to Conk City until noon. The guys came back from church and we had lunch. Other hikers were coming in for the next shift. No break for the owners of this B&B. We got a ride back to the locked gate and started our one miles back to the trail. Uphill. The trail, uphill. Climbing of the Priest. The shelter area was covered with tents. Boy Scouts. The inside of the shelter had three ladies out of a week of section hiking. The three of us got ourselves in and set up for bed. Young Canadian lady shared her tomatoes and carrots. She was leaving the trail in the morning. It was a hard walk. I think I was full from all the food I had at the B&B. Besides it being all uphill. And obviously, I'm tired. Today's bonus, I will swear on a stack of whatever holy books you want, a four point buck. Just as pretty as a picture, standing in the woods on the uphill climb of The Priest.Namaste'
Date: 2004-05-31
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: light rain

Woke up around three to the sound of thunder and rain. Great light show. I counted the time and the storm was very close. I went back to sleep, only to wake up at my usual time to just rain. Decided to sleep in, hoping the rain would quit. No such luck. Headed out to ascend the remainder of The Priest in rain which turned into a thunderstorm. All I could think of was getting over this hill Quick!Started the descent in the rain which slowed down by midmorning. The Priest is impressive. I was happy that I was going down the north side. It was slow going. My knee complained a lot. Downhill all morning. Half way down The Priest, three people passed me going up. They were running up the hill. I thought, and they think us thruhikers are nuts. I also met my first Swiss on the trail. He was southbound sectioning. We chatted for awhile. His trailname is Ursa. He warned me about trail magic at the river crossing. Oreo cookies. Crossed the Tye River, got my Oreo cookies and headed to Harper creek Shelter for lunch. And the three runners came up behind me! I asked the last one what they were doing. She said they were training for a 100mile race. Okay. At Harper Creek, I stood in the creek to get as much mud off my socks as I could. I figured the walk up the Three Ridges would dry them. As I started up the first ridge, the runners came up from in front of me. Apparently, they ran the Mau-Har Trail. The lead guy stopped and asked if he could get a kiss for a strawberry. I said sure. He realized his Tupperware was empty. He started pulling things out of his little fanny pack. All he had was a granola bar. I told him nope, eat those all the time. He laughed and happy trailed me as he ran down the hill. Now I know these people are nuts. I don't know if my heart was not into walking or the pain in my knee was hampering me, but the climb up the Ridges was slow going.   Thought it was amusing that the first ridge had a view of The Priest. The second ridge looked out over a pretty valley. The tallest and last ridge had no views at all. Then it was pretty much downhill from there. The wind started to blow, but the clouds stayed happy looking. Made me feel better about taking so long to get to the shelter. Once here, the shelter filled up with hikers I didn't know. K2, Mountain Dew, Marathon, AWOL, Hobbes. They started talking about the runners. It turned out the guy who wanted a kiss from me is the guy who first ran the AT. What a treat! I got to meet another "famous" character of the AT. I was getting worried about Adam and TreeFrog. Thinking about putting my sandals back on and go look for them, but they just walked in. A long day for them. Bonus Today: The lowes of the three ridges had a giant rock outcropping over looking back toward The Priest. Along the edges were wild rose bushes. They have pretty much finished their blooming, but the rose hips are starting to form up. I was looking at some when I realized I was looking at a small green snake twined on a branch, looking at me. A real cutie.Namaste'
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Mill Creek, Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up to the sound of snapping plastic clasps. It was 1130p.m. MountainDew couldn't sleep so he was getting his stuff together to do a moonlight walk to Rockfish Gap. I suggested next time he might want to not drink two 20oz Mountain Dews in the afternoon. I went back to sleep. The profile looked easy enough. Another lie. You'd think I would have learned that lesson by now. But the sun was out. The temperature moderate. A breeze blowing. So the climb up Humpback Mountain wasn't bad, just tedious. At times, I had a hard time recognizing where the trail was. Then there were stretches where I swear I was unable to find the blaze. I found a nice vista point to have lunch. The sun was shining and a view. I realized that I really miss "seeing" out there. The forest and the trail narrows my focus to the point of obsession. Keeping in mind where to put my feet. Especially since most of this morning walk was rocky. The last six miles was switchback downhill to the shelter. I was able to do my new downhill slip and stride. This is one of the newer shelters. Very nice. An upper deck and a covered cooking area. We have a full deck getting ready to go into Waynesboro. Elle and Chris finally caught back up. New faces, Doc and Mushroom. K2, Hobbes, Adam and TreeFrog. The wind is picking up and Doc is practicing his mandolin. Quiet time is ahead. This shelter is near a stream. If the wind dies down, we'll be ale to hear it. Today's bonus: two snakes and a frog. Seven does. A bunny. The first snake was a beauty. It was about big toe thick and three feet long. Black with yellow racer stripes on both sides. It was lying across the trail in the sun. Someone else has been missing the sunshine. The second snake was a small one. Pinkly finger thick, maybe a foot long. Plain black with one red stripe behind its head. It was out sunning itself also. We all like the sun. I am wondering how much the profile is wrong about the morning downhill.Namaste'
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: moderate rain

What is it about rain that makes me want to stay in bed? Especially when the temperature is also obviously cooler then when I went to bed? We all stayed snuggled in our sleeping mode for awhile longer this morning. Hoping the rain would go away, I suppose. It didn't. It hasn't. I moved out around eight, in the rain. It rained hard and soft through my whole walk today. Got to the shelter, er hut, as they are called in the Shenandoah, by 2:30. People already in here, YankeeTurtle, Cheese and Les, Engine, Peter. Rain and more rain. We nap, it's a cold rain. The two most popular things to do when arriving at a shelter during bad weather eat and sleep. I eat. I ate and I ate. Turtle and I discuss the thruhiker's diet. In weather like this; calories are not only burned walking but staying warm. More people show up, two section hikers and TreeFrog and Adam. We have a full house tonight. Les has a radio that gets the national weather report. More rain with a promise of a break and warmer weather. That would be nice. Today's bonus: Because of the rain, and the fact that I wear glasses, I walk with my head down, mostly to keep from getting too much rain drops. Therefore, my focus today was mostly five to ten feet in front. On one stretch, a turkey chick was on the trail in front of me. I kept walking as it ran in front of me. Suddenly hear a screech, I jerk my head up and a wild turkey hen is flying up and squawking at me. Protecting her baby. The chick ran into the tall grass and I ran past the hen. That was fun, and brought a smile to my soaking soul. And carrot cupcakes, 190 calories. Bought some in Waynesboro. Had one for dessert. We figured out the bear bagging system and do the right thing. All food bags are out in the rain on the bear bag system. The rain is still coming down as the hut is getting quiet. Maybe it will finish off tonight. That would be nice.Namaste'
Date: 2004-06-05
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Okay, the morning started with fog and sprinkles and it looks like it will end in fog. In fact, today was Shenandoah brought to you by Twilight Zone. The tiny excitement today was the Loft Mountain Wayside and Grill. The bummer was the handbook takes you to a route that makes the trip a two miles off the trail event. I found another route after the fact that would have made it only a one mile detour. I suppose I should let Wingfoot know about it. The fog was so thick this morning, Turtle and I would split up when we came to a road crossing, one going left and one going right, looking for the blaze across the road. Then I would go back to where we came out and made stick arrows for those coming after us. Getting to the turn off for the grill was complicated also. There are four postings for the Loft Mtn camping area. We ended up looking at the map to figure out which turn to go to the grill. Turtle decided not to go. I went. When I found out it was a mile, I hid my pack and walked in. Gosh, it felt great not having all that weight on me. I thought I was flying. It wasn't anything special, but it felt good to get out of the cold, damp and fog. I bought postcards and a hamburger. As I ate, I also wrote. Then back to the trail. Ran into Cheese and Les. Let them know. Then at the camp store at the top, Adam, TreeFrog and the two section hikers were in the laundry room drying clothes. The remainder of the day was walking in fog. Pretty blah. Except! Bonus today: Turtle and I came up on a fawn in the middle of the trail. We figure mama was near so Turtle shooed the fawn. It was awkward as it ran off the trail and stopped, right by mama. Five feet off the trail. Later we saw another deer up ahead and it was a spike. We could see the fuzz still on his antlers. After Turtle and I split up at the grill, as I was walking the afternoon, I saw another buck, 4 pointer not two feet off the trail. It's disconcerting to realize how unafraid they are. Makes me wonder about the bears here. This is a pretty little hut. A stream runs by it making noise. But we are crowded in, huddling against the cold and damp. Les's radio promises us the same tomorrow.Namaste'
Date: 2004-06-06
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: light rain

Did my highest mileage to date, 20.6. I'm pooped, therefore, only highlights. Saw my first bear, a cub really. But where there is a cub, mama isn't too far. I kept walking with a bit more speed. A day hiker on top of Hightop Mtn, who when he saw mw said, you¢re a thruhiker. To which I replied, yes. Then he said, you¢re early. He went on to explain, he usually comes out during thruhiker season with Snicker bars for the hikers he meets. I'm his first thruhikers he's seen. Apparently, I'm a bit ahead of the crowd. Good to feel that I'm ahead of schedule. His dog went crazy over my pack. She rolled all over me and my pack the way my dog rolls on dead things. It's nice to know how bad I smell. Redirected some dayhikers who were lost. Got to the hut to find a boy scout troop settled in. They're from Florida. But they were tenting. One of the leaders is a section hiker, goes by Winghover on the trail. He shared some of his adventures on his section hikes. Adam and TreeFrog showed up late. They stopped at the campground for supper and got left overs from some campers. Fireflies all around the hut. One inside, blinking away. Short day tomorrow. We'll be meeting one of TreeFrog's friend from home, at BigMeadow. Namaste'