morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-28
From: Campbell Shelter

To: US 220
Miles today: 15.4

Here I am; in Troutville. Didn't want to stay here. Just wanted to get supplies and head out. I had been teasing the group, for the last couple of days, about how I was going to "Become One with the Trail" by not staying in Troutville. As a matter of fact, when we were on McAffee's Knob I was so busy taking pictures and stuff that I had forgotten to take off my pack. Spiderweb looks at me and says, "So Cuppa Joe, you can take off your pack and stay awhile...or are becoming "One with your pack also"? I cracked up at that one. Anyway, there was no camping allowed in the area around Troutville and I wasn't going to push a 20 after loadin up on supplies. No Worries and Minus One ask if anyone is interested in splitting a room. Hans and I took the offer and so here we sit, at Howard Johnsons, with a shower, laundry and a breakfast in the morning. All for $15 apiece. I can live with that. When I got here I ran into Fix-a-Lot and Blue Sky. They were heading south to pick up a section they missed. Lumber, Ski Bum, Mojo and Hitch, and Scholar were there also. LD, Catdog, and Hawk rolled on in also. I went to Pizza Hut with Scholar and she filled me in on who just left etc; looks like I will be up with Michigoose and Lefty soon. They got off for two days to go to a wedding. Krispy Kritter just left this morning and I saw Big Stick heading north, out of town. Several others are just ahead. I still don't know where Dingle, Skirt, Yertle, Banana, and Kickstand are. Mrs. Dingle, Mrs. Kickstand, drop me a line on their last whereabouts if you can. Thanks. Tomorrow morning I am heading out. Next stop will be Waynesboro, the town just before the Shenandoahs. I will do a quick resupply at the store in Glasgow which is on the way. A quick in and out. Small town with a store that is good for short term resupply. It is a total of 133 miles to Waynesboro. I am going to try to average 15 to 17 miles a day during this leg. That is a good distance where you don't beat yourself up to much and where you get done with enough time to rest the body before starting again. It will get me there next Saturday. Signing off till Glasgow, where I will send a couple of days worth. I understand I may have some new pictures up. If so, check them out.
Date: 2004-05-29
From: US 220

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

Mystery solved! The other day I wrote about the cat on the trail and how I heard the voice calling it. Well, last night No Worries brought the subject up while a few of us were sitting around. I decided to tell my story and she had a big grin on her face when I was halfway through. Come to find out it was a voice and it was hers! She just happened to be just barely out of my sight when she was calling the cat. I was relieved to find out the source! I got out of town around ten this morning. LD, CatDog, Spiderweb, and Hawk were going to take a zero. The rest of us were heading out so our group is going to be split up for a bit. It was a beautiful day to hike. The sun was out and the forecast said no rain today. Starting tomorrow we go back to our usual rain in the afternoon pattern. I saw a really strange thing on the trail today. Three people heading south passed me. The guy in the middle was dragging a wheeled suitcase up the trail! A big, wheeled suitcase with a pillow on top of it. I just stared at it and wondered, "What the hell". They disappeared around the corner and I walked on, shaking my head in disbelief. A little while later I ran into Badger. I had not seen him since the 12th of May. He was heading south, taking it a little easy, because he had developed some shin splints. He was hoping to be back on, heading north, in a couple of days. When I got to the shelter Salt Lick and Coyote were there taking a break. I had met and talked to Coyote briefly in Erwin so it was good to have a longer conversation with her. The conversation turned toward Tolkien and we talked The Lord of the Rings for a long time. Raven and Hans were also there and since we were all Tolkien fans it was a fun conversation. I'm getting sleppy. Didn't sleep well last night and I was in a real bed. Go figure.
Date: 2004-05-30
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was one of those - not much happening - kinda days. I ended up doing another 20 mile day because the area I planned on setting my tent up did not allow camping. I ended up going to the next shelter. Good thing! This shelter rated a 9.5 on the grading scale. The reason it did not get a 10 was because the privy didn't have a view. A privy with a view should be a requirement. In Georgia and early North Carolina there were some great views. Tennessee did not believe in privys at all! The privy at this shelter was nice but when you sat down all you saw was wood. At least leave the front area open like the ones further south. Wow!, talk about not much to say when privys become a topic. I did see Spiderweb, Firefly, and River Otter hiking south today. Sometimes, when you have a maildrop and you miss getting to before Sunday, you can hitch a ride north and hike back to town. This way you don't lose a days hiking. At the shelter tonight were;Now or Never, Hans, Salt Lick, Coyote, Archeoptrix, and Dutch. I don't know what happened to No Worries and Minus One. The register shows that Krispy Kritter and crew are only a day ahead now. People are either slowing down a lot or I am picking it up a lot. Off to bed.
Date: 2004-05-31
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: light rain

I started today off in the rain. It had started raining around 3 AM and was still raining when I got up. I took the time to make a hot breakfast but it did not slacken off much. Finally decided to go. After all, it is just water and I would be wet by the end of the day anyway. The rest of the crew in the shelter were going to wait awhile longer before leaving. They were only planning on a 10 mile day anyway. After 5 or 6 miles it quit raining and the clouds played tag with the sun for the rest of the day. While I was rounding a switchback going up Thunder Mtn. I ran into 4 wild turkey chicks[not sure what you call little turkeys] and 2 adult turkeys. There were pretty close but took off real fast. That was a pretty cool sight though! I got to Thunder Mtn. Shelter and Boo Boo was there. He and I started on the same day and this is the first time since NOC that I have caught up to him on the trail. I have seen him at TrailFest and Trail Days but that was because he came back for them. He said Krispy Kritter was going into Glasgow and that I should catch him tomorrow. By the way, Happy Birthday Krispy Kritter! I moved on and got to the camp area around five, set up and made dinner. At 6:30 Boo Boo and Beatbox come by and they decided to stay there also. We built a fire and sat around talking till after hiker midnight. If I haven't mentioned it hiker midnight is when it gets dark. They stayed up talking but I put this tired body to bed. Note to future thru-hikers. The area from Pearisburg to Glasgow is slim on water sources and big on some long hard climbs. Plan your water intake and carrying accordingly.
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Campsite

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I started the day at 6:30 AM. It looked like it was going to be a good day, weatherwise. My original plan was to skip Glasgow for resupply and go another day to Buena Vista. As I got closer to the James River I started formulating a new plan. I would attempt for 10 minutes to get a ride into Glasgow and if that was a no go then I would stay with the original plan. The James River is a lot bigger than I thought it was. The AT crosses the river on the longest existing footbridge on the trail [600 some odd feet]. It uses the old railroad pylons that were in the water which they bought from the railroad company for one dollar each. They had to build them a little higher and after everything was said and done the total cost of the bridge came to around 1.4 million. Once I crossed over the bridge I was on the road to Glasgow. I didn't even get a chance to stick out my thumb when Pappa Bear and Badger pulled up. They had come from town and the driver offered to take me back to town. We quickly said our hellos and that we would talk soon. When I got to town and grabbed my pack the driver noticed a Thermarest there also. It was Pappa Bear or Badger's so I packed it and said I would get it to them. I didn't want to spend a lot of time there so I quickly resupplied and got a sandwich. Just as I was finishing someone asked if I needed a ride to the trailhead. I said sure, and got in the car. Walking Stomach was in the car also. I had not seen her since the days shortly after leaving Hot Springs! She had been off the trail for a few days due to injury. All told, it took a little over an hour for me to get to town and back onto the trail. Not bad! After I got back on the trail the path took me up Bluff Mtn. At the top of Bluff Mtn. is the Ottie Cline Powell memorial. The story behind Little Ottie goes something like this; Back in the late 1800's Little Ottie was attending school. It was in November and there was a winter storm in progress. Little Ottie, four years and eleven months old, was sent to get some firewood from the side of the school. He wandered off and his body was found five days later, seven miles from the school. The memorial is placed on the exact spot where he was found. I don't know how to explain the site. The memorial was covered with items for Little Ottie, a teddy bear, frisbee, little plastic people, coins, and other odds and ends, all placed there by hikers. I wonder if Little Ottie ever thought he would go down in history! I reached the shelter around five and there was a little pond by it. The frogs were already croaking so I knew we would be serenaded all night. It is also said that Little Ottie's ghost wanders the area. Now that would be a sight!
Date: 2004-06-02
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Weather: scattered clouds

I was starting to get long winded yesterday so I am going to continue with some of the events of yesterday evening. I was stretching out in my tent when Big Stick came in. I had not seen him since Damascus. I went over to the table and we talked and Ski Bum comes rolling in. Shortly after Ski Bum got there Krispy Kritter came down the hill. He stopped when he saw me and said, "They'll let anybody in a shelter these days"! krispy was another person that started with me and again, this is the first time I had actually caught up to him, hiking wise, since day one. We talked awhile and we decided to head out bright and early this morning for two reasons. I needed to catch up to Pappa Bear and Badger because I had one of their Thermarests and we knew Pegasus was just a few miles ahead and Krispy wanted to catch up with her. I had not seen her since Gatlinburg! We were on the trail by 6:30 and by 8:30 we got to where Pegasus was camped. Pappa Bear and Badger had already left but I had put the word out with two faster hikers that I had the Thermarest and was on my way. The three of us chatted a bit and I got going, wanting to catch the other two. After nine miles I got to Brown Mountain Creek Shelter where I saw Scholar and also a note from Badger saying he would wait for me at the Cow Camp Shelter entrance. I also met two previous thru hikers at Brown Mtn;Flash and Hot Flash. They offered me a Pepsi which I gladly accepted and we talked a bit. It was fun and the soda was great. Thank You! Shortly before 2:00 I got to Cow Camp and Badger retrieved his Thermarest. I kidded him about making me carry the weight over the mountain for him. He laughed and said he was moving on. I had decided to stay at Cow Camp for the night. This gave me time to wash up a bit, read my book and just rest. Another good day, especially since the rain held out.
Date: 2004-06-03
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: Fish Hatchery Road
Miles today: 12.5

OK, let's back the backpack up a bit here! It finally came out of it's cage today. The mileage monster reared its ugly head. For the last couple of days people have been talking about the free lunch at the Dutch Haus. They pick you up, feed you, and bring you back to the trailhead. People have also been talking about what a great place it is to stay. I was going to bypass it and get some more miles in. Around 10:30 I realized what I was doing. I was becoming more concerned about miles covered and not taking the time to enjoy what I was out here for. Hence, the mileage monster. I battled him for awhile and shoved him back into his cage. There will be plenty of time to do miles. I got to Fish Hatchery Road where the pickup was at 12:15 which also was 12.5 miles for me so far that day. I decided then that I would also stay at the Dutch Haus that night. Also waiting for the ride were Krispy Kritter, Pegasus, Big Stick, Ski Bum, Flamingo Joe, Hans, and Neanderthal. At 12:30 Lois pulls up and we all pile into the back of the pickup which was filled with beanbag chairs for us to sit on. The house was beautiful and sat on a great piece of property. She fed us and a total of three of us decided to stay. We took showers, hung laundry, and relaxed. The place started filling up as the afternoon progressed and then, to top everything off Scholar and Spiderweb show up. I had figured Scholar would be there but was glad to see Spiderweb show up. We had a great home cooked dinner and afterwords we sat on the porch and talked for awhile. People that were there that night; Pappa Bear, Badger, Spiderweb, Scholar, Hans, Neanderthal, Slow Poke, Epithaneous, and a couple of others I cannot recall the names of. I can truly say I am very glad a beat back the mileage monster to come to that place.
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Fish Hatchery Road

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

I awoke to rain this morning. Breakfast was at 7:15 and by that time Neanderthal, Slow Poke, and Scholar had decided to take a zero day at the Dutch Haus. Hans was going to wait until Lois went to pick the lunch hikers before heading out. The rest were shuttled ahead and they were going to hike back in. Only Spiderweb and myself raised our hands when Lois asked who was leaving that morning. After all, it was only water coming down or so we thought. We got to the trailhead at 9:00 and began the day. Today's journey was going to take us over The Priest Mtn. and the Three Ridges. I have been hearing stories about how tough this section was as early as North Carolina and here we were, starting it in bad weather. Spiderweb took the lead because she has a faster pace than I and we proceeded up the first incline. It was raining and foggy and it would continue to be that way all day. Views were nonexistant because of the weather and as we got further up it got colder. I finally put my rain jacket on to protect against the cold. I was beginning to think I had time warped back to the Smokies! We had agreed on meeting at the Priest Shelter for lunch. When I got there Big Stick and Ski Bum were there but no Spiderweb. I couldn't figure out how I had gotten ahead of her but come to find out she had cut off to check out Spy Rock. She showed up shortly after I got there. It was too wet and cold to hang around long so we hit the trail quickly. The worst part was yet to come according to the elevation profiles and it was all in the last 6 miles we were going to do that day. The weather got no better as the afternoon progressed. This was the first day in a long time where it has rained all day without letup. I finally reached the shelter and the first thing I asked Spiderweb was what she thought about the climb. Her response reflected my thoughts. It was not that bad! Especially based on all the stories we had heard. We were soaked, cold, and miserable but the climb wasn't that bad. Getting out of the wet clothes and into a warm sleeping bag didn't take long that's for sure.Side Note: While we were talking that evening we both found out that if either one of us had said no aout heading out in the rain this morning the other would have jumped on that decision in a heartbeat. We had a good laugh about that one!
Date: 2004-06-07
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Calf Mtn. Hut
Miles today: 7.0

I got a lot accomplished in town yesterday and this morning. As I have said before you spend a lot of time walking from place to place to get the things you need for the next leg of the journey so the concept of "rest" is a novel idea even on a zero day. I did hook up with Vagrant, Moonstone, Bluebell, and Little Bit. We all went to the AYCE buffet [of course] and had a good time. Little Bit will be getting back on the trail in about 5 days. On the way back to my tentsite I ran into Spiderweb and Navigator and we decided to go see a movie that evening which turned out to be the new Harry Potter movie. Hans and I got a ride back to the trailhead around 2:00 where we signed in. You have to fill out the back country permit here just like we did in the Smokies which I did and into the Shenandoahs I headed. I spooked a deer within the first half mile and I thought that I might actually spot a bear during my trek through here. Hope so! I went over Bear Den Mtn. and at the top there was a semi-circle of old tractor seats embedded in the ground. I laughed and sat down on one of them and rested for awhile. After that I went over Calf Mtn. and headed into the shelter area. A nice casual 7 mile day. It is good to be back out here. Tomorrow should also be a pretty day. I only plan on doing 13 miles which means I am going to take the time to make a hot breakfast in the morning.
Date: 2004-06-08
From: Calf Mtn. Hut

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: haze

I got started around 7:00 today. It was clear and looked like it would be a good day. After a few miles I reached Turk Gap and I saw No Worries and Minus One there. They shared some homemade ginger cookies that they had received from a trail angel. Talk about melt in your mouth good! They took off because they were shooting for a 20 mile day. I sat around for a bit longer. Figured I would take it slow because I was only doing 13 today. Not much else happened on the way and I reached the shelter at 1:00. For some reason I had absolutely no energy left when I got there. I had something to eat, pitched the tent and took a nap for a couple of hours. When I got up I felt much better. Hans and Delta were there and they too, had taken a small nap. Just one of those days I guess. We talked a bit and toward evening Chill Out came in. I had not seen him since Pearisburg. We call caught up on who was where on the trail. That is always a topic of discussion each night. Everyone updates their mental map of where others are. Several more people saw bears today. Still none for me. I did see a wild turkey and was able to get some semblance of a picture. I will have to do some enhancing on it when I get home. Well, I'm off to bed..going to try for 21 tomorrow.
Date: 2004-06-09
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: few clouds

Today was a long, hot, and humid day. Shades of things to come in the very near future. I drank a lot of water and plan to do so throughout the summer. Dehydration is not something I want to deal with. Enough of that though. Time to get to the important stuff. Bears! Yes, I saw my first bears today! Notice, I said bears. I saw two at two different places. The first sighting was when I was stopped at one of the signposts they have on the AT, here in the Shenandoahs. I heard a sound behind and above me so I turned around and there was a bear coming down out of a tree. It was larger than a cub and I watched it for just a second before backing up the trail. I had no idea which way it was going to go when it got down. I quickly moved out of sight and when I crept back up it was gone. It all happened to fast to get a picture. I stood there for a bit, marveling at my first bear sighting when it hit me. I starting laughing to myself. This bear came down out of a tree. He was pretty high up and the tree was not that big. I was laughing because I was thinking of all the bear bag attempts myself and others have made over the last couple of months. Any bear who really wanted too could have had a field day with food bags based on the way we hang them at times! The second sighting came just shortly after the first. I had rounded a small bend in the trail and there it was, about 100 to 150 feet ahead. Close enough to see its' face! I was going north and he was going south on the trail. I think we spotted each other at the same time because we both stopped, stared, and then he turned and bolted into the woods. I started laughing again. Didn't this bear realize that at that moment he was on top of the food chain and if he had continued my way the human would have bolted! Again, it happened to fast for pictures but I have seen my bear! Those were not the only animals I saw today. I also saw 6 does and a buck. They weren't all in the same spot but scattered throughout the day. A great day for wildlife! As I neared the last mile of the hike I crossed the Skyline Drive and off to the side was a small parking area. I heard a voice shout, "Do you want a coke". I walked over and there was Flash and Hot Flash, the trail angels from Brown Mtn. area, from about a week ago. We laughed and talked for awhile. The coke gave me that last second sugar boost I needed to get up the hill to the shelter. Thanks again you two! As I finish typing this it is raining lightly. For once it held off till I got the tent pitched and dinner eaten. It is relaxing, laying here and listening to the rain while I type. Gonna hit the sack though. I have another long day ahead of me tomorrow.
Date: 2004-06-10
From: Hightop Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: light rain

I knew today was going to be a long mile day so I got started bright and early. I was on the trail at 6:00. I went over Hightop Mtn. and Baldface Mtn;both pretty good climbs. It was another triple H day..hot and humid as hell! At 11:00 I reached my first goal, Lewis Mtn. Campground. This place had a little store, laundry, and shower. I had planned on doing all three. I changed into my raingear and threw in the laundry. While I waited for it to finish I read a National Geographic that someone had left. When the laundry was done I showered and then headed out. All told it was a two hour break. Refreshed, I headed out for the second part of the days journey which led me up Hazeltop. When I got to the top it began to rain. Luckily I was in a dense leaf covering and I didn't get too wet. It did manage to get the trail nice and soggy though! Shortly thereafter the trail got nice and flat. It stayed that way for about 3 miles. I was beginning to wonder if I was on the right trail! That was the longest level portion that I can remember. Around 5:00 I got to Big Meadows where I got a sandwhich and sat for awhile. They say you can eat your way through the Shenandoahs because of all the campgound and visitor areas. Today, as well as tomorrow proves this theory correct. I finally got to the shelter at 8:00. A long day, with long miles but interspersed with long breaks so I did not exhaust myself. Tomorrow will be a normal 15 mile day.