morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-13
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

It was the best of days, it was the worst of days.Rained most of the night last night, including about an hour and a half when a particularly nasty thunderstorm rolled through. I spent a large portion of that time awake, eyeing the corrugated tin shelter roof over our heads and nervously counting the seconds between the lightning and the thunder.Luckily, I survived the night and was up and walking by about 7:30. It wasn't raining when we started, but about fifteen minutes into the hike it began to pour. All my gear which was water-resistant but not 100% waterproof (boots, pants, hat, pack) was completely soaked, and after about an hour and a half of walking my socks were squishing with each step. It made for some of the most miserable walking of the trip, especially the parts where the trail was basically nothing but a two-inch deep river.I was walking along being miserable, when suddenly in front of me I saw two very large birds-- they were about chest-high, and I wasn't sure what they were, but I inched as close as I could, and began snapping pictures-- one of the birds let me get about five feet away from it. Scorpion came up a few minutes later, and identified the birds as emus.Of all the animals I expected to see on the trail, emus were definitely not one of them! They seemed very tame-- apparently they were released or they escaped from a nearby farm. We even ended up following them down the trail for several minutes, like some sort of crazy parade. Finally, just before the Tennessee-Virginia line, we were able to get ahead of them and they went off into the woods.I was quite glad to leave Tennessee behind, for several reasons, not the least of which is that there is not a single privy along the A.T. in the entire state (which contains probably about 150 miles of trail). The terrain is also supposedly easier in Virginia, but I'm not going to believe that until I actually see it for myself.Finally pulled into Damascus about 11. I headed over to a local hostel called The Place to get out of the rain and into some warmer clothes, and about 12:30 I met my Mom, along with some neighbors of ours, Ed and Ruth Clayton. Ed does maintenance work along the section of the A.T. near Mount Rogers, so he's pretty familiar with the area, and he took us to a nearby town called Abingdon. We're going to spend the night in the Quality Inn there, which has high-speed Internet access in the room-- oh, and beds and a shower, too. Ah, luxury...
Date: 2004-04-14
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up late-- about 8:30. We went to Shoney's for breakfast, because the Shoney's All You Can Eat breakfast buffet is famed among thru-hikers as a place to do some serious damage, but it really wasn't that good. So I didn't stuff myself as I had originally planned-- anyway, I've actually been trying to limit what I eat in town, because there have been a couple of times when I ate too much and felt wretched for the rest of the day. So while I can eat a little more than usual, I just don't have that "bottomless pit" that thru-hikers are known for. In reality, I think very few thru-hikers gain such an ability to eat.On the way to Shoney's, Mom's car started having transmission problems-- this is very bad, considering the long drive home over mountainous terrain. Luckily, though, the problem seemed to go away after we did a couple more errands, but just to be on the safe side, Mom decided to take it by the Volvo dealer in the nearby town of Bristol to have it diagnosed. Nothing wrong with the transmission, luckily-- apparently it was just one of those hiccups that older cars tend to have.While in Bristol, we went by the large outfitting store there and replaced my trekking poles. I had been using Leki Ultralites, but I switched to the Leki Super Makalu, which will hopefully be stronger-- I use a trekking pole as the front pole for my Tarptent, but the Ultralite poles just weren't strong enough. That's really been my only major gear issue of the trip.After that, we had lunch, went by a grocery store to re-supply, and came back to Damascus. I said good-bye to Mom-- I think good-byes are easier for me when I don't have to hike that same day. I will keep this in mind in the future.Found Scorpion and Running Bear at a local bed and breakfast, and later we went to eat pizza at the Sidetrack Internet Cafe in town. After dinner, they set up a TV to watch "Kill Bill", but it was late and I was hiking tomorrow. Time for bed.
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Another late start out of town today-- but 16 miles isn't too bad, so I didn't feel any need to rush. I stopped at the Internet Cafe for breakfast, and had some of their famous pancakes (so big they barely fit on the plate).After taking the opportunity to check my e-mail one last time, I started walking, and was leaving town by about 9:30.Met a couple new people along the trail today-- Traillite and T. I was hiking near Traillite when we saw a deer grazing less than fifty feet away. It seemed very used to humans, and looked up at us and watched us for several seconds before going back to grazing. I climbed up the hill toward it, and got within about fifteen feet before it ran off a little ways.The walking today was easy-- no serious uphills or downhills, at least compared to Tennessee, and the weather was sunny and beautiful.The shelter was very nice, the water source was nearby and flowing well, and there was a nice privy, to boot. So far, I like Virginia much better than Tennessee.
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: The Scales
Miles today: 20.1

Interesting day today... where to start? The beginning, I suppose, which actually isn't all that interesting-- got an average start out of the shelter, nothing to say there.I had another deer sighting early on today-- I was walking along with my head down, navigating through the rocks and roots on the trail, when a deer suddenly ran in front of me. It stopped about 20 yards off the trail and watched me cautiously for several moments before wandering off into the woods.We spent large portions of the day hiking over the Grayson Highlands, which is a beautiful area around Mt. Rogers that, like the Roan Highlands of Tennessee, consists of a series of grassy balds, dotted with a few scraggly trees and rocky outcroppings. The area was quite pretty, and the weather was cooperative, so we also had some great views out across the valleys.Wild ponies also roam across parts of the highlands. They're fairly used to people, so they will often come up to you looking for food, but once it becomes clear that you're not going to give them any then they ignore you.I did have some trouble staying on the trail today-- a couple of times I lost the trail momentarily, but the worst was when the trail briefly followed an old railroad bed, I missed the point where the trail turned off, and continued walking for probably another couple hundred yards. I spent a while trying to figure out where I went wrong, and finally re-traced my steps until I saw white blazes again and was able to get back on the trail.The day ended well-- we met up with my neighbor, Ed Clayton, who's in the area. He fed us dinner and will feed us breakfast in the morning before seeing us off. Good night's sleep tonight.
Date: 2004-04-17
From: The Scales

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Got a late start today-- was hiking by about 8. Fairly ordinary hiking to begin with, and a couple hours later we said good-bye to the Grayson Highlands for good. That was definitely one of the prettiest areas on the trail.I've mentioned this before, but saying good-byes are always harder for me when I have a pack on. When I said good-bye to my Dad at Fontana Dam, it put me in a funk for a couple of days. WHen I said good-bye to Mom, I didn't have to hike anywhere immediately, and I had a day to rest and "re-adjust" to thru-hiker life, so to speak. So that wasn't too bad, but saying good-bye to friends this morning seemed to sap me of energy for the rest of the day-- or maybe it was just that I didn't get as much sleep as I had hoped. Either way, I was tired, and several times was tempted to just lay down and take a nap by the side of the trail.The walking wasn't too bad in the afternoon, though it was pretty hot, which didn't help my energy level at all. Finally, I pulled into the shelter about 5. A thru-hiking couple whoe were flip-flopping from Damascus were already there, as well as Running Bear. Scoprion and Lucky Dog pulled in later, as well as a couple of kids just out of high school named Slim and Biscuit who I had met the previous day.Tomorrow I'll probably be joining Lucky Dog and Running Bear for a 22-mile push into Atkins. I don't purposely aim to do big-mile days, but it often seems to work out that way anyway.
Date: 2004-04-18
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Long day today, but we're ending it at a motel, so that's okay.The walking was easy this morning-- mostly gentle ups and downs in and around valleys with streams running through them.We stopped for lunch at Partnership Shelter, which is probably the most famous shelter on the A.T. It has two stories, a fully-enclosed hot water shower, a nice privy, and the water source is a sink at the back of the shelter. You can also order pizza from the nearby Mt. Rogers Visitors' Center, but we were in a rush today, so we didn't do that. Ah, well-- it would have been fun, but the timing just wasn't right.The afternoon hiking was much harder, even though according to the elevation profiles it actually looked easier. We went up and down over several ridgelines, and then finally about five miles before our destination it began to get easier, and the mountains gave way to grasslands and rolling meadows.I'm sharing a room with Lucky Dog tonight, while Scorpion and Running Bear share a second room. Maybe with the two early risers in the other room, I'll be able to sleep in a little later than usual.Dinner was amusing-- we went to Dairy Queen, and immediately after Scorpion placed his order someone in the back yelled that they were out of buns. So we tried to order popcorn shrimp baskets instead, but they were out of those too. So we went over to another restaurant across the street. That place was out of about half their menu, and it took Lucky Dog three tries to order. Then we went back over to DQ for blizzards, I order one with strawberries, and they're out of those, too! Crazy.
Date: 2004-04-19
From: Atkins, VA

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

It's obvious that Running Bear and Scorpion have a different approach to hiking than Lucky Dog and I. We had agreed to go to breakfast at 7, so Lucky Dog set his alarm for about 5 'til-- just long enough to get up and get shoes on. A couple minutes before 7, Scorpion knocks on the door, and he and Running Bear are standing there, showered, ready to go, with their packs on and hiking poles in their hands.So after breakfast, Scorpion and Running Bear, who had got up at 6, immediately hit the trail. I figured we only had to do 14 miles, which was between 6 and 8 hours of hiking, so there was no need for an early start. I browsed through the paper, took a shower, and hit the trail a little before 10 o' clock.Springtime is finally coming to the Appalachians. Some smaller trees are beginning to bud and flower, and a variety of white, yellow, and purple wildflowers and beginning to bloom along the side of the trail. This may be partially due to the lower elevations we're at now (2000-3500 feet instead of 3000-5000 feet), but the weather has also been much warmer recently-- it's hit the seventies the last couple of days, and I've taken to dipping my bandanna and hat in every stream I see in the afternoon, then wrapping the bandanna around my neck to cool off.Another interesting note-- about 2 miles before the shelter, I met the trail maintainers for this section, who are fropm the Raleigh area and are members of a group called PATH (Piedmont Appalachian Trail Hikers). Always nice to meet fellow Raleigh-ites on the trail, and I've met several, surprisingly.Pulled into the shelter about 5:15, over 2 hours after Running Bear and an hour after Scorpion, but right about when I was expecting.Oh, yeah, we passed the quarter-point today-- we're over 25 percent of the way from Springer to Katahdin. Definitely mixed feelings about that-- it's great to hit that landmark, but it also drives home how much more we've got to go.
Date: 2004-04-20
From: Knot Maul Shelter

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

Today was fairly typical through most of the morning-- did about 9 miles before lunch (mostly uphill-- we walked up to a beautiful grassy ridge called Chestnut Ridge and walked along that for about half a mile), and stopped at Chestnut Knob Shelter for lunch. That shelter was fully enclosed, with four walls and a door-- only the third such shelter I've seen in my time out here.After lunch, I only had about a third of a liter of water, but the guidebook listed two water sources, each about one and a third miles away. The first was a spring way down a hill off the AT, and the second was a "seasonal stream" which actually crossed the AT a little bit later. Such streams only run during certain parts of the year, and we've generally had good luck with water sources so far, so I decided to skip the spring and go for the stream.Well, when I got there, there was no stream-- just a little mudhole that may be the most dismal water source ever to be listed in a guidebook. I couldn't get water from there, so I decided to keep going-- we usually pass a lot of stream and such that aren't listed in the guidebook, so I figured I could get water pretty soon.Wrong-- we spent the afternoon on a rokcy ridge that was absolutely devoid of water, so I ended up going about 7 miles on a third of a liter of water. Luckily, the day was mostly overcast, so it was somewhat cooler than it has been, but still-- when you're really low on water, all you can think about is drinking water. It was a long 3+ hours until I finally hit a stream.So, lesson learned: when the guidebook lists a reliable water source, use it-- especially if you're running very low.Sharing a shelter with Scorpion, Running Bear, Lucky Dog, a northbound section hiker, and a southbound flip-flopper named Seeker. Diverse group tonight.
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night, we worked out a plan for the next few days. It's 54 miles from Pearisburg to here, so our aim was to do that journey in three days, and to take a zero day in Pearisburg the fourth day. Based on the distances between shelters, that required days of 14, 24, and 16 miles.Complicating matters was the fact that Running Bear and I needed to go into the town of Bland today-- me to go to the grocery store, Running Bear to go to the post office. Scorpion and Lucky Dog didn't need to go into Bland, and on top of that they really didn't want to have to do a 24-mile day, so they decided to push on past the shelter at the 14-mile mark and set up tents somewhere. Running Bear and I didn't know how long it would take to get in and out of Bland, so we decided to aim for the 14-mile shelter and then go ahead and do 24 the next day.There was something else, too: in the shelter last night, a local church had posted a sing saying that offered free meals to hikers from 9:30 am-12 noon, and that there would be a shuttle making trips to and from a road crossing about 5 miles down the trail to take hikers to the church.Running Bear and I debated whether or not to head for the free meal, but the next morning we got to the road crossing about 5 minutes before 9:30, so we decided to wait and see what the details were on the free meal. There was also a cooler and a trash can near the trail that the church maintained as a sort of permanent trail magic for hikers.Well, at 9:30, sure enough a pickup truck pulls up, and it's the church minister, who's come to stock the cooler. Turns out we misread the sign-- the meal is only on Mondays, and today is Wednesday. Still, we get to talking, and Running Bear mentions that we're planning to go into Bland today from a road crossing that's about 6 more miles away. "You want to go into Bland?" says the minister. "I'll give you a ride."So, Running Bear and I go into Bland a few hours ahead of schedule. We got everything done, got a meal at a local diner, and then the minister gave us a ride back! Now that's some great trail magic.So, less than two and a half hours after leaving, we were back on the trail. We made good time and got to the 14-mile shelter about 3:30. We considered going on, but decided to stop and rest. Water sources were scarce in this stretch, and our packs were already weighed down with the water we would need tonight.Scorpion and Lucky Dog weren't there; as expected, they had moved on. We had gotten settled in when a huge group pulled up including Wings and Feather, the Mad German, Boxtop and Packrat (the first three I had previously met only briefly, the last two not at all). They had all camped in the rain last night, so they set up their tents to dry, and ended up camping. So even though 7 people were here, it was still just Running Bear and I in the shelter.Good conversation tonight-- the Mad German made a fire, and we sat around until dark talking about various things. It was kind of nice hanging out with an unfamiliar group of people for a little bit.
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, it was a long day, but the terrain was easy. We covered the distance in ten and a half hours, and that includes a 1.5 hour break that we took midafternoon. There was a road crossing near a river, so Running Bear and I walked half a mile to a nearby grocery store for soads and ice cream, and then on our return Running Bear jumped in the river to cool off. I wasn't hot enough to do that, but I did soak my hat and bandanna, and that helped me stay cool for most of the afternoon.So, discounting that break, we hiked 24 miles in 9 hours, which is pretty darn good. We hit the shelter about 6, and met some thru-hikers we hadn't met before: The Wicked Lobstah, his dog Buddy, and Dragon Slayer. Scorpion and Lucky Dog were also there, and we spent most of the evening talking about Pearisburg. Mmmm... Chinese buffet...
Date: 2004-04-23
From: Wapiti Shelter

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

Today was only 16 miles, but the miles came much harder than they did on yesterday's long day. There were a lot of large rocks on the trail, which craeful walking and are really hard on the bottoms of your feet-- making good time over rocks is pretty much impossible. There were a lot more ups and downs on the trail, too, which was a disappointing change from the level walking we've enjoyed over the past few days.Finally got into Pearisburg about quarter 'til 4. We had already decided to stay at the Rendezvous Motel, so we checked in there, had showers, and did laundry. The motel is nice, but it's not a chain or anything like that. It's a small, family-run operation, and it's obvious-- for example, the bathroom door has a doorstop that's a folded-up empty Hostess Cupcakes box.Lucky Dog had rented a car from the dealership across the street-- he's meeting his wife tomorrow, and wants to get some stuff arranged. So he took us to the Chinese buffet and a grocery store, then to Dairy Queen-- a distance of several miles, since Pearisburg is so spread out.It's gonna be good to sleep in a real bed tonight.
Date: 2004-04-24
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Damascus to Pearisburg was 162 miles, and we covered that stretch in 9 days of walking-- so even taking a zero day, we've still averaged 16 miles a day over the last ten days, which is pretty darn good.Lucky Dog was meeting his wife this morning, but he still had enough time to drive us to the post office, the grocery store and the library. After that, Scorpion, Running Bear and I walked back to the motel and spent the afternoon relaxing and watching the NBA playoffs.For the first few weeks, I had no blisters. They've gotten worse the last couple weeks, though, and now there are two or three small blisters on the back on each of my heels. So I bought some Band-Aid blister packs at Wal-Mart and spent some time this afternoon treating them. My blisters haven't actually hurt that much, but I still don't want to let them get any worse.I also picked up a small bottle of DEET at the local Wal-Mart. The bugs are finally starting to come out, and though I haven't needed insect repellent yet, that will probably change in the near future.Nobody felt like walking to a restaurant for dinner, so we ordered pizza and had it delivered. Then we fell asleep late to a random Steven Seagal movie.
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

It was another long hiking day today, so even though we spent the night in a motel, there was no sleeping in. I was up before 6:30 and hiking by quarter 'til 8, which was almost half an hour later than Running Bear and Scorpion.A lot of uphill early in the day, which was to be expected since we were coming out of a town. I made pretty good time in the morning despite the hills, and got to a shelter at about the 8-mile mark a little after 11. It was located right near a meadow, and I spent a long lunch break watching the meadow and the overcast clouds above it.In the afternoon, I went slower, and seemed like my energy level was very low-- for what reason, I don't know. Twice on a couple of long uphills, I had to stop and take a break because I was having such a hard time. Maybe it's beacuase I didn't get much sleep last night, or maybe it's because I'm coming off a zero day, but for whatever reason I just didn't have much energy.Finally, I got to the shelter at a little after 6. I had expected it to just be Scorpion, Running Bear and I in the shelter, but as it turned out the shelter was almost full with section hikers-- with the three of us as well, the shelter was full.I had dinner while listening to one of the section hikers explain how our government was actually a puppet government, and that the people who are really in charge let 9-11 happen, and how they control society by manipulating the entertainment industry. I wanted to dump my ramen noodles on his head, but that would have deprived me of needed calories, and anyway, it wouldn't have been in the spirit of the trail. So I ignored him as best as I could.