morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-22
From: US220/Best Western

To: Bobbit's Gap Shelter Plus
Miles today: 18.8

First, let me finish telling about yesterday. After the AYCE Shoney breakfast, I was too full to have lunch so when my laundry was done, I walked to the outfitter for some parts and to use his internet access - they gave me 10 min. I got groceries from a very modern Krogers, and then went to the coffee house based on some recommendations. I had a piece of French Silk pie with real whipped cream, a big scoop of real ice cream (vanilla), and a cup of their mild house coffee with real cream. It was delicious. I then went back to the motel where the motel owner let me use their computer for more than an hour. For dinner I had the AYCE at the Country Cooking Restaurant (which was disappointing, but filling). Today started at 6:15 when I got up, organized, packed up my pack, and had a continental breakfast that came with the room. Dred, Lemming, Zero, and Yo-Yo were having breakfast there also. I checked out and got hiking at 8:00 in fog and 59 degree temperatures. It started out with slogging through water and mud in pastures with wet grass thigh-high lining the trail. I had to cross numerous cattle stiles in the process. The trail eventually took me into the foothills and the mountains where the trail became more solid in most places. The last few days I was treated to the fragrance of wild roses filling the air at lower elevations. Not too pretty, but they sure do smell good. Today I hiked through a region in which rhododendrons were going by and the flowers had dropped off and created a pink carpet on the AT. I almost didn't want to walk on them. In other regions, the mountain laurel is coming into full bloom. There were also several swollen streams that had to be crossed. All day long it was very foggy and the trees dripped the condensed water on the ground. It never really rained today, and was a good day for hiking. The weather forecast last night predicted 6 more days of rain, so we will see. I arrived at the Bobbit's Gap Shelter at 6:15, had dinner, and decided to move on to find a tent site since the shelter was full. I hiked about 20 min, pitched a tent, and got settled for my evening chores at 8:30. It is now 9:40 pm and quiet except for the water dripping off the trees onto the tent. That will lull me to sleep tonight.
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Bobbit's Gap Shelter Plus

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night the heavy fog/mist evolved into a light rain which had stopped by the time I got up at 6:30, but it had soaked my tent. I packed up in heavy fog and was hiking at 7:30 in 59 degree temperatures. Yesterday and today the AT is paralleling the Blue Ridge Parkway and it crosses the Parkway a number of times so we can see the vistas it provides. Of course there are no views to see with the weather we are having - seems like it has rained every day (except one) for the last two weeks. The early morning mist and fog turned into heavy, overcast skies with the temp getting into the low 60s by 2:00. By 5:00 the fog - and then the mist - were back. I reached the final shelter of the day at 6:15 and am staying here with "Red", "In", and "Mem". It is 9:00 and everyone else is in bed. In one of the mountainous areas there was lots of mountain laurel in bloom (elevation = 1100 ft). I convinced myself that there are two colors: pink and white. The hike today started at 2000 ft, went up 2700, down to 950, up to 2000, down to 1200, up to 3600, and down to 3100, with a bunch of minor ups and downs in between. On Trail Names: "Lemming" (someone asked him why he was hiking the Trail and he said he "was drawn North". Then someone said, "Oh, like lemmings are drawn to the sea?" From then on, he was known as Lemming), "Yo-Yo" (he was always saying "Yo" to everything), "Zero" (she didn't have a Trail Name when she went to the Blueberry Patch Hostel in Hiawassee and she signed in with the math symbol for the null set. Someone asked her what that was and she told them. They said, "Oh, then you are Zero."), "Dred" (he has dredlocks down to below his waist), "Beekeeper" (he is a beekeeper).
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: US501/Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: light rain

Last night we were in heavy fog again. Red and I got up at 7:00 and there was still fog, but not heavy. I packed, ate, and was hiking at 8:10. Red followed a little later. In and Mem were still asleep. As the day progressed, the fog disappeared and the sun finally came out around noon. It was accompanied by high, thin clouds and stayed that way the rest of the day. Much of the day, a group of 5 Neptune Boy Scouts plus 2 leaders and I leapfrogged each other. They were on a 7 mile day hike today as training for a 5 day section hike on the AT later. The 5 boys left their adult leaders in the dust, but would wait periodically for them to catch up. I commented to the leader that they really need to train with fully loaded backpacks because it is much different (and more difficult).   They agreed. I had a quick snack around 11 at the Thunder Hill Shelter, had lunch near the Thunder Hill Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway around 1:00, and just left a note in the register of Matt's Creek Shelter at approximately 5:30 as I hiked another 2 miles to US501 where I hitched to Glasgow. I was lucky to get a hitch in time to still get an AYCE dinner, country-style. I also got food resupplies, enough to take me to Waynesboro. My tent is drying and I rinsed out the dirtiest clothes - hopefully they will dry by the morning. Tomorrow I will eat breakfast here and then get back on the Trail. All I can hear is the drone of the bathroom fan which I left on to hasten the drying process. That is the sound to which I will fall asleep tonight.
Date: 2003-05-25
From: US501/Glasgow, VA

To: Pedlar River/Dam Plus
Miles today: 17.0

I slept well. In fact, with the fan going, I slept right through my 6:30 alarm and did not wake up until 8:00. My tent and clothes were dry. I walked to the AYCE breakfast and ate with Red, who had hitched in from the trail with Bags (short for Body because that is what he brought to augment his sleeping bag in cold weather). I think I had 5 or 6 plates of food. They were serving bacon, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, onions, hash browns, pancakes, French toast, and cinnamon apples. I tried some of each. Red encouraged me to go back for the last 2 plates. It took Red and I two hitches to get back to the trail head and we started hiking at 10:30. It was 59 degrees in hazy sun. The highest I saw it hit today was 65 degrees and the sun was in and out. I stopped at the John's Hollow Shelter at 11:30 for a short break and to sign the register. There I met "Flow" (short for Flowcefus, which is a takeoff from Hank Williams' nickname Bocefus.) I pressed on to the Punchbowl Shelter, arriving there at 4:00. During that part of the hike, I passed through a section where the gypsy moth caterpillars were doing a number on the oak trees. As I walked through the woods, I could hear the caterpillars dropping, hitting the leaves on the forest floor, just like rain. There have been other sections like this that I have gone through the past week. They have signs posted saying they are going to spray BT between May 1 and May 31. At the Punchbowl Shelter I had a quick dinner augmented with some Trail Magic - one of the cans of beer left in the stream by the shelter. Since it was early and I only had 10.5 miles so far, I pressed on at 5:00. Less than half a mile later, Trail Magic struck again. Ken, who has section hiked from Springer to Harper's Ferry, was waiting for some slack packers where the AT crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway with a cooler full of soda and candy. I took a Snicker's bar and a 24 oz. bottle of Pepsi. We talked, I drank the Pepsi, and was on my way. I was hoping to resupply my water at the spigot at the brick building at Pedlar Dam but, when I got there, it was not obvious how to get to the brick building from the AT. I hiked on, looking for water and a camping spot since it was getting late. I found water shortly thereafter and hiked on until 8:40 when I found a spot to tent right by a gurgling stream. It is now 10:45 and I will let the stream lull me to sleep. I hope it doesn't rain, but if it does, I will deal with it.
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Pedlar River/Dam Plus

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: scattered clouds

I passed the 800-mile mark today. Last night it started to rain shortly after lights out and then poured most of the night. The tent stayed dry and the stream I camped near did not overflow. By 6:00 when I got up it had stopped raining except for the dripping from the trees. I packed up, using black plastic bags to isolate the wet tent from the dry things. I was out hiking at 7:00; the first mile was the worst greasy red Virginia clay I have seen so far on the Trail. It was slow and tedious going on that section. I stopped for a snack at Brown Mountain Creek Shelter where "Flow", who spent the night there alone, was just getting up. He will be hitching into town for supplies then back out to the Trail. I moved on to the Seeley-Woodworth Shelter (10 miles away) where I arrived at 6:00 pm. Staying here tonight are "Mountain Man" (a section hiker who is almost done), her friend "Zoolander", "Me Catch Em", and "Flow". The highlight of the hike was a 3 mile section from Cold Mountain to Greasy Spring Road where the fragrance and the beauty of clove-scented Azaleas populated the trail area. The bushes flower a deep pink color and they have a very pleasant scent, somewhat like cloves. It is 8:30 pm and, for a change, I am writing the journal at the picnic table in front of the shelter. It is pretty chilly.
Date: 2003-05-27
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: moderate rain

It was raining again when I got up at 6:30 and was hiking at 7:30. It rained light, moderate, and heavy at times. By 4:00, the rain stopped and the sun came out for about 20 min while I was hiking the three rocky ridges. The highest ridge with a 4000 ft elevation again treated me to a half hour of clove-scented azaleas. This morning started at 3500 ft, went up to 4000, then down to 750, up to 4000, then finally down to 2700 ft where the shelter is located. A lot of ups and downs. There was also a lot of all types of rocks that had to be dealt with. I was last to arrive at the shelter at 7:20 and I took the last available spot. Someone said that this May is headed to be the wettest and least sunny in the recorded history of Virginia. The forecast is for tomorrow to be sunny - we will see. It is 9:00 and everyone else is around a campfire. It is spitting rain. I joined the group at the campfire and we were treated to a series of tunes on the shakahachi (a Japanese flute with only 6 notes, using the patonic scale) by "Walk Soft" who was trying to soothe his dog, "Peace Hound", to sleep. It was a neat sound.
Date: 2003-05-28
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

So it DID rain again last night, but when I got up at 7:10 it was clearing. Got hiking at 8:30, shortly after "Walk Soft"/"Peace Hound" and then "Flow". Walk Soft and I leapfrogged each other during the morning. On one occasion, I showed him what poison ivy looked like and he showed me the Jewel Weed (named because water beads up on it and makes it look like a jewel) which can be used as an antidote to the poison and combats the itch. I had a lunch of cheese and crackers and peanut butter and crackers by the dripping rock on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This afternoon, I crossed the Hump Mountains and arrived at the Paul C. Wolfe Shelter at 5:40 pm.   It was empty and I decided to stay and hike to US250, then hitch 4.5 miles into Waynesboro. This is a really nice shelter. "ReBob" (this is his second attempt to thru-hike the Trail. Last time the arthritis in his knees got so bad he had to get off the Trail in MA. This time he has two new knees) - I wish you good luck. I look forward to real food, resupply, and a "rest" day in Waynesboro tomorrow.
Date: 2003-05-29
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap/Waynesboro
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Yes, it rained last night. In fact, it poured, but by 6:00 when I got up it had let up to a gentle sprinkle. I was off hiking at 6:35 am and it rained lightly continuously. I arrived at Rockfish Gap and found at the info center that there are volunteers who come out and drive us into the town of Waynesboro. Krispy, a very nice lady who has done a lot of hiking with her husband in the past, drove "ReBob" and me into town. She showed us around town and dropped us off at the Quality Inn where we registered. The rest of the day was spent eating breakfast, lunch, dinner - (all lots of real food) - picking up mail drops, getting resupplied, showering, doing laundry, replacing the hip belt that had gotten too big with a smaller one. Of course, this all took a lot of walking but at least it was without a backpack, and so could be considered a "rest day". It is now 11:00 and my bed is covered with equipment and food that needs to be organized and packed into my backpack. At least there is no worry about getting wet from rain tonight.
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Rockfish Gap/Waynesboro

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It did not rain last night. When I got up at 6:30 am, it was bright and clear. I ate the continental breakfast provided by the motel and at 7:30 Cris, one of the info center volunteers, picked 3 of us up and took us to the trail head. We were hiking at 7:45 and soon were into the Shenandoah National Park (SNP). Because of the wind, it was rather cool but warmed up during the morning and I spent most of the day hiking in shorts and a T-shirt. At 11:30 I took a lunch break at Calf Mountain Shelter consisting of bologna and cheese on pita bread, followed by snack stuff for dessert. I also tanked up on water because I knew there was none in the 13 miles to the next shelter. After some wet rocks this morning, the trails became very good for hiking. I arrived at the Blackrock Hut (they call them huts in the SNP - don't know why) at approximately 7:00 pm. The shelter contains 6 backpack hikers and me. Four of them were playing cards when I arrived. They are all in their sleeping bags now, and it is getting dark. It is 8:57 and I will sign off.
Date: 2003-05-31
From: Blackrock Hut

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

It did not rain last night! I awoke at 5:20 this morning to the very loud call of a whip-poor-will who must have been sitting on the roof of the shelter. He eventually went away and I went back to sleep until 6:30 when I got up. As soon as I put on my pack at 7:30 to leave for hiking, it started to rain. I put on the pack cover and my rain coat and off I went, heading north on the AT in the Virginia rain. It rained light, moderate, and heavy until 10:00. A summary of the weather for the day: 10 - sunny; 10:30 - foggy; 1:30 - cloudy and threatening; 2:00 - some sun; 3:00 - thunderstorm; 4:00 - some sun; 5:00 - second thunderstorm; 6:00 - some sun with clouds. It is 9:00 and has chilled. The air seems drier, and the wind is blowing. Maybe a new weather pattern has taken over - wouldn't that be nice?! Back to hiking - I hiked to the Loft Campground campstore, arriving at about 11:00 in hopes of getting some real food but had to settle for sardines in oil (400 cal), Vienna sausage (400 cal) on 5 pieces of pita bread (450 cal), a bag of BBQ potato chips (525 cal), and a 20 oz bottle of Pepsi (180 cal), for a total of 1955 cal for lunch. Better than the usual fare. I continued on and at 1:00 stopped at the Pinefield Hut at the 13 mile mark. "Romeo" was there having lunch and informed me he was leaving the Trail tomorrow. ("Juliette" had left earlier.) He said he had joined the Peace Corps and was leaving for Thailand in August. He wanted to be able to spend time with family and friends. I wished him well and hiked on, reaching the Hightop Hut at 7:15. There were 7 already here and they made room for me on the bottom level. It is 9:40 and they have all been in bed for some time. Best I join them.
Date: 2003-06-01
From: Hightop Hut

To: Big Meadows
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: few clouds

Today I passed the 900 mile mark. It did not rain last night, but the wind blew very hard and it was cold, in the 40s. I got up at 7:00 and was hiking at 7:50 with my rain pants and jacket on to keep warm in the 50 degree temperature. The sun shone on and off during the day in partly sunny skies, but the temperature never got above 62 degrees. It is hard to believe that the temperature did not get above 62 degrees on the first day of June in Virginia! I took an early lunch (11:00 am) at the South River Picnic Area (0.1 mile off the Trail) which had rest rooms and fountain water. My lunch was 4 pita, bologna, and cheese sandwiches with 2 fat chocolate chip cookies. At 2:00, Zoolander, Megotshu, Freemont, and I stopped at the Lewis Mountain Campground store for an afternoon snack. I had a 20 oz Pepsi and a Kodiak Ice Cream Bar and then hiked on, stopping briefly at the Bearfence Mountain Hut to sign the register, and reaching the Big Meadows Campground at 6:30. I purchased a campsite with a "golden ages discount" of half the usual $19. I am only staying here to get some real food. Tonight I had cheese and crackers, bread and butter, bottomless Pepsi, potatoes, vegetables, and country steak at the lodge. It was very filling but cost more than I like to pay on the Trail. The hike today was a "Walk in the Park" (Shenandoah National Park (SNP)) and there were great Trails for hiking with only a few places with tough going. The weather was also great. At one point this afternoon I came upon a deer in the trail. I stopped, she paused and looked up at me, then walked to within 15 feet of me. During this time, I got out the camera and took several pictures. She then started eating vegetation on the edge of the trail, every now and then looking up at me, deciding I was not a threat, and going back to eating. I watched for some time then inched closer to her to try for a closer shot. She looked up and then eased into the edge of the woods. I walked by slowly. This made me feel one with nature and left an inner glow for some time as I again hiked north on the AT. For most of the afternoon I did not see any other hikers. Only when I neared the campground did I see a few day hikers. Did I mention that "Red" trained by dragging two 150 lb tires around his back field? He says that the hills are easy for him because of this. Also, "ReBob" reached the MA line 2 years ago in his first thru-hike attempt but had to leave the Trail because the arthritic pain in his knees limited him to a maximum rate of 0.5 miles/hour. He now has two artificial knees and is attempting the thru-hike again. It is interesting to note that he and I both started on March 31. He was taking a zero day in Waynesboro to recover from a twisted ankle.
Date: 2003-06-02
From: Big Meadows

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

It was cold last night, in the 40s, with a light wind. I put on my rain jacket to take the chill off. I got up at 6:30 and when I came out of the tent there was a deer bedded down by a bush at the edge of the tent area, just watching over me I guess. I got packed up, stored my backpack in the bear box, and went to the Lodge Dining Room for breakfast when it opened at 7:30. I had a 3 egg omelet with 2 kinds of cheese, ham, and mushrooms plus a double order of hashbrowns and toast with butter and jelly. It was all I could eat. I got my pack and headed out at 8:40. During the day I saw numerous gray squirrels, chipmunks, a few rabbits, and 13 deer (including the one I mentioned earlier). I reached the first hut at about 10:30 and as I turned to go down, I could see a deer following me down the trail. When I got to the hut, I took off my backpack and put it on the end of the picnic table and looked up and there was a deer at the other end of the picnic table. When I tried to take a picture, it eased back into the woods. Several hours later, climbing up to Crescent Cliffs, I came around the end of a switchback and there was a doe with an almost newly born fawn. They were walking up the trail in front of me. I did get some pictures but never could get very close as they kept moving up the trail. Then, later in the afternoon, I saw another doe with a fawn in the trail. This time, the fawn went off in the brush and the mother decoyed me down the trail. I let her do it and moved on. I arrived at the Pass Mountain Hut at 7:45 pm. Three hikers were already in sleeping bags. Two more came shortly after me and pitched tents. It is 9:30 and I have to quietly get into my sleeping bag. The hiking was 40% rocky today and that part was tough going.
Date: 2003-06-03
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Compton Gap
Miles today: 22.7

Another big day today. The Shenandoah National Park is complete except for 0.2 miles. I was up at 6:00 and hiking at 6:30 under heavy threatening overcast skies in cool temperatures of 55 degrees. In less than one hour, it was raining, first lightly and then moderate to hard. I stopped at a Wayside Grill on the Skyline Drive the AT passes at around 10:00 and had a turkey sub, a hotdog, french fries, and a 20 oz Pepsi. I also purchased some short-term supplies at rip-off prices. I stopped at the Gravel Spring Hut along with "Spiderman" and "Just Dan" (who also stayed at the same Hut I did last night). Since it was only 2:00, we all decided to hike on to the Terapin Hostel at Compton Gap (outside of Front Royal, VA.) The weather had become very foggy and the rain light, but the wind became quite strong and gusty. This continued until I reached the hostel at 7:15. It is almost full - Spiderman, Dan, Flatlander, Cobra, Splash, Spielberg, Sparky, and TwoShoes. This hostel is quite nice and only 0.4 miles off the trail. By the way, the SNP trails on day 5 are rated good, only 10% rocky. I saw 1 deer and 1 rabbit plus a bunch of deer signs. Never did see a bear in the SNP.
Date: 2003-06-04
From: Compton Gap

To: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

The Terapin Station and its host Mike are very nice and highly recommended. This is my rest and resupply day. I was up at 7:00, prepared the shopping list, and Mike took 3 of us to Port Royal to shop and me to the Linden P.O. for a mail drop. Got back to the hostel, washed and dried my rain gear, sorted out and packed all supplies, ate lunch, did email, and was off hiking on the AT at 1:20. I finished the last 0.2 miles of the Shenandoah National Park on a nice, smooth trail. As soon as I left, there were major rocks for a short time. It was 55 degrees with heavy fog but no major dripping from the trees and no wind. Today much of the Trail was 1/2" greasy, slippery, gooey mud. One section of approximately 150 yards had mud up to ankle-deep. Your shoes had to be tied on tightly so they didn't get sucked off by the mud. There was also the enjoyable fragrance of wild roses during much of the trail and in places the wild strawberries were ripe. Today the trail was 30% good, 30% rocks, and 40% gooey, slippery mud. I arrived at an empty shelter at 6:00. This is a very nice shelter. It has a large front porch (no roof) with a large wooden lounge in the middle. There is a separate roofed structure with a picnic table for preparing and eating food and there is a spring-fed standup shower. Fremont and Wally Gator took showers and reported it was very cold. Later, Fremont (named after the section of Seattle he came from) and Wally Gator (named after the 70's cartoon character), then Flow and 2 others without trailnames headed South. It is 9:18 and time for bed.