morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-07
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Elk Garden
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

We made it over Whitetop Mountain, but fell short of our goal to get to Thomas Knob Shelter on the other side of Mt Rogers. We decided if we're ever going to go 18 miles, we need an earlier start. We've moved the alarm clock up to 6:30 and have it located near our heads. Hopefully, we both won't be laying on our good ears and one of us will hear it! We only hike about 2 miles an hour, so we need 9 hours of hiking time plus lunch and potty breaks. We still need time to cook, eat, clean-up and get to bed by hiker midnight (9:00), so it makes for a long day.   It was a nice hike today with light rain on and off, but thankfully no downpours or lightning. On the spring-summer continuum, we moved back toward spring again. As we gained elevation, the trees became less leafy and the early spring flowers began to reappear. We saw red columbines for the first time.   We climbed Whitetop Mtn which is crowned with "Buzzard Rock" and offered a great view of the surrounding hills, farms and gathering rain clouds. Sassafras found some ramps (wild onions) and we had them with our instant potatoes and chicken. Yummy! We're camped closer to the road than we like, but Cakalaki is here too. The good thing is there are cows right across the road and we can hear them mooing. Hope the bull doesn't get us when we walk thru his pasture tomorrow!
Date: 2003-05-08
From: Elk Garden

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

What a great day! We were up and out by 9:00 and crossing that cow pasture first thing. The wind was whipping and everything was wet from the rain during the night, but we set our sights on Old Orchard Shelter. We had lots of cool things to see today. After the cows, we skirted Mt Rogers, the highest peak in VA and got to the shelter (Thomas Knob) by 11:00. The woods were beautiful and the climb was very gentle. Right after the shelter, we entered an area where a herd of wild ponies live. They are not shy (at least some of them) and will come right up to you and lick the salt off your hands. Cricket was more willing than I was to let them! Then the sun came out--YEAH!    We crossed some amazing rock outcroppings and went through a natural tunnel called the "Fat Man Squeeze". We took a little Power Bar break (thanks, Miss Judy :)) while we watched some cows grazing. Tonight, the moon is out and it doesn't look like rain for a change. We had a nice fire, washed out some smelly clothes, and made plans to head to Troutdale to resupply tomorrow.
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Believe it or not it rained again during the night. Sassafras woke up and saw lightning flashes, she jumped up and brought our "laundry" into the tent! Whew--we sure don't want to rinse out TOO much dirt! :)  We had a chance to talk to a young man who was camping with his college class. He's from Ohio and is pursing a degree in Eco Tourism and Adventure Travel. How cool is that? Let me tell you how cool it is. They've been to the Bahamas to get their diving certification and sea kayaking, rock climbing, cliff rescue and now backpacking. Can you believe collge credits for all that fun stuff? Lucky kids!  Today's king was nice, but not especially exciting. We did pass the 500 mile mark, though! Woohoo! We also took a break at Comer's Falls and soaked our hot feet. We saw a crayfish (or is that crawdad?), but he was too small for lunch. The sun had come our and our nice "clean" clothes were all sweaty again. The snakes were out, too. A small (2 feet?) snake was coiled up next to the Trail. Can't say for sure what it was. Probably nothing TOO poisonous.   We caught a quick hitch to the Troutdale Trading Post and Restaurant. A sweet lady who was late heading to a school function first passed us by, but then backed up to offer us a ride. People are so nice to us. We had a nice lunch (great cheeseburger) and picked up a few groceries. For a Trail resupply point, they didn't have much hiker fare to offer--no Liptons, foiled-packed meat, or tortillas. Got to write a letter to some of these folks. We got right back on the Trail after quick calls to our "men folk".  The shelter here tonight is quaint--fireplace and double decker bunks. We saw five deer right next to it this evening. Our favorite saying now is "If you're lucky enough to be hikingthe AT, you're lucky enough!"
Date: 2003-05-10
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: broken clouds

A rain free day! The first in quite a while. And we celebrated it by doing our longest mileage day yet. Getting up earlier seems to be working. By 1:30 we had done 10.6 miles and were at the Partnership Shelter next to the Mt. Rogers NRA HQ (that¢s ¢National Recreation Area¢).   The shelter there is a five star place. It has a hot shower and a sink for washing your clothes. The HQ building has a phone you can use to order pizza delivered to the door! What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, flush toilets, soap, and hot water. Ahh, luxury! Needless to say, we took advantage of the facilities. By 4:30 we were well-fed and clean, with clean clothes on. We decided we could press on to the next shelter. We enjoyed walking at a leisurely pace since we weren¢t going to cook. We saw pink azaleas for the first time. The air here smells so sweet. But the bugs are getting bad. We pulled out our head nets for a while. Cricket decorated hers with wintergreen leaves & berries. Quite the fashion statement! Tonight as we were setting down for the evening, we heard what we believe was a whippoorwill singing. How neat!
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: O'Lystery Pavillion
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Our ¢onward to Bland to meet Jim charge¢ continues. This morning we met a work crew coming in as we were packing up to leave the shelter. We asked how they moved the humongous rocks they put in place as steps on the trail and were promptly invited to stay and help if we really wanted to know! Actually, they use block and tackle combined with brute strength. They do an amazing job and we are grateful.Anyway, we didn¢t take them up on helping out ¢ we heard there was a Dairy Queen just 4 miles ahead and there were Blizzards calling our names! Of course, it started raining as we headed off thru the woods, but we were on a mission.We went by the Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia, a living history farm. We stopped in at the one-room schoolhouse to sign the register.Our buddy Oopala caught up with us just before the ¢¦ DAIRY QUEEN! It was really there. The trail comes out at Rt 11 and goes right by the DQ/gas station/convenience store. What more could a hiker ask for?We finally got back on the trail and decided to shoot for Knot Maul Branch Shelter, which would put us at the 18-mile mark. We climbed stile after stile (a stile is like a 2-sided ladder they put over the barded wire fences that the local farmers use for both property boundaries and to keep the cows in) and crossed a lot of private property that was mostly cow pastures. We were starting to run out of steam. Then, we reached the ONE-QUARTER MARK! We have completed 14 of the AT ¢ Yeehaw!After yet another set of stiles and finally getting back on AT property, we were just 2.1 miles from the shelter. Our feet hurt, the sun was setting, and we were just plain tired. To our pleasant surprise, we found Snot Rocket and her husband Dingleberry and another friend tenting by a stream. There was just enough room for our tent, so w called it a day.
Date: 2003-05-12
From: O'Lystery Pavillion

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: scattered clouds

During the night we were joined by several other hikers ¢ no doubt as relieved as us that they didn¢t have to go that last 2 miles to the shelter. We were the first ones up ¢ and we slept in. Guess we were all a bit tired. People are doing longer and longer days.    It was a pretty day ¢ sunny, cool, and windy. Much of the trail was up hill. But, this being Virginia, it wasn¢t bad at all. We had the pleasure of meeting a lovely older couple (mid 70¢s or better) that are section hiking. They don¢t stick to the easy trails! What an inspiration!   The trail ended with a climb over a bald. It was so windy we were blown off the trail a couple of times. The reward was great, however. The shelter is a stone building complete with a door and windows. It used to be a fire wardens cabin. We have a fantastic view of the surrounding hills and of the town of Burkes Garden below. Even the privy has a view. The valley is known as ¢God¢s Thumbprint¢. Were glad to be in a sturdy, enclosed place to sleep!
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Campsite after Laurel Creek
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

What a night! The wind just howelled all night long, so much so, we thought the roof might blow right off the shelter. And it was cold, too, 45 degrees inside. Needless to say we got up early and quickly packed our gear. We were on the trail at 7:50 ¢ a new record for us. The only way to get warm is to get moving and keep moving and that¢s just what we did. Soon, we were in the woods and somewhat protected from the wind. The sun came out and before we knew it, our jackets and hats were off and we were feelin fine. We did a lot of rock climbing and hopping, and scrambling over flat rock faces. The rocks were very cool- lots of patterns and colors. Some had big bumps on them that looked like barnacles. We also ran onto that sweet older couple again today. They call themselves the ¢Tew Ashedillians¢. They¢re from Ashville, NC and he is 77 and his lovely bride is 364 days younger than he is! How wonderful that at their ages they¢re climbing mountains and walking the ridges!    This afternoon, we followed a stream that crosses the AT 12 times. On crossing #9, Sassafras accidentally went for a swim! She thought she was safely across the rocks, when suddenly her feet went sliding out from under her. Down on her behind she went! Of course, the rocks were so slippery, she couldn¢t get back up. Cricket tried to help, but Sass¢s trekking pole was caught under her pack. Anyway, I (she) finally turned around and crawled on my hands and knees and Cricket gave me a hand up. Oh well, I¢m sure it wont be the last time I take an unexpected dip! Now we are camped beside a stream (I¢ll stay away from it) with Tucson, Wizard, and Rebob. We had a nice fire and toasted marshmallows ¢ our favorite treat. Tomorrow we meet Jim at the road and head back to Damascus for Trail Days ¢ good thing, my shoes are still wet!
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Campsite at Laurel Creek

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: broken clouds

Up and at 'em! Jim is picking us up today! Nothing like loved ones and a hot shower to motivate us to get going. We got all nice and cleaned up for the big day. And only six miles to go.  How is it that short miles seem so long sometimes? We hiked and hiked for what seemed liked hours--2 hours and 45 minutes to be exact. Sassafras was in front in case her beloved hubby decided to hike in to meet us. Finally we got to the road. There was a red truck! Alas, it wasn't Big Red. It was Oopala with George (forgot his last name), the famous thru hiker who recently got shot while hiking. Oop was waiting to catch a ride back to Damascus.  After waiting a while for Jim where we thought he might be (the bridge over I-77), we decided to hitch into town. Fortunately, no one picked us up, 'cause Jim showed up a few minutes later. Of course he hardly recognized us since we've lost so much weight and are so nicely tanned and muscular now. :)   After a brief stop for ice cream we headed back to Damascus for Trail Days. How exciting!
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

In Damascus for Trail Days! What fun. Hikers are heading in from all directions. Some are hiking, some are hitching. Some are driving great distances through the night (like Bluebearee) to attend this greatest of hikers gathering.    It's so much fun catching up with folks we haven't seen for many weeks. And some we've never seen, but feel like we know from their journals or shelter registers. There is a special bond with those we hiked with early on in our adventure. Humble Harmon, Jiggles, Still Bill and Tripper, Yogi, the Brit Chicks, Molasses, Scubaman, Carnegy Bob and Thistle, Two Speed, Buddha, the Greyhounds, Gazelle, Sherlock...and one of our favorites...Dirty Frank! It's so good to know they are still on the Trail and doing well. And everyone looks SO good!  There are a lot of vendors here selling their wares and making repairs or servicing equipment. We attended Phil Oren's Boot Camp and came away with new socks and custom foot beds. Sassafras got her Gregory Forester checked out and got some advice from THE Mr Gregory.   So much to see and do, but too little time to take it all in. Maybe next time.
Date: 2003-05-17
From: Bland, VA

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

Well, Trail Days was hard to leave, but we had places to go and trail to see, so we packed up and headed out after a few quick stops. We mailed a bounce box to Catawba (zip 24070 if anyone is interested since we'll be going to the post office there :) ), stopped by the outfitters so Sass could buy a Hennessey hammock to try when sister Linda and Dad come, and a quick trip to "tent city" to see the Gregory rep about a new belt for Sass's old pack. Husband Jim brought it with him and I am now using it again and loving it! We took the top pouch off to lighten it a bit.   Then Jim drove us back to Bland and we had a tearful goodbye at the trail head. A bittersweet day--happy to get back on the trail, but very sad to leave him. Thanks for coming down, my sweetie. We miss you already :(    We hiked in fog and light drizzle all afternoon, but made good time to the shelter for dinner. Now it's raining, but our chores are done and we're settled in for the night. Cricket has come down with a slight cold and is already snoring. Hopefully, she'll feel better tomorrow. By the way, today is our 2 month anniversary on the trail--who'd a thunk it!?!
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: clear sky

Whoo! What a day! Today we hit the 600 mile mark! Hurray!! It was cold and rainy almost all day. Would have been nice to stay in bed. But in the thru-hiker world it doesn't matter what the weather is--we walk. And boy howdy did we walk. We intended to do a strong 14.2 and call it quits. By the time we got to the trail to the Wapiti Shelter we were soaked to the bone and pretty cold. Trouble was, it was only 3:30. It was too early to stop hiking--we'd only get colder. We decided to press on for a couple of hours and find a campsite.   We crossed several rain swollen creeks. One was a good 12 inches deep. We climbed over slippery rocks and fallen trees. Nary a campsite did we see. Have we mentioned Virginia is the rockiest state we've been in? Not only is it hard on our feet, it's impossible to find a patch of ground without boulders.   We gave up on finding a tentsite and opted to do a big 20 to this wonderful hostel. Wood's Hole is a restored 1880's log cabin. The loft in the barn has mattresses. Too bad it doesn't have heat. At least we are dry, fed, and safe. And we'll have a hot breakfast in the morning.
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Wood's Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

What a great place to wake up in. Wood's Hole Hostel was a very restful and warm place--even on a cold, foggy morning. Breakfast was in the farmhouse, warmed by a big fire in the fireplace. Miss Tillie made us a wonderful breakfast, assisted by her granddaughter, Neville. Tillie made us feel very welcomed and encouraged us to kep in touch.   Too soon it was time to put on our soggy hiking clothes and wet boots and to head out into the elements. Fortunately it had stopped raining and was just cold and drizzly. It wasn't long before we were taking off our jackets. Although the rain had stopped, water was still gushing down the hillsides and through the Trail. The Virginia clay made for some terrific mudbogging. Cricket slid around in it on her butt twice. Sassafras only got down and dirty once. Somehow we made it down the mountain without much in the way of injuries. Unfortunately because of the cloud we were walking in, we missed some great views. One was from a point called "Angels Rest". Sounded heavenly. After a quick stop at the post office (thank you, Bluebearee, and what about the rest of our family huh?), we made our way to the Holy Family Hostel for the night. It's a quiet group. The rowdies must still be hanging out in Damascus. Tomorrow we get to do laundry and, guess what? That's right! We're going hiking again. As they say,if you're lucky enough to be hiking the AT...you're lucky enough!
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Holy Family Hostel, Pearisburg

To: Campsite after Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Once again, we had so much to do we got a late start of of town. It is so hard to get all of our errands done durng such a short stop in town. Pearisburg is a tough town to catch a hitch! NADA! We walked in yesterday and walked out today.   We apologize for the lapse in coverage for 5/20 through 5/22. We were still new to using our pocketmail device and have lost our original journal entries for these 3 days.
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Campsite after Rice Field Shelter

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

The original journal entry for today (like 5/20) was lost in cyberspace somewhere. Hopefully we have worked out the bugs using pocketmail!    If I remember correctly, this was the day Flying Cricket slipped on the log bridge and almost went into the creek! Fortunately she made a great recovery and I didn't have to jump in to save her :)
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Audie Murphy Memorial
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Another rainy night. Good thing was that it had stopped raining when it was time to crawl out of the tent. It's great that it's worked out that way for us almost every day. We were fortunate that the weatherman was wrong. We escaped the steady rain they had predicted. Just more cool, foggy, dreary weather. Today's hiking was exellent. We got to see all kinds of cool things along the way. There was the Keffer Oak-a huge old oak tree said to be 18 feet in diameter and 300 years old; the Eastern Continental Divide-where the rivers on the eastern side of the mountain flow to the Atlantic and on the western side flow to the Gulf of Mexico; the Audie Murphy Memorial (near where we are camped)-a marker commemorating his life and near the site of the plane crash in which he died. We also walked by a bunch of piles of stones on top of a mountain. Some were just piles, but others were neatly stacked in a circle. Soul Train seems to think they may have been Civil War embankments or cannon bases. It makes sense, they may have been protecting the town below. Anyway, it gave me the feeling that I was walking through history and hallowed ground. In the fog, I could just imagine soldiers up there building these small structures of stone. It was very cool. All in all, it was a great day for hiking. The scenery was beautiful, the rock climbs were fun and challenging, and the sites were so interesting.
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Audie Murphy Memorial

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: broken clouds

We had a rare sight today...the SUN. What a treat. It was the beginning of a very interesting day. After paying last respects to Lt. Murphy, we set out in search of the "Dragon's Tooth." This was rumored to be a terrible climb straight down a cliff or something. Scary! Well, we plodded along and along and up and up. Still no sign of the dreaded climb. Sass... was draggin' but that's about all. Finally, after the longest 7 miles we've done, we found it! Dragon's Tooth is a great big rock outcropping that overlooks Catawba. The view really was amazing and the climb down was pretty hairy, but not as bad as we expected. It was definately a challenge with packs on our backs, but we made it. Tonight, we are at the Four Pines Hostel, a converted 3-car garage, sharing floor space on cots and mats with 19 other smelly hikers and a dog. Well, actually, everyone has showered now and only our gear smells. It should be an interesting night. Hopefully, people will start to quiet down soon. It's after "hiker midnight" (9:00) and we're ready for bed.
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Lambert's Meadow Campsite
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

Things got moving early in the garage this morning...despite the fact that the conversations went on until 11:00pm and everytime someone rolled over on their cot it squeaked and groaned. Ready or not, the day had begun. Got to love those hostels.  It was a wonderful day of hiking. The weather was perfect. The trail has dried up for the most part. And the Trail led us to some spectacular sites. This area has lots of rock outcroppings, cliffs, and formations. McAfee Knob is one of the most popular photo ops on the Trail. The rock cliffs jut out over nothingness. The valley below and hills and ridges beyond were beautiful. We could see all the way to Roanoke. We passed rock formations called Snack Bar Rock, Rock Haven, and Lunch Box Rock. Some areas were just a maze of 20 foot high boulders. We followed the edge of Tinker Cliffs for about a half mile. It would have been a great place to watch the sunset...but the sky began to cloud up. :(  Today we became members of the 700 mile club. We celebrated by making a big "700" out of rocks on the side of the Trail. Cricket did the customary celebration dance and heel clicks.   We are camped next to a wonderful creek. Hopefully the rain that has just begun to fall (AGAIN) won't turn it into a raging river. We're in good company--Cakalacky and Wanderer and Baby Steps are here. They are happy to be reunited with their Trail buddy, Gazer. We enjoy camping with Gazer. He plays a wooden flute last thing at night and first thing in the morning. It's a hauntingly beautiful prayer tune.  Tomorrow we head into Daleville. We'll stay with friends of Cricket's who recently moved here from San Antonio. And finally get to make some overdue phone calls to our love ones.
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Lamberts Meadow Campsite

To: Daleville
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: broken clouds

We survived last night's deluge. The stream didn't rise and wash us away.   AND when we crawled out of the tent, the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds. Very encouraging. We also had a short day ahead.    Nothing too spectacular about the Trail today. We did have some nice views of Roanoke below on one side of the ridge and Carvin Cove Reservoir on the other. There were some more nice rock formations to climb around and over. One highlight was meeting Buckeye from Ohio. He is running the Trail. He started just 27 days ago and is averaging 35 miles a day. What a feat! His wife drops him off and picks him up every day. It was nice that he took the time to stop and chat a bit.  We got into Daleville and headed to the outfitters to purchase a couple items--including a hiking skirt for Sassafras. Her shorts are getting too big. On the way two gentlemen offered to buy us lunch at Bojangles. We obliged them and had a wonderful meal. Great place to eat. Trail Angels are such a blessing!   Another blessing is friends in Roanoke. Cricket's friends moved here from San Antonio and graciously invited us to stay the night. We've had a great time visiting with them and their friend Theresa, also from SA. If only we didn't have to keep moving on. The Trail awaits us in the morning.