morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-19
From: Damascus, VA

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

Yet another zero day in Damascus, VA. Spent a lot of time at the library on the computer. Had breakfast at Dot's with JB, Melk, Artist, Sweetwater, and Big Brother. Did my laundry today. Took another shower (second day in a row!). Had another burrito at Baja. Walked around the vendor area at the Trail Days festival. One of the food vendors had fried oreo cookies. I didn't have one but I'm kicking myself for not trying it. Bought a bug net to cover my sleeping bag when I stay in the shelters.Later on, I met up with Rafiki and Oreomnos. Rafiki and I bought a six pack of Yuengling Black and Tans and headed to tent city. Ran into a large of hikers that I knew from the trail. I'm simply amazed at the sheer number of people you get to know out here. The range of personalities is very eclectic. Just about anybody can hike the trail and just anybody does.Tent City was alive with people BBQ'ing, playing guitars, drinking, playing hiker horseshoes (they cut beer cans in half and try throwing large washers inside them), playing frisbee, and just general socializing. Trying to decide whether or not I should zero again tomorrow. I'm feeling like it's time to hit the trail again.
Date: 2007-05-20
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: few clouds

Decided not to zero. Headed out of Damascus around 12:15pm. Followed the Virginia Creeper Trail till the AT veered off onto it's own. Saw some nice Rhododendrons in bloom. The trail merged back with the Virginia Creeper Trail after about 12 miles and ran along side a river. It was some nice flat hiking. The Virginia Creeper Trail is an old railroad line that they converted into a biking and hiking trail.The overall day was about 16 miles of hiking. Staying at Lost Mountain Shelter with a large crowd of people...the by-product of the Trail Days exodus.
Date: 2007-05-21
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

Today was an incredible day of hiking. Went through the Grayson Highlands which had some awesome balds and wild ponies. Passed through Mt. Rogers (highest peak in VA). The trail had some nice even terrain and some real rocky parts. Grayson Highlands is worth the visit for anyone who has an opportunity to do so. It's easily accessible by road.The wild ponies were a neat addition to the trail. As I was having lunch at Thomas Knob shelter by Mt. Rogers, a whole group of ponies wandered into the shelter area and just started munching on the grass. They even tried to eat another hikers pack.17.3 miles was my highest mileage day so far. Staying at Wise Shelter. Had Raman Noodles for dinner. I even had the pleasure of watching someone slice open an infected spider bite.
Date: 2007-05-22
From: Wise Shelter

To: Troutdale
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked into Troutdale today: 16.2 miles. The trail was typical of what I heard Virginia to be: a long green tunnel. Not too many views but lots of trees full of leaves. This is the point in the trail where people develop some boredom because the newness of the trail has faded and the view changes very little.Got to Dickey Gap and hitched a ride into Troutdale. After about 20 minutes with the thumb out, a car stopped. Low and behold it was two hikers I had met previously (Sanford and Parkbench) who had hiked the trail in 2006. They drove me to Jerry's Kitched and Goods in Troutdale.Had lunch at Jerry's. Jerry turned out to be the new owner of the joint. He's a great guy and looking to cater to hikers when they come through.Staying at the hostel at the Baptist Church in town. Took a shower and re-supplied at Jerry's grocery store (attached to the restaurant). Staying at the hostel with Persistant, Melk, JB, Sprocket, Waterfall, and Fuzzy Monkey.
Date: 2007-05-23
From: Troutdale

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked to Partnership Shelter. The hike was hilly with some roller coasters here and there but I had a nice downhill/even grade into the shelter. Took a morning break at the Trimpi shelter which was nice.Partnership Shelter turned out to be a lot of fun. It's right next to the Mt. Rogers Visitor Center. There's a shower and a really nice privy at the shelter. The shelter is also famous for its close proximity to a major road and then just a few miles to town. By about 6pm we had over 20 people at the shelter area. We had over 15 pizzas and 7 cases of beer brought into the shelter. JB, Sprocked, and Parkbench took Sanford's car into town to pick up the food and beer. What ensued afterward cannot be expressed with mere words...it will just need to safely stay in AT2007 oral history. Some highlights include late night Euchre, I ate a whole pizza by myself, and finally passing out sometime after 12midnight.Renaming Partnership Shelter to Partyship Shelter.
Date: 2007-05-24
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Davis Path Shelter
Miles today: 14.0

Up at 7:30am. On the trail by 8:15am. Stopped at the Mt. Rogers visitor center and had a drink and a snickers bar and I was off to the trail.Hiked 14 miles. Nice hiking, not too hard. Had lunch at Chatfield Shelter. Hiked through Atkins, VA, and had dinner at a restaurant in town. Staying at Davis Path Shelter with Red Arm, U-Turn, Kimo, and Gumbo.
Date: 2007-05-25
From: Davis Path Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

Two big milestones: I did my first 20 mile hike today and I passed the 1/4 way point. Nothing really exciting for views. Still dealing with the long green tunnel of Virginia.I had lunch and a nap at Knot Maul Shelter, aka Darth Maul shelter. It's not the Maul I was looking for. I pushed on.Started raining around 6:30pm. Luckily Chestnut Knob Shelter is an indoor shelter. It's an old ranger cabin. Got to the shelter around 7:30pm. Got some photos of the 1/4 way point, rain falling on a distant peak, and a nice sunset at the shelter. Staying with Fuzzy Monkey, Gimpy, Gumbo, and two weekend hikers who brought cookies.
Date: 2007-05-26
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Hiked 10 miles to Jenkins Shelter. Rained a little bit today. The 20 miler wiped me out so I decided to take a short mile day and stay here tonight.Moving onto Bland, VA, tomorrow to re-supply. Having noodles and tuna for dinner.
Date: 2007-05-27
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helvey's Mill Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Great Day! Hiked into Bland, VA, with Ronin, Persistant, and Melk. It was an easy 11 miles to town. We hitchhiked into town, ate at Subway, hiked .3 miles to Dairy Queen and had ice cream, re-supplied, and then back to the trail. Persistant yogi'd a ride for us back to trail head. The no-walking to and from town and the large eating made for a memorial day.Staying at Helvey's Mill Shelter. The water source is a 'hike' down a steep blue-blazed trail and is not very impressive. Staying in the tent tonight. Last night I was eatin alive by no-see-ums.
Date: 2007-05-28
From: Helvey's Mill Shelter

To: Dismal Creek Falls
Miles today: 18.2

Another great day. Hiked out to VA606, hitched a ride down the road a bit to Trent's with Melk, Persistant, and Ronin. Trent's is a convenience store that serves real food (as opposed to hiker food...which is cooked on an alcohol stove). Had a double cheeseburger and some pizza.After we ate, got a ride back to the trail head and hiked another 1.9 miles to Dismal Creek Falls. The falls are a really nice area about .3 miles off the trail. I ended up just lounging around the falls and hung out with a large crowd gathered there including: JB, Chef, Popeye, Lightweight, Bigby, Dingo, Lunar, Raindog, Persistant, Melk, and Ronin.Got into the tarptent around 10pm. Since yesterday morning I had very slight aches in my muscles similar to fever aches. By the time I got to bed they were gone so I'm hoping that I don't have any sort of illness. It's probably just exhaustion from the extra miles I've been putting in.
Date: 2007-05-29
From: Dismal Creek Falls

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Tough day. Hiked 22.5 miles into Pearisburg, VA. Passed the 600 mile marker very early on. Feet are sore. Joints are sore. Body is sore. No fever aches though (thank god). Got a few small blisters as I climbed down this almost vertical downhill as I got closer to Pearisburg.There were a few nice views up on the mountain before the descent into Pearisburg. Even though it was still very much a green tunnel, the forest area had an almost movie like quality to it. There were a few areas where I could look into the valley below.Staying at the Holiday Motor Lodge in town. Sharing a room with Ronin, Melk, and Persistant. Had dinner at El Ranchero. Too tired to write more...
Date: 2007-05-30
From: Pearisburg, VA

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

Took a zero day today. Did laundry (my clothes were about as bad as they get). Went to the Post Office and grabbed my bounce box and sent my winter sleeping bag home. I'm using a light fleece summer bag (rated at about 50 degrees F) now. My winter bag is a 30 degree bag which has been causing me to sweat at night.About mid day I started getting some stomach cramps and have been feeling ill all day. Crossing my fingers it's not Giardia.Re-supplied at the Food Lion in town and just relaxed for the rest of the day.
Date: 2007-05-31
From: Pearisburg, VA

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

Woke up with every intention to hike. Still had stomach cramps into the early morning but they thankfully went away by mid-day. Dark clouds and severe thunderstorm warnings have kept me in town. Sharing another room with Ronin, Melk, and Persistant.Joints are a little tender so taking another day off seems like a good idea.Yesterday I found out that my job at IBM is gone. Since I'm on a Leave of Absence I ran the risk of getting cut. Well, IBM announced a resource action and I was part of it. The full impact hasn't hit me yet. I'm actually somewhat excited and somewhat scared. Excited at the prospect of doing something different. Scared that I won't have a job waiting for me when I finish this hike (whenever that may be). The logistics of handling this layoff are going to be interesting. Documents will be sent to me while on the trail so I can review them to figure out all my severence benefits and salary, etc.
Date: 2007-06-01
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Stony Creek
Miles today: 20.0

Slackpacked from Stony Creek back into Pearisburg, VA, today. After getting caught in some rain yesterday, Ronin, Persistant, Melk, and I decided to get a shuttle up to the trailhead today and slackpack 20 miles (which was our intended hike for yesterday and today). Saw a few cool things along the trail today. Spotted at least three or four deer. One deer was right on the path and as we got close a little fawn was sticking it's head above underbrush. The mother deer took off in an attempt to lure us away. Instead we just got a few photos of the fawn.Staying in Pearisburg, VA, again. The rain was coming down real hard as we finished up the last mile. We had to stop off at Giles Wellness Center (a local gym) after finishing up for the day because the rain made it impossible to even walk. After a few unsuccessful attempts at begging a ride from the gym patrons we were able to get a ride from a local hotel in town.I'm having a lot of fun in Pearisburg. Playing cards (Hearts aka Black Maria in Australia), eating, and general relaxation. Tomorrow is back to the trail though. Saw the Pain Train and Birdstar in town tonight.
Date: 2007-06-02
From: Stony Creek

To: Warspur Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Finally left Pearisburg after spending 4 nights in that town. It was like a black hole sucking my will to live. One important thing did happen before we left though. Last night In Pearisburg, VA, at room 16 in the Holiday Motor Lodge the A-Team was born (Team Average). Melk is BA, Ronin is Hannible, Persistant is Murdoch, and I'm Face.The hike was not too difficult. For the most part the Green Tunnel of Virginia continued it's torturous span. I saw a lot of gypsy moth catepillers today. Staying at Warspur Shelter (Doesn't Warspur sound like a Transformer?). The shelter is nice with a stream nearby and plenty of open area. Looks like rain is moving in though. Having Spanish Rice and Chicken for dinner.
Date: 2007-06-05
From: Mile 666: Sarver Hollow

To: VA311 - Catawba
Miles today: 21.0

Today was a long hike. The big highlight of the day was that our hero re-rolled his character and went from a magic wielding wizard to a sword waving warrior so that he may best fight The Dragon...Mid day was dominated by a hike over what is known as The Dragon's Tooth. It was a rugged hike to the Tooth but it was nothing compared to the rocky and steep descent down once I got past the Tooth. Some minor technical rock work was needed but only a slight amount. Even though this slowed the day a little it ended up being fun.Long day today. Didn't stop hiking till after dark. Rained the last hour of the hike. Feeling a little light headed at the end of the day. Probably a mix of the 20+ mile hike and dehydration.
Date: 2007-06-06
From: VA311 - Catawba

To: Interchange at Troutville
Miles today: 19.7

Woke up completely exhausted and feeling a little queasy. Still, the hike must go on.Despite my exhaustion, I hiked about 19.7 miles today and was rewarded with two really awesome views: Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob. McAffee Knob is said to be the best view in Virginia and so far I agree. I took many pictures. Some serious, some not so serious.Tinker Cliffs is a cliff walk that got it's name from the area where Revolutionary War deserters would go to hide. They apparently ended up fixing pots and pans and thus why they were called tinkers.Another long day but at least I finished it up before dark.
Date: 2007-06-07
From: Interchange at Troutville

To: Interchange at Troutville
Miles today: 0.0

Zeroed. The 50+ miles in the last three days are killing my feet. Gonna take a day off here. It's definitely time for me to get new shoes. I'm getting foot pain well into the next day before my feet go numb again once I start hiking. Unfortunately I have to wait till Waynesboro, VA, before I get a new pair.
Date: 2007-06-10
From: Daleville

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: few clouds

After successfully forgetting the last few days, I will say this as a recap: Daleville/Troutville is stronger than a Borg tractor beam.Anyway, back to big hiking. Hiked 18.5 miles today. Started the 100 mile trek along the Blue Ridge Parkway. So far it's been nice. The Blue Ridge Parkway has some great views.Up at 7am today. Out of town by 8:30am. In the shelter by 6:30pm. Staying at Bobblets Gap Shelter with Nightstriker, two section hikers, Ronin, Dr. Chaco Thunderhead, and Vista Jim. I think I cooked my best meal today: sweet and spicy tuna and Spanish rice. I followed it with a dark chocolate (60% cacoa) chaser.I think I also figured out my calling in life: I'm going to start up a poison ivy farm and write a book on Extreme Hiking the AT. I'll follow it up with a book on bad AT puns. I'm also considering a collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment for a video game. It will be massively multi-player game called AT Extreme Hiker.   The first upgrade will be adamantine trekking pole tips.
Date: 2007-06-11
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept in the bug netting last night. Didn't feel a single bug. Then again, neither did anyone else.Much of the trail was dominated by the Virginia Green Tunnel and hard scrabble path. The rocks were piercing through my worn down trailrunner shoes. My feet were in absolute pain by the end of the day. I have a new pair of shoes waiting for me in Waynesboro and it can't come quick enough.Passed by Jenning Creek. Walkd to a Forest Service picnic area with Ronin. We stashed our packs in the woods and headed up to Middle Creek Camp ground. The store was open there and they had the grill fired up. Had a bacon cheeseburger, 2 gatorades, french fries, and a Large Mountain Dew (attitude sold seperately). Hiked 13.5 miles. Had a large stretch of no water source today. The developed water source at the USFS picnic area by Jennings Creek was non-existant. As I came upon the shelter today there was a fawn on the trail, laying down. Each time I got closer to it the fawn would run further down the trail and laying down. Finally, after three minutes of this it cried out and darted into the woods a few feet and layed down again. Also saw a few lizards but they're so fast that it was impossible to get a picture. Staying at Bryant Ridge Shelter with Boognish, Ronin, Loose Bruce, Edge, Nightcrawler, Jake, Moose, Dirty, Blackfoot, Tater, Swamp, and a section hiker. They should combine Bryant Ridge Shelter with the last shelter, Cove Mt. shelter, to make Cove y Bryant Shelter (en espanol). Had beans and rice with garlic and herb chicken for dinner. THunderstorm rolled in after dinner and poured down for hours.
Date: 2007-06-12
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Marble Spring Camp Area
Miles today: 17.0

Hiked to Marble Spring camp area. The trail was mostly average. Unfortunately any views were quickly forgotten as I concentrated on some bad blisters caused by my severely worn trailrunners. I feel all rocks and roots on the trails. Ibuprofin does nothing.Had lunch at Thunder Hill Shelter. Lot of bugs there but nice to take a lunch break. Weather was nice in the morning and then had a thunderstorm move in right after lunch. Hiked for about 30 minutes in the hard rain. Climbed Floyd Mountain, saw a weird radar station at the top of Apple Orchard Mountain, saw the Guillotine, and hiked over High Cock Knob. Camping with Ronin, Loose Bruce, Edge, Swamp, Moose, and DQ.
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Marble Spring Camp Area

To: Glascow, VA
Miles today: 8.0

Rained in the middle of the night pretty hard but the tarptent kept me dry. This was a big step. I had a big fear of my tarptent not keeping me dry but it came through for me. The tarptent is well made but the single wall, sil-nylon material didn't look like it could keep me dry in the rain. Well, it did. I feel much better about my Henry Shire tarptent now.Hiked about 8 miles to VA130. Passed by the James Face River where I was attacked by a billion dime sized frogs. No kidding, they were no bigger than a dime. Crossed over the James Face River bridge which is the longest foot bridge on the AT (640 feet).Feet were killing me today. In fact, I was in crisis mode. I had to engage in Operation New Shoes. I just simply couldn't hike anymore in these shoes. Luckily there was a trail angel named Ken shuttling hikers into Glascow. He offered to drive me to the Dutch Haus (Hiker Hostel and B&B right off the Blue Ridge Parkway). So I took the ride up to the hostel and Earl, the proprietor of the Dutch Haus, drove me into Waynesboro, VA, where my trusty mother had mailed my next pair of trail runners. I got to the post office with a little time to spare and got my bounce box and the shoes. I was so excited that I put the new shoes on in the post office (just one shoe actually). The difference was night and day. Got back to Glascow a little late so I stayed at the Tired Feet Motel with Ronin.
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Glascow, VA

To: Brown Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

The day started off cloudy with the threat of thunderstorms. The morning was mostly rainless with great hiking conditions: low humidity, cool temps, and no rain. Had a tough climb in the morning but otherwise nothing of real difficulty with the exception of the rugged trail conditions (rocky with lots of pebbles and stones - hard scrabble).Thunderstorms blew in hard in the afternoon and did not let up for the rest of the day. The new shoes were keeping me in the game though. About 2 miles from the shelter met up with two people doing trail magic. It was a great treat especially because of the hard rain. Talkerman, Bigby, Dirty, Jake, Blackfoot, and Tater were also there. Hung out for about 40 minutes eating and chatting. Had some soda, cookies, polish sausage, and beans. Got into Brown Mountain shelter around 7:30pm. Bigby and Tater made a fire and a whole bunch of us ended up drying out our wet gear over the open flames. Still full from trail magic so I didn't make dinner tonight. In camp are: Bigby, Tater, Dirty, Boognish, Jake, Blackfoot, G, Chopsticks, Comet, Ronin, Talkerman, Are We There Yet (aka Are We), and Moose. In bed at 10:00pm. It's a cold, rainy night.
Date: 2007-06-15
From: Brown Mountain Shelter

To: Seely-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

What started out as a cold, wet, rainy day turned into a cold, wet, rainy day. Had a difficult climb in the morning. It was raining all day long.Later in the day it went from cold, wet, and rainy to cold, wet, rainy, and strange. About a mile from Cow Camp Shelter, as I was hiking, I heard a stick snap up the trail a little. So I look up and about 30 yards in front of me was a naked man. He looked at me. I looked at him. Then a split second later, bam, he took off running into the woods at full speed. I was freaked out. I turned my trekking poles over and held them like dual wielding swords. As I got closer to his approximate spot I started to look closer and closer around me to make sure he didn't jump out at me or something. This guy didn't look normal to me (this assessment was made in the few seconds that I actually saw him). I didn't see him but I heard him rustling around the woods, breaking sticks. So I picked up my pace and bolted out of the area. For the next five miles I was constantly looking behind me but I never did see naked man again. I was beginning to think that I had been on the trail too long and I had imagined the whole thing.A little while later I ran into Talkerman and said "you'll never believe what I just saw." He replied, "a naked man, right?" I couldn't believe it. We both saw the same dude. Apparently, he had jumped out at Talkerman...naked. Further on down the trail I ran into Dirty and G and said the same thing. Dirty stands up and says "holy shit, I saw that freak too." Whew, three people makes it official: there was a freakin naked guy on the trail for sure. Apparently, Dirty saw him twice. Once with clothes and then a second time without. He was apparently muttering nonsense about the boss not being please with him and needing to blow off some steam.Stayed at Seely-Woodworth shelter with Copperhead, Ronin, Moose, and some section hikers. It was cold and wet so I got into the sleeping bag early. Too cold to cook so I ate cliff bars and snickers bars from the comfort of my sleeping bag.
Date: 2007-06-16
From: Seely-Woodworth Shelter

To: Dutch Haus/Montabello, VA
Miles today: 2.0

Woke up in the middle of the night checking to see if naked man had infiltrated the shelter area. All secure.Got up early and hiked 2.3 miles in about 40 minutes to reach Fish Hatchery Road. Got a ride into Montabello, VA. Staying at the Dutch Haus (owners Earl and Lois). Great to wash my clothes, take a shower, adn dry my soaked gear. Later on, reunited with Melk. An ATC Ridgerunner and a county detective came by asking questions about the naked man. I guess quite a few hikers saw him.