morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-11
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Took an easy morning before packing up. Went out to the road nearby the shelter and got a ride to the Sugar Grove post office within 3 minuttes. I am so happy it was a local guy who gave me a ride because had I blinked I would have missed "the town". Basically it was just a post office and Larry's "Tool shop etc." Walking into the post office I immediately saw my package, there was no way to miss it, it was HUGE! The post office assistant asked me if I really was gonna carry all that stuff in my backpack? Well, yes - I love food so I am gonna carry it. Another surprise - as Betty had forewarned me the day before the package was not from her but rather from a mutual friend. I had gone to the farmers market several months before I started the hike and there I got to talk to Elise who owns the Waboykin Produce Company. We started talking about the trail and what vegetables and fruits to dehydrate. Being quite the better person than I am she had kept up with my trail journals and together with Betty they had arranged for her to send out the next package - what a Trail Angel - but just wait until you hear what was in this package: Fried and Dried Snap Peas (absolutely a favorite), Nutella, Crystellized Ginger, great cheese, a variety of pastas, tuna steaks, granola, snicker bars (Not just any size but the KING-sized), and - are you ready for this? - Corona beer with a real lime fruit to accompany - Merry Christmas!!! This hiker was being downright spoiled Back at the Partnership shelter I got everything organized while I enjoyed fresh oranges and tangerines. Then it was time to enjoy a "refreshing drink" while reading the note in the package. Thanks Elise for all the surprises and most of all for being a trail angel. It was another mail drop worth walking 2174 miles to get Time to get on the trail again but first a stop at the Mt Rogers head quarters to fill up on water. While I was there two USFS rangers came out and we got to talking. All in all I ended up taking a zero day. Mr Evans is a USFS Law Enforcement Officer and he took the time to tell about his job and other opportunities within that branch. Mr Evans is also a member of a forrest fire team and is the one you will talk to if a friend or family member has not checked in on time after being out hiking. Got invited to deer tenderloin cooked in a special BBQ and had a great talk - Awesome day. Go USFS - great guys.
Date: 2006-03-12
From: Atkins

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Went by Hardees for breakfast where I had milk, hash browns, a loaded egg omelet bisquit, and two hot cinnamon rolls - UHmm. Back at the Mt Rogers HQ, Mr. Evans showed me a lot of photos from the Glacier National Park with pictures of grey and black wolves, bison, moose, and lots of birds. At 13:00 I was getting antsy to get back on the trail so it was time to go. Hiked up to Chatfield shelter with an extremely heavy but well-stocked backpack. For dinner I plugged in my "microwave" and cooked two 90 sec. dinners - they were actually really good - especially after spicing them up with wasabi covered green peas! Afterwards for dessert, what started as a little taste of the snap peas became an unstoppable feast - until there were none left While cooking my dinner tonight I saw my first mosquito on the trail: It came, it bit, it got killed! (I did not boil or fry it!)
Date: 2006-03-13
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: clear sky

A few miles after leaving the shleter I got to the Settler's Museum. I stopped to look around a little. I can't imagine what it must have been like to sit in that little school in the midst of winter trying to keep warm by one tiny little wood stove located in the center of the room. Hiking on I passed what used to be a Dairy Queen but is now closed. I was a wee bit sad as the temperature had reached about 80F - All of you who are praying so hard for me to stay safe and warm - can you turn down the intensity of those prayers to about - 50F? Crossing field number 5 or 6 I started noticing a lot of bird song and tiny buds had started to open on some of the trees, hope they will make it through the snow the forecast is predicting for next week. Reaching the shelter I quickly took off the pack and started looking for water - I had been without the past 2 hours - not easy when going uphill in 80F. Finally 0.3 mi past the shelter I found a tricle of water - not much but enough that I can scoop it up using my pot and a little patience. The sky is looking really dark and cloudy now so I hurried up cooking rice pilaf with tuna steak and then had a snickers for dessert, while drinking a quart of tea AND a quart of water - I was so thirsty. I am now settled into my bag and it is time for the nightly routine of checking maps and guidebook to plan tomorrow's hike - how far, water sources, tent or shelter, elevation changes, sites to see, etc. Then it is time to write in my journal (the paper one), and finally, if these two eyes are still open I lile to do a little Su Doku. All this I do with my head lamp on sitting in my bag inside the safety of the shelter while the rain is pelting down hard on the trees and the roof. It is good to be in a dry spot
Date: 2006-03-14
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

I sure must say you are quick at those prayers, because during the night the temp dropped and this morning it was 50F After 4.5 mi it was time for an energy break - Gatorade and a Cliff Bar to take me to the top of the next mountain. That Cliff Bar sure is crunchy as if it had tiny bits of gravel in it. Oh ohh, I get that old feeling that it is not gravel but rather I have broken part of a tooth! Sure is broken as I feel some sharp edges of a back tooth - and that Cliff Bar was not even frozen solid! Hope they have a dentist in Pearisburg. Starting to wonder how much soup and soft food I have, unfortunately, a big part of my diet is granola, nuts, and seeds - anything that will increase the fiber intake. The walk up to Chestnut Lodge was absolutely beautiful, although first I had 2.5 mi straight uphill - Go Gatorade! Then I entered an open field - a bald. The views are gorgeous. I can see down below to the valley I just crossed and all the way to the next ridgeline where I came from this morning. It never seizes to amaze me how far you can walk in just a few hours. From the rock solid Chestnut Knob Shelter I could look straight down to Burkes Garden. It is also known as "God's Thumbprint" as it is a circular area which is surrounded on all sides by a ridgeline. "It was Vanderbilt's first choice for their Biltmore Estate, which was later constructed near Ashville, NC". (Thru-hikers Companion,2004). Dinner tonight was homemade Mac & Cheese - and no further tooth was lost!
Date: 2006-03-15
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: broken clouds

Last thing I saw before falling asleep were two deers stalking the shelter. It was a bright full moon so I got a good look at them as tehy checked out everything - made me wonder if they too had become habituated to human food?They sure did spend a lot of time around the picnic table and the fire ring. I have never before seen any deer this close to a shelter while a human was in it. Waking up this morning it was so nice to just turn around and take another half an hour of sleep. For me there are two luxury times of the day: 1) In the morning and 2) Late afternoon/early evening getting to camp. It seems to me one prohibits the other unless it is a short hiking day. I think my favorite luxury time is in the late afternoon. At that time I have already done a full day of hiking and I might just have a full hour to do nothing or to take care of something that I have neglected. It sounds like I am on a tight schedule, not at all. I can really do whatever only the food determines my overall pace. However, I function best if I have a certain routine (tend to forget less stuff that way).The morning routine: Will myself out of the bag, get dressed, and cook/eat breakfast. Another half an hour and I will have everything packed and done a final map check. During the day: I hike and take breaks when needed/wanted. Enjoy the views and possible adventure side trails.The evening: Drop pack at shelter or campsite and immediately go get water. Back and stretch out these old muscles or they won't even last til Harpers Ferry. Unpack and cook dinner. Normally when I am done with dinner it is about getting dark so Mr. Stinky and I retreat to the sleeping bag, which is also my commando center. From here I plan the strategy of tomorrow's hike. After a tough planning meeting it is time to transfer the memories of the day into this little book. Sometimes after writing a page or two I wonder how I could spend 8-10 hours thinking af only those few things - well, I do notice that at times I will tell myself to remember something during the hike but when evening comes - Puff! any such thought/memory has vanished. Looking at the maps for tomorrow and the next day it looks like I could make it to Pearisburg already Friday afternoon but it would require me to do 24 miles. The longest I have ever done in one day. The only reason for trying to get there on Fri instead of Sat is the opportunity to get to talk to a dentist. Hopefully they can fit me in either that afternoon or Mon morning.Tonight I cooked Honey Cured Country Ham with Mashed potatoes and that was followed up with Thai Ramen Noodle Soup and a kingsized Snickers bar. Should probably find one more thing to snack on as I hate to wake up in the middle of the night hungry. So far it has been quiet at this shelter: No mice, ponies, skunks, or deer. It has been cold today about 40F but the wind made it feel a lot colder. Gotta go to bed now so I can get up early tomorrow.
Date: 2006-03-16
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: clear sky

OK, so this is supposedly the record setting day - at 5:00 my only thought was "supposedly" PLEASE just two more minuttes, do I really want to do this? Then a second thought hit: Can I really do this? At the end of that thought my neurons were so excited and fired up that I just had to get out of the bag put on my shoes and eat a few handfulls of gorp just to get a running start. It was still dark and quiet, the full moon was slowly disappearing behind the cloud coverage. The wind from yesterday had all died down, not even a mouse seemed too be stirring - Yap Dap A Dua ... There went the quiet time! A noisy, loud-singing, leaf-kicking Red Dane came trotting down the trail. Poor Grouse must have lost a couple of tail feathers in pure shock of what was coming toward it. I was all excited and full of energy ready to take on 24 miles (especially since the pack was low on weight after most of the food was eaten). I had the whole day planned: 2 more hours of hiking then stop to eat, after reaching VA state road 611 then... My plan lasted almost a full hour, then I had to listen to my grumbling stomach - OK, so I stop now ad eat Just as I sat down 4 whitetailed deer came running across the trail - must not have liked my song either - just be glad there is no audio file on this site "Morning has Broken" I sang out loud as I hiked on and it sure was becoming a beautiful morning. It was not a million-dollar sunrise but I am happy to be here today and to be able to see it. The birds started chirping and what I was thinking I really can't tell you because I no longer remember! By 10:00 I was already at Jenny Knob Shelter - I had dome 10.1 miles - only 14.2 to go! Started following Dismal Creek. It is a beautiful area. The trail went through rhododendron thickets and a big pine forrest all the while you could hear the water trickle down the creek - and contrary to yesterdays 17+ creek crossings through the water, here almost all the crossings had a bridge. Phew, I was a tired puppy by now but only two more miles to go. About a quarter of a mile before the shelter I reach this pond with some great campsites. Had I known it was that close to the shelter I would have stopped here - but no snicker bar of any size could make me walk back after reaching the shelter. All I could think was I am going to take off these boots. Quickly got water and unpacked. Now I could take off these hot, stinking, sweaty boots and socks, Ahh! Feet inspection reveled no blisters only tired sore feet. The only thing that separates me and Pearisburg now is 17 miles.It just hit me - I haven't seen anybody since Mt Rogers.
Date: 2006-03-17
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

Time for another mail drop by Tom and Lanei - wonder if they are parents by now as they are expecting a child anytime now? The clouds look alamingly gloomy - wonder how far I can get before I get drenched? Passed a radiotower, 2,3 more towers but where are the blazes? and the trail sure is tough going right now. Map check! I had missed a turn and instead ended up here on top at this radio tower facility but there sure is a great view from up here you can see the entire valley below and the dark clouds looming above. Better get down again for being close to all these metal antennas doesn't seem like such an "attractive" idea if lightening and thunder should start up! Reaching Angels Rest - a couple of huge rocks from which another great view can be obtained - or lunch can be enjoyed I can see Pearisburg now I just need to get down there. First corner of the town and there is a payphone - call the hostel to make sure it is open and Bill Gautier, the caretaker, offers to come pick me up. A few minuttes later we have gotten introduced and we stop by the postoffice where not just one but three boxes awaited me. A mail drop from Tom and Lanei, a bounce box from myself, and an extra unexpected package Then we are off to find a dentist after a couple of tries we find "Michael J Ankrum & Leon Kok D.D.S. at 722 Wenonah Av. (540)921-1215. They fit me right into their schedule late Friday afternoon just before closing time. Awesome people - All of them: the receptionist (Becky), Assistant (Lisa), and the dentist. They helped me out with a temporary repair job that should be OK til I get home. If you ever need a dentist in Pearisburg - go there. Walking out the door of the dentist office I cross the street and enter Pizza Hut where I head straight for the salad bar, while waiting for a pizza to go. Bill Gautier comes to pick me up there and takes me to the hostel. It is an old barn behind the Holy Family Church. The barn has been rebuilt to accomodate the needs of a hiker: shower, toilet, kitchen, and pads to sleep on upstairs. the hostel even had a little library with a wood stove which was the only source of heat but it worked really well. No fire wood but I was welcome to pick up fallen branches on the church property and take stuff from the brush pile so there was plenty of stuff to burn. In the evening Blake Martin and his mother stopped by as he was doing a science project about the Appalachian Trail. We talked for a while, looked at hiker stuff, and had a great time.
Date: 2006-03-18
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Tried to sleep in but no success, instead I got up and opened the mystery box it was from John and Shizuka. They had mailed out nice surprice package - Thank you so much guys it was greatly appreciated and nothing got left The little hand sanitizer was awesome - I had actually meant to buy one today as I was running out! Town stuff time: laundry, post office to mail bounce box, Dollar General for bread, and library for internet. Met nice people everywhere I went. Time to get back to the hostel to collect wood before it got dark.
Date: 2006-03-19
From: Pearisburg

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Cleaned up the kitchen before I went to the service at the church. THe priest held a great service and again people were real friendly as all the trail towns have been. The libraryan was also at the church so it was fun to say hello again. Off I went to go the 3 miles through town but before long a car pulled over and some people from the church offered me a ride to the trail. 7 miles later I reached a bald and there was the shelter. Had met Daydreamer, a section hiker, earlier who said someone else was out hiking today. The hiker was at the shelter and introduced himself as Indy. He was going up to Harpers Ferry. Blue, a blue-tick hound, was also at the shelter with a bad cut on its leg so Indy had bandaged it. The three of us spent the night at the shelter.
Date: 2006-03-20
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Started the day with a most beautiful sunrise - the sky was all pink. Next on the list was the oatmeal and then Indy, Blue, and I took off together. We had kind off hoped that Blue would run off home but she stayed with us the whole time - poor dog she was so thin you could count her ribs. Lunch time both Indy and I shared our meals with Blue. She was so hungry she couldn't help herself but jumped up at us trying to get our food. I took off and Blue followed while Indy stayed behind to finish his lunch. Soon Blue and I got to a sign saying Jenny's bridge had been washed away but we could follow the road for 1.5 miles instead. Hmm, should I follow the road or try to forge the creek with cold weather coming? A few minuttes later Blue and I were walking the road hoping I would find a house so I could call Blue's owner. We found a nice home and knocked on the door. A lady answered and while she called the owner I cleaned up and dressed Blue's wound again. Owner did not answer the phone but a message was left. I tied up Blue under a carport and the lady gave Blue some dog food and water. Blue was my first Wilderness Patient!Hope she is at home in a warm house with her family now.
Date: 2006-03-21
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: snow

No snow as Indy and I woke up but it was colder and it was Foggy. Just north of the shelter the trail turned into a rock scrambler not just an ordinary difficult one, no, apparently I needed a challenge as it was an ice-glazed rock scrambler. Instead of gracefully jumping from rock to rock I did a full-out imitation of "Bambi on THe Ice" It did not take long to learn NOT to step on the rocks, except it is nearly impossible as the whole width of the trail is completely covered with ice-glazed rocks. It was a sore, stiff-legged, but-not-a-bone-broken hiker that made it past the rocks Whoever the hiker was that had written in the previous shelter register "the area north of Bailey Shelter is a technical nightmare" he or she should have tried it today with the ice! I had stopped for lunch at Warspur Shelter and as I sat there 1,2,3,... more and more hikers filed in from South. It was a group of students from Clark Montessori Highschool, Cincinnati, Ohio. They were out hiking 50 miles. Talked to them for an hour before heading on. Just 6 more miles left of the day (2.5 uphill). Started sweating going uphill so I took off two layers - not ten minuttes later ice started pelting down - Murphy's Law never lets you down! Arriving in the shelter I read in the guidebook that water is to be found just North on the AT. I did not remember seeing any water. Oh, well sometimes when you hike you just get in your hiking zone and you wouldn't see a bear if it stood three feet from you. Walked a while back up the trail still did not see any water so I went bush wacking as I heard a stream on to the side. It was a beautiful stream but a little ways in. Back at the shelter Indy had arrived. Reading his guidebook he goes South and finds the stream crossing immediately!!! Fry a bagel with cheese and share it with Indy, cooke dinner but no hot drink tonight as I need to conserve fuel. Brr! itis getting cold, gonna tuck in soon.
Date: 2006-03-22
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Cold morning - about 20F. THe water in both my camelbak and the Nalgene bottle had frozen solid. I had to go to the creek to get water in my pot to melt the ice in the two containers, but what was that? I tried to put on my boots but they wouldn't move - they had frozen stuck to the floor! Had to yank them free before I could go anywhere. Later the day warmed up to 45F and I got to walk on the very edge of the ridge line. All the trees were covered in ice up here. It looked really neat. Looking at the branches was almost impossible because it felt like your eyes could not focus - as in looking at a photo without good focus. The ice on the branches looked like a feather with tiny lines and a finely jagged edge making it hard to focus on it from a distance. Lalligagged all day and didn't get to Niday until 17:00. Checked out my food bag to make sure I had rationed the food right. In January as I started the hike I always seemed to have just a little too much food, but soon the amount was just right, now however, there is just never enough lunch as I am constantly eating. I can eat dinner and two hours later I need a snack. I think I am going to buy more granola bars, snickers, and bagels.
Date: 2006-03-23
From: Niday Shelter

To: John Spring Shelter
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: few clouds

Got up before the moon and the stars disappeared and started walking uphill. 2 miles and 1500ft elevation gain later I finally reached the ridge of Brush Mountain. Huffing and puffing I took the last few steps up to the top and what do I see - a bench! just whan you need it. I loved it, then I started thinking about the poor fellows that had to lift all the materials up here to buid this bench - I am utmost grateful. After catching my breath I continued another mile or so til I got to the Audie Murphy Monument. The Thru-hikers Companion book had described this monument "Murphy was the most decorated American soldier of WWII." The reason for a monument at this remote place was becuse he died here in 1971 in a plane crash. Then it was all downhill again, just to start uphills at the Dragon Tooth. Up and down and up and down all the while the ridge was scattered with small and big rocks. Finally I got close to the tallest and last "tooth" and there was a perfect flat rock outcrop bathing in the sun - had to be tested. Half an hour later I wake up having had the best nap in the longest time. Had lunch and enjoyed the view before heading down a very steep and treacherous trail. My knees were aching - sure to be paying for this tomorrow! The hike went on over flat areas, rolling hills, cow pastures, and other ridge lines. At 18:00 I made it to the shelter. Tired, hungry, but very content with the day. The hike had been tough, relaxing, cold, warm, interesting - everything you could ask for.