morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-09
From: Just past TN/VA state line

To: Dave's Place Hostel Damascus, VA
Miles today: 1.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Damascus is supposedly the "friendliest town on the trail." In 10 days it will be hosting Trail Days, the annual festival for hikers. Since I've never been, my description probably isn¢t accurate, but it¢s a big party with hundreds of people, present and past thru hikers, camped out at a tent city. There¢s a parade, a talent show, outfitters, and in general it's a good time for hikers to enjoy each other's company without being on the trail. I bet the population of this town doubles that weekend. More on Lindsay and my plans for that time another day. Most people we know will try to hitch back for trail Days. I'm sure it's a pretty crazy time, as everyone on the trail is quite a character.So besides hosting Trail Days, Damascus is a pretty important spot on the trail. It¢s apparently the "mental" 1/4 mark, whatever that means. It¢s a good spot for people to get off the trail, satisfied with having made it to Virginia and nearly 500 miles. Some people send home their cold weather gear here, but after last week you cant convince me to send much home. Finally, Damascus is the beginning of 500+ miles in the same state. Physically we've all proven ourselves to get here, but mentally we may have to toughen up to conquer this beast of a state.Finally, Lindsay and I are parting ways tomorrow. Or are we? I'm pretty tired and will explain part 2 of our plan (part 1 was hiking together until we could split gear up in Damascus) tomorrow. But we did have a serious shopping spree today and are still euphoria with all our new gear.More on gear and plans tomorrow,Erin
Date: 2006-05-10
From: Dave's Place Hostel Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter, VA
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

How frustrating to leave town clean and dry, then get soaked during my last 15 minutes hiking today! The shelter is very nice, and there's room for me, so I've been able to dry out a bit. It¢s the same crew we've been hanging out with: Mouse, Jangles, Baro, Donkey (Love), Hot Springs, River Weasel, and Scarecrow. Lindsay is here as well.So we've made the decision not to go to Trail Days, but will take time off with our boyfriends that weekend so we'll stay with the people we¢ve been hiking with. Elaborate, I know, but it does make some sense. Since they're driving down together, Lindsay and I have to pace together until then. We have one town stop before then to make sure we're in the same spot. Really, we could wind up at the same place every night without trying, but we have a few plans to be sure we wind up in the same place at the same time.I was going to write about our new gear, but we didn¢t use our tents tonight. I'll feel more inspired writing about gear from my new Big Agnes! I will say that my pack is amazingly light for 5 days out! I even have some luxury items like an iPod with the charger and a new paperback.Ready to curl up with that book,Erin
Date: 2006-05-11
From: Lost Mountain Shelter, VA

To: Wise Mountain Shelter, VA
Miles today: 17.3

To the folks at the observatory...today we had loads of fuzzy fog, and even some very light gicing! Today was a definite low point for both of us on the trail, but like our other bad days, the evening always turns out to be okay. A serious cold front moved through today. Brrrrr! It was a miserable, cold, windy day. My feet were swimming in the water in my boots. No one could use their fingers because it was so cold. Waaaah!I finally made it to the Thomas Knob Shelter around 3:30. Lindsay was already there lying in her sleeping bag eating chocolate, trying to stay warm. The shelter was full of people from the night before who never left for the day- that¢s how bad the weather was! Lindsay was going to stay there to ensure a dry place to sleep, but I wanted to move on because the next shelter was only 5 miles away and 1,000 ft lower. After working in the whites a few seasons, I was pretty sure the weather was better further down, and knew it would be at least a few degrees warmer. The Thomas Knob Shelter is in a gorgeous spot, but it is very exposed and was engulfed in a cloud. Lindsay showed up at the lower shelter just after me. Good decision.So I sort of feel like we brought this weather on! The trail gods are upset with my Damascus entry a couple days ago. I believe I wrote that Damascus is where people send home cold weather gear...but they shouldn¢t! We¢ve been warned a hundred times not to send warm stuff home until after Mt. Rogers. Luckily we're okay, but I can see why they tell people to hang onto warm things a few days after Damascus. We¢re in the shelter though, so we can't get wet tonight. Someone made a fire and people are drying out their socks.I'm exhausted and cold.Good night!Erin
Date: 2006-05-12
From: Wise Mountain Shelter, VA

To: Trimpi Shelter, VA
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I've turned into a bit of a shelter rat! How awful that I've been carrying this new tent for 3 days and haven¢t used it yet. The benefits of a shelter are the company, the privy, staying dry, saving time by not pitching/packing a tent, and sometimes it gives me the extra push to do more miles. I'd have gladly camped after 15 miles today, but nothing looked very inviting. There are downsides too, including mice, snorers, and lack of privacy, which will eventually compel me to pitch my tent.Today wasn¢t very inspiring. Even though I know they aren¢t the most accurate of instruments, two people's mini thermometers read 36 degrees this morning at 9:00! That definitely makes it tough to get up. Corey left his boots outside and they got soaked! I do appreciate that it didn¢t rain today, but it stayed quite cold. I hiked with my leggings, rain pants, two shirts, raincoat, hat, and mittens, even on the climbs. This is May in Virginia!! Bizarre.The milestone for today was completing 500 miles. The miles are coming easier and easier, though my feet still hurt.Finally, I forgot to mention how beautiful the Grayson Highlands are. I was pretty focused on getting down from the exposed Thomas Knob Shelter yesterday, but I got some amazing views. The area almost looks like the tundra with the low shrubs and tough vegetation. And of course, there were the feral ponies. I've never seen anything like it, these random ponies just hanging out in the state park with acres and acres to share only with the hikers. Again, no photos because keeping my body temperature up was my top priority.Good night,Erin
Date: 2006-05-13
From: Trimpi Shelter, VA

To: Partnership Shelter, VA
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

What a glorious day! The sky was bright blue all day, and I actually put on sunscreen. I only had just over 10 miles to hike and I made it to the shelter before 2 pm. But this isn¢t just any shelter... the shelter itself has a shower, and there is a visitor center next door. I immediately bought a candy bar, some iced tea, and postcards. Best of all, we had pizza delivered! All in all, a perfect and rare day to rest my feet and be warm. Tomorrow is another short day, and we're getting a mail drop and staying at a motel. The shelters in Virginia really put Tennessee¢s to shame. Last night we had a fire in the fireplace inside the shelter, and today there's a shower!The real question... why exactly did I NOT take a shower??? I haven¢t had one since Tuesday (its Saturday now), but to be honest I don¢t feel that gross. I know my brothers are snickering, but I'm just going to wait until tomorrow when I have clean clothes to change into. The real test will be when Rick and Leon pick us up off the trail next week after 5 days hiking! I bet a Snickers bar that I get some reaction from Leon, no matter how much he says my hiker filth doesn¢t matter. Windows being rolled down, perhaps gas masks... that sort of thing.Thanks again to everyone who has been following along. It¢s tough to write for such a big audience, but I'm mostly too tired at night to over think it. Any suggestions or questions?Yet another slumber party tonight!Good night,ErinPS: Eeeek, rain again! A few people headed out a half hour ago to night hike with the full(ish) moon.
Date: 2006-05-14
From: Partnership Shelter, VA

To: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

Happy Mother¢s Day! Many thanks to both of our moms for all of their support throughout this crazy adventure... in fact, all the crazy adventures we've both come up with! We probably aren¢t the easiest daughters to deal with, and we really do appreciate everything.Today was so strange as far as weather goes. Blue skies turning into thunder turning into blue skies turning into hail... it was crazy. We made it into the motel with our mail drop (which was exciting as always to open!), did the normal showers, laundry, gorge ourselves on food routine. We are expecting rain for the next week, but maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised? If nothing else, we can look forward to a hotel Friday night and a few days of comfort.One last comment regarding food here. I don¢t think Southerners have the same appreciation for ice cream that we do at home! Lindsay and I spent a few miles discussing what flavors of Ben and Jerry's ice cream we were going to buy. Nope, not sold at the store. All right then, Dairy Queen would have to do. Nope again, it was closed! Just another reason to continue hiking north...Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-05-15
From: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter, VA
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

It took a while to rip us from the television this morning. We watched "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (a good girl movie) until just after checkout time. And you really can¢t leave for the trail without lunch in town. And you really can¢t finish lunch without lemon meringue pie. So Lindsay and I didn¢t leave town until almost 12:30 this afternoon!Once you get on the trail, assuming the weather is halfway decent, you wonder why you spent the extra hours in town. Today turned out to be gorgeous, with blue skies, some fluffy white clouds, and a cool breeze. The scenery in Virginia is really pleasant. I love looking out from the tall grass at the hills dotted with cows and barns. I definitely have a new appreciation for the South, although I did run away from, pack and all, a herd of cows that I thought was going to charge and stomp me. I had the same problem with chickens growing up. At any rate, I really enjoy the landscape down here. Plus, the rhododendrons are blooming, as well as the flame azaleas. I also saw what looked to be tall yellow irises. Do yellow irises exist, or is it something else altogether? I'll figure it out over the weekend.So take note of my mood this evening. I think you'll find that my attitude is completely weather-related. It¢s supposed to be wet and cold tomorrow (but could it be worse than Thomas knob?) so we'll see how I like Virginia then! For now I'm happy to be out of town and back on the trail, sleeping in my new tent, no less! I'll write a review tomorrow...hopefully it doesn¢t include performance in the rain.Good night,Erin
Date: 2006-05-16
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter, VA

To: Jenkin's Shelter, VA
Miles today: 19.0

If I am ever sleeping in the shelter and its not pouring buckets, then scold me for being plain lazy. My new tent is fabulous! Lindsay and I always enjoyed tenting; I guess it¢s just been easier lately to hop in the shelter than set up my tent on my own. I only woke up once last night. The ground is infinitely softer than a shelter floor, where I wake up countless times to shift around after some muscle cramps up. Plus, there aren¢t a dozen other bodies around, and I don¢t have to think about the hundreds of dirty hikers that have slept where I have. My tent is my own space, even if it¢s eventually infested with my own filth.We did get lucky regarding rain today, though it has still been very cold. So much for the weather forecast, and so much for my proclamation that the trail in Virginia is beautiful. Today was pretty uninspiring, a ridge walk with no views that felt like a roller coaster. I did see three lady slippers together, which made me smile. It¢s probably my favorite wildflower from home. The final redeeming factor for the day is that Tully, a beautiful bouvier/rottweiler mix, is at camp tonight!We have about 44 miles to cover in 3 days before the guys pick us up, which means just over 14.5 miles a day. It¢s a bit strange being on such a schedule. We¢re both really looking forward to the visit, and it¢s making the miles feel even longer!I'm pretty sore from today...time for rest,Erin
Date: 2006-05-17
From: Jenkin's Shelter, VA

To: Helvey's Mill Shelter, VA
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

The question that stumped me for a good thirty minutes today was: to blue blaze, or not to blue blaze?For those of you not in the know, the markers to indicate that you¢re on the AT are dollar bill sized white rectangles painted on the trees (or rocks or guardrails, wherever the trail may go). Side trails are marked with blue paint. Sometimes blue blaze trails bring you off the AT to a shelter or water source, sometimes they cut around a mountain, and sometimes they¢re just other trails in the area since the AT is not the only trail in the world.Thru hikers tend to be pretty opinionated about people who choose blue blazes. What makes a ¢pure¢ hike? Do you need to walk past every white blaze, or do you just need to stay on the trail in general and hike the length of the Appalachian Mountains? To what extent can you ¢hike your own hike,¢ but still be considered a thru-hiker?These are all pretty good questions, and ultimately it¢s a personal thing. There was a sign today telling hikers to take a blue-blaze, the Highwater Trail, since the lower trail along the AT was too wet. I stood at the sign (dated in March) for 15 minutes deciding what to do. I walked along the blue blaze for 5 minutes¢¦stopped¢¦backtracked¢¦contemplated for more time at the sign¢¦and eventually made my way down the AT. I couldn¢t stand the idea of blue-blazing when I wasn¢t sure it was absolutely necessary, and didn¢t want to open myself up for future wanderings off the AT. What if I¢m tired one day and want to skirt around a mountain? I don¢t want to use ¢well, I already blue-blazed on the Highwater Trail back in Virginia¢ as an excuse. The lower trail turned out to be quite passable, but I ran into a trail maintainer who was not happy with my decision. Shasta and H-Bomb had a funny take on it. Since a sign indicated that the Highwater Trail was the new AT route, I was in a sense blue-blazing by taking the lower trail! I thought we¢d never get trail magic again, but there was a cooler with fruit juice near a highway today. Hoorah! Finally, I had no good reason to go into town, but Dairy Queen was calling me¢¦ so I went into Bland and had a Snickers Blizzard. Lindsay went in with Jason for pizza, and I met up with Mouse, H-Bomb, Shasta, Jangles, and Baro.Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-05-18
From: Helvey's Mill Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter, VA
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: broken clouds

I'm excited and exhausted. I had a sudden burst of energy today and managed to do 10 miles in under 3 hours before 12:30! It was a perfect day to hike big miles, sunny but cool and with reasonable terrain, so I did. That means I only have 6 miles until the hostel where Rick and Leon are picking us up. Lindsay is back about 5 miles, I think. Her knee has been bothering her, so she wanted to even out the days a bit more.We saw the most beautiful waterfall of the trip today! I was pleased to hike 24 miles and not have to skip over a waterfall 0.3 miles off the trail. I would hate to hike big days and sacrifice beautiful things along the way. Also, we hit the 600-mile point today! It¢s a cold night and it took all I had to rip me away from the fire.Good night,Erin
Date: 2006-05-19
From: Wapiti Shelter, VA

To: Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 6.2

Hoorah! Rick and Leon made it to the Woodshole Hostel around 2:30. Hugs all around, despite not having taken showers for 5 days. It was very exciting to take a looooong shower, put on my own cotton clothes (which did not fit when I left for Georgia- the scale at the shelter says I lost 18 lbs!), and go swimming. Hopefully a few days off will take care of the hiker limp we¢re both walking around with.Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-05-20
From: Blacksburg, VA

To: Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Krystal, Jenny, and Buzz¢¦you all won! I now have a cell phone that I¢ll be keeping on the trail. It seemed to make sense since I¢ll be hiking alone more often now, and my pack weight is pretty low so I don¢t mind carrying the phone and charger. Plus, pay phones in town eat the minutes off my calling card.It¢s been pretty relaxing. I did manage to do some chores like laundry (Leon wouldn¢t get near the smelly pile) and we went to the outfitters with Lindsay and Rick. Perhaps most exciting is that Blacksburg has a Ben and Jerry¢s! Hoorah, it¢s been so tough to find good ice cream down here.Time for a movie,Erin
Date: 2006-05-23
From: Blacksburg, VA

To: Stillhouse Branch, VA
Miles today: 12.1

Last night I was sipping Shiraz at an Italian restaurant; tonight I am fighting my alcohol stove that keeps boiling over my mac and cheese and burning pasta to the bottom of my pot. Argh! It was a really lovely and restful weekend, and try as I might, I couldn¢t hold back tears at the trailhead today when it was time to say goodbye. Missing people from home has always been a tough part of every adventure I've taken, but I'd have huge regrets if it had ever held me back. I cannot confuse missing home with not wanting to hike, because I'm very happy on the trail, plus the further North I get, the more familiar faces I¢ll get to see. Home will have to wait another 4 months for me. If this sounds like I¢m trying to rationalize myself out of homesickness, I am!I¢m sure this comes from Lindsay as well as myself: thanks beyond words to Rick and Leon for taking time off and driving all the way down here to see us. We got lots of shocked responses when we told people they drove down from Boston! Yep, we're lucky girls. Mwah.Good night,Erin
Date: 2006-05-24
From: Stillhouse Branch, VA

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, VA
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

Oooooh is it tough to get back into the swing of things. I really feel like I'm back in my first week of hiking. Blisters? Sure, they tore me up in the beginning, but if you saw my feet now you¢d say there¢s no room between the calluses for new blisters. Well, I have them! I thought I¢d switch to a lighter shoe, but I might need my boots back soon if my feet don¢t toughen up. I also have no appetite (I¢ve been eating just to get pack weight down) and my pace is somewhere between 2 and 2.5 mph. Before the time off it was closer to 3, sometimes more!! Waaaaah, just call me Chardonnay! Lindsay, who has been with me the past two nights, is a walking drugstore! She has ibuprofen and Imodium and antibiotics from when she was sick before and Benadryl and vitamin c and a new knee brace and Icy Hot Cream for her tendonitis and something for her poison ivy as well! Woe is us.Exhausted,ErinPS: This is a follow up to the white/blue blaze topic. I¢ve noticed a lot of the females out here seem to be hiking solely to find a boyfriend. The odds are good, right? A girl I met today was referring to a friend doing this and called it "boy blazing"! Hah.
Date: 2006-05-25
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, VA

To: Laurel Creek Shelter, VA
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was strange and I spent a while thinking about how to recap it... but now I am consumed with the fact that I'm the ONLY one at the shelter tonight. Did I miss the memo? Is there something wrong with this place that I should know about? It is totally inconceivable that a shelter could be empty. Needless to say, I am creeped out. The woods are a noisy place when you¢re all alone!I'll write about my day to take my mind off all the big animals that I¢m sure are lurking in the woods. I can honestly say that I was in a good mood for less than an hour today. Hey, I¢ll take what I can get! My body seems to be rejecting this hiking business, and I spent much of the day trying to let it know who's boss. I am! It¢s been slow going over jagged rocks that Sidetracker likens to hiking over the back of a 3-mile long stegosaurus. I¢m not used to these blisters, either. Also, it suddenly decided to warm up, so I guzzle water, sweat it out, and break in the shade whenever I get the chance.Now, on to the good stuff (in chronological order):-We forded a river this morning! There were signs rerouting at hikers, but Lindsay and I decided to give it a shot. Turns out it was only calf-deep and felt oh so good on our feet. I now ice my feet every chance I get.-We got trail magic this evening! Towards the end of a big climb around 7 pm we met Superdave, who had soda and candy bars. Hooray.-I ran into Baltimore (Bill), whom I adore. He¢s this quiet extremely tall older man with a cheerful echoey voice. Oh, and he acquired a mohawk in Damascus! At any rate, I haven¢t seen him for a while, but have appreciated him labeling wildflowers in the register ahead of me, and let him know. I saw shooting star on the trail yesterday (knee-high white flowers that look like badminton birdies) but couldn¢t identify it until I read his entry. What a treat to see him.-Finally, I caught sunset on Kelly Knob. It was a beautiful spot with a rock outcropping with views of the valley and another ridgeline. Virginia has been pretty uninspiring, and I need moments of beauty and solitude to remind me why I do this.Then again, solitude is highly overrated. I could use a few shelter buddies tonight!Good night, Erin
Date: 2006-05-26
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Craig Creek, VA
Miles today: 13.9

I meant to go further today, but I lost my motivation when I got hailed on. It¢s Friday night so there was a group of 6 guys drinking beer and eating steak, as well as 20 boy scouts all at the shelter, so Lindsay and I moved on just a bit. We did see Corey before we left, and he says that everyone is behind us and should be catching up tomorrow. How exciting to see familiar faces soon.I really don¢t know what all the talk was about Virginia being flat. We¢ve had some pretty good climbs lately! I can see why people quit in Virginia... I think I've doubted my ability to finish the trail more here than anywhere else. I'm looking forward to the Shenandoah¢s and finishing the state...so I can tear up my feet on rocks in Pennsylvania? Delightful!Good night,ErinPS: Happiest birthday to Buzz! I know there's a delay and she wont get the shout-out until a while after her birthday, but she must know that I didn¢t forget and that I love her! Funny, huh? My friends from home have weird names too. I was made for this trail
Date: 2006-05-27
From: Craig Creek

To: Unnamed Stream 1-mile past VA624
Miles today: 16.0

It was a busy-ish day, but I couldn¢t be more relaxed tonight. It¢s not every day I get to go camping, you know. It was an oppressively hot day (at least by this New Hampshire girl's standards), but once I resigned myself to profuse sweating I got into a good rhythm and felt better than I have since we took time off. And it wasn¢t easy...the places we went to today had names like Dragon's Tooth, Devil's Chair, and Knife-Edge Ridge. I did a quick resupply at a convenience store then found everyone camping by a stream. Mouse, Scarecrow, Donkey, and Corey finally caught up with us! It¢s good to see old friends, nice not to start every conversation with "what¢s your name, where are you from, when did you start the trail...¢ and here's a first: it's after midnight! I¢m generally in my tent by the time its dark.Good company, good hot dogs, time for sleep!Cheers,ErinPS: I didn¢t put the fly on my tent tonight since it¢s been so warm. It had better not rain!