morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-21
From: Trail Days in Damascus

To: Trail Days in Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Well after the late night last night, I was moving a little slow this morning, but I have another great day ahead of me. After getting everything packed up, I went over to the campfire to have breakfast and enjoy a little more of the trail day experience before heading out. Last night Flannel stayed up all night with the fire so it is still roaring this morning. I believe this is the first morning fire that we have had while on the trail. Most of the time everyone is in a hurry to leave camp and don't want to deal with extinguishing one before hiking. Once everyone in our group that is going to the Hard Core project was ready we headed toward the post office here in Damascus. We were to meet there at 9:00am and sign in before heading back to Kincora for the project. Puckfinn a thru hiker in 2004 volunteered to give Shasta, H-Bomb, Scarecrow, and I a ride back to help with Hard Core. We went straight to the trail and started carrying lumber for the new shelter being built this weekend. The lumber was unloaded just off of a forest service road and it had to be carried just over 1.5 miles to the shelter site via southbound on the AT. This took a lot of work but since we had such a good turn out it was completed in no time. The rest of the afternoon was spent taking a quick nap trying to recover from the weekend before heading to Roan Mountain for a bar-b-q dinner. Tonight we ended up going back to Kincora for the night while others stayed at the rock house in town. Kincora was really packed with 60 plus people for the night, but with all these people came a lot of entertainment. Several were playing games on the porch while others gathered to listen to a few hikers picking around on mandolins and banjos for late night entertainment.
Date: 2006-05-22
From: Trail Days in Damascus

To: Dennis Cove (Hard Core Project at Kincora)
Miles today: 0.0

Assembled this morning around 8:30am to split up for our Hard Core project. I ended up with work group number three working on the trail building crew. Thankfully Punk-Finn was doing the same so Shasta, H-Bomb, and I caught a ride with him to the trailhead. There were roughly 80 volunteers to work today. Our agenda was to cut three new switchbacks in the existing trail to eliminate the badly worn area just past Unaka Mountain and reroute a section just before Cherry Gap Shelter. With success and a lot of hard work we were able to finish the three switchbacks and do a large portion of the reroute before the day was complete. It is truly amazing what a group of volunteers of all ages can do with a little planning and a lot of determination. Today reminded me of the many hours working with the Boy Scouts of America. I truly miss those days and hope to soon get back deeply involved with scouting. Once done for the day and back at Kincora Baltimore Jack had worked with a group all afternoon preparing dinner for not only our 80 but the additional groups that spent the day working on the shelter and surrounding trails. Altogether we had nearly 130 people for dinner and it was great. Many thanks go out to these guys for giving us a great meal with desert. Afterwards most everyone found themselves either playing Mafia, listening to the guys picking around on their instruments (mandolins, banjos...) or just resting up for the big return to the trail tomorrow. After all the later of the three is why we are all out here and the last couple of days has been such a great break.
Date: 2006-05-23
From: Sugar Run Gap Road (Woods Hole Hostel)

To: Pearisburg, VA (The Holy Family Hostel)
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

I ended up leaving Kincora this morning around 9:00am after some goodbyes to Shasta and H-Bomb due to a family emergency. They are going to be gone for a couple of days and then return to the trail at Woods Hole Hostel. Mountain Squid gave myself, Marco Solo, and Scarecrow a ride back up to Sugar Run Road (Woods Hole Hostel) where we left off on 5/19 and continued on to Pearisburg to drop off Donkey and Hot Springs. When we got to Woods Hole Neville came out from around the back of the old cabin completely covered with mud and said they had a pipe break on the underside of the main cabin. She informed us that the water was turned off but we could make ourselves at home if we wanted. Our plans were to start hiking as soon as we were dropped off, but I just couldn't go hit the trail without lending a hand. Even though things were under control I helped Enduro and Neville for a while until the leak was fixed. Enduro is a plumber by trade, so this made things go pretty smooth for broken PVC under a one hundred year old log cabin. Finally Scarecrow and I hit the trail to Pearisburg at 4:30pm and made it to Hwy 460 around 9:30pm. We went ahead and hiked a little further than planned then started the 3-mile walk up to the Holy Family Hostel. It is a hostel sponsored by the Catholic Church here in town but is pretty far from the trail after a long days hike. It is a nice wooden barn with loft upstairs for sleeping and a porch out front with great views of the valley below. We finally got there around 11:30pm after a few stops in town and a long walk up hill. It was all worth it though because it was a reward to have a shower and thick mattress for the night. Tonight: Lone Wolf, Lincoln, Sourdough, Donkey, Hot Springs, Scarecrow, Marco Solo, and I.
Date: 2006-05-24
From: Pearisburg, VA (The Holy Family Hostel)

To: Campsite at mile 630.2
Miles today: 8.1

Had a great nights sleep in the loft here at The Holy Family Hostel. The best part was waking up to the smell of Lincoln and Sourdough's cooking. Unfortunately they didn't have enough to share. Since I had the option of having another shower I jumped right in before starting off the day. It was so nice to have two showers within 24 hours. I am sure everyone else appreciated it as well. All cleaned up and ready for the trail Scarecrow and I stopped at the library, post office, and Pizza Hut before starting our hike today. The later of the three was a bad idea because we were stuffed and had to start our ascend up to Rice Field Shelter. The views from rice field were so good we decided to stay for sunset before continuing on to the campsite at mile 630.2. So far this is one of the best nights on the trail so several of us decided to sleep without our rainflys on our tents. This makes for great views of the stars from inside your tent as well as letting a nice breeze blow thru for some much needed ventilation on this warm night. Tonight: Donkey, Scarecrow, Sidetracked, Rasta Legs, Sleeper, and I are in for the night.
Date: 2006-05-25
From: Campsite at mile 630.2

To: Campsite at mile 650.1
Miles today: 19.9

After sleeping with no rain fly on my tent last night it was nice to wake up to a sunny and warm morning where I could everything from my sleeping bag without moving. The tent that I have is mostly made of screen so when you sleep without the rain fly you can see the stars at night and the sunrise in the morning without even getting out. Not only was it a nice morning but our hike out of camp was really nice as well. Most of this morning was spent ridge walking on semi flat ground. A big change after the climb out of Pearisburg yesterday afternoon. I hiked with ¢Donkey Love¢ most of the morning and just before Pine Swamp Branch Shelter he almost stepped on a five foot or better rat snake that was stretched out on the side of the trail. Just past this we also saw a small garden snake so it looks like the snakes are now out on the move. Once down at the shelter we took a long break. Everyone is filling the effects of the warmer weather so we took the opportunity to wash off in the stream and to catch a nap. After all it was he hottest part of the day. Lincoln and Sourdough showed up and while we napped they cooked a huge meal. They tend to make some really good meals while out on the trail and they bake fresh bread daily. So while most of us are eating another cold candy bar they are living it up with a four course meal. After our nap and after cooling down a bit we continued on down the trail. Just before VA635 the Stoney Creek bridge was no longer in service so Donkey and I forged it while Scarecrow and Hot Springs walked across a fallen tree. Well not only do we get to add another first to our list while on the trail we also got a chance to wash our stinky feet. The last bit of our hike today was up hill once again but after getting back on the ridge stopped at a great vista on Wind Rock. Here we met a local graduate student (Nicky) studying the Dark Eyed Junko. It is a small sparrow like bird that is native to this area. So she told us all about them while we resting on the rocks. We decided to call it a day just past Wind Rock at a small campsite around mile 650. Tonight: Provo, Donkey, Hot Springs, Zoomer, Scarecrow, and myself
Date: 2006-05-26
From: Campsite at mile 650.1

To: Campsite at mile 668.1
Miles today: 18.0

Well it was a scramble at 2:00am this morning after a couple of us went to sleep last night with out the rainflys on our tents. We did this because it was so nice under the stars until the storm blew in and the rain started. Just after we got our rainflys on the bottom fell out and it rained for the rest of the night before tapering off around 7:30am. Once it stopped I packed up and hit the trail around 8:45am. Just after leaving camp I saw two deer in a nearby meadow grazing. The first shelter we came to this morning was War Spur Shelter. A local high school takes care of this shelter as a project and does a really good job. Thanks! They also leave pieces of cloth with markers inside the shelter for thru hikers to decorate turning it into a thru hiker quilt. After leaving the War Spur it was a climb up to White Rock, but on the way we found a little trail magic at Rocky Gap. This really helped the climb. Once up at White Rock, Donkey and I took a break. This place provided great views of the little farm community below. On the way down from Kelly Knob two section hikers spotted a timber rattler off the side of the trail but avoided it. Virginia is really rocky and since the weather has started to warm up these past few days the snakes are out on the move. After stopping for lunch at Laurel Creek Shelter we had some really nice hiking thru the surrounding pastureland. Once again we found ourselves climbing over stiles but it was a nice break from the so-called 'green tunnel' forest. While going thru the pastureland we passed the Keffer oak tree. It is said to be over 300 years old and is roughly 18 feet in circumference. Just past the Keffer Oak it started raining and rained all the way to Sarver Hollow Shelter where Donkey and I stopped for a break. It is a really nice shelter, but is entirely too far off of the trail. On the ridge just above Sarver Hollow Shelter are the many piles of rocks that Mountain Squid was telling us about on the way back from Trail Days. Apparently the old farmer that farmed the land would sendhis boys up on top of the mountain to stack rocks when they were bad. They must have been pretty bad kids because there were piles of rock as far as the eye could see. Also around the shelter in the hollow were tons of old ruins from the farmers cabin. This place ended up being a little creepy so Donkey and I hit the trail. We hiked another mile or two before bedding down for the night on the ridge.Tonight: Donkey, Puffy Nipples, Cheeto, Scarecrow, and I.
Date: 2006-05-27
From: Campsite at mile 668.1

To: Campsite at mile 689.5
Miles today: 21.4

Woke up last night to another night of rain but thankfully had the rain fly on and it was done raining by sunrise. After getting camp packed up Donkey, Scarecrow, and I had breakfast on the rocky ridge just up from our camp. About 2 miles into our hike we passed the Eastern Continental Divide before starting our descend down to Niday Shelter for our first break of the day. After crossing VA-621 I saw a deer grazing in the power line before starting the 1500 ft climb to the Audie Murphy Memorial. This memorial honored one of the most well decorated men in WWII that crashed his plane in this area back in the early 70's. While up on the ridge I talked to the members of Troop 10 as they passed by on a three-day backpacking trip up the AT. It¢s great to see scouts on the trail making a positive impact on others out on the trail. Back down at Trout Creek we met up with Chardonnay and Cabernet after not seeing them since we all left Woods Hole Hostel before Trail Days. While here we took a long break and the guys from Troop 10, Cheeto, Puffy Nipples, Just Judy, Donkey, Hot Springs, Scarecrow, and four section hikers all gathered together for a the break. Some even went for a swim in the creek. After the break we all decided to push on for the night to the campsite just after VA624 and on the way stop at Dragons Tooth to see the views. The hike up from Trout Creek to the tooth was really steep and rocky but was rewarded by a little trail magic (Mt. Dew) once on top. Even though they were hot it was the best Dew I have ever had. Just past the summit we took a quick break and climbed up on what is know as the tooth. It is a rock formation that juts out above the trees which gives great views of the next day¢s trek including McAfee Knob. This is one of the best places on the trail, so far, so we enjoyed our stay for a while before heading off to the campsite for the night. Once in camp we met up with two section hikers (Leann and Lance) that shared their smores and hotdogs while sitting around the campfire. Also while sitting around the fire someone spotted a really big, nasty spider that ended up being our entertainment for the night. Now I have been around a lot of spiders after nine summers of camp and when I say big I mean Big. Tonight: Leann, Lance, Donkey, Scarecrow, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Zoomer, Hot Springs,and I.
Date: 2006-05-28
From: Campsite at mile 689.5

To: McAfee Knob
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: clear sky

Well as you know there is never a dull moment on the trail and this morning is no exception. This morning I woke up a little earlier than normal and was just laying around in my sleeping bag listening to the sounds of nature when off in the valley below a bunch of cows started mooing. It was a nice change until Leann's dogs picked up on it and tore off into the woods barking. Now at this time the cows are louder than ever before, and the frantic sound of Leann running after her dogs wakes everyone up. So having a little fun Donkey and I added our two cents worth in making odd farm animal sounds while everyone else just laughs from within their tents. So now that we had a good start to the day it was off to Catawba. The trail out of camp went through so really nice fields to begin with, but soon took a sharp turn upward. For a bit just before entering the tree line you could see the Dragon's Tooth from yesterday's hike. On my way through this little section all everyone could think about was the food at The Home Place coming up in Catawba. It is an all you can eat restaurant that serves noting but home cooking. When we got to VA311 Donkey's friend Melanie was waiting on us. Also at VA311 two thru hikers (Don't Mind and Don't Matter) from '04' had left three coolers of trail magic for us to enjoy. We decided it would be best to fill Mel's car with our packs and we would hike into town since it was all down hill and there was a ton of food waiting for us. When we got to The Home Place everyone was in their Sunday best and here we are wearing the same cloths that we wore yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and so on... We finally got seated and the hiker appetites just about got the best of us all. When we finished we looked like a bunch of old hound dogs lying around the front yard of this place with our gear scattered around. After the pains were gone we hitched a ride back up to the trailhead. Since it was now all up hill we were very thankful for the hitch. A few of us even decided to shoot for McAfee Knob to watch the sunset so we took off in hopes to catch a glimpse of it. McAfee Knob is one of the most photographed places on the AT with unexplainable views. Its positioning gives a great view of the ridge over to Tinker Cliffs and beyond all the way into Daleville, VA. This is what will become tomorrow's hike. After the group photo with our feet hanging over the edge of McAfee we all set on the cliff/overhang and enjoyed one of the best sunsets we had seen while on the trail. Views like this is one of the answers to the question "why would you want to hike all the way from Georgia to Maine?" Tonight at McAfee Knob: Cabernet, Scarecrow, Puffy Nipples, Cheeto and I.
Date: 2006-05-29
From: McAfee Knob

To: Daleville, VA 
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: few clouds

After the unbelievable sunset last night on McAfee Knob, we sat on top once again this morning to watch the sunrise. It came with all the early morning sounds of nature including a pack of coyotes howling off in the forest below. So now that another day has started it was off to Daleville, VA. On the way over to Tinker Cliffs we saw a deer grazing around Brickey's Gap and it showed no fear while we hiked by. Generally they bolt and run off into the woods in fear when hikers pass by. At Tinker Cliffs took a quick break and reflected on the morning's hike because I could now see McAfee Knob some five miles away. Also off in the distance just past McAfee Knob was a view of the Dragon's Tooth from Saturday's hike. The rest of today's hike into town was just plain hot and didn't have many highlights. By the time I had gotten to town though I had seen two more deer, a rabbit, and another big black snake. The animals must like this hot weather but it was starting to drag me down. While in town I ran into Rip, Pill-box, and Tree Hugger re-supplying at the local grocery story and about to be on their way out to the trail for the night. I kind of wanted to head out with them but ended up getting a room at the Comfort Inn for the night. This was probably a good idea because I was able to wash some of the stinky, filth off of everything including myself. I ended up washing all my cloths in the sink and hope that they will all dry by check out time tomorrow. If not O-Well, because I will proceed on anyway. Tonight at the Comfort Inn: Cheeto, Puffy Nipples, and Me
Date: 2006-05-30
From: Daleville, VA 

To: Campsite at mile 723.5
Miles today: 9.2

After a good nights rest at the Comfort Inn I headed down to the continental breakfast to fill up before heading out. Since checkout was at 11:00am I had to rush a little packing everything because I washed every piece of gear last night and it was spread all over the room drying. After checking out with Puffy Nipples, Cheeto, I stayed around the motel updating my journals online for several hours while they hitched a ride to wash some cloths. After leaving the Comfort Inn I stopped at Kroger to resupply before leaving town. There I met up with Cabernet, Scarecrow, Hot Springs, Lincoln, and Sourdough. Most of them stayed just outside of town last night and was pushing on to the next shelter after town for tonight. When I finished shopping it was 4:15pm and I had to make it to the post office before 5:00pm that was just over 2 miles away so I basically ran the whole way while making a few phone calls. Thankfully I made it just before closing and was able to get the rest of my supplies to make it over to Waynesboro, VA. Once getting back on the trail I had to push on past the first shelter, Fullhardt Knob Shelter, to Curry Creek due to no water source. While hiking to the creek I ran across a turkey and her babies. It was really impressive how protective she was and how she took them under her wing when danger was present. Cabernet, Donkey, Zoomer, and I ended up camping on the hill side just past the creek since it was already dark and the next shelter was still several miles away.
Date: 2006-05-31
From: Campsite at mile 723.5

To: Jennings Creek
Miles today: 18.8

Woke up this morning to a nice sunrise, but shortly after it started raining and I jumped out of my tent to put my rain fly on for a little protection. Just before our first shelter of the day we passed through an old coal pit that operated in the 1700's. It was now nothing more than a small clearing in the woods beside Wilson Creek. Just after the shelter we cross the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time. For the next couple of weeks we will continue to cris cross the parkway in hopes of some good trail magic. Since it has gotten hot the past couple of days every one has started to see snakes everywhere. When we stopped for lunch at Bobblets Shelter I had already seen three that morning and Donkey had seen two inside the shelter when he got there. I believe they were probably after the mice. Not sure if I had rather sleep with the mice or the snakes. After a long break at the shelter we pushed on to Jennings Creek for the night. The guide book showed a swimming hole and after the hot day we were all looking forward to it. We ended up staying just beside the creek for the night. It felt great to clean up a little and wash the grunge off from the sweaty day. Just before dark we were threatened with a huge storm but it passed by without a drop. So tonight by the creek is; Zoomer, Hot Springs, Donkey, Scarecrow, Cabernet, and myself by a huge fire thanks to Zoomer.
Date: 2006-06-01
From: Jennings Creek

To: Matts Creek Shelter
Miles today: 26.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Directly out of camp his morning got a little trail magic from Willow's father. It was nothing more than two apples but fresh fruit is golden when out of the trail. My first stop this morning was at Bryant Ridge Shelter. It is one of the nicest shelters on the trail yet and is all timber framed. I ended up spending about an hour there looking at the workmanship and taking pictures. The next section of trail was a bit of a challenge because of the climb up Floyd Mountain. It was only a 2300' ascend but the heat added a little to the difficulty. On the way up Floyd I had my first blow out in the Wafflestomper boots. I was hoping to go the distance from GA to ME in one pair of boots but this could be the downfall of this pair. Donkey, Hot Springs and I took a long break at Thunder Hill and decided to push on to Matt's Creek Shelter for the night. Even though it was 4:30pm and the shelter was another 12.4 miles we decided to push on for the night. Most of the trail was nice walking but rocky and overgrown in a few areas. I ended up reaching the shelter around 9:00pm with very little daylight left to see. Once there I was glad we pushed on because we met up with Rip, Tree Hugger, Pill Box, Chardoney, Donkey, Hot Springs, Double Zip, and Home Cookin. We had not seen some of these guys in a while so we sat up chatting for awhile before retiring for the evening. Today I had seen one deer and two box turtles on the trail but most importantly set a new daily record of 26.5 miles.