morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-13
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 6.1

Moreland Gap Shelter (403.2) to Dennis cove (Kincora Hikers Hostel)(409.3 & .2) 6.1 milesI started at 7AM and arrived at Kincora at 10AM. I discovered that I had not erased the camera chip when I got it on CD & had to erase 177 pictures one at a time. It is a good group of hikers here: Ranger, Miles McDuff, Buckwheat, Red Rover (she got to Moreland shelter last night so late that I was asleep) and more. There is a shuttle to town for dinner and shopping today at 4:30. I Slipped on a wet root and fell again today. Those roots can be slippery.At Ash Gap (4-10-05), when I had packed up and lifted my pack to put it on, a screw that held the right shoulder harness to the frame popped out. Alabama Bob & I found it and I put it on as best I could with my knife. At Mountain Harbour, I borrowed a Phillips head screwdriver and tightened it and both of the other screws in the setup.Typical AM in shelter:1.        Wake up & go pee or whatever.2.        Switch from Crocs to boots.3.        Stuff sleeping bag.4.        Roll & bag Thermarest5.        Fold tarp6.        Get food bags & pack from where hung.7.        Set ¢day food¢ aside.8.        Pack up. Sleeping bag on bottom, Clothes and cooking gear on next layer, then food & personal bag on top.9.        Tent stakes, fuel bottle & trowel go in pack pouches.10.        Snacks go in shoulder pouch.11.        Tent & Thermarest & Crocs attach to back of pack.12.        I always cover the pack with the rain cover.13.        Water bottles go in holders (I carry about 1.5 qt)14.        Pack on, the off & awayUsually, this takes about 30 minutes.My Aqua Mira filter water bottle is starting to clog. I have tried to back flush it. It helped a little but is not really field serviceable. I plan to get a new one in Damascus or switch to Aqua Mira drops or chlorines\e which would be lighter.Several of us hikers took the shuttle into town & did grocery shopping and had dinner at the Mexican restaurant. I had taco salad, chips & salsa, & a frozen strawberry margarita. The meal was quite good. Red Rover & I shared a laundry & dryer load. While we were in town, I picked up a pair of red panties in a dollar store. I ¢found¢ them in my folded clothes & returned them to Red Rover in front of everyone & that they had to be hers because my panties were the blue ones. She put them on over her tights & I got a picture.The elevation chart on the local maps looks almost straight up tomorrow. I am going to take advantage of an opportunity to ¢slack pack¢ north to south for about 10 miles tomorrow to make that section easier. I thought I would have to stay another night if I do that but now it looks like I can get a ride back to RT 321 (418.2) after the slack packing.
Date: 2005-04-14
From: Dennis Cove

To: Campsite past Vanderventer Shelter
Miles today: 21.6

Dennis Cove (Kincora)(409.3 & .2) to Campsite(430.9) 21.6 milesToday was a long day. I left Kincora at 7AM and slack packed from Watauga Lake back to Kincora (about 9 miles). Shortly after, I got a ride back to Watauga Lake (RT 321) and hiked on to a campsite (430.9) arriving at 7:15 PM. I set up the Hubba tent and ate 3 pimento & cheese sandwiches that I made this morning. Five of us played Hearts. I lost.   Buckwheat & Sci-Fi are two of the hikers here. Dads Grin came into Kincora just before I got back from slack packing. I really did not get to visit as I wanted as my ride was leaving in just minutes. I did suggest skipping the north to south slack pack. It was not worth it. The trail was not as bad as the elevation maps indicated. Evidently Grin was having a bad day when we left Erwin. He had left his rain top with money & ID in the hotel. He managed to contact the hotel and arrainged to get it back. Grin is now a day behind me. He had also run into a pair of hikers in trouble. The girl had damaged her ankle & had to be helped off trail. Luckily another hiker who was a nurse came along and helped also.I want to get into Damascus Saturday April 16th. I am planning another long day tomorrow, but not as long as today. I am feeling really strong. I hiked with Alabama Bob for several hours today and we planned to stop at Vanderventer Shelter (426.8). We had been warned that the water source there was a long difficult hike away so I cleaned out a spring on the trail (425.1) and we filled our water there. By the way, I am not filtering spring water if the spring looks good. It did look good after I cleaned it up. There is a story that a female hiker was killed by another hiker at that shelter several years ago. True? It was very cold and very windy (blowing straight into the shelter) when we got to the shelter. I decided to move on and did another 4.1 miles in 2 hours to the campsite where I am now. Weather conditions are better here.
Date: 2005-04-15
From: Campsite past Vanderventer Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 28.6
Weather: clear sky

Campsite (430.9) to Damascus (459.5) 28.6 milesIt was a very long day today. Hiked from 7:15 AM to 8 PM. Counting the off trail miles to the B & B, I did about 29.5 miles today. I got to Abington Gap Shelter (449.5) at 4 PM & left at 4:20 after a quick snack & water refill. Ultimately I decided to try for Damascus and did 10 more miles in 3 hours & 40 minutes. It was a very long tough day. I hit the town limits at 8 PM but had been lightheaded the last 2 hours. I had pushed as hard as I was able. I stopped at a soda machine & gulped a lemonade & felt better. My feet still hurt though. Met Whitee & Forever North as I hiked into town. I went to Apple Tree B & B & got room. Very nice room & very nice owners. My room was on the third floor & I struggled to get up those stairs. Went to Sicilys for lasagna. It was pretty good.
Date: 2005-04-16
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Damascus (459.5) 0 milesI slept late & had a very good breakfast. Today, I went to the dollar store, pharmacy, outfitters and Laundromat. Visited other places in town for hikers to stay. Saw Forever North, Buckwheat, Red Rover, Ice Man, and others. Went to Mexican place for lunch & had taco salad. It was OK. Sicilys for dinner & had steak. Blah. Salty. Visited The Place & saw female hiker who used to be in Peace Corps that I had net at Neels Gap. She had had blisters & knee problems even then, but was still on AT. I probably will be carrying too much food again, but I need to eat more. I bought my first Little Debbies snack to bring¢¦cinnamon rolls. I still don¢t have a ¢hiker appetite¢. I cut open the blisters on both heels.
Date: 2005-04-17
From: Damascus

To: Whitetop
Miles today: 21.1

Damascus (459.5) to Whitetop by spring (480.6) 21.1 milesThis distance was unplanned. The Wingfoot guide was full of ****. I had planned on staying at a campsite (477.8). It does not exist as listed & by the time I figured that out, I did not want to go back. The campsite is actually right at the VA 601 ( 477.6). It did not seem like a safe spot. By the time we figured out what really was, we were committed to a longer day. There was no place to stop on a long steep rocky climb. We all did an extra 2.8 miles and about 1900¢ climb & stopped on Whitetop just before dark. Seneca & I Can were already camped by the spring on top (elevation 5250¢). It was a clear, cold, & wind night. The spring was impressive. It came out of a 2¢ pipe that shot water like a fire hose. No kidding. I keep having heel blisters now. The one on my left foot is better but a new deep one on the right foot is here. By the way, I thing I might have wind burned my tongue on that 29.5 mile hike into Damascus. It is dry and sore. I think it was hanging out too long as I mouth breathed. The last shelter had a privy which I greatly needed & appreciated.
Date: 2005-04-18
From: Whitetop

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: light rain

Whitetop (480.6 to Hurricane Mtn. Shelter (502.4) 21.8 milesI actually got LOST TODAY!! I got past MT. Rogers and Grayson Highlands & realized that I had not seen white blazes in a while. I think I missed a turn. I ended up on a blue blazed trail then a horse trail. I did not back track as I should have & thought I needed to turn right to go back to trail. That did not work so I took a horse trail down hill & got to VA 603 about 12 mile from AT. I had figured that horse trails would lead to a road and were much smoother and better than the AT. I guess that hikers can break legs on tough trails but horses are not allowed to. I hiked back south on the AT to Old Orchard Shelter (498.5) and slack packed back south to ¢The Scales¢ (495.4) then back to Old Orchard Shelter. I think I missed about 4 miles of AT, but I certainly did more miles than that by the time I was done. Corey was at Old Orchard & we decided to go on to Hurricane Mtn. Shelter (3.9 more miles). Seneca & I Can, Corey, Cotton Joe are here. Also 2 people from Middletown, CT who are doing a short section N to S. Corey had a hidden food drop at the road crossing & gave me some hot chocolate, blonde brownies and some trail mix. They were very good. I tried a Mountain House chicken & rice dinner tonight. It was very good also. Mountain House has improved a lot from when I tried them a few years ago.I cut open another blister tonight¢¦used my handy dandy cooking knife. It is OK though. I used sterile technique. I wiped it on my $7 nylon pants before & after. Then I wrapped the heel in my bandana¢¦mostly to keep my sleeping bag clean when I slept. I also scraped some caked dirt off my feet while I was at it. I definately need a short day tomorrow, maybe even 2-3 short days to give my feet a break. Lately I say I need short days & then do long days but I am paying a price.
Date: 2005-04-19
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: light rain

Hurricane Mtn Shelter (502.4) to Trimpi Shelter (512.6) 10.2 milesI got an early start & got to Trempi Shelter at 12:40. I cleaned up a very good spring & am soaking my feet a little down stream. Hope it helps. Senaca & I Can stopped at the shelter for lunch then moved on. Partnership shelter is only another 10.6 miles. It is supposed to be a very nice shelter and has pizza delivery available!! It is very tempting, but I need to slow down & find my own hike. It is GA to ME, not GA to VA.I just looked at the right heel blister. It is BIG & DEEP. One sock has a hole & I have decided to try liner socks at the first opportunity. Loki stopped by & went on. It is so tempting to move on & do to Partnership Shelter. I opened my pack & spread everything out & set up my sleeping arrangement just to make sure I do a short day. Rinsed my socks & hung them out to dry. Maruchan soup & blonde brownies for lunch. It is now 3:46 & it is so hard not to hike on. I¢ve soaked my feet more, gathered firewood for a fire, & visited privy. The privy here is nearly FULL and Nasty. The weather is good so I layed in the sun a while. It is so hard not to move on.We have all noticed that we f*** a lot. I thought at first that it was gas expansion as we climb hills. But we all f*** on down hill and level too. I believe that it is the high carbohydrate diet we are all on. And there in lies the gas.Up & out early tomorrow. Pizza for lunch awaits!! I actually managed to do a short day today!!
Date: 2005-04-20
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Relax Inn
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Trempi Shelter (512.6) to US11/VA683 Relax Inn (534.8) 22.2 miles (7AM to 6:05PM)1 hour break at Partnership ShelterI don¢t know if I had mentioned it, but I have changed my clothes procedure. I have been changing to clean clothes about every 3 days & go into town with everything dirty. Now, I am going to wear the same clothes between towns, changing only socks. That way, I have clean socks, shorts & t-shirt for town after a shower. I wear those clothes out of town & have clean for next stop.It was hot in the 20 degree sleeping bag last night (4-19) even with the zipper mostly open. I think I will try the bag upside down since most of the insulation is on the top. It might work out to be cooler. I am not using the mummy hood at all.NO PIZZA AT PARTNERSHIP. Ice Man called in an order that did not come. We called back to check & were told that there were no deliveries before 4PM. I moved on. Ice Man & 3 other hikes called another order to somewhere else who would deliver a $35 order. Ice Man caught up to my as I was walking to a restaurant up the road from Relax Inn. We shared my room. Restaurant was OK.
Date: 2005-04-21
From: Relax Inn

To: Knot Maul Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: broken clouds

Relax Inn (534.8) to Knot Maul Shelter (548.7) 14.1 milesStarted out with Senaca & I Can but could not keep up their pace. Started at 7AM & arrived about 3:20, just ahead of thunderstorm, rain, & lightning, which lasted a couple of hours. It was a hard day & my feet are hurting. My enthusiasm is lagging. I need to do some town & short days soon.   April 22, 2005Knot Maul Shelter (548.7) to Jenkins Shelter (567.7) 19 milesWell, today was 19 miles in 10 & 12 tough hours of ridge walking, including 4 hours of wind, rain, thunder and lightning. It was not a nice day. Ice Man is here. He got his trail name by starting a thru hike from Springer in January. After 70 miles, he was driven out by horrible winter weather. He hiked out covered in ice therefore ¢Ice Man¢.
Date: 2005-04-22
From: Knot Maul Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

April 22, 2005Knot Maul Shelter (548.7) to Jenkins Shelter (567.7) 19 milesWell, today was 19 miles in 10 & 12 tough hours of ridge walking, including 4 hours of wind, rain, thunder and lightning. It was not a nice day. Ice Man is here. He got his trail name by starting a thru hike from Springer in January. After 70 miles, he was driven out by horrible winter weather. He hiked out covered in ice therefore ¢Ice Man¢.
Date: 2005-04-23
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Jenkins Shelter (567.7) to Jenny Knob Shelter (591.3) 23.6 milesLeft Jenkins Shelter at 7AM. Had planned on tenting after Helveys Mill Shelter (581.5) but got to VA 611 (588.2) at 4:15 and decided to push on to Jennys Knob Shelter (591.3). I arrived at 6 PM (23.6 miles in 11 hours). I actually plan on a short day tomorrow stopping at Wapiti Shelter (605.5) with a side trip to Trents Grocery on VA 606. I have almost no food left and really need the stop. I have 2 pk instant grits, 1 pk Ramen and some dried fruit left. That¢s it! I scrounged a granola bar from Ice Man this afternoon. I was beat and running out of gas. It is so cold again after 80 degrees two days ago. It was very windy and there were snow flurries too. The wind chill was cranking!   It is supposed to be cold again tomorrow. I am having second thoughts about sending my winter gear home this soon. Yesterdays dinner was the last cocoa, the last powdered milk, the last of the gravy powder and the last instant mashed potato mixed with an instant grits mixed in. It was a gourmet dinner. It is COLD, I have to get further into my sleeping bag. I am wearing most of my clothes too. Ice Man is here. He is a nice young man. I enjoy hiking with (sort of) him. He is a much faster and stronger hiker than I, but we do cross paths during the day and have been staying in the same shelters. We are doing the same distances. It just takes me three hour or so longer.
Date: 2005-04-24
From: Jenny Know Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Jenny Knob Shelter (591.3) to Wapiti Shelter (605.5) 14.2 miles plus .8 miles to and from Trents Grocery (15 miles total)I slept late & left Jenny Knob Shelter at 8:15 arriving at Trents Grocery VA 606 (597.8) at 11:30 with Ice Man. It was 6.9 miles including the road walk. I had 14 pizza and a ice cream sandwich while they cooked my fries and swiss & bacon hamburger, then had another ice cream sandwich & 2 pepsi¢s.   To go, I got a roast beef sub, 1qt OJ, crackers, candy, nuts and cinnamon rolls¢¦.about $20 total to go. It should hold me to Pearisburg. I felt really good in the afternoon even though in was cold & windy and snow flurried. We saw Cotton Joe at Trents. He had leg pain & was taking a zero day or two. It might be shin splints. It was good to see him. I don¢t know if I have mentioned him before but he is a strong hiker and a good, interesting guy. He got his trail name because he started with cotton clothing & quickly discovered that it was not good. He sent it home & got non-cotton clothes. Left Trents at 1 PM & arrived at Wapiti Shelter at 5 PM. Ice Man is in the shelter too. We both plan on reaching Pearisburg tomorrow with at early start. He is expecting to arrive about 2 PM. I am expecting about 5 PM. Ice man is going home for a couple of days. I am going to do a very needed zero day in Pearisburg. It is very cold again tonight but the cold weather is supposed to start breaking tomorrow. I am going to keep my cold weather gear at least to Daleville/Troutville. I have heard that some hikers have already switched to warm weather gear and are regretting it.
Date: 2005-04-26
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Pearisburg, VA (621.4) zero dayZero day in Pearisburg today. Went to desk & reported bum shower yesterday. The maintainance main replaced the head shortly after. Old head was bad & the shower did not drain well either. I have bought 2 bottles of liquid Draino & dumped them down drain yesterday and today.I¢m got a 9:30 shuttle to Blacksburg. I needed stiffer soled boots. The soles of my feet feel bruised & hurt all the time. The Technicas really do not protect them enough. I feel every pebble. I swear I can feel stepping on a cigarette butt. I got Garmonts which seem to be better. I called Blackbird. I walked about 2 miles to Wal-Mart, had lunch at Subway on the way back & got a haircut too & bought more snack food for trail. I could not replace liner gloves so I sewed them up and the $7 nylon pants from Ames (seams). I had fried chicken dinner at Hardees about 5:30. They had peach ice cream too, but I was full. Got bread and pimento & cheese spread to make sandwiches for tomorrows lunch & dinner on trail. Maybe breakfast too. I also replace the Aquamira filter bottle at Blacksburg too. I got a MSR Sweetwater pump filter (11oz) and a new nylon rain top. The Gortex top just does not work anymore. It does not repel water anymore despite Rain-X treatment.
Date: 2005-04-27
From: Pearisburg

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

Pearisburg (621.7) to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter (641.3) 19.6 milesToday took about 10 & 12 hours but had to walk about 1.5 miles to trail too, so-o my day was actually about 21.1 miles long.   It was a long road walk out of town. The new boots are definitely a better on the rocks. My feet are still sore but not ¢new sore¢. It turns out that Whittee was at the Plaza Motel next to hotel in Pearisburg but I never saw him. He caught up to me about an hour before reaching the shelter. We hiked together & talked the whole time. Two young guys (20¢s) who started in Damascus 2 weeks ago were in the shelter. River Otter & ?.One has had diarrhea for 2 months & has been treated with Flagyl for giardia but that did not stop it. I strongly recommended another MD visit sooner than later. I hope that I gave him enough information to push him to the doctors very soon.
Date: 2005-04-28
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: broken clouds

Pine Swamp Branch Shelter (641.3) to Laurel Creek Shelter 659.8) 18.5 milesHiked with Whittee most of the day. I did 18.5 miles in 9 hours & 20 minutes. The log bridge over Dismal Creek was washed out so we road walked for a couple of miles to avoid fording. We had though about fording but decided to be smart as the road walk was recommended by signs on the trail. I am planning a short (12.4 miles) day tomorrow and stopping at Niday Shelter. I want to time hiking so I can do a dinner at the Homeplace Restaurant in Catawba and be in a town to call you (Alma) on your birthday(May 1).The next shelter is Pickle Branch which is another 13.6 miles. I could go short of Pickle Branch and tent but the forecast is for showers or thunderstorms daily. So far, there have been just a couple of light showers. I don¢t want to carry a wet tent unless I have to. I have heard that Dragons Tooth (686.3) is an OK up but a tough down and south to north is down. I have been told of rebar in rock to make some parts passable. That comes up in about 2 days. I have been with Whittee for a couple of days and maybe a couple more but he does not want to stop for dinner at the Homeplace.I am expected to be at Daleville/Troutville in about 2 days and plan on going to the outfitters & switching to a lighter, warm weather sleeping bag and to send more gear home. When I start the AT, I started with everything I was told I would need and everything REI and EMS was willing to sell me. Three days later at Neels Gap, I sent home the obvious bad choices. About 2 weeks later, I weeded through everything and sent home anything that I had not used in 2 weeks. A month later I sent home anything that I did not use regularly. I used the new MSR pump filter tonight in a stream. It worked fine. Dinner was 4 oz foil pak of chicken, 2 paks of Ramen, my last Pimento & cheese sandwich , and some dried snack mix. I am full but not stuffed. Whittee was already asleep at 7 PM. We both complained about each others snoring last night. I¢m sure we are both right. We are not seeing many thru-hikers lately. I guess we are thinning out and spreading out. I think that will change thing a lot.
Date: 2005-04-29
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Past Audie Murphy Memorial
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: light rain

Laurel Creek Shelter (659.8) to past Audie Murphy Memorial (679) 19.2 milesI got a haircut in Parisburg a couple of days ago. We left nothing over 14 inch long. It is a whole different look for me. It was really a hygiene and cleanliness issue. Long hair just did not cut it for me on the trail. It is a very different look for me too. I have not had short hair since I was 18.I rain into trail magic yesterday by VA 630. A trail angel had left a cooler of snacks & soda. All that was left was an orange soda. It was wonderful! What an interesting day dear. Light rain this morning. Left shelter at 8AM (late for me) and reached Niday Shelter (672.2) at 2PM. 12.4 miles in 6 hours. A couple of hours was a tough rocky ridge. I slipped and fell twice and scraped my left knee. I had planned on stopping at the 4-Pines hostel in Catawba tomorrow but found out that it is closed. I have been hiking with Whittee for a few days but he hikes fast and stops earlier (about 4PM) and I do not do enough miles to suit him. I hike slower, don¢t stop for many breaks, and hike longer days to make the miles. Our hiking styles definitely clash. We had lunch at Niday then I packed up and did about another 6.8 miles by 7:20. I am now camped just off trail in the rain. Today was about 19.2 miles in 9.6 hours and I will need to pack a wet tent tomorrow.I am going to try for a bed & breakfast in Catawba tomorrow and get my ayce dinner at the Homeplace Restaurant. I need to be in town on May 1 to call you (my wife Alma) on your birthday. That comes first.I have been hiking other peoples hikes. The closest I came to my own was a few days a couple of weeks ago. Being short and older, I need to do slower miles and longer days and nero and zero days when possible. I like to stay in shelters with people I know but maybe that is not possible. I need to hike my own hike whatever that is. I am a bit worried about Dragons Tooth tomorrow. I¢ve heard that the down side from this direction is very difficult and has rebar in parts to make it passable at all. We shall see. It is in about 7 miles and Wingfoot does not list anyway around it. About a mile after, there is a ¢knife edge¢ ridge. Well, we all know how much I will enjoy that too. Today was no picnic either. Well, it¢s dark and it is raining. Time for sleep. Wait til you see what I send home next! Even closer to hard core light weight. I want to drop at least 2 more pounds from my base pack weight.