morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-13
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, Va. 683
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Diana called around 2 pm. and said she had made it to Va. 683. I had made arrangements to stay at the Comfort Inn just a few minutes from where she was and gave her the phone number of the Inn and told her to ask for Josh and he would make arrangements to pick her up. I would not be there until around 7 pm. due to the Wicked Witch Work. She called and Josh was there within 5 minutes and took her to the motel. Thanks a lot Josh, appreciate your trail magic.The weekend was terrific as Emily and Andy, and Michael and Susan all came down to visit with Mom and to go to Trail Days. Snowman also came down from around the Burke Garden area to visit with us and go to Trail Days. Just a super weekend. No hiking but a real nice visit.Mom, (Dorothy), is just a real trooper and again let me say how proud I am of her. Sunday we left around 10 A.M. to drop Dorothy off and boy was it hard to see her disappear into the distance. Yea, a few tears were shed by all, but the proudness sure swelled as we saw her determination. I then came back to the motel and picked up Snowman and took him back to where he got off. Wow, what a trip. Gravel road, switchbacks, etc., but beautiful. Again, hard to see him disappear also. Snowman has become so much a part of my family!!While up there dropping Snowman off, I left a message for Dorothy on a tree and left a can of pineapple beside the tree under bark for her to find. Kind of a surprise and a perker-upper!!Then it was back home, until next weekend when, hopefully I can get back on the trail again for a few days!Till next time,Toto
Date: 2005-05-14
From: Atkins, Va. 683

To: Knot Maul Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

Started @ Va. 683Destination Knot Maul ShelterMiles today: 13.9Total miles: 550.9Stayed in tentDay 65Toto dropped me off on Va. 683 to start the trail at about 10a.m. There were quite a few ups today. I met Mother Nature and her husband, Smokestack, when I came upon the first shelter today. They had left Adkins this morning, also. They hiked on ahead but later I caught up to them when they were taking a break. They are an older couple and are out here finishing up a section. Next year they hope to start at Harper's Ferry and go north. We stayed at the same shelter. They were going to sleep in the shelter but then decided not to because she saw fresh mouse droppings in the shelter. I was not about to stay in there by myself so I set up my tent also. Also at the shelter are Sunshine and Lost and Found--another older couple; Hopeful and Red Wing; and Epic and Free Radical. Today I saw rhododendrons blooming on the trail for the first time. They certainly do add color to the woods. There was a tree that had orange flowers on it. The flower looked like a trumpet creeper but I don't know if it was or not. The bugs are beginning to get bad. Over the past week I have had something bite me several times and I've had to get out the insect repellent and the hydrocortisone cream. Well, it has been a long day and tomorrow will be another one so I had better try to get some sleep. Good-night.
Date: 2005-05-16
From: Davis Farm Campsite

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Started @ Davis Farm CampsiteDestination: Helveys Mill ShelterMiles today: 16.8Total Miles: 583.7TentedDay 67I was awake by 5:30 this morning but could not stay in the sleeping bag and tent any later than 6:30. It was a little foggy over the "bowl" this morning but the view was still nice. After I heated water for coffee and cereal I packed up and was up on the trail by 7:45. The campsite was down 1/2 mile off the ridge but it did not seem as long going up as it did going down last evening. I was sweating underneath my light fleece by the time I got to the top and had to stop to take it off. Today the trail at one point took across the same creek numerous times. There was a high water trail to take in case the creek was high. I assumed the water level was normal since it had not rained since Saturday. The creek had to be crossed by stepping on large rocks or boulders and the creek banks were muddy as were parts of the trail beside the creek. Trail magic on the trail happened twice. Once, after crossing a road and starting up the trail on the other side, there was a huge Styrofoam chest filled with ice, Mountain Dews and apple juice. There was a picnic table so I took off my pack and sat while I drank the juice. The second time was just before coming out of the woods at a forest service road near I-77. There were several gallon jugs of drinking water. A white trash bag was hanging with empty containers and there must have been 6 or 8 in it. Bravo had just passed me and he was stopped getting a drink when I hiked up to him. He said he had been out of water so he was very happy. There was also a case of Dr. Pepper there. I told Bravo that I was probably not going to the shelter since it was 2 miles away from the I-77 crossing. He said that it was only 1.5 miles after getting to the point where the trail goes back into the woods. It was then only 5 P.M. so I thought, "Why not?" It was straight uphill and I had to keep stopping every now and then to catch my breath and get blood back to my legs. But I am glad I came on because there was absolutely no place to camp except a spot near the road. I am tenting because I have more privacy. I perspired a lot today and needed to wash off the best I could with baby wipes before putting on my sleeping clothes. I sure do feel better. The water source is a spring way down behind the shelter. I had run out of water but had a liter I got from the trail magic. I counted 6-7 long switch-backs going down. The water was not that easy to get, either, so if a person did not get enough the first time they would most likely not go again.I did not cook a hot meal tonight--too tired. I had a smallbagel with cheese and one with peanut butter plus some miniature Hershey bars with nuts. When I saw blooming pink azaleas today I realized that the orange flower I saw the other day was also an azalea. I noticed that the mountain laurels are starting to bloom. And more wild flowers are popping up. I do not know the names of them but hopefully I got some pictures that are not blurry.
Date: 2005-05-20
From: Pearisburg, Va.

To: Pearisburg, Va.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Started @ PearisburgDestination: PearisburgMiles today: 0Total Miles: 623.9Stayed in MotelDay 71Today was a rest day and a day to do laundry, pick up anything needed at the store, etc. Pretty much a do nothing day. People have asked me if I am ever afraid out here walking by myself.I have not commented before on this, but the truth is, I have not been afraid of or felt threatened by anyone I have met on the trail. I have not been afraid of anything else either. I am probably more afraid of poison ivy than of any animal.Do I have a lot of aches and pains? YES!! Most people have achy feet and knees to some degree, I think. The young have as much pain as the older hikers sometimes. For me, because I already have arthritis in my feet they do hurt a lot. After a few hours of walking, if I stand still on the trail or sit for very long my feet do not want to bend or move when I start to walk again. I do take Vitamin I(buprofen), usually twice during the course of the day and sometimes 3 times. These times are mostly before I go to sleep and in the middle of the night and/or early in the morning. My knees have begun to ache a little more when I am not hiking but they are not too bad. My hips continue to ache at night but mostly when sleeping in the shelter or tent. On a good mattress they hardly hurt at all. But while out on the trail the hip pains are one of the main reasons I take Vitamin I. Do I ever think about quiting? NO!! But I do think about when I get off the trail how nice it will be to sleep in a bed every night and to take a shower every day whether I need it or not. Mike said that since right now we are closer to home than anywhere else on the trail he could take me home for a weekend. That would be too hard to do because I might not want to come back to the trail. Those comforts of home would just be too enticing. No, I think about going home only after the trail is finished.   I am trying to get in as many miles as possible in order to get finished earlier. Toto does not want me to be very far along the trail when he gets on but if I'm not we may not get it finished this year. As of today my average miles per day, including days off, is only 8.8. Either I need to take fewer days off or hike more miles consistently. That means it will take 8 months to do. We have 7 months from March 15th available until the middle of October. So between taking less days off and hiking more miles per day we should be able to make it!Well, now that I know what to do I'd better figure out how to do it.
Date: 2005-05-21
From: Pearisburg, Va.

To: Pearisburg, Va.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Started @ PearisburgDestination: PearisburgMiles today: 0Total Miles: 623.9Stayed in MotelDay 71Today was a rest day and a day to do laundry, pick up anything needed at the store, etc. Pretty much a do nothing day. People have asked me if I am ever afraid out here walking by myself.I have not commented before on this, but the truth is, I have not been afraid of or felt threatened by anyone I have met on the trail. I have not been afraid of anything else either. I am probably more afraid of poison ivy than of any animal.Do I have a lot of aches and pains? YES!! Most people have achy feet and knees to some degree, I think. The young have as much pain as the older hikers sometimes. For me, because I already have arthritis in my feet they do hurt a lot. After a few hours of walking, if I stand still on the trail or sit for very long my feet do not want to bend or move when I start to walk again. I do take Vitamin I(buprofen), usually twice during the course of the day and sometimes 3 times. These times are mostly before I go to sleep and in the middle of the night and/or early in the morning. My knees have begun to ache a little more when I am not hiking but they are not too bad. My hips continue to ache at night but mostly when sleeping in the shelter or tent. On a good mattress they hardly hurt at all. But while out on the trail the hip pains are one of the main reasons I take Vitamin I. Do I ever think about quiting? NO!! But I do think about when I get off the trail how nice it will be to sleep in a bed every night and to take a shower every day whether I need it or not. Mike said that since right now we are closer to home than anywhere else on the trail he could take me home for a weekend. That would be too hard to do because I might not want to come back to the trail. Those comforts of home would just be too enticing. No, I think about going home only after the trail is finished.   I am trying to get in as many miles as possible in order to get finished earlier. Toto does not want me to be very far along the trail when he gets on but if I'm not we may not get it finished this year. As of today my average miles per day, including days off, is only 8.8. Either I need to take fewer days off or hike more miles consistently. That means it will take 8 months to do. We have 7 months from March 15th available until the middle of October. So between taking less days off and hiking more miles per day we should be able to make it!Well, now that I know what to do I'd better figure out how to do it.
Date: 2005-05-22
From: Pearisburg, Va.

To: Symms Gap Meadow
Miles today: 12.2

Started @ PearisburgDestination: Symms Gap MeadowMiles today: 12.2Total miles: 636.1Stayed in tentDay 72We ate breakfast at the Family and Friends Restaurant and then went to the motel to check out. I was at the trailhead by about 9 AM. By noon I was on the ridge top and I stopped to have my lunch which was cheese on my toast from breakfast. The first shelter is just over 7 miles out and that was too soon to stop. The second shelter is over 19 miles and too far to hike to so I stopped at a campsite. Tonight I hung my food bag because I saw 2 small bears and I am assuming the momma bear. I turned a corner and there stood 2 small bears looking at me and they looked as if they had stopped in mid-step with one front leg out in front. They were about maybe 40-50 feet from the trail and had been walking toward it. The momma bear was just a little behind. After a few seconds they turned and went back up higher on the ridge. I got a good view of momma bear as she put her front legs up on a rock and looked back at me and then moved on. Those little bears were so cute and they could be clearly seen as they were very black against the background of green ground cover. Wow! I saw my first bears!I got to camp at 5 PM. It was early but since I did not know where there would be any camping spots and the fact that it was trying to rain and had gotten pretty cloudy, I decided to call it a day. I did not cook anything since I want to save the water for drinking. The ridge is dry and I had stopped at the last water source to fill up. There are supposedly no more water sources until the next shelter which is over 7 miles away. I may cook some breakfast and heat water for coffee when I get there tomorrow. I only saw 3 hikers going north today and they passed me--Tex, Patch, and Mr. Sweepers. Going south was Rambler and Pooh-Bear. Tex is a woman about my age or a little younger. Her 19 y/o son is also hiking but he stayed back in Pearisburg an extra day because he has had a cold. Well, it is getting cool but still has not rained except a few drops now and then and I am getting cold so need to get inside my sleeping bag and cover up. I think I'll do about 12 miles tomorrow which should not be too bad if the trail is like it was today. Good-night
Date: 2005-05-23
From: Symms Gap Meadow

To: campsite
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

Started Symms Gap MeadowDestination: CampsiteMiles today:16.4Total miles: 652.7Stayed in tentDay 73I went more miles today because I would have stopped too soon if I had stopped at the shelter for the night. It rained some last night but not a lot. Tonight as I was getting into the tent the rain drops started. When I got to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, Lobster, who had passed me earlier on the trail, was there. Soon Peanut and then L.B. (Lost Baggage) showed up. I had a snack break and then hiked out. There was no shelter register so I pulled out the notebook I have been carrying for just this purpose. Hopefully, when it is full someone will mail it to my address in the back of the book. The bridge over a roaring stream was destroyed by Hurricane Jeanne last year and if hikers do not want to ford the stream their option is to road walk for a mile and a half. I had heard from a south-bounder, Pooh Bear, that it was pretty swift and the rocks are slippery. That was good enough for me so I headed for the road. There was trail magic not too far ahead at a house---sodas and miniature candy bars in an ice chest.I took a cola and sat at the picnic table and watched the creek roar by. It was nice. I had trouble finding where the trail crossed the road. I walked quite a way up and then turned back to look to see if I had missed it. I even asked some men working on the road if they knew where it crossed and they did not know. Finally, Lobster and Helmet came along and I followed them. The road was marked with an AT--painted white--and white blazes, but either I had not seen them or had not gone that far. There was a pretty big up and then the next shelter was Bailey Gap Shelter where I stopped for another break. Peanut and L.B had passed me and were there. They were going to the next shelter but I said I could not hike that far but would camp instead. They said it is supposed to rain but I guess I will just get the tent wet. I got to the campsite about 6PM and got my water, filtered it, and cooked my dinner after I set up the tent. I only had 1 hiker pass by while I was there--Clockwork Orange. I had found on the trail a plastic bag with toilet paper, trowel, and other items, and I asked him to take it to the next shelter since I was sure it belonged to someone there. As I was snuggled down into my sleeping bag, the thunder and rain came. I hope I can sleep.
Date: 2005-05-24
From: campsite

To: Laurel Creek shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: light rain

Day 74The tent and ground cloth was very wet from the rain last night. It is foggy (actually, I'm in the clouds) and there is no chance of the tent getting any drier. So I'll pack it up and try to get it dry when the weather is better. I ate a pop tart for breakfast since it is too wet and cold--I just wanted to start hiking to warm up. When I got to the shelter Clockwork Orange was still there, but left while I was still there. I asked if he found the owner of the plastic bag I found along the trail yesterday and he said it belonged to L.B. and that he was very happy to get it.The day was full of long climbs today. As bad as I hate to tell this story I have to. I stopped at Laurel Creek Shelter for a break about 2 PM. I really did not like the looks of the shelter. The day was overcast with periods of rain and when it wasn't raining the wind was blowing the water off the trees. It was a day for wearing my light weight fleece and rain jacket. So the dark dreary day did not make the shelter inviting. Anyway, I wanted to hike 6 more miles to make a 16 mile day. That would take me to Sarver Shelter. After a break I took off. I walked for over an hour and ran into Bluelight and Bootz. They informed me I was going south instead of north. I felt so stupid. Nothing at all looked familiar to me--until I started back. THEN everything looked familiar. My feet seemed to know where they had stepped before and I made it back to Laurel Creek Shelter in half the time. I'm not sure how far I went but it must have been a mile. So I stayed at the dismal shelter and hoped someone else showed up. Bluelight and Bootz were there but they were going to hike to the next shelter after already hiking 18 miles. So I cooked my dinner and put out my sleeping pad and sleeping bag in the shelter. Soon Thunder showed up. He is a 29 y/o young man from Hudson, Ohio. We had a nice evening of talking. He is a civil engineer with a masters in business administration and works in NJ. We shared a lot about our families, etc.Well, tomorrow I will hike probably to the second shelter making a little longer day than today. Hopefully there will be more sunshine and not as cold.
Date: 2005-05-27
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: John Springs Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

Total miles-696.4Once again, for some reason this journal entry did not arrive. I did pick up Dorothy at Va. 311 around 7 P.M. She had been waiting for me since around 3:30 P.M. So she made great time that day. I arrived at the Econo-Lodge at around 6 P.M. and called Del ( a trail angel), who took me up to meet Dorothy. I stopped at Hardee's and got her a huge bacon cheeseburger and a strawberry milkshake. Boy, did she woof it down!!! Sure good to see her. We hiked on to the shelter just a short distance away and met with Anchor, Troll, and Oblivious, who shared the shelter with us.Tomorrow, it is on to Lamberts meadow campsite!! Good to be on the trail again!!Toto
Date: 2005-05-28
From: John Springs Shelter

To: Lamberts Meadow Campground
Miles today: 10.4

Day 78McAfee Knob was a great place to take pictures. We were there with Beach Party and 4 day hikers. The morning started out to be cloudy and there were some sprinkles that came down before we started the hike but not enough to get us wet. We did have our raincoats on for the 1 mile hike between shelters but did not need to keep them on. At the second shelter we got our water and cooked our breakfast. At McAfee Knob the sky was still a bit cloudy but the views were still good. By the time we left the wind had picked up and the sun was shining brightly. By the time we got to Tinker Cliffs, where the trail follows for awhile, the day was absolutely beautiful. There was a view of Roanoke and much farmland. When we got to the shelter there was a bunch of boy scouts so we went on down to the campsites by the stream to camp. I saw a dark brown and tan garter snake today. A couple of days ago I saw a green garter snake. Neither one was very big. We saw a flower today that neither of us had seen before. Mike took a picture of it and will try to find out what it is. Over the last few days I have seen several pink ladyslippers but they always have been by themselves--never 2 in one spot except maybe a couple of yards away. We have also seen lilies of the valley. There are so many plants, bushes, and trees out here that are unfamiliar to us and yet many that are familiar. I wish I had room to carry identification books and the time to look them all up. I think a hike to just look for and identify plants would be fun.Well, tomorrow we hike into Daleville and a shower. It will be a short day of hiking but lots of things to do.
Date: 2005-05-30
From: Daleville

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 80Check out time was 11AM so we were up early to finish the things that needed to be done. Snowman and family wanted Toto to drop them off at the trailhead 2.1 miles ahead when we get ready to go. So around 10 we checked out of the hotel and went to the waffle house to eat breakfast. Snowman's motel was next to the restaurant so they come over to have coffee. They had a continental breakfast at their motel. Then came the hard part where Toto takes me to the trail where we got off yesterday. I had 2.1 miles to do before I would get to the point where Snowman and family would be dropped off. Since that stretch is relatively smooth and easy I finished it about 20 minutes after they started the trail. I soon caught up with them and was at the next shelter before them and left before them. The 3 miles up the mountain to the shelter were long and fairly gradual but still tough. No rocks, though! Buffalo Bob came into that shelter before I left and said he was staying. He said he either ate some bad food or drank some bad water a few days back and has had diarrhea since. He is armed with Imodium AD and is going to try to get rid of whatever is bothering him. Hopper stopped in on her way south. Her husband, Spike, is hiking north and will be waiting for her at Daleville with the truck. She drove the truck to a point north and when he gets there he will drive the truck south to get her. That is how they are hiking Virginia. The trail today was fairly smooth with only a few rocks to contend with. The rhododendrons are blooming and there are places where the flower petals are covering the trail. I saw 8 pink lady slippers in one area today. That was so beautiful--I took a picture. Mountain laurels are blooming in different stages of bloom, also. I got to the shelter about 7PM. Since I did not get started until around noon I thought that was pretty good. But I was pretty tired when I got here. I decided to tent even though it may rain. I didn't want to be alone in the shelter. Bravo was here and had his hammock set up and so was The Mad Chapper, who had his tent up. Snowman and family will tent, also. Firefly and Hazy Sonic came in later and are staying in the shelter.Snowman and the boys came in just before dark and started cooking dinner. Icicle was behind and came in about 1/2 hour later. She was carrying a whole apple pie on top of her pack. I am glad to be in my tent. It is not cold but it has started spitting a little rain. I am looking forward to a good night's sleep to prepare me for a 14 mile hike tomorrow.