morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-07
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: light rain

Up at 7:00, hiking at 8:00 in overcast skies and 62 degree temperatures. Hiked a long 6.4 miles to the next shelter and had lunch. Met "OFF" (One Foot Forward), "Sour Mash", "Night Fever" (like Saturday Night Fever), and "Deysman" there. The sun had come out and the temperature had gone up to 68 humid degrees. After lunch, I hiked on, ending up at the Thomas Knob Shelter (right next to Mt. Rogers) at 7:30. It had rained off and on since 4:00 so I elected to stay in the shelter. "Jeff" moved upstairs so I could have a first floor place. Saw orange columbine, lily of the valley, white hobblebush, and numerous pink rhododendron in bloom today. We are at 5400 ft just below Mt. Rogers (5729 ft). This is the last five-thousand footer we will see on the AT until New England. Right now it is 9:15. The wind is howling, and it is raining off and on. Who knows what tomorrow holds?
Date: 2003-05-08
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Creek after Chestnut Flats
Miles today: 15.3

The wind howled all night long with heavy rain at times. Fortunately the shelter did not leak. When I got up at 7:00 and started hiking at 8:30 the wind was still very high and gusty. There was heavy fog/clouds and it was 62 degrees. Ultreya and I started hiking together; within 10 minutes we encountered a head of wild ponies, many with foals. Ultreya had brought some oatmeal and we took turns feeding and taking pictures of them. As we hiked through the Grayson Highlands, we encountered several more herds of these ponies. At 11:30 we stopped for lunch at the Wise Shelter. This shelter (1996) is named after Mr. & Mrs. Wise, whom I had met the previous day. They are working as trail maintainers for the Mt. Rogers Appalachian Trail Club,and are responsible for maintaining 67 miles of the AT. After lunch, we hiked to the Orchard Shelter, arriving at 3:30, had dinner, and at approximately 5:00 hiked on to where I am now, arriving at 7:15. I have now crossed the 500 mile mark. I pitched my tent, hung the food bag, took a cat lick bath in the stream, and rinsed my clothes. It is 9:20 and time for bed.
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Creek after Chestnut Flats

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today started with a bang at about 3:00 am. We had our daily thunderstorm. I heard the rumbles in the distance and brought in my almost dry laundry and listened and watched for awhile. It flashed and banged and rained some but the hemlock grove protected me from a lot of the wetness. The thunderstorm lulled me to sleep. I awoke at 7:00 to a tent that was wet on the outside but dry on the inside - just like it should be. I started hiking at 8:00 to overcast skies and a 62 degree temperature. During the morning it warmed to 72 degrees and became mostly sunny. Stopped at the Trimpi Shelter and had lunch with my friends "Otter", "Sherpa", "White Lightning", "Deysman", "Amble", and "Ultreya". Then it was onward to the Partnership Shelter which is right next to the Mt. Rogers Visitor's Center. It is a great shelter and its association with the Mt. Rogers Visitor's Center probably explains why. It has hot and cold running water with a sink and it has hot showers right at the shelter. I am clean once more and had a chance to rinse out some more clothes. Some of the hikers had pizza, etc., brought in. I am tenting in a pine grove tonight with laundry on the line. The sky is clear and the moon is shining. We will see how long it stays that way. I can hear spring peepers from the pond below me and will let them lull me to sleep.
Date: 2003-05-10
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Crawfish Valley Campsite
Miles today: 17.8

It did not rain last night or today. I got up at 6:30 and was hiking at 7:15 a.m. in overcast skies, a temperature of 68 degrees, and humid. It gradually cleared to partly sunny with temps reaching the low 80s in the afternoon. The hiking was through woods, over mountains, and through meadows and farmer's fields. A good part of the morning hike was accompanied by the fragrance of the honeysuckle bush which have small white and light yellow flowers. The bees love them. When I arrived at the road to Atkins, VA, I had a half-pound cheeseburger with the works, double french fries, and a bottomless Pepsi. Next I tried to restock at the two gas station convenience stores, to no avail, so I hitched into Atkins, mailed the latest Journal pages, got supplies for the next 5 days, and - bonus - did my laundry. Then I hitched back to the trail. It was an easy hitch both ways - almost no wait. I got a large cone from the Dairy Queen there, bade all my hiking friends so long, and got hiking at 4:30 p.m. again, ending up at a campsite with my tent pitched 15 ft from a gurgling stream. The rhododendrons are beginning to bloom and are very pretty in the green woods. I suspect the pictures I took will not do them justice. You just have to be here.
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Crawfish Valley Campsite

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Last night after I finished my journal entry, four more thru-hikers rolled in. They had planned to stay at the last shelter, but did not know there was no water at that shelter so they had to hike on. They set up between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. last night. This morning I was up at 7 a.m. and hiking at 8:15. It was 68 degreets, overcast, and felt like rain. So at 9:30 we got our daily thunderstorm. It was over by 11, but the trails were muddy in places and some rocks were wet and slippery. By 1:00 it had completely cleared and the sun was out with puffy cumulus clouds and the wind was blowing. The hike today was through some woods and lots of meadows and fields over good (mostly) trails, but there was a lot of elevation, a total of approximately 5000 ft. It started with a 900 ft climb and ended with a 2500 ft climb. We ended on top of a 4600 ft bald (grass with very few trees) in the Chestnut Knob Shelter, which is a solid stone structure whose roof is cabled to pilings in the ground. Good thing, too, based on the way the wind is howling now. It is just SWIFT and me here tonight. Lately, there is much more room in the shelters as we hear about more and more people leaving the Trail. Today the only north-bounders I saw were SWIFT and "Delta Blue" (because he comes from the Mississippi Delta and is a real fan of the blues music that originates from there). It is almost 9:30 and time to turn listening to the music of the wind.
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: US21/Bland, VA
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: broken clouds

What a day this has been. Yes, the wind did howl all last night on top of Chestnut Knob. SWIFT estimated gusts to 60 mph and I can't disagree. He had to use ear plugs to get to sleep. Usually ear plugs are carried by hikers to combat snoring in the shelters. This morning was cloudy with high winds and a temp of 52 degrees. I was hiking at 7:30 wearing my Gortex rain suit as a windbreaker. The morning was mostly a ridge walk at 4000 ft. The trail was mostly slippery rocks and was speckled with "tripping rocks" (the kind you don't see and end up tripping over.) My full concentration had to be applied to the trail just in front of me so I could avoid these rocks (and stumps and branches) that come up and grab the toe of your boot just as it goes by. There are a few low-hanging limbs that will hit you in the head if you are bent over and only watching the ground. On the bright side, the sun did come out and warm things up to 68 degrees, a nice hiking temp. Also, there were quite a number of pink azalea bushes in bloom in a section of the ridge walk. And, before I forget, I saw 4 pink lady slippers yesterday and 1 today. I am surprised there haven't been a lot more. Maybe that will come. The ridge trails and the downhill trails (especially where the trail is smooth and fast) were sprinkled with "speed bumps" just to slow us down, I guess. These are logs of blown down trees (some up to 30" in diameter) that are left laying across the trail, so you have to stop and crawl over them one foot at a time. In other sections of the AT, the trail maintainers just cut a 2 ft section out of the log so you can just walk through. But hey, every thru-hiker has to deal with the same thing, so why should I complain? At lunch time I discovered that my Part A AquaMira bottle was virtually empty and I didn't have my iodine tablet backup, so my plan for the night changed to going into Bland to (1) get a phone and have AquaMira and iodine sent to me at Pearisburg and (2) get something temporary like Chlorox. I got off at US21/Bland, VA at 6:45, hitched into Bland (easier than I thought it would be), checked into the Big Walker Motel, took a shower, and went across to Dairy Queen for a fat- and calorie-laden dinner. When I returned to the motel, they had lost electricity, phone, and water service - just like camping in the woods after all, with just my LED headlamp providing light so I could organize my things and my thoughts. I ended up going back to the DQ to make my phone calls and pick up news of Highlander II. I am now back at the motel room with full service restored, writing this journal sitting down at a desk. It has just passed 11:00. I have more calls to make tomorrow AM and then plan to hitch back to the Trail. No birds or gurgling streams tonight; only the drone of 18-wheelers going by on the highway.
Date: 2003-05-13
From: US21/Bland, VA

To: Past VA 606
Miles today: 18.6

It was a short night since my alarm was set for 6:30 a.m. Got up, made phone calls, and had another fat/calorie-laden breakfast at Dairy Queen. While there I met another hiker, "Highway Man", who was section-hiking the Trail and had had enough and was getting off. It turns out that he also used the AquaMira system and he gave me part of what he had left so I am all set to get to Pearisville where I will get my overnight emergency resupply of AquaMira plus some backup iodine tablets. I will not have to use Chlorox Bleach or boil water the next two days - thank you, Highway Man. After packing up and checking out, I got an immediate hitch to the center of Bland by a traveling Evangelist Minister who travels around the country preaching. The hitch from the center of Bland to the Trail head was harder - I had walked 1 of the 3.4 miles before being picked up. Actually, SWIFT had already been picked up so we ended up hiking the whole day together. We started at 9:30 and got to our destination at 7:30 p.m. with a half hour for lunch in the woods and an hour for dinner at the Jenny Knob Shelter. At 4:50 after dinner, we hiked on another 6.5 miles to just past VA606, arriving at 7:30, where we are stealth camping. After we got set up for the night, SWIFT slackpacked down VA606 to a local store and came back with cold Cokes and a pint each of chocolate and cherry-vanilla ice cream. I chose the chocolate and we sat in the woods with our headlamps, a 3/4 full moon, and a starlit sky, drinking Coke, eating ice cream, and musing how great is was to just be out here. We also managed to add nearly 1000 calories to our calorie count for the day!
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Past VA 606

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I passed the 600 mile mark today. It was 42 degrees when we got up at 7:00 a.m. SWIFT went to the store down the road while I packed up my stuff. He returned with two take-out breakfasts of eggs, biscuits and gravy, and toast. We sat and ate breakfast in the pine grove and, after finishing, we started hiking at 8:30. We hiked to the Wapits Shelter, had lunch, and enjoyed watching deer graze from the edge of the woods to within 20 ft of us. We hiked this afternoon in 65 degree temps and some sun. The trails were covered with hopping rocks in places and with tripping rocks, roots, and stumps in other places. It was slow going in many places and much care had to be taken to avoid tripping. SWIFT and I hiked together the entire day, arriving at Doc's Knob Shelter at 6:30. We cooked dinner and are now ready for bed at 9:15. A rabbit visited us during dinner. I can hear a whip-poor-will in the darkness.
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: overcast clouds

A restful night with only SWIFT and me in the shelter. No one else showed up. We were up and hiking at 7:30 in 55 degree temps and it looking like rain. It was mostly ridge walking at 3500-4000 feet with trails that required focus to avoid tripping rocks, roots, and stumps in the trail. The last hour was a descent down to 1700 feet in Pearisburg where we both had mail drops and planned to stay over to get laundry done and resupply. We got to the motel at 11:30 and checked in. We got a ride to the post office from Melvin, a retiree who drives hikers around for only a "donation" to cover the cost of gas. We did the Post Office, lunch (a meatloaf dinner), and laundry. SWIFT forgot to bring his laundry so he walked back the 1 mile to the motel while I did my laundry. During this time we had our daily (it seems) thunderstorm with a downpour lasting approximately 45 min. I stayed dry; SWIFT got drenched. We had a Chinese buffet at a fast food-type Chinese restaurant. It was filling. We are back in the room now, getting packed up for hiking out tomorrow after breakfast. SWIFT's friend Eddie is coming to do a section with him at a rapid pace. I plan to just hike my own hike - Just Trog-in along.
Date: 2003-05-16
From: Pearisburg, VA

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

Eddie did arrive last night and slept in his truck. We were up at 6:30 am this morning, packed up, had breakfast at Dairy Queen, and got hiking at 8:00 am. It was 55 degrees with moderate fog when we started. SWIFT and Pothole (Eddie) were off quickly and I did not see them the rest of the day. By 10:00 the fog had burned off and I was treated (for a few hours) to a bright blue cloudless sky with the temperature reaching 68 degrees. By 2:00 I could hear rumbles of thunder in the distance and the skies had clouded over again. I put on my backpack cover in anticipation, but the thunderstorm never came. We did get some light rain between 4 and 6 pm, just enough to wet the rocks and make them more slippery. The trails were quite good part of the time, but during the other part great care had to be taken to not trip over rocks, roots, or stumps in and on the side of the trail. I saw the first mountain laurel in bloom today and an interesting white flower I had never seen before. Also I saw two deer in the woods near the trail just before I came into the shelter at 7:10. SWIFT and Pothole must have gone to the next shelter, 4 miles further. Here are "Viking", "Truckin", "Bull", and "Tunnel Vision". The shelter is next to the Pine Swamp stream which is rushing due to the recent thunderstorms. That will lull me to sleep tonight.
Date: 2003-05-17
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: moderate rain

Today can be summed up in one word - rain. I got up at 6:30 and it was raining lightly. I packed up and was hiking at 7:20 in light rain and a temperature of 59 degrees. When I left, everyone else in the shelter was still sleeping. I had a light snack at 9:45 when I stopped at the Bailey Gap Shelter. Tom, a section hiker from Indianapolis, IN, was there. He is a retired high school math teacher from North Central and is hiking from Erwin, NC, to Catawba, VA, in this section. He had already done from Springer to Erwin earlier. I hiked on in the off-and-on rain to the Warspur Shelter, arriving at 3:00 and had an early dinner. Then I hiked on for the final leg of the day to the Laurel Creek Shelter in some periods of heavy rain. When I arrived, it had just reverted back to a light rain. I saw one more pink lady slipper today. There are just three of us in the shelter tonight: "Truckin", "Red", and myself. Just moments ago, the weather turned and there is a heavy rain falling - looks like it is serious. It is 9:20 pm and the rain will lull me to sleep tonight.
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: light rain

Today can be summed up in two words - more rain. I got up at 7:00 (it was raining), packed up, and was hiking at 7:45. "Red" left a few minutes before me. "Truckin" was still asleep. The two streams I had to cross had really been swollen due to the heavy rain that night. It took me 15 min to decide on a strategy and to get across the first one smoothly. The second one took less time, but the water came over the top of my right boot just enough to make part of the sock damp. I reached the Sarver Hollow Shelter at around 12:00 and it was pouring. This shelter is a beautiful new shelter with a front porch. The porch roof covers a big picnic table. It was quite cool - around 48 degrees. Had lunch with Tom and Red, finishing and back on the trail by 1:00 in the pouring rain. Made the next shelter, the Niday Shelter, by 4:15 where I stay for tonight. The afternoon hike was full rain over the Sinking Creek Mountain Ridge. This was the ridge walk that Highlander II warned me about. There were many large, slippery rocks that had to be carefully crossed or gone around. I managed well without incident by taking my time. In the shelter with me are Red, Spielberg, Lemming, and Spiderman, the last 3 just getting back from Trail Days in Damascus. It has now stopped raining but looks like it could start up again at any moment.
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Niday Shelter

To: VA624/Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

An interesting day on the AT. Up at 7:00 am, hiking at 8:30 in overcast skies and light rain. It had really poured last night and the trail was wet and muddy in places. About an hour into the hike, the trail crossed a stream. When I got there, the "stream" was raging and covered the trail. Both Red and I explored the streamside above and below where it crossed the AT. Red picked a spot about 500 yards above and put his "river" shoes on. I went back to where the AT crossed and found a spot to ford there. Between hopping across deeper parts to sand/gravel bars, I managed to cross without the water going over the top of my boots. I was glad to have that behind me. (Red also succeeded, but ended up taking 30 min longer.) I hiked on, passing Trout Creek at about 12:30 and found some Trail Magic in the form of Gatorade. I put some in my water bottle rather than using water from the creek, and the rest to drink with my lunch of peanut butter on pita bread. I hiked on to the much touted Dragon's Tooth. It was a rocky, roller coaster walk reaching the "tooth" as Highlander II had indicated. Then came the Dragon's Tooth, which would have been a great view had it been clear, but it was overcast and foggy. However, by the time I reached the Tooth, the rain had stopped and the rock climb down the other side was treacherous (to say the least) even with the rocks drying. It was slow going, and I made it down without incident. It was the toughest climb on the Trail so far and tougher than anything I found when I did the 48 four-thousand footers in the White Mountains of NH. During the climb down, SWIFT, who had taken a zero day, caught up to me and we hiked into the Four Pines Hostel together, where I am staying with 12 other thru-hikers. One of them is "Potato Head". Last time I saw him, he was in Hiawassee in early April with major arch problems with his feet. He has solved that problem with arch supports and new shoes. This hostel and its owner, Joe Mitchell, are great. It is 11:55 pm and time for bed.
Date: 2003-05-20
From: VA624/Four Pines Hostel

To: Lambert Shelter plus 3
Miles today: 19.1

I passed the 700 mile mark today. Up at 6:15 am to clear, sunny skies and out of the hostel with SWIFT at 7:35. We were back on the AT at 7:45 am and hiking in 55 degree temps. SWIFT decided he wanted to make the truckstop in Troutville (a 31 mile hike), so I wished him well and he was off. The morning was spent slogging through mud and water in cow pastures and also very greasy mud in some of the foothills. I had mud splattered up to the thighs on my rain pants. I ate lunch at the Campbell Shelter around 1:00 and tanked up on water from a very good spring. The afternoon consisted first of another ridge walk over huge slanted boulders. Fortunately they were dry, which made it a lot easier and safer than two days ago in the rain. The second part was walking the Tinker Ledges. This was about a 0.5 mile walk within 3 feet of the ledge edge with drops of 30-50 feet. I concentrated on the walking and didn't take many pictures of the spectacular views. I hiked on to Lambert Meadow Shelter, arriving at 5:00, and had dinner. After dinner, I hiked on another 3 miles and pitched my tent at a campsite. I saw two more pink lady slippers today by the trail, but approximately 5 miles apart. I also saw 6 lady slippers yesterday, all within a 10-foot diameter circle. It is now 9:40 and very quiet, much better than last night. Time for bed.
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Lambert Shelter plus 3

To: US220/Best Western
Miles today: 6.4

Up at 5:50 since I heard intermittent light rain on the tent. By the time I was tearing down and packing the tent (the last thing I do), it had become a steady, moderate rain. I was hiking at 6:30 am with the hope I would get to Daleville in time to have the AYCE Shoney's buffet breakfast. The hike was mostly a ridge walk with the typical AT ups and downs. A lot of the trail was rocks from the small (2-3 inch) size. I did have to take much care so I would not either trip or slip on the rain-soaked rocks. By 7:30, the rain became heavy. Pools of water began forming on the trail, and in some places water started trickling down the trail. The heavy rain did not continue, but alternated between heavy, moderate, and light. The hike was slogging through water and mud or carefully picking my way through or over or around slippery rock formations. Before reaching town, I crossed over the Tinker Creek Bridge and saw areas of the trail that had been completely under water with the flooded creek two days earlier. Luckily it had receded, so I only had to slog through a bunch of water and mud. The Goretex liner of my boots finally let me down and I ended up with wet socks and wet boots inside. I made good time to town, arriving at 9:45 in spite of the adverse hiking conditions, and checked into the Best Western right by the trail for a "rest" day. The pushing paid off, and I was able to make the AYCE breakfast buffet at Shoney's (only $4.99 with my senior discount) which served until 11 am. I hit the ATM and am now doing laundry which was getting pretty rank with all the rain we have been having. It has now stopped raining, but they are forecasting intermittent showers and thunderstorms for the next 5 days in the area. Today I saw a little box turtle about 2x3 inches, mostly dark green with orange highlighting the design. Saw a single pink lady slipper this morning. Also, the last few days the woods have been filled with the fragrance of wild roses. They are not so pretty, but they sure do smell nice. The rhododendrons are going by as the mountain laurel is coming into full bloom. Yesterday as I left the Campbell Shelter I was thinking how green and lush the forest looks now, in contrast to the way it looked a month and a half earlier in Georgia before the leaves had come out. It is really something to see all the plants, wild flowers, and trees emerge as I walk the Trail north.