morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-04
From: Low Gap

To: The Maples B&B; Damascus, VA
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

That¢s the easiest 14.9 A.T. miles I¢ve ever hiked -- mostly level, not rocky, not rooty, not muddy.Big milestone -- entering Virginia -- and am over 20 percent completed, mileage-wise. Virginia has 531 A.T. miles, so I won¢t be finished with it for a long, long time. The ¢Virginia blues¢ is a common thru-hiker ailment and has put an end to many treks.If you want the real thru-hiking experience (and save a lot of money), I recommend staying in hostels when in town. I, of course, do the opposite, which is why I¢m at this B&B. I¢m tired of hearing nothing but trail talk. I want to escape and hear about other things -- like news, sports, etc.I¢ll take a zero tomorrow and do the whole ¢town day¢ thing.Since almost all towns are down low, they¢re usually preceded by a brutal downhill hike that has toes, ankles, knees, and soles of feet pleading for a zero day. They¢re also, of course, usually followed by a long uphill climb to get back into the mountains.
Date: 2003-05-05
From: The Maples B&B; Damascus, VA

To: The Maples B&B; Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

My apologies to the postal service. I still don¢t have my trusty old boots, but it¢s not the fault of the postal service. The boots were inadvertently sent U.P.S. Of course, this was a big mistake, because there¢s no such thing as ¢general delivery¢ with U.P.S. (Unlike the postal service, U.P.S. doesn¢t even have an office in most towns.)Anyway, it was all supposed to be straightened out, and U.P.S. was to have the boots at Mount Rogers Outfitters here in Damascus. They aren¢t here! What next? I have no idea. I must trudge on and hope they¢ll eventually catch up to me. I¢m not sure the old boots will solve the problems I¢m having with both big toes (pain and numbness), but would sure like to find out.I¢m getting rid of some weight here -- sending home my tent (using a lightweight tarp instead) and water filter (will use purification tablets instead). I didn¢t yet buy a lighter pack, but that could be next...
Date: 2003-05-06
From: The Maples B&B; Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked 9:00-5:45. Moderately strenuous hiking. Rainy and gloomy until early afternoon when it sunnied up. Riverside walking and rhododendron were the highlights. For about a mile, the A.T. and the famous Virginia Creeper Bike Trail coincided.Rhododendron proliferate all through the A.T. so far. These aren¢t just your little shrubs. Many are 15 feet tall, with main trunks as much as three or four inches in diameter. Occasionally, I¢ll see one in bloom (lovely), but I think it¢ll be another month before the big show occurs. I believe I¢ll still be in rhododendron country to see it, but I¢m not sure.This was my first water filterless day. Here are the choices:(1) Filter -- clean and tasty water, but weighs too much and requires pumping to refill.(2) Iodine tablets -- clean water and no effort, but doesn¢t taste good. Seems like there¢d be a way to offset that bad taste. I¢ll do some experimenting, because this is the best alternative, it seems to me.(3) Do nothing to the water, and take your chances. A lot of thru-hikers are doing this. Great tasting water and no effort at all. There is very little sickness from it that I know of, but I don¢t want to take that chance.
Date: 2003-05-07
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

Very scenic day -- lots of bald hiking. Pretty strenuous, though, especially the last few miles, which involved much infuriating rock walking. That leaves toes, ankles, knees and soles of feet begging for mercy.It rained only slightly, but that¢s about seven straight days with some rain.Strange pattern -- first night out of town (last night), always a lot of people at the shelter. I think that¢s because the young people love the social interaction in town and are reluctant to leave until they know a bunch of friends are leaving. I¢d guess about 25 people at the shelter last night -- most sleeping in tents. The composition of the group is interesting and probably pretty representative of who¢s still on the trail. Here¢s my guess:Four men in their 40¢s, 50¢s, and 60¢s.Five girls in their 20¢s.One woman in her 50¢s.15 men in their 20¢s or 30¢s.Since the first week, I haven¢t seen any older women without husbands, except for two sisters in Damascus. Neither have I seen any dogs accompanying a thru-hiker.
Date: 2003-05-08
From: Wise Shelter

To: Troutdale Baptist Church
Miles today: 15.8

Hiked 7:30-4:15. This is soooo nice! The church has showers, laundry, and camping facilities for whatever money you want to donate. I hitched a 2 1/2 mile ride in here for a restaurant meal and this lovely camping situation in a tiny village.Some great bald hiking in the morning, but not much to say about the rest of the day, except it was a sunny one for a change.Had a ¢trail magic¢ offer of a different sort about noon. A loud-mouthed drunk was pulling all of the hikers off near a road crossing, with an offer of fried chicken and a case of beer, supposedly on the way via truck. Everybody was buying into it, too. I even stopped for a few minutes, because of the fried chicken offer. However, when the Jack Daniels was being passed around, and the foul language got worse and worse, I decided that was no place for me, even if fried chicken was on the way. Apparently I was the only one who left, because nobody passed me all afternoon -- highly unusual.As the hikers get their ¢hiking legs¢ (after three weeks or so), I notice that some become mileage-obsessed, while other choose to take their time and enjoy the sights. Perfect examples are Spiderman and Big Paw, two young studs who, for a while, were going at the same pace I was. Spiderman and I left Hot Springs together, and I haven¢t seen him since; by reading the registers, though, I see that he¢s six days head of me -- that¢s an average of over 20 miles per day since Hot Springs! He left a note in one register saying he could no longer relax in town.Big Paw, on the other hand, an equally strong hiker, takes his zero days and sleeps late every morning -- he¢s only one day ahead of me now. In fact, he slept here last night.I obviously fall into the enjoy-the-moment group. I love my visits to the little towns like Newland. I loved watching the fishermen at Laurel Fork Hostel. I love this little church. (Of course, maybe the reason I¢m in the mellow group is that I can¢t keep up with the studs.)
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Troutdale Baptist Church

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked 8:45-4:30. This shelter is next to the Mount Rogers National Forest Headquarters.Started the day with a 1 1/2 mile walk from Troutdale toward the A.T. before finally getting a ride. Hitchhiking is just a way of life among thru-hikers -- and seldom a problem. Many people who live near the trail are quite willing to help.You feel like a sales person, who, in my case, gets rejected by about 98 percent of the ¢customers.¢ I expect the younger people have a little better ¢hit ratio,¢ since I look more like a serial killer.Today was a bad combination -- pretty hard hiking and no great views. Weather was nice, though -- probably the warmest one I¢ve had, but wind kept it tolerably cool.My new ten-ounce tarp (versus four-pound tent) has been great so far. It got a real test the night before last -- rain and wind all night long -- and kept everything nice and dry. Depending upon how you tie the two ropes and peg the seven pegs, it¢s pretty flexible. The thing is that it isn¢t enclosed, so we¢ll see what happens when insects become a problem...Note: A hiker advised me that half of a vitamin C pill in a quart of water will neutralize the aftertaste of the purification pills. It works! Wonderful!Note: When it began to lightning and thunder in the middle of last night, I moved everything into the church¢s picnic pavilion, then slept safely in there the rest of the night.
Date: 2003-05-10
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Relax Inn; Groseclose, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked 6:30-12:30. Nice hiking -- much of it through meadows. Sunny, warm day, but, again, wind made it tolerable.Trail intersects with a major U.S. highway (11) and Interstate 81, so we have a motel, a Dairy Queen (!!!), two restaurants, and two convenience stores almost right on the trail. How nice! I¢m eating big, watching TV, catching up on the news, and doing laundry. I enjoy this very much!Last night¢s shelter, because it was next to the Mount Rogers National Forest Headquarters, had some rare luxuries -- running water, shower, pop machine, telephone, and even pizza delivery. As a result, a lot of hikers stayed there. Unfortunately, things got a little out of hand. Although everybody seems to understand that hikers want early quiet and early sleep, this didn¢t happen last night -- quite noisy and some pot smoking going on. Luckily, I was camped far enough away that I had no trouble sleeping.Flowers are more numerous now, and the hardwood trees have leafed out, so things are a lot greener and prettier. With more birds around, it¢s quite a pleasant world we¢re hiking in. The disadvantage of the leaves is that you can¢t see nearly as far and often have no view, even at the top of a mountain. As a result, you tend to lose perspective as to where you are in relation to surrounding mountains, valleys, etc.Note: Word has it that Gabby (not his real trail name) -- whom I mentioned in a couple of previous entries -- is no longer on the trail (reason unknown). Maybe I don¢t have to worry about his keeping me awake anymore.
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Relax Inn; Groseclose, VA

To: Lick Creek
Miles today: 17.0

Pretty strenuous day -- ups and downs. Rainy in the morning, sunny in the afternoon.You should have seen the rhododendron! There were places where you could walk 200 yards and every plant in full bloom. All shades of whatever color that is (fuchsia?) -- from very light to very deep. Magnificent! I was surprised this many bloomed this earlyMy second pair of boots finally caught up with me yesterday -- via U.P.S. -- four weeks after the boot saga began. It being a Saturday afternoon and the post office not open, I¢m having to carry the other pair of boots in my backpack -- aaarrrrggghhh! That¢ll last for three days, until I get to Bland for a zero day.Saw Swifty again yesterday. I first saw him on Day 3 and have seen him regularly ever since. He¢s a slender guy, probably in his mid-to-late forties, a much faster hiker than I am, but he¢s had some knee trouble. Early on, he seemed to be having a great time, went into town often, ate in restaurants whenever possible, etc. The last three times I¢ve seen him, though, he seemed tense, very concerned with mileage. In fact, he did a thirty-miler this week, the first one of those I¢ve heard of. I doubt if I¢ll see him again. He said no more towns for him.I passed the 1/4 mark, mileage-wise, today.
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Lick Creek

To: Little Wolf Creek
Miles today: 18.3

Hiked 7:00-6:15. Not a good day. Sunny, windy, cool, scenic -- but my feet are really ticked off at me. I had looked at the vertical profile and promised my feet an easy day. It said a tough uphill in the beginning and pretty level after that. A level vertical profile, though (a) could be rocky (b) could have lots of short ups and downs that don¢t show because of the condensed scale. Today¢s route had lots of both, and it was no fun. (Sorry, feet, but you¢ll thank me tomorrow when you¢re soaking in a hot bath in Bland.)Under the circumstances, I¢m surprised I got this many miles in -- Rosie must have put steroids in my Kool-Aid mix.Burke¢s Garden was the highlight today, with many great vistas overlooking it. Burke¢s Garden is an idyllic, picturesque valley -- actually a ¢bowl¢ completely surrounded by mountains. Farms, hilly pastureland -- looks like something out of a children¢s storybook. Worth a drive-through if you¢re ever in the area.An unusual thing happened yesterday -- I actually passed some hikers -- four guys as old or older than me. Usually, the only time I pass somebody is when they¢re sleeping late or are stopped for some reason. Really. It¢s very rare for me to pass anybody while we¢re both walking, although I get passed several times a day. The reason I keep pace with a lot of people is because I start earlier and don¢t stop as often.
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Little Wolf Creek

To: Big Walker Motel; Bland, VA
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked 7:00-11:30. Much the opposite of yesterday¢s hiking, today¢s was almost rockless. The ups and downs were well switchbacked, so not steep. What fun walking! Sunny, cool, very windy.I¢ll take a zero tomorrow. Even though Bland has almost nothing to offer, it does have this very nice, inexpensive motel -- and a Dairy Queen -- and a few other things. It¢s the smallest county seat I¢ve ever seen.Here¢s what I¢ve observed about trail names -- an odd phenomenon. Although early on the trek, many hikers weren¢t into trail names, by now almost everybody has one, and that¢s all we call each other. Some of the more extrovertish among us (not me) seem to know almost everybody, despite the fact that the characters in an area change as some hikers move ahead, some drop back, and some catch up. There¢s a lot of talk about who is where -- and, of course, we can read the shelter registers to keep track of those in front of us. I do this if the shelter is right on the trail and I don¢t have to wait for others to finish reading it. Here¢s a sampling of trail names: Amble, Spot, Goat, Big Paw, Spiderman, Swifty, Sassafras, Spice Bag, Snot Rocket (my favorite), 42 (she said that¢s not her age), Indiana Slim, Otter, Sherpa, Viking, Sprout, Trog, Vermont Pete, Kiwi, Peter Pan, Riff Raff (two guys), Grizzly, Tadpole, Wounded Knee, Rambo First Blood, Bartender, Still Bill, Strappy.Note: My trail name is Chimpy. I got this in a crazy way. There¢s an online program from the ¢Sopranos¢ website whereby you put in your real name, and it gives you a mafia name. My mafia name came out ¢Chimpy,¢ so I just went with that. Note: I haven¢t seen a single minority on this trail.Note: Donuts are not nearly as popular here as in the north. Whereas every convenience store in the north has fresh donuts, none of the ones I¢ve been in down here have them. I haven¢t had a fresh donut since starting the A.T.
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Big Walker Motel; Bland, VA

To: Lickskillet Hollow Road
Miles today: 13.7

Hiked 9:45-5:30. Decided not to take a zero today after all. That¢s because I have to be in Pearisburg by Saturday morning -- a 42-mile walk from Bland -- which is okay for 3 1/2 days but really iffy for 2 1/2.What I found out was that my Southwest Virginia Guidebook and maps end at Pearisburg, so at that point I need the Central Virginia Guidebook and maps. Thus, I called Rosie to have her send them to Pearisburg, but this means I have to get there before the post office closes for the weekend.Another nice day of hiking -- relatively level, cool, sunny, not windy (for a change) -- not very scenic, though.This is the big week of the year for thru-hikers -- Trail Days in Damascus -- with the coming weekend the biggie. Many hikers before and after Damascus will be hitching in for the festivities. I expect it¢s the mileage-obsessed (of which I am not one) and the introverts (of which I am one) who won¢t be going.I¢m not sure what goes on at Trail Days, but am sure there¢s a lot of partying -- and not much sleeping. Also, the outfitters will be there to sell their products, and I believe some of the more famous names in hiking will speak.As for me, I¢m counting the days (nine) until Rosie will be down here for a visit!Note: The first 12.1 miles of today¢s route had no water sources -- this isn¢t good!
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Lickskillet Hollow Road

To: North of Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked 7:15-2:30. I was planning to go a lot farther than this, so I¢d have an easy hike into Pearisburg tomorrow, but a bad thunderstorm stopped me here. It¢ll be a hard hike into Pearisburg, if doable at all.Today¢s hike was relatively easy, but it was a dreary day. Highlight was Dismal Falls, which wasn¢t dismal at all. It was very pretty, though not a big one by any means.Major discovery last night. Rosie sent me the ingredients and instructions for making cobbler, and it was fantastic! It was mixed fruit this time, but I can taste it now -- cherry, peach, apple, blueberry, apricot -- oh, my! Delicious dessert on the trail -- I didn¢t think that was possible.It may seem that doing the A.T. north to south would be a better way to go, thus avoiding the ¢crowds¢ of northbound thru-hikers. I believe the reason more hikers don¢t go that route is the notorious black flies in New England. Apparently, those guys can make life miserable in May, June, and July.The best of both worlds (avoiding the crowds and the black flies) could be done by flip-flopping -- doing the A.T. in multiple pieces during the same year, provided you could work out the transportation logistics. Of course, there¢s that traditional dramatic vision of Katahdin as the destination that also makes most want to go south to north.ADDENDUM: Still May 15 -- 8:45. While cooking supper at the shelter, two things conspired to change my plans: (a) the sun came out (b) an obnoxious guy came into the shelter for the night. When he started yelling at a deer next to the shelter, I figured we had a compatibility problem. (Am I too intolerant, do you think?)I could have just moved my tarp, but decided I might as well get in a few more miles, so, after supper, I repacked everything and headed up, up, up Brushy Mountain, adding about 3 1/2 miles, giving me 16 for the day.Unfortunately, the weather turned again, and I ended up hastily putting up the tarp in the middle of nowhere, and here I am -- not in a nice dry shelter -- but 3 1/2 miles closer to Pearisburg.
Date: 2003-05-16
From: North of Wapiti Shelter

To: Plaza Motel; Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: light rain

Hiked 7:00-2:45. Rained much of last night, but my tarp kept me nice and dry. Today¢s weather was good, and the route wasn¢t that strenuous (except for the usual agonizing descent into town), but I was really tired for some reason.This is the third trail town -- after Hot Springs and Damascus. This one has a lot more stores, motels, and restaurants than the first two. That zero I didn¢t take in Bland -- I¢m gonna take it here. I need a rest.With all of these young people, I¢ll bet you¢re wondering about romance on the A.T. I¢m not around the young people much in town, but I don¢t see any sign of it around the shelters. I¢d expect that less-than-perfect grooming (e.g. body odor), exhaustion, and different hiking speeds conspire to make romance a little difficult. However, these are kids in their twenties for the most part, so I expect those hormones can overcome a lot of obstacles.I¢ll tell ya¢ for sure -- there are a lot of very nice looking young people on the trail. On the female side, just to name a few out of many: Tadpole, Big Red, Snot Rocket, Strappy, Otter. On the male side: Spiderman, Big Paw, Sherpa, Sue, Cuddler, White Lightning. The odds are very good for the women -- three or four guys for every one girl.
Date: 2003-05-17
From: Plaza Motel; Pearisburg, VA

To: Plaza Motel; Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

What an enjoyable day! Cool and rainy -- a good day not to be hiking.Watched the NBA playoffs last night and will do the same tonight. Read newspapers, did crosswords, watched the news, did laundry, picked up a mail drop from Rosie, bought trail mix ingredients, etc. I¢m also treating the itching from a bunch of insect bites on both legs. Seems to be working. Sure hope so.And Pearisburg has fresh donuts in at least one convenience store! I¢ve eaten a dozen so far, the first I¢ve had since starting the trek. This is the life!About Central Virginia -- the Thru-Hiker¢s Companion says, ¢Virginia becomes the state in which a hiker¢s first 20-mile day is accomplished, something regularly accomplished thereafter.¢ I hope this means that the terrain gets easier now. It certainly was very tough in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Southwest Virginia.
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Plaza Motel; Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: moderate rain

Hiked 8:30-12:45. A hypothermia risk day -- cold and rainy all morning. When the rain became a downpour, I stopped in here and, after waiting two hours for a letup, decided to stay. There are no more water sources for 12 miles anyway. I may regret this decision -- sleeping in a shelter is not generally a good idea for intolerant people like me. Sure feels good now, though.The dollars needed to hike the A.T. can vary widely, and at this point I have no idea what this ultimately will cost me. If I weren¢t so spoiled and so eager to have the privacy of my own room, TV, bathtub, etc., I could save a lot. Camping is almost always free, and a hostel generally costs ten dollars to 15 dollars per night. I do save quite a few bucks by using food that my wife dehydrates and sends from home. Many of the books on thru-hiking provide guidelines on money needed, but I don¢t remember what those guidelines say.Equipment and clothing are major expenditures, and wise choices there are important. Most of us, I think, are making a lot of changes as we learn, and that is expensive.
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: North of Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked 7:15-6:15. Relatively easy, but boring, hiking today -- except for the last mile and a half, which was level and brutally rocky. Cold, cloudy, and windy in the morning -- just cloudy in the afternoon. Never saw the sun today until a few minutes ago, but it never rained a drop.One of my rare stays in a shelter last night -- always an interesting experience. It was wall-to-wall people because of the horrendous weather -- four males and four females. As always, it seems, there¢s the one guy with mature macho male syndrome; i.e. a guy in his 40¢s or 50¢s who seems to be saying, ¢Despite my age, I¢m doing this thru-hiking thing with nooooo problems, so I¢m sure you all want to hear how much I know about life in general and hiking in particular.¢ Then he proceeds to bore us all (?) to death by dominating the conversation. Maybe males over 40 should be banned from the A.T. -- or not allowed to talk.People in the shelter and around the shelter were a somber lot last night. What happened was we all left the wonderful comforts of Pearisburg, hiked a long uphill while sweating profusely, then got hit by a cold, wet gale when we reached the top. Fortunately, the shelter was within a mile or so at that point, but by then we were a bunch of shivering, discouraged hikers. To put on dry clothes and stay comfortable in the shelter meant a mere 7.1 mile day, which most hikers opted for -- though some tougher ones went on.