morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-09
From: Damascus, VA

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

I was up at 6:30 am and hiked out at 7:00 am in 45 °F temperatures to the Country Inn on the AT out of town. I had a hiker breakfast (coffee, OJ, 3 eggs, hash browns, bacon, grits, biscuits, gravy and spiced apples). I finished most of it and was off hiking on the Trail again at the spot where all this quest to hike the AT started nearly 19 years ago. It was May 1991 when I dropped off soon-to-be-named Highlander II at the AT steps going out of Damascus, VA up into the woods. He was dressed in blue jeans and was carrying a 55 lb backpack on his 130# (??) frame, with no hiking poles. He learned a lot from that hike from Virginia to Maine in the summer of 1991 and when he went back the following summer to finish the lower part of the AT he was wearing running shorts and a synthetic T-shirt. His pack weight was 40 lb. My pack weight this morning was approximately 24 lb, including food and water. And I could have gotten away with only 1 liter of water instead of 2. I have food for 4.5 days that almost doubles my pack weight so today¢s hike was slower. The tweaks I was getting from my left foot did not appear today so taking a zero day was a good thing. I now have my summer bag and tonight it is supposed to be cold. Time to crawl in and get warm. It is now 48 °F.
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Stealth Camping past Wise Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning I was up at 6 am. It was 42 °F in the tent and I had to layer up during the night to keep warm in my summer bag. It was 34 °F outside when I started hiking at 7 am and some of the fields I hiked through had frost on the grass. It is May 10th in Virginia!! At the 12 mile point, I stopped at the Thomas Knob Shelter which is on Mount Rogers (the last 5000 footer until the White Mountains) and had lunch. There I met Texas Jack whom I had hiked with in 2003. He was hiking to Damascus for Trail Days this weekend. I hiked through Grayson Highlands ¢ there are wild ponies there that keep the bald mountains bald. At 5:00 pm I reached the Wise Shelter, cooked dinner, and then hiked another 1.3 miles to reduce the number of miles I need to hike tomorrow. On the way, two deer crossed the Trail in front of me. It is 8:40 pm, 52 °F, and getting colder. Time to shut off the headlamp. The ravens have left so I don¢t think they will bother my bear bag tonight.
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Stealth Camping past Wise Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I passed the 500-mile mark today! It was a comfortable night. The tent temperature got down to 50 °F and the new bag was perfect. I woke up at 5 am to the sound of rain drops on the tent. I got up and brought my food bag in the tent so it didn¢t get any wetter and went back to sleep. I got up at 6:30 am. It was raining lightly off and on. I packed up everything inside the tent and when there was a lull in the rain, I packed up the tent, putting it in a plastic trash bag before I put it into my backpack. I was on my way hiking at 7:30 am. It was 45 °F and raining. My fingers got very cold in my wet liner gloves. I really need some waterproof mittens. We hiked over several balds in the clouds and in strong winds. I stopped at the next shelter at 10 am, 5 miles into the hike, for water. The temperature increased to 55 °F by 12:30 when I stopped at the next shelter 5 miles further down the trail. I had a half brick of cheese with a half tube of crackers for lunch. Then on another 9 miles to the Trimpi Shelter where I am now in my tent. There are about a dozen hikers here. It is 8:55 pm and they have all turned in. It is very quiet. Note from Transcriber: there is a big smudge on the paper journal from Trog, and this is very kindly labeled ¢dead black fly¢!!
Date: 2010-05-12
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: light rain

It did not rain last night and my tent dried out. I was up at 6:15 am and during the packing saw a beautiful sunrise through the trees. It was 60 °F when I started hiking at 7:10 am in shorts and a short-sleeved T-shirt. I was looking forward to the pizza lunch we would order from the Partnership Shelter at the 10-mile point. I was hiking fast because I didn¢t want to be late for lunch. I did notice that I was running into a lot of spider webs on the trail and wondered about that. Anyway, after hiking about 1 h 45 min, I met Tango going in the other direction. She said she was going north. Then I realized I had made the wrong turn coming out of the shelter and had actually been hiking south for 3.5 miles. So¢¦ I turned around and headed north. Again. By 10:10 I was back to the shelter where I had stayed by hiking an extra 7 miles, giving my friends a 3 hour head start. I hiked as fast as I could and arrived at the Partnership Shelter at 3 pm. Rabid had ordered me a pizza and left it there for me. Thank you, Rabid. I ate half and saved the rest for dinner. I arrived at the Chatfield Shelter at 7:30 pm for a total hiking time of 12:20 and total hiking miles of 24.7. It has been a very long day. We will see how I feel tomorrow.
Date: 2010-05-13
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: VA11/Atkins, VA
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I was up at 6:05 am this morning and anxious to get to Atkins for a real breakfast. It was a dry fairly warm (63 °F in the tent this morning) night. I hiked out of the Chatfield Shelter at 6:55 am and I had guidance from Rabid, Dejar Thru, AND Freight Train on the proper direction to go. It was a mostly downhill relatively smooth trail down to VA11 where we all had breakfast at the Barn Restaurant. We called the Happy Hiker Hostel and Ram Bunny picked us up at 11:30 am and brought us to her hostel. I did laundry, took a shower, mailed journals to Transcriber and got supplies for the next few days. Ram Bunny fixed a huge dinner for the 6 of us. It was delicious. I mostly packed up, watched the AT Video by National Geographic and am ready to turn in.
Date: 2010-05-14
From: VA11/Atkins, VA

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Today I was up at 6 am and having coffee by 6:30 am followed by breakfast ¢ served at 7 am. It was huge and quite filling for the 6 hikers there. It was a good group ¢ Limestone (63, his 4th attempt to thru-hike the AT), Dejar Thru (she thru-hiked the AT in 1997 and is doing it again), Tenderfoot (69, she thru-hiked the trail and is now doing a section southbound), Freight Train (he got his trail name because he snores so loud) and Ace (because she was wrapped up in Ace bandages the first few weeks). And, of course, the hostel hostess, Ram Bunny. She thru-hiked the trail in 2000, 2001, and 2002. There was a lot of hiking experience sitting around that table. I started hiking at 8:30 am. It was warm and humid. In the morning I hiked through tunnels of rhododendrons, mostly pink but some red, in full bloom. At times there were also flaming azalea (orange) in among the rhododendron. At the side of the trail on the ground there were some fiery pink (which are bright red flowers with 5 notched petals). It was very pretty. In the afternoon the trail passed through miles of green cow pastures and we had to be careful where we stepped (see picture). It was quite warm and we passed by the Holston River where Freight Train, Ace, Limestone and I took a dip ¢ very refreshing. A short time later we came across a cooler of Trail Magic and the soda hit the spot. It is 8:50 pm and I am in the tent listening to a thunderstorm.
Date: 2010-05-15
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Ascent 4750', descent 4990', duration 12 h. It stopped raining during the night and the tent was virtually dry in the morning so I didn¢t even have to wrap it in my trash bag to keep the rest of the things in my backpack from getting wet. I was up at 6:15 am and hiking an hour later in humid weather. The trail was wet from the rain and I slipped on a tree root and went down ¢ gently, thanks to my hiking pole, but in the process bent the pole. It is still usable but at less than full strength. When I got cell coverage at 10:30 am, halfway up the next mountain, I called Mrs. Trog and requested she send one of my spare hiking poles to Pearisburg where I should be early next week. (Thank you!!) The cell connection was marginal but the message got through. Today the hike was a long relentless climb, a long ridge walk on rocks, and a long relentless downhill at the end of the day. I covered 19 miles and it took me 12 h because of the slow going. I got in to camp at 7:15 pm and set up my tent, got water, and made dinner. It was a scramble to get done before the thunderstorm and rain hit. It is 11:30 pm and a second thunderstorm just came through. Hopefully it will clear before the morning. Then I will just be Trogging along.
Date: 2010-05-16
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helvey's Mill Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Ascent 3060', descent 2550'. It rained last night ¢ a couple of thunderstorms but by the morning the rain had stopped. The tent was still wet, so I packed it in my trash bag before stowing it in my backpack. It was slower packing up because of the wet but I got hiking by 7:30 am ¢ a long climb to start then a smooth road walk. I found Trail Magic at Laurel Creek (an apple) and then the trail climbed, followed by a long ridge walk on a very smooth path. Just before Bastian I came upon more Trail Magic. This time I had a 12 oz can of Dr Pepper and it really hit the spot. Thank you Trail Angels. I reached the Helveys Shelter at 2:10 pm, intending to cook dinner and then to hike on and camp but it was not to be. A major thunderstorm erupted even before I could start cooking. The hikers I had been moving with came into the shelter shortly after 5 pm. We are all staying in the shelter tonight. It is still raining. We hope to resupply on the way and get hot food before hiking on to a campsite tomorrow. In the shelter now are Dodger, Ace, Limestone, Rabid, Dersu and Bearheart.
Date: 2010-05-17
From: Helvey's Mill Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: light rain

It rained all last night but was only raining lightly when I got up at 6:15 am. The whole shelter got going at about the same time. I packed, had my bagel breakfast and was on my way at 7 am in the light rain. The trails were wet in places but in surprisingly good shape in light of the heavy rain last night. We again started the day with a climb out of the shelter location. It rained off and on and the trail was wet and muddy in places but relatively smooth so my pace was ¢fast¢ for me. I reached the Jenny Knob Shelter at 10 miles before noon, had a snack, and moved on. I reached VA606 at 2:10 pm and hiked 0.4 mi to a small store where I got some supplied, a sub for lunch, and a pizza that I packed up to have later for dinner. Then Limestone and I hiked on to the Wapiti Shelter to stay the night. This gave us a total of 24.0 AT miles today. I hope my knee feels ok tomorrow. This distance set us up so we can make it into Pearisburg tomorrow. I arrived at the shelter at 7:12 pm, set up for the night and had cold pizza and a warm 16 oz coke for dinner. Yum. It has stopped raining (for the moment). It is 9:08 am and I am in the shelter. Another hiker just got here ¢ it looks like he is going to pitch his tent. Time to turn off the headlamp for now but tomorrow I will just be Trogging along.
Date: 2010-05-18
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

Last night it rained some more but stopped by morning and the skies were clearing. I was up at 6 am, packed up and hiking at 6:30 am. (It is much faster to pack up when I sleep in a shelter). The hiking today was a lot slower with a much rocky trail. To make it worse, the rocks were wet and slippery. This required a lot more care in foot placement. I reached Doc¢s Knob Shelter after 8.4 miles at 11:50 and got water and had a cold pizza lunch. I headed out at 12:30 and went the wrong way ¢ AGAIN. It was 1:15 and 2.3 miles later that I discovered my error. I backtracked and reached the shelter ¢ the same shelter that is ¢ at 2:45 pm. The error cost me 2 h 15 min and 4.6 miles on what should have been an ¢easy¢ 16.6 mile day. Today I actually hiked 21.2 miles although only 16.6 are AT miles. The afternoon was long and arduous hiking on the slippery rock-strewn trail and then to close out today¢s hike with a steep 2000 ft downhill. It rained off and on during the afternoon so the downhill hike was extra greasy. I only fell once when I stepped on a wet rock but my backpack cushioned my fall. I¢m in my motel room now and ready to switch off the lamp.
Date: 2010-05-19
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It has been a relaxing day as I am taking a ¢zero¢ to give the body a much-needed rest after a number of hard hiking days. I was up at 7:30 am and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast at DQ followed by a trip to the post office to pick up a replacement for my bent hiking pole (thank you, Mrs. Trog), and to mail the latest journal pages to Transcriber. I ate lunch at a Chinese buffet with Limestone, Rabid, Ace, Freight Train and Dodger. In the afternoon, I resupplied at a Super WalMart (Limestone drove us in his rental car ¢ thanks, Limestone). Next, a haircut ¢ yes, a real Trail haircut!, and dinner at Pizza Plus with the crew. The skies threatened but it is did not rain today. Tomorrow the weather forecaster is calling for partly cloudy skies but we will see. It is 8:30 pm and I am packing my backpack for an early start tomorrow morning. Then I will be just Trogging Along.
Date: 2010-05-20
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: clear sky

It was a long day today. I was up at 6 am, out of the motel by 6:30 am, and hiking back the one mile to where I left the AT. I stopped for breakfast on the way at Hardees but it was not very good. At 7:30 am, I was back hiking on the AT. It was 55 °F and I was comfortable in shorts and a short sleeved T-shirt. The trail started out level for about 2m I followed by a relentless 2000 ft ascent that also featured a lot of poison ivy along the trail, sometimes above knee height. I reached the Rice Field Shelter at 11:50 am and stopped for a bologna & cheese with tuna salad on hamburger bun sandwiches. It may not sound good, but it sure tasted good. Freight Train, Limestone and Kumquat were also lunching there. I left at 12:30 pm to embark on a long ridge walk on a sometimes rocky trail. The hiking was treacherous. Next I encountered a 1000 ft descent that ended at the Pine Swamp Branch Shelter at 6:50 pm. I got water, set up tent, cooked dinner and am now in the tent writing this journal by the light of my headlamp. It is 9:30 pm and 66 °F in the tent. I hear the relaxing sound of a rushing stream not far away. Time to turn off the lamp and call it a night. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

It was another long day. The trails were rocky in many places and there were long and steep ups and downs. It took me almost 12.5 hours to traverse 18.5 miles although that time does include a 30 min lunch and a 60 min dinner. I was up at my usual 6 am, hiking by 7 am, and arrived at my destination, the Laurel Creek Shelter, at 7:25 pm. On the bright side, I walked through forests of pink mountain laurel ¢ very, very pretty. In one place, the mountain laurel made a tunnel of pink through which the AT passed. At another area the woods were spotted with both yellow and flaming-orange azalea, another beautiful sight. Although rain threatened today, the rain never fell ¢ but I am in the shelter tonight, just in case. Hopefully there will be no bugs. The temperature is a pleasant 64 °F. Also staying in the shelter are Kumquat, Freight Train, Limestone and Sly (from French Quebec). It is 9:20 pm and time to turn in. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: moderate rain

This morning I was up at 6 am and hiking by 6:30 am in shorts and a T-shirt. The hike today started out with an 1800 ft climb then a 1500 ft descent, another 1200 ft climb, and a long (5-mile) ridge walk on rocks sometimes as large as a house roof and slanted at a similar pitch. During the walk along the ridge, it started to rain ¢ sometimes hard ¢ and lasted for the duration. Following the ridge walk was a 2000 ft descent where I came across some Trail Magic. SuperDave (2002) and his wife Doris cooked hamburgers with all the fixings and also had a selection of sodas. I devoured 2 cheeseburgers and 2 12-oz Cokes, providing me the energy to do the next 9 miles and reach the Pickle Shelter. This was a very long day: 22.5 Trail miles plus another 0.5 miles into the shelter. I was hiking for >13 hours. Tomorrow will be shorter. I plan to short-term resupply at the Catawaba Grocery just 0.3 miles off the trail and also get lunch there tomorrow. It rained for a while after I got the tent up but has now stopped. Hopefully it will dry out by the time I pack up in the morning. There are two June bugs buzzing around the outside of the tent, attracted by the light of my headlamp. They are making a lot of noise but can¢t get in. I¢m sure they will go away when my light goes out. It is 9:30 pm¢¦ goodnight. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

I passed the 700-mile mark today. It rained last night but my tent stayed dry - as did I. I was up at 6 am but it was slow packing up because of the wetness. I ate my 800-calorie breakfast in the tent then packed up the wet tent using Highlander II¢s technique. When I set it up tonight, the interior was still dry and the packed tent did not get the rest of my backpack items wet. Today I climbed and descended the Dragon¢s Tooth which required a significant amount of hard work. The poles were just in the way. Fortunately the rain held off although the roots were still damp from rain the night before. I resupplied and had lunch at the Calawba grocery, a 0.4 mile hike off of the Trail. It rained for a short time while there. I had 2 toasted chicken salad sandwiches, potato chips, 2 16-oz Cokes, and a pint of chocolate ice cream for lunch. Tasty. After lunch was an upward climb and a long 5 mile ridge walk during which there was rain and a thunderstorm with crashing booms of thunder. The final climb was the 1000 ft McAfee Knob followed by a 500 ft descent to the Campbell Shelter. I¢m in a tent, as are approximately 20 other hikers. I can hear spring peepers tonight. It is 10:15 pm and 64 °F in the tent ¢ should be comfortable sleeping. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-05-24
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

It rained early this morning but stopped before packing ¢ not soon enough to avoid having to pack up a wet tent (again). I was up at 6:15 am and hiking by 7:30 am wearing my rain jacket and shorts in 63 °F temperatures and heavy mist. During the day it rained on and off, making the rocks in the trail slippery and the trail muddy in places. I arrived at the motel around 4 pm and am sharing a room with Freight Train. Limestone met a friend in town. I did the usuals: laundry, showered (after we got our room moved because the shower in the first room didn¢t work), had barbeque for dinner, and got supplies. The plan is to hike out first thing tomorrow morning. I have been enjoying the sight and sweet fragrance of wild roses the past few days but have also seen a lot of kudzou vine, a very invasive green vine with thorns. It was imported from Japan because people thought it would make a great groundcover. Unfortunately now it is taking over the Trail. They will need to do something about it in the near future. It is late ¢ 11:30 pm ¢ and time to call it a night. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-05-25
From: Daleville, VA

To: Camp after Bobblets Shelter
Miles today: 18.7

Today I passed the 1/3 point ¢ yeah!! Also, coming out of Daleville, there were patches of wild honeysuckle giving off their pleasant, sweet fragrance, which made it very enjoyable to hike along the trail. I was up at 6 am, took a shower, ate a hot breakfast that came with the room, packed up and was hiking at 8:10 am in shorts and a T-shirt. The skies were threatening rain but it did not come until after I had lunch by a stream at 12:30. The rain only lasted for a short time and I was able to shed my rain jacket once the sun came out. The skies continued to threaten but no additional rain materialized. The part of the AT where I am hiking now is at a point where it runs roughly parallel with the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). At the third BRP crossing I encountered some great Trail Magic put on by Shameless (2009 thru hiker). He had a grill with hamburgers, hot dogs, buns, all the fixings, chips and drinks. There were already a number of hikers there when I arrived but there was plenty left for me too. It was a great surprise and treat and served as my dinner today. Thank you Shameless. The shelter was full and had no tent spots so I hiked on and camped by the trail. It is 9:20 pm and a whippoorwill has been calling for about 10 min. My light is going out. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-05-26
From: Camp after Bobblets Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

It did not rain last night. I was up by 6 am and packed up inside the tent. Then I had to hike back 0.5 miles to the shelter to get water making it a 1.0 mile hike ¢ then I finished packing up. After eating breakfast, I was hiking by 7:45 am. It did not rain all day long. The morning hike was mostly ridge walking with generally smooth trails. I stopped for lunch by a creek and watched bass feed on little tadpoles. The afternoon comprised 2 hill climbs and descents in quite hot (87 °F) weather. The first climb was 1000 ft followed by a 2500 ft climb for the second. These climbs were demanding for me. The trail was a strip of dirt in a carpet of green, mostly jewelweed with a few pretty blue flowers dotting the side of the trail. I am at the Cornelius Creek Shelter with Limestone, Blitzo, Legend and Squash. All are in tents. Bug season is upon us¢¦ Another hiker just came in and is pitching his tent. It is 9:15 pm and 68 °F in the tent. Time to turn off the light and get some sleep. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-05-27
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Campsite on James River
Miles today: 18.5

I am sitting on a log at a campsite by the James River. It is 8:20 pm and the sun has just set. The temperature is 81 °F and it is quite humid. It did not rain; thunderstorms were expected in the afternoon but they did not happen. My tent is set up and ready for me. The group I have been hiking with over the past several days has dissipated and I am alone at this campsite. It is about 1 mile to US501 where I plan to catch a ride into Glasgow for resupply first thing in the morning. Today¢s hike of 18.5 miles was unremarkable other than the temperature reaching 90 °F during the afternoon. The air was also very humid ¢ rather uncomfortable weather for hiking. I met Gray Wolf (1998), Slow Train, Yahtzee (the game) and Nesfah. I would love to take a swim in the James River but it is too late and I would need time to dry off. There is a gentle breeze off and on ¢ hopefully that will cool it down tonight. ¢ Just Trogging Along