morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-27
From: 1 mile past Dismal Falls Trail

To: Pearisburg (Holy Family Church Hostel)
Miles today: 21.5

I did an excellent job of setting up the hammock last night and it kept me dry and condensation free. There is a side of me, called the ambitious side, that wants to hike twenty miles every morning. Then there is the lazy side that says take it easy, there is no rush, how about we just camp. Today both sides said to hike the twenty because if I get to town a day early, I can zero tomorrow. It is amazing to me when I look at a map and plan to travel across the entire thing. I pushed as hard as I dared, but they make the miles longer around here for some reason. It was taking forever and I found myself looking at the map in disbelief that I wasn't making better time. I stopped in the first shelter to eat without being rained on. I had an almost 2,000 foot climb and 14 more miles to go. The only people I saw were a couple day-hikers and Papillion. Papillion is a French Canadian I met a couple days ago. I would feel better if he didn't name himself after a French escaped convict. There is yet another side of me called the overoptimistic side. That side keeps telling me I'm much further than I really am just to be brought back to reality time after time. Pretty soon, my feet started to tell all sides enough is enough it is time to set up camp. I still pushed on down off the ridge. It was really steep and muddy. I can't believe I didn't wind up with a muddy butt, because I slid out of control the whole way down. In town, I hit Hardees and Dairy Queen. I called Jess to let her know where I was. It is a 2.9 mile walk to get to the hostel. The hostel is provided by a Catholic church, but it is full. Loser was there and I was able to talk to him for a while. We had 2 weeks of catching up to do. The first thing to talk about is where everyone is, and who is close behind us. Since the hostel was full, I am sleeping on their porch. I'm sure I'll get a bunk for tomorrow night. What do you expect when you walk in at 10 pm. Well, town chores tomorrow.Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-05-29
From: Pearisburg (Holy Family Church Hostel)

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

Got plenty of rest yesterday, into this morning, and into this afternoon. Finally, this rain quit and Bill came and picked me up. He took me to the post office where I mailed some extra food and gear ahead to where I will meet Jess. I weighed my pack without food, water, and fuel. Still 18 pounds, but it comes in at 30 with the food and water. I think there is a big difference between 30 and 40 pounds. I saw MG at the Post Office and she did not fare so well coming down the mud slide into town. Her butt was covered plus her legs. I said goodbye but I will see her again. I stopped at Dairy Queen and got burgers to go for dinner. I walked to the first shelter and ate my cheeseburgers. Loser is here, so it seems like a fine place to stop. I set up my hammock since the shelter is full. It is a foggy cold night but it is supposed to clear and warm up tomorrow. Right now, Loser is singing songs and playing guitar. He has been joined by another hiker with a mouth harp. I feel free. I am free of injuries, blisters, and all woes. My hiking ability has improved enough lately that I can count on being able to have a 20 mile day if I need one. I am completely comfortable in the forest and I've seen enough bad weather that I know I'll survive anything. Pretty soon my only complaint will be that it is too hot. I'll be wishing for a rainy day. I am in what is considered central Virginia. Pretty soon, I will get to the Shenandoah Valley, then Pennsylvania, on to New England, shoot up through Maine, and climb Mount Katahdin. It is that simple. Shouldn't take more than four months. I just hope I can get a ride back from Maine. It would suck to have to walk.      Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Wind Rock
Miles today: 20.1

It was very windy and foggy last night. I stayed very dry, but the flapping of my rain fly kept me awake most of the night. Last night, Turtle, Loser, Sven-Saw, and his wife Looney were at the shelter. I hiked with Loser for most of the morning. Loser walks with a purpose. Hiking isn't the purpose though. He stares straight ahead and doesn't look at the trail. He stumbles often and has terrible foot placement. Worst of all, he tramples the wildlife. Now the birds, squirrels, and deer are safe because they are faster than Loser. But salamanders, centipedes, snails, and fish are destined to have his boot tread reshape their soft bodies. I tell you, it is disgusting to walk behind him. When I was a day behind him, I noticed the trampled critters and wondered who would do such a thing. Then I walked right behind him for a morning. First, he narrowly missed a bright orange salamander. I said, "You almost stepped on that salamander." He said he didn't notice the very bright orange salamander. Soon I see a half smashed centipede, still trying to wiggle out of his footprint. Someone should do something to stop this carnage. I may contact the ATC or game wardens if he doesn't start looking where he goes.   He walks pretty fast, so I took a break and he moved on to the shelter where he took lunch. I met up with him and the others and ate a little. I don't have my usual good lunch food, so I had a few crackers and candy bars. When I met everyone again at the next shelter, I decided to go another 4 miles so I could get to the hostel that I'm going to meet Jess at a day early. I was hoping Loser would come along. There is a girl named Gazelle that is one day ahead. It is obvious that she and Loser were meant for each other. Loser is staying at the shelter, especially since a church youth group is there so he can have a little gospel concert. He worries so much about everybody else¢s souls and never his. Maybe I can catch Gazelle and slow her down. While I walked, I noticed how the trail wasn't littered with smashed animals. When I got to the campsite, there was a small group of campers there. It turned out that there is a little party here. They have Yingling beer and Jim Beam. They brought a guitar and have a little drum circle on the cooler. They did a little be-bop song that chanted "Dutch". They have been very cool to me, and are treating me like a celebrity. I'm a little worried about the big miles I'm planning for tomorrow. I am still 40 miles from the hostel. Oh well, I'll worry about that tomorrow.   Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-05-31
From: Wind Rock

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow, did I get drunk last night. I didn't think I had that much, but I haven't had any alcohol since Gatlinburg over a month ago. I have been avoiding it because it dehydrates me. I think my raised metabolism speeds the alcohol though my system. In any case, it was the first time I set up my hammock and slept in it intoxicated. Turns out I didn't do a very good job of it and when it rained I got wet. Just about everything I own is soaked. I managed to keep my books and my spare clothes dry. I packed up and said goodbye to everyone who was still awake from last night. Soon I ran into JJ. He is very ill with a virus that has been going around and is getting off the trail for a little while. I had intensions of doing 23 miles today, but it was a very unrealistic goal. There are two times that the trail comes down off a ridge and up on another one. It is a 1,500 foot climb and descent every time. The weather has been very unkind and walking in mud is the norm. Sometimes it is so slick and steep it seems impossible to move just one step. The valleys have turned to marshes. There is mud there you could loose a shoe in. All the streams are swollen, so the stepping stones are submerged. I got hit by one thunderstorm after another. The sun would come out for 10 minutes then another wave of black clouds and wind. I didn't see many hikers and think everyone is taking a short day and staying at shelters. I am doing the same, and am sharing it with a married couple. They contradict each other constantly. It has to be hard to spend 24 hours a day with the same person, especially in lousy conditions. I really wanted to go further. Now if I want to get to the hostel tomorrow, I will have to walk 22 miles. I only really have enough food for tomorrow, but I could make it stretch a little more. Well, goodnight. Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-06-01
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: 2 miles past Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: overcast clouds

It was incredibly windy last night. The nighttime temperatures have been in the low 50s. Many people sent their winter bags home at Damascus and it isn't really any warmer now than most of the hike. I mailed my summer bag ahead to the hostel where I'll meet Jess tomorrow. The couple I was with last night did everything they could to stay warm. Tonight it is supposed to get down to the 40s. They will get cold. I had to ration my food today, a sure sign of good planning. I won't starve, but I'll be hungry when I get to town. I tried to hike the 22 miles to get to a warm bed, but my aching feet won't hear of it. The trail has been rough and my feet have a couple blisters. One is on the back of my foot. It hurt so bad today I was walking backwards uphill. I'm going to hike in my Teva sandals for the last 4 miles tomorrow. I'm hoping I can get cleaned up before Jess gets there at noon. I get to sleep under the stars since there is no rain forecasted for tonight. It actually was a beautiful day for a change. I'm going to bed early so I can get an early start tomorrow. Goodnight.Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-06-02
From: 2 miles past Pickle Branch Shelter

To: VA 624
Miles today: 4.0

Slept well under the stars last night. I wanted to get a good start since I will be meeting Jess at noon. All I have to do is hike over Dragon Tooth and I'm home free. They never have friendly names like Kitty Mountain or Happy Hill. Well, Dragon's Tooth is a couple of huge flat rocks balanced up on their end. They tower 60 feet high. I had time, so I went back the 1/2 mile trail to check it out. Soon I was back on the trail but not for long. I took a wrong turn and I was heading down a wash instead of the trail. It was ridiculously steep, but I kept heading down it. It only took about 1 minute to realize I was lost. The hill got too steep to keep going down, and up looked just as hard. I didn't know which direction to take, so I headed for the only discernable landmark: Dragon's Tooth. It was rock climbing at its finest. It was really, really tough but it put me back on the trail. From there, I found how I missed the turn. It was a big white arrow pointing left that I missed when I was taking a picture of the tooth. Well, the climb wasn't much better than the wash. It was one rock climb after another. I can't imagine how people get down here with dogs. Some boulders have ladders mounted on them. It was very frustrating because I had a time limit. I finally made my way to the bottom. It took me 4 hours to go 4 miles. There was some trail magic. A trail angel left sodas, candy bars, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I hadn't had anything to eat all day, so it was great. I went to the Four Pines Hostel to meet Jess. I got a shower, and she was right on time. We got a hotel in Salem, VA and time passed. Good night. Peace, Dutch
Date: 2003-06-03
From: VA 624

To: VA 624, Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Well, I had good intensions of hiking out of here. I belong to a hunting club called Four Pines Hunting Club, so it is just fate for me to take a zero here. Actually, the rain was a deciding factor in this zero. It has rained and rained lately. This has been the rainiest May ever. Over 10 inches of the wet stuff. I'm hardly complaining, especially since I'm warm and dry. When I saw what kind of day it was, I had Jess drop me off at the hostel. This hostel actually is a huge three car garage. If you ask me, this is a waste of a three car garage. I would frame my own mother-in-law and let her rot in jail for a garage like this. Since I'm zeroing, a lot of people have caught up to me including Loa, MG, Baltimore Jack, Moo and 42, Barking Spiders and his methane ecosystem, and Rambler. Baltimore Jack and I played a game of chess. He plays chess like he hikes. He picks up a piece and slams it down with lightning speed. It was close, but he beat me, dammit. I ordered a pizza and a six pack. There are 24 hikers here getting shelter from the rain. I managed to push ahead of the crowds just to let Jack's entourage of slack-packing slack-jawed cronies catch up. Okay, I'm still a little upset about the chess game. When Jack took off his socks for the first time in 75 miles, two of his toenails fell off. Another girl has lost 8 so far. Jack's feet are the grossest I've ever seen by far. His toes are all sorts of colors and point in all the wrong directions. Makes me think 8 consecutive thru-hikes may not be a good idea. I am still in the afterglow of Jess's visit. Although it was brief, I think it was the best of the three. We got to talk on a level that I have missed. Hikers are OK if you want to talk about the weather, but beyond that the conversation usually dwindles into some senseless ramblings about steep hills and mud. I probably won't see Jess for another month. By that time, I will be close to PA. If any of my PA friends want meet up with me and hike for awhile, e-mail me and I'll set something up. Well, time for lights out.   Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-06-04
From: VA 624, Four Pines Hostel

To: Hay Rock, Tinker Ridge
Miles today: 21.5

I was the first one out of the garage/hostel in the morning. I had to go to the store about a half a mile away to call in my journal. MG asked me to get her a box of tampons. I've never done this before. I asked if there was a lesbian type or style, but she said the plumbing is the same and regular would do. She was already on the trail by the time I got back from the store and it took me about an hour to catch her. I'm glad, too; I could imagine me falling off a cliff and my possessions being sent back to Jess. Tampons would surely confuse her. It was raining but it was warm and it just felt like it was temporary. I ran into hikers all day and decided to put in a big day to get away from last night¢s crowd. I also would like to catch Loser. He is more than a day ahead of me. I ran into Papillion (the crazy Canadian). He has only 50 more miles to go and he is done. He Hiked from Maine to Virginia last year and will be finishing in a couple days. I hope I can hike with him for his last day. He applied for a nursing job in Pearisburg an apparently got one offer. It is difficult since he has to get visas and go through immigration. In the afternoon, I stopped at Tinker Cliffs. These are really neat cliffs that have spectacular views. Since I hadn't stopped for lunch, it made a great place to snack and air out my feet. The rain had given me a reprieve and the sun was shining. There were these huge hawks gliding around trying to soar on the updrafts that the ridge provided. They would fly right in front of me about 15 feet away. There were about 15 of them and they seemed to be playing follow the leader. The radio kept telling me there is dry weather on the way. But I could see another row of thunderstorm clouds brewing off to the west. Soon it rained and rained hard. I found a rocky outcrop that gave me a little shelter. That is, until the wind changed direction. Since I was already soaked, I hiked to keep warm. Then the radio came on to tell me there were severe thunderstorms coming, and a flood watch was in effect till 11:30. It wasn't until around 9:00 that it calmed down enough to set up. I am extremely tired after walking 21 miles. I love to put in the big days, though, and I love to add another 20+ day to my list. Even after only walking 4 in the past 2 days. Tomorrow I will go into Troutville and get my re-supply. I'm only 6 miles away from my next cheeseburger. Peace,DutchI might not know where I am....But I'm not lost!
Date: 2003-06-05
From: Hay Rock, Tinker Ridge

To: US 220 Daleville
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: broken clouds

I was really tired when I went to hammock last night. Got plenty of sleep and it was hard to get up. It is a beautiful morning with the sun shining with all its glory. My feet hurt, so I hiked in my Teva sandals again. All was going very well, but it was very muddy from last evening¢s torrential rains. I stopped to rinse my feet off in a stream when Monster, Rambler, and Barking Spiders came by. They were giving all kinds of peer pressure to stay in town and get a shuttle to Home Place. Home Place is well known as the best AYCE (all you can eat) restaurant on the trail. So there it is. Do I hike a whole bunch or go pig out? Well, a 4 mile day is much better than a zero. Barking Spiders and I got a room and we got shuttled with about 10 other people to Home Place. Let me tell you, the food was wonderful. It was truly family style, meaning they brought out plates of food and we passed them around like it was thanksgiving. There were real mash potatoes and gravy, roast beef, fried chicken, biscuits, baked beans. Another special treat was that hikers were shuttled from many parts of the trail, so I got to see a lot of people from behind. I ate so much I think I heard my intestine rip. I feel very guilty for not hiking much lately. I am going to really hit it hard after here. Honest I am. Peace,DutchI might not know where I am....But I'm not lost!
Date: 2003-06-06
From: US 220 Daleville

To: 1 mile past Bearwallow Gap
Miles today: 22.7

I feel so guilty for only doing 4 miles yesterday. Also, it was a perfect day with some of the very rare sunshine. Today is supposed to be nice, too, so I will make the most of it. I had a big continental breakfast compliments of Best Western. I didn't do any grocery shopping yesterday, so I made a quick trip to Krogers. I picked up some bagels, salami, and hot pepper cheese. I know it's heavy, but it is so rewarding to have something you don't just unwrap and eat in 4 bites. I hit the trail around 10am. I must say I do feel good and all my recent rest can be attributed to it. I have been keeping pace with Doc and Llama, a married couple. They met on the trail when they thru-hiked in 99. Since then, they have also hiked the PCT and recently got married. So now they are hiking the AT again. They have a dog; it is one of the few dogs that doesn't have a backpack. They carry all its food and water. Doc got tired of not having a place to sit so he bought a chair. It is a lawn chair, the kind with an aluminum frame, plastic handles, and webbing straps. It looks funny strapped to his pack. When I got to a shelter, Iron Chef of Connecticut came by. I have been waiting to meet him and he has been trying to catch me. Both of us have heard of each other's trail cooking ability. I gave him one of my dehydrated spaghetti sauces. I kept going until I ran into Monster and Rambler. They are slack packing, and had a beer and a seat for me. I ate a sub for dinner that I bought at Krogers. It was 6pm and I decided to push on to the next shelter. I am rushing because I am trying to catch Papillion (the crazy Canadian).   He hiked from Maine to the middle of Virginia last year and is finishing it this year. He has about 20 miles to go and he is done. I think it would be neat to be able to congratulate him when he does it. I thought he might be at the next shelter. The trail parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway through here and is pretty easy. At 8 I got to the shelter but Papillion has moved on already. MG was there and she looked like she moved in. The next shelter is 6 miles away. I figure I might as well try for it, even though I only have 1 hour of daylight left. I hiked as fast as I could until finally I had to put on my headlamp. Good thing I put new batteries in it. All was going fine; then I heard a rustling in the leaves beside me. There was also a rattle which clued me in it was a rattle snake. I made it to a road crossing where I had a hard time finding where the trail reenters the woods. I hiked another mile and realized it was going on 10 pm. That is time to stop so I found a campsite to string up my hammock. We are really going to get pounded with rain tonight into tomorrow. They are calling for 3 inches by tomorrow night. I made sure the hammock was set up well to keep me dry. I am beat. This has been my longest day and I had a late start. This is my two year anniversary for quitting smoking, thank goodness. Well, it is very late and starting to rain.      Peace,DutchYou're not just ashes when your dreams come true.
Date: 2003-06-07
From: 1 mile past Bearwallow Gap

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: moderate rain

It really rained last night. I must have set up my hammock right because I wasn't wet. The only thing that was wet was the garbage bag around my pack, my food bag, and my rain fly. The only problem is that if I break the seal and get out everything will get wet. The rain kept bucketing all morning. The radio said the worst is yet to come. They are calling for 3 inches of rain and a flood watch till 8pm. I figured I'm not going anywhere. I was going to spend 32 hours straight in my hammock without food or water. I spent the morning reading and resting. Then, just when they said it would get worse, it stopped raining. I got out and got something to eat. I was packed up by 1:30 and started hiking. I didn't do many miles but it could have been a zero. I made a good dinner and found a bunk in a very nice shelter. Tomorrow I have to climb 3000 feet. I am right behind Loser, MG, and Papillion.Peace,Dutch