morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-26
From: Crawfish Valley, VA

To: Walker Gap, VA
Miles today: 17.9

Woke up this morning to the turkeys as my alarm clock. They didn't have a snooze button, but I slept in just the same. I was about the last one to leave camp. Climbed up out of the valley, and over the next ridge. Popped out into rolling green hills and wound around those for awhile. Lots of fence stiles to go over today, going from one field to the next. The sun was out for the most part, with some clouds lurking. All the ups and downs seemed to wear me out this morning. Ran out of gas and went a little further to eat lunch at a shelter. By this point, it had clouded up again. I ate like a horse and then pushed on. It didn't seem to help much. Took a sit-down break a couple hours later. It wasn't until the sky darkened and the wind picked up that I was really motivated to move. Had a big climb to the top of Chestnut Ridge, about two thousand feet or so. The top of the ridge was open and grassy, so I expected the rain to start immediately based on my previous experience. It didn't rain just then, but it looked like it might. So I hauled it across the ridge, but I did stop to look at the views once or twice. Stopped in at the shelter up top; the wind was howling. At least the building had 4 sides, but it was whistling. Headed on down out of the wind to the next gap. Got a little wet on the way, but no worries. Settled in with the same crew from yesterday. I'll hit Bland tomorrow for a couple things to tide me over until I get to Pearisburg. Not sure I'll stay there, hell, might not even go there, but that's tomorrow's problem.
Date: 2005-04-27
From: Walker Gap, VA

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: light rain

Up and out earlier than usual this morning. Doc decided to get up well before the sun (5:30ish) and stomp around making a racket. Amusingly enough, he ended up misplacing something and had to wait until the sun came up to find it. Justice served. Walked along the ridgeline for most of the morning. Great views on either side of the green valleys below. The leaves still aren't out, so it was easy to see. The sun played hide-and-seek in the clouds and a cold wind blew across the top. The cold kept me from lingering too long at the rock outcroppings that served as overlooks. Sean and BamBam caught up with me and I ended up hiking with them for most of the day. Today's weather was a mix of rain and sun. We got some hail for a little while just after lunch, then a bunch of rain. At least the rain bursts were short-lived. We got off of the ridgeline and spent some time walking beside a river. We had a lot of stream crossings as the trail wound along the water. Somewhere, I decided to forget the ridiculous rock-hopping and hiked in sandals for a mile or two. Made the stream crossings easier, but not so much the hiking in between. The water numbed my toes and made me glad that I didn't have to do this section in the freezing temps and snow we had a few days ago. The trail left the river and headed uphill until it found a contour line to follow. By the time we hit the road-to-Bland crossing, it was nearly 6. As Sean, Bam and I are walking along the road, I says, "Hey, we should celebrate our longest day so far by going into Bland and getting some beers to take to the shelter." That comment was met with laughter. I says, "No, I'm serious." So, after no further convincing, there we were trying to hitch into Bland. We didn't score a ride right away probably due to the fact that there wasn't much traffic and we were looking pretty sketchy. So, we started road-walking it the 3 1/2 miles toward Bland. Fortunately, we only went about 1/2 mile before we got picked up and dropped off at the grocery store. I did a mini resupply and we started walking the 1/2 mile to the DQ by I-77 to get dinner. While we were walking, the heavens opened above us and the rain poured down. And then the wind started and only got worse. Soaked. A Subway was closer, so there we went. At this point, I had no interest in going back onto the trail. Did I mention there was a motel right next to the Subway? A seed was planted. As we sat there, wet, eating our sandwiches, the seed grew and we all reached the conclusion that we were done for the day. As the sun set, we walked over to the motel and got a room. Hot shower. Beer. Baseball on TV. One funny thing about the place was that there wasn't a single car in the parking lot, yet as I walked along the front of the motel, most of the rooms had people in them. Hikers, as one might guess. Our neighbors turned out to be Team GB. Sophie and Craig had hiked their 500 miles and were heading off to see the rest of the world. We stayed up late having a little send-off for them.
Date: 2005-04-28
From: Bland, VA

To: Kimberling Creek, VA
Miles today: 19.6

Woke up this morning to Heald busting in the door to tell us that Ezra's dad was outside and waiting to shuttle folks up to the trail. I dragged myself out of bed and packed up. I would have liked to have slept longer, and I thought about it, but I wasn't going to pass up an easy lift. There was some more standing around, but I got up to the trail and started hiking about 9:30. Felt funky for awhile, but that got better as the day went on. After a steep little climb, the trail ran along a ridge. The terrain was pretty easy and there were a few spots to stop and look down on the valley. Green fields and all shades of green from the trees starting to leaf out on the hill sides. Aside from that, there really wasn't a lot interesting about today. I listened to the radio while I hiked, mostly classical music today. Not sure why, but it worked. The rain held off until early evening. I found the campsite where Heald, Biscuit, English Bob, Vapor and Bedhead (Andrew when we started) were camping. It drizzled most the evening as we piled into Heald's tee-pee and hung out until just after dark. It was a good time and a nice cap to a so-so day on the trail.
Date: 2005-04-29
From: Kimberling Creek, VA

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Lots of excitement by the river last night. Heard the beavers slapping their tails on the water, at least I think they were beavers, and some creatures fighting in the woods. Rain came and broke it up. This morning it was still raining. Packed up everything and eventually got up the will power to get out of my tent. Packing up a wet tent is just no fun, either. Got out a tad before 9. Still raining then too and it kept up for the rest of the morning. I walked with Heald for awhile until we got to the first shelter. The terrain was pretty easy, just a slight uphill all the way. Stopped at the shelter and ate some lunch. By then, I was well water-logged. It seems my rain jacket is no longer waterproof. I took that and my T-shirt off and put on a dry shirt and my fleece as soon as I stopped to keep from getting too cold. Of course, all of the wet things get nice and cold while I'm stopped. Then, when it comes time to put them back on and hike, I scream like a little girl and take off running down the trail to try and warm up again. Such are the joys of rain and cold and hiking. At least today the air was a little warmer. After noon, the rain tapered off and as the trail climbed to the top of yet another ridge, I found myself in the fog again. It sprinkled off and on, but the trail was fairly flat, though rocky. I almost went flying a couple of times on the slick rocks that came loose and wobbled when I stepped on them. Other than those surprises, there wasn't much excitement in trail-town today. Got to the shelter for the night a little early, but it was a good thing. The rain just brings 'em in; we got 7 jammed into this one and several in tents nearby. Bedhead and English Bob blasted into Pearisburg tonight only 8 more miles, but I wasn't about to go much further today. Tomorrow I'll do a short day in, get the chores done, stay the night, then get out the following day. Yeah...that's the ticket...
Date: 2005-04-30
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: light rain

Full house last night even though it rained quite a bit. I almost wish I'd set up a tent. Folks were rustling around about 6, so I was awakened then. I was out by 7. Hiked with Biscuit and Heald down to Pearisburg. It drizzled on us and we were in a cloud the whole way down to town. We checked into a motel in town and hit the buffet for lunch. Town chores took up most of the rest of the day. After I had all the laundry and food shopping done, I enjoyed myself and hung out with the rest of the crew. Quote of the day: "When I go to town, I live the seven deadly sins." -Heald on arriving into civilization
Date: 2005-05-01
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: broken clouds

Slept in and spent the morning lazing around the motel room. Checkout wasn't until 1, so I was in no hurry. Snagged a nice big breakfast and began packing everything up. All my things were tossed around the place in hopes they would dry. They did for the most part. My crew gathered out in the parking lot and we all walked out of town toward the trail. It was sunny, but windy, though a good day for hiking. We crossed over the New River and caught the trail just next to a factory. Ah, the memories. Down low, all the leaves were out and everything was green. We took lots of breaks along the way. The trail took off uphill, as is usually the case coming out of town. Nothing like a big climb after the pack has several days worth of food and a couple quarts of water. The stopping place today was Rice Field shelter. The shelter sat next to a big meadow. We were up high, so we had great views off to the south and west. After dinner, I wandered out into the meadow to watch sunset. I was soon joined by everyone else. We were treated to a good one. We had a big fire going, so we sat around that well into the night. Hit the meadow again for a little star gazing, then off to the sleeping bag. Cold and windy this night. I slept in the shelter since there was a lot of space and it was a decent one.
Date: 2005-05-02
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up this morning and caught a glimpse of sunrise from the shelter. I propped myself up and watched all the colors, oranges mostly, streak across the sky. After a few minutes, my head was pounding and I was still tired, so I went back to sleep. Didn't get out of the bag til after 9. It didn't help that it was overcast, cold, and windy either. I felt pretty lousy. Got to hiking after 10, and got drizzled on off and on all morning. Listened to the radio and spaced out to classical music. The trail ran right along the WVa-VA state line for a brief bit. Surprisingly, West Virginia looked an awful lot like Virginia. In other news, the shoe lace on my other shoe finally snapped this morning. I got the other one broke about a week ago, so now I match. The both failed at the same spot too. These shoes are some Salomon trail runners with thin little "speed laces" supposedly made of undestructable material. I must be special. I think I'll call Salomon and share my joy with them when I hit town next time. So, anyway, I ended up with a surprise bit of road walking today. Seems the bridge tenders took some time off, let a bridge wash away, and don't have another one up. There was a sign, though - take the road or ford the river. The trail and the road both followed the river, but on different sides for a mile and a half. I nearly missed the spot where the trail crossed the road again. Heard that several folks missed it, though and kept walking the road for a lot longer than they had to. Oops. Had a killer uphill from there to cap the day. I still wasn't feeling so hot, so I made dinner and crawled in the bag.
Date: 2005-05-06
From: Catawba, VA

To: Angels Gap, VA
Miles today: 14.5

Sleeping like a bum in a gazebo did right by me. Got up, packed up and went over to the corner store for some breakfast. Coffee, biscuits, and some Little Debbies. Later we all found ourselves loitering around the side of the station. The owner popped out and offered us a ride back up to the trail. So we were spared a road walk up the hill by piling into the truck. We didn't get all ten of us in, but we could have if given enough time. The hiking went pretty fast. The terrain was gradual uphill, but I was well caffeinated from the breakfast coffee, so I didn't really notice. Matt was also hiking with me, so our conversation helped pass the miles. We made our way up to McAfee Knob for a great view. I've seen this place many times before in other people's pictures. Aside from, say, Katahdin, this was probably the most popular. So, Matt and I took some time to sit up there and take each other's pictures standing on the rock overhang. Fortunately, it was clear with only a little bit of haze so the view was great and the pictures will be good. When the rest of the crew showed up, we all built a human pyramid on the rock overhang. Ridiculous, yes, but it seemed like a good ideaa at the time. Hell, we had the people. After this, we hiked along the ridgeline and up to another view spot, Tinker Cliffs. We had a view right back up the valley of Catawba and McAfee's Knob. Sat up there for awhile and then got back to the hiking. Filled up our water jugs at the last spring and hiked on to the campsite - a cut for a pipeline. The weather is nice so no tent tonight. Sleepin' under the stars. We crossed the 700 mile mark today. 709ish. Pretty soon we'll be 1/3 of the way. Crazy. All the talk lately of Trail Days in Damascus has pushed me over the edge. I'll be going. I've sort of been on the fence, wasn't really excited about going or having to go to the trouble of getting there. But, the folks I've been with have convinced me to go with them. So, the next week will pretty much be hiking to set ourselves up to hit town next Thursday morning to begin the hitch back to Damascus. That's the plan. Let's see how it all unfolds.
Date: 2005-05-07
From: Angels Gap, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: clear sky

Uneventful night at the pipeline last night. Snicker, snicker, snicker...We woke up early to head down Daleville way for the Shoney's breakfast buffet. We trucked it down the ridgeline and made it to town in a couple hours. Walked under the interstate and into Shoney's. Like locusts, the seven of us chowed down and when I say chowed down, I mean we ate everything we could get our hands on until just the brink of sickness. Up until that point, we were all going to hike some more miles that day, about ten more, but the motivation just wasn't there. Two words - beached whales. After sitting around at the Shoney's for a little while longer, we all got up for a trip over to the outfitter store, a mere half mile away. We all got there and loitered around the outside for most the day. Bums. That evening, we hiked a little ways down the trail and camped out. Even though it rained off and on, we had a good fire that night.
Date: 2005-05-08
From: Daleville, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Mother's Day. Biscuit's mom came down from New York for a visit. Another breakfast at Shoney's, a trip to the WalMart, and a day full of laying around and eating. Split a room at the motel with some others. Laundry, food shopping, and relaxation. My feet and my knees appreciated the day off.
Date: 2005-05-09
From: Daleville, VA

To: Black Horse Gap, VA
Miles today: 13.6

Rolled out of the hotel about 9:30. Tough to get back into the swing of things after the nero and the zero in Daleville. Oh well, it was Monday and time to go back to work. I was stylishly sporting my new kilt. That's right, a kilt. A hiking kilt though, not a Scottsman's kilt. Khacki, not plaid. Had to make a fashion statement, just call me skirt boy. I'm willing to give it a shot for awhile to see if the kilt helps the chafing at all. But anyways, I hiked with Biscuit and Heald this morning. Turns out our mothers all called each other before dressing us this morning. We were each wearing blue shirts and kilts. Ridiculous. Got a good choreographed picture that will no doubt surface again should I ever run for public office. For the day, the sun was out and the temps creeped up. The climb out of Daleville was shaded, and the ridgeline was as well, thankfully. The whole crew hiked in bunches today and made lots of stops. I think it was the heat all of a sudden that took the motivation away. Stopped at the shelter. Then the stream. Then the next shelter. It's amazing we ever got to where we were going. Finally did manage to get there though. Listened to Jeopardy as we cooked dinner and ate a pie for dessert. Heald carried it up out of town. We'll all be carrying crazy stuff out of town before we know it. Watched sunset through the trees and laid out the sleeping bag. I'm going to have to start writing these things while there's still daylight, it seems. I get every bug in the forest storming my headlamp. Sheesh.
Date: 2005-05-10
From: Black Horse Gap, VA

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter, VA
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept out under the stars last night. They call it sleeping cowboy style. It's finally warmed up a little, but the bugs aren't out yet; a good time for it. Had some loud bird cackling at sun-up this morning. Like an annoying alarm clock with no snooze button. Got an early start; on the trail just after seven. Started off slowly and meandered along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trail was out of sight of the road for the most part now that we have leaves on the trees. Just about the time I'd think I was in the middle of the woods, I would hear a car go racing nearby. But I did get to wander by a few scenic overlooks along the way. I hobbled into the first shelter we passed to get my water jugs filled up before a 10 mile dry stretch. Hottest day yet, so I left there with about 5 liters of water. It was ridge walking for the most part - so lots of little ups and downs. There was a short climb with a nice view at the top, so I sat and spaced out for awhile. Then down to a river. I resisted the urge to go for a swim and sat by the bank and snacked. Then it was up and over a mountain and into the shelter. Not sure how I managed to do it, but I filled the day. Walked pretty slow. My new kilt, like everything else, fixed one pain and caused another. Except now I have to be conscious of how I sit so as not to give anyone an eyefull. I've apologized to everyone in advance.
Date: 2005-05-11
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter, VA

To: Petites Gap, VA
Miles today: 15.0

Managed to get myself up early to leave the palace by 7. It's becoming an absolute necessity now that the heat is upon us. Big ol' climb today up to the top of Apple Orchard Mountain. It was a real butt dragger, but I managed to get a couple thousand feet knocked out before it got too hot. Stumbled up to the top just after noon. The view was obstructed by a giant golf ball, or a radar antenna as you might call it, but I could see through the haze for a ways back the way I came. On my way up, I was stopped by a couple of day hikers. They yelled at me from a side trail and I had the headphones on, so I didn't hear them at first. When they got my attention, I stopped and chatted with them for a minute or two, and they gave me some cash to go buy a pizza in Waynesboro. Magic. I kept going on and went under the guillotine. The guillotine is a place where the trail goes between two rock walls. Overhead is a big ol' rock wedged in between the walls. I suppose it seems like a guillotine if you lay on the trail right, but I didn't investigate. I, instead, went onward to a nearby shelter for lunch. It was hotter than blazes so I hunkered down in the shade, ate lunch, then took a nap. Woke up as things were clouding up, so I got a move on. The rendezvous with Raz's wife, our ride to Damascus for Trail Days, wasn't supposed to be at Petites Gap until 6, so I had lots of time. Got just a sprinkle of rain as I made my way the rest of the way down to the gap. When I finally did get down there, I saw the other nine waiting around. We all waited there until about 8:30 or so when Raz's wife finally pulled in. She couldn't have gotten there soon enough as our time at Petites Gap had been very unpleasant. So we then began the task of fitting 10 hikers, 3 dogs, and all our packs into a Ford Expedition. Oh, and there was, of course, the 11th, our driver. What followed next was a feat worthy of the clown show at the circus, except instead of clowns in a VW bug, picture hikers in an SUV. All the packs got tied to the top. We had 4 across the middle seat, 1 on the floor, a dog under foot, 3 in the back seat with a dog underfoot, 1 laying on the luggage between the back seat and the back door and Raz with his dog riding shotgun. Oh, and did I mention that none of us had bathed in several days? Needless to say, the drive down was less than ideal, but we pulled into Damascus around 1:30. Before getting there, we did get pulled over for speeding. Cop: "Ma'am, how many people are in this car?" Mrs. RAz: "Um...I....um...I don't know exactly" Backseat: "8...10...11..." Cop: "Don't you think that one there (shines light on Biscuit wedged between the seats on the floor) needs a seatbelt?" Raz: "Yes sir, we'll get right on that... " Now, the cop seemed okay with this and headed back to his car to write the speeding ticket. Some quick mental math led me to believe that we had more people than seat belts, making "getting right on that" essentially impossible, but nobody asked me. The trooper eventually returned with only the "fast driver" award and we were on our way once again.
Date: 2005-05-15
From: Petites Gap, VA

To: Marble Gap VA
Miles today: 2.2

It rained quite a bit this morning in Damascus. I slept late. Caught a ride back North with Vaper's dad. Then near Blacksburg, we went with Matt's parents to take us the rest of the way. After lunch and re-supply we didn't get on the trail until evening. Walked the short way from the gap to the first campsite with water. Fortunately, the rain had stopped by then and the sun was coming out. It was a tough two miles for me. I was still in vacation mode after the 3+ days off. I laid all my things out to dry when I got to camp. We started a fire, roasted hot dogs and crashed.
Date: 2005-05-16
From: Marble Gap VA

To: Fullers Rocks, VA
Miles today: 11.5

Heard something large and heavy-breathing outside my tent overnight. I was a little nervous for a minute or two, since I had been too lazy to hang my food bag in a tree. But, whatever it was didn't come crashing through my tent, fortunately. I slept in late. Thank goodness I'm finally out in the woods so I can finally get some sleep. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was blue. Little chilly and some wind for my 11 o'clock start. Even with all the sleep, I still felt like I had lead in the legs. I took it slow and relaxed. Took lots of breaks. The trail was mostly downhill on the way to the James River. All the rhododendron were in bloom everywhere, and some azaleas were scattered in as well. It made for a beautiful hike. Crossed the longest footbridge on the trail across the James and headed up to the next shelter. The day had gotten hot, so I sat and spaced out by a stream for awhile. A mile later, I sat and spaced out at the shelter. Met a few new people there. Seems that when one takes 4 days off, and others don't, the deck really shuffles. Met John and August there, then continued on up the trail. Climbed up to the mountain tops to camp for the evening. Biscuit, English Bob, Mountain Dew and Matt had picked out a great spot up on the rocks to camp. We had a spectacular view of the James River Valley and all surrounding it. We cooked dinner, built a fire, and soaked in the view. We all listened to Jeopardy at 7:30, then laid out our sleeping bags. We were looking east, so sunset wasn't so impressive. Stayed up around our little fire for just a bit, then hit the sack.