morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-29
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: U.S. 19 E
Miles today: 10.4

Day 49We awakened in the night to rain coming down hard. It was raining still when I left at 9:15a.m. The barn held many hikers last night--probably around 20+. Most were up early to get on the trail. Sunshine, Gypsy Lulu, Touk, and I were not in any hurry to go in the rain but we did. We talked about getting off at 19E and getting a place to stay but they did not want to spend any money and neither did I really. They were going to get to the shelter so far ahead of me and they said they would go to a restaurant when they got to the road.There were 2 steep climbs--over Little Hump Mountain at 5459 feet and Hump Mountain at 5587 feet and the wind and rain were cold and miserable. Between them the gap drops to 5000 feet. The shelter last night was at 4682 feet. I do not like the climbs and the climbs were pretty much straight up. The whole trail today was a mess with mud, rocks, or roots or all three. Coming down was slower going than usual due to that fact. It was too easy to fall and I did once when walking over boulders on one part of the trail--again no injury. I passed 2 day hikers with a boy on the way down to the shelter which is near the road. When I got to the shelter I read the register and read that Gypsy Lulu and Touk were going to eat. Sunshine had said she was going to go eat when she got to the shelter also. There was no one there when I got to the shelter and after I made a note in the shelter register the 2 men and boy came down from the mountain. I asked them if they were from the area but they were not. They said they had taken 4 hikers that were walking out to the road when they got there earlier today. Thinking one of them may have been Sunshine, I had them drop me off at Bucks's Place (a restaurant) 1 mile west of the trail. If they were not there they were going to take me into town to find a place to stay. Well, the whole gang was there and Buck had even given them a place to stay in a vacant apartment next door. There was plenty of room for me, also. So I thanked the man that drove me there and took his name and address so I can send a card to him later. I got a chicken dinner at the restaurant and later got 2 strawberry milkshakes. There is also a coin washer and dryer in a back room that we have all used to wash the mud out of our clothes.I am in my sleeping bag on the floor of the living room and ready to go to bed. I will head out again tomorrow sometime and will probably hike to a campsite since the next shelter is almost 18 miles away. I hope it is not raining. At least the elevations are lower and hopefully not likely to be as cold.
Date: 2005-05-01
From: campsite

To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 9.1

Day 51I slept really well last night. I awoke about 1am and took more vitamin I and slept until 5 and then slept until 6 when I got up. It had rained most of the night and lasted until just before I got up. I was warm in the bag, but it was cold and I really did not want to get up, but I was afraid it would start raining again. So I was packed up and on the trail by 7am. In an hour I passed Sleeveless where she had camped. She had not packed up yet so I went on to the shelter. Someone had water they did not need so I filtered 2 liters for my water bag and repacked my pack and went on. The trail today was not too bad--not as muddy, but still muddy and slippery. The ups, for the most part, were gradual which was good. If the ups were steep they were fairly short.Hikers I met in Erwin are Troll, Anchor, and their, about, 11 year old son Oblivious, from Bellingham, Washington. They hiked 17.7 miles yesterday. Oblivious was leading today with his dad, Troll, right behind. Anchor is slower--more my pace--but she did not pass me today until I stopped at a place along the trail and called Toto because I was able to get a signal.The hostel (Kincora) is 0.2 mile from the trail and has an attached bunkhouse next to the main house. There are bunks upstairs and downstairs. A full kitchen is downstairs for hikers to use and a living room area with a wood stove. The wood stove has been going all afternoon and evening because the day has been quite chilly in spite of the sun and mostly blue sky. Between the house and bunkhouse is a sort of breeze-way with 3 bathrooms--1 with a shower--and a room with washer and dryer that is not coin-operated and detergent is available. All they ask is that anyone that uses the washer throw in some towels with their laundry.Bob took us to the grocery store some miles away from here to buy supplies. I needed snacks for the trail mostly and batteries for my headlight. For dinner tonight I bought a baking potato and sour cream. I already had bacon bits, cheese and margarine to put on it. With it I had a coke and Pringles. I bought a couple of yogurt cups for breakfast. Others made chili, baked frozen pizza, made a salad and fruit tray, made sandwiches from turkey, cheese, tomatoes, green peppers, etc and ready cooked and/or ready made food from the deli. Now I am smelling popcorn. Well, I am going to go to bed. It is past my bedtime and I am hiking out as soon as I can pack up and eat breakfast. I am anxious to get to Damascus since Thursday evening I will see Toto and he is planning to hike a couple of days with me. Good-night.
Date: 2005-05-03
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 53Seven was up and getting ready to leave by 6am sharp. He was on the trail by 6:50am. I was on the trail by 7:30am. It was quite chilly. My fingers took a while to warm up after I started hiking, but the rest of me was pretty warm as long as I kept moving. The 4 guys that were going the wrong way yesterday camped just up the trail from the shelter down near the lake. It looked like a nice spot to camp. As I was hiking down the trail toward the lake there were blooming purple flowers on both sides of the trail. It was beautiful. The sun was shining brightly from over the mountain on the opposite side of the lake and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The day was quite sunny but remained quite cool. The sun felt really good when the wind was not blowing. It took over 7 miles today to get over the worst ups. I had looked forward to an easier hiking day since Seven said it was all ridge-top hiking after finally reaching the top. It was only the last 6 miles that were relatively easy for me. For most of the day the lake could be seen and it was much bigger than I thought it was. There are at least 3 harbors for boats and the lake seemed to have fingers stretching out into every direction. Tinkerbell and Thatch passed by me today and moved on up the trail. Domino came by after I stopped at the shelter and he is also going on up the trail. Bottoms-Up came by--he went to a motel with his dad last night--and he is planning to hike on today, possibly doing some night hiking. After I arrived, Kung Fu, Madcow, and Just Bob came into the shelter. Everyone seems to be anxious to get to Damascus. I have to do a 16 mile day tomorrow and a 10 mile day Thursday in order to get there by Thursday afternoon. Some hikers today talked of even hiking in the dark so they can get there quicker. Domino even asked me if I wanted to hike with him. He seemed concerned about leaving me here by myself but I told him my feet would not hike anymore today. Before he left 2 of the hikers showed up that had been at Kincora last night and I think that made him feel better.Well, good night. Tomorrow is a big day of hiking for my feet
Date: 2005-05-04
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Abington Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: broken clouds

Day 54I was on the trail by 6:50 this morning but I did not cook a breakfast or heat water for coffee. It was too cold and besides, I wanted to start early so I could get the almost 16 miles done as early as possible. The first 8 miles to the next shelter I hiked in 4 hours--a record for me. But the ups and downs were gradual and I was able to keep a pretty steady pace. The next section to this shelter had longer and steeper climbs so it took 5 hours to do it. The day started out cold and with lots of clouds. Finally the sun began to peek through at times and by afternoon there was puffy, white clouds with more blue sky showing. The air remained cool, though.I saw a scarlet tanager today just before I got to the shelter. It lit on a tree branch right next to the trail and when I got the camera out it flew to another branch just on the other side of the tree. I did not get a picture of it as it was too far. It flew a couple more times and I am glad I was able to see it so close. I also saw several chipmunks today. The vegetation was fairly scarce compared to what I've seen in the past--but the trail today was mostly over 3500 feet. This shelter is 3785 feet. I saw lots of mayapples, some trillium that were just blooming, trout lilies, a little yellow flower that I have been calling a buttercup, and lots of little white flowers with small narrow petals.At the shelter when I got here are 2 hikers out for just 3 days. There names are Pop and Colonel. They are from Charlotte, N.C. Another hiker, Lionking, came in and is cowboy camping. If it rains there is space in the shelter for him. He had asked if anyone of us snores and no one could tell him no for sure so he is cowboy camping. Yippee! Only 10 miles to Damascus tomorrow and a warm bed tomorrow night! Members of my church family are picking me up tomorrow when I get in to Damascus and taking me to their home in Bristol. Toto is going to come and hike with me for 2-3 days. Then I will take a day off after he goes home and before I hit the trail again.I really have not had an appetite out here on the trail but today I have been thinking that when I get to Damascus I am going to look for a place to eat
Date: 2005-05-06
From: Elk Garden

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

Started @ Va. 600, Elk GardenDestination: Lost Mountain ShelterMiles today: 8Total Miles: 469.7Stayed in ShelterFor the next 3 days we will be hiking south toward Damascus.We got up about 6:30a.m. and Linda fixed some wonderfully hearty pancakes. For dessert we had a piece of cake with milk and coffee. We were ready to tackle the trail. But we decided we would not try to tackle too much in the 3 days we would be out. We wanted to have plenty of time to walk the 23 miles back to Damascus from Elk Garden. We took our time and at the end of 8 miles we found ourselves at Lost Mountain Shelter. This shelter was built in 1995 and even has a privy. Recently, we have not been having privies at most of the shelters. At the shelter this evening is Tinkerbell and Mr. Beers. Mr. Beers is from Japan and walks 20 miles every day. He is a very nice man. He walked the Pacific Crest Trail last year. Since we were hiking south toward Damascus we got to see people that we haven't seen in a few days. Actually, Toto has not seen many of them since he was in Erwin and many he met for the first time today. One of the first persons we met was Draggin. Before we left Linda's she wrapped up individual pieces of cake in foil so we gave Draggin a piece. He sat right down and ate it and we had a very nice visit with him. We met Kung Fu and Madcow, 2 young men I shared a shelter with the other night. Also, later Just Bob came up the trail and he had been at the shelter the same night that Kung Fu and Madcow were there. Then Spike and Hopper came along. We asked if they had seen Snowman, but they had not seen him since they got on the trail further up from where Snowman was. They said he was probably sun-bathing somewhere along the trail. Snowman likes to take long rests at spots along the trail that are particularly nice. We did meet up with him while he was climbing a tough climb. He was happy to see Toto again and he sat down and had a visit with us. We gave him a piece of cake and he said he would save it to have with his coffee later. Before he left us Toto told him that he liked his skirt (Snowman had bought a kilt to wear when he was in Hot Springs). Snowman said, "And I'm not wearing any underwear--see?" And he raised his skirt up over his left hip--which was indeed bare! What a crazy man Snowman is. He and Toto make a good pair.We also passed Poet, Scholar, Cuppa Joe, Feelin Free, Serenity, Eagle Eye, Maniac, and quite a few others. It was great seeing all of them.Tomorrow we will do about 7-8 miles as we have 2 days left to finish up 15 miles. Toto enjoyed today so much! He kept saying after we'd meet someone, "Oh, this is great!" And he especially enjoyed seeing people he had never met before saying, "Hi, Dorothy," and not have a clue as to who he was. But when I introduced him, everyone that knew me knew who he was, too. I've been signing the shelter registers, "Dorothy w/o Toto".The day was sunny but a little cool--a perfect day for hiking. Now, if tomorrow's weather will be as wonderful.
Date: 2005-05-07
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Started @ Lost Mountain ShelterDestination: CampsiteToday's Miles: 10Total miles: 479.7Stayed in tentWe were in no hurry to leave the shelter this morning since we have plenty of time but we left around 8:15. The trail was very rocky in places and fairly smooth in others. There was a long up and down but they weren't too bad since they were not terribly steep. There were a lot of switchbacks. Part of the trail came out onto the Virginia Creeper Trail, a trail for bicycles. It followed a rushing, bubbling stream and there are handicap accessible docks for fishing. We met Troll on it and he told of some fisherman catching 5 rainbow trout today. Now Toto wants to come down and do some fishing. We are camped on the opposite side of the stream from the bicycle trail. We got in early today. We could have made it the 5 miles into Damascus where we parked the car but we want to stay out 1 more night. Besides, our feet are hurting. Mike cooked our dinner and I set up the tent. We met more hikers today as we hiked south--Bottoms Up, Thunder, Cycle Hiker, Brownie, Soulman, Freedom, Thatch, Hot n Sweaty, Boots, and Blue something. I'm sorry, I cannot remember the rest of her trail name. She had met us (T-2 and I) on top of Big Bald, but she spent more time talking to T-2 because I was trying to transmit my e-mails via my cell phone. There were others but I cannot remember who they all were. Tomorrow we hike 5 miles into Damascus and go back to Linda and Barry's. Toto will head home but he is going to meet me again this next weekend
Date: 2005-05-08
From: Campsite

To: Damascus
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: clear sky

Started at campsiteDestination: DamascusMiles today 5.8Total miles:485.5Stayed in a homeDay 58It rained off and on last night starting at about 1am. We had not used the vestibule but rather had put a plastic bag over the packs and placed our shoes in a plastic bag and left them outside. Everything stayed dry but it was not a hard soaking downpour either.We did not cook breakfast but ate a granola bar instead. We were dreaming of a full breakfast at a restaurant that is on the trail as we hike into Damascus. However, by the time we got into town they were no longer serving breakfast so we had a bacon cheeseburger with fries, coffee, and water. The trail was up over a mountain and down. Our miles were not big but it seemed to take forever. I guess it just seemed that way since we were anticipating a hot meal in town. We met a few more hikers leaving town for the trail. We got back to the home of Barry and Linda and after we had a hot shower we had a delicious meal with the family. Toto left after a couple of hours and I put the tent, the ground cover, and sleeping bag out on the deck to air out and dry. It did not take long since the sun was very warm and there was a breeze blowing.I will start out tomorrow morning at Elk Garden--Linda will drive me over.It has been a terrific weekend and next week Toto will be back to meet me at I-81 and Va. 683. I have just enough time to get that stretch hiked before he gets back this next weekend.
Date: 2005-05-09
From: Elk Garden, Va. 600

To: campsite, north of starting point of Elk Garden
Miles today: 10.6

Started at Elk Garden, Va. 600Destination: Campsite.Miles tosay: 10.6 milesTotal Miles: 496.1 stayed in a tentDay 59I awakened early and Linda had me at the trailhead by 9:15am. It is a beautiful sunny morning with barely a cloud in the sky. I am so thankful for the R&R received at the Dangerfield home. They were very gracious to take us in and shuttle us around.The word for the trail today was very rocky. I could have done without them. My feet are sore and feel bruised from stepping on them all day. Mount Rogers was not anything to write about EXCEPT the rocks. But once I got into Grayson Highlands State Park I got to feed the wild ponies carrots that Linda gave me this morning for that very purpose. I even got to have my picture taken with them. There were 2 mares with their little ones but they would not come near enough to get any carrots. When I got to Wise Shelter, Hotflash showed up and we decided to move up the trail about a mile and camp. I had wanted to get to Old Orchard Shelter but it was 15 miles from where I started and my feet said no. For the next 4 days I will be doing 10-12 miles in order to get to Va. 683 by Friday evening. On Thursday evening I will be able to call from a payphone for a pizza to be delivered to the shelter.I was thinking the other day that it is ironic that this hike we are doing for Outreach International is called A.T. Walk For Hunger and so much of the conversation on the trail is about food--either what they found to be good on the trail or what they are going to have when they get into town to a restaurant. So many calories are burned every day that it is almost impossible to eat enough calories while on the trail. Though we get hungry, I doubt that many of us, if any, even know what real hunger feels like.We are camped near a spring but my tent site is not the most desirable. It is sloping downhill a little and there are a couple of hard spots underneath the ground cover, I did not see them under the leaves before. I think I can avoid lying on them since I am the only one in the tent.There was a loud noise earlier. I heard Hotflash unzip her tent to see what it was. I don't know for sure but I think it was deer. I had looked out and across the trail where I heard a repeated loud kind of high pitched snort I saw something white go past behind a large rock. The same noise was being made behind us but I did not see any thing. Maybe it was 2 bucks defending their territory or what they think is their territory. I'm sure Toto would have known what it was.Well, it is getting dark and it is time to rest. Good night to all.
Date: 2005-05-11
From: Hurricane Shelter

To: Trimi Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

Started @ Hurricane ShelterDestination Trimi ShelterMiles today: 10.2 milesTotal miles: 514.8Stayed in shelterDay 61People started getting up at 6am one by one. I was in no hurry since I have only 10 miles to do to get to the next shelter. Someone asked if it rained last night and then I remembered that I had awakened briefly during the night to rain falling and went back to sleep. Someone mentioned that they looked over at me last night and I was out--fast asleep by 8:15 or 8:30. I do not remember waking up until 3am to look at my watch. Usually I am awake about midnight or 1 a.m. to look at the time. Then I slept until 5 and then 6. I think it was the best night's sleep I've had so far on the trail in a shelter or tent. The trail today was sometimes fairly smooth and sometimes very rocky. The first few miles were nice with the trail following around the mountain sides crossing many springs and a nice falls once. The morning was warm and humid with sun shining brightly. I reached the shelter about 1pm and my feet were very sore from stepping on rocks the last four miles. There were a lot of long ups today but they were not too bad. They did slow me up, as usual. Soon after I arrived, Tank and Willow arrived. We all lay back in the shelter and read or just closed our eyes. I don't think I slept but it sure did feel good. Another hiker, Bravo, arrived and set his hammock up down below the shelter. There is a nice area for tenting down there with plenty of flat areas. Tank and Willow went down to set up there tent, also. I'm satisfied to stay here in the shelter. So far no one has arrived so I may be the only one in here tonight.Tomorrow night I will be at Partnership shelter. There is a hot shower, a payphone (in case I cannot get a signal for my cell phone), and pizza delivery is just a phone call away from there. The Mount Rogers National Recreation Area Headquarters is located 200 yards north of the shelter and has a bookshop, and information center about plants and animals found in the area. There is a water spigot outside we can get water from, a restroom inside and a soda machine. I suppose these are all available only when the shop is open--except for the water. It closes at 4:30 but I should be there in plenty of time to get something cold to drink. Well, that is about it for today. The day has been great and the next 2 days have great and wonderful things awaiting!!
Date: 2005-05-12
From: Trimi Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Started @ Trimpi ShelterDestination: Partnership ShelterMiles today: 10.6Total Miles: 525.4Stayed in shelterDay 62Last night was one of the worst nights I have ever spent in a shelter. Of course, I was alone as the other 3 tented or hammocked. The mice were the problem. They were everywhere!! And I was the only one for them to bother. Sometime after midnight I finally got a little sleep. It was also the warmest night yet and I was hot in the sleeping bag but I was afraid if I got out and lay on top of it the mice would run all over me. I got up at 5:30 and was on the trail at 6:30am. Of course, the others that left later passed me on the trail and were here at the shelter way before me. The trail was pretty nice the first few miles and then it turned to rocks and there were lots of uphills. I got here around 11:30 so still did not do too badly. Last night there was a lot of animal sounds (besides the mice). A screech owl, a barred owl, a deer making that snorting sound again, and last evening a bird that sang and whistled. I did not see it. Today on the trail I saw a gray squirrel and a young deer. The deer watched me and I took pictures of it and it did not seem afraid, but it did seem wary. The shelter is nice with a shower attached on one end and a sink in the back. Mt. Rogers Nat'l Recreation Area Headquarters is just up the trail and the phone is not a payphone which is good because it does not use up minutes on a calling card just for using it. I've had a pizza and 3 diet pepsi¢s since being here. Some are ordering a second time but I am not a bit hungry.There will be a number of people here at this shelter tonight. Some are going back for Trail Days and a few are moving on up the trail. A couple of hikers, Willow and Tank thru-hiked in 2003 and have hiked this far and are getting off the trail as they had planned and are going to Oregon to start a bike trip to Maine. They said they will be journaling that trip on trail journals, also.Tomorrow, I meet Toto and my youngest daughter, Emily, and her husband in Adkins. I am looking forward to the visit and a zero day.