morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-08
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Today had all the right ingredients - blue skies, sunshine, a babbling brook, a gorgeous waterfall, and a surprise lunch! What a lovely change in the weather from yesterday and whatever happened to the line of thunderstorms we saw on the Weather Channel at the Bland motel heading toward us?   We left Jenny Knob Shelter this morning and climbed up a bit, going over another Brushy Mtn. Hmmm. Seems like a daily ritual here in VA. We get up, start hiking, and climb Brushy Mountain. :)   The trail wound down the far side and eventually came to a unique suspension bridge over Kimberling Creek. It was at least 75' long, and swung gently as we walked over the wooden walkway. It was next to a road and we decided to stop there for lunch when we ran into thruhiker Fish. He said there was a country store a 10 minute walk down the road, so I stayed with the packs and Greylock went to investigate and came back with grilled chicken sandwiches, bananas, and Coke. What a guy! We had a wonderful lunch sitting on the steps of the bridge and watching the water flow by.   The trail after lunch was accompanied by the water music of Dismal Creek which, by the way, is not a fitting name for this delightful creek that rushes down the mountain. The trail crosses this crystal-clear creek several times on wooden bridges and on a hot day like today, the sound of the water was so refreshing.   There was a side trail to Dismal Falls, so we dropped our packs and went to see the place where Popeye went swimming last year. We saw a gorgeous waterfall cascading down to a large pool below. There were campsites on the shore both above and below the falls, and even though it was a perfect place to stay, we wanted to go a bit further.   We are actually camping tonight not at the shelter site, but at a beautiful spot we discovered just before it. Dismal Creek divides and flows around a large "island". We crossed the water on stones and found a firepit and campsite already there. It's a beautiful private place, yet the trail is in sight.   Thank you, Lord, for showing us this place on our own private island tonight where we can rest tired muscles as we listen to the creek.
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

   I almost hesitate writing tonight because today was such a difficult day. I always try to focus on the positive but tonight I'm hurting and the pain tends to overwhelm my thoughts and block out the good parts that certainly were there.   We had gotten thunder, lightening, and rain in the night last night, but it stopped by morning. We packed up and the trail led 1200' up a steep incline with no switchbacks to a vista that was fogged in so there was no view.   We stayed at this elevation for most of the day, going up and down along a ridgeline. We passed several southbounders including Triple 7 and So Far So Good. It's fun to exchange trail and town information with hikers going in the opposite direction.   The trail was very rocky so it was slow going. This is always the case when there are rocks strewn across the ground so that a "trail" can't even be seen. One just follows the white blazes and jumps from rock to rock in that direction.   By lunchtime, we were at Doc's Knob Shelter so we stopped for some ham & cheese tortilla wraps. The day was growing hotter and each little breeze felt wonderful. We lingered at the shelter site and just relaxed, having done 8.7 of our 16.5 miles for today.   Setting out again, the temps. seemed even hotter than before and the sun continued to beat down and we felt drained of energy. As we passed under a power line, we felt sprinkles, and at the top of the next hill, the wind and rain started.    It brought a welcome cooling effect and even though it didn't last long, we felt energized by the change. We were walking the ridgeline above Pearisburg now and there was a rock ledge that gave us a beautiful view of the valley below.    The last 2 miles today were a steep downhill as we descended more than 2200' to Pearisburg which lies at the foot of the mountain. The trail was not only steep but muddy and slippery so it was a tense 2 miles and my feet and knees are aching more than they usually do tonight and even Greylock is stiff and sore.   The Rendezvous Motel (right by the trail) had no vacancy but the owner was nice enough to drive us up the hill to the Holiday Motor Lodge. It's convenient to the stores, several restaurants, and the PO. That's important since we need to pick up our mail drop in the morning.    Thank you, Lord, for the strength to reach Pearisburg today, and for safety on that slippery trail downhill.
Date: 2003-05-10
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Zero Day in Pearisburg   There once were two hikers quite sore,   Who needed to Zero once more,   To rest and relax,   Get online and eat snacks,   But tomorrow it's back out the door.   Zero days are not only a nice change of pace, but really necessary in order to keep hiking, believe it or not. Yesterday we were tired and I could barely walk from that downhill. After a good night's sleep I feel ready to go again!   We had an interesting walk around the town as we located the library, passing the town hall on the way. There on the front lawn was a large display with pictures of all the local men and women that are on active duty in the military.   We stopped and looked at it, noting the families where a husband and wife were both serving, or two brothers, or in one case three. This small town is making a large contribution to the war and they're obviously proud of their local heroes.    It's warm outside so we're glad for the air conditioning in the motel room. Hopefully as we climb back into the mountains tomorrow and head north once again, the elevation will bring the welcome cool breezes and more comfortable temps.   Thank you, Lord, for the way our bodies recover with a night's rest so that we can keep on hiking.
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Delay in Pearisburg   Unfortunately we've had an unexpected delay so we didn't get started on the trail today as we hoped. I had been experiencing an off and on toothache under a crown and a phone call to my dentist brother Roger confirmed our thinking that this was something that needed attention rather than just continue on.   Since it's Sunday, that meant that: 1. we'd have to wait until Mon. to locate a local dentist, and 2. that we could go to church.   Yesterday as we walked to the library we passed a Presbyterian church close by, so we called for the time of the service, and they were not only delighted to have us visit but they arranged for a ride for us both to the church and back to the motel afterwards since it was raining.   It wasn't a large congregation, but without a doubt one of the friendliest churches we've ever been to and we even got to meet Tillie Wood who runs Wood's Hostel near here on the A.T. We would have liked to stop there since everyone has such good things to say about it, but at the time we were trying to get to the PO. here in Pearisburg before it closed on Sat.   After having lunch, we just relaxed here at the motel for the rest of the day, with me wishing we were back on the trail and feeling guilty and Greylock being his always sweet self and doing all he could to make me feel better.   Hopefully we'll find a dentist tomorrow and he'll be able to fix the problem.   Thank you, Lord, for the support of an understanding husband and a helpful brother, and the chance to worship You today.
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Waiting in Pearisburg   Pearisburg is not a large town. It's larger than Damascus where we'll be this weekend, but for its size it has only three dentists. The next town has two. I called them all and I couldn't get an appointment for today, but I was able to get one for tomorrow.   That meant we got to know Pearisburg a little better today. Let's see... there's a man who rides around town in a red station wagon looking for hikers. When he spots some, he blows his horn and he calls "Where ya goin'? Where ya goin'?" We hear that for $2 he'll shuttle hikers anywhere in town. He's spotted us twice but we haven't needed him so far... The rhododendrons are in full bloom here in the valley and we passed bushes totally covered with red, purple and pink flowers... Gasoline at the local station is $1.35/gal. which is a lot lower than it was in Massachusetts in March.   We walked down to the library and used the computers again, located the dentist's office for tomorrow, and picked up dinner at the supermarket across the street where we were greeted again by a lady who remembered us from church yesterday. Greylock has a sore leg muscle so we went to the pharmacy to talk to the pharmacist and we were greeted there too, by another lady who asked us about our hiking. This is a hiker-friendly town for sure.   A cold front has come through and in addition to the drop in temperature it was very windy. We think about the mountaintops nearby and wonder what the conditions are up there. We may physically be here, but our hearts are still out there and wishing we were moving on.   Thank you, Lord, for the dentist who will see me tomorrow.
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Abingdon, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Heading to Abingdon, VA   Can't say enough about the folks in Pearisburg! First on the agenda today was a visit to the local dentist. He took an x-ray of the problem tooth and thought I should see an endodontist. There wasn't one in the area here, but since we were heading down to Damascus for Trail Days, he had a friend in Abingdon, the next town from there, who is an endodontist. He called him right up, made an appointment for me, gave us directions to his office, and then said, "No charge for today".   Getting a ride to Abingdon was now a priority. We talked over our options. It's apparently about an hour away. We thought about the man in the red station wagon, but he seemed to shuttle within the local area. We thought about calling one of the local hostels. Then we thought of the folks at the Presbyterian church. Maybe someone there would be willing to drive us down.   When we got back to the motel, Greylock called the pastor and explained our need, and tonight we got a call from him saying that a woman from church would be getting in touch with us. Sure enough she did, and tomorrow Kathy Faust will pick us up at 10:30 and we'll be on our way to Abingdon.    Thank you, Lord, for supplying our every need just as you promised.
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Abingdon, VA

To: Abingdon, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Abingdon, VA.   Before we started our hike, I spent hours reading the journals of other hikers... I read lots of books of AT hiking experiences... I thought I knew what to expect, but not once was there mention of a root canal.   I knew we might encounter bears, snakes, spiders, poison ivy and insects, but not a root canal.    The trail I had heard blesses hikers at times with snow and rain and hot and cold and icy and wet and dry and ...root canal?    "Expect the unexpected" seems to be the rule of thumb here. After all we did have an unexpected Spring snowstorm, we had an unexpected flash flood, and now we've had an unexpected root canal. What do they have in common besides being unexpected? I was relieved when each of them was over!    Kathy Faust promptly picked us up at our motel this morning and drove us south to Abingdon, where the endodontist is located. Kathy and her husband Winston have a home in Pearisburg and also in the Florida Keys and had just come north in April. We had a lovely visit as we rode past beautiful green hillsides and bright beds of flowers along the highway.   Abingdon is a city that typifies gracious Southern living. The Barter Theater, which is the State Theater of Virginia, is located here. During the depression, actors started this theater by bartering their professional acting in exchange for food and goods and thus were able to survive during hard times. The name remains.   We located the dentist, had a delicious lunch at the Hardware Restaurant (which years ago used to be a hardware store), and then I went for my appointment while Kathy helped Greylock find a motel. She then returned him to the dentist's so he was waiting for me when I was done. Kathy, thank you so much! Your kindness is overwhelming.   So the problem tooth has had a root canal and I heartily recommend both Dr. Tom Sprouse in Pearisburg, and Dr. Paul Umstott in Abingdon, to any other hikers in need of dental help. Their ability to care about people is a gift and I'm so grateful to them.       Damascus is 14 miles away, and in preparation for hitch-hiking there tomorrow morning, Greylock went to the supermarket and got a box to use for making a sign that would say "Damascus - Trail Days". He asked the desk clerk here at the Super 8 Motel if we could use a Magic Marker. When he explained why, she said, "I'd be glad to drive you to Damascus". So just like that, we have a ride for 9:00 AM tomorrow.    Thank you, Lord, for Kathy Faust and her gift of helping people, and for today which held one blessing after another.
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Abingdon, VA

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

We're back in Damascus, thanks to Nancy, who works at the Super 8 Motel in Abingdon. It's the same sweet hiker-friendly town but it's undergone a transformation. The town park is lined with concessions in various stages of readiness and little tents have sprung up on grassy spots like toadstools. They surround The Place, which is the hostel in town, but most have appeared in the designated camping area past the school. Hikers are everywhere; there's a continual stream of them, many arriving with their packs right off the trail, and great numbers of former hikers driving in for the weekend to recapture the memories of thruhikes in years past with friends.   We set up our tent near the gear vendors in the camping field, and found out almost immediately that there was to be a wedding. Two thruhikers were getting married at the campsite and everyone was invited. We joined the group making a wide aisle down which the bride walked with her father to the music of a bagpipe. She wore a sundress but everyone else was in hiker attire including the groom (who sported a Mohawk haircut) and the minister.   It was a surprisingly sweet ceremony in spite of its unconventional aspects and I watched several people wiping away tears. :)   We went into town next, visited the library to check email, and walked up to Cowboy's for lunch. As we ate, we watched a passing thunderstorm from the window, and lingered over a pint of Ben & Jerry's, sharing it slowly until the rain was ended.   We walked through town, spotting friends we hadn't seen in a while and some whom we met for the first time in person: Jester, Bluebearee, and the Flying Scotsman had just arrived from New England. PopPop, Bono, Apricot and LodeRunner are here. We saw Dick Bailey, whom we met on Mt. Washington last year. As a pickup truck passed us, someone called out,"No public show of affection!", since we were holding hands, and there was Chief, Sparky and Zappman, and Jan LiteShoe who also just arrived. Miss Janet pulled in with her new van filled with hikers she had shuttled to town.    It's easy to understand the appeal of Trail Days since it magnetically draws the hikers in, and the hikers become one big hiker family. There's affection, kidding, caring, and lots's of "Remember when ..."   Rekindling friendships is fun, but for us, an added treat comes when strangers greet us and tell us they're reading our Trail Journal and enjoying it.   It rained again as we were cooking dinner, so we stood under one of the vendors' tents and again there was thunder and lightening. It's over now, but we've gone into our tent since it's getting dark. The majority of hikers are visiting, laughing, and driving in or out. It's a happy group and we're all looking forward to the activities of the weekend.   Thank you, Lord, for the love of so many people for the Appalachian Trail and for the way that this common bond draws us all here to Damascus.
Date: 2003-05-16
From: Damascus, VA

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

Hikers continue to pour into the campsite area amid shouts of "You made it! You made it!" Not only the campsite is filling quickly, but the whole town of Damascus.    Cars line all the town streets, the Side Track Cafe looks like it had wall to wall people, parking places anywhere are at a premium, and the town park has a double row of back to back vendors in full swing.   There was a talk this morning by Model T, whose book,"Walking on the Happy Side of Misery", I had given Greylock last Christmas. He spoke about his hiking experiences with wit and humor and was excellent.   The Damascus Fire Dept. was putting on a spaghetti dinner so we tried it for lunch and it was delicious! We thought we'd check out the park next.   Today is a nice day. The weekend has a rainy forecast and as we walked to the park I wished that Kristy and Todd were here to enjoy Trail Days on this sunny day. We decided to call Todd's cell phone from the park when we got there, and to our amazement they were at the other end of the park! They had left Massachusetts at 9:30 last night and had arrived around noon.    It was great to see them again and Jager too. They were tired though, so after getting some supper, they went to get some sleep. Greylock and I went to two more talks; the first was a session of trail stories told by Warren Doyle, and the second was a slide show of Mt. Washington in the winter, given by our friend Dick Bailey.    There are events still going on in town, but we were tired by now, so went to our B&B, The Victorian House, and after going through gear, we're in a most comfortable antique bed in our charmingly decorated Victorian bedroom.    Thank you, Lord, for Kristy and Todd's safe arrival and for the good weather today.
Date: 2003-05-17
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

What a lovely day today was, in spite of a forecast that called for certain rain. Today's special event was the Trail Days Hiker Parade and we're so glad it didn't rain on our parade!   We started with a delicious breakfast at the Victorian Inn and then went to the park gazebo where we watched some cloggers perform. At one point they went out into the audience and chose people to clog with them and Greylock and I got chosen. It was great fun to clog in sandals and hiking boots, and when we're done hiking we might just start clogging.    We met up with Kristy and Todd at this point, and since they were having a 2002 reunion picture taken at The Place, we went there next before taking our places in the parade lineup.   The parade of current thruhikers is a traditional highlight of the weekend celebration, and in typical thruhiker style, it's always a rowdy parade. This year was no exception. The Damascus children always throw water balloons and squirt the hikers with water pistols and super soakers, but there were so many thruhikers with water balloons and water pistols that it was hard to tell who was throwing what. In fact the water-works began even before the parade did.   Many of us wore our rain jackets, having been forewarned by participants in former years. Kristy and Todd had given us the scoop so we amazingly didn't get wet at all. It was great fun to walk into town and down the main street with so many other thruhikers, and know that we are part of such a large group on the trail this year.   When we reached the park, we circled on back to find Kristy and Todd who had our camera and had been taking pictures for us, and then we all went to the firehouse where we had a delicious chicken dinner.    The town was still full of activity this evening. There were music events in several places and we chose to revisit the town park gazebo where a bluegrass band was playing. They were excellent!   Thank you, Lord, for holding off the rain so today could include all the outdoor activities that were planned.
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

   The crowds are gone and quiet has returned to Damascus after what turned out to be a warm, sunny, weekend with rain coming mostly at night.   We had only planned on staying at the B&B for two nights, so after another delicious Victorian Inn breakfast we packed up our things and carried them down the street to "Dave's Place", a hostel run by Mt. Roger's Outfitter across the street.   This is a new hostel and it offers private rooms which are wonderful. There are 5 bedrooms, a bathroom with shower, and a living room. Outside under a large overhanging roof there are tables, chairs and a grill for outside food preparation and eating. Kristy and Todd have the other double bedroom and there are hikers in the single bunkrooms as well so not everyone has left.   Since our tent was wet yet from the last rainfall, we set it up on the grass outside and then practiced hanging a new tarp around it that Greylock bought. If we don't happen to camp by a shelter, we found that we needed a dry area to cook under in case of pouring rain. Then he seam-sealed it, so we're all set. Of course the real test will be in the woods in the pouring rain!    We spent much of the day at the park listening to the Sweet Adalines, a women's 4-part harmony singing group similar to a men's barbershop quartet, and looking for last minute bargains before the vendors went home. Then we drove into Abingdon and Kristy and Todd took us out to dinner at Cracker Barrel.   The weekend is over, but the memories linger. It was certainly fun to be here and participate, and it was great to see Kristy and Todd.   Just as the town gets back to normal, so shall we. Tomorrow we will ride back to Pearisburg, locate the trailhead where we walked into town, only this time we'll walk away and head north once again.   Thank you, Lord, for ample time to rest this past week, for having problems solved, and for seeing family. You knew just what we needed.