morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-24
From: Campsite near Sinking Creek, north of VA630

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: light rain

Another long day, and aside from my sore feet, we feel really good. After last night's rain, it's great to be in a shelter tonight. A couple days ago, Hopeful wrote about journeys, and mentioned a quote from Steinbeck. Since we've been out here I've noticed how many people see the AT thru-hike as two types of journeys in one. Through conversations with other hikers, I think it's safe to say that most of us see this as both a physical journey and a spiritual journey. When we ask others why they're out here, most mention the spiritual element as one of their reasons. One night a few weeks ago I was sitting around a fire with a hiker friend who confessed that he doesn't know what he believes about God and that he is on a spiritual journey. I encouraged himw with the scriptures that tell us that those who truly seek, will find. I also thought of the story about the apostle Paul's trip to Berea (Acts, chapter 17). The Bereans were known to have noble characer. One thing that is noted of them is that they heard Paul out, tested his words with the scriptures, found him to be speaking truth, and chose to change and live according to that truth. We talked about how so many are on a spriritual journey out here, yet as they are confronted with things of God, they sometimes don't even test them or let them have an impact. In fact, I think for some hikers the journey (spiritual) is a way of life that they have grown comfortable with. Deciding to stand on what they hear God speaking to them would mean that the search is over. Sometimes the searching part of the journey seems more safe or fun than ever reaching a destination or decision point. "...I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him..." (Philippians 3:8-9) These words of Paul discuss the cost of deciding to follow Christ being nothing in light of the satisfaction that comes from living for Him. As the campfire began to die that night, my friend confessed that, like many hikers, he might be too enthralled with the journey right now to be able to stand on some of the things that he feels are probably true. Yet, according to Paul, it's when we choose to live for Christ that the journey really begins, and if we just stay in a searching mode, seemingly satisfied with the things of this world, we will never discover the real adventure. A prayer of ours each day has been that those around us might not always just be searching, but might hear from God and experience the "life to the full" (John 10:10) that begins with a life devoted to Jesus. We also pray for ourselves, that we won't be too wrapped up in the things that don't matter to be able to hear God's voice as He leads us along the journey He has set out for us.
Date: 2005-05-25
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

"The thrill of victory and the agony of THE FEET" It was like we were on a different trail altogether today. We passed Dragon's Tooth (a rock cliff only a few feet wide), climbed odwn ledges, and finished by summiting McAfee Knob (a rock plank hanging out several feet beyond a cliff). To top if all off, we were able to get pizza in the middle of the day (at a store near a road crossing), which fueled our mid-day miles. We had energy, making up for the two hours we lost just to get it. The day was filled with cliff top views that we could fill an album with. It was also very windy. We were surprised to find that nobody else was at the shelter when we got here. Eventually, Tex, Mr. Sweepers, and Patch joined us. Tomorrow we'll hike on to Daleville, the next trail town.
Date: 2005-05-26
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: few clouds

Eight days, 135 miles, 4 straight rainy nights, stiff shoes, 1 shower and no clean laundry... This last week has taken a little more committment than other sections of the hike. We're quite worn out and more ready for a zero day (a day with 0.0 trail miles) than ever before. We pulled into town around 3 PM and ran a few of our usual town errands. We're sharing a room with Patch and L.B. and focusing on relaxing for a good chunk of tomorrow. For the last few days we've been praying that the Lord would help me with my feet. There are two blisters (both larger than quarters) on my heels, and several smaller ones on my toes and chilles area. Well, today I found out that I won a $100 gift certificate through a drawing at Trail Days for Merrill, which is a company that makes very comfortable shoes. I hope to find a way to get some new shoes tomorrow. God is so cool! He finds the most creative ways to answer our prayers.
Date: 2005-05-27
From: Daleville, VA

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

Ah! (says Hopeful) A day off! And in less than ten miles from here, we'll be 1/3 of the way finished with the distance of the trail. How do we feel? Well, I interviewed Thunder and Tex with this very question, as they are sitting in our hotel room chatting right now. Tex says that she likes what's happening to her body and the strength that she's feeling. Thunder says that it has gone by fast, and in some ways it seems like we just started yesterday. But that in other ways he can see that we've been together awhile because the hiking community feels more and more like a big family. It's awesome how everyone looks out for each other and it so comfortable around one another. Red Wing says that it feels like we still have a long way to go. For me, I think that it's hard to believe that it has been almost 2 months. There are so many new places and experiences every single day that my memory has a hard time taking it all in. That's why these journals will be great for us to go over and remember details, along with how great they have been for keeping up with friends, family and others following our hike who we don't even know! As the hike goes on, now and again we hear of someone who has had to leave the trail for various reasons. Some only ever intended to complete a section, some have family needs to attend to, some may be worn our or physically hurting, some have run out of cash, or some may have decided it wasn't what they expected. Even if the crowds of hikers may thin out a little as we coninue north, there are still many, many hikers everywhere we go. We'll miss, however, some of the faces who have now left the trail. People have sometimes been surprised that we're doing this as a married couple. Several times we've heard, "Well, it will either bring you really close together, or it will tear you apart." I'm sure that what they mean is that being together so constantly has the potential to get tiring. While we have our moments of being weary and frustrated, overall it's been amazing how much we are loving this time together. We try not to take it for granted. We've found that we have a close enough pace and similar enough expectations that we make an easy team. And we have gotton to know one other better than ever. I think that we can both better predict the other's reactions to situations, since we've seen one another respond to the big and little events 24 hours a day. Often the farthest distance apart you might find us is when one of us needs to go and use the privy! If the trail did begin to "tear us apart", we're also very much in agreement that our marriage is far more important than getting to Maine! Sure, we really, really want to complete this thru-hike, but that's a six month dream, and our marriage is life long. Anyway, some thoughts from a zero day in Daleville, VA...
Date: 2005-05-29
From: Daleville, VA

To: Cove Moutain Shelter
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Another good day! One thing we find manditory in choosing a motel room is the continental breakfast. So, although we got out late, we were well fed and full of energy. There weren't nearly as many people on the trail as we're used to seeing, but we did see a lot of people hiking south. Being Memorial Day weekend, we are around a lot of section hikers, which is nice in its own way. Many hikers refer to Virginia as "The Green Tunnel", meaning it has few open views and the leaves and foliage seem to close in on the trail. Today, with the rhododendrun, azelea and mountain laurel in bloom, it was "The Green & Purple & Pink & Orange Tunnel". People invest many dollars and many hours each year to make their garden look nice. The natural gardens we saw today were far more spectacular than any manicured garden that I've ever seen. After following the trail accross the Blue Ridge Parkway several different times today, we pulled into Bobblet's Shelter late this afternoon and were undecided about whether to move on and try for our longest day yet. After cooking a great dinner (we discovered that Barilla's cheese tortelli is incredible!), we decided to give it a try. In about 12 hours we hiked 23.4 miles, with our packs full of 7 days worth of food. The energy must be a result of all the rest we had in Daleville. As we hiked into the shelter tonight, the sun was setting over the mountains and the forest gets quieter as the birds go to sleep (Do they sleep? They quit singing at least!) There are only 2 other hikers in the shelter, Steamroller & Blackberrie, who are hiking south. The other inhabitants are the mice that we'll have to put up with this evening. Just outside is a wandering doe who seems very unafraid of us. Steamroller and Blackberrie are from California and we're enjoying their company. However, we don't expect to see them again since they are hiking south.
Date: 2005-05-30
From: Cove Moutain Shelter

To: Thunderhill Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today marks two months of hiking for us. Happy Memorial Day to all! It's nice to be in a place where I can allow myself to totally think through the thoughts that cross my mind throughout a day, instead of pushing them aside because I don't have time. Typically, Memorial Day is a time when I consider the significance of the day and then move on with life. Today, I was able to think a lot about my grandfather who served in the Navy during World War II and just passed away in December. It's nice to have time and focu to savor a thought/memory and appreciate it. Today's climbs included 1,100 feet, 2,300 feet, and 1,100 feet. It was quite a strenuous day and we're feeling the results of it. With over 40 miles in two days of hiking, my new WalMart shoes are doing surprisingly well. After dragging a little for the last few miles, we pulled into the shelter where we met a couple from the area (members of the local Natural Bridge Hiking Club) who had brough in a picnic dinner for all of the hikers here. Chicken, biscuits, potato chips, coleslaw, fruit, Gatorade, beer, cookies, etc. Trail Magic comes in creative ways. It was a great way to end a long, tough day. Thanks, Roger & Bev! We also caught up with Peanut, Southshore and Ribeye tonight. It's good to see them again, as well as meet Clockwork Orange and Slow 'n' Steady for the first time.
Date: 2005-05-31
From: Thunderhill Shelter

To: John's Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Since we had the awesome trail magic for dinner last night, we saved our extra meal we now had and cooked it for a hot, more filling lunch today (typically our lunch consists of several snacks). So, we're sitting here at Matt's Creek Shelter taking a long break for lunch, hanging out with other hikers, and swatting the bugs away. We heard there is a resident Copperhead snake that lives near the creek, but have seen no sign of him yet. So far the day ahs been incredible. As has been typical, the rain that comes, comes only at night. After hearing rain each time we woke up in the night, we woke up this morning to the sun drying things out. The early portion of the hike had both dense fog and bright sun, depending on the elevation. Where the two met, we could see rays of light shooting through the fog from trees to the ground. Many people have been seeing bears and rattlesnakes lately, we haven't seen either. There are many ways to hike this trail. Most hikers we see are thru-hiking (attempting to hike the entire trail in one season). One thru-hiker we met last week (Old Scrubs) is hiking south from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (the middle point) to Springer Mountain, Georgia, and then from Mt. Katadhyn in Maine back to Harpers Ferry. A few days ago we meet Greenhorn who started in New Hampshire last November and has been shelter hopping (hiking from one shelter to the next) each day. Over the past three days, we've crossed paths with Hansel and Gretel. They are a German couple who comes to the US every year and rents a cottage for 20 days or so, along with 2 cars, so that they can take a series of day hikes to complete their miles. We see them because while they started in Georgia and are now in Virginia, they actually hike south on a day to day basis. In that way they get to know all the thru hiking northbounders. We've been impressed with their English and look forward to seeing them each day. It's funny to think (now, anyway) how last time I was at this shelter, Hoover(my hiking partner on my first thru hike, '99) and I were very sick from a virus that was being passed between hikers. Today is a much better day than the one we had six years ago.6 PM We're in a nice "hollow" for the night. It's just us and Jeff, a section hiker, in the shelter, while others are tenting outside. Peanut shared potato chips and dip that she just bought on a resupply trip into Glasgow... yum!
Date: 2005-06-01
From: John's Hollow Shelter

To: Brown Creek Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: overcast clouds

"...take hold of the life that is really life". I read that this morning, from I Timothy 6:19, and thought about it all day. This is Hopeful writing. I had been trying to read in the evenings, but realized that I'm far too tired to concentrate after we're in for the night. The mornings will always be my best time of day, and on the trail even Red Wing is more peppy at the break of day than after hiking the miles we've been doing. The first 6 miles today were in the upward direction. I've determined to take it slow, and it helps me not wear out so fast when I know that we have a big climb. Slow and steady is better than stopping for breaks, which is what I had to do a lot back in Georgia. We chatted with Slap Happy, Hansel, and Gretel at Punchbowl Shelter for lunch. There was no punch, just a round pond with lots of croaking frogs, and rumors of a resident ghost. Hmmm... There's nothing outstanding about the hike until... 2 miles before the shelter there was free food! Flash and Hot Flash ('87 thru hikers) served us goodies out of the back of their vehicle. We had our fill of sandwiches, Cheeze Its, pastries, cake & juice (can you tell that food is often a highlight of any day for us?!). Thank you! Then we got to the shelter just in time to get a spot inside before "the traveling circus" arrived (an apt desccription, courtesy of Dirty Harry). The place is busy tonight with 20 people here and counting. Can it really be June? It feels pretty chilly, but with a full shelter we'll be cozy, especially with the nice fire outside. The smoke alway keeps the bugs away!
Date: 2005-06-02
From: Brown Creek Mountain Shelter

To: Dutch Haus Bed & Breakfast/Hostel
Miles today: 18.1

We had big plans to make this our longest day including our biggest climb yet. Well, the day started out just a little drizzly, so we left early and successfully finished the climb. As for the miles, we didn't do as well. It seems funny to say that when we still completed 18 of them, but it wasn't what we had planned. The drizzle turned into a driving rain with heavy, gusty winds. The temps were only in the low 50's and we were too cold to stop, even for lunch. There was a turn off to Montebello, VA, and we took it. I've never been so cold, in June! The Bed and Breakfast is incredible. We think it is better descibed as a hostel, but a high quality one. Earl and Lois bend over backwards to serve hikers by feeding, shuttling, doing laundry and loving hikers as they come through the door. I love their set up. There are several bunk rooms and even a separate bunkhouse, for when the main house gets full. Upon arrival, you jump in the shower, throw your stinky clothes in a laundry basket and throw on a bathrobe (they have tons of them!) until Lois brings back your clean laundry. It's humorous to see everyone walking around in a bathrobe, but so cozy! A coffee pot is on all day long. The common living area is where the hikers are able to hang out. There might be 20 of us here now, with more on the way. We look forward to a good evening.
Date: 2005-06-04
From: Rusty's Hard Time Hollow

To: Dripping Rock Gap & Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: light rain

It was tempting to stay at Rusty's, but knew it would be good to move on. One of the things we've been reminded of in our short time here at the "Hard Time Hollow", has been to allow the journey to lead us, and not be so agenda driven. Maine is not going anywhere. In the end, we chose to move on because of a good opportunity. Bubble Toes has family visiting, and was getting picked up at Rusty's and driven to Waynesboro. Her family was nice enough to drive most of our gear (including Hopeful's pack) into town so that we could hike the 21 miles without much weight. I carried my pack with water and our snacks. As we started hiking, we realized that our legs were still dead from the longer miles yesterday and from staying up late at Rusty's. We were also slipping and sliding over wet, muddy rocks. After only a few miles we met Barbara, who was out on a day hike. She took pity on us (although we weren't carrying hardly anything, we had stopped in the middle of the trail for a snack-that IS pretty pitiful!). She told us about a gap a few miles up and said that she could pick us up in a couple hours and take us to town. Our schedule wouldn't have been important, except now our stuff was already in town and we needed to pick it up before businesses closed today. Our hiking speed today wasn't going to get us there in time. So, Barbara was kind enough to pick us up, drive us around, and share an hour or so of her day with us. It's people like her whos generosity continue to blow me away. Tomorrow we have plans to go to church and get a ride back to the gap so we can hike the 15 remaining miles into town so that we can move on into Shenandoah National Park on Monday. Since we've been here, we've found that we can't pick up our mail drop until 10 AM on Monday morning, so our short day today won't matter at all. We have to be here longer than expected anyway. We look forward to taking advantage of the Lutheran Church's free hostel, and for the second night, free camping and showers at the YMCA. We've also heard of some great restaurants to try! We look forward to exploring another town along the AT, as well as seeing the other hikers in town.
Date: 2005-06-05
From: Dripping Rock Gap & Waynesboro, VA

To: Camping behind YMCA, Waynesboro
Miles today: 14.5

Hopeful's report: After getting into Waynesboro yesterday afternoon (a Saturday), we realized that the Office of Tourism, where our box of resupplies had been sent, was closed on Saturday, and would not open again until 10 AM Monday morning. We were discouraged, but knew that we'd survive the inconvenience and just plan to get it Monday and deal with a later start. On a happier note, we did make it in time for the Waynesboro hiker fest. We were able to buy dinner downtown by the river, and enter a drawing for prizes. Red Wing won some Smart Wool socks, which he immediately put on and threw his other pair (stinky and wearing through at the heel) in the trash. He was happy. I won a $10 gift certificate to the movie theatre. They offered free shuttles there that evening, and we got to see the new Star Wars movie. Now, Red Wing was REALLY happy! Before the shuttle left, I happened to notice the title "Director of Tourism" on one of the hosts' name tags. It was a long shot, but I asked her if by chance she had a key to where our box was-- she did! And she took me there, just a block away, to get it. Plus, she happened to be our shuttle driver for the evening. Thanks, Liane! We ended the day yesterday with no regrets about hitching into Waynesboro early, and today continued to work out really well for us. We woke up at the church hostel and didn't even have to go outside to attend church! The Lutheran service wasn't what we are used to, but sometimes it's even more beautiful to hear words and sing songs that we've never heard, and really consider their meaning. Sometimes the familiar can become somewhat routine, no matter what type of church we attend. Waynesboro has a "Trail Angel Network", believe it or not. So, after church we called Bill and he gave us a ride back up the Blue Ridge Parkway to the spot where we had gotton off the trail the day before, so that we could finish the stretch of the trail south of town. It was also the day to retire our old shoes and break in our new shoes. Scott got his new Merrill's and I have a fresh pair of the same Salomon shoe that I started with. Red Wing carried his pack with very little in it (water, snacks), and I had only my hiking poles. It felt WONDERFUL to walk without a pack! The temperatures are climbing and the humidity is thick. Once back in town, we went to the best Chinese buffet ever, and wrapped up grocery shopping and reorganizing and then set up our tent in the free camping spot near the YMCA (the church hostel closes on Sunday evenings). Tree Trunks and Slap Happy just shared some strawberry shortcake with me. Yum! I'm exhausted tonight, and it feels kind of hot for sleeping. We'll have to keep the tent door open and watch the stars in an attempt to get some air flow. Good night!
Date: 2005-06-06
From: Camping behind YMCA, Waynesboro

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Last night's stay on the YMCA lawn was a hot and muggy one. We woke up to a wet tent on the inside (not the outside) from all the condensation. The only solution we can come up with to this problem is to stop breathing altogether. We slept in a little bit, took showers at the YMCA, went to the Post Office, ate breakfast at Weasie's (a great greasy spoon restaurant), and finally got on the trail. We didn't start hiking until 11:15 AM, wich is much later than we had hoped for a hot, 20 mile day.    Our starting point was Rockfish Gap, and soon we hiked into Shenandoah National Park. The park is known for having gentle climbs and unusually flat trail. Today we had to climb out of the gap to get on the ridge, so we didn't get to experience much of the reputed "flat" trail today. Also, when we left town the temperature was 91 degrees and it was very humid. We heard heavy thunder several times, but never actually got wet. Finally, at around 8 PM, we pulled into the shelte. Tonight Snowman & Sparkplug, Nick & Dave, Bluey, Guideless, BeanTown, and Chris and Tina are here as well. We're trying to get to bed early and get some miles in before the heat tomorrow. So far we've seen three deer in a half day in the park.