morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Campsite Beyond Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

***The usually quiet trail was talkative today. The Blaze on the old oak tree had been looking south down the trail toward Pearisburg and when he spotted us, his smile widened into a broad grin.   "Hey Scamp and Greylock! I've been waiting for you! Where've you been? I expected to see you last week."   "Hi Blaze! It's good to be back on the trail. We had a little detour to Abingdon to see a dentist and then we went to Trail Days," I said before explaining the whole story to him.   He seemed concerned, then relieved as I assured him that my tooth felt much, much better, and that we had had a wonderful time in Damascus with Kristy and Todd for Trail Days.   Blaze thought for a moment, then his face brightened, "Weren't their trail names KayDeeDid and Popeye? I never forget a hiker who passes my tree," he said proudly. He continued, "Well, the important thing is that you're back on the trail now. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and don't give up," he said in earnest.   We thanked him for doing such a good job of guiding the hikers and for watching for us and waved good-bye as we rounded his tree and left Pearisburg far behind. ***   You know, it is good to be hiking again, and I didn't realize that until we started out from Pearisburg today.    We left the hostel, Kristy and Todd treated us to blueberry pancakes at Cowboys, and we were on our way north, back to Pearisburg and the trail. We said good-bye, crossed the New River Bridge, and climbed back up into the mountains.   The trail was a good one, the temperature was cool and refreshing, and we enjoyed our packs which were now lighter from sending home our heavy fleece and cold weather clothes.   As we hiked though, it got colder, and by the time we reached Rice Field Shelter there was an icy wind blowing. There were already several tents there, so we continued on a bit further to a campsite listed in the Handbook. We quickly pitched our tent, had dinner, and jumped into our sleeping bags.    The wind continues to howl, but we'll snuggle and be warm in our new zip-together down sleeping bags.   Thank you, Lord, for the trail that leads us farther north each day.
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Campsite Beyond Rice Field Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The wind howled around our tent all night and howled around us as we ate breakfast and howled at us as we started hiking this morning. Another hiker, LeapYear, was camping with just a tarp like ours, but he had tied it and staked it well so he didn't blow away in the night. We stayed quite cozy in our tent and the zip-together sleeping bags worked well. After a while the wind calmed down a bit and for the rest of the day it was nice and cool for walking.   The trail was a nice one. We walked through a beautiful meadow and then along a mostly flat ridgeline that runs along the WV/VA border. The skies were clear and we had great views of beautiful West Virginia valleys.   A southbound hiker told us about showers predicted for the afternoon and overnight so when we arrived at Pine Swamp Branch Shelter we decided to stay here rather than push on. Many other hikers did too and the shelter is full tonight with several tents outside. Bree, BamBam and his brother Flasher are here, as well as LeapYear, EasyDoesIt, Spunky, and Princeton.   This shelter is stone, with a fireplace inside. RadioShack and Eucher got a great fire going and it warms the inside of the shelter as it crackles and glows. Very cozy! Those of us with lightweight bags are happy. :)   Thank you, Lord, for the great group of hikers here tonight - for the cameraderie beween them, for the jokes and laughter, for the sharing of trail stories.
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

It rained in the early morning hours before dawn and by daybreak it was just misting. Hikers left one by one. Even though they form a close group each night at the shelter, they all hike alone at their own pace and meet up in the evening. We are the exception, as are Red Streak and his brother who are hiking together.   The trail was very muddy today - a combination of wet leaves, slippery roots, puddles, and thick mud. We slogged along for a while and then crossed several miles of loose rock, slippery from the rain. It wasn't an easy trail for much of the day.   We stopped for lunch at Bailey Gap Shelter and discovered many of our shelter companions from last night also there. In the afternoon, the trail went up to a lookout point called Wind Rock, which is probably spectacular in clear weather. Today we saw a cloud layer below with several mountain tops poking through.   We were ready for a big downhill before tonight's shelter but didn't picture the lovely gently sloping trail that brought us down 1000' quite easily. War Spur Shelter is right on the creek called War Branch and that's the water source. It's a lovely spot with many flat tenting areas, one of which we're set up in tonight.    The shelter is overflowing with hikers. The whole group from last night is here along with several more. Since this shelter only holds 6 people, there are many tents scattered around the many little clearings surrounding it. The hikers are mostly young people and they are enjoying the social aspect of the trail that is so important to them. We can hear their talking and laughter from inside our tent.   Thank you, Lord, for a good hiking day and for these young people who enjoy being outside and involved in so wholesome a sport as backpacking.
Date: 2003-05-22
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a great hiking day. Not because of the weather, because it was overcast, misty and dripping from the trees all day. But maybe because of the weather because it was cool and the wetness was not enough to warrant raingear, but just felt good. Hiking in the cold is energizing whereas hiking in the heat drains energy.   It had rained again in the night so the creeks are full and rushing. We started off today with an immediate stream crossing where we balanced on 3, 15' long slippery logs and inched across with the water splashing underneath.    On the hillsides, the mountain laurel is just starting to bloom and we walked through some beautiful areas. Laurel Creek Shelter was our lunch spot today and leaving there, two more streams presented challenges.   The first, we crossed on a thin branch that bent under our weight but held. The second, was done by walking from rock to rock, but the water was rushing and deep and it was hard to even find a solid place to put the trekking pole. At one point, we held onto an overhanging branch for support. No doubt each one of these crossings would have been easy without all the rain we've had.   We passed an abandoned house with spooky hand prints all over the walls and ceiling! Then the trail suddenly entered a meadow and we climbed several stiles as we passed from one field into another. The Keffer Oak, a huge 300 year old oak tree is located here.   A steep uphill (nicknamed The Slip-n-Slide by Radio Shack) came next and the entire trail was thick mud. And it was steep! Our boots and gaiters were all muddy, and when one foot brushed the other leg it painted it with mud. And did I say that it was steep? Each step up was a slide back down of several inches. Yuck!   After a walk along a ridgeline dotted with unusual rock mounds (?) we descended down a steep nasty muddy .25 mile trail to the shelter. We're here with Slow Ride, Princeton, Spunky, Leap Year, and Radio Shack. It's a good group.   Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful shelter tonight and for the hikers gathered here trying to keep warm.
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

In the light of early morning, today looked just as wet and foggy as yesterday. A white mist surrounded the shelter and the woods. We were aiming for a hard day today so we wanted to get an early start.   After climbing back up the steep approach trail to the AT, we followed the ridgeline and when it neared the northern end, the trail crossed large rock faces that we had to scramble across. Everything was wet with dripping from the trees and the fine mist coming down, so the rocks were slippery and it was difficult to even see which way to go.   The ridgeline ended eventually, and we came down to Niday Shelter where we had lunch with Slow Ride. Audie Murphy Mountain was next on the trail map, and it was a long constant uphill over well maintained switchbacks that seemed to never end. We were very glad for the cool temperature today. As we wearily reached the top of the trail, there was a WOODEN BENCH! How wonderful to be able to sit down and rest! Benches along the trail are unheard of. Usually we look for a log or rock to sit on, but a real bench? The trail had come to an old woods road covered with grass, that the trail followed for a few hundred feet until there we saw a sign pointing the way to the Audie Murphy Monument.   Murphy was the most decorated American soldier of World War II. He died in a 1971 plane crash near that spot. In front of the monument was another bench, so probably both were put on the trail for people visiting. The trail then dropped down 1580', crossed Trout Creek and then went up again 390' to the shelter we are camped near tonight. Slow Ride, Princeton, Spunky, and Leap Year are here too, along with a whippoorwill who is singing loudly.   We hope to reach Four Pines Hostel tomorrow because we've eaten all the food in our food bag - a "first" for us. Hiking makes hikers hungry!    Thank you, Lord, for our cozy campsite tonight and thoughts of real food tomorrow night.
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Four Pines Hostel, Catawba, VA
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: broken clouds

We woke to sunshine! Yes! After several soggy days it was a welcome sight. We walked from the shelter uphill to a ridgeline and spent much of the day up there.   It was an irregular rocky ridgeline and we climbed up and down each bump along the top. There were views beginning to emerge from the mist and it was a lovely day. Sunlight reflected off still-wet leaves and the pink petals of the mountain laurel glistened.      At the end of the ridge were jagged rock formations known as Dragon's Tooth. From this point on, the trail has an extremely difficult descent as it drops sharply down the rocks to lower elevations.   I had heard about this section and was dreading it but it wasn't too bad. At the steepest drops there are hand holds set in the rocks to grab onto and that helped.   When we finally reached the valley below, the gap was called Lost Spectacle Gap, and the rhododendron there was in full bloom and just spectacular. After a short climb up and out we found our way to Four Pines Hostel in Catawba. It's actually a man's 3 car garage that is filled with cots and mattresses and there's a bathroom and shower. There's a large round wooden table in the middle of the room where a large group is sitting talking and laughing. I count 18 hikers here so there's a full house.   For dinner tonight, we were shuttled in to the Homeplace Restaurant for the most delicious AYCE meal served family style at long tables - a hiker's dream!   Thank you, Lord, for safety today as we hiked this difficult section, and for the sunshine - rain again would have made the rocks so slippery.
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Four Pines Hostel, Catawba, VA

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

The sun shone today as we left the hostel and walked the .3 mile back to the trail. We started off with an uphill that took us up Catawba Mountain and we walked along the top of this long mountain, going up and down over the bumps along the length of the top for several hours.   The trail finally came down to VA311 where there is a large parking area and it was filled with cars. We counted 21! This is the parking area for people hiking up to McAfee Knob which is a 3.5 mile hike from there.    The beautiful weather plus Memorial Day weekend added lots of day hikers to the trail. There were 2 shelters on this trail. The first shelter we came to, Boy Scout Shelter, had been disassembled, and there was only a platform and picnic table.    The next, Catawba Mtn. Shelter, was where we took a break, and then we went up the trail to the top. "Trail" is a loose term here because it was more like a deep gully filled with loose rocks. There were no switchbacks and the trail went straight up. At one point a huge downed tree blocked the way and people had to climb through the underbrush to get around it. We had expected a well groomed trail to this popular viewpoint, but the area seemed to be poorly maintained.   Nevertheless, we arrived at the summit, and the famous overhanging rock was as spectacular as it always looks in pictures. We had the usual picture-taking session, so thankful for the sunny skies and gorgeous views. We could see Tinker Cliffs, where we'll hike tomorrow, and the city of Roanoke off in the distance.   Just a half mile beyond McAfee Knob is Campbell Shelter where we wanted to stay tonight. To our surprise, we are the only ones here! Shhhhh!   So this really is the Campbell's Shelter tonight! How cool!   There seemed to be mosquitoes so we set up our tent inside the shelter so we're bug-free and cozy inside. We didn't need the fly to cover the tent since we're under a roof, so we can see outside, which is nice.    Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful day to be at McAfee Knob and for our private Campbell Shelter tonight.
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Campbell Shelter

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

Today's hiking put us over the 700 mile mark! I am constantly amazed by our total miles. When we got to the approximate place on the trail, it was neat to see that someone had written "700" in small rocks as a mile marker to let everyone know. :)    Last night in Campbell Shelter was great! No other hikers arrived to share the shelter with us, and it rained hard in the night which made being under a solid roof all the more special.   Today's hiking took us past a mountaintop area called Tinker Cliffs. For a half mile, the trail follows the edge of these sheer, high cliffs so the views were beautiful. We could look back on McAfee Knob in the distance and down on lush green Virginia valleys below. According to folklore, the name "Tinker Cliffs" comes from the term used for Revolutionary War deserters (tinkers) who hid near here.   The trail continued to follow the ridgeline of several groups of mountains so we had elevation and cool breezes for most of the day, which was a good thing since it would have been warm otherwise.   By late afternoon we had descended down to the valley and the solid trail turned into a sea of mud and the hundreds of slipping and sliding marks of the hikers that had come before us, told the story of a not so happy ending to a day's hike. After a mile or so, we came out at the point where US 11 and Interstate 81 intersect with US 220. At this busy highway interchange, the motels and restaurants are full of hikers. Since the trail crosses the area it is a logical pit stop.   We have a box of food to get at the P.O. tomorrow so we'll take a zero day here and reorganize and recover sore muscles. We went to the AYCE Chinese Buffet for dinner, which was excellent and we've done our laundry, so we have a head start on our "town chores".   Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful day to walk along Tinker Cliffs and for the strength to get to Daleville.
Date: 2003-05-27
From: Daleville, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Daleville Zero Day   God is so good! Here we are in town, and it just poured today. It was more rain than we have had to hike through, or even sleep through in the tent, and here we are in a motel. We even thought about that terribly muddy trail into town and wondered how much worse it was today and we were so thankful we walked it yesterday, as bad as it was.    We got up and walked to the outfitters and the supermarket in the rain, then Greylock ran our groceries back to the motel and went to the P.O. to get our food drop, while I waited at the outfitters to get online. The only computer there apparently, was the one at the cash register so when I did get a chance to use it, it was only for 5 minutes.   Frustrated, I went into the next store, called The Three Graces, to ask where the nearest public library was located, and found some unexpected kindness instead. Cindy, the owner, immediately offered to let me use her computer, showed me into her office, and even got me a glass of water. Thank you so much, Cindy, for your interest in our hike and for caring enough to help me.   The rain stopped suddenly and the sun came out as we continued to walk around the area, but it wasn't long before it was pouring again. We had lunch at Bojangles, browsed through a neat Christian book store, checked out the Dollar Store, and then back in our motel room planned our meals for the next 4 days.   By looking at Wingfoot's Handbook and guesstimating how many miles per day we'll hike, we tried to project ahead for the next week or so to see when we'll get to Waynesboro. That's where we'll meet Graylock's brother Jim. Special events like that are always fun to anticipate, but we wanted to give him time to plan too.   For dinner we walked down to a great restaurant called Country Cookin' which had an excellent AYCE food bar. Back at the motel, each of our kids got a phone call before we called it a night, with our zero day all too soon at an end. Why do zero days go by so quickly?    Thank you, Lord, for restoring our tired bodies so that we're ready to hike on again tomorrow.    Hiker's Prayer - If you'll keep picking them up Lord, I'll keep putting them down.
Date: 2003-05-28
From: Daleville, VA

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: light rain

Today was a beautiful day! Yesterday's rain is a memory, but the trail stories tell of the flooding of the incredibly muddy trail into Daleville as it became submurged under 6" of water. Circuit Rider and Sherlock were able to cross it without disaster only by using their trekking poles to keep from sliding in.   We had a little mud on the trail today, but soon we gained elevation and the trail was dry, and today has been a great one for hiking. The temps were comfortable and the breezes were cool.    We stopped at Fullhardt Knob Shelter for lunch with Stripe, Oopala from Alaska, Sassafrass and her sister Flying Cricket. This shelter has a unique system of collecting water from the roof into cisterns for a water supply.   The afternoon's hiking was toward Wilson Creek Shelter, which happens to be the mile mark for having completed 1/3 of the trail this year. We arrived there at 3:30, but not before crossing 3 rushing streams swollen with yesterday's rainfall. Rocks for stepping on were mostly underwater and slippery so our boots did get a bit wet, but for the most part the water stayed on the outside and our waterproofing efforts worked.   We are here in the shelter tonight in our tent, since the air is full of no-see-ums. Also in the shelter are Jack and Soul Train, and tenting outside are Circuit Rider, from Michigan's upper peninsula, and Sherlock, from Miami, on one side. Last year they took 12 youth groups of high school and college kids for backpacking trips on the A.T. so this year their doing it on their own. A father and son from Indiana are on the other side. Eric, who just graduated from the University of Dayton, is beginning a thruhike and his dad is hiking with him for a week to get him started.   Thank you, Lord, for the group here tonight, for the good conversations, and for hikers who know You and love You.
Date: 2003-05-29
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Cove Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

One day without rain was just about as much time as the skies could manage. It started again at dawn, rained all morning, stopped at noon, came back in the afternoon with 2 thunderstorms, then showered into the evening. The whole rain thing is getting a little old.   The trails in this section have been really good considering, and not too muddy and wet at all. We paralleled the Blue Ridge Parkway quite a bit today, joining it at several overlooks which surely would have had great views in good weather. We saw mostly fog, but in a few cases mountains appeared briefly, then disappeared into the fog again.   We had lunch at Bobblets Gap Shelter, opting to eat our cooked meal where there was a water supply since at the next shelter we knew there would be none.       When thunderstorm #1 hit, we were coming down a mountain on switchbacks and I jokingly said that we could use an overhanging rock or underpass to ride it out. As we reached a road crossing, we looked to the right and there it was - an underpass! We went under and soon it stopped so we ventured out and located the trail on the other side of the road.   As we started up, there was a garbage can and on top of it was a large box of Krispy Kreme donuts. Trail Magic put there by a thruhiker going off the trail for a while! What a treat! We ate as we walked the trail with blooming mountain laurel and rhododendrons all around.    We got to the top of Cove Mountain, when the thunder started again, so we hurried and just about made it to the shelter when the rain started again.   So here we are with Tom in the Woods and a sweet girl named Slaughter (!?) Maybe I'll sleep with my little pen knife handy. Gulp. It's funny how some trail names originate. Actually, this girl got as far as Slaughter Gap in Georgia, and got terrible blisters and her feet were a mess, so she took that name, Slaughter, as her trail name.   We've had our ham & cheese tortilla wrap dinner and are listening to the raindrops on the roof, glad to be under a roof.   Thank you, Lord, for beautiful Virginia trails... even in the rain.
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Cove Mtn. Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: light rain

What a gorgeous day! We planned on 11 miles and ended up doing 17.2 - our longest mile day yet and the sunshine definitely helped! We woke up to blue skies and sunshine that lasted all day.      The profile map for today had shown us that there was a lot of climbing. First we went over Fork Mtn. and stopped at the beautiful Bryant Ridge Shelter for lunch. This fairly new shelter has three levels and room for 20. The area was filled with many varieties of butterflies that were fun to watch.   Then we climbed Floyd Mtn. and saw 2 deer on the trail and also a striking shiny gold lizard. We had heard them scurry off of the trail twice before, but they're so fast,we couldn't see them. This one scurried, but stopped. It was about 7-8" long and gleamed in the sunlight. When Greylock moved his trekking pole, it quickly shot away.    We had planned on stopping at Cornelius Creek Shelter, but when we got there, we felt like going a bit further, but couldn't find a campsite. So we ended up going all the way to the next shelter.   On the way, we walked through gorgeous rhododendron all in bloom and then we climbed Apple Orchard Mountain (4,225'), that has a huge FAA radar dome on top. Going down the other side, we had to go under The Guillotine, which is a large boulder stuck between two rock formations.    At Thunder Hill Shelter with us tonight, are Tom in the Woods, Jack, and Slaughter. Last night, we were all disturbed by 2 hikers arriving in the night. They had been night hiking and needed a place to sleep, but they made so much commotion getting settled in the shelter with us, that by the time they were asleep, we were all awake. Hopefully, it will be just us tonight.   Thank you, Lord, for the ideal weather today and the strength to go further than we had planned.