morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-14
From: Wise Shelter

To: Racoon Branch Shelter
Miles today: 17.6

Trail Day 53 - Back East AgainLeft shelter at usual time. Crossed a large creek and walked over a bald. A mare with a foal trotted by, the foal sticking close to mama's side. I descended to a corral for horses. Four cowboys leading loaded pack horses rode down the dirt road and passed through the corral. I hiked over Pine Mountain and down a rocky trail to Old Orchard shelter. Ate lunch while a woman day hiker told me she really envied me doing the AT. I gave her my stock response, "Dream it, plan it, do it". She said her husband would divorce her if she were gone more than 10 days. She was serious. I didn't want to get into that because her husband was close by. I went on to Fox Creek and climbed Iron Mt., about 800 ft. of steep trail. Trail Boss and Sandy from the ATC stopped and said hi. He told me about the Blackburn Trail Center hostel he manages near Harpers Ferry and gave me his card. I was stopped by a bulldozer on the trail carving out space for a new shelter for the Konnarock crew to build. I thanked them for their work and one asked if I wanted to join them. I passed on that invitation as I had miles to go yet. I missed a cutoff for the AT and had to walk back up the road 1/2 mile to find it. I was really tired but the next shelter was 11.7 miles from Old Orchard and there was nowhere to camp. The trail wound along the sides of steep coves full of tall poplars and hemlocks. I paused to enjoy the rushing waterfall at Comer's Creek. It rained lightly but the trees and rhododendrons were so thick that no rain reached me. I considered hitching in to Troutdale to stay at a Baptist hostel but elected to go on another 1.5 miles to Racoon Branch shelter. Dacks, Speak Up, Chill Out and Bo were there. It began pouring rain as I walked up. They remarked on my good timing, one of my gifts. Speed and Breathless came in later. We all cooked in the shelter due to the rain. It was great to be in a dry place but it had been a long day.
Date: 2004-05-15
From: Racoon Branch Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Trail Day 54 - Partnership shelterI talked with Bo before setting out. He is from Chattanooga but has never seen Rock City. I remember large signs reading "See Rock City" painted on barns and rooftops when I traveled as a boy in the back seat of a car. Bo showed me his new air mattress (Insul-mat) which is light and sturdy but rolls up small. He is section hiking south and does this every year.The trail today initially climbed steeply 500 ft. and then descended and stayed mostly down around 3000 ft., but there was still a lot of up and down on roller coaster hills. I crossed a bridge over a river displaying an exhibit on trout and skirted a pasture with horses grazing. After climbing another 500 ft. on Brushy Mt., I entered a rhododendron thicket and was pestered by eye gnats. I pressed on and reached Partnership shelter by 2:00. This shelter is close to a Park Service Visitor's Center. It has 2 levels, a sink with hot & cold faucets, and even a hot shower! At the Visitor's Center there is a phone from which pizza can be ordered for delivery from a restaurant in Marion, 7 miles away. I ordered one, of course, and waited with other hikers at the entrance to the Center, which locked the gate after 5 pm. The pizza was delivered but my credit card slip was left at the restaurant, so I rode with the delivery woman in her car down the mountain to Marion to sign it and ate my pizza there. For this small inconvenience I was given a free soda with ice in a tall tumbler, a treat when one has been on the trail for 5 days. When I was returned to the Center, the rain came down and I was trapped on the porch for an hour or so waiting it out as I wore my fleece jacket, which I could not get wet because I use it for a pillow. It was dark by the time I got back to the shelter. Still, I enjoyed the change of scene with the restaurant visit and drive through Marion. The driver who took me back complained about the lack of jobs in Marion and the low pay for service work. He can only make $5.15 per hour there. I spent a restless night because the guy next to me snored loudly and constantly all night long. At 3:30 am, I woke up when I felt something pushing against my feet. I thought it was the snorer encroaching on my space and kicked it but it did not move. I shined my light and found a dog sleeping on my bag. The dog moved after I pulled the bag away. Someone with a dog came in late and was sleeping at the shelter entrance. It turned out to be a man who had driven here from Trail Days and had just stopped in to sleep. He was not hiking as he only had a daypack.
Date: 2004-05-16
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA 
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Trail Day 55 - Time to rest.Got out early at 6:50 am. Did not heat water for oatmeal or coffee as I did not want to exchange words with the snorer because they would not be kindly. I had some words prepared advising him to take an antihistamine, apply a nose strip and sleep in his tent, not shelters, if he wants to survive the next 6 days to Damascus. But he was going south so he is not my problem. Anyway, he overheard me discussing the snoring with Now or Never so I think he got the message.It was good starting early in the cool dawn. I climbed 3 hills in succession with little trouble. I stopped several times for snacks and used the privy at the next shelter. By the way, there should be a bumper sticker saying "Virginia is for privy lovers" because every shelter in Virginia has had one. In Tennessee, there were privies only in the Smoky Mt. Nat'l Park and at Overmountain shelter. Makes no sense because no privies invites toilet paper waste fields around the shelters. Instead they put up signs saying "This shelter will be closed if there is excess toilet paper in the area". That does a lot of good!After Chatfield shelter, the rhododendrons were fewer and mixed hardwood forest began. Just before Atkins I entered a lush green valley with tall grass and round hills. Trucks on I-81 were visible in the distance. The noise of traffic did not detract from the beauty of this landscape. Plants just seem to grow more luxuriously here in Virginia. It must be the soil. I had been noticing ferns and vines in the woods lately, something new, but I really loved the grassy hills I found today. Many years ago I attended a summer camp in this area and I still recall wistfully the memory of the bucolic green isolated valley at the end of a long quiet winding dirt road nestled between mountains. That was a joyful summer.I registered at the Relax Inn as it is the only place to stay near the trail. The room was fine and I was more than ready to relax here.
Date: 2004-05-17
From: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA 

To: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Trail Day 56 - Zero day in AtkinsI called the Atkins Diner to request a shuttle into town and the owner, Jim, said he would be right out. Now or Never, Speed and Breathless joined me on the ride to the Diner. Breakfast was excellent. On the way back, we stopped at the post office to pick up packages. Jim took us to the motel and picked us up again at 3 pm for dinner. He dropped us by the post office again to mail out packages and by the nearby grocery store for an hour to shop for food. All of this shuttling was at no charge; Jim just asked that we eat at his diner. Not a problem because he has the best food in town. My back hurt for the past two days in an area at right mid back, especially when taking a deep breath or yawning. I recognized this as a symptom of a rib out of place. I called a chiropracter in Marion and set an appointment for the next morning. Marion is a larger town about 10 miles away. A cab ride there costs $15 one-way, so I would have to pack up, hitch into town and hitch back to the trail. This would delay my departure but I thought it would be worth it if I could get my rib back in place before hiking again.I watched a TV program on PBS that night called "Colonial House". It follows a small group of volunteers who try living as did the first settlers who came here from England in 1628. They live in cabins on the coast of Maine and wear the same clothing, use the same equipment, eat the same food, and do the same work as those who came over on the Mayflower. It was interesting to see how difficult the adjustment was for them. I think the hardest part was the isolation from family, friends and society. Of course anyone could withdraw from this experiment at any time. The real pioneers did not have that option.I also feel as though I am in exile. I miss my wife and family. It wears on me a bit until I get into town again. There I can restablish contact by phone and television. However, when I watch the news, I am ready to return to the forest where nature works normally as it was created to be. Not at all like so-called "civilization".
Date: 2004-05-18
From: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA

To: Knot Maul Branch SHelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Trail Day 57 - Back crunched - back on the AT.I left the motel at 9 am and got to the chiropracter's office by 9:30 with two rides. He crunched the vertebrae at the spot where my back hurt and confirmed that it was a rib out of place. Another ride and I was back on the AT at 11:30, stopping first in Marion at McDonald's for a sandwich and milkshake. It was a pretty day. The first shelter was only 2.7 miles away and I reached it by 1 pm. I hiked on to the next shelter, another 11.2 miles, climbing two mountains that were not difficult. After Big Walker Mtn., the trail crosses hills in pasture on farmland. These farms are surrounded by mountains and the area is very scenic. There are many wooden ladders to climb to cross fences and many cow patties to dodge. It rained lightly later in the afternoon. The last climb to the shelter was very steep. Although it was only 200 ft., I was exhausted when I reached the shelter at about 7 pm. Too tired to cook, I ate Pop-Tarts and put my mat on the shelter floor. I mailed my sleeping bag home in Atkins when I found a replacement. My down bag is heavy because it has absorbed water over the years and I was glad to get it out of my pack. In its place I am using a secondhand child's nylon sleeping bag that I bought for $3 at an antique store in front of the Relax Inn. It is way too small to fit me as a bag, but I can use it as a blanket. My feet stick out, but I like that because I have hot feet at night. The bag has great Pokemon graphics and is very light.
Date: 2004-05-19
From: Knot Maul Branch SHelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Trail Day 58 - Rainy climb to Chestnut KnobThe AT was a green tunnel this morning, crossing streams and covered by rhododendron thickets. The challenge today would be the climb from Poor Valley at 2300 ft. to Chestnut Knob at 4400 ft., a 2100 ft. elevation gain over a distance of 4.6 miles. It began to thunder, flash lightning and pour rain as I started up the mountain. Fortunately the trees and bushes kept most of the rain from reaching me. By the time I got to the bald, the storm was over. Hans was under a tarp he tied to trees for cover while he cooked. He was afraid to go onto the bald while the lightning was striking. A lightweight tarp is useful and does not weigh much. I have one at home that doubles as a poncho and am thinking about having it mailed to me. There is no water source at the shelter, so I carried water from a pond on top for about 2 miles. Chestnut Knob shelter is an old stone hut with four walls, two windows and even a door. I was the first person to arrive who would be staying there. The others who were in the last shelter with me were hiking on. They would have to tent camp in the woods because the next shelter was still 10 miles away. With all the rain lately, I preferred to stay in a dry hut. Plus I wanted some time to work on my journal and read my Edward Abbey book.Others came in and the shelter filled up with mostly younger people. I was happy about this as the youngsters are a lot more fun than the older hikers. Plus I have common interests with the younger hikers, like music. Bucket came in. I had not seen him since we shared my tent in the snow at Standing Indian Mt. in North Carolina. Poor Bucket was covered with poison ivy sores on his legs. He got these from the tent city in Damascus during Trail Days. I told him we would start calling him Fester. I met Shady Smurf who is a thruhiker from last year. He has lived in New York City for 20 years doing film and video production. This year he is section hiking after attending Trail Days. He does not know where he will live next but he is done with New York City. He said would not have lasted in New York that long if he did not have an apartment a block away from Central Park. He may move back to Daytona where he attended Sea Breeze High School. I slept in a bunk by the door but kept it open all night as it seemed silly to close it when we have been sleeping in 3-sided shelters. In the morning I could see the sunrise out the door. I got up and took a photo.
Date: 2004-05-20
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Trail Day 59 - Sore back day.A thunderstorm blew through at 9 am as I prepared to leave the hut. I waited it out and it stopped within 1/2 hour. I met 2 young men and their father coming up the mountain. The father was having a difficult time of it. I heard later that he called a cab on a cell phone at the top and he gave his food to some thruhikers. The trail was ridge walk above a valley called Burke's Garden or God's Thumbprint. This is an isolated valley with dairy farms that looks idyllic from the shelter. Unfortunately, the ridge walk has no views for over 6 miles. My back, which was somewhat sore yesterday, hurt worse today. I had to take a pack-off break every hour in the afternoon. I worried about it stopping my hike. I did some yoga and took aspirin when I reached the next shelter at about 3 pm. Everyone is hiking longer distances than I am, which also bothers me. I have to go slow and be patient to take care of my back. I hope that this is a temporary pain that will pass soon. I may have to see a chiropracter again in Pearisburg and take an extra rest day. Ordinarily, I could get over this with a few days of rest and ice at home, and I may have to do the same out here. Carrying the backpack day after day is not helping it.
Date: 2004-05-21
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Trail Day 60 - Trail Magic Day.Got out at 7:30 am. Early for me. At the shelter were Red Dog, Rocket, Buzz and Breeze, and Professor Pete and Scrubs. They all hike long days (24 miles) and get going early. They started in Georgia a month after I did. This is not the norm; they are hikers in a hurry. Breeze told me they had taken only 2 rest days because they can't afford to stay in town. But I think they are just young people in a hurry because they have other commitments, like college and careers.The AT was easy in the morning, winding through rhododendrons and intersecting Little Wolf Creek 12 times in 2 miles. It was cool but very damp, dark and humid. I stopped for a break after 4.6 miles at Laurel Creek, which has a bridge and waterfall next to a road. A man drove up and offered us drinks from a box. He is with a church nearby in Bland and does trail magic for hikers frequently. His church also provides a free dinner for hikers on Mondays. He left a cooler full of drinks and ice up the trail. In the afternoon, I climbed 600 ft. to a mountainside trail that lasted about 5 miles. Once up there, the grade was easy but never stopped going up. At the end of this section there was more trail magic: apples and drinks in a bag hanging from a tree. I skipped the hitch into Bland because I did not need to resupply yet. After crossing I-77 on a bridge, I climbed steeply to the shelter. This was a 400 ft. gain in 1.5 miles. This happens a lot, that the hardest climb is the one that you do in the afternoon when you are really tired and just want to get to the shelter and collapse. There was nobody at the shelter but me and it was only 2:30 so I took my time getting water and doing yoga for my back. Eventually, Sunshine, Bucket, Stands with a Fist, No Name and Whiskey joined me. They were at the shelter on Chestnut Knob 2 nights ago and got behind me when they went to Bland to resupply. They hike somewhat as a group. I was glad to see them as they relax and converse a lot at the shelters, not all business like some hikers.
Date: 2004-05-22
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: Trent's Grocery
Miles today: 16.3

Trail Day 61 - Dinner with the RosesEasy walk along the ridge in the morning. I held my pole up in front of me to clear out the cobwebs. I was puzzled at first because I was heading south, not north, the sun rising to my left. Sometimes the AT makes inexplicable changes in direction. The traffic noise from I-77, which I had crossed the previous day, was behind me so I knew I was going the right way.Bucket caught up with me at the first road crossing and joined me for a break. I told him I passed a couple still asleep on a overlook with no tarp or tent. He said yeah, that was County and Marzipan and they were just getting up when he saw them. We joked about why they may not want to sleep in shelters. Bucket said he would go on to Wapiti shelter, a distance of 24 miles. I was bound for Trent Grocery to resupply with food and camp where there is a hot shower.After the bridge over Kimberling Creek, I turned up the highway to a small lumberyard and the store, not much of a store but it has a deli serving breakfast and hamburgers. A burly man with a goatee and shaved head began talking with me as I rested at a table. He was Restless, a section hiker staying in the camping area behind the store to let his blisters heal. Restless has a lot of trail building experience. He has worked for ATC and Florida Trail. Recently he ran a crew of volunteers working on the Florida Trail in the Florida panhandle and Ocala National Forest. He is from Sevierville, TN. He was hobbling around in sandals now as he made the mistake of hiking on a muddy horse trail in Grayson Highlands. His feet stayed wet, causing blisters, and they became infected by the horse dung on the trail. He led me back to his tent and I set mine up. A man and his wife were sitting at a picnic table nearby preparing dinner. Jeff and Cherry Rose offered us generous plates of sphagetti, garlic bread, salad and sodas. I wolfed it all down thankfully. Jeff is the Chief of Police of Pound, VA, a small town near the Kentucky border. He said it is a good place to live, especially for retirees. I took their photo as they were friendly and giving folks, much appreciated after days on the trail. There were fireflies in the pasture next to our tents that evening. Sunshine, Stands, No Name, Whiskey, and Enigma came in that night, enlivening us with their chatter.
Date: 2004-05-23
From: Trent's Grocery

To: Woodshole Hostel
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Trail Day 62 - Woodshole HostelGot a late start on the AT at 10:30 because I went back to the store from the trail to look for a lost water filter bottle, thinking I left it in the store yesterday. The store did not open until 9 am today, on Sunday, but the bottle was actually lying in the grass on the way to the camping area. Anyway, I found it and I stayed for breakfast of biscuits, eggs and sausage. As soon as I got back on the AT, the heavens opened and I was drenched while climbing the mountain. The trail runs along Dismal Creek which was swollen and flowing swiftly. Fortunately there were bridges and I did not have to ford it. The rain stopped after an hour. I passed Seven who was sitting by the trail taking a break. His name is Seven because he is an early riser and always leaves the shelter by 7:00 am. After hiking 7.5 miles, I sat down for a break. I saw a man wearing a cowboy hat riding a horse on a nearby trail, his young son following him on a horse. He tried to direct his horse into a muddy pond, but it shied away.   I stopped at Wapiti shelter to read the register, but there was none. Han Sobo and Weber were there drying out. They were going on to the next shelter as they wanted to get to Pearisburg. I planned to stop at the Woodshole Hostel to enjoy breakfast with Tillie. After the shelter, the trail ran straight up steeply for more than 1000 ft. and there were no switchbacks to make it easier. At the top, the rain, thunder and lightning resumed. The lightning was striking too close for comfort with a one second delay. After several miles of ridge walk, the AT descended through ferns and rocks. I got off on Sugar Run Road and walked 1/2 mile to Woodshole Hostel. This place is a patch of paradise in the forest. Tillie and her husband moved into a 2-story 1880's log cabin long ago when he wanted to study elk in the area. The elk were hunted out 40 years ago and Tillie now lives in Roswell, GA but she comes up here during May and June every year to take in hikers in memory of her late husband. There is another building dated even earlier that is used as a bunkhouse with mattresses on the floor of the loft. The first floor is all open with a long covered porch. It was a great spot to find shelter from the rain.
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Woodshole Hostel

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Trail Day 63 - Breakfast with TillieTillie serves breakfast for $3.50 each to the first 8 hikers who arrive the previous day. It is the best deal on the trail. She served pancakes and eggs with honey and coffee in generous portions. There were only 2 other hikers beside me: Seven and Matt. Seven did not stay for breakfast; he left at 7 am as usual and breakfast was at 7:30. Matt is unique on the AT. He has hiked trails all over the world: Tasmania, New Zealand, Cappadocia in Turkey, Annapurna, Scotland, Ireland, and Switzerland. He is from Chicago and does computer work when he works. He spends most of his time hiking. I really enjoyed talking with him.The trail was easy to Pearisburg. I stopped at the viewpoint over the valley for a break and then descended quickly to town. The trail was muddy at the bottom and I slipped and fell. I stretched my arm back to catch myself but twisted my back doing so, negating all the improvement in my back I had over the last few days. I was so worried about my back that I did not notice that my tent fell off my pack onto the trail. Fortunately Critter picked it up and brought it to the hostel that night before I even knew it was gone.The road walk to the Holy Family Hostel is about 3 miles long and all uphill. It was hot walking on the asphalt. I had almost reached Dairy Queen when a car stopped and offered me a ride. I did not hesitate. There would be plenty of time for ice cream, but a good ride is not easy to find. Pearisburg is a good trail town but the hostel is far away from town and it does not have a phone. The nearest phone is a mile away by roadwalk or a blueblaze walk through waist high wet weeds over hills down to a WalMart. The hostel has a great view as it is on a hill. I was glad to be there.