morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-08
From: Niday Shelter

To: VA624 (4 Pines Hostel)
Miles today: 16.9

Well, we woke up to RAIN again but we had to hike. Our food supply was getting low. We packed up, threw on our rain gear and headed out. We had a monstrous climb up a mountain to the Audie Murphy Memorial and from there the trail was mostly downhill but very muddy and slippery. All we could think about all day was of a fantastic All You Can Eat restaurant in Catawba. However, in order to take advantage of the dinner we would have to get there before 6 PM. It also meant that we would have to make it over Dragon's Tooth, which was a very rocky climb that would no doubt slow us down.But we kept on putting one foot in front of the other and it started to look like we were going to make it. We broke out of the woods at around 5 PM and headed for the 4 Pines Hostel. As we walked up the driveway someone hollered my name. It was Bluebird and Puff Daddy, and they were headed to the restaurant. We never even had a chance to clean up -- we just threw down our packs, jumped in the car, and rode along to the Home Place Restaurant in Catawba. It was an unbelievably good dinner, and the folks in the Home Place were nice enough to disregard our hiker stench.After arriving back at the hostel we took a shower and then all crawled into our sleeping bags with full tummies -- Life is Good.
Date: 2003-06-09
From: VA624 (4 Pines Hostel)

To: VA 311 (Down Home B & B)
Miles today: 5.9

Short day -- but that was OK. We had just done 2 hard days in a row and then stayed in a hostel where we were unable to do laundry. So, we read that at the next road crossing there was a B & B with laundry facilities. The rest of the group wanted to continue on but when we hit Rt. 311, we started to walk down the hill toward Catawba. Seconds later a van pulled over and the driver offered us a ride -- BINGO!!We showed up at the door of the Down Home B & B and the owner (Dave) came to the door. It was our lucky day -- there was one room available. We checked in and I arranged for a shuttle into the outfitter in Salem. They didn't have the item I was looking for but they called Daleville and the outfitter there put one on hold for me.Tom and Lous had also shown up at the B & B and although they were out of rooms they were given the sofa inthe living room to sleep on. Anyway, Tom had gone with me to the outfitter and on the way home from Salem we stopped for pizza and wine.The food and beverages were a big hit with the wives back at the B &B. We filled our stomachs and washed it down with some Zinfandel wine. Yum.To wrap up the evening we plugged in the Audie Murphy movie "To Hell and Back." I watched it until I couldn't hold my eyes open any more. Crawled upstairs and into my nice comfy bed. Tomorrow would come soon and we had some serious catching up to do on the trail.
Date: 2003-06-10
From: VA 311 (Down Home B & B)

To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter 
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: broken clouds

All rested and fed, we got a shuttle back to the trail from Dave and headed north. It was overcast and breezy -- a good day for hiking -- but the weather report for tonight was calling for more RAIN. Today was a day we were really looking forward to because we were going to hike over McAfee's Knob, which is one of the most photographed spots on the trail. We hit it perfectly at lunch time and were able to get some spectacular shots in addition to enjoying our lunch out on the knob. After lunch we walked a ridgeline and climbed to Tinker Cliffs before starting our downhill into the shelter. We hit the shelter about 5 PM and were able to get dinner and crawl into our sleeping bags before the rains came. We're really starting to wonder if it will EVER stop raining.
Date: 2003-06-11
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter 

To: US 220 (Daleville)
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: scattered clouds

The hike into town was pretty easy. However, we hiked in the highest humidity yet. There was barely a breeze so before long we were soaking wet and pretty uncomfortable. As we began to approach Daleville the trail turned uphill, which was unusual, since most trails into town are LONG downhills.Anyway, we hiked out onto the road at around 11:45 and hit the closest mini-market for a couple of cold Gatorades. Next stop was to the Econolodge to check on Jersey, Rumbler, Skidmark, and Balloo, who had hiked into town the night before. They were busy packing up their backpacks so they could check out and hit the trail. We said our goodbyes and then went over to the Best Western and got ourselves a room.We had a pretty busy day in town, beginning at the outfitter, then the post office and finally the grocery store for re-supply. Later in the afternoon we hooked up with Tom for Short and Seneca Lou and together with their friends, Darryl and Cherry, we went out for a great Chinese dinner and then hit the sack.
Date: 2003-06-12
From: US 220 (Daleville)

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

This was our lucky day. Tom for Short and Seneca Lou have some friends visiting who offered us a 15 mile slackpack. I'm not real big on slackpacking but we had miscalculated the mileage for today and it ended up being about 18.5 miles. That's a little more than either of us are used to so the offer for a slackpack was music to our ears.So the first 15 miles were relatively pleasant. We started off with a long steep uphill but then the trail leveled off and was mostly a series of PUDs. We stopped along the trail and picked some cherries that were ripe, sweet, and delicious! We ate almost as many as we gathered. They made a great dessert with lunch, which we ate at the second shelter of the day.Tom for Short and Seneca Lou walked up just as we were ready to leave. We passed the bag of cherries on to them and headed out. We walked out of the woods onto the Blue Ridge Parkway at around 3:30, which was pretty good time for 15 miles, considering we started at 8 AM. The biggest surprise of all was that Tom and Lou's friends (Darryl and Cherry) were standing there waiting for us with a cold beer. We sucked those beers down in short order, expressed our appreciation, and then hiked on to the next shelter with our packs. Just as we got to the next shelter the thunder started. We were fortunate enough to get a spot in the shelter. We were able to get our dinner made before the rains came.That pretty much put the day to rest. Long day but it felt good. Our only disappointment was that we didn't catch our friends. We heard that they had hiked on a few miles so we will most likely catch up with them tomorrow.
Date: 2003-06-13
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Well it rained overnight but by morning it had stopped. We woke up in a dense damp fog and made some breakfast before heading out. the shelter was downhill so we had a little climb before getting back on the trail.within minutes of reaching the trail we heard voices that turned out to be Rumbler, Jersey, Skidmark, and Balloo. We had caught up with our friends.The trai started out pretty easy and crossed the Blue ridge Parkway twice before starting downhill. Steep downhills generally are followed by steep uphills and this was no exception. In fact, before the day was over we had tackled 2 fairly hard uphills before starting down towards the shelter.The trail quality was excellent so despite the significant elevation changes we made great time and reached the shelter by around 3:30 PM.This would be BA Turtle's last day on the trail so there was a lot of talk and picture taking. The gang even got into a little card game and had a great time. My feelings are a bit mixed. I've been very happy to have her company on the trail but I know she has to go. I'm not very good at goodbyes so I know tomorrow is going to be rough. Guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.Enough for one day. This thru-hiker is hitting the sack.
Date: 2003-06-14
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a day of mixed emotion. It was BA Turtle's last day on the trail. We started off wishing each other a happy anniversary. The date is actually the 15th, but she'll be gone so we had to celebrate a day early.I woke up with a sore throat and a cough which would prove to really end up being a factor in today's hike. The first 9 miles were pretty much all uphill. I had zero energy and couldn't keep up much of a pace. Our biggest concern was making it to the Blue Ridge Parkway in time for Turtle to catch her ride. It seemed like the uphills would never end. But just then we saw a shelter sign -- ah, relief! Ran into Happy Feet there and had a nice breather. Not sure I would have had the energy to hike much more without the break. The good news is that we were ready to start a long downhill. We were also hoping that with the downhill there would come some wind or at least a breeze. We had hiked almost the entire morning in hot, humid and stagnant conditions. Add that to my not feeling well and it made for a pretty rough day. After our break at the shelter I felt better and seemed to have more energy. The trail markers were apparently wrong because we hiked for over an hour from the 2.2 miles to go sign and still didn't hear or see the road. the last portion of the trail involved an uphill that went past an FAA radar site -- pretty neat! Then started the final downhill to the road. We walked out at 3:15 -- not bad considered we were shooting for 3 PM. Turtle's ride (Shaman) wasn't there but another guy was there witha truck. He offered to drive us down the road to a local restaurant. Just then, Shaman arrived. I gave BA Turtle a big hug and a kiss and off they went I decided to take the guy's offer and together with Happy Feet we rode down to the restaurant. I had a huge cheeseburger and a lemonade. I threw in an ice cream cone for good measure.The guy drove us back up to the trail head and we hiked in to the first shelter for the night. It started to rain and a lot of hikers started to arrive. I enjoyed that because I was missing my trail partner and the company was a welcome way to spend my first night as a solo hiker again.
Date: 2003-06-15
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: VA 501
Miles today: 14.6

Woke up very early -- around 5 AM and from I could tell it had rained most of the night. I was very glad to have had a spot in the shelter. My first thought was to roll back over and sleep for another hour. Trouble was that I really missed my hiking partner. So, I sat up and started to assemble my gear. As I was doing that the rain slowed to a drizzle and then stopped all together. I had breakfast and noticed that the gnats and flies had already discovered my presence. That shortened my meal considerably. All I could think of was getting on my pack and hitting the trail. So, by 6:15 AM I was hiking. I was pretty "zoned out," thinking about BA Turtle and our last month of hiking together. The miles flew by and before I knew it I was about to cross the footbridge over the James River. Once on the other side I was greeted by a former thru-hiker named Ken. He was just hanging out there doing trail magic. He offered me a cold soda and a candy bar and then offered me a ride into town. This guy was a true Trail Angel! He's now retired and lives in a nearby RV park. He enjoys being part of the hiking community but his knee problems prevent him from actually hiking the trail. He drove me directly to the motel, where I got the LAST available room. I managed to get my laundry done aand have a good meal. After a hot shower I hit the sack.I've got a pretty bad head/chest cold -- but life is GOOD . . . and I continue to live the dream.
Date: 2003-06-16
From: VA 501

To: Glasgow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up feeling pretty yucky! Peeked out the window and guess what -- it was raining again. I started to stuff things in my backpack and then decided that what I needed most was to stay dry and get some rest. so, it's a zero mile day for me. The good news is that I will be able to hit the library and access the internet and check email. All in all, life is still good. The trail is still there and I'll hit it again fresh tomorrow!!
Date: 2003-06-17
From: Glasgow

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

This rain is the pits. I just couldn't see staying in town another day, despite waking up to a downpout -- AGAIN!! Will we ever get a break? So many hikers are getting discouraged and talking about quitting. The weather is reallytaking its toll on this year's hiking community. We can all deal with rain now and then, but this is starting to get ridicuous.Ok, Ok, . . . enough griping.Actually, rain aside, today's hike wasn't all that bad. There were 2 steep uphills but they didn't last very long. I hiked mostly alone, which was good because I occasionally had some heated discussions (monologues, really) with mother nature. The first shelter came up fast and since I had gotten off to a late start, I decided to stop and have some lunch. Plus, it allowed me to get out of the rain for a while. But the goal for today was the next shelter up the trail so I had to move on and make tracks. The trail was really overgrown in spots which can really get annoying, especially when the brush is all wet. Long story made short, by the time I got to the second shelter my legs were soaked and the water had run down inside my gaiters and flooded my shoes. Needless to say, the first order of business when I got to the shelter was to dry off and put on some dry clothes. After that it was a warm meal and off to sleep. Shooting for 16 miles tomorrow.
Date: 2003-06-18
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

There are fourteen mile days and there are FOURTEEN mile days. Today was of the latter variety. The first 9 miles were a combination of downs and ups until we got to the first shelter (Brown Mtn Creek). But after that things got serious. It's been quite a while since I've seen such a long and steep uphill. I climbed 3000 feet in 4 miles. That equates to a roughly 60 degree slope. Seemed like that hill was never going to end. To try and cope with the exhaustion I started to sing every Beatles song I knew -- and hey .... it worked!! Little by little I got to the summit. Yahoo, now it was only another mile or so to the shelter. Of course, once I got to the shelter the sign said "0.5 miles" -- some days you just can't win.The extra half mile wasn't that bad after all. As I got close to the shelter I heard a lot of noise. Turns out that it was a group of Girl Scouts staying at the shelter. This should be interesting. We (thru-hikers) are asleep by 8 PM and the Girl Scouts like to stay up all night and giggle. Oh, well -- we'll just have to adjust. 8-)
Date: 2003-06-19
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: Fish Hatchery Road
Miles today: 12.5

It should come as no surprise that we woke up once again to pouring rain. Funny thing though, we've gotten so accustomed to rain and being wet all the time so we hardly even notice it any more. Having said that it still sucks to get up in the morning and pull on a shirt and shorts that are still cold and wet from yesterday. Nonetheless, that's how today began. But today would be one of the more special days on the trail in several weeks.There had been mention in the recent shelter registers about a Bed and Breakfast that served a free lunch. Even better, the owners run a free shuttle to and from the trail. Almost seemed too good to be true . . . but free food and a free ride are pretty powerful motivators to a thru-hiker.the problem was that the road crossing in question was 12.5 miles from my campsite and the shuttle was said to be on-site at 12:30. That meant I had to cover the 12.5 miles in a little over 5 hours, since I had started hiking around 7 AM. Nevertheless, I decided to give it my best shot. To my own surprise, I reached the intended road crossing at 12:10. I walked left the .9 miles per the instructions and waited. 12:30 came and went. I was starting to recall the old saying "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Just then a pick-up truck came up the road and the driver, Lois, welcomed us and said to hop in the back. fifteen minutes later we were sitting at the dining room table of the "Dutch Haus" eating homemade soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Some hikers ate and left; I chose to stay the night. I was given my own room and took a most wonderful hot shower. Lois then took all my wet and dirty hiking clothes and washed them for me. Hey . . . is this COOL, or what?I spent the rest of the afternoon getting my gear cleaned and dry.dinner was out of this world!! I watched a little TV and headed off to bed. It doesn't get much better than this!!P.S. Almost forgot to mention an experience from earlier today. It was about an hour into the hike and I was coming over one of the balds. It was foggy and raining. My eyes were aimed down at my feet and I was pretty zoned out. My instincts (for lack of a better excuse) told me to look up. Just as I did a large skunk appeared. I think we were both equally startled. The skunk turned around in an instant and assumed "the position." Seeing that, I did a 5-foot moon walk that even Michael Jackson would have admired. Fortunately I avoided the contact and we both went our separate ways.
Date: 2003-06-20
From: Fish Hatchery Road

To: Reeds Gap
Miles today: 19.9

Despite the restful afternoon and great dinner at the Dutch Haus B&B the night before, I was still pretty tired. I've been trying to shake a head/chest cold for 2 weeks but wasn't having much success in the wet weather. I decided that rather than hike out today with my full pack, I would do a 20-mile "slackpack." I loaded what I needed into a small day pack and the owner of the B&B drove me back to the turnaround at Fish Hatchery Road. The weather was overcast as I hiked the .6 miles up the hill to the trailhead. Just as I reached the first white AT blaze and turned northward, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped about 12-15 degrees. It doesn't take a meteorologist to figure out what was about to happen next -- RAIN, and I'm talking torrential downpour, the kind that hurts when it hits you. Normally I would have just ignored it and started hiking but it had gotten darn cold and I already was dealing with head/lung congestion. So I broke out my raingear and hoped this would take the edge off. I don't like to hike in a raincoat normally because I sweat so much. But today was an exception.This was going to be a hard hike with or without the rain so I zipped up the raincoat and got a move on. The B&B owner said she would meet me at around 6:30 PM where the AT crossed Reed's Gap.Fortunately I was carrying a light pack and I was able to maintain a healthy pace. the rain pretty much lasted all day, tapering off to a drizzle in the late afternoon. I had 3 serious uphill climbs and one long steep downhill. I hardly stopped at all except for lunch. It was around 5:30 when I hit the sign that read "Reed's Gap -- 2.5 miles." I picked up the pace a bit and walked out of the woods and into the gap at precisely 6:30 PM. A few minutes later the van from the B&B pulled up and I was on my way back to the lodge.Had another great dinner, after a long hot shower, of course. Then spent a half hour getting my backpack loaded and ready for tomorrow. Despite the rain and cold, this was a very productive day. I drifted off to sleep and got the rest I would need to hit the trail again in the morning.Life is Good!!
Date: 2003-06-21
From: Reeds Gap

To: Paul Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: broken clouds

I was within hiking range of Waynesboro today but I decided to get close and then hike in the following morning. Reason being . . . today is Saturday and there's no way i could make it all the way in before the Post Office closes. So, there really wasn't much incentive to go all the way into town. Plus, if I did it would mean another 20-mile day and I would get there too late to get anything accomplished. I'd just end up paying for a hotel room. My plan was to hit the last shelter before Waynesboro, sleep there for the night, and then hike in early on Sunday morning.Having set my sights on a 14.4 mile day, I decided to just take my time and enjoy the day. The day started out chilly but the sky was clear and blue. As fate would have it, about 2 hours into the hike the wind picked up, the temperature dropped and the sky opened up yet once again -- more RAIN!! It rained pretty much all day, on and off. I thought several times about putting on my raincoat but I was already soaked so it didn't seem to make much sense.The terrain wasn't too bad and despite my relaxed pace I still got to the shelter by around 3:30. Feels a bit funny . . . ending the hiking day this early. Oh, well, so goes it. It gives me a little extra time for journaling and to make a good dinner. It's into town tomorrow for re-supply, a shower and some REAL food.Lights out -- time for all good thru-hoikers to be asleep in their tents.
Date: 2003-06-22
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap (Waynesboro)
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I could hardly believe my eyes and ears when I woke up -- NO RAIN!! If memory serves me correctly this is only the third day so far in June when I didn't wake up in the rain.Today was a fairly easy day so I decided to take my time and enjoy the miles. That's exactly what I did. I reached Rockfish Gap around 10:30 AM and walked over to the visitor's center. I planned to hit the outfitter before I went into Waynesboro and they don't open until noon so I was in no hurry. The sun was shining brightly so I got a booklet on the Shenandoahs and sat outside reading.Around 11 AM a "Trail Angel" pulled up and offered me a ride. There was still 45 minutes until the outfitter opened so I just made myself comfortable on their porch. Before long the staff arrived and I was able to get everything on my list. With that out of the way I went ahead and got a room at the hotel. Ran into some hiker friends and we all his the Subway for lunch. Best darn tuna sandwich I've had in ages. After that I located the laundromat and washed my clothes. On the way back to the hotel I hit the local Kroger's for my food re-supply.That pretty much filled the day. Tomorrow I pick up my boxes at the post office and somewhere in the late morning or early afternoon I'll hit the trail again. Really looking forward to hiking in the Shenandoahs. Can't wait!!
Date: 2003-06-23
From: Rockfish Gap (Waynesboro)

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Got a great night's sleep and woke around 6:30 AM, which is actually pretty late for me. My goal today was to hit the post office, the library, and then hit the trail. I hit them all one by one and was ready to hit the trail by noon. But then I said to myself . . . "self, why rush out to the trail and eat trail food when you can hit a local restaurant for one last taste of real food?"Needless to say, I went the restaurant route. I had a great big old hot dog with all the fixins -- YUM!After lunch, I got a ride out to Rockfish Gap and jumped back on the trail. I registered to enter the Shenandoah National Park and headed northbound. It was around 1 PM by now so I set my sights on the first shelter, which was 7 miles out. The trail grade was moderate and the scenery was pretty cool.I passed over a collection of rocks and heard a loud "hiss" -- I stopped and looked under the rock and saw a diamondback rattlesnake. I tried to get the snake out in the open for a picture but it wouldn't cooperate. I had to just settle with the memory.Shortly after that encounter I reached the shelter. I was a bit tired and decided to eat dinner and get some sleep -- bigger miles tomorrow.