morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Campsite North of Davenport Gap
Miles today: 17.0

We're out of the Smokies! It was a beautiful forest, but like the Pemigewasset Wilderness in the Whites, it was always wet.We woke up this morning in that farce of a shelter, Tri-Corner Knob. Everything was damp, as the fog was thick and clung to you. I was so difficult to see that I had trouble finding the food that I hung last night.Long miles today - 17 miles. Fortunately, almost all of that was downhill. When we reached Davenport Gap, we had a 1.3 mile walk down a winding mountain road to get to "Mountain Momma's", a grill, store and bunkhouse that caters to thru-hikers. After two "huge cheeseburgers" (as it was printed on the menu, and yes, they were huge) we managed to snag a shuttle back up to the gap from Momma herself, with none other than the Lizards and Booble.Fresh off of our cheeseburgers we were all pretty sluggish, but we managed to crank out another 1.3 miles and get to some nice tentsites together next to a stream.Karen and I splashed around a bit in the stream, getting (some of) a week's worth of dirt, oil, and sweat off of our bodies before bed. Sidewinder artfully built a roaring fire (teepee method), and I sat with the gang for awhile before I decided to head back to my tent to write in my journal and go to bed.Nice day! I feel good!-Dan
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Campsite North of Davenport Gap

To: Max Patch Campsite, NC
Miles today: 15.3

Last night was one of the greatest sleeps Dan and I have had in awhile. No people in a shelter to wake us up, just us on our tent.Today's hike was mostly uphill. We started at the base of Snowbird Mountain and went to the top of that. There was an FAA tower up there and the trees were clearly cut down for that reason. Then we went along a ridge for awhile and went up Max Patch Mountain. Max Patch is our favorite mountain so far - the top has a huge field of grass. We went up there in the evening about an hour before sunset. There was a beautiful 360 degree view, including the Smokies. We camped just off the summit at a campsite in the trees.Then in the spirit of Easter we cooked up an Easter dinner of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Dan carried the 1 pund can of sauce al day. For desert we had a brownie and drank watermellon Jell-O. Pretty decent Easter dinner for in the woods.-Karen
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Max Patch Campsite, NC

To: Deer Park Mtn. Shelter, NC
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

It was very windy last night. The hot Jell-O and turkey kept me sound asleep, but Karen woke me up with every strong gust. That'll teach us to sleep near the top of a mountain, I suppose.My alarm woke me at 6:00 am this morning, but I shut it off and went back to sleep. That was a mistake. The next time I woke up, and hour and a half later, it was pouring rain.Not wanting to cook in the rain, Karen and I ate our lunch for breakfast: crackers, gorp, and summer sausage. Then we donned our rain gear (I had at least enough foresight to put it in the tent the night before), packed our wet tent, and hiked off in the rain.It rained on and off all day, so most of the time we just left our rain gear on. We stopped for lunch (oatmeal and tea - breakfast!) at the Walnut Mtn Shelter, a "charming" little shanty that has clearly reached the end of its life. Word on the trail is that it is being phased out.Today's miles were much easier than yesterday's - mostly downhill. Still, we were happy when we finally reached the shelter. We chose a cozy tentsite near the shelter - pine needles! - cooked a dinner of rice and crawled into our tent for some sleep. Good night!-Dan
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

Yesterday we had a short 3 mile hike into Hot Springs. When we were there we did the usual town things like laundry, resupply, internet and phone calls. The town of Hot Springs is a little smaller than I thought it would be. It's a pretty cute town with old houses and mom and pop stores. The town was filled with hikers; we knew a lot of them.Dan and I looked for a motel or hostel to stay in but they were all full with our fellow hikers. So we were going to stay at the campground in town. But the Lizards mentioned thay had extra room in the hostel they were in, so we stayed there. There were 6 beds, a kitchen, and bathroom. It was a clean place and possibly newly renovated. Dan and I took showers after being unshowered for at least a week. The showers felt great, especially after when we sat in front of the warm fireplace. We ate at the Paddler's Pub for dinner. Unfortunately they ran out of pizza dough when we got there, to Dan's dismay. We got venison burgers and a couple drinks instead.Dan bought a new book in town to read on the trail. Then 2 other people gave him books. So now he is carrying around 3 books.This morning we ate breakfast and walked around the side streets a bit lookingat the houses. A lot of them have tin roofs and some were made of stone.We left to hike around 11:30. It was perfect hiking weather - clear and 60 degrees F. The hiking was easy for the first 6 miles. It started with a walk along the French Broad River. The river is very wide. All the rain we've had made the river almost go over the banks and it was very fast flowing. Then we went up the cliffs next to the river and had a nice view of the river and town. Along the trail we saw a very old, possibly homemade looking dam that was holding in a pond of water. We wondered why it was built. We saw what might have been an old foundation further up the trail, so maybe that's related to the dam. Later on we went through a corridor of flowering trees. There were many bumble bees on the trees. So when we walked by we could hear a loud buzzing on both sides of us. We finished the day by going over 2 mountains, Rich Mt. and Spring Mt. My feet are sore. I guess they haven't recovered from the Smokies. It could be the pack weight from the extra food we're carrying since we're hungrier now.Tonight it's a clear night and getting a little cool.
Date: 2003-04-24
From: Spring Mtn. Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was our longest segment the entire week, between Hot Springs, NC and Erwin, TN. The terrain was rough - a lot of ups and downs, and a lot of rocks on the trail. Still, we made decent time - 15.3 miles in 8 hours.We had some nice views today. Karen and I ditched our packs and hiked up the spur trail to the fire tower on the summit of Camp Creek Bald. After we came back down, we enjoyed the view off of White Rock Cliff.We're expecting rain tonight, so we're in the shelter. One hiker - whose name I will not mention - joked hat I was a wimp for staying in the shelter on a rainy night. He likes to sleep under a tarp, and likes to point out how tought he is. I think he's an ass.While we were eating dinner tonight, a pair of "Golighters" - hikers that pack as minimally as possible and hike longer miles - stopped in for dinner. They were gone an hour later, off to hike for another 6 miles. I'm a little jealous. My 35 lb pack looks bloated compared to their glorified bookbags and running shoes. Maybe when I finish the AT...-Dan
Date: 2003-04-25
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hog Back Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

When we woke up at the shelter this morning it started to drizzle. It kept raining lightly for about an hour. The first mountain we went up was Big Butt Mountain. The top was grassy. There was no view because of the rain. We did see 2 deer, however. One I heard in the woods and we saw it run away. The other stood in front of us in the trail for a few minutes, then ran off. The weather eventually got a little better; it stopped raining but it didn't clear up.We got to camp early at 3:30 pm. Mary and EZ were already there. We decided to tent and deal with the rain. This is EZ's 3rd thru-hike. He got off the trail the other times because of shin splints, giardia, Lyme's disease, and he got bitten by a spider. There is also a group of high schoolers here tonight. A little while ago we heard 4-wheelers on the AT.-Karen
Date: 2003-04-26
From: Hog Back Ridge Shelter

To: Whistling Gap Campsite
Miles today: 13.5

I woke up several times due to rain last night. I guess I'm a little paranoid about water seeping in during the night. Granted, this tent hasn't failed us yet - and its reputation for maintaining dryness was the main reason I bought it - but the mere memory of wet tents still keeps me awake during rainstorms.This morning, we managed to get packed up before the rain started again. So we were able to eat breakfast in the dryness of the vacated shelter. Our luck didn't hold out though; once we were back on the trail, it rained on and off nearly the whole day. As we hiked up Big Bald Mtn, the weather cleared up enough to know what we were missing.By the time we made it to Whistling Gap, the sky had cleared up enough for some momentary sunshine, which was much appreciated.Early on, while we were setting up camp, I sneaked away to "use the privy" - i.e., to find a secluded spot in the designated privy area, dig a hole, and do my business. But right in the middle of my task, I was interrupted by a group of teenage boys tromping through the woods. Clearly the high-schoolers from the previous night had arrived.I looked at one of them and said "It would be better if you didn't go exploring back here," and it was quite clear what I was doing, at least to me anyhow - to which he replied with an expression that suggested "Wuh?" I pointed to my hole, and the high-schooler, wuddenly illuminated, said "Oh," and walked off.Am I upset that my business was interrupted? - that I had to go elsewhere to finish? No. See, they're camping on top of the designated privy area tonight!-Dan
Date: 2003-04-30
From: Whistling Gap Campsite

To: Charlotte, NC
Miles today: 0.0

We've taken a few zero days since the last time we wrote. From Whistling Gap we hiked into Erwin, TN. We were hoping to find a place to camp before we got into town so that we could save money on lodging. The last couple of miles were down into the valley so there was not any level ground to tent on. In Erwin we stayed at Uncle Johny's. We stayed in a private cabin, took showers and ate pizza for dinner and breakfast. The next day my Aunt Dottie from N.C picked us up and took her to her house in Winston-Salem for a night and then drove us to her lake house in Charlotte. We've been eating lots of food. Dan finally had Papa John's pizza which he's wanted for a long time. I've also taken a couple long showers. Karen
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Troutdale, VA

To: Partnership Shelter, VA
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

This morning we woke up and the wind had stopped howling. Clouds were in the sky but it eventually cleared. We had breakfast at the trading post with ice cream for dessert. We left town at about 10:30. We got a ride to the trail head in the back of a nice guy's truck.The weather stayed good today. About 70 degrees and clear. Our packs were heavy though since we had 7 days worth of food. There weren't many mountains to go over today, just little ups and downs.At one point we saw 2 deer run into the woods. Then a little while later we saw 2 more smaller deer that watched us for a bit and then ran. Then Dan saw a deer standing to our right on the hill. The deer didn't make a sound. I think it was trying to pretend that it wasn't there. Tonight we're staying at the Partnership Shelter. About 200 yards from us is a visitor center with a pay phone. Everyone in the shelter ordered pizza. There's also a shower here and a privy with toilet paper, luxury.Karen
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Partnership Shelter, VA

To: Crawfish Valley Campsite, VA
Miles today: 17.8

After discovering that we had forgotten to pack our tea (and substituting left-over Mtn. Dew instead), Karen and I started our long day.The miles were relatively easy at first as we walked through rolling green cow pastures. By 1:00 we arrived at the Dairy Queen in Atkins, VA. So we decided to have a lunch of burgers and ice cream.While we were eating, Mud, Jug, and Overshot walked in. Mud, who had remembered that we still needed trail names, looked at what we were eating and said to me "You are Oreo" and he looked at Karen and said " You are Buttercup," because I was eating an Oreo Blizzard and she was eating a Peanut butter Cup Blizzard. Karen's name is great but I don't know about mine.After a thunderstorm, Karen and I left the DQ for the trail again. But as we were climbing Little Brushy Mtn., another storm was approaching. Karen and I nearly ran over the mountain; fortunately, that thunderstorm passed to the south of us. But as we ate dinner, a third thunderstorm passed over us. Wild weather today.Oh, almost forgot to mention. Karen almost stepped on a 3-foot long black snake. I pushed it off the trail with my trekking pole, and it coiled up, looking at us. We gave it a wide berth as we passed...I also took a picture.Oreo
Date: 2003-05-16
From: Crawfish Valley Campsite, VA

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter, VA
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

Today we took a 7.7 mile day. After yesterday's sprint up and down Little Brushy Mt. we needed a break. We slept in and left camp about 11:00.As we ate breakfast we saw a deer about 20 feet from in the campsite eating grass. It stayed for about 15 minutes, not seeming to mind that we were there. Dan and I decided that deer look like a cross between a bunny and a goat. They have pretty big ears.We went over 3 mountains or bumps today. We walked through 2 farm pastures. We heard cows mooing like crazy; we weren't sure what was happening with the cows. Now we are at the shelter and there are lots of bugs because it's so humid. Most of the people that stayed in town yesterday went onto a campsite 3 miles from here, so we might have the shelter to ourselves tonight.Buttercup
Date: 2003-05-17
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter, VA

To: Jenkins Shelter, VA
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

After a good sleep last night (except when I woke up to loud sounds of an animal- a large animal- crashing through the brush), Karen and I hiked our longest day yet. We were considering hiking 23 miles tomorrow, but after arriving at camp tonight at 7:30 PM after only 19 miles, I think we'll go for 14 instead.It was tough terrain in addition to the miles. In the morning, we had a small hill to go over, Lynn Camp Mtn (3000'). After a flat section, we climbed Chestnut Knob, a 4400' mountain. We had lunch and tea on top in the Chestnut Knob Shelter, an old four-walled ranger station. Supposedly there were beautiful views of the valley to the north, called God's Thumbprint, but we were fogged in and could see nothing.After we left, the rain started coming down harder. My glasses fogged up so that I could barely see out of them ( my optometrist old me that fogged up glasses mean a poor fit- yeah right, try climbing mountains for a change). Unfortunately, synthetics, which is all I wear, don't clean lenses very well.After a rocky grueling downhill, we finally made it to camp. I was too tired to filter water, so I just boiled it with dinner instead. The rain and thunder started up again a few minutes ago- glad I'm in a shelter.Tonight we share the space with Charity ("The snoring Slackpacker"), Switchback, 2 section hikers and Zach's Dad (tenting).Oreo
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Jenkins Shelter, VA

To: Helveys Mill Shelter, VA
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

Today was another cloudy, rainy day. The path was nicer, not so many rocks. It was also flatter since we went along a creek, Little Wolf Creek. There were 12 water crossings, a few of them were a little tricky.We passed Walk-About and Fortune Cookie a few times today. They didn't seem impressed with the weather or stream crossings. When we reached Bland, VA we walked along the highway's on and off ramps for about a mile. On the map there is a proposed re-route for that part, good idea.We passed 3 coolers of trail magic, but they were all empty. At one of them there was a trash can, so we got to empty our trash out. Another had water left, but we didn't need any. There was also a weather report for the week; it's going to rain all week, yippie. That trail magic was in memory of a man who was going to hike the AT this year but he passed away 3 days before he was supposed to leave . He was only 56 years old. He apparently hiked the AT a previous year.There was a decent up hill before the shelter for about a mile. Then the shelter was about a quarter mile off the trail. There are 5 others at the shelter. A couple, Orbit and Retro, whom we've read shelter entries of before.It has started to rain again and it's getting chilly. Tomorrow hot showers at the campground and deli sandwiches.Buttercup
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Helveys Mill Shelter, VA

To: Trent's Grocery Campsite
Miles today: 16.3

Karen and I slept well last night, but I'm afraid our neighbors ( Orbit and Retro) might not have. It was cold so I pulled out my mylar blanket ("space blanket") and stuffed it inside my sleeping bag, which kept me quite toasty, but which also crinkled loudly at the slightest movement on my part. I am a wiggler. I even woke myself p a few times.This morning we ran out of breakfast: I had the last of the cream of wheat and Karen had the 2 remaining oatmeal packets. I've grown partial to cream of wheat. Didn't think I would. I make it with powdered milk and dried dates. Yum.It was an easy 16 miles. We stopped for lunch at Jenny Know Shelter. Orbit and Retro were there- they didn't say a word to us, which makes me think they really were angry about the mylar blanket. Oh well. After lunch, we continued on over the next 6.3 miles of moderate terrain.Wow, I just had a crazy feeling of Deja Vu.Anyhow, we arrived at Trent's Grocery ( a "Little Oasis" in the words of Zach's Dad), which is across from a sawmill, around 4:30 PM. For $3 per person, Karen and I rented a campsite and shower. Our tent is pitched between a big lot full of campers (RV's) next to some other hikers. There are some horse stables behind out tent with real, live horses clomping around (behind an electric fence).For dinner, I bought a pizza and Karen bought a cheeseburger at the grocery's deli. A few hours later, we went back for more: I had a cheeseburger and ice cream and Karen had 2 ice cream sandwiches. I topped that off with a 22oz. Budweiser which is starting to kick in right about now...Good night!Oreo
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Trent's Grocery Campsite

To: Campsite near Doc's Knob Shelter, VA
Miles today: 16.1

Yesterday Dan forgot to write in the journal that we saw a couple of animals on our hike along the ridge. First we saw a deer about 10 feet from us that just looked at us while we walked by. Then a while later we heard another rustling in the leaves. It wasn't graceful enough to be a deer though. We heard it run off and down the side of the ridge. Dan looked over the ledge to see a black bear's behind running away. So that was our first bear sighting. He said the legs looked remarkably like a human's.Back to today. We woke up to clear skies finally and sun: that put us in a better mood. We ate oatmeal and things from Trent's grocery, like mini-donuts and apples. On our way out a fellow thru-hiker gave us a couple of beers, which we put in our packs.The first 9 miles of the trail were pretty flat with lots of stream and creek crossings. The water was deep in some parts of the creak and overflowing. The other 7 miles were up onto a ridge. The trail was rocky. Some parts were like a river in the trail. The bugs came out and started to bite us. We put on 95% deet and they left us alone.It started to sprinkle in the evening but it didn't rain. We heard thunder but it was really far away and never came during the day. Since it was clear out we got a couple of views from the ridge. Our first view in a while.We got to the shelter but there were few tentsites. So we walked up the trail a quarter of a mile and tented in a clearing. We had mashed potatoes with rice and tuna for dinner. We drank our beers and ate Little Debbie cakes for dessert. Now we can hear a shrew scratching at our tent and a whippoorwill outside.Buttercup
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Campsite near Doc's Knob Shelter, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

It finally started pouring last night, and when we woke up at 6 AM this morning, the rain was still coming down heavily. We did our best to keep everything dry as we packed up, but I'm afraid that we weren't terribly successful. I ran out of stove fuel last night so we are our oatmeal cold this morning and we skipped the tea. Pearisburg doesn't have an outfitter so I may not be able to switch to an alcohol stove temporarily.We are staying at a place called the Rendevous Motel, and it is as cheap as it sounds. I wonder how many sordid affairs are actually happening in the rooms next to us.We ate lunch (All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet) at a Chinese Place. It was very good. For dinner, we ate a very filling pizza with a decent bottle of wine (Yellow Tail Shiraz).The weather channel predicts rain through monday. Well, maybe it'll scare off the weekend hikers so we can get a spot in the shelters!Oreo
Date: 2003-05-22
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Campsite near Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning we woke up in our cozy motel room. Dan went to go check us out of our room and see if he could use the internet. The woman in the office offered Dan another night for free of he would fix the computer that was down in the office. But he turned it down since we have to catch a bus to Roanoke by Tuesday, oh well.We left the hotel at 11:00 and did a few chores. We bought some groceries and ate at Pizza Hut for lunch. Then we went around looking for stove fuel. We couldn't find any since there wasn't an outfitter in Pearisburg. Then we were going to make an alcohol stove. The instructions we found on the internet seemed like it would take too long to make our own stove. So Dan went to the Magic Mart Department Store and bought an alcohol gel stove. We'll use that for the week, then Dan will make a new alcohol stove when we go home for a week.We left town around 4:00. We hiked until we got to a campsite. Dan cooked dinner, 8 minute rice, on the stove. It took an hour to cook. Mud and Easy Money are here. Mud and Easy Money said there's an increase in bears this year. That should give me some good dreams.Buttercup
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Campsite near Pearisburg, VA

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning was very wet as a thick fog rolled in last night. Moisture dripped from the trees like rain, only it wasn't raining at all. I am tired of being wet.Today's miles were pretty easy, walking along the op of a ridge. Not much to see, though. Oh except that I saw a pheasant. Or at least I think it was a pheasant- it was a big, brown bird. Maybe it was a skinny turkey. I'm not really sure what a pheasant looks like. A skinny turkey, right?Okay, Fire Angel just showed up with marshmallows and Hershey's bars to share, so I'm going to have to cut this journal short....Oreo
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Kelly Knob, VA
Miles today: 17.6

Today was a lot nicer than yesterday. It didn't rain and it was partly cloudy. We got a view from Wind Rock, of the ridges in Virginia. Right now we are camping at Kelly Knob, where there's a great view of the ridges we hiked over and Blacksburg, VA. It sort of reminds us of the view from Mt. Holyoke in Mass. of the Pioneer Valley. We're watching the sunset as we cook dinner. We had planned to go one more mile to the next shelter but there is a tentsite here and we don't need water so we're staying here.Today we came across trail magic. There were 3 Musketeers bars, Cokes, and bottles of water. We shared a candy bar and had a coke. It was really great because we had just gone up a 1500 foot rise. We also took some water.Now, we've just finished dinner. We went to look at the lights shining in the towns from the rocks. You can see Blacksburg and possibly part of Pearisburg.Buttercup