morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-26
From: Tye River

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I let Kathy and Brandon sleep in this morning, but I couldn't help thinking about the trail when I looked out the window (really ¢ the whole horizon is a mountain range). Today we did a food resupply and then went to Natural Bridge and Caverns, their wax museum and finally to Stonehenge, uh, I meant Foamhenge. You can check out my photos to see what all of this is about. Afterwards we ended up at the Iron Skillet Restaurant at the truck stop near the hotel we were staying at off I-81. We didn¢t know what to expect but it was actually good and they played oldies country music - think George Jones, Willie Nelson, Conway and Loretta, etc... Our plan for tomorrow is for Kathy to let me slack pack and meet me on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is going to help me out with my blisters since it is mostly all uphill and not having to carry my pack is going to be sweet!I posted a few videos of the windy day I had back on May 24th. Just click VIDEOS on the left, blue sidebar.
Date: 2013-05-27
From: Tye River

To: Campsite with a view
Miles today: 17.5

Kathy drove me back down to the Tye River this morning to start my hike. While on the way there, I noticed a sign that read, "Good Job and Welcome Home Taylor, Semper Fi!¢ So before I go any further I'd like to take this time to thank all the service men and women in our armed services and to the ones who gave their all, so that we can live the American Dream - Thank You! I¢d like to give a shout-out to my niece, serving our country over in Afghanistan - Hello Heidi Hartman! I¢m thinking about you today!Ok, here I go. Kathy dropped me off at the Tye River and I began my 11.2 miles of slack packing with only 5 pounds on my back. This part of the mountain is called Three Ridges Wilderness. It's about six miles up and five miles down. I met ¢Danno¢, ¢OB¢ (old and busted) and ¢Noodles¢ this morning and three sets of father and son hikers and one local. There were a lot of rocks, which at one point reminded me vividly of Georgia. I made it down to Reeds Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Boo Boo Mobile was there waiting on me - with a Subway sandwich I might add. Kathy and I hiked half a mile further to the next overlook and Brandon met us there in the van. The plan was for me to start backpacking from there, so that they could be home before dark, but Kathy insisted I slack pack to the next overlook which was 6.3 miles so I grabbed a bottle of water, told her I¢d be there in two hours and I started down the hill. I immediately heard thunder four or five times but thankfully, it stayed away. But that kept me moving at a good pace and I made it to the next pick up place, Dripping Rock, also on the parkway in an hour and a half. The van wasn¢t there so I called Brandon and he said they were only about one mile away. A thru-hiking couple was there and when Kathy pulled up, we gave them some snacks and a couple of soft drinks. I went and sat in the van to eat. Kathy had run out to the interstate where there was a Cracker Barrel and got take-out, so I'm eating chicken fried chicken, mash potatoes, mac and cheese, apples and a biscuit. This I was not expecting. I could get used to this slack packing and being fed at every trail crossing! So while I was making sure I had everything, Kathy went over to the Dripping Rock pool and put four soft drinks in it for the next hikers that come along. We said our goodbyes. It seems every time Kathy comes to see me, time just flies by. The next thing I know, I'm strapping on my forty-two pound pack filled with enough food to bypass Waynesboro and I'm once again out in the big woods. Man this thing is HEAVY! I finally reach a campsite on top of this mountain. ¢OB¢, Danno and three others are here but I've forgotten their names already ¢ its hell getting old!
Date: 2013-05-28
From: Campsite with a view

To: Bears Den Mountain
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up at 6:30am and started taking care of my feet. When I went outside, everyone was up and talking so I go over and ¢Noddles¢ is there. He said he came in around 11:30pm. Also here is ¢Mr. Gigglefits¢ and ¢Paisley¢. ¢Danno¢ had already left and they were ready to follow, so I went and packed up and left too. All of them are going into Waynesboro but not me; I have enough food for awhile. I was in snail mode until this afternoon and I picked up the pace - it might have been the thought of that Mountain Dew I was saving. I made it up to Rockfish Gap which is where the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway and US 250 all come together and is an easy way to get to Waynesboro. But I kept hiking and at 4:45pm I filled out my required, but free, back country permit and started hiking in the Shenandoah National Park. The Blue Ridge Parkway turns into Skyline Drive here. I was looking for a place to tent but there's no flat ground to be found so I kept hiking and finally end up on top of Bears Den Mountain. There are a lot of communication towers up here and the grass has been mowed so I'm on the back side of one of the buildings close to a steel tower. I hope there's no lightning tonight, and that the animals leave my food alone. There are no big trees up here to hang my food bag, just small ones.I'm back to not having much cell service, so please excuse the inconsistency of my postings. Thanks!
Date: 2013-05-29
From: Bears Den Mountain

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Attention! Attention! All Thru-Hikers - DON'T tent on Bears Den Mountain unless you like high winds and air conditioners cutting on and off ALL night long (some are as big as storage units). The building I stayed near had a radio on and the volume went up and down all night long, plus there are no big trees to hang your food in. Other than that, it wasn¢t too bad.When I reached Beagle Gap, there was a cooler full of water along with plastic cups. I met ¢Etch-a-Sketch¢ as she was just getting dropped off. I, being the gentleman that I am, let her go first. I stayed awhile and took some pictures of the mountain I had just come down. Later that morning I stopped at Sawmill Run Overlook and took a long break and three ladies biking stopped by and ask me about my hike. Then one of them said they had to go to work that afternoon and said she was a massage therapist. I'm pretty sure I had the opportunity to get a massage, but I said I needed to keep going - what was I thinking?I saw another bear today, but smaller than the first one I saw. It saw me and ran up the hill, stopped, looked at me again and up the hill it went. Today was very hot and dry. I started off with 2 quarts of water. While I was taking in the scenery (really I was trying to catch my breath), I met Rachel and May doing a twenty day hike from Buena Vista to Harpers Ferry. Later on, I stopped sweating and feeling hot, so I stopped at a parking lot, laid out my ground cloth in the shade, propped my head on a wheel stop and dozed off for about 30 minutes. Then I went on down the trail and up to the next road crossing. Before I could shake my empty bottle at a car, one had pulled over and asked if I needed anything. I said water. Darrell and Scott are Boy Scout leaders, and like all good Boy Scouts, they were willing to help a stranger. They filled both my bottles and gave me a couple of snacks. That right there gave me the boost to make it to Blackrock Hut where I'm tenting tonight. So there wasn't much going on today out here in the woods ¢ oh, I guess there really was!
Date: 2013-05-30
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night around 12:30, something big was walking around my tent. I could hear it breathing and pawing at the ground, so I yelled out, ¢go away¢, but that didn't work, so I cut my head lamp on and it took off running. Deer or bear? I'm thinking deer. My goal today is to make it to the Loft Mountain Wayside Grill for lunch. Not much to see today as I'm in that green tunnel, not like when I started back in February and you could see through the trees. I crisscross Skyline Drive several times and finally made it up to Loft Mountain Campground, which is not open until June 14th. While I was looking off one of the viewing rocks, ¢Bamboo¢ and ¢Morning Kid¢ show up. They said ¢Danno¢ and ¢OB¢ are right behind them. ¢Danno¢ comes up, so I put my pack back on, I look up and he was already gone. Then ¢OB¢ comes up and we hike together for awhile and blue blaze the half mile down to the Wayside Grill. There are about twenty hikers and a handful of tourist. This place is air conditioned and has wall outlets so I plug in my phone and backup battery supply to recharge and go order a grilled cheese sandwich, a hot dog, French fries and a Pepsi. And later I had a cup of chocolate and vanilla ice cream and another Pepsi. While I was eating, I kept noticing this hiker and his dog. I told myself, ¢I know this guy,¢ so I went to introduce myself and before I could say anything he says, ¢Hey, Boo Boo.¢ Come to find out it¢s ¢M-80¢, his wife ¢Trooper¢ and their dog ¢Willow.¢ These are the folks I met that first day back on the trail after I was off for tendonitis. They¢re going to the next shelter about five miles away. Technically, they are not called shelters here in the Shenandoah National Park, they are called huts, but I haven¢t got used to calling them that yet. I ended up staying at the grill for three hours and one by one we started leaving. By the time I made it to the shelter, it was dark. I pitched my tent around back and then went and sat and talked with about four hikers around the fire. The heat is really taking it out of me and a lot of other hikers too. And tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter.
Date: 2013-05-31
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Baldface Mountain
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

I slept pretty good last night. I left the hut around 7:30am and struggled most of the day. I stopped more times than I can remember. Folks have been asking about my leg and it¢s fine, but I have to stop and stretch a lot more than I did before. I now have four !#$@%^& ! blisters and I'm having to re-pop a couple of them. The bottoms of my feet hurt all day long and are swollen in the morning. This next part may be too much information but here it goes. A gnat, fly, bee, chigger, sweat bee, ant, mosquito or something else (or it could be heat related) put a bump, well let¢s just say, where the sun never shines - and it hurts! Plus I have a handful of bites here and there but other than that, I'm fine.Anyway, I have passed the 900 mile mark!!! And I'm heading for 1000! I crossed over VA Hwy 33 which takes you into Elkton, VA but I decided to push on and I¢m aiming for Luray in a few days instead. In the afternoons I find it hard to do a mile and a half in an hour but after 5pm, I pick up the pace. I ended up hiking until 8pm and tented in the woods on Baldface Mountain. Just getting off the trail to tent or use the bathroom is a challenge now because of the over growth of weeds, like poison ivy and oak, thorns, bushes and oh, yeah -rattle snakes. I found a tent site that someone has used before so that made it a little easier. I hung my food, inflated my mattress and the next thing I knew I was waking up four hours later. That's it for the last day of May. It has been a hot, buggy one.
Date: 2013-06-02
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Bird's Nest #3 Hut
Miles today: 14.0

So, I had a great time last night and this morning I looked out of my tent and two deer were looking at me and as soon as I unzipped the door they walked off. I was the first one up and I packed up and got ready to go, but I wanted to say goodbye so I quietly waited for everyone to wake up. Once we said our goodbyes, the three of us were off once again. Our goal today is to eat at the Skyland Resort and Restaurant. The hike there was not bad and by the time I got there ¢Bamboo¢ and ¢Morning Kid¢ were just getting their food. I charged my phone while I ate and left right after they did. I had more views today then I've had for a while. I stopped and talked to a couple of families. One was from Bolivia and one of the little girls had a Jellystone Park t-shirt on with Yogi and Boo Boo on it. I told her my trail name and that I wish they'd make that shirt in my size. She looked up at me and said, ¢They do.¢ And the other family was from Palestine. They couldn't believe I was hiking the whole thing. The weather started to turn for the worse, so somehow I kicked it into high gear and made it to the shelter before the rains started. There are six of us here tonight fighting the mosquitoes. I¢m going to the big town of Luray, VA in the morning and taking my mandatory zero - Hurray!
Date: 2013-06-03
From: Bird's Nest #3 Hut

To: US 211, Thornton Gap
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: broken clouds

Last night¢s big monsoon rains never came - just enough to wet the ground. But the no-see-ums and the mosquitoes came and they ate me alive. I finally pulled my sleeping bag over my head and fell to sleep, with my ear plugs in, of course. Once again I was the first up and when I looked out, I saw three deer about twenty feet from us eating and when I went for my phone they walked off, so no picture. We had a 3.2 mile hike down to Hwy 211 which we did in just over an hour. Then we stuck our thumbs out and the cars seemed to pick up speed as they switched lanes to avoid us, so I suggested ¢Morning Kid¢ lift her pants leg and for some reason ¢Bamboo¢ pulled his up but quickly put it back down (thank God because that is one hairy leg!) Fifteen minutes later, this pickup truck stops and we get in the back and the nice gentlemen takes us to the Best Western in Luray. While we are doing our laundry at the laundry mat, I have my Frogg Toggs rain pants on and they rip from front to back (in the crotch). That was a new, weird experience I've never dealt with, but yet it was refreshing. Later we went to Uncle Buck¢s to eat and then to Dollar General for resupply. Next I went to the outfitters and I bought some Super Feet insoles for my boots. Let¢s hope my feet feel super later on. That's all for now. Thanks again for reading my journal and taking the time to leave a message. I do read all of them and try to respond to them when I have time.
Date: 2013-06-04
From: US 211, Thornton Gap

To: North Marshall Mountain
Miles today: 16.8

We left the hotel this morning and decided to go by Hardee's for breakfast. So I¢m walking beside the sidewalk in the street and look down and I said out loud, ¢I'll bend over and pick that up.¢ It was a five dollar bill. Then halfway to Hardee¢s a van pulled along side of us and the driver asked, ¢Would you like a ride back to the mountain?¢ We said yes, so he said, "Let me pull over and go ahead and put your stuff in the van." He said he works for the local funeral home and when he has time, he enjoys taking hikers back to the trail. He even took us to Hardee's! ¢Bamboo¢ and ¢Morning Kid¢ were dropped off at the trail head and I was dropped off at the nearby parking lot, just above the trail, to eat my big breakfast. I thanked Dow for giving us a ride back and he gave me his phone number and said if I see any hikers, to have them call him if they need a ride into town and for me to call if I decide to go into Front Royal, and he would come pick me up. Here¢s another great guy in a small town! I sat there and ate my food and then started hiking. Just before I made it to Elkwallow Wayside grill, I saw bear # 4 (I have previously seen three other bears). Once I made it to the grill, ¢Shaman¢, ¢JD¢ and his wife ¢Trip¢ and the Elozory family were there taking a break. About an hour later I leave and when I cross over Skyland Drive, a deer is in front of me and then bears # 5,6 and 7 were about 30 yards off the trail. It was momma bear and two bear cubs, so I grabbed my camera and started snapping away. Then I started filming them when momma bear grunted and the cubs went up a tree. As soon as I stopped filming, I looked down at the base of the tree and see that momma bear is looking right at me and she lets out this poof of air. Well that got my attention! And like Lieutenant Dan said to Forest Gump ¢ ¢Run, Forest, Run!¢ Well I didn't quite run but I did everything but swim to get out of there! You talk about the hair on the back of my neck rising - I bet I looked like a porcupine! ¢JD¢ and ¢Trip¢ caught up to me later after I had walked over to see what there was to see at Rattlesnake Point Overlook and they said, ¢Did you see that bear by the tree? It didn't want to leave.¢ And I told them why. They said they never looked up the tree. I hiked with them till the next shelter and then I hiked on for another 2.5 miles. This found me on top of North Marshall Mountain, where I found a place to set up my tent. Later, two south bounders said they had seen a bear about 30 yards past where my tent was and it didn't run away - just great! About 45 minutes later, here comes ¢JD¢ and ¢Trip". They said there was not enough room at the shelter for everyone so they left. They are camped about 8 feet from me. They bought a bottle of blackberry wine from the wayside grill to celebrate the last night in the Shenandoah¢s and they shared it with me. And now I have heart burn!
Date: 2013-06-05
From: North Marshall Mountain

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night, I thought I heard ¢JD¢ walking around looking for a place to - you know - do his business. Then I hear JD say, ¢Bear - There's a bear walking around.¢ JD was still in his tent! You could hear the bear huff and grunt as it walked around our tents, so I yelled what I always yell, ¢Go away!¢ That didn't work but when I cut my light on, it slowly walked away. This morning I tried being quiet when I was packing up, as JD and Trip are late risers. But you can only be so quiet when letting air out of a mattress and folding up Tyvec (my ground cloth). Since they were up anyway, I said goodbye and told them I hope they enjoy the hostel they are planning to stay at tonight. Two miles up the trail I see bear #8. I slowly get my camera out and start filming and I asked out loud, ¢Is that you Yogi?¢ I don't think it was because he took off quickly - oh well. See video by clicking VIDEO on left blue sidebar.I crossed Skyland Drive two or three times and ¢Shaman¢ passes me and says he's going to town, Front Royal that is. I was just not feeling it today - must have been the blackberry wine. I didn't see much today, as views go, but one of the good things I did see was the end of the Shenandoah¢s. And I did see and film Bambi and mother on the trail. And then I heard voices behind me and mother and Bambi run into the woods. It was JD and Trip and they had apparently missed the road to their hostel. So they¢re going into Front Royal and will call the hostel to see if they will come pick them up. ¢Sweet Pea¢ and ¢Oaks¢ are with them and the four of them go into town and I hike on to the Jim & Molly Denton Shelter. Later on Shaman, Sweet Pea and Oaks walk in. Sweet Pea and Oaks didn't stay in town. "Smiles" and ¢Shutter Bug¢ are also here along with three section hikers. I decide to tent and hope the rains hold off. I have less than 49 miles to ¢Harpers Ferry by God West Virginia¢. Me and my feet can't wait for a zero!
Date: 2013-06-06
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: VA 601
Miles today: 15.0

Today I got up, started tending to my blisters (which I thought I was done with) but ended up popping them again - Ouch! Then I packed up before the rain started and was gone at 6:30am. The smell of honeysuckle was in the air and for some reason, the poison oak, ivy and sumacs cover the trail more ever since I left the Shenandoahs. About an hour and half later I couldn't take it anymore. The pain was off the pain chart that's on the doctor¢s wall, you know the one with all the faces on it, and I came across a bench out there in nowhere land. And you guessed it, I had to re-pop them again. It¢s not like I'm using a small needle either - maybe I just need to yank the skin off! I also changed out my super feet and that seemed to help. Around 10am the rains came and I hiked in the rain. All the tall wet grass covered the trail. I made it to VA 601 and called Bears Den Hostel. They said its only half a mile away so I start walking the white line. Well half a mile came and then a mile came and another mile came. Okay, where the hell is it? So I called them back and he said if he can get away he'll come get me. About ten minutes later this car pulls up and the driver asks if I'd like a ride. His name is Nathan and he lives down near the hostel. He then gave me the low down about this place called FEMA. It is located just before the hostel. Before FEMA took it over, it was a place the president and top officials would go in case there was an emergency. Just a little history I would not have found out about if I didn't take the trail head and had kept hiking. I told him it was nice to be picked up and thanked him for taking me to my hostel and he would not take any money. So I'm here and the host guy is out looking for me. ¢Bamboo¢ and ¢Morning Kid¢ are here along with about thirty other hikers. The host shows up and I get the Hiker¢s Special which is a bunk, hot shower, laundry, pizza, coke and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream for $30. What a day! Tomorrow I slack pack the 13.3 miles back to the hostel. Today I also passed the 300 mile mark since getting back on the trail from my injury - 314 to be exact!
Date: 2013-06-07
From: VA 601

To: Bears Den Rock - Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 13.3

Today I do my 13.3 miles in the rain. I get the host to drop me off where I left the trail yesterday. I have my shorts on, with the zippered legs on and my rain coat and yes, I have in umbrella. No rain pants on as you may remember I split those at the laundry mat back in Luray. At first I'm dry. Then I get hot, so off comes the raincoat. Well with all the small trees and weeds covering the path of the trail, an hour later I'm soaked, so I put my umbrella away and I hike in the rain - shorts, shirt and hat. Hiking the trail was like walking in a stream - muddy, slippery, and with lots of rocks. I come up to a sign that reads, "Hiker notice, WARNING you are about to enter the Roller Coaster." I'm scared. Basically it¢s a lot of ups and downs for about 13 miles, 3 of which I'll do tomorrow. There was not much to see today other than swollen streams, one south bounder, and a turtle. I survived it and made my way back to the hostel and ¢Sweet Pea¢, ¢Oaks¢, ¢Shaman¢, ¢Shutter Bug¢, and ¢Smiles¢ are here. I take a hot shower, do laundry eat another pizza and another pint of ice cream. When I was getting my pizza out if the oven, ¢Fresh Grounds¢ walks in with two large pizzas. He's the guy who sets up for weeks at a time and feeds the hikers. He thought he'd just stop by and see everyone. Later that night the Elozory family comes in. They did 23 miles today and the girls are sore and mom¢s knee is hurting. People have been asking me where they can get some gators like mine, so I tell them, which reminds me that when Trudger asked me, I told her DirtyGirl.com. Then I said, ¢Whoops! That¢s not it, don't go there, that's the wrong site, there's no telling what you'll see if you go to that website.¢ What I meant to say was, DirtyGirlGaiters.com.Tomorrow I'll try to hike into Harpers Ferry and I'll pass the 1000 mark!