morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-03
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Rocky Gap, VA 601
Miles today: 2.8

Weather has turned bad. Liz is still hiking with Persistent, Ronin and Young Eagle. They hung around the shelter until 11:00 this morning and the rain continued. (The rain started about 4:00 AM.) They understood there were tornado watches and heavy rains predicted. So, when they got to the road crossing they decided to get a ride to town. The closest town is Pearisburg, I think but they decided they had spent enough time there. So they are at the Holiday Inn Express in Troutville for the night. They used the same shuttle service as they did in Pearisburg but she took them to Troutville this time. Liz was up for staying on the trail but was out voted 3 to 1. Plus I take it that the 3 had arrived at the road first and had waited for Liz in the rain. So, maybe her vote didn¢t really count as one. I think she is happy to be in town.
Date: 2007-06-04
From: Rocky Gap, VA 601

To: Craig Creek Valley, VA 621
Miles today: 16.7

Melk, Persistent, Ronin and Young Eagle are still hiking together. They decided to slack pack the rest of this section until the officially got to Troutville. So, a PT Cruiser was rented and then Liz and Ronin hiked in one direction and YE and Persistent hiked in the opposite direction remembering to pass the car keys off when they passed each other. This day Melk hiked south to north.My understanding is that Ronin is very fast typically hiking at 3 miles per hour. Liz said it was fun but very tiring. She said keeping up for the first 4 miles was her goal.Both her feet and knees hurt. The hiking in this section of VA is much tougher than she would have thought.
Date: 2007-06-05
From: Craig Creek Valley, VA 621

To: Catawba, VA - VA 311
Miles today: 21.2

Melk had a very long day. She was hiking with Ronin south to north over Dragons Tooth and Cove Mountain. She stayed with Ronin for the first 4 miles or so and then hiked slower. The climb up Dragon's tooth was long but fun. She then stopped at the shelter for a while and headed down at 5:30 PM with 8 miles to go. It was very tough going down. By the time she finished it was dark and raining hard. Liz said she did not use her head lamp but I am not sure if it is because she chose not to or it was not with her since she was slack packing. Also, Ronin was in the car waiting for her and had just decided that he had better go see if she needed help, when she got out.
Date: 2007-06-06
From: Catawba, VA - VA 311

To: Troutville/Daleville
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Liz is in Troutville off the trail for now until after the wedding this weekend. They are staying at the Howard Johnson¢s. The RI friends are driving down to go to the wedding in SC and are planning on leaving at 2:00AM. That is right, 2:00AM Friday morning. They are planning on picking Liz up at noon in Troutville. This seems unbelievable to me that the wedding, the AT hiker and the riders all converged conveniently at the same time. The RI drive to the wedding is on RT 81 through VA. The AT crosses Rt 81 in Troutville. And then the wedding is the weekend that that happens. The RI kids (Laura, Mike Smith, Betsy and one other) might have to drive one mile out of their way. And, Liz should be clean.Back to the AT crew: Liz is getting off the trail now. Persistent is getting off the trail next Tuesday for several days. Ronin and YE are continuing but might take it a little easier. It is thought that Melk and Persistent will be back together by the time we leave Liz next week. (Oh, see below.) Maybe in the not too distance future after that, Melk and Persistent will catch up to Ronin and YE. But, that seems iffy.Meanwhile back at the ranch, Tom and I are heading down to Virginia leaving RI Saturday. We will be staying in Harpers Ferry, WV Saturday night. Sunday we will be driving down the Skyline Drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway to Peaks of Otter Lodge. Monday we will meet up with Liz. She is planning on slack packing with our help until we leave to come home later next week. We are looking forward to seeing Liz.
Date: 2007-06-11
From: Troutville/Daleville

To: Black Horse Gap, Blue Ridge Parkway 97.7
Miles today: 13.6

 Today is the day we are seeing Liz in over 2 months. We met Liz, Laura, Betsy and Mike at exit 150 on Interstate 81 at 10:50 this morning coming back from Ryan's wedding in SC. Soon the others ended back to RI and we headed to the Outfitters store, to Subway to buy sandwiches for lunch, and then to the trail head in Daleville so Liz could get back on the trail. At the Outfitters store, we met Nuclear who needed a ride to the PO in Daleville. We gladly gave him a hitch and then back to the Outfitters. He enjoyed Tom¢s cookies and Pat¢s Congo bars too. More about Nuclear later. Liz got on the trail at 1:30.I am typing this from the designated pick up spot, 13.6 miles down the AT. We are sitting in the car on USFS 186 and milepost 97.7 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is 7:15 and we are expecting her in another 15 ¢ 20 minutes. I am going to head out at 7:30 so I sure hope my calculations on not that far off. Plus the dining room closes at 8:30.Fire Hazard and June Bug just went by and we gave them some trail magic. They had just eaten so they were less eager than Nuclear.I put my sneakers on and opened the door and Liz appeared. It was 7:25. Off to shower and dinner. Great day.Liz is having trouble with her feet. (I understand they all do to some degree.) We had brought 3 pairs of shoes to her, 2 from REI and one pair of sneakers from a shoe store in RI that specializes in difficult fits. Today Liz tried the Keen shoes that seemed like the best bet, since it had the most room for toes. She wore them for 4 miles and they killed her. She finished the hike in her crocks. The Keens did not have nearly enough cushioning. Since they came from REI, we should be able to return them. Too bad.The weather deteriorated quickly about 8:00 as we were going for dinner at the Lodge. There were thunderstorms with heavy rain and hail. I had thought it a short walk to the main lodge but under these conditions, it was anything but. We got soaked. We did have a nice dinner at the Lodge. Liz had fried cat fish; Tom had meatloaf; I had tenderloin.
Date: 2007-06-12
From: Black Horse Gap, Blue Ridge Parkway 97.7

To: Byrant Ridge Shelter/VA 714
Miles today: 18.2

We had a nice breakfast at the lodge. Then we dropped Liz off at Blackhorse gap at 10:00. Meanwhile at Blackhorse Gap we talked to Ghost (Bill Rabbitt) who is a political writer from Boston. He writes for the Advocate, a weekly publication. We are going to look him up on the net when we get back to RI. He was very nice to talk to and appreciates trail magic and seems to be doing some magic of his own. Prior to writing for the Advocate, he owned a computer business. So, in Troutdale, he helped get a hiker friendly general store up and running with computers. He said that he is just stopping along the way to lend a hand whether for computers or a farmer, what ever is needed. Also, he had met Liz the day before and said she is a very nice girl and a very strong hiker. ¢She just blew by me.¢Tom and I left Blackhorse Gap and decided to find VA 714, Liz¢s pick up spot. These roads are a little better than the USFS roads but not much better and they are in the middle of no where. But, we found it with a hand drawn copy of Liz¢s hiking map. (The computer was back at the Lodge.) Since this is a spur trail to the AT, we decided to walk in the 12 mile and make sure it was well marked. We got to the AT in 15 minutes and decided to go on to the nearby shelter. It was a very nice shelter. It was multileveled, holds 20 people, clean, and relatively new. We met Night Striker who was spending the day to let his feet recover for a bit.We took a different way out of the backwoods, and had lunch in Buchanan. We spotted an ad for a nearby winery, Blue Ridge Winery, so we went for a private tasting. The wine was OK. He recommended we do stop by The Peaks of Otter Winery so we headed to Bedford. The Peaks of Otter Winery does more unusual fruit wines such as peach, blueberry, raspberry, pomegranate, chili dog etc. We had fun and bought some wine and jelly. While at the winery, we got 3 text messages from Liz. Good thing we went where we had cell coverage. We had planned on picking her up at 7:00 PM. It had been moved up to 6:00 PM. Since it was now 5:15 and probably a 45 minute ride, we headed over to 714 and here we sat and I typed (off line). Liz appeared at 6:30 from the trail of death and doom. On the spur trail was a dead fawn and a very scary, metal house. Her feet are very tired but she seems very happy.She is now a little ahead of Persistent and one day behind Ronin and Young Eagle.We had dinner at the lodge. Liz had hoped for meatloaf but they were all out. But, she had pecan pie a la mode for desert. Liz saw her first bear today. While we were sitting at dinner, across the lake were 4 deer running across followed by a black bear! It was very cool. So, Tom and I have seen two bears on the vacation and Liz one.Liz decided not to take any risk with new shoes so she had worn old Nikes that we had brought down.Today we saw 2 turtles and on the way into 714 we saw a turkey with 2 chicks.The weather was quite nice during the day but again there were thunder showers in the afternoon.
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Byrant Ridge Shelter/VA 714

To: Glasgow, VA - US 501 - VA 130
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: light rain

Got up at 6:00 to get Liz on the trail early for a 25 mile day! We drove through Buchanan and picked up a breakfast sandwich for Liz and a coffee for me. We got to route 714 and the spur trail at 7:30. We walked Liz to the AT and she was on the AT at 7:50 AM. The weather is spitting rain but hopefully will be a good day.We have 2 plans for picking her up. At 3:00 ¢ 4:00 we will go to the 15 mile spot which is on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Liz is planning on leaving us a note (no cell coverage) by any sign if she has already gone by. Else we will wait for her and make sure all is on schedule. She is carrying her head light in case she does go the 25 and is late. The terrain today is 3,000 feet uphill so she is expecting to take several breaks.She is wearing the new sneakers we brought. (No returning these and I am not saying how much they cost. Ouch.)Our plan for the day is to hike Sharp Top, a 1 and 12 mile (3 miles round trip) hike which we did. It was excellent. Jefferson hiked Sharp Top when he was 72 and at that time, they thought it was the tallest mountain in VA.We met Liz at 4:00 at the 15 mile mark. She decided she did want to do a 25 mile day so off she went for another 10 mile day. (I kept my concerns to myself.) She was tired but she was still wearing her new sneakers so that was a good sign.Rather than going back to the Peaks of Otters Lodge, we drove over to Glasgow, to find where we were to meet and to get some supper. Glasgow is very small. There is a hotel/restaurant, Tired Feet, and a small grocery supply store. So we had sandwiches for supper at Tired Feet, got a sandwich to go for Liz, and met all of the hikers staying in Glasgow, I think. We met Young Eagle, Ronin, Moose (lives in Jeffersonville near Dick and worked at IBM), Talker Man (retired teacher from Maine, and 3 others from New England (CT, NH & ME). They all knew Melk except for Moose.We went back to the pick up spot about 7:00 PM and read. At 7:45 we decided to hike up the trail to meet Liz. We crossed the longest pedestian bridge on the AT. Then hiked about a mile of level walking along the river (easy grade). We decided we needed to turn around (8:25) to avoid walking after dark. About 5 minutes later, Liz appeared. We then walked about 25 minutes to get out. It was great seeing her. And, she still had the sneakers on! Her feet hurt but she did just walk 25 miles.The day was comfortable weather but again there were rain showers and a few thunder claps. Then during the night there was quite a thunderstorm with heavy rain. I am glad we were not tenting. It seems that the shelters would have a lot to offer (protection) in this area.
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Glasgow, VA - US 501 - VA 130

To: Blue Ridge Parkway 51.7 - Punchbowl X
Miles today: 10.9

Got up at the Lodge about 7:30. Left at 8:00 to bring Liz to the trail. We were in the clouds with 50 feet visibility. The trail was 35 miles away on the Parkway so we got there about 9:00. Liz is walking this section North to South for 10.9 miles. We expect to pick her up about 2:00. Hiking North to South is more fun because she gets to see all the people hiking north. After dropping Liz off, we drove back to the Lodge, had breakfast, checked out of Peaks of otter Lodge, and drove to the Natural Bridge Hotel where we used the internet. While driving to the Natural Bridge Hotel, we gave Josh a ride. He is getting off the trail for a week. He would not tell us his trail name since he said it was not suitable for present company. We got to the pick up spot (Glasgow area) at 1:30. Starfish, James and Just James were there so Tom gave them a ride to town while I sat on a rock with my book. Liz appeared promptly at 2:00 and Tom at 2:01. Off to the Farmers Market in Dayton. Liz climbed from north to south today. She had a great day and got to see many people she has hiked with and met a new hiker besides. When you are going the ¢wrong¢ way, your encounters increase dramatically. She did not see Persistent, however. Persistent is now a day behind her. Both Liz and Persistent ended at the same spot but at different times. Liz hopes they meet on Friday night at the Dutch Haus Hostel. She is also hoping to meet up with Ronin and Young Eagle there too. Weather today was overcast with several showers.We had supper in Lexington and were back at the Hotel at 8:30 PM
Date: 2007-06-16
From: Salt Log Gap/USFS 63

To: Fish Hatchery Road/Dutch Haus Hostel
Miles today: 7.8

We got up early again and packed up. We had a very nice breakfast buffet at the Natural Bridge Hotel, spent an hour at The Natural Bridge, and drove to the trail. We took pictures and said our goodbyes at 10:40. We will be seeing Liz in another 6 weeks or so when she is either NY or CT. We know Liz is hiking to the Dutch Haus today and know she got there. But, I have not talked to her to add much. The plan was that she would be meeting Ronin and Young Eagle there. Persistent would be catching up to them in a day or two. Her boyfriend is still slacking her. But, we learned some terminology over the last week and thought we would share. (Many you might know and I might have them a little wrong but here goes.)Shenandoah sprint ¢ Running through the Shenandoah Natioanal Park (100 miles) in 2 days. I guess people really do it.Yellow blazing ¢ walking on the road or maybe even thumbing. Not generally approved.YoYo ¢ Doing the AT and then turning around and doing the opposite direction.YoYo and a half¢¦. Could become a habit and maybe 2 YoYos.Trail Angel ¢ Person that provides food, drink or transportation.Trail Magic ¢ The food, drink or transportation.SoBo ¢ South Bound. NoBo ¢ North Bound.Flip flop ¢ Start South to North (or North to South) and flip to the opposite. For example, start north from GA and hike to Harpers Ferry. Then get transported to Maine to hike south back to Harpers Ferry. Liz says you should be in Harpers Ferry by mid July else the flop flop is recommended.Blue blazing ¢ leaving the white blaze trail. It looks like most of the spur trails are blue blaze trails.Slack pack ¢ Not carrying your full pack, usually a day pack.
Date: 2007-06-18
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Mill Creek/Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

Bears - 4 bears today. Liz was hiking in front of Ronin and Young Eagle when she spotted 2 bear cubs. They were very cute and very small. Instantaineously, Liz saw the mother not far from her. So Liz backed up slowly. The cubs ran up a tree and the mother followed. When Ronin and YE came they could only see the mother. Later on, Liz, by herself, went down a spur trail to find some water. Another bear was running away in the woods. She decided not to go and get any water.Liz's feet continue to be a problem. She can hike for a while but these 20 mile tough days are very difficult. She is going to buy new crocks and just give her feet a break when she can by wearing the crocks. (Could there be money in this? Maybe I will go to their web site and find out.)
Date: 2007-06-19
From: Mill Creek/Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro, VA / Quality INN
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Liz got everyone up at 5:35 to hike to town for breakfast. They have registered at the quality Inn and have gone to the laundry mat. They hope to relax the rest of the day.She has done something to her back and it is painful. We have suggested Aleve and a swim in the pool. Tough one.
Date: 2007-06-28
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: broken clouds

Talked to Liz Thursday night from Front Royal. The weather has been hot and she has been hiking fewer miles per day. She was very happy to think she will be through VA in a few more days. 544 miles total in the green state of Virginia.Feet and shoes are an ongoing problem. I guess if you walk that many miles it should not be a big surprise if your feet hurt.The terrain over the last few days has gone from 3800 feet to Front Royal at 950 feet. For the next few days, the terrain should be easier although there are several ups and downs. When she gets to Harpers Ferry, she is planning on atleast 1 zero day and maybe 2. She believes that she is still on track for completing the trail this year.
Date: 2007-07-01
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: broken clouds

Hiking from the Rod Hollow Shelter, they entered the section called "The Roller Coaster". This section is 13.5 miles long and consists of 10 ascends and descents. The AT corridor is narrow leaving no other options but to go up and over each rocky, viewless ridge. But, Liz said it was not bad. A thru hiker that has finished the AT (when did he start) was slacking someone else. He took everyone's pack and brought it ahead for them. Liz's special bonus was that he only had 2 day packs to loan out. Ronin carried her days water and food so she did "The Roller Coaster" with no pack at all. After hiking the almost 18 miles, they arrived at the Blackburn Trail Center. From the porch of this facility, on a clear day, glimpses of the Washington monument can be seen. The center has a free bunk house, food shelter, and picnic bench. There is also a carriage house available for overflow as well as tentsites. There are is a solar heated shower on the front lawn. (interesting - I'll have to ask Liz how that one works.)
Date: 2007-07-04
From: Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

7/3/07 Liz has 'worked' all day and is vey tired. She has registered officially as a 2007 Thru Hiker and is number 507. They also have taken her picture for the 'year book'. We mailed her package (10-12#) to the ATC headquarters and after picking it up, she walked through hilly Harpers Ferry carrying it for the next 2 - 3 hours. She bought new sneakers and a few other items and she said it was just a tough zero day and her arms were especially tired. She also said it was hot. At 5:00 she was heading back to the Comfort Inn looking forward to the air conditioned room. (I think she should head out and go for a swim in the Potomac or the Shenandoah.)
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Hunters Run Road/ PA 34
Miles today: 8.6

Liz completed the first half of the AT yesterday. The tradition is to eat a half gallon of ice cream purchased at the re-supply store. When they got here yesterday, the store was closed. So, this morning, Persistent, Young Eagle, and Melk decided to go for it. Liz purchased a half gallon of chocolate fudge ice cream. The last 15 minutes were very difficult, all with gagging reflexes. But she accomplished her goal and recieved an engraved spoon to prove it. (I am not sure she received the spoon before or after she visited the restroom to throw up.)
Date: 2007-07-14
From: Doyle Hotel / Duncannon, PA

To: PA 225 Footbridge
Miles today: 8.5

Liz slack packed this section from north to south. Persistent's boyfriend, Eric, came for the weekend and transported the A team to the next road intersection. While Liz was in town and had access to transportation, she got her blood work done and was going to see Harry Potter tonight. She was spending another night at the Doyle Hotel costing her $10/night.
Date: 2007-07-27
From: Mohican Outdoor Center/Camp Road

To: Culvers Gap/US 206
Miles today: 17.9

This is Tamaso and Tom day. Aunt Tamaso and cousin Tom drove from NY to find Melk near Delaware Water Gap. They met up at lunch time and Tamaso had a great spread of meatloaf, fruit, vegetables and desert. Melk said is was very, very nice. I believe Persistent, young Eagle and Ronin were also around for the feast. Later they were Tamaso and Tom picked them up and took them again back to Delaware Water gap for the night.
Date: 2007-07-29
From: Culvers Gap/US 206

To: Mashipacong Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: haze

We called Melk about 5:00 and she answered her phone which is most unusual. She was eating so and the only word I understood was hospital. As it turned out, Young Eagle took a nasty spill and Persistent and Melk accompanied him to the hospital to get xrays. The A team has taken a hit! It turns out that YE did not break anything but till be off the trail for a while. Since Ronin has gone ahead, Melk and Persistent are hiking on alone.Liz says the AT is great but hiking is getting a little tedious.
Date: 2007-07-30
From: Mashipacong Shelter

To: Unionville, NY
Miles today: 14.3

Melk called from Unionville, NY about 4:30. Her spirits were high and she was very excited about having trail maagic (it had been awhile) and being invited to the mayor's house to take showers. She is hiking with just Persistent and they were determined to get back on the trail and get to the shelter 5 miles away. Even though they had decided to forgo the shower and to hike on, the mayor was very convincing and so Melk and Persistent pitched their tents in the Mayor's back yard. Melk says she loves the AT again.
Date: 2007-09-08
From: NH 112 North Woodstock

To: I 93 North Woodstock
Miles today: 16.3

Tom and I visited North Woodstock staying at the Woodstock Inn. We slacked Persistent, Ronin and Liz so they did a few more miles even though they climbed South and North Kinsmans today. They got on the trail at 8:30 and played on being picked up at 6:30 PM. We received a call from South Kinsman about 4:00 so we re-estimated the pickup time to 7:30. By 7:30, the nice day had become rainy and dark. Around 7:45 we got a glimpse now and again of lights descending from the woods. It was a very nice sight to see then emerge from the dark, rainy woods.We had a nice meal at the Woodstock Inn and the 3 hikers found a nearby hotel room to stay.
Date: 2007-09-16
From: Perch Shelter

To: Gorham
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

They left the shelter to climb to Adams. Ice covered all the rocks. So, they decided to stay below tree line and wait for the ice to melt. While hiking Persistent and Liz came upon some bees. Both girls have reactions to them. Liz had 10 bytes on her legs. So far, she has not had a reaction but her typical reaction is delayed. We'll see what happens.
Date: 2007-10-05
To: Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The 'A' team Summitted Katahdin on the best day of the year. There were 11 total finishing a the same time. We got a call from Liz 10:00 PM from Millinocket. The climb was very tough with 1 1/2 miles using hands to pull them selves up. Either Liz or I will be fillinf in the journal once she gets home.Liz and John are on their way up to Millinocket today (Saturday, 10/6), and plan on driving back to John's appartment in Boston tonight. She will be home tomorrow which is exactly 6 month's from when she started the AT.Thank you all for your interest and prayers. It has been quite the experience for all of us.Nancy