morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Greetings from the wonderful town of Damascus, VA!!Yes, this is indeed your very own Sprout typing an entry herself. Please note that these next few entries will be out of order.I arrived in Damascus around 9 PM last night after what I can only describe as "quite a day." I've planned to meet Rod, Jen, and Fran here on Friday, so on Wednesday evening I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice if I could be into town Thursday night so I could get my errands done and get cleaned up before they arrived?" The answer to that question is "Yes it would be nice, but Damascus is 26+ miles from here." Upon waking the following morning, my ego somehow overpowered my rational brain and I ended up hiking the entire 26+ miles. Now it wasn't a BAD hike. I've certainly seen much worse. It was, however, a LONG hike. I ended up hiking from 8AM to 9PM with very few breaks. By the time I was 2 miles from Damascus, I was fighting the urge to plop down and set my tent up in the middle of the trail. The only thing keeping me going was the thought, "if you tent here, you'll have to put up a bear bag in the dark." So I hiked on, moving slower and slower with each passing step. By the time I reached "the Place," (a hostel) I was moving at barely a crawl. I found a bunk, took a shower, and stayed put for the rest of the evening. I had muscles hurting that I didn't even know I had.But today is a new day and I woke up relatively pain-free thanks to some "vitamin I" and stretching. I have a keyboard under my fingers and friends en route. Life is good.
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Raccoon Branch Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Today was definitely a better day than yesterday. Hopeful and I got out of camp around 8 and somehow managed to hitch into Troutdale. To be completely honest, I didn't think we would ever get a ride. The road had one lane for each direction and was completely deserted. To it's credit, it WAS paved, but that was the only thing it had going for it. After 5 or 10 minutes of standing by the deserted road, we heard a car approaching. I eagerly stuck my thumb out and was astonished when the pickup truck pulled over. We got into the cab amazed that we got a ride on the first try.We made out like bandits during our 1 1/2 hour adventure in town: breakfast, resupply, a care package, a phone call, and a vanilla milkshake.Before I knew it, we were standing by the still deserted road waiting for a hitch. Again, I was skeptical about how long it would take to get to the trail. But before long, not one but TWO cars pulled over.We were back on the trail before long and enjoyed a nice hike to Raccoon Branch Shelter. I guess "nice" here is relative. It was nice that I didn't have to hike 20 miles. It was nice that the trail was not covered in rocks requiring lots of scrambling. We were, however, hiking in a thunderstorm. I never thought that I would call hiking in a thunderstorm a "nice" day.
Date: 2003-05-16
From: Raccoon Branch Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Well gang, it's been another good day.The rain and thunderstorms continued all last night, which made me glad to be in a shelter. It was comforting to hear the pattering of the rain on the roof as I was warm and cozy in my sleeping bag. The morning appeared to be sunny and a good day to hike. And it was.I only have one complaint. (You knew that was coming, didn't you?) My feet. They have been giving me trouble since I left Damascus. They feel okay at the beginning of the day, but begin to ache and hurt a lot after 4 or 5 hours of hiking. And that's without the rocks we've been encountering lately. 4 hours of hiking on rocks will bring me close to tears. Ouch!I did manage to get to Partnership Shelter by 3 despite my foot issues. If any shelter on the AT could make me forget the pain, it is Partnership. Located near a ranger station, hikers only have a short walk to enjoy indoor plumbing, soda machines, a pay phone, and pizza delivery. The shelter itself even has a hot shower!With a hot shower and a ride back to Damascus, I was a happy hiker.Our ride arrived at the ranger station at 4 and we were back in Damascus by 5:30. And why am I going back to Damascus? Why, for Trail Days! (Trail Days is a celebration held once a year in Damascus and is an opportunity for hikers to socialize, met gear representatives, purchase discounted gear, attend seminars relating to hiking, etc.)The first order of business in Damascus was laundry. Hopeful and I were sitting outside the laundry mat not 5 minutes when we heard a scream. We looked up and began screaming as well. It was none other than Leanna, our long lost hiking buddy!After chatting a while and cleaning our clothes, Hopeful and I snagged some pizza for dinner and found a midnight ride to Wal-Mart. For someone used to being in bed by 8:30 and asleep by 9, the Wal-Mart ride was a killer. Tired!
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Sugar Grove, VA

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I have to admit that today was a pretty good day. After leaving the Konnarock Crew Base Camp, Hopeful and I decided not to ruin our long string of "zeroes" with a day of hiking. We got a ride to the Atkins and Sugar Grove post offices, where we obtained our maildrops and were dropped off at Partnership Shelter to inspect the booty.After much discussion, we decided carrying 7 days of food is a BAD idea. (When is 14 extra pounds in your pack ever a GOOD thing?) Since the trail goes right through the town of Bland, we decided to take only a few days worth of food and resupply there. So we donned empty packs to look legit, and hitched to the Sugar Grove post office.By the time we returned to the shelter it was mid-afternoon and we were both ready for pizza. We called in our order and, presto, 40 minutes later a pizza arrived at the ranger station. It was just like magic. The pizza, along with the beer I yogied from Riff Raff (also known as Ben and Tyler), really hit the spot. We spent the remainder of the afternoon munching and watching weary hikers arrive at the shelter. As evening rolled around, we had a good bunch gathered-- Dimple Rock, Wrong Way Brown, Foxie, Riff Raff, Cartheny Bob, Thistle, and Chafemaster J among others.Good pizza, good beer, good company. What more could a hiker ask for?
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Davis Path Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Today was one of "those days." A day where I hiked not because I wanted to, but because I had no other choice.I awoke to tons of rain and chilly temps. Although I did not want to extract myself from my cozy sleeping bag, I did manage to get up and break camp by 8. All during the morning the rain continued to fall. Hopeful and I took a brief reprieve in Chatfield Shelter in order to eat lunch. Apparently others had the same idea because we were crammed in like sardines. I needed to take a long break to improve my feet and spirits, but the chill prodded me to move on after a short while.The afternoon brought more rain and the town of Groseclose. Lucky for me, the trail passed right by a truck stop. We decided that because of its proximity, we just HAD to stop and stay a while. In addition to hot cocoa, the truck stop had indoor seating and was extremely warm. We must have sat there at least an hour sipping hot drinks and getting warm.After convincing myself that I did not want to stay at the motel next door, we moved on and hiked the last 2 miles to Davis Path Shelter. Much to my surprise, the only hiker there was Sam I Am. Hopeful and I enjoyed the quiet evening and the company. Best of all, Sam I Am used to sell boots and solved my nagging foot problems. Apparently fluid causes my morning pain and nothing can be done about that. (Rats!). The evening pain, however, seems to be caused by bruising from that hellish 26 miler into Damascus. With a little time, she told me, that pain should subside. Yes! The end is near!
Date: 2003-05-22
From: Davis Path Shelter

To: Knot Maul Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, today wasn't quite as bad as yesterday. I have concluded that I have a nasty case of the "Virginia Blues." Hikers coined this phrase to describe the feeling of downess that strikes many people in Virginia. There are many different reasons for the blues-- the fact that 1/4 of the trail is in VA and you never seem to get across it and the post Trail Days letdown seem to be the two that afflict me the most.The hiking today just dragged. It wasn't very difficult or long. It wasn't even raining. It just felt like a chore. Like the fun was sucked out of it.We have a full shelter tonight, which is nice. Lots of people and activity. Perhaps tomorrow will be better.
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Knot Maul Shelter

To: Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Another tedious day filled with the Virginia blues. Again the hiking was not too bad, but felt like a chore. In an attempt to pull myself out of the blues, we took a long (2 1/2 hour) break at Chestnut Knob Shelter. The shelter is on top of a mountain and is said to have wonderful views. Unfortunately, fog covered the landscape when we arrived, so the views were nonexistent. When we left, however, the fog had lifted and we enjoyed wonderful views of the valley below. I have to admit that I had a very difficult time leaving the shelter. Thunder was rolling in the distance and hiking along a ridge in a thunderstorm did not sound too appealing. But I did manage to eventually leave the shelter.Hopeful and I had hiked perhaps 1 1/2 hour when the storm began to catch up with us. We pondered our options. Hike in the rain and hope for it to blow over before we had to tent? Set up camp now and chance the storm missing us entirely? I didn't want to tent on the ridge, but I didn't want to hike along it in a thunderstorm either. With the storm moving closer and closer, it didn't look like I had a choice. We made a quick decision and hastily pitched our tents. Not 10 minutes later, the storm rolled in. Even though I did not want to pack up a wet tent the following day, I was very happy to be tucked into my sleeping bag and not hiking in the rain.
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Campground

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It has been a day of blues, surprises, and unexpected good fortune.First came the continuation of the VA blues. Surprisingly, the hiking today was not as tedious as it has been in the past. It was still somewhat tedious, but it was the details of the trail that got to me.Originally, Hopeful and I planned on arriving in Pearisberg on Tuesday evening. In order to keep to this schedule, we planned to camp right outside Bland tonight and re-supply tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, there are no water sources for miles and miles before Bland. This, and the difficulty in getting a hitch into Bland early Sunday morning, put a wrinkle in our agenda. Pondering what to do, we arrived at a road crossing.The road was gravel and 7 trail miles outside Bland. "What if," we wondered, "we could get a hitch into Bland from this road crossing?" It would solve a lot of problems. We wouldn't have to worry about getting a hitch on Sunday morning. We could camp closer to the water source so we wouldn't have to haul it as far.... There was only one problem.... What if we couldn't get a ride back to this particular road crossing? We would have to, horror of horrors, yellow blaze. Oh no, not that! ("yellow blazing" is what hikers refer to as skipping a part of the trail and going around it by car).It took almost no time for me to accept the fact that I was yellow blazing. I had such a rough few days that I was even wondering if I wanted to stay on the trail. Put in that perspective, missing 7 miles didn't seem like a big deal. If I did decide to continue, I reasoned, I could always come back and hike those miles later.Now the question remained, could we get a hitch from this tiny gravel road? The answer proved to be yes and before I knew it I was re-supplying in a mom and pop grocery store in Bland.Now here comes the surprise and unexpected good fortune--On a little business card outside the grocery store was a notice for a free overnight in Bland. Too good to be true? It sounded like it. Disregarding my intuition, we knocked on the door of George and Murray Ziegenfuss. Wonder of wonders, we got a free overnight in Bland! After returning from a shower, Mrs. Ziegunfuss asked if I wanted a piece of homemade cake and some hot tea. Am I dreaming?!? We washed our clothes and got a ride into Wytheville for dinner. That evening with the Ziegenfusses, I have concluded, is one of my best evenings on the trail. Hopeful and I were the only people staying at the house, so we really got to talk to our hosts and felt like part of the family. An excellent evening and just what I needed to revive my spirits.
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Bland, VA

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I have constructed and have been pondering a philosophical question: If a man goes into the woods and talks incessantly, is he still annoying? My answer is "yes."I have concluded that there are two categories of talkative folks. There are people who talk a lot and are interesting. And there are people who talk a lot and are not. This particular person fell into the latter category. Now, normally I am a pretty tolerant person and talkative people do not bother me. Today, though, I really needed some quiet time. Because it was raining most of the day, I did not have the opportunity to take sufficient breaks and was pretty much stuck in the shelter. Not 5 minutes after I had settled in, the talkative person arrived. The person in question proceeded to talk practically nonstop for the following 4 hours. By the time darkness fell I was almost homicidal.Despite the annoyance, I have learned a lesson.... I need more quiet time than I am getting. For this reason, I have decided to take "book breaks" every day. This way, I get my quiet time while other people get their talk time.
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

What a great day! I appeared to have beat the Virginia Blues, at least for today. So what was so great about today?Although it rained a bit last night, the day was clear and sunny. The trail was easy, consisting mostly of ridge walks. There was a small convenience store near a road crossing, so Hopeful and I bought coffee there and I read my book for at least an hour.Because I knew that Mr. Talksalot would be at the shelter, I plopped down a mile before the shelter and read another chapter of my book. Consequently, when I did finally arrive at the shelter, I could not only tolerate the incessant conversation but eagerly joined in as well.Onward to Pearisberg tomorrow!
Date: 2003-05-27
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

I did not even arrive in Pearisberg before I began hating it. But let me back up and start at the beginning.I awoke in good spirits, ready to hike and arrive in town. I was especially eager to arrive in town because I knew I was staying with my brother, a student at Virginia Tech. In addition to seeing him, I would receive the added luxuries of Internet access, uninterrupted phone access, free shower, free laundry, etc.According to our calculations, we were to hike 15-16 miles. Wrong! Hopeful, Mr. Talksalot, and I are convinced we did closer to 19 miles. And we're sticking to it! By now, I have a pretty good idea how fast I am hiking and when I will arrive at a designated point. My resources claim that it was 8 miles to Doc's Knob Shelter, where we were planning on eating lunch. In reality, it was probably closer to 9 or 10. After the shelter we still had 7 or 8 miles to town. After we enjoyed the views of the valley from Angels Rest, the data book claimed we had 1.5 miles to VA 634. Lies! All lies!In addition to the increased mileage, the trail leading to the road was very poorly maintained. The maintenance club did not construct any water bars, so the trail went straight down the mountain and consisted of massive amounts of mud. I slipped several times and fell once, saying nasty things about the Roanoke ATC as I slid down the mountain.When we finally reached the road, Hopeful and I took off our muddy clothes in order to look presentable. We attempted to hitch. But did anyone give us a rid? No. Many vehicles passed, but not one even slowed down. Normally this wouldn't bother me too much, but the unexpected mileage had me hobbling and my near death experience sliding down the mountain soured my mood. If Damascus is the friendliest town on the trail, then Pearisberg is the most unfriendly. Which brings me back to my first sentence, I did not even arrive in Pearisberg before I began hating it.----------------------------------------------Arriving at my brother's apartment has elevated my mood considerably. My brother and Claire met us at the Food Lion in Pearisberg and gave us a ride back to Blacksburg. We were not in the car 2 minutes before they looked at each other and rolled the windows down. They muttered something to each other, but all I could distinguish was, "boys locker room."After entering the apartment, we were instructed to go directly to the shower. I pulled off my boots and socks and my brother discreetly opened the door. Was that a hint? I had a shower and clean laundry on Saturday. Do I get that stinky that fast? How discouraging.
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Springfield, VA

To: Springfield, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Just a quick update for the curious....The past few weeks have been busy. Very busy. And stressful as well. My foot pain returned the evening of Sat, May 31st. I enjoyed a decent hike-- 15 miles. 18 miles. I don't remember. By the time I reached Warspur shelter, my feet were throbbing. I elevated then and took Advil (for the second time on the trail), but to no avail. My poor feet throbbed and ached all night keeping me up. The next morning two of Hopeful's friends, Sally and John, were going to slack pack us. Hopeful hiked 8 miles to meet them and then directed them to the fire road to get me. Walking that .8 miles out to the road, I experienced the ultimate feeling of defeat-- watching my pack hike away without me... on someone else's back.Hopeful and I ended up staying with his brother and sister-in-law for what turned out to be close to a week. I took some time off, partially because I wanted to and partially because I had difficulty putting my boots on my swollen feet. My parents were scheduled to visit that weekend, so I rode back with them. I took another week off at home.I returned to the trail on Tues June 17th in Boiling Springs, PA to hike south. The first evening went well. 2 miles into the second day, my feet began throbbing again like they were going into Warspur shelter. Obviously my feet did not have enough time to heal. So now I am resting at home, updating my resume, and eagerly waiting to complete the trail in sections over the next few years.That's the condensed version-- I'll put the rest of the entries on during the next week.
Date: 2003-04-30
From: LaGrange, GA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

4-30-03Well, here I am on the trail one day earlier than planned. I was to stay another day in LaGrange,GA visiting my girlfriend. Things didn't go well there, so here I am. I took a bus to Atlanta and was waiting for a bus to Gainsville where I would take a taxi to the trailhead. But luckily,my son Micah came to my rescue. He picked me up at the bus station and took me to the trailhead. It rained like crazy, but stopped long enough for Micah to climb to the top of Springer Mountain with me. That was great! I'm just a mile or so down the trail. I just barely had enough light to set up my hammock and hang by bear bag. I didn't get the best tree, so I hope the food is there in the morning.
Date: 2003-05-02
From: Justus Creek

To: Jarrad Gap
Miles today: 12.0

I'm camped at Jarrad Gap. Did about 12 miles today. Met a thru-hiker named Marie. She's carrying over 50 lbs. She'll have to lose some of that if she's gonna make it. Good hiking weather, but now the evening storms. Marie named me "Squeeze" because I have squeeze peanut butter. I named her "Starburst" because that's all she had to eat after she got to camp late in the rain. I called my girlfriend today and feel better after talking to her. (I forgot to mail my cellphone in bounce box.) Had a few minutes left and decided to call.
Date: 2003-05-04
From: Neel's Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Nice day today. Did 11 miles to Low Gap Shelter. Dandelion and I got some "trail magic" in the form of ham and cheese sandwiches and cold drinks from a nice couple who had been day hiking. We also hid a Coke in the water source for Starburst to find when she was filtering water.
Date: 2003-05-05
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Now for the weather I knew would come. Cold rain all day. "You gotta hike in the rain to make it to Maine."   15 miles today. Strong winds, cold rain. Stayed in shelter. Kept hiking to stay warm, changed into warm clothes at shelter, ate and climbed into sleeping bag. Covered front of shelter with tarps. Very high winds on Tray Mountain, but stayed dry and warm.
Date: 2003-05-06
From: Tray Mountain

To: Hiawasee, GA
Miles today: 11.0

Started out a beautiful day, but the rain started again. Used my umbrella as the temp was warmer. It worked very well. Did about 10 miles and hitched into Hiawasee, GA. Shared a motel room with Dandelion, Starburst, and Shamrock. Ate at a AYCE place. An 82 year old Trail Angel is going to take us back to the trail in the morning.
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Ice Water Springs
Miles today: 0.0

In Icewater Springs Shelter. It's raining and hailing. Appropriate for this shelter, I guess. "Dandelion" just showed up. He left "Shamrock" back at Fontana Dam. "Starburst" and I had left them both at N.O.C.
Date: 2003-05-17
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Max Patch Campsite
Miles today: 25.0

Did 25 miles today - anxious to get to Hot Springs for a zero day. Saw turkeys and ruffed grouse. Got some trail magic on Max Patch from Scotty. Bag of peanuts and dried pears. It was my dinner as I got to camp late.
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: light rain

Rained all night. Still raining. I moved to shelter after other hikers moved out. I don't feel like hiking in the rain this morning. Maybe later, maybe not. OK, rain slowed down a little, so I took off at noon. Did just 6 miles to Flint Mountain Shelter. The next shelter was about 9 miles further and surely would be full. So, for now, I'm here alone. There should be 2 or 3 more coming here tonight. I don't like setting the hammock up in the rain. Changed into dry warm clothes and had dinner. Maybe weather will be better tomorrow.
Date: 2003-05-22
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Well, it didn't rain all night. It waited until I started toget up to hike at 6am. It's now 10am and still raining. "Bigfoot" came in last evening. A young guy from S.C., just graduated college. He put his wet clothes on again this morning and just left. I'll probably hang around for a while and do the 9 miles to the next shelter. Got out around noon again. 9 miles to Hogback Ridge Shelter. No one else here as of 5:30. Looks like I can do 21 miles tomorrow, provided the weather cooperates. That will put me just 6 miles from Erwin, TN and food, shower and laundry!* You know, when I was planning this hike, I thought I would almost never stay in a shelter. But it seems like the simplest thing to do. Especially when it rains. It's hard to sleep on the boards (I have a pad). But it's interesting to meet other people and hear what they're doing right or wrong on the trail, and find out why they're here. "Laughing bird" showed up. She has a hearty laugh. And now Buttercup is here at dark.