morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Sugar Run Road (Wood's Hole Hostel)

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

It felt very strange and sad hiking with Two Speeds and Chafe today for what's possibly the last time. We've been part of this "disfunctional hiking family" for so long, it's going to be really difficult to adjust to walking without them. I'd love to be able to catch up after our week-long break in DC, but I guess we'll just have to see what happens.We took today very easy. It was great to only have 10 miles to cover, so we stopped for an extended 2nd breakfast at Doc's Knob Shelter, 2 miles down the road from the hostel. It was yet another dreich morning, but the day was brightening quickly so we had a couple of long breaks at overlooks we came across, leapfrogging other hikers from the hostel, and also a boy scout/church group out section-hiking. The last 2 miles of the day were a fairly steep descent into Pearisburg, and yesterday's rain made it quite an interesting and eventful task! Amazingly enough, I managed to avoid any butt-meeting-ground incidents, but the others weren't quite so lucky - 3 pairs of mud-plastered shorts arrived down at the road. I think the "Grace" award switched owners several times, but ended up back with Two Speeds.Skittles was sitting waiting for us at the road, having arrived in town yesterday and was on his way out. We said our goodbyes and headed over to the Rendezvous Motel, where we found Dimple Rock, Wrong Way, Foxie (Mellow Yellow), Ben and Tyler all enjoying a zero day. We had 45 minutes before the Post Office closed, so I accompanied Two Speeds up the hill about a half mile to get there, scoping out the town as we went. We found all the essentials (Food Lion, Dairy Queen and a pizza place) all within easy walking distance.After the 4 of us had showered (separately), we joined the 3 girls for dinner at the Sports Cafe. It was a nice place, with a good atmosphere, but it was quite busy so 7 tired and hungry hikers had a long wait for food. In warm up for a lazy and indulgent zero tomorrow, I hit the DQ with Chafe, Two Speeds, Foxie and Dad on the way back down the hill, and whiled away the wee hours of the morning gossiping with Two Speeds on the back yard swing.
Date: 2003-05-31
From: Pearisburg, VA

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

Very, very lazy day.Slept in, went for donuts and 2nd breakfast sports-cafe style with Chafe, then spent the entire afternoon sprawled in front of Sponge Bob Square Pants (Chafe's responsible for getting us all hooked!), while we watched the rain bucketing down outside the window. In the evening there was a dry spell long enough for us to walk up the road to Angelo's Pizzeria for a pizza buffet - it wasn't the best pizza in the world but hiker standards are considerably lower than the average person's!Two Speeds and Chafe had to re-supply at the Food Lion, so I joined them in order to pick up snacks for the bus tomorrow. Before we left home in March, Dad and I had arranged for my Mum and friend to fly out to DC for a week-long visit, so tomorrow we've got to try and find our way to Roanoke to get a bus up north on Monday, which I'm pretty sure will be a long enough trip to justify my buying a huge pack of Oreos!The three of us arrived back at the motel to find this entire side of town in a power outage. Chafe joined Dad in the land of the unconscious, but Two Speeds and I sat out on the motel's "back-yard" porch to chat. The two of us have been hiking buddies since Hot Springs, and he's become my best friend on the trail, so we were feeling a little subdued. It hopefully won't be long before we see everybody again (we're now considering re-starting 90 miles north at Troutville), but I've a feeling it's going to be quite emotional tomorrow when we have to say goodbye. It'll be good to see friendly faces from home too though - especially since it'll be over my Mum's birthday!
Date: 2003-06-10
From: Roanoke, VA

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

Well, after a week off the trail to visit Washington DC and meet up with my Mum and Elliot (a friend from home), Dad, Elliot and I found our way to the I-81 interchange at Troutville/Daleville and are ready to hit the trail tomorrow. I know we're starting 90 miles north of Pearisburg, where we left the trail, and it's not accidental - we had a hard time getting out of Pearisburg in the first place and this was an easier restarting point, plus it means we're at the same place as our little disfunctional hiking family!We were kindly driven to Daleville by a guy named Delwood Schechterly, and he dropped us by the Outdoor Trails outfitters since we had a LOT of stuff to buy - Elliot hasn't done any hiking before so he needed to get completely kitted out, and we also got me sorted for hiking alone (it's quite likely I'm soon going to split from Dad and Elliot).I noticed a familiar form talking on the phone outside the nearby Krogers, and investigation confirmed it was Chafe! I managed to scare him half to death when I crept up behind him, but there were hugs all round before we raided the outfitters, checked in to the Econolodge, and had our last town meal with Chafe, Foxie, Fire Feet and Strider.When I was chatting to Chafe earlier I got the gossip update. There's one bit of really bad news - Dimple Rock and Wrong Way Brown have decided to leave the trail. It came as a complete shock - I had no idea they were even thinking about it! Apparently there's a long list of hikers who've dropped off this past week. I'm definitely not the only one who's gutted about this - I'm really going to miss you two!
Date: 2003-06-11
From: Daleville, VA

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

This was a very tough day, for all sorts of reasons. Partly, I guess, because of the week off, and partly because it was so hot and humid for most of the day, but mostly because of the extra 5 pounds or so from my new tent and stove (such is the price of freedom!).Our main stop today was at Fulhardt Knob Shelter (yes, feel free to make your jokes, we certainly did!), but I didn't get to play with my new toys until we stopped at Wilson Creek Shelter for the night. I didn't use my new tent (there was shelter space, and I'm struggling enough with this weight as it is, never mind a wet tent!), but I love my new stove! It's a Snow Peak Giga Power, and works brilliantly. Plus, I can adjust the heat and it came in a kit with a light titanium pot, so I don't need my red plate anymore!We had a lovely surprise this evening - although we'd learned from the register entries that Two Speeds was a day ahead and stayed in this shelter last night, he arrived back here about 5pm, having gotten almost 12 miles up the trail and thought he'd left his sleeping bag behind. It's a shame about all the extra miles (especially since his sleeping bag was in his pack the whole time), but it was good to get an altered version of our disfunctional hiking family back together again! I'm a happy camper :)
Date: 2003-06-12
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: light rain

It was strangely nice waking up in a shelter again - something I haven't done for almost two weeks! Despite thunderstorms through the night, it was a dry and almost sunny morning, and everyone took their time getting ready - I even managed to stitch up the rip my pack suffered on a wire fence yesterday.The hiking today took pretty much all day - I'm still struggling with the weight, we took several long breaks, and there were many puds (pointless ups and downs) to contend with. We had lunch at a picnic table next to a Blue Ridge Parkway crossing, and had an encounter with a mildly stupid deer - it was slowly creeping up in front of us, stood looking at us licking it's lips, and standing out in the open in a very "I can see you but you can't see me" way! The group of us (Foxie, Dad, Elliot, Two Speeds and I) all cooked dinner at the creek and road 3 miles before the shelter, since Cove Mountain has no water source. We finished eating just before the rain started, but after such a humid day the last 3 miles in a thundershower were quite refreshing.We arrived a half hour or so before dark, and found Chafe Master J had been waiting for us all since 1pm - he's hiking south for a few days so he can get to Roanoke to meet his wife for several days. After hearing horror stories about the bugs, I decided to set up my new MSR Zoid 1 for the first time. Let's see how I manage in my new tent...
Date: 2003-06-13
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Seems the tent was a good idea last night - everyone was driven out of the shelter at 7am by the bugs! The downside was they all left at 7.30, and Two Speeds and I (the only ones tenting) didn't get started till 11.30!We had a lot of downhill to Jennings Creek, which unfortunately meant a lot of uphill afterwards, which we managed to time perfectly with the first shower of the day. It was actually very welcome rain again, because of the humidity and the incline.We arrived at Bryant Ridge Shelter with the first peals of thunder overhead, and sat out a long downpour with the other 3, who'd been waiting for us. We were very tempted to stay put for the night, but lack of food made us push on up the 2200' to the top of Floyd Mountain (insert cuss word here) to Cornelius Creek Shelter. It was lucky there were a lot of tent sites at this shelter - the shelter itself was full of hikers and a girl scout group were staying here too. I had my first hiker bath tonight - it's finally warm enough that I won't get hypothermia by wahing in the creek, so the Dr Bronners came out and I got to go to bed smelling fresh for a change! I got the fright of my life late on in the evening, when I tried to find my way to the privy. I can't see far with the headlamp I have, so when I got to a fork in the path I stopped to look around. I saw a glowing light off to the right, and assumed it was another hiker till I realised there were two! The pair of glowing eyes stared right at me until I ran all the way back to the shelter. I'm still not sure what it was, but I just hope it stays away from my tent!
Date: 2003-06-14
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Marble Spring
Miles today: 12.2

Ok, somehow over the last couple of days I've neglected to mention the bl**dy f-ing bugs that have been harrassing us - they seem to think of me as their chew toy! My evening activity has become scratching and I'm starting to see how this could actually drive people from the trail (I'm not going to give in to them just yet though!).We started off the day climbing over the 4225 ft Apple Orchard Mountain, then passed under "The Guillotine" (a large rock suspended over the trail), and reached Thunder Hill Shelter for a late lunch (I feasted on crackers, the bugs feasted on me). We had a good late-afternoon hike out of the shelter, with one or two light showers, up over Highcock Knob (!) and down to Marble Spring, our campsite for the night. Rain and bugs soon chased us into our tents after another 'refreshing' wash in the creek - much, much colder tonight! A hot shower in Glasgow tomorrow will be heaven!
Date: 2003-06-15
From: Marble Spring

To: US 501/VA 130 (Glasgow, VA)
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: moderate rain

We forced ourselves into an early start this morning (the lure of town food helps!). It was a quick, easy walk down to Matts Creek Shelter, and the clouds surrounding the hills below us made it a beautiful hike.I almost stood on a variety of wildlife today - first of all a rock ran away and turned into a lizard (I haven't seen many of those out here), then we came across a turtle that peed on Two Speeds, then down at the shelter we came across and angry-looking red and white snake (ok, it didn't look so angry until someone stuck it with a Leki pole).It was lightly raining as we made our way along the banks of the James River, which originates near here and runs across the state to James Town and Williamsburg on the east coast (Pocahontas land). We crosses the Foot Bridge and I used my "Hiker to Trail/Hiker to Town" bandanna for the first time and secured a ride within 5 minutes to the little town of Glasgow. Glasgow is an interesting place. First of all, it's a bit special for us since it shares a name with the largest city in Scotland, but it's very... umm... unique. The first thing I noticed as we drove into town was the large Stegasaurus in front of the motel. And there was a brontasaurus accross the road from there. After that, the triceratops on the lawn in front of the supermarket didn't look out of place at all! It seems there was a guy in town a while ago who purchased a large model dinosaur and somehow the trend caught on. As it does.The only motel in town, ironically named "The Wright Place" charged us an extorionate rate for our 'suites' - a small room with one bed, and a couple of sofas, and they wouldn't let us all stay in one room, so we had to get two. We were too tired and hungry to argue. After getting fed and showered we stocked up on munchies for tonight's NBA finals. We got our laundry and food shopping done before sttling with microwaveable pizzas, chips, dips, brownies, cookie dough, popcorn, and a fridge-full of beer and Mountain Dew (the nectar of the Gods). And NBA, of course.
Date: 2003-06-16
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

When we woke up, we had good intentions of getting back on the trail asap. But it was raining. So it's a zero day.We visited the post office and the library (up past a building which has a T-rex head poking out the window and a child's sneaker hanging out its mouth), and ate lots and lots of food. I called my best friend Hannah to catch up on the home gossip until my phone card ran out (sometimes emails just aren't enough), then I crashed in front of Law & Order for the entire evening. It was a good day!
Date: 2003-06-17
From: US 501/VA 130 (Glasgow, VA)

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

I woke up this morning and really wanted to take another zero. It wasn't going to happen though, and it turned out to be a thoroughly miserable walking day. It was raining again as we got ourselves packed up, got the last of our food supplies from the store, and tried to arrange a ride back to the trail. Footslogger, a chap in his early fifties from Wyoming, had gotten the number of a guy who regularly shuttles hikers to and from the trail, so he, Foxie and Sparrow left at about 11:30. The remaining four of us (Two Speeds, Elliot, Dad and I) tried our hand at hitching, but we gave up after an hour or so and finally secured a ride from the owner of the grocery store/grill.We set off from the James River in thick mist. It was only raining lightly but it might as well have been pouring since the wind was costantly shaking water off the trees. There was a biting wind, and for the first time since the Smokies I had to wear my rain jacket just to stay warm (this is supposed to be June in Virginia, for crying out loud!).We had a long, steady uphill climb (which absolutely killed me) and left us at Punchbowl Shelter, which is supposedly haunted by the ghost of Ottie Cline Powell, a 4-year-old boy who died on the mountain in the 1890s. There are two people in the shelter (Sparrow and Baltimore Jack, now on his 8th thru-hike) who've stayed here before and have told us their past 'experiences' of the ghost. It could be an interesting night...
Date: 2003-06-18
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a late start today - Two Speeds and I were the last to leave at 9.45. We pushed ourselves for the first 9 miles, but got slowed down by a wrong turn at Pedlar Dam, then by a river of mud and clay on the way up from Brown Mountain Creek. We squelched our way into Brown Mountain Creek Shelter late afternoon, before starting a 3000-ft climb. It started raining about 2 miles from the top, and unfortunately this shelter is 0.6 miles off the trail (and currently overrun by a girl scout group). It got pretty wet and chilly, so I crawled into my sleeping bag asap to try and stop shivering. The weather recently (well, since March) has been annoyingly unseasonable - isn't June nearly summer? There was an article in the Roanoke Times yesterday morning about the AT and how the weather this year has washed many hikers off the trail. They have no idea.
Date: 2003-06-19
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: light rain

Woohoo! Today was a great day! After a difficult (and early!) start this morning, the weather brightened up and a series of things lifted my spirits.In the past few shelter registers there have been details about a free lunch for hikers provided by the Dutch Haus B&B in Montebello, and Two Speeds and I decided to aim for the 12:30 shuttle. We had to grab some supplies in town anyway, so we forced ourselves up at 5am (I'm still in shock!) and were climbing out of the shelter by 6:10.It was raining, gloomy and cold, and my legs almost gave out on me on our steep first climb - they're used to still being asleep at that time. I think this was the first day on the trail we were the first to leave the shelter! Over the first few daylight hours it started to brighten up. Once the mist cleared it was a lovely walk along the ridgeline to the Seeley-Woodworth Shelter, stopping for a break en-route and passing some trees which appeared to be growing straight out of the tops of rocks (my litle mind was too tired to figure it out).We reached the shelter at 10:45, allowing us a half-hour break before covering the last 2.3 to Fish Hatchery Road. 12 miles by 12:30 - not too shabby! Kundalini was already waiting for the shuttle, and Footslogger wasn't far behind, so the four of us were picked up by Lois at 12:45. Lois runs the Dutch Haus with her husband Earl, but coping on her own at the moment while he's out of town. She's a lovely woman, and after dropping us in 'downtown' Montebello (a PO and a camp store) she took us to their home for a 3-course meal. It was beyond a thru-hiker's wildest dreams - cream of chicken noodle soup to start, a grilled cheese sandwich and orange slices, then some home-made chocolate cake to finish! A hiker named Sarasota had been there injured for a couple of days, and he said that dinner and breakfast were even better. It was such a lovely house and we were sorely tempted to stay. We were reluctantly shuttled back to the trail at 3:30 to climb the last 4.5 miles to the shelter at the top of The Priest. Despite some drizzle earlier, the sun was out and we had a beautiful walk through rhodedendrons. Although the last mile was entirely uphill, it was so gentle it could be mistaken for downhill. We arrived to find an empty shelter, and we had enough time to take hiker baths, lay out our tents to dry, filter water and start cooking before the rest of our group arrived. It's a long time since we arrived at a shelter with enough daylight left to relax, so I enjoyed the downtime. My feet liked it too - after 17 miles today they've been ground to a pulp!
Date: 2003-06-20
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: light rain

We originally planned a 14-miler for today, but due to weather, sore feet and a creek it somehow never happened!We were unwillingly about to pack up at 8am, but a sudden downpour hit and we didn't exactly have to have our arms twisted to make us crawl back into our sleeping bags. Until 10am we dozed and even had Foxie read us the first chapter of "Watership Down", and we were all in such a lazy mood we were actually disappointed when the rain stopped and we had to start hiking.14 miles was still possible when we left, especially after covering the 5 mile downhill stretch in just an hour and a half, but then we hit the up. The climb to Harpers Creek Shelter is just a taster of the climb over the Three Ridges beyond, and even at the end of just that I was exhausted, and I'm not the only one who's feet feel like hamburger! We stopped in at the shelter 'for a break', and found it to be one of the loveliest shelter locations so far. The creek runs right in front of the structure, and since it was warm and sunny when we arrived we took a wee while to soak our feet and dry our clothes out. Foxie's first words upon arrival were "lets stay here", and being the lazy b******s that we are we agreed in a split second. There was another downpour, which sealed the deal and induced more reading of Watership Down. This leaves us with a 22-miler for tomorrow. Hmm, looks like another early start.
Date: 2003-06-21
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: broken clouds

I¢m ashamed of myself. Today I didn¢t hike naked.June 21st is officially recognised by, well, pretty much anyone who wants as Hike Naked Day. While the idea was tempting on some strange level, everyone was saved the horror of seeing me hiking in my birthday suit - it started raining, and I was cold enough even with my clothes on! Two Speeds was the only one in our little hiking group who had the courage to take part (with the aid of a well-placed bandana). Unfortunately, being a Saturday, there were quite a few apologetic explanations to make to unsuspecting and soon to be traumatized day-hikers and families out for a walk. His experience did lead to an interesting register entry during our lunch-break at Maupin Field Shelter though:¢The Top Ten Things I Learned While Hiking Naked:10) Windy ridgelines do nothing for your ego9) Tall blowdowns suck8) Explaining Hike Naked Day to SOBO¢s can be awkward7) I can stand to lose another 5 pounds or so6) Nobody wants to follow ¢the Naked Guy¢ on uphills5) I miss pockets4) You should never attempt to pee while walking, no matter how proficient you think you may be at it3) My bandana now has 102 uses2) I shouldn¢t expect a call from the LEKI people to endorse their products anytime soon1) Switchbacks make people giggle.¢The added interest of Hike Naked Day made the morning pass fairly quickly, but even so it was a very long day - we pulled 22 miles, the longest I¢ve done with a full pack by quite a bit! The 5:30 wake-up call sucked, but it turned out to be a beautiful morning. We tackled Three Ridges straight off the mark, which involved a tough 2000ft climb before a series of puds, each with its own spectacular view. By 1 o¢clock we¢d covered 12 miles, which is when it started to cloud over and rain. I fell into a bit of a rut (mainly due to tiredness I think), but after a rest and many reassurances that Waynesboro (complete with its town food and shower) was only a day¢s hike away, I managed to press on. I trekked the last 9.5 miles without stopping - I¢d reached the point where stopping only made me more aware of the pain in my feet, and I kept plodding on in the hope of achieving numbness. By the time we crossed the creek just before the shelter (in which Two Speeds took a couple of unscheduled and involuntary dips), our feet were visibly throbbing. I¢ve felt a lot more aches and pains in the last couple of days than usual, but with any luck after a zero in Waynesboro, watching Law & Order while munching Papa Johns and a pint of Ben & Jerry¢s, I¢ll be fired up and ready to go on Tuesday.