morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-23
From: Simms Gap

To: Campsite slightly down the mountain
Miles today: 7.7

I slept well. Both other tents were gone when we got out of ours around 8:30. Didn't get gone until 10:10. Ate cous cous in the tent (where it was less windy). We cruised and did 8 miles in 6 hours. It was all mostly level. Passed a dog with packs on. Stopped by a shelter with a bunch of 20-somethings there already. This was a bit unusual since it was in the middle of the afternoon. I guess they weren't walking that day. We ate a Midnight Dark Milky Way bar! Yum! Whiskey called her sister Bonnie to wish her happy birthday. Surprised to get cell reception there but it's been very hit or miss, mostly miss. They told us about a nice camping spot 3 more miles on, which turned out to be very nice. I somehow spotted a Luna moth in the grass while we were walking and took some pix. Luna moths can get up to a 5 inch wingspread. This one might have been 3 or 4. We didn't see it flying. Saw one old trillium. My feet were quite tired. We saw this cool plant that I thought might be corn and some of them had yellow flowers at their tops (1 to 2 feet). Whiskey Jo fell again. In at 4:20. Stonewall and General Tzao came by. The General answered the question, 'Was such and such a part of the trail easy?' 'It was rediculous!' Were there nice views? 'They were rediculous!' He didn't filter or treat most water. We filtered water, ate, made a fire, and it rained just before it was fully dark so we retreated into the tent.
Date: 2007-05-24
From: Campsite slightly down the mountain

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I didn't sleep too well and was tired in the morning. We had our favorite breakfast: oatmeal with dried bluebs and soymilk powder. Whiskey Jo saw a bear and called to me in the tent. I quickly slipped her the camera under the tent's fly. I stuck my head out and saw a hiker filtering water 40 feet away (an odd place to do that cause it was far from the trail). We laughed about that a lot (and still do!){It really did look like a bear! he was bent over with a dark jacket on and breaking little twig noises; I guess my under-corrected glasses did me in there. Lark had a very good laugh that morning.} Left around 10:30 and walked down, down, down. It was hot and there was a lot of poison ivy around. We passed one woman who said don't walk on this one part of the trail. All hikers stop in Pearisburg and turn off the trail, or get on the trail, in two different spots so the part between them never gets walked on and is overgrown with PI and everything else. We got a ride from the liquor store to our Motel where we had reservations. It wasn't so nice. We had to change rooms because the hot water in the sink didn't work. We changed our itinerary because we were not wanting to do 14 mile days like we had planned. After a little nap we ate next door at Rancheros where the price was cheap and the amount of food would have fed four of us! The electricity went off once during dinner. We ate til we were stuffed and still had more left! We brought a doggie bag of it to the room and threw it away the next day. We went looking for the laundromat and found a guitar store (that also sold washers, dryers, and refrigerators). This town has quaint charm and there were always astounding mountains in the background. We were 20 minutes from West Virginia. I checked the computer at the motel and read the guestbook. Thanks for all the messages! It was very cool to get them!! I noticed on the trailjournals.com homepage the name of one hiker we'd met at Pickle Branch Shelter, Magic Horse, so I checked out his journal and saw that he was now past Waynsboro, which is the nearest point to Charlottesville on the AT. He'd gone over a hundred miles in about a week! And we'd gone like 40!? Neither of us slept too well.
Date: 2007-05-25
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Neither of us slept too well. We went to a "homecooking" restaurant, Marsha's, which means white bread, American cheese in my omlette, and homefries microwaved from a box. You see a lot of restaurants in the south that advertise "Homecooking." We went by the guitar store and I played some guitar including New River Train, my one fast flatpicking tune (this being the New River Valley and all). The New River is the second oldest river in the world! - only the Nile being an older river. Did our laundry and met Oof Duh and Sven from Minnesota and Whiskey gave them our number to call when they got to Waynsboro. For lunch we went to a nice little, tiny hip place called the Courthouse Cafe. After that we got our cartons of stuff we had, but didn't want to carry and went to the PO and mailed them home and to Groseclose (Grossclothes!). Then Dairy Queen for a decadent treat!!! I was then able to update about three days in this journal (right now I'm in Marion after camping at the Mt. Rogers Visitor Center last night). We went back to the Courthouse Cafe where there was folkmusic going on in the parking lot before going to Pizza Hut where Whiskers ate half of a medium pizza!! {Lark was eating as fast as me or I might have eaten more than half!} We packed before bed. On the TV was a program showing a dog, a dolphin, and an elephant as they developed in their mommies' wombs. Incredible!
Date: 2007-05-27
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Wapitu Shelter
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: clear sky

Up and gone by 9! That's early for us. Everyone else was gone before I even came out of the tent. Whiskey had finished making breakfast already. We fallen into a routine of her packing up most of her stuff and then getting out of the tent and getting the foodbag down and starting breakfast. When I get up I pack up the sleeping bags and pads because they're hard to get small enough to fit into their stuff sacks. We eat, clean pan and dishes and then the tent goes into my pack, then the cooking stuff and food, then my stuff. By the time I'm done packing, Whiskey is already done. Then we're off. Up. Down. Long up. View. Then a long straight down. No way would I have wanted to go up that!! It was quite hard on our knees. Then we finally arrived at Wapitu Shelter. Some signs called it Wapiti. Plenty water. Lots of camping space. There was a sign made from sticks on the trail that said "600 Miles" which is how far the northbound through-hikers would have gone by that point. Worm came by and told us to go to Troutdale where we could use the computer in the restaurant (exactly what I'm doing right now here in Troutdale!). Gimpy and Pike County came in. Then two guys from NJ: Picnic basket, and Yukon. They didn't even look around at the huge area of possible camping spaces. They just headed directly for our tent and set up about ten feet away. Arg! We are tired of listening to mass snorage! There were plenty of places a hundred a fifty feet away. Why couldn't they have gone there!? Anyway, they were nice guys. Pike made a fire and drank a lot of coffee and left after dark to do another 10 of the 17 miles into Pearisburg. The next day he had to meet his parents at 1 pm in Pearisburg. He was kind of fun to hang out with. He had a $1 recorder that I played for a bit. Nice Enough showed up after 10 and I gave him Torpedo's message (Hurry up!)From the log with minor changes:My pack is the riderI am the horseIt says, "Giddyup!"And I go, of course.
Date: 2007-05-28
From: Wapitu Shelter

To: Convenience Store Camping
Miles today: 8.2

Left 9:10 - before Nice Enough!! I think this is the first time we weren't the last hikers to leave a shelter/camping area!!! Nice level walk for about 6 miles along a creek. Lots of Rhododendron - sorta dark - maybe that's why they call it Dismal Creek. We were bookin'. Ate on a rock in the creek. Saw crawdads. Arrived at Dismal Falls - total of about 10 feet, the biggest drop was probably about 4 feet. The water was very cold. One hiker in his 60s from 30 miles north of The City (yes, NYC) and us. We lazied about a bit. Four locals were there when Whiskey said, "If it were more private and warmer I'd get in." The other people left and the sun came out and it warmed up. She said there was one other criteria which wasn't met yet. I can't think of what it could have been, though. She didn't go in.{We walked through the pool formed by the waterfall up to our knees - it was really freezing and definately not enough sun for me.} Then about 6 more hikers, with beer, and about 8 locals, with beer, arrived. We filtered water (upstream) and then lay down on my sleeping pad for a 20 minute rest kuz we were so drained by resting in the sun. On to the road and about a half mile to the convenience store. We were planning to camp where the trail crossed the road, but it wasn't flat enough for a camping spot. Paid $6 each to camp and ordered pizza. Set up and came back to eat. Whiskey ate as much as I did!! It was still pretty early like 4:30 or 5:00. Whiskey then called her sister Amy to wish her a happy birthday. We then had some ice cream, did laundry, and had a shower. The showers were pretty gross and we kept our camp shoes on. WJ complained about hamstring pain. We thought maybe we didn't have enough calories for today.
Date: 2007-05-29
From: Convenience Store Camping

To: Groseclose - Relax Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

To the convenience store by 9:10. Whiskey got us a ride in the back of a truck after about 20 minutes. He left us at a quiet little store halfway to Bland. The woman running the store sat on a double rocker with a very old guy most of the time. We just hung out and talked. I got us a ride with a native woman who had to move a child seat. The back of her minivan was packed though and WJ had to carry her pack in her lap. Her daughter in the seat next to mine in the back was named Medicine or Madison. The driver's name was Candy and she gave her daughter candy to keep her quiet. She seemed to happily go about life without thinking about how to do it. She left us in Bland by highway 77 and we quickly got picked up by Sue Sparky, who had a thick country accent, but seemed to have her life totally together. She took us all the way to Groseclose (Gross clothes) even though it was at least 12 miles out of her way. We checked into the Relax Inn. Our room smelled funny, but the hot water in the sink worked. We walked a quarter mile to eat "homecooking" at The Barn. I don't like and for health reasons usually try to avoid white bread, iceberg lettuce, hydroponic greenhouse tomatoes, and deep fried food. I don't know how anyone can sell food like that with a good conscience. An ex-marine truck driver who was there asked us a lot about hiking and recommended some trails - in Hawai'i!! We'll have to go there next, right Whiskey? Then the healthy hikers got some candy at the gas station across the street. Back at the Relax we talked to BP - Back Packer or Balance and Peace. He was working for Backpacker Magazine. His article should be out in about 9 months under the byline Jeff Chow. He totally reminded me of Sky at Twin Oaks. He is too young (22 or so) to be totally relating to WJ about siatic nerve problems (for him, in both legs). Nice guy - same alma mater as WJ. WJ got on a Let's Get Rid of Every Single Fraction of an Ounce That We Can kick. We each have a tube of toothpaste? One's gone. Two Petzles (headlamps)? Send one back home. Wool hats? Needed them before, probably not anymore. We shed many ounces. {dumped 1/2 the calamine lotion, 1/2 the dish soap we seem to use now and then; sent home the leggings and fleece that we definately needed in the <30 degree nights we had a week or so ago but hopefully won't have now, and on and on. I was on the warpath against unnecessary fractions of ounces.} We were going to be starting an 8 day leg with lots of food. We figured we'd stop in Troutdale and eat so we didn't have to carry 8 days of food, but we would have a lot. Ordered pizza and spaghetti delivered. Greatest generation war stories on TV.
Date: 2007-05-30
From: Groseclose - Relax Inn

To: Louise Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: clear sky

Not a terribly hard hike to this shelter. Another dark one crowded by rhododendron near a rocky stream. Met Ouslander, Shuah (like the upside down e, short a sound), Shadow who has a Han Solo snear, Hong Kong Fuey, and Thumbelina (a big guy), who was the only one to stay the night. Shuah had all his stuff stolen during Trail Days in Damascus, but got some free stuff from outfitters in return. He had a tatoo on his arms that was a confederate flag with a banner under it saying Grant. Wierd! We wished we'd asked him about it. Hong Kong Fuey told us about a cave we wanted to get to from the Mt. Rogers Visitor Center, but we ended up not having time to go there. I collected firewood and we had a nice little fire and I played a little recorder. {Good place for me to mention that Lark is definately the soundtrack of this adventure. 1. he makes me and others happy playing the recorder as we sit around the fire after dinner. only a couple of 20-somethings have Ipods, most are a bit music-starved out in the woods. 2. he makes up great songs as we hike, I'm sure there will be a CD coming out when we're home with such titles as: "I ain't Carrying That; You Carry it", and "I'm never goin' Uphill or Downhill Again" and "We're always the Last to Leave the Shelter" and "The Day We Hiked 45 Minutes without Stopping" and "I Cain't Please my Woman" and "Well,I Smell Better than You" and my personal favorite "The Mice got into the Foodbag Last night and ate up all the Mocha!" Also, often as we walk up hill I hear this constant creaking sound coming from behind me, something like a creaking door in a horror film: aaeeaaeeoooeeaa. That's how I know he's still there...and it makes me smile --Whiskey } I woke up at 3 am and then a lot after that. I copied some names from the logbook:Gypsy Spirit, Speaks Little, Wonderful Wooly, Hobbit, Xenon, Fast Layne, Yellow Snowman, Key, Patches, Maryland Edge, Ry, Rocko, Ra, Lion, Nugs, Moosehead, Baker, Thumper, Moose, Baltimore Jack, Dr. Claw, Tenacious T(urtle)(You know, like Jack Black's band Tenacious D), Jackie O, Sweetwater (the name of our water filter), Google, Sunshine, Rebel, Flesh Thorn, Tchako, Trailbait (a 17 year old girl that lots of guys hit on), Breeze, EZ, C-shot, Nobody, Tic, Rooster, Keymasta, Chach, Big Shanty, Sideshow, Talkerman, Night of Wands, Beef, King, Wilo Bill, Lakewood, Tter, Boognish Rising, Bump, Peach, U-Turn, Cuyahoga, Mayo, Young Eagle, Ronin, Persistent, Melk, Pain Train, Big Brother, Fuzzy Monkeys, Cheeseburger, Bytecode, Church Mouse, Barking spider, Tennessee Jed, Fire Hazard, Ginger Snap, Iceman.
Date: 2007-05-31
From: Louise Chatfield Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

I woke up at 3am and didn't sleep very well after that. Out at 9:45 despite having no tent to pack up. There weren't any tent sites to speak of, which is the only reason we slept in the shelter. Lots of hiking uphill. At one point I heard an animal about 150 feet above us on a semi-steep mountainside. Whiskey didn't hear it. I stopped and watched and then saw a bit of brown bear butt bounding away. It must have been sort of small. I only saw it for a fraction of a second. Whiskers had said that if we saw a bear, it would be it's butt as it got away from us. Whiskey didn't see it, but now I'm no bear sighting virgin any more! We arrived at the Mount Rogers Visitor Center and looked around a bit. There is a shower at the shelter, but appearently the pilot had gone out because the water was COLD. We went back to the center and ordered Pizza which was delivered in 45 minutes. WJ called her sister Allison and wished her a happy birthday. I called Twin Oaks, but my son Arlo wasn't there. I talked to Ezra, which was nice because he has done some AT sections and met with us to talk AT before we left. After dinner I played hacky sack with Dogman, Joker, Doc and his brother Crocket (who I called Karate at first), and Tetonka (a name from Dance With Wolves). We set up out tent a quarter mile in the woods because there was no camping allowed near the shelter. We came back, but the beer drinking and cigarette smoking was pretty annoying so we went back to the tent. We replanned the route in the tent. A northbounder (who hadn't gotten to the shelter yet) came up to our tent (in the dark) and thought he had to camp near us. We convinced him that he could go to the shelter and he left. Whiskey brought up the subject that I was pretty negative about the hiking lately. Before Pearisburg we stopped having great views like we did near McAfee Knob and on down, even for many miles. My feet were having a harder time and I was feeling like it was getting harder. Then leaving Pearisburg was No Fun for me at all. Then the day we left the Relax Inn I rode in a car with the motelier to the post office and he talked about how he couldn't understand how someone could want to walk over mountains carrying 50 pounds and I could totally relate. I complained a lot about going up hill. And about going downhill (very hard on the knees). We didn't fall asleep until around 1.
Date: 2007-06-01
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Marion
Miles today: 0.3
Weather: clear sky

We packed up and hiked to the shelter and made breakfast. We met a woman firefighter at the center, Bunkers (heavy stuff that firefighters wear, that she wore to condition herself for the trail) from Auburn, NY. She had this cool little computer that she could update her journal in every night, then call when she be near a phone and it would use the fax sound to send e-mail to someone who would then just copy and paste into her trail journal. We experienced a little gear lust - just like when we saw the UV light wand that purifies water. We only waited about five minutes before two cars stopped to give us a ride to Marion. A husband and wife from the Twin Cities (where I used to live) where moving cars around after doing 8 miles in the morning and preparing to do another 9 after getting the cars moved around. We checked into the EconoLodge and then took public transportation to the cybercafe where I updated four days. It took us 45 minutes to go about 3 miles. The cafe shared room with a fingernail place that smelled terrible. An hour later the bus was back and in 15 minutes we were back home. We walked about a mile to the laundromat. Whiskey got a paper with an article about a ferret that got stuck in a washing machine and almost died. We then ate at a nice Italian restaurant, the Tuscan Garden. Before we went in WJ called her son Joe and talked for awhile on her cell. WJ had salmon and I had a veggie sub. Yum on both accounts! Walked to Ingels grocery and got string cheese, peanut butter and candy bars. We missed the ABC store (liquor) by only 10 minutes! Went home and packed. I finally reached Arlo for the first time in about two weeks. We packed and again talked from midnight til one about me being less into the hiking part now. You'll be glad to know we worked everything out. {Whew, I know you were all in suspense about that! Actually, it wasn't just about Lark having a hard time, it was a conversation about the mental challenge of the Trail that is sometimes as great as the physical one. And fortunately, we are now headed to what some say is the most rewarding section...Whiskey}
Date: 2007-06-02
From: Marion

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

We didn't fall asleep until around 1. Up very tired at 8 and ate bad waffles in the motel office. Took cheap cab up to the visitor center. The cabbie looked like he was in his 80s and drove pretty slow. He wasn't the first person we've gotten a ride with who probably shouldn't be driving. He'd lost part of a finger working in a tear gas factory. He'd been in the service from '57 to '60 and was glad to get out before Viet Nam. We were on the trail by 9:50 - not too bad. Did four miles by noon. Along the way we passed a number of dogs with packs. I got a picture of Bella, who was with Jet, the human, with her pack on. We got into Trimpi before 5:00. Three people in the shelter and about 7 below in a little tent city, who we never had any contact with. They were pulling long logs out of the woods and even knocking down dead trees and built a huge fire. A huge branch near the water source fell as we sat at the shelter. It was a bit scary. The guys from below where the fire was (hell) went to see if they could get the wood. The folks we met were Silver Potato (a Japanimation hero), Chow Hound, and Country Ham. Country Ham, being a policeman in Knoxville,TN, had lots to talk about with WJ. Wrong Turn showed up. Country Ham told a story about some people who hit a deer and put it in their car, but after they started driving again it 'came back to life' and the car started swerving all over the place and I guess they stopped and let it out. Then Silver Potato told about seeing a car plow through a line of geese crossing a road. The driver, a woman, was very upset and crying and convinced a man to put one of the geese that was injured, but not dead in his car and take it to the vet. After driving a bit, he started swerving and feathers were flying and he stopped, the door opened and a goose rocketed out of there. We set up a ways from the shelter and it rained some during the night. We were very tired.
Date: 2007-06-04
From: Troutdale

To: Troutdale
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It didn't rain during the night. I lay in bed from 8:00 to 8:30 waiting for WJ to wake up. It started getting hot. It was sunny! No more hurricane Barry!! It's 3:42 pm and I've spent much of the day updating this. Met Tortuga who got a 'bone bruise' in the Smokies. Whiskey went to Marion and I'm just waiting for her to get back, updating this and inhaling secondhand smoke. I am now officially All Caught Up! {...and tomorrow we leave for the much talked about Grayson Highlands and Mount Rogers, the highest peak in VA and 2nd highest on the Trail at over 5700'. We've heard so much about the wild ponies in the highlands and are looking forward to it. We have a lovely bed'n'breakfast treat planned for ourselves in Damascus, The Lazy Fox Inn, and I'm sure Lark will write the last journal entries when we're there. ....Whiskey}