morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-09
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry's Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: broken clouds

Today was quite the adventure! And the adventure only really began at 4:30 p.m. About then, I passed Little Laurel Shelter, intending to go to the next shelter, a mere 6.8 miles. I figured I¢d get there around 8:00 p.m.The first mile (or two) went up, up, up in a series of stairs of the type very popular with North Carolina trail designers. I find them alarming, but I kept going. Then the trail descended down the cold side of the mountain. There was still patches of snow. At about mile 3, there was a spring, and I might have camped there (it was getting dark), but it was one of those places where all the damp and cold from the mountain ¢ and it was cold ¢ sits. Not a good place for a camp. So I kept going.The trail led upward and began to get rocky and rooty. At least there was still light on this side of the mountain. By consulting my map, I knew once I¢d finished climbing, there were almost no contours. I¢d be in for a ridge walk for the remaining miles. I scampered over rocks and roots. Then it was more of a clamber. The sun was low now. I reached a sign that said: ¢Exposed Ridge; use Blue Trail in bad weather¢. Well, the weather wasn¢t bad. On the contrary, it was delightful. I took the regular trail. The trail wound steeply in and out of rock. There was snow and ice packed in. I¢d clamber up and down and up and down, sideways, backwards, whatever I could do to vary the pressure on my legs.I realized by now that my ¢no contour ridge walk¢ was a very demanding, though spectacular, climb. And I would have to do this for miles in the failing light.At the very pinnacle of the ridge, the sun was setting, a brilliant color. The rock (mostly white rock) glowed orange. This was both the most marvelous of situations and the most disastrous! I would have to continue along the ridge, up and down, hand over hand, in the dark. And I can¢t see well in the dark AT ALL!I kept going. It was hard to hurry because I didn¢t want to make a mistake and fall. Finally, the trail leveled off. I assumed the shelter would be nearby. I was afraid, not being able to see, that I might walk right by it. I hiked and hiked and hiked. An hour or so later, I walked smack into it. The shelter was full. Everyone was already asleep (about 9:00 p.m.). It was icy cold. At least there were the remnants of a fire in the fireplace so I would be warmer there if I could find a spot. I ate a handful of gorp and jumped into bed on the dirt floor of the shelter.JERRY'S CABIN SHELTERNo sooner had I jumped into bed, that the coyotes began to howl, a whole pack of them, exactly where I had been hiking!
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Jerry's Cabin Shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: clear sky

I have gone over the 300 mile mark! But note, I did not do much else today. I am still recuperating from last night¢s adventure and spent the morning re-hydrating. Translation: drinking 2 cups of milky coffee, 1 of hot chocolate and a bottle of Gatorade. My legs were cramping last night when I was trying to sleep, so it made sense to boost my liquid intake. Anyway, I decided to hike a short day and continue recuperating in preparation for a long day tomorrow.
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Sam's Gap & Miss Janet's
Miles today: 11.2

Today began with the best intentions: get up early, early, hike 20 miles (a first), and settle into some beauty sleep. The first part worked out very well. I had Frito wake me up at 7 am, and I was up and hiking at about half past. I hiked up and up and up. It was a pretty hike, but alot of ups. I had hoped to reach the 10-mile mark about noon, but didn't make it until 2, which was still good time, considering the terrain.As I hiked, I began fantasizing . . . . maybe I could make it to Miss Janet's (a legendary proprietess of a legendary hostel) the following day. I used my dream as bait to keep me moving. Ah! the shelter. Half way to my destination. I pulled up. It was very pretty. I would have been happy to stay the night there. Rain was beginning to threaten. Stealth and Frito were waiting there for me.....as it turns out, trying to figure out if they could twist my arm to go into Miss Janet's.I thought it unlikely that we could get a spot (Miss Janet's is very popular) at that time of the afternoon, and unlikelier still that we could get a ride. What do you know, in the space of 2 hours, Miss Janet herself had pulled up in a bumper-stickered, sputtering, van at the next gap. Bold lettering on the back window reads, "This Vehicle Stops For Hikers." Aside from the potential for getting blown up in her carburetor-challenged rig, I was thrilled to find myself bouncing my way over to her house. Now, Miss Janet is a woman of awesome intelligence (she is known for duct-taping missbehaving thru-hikers to trees to get them to behave) and prodigious opinions; just my kind of person! I even called her "Goddess" and she answered to the name. I strongly believe that her $20 charge per night and breakfast is worth it just to hear her pronouncements.Anyway, Miss Janet's house is what you might call a scene of inspired chaos. There is stuff everywhere, hikers almost hanging from the rafters, TV blaring, trips to the grocery store, trips to the outfitters, a powder puff dog that runs over hikers and furniture (and who Miss Janet threatens to attach to a pole and use to dust cobwebs). And then her yard features old hiking boots filled with pansies . . . . some kind of bizarre trail garden.There is so much going on at once here, it might be hard to sleep....
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Sam's Gap

To: Campsite Spivey Gap
Miles today: 13.3

Miss Janet had prepared an ENORMOUS breakfast: eggs, sausage, pancakes, stawberry and banana fruit salad, juice, and coffee. I ate and ate and ate. Big mistake. By about 11:30, we were through eating and had been delivered once more to where we left off hiking yesterday: Sam's Gap. I felt decidedly queeeezy:-- I guess I'll have to learn that I cannot eat real food and then do an aggressive hike.Old photo of a pancake breakfast at Miss Janets, but a great representation . . .But the day was beautiful, and I have now swapped my winter pack for my smaller summer one. It's not as comfortable, but alot lighter. Alot lighter. Frito and I climbed and climbed over beautiful Big Bald. We reached the shelter at 3-ish, but planned to camp further down the mountain. A cold wind was blowing hard. It got colder and colder. The day got very late. Once again, I found myself on a rocky pinnacle at sunset with miles to go before I rest. My legs were cramping. But I kept going. Our destination campsite was near a road, and we had promised a young woman (Diamond) we would camp with her there, so she wouldn't be alone. We finally found her, after dark. By then, I was grumpy, sore, tired, and everything else, but all I could really do was put up my tarp and jump into bed. After all that, it was a very comfortable night; I slept cozy and got some great rest. Winston Churchill: "It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.¢
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Campsite Spivey Gap

To: Erwin/Nolichucky River
Miles today: 11.2

Today's hiking was uneventful, but pretty. I woke well rested, skipped breakfast (I ate snacks along the way) and made good time to No Business Knob Shelter, where I fixed a hot lunch (yesterday's dinner), 2 cups of tea and started hiking again. Miss Janet was expecting Frito and me for the night.I was surprised that my legs weren't more sore....a good sign that for all the extra miles I've put on them this week, they are recuperating nicely during rest breaks and at night. I did enjoy stopping for a hot lunch, though. I'll plan to do that on a regular basis.WATERFALL NEAR SPIVEY GAPThe last mile or so of the hike included spectacular canyon views down over the Nolichucky River. Erwin is a pretty town in a pretty setting.It was still early, so I had time for some phone calls.....Ah, yes, the long-awaited update on PawPaw. PawPaw (whom I have finally managed to speak to in person) evidently has a stress fracture in his lower left leg and has been sporting a crutch while it heals. His first, second, and third opinions tell him it will take 3-6 weeks to heal. However, when he gets the go ahead, he plans to get back on the trail. Stay tuned....
Date: 2007-04-15
From: Indian Grove Gap

To: Erwin/Miss Janet's
Miles today: 8.5

Bad weather was predicted for today but I really didn¢t want to be sitting still. When someone offered a ride to a point further up the trail, I jumped at the chance to take a meager pack and hike back towards town.Pretty trail! It was more like the Northwest than any part of the trail so far: lush green vegetation, pine needles underfoot, pretty streams.It was rainy though and very wet. We got back to Miss Janet¢s just as it began to snow. It was still snowing into the night. Clearly, we can¢t leave town tomorrow.
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Indian Grove Gap

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.4

Having had to lay over yesterday in Erwin because of snow, I was really anxious to get going. After one of Miss Janet¢s wondrous breakfast productions ¢baked pancakes, eggs and sausage ¢ Frito and I were delivered to the trailhead at 11:00. I really enjoy Miss Janet and was sorry to say goodbye.The trail was easy going, up to a lovely meadow known as Beauty Spot. The sun was bright and it was a little nippy, but nothing to complain about. Soon, though, we were hiking in ankle-deep snow. Any deeper, and soon finding the trail might have been difficult.The snow made the trail slower than I planned, so it made sense to pull into the first shelter. The shelter is full tonight, but some of these fellows ¢ Chicago and Doc ¢ I haven¢t seen for over a month.
Date: 2007-04-18
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Roan High Knob Shelter was low on my list of potential shelter for my trip, simply because it¢s TOO HIGH for this time of year. But ¢¦. the best-laid plans often come to naught when you¢re thru-hiking.Roan High Knob Shelter - highest shelter on the trail at 6,285 ft!! And remember that snowstorm we carefully avoided by laying over an extra day in Erwin? Ha! 3 miles from the day¢s destination, I walked right into the remnants. Unfortunately, the trail was headed up at a 60o angle as well. There was snow up to my knees in places. Other places, it was difficult to find the trail. Where it wasn¢t snowy, it was muddy. At one spot, I did the splits with one leg sliding up the trail, the other down.There was even a place where I had to swing myself onto an icy ledge by using a tree! Luckily, I made it by dark, after 12 hours of hiking.The mantra on the trail is "no rain, no pain, no Maine".
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 14.7

I seem to get into more adventures than I really intend! The morning was mostly a slog through snow up to my knees, mud up to my ankles, and a lot of newly blown-over trees to navigate. The fun really started after lunch.It started to rain, lightly at first. I put on my raingear and headed upwards through a lovely meadow. Thunder started to rumble to my left. It began to sleet and rain sideways. I thought about heading back to find shelter, but thought the rain might let up soon. I carefully scanned the meadow for somewhere to take refuge if a lightning storm developed.I saw that I was going to go up and up and up over a bald. I assumed after I got to the top, I¢d go down again. But no, the trail made a U-turn on top of the bald and headed back out over more humps and meadows. I was now getting blasted by the storm from the right.I scampered as fast as I could to get to shelter before I was so wet and cold, it would be dangerous. Luckily, I¢m the only one here; everything I own is wet and hanging from the ceiling. View of Roan Mountain
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Apple House Shelter

To: Mountaineer Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: broken clouds

After 2 days of difficult hiking in difficult conditions, I was hell bent on just enjoying myself today. My first task was to finish drying my clothing ¢ still wet from yesterday ¢ by putting it on. I minimized the chill by fixing a hot breakfast, 2 cups of coffee and 2 cups of tea, as well as reading my book, before I ever left the shelter. I left at 11:00. Still, I only planned to go to the next shelter. The hike climbed through meadows in a V-shaped valley, clearly the location of one or more homesteads. I wound around a cemetery, through an old Christmas tree farm and back into the woods. I arrived at Mountaineer Shelter early in the afternoon. This is the most delightful shelter of the whole trip. It was so enjoyable. I opted to stay there even though there was plenty of daylight to get to the next shelter. I plunked onto a bench on the balcony overlooking the canyon and just stayed there all afternoon.2006 photo by LilRed"The Most Important Things In Life Are Not Things"
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Kincora Hostel/Dennis Cove
Miles today: 15.1

Today, I passed the 400 mile mark: unbelievable! It was also the day my hiker appetite kicked in. The hike today ended in a beautiful valley, passing through a pasture with an old log tobacco barn. This valley looks and feels like what I had expected from ¢Appalachia¢, and it is beautiful. Photo by 357 Magnum (awesome!!!)Old Log Tobacco BarnPhoto by 357 MagnumNearby, Bob Peoples keeps a hostel for hikers in the back of an ancient log cabin house, made with blackened logs and chinked with lighter-colored cement. I feel as though I have stepped into another century.To my surprise, Pebble and Sunnyside were here (I hadn¢t seen them for a couple of weeks), and of all the luck, Pebble¢s Mom arrived and we all four went out to dinner at all-you-can-eat Golden Corral.To my amazement, I managed to put away 3 plates of salad, a steak, a pork chop, pizza, broccoli with cheese, noodle casserole, and 2 ice cream cones with ease. Considering I had eaten everything in my pack already, this seemed like quite an achievement.Winston Churchill: ¢Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.¢
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Dennis Cove

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 8.9

My back was suddenly sore this morning. My Granite Gear pack, which I picked up in Erwin, bounces around too much. So I took advantage of an opportunity to get dropped off further up the trail and hike back to the hostel. It was a gorgeous day and a gorgeous hike, one of the busier pieces of trail I¢ve seen, since there were families and kids enjoying weekend hikes as well.I was really glad, though, that I wasn¢t trying to do this part of the trail with a heavy pack. It would not have been fun!For one thing, the 3 of us hiking together ¢ Ziploc, Nitro and myself ¢ couldn¢t even find the trail at the most spectacular point (Laurel Falls), because, apparently, someone had removed the posts with the blazes on them. It was half an hour before we figured out where the trail was!
Date: 2007-04-23
From: US 321

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I met up with Kill Hill Jill (Pebble¢s Mom) and ended up coaching her up a hill (hence the name), so I didn¢t hike as far as I planned, but the company was good!Later, Ziploc brought out his guitar and it was time for singing old folk-songs.Vew behind Vandeventer Shelter taken in afternoon by 357 MagnumTaken the next morning.
Date: 2007-04-24
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Holston Mtn. Trail Campsite
Miles today: 14.5

I got a slow start today. I felt sluggish and dawdled until late afternoon. Suddenly, my energy returned, and I was able to hike almost 8 miles in 3 hours through beautiful meadows, past old homesteads, and long forgotten roads. At one point, I looked down into a fold in the landscape and saw an ancient log cabin, complete but vacant, still standing where it¢s been for 100 years or so.Today, I am disappointed in the behavior of a few thru-hikers who are so self-involved. They are having an unfortunate impact on other hikers. There have been complaints about their behavior all week (and rumors of a heavy fine from local police), problems with heavy drinking, drugs, noise, commandeering a shelter so no one else would fit, and, very seriously, a fire left lit because someone evidently was too lazy to get water to put it out.It¢s too bad that things like this happen on the trail, but as a result, I¢ve camped in the moonlight listening to the owls.
Date: 2007-04-25
From: Campsite at Holston Mtn. Trail

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: clear sky

It¢s hot! We seem to have gone from winter to summer over night. It¢s become easy to overheat while hiking, and it¢s more important than ever to drink a lot.I had intended to hike to Damascus today, but was enjoying the company of Kill Hill Jill (Pebble¢s Mom), Pebble, Sunnyside, and Spence. I slowed down to spend another evening with them. This will also allow the party-ers from last night to take their obnoxious behavior out of range.
Date: 2007-04-26
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: DAMASCUS !!
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I am in Virginia! However, I am also having a terrible time with my pack (Granite Gear). It wiggles so much on my back that it makes me gyrate with every step, much like a tail wagging a dog. It¢s a good thing I¢m finally in Damascus where the outfitter can help me.Damascus is a very pretty town, with almost every amenity a thru-hiker could want (translate: pizza, burritos, and a cheap hostel).As I came into town, Kill Hill Jill caught my attention and beckoned me in to the pizza place, where she had ordered several pizzas. I was to help eat the remains and was glad to oblige.Then it was time for the outfitters, a shower, ice cream and laundry.
Date: 2007-04-29
From: Damascus

To: Summit Cut
Miles today: 16.9

I was sitting here in Damascus yesterday relaxing my achy legs and kept seeing cyclists whiz by on the Virginia Creeper Trail (a ¢rail to trail¢). These cyclists were not tremendously adept at cycling, but they did look immensely happy! They had evidently spent a few hours going down hill. My aha! Moment came when I realized someone must be taking them uphill. I asked around, and sure enough, there were shuttles every hour . So, this morning, I rode a van with the cyclists and hiked back to town on the AT. I must have come across 25 northbound thru-hikers with heavy packs wishing they¢d thought to do likewise.The trail is beautiful around here! Easy hiking, lots of variety in the trees, cascading rivers and streams. I like this as much as anywhere so far on the AT.
Date: 2007-04-30
From: Summit Cut

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

Wow, VIRGINIA!! This is impressive. My favorite part of the AT so far, even though I spent the entire day going up hill.The shelter here sits in a meadow on top of a knob where wild horses graze. In fact, our water source has to be protected by a corral to keep horses from contaminating it. This shelter also features an absolutely COLOSSAL privy. It¢s so nice to be out of Tennessee (which apparently forbids privies) and into a state where clean poopers are considered essential to the back country experience.Foals in GraysonCOLOSSAL privy!
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: few clouds

Today was by far the most spectacular hiking of the trip. I started near the top of Mt. Rogers in open pastureland studded with boulders. There are wild horses up in these meadows, some with young foals.I was enjoying all this (not to mention the 360 views), when a single file of 12 Mennonite girls, with their chaperones, came walking down the trail. They were dressed in plain frocks and net caps, and they had absolutely beautiful skin and hair. Their simplicity and old-fashioned-ness worked so wonderfully with the stark moorland.A bit later, I came across another group of young women, the photography club and a nearby private high school. These were very modern young women; they were eager to chat, take photos, and run around. What a contrast with the first group!By the time the day was done, I had passed the 500 mile mark!brHurricane Mountain Shelter
Date: 2007-05-02
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Late last night as I was writing my entry in the shelter register, I noticed that two entries earlier (i.e. soon before I got there) a man was bragging about having assaulted two young people and threatened to attack one of them if he found him alone in the woods.I had planned to hand carry the threat to the nearest Ranger Station, but this was a 20 mile hike. After conferring with my shelter-mates about their take on it, I opted instead to call the sheriff.I spent this morning waiting for the sheriff and the law enforcement officer from the Forest Service to arrive. If anything, they were even more concerned than I was over the register entry. Plus, they had another source of information that made them very alarmed for the victims. They set up a dragnet immediately. I got back to my hike hoping to catch Frito, who had hiked 31 miles the day before just to catch up with me. With my day cut short, I was unable to reach the Partnership Shelter where we planned to connect, and he has now left the trail for a few days. After all that work!Despite the mishaps, I am settled here at Chatfield Shelter with Castanets and 2 lovely people I have never met before (Ziola and Diesel). I feel privileged to know them.ZIOLADIESEL Later note: The person who had placed the threats in the shelter register ¢ a 30 year old man called Chico ¢ was no one I had ever encountered or been at all acquainted with. He has always hiked behind me. Furthermore, the language he used in his threats is much too graphic and offensive to be conveyed here.What did this man Chico have to say for himself? Per the Rangers, he told the police that he is from Philadelphia, and ¢this is the way they talk in Philadelphia¢. The assault he was bragging about was a hoax. If I were a Philadelphian, I think I¢d be outraged!Trimpi Shelter
Date: 2007-05-03
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

Fog is drifting in and out of the shelter. A bat has fixed itself on my pack raincover, which I have optimistically hung up to dry. There are just two of us here tonight, highlighting one of the little-known features of the AT backcountry experience: at the mere threat of ¢weather¢, most hikers head for the nearest hostel or motel.This explains something I have been puzzling over for a while. Even after a month (or two), few hikers out here have developed any real backcountry skill. This is a style of backpacking that is not exactly what I¢m used to! Clothes can be washed every 3 or 4 days, showers are listed in our guidebooks, it¢s easy to get snack food every few days, and you can (and many people do) order pizza from a shelter (Partnership Shelter), or find access to a pop machine.It¢s hard for me to get terribly excited about some of these things. However, I did manage to eat leftovers from other hiker¢s pizza today, and tomorrow I could see tossing my clothes in the dryer (as if I have a lot of clothes) while picking up my food drop in Atkins.
Date: 2007-05-04
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: Davis Path Shelter
Miles today: 7.2

I shared the shelter with EZ Duz It last night; just the two of us were there. EZ Duz It sat up in bed this morning and announced: ¢May 4! It¢s my birthday. I¢m 59!¢ ¢May 4th?¢, I asked. ¢It¢s my birthday, too! 54¢. Isn¢t that amazing? I didn¢t have much of chance to celebrate. It¢s raining and foggy, and I had to hitch into Atkins to get a food drop, and I couldn¢t really get much healthy food to bring along for lunches.At least the chores are done, and I can be on my way to Pearisburg. I should be there in 5 or 6 days.BAck of Davis Path Shelter