morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-30
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: broken clouds

This morning we enjoyed a fine walk up in Stony Man Mountain, along the Pinnacles and up Pinnacle Mountain, from which we got many good cliff-top views down into the Shenandoah Valley and the town of Luray. I sat on an outcrop and tried to imagine how it might have loked in 1862 when Stonewall Jackson waged the campaign down there that made his name famous round the world. With four Union armies, eventually reaching 70,000 men, trying to find and destroy him, he led his army of 16,000 men up and down the Shenandoah Valley for three months, eluding, meeting and defeating each of his enemies in turn. Sitting here - well-fed, well-equipped with good footwear, yet still exhausted and footsore at the end of every day - I am astonished that these malnourished men walked an average of 14 miles per day, and frequently covered 25 miles. Oh, and Jackson's "foot cavalry" still had breath to fight seven important battles, before slipping out of the valley undetected to rejoin Lee's army to the east.   That was then, and this is now. The walk along the Pinnacles was lined with an old friend, Columbine, the red and yellow blooms nodding as I passed. Bluets were around too, and quantities of a large shrub with heavy clusters of small, bright red berries tht no-one here can identify. After a lunch break at the Pinnacle picnic area, we faced a reasonably easy looking afternoon to reach the Panorama Restaurant at Thornton gaop. It was horrendous. A five mile boulder and rock path strained knees and ankles, made my feet throb, and frayed my temper. I arrived at Thornton Gap at 4.45 just behind the others to find not that the Panorama Restaurant closed at 5.30 pm (as the AT Companion advised us), but had closed a year ao. We were late. Disconsolate, we trudged the fairly short distance to Pass Mountain Hut where I've set up my tent. It's very humid, fireflies are out in force creating quite a spectacle, along with the constant "silent lightning" we last experienced between Kincora, N.C. and Damascus. A storm is coming.
Date: 2013-04-30
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: overcast clouds

My longest day do far... In miles.My sleep wasn't the best, for two reasons: the only other guy in the shelter didn't snore, but he made all kinds of other noises & talking; also, my air mattress leaks, leaving me to sleep on hard boards. The others were camped outside the shelter. They were up already before 5:00 a.m. & gone by 5:30. I hadn't exactly planned what time I wanted to get up, other than "early", so if I was going 2miles farther than yesterday I should start an hour earlier. Well, I actually did the 26 miles in less than 13 hours (24 yesterday took slightly longer).I didn't have the benefit of Scout's pacing me, but I was able to keep up a very consistent & generally comfortable pace, slightly more than 2 mph. The young guys were amazed, not that they got here 4-5 hours before me-- but that I got here at all! For all the people who had talked about doing 24 & then 26, it appears that we were the only ones who did it [I heard later that Scout had done 29 to come in an hour later than I]. Again, I met relatively few hikers! No one from behind me caught up with me. I stopped for a second breakfast at Double Springs shelter & saw no one. Then as I was leaving, I met Twix, Bluegrass, Salsa, & another hiker. We passed each other numerous times, but no one else did, & they didn't come all the way into town, but camped 3 miles out. The funny thing about passing them was their dog. If I let the dog pass when one of them did, the dog would walk immediately in front of me & slow me down. If I only let the owner pass, the dog would walk right on my heels, as if it wanted to pass. Finally, I kept it behind me till the owner was way ahead; then when I let the dog pass, it RAN to catch up with him & didn't dawdle behind again.It got pretty warm in the woods today. There were also more bugs, especially at Abingdon gap shelter Everything's leafing out now in the lower elevations, especially poison ivy. Like many plants, the new leaves are red at first; so it wasn't long before I was spotting PI everywhere, even if it was really red maple, or some kind of raspberry. Coming down into town, the poison ivy was fully leafed out & green -- I hope I didn't touch any.I got a bunk in a room by myself in the Methodist church hostel. There were a lot of other hikers in the other rooms & camping out in the yard. I got some supper at the pizza place & ordered some hard cider. They didn't have any but offered me apple beer, which tasted about the same to me.
Date: 2003-07-01
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We had a huge storm through the night according to those in the shelter. I was briefly aware of it, wakened by thunder directly overhead and the din of heavy rain on canvas. From inside a dry tent I find these sounds quite comforting, so turned over and went back to sleep. The base of my tent was very muddy this morning, though. We left at different times this morning. "Thistle" and "Two Speeds" headed into Luray to visit one or two tourist traps there. I preferred to make some AT miles at leisure. So did "Foxie". The elevations and terrain have been excellent today, and after an enjoyable morning's walk, "Foxie" and I met up where Skyline Drive meets the AT at Elkwallow Gap. There is a grill and small store here, and we have taken a four hour midday break eating burgers, ice-cream and sodas, making phone calls, and sitting at one of the picnic tables writing cards and journal entries. It's mild but not hot, and the sun breaks through a light cloud cover every little while just to brighten the day up. Every hiking day should be like this. LATER:Another fine six mile stint has brought us to Gravel Springs Hut for the night. We have seen several deer and fawns along the way, including two I startled away from a creek as I crossed. Only "Foxie" and I are using the hut tonight, but a Texan family, three grown up children and their Dad, are camping nearby and sampling the hiking/camping life for the first time. As daylight faded and to deter bugs, man (that's me) made fire, and woman (that's "Foxie") toasted marshmallows. Supper was an irresistible collection of sardines and mashed potatoes flavoured with cheese and bacon bits. And chocolate fudge bought at Elkwallow Gap to follow.
Date: 2013-05-01
From: Damascus

To: Damascus -- Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

May Day -- Zero day in Damascus.Trying to do better than in Erwin, where I spent a lot of time & effort just trying to get around town. Damascus is more compact & I'm staying right in the middle of it; yet if you need to go from one end to the other, there aren't any real shortcuts.The church hostel was OK for one night, but I wanted something nicer for the second night. First Misery & I went to the laundromat to wash clothes plus towels for the hostel. While waiting, we had pancakes across the street at the gas station. I tried to catch up with "Crazy Larry" about a room -- didn't get that worked out till 1:30, which meant missing the pizza buffet & having Subway instead, which was probably just as well.Larry charges $25 per person plus $7 for breakfast. I had spoken with someone who stayed there last night & said it was very good. In addition, he had surprised them with supper as well. He told me they had left him a big "tip" to buy more food. I ended up being the only guest tonight , and he fixed me a lamb chop dinner. He's a good cook!I got to spend some time both morning & afternoon at the library (new, out-of-the-way location), updating my TrailJournals. Some seem to have gotten lost in transmission -- I've made a beginning on fixing that. I guess I got sufficient loafing done & spent some time on the phone with Susan, while also tending to that time-consuming town activity: sorting mail-drop items. I also got a haircut. The hair-cutter complained about what long hours she worked, but she scheduled me for 5:30 & didn't finish the previous customer till 6:00.
Date: 2013-05-02
From: Damascus -- Zero Day

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

Larry woke me at 6:15 to tell me breakfast was ready (we hadn't discussed the time): scrambled eggs, ham, hash browns, & biscuits with Apple Butter.I talked with Susan a bit. Couldn't go to the library because they open later on Thursdays. I didn't leave town till 11;00, after getting my pack weighed: 47 pounds!!! It always weighs more than when I come into town, but this seems excessive. No wonder I felt like going so fast the other day and so slow today.It took me till 8:00 pm to do the 14 miles to Lost Mtn shelter (How do you lose a Mtn?), including stopping at Saunders shelter for sentimental reasons ¢ Susan & I had been caught there in a snowstorm in 2005. This time, I had lasagna there, which gave me heartburn.Lots of people passed me, including many I hadn't met before, like Garden Girl & Star Fail [or whatever her name was then], & the shelter was crowded .I'm noticing more smoking on the Trail than in the past. I used to think it was strange that people would be out exercising in fresh air, depending on their lungs to get up those hills, &c., & then stop for a smoke. But this year, it seems to be everybody! 9 of 10 of the 20-somethings hanging around the picnic table this evening were smoking--- that's worse than my generation. And I thought we'd been making progress!
Date: 2003-07-04
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Steve was as good as his word and was waiting for us at Weasel Creek Outfitters at 9.00am. It's his day off, but he is a volunteer fireman and will be on duty today after dropping us off. He could be busy since firework displays and barbecues seem to be the main family activities on this national holiday.When we met him it was already hot and the humidity has increased all day. We reached the Jim and Molly Denton shortly after midday. This is an outstanding shelter design, very generously sized, with a large wooden deck at the front on which there is bench seating. A separate, covered picnic table sits about ten yards away, and a cold water shower has been built using water from the nearby creek. We ate and sat out the hottest part of the day for three hours, before tackling the next stage to Manassas Gap. The temperature didn't seem to have dropped, the humidity was definitely worse, and we felt exhausted when we arrived. Near to it, I met a fellow called Bob Wirth ( AT name "Different Socks") who had left trail magic in sealed plastic pails at a number of shelters including Gravel Springs. When I met him, he was completing the VERY LAST MILE of his thru hike and was naturally elated. I fear my enthusiasm was quite muted as I was so tired.   The Manassas Gap Shelter has been notorious for copperheads for some years and a new shelter has been built here to resolve the problem. Judging by the shelter's register, it hasn't worked and the snakes are often seen tucked in crevices in the wall of the shelter or the interior spaces between walls and roof. We were moving on. We finished the last 4.6 miles to Dick's Dome Shelter in darkness, and fording the wide, rocky creek in front of it was difficult. Strangely, the floor space is pentagonal, and officially sleeps four, but perhaps could take more if occupants could figure out how to arrange themselves optimally in such a space. Being down in a ravine, we could hear but not see the 4th July fireworks display from a town in the area. Perhaps Front Royal or maybe Middleburg. Happy Rebellion Day to our American cousins.
Date: 2013-05-03
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

500 miles at the end of the day. I was the first one out as usual but was passed by 3 within 4 miles.It started out as a nice trail thru the woods. We could hear wind up above, but it didn't affect us till we got to some open areas. White top Mtn has a couple of bald places, where the wind literally blew us off the Trail. My little thermometer said 40-45 degrees, but the wind-chill must have been 30 or below. Since it was misty well into the morning, that meant the moisture was being driven into us as well. Then we moved into the stunted trees that cover the rest of the Mtn, and now we can even feel the sun! This was the first day in 3 weeks or so that I wore my jacket all day, & the first time I zipped it all up.Mt Rogers is the highest Mtn on the Trail North of TN until we get to the White mtns in NH. Thomas Knob shelter is one of highest shelters & subject to extreme weather. It is a nice shelter, & I was hoping that some of the people I was traveling with would stop there; instead it looked liked we all moved on another 5 miles to Wise shelter. Those are difficult miles, with lots of rocks on the Trail, but also much to see. This is part of Mt Rogers National Recreation Area & Grayson Highlands State Park & is known for its wild ponies. I was almost out of that area before I saw any, & those at a distance. That was OK, since I'd gotten some good pictures last time. I got to the shelter just at the time I had told Susan to call me-- no reception! So I went up the hill a bit to talk, & when I came back, there were two mares & a colt wandering around the shelter. They stayed quite a while, hoping for treats.
Date: 2013-05-04
From: Wise shelter

To: Dickey Gap
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

I usually think 45 degrees is good hiking weather. However, with this bitter cold wind, it's not so much fun. People had been talking about rain today. It's hard to tell whether the dripping is rain or just the clouds condensing on the trees. I decided to wear my poncho, which is much easier to get on at a shelter than out on the Trail. I could hear the wind, but it seemed mostly to be up high.After a mile or so of woods the Trail came out into the pasture land near "the Scales", where they used to gather cattle to weigh them and ship them out. It's very exposed on such a windy day, so not much fun. After about a mile in the open, the Trail went back into the woods.By the time I got water from the spring just before Old Orchard shelter, everyone from the previous shelter had passed me. Some of them stopped briefly there, while I stopped to eat a meal. There were several Southbound section hikers at the shelter too, asking lots of questions. From there, I went down to the road and across the creek. The rest of the day seemed warmer, except for a couple of short pieces of ridge walking, where the wind caught me again. I went by the waterfall at Comers Creek, which didn't seem as spectacular as I remembered it, & stopped at Dickey Gap to hitch a ride to the Baptist Church hostel in Troutdale. It must have been at least half an hour before anyone stopped. It was a visitor from Texas [I'll call him "Tex"] in a rental car (You can always tell when someone has a rental car because they don't know how to unlock the doors or the trunk) who said he had just given someone a ride to the hostel & thought it was full. He'd take me there & if that didn't work he'd take me to Marion (15-20 miles the other way) to a motel. He said he'd been camping at Grayson Highlands State Park, & needed to go back & get his tent before going to a motel himself. Before I knew it, he had driven right thru Troutdale without stopping & was on his way to the campsite, 15-20 miles away. After he got his tent, he did take me to the hostel, an hour later than it might have been. It was pretty full, but they found a place for me on the floor. There were about 10 hikers in two rooms, including Bearfoot & and an Indian woman named Scout. I got a shower, & fixed some supper (I'd missed most of what the church people served). Then I discovered that my Tilley hat was missing. When Tex & I had hurriedly got my stuff out of his car, I had left my hat in the front seat. I had trouble getting to sleep while trying to think of ways to get it back.
Date: 2003-07-05
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter, Sawmill Spring
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: broken clouds

This has been a murderous 15.9 mile day made especially hard by doing the first half of the dreaded "Roller Coaster". This consists of ten very steep hills, each requiring a climb and descent of about 500 feet, one immediately after the other. At the bottom of each is a creek with wide fringes of boulders on each side and very tricky to cross. I took a heavy fall at one of them.   It has been a very hot and muggy day once again. We have been shocked, and yet I can't say I'm totally surprised, that a teenage girl collapsed and died here two days ago. She was one of a party called "Hoods in the Woods" and had apparently complained to the groups's counsellors the previous night that she needed to go home. It wouldn't surprise me if heat exhaustion had something to do with what occurred.We have slugged it out today partly because we need to be within reach of Snicker's Gap tomorrow morning. We have arranged to meet "Dimple Rock's" mum there. She has followed this journal throughout, and has come through from Kansas City to stay with her sister in Pennsylvania for a short vacation. We barely noticed that we passed through the 900 mile mark today. It has become routine for us, when we stop for the day, to get down to the creek with our Dr. Bronner's soap for a "hiker-bath". We come back smelling of peppermint, but it doesn't take long to start feeling damp once again. In the past four months on the trail, I've only occasionally felt dry.
Date: 2013-05-05
From: Dickey Gap

To: Partnership shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: light rain

At the beginning of the morning, I had several things on my mind:First, I wanted to try to get a text message out to Susan, to try to say some words of encouragement on her Playing the organ at a new church. Second, I wanted to try to connect with the guy who had my hat. Third, I thought I could hitch a ride to Konnarock, about 12 miles down the road, I think, for a Lutheran service.After finding no reception out in the Baptist church property last night, I wasn't surprised not to find any today. I got no better result walking up & down the street, all the way down to the intersection where there used to be a restaurant. Believe it or not, there was still a working pay phone on the corner! I had trouble getting it to work for a credit card call, so I finally put in the only change I had & called what I thought was the most likely motel in Marion. I said I was trying to locate a man from Texas who had brought a number of hikers to the motel & who had my hat in his car -- could they have him call me? I thought they might refuse on privacy grounds; instead, I got a clerk who didn't know enough English to understand the problem!While standing on the corner, I thought I could start hitching a ride to the Lutheran church. I didn't know the time of the service, but I'd be plenty early. No cars came by at all, so I headed back up the hill to go to the Baptist service with a few of the other hikers. It was a long service, with the sermon more than 45 minutes! When I got back to the hostel, I was pleasant surprised [amazed, actually] to find that Tex had returned my hat. Thanks, Tex!I started on the Trail at 1:15, & first went the 4 miles to Trimpi shelter. Nice design with built-in fireplace. There was a good group of hikers there, including Scout & Jabberwocky. I'd been working on remembering the Lewis Carroll poem by that name, so I recited it for him. There's not much to see in the woods when it's raining all afternoon, not even flowers.Last time I came thru here I remember doing 8 miles in 3 hours, pretty fast for me. That was possible because much of it was on an old railroad bed without much grade. This time, there was not so much old RR bed. I suppose it's possible there was some re-routing of the Trail since then, but there have been so many things on this hike that don't turn out as I remember them. It makes me doubt my memory, tho this one seems so very specific!I did make good time today, but didn't get to Partnership shelter early enough for pizza [which can be ordered from there] -- so I made spaghetti. The shelter seemed quite full, with everything all wet & little space for cooking. Still rainy with wind off & on.
Date: 2013-05-08
From: Half mile beyond Va 625

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

Wonderful scenery today! And NO pictures. Nothing wrong with the camera-- except trying to keep it dry. I spent much of the day on the ridge above Burke's Garden, one of the most beautiful spots on the Trail ¢ mist & rain kept it mostly out of sight. It's basically a flat farming area surrounded by mountains, but looking own on it is spectacular . . . On another day.I'm getting pretty good at waking about 6:00, & today there was enough daylight to convince me. Rain had started again at 1:00 am, but it was stopped in time for me to get going. My tarp tent makes it very easy to get everything in my pack & then deal with the wet tent. I was on the Trail before 7:00. I found the Bulls still in their tent a little beyond me (didn't see them again today) & up the Mtn, Caboose, who had passed last night.By the time I got to the spring by the pond, it was raining again. The Trail up chestnut ridge is a steady climb over grass, not hard walking aside from everything being wet. After about 3.9 miles, I reached Chestnut Knob shelter, a former fire warden's cabin & one of the few fully enclosed shelters on the AT. It is made of stone with a metal roof; so the rain sounded much worse inside than outside. No wonder the two section hikers remaining there after everyone else had gone were in no hurry to leave!I fixed myself some lunch, while Caboose & Dreamer arrived. Dreamer is an older hiker who started in early March with his wife. She had to get off after the Smokies & plans to return to the AT after recovering from knee surgery. Both passed me during the course of the afternoon, which included multiple rainy parts & only slight improvement in visibility. I called Susan to show her what I could see of Burke's Garden, since she always thought it was a pretty place. When I arrived at Jenkins shelter, the rain had stopped, & Dreamer, Caboose, & Waffle were there. After eating, Caboose decided to head for a campsite 5 miles ahead. I thought I probably should too, but was glad I didn't when it started raining again soon after he left. 4:00 seems so early to end the day, but I'll try to get an early start tomorrow-- how often I've said that !!It's 12 miles to the road to Bland, where I need to get some food, due to a miscalculation in food drops. But I can't dawdle in town either because I need to get to Pearisburg while the post office is open on Saturday. Sometimes the Trail has no schedule; sometimes it gets pretty demanding!