morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-26
From: Spring-fed Pond (VA)

To: Laurel Creek (VA)
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

day: 45start: Spring-fed Pondfinish: Laurel Creekmileage: 16.4weather: cloudy, drizzleDuBois and I woke up this morning to what looked to be approaching storms. But the weather cleared up in no time and we had an excellent day of hiking.From Chestnut Knob shelter, we received an amazing view of this incredible valley and, for the rest of the morning, I could only think about building a cabin with a wood stove, a spring, and a view and living simply off of a piece of land. The degree to which a person is connected to God's creation on this trail is such that it is hard to desire any lifestyle that would intrinsically disconnect you from being engulfed in that natural reality. So ideas of self-sufficient lifestyles began to circulate within my head and work themselves out to a certain degree.Toward the end of the day, we crossed a stream about ten times and spent around thirty minutes looking in the stream for salamanders and the like. We were pretty successful in our hunting and temporarily captured several salamanders and crawdads. Once at camp, DuBois and I talked until well after dark. Today was a good day, even if I did get my shoes wet and break (though not permanently) a trekking pole.
Date: 2005-04-27
From: Laurel Creek (VA)

To: HelveyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mill Shelter (VA)
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: light rain

Day: 46start: Laurel Creek (VA)finish: Helvey¢s Mill Shelter (VA)mileage: 9.2weather: indecisive between sun & rainDuBois and I got a somewhat late start this morning which proved to be worth while since Allen from ATOM (AT Outreach Ministries) dropped by our campsite to deposit some drinks for hikers. The V8 set me off to a good start and the hiking went by very easily.After seven miles or so, we came to the road that leads into Bland. A car pulled up while I was waiting for DuBois and the hunters inside initiated the conversation I've had time and again.Person: Where you hiking from?Me: GeorgiaPerson: (Jaw drops) Really?Me: Yes, really.Person: Isn't it _____?And so forth. These particular gentlemen had a few stories of their own. Each of them claimed to have seen a black panther "in these parts", one saying that he has had two such encounters and the other claiming that the animal actually killed his dog. The frequency and intensity of sightings among these two men alone concerning this publicly-unrecognized species seemed a bit odd to me, but who am I to say. So when DuBois arrived, we found an easy hitch into town and got in and out within a couple of hours.We reached the first shelter out of town to threatening thunderstorms, so we decided to stay. Of course, shortly after we settled into the shelter the clouds dissipated and the sun broke through. This was the story of the day and is the story of many days. You're walking in shorts and a t-shirt when the air suddenly cools down and rain drops begin to fall. So you stop, put on your rain gear and your pack cover and start walking again. In two minutes, the sun is out again and the moisture hanging in the air has made it particularly humid. So you stop again and reset the seemingly endless cycle. I can't wait for the summer when I can feel comfortable ditching rain gear altogether.Several people showed up at the shelter who I haven't met: Doc, Biscuit and her dog (Cola), and Bedhead. Private Joker and English Bob also showed up and we had a big marshmallow roasting party while talking about music and other random topics.
Date: 2005-04-28
From: HelveyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mill Shelter (VA)

To: VA 606 ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ campsite (VA)
Miles today: 16.3

Day: 47start: Helvey¢s Mill Shelter (VA)finish: VA 606 ¢ campsite (VA)mileage: 16.3weather: am clouds, pm rainWe all got up a bit late this morning, but I arose from my slumber later than most. Shortly after I started hiking, Herald and Annie showed up while I was finishing up a morning break. I began hiking in front of Herald and had the mental sensation that I was holding him back. So I sped up, but I still felt like he wanted to go faster, so I sped up some more. By this time we were going really fast and were having trouble speaking to each other in between labored breaths. It was fortunate that we met Bedhead soon afterward or one of us might have pulled something. Later that day, Herald said to me "Man, you were flying earlier; I was having trouble keeping up." And I thought he was pushing me - I was about to let him pass. This same situation has occurred a number of times between me and someone else and always makes for funny, yet tiring, miscommunication.After lunch at Jenny Knob Shelter, we all (Biscuit, English Bob, Herald, Bedhead and I) decided to hit up the gas station diner at VA 606. Once I got there (I was behind every one else because I was climbing a tree), I ordered a double cheeseburger with fries and busied myself with the Hunter Dan and Hunter Ann action figures displayed on the shelves. The burger was descent (good size - hunter size) but I still had room for a pint of ice cream.We hiked back to the trail and camped just south of the road next to a river. Before I fell asleep to the rain, I heard what sounded like a rabbit screaming for about ten seconds straight and several beavers slapping their tails on the water's surface.
Date: 2005-04-29
From: VA 606 ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ campsite (VA)

To: Doc's Knob Shelter (VA)
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

day: 48start: VA 606finish: Doc's Knob Shelter (VA)mileage: 16.1weather: rainToday was the first day of the hike that I've actually woken up to rain. There is nothing else that makes a person want to go back to sleep more than waking up to rain. So that is what I did. But when I woke up for the second time the rain was still going strong. So this time I got up. The first eight miles went by pretty easily and English Bob, Bedhead and I talked about going all the way into town. We agreed to see how we felt at the next shelter.The next eight miles didn't go by quite as easily. The terrain became pretty rocky and my knee began to hurt. To top it all off, I decided to do some impromptu trail maintenance that had painful results. A mid-sized dead tree hung over the trail at knee level and was suspended between two trees that were still standing. Despite the marginal disturbance this tree caused, people had created a side trail (as they always do) around the tree. So I decided that if I were to run at the tree and give it a big enough push it would break against the leverage of the trees supporting it. So I ran at the tree from a few feet away, pushed it to the point of maximum potential energy, and fell mercy to its sweeping force as it quickly sought to regain its original position. The tree knocked my legs out from under me and I fell hard onto the ground. I laid there for a moment assessing my situation and, determining that no serious damage was incurred, moaned my way back to an upright position and hobbled the remaining fifty yards to the shelter. I think it was during my time feeling lifeless on the ground that I decided that I would not be going to town today.
Date: 2005-04-30
From: Doc's Knob Shelter (VA)

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

Day 49Start: Doc's Knob Shelter (VA)Finish: Pearisburg, VAMileage: 7.8Weather: cloudy, foggyI woke up this morning to a light drizzle after a significant amount of rain last night. I needed to get to town before the post office closed at noon, so I got a pretty early start. The last several miles of the hike intoPearisburg was supposed to be a pretty steep descent, which I particularly dreaded today because my knee kind of hurt from yesterday's fall. However, while the hill was quite steep, God saw fit to answer my prayers for little knee trouble that day and everything felt much better than I had anticipated.Pearisburg has the majority of its amenities pretty centralized, but the church hostel is a bit out of the way. The extra walk to the hostel turned out to be worthwhile as the place had a wonderful setup and a spectacular view.Matt was the only person at the hostel when I arrived, so he and I cleaned up for some AYCE Chinese buffet. The food was good and we got our laundry done as well. We returned to the hostel and I ended up hanging out with the priest (from the Catholic church that runs the hostel) for an hour or so. He was a pretty interesting guy with some neat stories, and he gave me a couple of bananas and oranges as well.The rest of the day was spent doing normal town stuff. The Canoks, DuBois and I went to the grocery store (Wal-Mart to my dismay) and did our thing.Here, DuBois found out that his source for food money had proved unreliable and that he would have to leave the trail. I was sad to find out that this was the case as I had really enjoyed his company up to this point. DuBois and I had been hiking at about the same pace since we first met (3/14) and I haven't hiked with anyone for longer on this trail (or on any other trail, for that matter). DuBois has been one of the livelier and fun-loving characters I've met out here and I will miss him greatly.
Date: 2005-05-01
From: Pearisburg, VA

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

Day: 505/1Start: Pearisburg, VAFinish: Pearisburg, VAMileage: 0.0Weather: warm, sunnyToday was a wonderful day to take a zero. Not only was it Sunday, but also the weather was perfect for just sitting outside and basking in the sun's warmth. Yardsale and I got up pretty early and went across town to the grocery store and to Pearisburg Presbyterian Church to figure out the time of their worship service. We went to church and then to Sunday school and then were invited to lunch with two older couples. They took us to a home-style place in nearby Narrows that had an excellent buffet. They then deposited us back at the hostel where we suffered through the symptoms commonly associated with foodtosis.In the afternoon I made a few phone calls from Wal-Mart and completed some remaining chores. The hostel caretaker visited several times, asking everyone all sorts of random questions and looking for Edgar (we think he meant Ezra, but he wouldn't budge an inch).In the evening, DuBois beat me in a game of chess (I've lost a lot of skill in this game) and we met Oriental Legs, an interesting Japanese guy. Oriental Legs speaks little English and none of us speak Japanese, so communication was entertaining. Among other things, he told us that it costs $9,000 to play a round of golf in Japan. Despite the abundant miscommunication, I did learn that Oriental Legs is a Christian (a Presbyterian, at that); it was neat to hear about how he came to know Christ, despite his Buddhist upbringing. We listened to a hilariously serious classic rock station until far too late in the evening and then went to sleep.
Date: 2005-05-02
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: broken clouds

Day 515/2Start: Pearisburg, VAFinish: Pine Swamp Branch ShelterMileage: 19.6Weather: am cloudy, pm partly cloudyIn the morning, I took my time getting moving as I wanted to wait for Yardsale to return from his fuel canister hunt in Blacksburg. So by the time he got back and we did some more errands, we made it onto the trail at about 1 pm. The hiking was nice despite the massive amount of food weight I had in my pack. After reaching the first shelter about six miles out of town, the next twelve miles or so were all gradually downward sloping.The afternoon cleared up nicely and we had amazing views of VA valleys and farmland for a good portion of the hike. Later in the afternoon, we saw quite a few deer, many of which did not seem very threatened by our presence. The day's hike ended along a very nice mountain stream and we reached the shelter just before dark. Everyone had already turned in, so we tried to cook dinner quietly and then went to sleep.
Date: 2005-05-03
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 525/3Start: Pine Swamp Branch ShelterFinish: Laurel Creek ShelterMileage: 18.5Weather: sunnyToday was a beautiful day containing very little excitement. I have gained a new level of respect for hikers who, for one reason or another, cannot finish the trail. I saw Spoony Love at lunch and she seemed very upset to be leaving the trail due to serious foot problems. This encounter made me feel very blessed to be able to hike the trail as it became even clearer to me that it takes more than just desire and skill (she certainly has both) to be able to succeed in something like this. The Lord has certainly blessed me with wonderful physical health throughout this trip and such could be taken away at any moment. While I know in my heart that my security does not reside in my physical health or in my ability to complete this journey, I also know that I would be incredibly upset if I were going through the same situation as Spoony. I wish her the best in her future adventures, especially in the way of healthy feet.
Date: 2005-05-04
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: broken clouds

Day 535/4Start: Laurel Creek ShelterFinish: Pickle Branch ShelterMileage: 22.3Weather: warm, sunnyToday was amazing with spectacular views and pleasant walking. Yardsale and I walked together most of the day, although we were among a large group of hikers (twelve in all) who all stayed at last night's shelter. We stayed at this one view for quite a while, admiring the endless rows of ridges descending from this mountain. For some reason, deciduous trees all grew on one side of each of the ridges while coniferous trees all grew on the other. The result was a beautiful contrast of different hues of green. Early in the day (before the great view) I stopped by a deserted house in the woods known as the Blair Witch cabin. I haven't seen this movie so I don't know the connection, but I get the feeling it might have something to do with the numerous black handprints painted on the walls and ceiling of this creepy cabin. I was by myself and am not ashamed to admit that I was hesitant to explore the place. As I walked in, I startled a bird out of her nest, which made me jump a bit. The real moment of fear occurred when I was walking up the open staircase and realized that I'd left myself open to the onslaught of potential axe murders waiting at the top of the stairs from no less than three possible directions. Boy, would my face have been red!I took the hiking pretty slow but Yardsale and I went further than the rest of the crew so that we could have a short day into Catawba tomorrow. We arrived at the shelter just before dark and Gravity and Danger were already in their joint sleeping bag for the night. I went to sleep looking forward to the opportunity to sleep in the next morning.
Date: 2005-05-05
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Catawba, VA
Miles today: 12.6

Day 545/5Start: Pickle Branch ShelterFinish: Catawba, VAMileage: 12.6Weather: cool, cloudyWaking up this morning was very difficult. In fact, each time I attempted to open my eyes, I was unable to do so for more than a few seconds. I am certain that if I were to open my eyes to a shelter full of bears or wolves, I would have been entirely helpless. So by the time I actually left the shelter it was 10 am and everyone else was long gone.I started today's hike with very little energy and climbing up Dragon's Tooth seemed much harder than it should have been. But when I finally did make it up there, I received a burst of energy because of the beautiful rocks. Dragon's Tooth seems to contain several good boulder problems and I spent a good bit of time demonstrating the devastating effects of five months off from climbing. But, despite my lack of skill, I had a great time.The remainder of the afternoon kind of flew by and the hiking came much easier. I caught up with Yardsale just before Catawba to find that he was suffering from a painful shin splint. I've had two shin splints so far (one on each leg) and they are not fun. So we took our time descending into town (downhill is where they hurt the most) and got a hitch from the road.Our destination was an AYCE home-style cooking place called The Homeplace. According to several sources, this place offers the best food on the trail. And at $12 a plate, I would hope such is the case. When we arrived, the rest of the crew was waiting for us outside. We were seated at a table for twelve as our group included Shawn, Bam Bam, Herald, English Bob, Bedhead, Matt, Biscuit, Don, Raz, Yardsale, Porter and me. The rumors were true concerning the quality of the food and none of us could get enough until we'd had far too much. We all left the place doubled over and parked ourselves in the nearest gazebo to digest for a few hours. The Homeplace allows hikers to stay the night in their gazebos, so that is where we turned in.
Date: 2005-05-06
From: Catawba, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 555/6Start: Catawba, VAFinish: Daleville, VAMileage: 19.8Weather: cool, cloudy I tried to get moving pretty early this morning so that I could spend a good bit of time on and around McAfee Knob, which is supposed to contain some quality bouldering. Nevertheless, I was the last person out in the morning; these guys get up a lot earlier than Flip and Geranimo, who have "sleeping in" contests. Yardsale decided to stay in town because his shin splint was still bothering him. I hope he catches up soon.McAfee Knob was pretty cool although the bouldering opportunities seemed a bit limited. We all took pictures on the knob and got a fun group pyramid photo. The view was pretty spectacular even though the sky was a little bit overcast. The hiking for the rest of the day was very nice, especially along Tinker Cliffs where the trail traverses the edge of the cliffs for nearly a mile. The miles went by fairly easily today and, while the rest of the crew stopped early, Bedhead and I pushed on to town. In town, we caught up to English Bob who had just eaten at the Mexican Restaurant. Bedhead and I opted for Pizza Hut where we met Red Blaze, a young hiker from Vermont. The pizza was good and we had an incredibly cute waitress (they seem to get better looking as I spend more time on the trail). We walked south out of town about half a mile and camped just off the trail beside a bridge.
Date: 2005-05-07
From: Daleville, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 565/7Start: Daleville, VAfinish: Daleville, VAmileage: 0.0weather: warm, sunnyEnglish Bob, Bedhead and I woke up late this morning and went to Shoney's for the buffet breakfast. The rest of the crew showed up during this time and we ate our fill. I learned my lesson from the Homeplace though and did not eat until I was sick. We all went to the outfitter for a while. I was looking forward to using the internet to check out some information I'd been wondering about. While the thru-hiker companion states that the outfitter has internet access, the guy wasn't too psyched about letting me use it since it disenabled him from processing people's purchases. This was understandable enough, but I did have my hopes up.We waited around the outfitter for Bedhead to return, not realizing that he was not returning but had hiked on to the place we originally planned on staying for the night.   By the time we realized this, it was too late to attempt a recovery mission. Oh well, such is life on the trail.We set up camp about one hundred feet north of the first road crossing and hung out for the rest of the afternoon. Private Joker showed up at some point and later in the evening English Bob, Heald and I went into town to find The Brits (Ian & Kiri). The night turned into a pretty big party, but I was tired and went to bed relatively early.
Date: 2005-05-08
From: Daleville, VA

To: Curry Creek
Miles today: 8.6

Day 575/8start: Daleville, VAfinish: Curry Creekmileage: 8.6weather: hot, sunnyAlthough I was invited to hang out with the crew and Biscuit's mom on this lovely Mother's Day, I decided that I couldn't handle another full day in town, especially so soon before Trail Days. So I called my Mom, went to church, resupplied and got back in the woods.I saw DuBois in the grocery store and we had a bit of a reunion. Its great to see that he's back on the trail, although he doesn't know how long it will last. He seemed really glad to be back at it and he pulled a 35 mile day out of Pearisburg along with several other somewhat big days to catch up.I didn't hit the trail until mid-afternoon, during the hottest part of the day. It was particularly hot because of the low elevation and the proximity to several large highways. Along with all of that, the pine forest seemed to make everything particularly dry. So, in a nutshell, this was not my favorite section of trail.I met up with DuBois by Curry Creek about an hour before nightfall and we caught up. He told me all about his adventures over the past few days and how it felt to essentially leave the trail (he went to the Roanoke bus station before turning around). I slept under the stars, which was particularly nice since it cooled off enough for the mosquitoes that were swarming earlier in the evening to disappear.
Date: 2005-05-09
From: Curry Creek

To: Bobblet's Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 585/9start: Curry Creekfinish: Bobblet's Gap Sheltermileage: 9.9weather: hot, sunnyThe thing about trying to schedule events such as Trail days is that doing so causes a person to have to be at a particular place at a particular time. Many hikers consider such a notion antithetical to the essence of their hike. But you do what you gotta do. So I could either book it to get to Buena Viata by Thursday-ish or take my time to get to Big Island / Glascow by Wednesday-ish. I chose option number two, leaving me with an incredibly short and uneventful day. DuBois and I talked for quite a while in the morning. Carolyn showed up from the last shelter just before I left. I met River Otter and Wild Turkey at the next shelter. These guys got on the trail in Damascus and have been moving slow because of sickness. They were really nice guys and seemed to now be in good health.For the second day in a row, I was not impressed with the terrain. The main reason for today's disappointment was the excessive number of Blue Ridge Parkway crossings we had to encounter. For most of the day, it felt like the BRP was within fifty feet of the trail. Perhaps the experience would have been different if some tourists were at the scenic overlooks with a superfluous amount of food; but no dice. The only people I saw were a couple of car-fulls that drove up to the overlooks (none of which were particularly scenic) and looked at the views from inside their cars.Despite all my complaining, the hiking was incredibly easy today and I reached the shelter with plenty of time to hang out and enjoy an area that wasn't in plain view of the road (although it certainly was in earshot).Have you ever wondered why you drive on a parkway and park in a driveway? Food for thought.A good bit of folks were in the shelter tonight and several had to sleep on the relatively uneven ground. Raz and Foxy, Throw and Fetch, Hiker X05, Skeeter Feeder, The Brits, Steadystep, Old Yeller, Carolyn, DuBois and I were all there. We had a pretty nice fire with some of the wood from the old privy (the new one is perhaps the best on trail to date) and fell asleep really tired.