morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-03-13
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: few clouds

With a lot of moleskin and duct tape, my feet are ready for another day. Snow the first ten miles, slow going but the day is heating up. I¢m down to shorts by noon¢snow is melting and I¢m making the trail a muddy mess. In the afternoon, the trail follows a river valley along Little Wolf Creek. If you take the official AT route and not the high water route, you get to cross the Little Wolf twelve times. I passed a day hiker just getting through, wet up to his knees, so I knew better than to take my time on the first shallow crossings. Just tromp on through. The grand finale last crossing is knee high. My perpetually wet feet are now soaked!So, frustrations are adding up ¢ the morning snow slowed me down so I¢m running out of daylight, food supplies are low, I cross the same river twelve times, and its been a week without a shower. The option to go into town pops up at the end of the day, just as the rain begins. In the dark I walk into Bland, Virginia, there was no ride for this drenched hiker. I get to town, get directions from a gas station: one more mile to the only lodging in town. I moan, thank the attendant and step back out into the cold rain. Think hot shower!Detour at Dairy Queen (again). At this point I don¢t care how wet/dirty I am¢I¢m not showering, putting on dry clothes and then stepping back out in this later for dinner. I¢m getting the impression that not many hikers go into this town ¢ a lot of people are asking what on earth I am doing with my pack and ski poles.I make it to Big Walker Motel by 7:45 p.m. They are offering a winter discount of $35. The hot shower was uncomfortable because by this point it hurts to stand. The bottoms of my feet have large cracks on them. Sorry to whine, but this is the reality of hiking the AT!
Date: 2005-03-14
From: Bland, VA

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

I slept in until 6:30 a.m. in this cozy motel bed! My gear is fanned out and drying throughout the room, along with some clothes I washed in the sink (no Laundromat). Subway and a quart of chocolate milk for breakfast.I walked back to the trail by 11:00. Freeman catches me soon after. He didn¢t make it to the shelter either last night, but stayed dry in his tent.Easy day today as my feet need a break. I wish they could keep up with the rest of the team!Hiking today includes climbing Brushy Mountain for the fourth time (and we get to climb it once more tomorrow). I guess they like that name in SW Virginia. I¢m at Jenny Knob Shelter by later afternoon. Freeman shows up a few minutes after me. It is warm enough to sit in the sun and not have to throw on extra layers. We lounge around in the shelter for the rest of the day, laughing at the other whenever we do decide to get up. ¢Hiker Hobble¢ sets in when we stop hiking. Everything seems to tighten up after sitting. I experiment with sardines for dinner. Failed with flying colors. Will not eat sardines ever again!
Date: 2005-03-15
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: broken clouds

I wake up to a quiet scrapping. Not a mouse as I assume, it is Freeman getting the last ounces of peanut butter out of a jar. Must be getting close to a re-supply. This will likely be my last morning I¢ll see Freeman, he is fixing for a short day and then reducing his miles. His hike ends in New Hamshire, and he plans on finishing the same time I do in Maine. Obviously we are at different paces. It was good to have another hiker around during the storms and deep snow. I was just there yesterday, but again I descend down to the land of soda machines and heat. There is a store a mere .3 miles off the trail. I need batteries (dollar store batteries have no power). 10:00 a.m. is close enough for my first lunch, reason enough for the detour.All these stops I make are frequented by other thru-hikers. Since I¢m one of the first NoBo¢s to pass through, I get a different reaction. ¢Oh the hikers are out, it must be Spring¢. I¢m seen as a sign of Spring! Well this NoBo¢s a little confused, migrating north about eight weeks earlier than most.Today certainly felt like Spring. Shorts and t-shirt walking on ten miles of flat ground. This works for me! It still takes me until nearly dusk to get to Doc¢s Knob Shelter where someone has left KFC biscuits all about the shelter. Good thing there is a broom so I could sweep up the mess.Seems like you can drive right to this shelter. Sure enough, an ATV zooms by in the dark. I follow the ATV tracks for several miles on the AT the next day, before they turned off for Pearis Mountain.
Date: 2005-03-16
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

There is fresh snow on the ground in the morning. I¢m up early¢motivated by the comforts of town. I was going to drop into town and re-supply and head out the same day, but I have a new gear issue to resolve. My favorite piece of gear, my sleeping bag, has a large hole in the inside¢there are feathers all over the shelter in the morning. The best I can do for now is duct tape it. This has me a little perturbed, as the bag is my newest piece of gear.Too foggy for views off Pearis Mountain or Angels Rock. I check in at the Rendezvous Motel by 11:00 a.m. Town errands all day¢Pizza Hut, AYCE lunch buffet (those plates are small!), groceries, post office and library. It is a friendly town, but things are spaced out. Five more miles walking around town. The motel has free long distance, so I talk until I can't stay awake (8pm) and sleep in the heat tonight!
Date: 2005-03-17
From: Pearisburg

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light snow

It is one of those days where no matter how many straps you pull tight or loosen, the pack just doesn't feel right. Perhaps because I am carrying too much food. No more thru-hiking with avocados, no more blocks of cheese I promise to myself as I hike this afternoon. Food is an anomaly out here. Less food, lighter pack, greater distance? Maybe, but you will have less fuel and will have to stop in town more often. I'll find a medium one of these days.I'm starting to sound like a broken record: it is snowing again. The winter weather and the heavy pack make Rice Field Shelter, just seven miles out of town, look real appealing. Pushing on would mean hiking past dark. Stopping here will give me a break and the chance to get rid of a pound or two of food! I relax reading and journaling out of my sleeping bag, leaving only to use the privy. A little side note on privy courtesy in the winter time: leaving the cover down has a whole new significance. It was left up and there is 6 inches of icy snow on top. Brrrr!!!At dusk, the snow stops and the clouds lift, revealing a beautiful backdrop for my home for the evening.
Date: 2005-03-19
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: broken clouds

It was one of those days when you just should have stayed in bed, or the shelter, rather. The things is, today started yesterday for me. Yup, I cooked my breakfast and drank my coffee at a time I thought was around 5am, but as it turned out, my foggy morning vision misread my watch. So there I was, all coffeed up and it was just midnight. I would do a night hike, but not in the snow. Apparently I still loose the trail in the daylight! After two hours of hiking in the morning, I miss a turn just past Wind Rock Overlook and I follow the Potts Mountain Trail for two hours. The trail is the old AT, so I was still seeing white blazes. Then the trail just ends, but since there is snow on the ground, I wander all throughout the woods looking for blazes. Finally, not knowing what else to do, I back track to Wind Rock Trailhead. I wait for a long hour, for dayhikers to return to their car or traffic to pass by. I was ready to take a ride to the next road crossing. Then, a local familiar with the AT saved the day! The turn off was just a few minutes up the trail. Normally, when the AT makes a sharp turn, it is marked with a double blaze, not here!This mix up burns up my entire day. Eight miles on the AT took me 10 hours!
Date: 2005-03-20
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: scattered clouds

White donkeys, an 18-foot in diameter white oak, and the Blues Brothers, those were the highlights of my day! On this SPRING day! First day of Spring, and it felt like it to! It rained for a few minutes in the morning, but the sun pulled through. I have never looked forward to spring with such anticipation! Back to my highlights. The white donkeys are two overly friendly domesticated animals that live near the AT. The trail in VA crosses between three main ridgelines, and as they are crossed, a hiker gets to traverse the valleys, often agriculture land. It is one of these fields where the Keffer Oak is found, said to be over 300 years old. It is rare to see old growth in this part of the country that has been so heavily logged. I give it a hug for the camera.Near the end of my day I meet the Blues Brothers: The Virginia Fox and Sloefoot. I pass them on the way to Niday Shelter, as Sloefoot literally takes a break at every white blaze (every 20 feet). They show up at the shelter just at dusk. We talk for a bit and one of their questions really stands out in my mind:"Do you have any snickers bars that you have carried since Georgia?" This is funny, as there have been many times when my food bag has been empty coming into town. But that is how we came up with a new AT challege (there are already so many...) Taking the place of the traditional carrying of a pebble from end to end, I challege a thru-hiker to carry a snickers, the same one, from end to end. "The Snickers Challenge." I don't think it could be done.
Date: 2005-03-21
From: Niday Shelter

To: Johns Spring Shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: few clouds

The Blues Brothers, who are ending their hike today, have done wonderful things to my food bag. I tell you, I am learning to associate weekend backpackers with food! You know what they say...if you feed a thru-hiker once...By now my trail appetite is in full-force. I eat when I am hungry, and calorie-wise that is about 3500 calories in a day! I must have been carrying on about food last night, because today the Blues Brothers are giving me tuna packs, slim jims, gorp, snickers, oatmeal...it is too much, but there is no telling them no!It is another great spring day that has me thinking of the Post Office. As in where is the next one so I can get rid of some of my winter layers. I make a mental "mail-home" list all day in my head.Most of the hiking is nice today--Virginia giving up more of that switchback love! Gradual climbs, like taking the elevator instead of the stairs! There was a three-mile section, however, where the trail is not so user-friendly. Infact, it kind of beats on the hiker a bit. This is the section around a rock formation called Dragons Tooth. Boulder scrambles, hand over hand climbing, even areas with metal bars to assist you.I am shocked to see my first wildflowers in bloom at the MacAfee Knob Trailhead. I wasn't expecting this until next month. This has me excited at the end of a long day. I hike one more mile to Johns Spring Shelter, overlooking the city of Catawba. I am close enough to hear traffic and barking dogs, but I am too tired to care!
Date: 2005-03-22
From: Johns Spring Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night I settled into Johns Spring Shelter too tired to really look around, so in the morning I read the article on the wall explaining the history of the shelter. A long distance hiker named John commited suicide and his family has donated this shelter. A moving article, has me close to tears. After reading the register, it seems like his father is up here on a regular basis. That explains why the place is spotless, even TP in the privy.The next five miles of trail have three shelters due to the popularity of MacAfee Knob. The trail to the Knob is heavily used and caters to the trail user: bridges, stairs, etc. Someone has even raked the leaves off the trail. The Knob itself is a long rock overhang. I do the self-timer sprint to try and put a scale to this awesome landscape. There are several groups camped up here today, but everyone is still sleeping at 9:00, I have the place to myself.Another scenic highlight of the day is the Tinker Cliffs, more rock overhangs with scenic views of rural Appalachia. I am putzing along all day, not really concerned about where I'll spend the night. My last shelter option is Lambert Meadow, and I'm there by noon. It is then that I decide to go into town for the night. Daleville is just under 10 miles. The PO is open until 5, so what the heck, I decide to go for the Post Office Challege and try to get there before they close. It is time to ship home some gear. Last night I had a dream that I fell into a lake with my pack on. Weighted down, I was trapped at the bottom of the lake, unable to breath. Needless to say, my heavy pack has been on my mind a lot lately!I get to Daleville by 4:45, and the PO is one more mile. I failed this PO Challege. It takes me another five minutes just to safely cross Interstate 220, thick with end of the day traffic. I am a ridiculous site running across the rode with ski poles and backpack!I stop at a gas station to pull out my guidebook and am harassed by some local boys who are making comments on my hiker legs. "You could take out a whole soccer team, how much can you bench press?" Meant as compliments, not received as. Then one tries on my backpack, commenting on how it smell like the ocean. Nice, I smell ocean fresh after a week of not showering! I should have gotten my socks out, that would have gotten rid of them.I check in at the EconoLodge, order a pizza, and do all the chores that come with arriving in town.
Date: 2005-03-23
From: Daleville, VA

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Good news! I shipped home 6 lbs. of gear! This rocks. I can feel the difference too! More good news¢¦Mom and stepdad are coming for a visit in 2 days. Not so good news¢¦I just loaded up on 5 days worth of food¢¦oh well. Pack still feels lighter. More not so good news¢¦it¢s thundering and pouring rain. I don¢t leave until check out time at 11:00. The maid knocked twice to see if I was gone¢not until I have to! It stopped raining shortly after I stepped outside. Real nice trail today: rock free and there is no walking thru knee-high leaves and very little climbing. If my stomach didn¢t hurt from drinking a quart of chocolate milk, I¢d be bouncing down the trail. My 12 way point is Fullhardt Knob which is interesting because it has a cistern for a water source--the only remaining on the AT. It collects rainwater off the shelter roof, filters it for large particles in a gutter, then it disappears underground into a holding tank. The water comes out of a pipe a few feet beyond the shelter. I don¢t need water, so I don¢t mess with this historic apparatus. I am at Wilson Creek Shelter by 4:00. Minutes after I am under cover the rain starts up again. I feel very fortunate as the thunder starts up again too. I am dry, my gear is dry, and I don¢t even have to cook tonight ¢ leftover pizza!
Date: 2005-03-24
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Byrant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today is my first of many crossing of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic highway under NPS management. Today I cross it five times, all at scenic pullouts. It is a change of pace to have so many signs, very informative and I always know exactly where I am! There are times when I put my guidebook away and just hike, unaware of my exact location--not on the parkway! There were even garbage containers and picnic tables--very exciting for someone that lives in the woods! Traffic on the parkway was very quiet. I saw /heard maybe 12 cars all day. Again, without the leaves on the trees, I get almost constant views today. I practice the art of speaking to another human just one time today when I meet a volunteer trail maintainer. She is cutting a 24¢ tree with a bow-saw. This will take her a few trips, but she says she has too much pride to call in the chain saw crew. She tells me I have 1.6 miles until the shelter and also helps ID the wildflowers I¢ve been seeing. She, too, is surprised to see wildflowers in bloom already. All this talk of Spring inspires me to start this list in the Bryant Ridge Shelter, which by the way is a palace (loft and very large ¢ could hold 30+ people):
Date: 2005-03-25
From: Bryant Ridge

To: Thunder Hill
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light snow

Woke up to a light drizzle this morning. I take my time getting ready. I¢ve got until 5:00 p.m. to hike just 11 miles where my parents will pick me up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It pours for most of my hiking, but clears for a vista on top of Apple Orchard Mountain at 4,225¢. Haven¢t been above 4,000¢ for a couple days. The summit has a FAA radar dome which looks like a gigantic golf ball. Shortly after the summit, I pass under the guillotine¢a large boulder that is suspended right over the trail. My parents are coming today and Thunder Hill Shelter is just one mile away from where I get picked up. Since its only 1:00, I cook some lunch and crawl in my sleeping bag to stay warm. I¢m a little worried that the AT is not very obvious from the road. Sometimes, road crossings are very conspicuous, having parking, bulletin boards, AT signs. Sometimes I have to look around carefully to see where the trail goes back into the woods. Out of this concern, I pack up and hike to the parkway. I sit under a tree, 10 feet from the road and read. 3 12 hours pass. One car stops and offers me their leftover Pizza Hut! The sun goes down and I give up and retreat to Thunder Hill Shelter. I am frustrated and worried, but I don¢t know what else to do. After comparing stories, I apparently missed my parents by just 15 minutes when they pulled up at the meeting spot. I also didn¢t hear their calls down the trail, and they didn¢t have a flashlight along and they didn¢t know which direction to hike to get to the shelter¢¦what a comedy!
Date: 2005-03-26
From: Thunder Hill

To: US501
Miles today: 14.6

Some miles of the AT I walk just one time, some I pass over three times, I think as I retrace my steps one mile north to the Blue Ridge Parkway to mile 74.9, the meeting place where my lost parents did not show up. I pass through just before 8:00 a.m., assuming that they would be there at daybreak if they were coming at all. Since they are not there, my mind is now running wild, and I have 13 more miles to walk before I get to a telephone. In that time I conger up about 3000 different scenarios/catastrophes as to why they didn¢t show. Luckily, the trail is on my side today. Just two small climbs, Thunder Hill and Highcock Knob, so I am able to make good time in my state of frenzy. Meanwhile, unbeknown to me, my parents pull up on the parkway, minutes after I pass thru, unsure of which way is the north AT vs. south (note: hiking northbound on the AT does not mean the trail is heading north, it can be any direction). They head north looking for Thunder Hill Shelter. After they hike in for 1.5 miles, they realize this is the wrong way and backtrack to the road. My stepdad continues south to the shelter and my mom takes a break in the car. She is used to using the treadmill, religiously once every month in the climate-controlled basement, so the 3 miles she just hiked in the rain is rough. My setpdad make it to Thunder Hill Shelter and reads my entry in the register. I had left a note that I am hiking to US501 to use a phone. Having no pen, he tears this part of my entry out of the register and literally runs to the parkway. He runs up to the van with the piece of paper in his hat joking that he has the next clue. You see, they are laughing, through all of this...meanwhile I am jogging thru the woods with a pack on, wanting to get to a phone, preparing myself for some bad news. I¢m convinced something has happened back at home and they never left. They follow the clue to VA 501 and even locate the trail. Thinking they have a lot of time before I get there, they go gallivanting around, sightseeing or dinner¢natural bridge ...I¢m not sure. So when I cross over the James River to VA501, they aren¢t there. I hold out my thumb for 20 minutes (the longest it has taken to hitch so far) before someone pulls over and takes me into Big Island. No answer from the cell phone call, I call my sister who hasn¢t heard from the parents. This is odd, not finding Heidi seems like something to report. Becky sounds the alarms, making calls with her cell phone and house phone at the same time. ¢Oh God, what if they got lost in the woods overnight?¢ Seems like about the only scenario to not call home or be at the pickup location.Well, after getting a few more people back at home worked up, Mom gets the cell phone message and calls the pay phone I¢m at. She is laughing, I am not. The rest of the day doesn¢t matter. There is a good ending involving dinner at the Cracker Barrel and soaking in a hot tub in the City of Lynchburg!
Date: 2005-03-27
From: US501

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 1.7
Weather: light rain

1.7 miles today. A medium impact 40-minute workout. Sounds like the exercise regime of a normal person! My hike didn¢t start until after 4:00. An Easter Sunday Service, some sight seeing, then these crazy kids have to drive back to Wisconsin. Easter Sunday is today, and though we are not Baptist, that seems to be the religion of choice in the South, so we attend our first Baptist service at Jerry Falwell¢s church in Lynchberg. Much more energy than the Catholic Masses I was raised with. Lots of singing, clapping, and it is perfectly acceptable to even dance a bit if you are feeling particularly moved. It is neat to see people so into a church service. I was also surprised at how many political happenings were tied into the preaching. Following the service, we ate again ¢ Fazolie¢s this time. My parents are convinced I don¢t eat enough out here¢¦seems that way anyway. It¢s another rainy day, not many sights to see. We drove to Bedford to see the D-day memorial, but end up spending the most time in the Bedford Visitor Center. We are the only visitors on this Easter Sunday, so we have three tour guides to tell us about the area. That is pretty much the day, and the extent of my quick visit with the parents. It is still raining tonight as I write this, but again I am dry in Johns Hollow Shelter. Back to life on the trail where that are no schedules, meeting places, telephones, or hot tubs.
Date: 2005-03-28
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: moderate rain

The ziplock bag is called a backpackers briefcase because of days like today. Sometime when I get bored enough, I¢m going to count all of the ziplock bags I am carrying across the country! It keeps things dry, which amazes me, after all the rain I saw in the morning. I take a mid-day break at Punchbowl Shelter. Glad to be moving on, the inside is wet and filthy¢¦no broom in site. In the fog I pass the Ottie Cline Powell Memorial on Bluff Mountain, marking the location where Ottie¢s body, 4-years old at the time, was found, 7 miles from where he wandered off. No vistas today, everything is covered in a thick haze. It forces me to focus my attention on my immediate surroundings, my view is limited to 100¢ of trail ahead of me. As I walk along Brown Mountain Creek, I am passing thru a historical area. In the late 1900¢s this area was a small community of liberated slaves. Ruins of old stone structures can be seen from across the river. First full day in my new boots. Same exact style as my last pair, which made it a bit under 800 miles. Not too bad. I think the winter was rough on them with the freezing, the thawing, and me forcing my feet in the frozen boots in the morning.