morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-13
From: Bryant Ridge, VA

To: Matts Creek, VA
Miles today: 22.7

Yesterday was extremely difficult. I simply had no strength. I thought I would never make it to Bryant Ridge Shelter and was too exhausted to tent. I was so spent that after I crested a ridge line I sat down on the ground next to the trail and fell over into a pile of leaves. I ended up sleeping there, with my pack on and poles in hand, for about 45 minutes. All day an argument went on in my head with one side saying over and over again, "Man, I feel sick. Man, I feel sick." And the other side shouting back, "Shut up! Of course you feel sick, you keep telling yourself you are!" My fever broke last night and I woke up in fountains of sweat. I was still exhausted, weak, and probably dehydrated and wasn't sure if I could get on the trail, especially with a big climb right off the bat. I was slow packing but I hopped on the trail just after 8am. I reached the top of that first mountain at 9:30 or later and suddenly my strength returned. Weird. My body was back to like it was hiking five days prior. Hiking was fun again! I was again smoking up and down all the AT put before me and despite my very slow start I chalked up another one percent day. Walked under The Guillotine this afternoon. The trail travels between two 20 ft rock walls and wedged between them is a two ton boulder. The boulder doesn't look so wedged that you just casually walk under it. I picked up my pace going under under The Guillotine. Stayed last night with Batman, Robins Nest, and a deaf section hiker with no toes (don't ask).
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Matts Creek, VA

To: Brown Mountain Creek, VA
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: moderate rain

Like all the other lunatics I was wide awake on this full moon night. I woke up at 3am and was wide awake. I laid in my hammock knowing there was no going back to sleep and left with no option of reading a book, eating, or surfing the net I decided to pack up and start hiking. I was all packed up and ready to go just after 4am. Robins Nest asks, "Are you leaving now?" "Can't sleep, might as well hike," I replied and I take off into the night. Night hiking is pretty cool because I can hear a lot more of my surroundings than I do normally. Me eyes are relegated to looking directly at the ground in front of me and me ears widen the environment. The white blazes make no sound so the night limiting my vision made me lose the trail twice. Any advantage that I may have had by getting an early start was easily lost by wandering around in the dark looking for blazes, signs, or foot traffic. All the walking did make me tired though, so at the next shelter I did sleep until 7:30am Walked in the mountains during two thunder storms today, both of which came, dumped a lot of rain, and cleared up. I pray quite a bit walking the trail but a good lightning storm in high elevations sure increases their intensity and duration. Had a real nice evening visiting with Lumber Mack, Lee, Pa Bert, Batman, and Robins Nest. I really hope to talk with Jennel tomorrow in town. I have not been able to communicate with her in nearly a week.
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Maupin Field, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: light rain

We had a full day of rain today which, I believe, was my first one of the trip thus far. There has been rain and thunder storms but not a whole days worth. The tempertures have fallen as well so it was a cool, wet, foggy day. Pa Bert and I are loosely connected now as our itineraries have matched for nearly a week. We decided to split the cost of a hotel room in Waynesboro, VA, so with the expectation of food and a hotel bed, I ducked my head and walked the necessary 21 miles to the road crossing outside town. No views, just fog and rain.Waynesboro has a network of Trail Angels who cater to the needs of Thru-hikers. It is amazing. There is a list of names and phone numbers on a buildiing near the Blue Ridge Parkway and thru-hikers simply call a number and a Trail Angel comes and shuttles you to town. I called down the list and reached Tom Brown who graciously picked Pa Bert and I up and drove us to the outfitter, waited for us to shop, and then drove us to the Quality Inn after giving us a tour of town. Awesome. After breakfast in the morning he is picking us up and taking us back to the trail. Double awesome.I am all geared up for the 4 1/2 day trek via Skyline Drive to Front Royal. I'm getting so close to Maryland I can almost smell the crabcakes and taxes.
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Sawmill Run, VA
Miles today: 9.8

Pa Bert and I left the Quality Inn this morning and walked through town to Weasies for breakfast. Pa Bert has helped me to change my ways; I am no longer to eat at any franchise restaurants the remainder of my hike. I agree with him that I need to experience more of the local color, therefore it was a nameless steak joint last night and Weasies, home of the pancake challenge, this morning. Weasies is a cute little diner and offers hikers the chance to attack the all-you-can-eat pancakes for $4.99. The record is 24 and according to the literature the pancakes tend to get bigger as you approach the record. I skipped the pancakes altogether and went with the typical heart attack breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, chocolate milk, and OJ. The breakfast came out on a large plate, I sucked it all down, and then did something I have never done at a restaurant before - I reordered my meal all over again. "Yes, ma'am. May I have another special." The waitress smiled but I don't think she was surprised. Trail Angel Brown picked us up and took us back to the trail and I started the painful grind with an over-stretched belly of food. I put in just under ten miles before I stopped to meet Jennel on Skyline Drive. Jennel's birthday is the nineteenth so I decided to go ahead and take a zero day with her. She was pleased immensely and drove down to pick me up and take me home. She will drop me off again on the 20th. I am planning on doing the 4 State Challenge on Saturday, April 29 so I look to finish Virginia over the next week or so.
Date: 2006-04-20
From: Sawmill Run, VA

To: Pinefield Hut, VA
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Jennel dropped me off just before 10am and we once again parted ways. It was great to share her birthday with her and she was real glad I was home for the day.The shelters and camping sites are spread out in the Shenies so I had to hoof it to get a decent day before nightfall. I joined Batman and Robins Nest at Pinefield Shelter and it wasn't too long before we were joined by a Park Ranger. Friendly enough, the ranger checked to see if we had our backcountry permits and weren't carrying weapons. He even sniffed Robins Nest's spice bag to rule out drugs. He was carrying a book of blank citations. Usually when a uniformed officer is holding a citation near me, he is putting my name on it.
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Rock Spring, VA
Miles today: 32.1

I've wanted to get a 30 mile day and really had no intention of doing it today. The morning was cool and overcast which is conducive to big miles and rain in the afternoon and evening made me hustle. The Shenies (Shenandoah National Park) has its shelters/camp sites spaced out awkwardly (typically between 10 - 15 miles) which really forces either short days or real long days. I've been at this too long to accept short days. My feet hate me.The animals in the Shenies are alarmingly tame. They are not scared of humans at all. I say 'alarmingly' because I got stared down by a deer that stood not ten feet from me. That sucker didn't blink and I had a moment when I thought maybe I should scamper into the woods to get away.I hiked into the night and with the rain and fog I felt sure I would walk up on a bear. That is not something I want to do at all, so, while I walked I clanked my trekking poles against every rock or stump or each other. No surprises just a loud obnoxious human walking up the trail.Arrived to a shelter full of Boy Scouts. They made room and I got to detail my gear, miles, etc. as they had "never met a thru-hiker before." They were fun and seemed to be having a good time.
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Rock Spring

To: Gravel Spring, VA
Miles today: 28.4

Left the Scouts warm in their bags and took off in hopes of getting breakfast at Skyland Lodge some 4 1/2 miles up trail. No sooner did I hit the trail then did the skies open up. Breakfast was motivating me and I moved on. After the requisite two hours had passed I was soaked to the bone. Visibility was limited due to the fog. At the road crossing I turned off the trail and headed for Skyland. A BMW pulled up along side me. "Do you know how to get to Big Meadows?" he asks. Standing there in the pouring rain I had many choices of responses:A. It is half-a-days walk South down the AT.B. I'll get in and we'll drive to Skyland Lodge and find out together.C. Look at me! Does it look like I know the driving directions to anywhere?D. Sorry, I have no idea.I chose D but clearly a savvy thru-hiker would choose B. So, I kept walking and eventually arrived at the Lodge. The Skyland Lodge is kinda a nice place and I stood dripping inside their front door deciding how I was going to fit in with the RV and car camper crowd. I pulled off my pack and left it dripping in the corner of the large room. I went straight to the restroom to fix my hair, clean my face and hands, and use the hand dryer to dry off a tad. I went back and faced the greeter. "One for breakfast," I said more hoping than requesting. I decided to keep my rain jacket on in hopes that it would hold in my smell. I was quite self-conscious. Off in the corner of the dining room I had a wonderful breakfast. It, however, was too pricey to order two.Hiked all day in the rain. Got in after dark, in the rain, and in the fog so it was more clanking the trekking poles up the trail in hopes of not surprising any bears.
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Gravel Spring

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter, VA
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: few clouds

Hitch-hiking is a very humbling experience. When else are you so quickly graded, by physical appearance alone, your value as a human? I stand alongside the road with my fist clinched and thumb out alternating my presentation to drivers: adjust my hair, remove my gaiters so I don't look muddy, put away my poles so as to not look threatening, eye contact, think happy thoughts, etc. Meanwhile, folks drive past with about 2 seconds to decide whether I am an axe murderer or not. I hate to say it but I am coming squarely down in the axe murderer category. Just last week Pa Bert and I were lamenting how neither of us have any luck with hitching, whereas if your hitching with a girl (i.e. Hit & Miss, Batman & Robins Nest) no problem. I have gotten some rides but not one as a result of my looks and thumb. Trying to get into Front Royal today was no exception. I had to hike the 3-4 miles down the road to get to a grocery store for a resupply. Hundreds of cars and trucks passed by. Axe Murderer!Had a great meal at an Italian joint (remember - no franchises) and resupplied at the Food Lion. Somehow I forgot my two bananas and two apples at the store and didn't realize that until this evening. With my belly and pack full I headed back to the trail. Hitching again, with my belly full, and my demeanor improved, I no longer looked like an axe murderer. Somebody picked me up! Yahoo, back to the trail in minutes. I was very grateful and I suddenly felt like I had value.I've been asked if miles hiked into towns, etc are included in my mileage tally. Nope. Those miles are freebees. My mileage tally is only miles hiked on the AT and don't include the miles to towns, hiking to shelters, water sources, soda machines, restaurants, blah, blah, blah.
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Snickers Gap, VA
Miles today: 28.8

I just put in miles today. I rode the Roller Coaster which my Thru-hikers¢ Companion describes this way:¢Northbounders leaving the Rod Hollow Shelter will enter the ¢roller coaster,¢ a 13.5-mile section with ten ascents and descents. The corridor is narrow here, leaving Trail crews very little choice other than to route the path up and over each of these viewless ridges.¢Sounds about as exciting as it was.
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Keys Gap, WV

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: clear sky

It was a short day hiking but my goal was to simply hike to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters in Harpers Ferry. I will have to repeat several of the miles I did today when I do the 4 State Challenge on Saturday but I wanted to leisurely mill around the headquarters, register, get my photo, talk to the staff, and check out the place. My time at the HQ was exciting to say the least. It is called the ¢psychological halfway point¢ and it really did have that effect on me. I really feel like I have come a long way.I am the 7th Northbound Thru-hiker.I am going to go ahead and start hiking the Southern PA section tomorrow and then come back to the VA/WV state line on Sat for the Challenge. There is a picnic being planned for noon at Washington Monument State Park that I am looking forward to crashing. Here is my itinerary for Saturday, April 29. If you see me on the trail please keep the heckling to a minimum.2:30am   Drop off and backtrack to border3:00am Start hiking from VA/WV border4:15am C&O Towpath7:30am Gathland State Park, MD 57212noon Washington Monument State Park, eat 1:00pm Head North2:30pm I-70 overpass6:30pm Wolfsville Road, MD177:30pm MD 779:30pm MD 49111:00pm MD/PA borderI hope to move along a little faster but I like to err on the side of caution.
Date: 2006-04-27
From: Pen Mar Road, PA

To: Quarry Gap, PA
Miles today: 20.4

"So, what do you think of Pennsylvania so far?" I was asked by a young family out on a camping trip and staying at the Quarry Gap Shelter. Without thinking I gave them my honest assessment. "Nice and surprisingly flat." "Flat!" the teenage daughter exclaimed. Little did I know, with my response, I lost all credibility with the family and also with a pair of middle-aged brothers who were also at the shelter. No one talked to me for the rest of my stay. Why should they? I obviously had no idea what I was talking about.In my defense: I did not mean to sound arrogant with my response and that certainly was not the tone I took. By ¢flat¢ I simply meant the rises and falls were gentle and not as high or as steep as I have grown accustomed. Lesson learned: Always respond, "Whew, that was a workout." It is the truth, maintains credibility, and validates the fatigue others are also feeling after a hike.This was my first day in Pennsylvania. My hope is to hike today and tomorrow in PA in order to get to the official halfway point at mile 1087.3 before the 4 State Challenge on Saturday.
Date: 2006-04-28
From: Quarry Gap, PA

To: Pine Grove Furnace Park, PA
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

It is traditional that, upon reaching the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail, Thru-hikers consume a half gallon of ice cream. It was with that wonderful tradition in mind that I set off this morning from Quarry Gap. My mind was fixated on that ice cream and Jennel and I had made plans that her and the kids would join me and we would all enjoy the initiation into the ¢half-gallon club.¢I entered Pine Grove Furnace Park at about 2pm and the family was there waiting. We enjoyed a nice lunch and then it was off to the Pine Grove General Store for our ice cream. In my continued effort to make advances in science and mathematics while on my hike I was able to develop the following equation:(half gallon ice cream) + (family of 4) + (4 spoons) + (warm sunshine) = very happy family
Date: 2006-04-29
From: Virginia/West Virginia Stateline

To: Pen Mar Road, PA
Miles today: 43.5

What is the proper etiquette for party arrival? Early? On Time? Fashionably late (whatever that means)? A picnic was planned for 12 noon and I tried to plan my day accordingly. Jennel dropped me off on Chestnut Hill Road at 2:15 am. The road is about the closest I can get to the VA/WV border without camping. I backtracked up the trail 0.6 miles to step foot into Virginia and thus officially beginning the 4 State Challenge. The 4 State Challenge is nothing more than the trail enticing me to put three states behind me and begin Pennsylvania all in 24 hours. It¢s a mere 44 miles of hiking in a day. It was a moonless night and very dark on the trail. I walked out of Virginia, crossed the Shenandoah River, hiked through Harpers Ferry, crossed the Potomac River, walked the C&O Canal, and climbed up South Mountain all in the dark. It wasn¢t until sunrise that I became drowsy. At Gathland State Park, at 6:45am, I was joined by my boss Dr. Winslow and a friend Steve Costello (aka Snake) and we set off to hike the next 10 miles together. They had me laughing and the pace moved us well ahead of schedule. In order to keep from arriving to the picnic too early we stopped and threw Frisbee, listened to a Civil War lecture presented by James McPherson, and took a nap at Dahlgren Campground. Little did I know that those at the picnic expected me to be early and were disappointed when I showed up on time. Hence my question: What is proper etiquette for party arrival?I am amazed at the outpouring of support. Thanks to each of you who took your time to come out and a special thanks the organizers Dr. Hobart and Susie Watts. It was a fantastic day for a picnic. I was able to hug many folks at the picnic and it wasn¢t until I had left that I realized that I probably wasn¢t the most huggable person, having just hiked 23 miles. Gross!Britt Miller joined me for the second half of the hike and I was sure appreciative of his companionship. As the miles went on my feet began screaming, my ingrown toenail returned with a vengeance, and it was nice to have someone with whom to talk. Trail Angels near I-70 gave us Paydays and had signs made up announcing that I was half way there. We put away the last 21 miles and crossed Pen Mar Road into Pennsylvania at 9:01pm. A big day! Big miles, dark night, warm & sunny day, friends & family, media, 4 states, pain, and fatigue. Awesome!
Date: 2006-04-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

ZERO DAY!Put myself under the knife today. When I got home last night (from the 4 State) I had to drain the pus from my ingrown toenail and knew that again it would take a couple of weeks of daily care and hiking with a toe spacer to get it to calm down. It was time for definitive care. I¢ll save the gory details but I am happy to report that the procedure was a success and I am absent the lateral third of my left great toenail. I¢ll take a zero day tomorrow.
Date: 2006-05-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

ZERO DAY!I have taken this opportunity to review this journal and only begin to correct some of the spelling and grammatical errors. As I have been reading I have become engrossed in this thru-hike story. What kind of story is it? Adventure? Drama? Romance? Will Bone Pac make it and fulfill this dream of his?Will his feet fall off in protest?How will he handle the White Mountains and the huge climbs yet to come? The likes of which he hasn¢t seen thus far.What will the weather be like? Terrain? Vistas? Wildlife?Who will he meet?How will his family make out?Oh, the endless questions and only half the story has been written! I can¢t stand it! I must know what happens to this Bone Pac character!Heading North tomorrow!
Date: 2006-05-02
From: Pine Grove Furnace Park, PA

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter, PA
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

Two days off sure helped the feet! The family and I had a picnic lunch at Pine Grove Furnace Park and then I was off for the exciting second half of my thru-hike. I marvel that 2 months and 1000+ miles have disappeared. Unbeknown to me, Jennel left me at the park to become a trail angel. She drove to the next major road crossing, which was for me 7 miles up the trail, and left trail magic. While she was dropping off the magic she ran into Pa Bert, Batman, and Robins Nest. This was their first encounter and Jennel was sure tickled to put some faces with names. My son also was very excited and especially loved Batman's trail name. Jennel drove the three of them to a restaurant down the road and meanwhile I showed up. Not only did I get trail magic but got to see the trail angel that left it behind for me. It was an unexpected pleasure to see the family on trail.
Date: 2006-05-03
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter, PA

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 29.5
Weather: few clouds

My desire to help my fellow man extends to the trail. It seems that almost daily I find myself serving my fellow hikers by providing a service that I believe few, if any, realize I am providing. Only today did it even come to the attention of Pa Bert what a fantastic job I do making his life and the lives of other hikers behind me just a tad better each day. While I may not always be the first awake each morning I am typically the first packed up and on the trail. Because I am the first on the trail and because it is now springtime I get the glorious pleasure of breaking though every web that the spiders and inchworms have dutifully spun all night long. I may be groaning and spitting on the outside each time I walk through one but on the inside I have nothing but shear joy because I know my small sacrifice has made a fellow hikers life more wonderful. By midmorning I am adorned with thousands of invisible threads. They tickle my face and arms and no telling how many spiders, insects (both alive and dead), and inch worms travel with me down the trail. This afternoon I ran headlong into a particularly nasty web and fortunately PaBert was there to witness it, thereby recognizing my service to my fellow hiker. I never saw the web but I sure felt it as it wrapped around my face and two bug corpses hung from my bangs in front of my eyes.   As the day wore on and I thought about this journal entry I began to wonder, "Hmmm, do my fellow hikers hang around the shelters waiting for me to venture out first?" I am confident all will deny it.
Date: 2006-05-04
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peters Mtn, PA
Miles today: 11.4

We could afford a late start out of Duncannon because our next shelter was only 11+ miles. After a big 29+ mile day yesterday no one was too excited about another 29er.PaBert left town before me and when I caught up to him high on the ridgeline he was standing, staring intently at the ground off to the side of the trail. He motions to me. "Rattlesnake," he says and points to the 3 foot animal lying lengthwise some five feet off the trail. PaBert explains, "I would of never seen him if he didn't rattle at me." Then he asks, "Do you want to see him rattle?" Without waiting for my response PaBert picks up a long stick and begins whacking the vegetation around the snake. Needless to say the snake became quite agitated. It puffed itself up by about a third, its scales stood up on end, and the tail shook a warning. "Tatatatatatatatatata." It then coiled up in a menacing pose with its head and tail side by side. PaBert very much wanted to smash it with a rock but ultimately left it alone. He was very nervous about having it so close to the trail and warned all about the rattler.