morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-29
From: Pass Mountain

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

Today I saw a very large black bear. The two most common bears in the US are the grizzly bear and the black bear. Grizzly Bears are HUGE and very dangerous. Fortunately, there are no grizzly bears on the AT. Black bears are dangerous only if a person gets close to a mother bear with cubs, or a bear that has lost its fear of humans and senses that a person has food available. Bears have very poor vision and hearing. Their sense of smell is 6 times as powerful as a bllodhound's nose. At all campsites in Shenandoah Natl. Park (SNP) bear boxes and bear poles are provided to keep campers from being robbed of their food by hungry bears. Park rangers used to advise campers to keep all food in their cars. They are now telling visitors to the park to lock their car doors, as bears have learned to open unlocked car doors! If a park visitor uses this strategy, they will save their food, but the bear will rip the door handles off the car.(Far better to store food in either bear boxes or bear poles.) If a bear feels threatened by a person who has unexpectedly come very close to it, the bear will respond with a "bluff charge." This means the bear will charge toward the person, but stop and retreat if the person does not make the worst mistake of all when dealing with an angry bear, which is to run. If a person is confronted by a bear's bluff charge, the person must stand his/her ground, and scream and shout and wave your arms around and make yourself look as big as possible. If necessary, you throw rocks and sticks at the bear. In the extremely unlikely event that the bear attacks you, playing dead is the WORST thing you can do. If you play dead, you may soon actually BE dead. If attacked by a black bear (again, an extremely rare occurrence) you need to fight as if your life depends on it, because it does. There are 2 reasons why running away from a black bear is a bad idea. First,if you attempt to run away from a bear, its instinct kicks in and the bear looks at you as prey.Second, a bear can run at speeds of up to 39 miles per hour, far faster then the world's fastest human. After the bear has bluff charged, the correct strategy is to remain facing the bear while shouting, waving your arms, and acting like a fool while you slowly back away from the bear.Although the park ranger did not say this, the last step in this process would probably be to go change into a fresh, clean pair of underwear
Date: 2016-06-30
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Super 8 Hotel, Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

A few days ago, I had a funny experience. I was hiking the AT when I came across a single shower slipper lying on the trail. Many hikers carry their foot wear attached to the outside of their backpacks, and one or both shoes can fall off a backpack, without the hiker being aware that this has happened. So I stared at this shower slipper, wondering what I should do. One thought was that I should just leave it, just in case the hiker came back looking for it. The other thought was that since it was early morning, and most young hikers like to sleep in, and given the fact that there was a shelter less than two miles away, that I should take the shower slipper and see if it belonged to anyone staying at that shelter.I decided this was the best idea, so I grabbed the showeer slipper and began my quest to find its owner. When hiking the AT, a person has LOTS of very queit alone time for thinking, and soon fantasies about the owner of the shower slipper began dancing in my head. The owner would of course be a drop dead gorgeous twenty something. When hiking the AT, little things that would not normally upset a person can be devastating. So here (in my mind) there is an emotionally crushed gorgeous babe, who is totally bummed out because she lost one of her shower slippers, when who shows up but a kindly older gallent gentleman who saves her bacon by rescuing her slipper. Ah yes, fantasies. Then there is reality. I came to a stealth camp, with 3 guys in it. I asked if anyone was missing a shower slipper. A very big, burly man who hadn't shaved in several weeks and had an unlit cigarrette dangling from his lips (and used to be in the 82'nd army airborne division) stepped forward. "It's mine. Thanks a lot buddy," he said curtly. Now I know why people say the fantasy is always better than the reality.
Date: 2016-07-01
From: Super 8 Hotel, Front Royal, VA

To: Super * Hotel, Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today is a rest day. I both love and dread rest days. On the bright side, I'm staying in a real bed, with TV, air conditioning, and great restaurant food that I don't have to cook or clean up afterwards. On the other hand, there are always MANY chores that have to be done in one day. It always ends up being a very frantic day for me, and at the end of the day, I'm always happy to get back into the woods, where the only thing I have to do is walk many miles. Several days ago, while at camp in the evening, I was approached by a woman who had fried something in a pan that looked and smelled delicious. She offered me a sample. "What is it?" I asked. "It's called Chicken of the Woods. It's edible mushrooms that I have gathered from the forest." she replied. Some wild forest mushrooms that are deadly poisonous look just like deible mushrooms, and being out in the middle of the forest, I did not want to take any chances, so I declined her offer. I was the only one in that camp who did not eat any mushrooms. The next morning when I woke up, I was half expecting people to be sick, but fortunately, the mushrooms were completely safe.
Date: 2016-07-02
From: Super * Hotel, Front Royal, VA

To: Manassas Gap Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I didn't get out of my hotel room in Front Royal VA until two pm today due to the fact that I had to change my flight reservations for my nieces wedding at the end of July. In February, knowing nothing about the AT, I say at my desk and made out my daily hiking schedule for the first four months of the AT. Yep, I was such a macho man that i penciled in several consecutive 20mile days, without feelingeven slightly tired.My original plan had me in Vermont by The end of July. The reality has been slightly different. My new plan has me flying out of Philadelphia, the second greatest city in Pennsylvania, (Pittsburgh is not only the greatest city in Pennsylvania, but quite possibly the finest spot in the entire Milky Way Galaxy.) Isnt that right, Dano. For those readers who were not on my year long bike trip, Dano is a friend from Pittsburg who is convinced that even Heaven runs a distant second to Pittsburgh. Now, on to Marmalade. He is from Manchester, England. He is retired. Both his elderly parents passed away, and his son is a grown man, so Marmalade decided to give the AT a try.I first met Marmalade in a hiker hostel in Hiawasse GA. Marmalade had bought a HUGE packet of Hershey candy bars (he has a sweet tooth)There were too many candy bars for even Marmalade, so I got one of the chocolate bars he gave away. At each hiker hostel there is a hiker box containing free food that hikers are giving away. One day, Marmalade and I were staying at a hostel. I went thru the free food box and fished out a big box of gorp (raisins, nuts, candy).When Marmalade saw me eating from the package, he asked me if I got it from the hiker box. I was amazed that he knew where I got it.Marmalade replied that he had just put it into the box a few minutes ago, after buying it and hiking with me for two weeks. He sighed wearily and said that he should just have handed it me immediately after buying it to save himself the added weight of carrying it for two weeks. I have hiked with Marmalade more than any other hiker. Marmalade had made the decision to travel to Maine to the end of the AT and beginning heading south. He has been a good friend, and I wish him the best.At the beginning, I was a stronger hiker, but Marmalade is now a much stronger hiker than I am
Date: 2016-07-03
From: Manassas Gap Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: broken clouds

Hikers have several different sleeping options. One option is to sleep in the three walled buildings called shelters. (one wall being missing and exposed to the elements)Another option is to sleep in a sleeping bag under the stars (cowboy camping)This saves the weight of carrying a tent and sounds like a good idea, unless it rains or is a dewy night. Mosquitoes and ticks LOVE hikers who do this.A third option is to sleep in a tent, which is what I do. Another option is to sleep in a hammock that is tied to a tree at both ends. This is what a feiend of mine was doing.He was roused from a very deep sleep by an animal that had snuck underneath his hammock and was now starting to lick him. My friend freaked out and sucker punched the animak as hard as hecould. This strategy worked and he had no more animal visits that night. When he told his scary tale the next morning atbreakfast, one hiker surmised that it was probably a deer that was trying to lick the salt from his skin.
Date: 2016-07-04
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: David Lesser Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today is the fourth of July. It is also the day i passed the 1000 mile mark on my hike. I was under the impression that only a small handful of people were reading my blog. However, I heard from friends that there were nationwide fireworks and parties and celebrations just hours after I passed the one thousand mile mark. WOW. I had no idea that my hike had obtained that kind of a following. I am truly humbled, (and i have no idea why people accuse me of being a meglomaniac.) Im starting to feel like Forrest Gump. (Go Forrest, go) Heres the sad thing. Ive hiked a thousand miles and im not even half way done yet. Yikes. A very wise Chinese philosopher once said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Hmmm... I wonder what his thoughts would be on a journey of more than twice that length.He might have added that the journey would end many, many many steps after completing that first rhousand miles.
Date: 2016-07-05
From: David Lesser Memorial Shelter

To: Mile Marker1026
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

The At has some thing called the four state challenge. Hikers are given 24hours to hike 44miles in a specific place which will allow them to hike in the four states of Virginia, WestVirginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Hikers who do this earn no other reward other than the right to brag to other hikers that they have done this. For reasons I do not understand most hikers who do this crazy thing start their hike at two AM. I did a modified version of this hike. I hiked in vVirginiaa, West Virginia, andMaryland.
Date: 2016-07-06
From: Mile Marker1026

To: Dahlgren Backpack Campground
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: few clouds

There is a religious commune that offers a free overnite stay to AT hikers at their communal farm. My hiking friends told me this would be an interesting experience, but they warned me not to drink the kool aid or to get sucked in.. I found a gift basket containing two pieces of fruit and a cookie and a note welcoming me to the commune on my bunk. I was fed two delicious vegetarian meals,dinner and breakfast the next morning.I was treated with great courtesy and not pressured to extend my stay. All of this was done free of charge and i wanted to make a donation of some sort. I have three friends in my bike club named Tom B Bob W and Fred G. All three of these guys are very generous guys and I knew they would highly approve of what I was about to do, so i signed over the deeds to their homes to the twelve tribes. Guys, you have 5 days to clear out. Originally it was 3 days, but because you are such good friends, I insisted that you be given an extra 2 days. You can thank me for this the next time you see me. GLORIA, DON'T LAUGH. I'M SIGNING AWAY YOUR HOUSE TODAY.
Date: 2016-07-07
From: Dahlgren Backpack Campground

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

There are 3kinds of hikers on the AT. There are day hikers, section hikers, and thru hikers. A day hiker is just out for a one day hike. A section hiker will hike for a few days to a few weeks. A thru hiker is out hiking for anywhere from four to eight months, however long it takes to complete the AT. The longer a person is on the AT, the more feral (wild/animl like)he/she/or it becomes. An example of this can be found in the way the three different hikers treat a piece of M&M candy found lying on the AT. A day hiker will either totally ignore that piece of candy, or step on it. A section hiker will very carefully wipe the dirt off andthen eat it. A thru hiker will eat rhe candy and then scrape away the surrounding dead leaves, dirt, and twigs to see if there is more candy
Date: 2016-07-08
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

There is an interdenominational Christian organization for young people called Youth On A Mission. They are on a seven week trip.They hike short sections of the AT. They also have avan. They provide Trail Magic for AT hikers. and then they get in their van and travel 100 or more miles up the road to provide new Trail Magic for other AT hikers who are further north. At the end of their seven week trip they will have traveled all the way to the end of the AT in Maine. One. Of the young ladies in that organization is a Dutch woman named Gerta. THEY PROVIDED US WITH a noon meal of spaghetti and green beans and snacks. They also provided us with free coffee a few miles up the road.
Date: 2016-07-09
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Fayetteville, PA
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I am now doing a lot less climbung each day. With less climbing, i thought my daily mileage would increase. However, the terrain has become extremely rocky. For over 100 miles, the terrain has consisted of two kinds of rocks. There are imbedded rocks which are horrible because it is very tough to establish any kind of rhythm when walking over them, and boulder hopping which is much worse, because some of these huge boulders move and shift when you step on them. Additionally it has gotten very hot which makes hiking tougher. Finally, i have lost many of my hiking buddies. I was earned that a time would come when the thrill of hiking the AT would be gone, and that time is here. I am struggling to keep my motivation uo.@
Date: 2016-07-10
From: Fayetteville, PA

To: Fayetteville, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a rest day for me at a hiker hostel run by a church. I met three amazing people there. The first was a very quiet, humble, unassuming man who is a legend among long distance hikers. He is a 69 year old man. His trail name is Sunset. The three longest, toughest hikes in the US are the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). A person who hikes all three of these trails is called a "Triple Crowner." There are not many Triple Crowners. Sunset has done all three of these hikes two times each. I am guessing that less than 5 people have done that. On Sunday evening, Sunset practicing Trail Magic, bought and cooked enough chicken, vegetables, and apple pie to feed everyone staying at the hostel. Sunset seems to also be a very religious man. The second amazing person I met was a man to whom I will asign the trail name of Gandolf. If you have read books by JRR Tolkien, you know that Gandolf was a very heroic figure. Gandolf, like many other people who are hiking the AT is hiking to regroup after suffering personal tragedy. He had a very athletic girlfriend that he loved a great deal. One day, she had an accident resulting in a large bruise on her leg. Neither Gandolf or his girlfriend thought this injury was very serious. A few days later, the girlfriend phoned Gandolf at work to say she was in great pain and going to the hospital. Gandolph asked the girlfriend if she wanted him to take time off from work to meet her at the hospital. The girlfriend, thinking she was fine, told him that it was not a serious medical problem, and told him not to take time off from work. Four hours later she was dead from a blood clot that traveled through her body. The girlfriends parents, in their grief at their daughters sudden death, were very angry that Gandolf had not gone to the hospital. Gandolph, practicing Trail Magic, bought food and prepared it to feed everyone in the hospital a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, sausage, and eggs. The third amazing person I met at the hostel is a man who is in the process of completing his fourth thru hike of the AT. His trail name is Trouble. When the man who ran the church hiker hostel was hospitalized for several days, Trouble, practicing Trail Magic, interrupted his hike to run the hostel for 10 days while the hostel owner recovered. I am in awe of these three gentlemen.
Date: 2016-07-11
From: Fayetteville, PA

To: Toms Run Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a very memorable day for me. Today I FINALLY crossed the half way point of the AT. I was warned by Fred D., a hiking buddy who has previously hiked the AT that there are actually TWO signs announcing the halfway point of the AT. The first sign was at mile marker 1094.55. I walked another four miles to find (to my horror) that even though I had walked an additional 4 miles, the second sign gave me credit for only 1090 miles. Holy Smokes, I thought. If there is a third half way sign, I might get credit for only 500 miles!!! I knew in an instant what was happening. I was being punished with bad karma for my foul deed of signing away the homes of four good friends to a religious commune. Given the fact that my dastardly deed has resulted in negative blowback affecting me personally, I am wracked with sorrow and remorse for the horrible thing I have done to my dear friends, and I want to offer my deepest apologies to them (If, on the other hand, this (decreasing mileage) is all just a coincidence, and my nasty misdeeds will NOT result in negative blowback to me, my four dear friends can all go to hell!) I don't know how a person can be more sincere and remorseful than that! (To the people reading this blog, you should know that in actuality, I try very hard in my personal life to practice the golden rule.) Unfortunately,I have a twisted, demented sense of humor that sometimes gets me into trouble. Sometimes, when I make an outlandish statement, people turn to my wife and ask, "Is he serious?" Her answer is, "Is he EVER serious?" And who knows who all the people are who read this blog. Maybe I'll get lucky and some very hard bitten political kingmaker in Washington DC will read my "me first, and the heck with everybody else" postings, and I might be put on the short list for the Vice President of a major political party. If you are a reader of this blog and a Republican, you may have the mistaken belief that I am making fun of Republicans. Nothing could be further from the truth. My political beliefs are EXACTLY the same as yours. All the problems this country faces are the result of those lousy, no good Democrats. If you are a reader of this blog and a Democrat, please ignore my last few sentences. I didn't mean a single word of what I just said.The truth is that my political beliefs are EXACTLY the same as yours. All the problems this country faces are the result of those lousy, no good Republicans. If you are a reader of this blog and a Libertarian, you are probably laughing at most of what I have just said, and saying something such as, "It's not an election, it's an auction!" The REAL puropse of this and every posting on this blog is to (hopefully) amuse and entertain you the reader and inform you of my experiences on the AT.
Date: 2016-07-12
From: Toms Run Shelter

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I have been walking thru the woods for four months now. During that time, I have been lucky to have seen many very beautiful birds. I enjoy bird watching a great deal. Three birds stand out as the most impressive I have seen or heard during my hike. The first bird is the grouse. I have never actually seen a grouse during this hike, but I have frequently heard them in the forest. The grouse has a very unusual call that sounds like an engine starting up. The grouse is about the size of a chicken, and looks like a miniature turkey. The grouse is a very territorial bird, especially if you get too close to its hidden nest, and many an unsuspecting hiker who accidently strolled to close to as hidden grouse nest has been charged by a very irate and aggressive bird. My second favorite bird is the pileated woodpecker. There are many different kinds of woodpeckers. The pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker still in existence in the US. Some people see a pileated woodpecker and get all excited, because they mistake it for the probably extinct ivory billed woodpecker. A very large woodpecker has a very large bill, and when a pileated woodpecker drills its beak agaainst a tree trunk (looking for bugs to eat), it makes a very loud sound, like a jack hammer. You would think that a bird this large, making a sound that is very loud would be very easy to spot. The truth is that although I often hear the pileated woodpecker, I very seldom see one, no matter how carefully I search for it. My runaway favorite bird is the owl. Owls are nocturnal (night) birds, so I seldom see them.At night, as I lay in my tent, I often hear one or more owls. To me, there is something almost spiritual about the hauntingly beautiful call of the owl. Hearing an owl at night never fails to put me into a very good mood. On rare occasions, I get lucky, and I will hear two owls calling to each other at night near my campsite. One morning, at about 8:00 AM (long after an owl's bedtime,) as I first began to hike, I startled an owl in a tree right next to the AT. (I think it was a barred owl.) It flew away, and then I noticed that there was not one, but two owls flying thru the woods and staying very close to each other. They were calling to each other, but it was a bird call that was completely different from the call they use at night. I think I may have interrupted a courtship, and perhaps the call they were using between themselves was a "honey, have I told you lately how attractive your feathers are" call.