morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-09-18
From: Maine

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 350.0
Weather: clear sky

I have 5 mintues to be online but just wanted to let people know that I'm in Maine finally! It only took me 5 months.I'm under 200 miles left in this trip and am still enjoying the hike. The White in New Hampshire was breath taking and the trail in Maine is kicking my butt big time. Imagine an obsticale course designed in the woods where you have to scramble, shimmy, climb, slide your way up and down.I'll be sure to update with greater details and tons of pictures soon.peace,Snackies
Date: 2008-12-30
From: Monson, ME

To: Los Angeles
Miles today: 0.0

Summit day was a glorious day. After waiting an entire week in Millinocket, the mountain opened up on the last day that I could have summitted before heading back home.I had an opportunity to summit the last couple of days in September, but clouds were all over the sky and I had to follow my philosophy I had for the Whites...I'm only hiking when there are no clouds in the sky. This meant I was kicking myself when the mountain closed and I had no opportunity to even summit on a cloudy, rainy, nasty day.But on a clear, blue sky day, 49 other hikers and I followed the path to the summit for a grand celebration in style.It first I was riding a large wave of fullfillment coming back home, but eventually that wore off. I stayed in town for the holidays to be with my family and now I'm out the door again. Tomorrow I leave for LA, where I'll soon make my way south of the boarder all the way to the tip of South America. No more trail magic or white blazes to blindly follow, but a path that I'll make on my own. Surfing is going to dictate how to travel to start off with, but the Andes will surely be calling out for me after too long.
Date: 2008-05-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I start in just 3 days. If I live long enough! Holy moly! burning the candle at both ends trying to get ready to LEAVE (for people on the non-trail end of the world) and preparing mail drops, etc. has me about to drop. I'm not built anymore for only 4-5 hours of sleep.... but this too shall pass...
Date: 2008-05-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Technically, just one more day to trailhead. I am so exhausted. Had the whang-dang-fluey (digestive system) all day yesterday, which of course was the day I had set aside to pack, finish mail drop boxes, etc.; I mostly just sat around feeling miserable! Today had me take in toast (ummm) and later, some toast and applesauce (yum), and then some soup. Oh well, I'll just stay up until I'm done. If I can just live until Monday, trail start day, I'll be o.k. At least in a week or two....
Date: 2008-05-26
From: Fish Hatchery Road

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

Holy Moly!This was the second hardest hiking day of my adult life. Tony and I were slow out of the gate to start with ( 1st day out and both recovering from illness last week), in the end we "Bonked" after lunch;that is when when your body's git up and go has go up and went! We drink H2O til we sloshed. We ate mixed fruit and candy to no avail. Tony looked terrible and I looked worse. We finally staggered into camp at 7:00. We immediately did what re-invigorates us - Tony fell asleep, and I fell into conversation with a couple of guys. Beef Stew! Brownies! Rinse off in the creek! Campfire! Ahh, feels so good....
Date: 2008-05-27
From: Harper's Creek Shelter

To: Dripping Rock
Miles today: 13.4

Great hiking weather today - overcast, 70's, breezy (tho humid).Ray took off early - we won't see him again; Tony and I are too slow for him to tolerate this year. I miss him at the campfire tonight. Ran into Phillip and Meredith on the trail; her knee was hurting badly, so we were able to loan her a knee brace and an ace bandage. We divided up her pack and walked with them to Reed's gap, to their car. Saw our first bear today, about 150 yards from the Blue Ridge Parkway; good news and bad news; he was running from us- no picture, but no confrontation. I was so glad not to have to put a hurtin on him. Camping tonight with three guys: Flash, Giddyup, and Medicine Man.
Date: 2008-05-28
From: Dripping Rock

To: Inn at Afton - Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Cold blowing rain last night. Woke up to the same. We were both slow getting going this morn. Hit the trail about 10:00 AM. Got in Rockfish gap about 7:30 PM. Got a motel for the night to dry out our gear. I had pain in my left knee today - a bit disconcerting. It slows me on the uphills. I'm already slow enough without that! The sun came out about Noon. It cheered us both. We walked within 50' of a deer this morning - she seemed unafraid; we stood and watche her and took pictures. Saw an oddity in the trail: a 4' by 8' area covered with bird feathers; I'm guessing a Bobcat dinner zone, with a mutilated squirrel soon after. Maybe some wierd squirrel's cult. I jumped what sounded like another bear. I couldn't see him, but he sounded too big for even a large buck. OR maybe it was a 300 pound bird mutilating squirrel!
Date: 2008-05-29
From: Inn at Afton - Rockfish Gap

To: Dry Camping Woods
Miles today: 15.7

Last nights E.R.T. (i.e. Electrolyte Replacement Therapy) was great last night - it included pizza and drinks. Today's wildlife included deer (13); bear presence; a hawk; rabbits; and a grouse. The deer here in Shennandoah N.P. are pretty tame. THey walk right thru your camp - looking for a handout, I'm sure. We saw no bears today. But at noon there were numerous large rocks a bear had flipped into the trail looking for critters underneath. Saw a couple large piles of bear scat - that is the stuff you would guess they might leave in a trail. Saw an Eastern Cottontail so BIG (about 2 and a half foot long.) He looked like a western hare or a Jack-a-lope. The bloomin' grouse waited until I was about two feet away before he flew up; I think I yelled "scat" or something equally unlady like!
Date: 2008-05-30
From: Dry Camping Woods

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Didn¢t sleep that well last night - bloomin¢ deer tromping through leaves at least 4-5 time all around our campsite throughout the night.Say my first snake of this trip today - it looked like a young corn snake. Saw my second one shortly after that - a garter snake. Maybe only NON-poisonous one will be out this summer. Yeah right!Lots of evidence of bear activity today: flipped large stones (looking for those juicy grubworms - yum!); and lots of ¢scat¢, which, if you don¢t know, is what bears deposit in the trail after eating a lot of juicy grubworms.The bear activity makes me just a bit nervous - not really scared, mind you, since I am a tough outdoor he-man type. But extra wary. Especially since Tony cut out at Loft Mountain Campground (Shenandoah National Park) this afternoon. He realized I needed to pick up my pace to be able to meet my brother in Harper¢s Ferry next Thursday. Plus, yesterday was day four of our trip, when Tony always gets whiney on our trips. It is Day Four when Ray and I are usually ready to knock him in the head and roll him down the mountain. We never do, of course, because of our incredible Christian self-control. And because Tony is a great guy. And because he knows Tai Kwan Do, and could kick our you-know-whats when he got back up the mountain.But it IS a bit different camping alone tonight here at the shelter.On a positive note: the hamburger, fries, and chocolate shake at the Wayside Eatery was delicious around 3:30 today. After the hot hike to Loft Mountain, I didn¢t know whether to drink the shake or pour it on my head!My left knee is still hurting a bit; a cause for concern. And now my right knee and hip are bothering me a bit, since I have been walking funny to favor the left. Hmmm.Well, gotta turn in early (10:00). I¢ve got a big day tomorrow: I¢m planning t hike 20.5 miles tomorrow; I¢ll need a good night¢s sleep for that.P.S.: Tony is no wimp - he just won¢t take ibupropen; so his body gets achy and rebels!
Date: 2008-05-31
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Lewis Mountain Campground
Miles today: 19.9

I got here in good order, though it ws an 11-12 hour day on the trail. I¢m plenty tired, but my left knee didn¢t really hurt today - yeah!Snake count: add in one cute little Black Racer (about nine-inches long). Well, as cute as any snake can be¢¦.Ray had gone ahead of us (Tuesday morn was the last we saw him). He was to hang our food re-supply bag (from the car his wife was driving to pick him up) ¢somewhere¢ around the Appalachian Trail / Rt 33 crossing. I was a bit anxious about finding it. Plus, menacingly dark clouds were moving in fast. I practically ran down the mountain trying to get to my food before the storm hit. Found it! I had just gotten it into my pack when the rain slammed into the mountain gap. With lightning popping all around, I opted NOT to dash across the steel bridge to reach the trail on the other side of the trail; those two metal trekking poles look WAY too much like lightning rods to me! Instead, I just ¢hunkered down¢ for about 20 minutes until it passed. Ended the day with blue skies. Things can change pretty quickly up here in the mountains.I got a hot FIVE MINUTE shower (for $1.00) tonight at this National Park campground. It felt good.Wildlife report: saw a piliated woodpecker. I also heard a ruckus up in a nearby tree, and looked to see a large Redtail hawk wrestling with a feisty squirrel; the squirrel broke free and the hawk flew a few trees away (perhaps spooked by my presence). The squirrel then ran out on the limb and chattered like a maniac at the hawk; I think he was cussin¢ him, though I do not speak fluent ¢squirrel.¢
Date: 2008-06-01
From: Lewis Mountain Campground

To: Skyland
Miles today: 16.8

It was beautiful hiking most of today. While I missed Church, I had a one-man worship service all morning, hiking along and singing hymns and other Christian songs; I even made up my own tune to one of the Psalms.         I met a band of about ten spry senior adults who call themselves ¢The Usual Suspects¢ - what a great group of lively folk!        Right after meeting them, I almost landed face-first in the dirt. On level ground, I tripped on a rock that apparently emerged from the ground just in time to catch my left foot, and there I was: flailing and stumbling like a 6¢2-12¢ whooping crane trying to takeoff. Had anyone seen the show, I¢m sure it would have been hilarious! I am also pretty sure Daniel Boone probably did the same thing occasionally; it just never made it into his biographies.        I had lunch at Big Meadows Campground, where two women rangers roughed me up for eating in the campground. Not really. They looked like they could have, but instead they were very nice. And the gave me the weather report: 40% chance of thunderstorms this afternoon.        Around 3:45, from the side of the mountain where I was hiking I watched two heavy rains pummeling the valley as I climbed higher on the trail. Pretty cool, I thought, until I realized they were converging upon me! Decidedly UN-cool! When the gale-driven rain hit the mountainside, all I could do was hunker down as small as possible there in the trail with my rain-jacket on. It forty-percented on me for about twenty minutes. It was a cold rain, with a bit of hail in it. I am becoming a rather accomplished hunkerer, if I do say so myself.        The cold rain took the wind out of my sails, so I pulled up about three miles short of my revised hike plan for the day (stopped at just under 17 mi.). I¢m staying in a cabin at SKYLAND. This was originally an 18th century mountain summer resort owned by a guy who tried to evict all the surrounding small landowners, to create a national park (and where he would make some money running this resort). When his dream came true and Shenandoah National Park became a reality, the Gummit forced him to sell his restaurant and cabins to the Park Service! Hmmm. Be careful what you dream¢¦        The barbeque sandwich and sweet potato fries are settling into my body cells pretty well, as a part of tonight¢s E.R.T. (Electrolyte Replacement Therapy).        By the way, I was so ignorant growing up in Virginia that I had never heard of sweet potato fries until I was in the SLT production ¢Pump Boys & Dinettes¢. One of the songs spoke of them. I yelled in practice one day, ¢Stop the music!¢ and asked what the heck they were. I was promptly informed by other cast members, who must have thought I was the dumbest guy in the world. I promptly took a field trip to the Summerton Diner, where I was properly introduce to them. And the rest, as they say, is history!
Date: 2008-06-02
From: Skyland

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 23.8

I did 24.5 miles today. It felt more like 30. Several of the miles were over lots of slow-you-down rocks. It took me nearly 14 hours. I had to hike by headlamp the last mile or so. In heavy bear country. I was a little nervous. And VERY loud as I walked.        I got to this shelter and found no place to hang my hammock. So I slept on the shelter floorboards. Ugh!        I¢ve got about 9-12 miles to go to pick up the food supplies I had left in Tony¢s Jeep. I hope he was able to leave them at the 4-H center near Front Royal. The supply logistics this trip have turned out to be a lot more complicated that they were supposed to be.        I saw my first BEAR face yesterday morning (with the first two bears I saw, they were running from me and my apparently preceding-me-reputation!). There he was, a scant fifty feet off the trail: the biggest bear I have ever seen! When he spotted me, I had no time to move out of his ¢space¢. Immediately he barked, then roared, than charged! I braced myself for the impact. I had my hiking pole aimed at his right eye. Wham! He slammed into me so hard it nearly jarred my fillings loose. He got me in a rib-crushing bear hug so tight I couldn¢t breath. I hugged him back ¢til he let go. As he stumbled back, I figured my only recourse was to take the offensive, so I flung myself at him and grabbed his upper lip, yanking it up over his eyes. Unable to see, he could only flail his arms around with little effect. Like a cat, I dodged to a position behind him and gave him my size 12 into his backside with such a might force, it sent him tumbling down the mountain¢¦.I expect a sizeable fine from Park officials any day now for bear abuse. But I have no regrets.        Actually, he was only a teen bear (maybe 150 lb), who posed a minute on a fallen tree while I scrambled to get out my camera, only to read a ¢low battery¢ message on the screen. Arrgh. The bear simply gave me that ¢what-a-dork¢ look, and turned around and ambled off.        I really did do the Spider Dance today. Seeds, bugs, and other hitchhikers will attach to my hairy legs as I hike. THIS one was the size of a half-dollar and looked like a solid-black tarantula, and it was crawling up my leg! I stomped and yelled, ¢Oh MAN!¢ (not sure why I said that; after all, it was a SPIDER, not a man). The worst part of the whole thing was that he didn¢t come off for five more stomps! He was so large, I think he may have really been trying to trip me¢¦        Saw my first Lady Slipper today; it is such a beautiful, delicate flower¢¦.
Date: 2008-06-03
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked on the trail a few minutes today with a doe and her new fawn. It was the smallest deer I¢ve ever seen; it couldn¢t have been more than a day or two old. Mom was in front, with baby hobbling along behind. She would walk up the trail five steps and pause; he would struggle for ten steps. I would take a few steps toward them. Repeat. Suddenly, she sprang off the trail to the right, just past a large oak. The fawn followed, only to drop immediately beside the tree with his legs folded under him. When I passed on the trail a bare two feet from his tiny body, he never flinched a muscle. Amazing control for a two-day-old!        Met a guy named ¢Free-Style¢ on the trail today. We were going opposite directions. When I asked him where he was heading, he named the same shelter I was headed! We stood in the trail and compared books for about ten minutes, then each went on in his previous direction. Was I going the wrong way? Or was he? It turns out he had gotten turned around at a power line, and came sauntering into camp within the hour. But sometimes you never know for certain about such things. Next time it could be me going wrong.        This shelter has a spring-fed shower - COLD, but refreshing.        Despite the threat of rain, I¢m sleeping in my Clarke Jungle Hammock tonight. I should get better rest than I got on last night¢s wood floor.
Date: 2008-06-04
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was wet from last night¢s rain. Wet bushes. Wet trees. Wet four-foot tall hayfield I had to fight my way through; I almost needed a machete.        I was chased by a thunderstorm the last three miles to here. Decided I didn¢t have nine more miles in me today, as I had planned. It felt good to stop by 3:30 and leisurely sit and listen to the creek and the birds.        I¢m planning two 20-mile days to get me to Harper¢s Ferry on Friday, so my brother can join me for a day or so on the trail.        I lost 12 hour today having to bushwhack today. The trail signs disappeared in the middle of a rock pile. I had to flounder around in thick brush before regaining the trail. Sigh.
Date: 2008-06-05
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Lots of downed trees today from yesterday¢s thunderstorm. It apparently included a tornado touching down, splintering a LOT of trees along and into the trail.        Hiked most of what is called the ¢Roller Coaster¢ - a series of ten mountains in a row, where the trail goes straight up over the top of one, and down into the valley below, only to go straight up over the next one. Mostly rocks the whole way.         I was barely able to limp to this great hiker hostel. It is a wonderful place, except yesterday¢s storm knocked out the power. But I did get a bath (they transported us to a community swimming pool to shower).        But my clothes are getting kinda rank - mostly soured-smelling; I am negatively aromatic even to me! Sheesh.
Date: 2008-06-06
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Harper's Ferry @ Bridge
Miles today: 19.6

Hot, humid today. I made the almost 20-miles I had planned, but just barely. My brother Gary and I are sharing a motel room here in Harper¢s Ferry. Had a good meal of crab cakes, and E.R. T. I¢m headed to sleep. I¢m bushed. We¢ll do a shorter day tomorrow - it is supposed to be almost 100 degrees. Yikes!
Date: 2008-06-07
From: Harper's Ferry @ Bridge

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It¢s great to be out backpacking with my brother Gary. It is our first time out in almost forty years! He moved pretty well today for a really old guy (he¢s really only two years older, but to me he looks 12-20 years older; unlike me, I¢m not sure he¢ aged too well!).        It was supposed to be 97 degrees today; it felt close to that. And incredibly humid again. Rinsing off in the cold spring water felt sooo good!
Date: 2008-06-08
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Free State Hiker Hostel, Smithsburg, MD
Miles today: 20.5

Today was way too hot to hike 20+ miles. What was I thinking? The humidity was in the 90%+ range again.        The family who runs this hiker hostel is really nice. I so wish I had been able to get here yesterday as originally planned so I could have gone to Church today. Sigh. I had to settle for a one-man worship service as I hiked the first 12 of the day through Mountain Laurel in full bloom; it kept slowing me down, because I had to occasionally stop to admire it!        The bathroom scales showed my weight to be 182 pounds; that¢s 17 pounds less than when I left home two weeks ago. At this rate, by the end of the 13-weeks on the trail I¢ll weigh around 96 pounds when I get to Maine. That is, IF I don¢t get blown off a mountain along the way like a piece of paper.
Date: 2008-06-09
From: Free State Hiker Hostel, Smithsburg, MD

To: Deer Lick Shelter, PA
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

I almost stayed put today - called taking a "zero day". I was bushed last night. Ate 1/2 of a stromboli that was twice as big as my head, and drank two sodas + 40 oz. of Gatorade. My weight was back up to 187# by bedtime.Stayed up to 2:15am this morn scrubbing my pack straps, downloading pics to my trailjournals site, plus typing journal entries. PLUS, the weather report was calling for a high of 102 degrees today!Woke up, felt better, left by 10:00am. It was warm (i.e., HOT) but a bit of a breeze much of the day made it possible to breathe.It felt good to do fewer miles today - less than 15. Actually it was 16, due to bad signage at one of the road crossings. I was off on some other trail, which cost me 1/2 hr of meaningless hiking. Durn, Laverne.Anyway, I'm now back on my original schedule, at least for now. If all goes well, I'll get a zero day this Sunday in Duncannon, PA.Finisned with Maryland today. Crossed the Mason Dixon Line this morn. Am now in enemy territory; must be vewwy, vewwy, careful...Mosquitoes are eating us alive tonight! Am writing in my netted hammock.Received my first trail magic this afternoon - some ice cold water....I guess I'll have to stop whining about not receiving any. "Trail Magic" means some sort of unexpected goodies left for hikers, who sometimes are present, but sometimes who just leave the food or drink in a cooler by the trail; those Trail Magic people are called "Trail Angels"...
Date: 2008-06-10
From: Deer Lick Shelter, PA

To: Quarry Gap Shelter, PA
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Stopped at Caledonia State Park this afternoon. Had to take off my shoes and stick my feet in the cold stream. At the snackbar, bought a hamburger, a root beer and milkshake. Then I had to go back and stick my feet in the creek again. ahhhh. Dark clouds began to boil up over the horizon, so I had to race up a 3 mile / 1,000' elevation gain up a mountain trying to beat a big thunderstorm. The clouds made it so dark at 4:30pm that an owl was hooting. Spooky. I made it in time to set up my hammock and to rinse off my sweat in the creek. It has already stopped raining, and it should be cooler tonight. The cicadas "sang" in the treetops all morning and afternoon. They must have taken a siesta over lunch. The boy cicadas seemed to be saying, "Hey Chickie Baby! Over here! Woo Hoo!" And the girl cicadas were singing, "Hey big boys, come over here and kiss the lushious bug cicada lips of mine!" I listened to my MP3 player a good bit today. It helps me deal with the hot humidity. At one point, I was hiking through the forest listening to Judy Collins' acapella version of "Amazing Grace", with the added music of the cicadas, the wind blowing in the trees, and the songbirds warbling away. Truly heavenly!