morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-24
From: Damascus, VIRGINIA!

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

Bid adieu to my roommate at the hostel, Tortuga. Hope to see him later after he has completely healed. Also since he has friends in Baltimore, I will leave my contact info with him through his Trail Journal so we can get together next time he visits them. Started hiking at 10:30 because I did some chores in Damascus first, including forwarding food to Atkins, VA. It seems I am hiking so fast now that I need to recalibrate the number of days it takes to go a certain distance and thus the number of meals I need to expect to go a given distance. Lion and I hiked together for a brief time because we left at the same time, but he really is too fast for me.A few hours into the hike I heard jingle bells, and found out the sound was coming from Rosie, who I was catching up with. It seems that, after complaining about not seeing any bears on the trip so far, she saw 3 on her hike into Damascus, including one that had to jump out of a tree to get away from her. She no longer desires to see any more bears, so she wears the bells to warn the bears of her approach. I also crossed paths with Bunkers as she did a reverse hike for the day so she could make some progress before leaving for her daughter's dance recital.Wildlife: Saw a snapping turtle in a pond. At the shelter: Leapfrog and Stitches (a 1999 thru hiker), Rosie, Lion, Jim(section hiker, later became Soft Shoe). The joke of the evening was the discrepancies between things I do to travel light and some of the heavy things I carry. It started when I showed off how there was no water left in my water bladder. This was tongue-in-cheek, since I did not intend for it or even knew it had happened. But it opened Pandora's box. Stitches in particular homed in on the 1 1/2 lb Dinty Moore Beef Stew can. They were not impressed by the pleasure of eating it or the many uses for the can afterward. Well, this is MY hike, not theirs, so NYAHHHHHH! I slept in my tent to prevent my snoring from disturbing others, but it probably worked in reverse - it helped me because I ended up not being near some other snorers.
Date: 2007-05-25
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: broken clouds

I dedicate this day to my friends the 2 MJs, because I did a one mile side trip to visit the highest point in VA - the summit of Mount Rogers. A picture of the USGS marker and my altimeter is forthcoming as proof of the event.I'm still trying to figure out how I did so few miles this day. Rosie and I leapfrogged all day, usually because I stopped to gab with other hikers. It was worth it though because I found out 2 great things as a result - where to find ramps (thanks, Chief and Christmas!) and where to find lemon sorrel (Thanks, Stitches!)I feel as tired as if I did a full day. Rosie and I had stopped at the shelter at 4:30 to cook dinner and then go another 5 miles, but after dinner we ended up agreeing to stay. In fact, as soon as we did so, a short rainstorm started, as if to tell us we made the right decision. It turned out very well indeed when some hikers I hadn't seen in a long time showed up - Greg, Wooly, and Wolf Taffy. Nature Boy also showed up. Becaus of the possibility of rain, plus the fact it was a 2 story shelter, everyone seemed to encourage me to stay in the shelter, in spite of my now well known snoring. I hope I will be quiet enough that they do not regret their kind encouragement.Thomas Knob Shelter has a handicapped access privy. This is a standing joke with hikers because it begs the question how a wheelchair will get to the shelter in the first place. If anyone knows, please call the ATC, because right now we are blaming federal officials who stupidly cling to bureaucratic and irrelevant ADA rules.
Date: 2007-05-26
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Hurricane Shelter
Miles today: 14.9

I am halfway to Harpers Ferry now.Today I went through an area that most alumni thru hikers include in their top 3 favorite areas to hike, and it was indeed beautiful - The Grayson Highlands. It is special because there are herds of feral ponies there and the open, rocky landscape is beautiful. Some people have had memorable interactions with the ponies. Unfortunately I did not, but they were interesting to watch. What I did experience was lots of rock climbing, which was a fun activity as always, but resulted in sore feet. The views were indeed beautiful.Much of the morning I hiked with Just Jack and Greg. We ran into a group of Boy Scouts who we talked with for a while, then had a small world moment - one of the fathers knew Just Jack - turns out that his brother is Just Jack's accountant. No wonder Just Jack is running for President - he is already famous!The 3 of us stopped at a shelter where we found out that a group was concerned about a missing friend, Floyd. To entice us to help them, they revealed that he had 2 pounds of sausage. We agreed that, although we were going to rob Floyd of half of his sausage, we would tell him where his friends were waiting for him. While at the shelter, a day hiker suddenly appeared, offered everyone frosted oatmeal cookies, and just as quickly left. Ah, hikers are so easily satisfied.After lunch I ran into Hong Kong Fooey again. Somehow his pace was very natural for me, and I easily fell in behind him, staying so close that we had a continuous conversation (about what, I can hardly remember, but I definitely enjoyed it). At some point we saw a guy hanging out on the trail in a uniform, and he said he was a Dispersed Recreation Technician. He tried to explain it, but don't ask. Sounds like a great job, though.Met Gadget & Scribe on the trail and at a shelter along the way. They seemed surprised I remembered that they provided fudgesicles at the hostel in Damascus.At the shelter: Wolf Taffy, Wooly, Greg. Wolf Taffy jammed on his banjo while the rest of us prepared our dinners (He had already been there several hours). Somebody showed up, distributed some frosted cookies as trail magic, and left. Hmmmm. I slept under the stars for the 3rd time of the trip. The area I chose looked level during daylight, but when I laid there it was very slanted, and I ended up sleeping there against a log because it was still the most level spot in the area that wasn't actually a trail. Hong Kong Fooey actually walked through the shelter well after dark, but left and hiked even further.
Date: 2007-05-28
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked alone all day.Stayed at the Relax Inn at the I-81 truck stop outside Atkins, VA. Shared a room with Alden. Spent the day eating junk food, cleaning clothes, making a few phone calls, watching HBO. There is something a little scary about watching Brokeback Mountain with a guy you hardly know but are spending the night in the same room. He is a very interesting guy - introverted, big reader, very philosophical. He thru hiked the PCT last year, and expects to finish the "triple crown" soon (hiking the PCT, AT and Continental Divide trails). He racks up mega miles on a daily and long term basis. He talked a bit about relationships on the PCT vs AT. There are so many people on the AT that you develop sub-groups (he said this happens often when humans are in groups greater than 150 individuals). He did not notice this happening on the PCT, where fewer people hike each year. He was surprised I hadn't read certain books that I thought were rather obscure. He also noted that everyone hikes the exact same path to complete the AT, while on the PCT there are many ways to travel between waypoints. An interesting conversation. Later in the day we ran into Greg and Just Jack staying at the hotel as well, and we ordered delivery from Pizza Plus. I had 2 salads and baked spaghetti, and then more junk food for dessert.This was my best night's sleep on the trail so far. Very nice.
Date: 2007-05-29
From: Atkins, VA

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: clear sky

I AM NOW OVER 1/4 DONE! Started the day by enjoying a true hiker's breakfast at the Barn - 2 eggs 2 bacon slices 2 sausage patties 2 slices of toast 2 pancakes grits OJ and sweet tea. I'd like to say it took me 2 minutes, but it took longer.The massive mileage was partially due to a brain fart on my part. I thought I had to hike 18 miles to the shelter of my choice. I ran into Bhikkhu at about the 2 mile mark who pointed out that there was no shelter there. I could have settled for the shelter at the 12 mile mark but opted for the 23 mile shelter.Tried to call Jeff from my old unit at work, to see if he could meet me at Pearisburg. Its not much notice, but we'll see what happens. I need to average 18 miles per day to be there by Saturday. Hence the desire to hike 24 miles today. Thanksgiving will be a particularly sweet holiday this year. Here's why: around 11 am, I heard leaf rustling near me on the trail, a frequently heard indicator that I scared something and it was fleeing. Sure enough I saw something brown running low to the ground away from me. A few seconds later, it was charging right at me. I yelled at it as it approached, and put my trekking poles in front of me to defend myself. At the last minute it turned, and paralled the trail. It was small and brown, but the tail feathers looked very turkey-ish. So I was thinking, that in about 6 months, I will eat your cousin in revenge for this attack. Later I would realize that 1. It was a grouse, not a turkey; and 2. It was not attacking, it was approaching to convince me it was injured and I should chase it rather than look for its chicks. So I will be eating crow rather than turkey this year.I met Patches at lunchtime in a shelter - he was napping when I approached. We had a very lively conversation, about hiking, the trail, pains, his future career, the pickle QA with Candybar. He was interesting in the group situation and also as it turns out, 1-on-1. Patches left before I did. That afternoon was very hot, and I sweated so much I remembered thinking that I couldn't be any wetter if it were raining, but at least I'd be cooler. Wouldn't you know, it started raining? I actually sped up during the rains, presumably because I was dissipating heat better. I hiked 1 1/2 hrs in the rain. I was pleased to see that the shelter was totally enclosed, hence totally dry. Patches was there, as were Easy (a 2003 thru hiker & retired iron worker), Allen (a section hiker with what appeared to be a broken foot)and 3 section hikers. I was very pleased about hiking 23 miles in 11 1/2 hrs including a long lunch break. The hike was not a strain at all - body felt great.
Date: 2007-05-30
From: ChestnutKnob Shelter

To: Campsite near VA 615
Miles today: 14.7

It seems yesterday's marathon hike took its toll...... Or did it? Before lunch I struggled up hills, discovered my first foot blister(on my right piggie that stayed hom) and ran grossly behind schedule for a planned second consecutive 24 mile hike. At lunch I debated stopping for the day, but decided 3 pm was just too early to stop. The second part of the day went much better, like a normal day, in terms of pace and energy level. It made me wonder if food was the issue. I will start eating bigger breakfasts (mmmm.. Snickers for breakfast!) It was an interesting wildlife day - saw another bear's behind down in a valley below me, a black racer, and a greenish snake with yellow stripes that probably was a garter, though it was several times larger than I thought they could get - maybe 2 to 2 1/2 feet long and almost an inch in diameter. It also thought it could make a meal of my trekking pole, or maybe it was mad because I was swinging it in his face.I stopped at the campsite because I was not sure I could could get to the next shelter before dark. Patches kept going. At the campsite, I met C-shot, a hiker whose name I had seen in registers, and there was a tent that no one appeared to be in. Alden stopped in for dinner, but moved on.
Date: 2007-05-31
From: Campsite nearVA 615

To: Jennys Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Yesterday's tiredness and pain were gone. I started out fast, and stayed fast until Jenny's Knob Shelter. The day started to become like a silk gathering expedition, as I ran into spiderwebs and inchworm threads repeatedly. These are particularly irritating on your face, esp. when they hit the eyes or nose. Originally Jenny's Knob Shelter was my intended destination but I met a hiker named Moosehead convinced me to put in some extra miles. We were to meet at Jenny's Knob Shelter, eat, and move on. However, as I (hopefully?) was getting close to the shelter, the thunder was pealing, wind was whipping up and the temperature was dropping, sure signs of you-know-what. I asked the rain gods to hold off until I got to the shelter. It literally started to rain 2 minutes after I arrived. Thanks, rain gods.At the shelter that night were Sweetwater and Moosehead, both of whom I had seen entries for in the shelter registers, and a SOBO section hiker named Jack. We had an interesting discussion on physics, since Jack is on the physics faculty of Thomas Moore College in KY.
Date: 2007-06-01
From: Jennys Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: clear sky

The day started out as another silk gathering expedition but after I passed one road, no more webs! Turned out it was because 2 hikers came on at that road - Dr. Claw and Tenacious T. I thanked them for doing the dirty work, took over for them (i.e. passed by them) but they passed me when I took a snack break. Thanks again!Although I was feeling out of sorts much of the day, I managed 14 miles in the 6 hours before lunch - pretty aggressive, so I was looking forward to a long mileage day. That plan was derailed when, during the lunch cleanup, the rain hit again - hard. In fact, I felt downright cozy, reading a book that was sitting in the shelter until I fell asleep to the patter of raindrops on the shelter roof. Unfortunately, many other hikers were not quite so cozy, and they began showing up at the shelter as well - Sweetwater, Moosehead and a recent Virginia Tech grad named Mike who was section hiking before starting his new job.An interesting deer showed up at the shelter, very unafraid of people. We whistled at it, yelled at it, waved to it, and she just looked at us with those big blank eyes.At 7:30 pm Moosehead and I debated the merits of hiking to the next shelter, Daschnag Shelter (actually Doc's Knob Shelter, but for family reasons I like my pronunciation better). We eventually talked ourselves out of it, even though that meant Moosehead would have to take a zero to wait for the Post Office to open with his resupply package. Fortunately for me, I was going to grocery shop for my resupply. I have a new thing to whine about: certain gnats really want to get into my eyes. They actually hover so close that occasionally when I blink I catch one. I'm trying to become a human Venus Fly Trap, intentionally catching them with my eyelids and then dispatching them. The only difference is that I don't eat them. Yet.
Date: 2007-06-02
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

I'd hoped for a long hike yesterday to position me for a short hike into town today, but yesterday's weather prevented that so I was destined to get in later than desired for a town visit. Still the day was not without highlights. I saw 4 frogs and 2 garter snakes, one of whom was coiled alongside the trail looking for an inattentive victim. Fortunately I am too big for even the expandable jaws of a garter snake, or I might have been just such a meal. Another highlight was that I caught up with a few more hikers whose names I have seen on the registers - Nobody and Breeze. Also at lunch, Patches showed up. Apparently he has been about 1/2 day ahead of me, stymied by the same weather that has slowed me down. Sweetwater showed up a little later too. I did play a little leapfrog with Nobody and Breeze, but otherwise hiked completely alone all day. The rain gods continued to favor me. I heard thunder in front of me all afternoon, and expected to run into the storm, but as luck would have it the front was moving about the same speed I was, and though I found evidence of recent rains along the trail I only felt 2 short spits of rain. In fact, the steep descent into town was downright treacherous - the wet, clay-ey soil was so slick I wished I'd been wearing skis instead of boots. I fell once but fortunately not into any snakes. A particularly exciting thing about the descent was that it was like a final exam for my knee, and it passed with flying colors!In town, Sweetwater and Moosehead eventually tracked me down at the Rendezvous Motel, a poor name for a motel where 3 guys were sharing a room. We went out for dinner, where I ran into Candy Man and Are We There Yet. After dinner and some grocery shopping, I ended up stopping to visit them in their hotel room until almost 11 pm, which turned out to be a bit of a mistake, since the Dairy Queen closed at 10. This was actually a bit of a crisis because I had a Blizzard on my brain from the moment I woke up in the morning.
Date: 2007-06-03
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Took a zero today. Had intended to hike today, but several things overrode it. First, it was lousy weather - the tropical storm was dumping lots of water on the town and mountains. Second, I realized it had been 2 weeks since I had taken any breaks. Third, the pressure to keep moving dropped off because the 2 people I wanted to catch up with did not seem to be available until later.So, new priorities, and first things first - I got my Blizzard at lunch. Then, Moosehead called Mike, a section hiker from Blacksburg who we met at Wapiti Shelter, who had offered us a tour of Virginia Tech. Mike picked us up. I looked forward to invading "enemy" ACC territory, but as much as we enjoyed visiting the beautiful campus, the overwhelming presence of the recent tragedy overshadowed all else. For those on campus, the message was was "We Shall Prevail". The message of the enormous show of support from off campus was "We are ALL Hokies now".In the evening, watched a Red Sox-Yankees game with Moosehead and 2 people he had hiked with quite a bit - Red Arm and U-Turn. Fun conversation, mostly booze inspired, but all 3 acknowledged that the AT hike had somehow increased their desire to go to college. Not sure how, though.
Date: 2007-06-04
From: Pearisburg

To: Syms Gap Meadow Campsite
Miles today: 11.9

The highlight of the day was arriving at a place so beautiful I cut short my planned hike by 5 miles so I could camp there and enjoy the view all evening.Eventually 2 other hikers joined me, Reds Man and Loose Bruce. Both had been ahead of me at one time but came off the trail for different personal reasons. They had never hiked with me before, but had hiked with Peachand Cheeseburger, and were impressed with the hiking speed of both, as I had been.As the evening wore on we could see storm clouds working their way toward us and I began wistfully thinking about noisy mouse infested shelters. Only time will tell if the decision to stay was good. The day actually started with breakfast at a diner named Marsha's, which I felt deserved more customers, esp. thru hikers, than it was getting. It is very new and not listed in the guidebooks, so maybe that's why. I had a conversation with Bhikku on the way to the diner, but he was not able to join me for breakfast. In fact he was planning to leave the trail for 2 weeks for health reasons, requiring a vacation in the Caribbean. I'd have mixed feelings about a condition that forced me to take Caribbean vacations. But I wish him the best. I also needed one last Blizzard before I left, and I ate it while hiking. During the hike, I encountered a lot of 20 mile slackpackers, probably more slackpackers than backpackers today. The hike was uneventful until I reached and was captured by Sym's Meadow.
Date: 2007-06-05
From: Syms Gap Meadow Campsite

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: broken clouds

Ugly horrible night - lost a tent stake during a major wind and rain storm, had to leave the tent and improvise a temporary solution, getting soaked in the process. Much of the night I was hold the main tent pole so it wouldn't fly away. The morning view from the meadow sucked, totally destroying my reason for staying at camp in the first place. Unbelievably, in spite of this it turned out that staying in camp turned out to be a good idea Unbeknownst to us our original targeted shelter had been hit by a falling tree. Further, the fog that clouded our view from the meadow had a silver lining, as seen in the attached picture. After the picture taking, the hike (alone) got boring and I began to wonder for the first time if I wanted to do this for several more months. Loose Bruce caught up to me and the day became more interesting, between the conversation/company and fording a stream due to a bridge being out. Nonetheless, the hike of only 20 miles took 11 hours due to rocks, elevation changes, time to ford the stream. And, when we got to camp the shelter was full so I had to camp in the rain again. I even cooked from inside my tent. During the day we did find out that Tumbleweed's ankle was really hurt, and Rookie was portaging his and her packs so she could limp to the next camp without having to carry a pack. They plan to take a few days off at Pine Swamp Shelter.
Date: 2007-06-06
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Found out one of the section hikers from last nights trail name is Little Miss Tough-it, so I came up with anursery rhyme for her.....Little Miss Tough-itDecided to rough itBy hiking along the ATThe flies and the snakesThe filth and the achesThis is the life for me!This is the kind of distractions that get me throughmy 30,000 steps per day. Another was that I was jubilant to stumble onto some trail magic - someone dropped off a cooler full of sodas on the trail. Did they know I'd fantasized about drinking a soda thenight before?It was a tense day-a lot of pressure to get to ourshelter before dark, especially since my flashlightbroke last night. Fortunately my final sprint got me there in time to cook dinner and set up my tent. Fellow campers at the shelter: Reds Man, Loose Bruce,Waterfalls, DOT, Talkerman, Copperhead and a father/11 yrold son section hiker team. I did my good deed for the day, relaying a message to DOT that Tumbleweed and Rookie were delayed.