morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-07
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Yesterday must have really worn us out because nobody was up and moving around very early this morning. Bluey won the early bird award, and he was able to see his second bear in Shenandoah. We still haven't seen any. The park is known for its easy miles (although it's all relative, since nothing we've hiked so far is as easy as the terrain in Michigan), but considering the heat, today was as tough as any yet. One refreshing break was a stop at the Loft Mountain Camp store. After chips, pop, and ice cream, we were back on the trail in an hour.    Recently I was reading through Galatians and came across verse from chapter 5:22-23. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law." I've always read these verses and focused on the benefits of allowing the Spirit to bear fruit in my life. For the last few days, instead, I've found myself really thinking about the closing point of the passage: "Against such things there is no law." Of all the laws that God lays out to guide us, the purity of the actions of love, joy, etc, need no limits. No fault can be found in them. When I watch others act in ways that show spiritual fruit, it is a beautiful thing. We can never "go too far" or "cross a line" by growing too much of that beautiful fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
Date: 2005-06-08
From: Hightop Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: clear sky

We saw our first bear... and our second. Oh what a day it has been! We managed to avoid sleeping in this morning, so we got out early to try to see more wildlife. We felt like everyone we talked to said they were seeing bears, but until today it was hard to believe them. Around 10 AM, we spotted on. We slowed down, watch it for a couple of minutes, and then it walked off the ridge and out of sight. We were still high from the thrill of the first one, when, within an hour, we scared another one. It ran a few yards, but then stopped, stood up on its hind legs to get a better view, and watched us.    A short time later we arrived at the Lewis Mountain Campground where we were able to recap it all with Beantown while eating lunch. One of the best things about the park is to make these stops, at least once a day, for food. It's not only tasty, but it also allows us to carry less weight in our packs. After lunch, we had 9 extremely flat miles before Big Meadows Campground, the largest one in the park. At Big Meadows is a "Wayside Restaurant" and burgers and ice cream were the afternoon snack. From there, it was only 4 miles to or shelter. It was our longest day of hiking yet, and still hot, but we felt good.    Besides the 2 bears, we also saw 11 deer throughout the day. The last one we saw practially charged me while I was going to the bathroom behind the shelter. He stopped just a few feet short of me, obviously accustomed to the sound, and attracted to the saltiness of what I was producing. Without any hunting in the park, the deer have no reason to be afraid. It's a new experience to seem them so close. Bluey woke up with one six inches from his tent door yesterday and they stared at one another for a few moments. All in all, it was a great day. We look forward to showers and laundry, hopefully soon.
Date: 2005-06-09
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Luray, VA at Budgetel Inn
Miles today: 14.1

Yesterday morning we were tired in body, as well as tired of the way our clothes smelled (in the humidity, the sweat never really dries out, even at night). So, we decided to look into staying at one of the park's lodges for the night. By noon, however, we felt so good that we thought we might push ahead and do our longest day yet. Plus, we realized that the lodges were expensive, and the cost didn't include TV or telephone (something we were definately looking for). The prices are high, we were told, because of the beautiful mountain views (something that we've been enjoyng all day long, every day). It's an interesting twist to be a hiker wanting to get "back" to civilization for a short time, in a park where most people want to get "away" from civilization for a short time.   The days plans adjusted themselves along the way, as they often do. We took our time leaving camp (we had all day to hike 15 miles), and saw 2 more bears on our way to the Pinnacles Picnic Area. The first bear was within 0.1 miles of the shelter where we had spent the night. It ran off quickly, but we got a close glimpse before it was just the hind side. The next bear was right in the middle of the trail and watched us with the same curiosity that we had for it. It then slowly wandered up the hill and let us get within 30 feet of it, as it calmly peered out from behind the brush. This bear was just a little guy, but it was by far our best moment with an animal so far on the hike.    At about 2:30 PM, we found the parking lot of the old Panorama store and restaurant (to our surprise, it was closed) and decided that 65+ miles in 3 days, 7 days without doing laundry, and 4 days without showers was long enough. We met a man named Ken who obviously loves the trail. Ken maintains a shelter in Maryland, and was passing through the parking lot after a day hike. he took pity on us and drove us the 6 miles down the mountain to the town of Luray, and made sure that we had satifactory lodging lined up. Ken, if you're reading, thank you for your help!    We showered, went to Pizza Hut, and now Hopeful is buying groceries for our next week, and I'm doing laundry. It's interesting how our own hygiene is connected to our sanity. One minute, we were doing fine, and the next minute, something snapped, and all we could think about was getting clean. The heat and humidity continue to be a challenge to us. I'm sure we'll acclimate, but for now, just sitting still can even drain us. Maybe we'll get up earlier, or start hiking shorter days. It's all part of the journey!
Date: 2005-06-10
From: Luray, VA at Budgetel Inn

To: Gravel Spring Hut
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Any morning where we wake up in a bed is a good morning. With bagels and coffee, we were back on the trail. A man named Bobby was our taxi to the trail. We were fortunate to be getting on the trail just as last night's storm had ended and things were drying out. All day we could hear storms and several times we thought we were about to get soaked, but we never got hit.    Around midday, we reached the "Elk Wallow Wayside" restaurant, perfect for snacks. Snowman, Sparkplug, Nick, Dave and Break-a-leg were there eating. It was really good to see familiar hikers after our night off the trail. It sounds funny, but we really do miss hikers, even after a few hours away. Our time in this mid section of the park has reminded us of our "trial trip" last summer to Shenandoah, which was Hopeful's longest hiking experience (4 days) prior to starting the AT this spring.    Tonight, the shelter is full and we are engineering new ways of hanging our food to keep it from the notorious racoon that everyone has mentioned in the shelter register. We'll see if our ingenuity pays off. Tomorrow, we're hiking into the town of Front Royal for stove gas, a new water bag, and hopefully to have lunch with April Bailey (our college friend who now lives in northern Virginia). It's a challenge to actually get in touch with her while we hike, since we get to a phone so rarely. We're quite sure that we're meeting her, based on voice mail messages, but haven't yet spoken with her directly!   We've had a fair bit of laughs this evening, discussing our various rashes (heat, chaffing, poison ivy, nettles). We didn't see any more bear today, but 2 others saw one on the way into the shelter. We've enjoyed the park, the variety of wildlife, the many dayhikers we've met, and of course the daily camp stores or restaurants along the trail.
Date: 2005-06-11
From: Gravel Spring Hut

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

Hopeful's account of the day:   I didn't sleep very well last night. Rocky, the shelter racoon, misbehaved badly, and between him and the heat and the poision ivy I think that I have and sore legs and hikers arriving late, I tossed, turned and woke up a lot.   We were warned about Rocky, so we all dutifully strung rope so that our food wasn't directly on the bear hanger, and went to bed. In fact, we didn't even hang ours on the hanger, but instead with Ground Fault's from a tree since he offered to share his line with us. Well, it's true about Rocky, he's quite a climber. First, he found the garbage that an irresponsible hiker had left at the site the day before. The garbage didn't satisfy him long, and unfortunately he was strong enough to pull Nick's food bag up to his mouth and started to chew through before Nick got up (it's now 2:30 AM) to move it and rehang it from a tree. He had a little stand off with Rocky, who really did not want to get down from the pole. One by one, the others in the shelter woke up and realized they needed to move their food too. We settled in for for a couple more hours before Truth and Iron Horse got up at the crack of dawn to hike a long day (not that their previous day of 28 miles had been a short one). That was our first time meeting them. To wrap up the Rocky story, he persistently chased down Nick's bag from the tree and proceeded to get his food and leave saliva everywhere, even after all the rearranging. Poor Nick!   We left new warnings in the register and were on our way. Knowing that a town and a friend awaited us, we hiked quite fast, despite the heat and tall grass that sometimes was taller than I am. We hitch hiked into Front Royal from the trail crossing. At Burger King we took "mini baths" in the restroom and took full advantage of the free refills on cold pop while we waited for April. We're so glad she could make the drive to see us! We drove into the park on Skyline drive as we talked. It's interesting to see Shenandoah National Park, from the perspective of the park visitors who come on wheels. We had dinner with April before she dropped us back off at the trail crossing. We were able to do five fast miles just before dark. The shelter is a fancy one! There is even a shower that is hooked up to a spring. It's chilly, but it's worth it to feel clean.    A phrase from scripture that has been on my mind this week after reading the second book of Timothy is this: "... pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace...". It challenges me because I want those qualities in my life so much, but "pursue" is a verb that refers to action on my part to develop them. Good things to think about...
Date: 2005-06-12
From: Gravel Spring Hut

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm actually writing this entry at 5 AM on the 13th. The previous few nights have been hard for us to get sleep. First we had the racoon that played games with us all night (and kind of won), then we had the bad combination of heat and biting insects. Even at night it has been as warm as upper 70's, and when that's the case, we can't cover ourselves with sleeping bags (there's no AC out here). Without covers, we're easy targets when we sleep in shelters. This week it's the "no see ums" that seem to be getting us. Last night we set up our tent for the bug protection and went to bed early. This far east and at this time of year, the sky starts to become light at 4:45 AM, and the birds are loudly singing by 5 AM, so after a good night's sleep at last, here I am writing.    Yesterday was a day where we had to take I Thessalonians 5:16-18 to heart. "Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." When walking is all you do all day, it's easier to pray continually. Most days we have a time where we pray aloud together in a focused way as we walk, and then after that prayers seem to slip into our conversations throughout the rest of the day as things come to mind. Even when we walk alone, many of our thoughts are directed towards God. We have found that regardless of faith background, or religious belief, most hikers find it quite natural to pray as they walk.    To be "joyful always" and "give thanks in all circumstances" is a little more difficult. It is a choice that we need to make. Either it's "God's will for us" because He likes to watch us struggle, or because He know that we'll be better off for our joy and thankfulness. I think it's the latter reason. Yesterday's hike was another hot and humid one. I've had problems with chafing, Hopeful has really bad issues with poison ivy, and we've got bug bites covering us. I'm proud to say that the attitude we chose (joyfulness and thanksgiving) made the day another good one. We were able to meet several groups of day hikers (Sundays seem to be the day for hikes), and had trail magic on three different occasions. First, there was a cooler full of Coke, then Snickers marathon bars left at a shelter, and finally, there was cold soda, fruit and candy bars left in another cooler just a few miles before pulling into the shelter, at the hottest part of the day.    By this point in the hike, many have traded the optimism and joy filled attitudes of Georgia, for pessimism and cynicism. In the end, it's not worth complaining about the circumstances. We choose to be here.   God knew that dwelling on heat and bugs would ruin our day, so He wants us to focus on the trail magic, one another, the friends we've met along the way, the beautiful creation around us, and on Him. Circumstances aren't under our control. Living with joy and thanks is a choice that we can control and we're trying to get better at choosing it!
Date: 2005-06-13
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

Today was another hot one. As Beantown says, "It's not the heat, it's the stupidity". Anyway, we knew it was going to be a short day before making it into the hostel. The section that we're in the midst of is called "the rollercoaster" because of is 12 climbs and descents of 500-600 feet all within 12 miles. It's one of those things where everyone talks about it and you start to get fearful of it and then you go for it and realize that it's not too much different from anywhere else. I think that every section has something it's known for, some are more accurate than others (never believe it when someone says that an area is "flat"). We arrived here at Bear's Den Hostel around 1 PM, now 3/4 of the way through "the rollercoaster". Bear's Den is an old stone home/castle looking place, converted to a hostel, and run by Lori Watkins, "Queen Diva", who is a friend we know from her prior position at the Lake Ann Baptist Camp near our home. Her energy and her love for hikers overcomes her disgust of dirty stuff. When I was at my all time sweatiest, she gave me a hug! I wouldn't have given me a hug at that moment. Anyway, this place is very relaxing and we enjoyed dinner with all the hikers, followed by a good time to just sit and hang out as a group in the living room. Because of Hopeful's poison ivy, the unrelenting heat, and the perfect location for much needed rest, we're planning on spending tomorrow here as well. We see it as a great place to slow down, possibly help Queen Diva with the daily chores, and get a taste of what hostel life entails. For that reason, we probably won't be journaling tomorrow, although we do hope to put them all online. Thank you so much for your encouragement, we've really appreciated hearing from friends and family via email and letters lately. Even when we don't get a chance to write back (internet time is limited), we enjoy tremendously every word that we receive. Thanks!
Date: 2005-06-14
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Some highlights of a day off at Bear's Den:**Sleeping until past 8 AM in an air conditioned room**Talking to our parents on the phone**Helping Lori clean and appreciating the big job that she has managing the hostel**Updating our online journal**Going to the post office**Reading and relaxing**Savoring a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream**Seeing our German hiking friends, Hansel and Gretel, who stopped by**Greeting other hikers that were arriving and catching up with those we haven't seen in awhile**Hopeful consulting nurse Navigator (also staying at the hostel) and taking several oatmeal baths to treat her poison ivy, along with maxing out the application of Caladryl and hydrocortizone cream**Red Wing scolding Hopeful for scratching too much**Helping to prepare an amazing dinner along with Cycle Hiker's sisters who were there to visit him**Grilling duties managed by Handyman and Red Wing-- Bratwursts and GOOD steaks**Enjoying feast in the castle with the Queen (Queen Diva is Lori's trail name!) The menu included, along with the grilled meat...   mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, a salad, homemade mac and chesse, asparagus, green beans, bread, mint tea, an assortment of cookies**Lingering at the table long and crawling into bed late**Observing the way that Lori lives out this scripture:    "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have      entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2
Date: 2005-06-16
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: David Lesser Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: scattered clouds

One thousand miles! Yet, we're still not half way. It's a little intimidating to think that for all the hiking we've done, there's still more than that much left. After 2 1/2 incredible days at Bear's Den, we woke up this morning and Hopeful gave me the poison ivy progress report. Good news, she is feeling good enought for the hiker to resume. Also, before we left the hostel, we got a call from Rachel at the Post Office. For the past 3 days I had been there for various reasons (picking up our mail drop box, mailing a package home, driving others there) and all the while checking on another package of ours that hadn't showen up. Each time I went there, Rachel was behind the counter, kindly breaking the bad news to me that our packaga wasn't to be found. Anyway, this mornign she called the hostel specifically to see if Red Wingw as still there and to let me know that the box had made it! I was impressed by the level of customer service, but then again, we had become friends over the last three days (she even suggested that I apply for work there). So, I went to the P.O. for 4th straight day, and the last time in Bluemont, VA.    We got to spend some time with Lori before hiking out around 10:30 AM, and finished the "Rollercoaster" section by noon. We hiked into West Virginia and now we're following the state line from here to Harper's Ferry. It's always good to escape civilization and return to the trail. The shelters in this area maintained by the Potomac Appalation Trail Club tend to be creative and cool. Tonight's is no exception with a large deck and even a swing. We're sharing it with Guideless (who just found out that her boyfriend Spitfire who left the trail for a job, is now quitting his job and rejoining her after missing 300 miles). Also, camping below the shelter is a young man named Simon who is a southbound section hiker from Scotland on his first trip to the U.S.A. I remember when there were consistently 20 + hikers at a shelter every night, now it's just four of us!    With Harper's Ferry being less than 10 miles away and it being so near the halfway point, there have been several people whose hike has come to an end. There are many reasons... some planned to end here, some are experiencing nagging injuries, some have gotton bored, some feel that hiking became too much like a job, some are low on money... Whatever the reasons, with a few less thru-hikers, and a lot more summer section or day hikers around, the trail experience continues to change. Beta, Ski Bum, Ribeye, Firefly, Dave (to name a few that we know of for sure): we miss you and we hope to stay in touch and see you again sometime off the trail!
Date: 2005-06-17
From: David Lesser Memorial Shelter

To: Harper's Ferry, West Virginia
Miles today: 8.8

Today was one of those where it seemed like two days in one. We got up early and started hiking around 7 AM. We knew it wasn't far to town, we couldn't wait to see Hopeful's Mom (Judy), sister (Julie) and former exchange student from Sweden (Malin), and we wanted to beat them to the motel so we could shower before we met them. Yes, we are self conscious of our hiker "stink", especially on hot summer days. It's not outstanding among the other hikers, but it's very noticable around "normal" people in town.   By 10 AM we arrived in Harper's Ferry. As we approached town, we crossed a bridge over the Shenandoah River. It's at Harper's Ferry that it combines with the Potomac River, making it a strategic spot throughout history, particularly during the Civil War. Now much of the town is a National Historic Park, and the quaintness of the old buildings made us feel as if we had taken a step back in time. Our first stop was the Comfort Inn, and we were successful in showering before seeing Hopeful's family, we even had finish some errands before they arrived. They are taking a day out of their trip to Washington DC and New York in order to see us, and the timing has worked out perfectly. It's good to see family. Just seeing a familiar face after a few months is awesome, but seeing family is really special.    We headed to the Appalachian Trail Conference Headquarters, which is a big stop for most thru-hikers. There we signed the register and had our picture taken as the 318th and 319th thru-hikers to pass through Harper's Ferry this year. At the Headquarters you can buy all sorts of things with AT logos, and look over a small model showing the trail topography from Springer Mountain to Mt. Kahtadin. Other hikers were milling about as well, so we got to introduce them to Hopeful's family. We wandered around the historic downtown, stopped by the outfitter, which is located in a building partly carved out of the rock wall. The we ambitiously went for a hike on the Maryland Heights Trail. We highly recommend this if you go to Harper's Ferry, but it is a steep climb up to the rock outcropping that overlooks the town. All the pictures we've seen of Harper's Ferry in books or movies seem to be shot from this spot or one close by. Hiking non trail miles isn't normally our idea of an afternoon off, but it was worth the trip. We finished the day with a good dinner (the highlight being a huge salad bar!) and returning to the motel where we're visiting now. A few hours aren't enough to catch up on a couple of months. Malin, a future nurse, is learning about poison ivy which she has never seen. She gave us some Swedish chocolate that we can't wait to eat.