morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-08-31
From: Bears Den

To: Dick's Dome
Miles today: 0.0

Tonight I am sleeping in my hammock. I am just outside of Dick's Dome Shelter. There are two hikers sleeping in the shelter and it only sleeps four, I don't want to cram. I found a perfect spot to set up the hammock. I am hanging 4 ft. off of the ground over a brook. Cubby and I hiked together for the last couple of hours. We arrived at the camp spot after dark wearing our head lamps. The hiking for the past couple of days has been fairly difficult. We are in the middle of a section called the Devils Roller Coaster. It is called this because the mountains literally go up and then down and then up and down and up and down etc. etc. The path is well beaten and I can keep a good pace, but again the ups and downs are just consistent. I climb for about 1 hr. straight. I'm thinking the whole time about how I want to take a break but don't because I want to make it to the top. Then I reach the top (seemingly right when I am about to break) and begin to descend again. I catch my breath on the decline for 45 minutes or so, then hit the next mountain and do it all over again.Moose and Ducky hiked 1 hr ahead of us today, but they did choose to stay in the same area to camp. Ducky also has a hammock and Moose has a tent.Of all my aches and pains on this trip I am embarrassed to admit that a blister on my left foot is one of the worst yet. I guess I am not embarrassed about the pain because it is a large nasty blister right on my heel. It is how I got the blister that is embarrassing... While passing through a mini market I grabbed a small pack of sunflower seeds. I have been bragging about how enjoyable it is to pack my mouth full of seeds and spit the shells out while I walk. I felt pain in my heel all day and wondered if there was a blister forming. I figured it was my new hiking shoes still being broken in. As soon as I got to camp I took my shoes off and sure enough 1/2 of a sunflower shell fell from under my heel. The blister that it caused is excruciating. I feel as though I can not verbalize my pain because the whole situation is so ridiculous. ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-09-01
From: Dick's Dome

To: Front Royal VA
Miles today: 0.0

We are in the town of Front Royal VA.While our crew was at the Bears Den Hostel Spoon acquired the phone number from that caretaker of a family (in Front Royal) that takes hikers in. Spoon followed up and gave them a call. I wasn't 100% sure what was going on until the end of the day when we stopped at a road crossing and waited to be picked up by this family. Spoon went with Tom to pick up Ducky and Moose who were already in town and the rest of the crew hopped in the car with Sharon to go back to their house.Tom and Sharon are an older couple that support the AT. Tom does work maintaining the trail in areas and Sharon houses hikers and cooks for them etc. I can't describe how amazing these people are. They take in hikers for no other reason than knowing that we need a place to sleep and are always hungry...such an act of kindness. Tom was super nice, he had to travel for work and left early in the evening. Sharon took in all seven of us and put us to work in creating the best chicken enchiladas I have ever had.The second that I was showered up Sharon put a frying pan in my hand and pushed me toward the stove. She directed me to caramelize onions that Moose had cut and mix in the chicken that was marinating in zip lock bags. Mango made lemonade, Spoon set out dishes with Cubby and Ducky and Grettle helped with the cooking as well. We had been in these peoples house for less than 30 minutes and we were all running around pulling dishes out of cabinets and exchanging chores and passing things off to each other. Every time someone would ask a stupid question or mess something up, Sharon would say in a soft voice, "oh you poor orphan" and kindly tell them what to do. Sharon is a witty older woman with a great sense of humor, I like her allot.After the racquet simmered down we all sat around the table and stuffed ourselves with excellent food. We ate chicken enchiladas, corn, beans, rice, pumpkin squares and flan (a Spanish dessert dish with a custard base). I ate 5 enchiladas and two servings of all of the sides. I was in pain.We are staying in a fully renovated loft that the family had built specifically for hikers. The loft is large and clean and there is a tv. We got to know Moose and Ducky more throughout the night. Sharing experiences such as this one creates a strong bond immediately. Once in the loft we all agreed and talked about how crazy the dinner was and how amazing it was that this was all happening.I took Cubby's approach in caring for a blister. I threaded a needle and pierced the blister through one side and out the other leaving the thread under the skin after removing the needle. I like this approach because the thread acts as a drain while the skin underneath the blister has an opportunity to heal. ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-09-02
From: Front Royal VA

To: Little Hog Back Overlook
Miles today: 0.0

We are seven strong today. Moose and Ducky stuck with us from beginning until present. We completed the "Devils Roller coaster" portion of the trail and hiked over 10 miles beyond it. To tell you the truth the terrain has not really changed much since we finished that section. We are officially back to climbing large mountains with steep inclines and declines... I like it! The views in VA so far have been breathtaking. The sky is a little bit hazy from the humidity, but for the most part I can see for miles and it's all green mountains and rolling hills.Today we all ended our hike at Little Hogback Overlook in the Shenandoah National Park. Less than 30 minutes before the days end another south bounder jumped on board. Turbo had been hiking with Ducky and Moose for much of their hike. Turbo is from Oregon, he got his name because he packs ultra light, moves very quickly and covers big miles.Spoon's mother drove eight hours from Knoxville Tennessee for a vacation and to see Spoon for the first time in over three months. Karen rented a cabin to house all of us while visiting the Shenandoah's. The cabin is unbelievable. Until 2 days ago there was only the core group of the five of us... now there are eight and we are all staying in the cabin. Spoons mom made chicken casserole, lasagna, salad, brownies and served us ice cream. Once again I feel almost guilty about how much we are being spoiled... almost. Karen brought a foot bubble bath and Epsom salt for all of us. I was able to soak my feet for 15 minutes and it made a world of difference. My blister is still killing me but it is surely on the road to recovery.Spoon, Mango and I tried to drive to the nearest Walmart in Karen's car. We wanted to do a small resupply and pick up enough food to feed the group tomorrow night (Karen rented the cabin for 3 nights). We went by the directions on the Magellan car GPS. We were taken through the craziest back roads to Walmart that was 30+ miles from the cabin. Because of the round about way of getting there it took us over 1 hr 20 min. After purchasing burgers and hot dogs for a BBQ we took a different rout back to the cabin. While on highway 211 we passed a Walmart that was six miles out... damn GPS! We got back and settled at 2am. There are 4 bedrooms in the cabin, they are all occupied. Also the 2 couches in the living room are occupied. Somehow I got stuck with the mattress of an old children's crib. It is 3 ft long and it is covered in little teddy bears wearing dresses. There is and open hole in the middle with springs coming out of it... I'm just glad that I'm under a roof. ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-09-03
From: Little Hog Back Overlook

To: Hughes River Gap
Miles today: 0.0

So the plan for the next 2 days is to hike as far as we can and Karen (Spoons mom) will come to pick us up where ever we call it quits. Today we ended at Hughes River Gap (about 15 miles). Because only 4 of us can fit in the car at one time we split the group in two. Spoon, Grettle, Mango and Myself called ourselves group "A" and were dropped off (and picked up) first. Group "B" was obviously everyone else, Cubby, Moose, Ducky and Turbo. We are working on better names for the groups.Shenandoah National park is extremely strict on where to camp. There is absolutely no wilderness camping allowed. Shenandoah is home to many endangered species and they take "low impact hiking" very seriously. Having Spoons mom help us out for most of our hike through the Shenandoah is a huge luxury and allows us to be as flexible as we want with how many miles we cover.The park so far has been unbelievable. This morning I saw two more black bears. The first one was about 10 feet from me off the trail. It was at the top of about a 20 ft. tree. I had not been scoping up above for wild life, but this bear was just in the middle of coming down from the tree and made a considerable amount of noise while doing so. When I turned to the right, the bear was literally running down the tree. It was a big bear at 300 - 400 lb. and it was moving like it was a featherweight. Once it reached the ground it stood on all fours and starred at Spoon and I. We chose to keep walking and not to sight see or take pictures. As the entire group walked on, the bear remained on all fours starring at each of us as we walked by. The second bear came about 20 minutes later. It ran out from the right side of the trail and kept running right in front of us on the trail. This bear was also in the 300 lb range. It was beautiful with a shiny black coat and brown muzzle. We all slowed our pace to see where it was going and eventually it darted off to the left and back in to the brush. That bear was within 15 feet of us.I scored a better bed tonight. It turns out that Turbo was not comfortable on the couch and preferred to sleep on the floor... Moose actually took the couch (so that he could fall asleep while watching Top Gun) and I stole Moose's bed downstairs.Tonight we made burgers and hot dogs and corn. Mango crafted some 1/2 lb. burgers packed with Montreal seasoning and garlic. I cooked on the grill and everyone else helped prepare the corn and set up the table.I soaked my feet in Epsom salt again and they are feeling and looking better ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-09-04
From: Hughes River Gap

To: Big Meadows Wayside
Miles today: 0.0

Most of group "B" had to be dropped off with their full packs this morning. There were some schedule conflicts with rides etc. and they would not have been able to be picked up again later in the day. Cubby stayed with us but Moose, Ducky and Turbo will be staying in a shelter and hiking on from here on out. The group of 8 was awesome for a while but also not practical to keep moving forward. I hope we cross paths with them again, all three were good people and a pleasure to hike with.We had a short day today. It worked out well because we all wanted a chance to capitalize on the cabin a bit more. I took a shower, ate some leftover food and read my book downstairs, it was very relaxing. I also soaked my feet again and they are looking good if I don't say so myself. The Epsom salt has helped heal the skin on the backs of my heels and ankles and it has also helped dry out the blister on my heel.Tomorrow Karen will head back to Tennessee and we will be on our own once again. I spoke to my mother today. She told me that I sent my cell phone home with a package of maps from a couple of weeks ago... not sure how that happened but it will be nice to have the convenience of my own phone again. I miss speaking with my family and Sarah when I am in town. ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-09-05
From: Big Meadows Wayside

To: High Top Mt.
Miles today: 0.0

I am at High Top Shelter this evening. Spoons mom had to leave us today, it was tough to see her go. She was more than generous to us and I will miss her company. We all thanked her and wished her well on her eight hour drive back to Tennessee.The hike was not bad coming in to High Top. We summited a few mountains and caught a couple of good views, but for the most part it was a straight forward hike. Grettle noticed that the terrain has changed considerably over the past day, she was right. The spectacular views are becoming less and less and we find ourselves in a much more dense and dark forest.I am still seeing deer left and right. I saw 8-10 today. We have gotten word that Hurricane Hannah will be rolling through tomorrow night. I expect the temperature to drop tonight and I have done my abs and stretches to get warm before climbing in to my sleeping bag.I feel great and am looking forward to powering through a hurricane!~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-09-06
From: High Top Mt.

To: Black Rock 
Miles today: 0.0

I hiked in my first hurricane today! Or at least the tail end of hurricane Hannah. It began to rain and the wind picked up in the middle of the night. The temperature also dropped considerably. I woke up at 6:30am and packed up quickly. I hiked 20 miles to Black Rock Mountain Hut. I just wanted to get out in the crappy weather and get it over with. I sent all of my waterproof rain gear home over one month ago. Until now I have gotten away with having minimal rain and when it has rained it has been warm and I don't mind being wet. Today was a different story. I threw my pack cover on and began to hike by myself with only a t-shirt and shorts. The rest of the crew was not as quick to get out of bed in the middle of the pouring rain. The hiking was not easy at all. The gusts of wind were up toward 40 & 50 mph and the rain was constant. I was soaked and freezing. At first I was hot and didn't mind being wet, but unless I was working on a steep incline my body was not generating enough heat to stay warm. There were many broken limbs that fell on the trail and the forest floor is covered in freshly fallen leaves of all different colors. The fog was thick and all of the views were obstructed. I did see over 20 deer today, they were all over the place in large groups eating like normal... in the middle of a hurricane.I hiked for 13 miles straight until I reached Loft Mt. Campground. Loft Mt. offered hot showers for $1 and laundry for $1. I threw all of my clothes in the dryer and jumped in the shower immediately. While at the campground I also ate a microwave Hot Pocket, drank 3 coffee's and ate an apple pie snack. I hung around long enough for the crew to meet me 2 hours later. We all warmed up in the laundry room and everyone took a hot shower and washed their clothes.The rangers were really nice and kept offering us any help that they could and updated us on the storm. We were told that the radar showed that it should pass by 6:00pm.At 5:00pm the sky was still dark gray, the trees were still swaying all over the place and horizontal rain was still ripping through the sky. At 5:30pm the sky was blue with white clouds and the sun was shining through... just like that the hurricane was gone. Mango, Grettle and Cubby had to get in to the town of Waynesboro immediately because Mango's pack broke completely on the way to the campground. Spoon and I hiked on to the next shelter (Black Rock). We completed the 20 mile day during the hurricane. I woke up and hiked through the worst of it and now am going to bed with clear skies and there is a magical crispness in the air... what an experience. ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-09-07
To: Calf Mt Shelter
Miles today: 148.4

Mango, Grettle and Cubby are still in Waynesboro. They had to yellow blaze (hitch hike) about 20 miles to get there. Spoon and I are catching up to them by way of the trail. Spoon and I hiked fast and hard today. We got to the shelter (Calf Mountain Shelter) by 3:00 this afternoon. It was nice to get to camp early. I have had a chance to relax, light a fire, dry my clothes on a clothesline and eat excessively. Spoon and I will be waking up early to hike in to Waynesboro tomorrow morning. There we will meet the rest of the crew and hike out about five miles to the next shelter.Spoon and I exited Shenandoah National Park today. Tomorrow will be my 100th day on the trail.~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-09-08
From: Calf Mt Shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Long and crazy day today. Spoon and I were up early this morning. We were on trail by 7:30am. It was a 5+ mile hike to route 266 where we managed to hitch a ride in to Waynesboro. Two older gentleman picked us up after attempting to hitch over a distance of about 2 miles of road walking. We asked to be dropped off at a breakfast diner (Weesies) that is listed in our data books. As soon as we got in to town we called the rest of the crew (who were still sleeping). We chose to eat breakfast and begin taking care of our town chores just the two of us. There was lot's to be done and not much time to do it.After eating at Weesies we walked across the street to a strip mall where there was laundry and a Salvation Army store. I picked up a pair of gym shorts and a "Virginia" t-shirt for $3 at the Salvation Army. The clothes were only to wear while washing all of my laundry.After the laundry we headed down to the YMCA where we heard we could get a free shower. While I was in the shower I over heard two gentleman saying that Tom Brady was out for the season for the New England Patriots... I have spent a considerable amount of time while walking hoping that is not the case. I am eager to get details.Next was the library where I had to put my name on a list for the internet. I waited 20 minutes and then was able to update my journal. From the library was the grocery store where I resupplied for 5 days on the trail. My five days of food weighs up toward 25 lbs. it is one of the heaviest resupplies that I have done on the entire trip.Next was the post office. I chose to send home my stove today. I have not been using it much over the past couple of weeks. I have managed to survive on cold oatmeal eaten directly in the package, protein bars, cheese and occasionally lunch meat or dried sausage. I took sending my stove home in to account when resupplying at the grocery store. My Jet Boil stove and the fuel cut about 1 lb. from my total pack weight.The rest of the crew had gotten rides over to Rockfish Outfitter on the edge of town earlier. I took a long time at the grocery store, library and post office. Waynesboro is a hiker friendly little town and hitching rides had not been a problem until my trip to the outfitter. I openly represented Virginia with my 2nd hand t-shirt and looked pitiful enough with a 50+ lb. pack and my bright blue Crocks while walking the 2 miles to the outfitter. I had my thumb out and a smile on my face the whole time... no one stopped. The 2 miles was painful.After meeting again with the crew we hitched a ride from an employee at the outfitter to the trail head. He drove us about 5 miles out and dropped us off at the edge of the woods. We all hiked to Paul C. Wolfe Shelter 5 miles in. My pack felt heavy.      ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-09-10
From: Rustys Hard Time Hollow

To: Rustys Hard Time Hollow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Zero day! I could have predicted this. We had to much fun yesterday to leave today. It rained overnight and it was raining this morning, that alone makes it tough to get the ball rolling... but to top it off Rusty made us several batches of giant pancakes with fresh picked blackberries in them. I followed the smell to the porch and found Rusty cooking with an iron skillet that was at least 20" in diameter. He was cooking 4 large pancakes at a time. I powered down 4 myself and then my body called it quits, they were thick and filling.We took it easy all day. We hit more aluminum cans with the bat. We shot more pigeons with the shot gun. I made an intense coarse around the property of aluminum cans placed on tires and on barrels and buckets at all different distances and then ran the coarse with a pellet gun shooting the cans down. I ran that coarse about 20 times until I could do it without missing once. We watched Shooter in the movie hut. I wasn't a fan. The movie was predictable and big guns was the main attraction, it just didn't do it for me.I did take a shower in Rusty's rain shower earlier this evening. The water was absolutely freezing. I literally stood under the huge funnel of water and tapped the release valve ever so slightly so that I could fill the palm of my hand and splashed the water on myself. After about 30 minutes of this ridiculous routine I finally pulled the valve open and let the water dump on me. I can't even say that it was refreshing. The water was so cold that all of my muscles were fully tensed the whole time... but I do smell better!~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-09-11
From: Rustys Hard Time Hollow

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The Priest... is a 4,063 ft. mountain with over 5 miles of constant ascent. The crew has been dreading the Priest for a week or so. It is the biggest, toughest climb we have had for a while. The Priest is loaded with over 30 switchbacks (a switchback is when the path snakes from side to side rather than go straight up the mountain, this makes for less of a vertical climb but also adds distance to the climb, hence the 4000 ft. over a 5 mile hike). We needed to hike 15 miles today to reach Priest Shelter which is just beyond the summit of the mountain itself. We ended up hiking over 20 miles to Seeley-Woodworth Shelter.I looked at the Priest as a test of my cardio development since Maine. I filled my pockets with high energy bars and made sure I was full with 2 liters of water. My mission was to reach Priest Shelter without stopping. Overall the climb was not as bad as I thought it would be. It took a couple of miles to get broken in but over time I forgot I was even going uphill. My body and my breathing just adapted to the strain. I had a pattern down with each breath and focused on keeping good posture during the climb. In the end I did accomplish climbing the Priest without stopping. It was raining the whole time and I couldn't identify sweat from rain, but I was drenched. I took a break at Priest Shelter. After 5 minutes my body began to shut down from cold. I was 30 minutes or so in front of the crew and as soon as they showed up I informed them that I still had a ton of energy and was choosing to move on to Seeley-Woodworth another 7 miles out. Everyone agreed to push on and here we ! are.It has been wet, cold and rainy for 3-4 days straight. I can't wait to see the sun again. The overcast wears on my spirits. ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"