morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-10
From: Roanoke, Va.

To: I-81 by Danville, Va.
Miles today: 0.0

We are back at the trailhead after a week in Washington DC with Heather and Elliot. It was great to be with Heather again. In twenty six years of marriage we have never been more than a week apart. She hasn't yet decided that life is more enjoyable without me which is a relief.I came off the Trail very foot sore and badly needed a rest. Wash.DC is not the place to find it. Too much to see, it's a place where you feel obligated to walk around, and Heather arrived all revved up and ready to go. My feet feel even more bruised than before. We have made some changes to our set up:* 'Thistle' and I can now split up if the needs arises. We have very different hiking speeds now and have different interests in the Trail to some extent also. If and when we separate we can do so without many practical problems.* Elliot has joined us for a a month's hike which should take us through Virginia. Since I carry the two-man tent, he and I will be hiking buddies for the time being. He doesn't have any previous experience at this kind of thing so it's difficult to say how this will affect our progress. At least this is is a much easier point on the Trail, with warmer weather, than when Thistle and I started so we hope he will find it easier than Thistle and I did in Georgia.* we have rejoined the AT at Daleville, nr. Roanoke. Pearisburg would have been as difficult to return to as it was to leave. So we have jumped 92 AT miles that we'll need to cover at a later date. Yup, we are "yellow blazers" whose status in the hiking community is maybe one rung higher than Bill Bryson's. I could care less.Remarkably, at the outfitters' store here, we have met 'Chafe Master J', and we are lodged at the local motel tonight where he and 'Foxie' (she has returned to her original name by agreement with the original Mellow Yellow'. Got it?) are both staying also. They tell us that 'Two Speeds' is only half a day ahead at the next shelter. We thought they would be some way ahead of us, and are delighted to see them. However, there is a bereavement in our hiking family, because we have learned that 'Dimple Rock' and 'Wrong Way' have decided to leave the Trail. They have been great company throughout and things won't seem the same without them. I'm sure they have plenty of reasons but I bet the never ending wet and cold weather (by American standards) has had something to do with it. We have heard that a number of others have stopped too, including possibly Ben and Tyler ('Riff-Raff'). The famed Virginia Blues really does seem to be taking its toll.
Date: 2003-06-14
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Camping by Marble Spring 
Miles today: 12.2

I sat at breakfast at the picnic table this morning chatting with Dottie and Cindy, the ladies in charge of the girl scout troop. They are from Louisville, Kentucky.It was cooler and much less humid today and I had a great morning walk up Apple Orchard Mountain through corridors of rhododendron and mountain laurel in full flower. Many of the rhododendron were shedding their blooms so that, turning some switch-backs and looking ahead, it was as if a pinkish-red carpet had been rolled out for me to walk on. In other sections this morning, and later on Thunder Hill and Ridge, I saw spiderwort for the first time and in sizeable clumps. About eighteen inches tall, the stem supports one or two violet-blue flowers of three rounded petals, and a cluster of pods hanging below the blooms. Each flower lasts only a day to be replaced by another. It's a flower that deserves a more elegant name. A few of the blooms I saw were violet-pink and one or two were full pink. The plant is grown commercially because it can detect lower levels of radiation better than more expensive scientific equipment - the higher the level of radiation, the more pink the blooms become. It reacts similarly to high concentrations of pesticides and carbon monoxide.  At the top of Apple Orchard Mountain I came on to a small area of meadow land and the bemusing sight of a giant white football, maybe forty feet high, behind a gate and high-wire fencing. It's part of a Federal Avionics Radar facility which I'm told was a much bigger establishment up here at one time.On the way down the other side of the mountain I squeezed between the vertical walls of two large rock formations about 25 feet high. Lodged between them at the top was a huge round boulder looking ready to drop at any second. You know it's going to fall some time, and maybe just at this moment I'm passing under..... I was through The Guillotine.The afternoon became very warm again, and I arrived at Thunder Hill Shelter and the blessed relief of a fine spring, walled in so it was easy to draw the cold, crystal clear water. I met two older gents there (i.e. about my age), called "Jersey" from New Jersey, and "Tipperary" who is from ... well, a long way from home. "Tipperary" is a very sociable, gregarious chap - in other words, an Irishman - and we had a fine blether about boots, feet, Six Nations Rugby, and all sorts. With "Thistle" and Elliot there, we posed for a Celtic photograph.  Through the afternoon we tracked and occasionally crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway to the sound of crickets, jumping in such numbers that it seemed the grass was moving. At one point, this chorus was joined by a swarm of cicadas which sounded like a very heavy voltage cable somewhere overhead. Today's walking ended with a stiff climb up High Cock Knob (no comment!) in the rain as the inevitable thunderstorm duly arrived. We are camping at Marble Creek, an area apparently rich in quartz deposits. I only know I had the Devil's job getting my tent stakes into the ground and badly bent two of them.
Date: 2003-06-15
From: Camping by Marble Spring 

To: Va 130, James River
Miles today: 7.7

I'm a light sleeper and it can be a curse. Elliot and I had hoisted our food bag but inadvertently left one or two snacks and wrappers in our back packs. Mice were soon active in the vestibule area of the tent. Then long before first light a bird chirruped incessantly for a couple of hours. I didn't sleep well. The morning has been an enjoyable walk generally down over six miles to Matt's Creek. Dry to start with, the valleys below us were filled with mist, and as we slowly descended into it, a light but steady rain fell on us. It was much cooler too, and these conditions have kept the insects away today. We passed a lot of dead pine, killed, we have read, by the southern pine beetle. A pair of these beetles can apparently kill a tree in 30 days, though a ranger told us the worst of the infestation is over. We met up for lunch at Matt's Creek Shelter, toying with a small orange and black snake as we ate, and then followed the creek for two miles until we were at the James River. The river came as a shock. Having forded, sat by and taken water from creeks for three months, the sheer size of a major river took me aback. At the moment it is about 300 yards wide, and clearly heavily swollen by all the recent rain. The trail switchbacked at a refreshing waterfall to lead us to a 625 foot footbridge over the James, the largest on the AT. The footbridge is called "The Foot Bridge". This recognises the efforts of a 1987 thru hiker called Bill Foot to finance its construction. He died in 2000. When he and his wife Laurie hiked, they were known as "The Happy Feet". I like that. We are staying tonight, a very rainy night, in the nearby town of Glasgow, Va.
Date: 2003-06-25
From: Wanesboro, Va

To: Skyline Drive
Miles today: 13.4

One zero day became two as we extended our stay in Waynesboro. Both days were very hot, great for cleaning stuff and getting things properly dried. More to the point, "Two Speeds" and "Thistle" were having "plumbing" problems, caused by the dramatic swings in our diet, I think, rather than anything more serious like giardia. One highlight came for me when "Firefeet" called to me from a parked car and introduced me to her boyfriend, Paul (he thru hiked in 1998), and his parents. A highlight because Paul's father was an officer on the USS Yorktown in World War 2. The Yorktown was one of the key players in the Battle of Midway, surely the greatest naval battle ever fought, and took the most damaging hits from the Japanese carrier fleet. Just when its crew seemed to be getting on top of the fires and had a chance of getting it back to port, the carrier was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and went down.Today we slack-packed back to town from 13.4 miles up on Skyline Drive. Not a very impressive mileage, but our shuttle arrived much later than planned, and the heat (95 degrees) and humidity (100%)have been absolutely killing. Taken together, the combined heat index was over 105 degrees, and heat advisories were issued each of the last two days. All this from 55-60 degrees F only a few days ago. Our progress was slow, and I arrived back at Rockfish Gap around 8.00 pm quite exhausted. We still had to make another 4 miles into Waynesboro, but very soon a car pulled over to give us a ride. Our saviour was Mary, a very upbeat young woman who works at the Outfitters store we visited yesterday. Then, I had worried about how much I had bought, tonight it felt like money well spent. We met up with a very interesting couple at the Calf Mountain Shelter on the way in today. They are "Tom for Short" and "Seneca Lou". There aren't many people on the trail now who are about my own age, and I suddenly realised how much I missed conversation with contemporaries. They also started out in March, travel at our pace, and it would be nice to get to know them better in the weeks ahead. They are from Fort Myers in Florida.Finally, I must report that Elliot has left us. "Thistle" and I saw him off at the Greyhound bus stop yesterday morning. For someone who had never hiked before, he adapted remarkably well. But he wants to do some travelling in the eastern states before flying home, and realised it woukld take too much time to reach Harper's Ferry by foot.
Date: 2003-07-06
From: Sam Moore Shelter, Sawmill Spring

To: Blackburn Trail Centre
Miles today: 10.9

We were on our way shortly after 8.00am and immediately joined battle with two more hills on the "Roller Coaster". We arrived, frazzled and bathed in sweat, a little late but Linda was at the trailhead on VA679. She had obviously been well advised by "Dimple Rock" about what hikers need on the trail, for she had a trunk load of good things - water, fruit drinks, fruit, nuts and snacks. First though, she drove us to brunch at the Pine Lodge Restaurant. We had a lovely chat for a couple of hours, bringing us up to date on what "Dimple Rock" and "Wrong Way" are doing now, and then she set us back at the trailhead to resume our fight with the "Roller Coaster". A very nice lady and very kind to take time out on her vacation to do this. With the combined heat index well over 100 yet again, we struggled over the last three sections and then pressed on with another 8 miles walking to reach the David Lesser Shelter. "Two Speeds" wasn't in great shape though and we have stopped short at the hostel at Blackburn Trail. Maintained by the PATC, they assign caretakers to manage the facility in the summer months. There is a bunkhouse, hot solar-powered shower, spigot providing fresh water, and the hosts, Bill and Sarah, also provide hot supper. Tonight it was pasta with a tomato sauce, green beans, garlic bread, and hot brownies to follow. Our hosts were good company and it was an excellent end to the day. As we ate there was the constant crack of acorns falling from the oaks on to the roof of the house. Sarah's brother and his family were visiting from Chicago, so we found ourselves part of a fine gathering of the hosts, three children, the visiting relatives and six hikers, all eating heartily while a thunderstorm developed outside. Back in the bunkhouse, I lie on my spacious top berth, well-fed, clean and scrubbed, and watch the lightning flash through a small window to my left, and listen to the rain clatter on the roof. I will sleep shortly. P.S. Amidst my concern with my creaure comforts, I forgot to mention something quite important. After 58 days and 435 miles of hiking, today we left the great State of Virginia, and entered West Virginia just a few miles before the Blackburn Trail Centre.
Date: 2003-07-11
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: In the woods before Pen Mar
Miles today: 17.4

Today has been a tough day even though the terrain has been fine for the most part. Late in the afternoon we had reached the blue blaze leading off to the Devil's Racecourse Shelter, but we all felt fresh enough to push on towards Pen Mar. Why the Devil's Racecourse? We found that out over the next three hours. The next and last hill of the day was a steep climb and descent over a long boulder path, and then a path so rocky it would have been impossible to find our way without white blazes on the rocks and trees every ten yards or so. It was very slow going and very hard on the feet. Just to worsen my mood further, the Devil's Racecourse ripped open the repair I had made to my left boot back in Harper's Ferry. Just before Pen Mar though we found an excellent camping spot in the woods above the Western Maryland Railroad line, and then walked into Pen Mar itself. This is a recreation area beautifully maintained by Washington County. The park closes at nightfall, but the park superindendant was very friendly and told us it was possible to order pizza to be delivered to the visitor centre and we could stay in the park to enjoy it. So we did. With everyone gone, we sat on the observation deck with our feast enjoying the last colours of a beautiful sunset. Looking west over the plain below, it was an evening of perfect visibility and seems like the first one we have had in four months. As darkness fell, the fireflies put on their display, and we watched the growing number of lights twinkling down in Hikertown, Maryland to our left and Waynesboro, Pennsylvania to our right. In darkness, but with our head torches, we have made our way through the woods to our tents, and have settled down with throbbing feet but full stomachs.
Date: 2003-07-16
From: James Fry Shelter

To: Boiling Springs, Pa
Miles today: 12.2

We had another bumper thunderstorm last night. Or so the shelter people told me. They lay awake for an hour as their roof shook, and the rain hammered down. I was blissfully unaware in my tent, sleeping the sleep of the totally exhausted. This morning required some difficult climbing over several rocky outcrops. On my last climb before the next shelter (and planned lunch stop), a troop of young boy scouts were on the trail just ahead of me. Seeing me coming up, the Scout Master ordered his boys to stand to the right to let me come through. "A hiker's coming". As I did so, the first boy (they were all about 12 years old) raised his hand for a high five. All the other hands went up, and I triumphantly high-fived my way through the entire troop. The effect on me was magical. My back straightened, my stride lengthened, I doubled my speed as I felt them looking forward at me, and marvelling at their encounter with a man of the mountains.Ten minutes later, I was still going up the slope, my brief surge of energy was gone, and the little squirts were right on my tail. Finally, I pulled over to let them pass through. This time, the first scout stuck out his hand, we shook hands, and he wished me "Good luck". I shook hands with the entire troop as they went streaming through, and received their best wishes, with a distinct sense of "Poor old guy. Hope he doesn't die out here".  The afternoon's walk was quite straightforward. About 4.00pm, I emerged from the woods blinking in the bright sunlight to be confronted by a cornfield, the corn stalks as high as a hiker's eye. And for the next two hours, I zig-zagged my way through corn fields and the occasional hedgerow until I came to Boiling Springs. The white blazes drew me over a railtroad track, across an old stone bridge over a river, and alongside a very large pond that is the town's centrpiece. Many fine houses sat above the lake on the opposite side. The immediate area round the lake was landscaped with oaks, maples and several large weeping willows hanging over the water. Hemerocallis were everywhere. Some men stood fishing, for trout I learned later. I met up with "Thistle", "Two Speeds" and "Chafe Master J" at the ATC office on the upper end of the pond. We ate at the local pub (this is a micro-brewery town) and have returned to a camping area on the edge of town. I set up my tent, and was unpacking my stuff inside when I heard the whistle of an approaching train. Comforting. But the whistle and sounds of the train got closer and closer, and louder and louder, until the noise was deafening. It was going to run right over me! I stuck my head out to see the lights of an engine rushing past beyond a line of trees only thirty yards away. Oh my God!
Date: 2003-08-04
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Fairfield, New Jersey
Miles today: 0.0

We have had a very welcome weekend of R&R with the Smith family even with two young teenage boys about the place. Karen has managed to cope with the smell that hikers carry with them (mainly our gear). Bill, I suspect, thinks we are complete lunatics but is much too polite to say so. For all the reasons that Karen thinks hiking is pretty gross, for all the same reasons the boys think it is pretty cool. They are desperate to get out on to the AT. Mum and Dad aren't impressed. We are a a bad influence. We have been glad to take the break too because the weather has been wetter than ever. For two days it's been violent thunderstorms and extremely heavy rains. This afternoon, with thunder booming directly overhead and rain lashing down, we sat and watched "A Perfect Storm" on video. It was like having surround sound with some special effects thrown in.Highlights of the past two days have included a family outing to see "Pirates of the Caribbean", the visit of "Two Speed's" niece Jill, her husband David and their captivating little girl, Caroline (20 months) for tea. And a great batch of Maine Blueberry Cake made by Sean with Ryan's help, for us to take with us back to the Trail. We go back tomorrow and the weather forecast continues to be stormy.
Date: 2003-08-05
From: Fairfield, New Jersey

To: Mohican Outdoor Centre, N.J.
Miles today: 10.3

We made an early start from Fairfield this morning and Karen delivered us back at Delaware Water Gap in time to put in a good day's hiking. As we pulled in at the church hostel, who should be starting off on his day's walk but "Chafe Master J". "Chafe" was back from a weekend spent with his boss and colleagues from work who had all come through from Chicago to sample this Appalachian Trail for themselves plus spend some time in NYC. It was ideal timing for us all to set off together, but, in typical hiker fashion, we piffled around for an hour, then decided we were hungry, all went off to eat, and didn't get underway until 1.00pm. Making our way gently up into the continuation of Kittatinny Mountain once again, the weather deteriorated and the rain became both steadier and heavier. This was a pity because the views from the ridgeline should have been great, down on the Delaware River on one side and a succession of lakes on the other, but we could only just make them out through a rainy murk. Thoroughly soaked, we have finally reached the excellent bunkhouse at the Mohican Outdoor Centre. Spirits have been raised by a hot shower, deli sandwiches made to order by the Centre, and, most of all, by the arrival of Ben and Tyler - "Riff-Raff" - who we haven't seen since we went off the trail at Pearisbirg at the beginning of June. They are excellent company and have said they will hike with us for a week or two before they make a charge for Katadhin. After our sandwiches we made short work of Sean's delicious Maine Blueberry cake. We then retired to the bunkhouse drawing room for brandy, cigars and good conversation, before finally getting to bed not long before midnight. Very late by hiker standards.
Date: 2003-08-08
From: Glen Anderson Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.3

Camped some way above the shelter and the tents of the girls' group, I was up particularly early to make full use of the privy before anybody was up and about. But as I approached it, damn it!, most of the girls were already up. Undaunted (actually I was full of daunt), I braced myself, marched down with TP in hand , and asked the group of girls nearest the privy to look away for the next five minutes. As I sat on the throne, the entire troop gathered round the campfire to plan their day ahead. Only 15 yards away, I followed their entire discussion, and was tempted to make some helpful suggestions, but it didn't seem appropriate. My companions decided they would use the privy at the next shelter, Mashipacong, about five miles ahead, so we got on our way. Within an hour we met the other inner-city group we had heard about. All teenage boys, their faces were a picture of misery and resentment, and they were barely able to muster a "Good Morning" among them as they filed by. Defifnitely not having a good time. Today was a big day for us in terms of miles. Much of it was very rocky too, like Pennsylvania revisited, at least up to High Point Mountain. "Chafe" and I were pretty exhausted when we finally reached Goldsmith Road where "Riff-Raff" were waiting for us. We duly turned right as instructed and soon emerged from the forest into a delightful area of grassy slopes and wooden buildings - two shelters and a privy. The shelters were very small in terms of bunk space, but had a hot shower, and hot and cold running water into a large aluminium sink for cooking, washing etc. The tree line was about 20 yards up from the higher of the two shelters, and adjacent to the hiker patch was a fenced area containing two mules. We were all preparing or eating supper when the mules set up the most incredible hee-hawing din. Then one positioned herself (I presume invitingly) and was promptly mounted by the other. The hikers responded with raucous cheering and applause. Unusually, every hiker here tonight is male. We agreed it was the most entertainment we had had over supper for quite some time. A meteor shower is expected tonight and the sky is partially clear. However hard I may try, I won't be able to stay awake