morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-15
From: Springer Mtn

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Trail Days7:30AM - Side Track CafeGot to Damascus at ~7AM on 5/14, and was lucky enough to find a bunk in The Place (the hostel where I had such a culture shock the first night of my first time through Damascus). I then headed for the Trail Days booths, in a park the Trail runs through on its way out of town south.I usually don't enjoy this type of gathering, which is a vendors' event, to present their wares to the hiking community. But here two things are different (maybe three).First, I knew a lot of people here. I haven't yet totalled up the number of northbounders I have mentioned in my journal, but estimate it is in he neighborhood of 500. And I started meeting them even before I got to the park, and probably renewed acquaintance with over 30 people by the end of the day (The park is probably 2 or 3 acres in extent, and the town is two streets less than a half mile long, so sooner or later you bump into nearly everyone here.). I met another 20 or 30 today.Second, I had a really good idea about what kind of products or services I was looking for from the vendors, mostly to lighten what I was carrying. I ended up buying a new tarp-tent and bivy, saving myself over 2 lbs, and replacing the hip belt on my pack with what I originally had, but with different instructions about how toput it on and adjust it. I am looking forward using both when I get back on the Trail (Yes, my attitude has improved tremendously after a day off the Trail.).Third, previous gatherings I have attended I viewed as life or death professional events, associated with job search or making connections, or selling a product or service. I had no such expectations from this event, so found I could relax and enjoy myself much better (Though I did generate a bit of resistance whenever I felt I was being 'sold to'.).7PM - Side Track CafeThe defining event of Trail Days is the parade of hikers from the outskirts at one end of town to the park at the other. Over the years this parade has evolved (degenerated?) into a mile-long water battle, both within the hikers' ranks and between the marching hikers and the townspeople lining the street. There was an amazing array of water guns (up to 3' long), water cannons, water balloons, water balloon slingshots and buckets on display and in use along the length of the parade route, and even in the park, just when we were beginning to feel safe, there was a garden hose with a high speed nozzle attached. Everyone got wet to dome extent, and some got drenched. Jan Liteshoe was walking just ahead of me when she scored a direct hit on a hiker wielding a water cannon, but he must have gotten retribution, because she was completely soaked when I next caught sight of her.The day ended appropriately with a downpour lasting a couple of hours. I am now looking forward to the Hardcore Trail Maintenance day and a half out of Bob Peoples' Kincora.I am struggling with my hiker's appetite. It is still at about 4000 calories per day, but my energy requirement will probably be below 2000 until I get on the Trail again in 3 weeks.
Date: 2004-05-16
From: Damascus, VA

To: Kincora
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Hard CoreThese two days were my main reason for coming to Trail Days: the Hard Core Crew - two days of trail maintenance run by Bob Peoples of Kincora.Hard Core is many things. It is lots of free food served up by Trail legends like Bob and Baltimore Jack and by many other volunteers. It is meeting and working with and getting to know well hikers and other people who make up the Trail community. But mostly it is a chance to 'pay it forward', that is to give back to the Trail and to give to hikers of the future the same opportunity to hike the Trail that we are enjoying right now.Hard Core is a two day event involving close to a hundred people who volunteer this time to do trail maintenance, or just to support the event. Several projects, large and small are encompassed in the event.On the first day, I joined a small crew (about a dozen people) to tear down Raccoon Branch Shelter, about 100 Trail miles north of Kincora. It is located in a declared wilderness area, where structures are removed as they age. It is also close to an existing shelter as well as to a new shelter that is being built. It proved to be a very well-constructed shelter, which made it quite difficult to bring down. We managed to remove the roof and walls and carry off the debris for proper disposal. But the platform of solid oak planking and the concrete foundation posts still remained even after a day of work. The second day I actually got to dig some trail, as part of a relocation of a section of the Trail about 10 miles south of Kincora. That turned out to be more complicated and strenuous than I had expected. I scraped duff, lopped roots, levelled the underlying mineral layer, but at the end of 4 or 5 hours had only created about 40' of new trail! It sure made me appreciate how much effort goes into maintaining the entire Trail (which is about 1/2 million times as long). I also got to paint a white blaze, that symbol of the Trail uniting it along its full 2174 mi length.During the first day I got to renew my acquaintance with Impulse (I camped with him on Max Patch) and met Forrest Phil (who drove me back to MD), one of the crew leaders. During the second day I got to know better current thru-hiker, Lint, and Bookworm, who thru-hiked 4 or 5 years ago. And during the times we weren't working I was able to spend time with LWOP (whom I met in Damascus), Bramble (met at Vandeventer Shelter collecting for cancer), Dragonslayer (for whom I was searching when I entered the Grayon Highlands) and Firefeet, 03 thru-hiker.Thanks to Bob Peoples, Baltimore Jack, Forrest Phil and all the other volunteers who contributed to this effort.
Date: 2004-06-06
From: Harbor City, CA

To: Powell Gap
Miles today: 0.0

Heading Back7:30AM - Amtrak train from Boston to DCI'm on my way back to the Trail after all-too-brief visits with a friend in MD and a son in NH.There has been a lot of activity lately regarding the math and word problems I posed way back at Little Wolf Creek in VA.For the two subsidiary math problems:The first guide was fired for saying the first three crossings, RLL, were all crossings of the main stream, because main-stream crossings must alternate R and L. That is, the second crossing must have been a tributary crossing.If you are going upstream, all tributary crossings MUST be the same direction as the next main-stream crossing. Thus if the second crossing, an L, were a main-stream crossing, the next crossing would need to be an R, which it isn't. Put another way, if there is a series of consecutive crossings in the same direction (followed by a crossing in the opposite direction), then only the last of these crossings is a main-stream crossing and the rest are tributary crossings.Given the list of crossings, RLLRLRRRLLRRLLRLRL, the main-stream crossings are #s 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 (because it is stated in the problem). So there are an even number of main-stream crossings, and implying that the hiker ends up on the same side of Little Wolf Creek as he started.If the hiker encountered this series of crossings going downstream, the main-stream crossings would be 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 18, since the FIRST crossing in a series would be the main-stream crossing.For the anagram problem, recall that the two phrases being compared were MATH MASTER and CAST MEMBER. The letters that match are M, A, T, M, S, E, and R. These letters can be anagramed into STAMMER, something from which both Pooh and Fudd suffered from time to time, I think.The unmatched letters were H, A, T from the first phrase and C, E, B from the second. These six letters anagram into The cab! (The cab!). [For those of you who are too young to remember the 70s, or who are purposely trying to forget, Fantasy Island always opened with one of the main characters, of diminuitive stature, shouting "The Plane! The Plane!" as the guests for the week appeared over the horizon.]For the (defective) word problem, here is the solution with the original words:TEVI - Camp ShoesLEVI - Blue JeansLEKI - Hiking PolesOf course, as mentioned in an earlier entry about unexamined assumptions, TEVI should have been TEVA. Most thru-hikers wear camp shoes when not hiking, but my observation this year is that at least as many peope wear Crocs as Tevas, even though Crocs are harder to come by than Tevas.Of course, nearly no thru-hiker wears blue jeans, in line with the common sentiment that 'cotton is deadly' since it can contribute to hypothermia when wet.At least 99% of thru-hikers use hiking poles, and of those at least 75% use Lekis.Glad to be heading back to the Trail
Date: 2004-06-07
From: Powell Gap

To: Bear Fence Shelter
Miles today: 15.2

Back on the TrailAfter 24 days off the Trail, I started walking again today. I began the same place I began in March, but this time I was headed north. So when I get to Maine I will have hiked the entire Trail.At first, I slack packed with my friend Teasenberg. I would start walking along the Trail and Teasenberg would drive along the Skyline Drive to the next trailhead with parking, and walk back to meet me. Then we would walk back to the car together. After doing this a couple of times, we had lunch and then Teasenberg was back to the outside world, and I was walking by myself again.But what a difference this time! I have reduced the weight of my tent by nearly 2 lbs, my pack by 2 lbs, my sleeping bag by over 1/2 lb, and my maximum water weight by over a pound. It almost felt like slack packing at first, and the miles semed to just melt away under my feet. But as the miles clicked by I began to appreciate the trade-off I had made with my pack. It was lighter, but the support in the shoulders and around the hips is much less. In particular, my shoulders began to ache like they haven't done since the first couple of weeks of my hike. This was compounded by my decision to push on after I had walked my planned 9 miles. I ended up walking over 15. I think that the shoulder problem will go away, since the pack does sit so lightly on my back. And to help them out, I am determined to only walk 11 miles tomorrow.I saw 6 deer today, 5 of them up close. I was surprised by how big they were, and by the fact that they don't seem at all afraid of people. At one point two young bucks were on the trail just in front of me. They watched me approach without moving at all, as if daring me to get close to them. The first one didn't move until I was within 20' of him, and even then he just ambled a short distance off the trail. The whole process was repeated with the second buck just 50' later.I apparently just missed an encounter with a bear. I stopped in at a campground to look at what camping there would be like. Another hiker was there and left just after I got there, and met up with a bear on the trail right at the edge of the campground. After a short staring contest, the bear sauntered away, but not before the hiker got a pictureof him. There was no bear in sight when I passed there a few minutes later. I hope that Shenandoah bears are a bit more scared of people than the deer are.There are a bunch of thru-hikers at this shelter, but only one I remember meeting before - Stretch, who was at the same shelter as me the day after I left Miss Janet's. Others include Boonie, Southern Boy, Megabyte and Rex.Milestone: Today I passed the 900 mile mark.Hope you all are having as much fun as I am!
Date: 2004-06-09
From: Rockspring Hut (Tenting)

To: Pass Mtn Hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Traveling Family7:30 - Pass Mtn HutStaying again tonight with essentially the same people as last 2 nights: Stretch, Yankee Turtle, MegaBite, Rex and Boonie. Neptune and Houston, who were section hiking, have finished their hike and have gone home. We were joined by Pilot, Mouse and one other person who will be with the group for the next two days (When we get to Front Royal we will split up, since nearly everyone is meeting up with friends there.). But I am guessing that this will be a common occurence, hooking up with a fluid group for a while, where the group is constantly gaining and losing people, but keeps in loose contact with each other through the shelter registers. And certainly there has ben no clicquishness, since I was immediately accepted by the group as soon as I show up.In addition there is a group of 03 thru-hikers on a reunion hike through the Shenandoah. It is really helpful for us to hear about their experience, because even though we are nearly halfway through, there is still a lot to learn. In addition, it gave me a very warm feeling to see them doing things together a year later.No Bears Yet !@#&&!!
Date: 2004-06-12
From: Chester Gap (Pioneer Motel, Front Royal)

To: Manassas Gap (Pioneer Motel, Front Royal)
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Slacking Front RoyalFirst, I want to thank trail angel Yuriko. When I came out of the woods onto Rt 522 Friday it was raining. But as soon as I stuck out my thumb, a car stopped. It was Yuriko, who is studying law in DC. She is from Japan, which gave me a chance to practice Japanese, which I haven't done for a while, and just to reminisce about Japan. She dropped me at the registration desk of my motel, so 20 minutes after I walked out of the woods I was lying on my bed watching The Weather Channel. Thanks, Yuriko.Today my friend, Teasenberg, joined me and we slackpacked south from Manassas Gap (6 mi E of Front Royal) to Chester Gap (4 mi S of Front Royal), where I left off Friday. Since we were walking south we met nearly all of the group I have been travelling with through the Shenandoah. In addition there were several other thru-hikers we met who were slackpacking.The weather was overcast and a litle warm, but overall a good hiking day. We heard lots of birds, and smelled honeysuckle for most of the day. And best of all, the gentle slopes of the Shenandoahs continued northward. We got back to town tired but satisfied, and ended the day by seeing Harry Potter.Have a magical day yourselves.
Date: 2004-06-13
From: Manassas Gap (Pioneer Motel, Front Royal)

To: Rod Hollow Shelter 
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: broken clouds

CicadasAfter being together with a dozen people through the Shenandoahs, and with Teasenberg yesterday, the shock of starting out by myself today made me lonely for about the first time on the Trail. But that didn't last long. As the sky brightened, the birds began to sing high up in the canopy, and I was entertained by a variety of songs all morning.But by the end of the morning I began to hear a muted roar that made me wonder if the constant ringing I have in my ears was getting worse. It seemed to be coming from just over the next hill, but we were not quite getting to it. Suddenly we wee surrounded by it and at last I recognized it as the rasping sounds of thousands and thousands of cicadas. I had not heard cicadas on the Trail before, but had heard them loud and clear when I was in suburban MD last week. I surmised that they didn't inhabit higher elevations, like the Shenandoah, but now that I was descending in elevation (Rod Hollow is at 840'), I was literally coming down to their level. I was entertained by their constant song for most of the rest of the day.Met two thru-hikers slacking southbound for the day, Papa Bear and Badger. Also met a SoBo section hiker, Master Squirrel, who just set out for a three week hike with her dog. Just before lunch at Dick's Dome Shelter (so named for its resemblance to a geodesic dome) I found a bag of fruit and a bag of candy bars hanging from a tree. 'Trail angel, no doubt' I thought. But I became really excited to discover the angel was Aloha'Ann, whose journal of her 01-03 hike I had followed with interest, thinking maybe I would get to meet her at the shelter. No such luck. I later found out that the Trail Magic was left over from a spread Aloha had put on on Saturday at the Manassas Gap trailhead parking area. Worse luck. Teasenberg and I had started our slack pack just 100 yds from that parking lot, but headed away from it rather than towards it. In any case, Thanks for the candy bar, Aloha, and sorry that I missed you.Somehow I seem very sleepy today, so will soon head for bed even though the sun is still up.
Date: 2004-06-14
From: Rod Hollow Shelter 

To: Blackburn Center
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: light rain

The Roller CoasterThe Roller Coaster was supposed to be the star of this entry: up & down 10 hills in 13 miles, each about 500' high. No single hill was that difficult, but having to start up the next one just after coming off the last one somehow takes its toll. And that doesn't even take into account the rocks.But the real stars were the two hostels I stopped at. The first was Bears Den. It looks like a castle, and has luxurious accommodations for hikers in the basement for just $15 per night. It is owned by the ATC (the overall manager for the AT), but is run by Blue Ridge ??, an environmental management organization. I stopped in there for lunch, planning to stay for an hour (a lolligag for me), but ended up staying nearly 2.Tonight I am staying at the Blackburn Trail Center, which is run by the Potomac ATC, one of the major Trail maintenance clubs. It has a resident caretaker family, and has a hiker hostel, a solar shower, and best of all they serve a spaghetti dinner to all hikers who stay here (For free. The stay is for whatever donation you choose). Finally, they have a screened-in porch with plenty of room for sleeping, which is where I'll be staying tonight. And the hosts, Bill 84 and Sarah, are exceedingly gracious and generous.Wildest Roller Coaster I have ridden in ages.
Date: 2004-06-16
From: Harpers Ferry (Hilltop House Hotel)

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

Home to MarylandToday's walk started off with 3 miles on the level, the footbridge across the Potomac and the towpath along the C & O Canal, which parallels the Potomac from western Maryland down to DC. I was glad for the level trail, since my knee was still a bit sore when I got up this morning. In fact, I took it a bit easy all day so as not to strain the knee, and found unexpected benefits. For one, parts of today's trail were nearly as rocky as yesterday's. Going just a little bit slower gave me the opportunity to choose my foot plant much better, so there was very little of the bruising impact I get when rushing along rocky trail. For another, I just felt more relaxed and aware of my surroundings at the slower pace. As Aloha!Ann (AT 01-03) recently pointed out to me, even if I average 10 miles a day I would still get to Katahdin before the mountain closes. I have been averaging nearly 14 since getting back on the Trail. At that pace I would finish 9/7, which as Aloha again pointed out, is much earlier than I would want to be done.So as of now, I am going to be very careful to avoid having my average mileage get over 14 mi per day. I will start that effort by taking a zero day this week.A third benefit of cutting back the pace is that I didn't get as sweaty and worn out as I do when I rush. So, even though my knee seems much improved, I will continue to hold back on the pace for a few more days (Even at the slower pace I did the mileage today in under 8 hours, including lunch, water stops, and chatting.).The rest of the hike was fairly level, since it went along the ridge of a mountain. The only steep slopes were the initial climb up the mountain and the climb down into and up out of Gathland State Park, a Civil War historical park (looked interesting, but didn't stop).There are only two people with me in the shelter tonight, Matt, who I think I met when I was going south, and Gaiter Woman, whom I have been with off and on since my second or third night in SNP.Today's milestone: My 6th state, Maryland, the state of my birth and of my youth.Back home again at last!
Date: 2004-06-17
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: broken clouds

LolligaggingLeapfrogged all day with Gaiter Woman, and actually walked along with her a couple of times for a mile or two each time. This is the first time I have really walked with someone on the Trail, except for about an hour with Zuma, the Ridgerunner, in Georgia.We planned to start our day with a shower at a hiker campground about two miles up the Trail. Since I hadn't had a chance to do laundry in Harpers Ferry, my shirt was beginning to get an advanced case of 'hiker funk'. So for the first time in my life I took a shower with my shirt on, lathering it up like everywhere else. I sure smelled better all day today than I did yesterday, and since it took all morning for the shirt to dry, I was cool well into the heat of the day.That was actually quite helpful, since today was the warmest, muggiest day on the Trail yet. I drank more water and ate more food than usual, but still ended the day nearly wiped out, even though the Trail was no more difficult than yesterday.After the showers, the next stop was the (original) Washington Monument. After stopping there for water and an early lunch, I had only gone 4 miles in 4 hours. There were other places to stop - Civil War battle signs, rock overhangs with views, so by the time I finally got to the shelter, it had taken nearly 10 hours to go the distance. But that still left nearly 5 hours of daylight.Tomorrow I will take a (nearly) zero day, with my only hiking being about 1 mile out to the road.I am looking forward to that.
Date: 2004-06-19
From: MD 77 (Suburban MD)

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

Through MDMy friend dropped me off back on MD 77 in time to be walking by 9:30. One thing we noticed was that the Cicadas were quiet in suburban MD, after being noticeably audible for the last month or so. But they are still active up here in the mountains, but probably for not much longer.Part of the reason for taking a zero day yesterday was to rest the knee that was strained in a fall coming in to Harpers Ferry. Strangely enough, the knee felt more sore after the zero day than it did while I was walking the two previous day. Maybe that was because something happened to it when I misjudged a pedestrian light crossing a busy intersection in Frederick and had to hustle across the last three lanes, full pack and all.The weather today started out hot and muggy, like it has been for over a week now. But about the time I crossed the Mason-Dixon Line (MD/PA border) it got noticeably cooler. Soon it started to sprinkle, but without the threat of thunder that has been there throughout this muggy weather. A couple of hours later the sun came out again, but now the air was cool and dry. Quite a pleasure, even if I had to put on a light fleece at dinner for the first time since the Smokies or so.The landscape in MD had much less up-and-down to it than everywhere from the Shenandoah south, and much less muddiness than the stretch from Front Royal to Harpers Ferry. There were some rocky sections, particularly the descent from Quirauk Mtn, the highest point on the AT in MD.Just about when the sprinkles were stopping, I came to the Pen Mar park on the PA/MD border. It is a very nice state park, but because I was still thinking rain, I just walked straight through. Big mistake. Apparently there was big trail magic (usually food being given away) happening in the center of the park, where a Trail angel was giving away sauages, baked beans, potato salad and sodas to thru-hikers. I have now missed major trail magic at least four times by a day or a few feet. Everyone assures me that my turn will come. I'm looking forward to it.As soon as the border into PA was crossed, berries started to show up: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries. I think I'm going to like this state, at least until the infamous 'Pennsylvania Rocks' show up. So far PA is no rockier than the rest of the Trail.Milestone: Entered Pennsylvania, my seventh state on the Trail. Since there are 14 altogether, I am halfway there.Tomorrow - A Fathers' Day lolligag in Caledonia State Park.