morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-14
From: Will be updated

To: Double Springs
Miles today: 31.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Hey folks! This is Manfire. I am in Damascus, VA right now about 453 miles from the start. I had the chance to use the computer here so I decided I would post the last few days of entries myself. There are a few days of entries that belong before these entries that I mailed to Sam my transcriber who will type them up and post them in chronological order. So keep an eye out for them. br>Left the hostel this morning at 815 and planned on a 24 mile day. Eleven miles later we came across a lake that had a rope swing. The swing was pretty intimidating. Dave and I stood by the rope for 30 minutes before we go the nerve to swing off of it. Dave was worried about the rope breaking while swing over the a 15 foot drop before reaching the lake and I was worried about the lake being cold. So there is a picture of me holding onto the rope getting ready to swing, then another picture 30 minutes later of me holding onto the rope, then a picture of me and dave playing paper, rock, scissors to see who would go first (I lost). Then a picture of us swinging. The rope didn¢t break and the water was warm. We wer there for about an hour and half before he pushed up the trail another 7 miles to a shelter were we ate dinner and filled up on water. For some dumb reason I had a crazy idea of hiking all 50 miles to Damascus, VA without stopping to sleep. I talked Dave into it, so we ate and pushed on into the night. We only had one head lamp between the two of us and it was pitch dark out. We spooked about 4 or 5 deer, which in turn spooked us. We didn¢t know what it was until we were able to focus the head lamp on the sound of something big moving through the woods. Around midnight and mile 27 it stared to thunder and lighting. At that tune we had to cross a road and head into a farm field, which we deicded was not safe to do in a lighting storm. So we through a tarp over some down logs and crouched under it until it passed. We packed back up and headed across the road and into the field. Being so dark we had a hard time finding wer the trail was in the field. We zigged zagged across the field looking for the trail for about 45 minutes. We eventually found it and decided that we would stop at the shelter which we thought was about 2 miles away. We hiked for a long time in the dark and thought we passed the shelter and then switched back to the idea that since we passed it we should just finish the remanding 20+ miles to Damascus. Turns out the shelter was 2 more miles up and we just crashed there around 3am. It turned out to be a 31 mile day.
Date: 2005-06-15
From: Double Springs

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: few clouds

>Woke up around 11am sore and tired. It was 16 miles to the VA border and a total of 19 miles to Damascus, VA. Every step of those 19 miles hurt. Even when I stopped to break and sat down my feet would still throb. The miles were slow and painful, but all you can do is put one foot in front of the other. I was so happy to see the NC/VA border. I just dropped my pack and sat down. The last 3.5 miles to Damascus were all down hill, I put my MP3 player on and hoped that would take my mind off of the fact that I can hear the town from a distance even though I knew it was another 2 hours before I actually got there.
Date: 2005-06-17
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

>I really wanted to stay another day in Damascus, but I would have felt guilty for not working towards my goal. I was able to do both though. I rented a bicycle and get a shuttle 17 miles north on the VA Creeper Trail. I would get dropped off and ride the bike 17 miles south back to Damascus and spend another day here. The next day I would get a shuttle back up to the 17 miles where the A.T. cuts back off of the Creeper trail and start there. This was great. I was able to do the 17 miles in 2 12 hours, get my miles in for the day and stay in Damascus. Another reason why I wanted to be in Damascus tonight was because they were going to have a live Jazz funk band (its not about the type of music, just a place to gather and have some fun). Dave and I went to that and found out while we were there from locals were the after party was. The bars around here close at 12, so we went to the party and hung out until 2 and then crashed back at the Hostel.
Date: 2005-06-18
From: Damascus, VA

To: Campsite 5mi north of Damascus
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: light rain

6/18Woke up this morning in Damascus and hitched a ride 17 miles up to the junction. A pickup truck with about 4-5 bikes in the back stopped for me and Dave. We crammed our selves in between the bikes and were happy that we got a ride. It started to hail when we got dropped off. We hung out under a tree until it passed. We pushed on after the hail stopped and hiked 5 miles to a campsite. I set up my hammock and Dave put us his tarp. Across the campsite there was an abandoned farm house. We talked about how it would be cool to buy it and turn it into a hostel or some sort of service that takes groups out on hiking trips. We made a fire and came up with all kinds of ideas for the business. It¢s something that probably will never happen but it was interesting how an idea with someone you met on the A.T. could potentially change your life and plans.The hammock slept great. It was the best sleep I have had on the trail. Future thru-hikers, I recommend the Henessey Hammock.
Date: 2005-06-19
From: Campsite 5mi north of Damascus

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

6/19Packed up this morning and hiked 11 miles to Thomas Knob in Grayson Highlands. Half way on the hike it started to hail and rain. I was drenched and miserable. It rained so hard the trail was a river. Baby Boy and Cool Breeze were there we all planned to meet two days later at the Partnership Shelter for a celebration. We will be celebrating 500 miles into the trip and at being the summer solstice.
Date: 2005-06-20
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Hurricane Mountain
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

6/2015 miles today to Hurricane Mountain. The hiking has been getting easier in VA, so far VA has been the best terrain. At the camp was a family that was doing a 3 day trek. The daughter was very sick and couldn¢t keep food down. I gave her one of my Gatorade packets in hopes it would help. They all asked questions about my trip and I could tell that the father envied me. It escapes me sometimes that I am hiking from GA to ME and a lot of people don¢t get the chance to do that. Its things like that, which keeps me going. During the day I get lost in thoughts and when I snap out of it I wonder how far I have walked. Then I spend 30 minutes walking and trying to figure out how far I went then I go back to random thoughts of life. It¢s a cycle that gets me down the trail.
Date: 2005-06-21
From: Hurricane Mountain

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: light rain

6/21Summer solstice today as well as hike naked day. I hiked clothed and so did everyone else I saw on the trail. This is good because they were all males. We hiked 21 miles to the Partnership shelter. The shelter is on a state park and is near a ranger station with a phone. We got pizza delivered and a ride to get some beer. We had a little party at the shelter. I fell asleep at 10pm and was back up at midnight and couldn¢t sleep. I walked and finally was able to climb back into my sleeping bag and fall asleep.
Date: 2005-06-23
From: Atkins, VA

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

6/23Hiked 14 miles to Knot Maul. Crossed a lot of farm fields today. I was crossing a dry creek bed and a little fawn was laying down in it. He baaaed at me and ran off into the brush. It was so cute. Other than that, nothing else exciting happened.
Date: 2005-06-24
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Chestnut Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.0

6/24 Made it to Chestnut Knob today. It¢s a really nice shelter on a bald. It is four sided and has a door. Only problem is that there is no water up here. Dave, Baby Boy, Cool Breeze, and I pooled our water together we had enough to cook dinner and a couple swigs of water a piece. It will only be 1.3 miles tomorrow to the nearest water source so we will be fine.
Date: 2005-06-25
From: Chestnut Gap Shelter

To: Campsite near a Fire Service road
Miles today: 15.0

6/25 Hiked 15 miles today. Staying at a campsite near a forest service road. Today was very exciting. I saw a bear cub and a copperhead. I came around a bend and there was a cub running up the side of the mountain. I immediately turned of my MP3 player and looked and listened for Mama Bear. Luckily, I didn¢t see her, especially if I would have been between her and her cub. I hiked about a mile further before I put the tunes back on and zoomed down the trail. Just before the forest service road there was a very well constructed bridge that went over a wide stream. Some locals drove up to the forest service road and were in the stream catching some live bait to fish with. One of them saw a baby copperhead and pinned it down with their net. I cautiously went near it and snapped a picture. I think it was too small to bite me, but I wasn¢t going to take any chances.
Date: 2005-06-26
From: Campsite near a Fire Service road

To: Near I-77
Miles today: 0.0

6/26Hiked to I77 today.Dave, Baby Boy, Cool Breeze and I are going to stealth camp away from the highway for the night. Tomorrow we will walk to the exit to call Dave¢s Mom to pick us up. She lives in Beckley, VW about 5 miles from the exit. There Baby Boy and Cool Breeze will take a bus back home to Mississippi. Then on the 28th I will go back to the trail and Dave is going to pick his Girlfriend up and meet me in Catawba, VA on the 2nd.
Date: 2005-06-27
From: Near I-77

To: Beckley, WV
Miles today: 0.0

6/27Dave¢s Mom came and picked us up and we stayed at his sister house. She made up Brownies and Cookies. They were GREAT. She also had a pair of hair clippers, so I shaved my head there. His family was very nice and made me feel like I was home. Thank you for everything!
Date: 2005-06-28
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: light rain

6/28Left around 9:30 for Pearisburg, VA. Before I could get back on the trail I had to take care of a few things. I had to pick up my mail drop, get fuel for the stove and get a hold of Sam my transcriber. Sam said he could hike with me for a few days in a email he sent me. The email was dated the 18th however so I wasn¢t sure if he still could at such short notice. So it turned out I couldn¢t get a hold of him. Also, there was no fuel in Pearisburg, so Dave drove me to Blacksburg were I was able to get some. Dave dropped me off and I hiked to the first shelter I came to. So far no one is here. It¢s going to be great to hook back up with him and his girl on the 2nd. His girl is going to be hiking with us for two weeks. Should, be fun to have a new face around. Well I¢m off to bed before the storm hits. Night!P.S. I¢m 629 miles into the trail!
Date: 2005-07-16
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

eya!Manfire here reporting live from Waynesboro, VA (about 830 miles from the start). I¢m at Laura and Pat Fly¢s house right now. They are old high school friends who are graciously taking care of me for a few days of R & R. Sunday the 17th I will be heading back out on the trail and I am looking forwarded to crossing that half way point soon. The entries that I have sent to my transcriber should be updated soon. A few days after that there is a skip in entries. I was suffering from the VA Blues and didn¢t feel like writing. The VA Blues are very common among thru-hikers. Sometimes it takes hikers off the trail, but I¢m sticking with it all the way through to Maine. It¢s just another thing that the trail throws at you. The trail isn¢t easy, only 1 out of 10 make it to Maine and 1 out of 5 to the halfway point. I will make it though. I know I will. As for exciting news, I saw another bear! Dave, Nemo, and I were walking down the trail when Dave yelled stop! We looked up and saw a big black bear walking down the mountain. He turned his head and looked at us and kept on walking on down the mountain. Of course because of all the rain we have been having, my camera was safe from the rain in my pack and I wasn¢t able to get a picture. Also, Nemo stepped over a copperhead and lived to tell about it.        I apologize for the skip in the days and I plan to keep a better detailed journal from now on. Thanks for your understanding.Three are some trail recipes that I would like to share with you. Hiking the trail has made me have some weird cravings and to be more creative with my food. Try one!1.Ramen noodles with cheddar cheese combos. Let combos soak until they are little cheesy dumplings.2. Mac and cheese mixed with peanut captain crunch cereal 3.Mac and cheese with stovetop stuffing4.Ramen mixed with instant potatoes and stuffing.5. Ramen mixed with potatoes and Pringles. There are some new pictures updated on the site, but in order to get to them you have to click the "first" button on the photo page. I am not as savy as Sam my transcriber and maybe with luck he will put them back in order. sorry for the confusion.
Date: 2005-07-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

There has been a change in plans. Sine I couldn¢t leave until my last semester was over (may 7th), it was causing me to race to an almost impossible deadline of October 15th m Which is when they close the Big K in Maine. Solution: flying back home on the 19th where my father will drive me to Maine the following Saturday and I will hike south back to Waynesboro, VA where I left off. My friends Laura and Pat Fly from Woodstock, VA live near Waynesboro and can take me to the airport on the 19th and when I arrive back in Waynesboro in early November. I think that this will elevate the pressure of meeting the October 15th deadline.
Date: 2005-07-20
To: Mt. Katadin
Miles today: 10.4

Today, I finally got back on the trail after a week off. Greg, Mom and I climbed Mt. Katadin. The climb started in Baxter State Park at Katadin Stream Campground. It was a 5.2 climb up to the summit and it was the hardest climb I have ever done on the trail. My mother had to stop after mile 3. We left at 8:30 and parted ways with her at 12:30. Greg was worn out before we reached the top. It is definitely not a climb for people who are afraid of heights. We reached the top and took a well needed rest. Greg has an 'Adventure Kite' and he flew it at the top and we both signed it. Tired, we hiked back down where my mother was waiting. That night, we went back into town for pizza and beer. My knees were really bad that night and I questioned the idea of finishing the thru-hike. I will be alright though.
Date: 2005-07-21
From: Mt. Katadin Trail head

To: 100 Mile Wilderness
Miles today: 13.2

I was dropped off at the trail head at Mt. Katadin in Baxter State Park in the pouring rain. I headed off limping because of my knees. I made it 13.2 miles into the 100 Mile Wilderness and it poured all the way. I was slipping over rocks and tripping over tree roots, which didn't help my knees. I was the only one there which I was fine with. At the end of the 13, I popped an Ibruprofen and went to sleep. Transcriber's Note: I am not looking up the correct spelling of words like "Ibruprofen". For those of you who are perfectionist, you should not read this site.....g
Date: 2005-07-22
From: 100 Mile Wilderness

To: Still Traveling the Wilderness to Monson 2
Miles today: 11.0

Today I did 11 miles and I got my hammock up on a lake that had a great view. I was disappointed in the low mileage I did this day, but my knees hurt and I had to remind myself that I am in no rush because of the flip flop.
Date: 2005-07-23
From: Still Traveling the Wilderness to Monson 2

To: Wilderness Still: White House Landing
Miles today: 6.0

I made it to the White House Landing where there is a Bed and Breakfast. I enjoyed a 1 pound burger and other emenities. My limping was so bad, I decided I had to get out of the Wilderness. With virtually 1 option for heading south, I hired a float plane to land on the lake there and fly me to Monson where I could rest in a town for a few days. The plane came and picked me up and 15 minutes later, I was in Monson, Maine. There I could get mcuh needed knee braces and stock up on some pain meds. In a few days, I will head back on the trail. I really think the knee braces will make a difference. Transcriber's Note: From White Hous Landing to Monson is approx. 70 miles.
Date: 2005-07-27
To: Moxie Bald Shelter
Miles today: 16.4

Today was the first day back on the trail since the break in Monson, ME. I made it to Moxie Bald Shelter with the help of knee braces. It was a very wet day. It had rained all day and I also had to ford two rivers. I think I am going to be able to push some big miles now that I switched some of my gear out for lighter gear. My pack weight now is easily 20lbs, which is better than the 45lbs that I started out with. It is amazing how you learn to improvise your gear to make it lighter and make it do "double duty". Tomorrow I am going to try to make it into Caratunk for my mail drop. I don¢t plan on stopping into the town, just to get my package and head back out. It's going to be a long day so I better get my rest. NightTranscriber's Note. Since some trail journals are missing and mileage was not recorded, Manfire has calculated total trip miles to be 976.5 as of the Moxie Bald Shelter.
Date: 2005-08-02
From: Moxie Bald Shelter

To: Plerasant Pond
Miles today: 13.4

Well I didn¢t make it to Caratunk like I planned. I only made it 13.4 miles to Pleasant Pond. It started out to be a great day. Then it started to lightning just as I was crossing an exposed bald mountain. I was running to get across the bald before getting struck by lightening. Since the rocks were all wet, I must have fallen about 50 times before reaching the tree line. When I did reach the tree line, I stepped into a sink hole of mud that engulfed me up to my knees. As I was trying to get out my boots were becoming lose because of the suction of the mud. When I did finally get out, I tried to retied my boots and the laces broke offboth of them. This wasn¢t good. I had 5 more miles to go with boots that I couldn¢t lace up. I did what I could with some parachute cord in order to keep them on my feet. When I did reach the shelter, I cut across the woods and ended up stepping in someone's crap. They say if you step in dog crap, it is suppose to bring you good luck. Apparently, if you step in human crap, it means that you wish you stepped in dog crap. It was about 5pm when I got there and thought to myself that I could still make it another 5 miles to Caratunk by 8pm/ I decided not to though. I sat in the shelter pissed off. All of a sudden a trail angel showed up. He was a former thru hiker from 1995. He brought some cokes and Snicker bars.I thought I would get cleaned up in the stream and then relax with a coke and Snicker's and everything would be all right again. As I was getting cleaned up a family of four walked into he shelter just as I had my pants off and was changing into some clean cloths. So, hopefully I pulled my pants up before they got a good look. They turned out to be a nice family though. The two kids saw the cokes and Snicker's and wanted some, but the mother wouldn¢t let them and told them that those were for thru-hikers that were out there for a long time. Being the nice guy that I am, I didn¢t drink the coke or have a Snicker's in front of them. So I missed out on that. Oh well. I'm off to bed. Transcriber's Note: Manfire reports Total trip Miles as 983.7
Date: 2005-08-03
From: Plerasant Pond

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 6.0

I came into Caratunk and stayed at the River and Trails hostel. The guy that ran the hostel also was the Ferry man that took hikers across the river in a canoe. He was really nice. He took me into town and ate dinner with me. Then he left the store open and told me to just write down anything that I took and pay for it in the morning. Also, while I was in town I ordered some new boots that will be shipped to Stratton, Me in a few days. I can¢t wait to get them. My feet and all blistered from the makeshift boots.
Date: 2005-08-04
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Flagstaff Lake, ME
Miles today: 19.3

Crossed the river this morning around 9 am. It was easy walking today. I first stopped at the 14 mile mark at a shelter around 5pm. I wasn¢t tired though, and felt like walking some more. I thought to myself, "Why should I stop walking even if I can¢t make it to the next shelter, or even if I have to hike in the dark?" I was comfortable with night hiking by myself and camping somehwere between the shelters. So I pushed on for another 5 miles to Flagstaff Lake. About an hour of that hike was in the dark. I found a nice sandy spot on the shore of the lake and laid down my tarp and sleeping bag. I took a quick bath in the lake and lay in my bag and looked at the stars. It was one of the best nights I have had out on the trail.Transcriber's Note: Manfire reports as of this site a total trip mileage of 1,0008.0 miles.Also, journal and photo format is as follows: To view latest journals, it will open to the latest, then click "previous" to work backwards.To view photos, click the "PHOTO" button on the left side and click "Previous" at top or bottom of page. Photos will be posted from latest to earliest, to a certain point. If you click First, you will get to the beginning of the photo page. I am not sure why the webpage is set up this way, but follow my directions and it will work for you. It is a bit confusing, I will admit. g
Date: 2005-08-05
From: Flagstaff Lake, ME

To: Horn Pond
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: moderate rain

Today was a rough day. The terrain was up and down all day. The highest point was Avery's Peak at 4,088 ft. The peak gave a 360 degree view. It was awesome. It was about to rain and my feet hurt because of my boots so I pushed on quickly. I ended up at Horn Pond where I meet a ridge runner. Her name was Alice and she knew the area very well. I told her about my package in Stratton which was 5 miles away. She said that the P.O. closes at 11am on Saturday so I need to get there fast. The A. T. to Stratton was rough and I wouldn¢t make it on time. She gave me an alternative route that was the same distance but easier terrain. So tomorrow morning I will wake up early and make a mad dash to Stratton before the P.O. closes.Transcriber's Note: Manfire reports that as of this point he has a total trip mileage of 1,020.2 miles
Date: 2005-08-06
From: Horn Pond

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up around 6 and was on the trail round 6:50. I took all the side trails and forest service roads that Alice told me to take to get to Stratton. I was running down the trails so that I could make it on time. When I hit Highway 27, I hitched a ride into Stratton and to the P/O. When I got there the post man said that the package wasn¢t there yet and that I would have to wait until Monday. Damn these small towns! So I will be stuck in Stratton for a few days while I wait for my boots. OH well. Transcriber's Note: Manfire reports total trip miles to be 1,025.2
Date: 2005-08-08
From: Stratton, ME

To: Sugarloaf Mountain
Miles today: 8.7

I left Stratton, ME with my new boots. I came into Stratton less six toenails, thanks to my old boots. The new ones fit like a glove. I hiked to Sugarloaf Mountain. I took a side trail to a closed down ski resort. They left it open for hikers. I walked around in the abondoned building and looked around. I went up the stairs and began looking around up there when I begain hearing footsteps and they were not mine. I I called out, "Hello, anyone here?". I looked over the banister and there he was. Jim, a guy I met back in Monson, ME, was looking back up at me. He is a retired Marine that is hiking all the way south. I will be running into him a lot............