morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-23
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: haze

For the longest time, I thought that bears were some sort of park services conspiracy created to get hikers to clean up after themselves. I mean I've walked well over 600 miles and have lived in the woods for almost 2 months, and I hadn't seen a single one. Until today. Yes sir, I saw my first BEAR today. He shuffled out of the woods and across the trail about 200 yards south of War Spur Shelter. I whistled at him and clicked my poles -- he was 50 feet away from me -- and he ignored me and strolled up the hill and back into the woods. He was short and round and reminded me of Newman from the Sienfeld Show.Trail Days set us back about 50 miles or so, and we're hiking with some new people. Yesterday and today, I crossed paths with Tree Whisperer, Jim E Cricket, Ring Master, and Flax Seed. The Stallionaires and Gourmet Boys (our nick name for Forrest and Spaceman because they cook insane meals out here) are heading to Moon Goat's cabin at Smith Mountain Lake for two zeros worth of Memorial weekend fun. We're going to rendezvous at Catawba on Friday, so we're taking our time walking. Taking two more days off entails getting to hike with more new faces when we get back on the trail. It's amazing how many people are in the woods with us.So, I had more "trail tragic" (rather than trail magic) today. Super Dave left a cooler near the road crossing before today's big climb. I need to walk more miles to get the goodies I guess, because it was cleaned out!Flax Seed told me that he was growled at my a mountain lion near this area. Sheesh! That's an awesome experience, but I like to be at the top of the food chain our here!So Trail Days are over, we're in Virginia, and it's crunch time. I feel like I'm in a good spot right now. I figured my pace would be slow at first, and then pick up when I got my trail legs and the terrain became easier. No worries here...yet. But, I've talked to some other hikers who are at the same place I'm at mileage-wise who are freaking out about running out of time and not reaching Katahdin before it closes.Lala is planning on taking off after this weekend -- he wants to be in Harper's Ferry on June 9th to meet a friend. After that, he's getting off of the trail and going back to the civilized world. Well, maybe not that civilized -- he's going to spend some time doing muskie fishing before returning to work in Key West.
Date: 2007-05-24
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: broken clouds

Once again, NPR brightens my day. There was a spot on "All Things Considered" about how high the price of gas has risen. It's up to nearly $4.00 in Chicago. I did a little quick math and figured that by walking, I'm saving a ton of money here. Really. Today's walk alone saved me about $4.00. Why, I'm practically making money out here!The Virginia Blues are hitting some of the people in our group. "Blues" may not be the correct word -- "frustration" or "boredom" may describe it better. Walking is getting old for part of the group. While we hike 23 miles today, the rest yellow blazed ahead to get to the Lake house early. You know morale is low when yellow blazing happens. Of course, I'm all sweaty and sleeping in a shelter while Lala and Moon Goat are probably sipping cocktails somewhere. Drat!Speaking of being sweaty and sleeping in a shelter, it looks as though I'll be by myself tonight. Lala and Moon Goat are off the trail for the time being. Spaceman just ran down to the shelter to tell me that he and Forrest are moving on to Cowboy Camp at a scenic overlook. They're waiting for Bad Influence to see if he wants to go. If not, he'll be stealth camping down the trail a bit. This is the first night I've had a shelter all to myself since I started my thru-hike. Silver Cloud and Jim E Cricket are tenting up above, but other than that, I've got the place to myself. I hardly know what to do with all of the privacy!Today marks my two month anniversary on the trail. I'm going feral here...
Date: 2007-05-26
From: VA 311

To: Va 311 (Smith Moutain Lake)
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling very claustrophobic, so I grabbed my sleeping bag, went outdoors, and threw down on the Thompson's back porch. Once outside, I slept lik a baby.The day was filled with decadence that I have never experienced. The fact that we came out of the woods and blundered into it, made it even more mind-numbingly fabulous. Jet skis, gin and tonics, TV channels I never knew existed, leather upholstered furniture, and food -- food that can make the eyes and mouth water simultaneously. The Thompson's redefined Southern hospitality for us -- opening their home to hiker trash and graciously ensuring that we were comfortable in every way. I can't thank them enough...I'm a bit worried that going back to the trail on Monday will be difficult after all this luxury!
Date: 2007-05-27
From: Va 311 (Smith Moutain Lake)

To: VA 311 (Smith Mountain Lake)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I opted to sleep on the Thompson's back porch again last night. I hope our hiker trash element doesn't lower their property value! So far, we've behaved ourselves, keeping the gear explosions off of the lawn and porches. I woke this morning to a bizarre phenomena -- it was raining and the rain was spraying up from the ground. The lawn sprinklers went off around me as it took a good 5 minutes for my sleep addled head to figure out what was happening.For the first time in my life, I have poison ivy. At least I think it's poison ivy -- it's red and bumpy and itchy and generally creepy and horrible. But, I'm proudly wearing it like a badge of AT honor.
Date: 2007-05-28
From: VA 311 (Smith Mountain Lake)

To: Lambert's Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Our tenure at the Thompson's came to an end this morning after eating our last delicious meal on the deck overlooking the lake. It was hard to leave. I mean HARD! We're super grateful to the Thompson's generosity. They know how to treat hikers right.We got back on the trail around lunchtime and found the climb up to McAffee's to be a good re-entry/rehabilitation trail. No sooner did Lala and I get to the top of McAffee's, thunder-heads popped up and the lightning began to fly off in the distance. I hustled down the hill to Campbell Shelter after getting soaked through and waited out the storm with a ton of other hikers including General Tso, Sleeping Beauty, Fireball, Chuck Norris, Tigger, Jungle Jim, and Stonewall. After the storm, we hiked out only to run into a ANOTHER thunder storm right before Tinker Cliffs. The sky eventually cleared, and we dried ourselves out like vultures on the edge of the cliffs.Between storms #1 and #2, I saw my second bear. He slid down a tree like a fireman sliding down a greased pole and ran off down the ridge. They're out here -- I'm thoroughly convinced now.I'm at the shelter with a handful of people including Cheeks and Steps Small. The rest of the group "wisely" decided to walk on .3 miles to tent in the rain. Um yeah... anything to get those extra miles in.I'm going to pay the Daleville Outfitter a visit tomorrow -- my Z pack has finally given up the ghost after serving me for well over a thousand miles. It was a good pack, and I will remember it fondly. My back (which is aching from waterskiing and carrying a busted pack) will thank me for getting something with a cushy suspension system.
Date: 2007-05-29
From: Lambert's Meadow Shelter

To: Fullhardt Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Sleep has become a source of relief and entertainment for us. At Rice Shelter, one of the hikers yelled out in his sleep, "What's going on here?!" which woke me to a dark shelter full of smelly people I'd never met before. What's going on indeed! My dreams have become vivid and ornate -- beautiful little subconscious jewels for me to ponder every morning. You pull out the TV, books, and other stimuli, and the mind runs wild. While my subconscious romped last night, there was some sort of wildcat fight in front of the shelter -- so reported all of the other hikers who don't sleep like the dead.Danger stalked Tinker Mountain last night. Fireball got into an unfortunate accident building a campfire and had to be helped off of the mountain by a rescue team. Last I heard, he was in a motel room with Sleeping Beauty and was hurting but still kicking.We had a little brush with danger of our own. In between Interstate 81 and Rt. 220, we encountered an arcing transformer on a utility pole shooting sparks directly over the AT. I have a terrible fear of things electrical -- all people of hillbilly decent do. Bad Influence decided to shoot through the danger zone at a fast run. I started to walk the other way, trying to find an alternative route, when Lala convinced me to brave the high voltage gauntlet. Actually, he took off running under the transformer, and I mindlessly followed suite. Cheeks and Steps Small said that the transformer blew and fell to the ground right after they ran past it.Good news on the pack front. I found a sweet new ride courtesy of Granite Gear. The old and broken (but much revered) Gregory Z pack was retired via a UPS box. It was still damp from being accidentally peed on (long story -- but a fitting end) when it went into the box. The new pack feels amazing and new and shiney and... well, it's almost like having a new boyfriend or starting a new job. It's so new, it's good. But, time will tell how well it works.We passed over Tinker Creek today. It was a murky mess and not at all like the glittering pool of fecundity that Dillard claimed it to be. I've found that the landscape along the trail can be banal and walking long hours can be dull. But, somehow, the sum of all of the parts of this hike work out to be something special.
Date: 2007-05-30
From: Fullhardt Knob Shelter

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: clear sky

Lala has officially left the trail. He was initially planning on hiking to Harper's Ferry to meet a friend, but decided to forget it and make tracks to Pittsburg, PA instead. I can't say that I blame him. The past couple of days have been a psychological strain -- I'm not sure if it's because of the heat, the storms, or recovering from all of the luxury at the Thompson's house on the lake, but my motivation has been at a significantly lower level than usual. Do I have the Virginia Blues? Could it be?!? Well, nothing to do but walk it off...Bad Influence and I slogged through some pretty warm temperatures today. The radio said that it was 90 degrees. What made it seem even hotter was the lack of water along this section of the trail. One of the water sources was a dried up spring (really, just a puddle) with a pile of dog poop sitting a foot away from it. We had to haul 4 liters of water up to Cove Mountain with us. Bad Influence and I are in the habit of listening to the radio to motivate us during big climbs, and when the Stones "Beast of Burden" came on, we thought it was a riot, because we had a ton of water in our packs.Though stifling hot, the day provided us with a little variety in the form of walking a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The AT crossed the Parkway at a number of locations during the day, and we hopped off the AT, onto the Parkway, and back onto the AT again. Pavement feels very strange underfoot after coming off the trail, but the breeze and views on the road were super nice. We miss the Lala!
Date: 2007-05-31
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Thunder Hill certainly lives up to its name. I've been listening to the thunder roll off of the Blue Ridge for a good 2 hours, and it's just begun to rain.Today's walk was in the spirit of proving that there are hills and mountains in Virginia. Fork Mountain, Floyd Moutain, and Apple Orchard Mountain took me up 1,000 foot, 2,200 foot, and 800 foot climbs. I can't remember having climbed so much in one day. Oi! But, the climbing made the hike challenging and interesting, and I got to see the groovy space lab-looking building on Apple Orchard, and of course, the Guillotine which is a little rock squeezed between two giant boulders and suspended over the AT. I'm the sort of person who accidentally breaks things on a regular basis, and I had a vision of myself somehow dislodging the suspended boulder on my way through. Fortunately, no mishaps occurred, and the ATC won't be sending a Guillotine repair bill to me anytime soon.I encountered some unexpected trail magic on my way up Floyd Mountain. Zesty, a section hiker with 1,300 AT miles under her belt, was dayhiking southbound and handing out grapes and words of encouragement to thru-hikers. The cold grapes really hit the spot -- the words of encouragment even more so. Thanks Zesty.I still miss the Lala.
Date: 2007-06-01
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: few clouds

Our first killing on the trail....but, it wasn't a killing. It was a "mere" four person shooting with no fatalities. Someone unzipped a tent near Petites Gap and shot all four inhabitants before heading off. Creepy. I heard about it from two other thru hikers, Willie Goat and Trail Dancer, who had stayed at a hotel in Roanoke last night. This sort of random violence is so common to NYC, that I can easily write it off and head into the woods. Not so for everyone out here, I guess. It was a bit of a local media event, and two section hikers I passed were part of the news footage. I will; however, avoid camping near road crossings for the next 50 miles or so since they haven't found the gunman yet. Glad I have a hammock that can be tucked away in the woods... The gunman unzipped the victims' tent fly before firing which is really hard core and brutal. In NYC, the guy would've shot right through the tent.I'm here at the the Tired Feet Motel sharing a room with Steps Small and Cheeks, part of the original Stallionaires Club. Glasgow is a marvel of a small town, with every hiker convenience located 200 feet within sight of the motel. I hitched in with Zesty (aka. "the grape lady") and her husband and spent a good part of the day in Bad Influence's room watching TV. He made it past the first big climb last night, then stealth camped waiting out the big thunderstorm. Later today, he yellow-blazed in from Petites Gap with two plant biologist and surprised me by strolling up while I was at the ATM in Glasgow.Today's hike was awesome. Lot's of well graded cruising terrian that I clocked 3 miles plus on,followed by the foot bridge to the highway. I liked all of the flatness and water sources, a big change from the past few days.Bad Influence reminded me of a prank we played 2 days ago. We hid in the woods near the Blue Ridge Parkway and made "yetti" noises at a group of section hikers on the AT below. Unfortunately, the section hikers (a group of at-risk girls) were making too much noise to hear us and be frightened by our howls. Too bad. But, we had fun.My low feelings about the hike have sort of evaporated with all of the fun and excitement of the past two days. I'm glad to be out of that slump... I guess it's a pretty standard psychological phase for thru hikers. I talked to Lala... he had an interesting hitch back to Pittsburg and was on his way to the Pittsburg Arts Festival when I spoke to him on the phone tonight. Ah...the "real world". I'm glad he made it back safely from the trail. I miss him!Last night, I woke up to an owl jamboree. All of the owls in a ten mile radius went mad with hooting and hollering. I saw many owl feathers on the trail this morning. I wonder what that was about? Utter owl madness, I tell you...
Date: 2007-06-02
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

This area is officially creepy. On our way back to the trail this morning, we saw a poster by the James River asking for information about a man who'd been recently shot and tossed into a ditch by the woods. What's going on out here?? Glasgow is more dangerous than my old neighborhood in Brooklyn!The trail angels were out and about today. Ken gave us a ride back to the trail this morning. He spends summers in the area and helps out hikers. I also had my third sighting of Zesty, aka. the Grape Lady, and her husband, descending Bluff mountain while I was on my way up. Unfortunately, she was fresh out of cold grapes, but she had her usual cheerful words of encouragement.It's official: Virginia is NOT flat. We had another climb of over 2,000 feet today. Hmmmm......My belly is on strike today. I'm in the midst of a G.I. catastrophe which started this morning and is still going strong. It's total system break-down out here.I've noticed that my pack has become progressively heavier recently. I started off at Springer with a really light pack. But, I've regressed in terms of my lightweight backpacking skills. My body's become stronger, and I have no issue with carrying weight, so I've been throwing more and more of those little extra luxury items into my pack. First, it was a small crate of fresh tomatoes. Then a hairbrush. And an extra notebook... and on and on. My pack is 34 pounds now with re-supply, water, and summer gear. That's more than my same set-up with winter gear two months ago! I'm worried that, at this rate, I'll be carrying a 65 pound pack by the time I reach Maine. Toss in the Cuisinart and hardcover novel, I'm ready to hike.
Date: 2007-06-03
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Hog Camp Gap
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

I woke to rain and went to bed with it raining. But, it was an excellent and cool day for climbing our post-lunch 2,700 foot and pre-dinner 900 foot climbs.Cheeks, Steps Small, Bad Influence, Step and a Half, Gus, Touch my Stuff, Lynx, and I are at Hog Camp Gap camping in what I assume would be a very pretty meadow if it wasn't socked in with fog. Everything is damp with rain or sweat, and ah, we're living the thru-hiker's life here.Some of us are getting up early and hiking to the Dutch Haus' free hiker lunch tomorrow. Dutch Haus (which Bonafide was referring to as Bau Haus and I've been referring to as Hof Brau Haus) is a bit of a thru-hikers tradition, and I don't want to miss out on it. Plus, it's free...We passed over the Cold Mountain bald in the midst of rain, wind and fog. The views looked like glasses of milk. Step and a Half renamed the mountain "Cold, Wet, and Windy Mountain". Still, it was cool to walk over a bald this far north.It's a mere 3 days to Rockfish Gap and Shenandoah Park. And, tomorrow morning (before the free lunch, that is), we pass 800 miles. I had the Virginia Blues and I walked them off. Tons of people seem to be dropping off the trail right now. I can't explain what exactly happens out here, but it seems like most of us are going through it. It's a sort of stagnation of the mind, a wearing-out of the body. We allow ourselves to forget what an awesome journey this is, and instead, we fixate on our discomfort and the inconveniences of the trail. I guess the same thing happens in marriage, jobs, school, etc. It's a shock that we could adapt so well to the trail as to tire of it. But, many have. As for me, I'll keep walking. I'm not tired yet.
Date: 2007-06-04
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Dutch Haus
Miles today: 10.0

Last night was like a rough night at sea. It was wet and extremely windy, and I was worried that my hammock and tarp were going to be ripped from the trees and tossed off of the mountain. Our practically treeless meadow became a bizarre wind funnel and gave us all a sound beating. But, the morning came beautiful and clear with the last ragged patches of fog blowing up and over the ridgeline.It's June, summer. And, that marks the start of section hiker season. Section hikers from the south bring news of thru-hikers we haven't seen in a while. And all section hikers bring a temporary change in the social scenery. We met a really interesting section hiker, Scribbles, at Punchbowl two nights ago. He's and artist from NY who hikes with two great dogs. I met another section hiker near Fish Hatchery road who was not so cool. He prattled on about how tough New England was going to be (walking up and down big mountains is tough anywhere). His smug attitude triggered a NYC homicidal response, so I walked on!After two rides down a very bumpy road in the back of pick-up trucks, I'm here at the Dutch Haus. This place is an absolute oasis of inexpensive cleanliness and calmness. Bad Influence, Bona Fide, and I are opting to stay tonight and tomorrow night, so that we can do a 20 mile slack pack in the morning. That'll leave us with a day's walk to get into Rockfish Gap/Waynesboro the following day. It'll be nice to zip through the elevation without a pack on my back, though there's something reassuring about having everything I need with me at all times.Today's hike was amazing (amazingly short too, yes). The woods looked as though they'd been wiped clean by yesterday's storms. I saw scene after scene of forest fit to be included in one of those hokey religious calendars you see hanging on the wall at the local grocers. A massive turkey blundered right in front of me. It looked like a ball of fat and feathers catapaulted out of a sling shot. Turkeys don't seem to be the most successful products of evolution.
Date: 2007-06-05
From: Dutch Haus

To: Reeds Gap
Miles today: 19.9

Slackpacking is brilliant. Really. I'd like to shake the hand of the person who invented it. Today's 20 miles flew by with ease, and I felt like a carefree dayhiker taking photos at the overlooks and picnicing on the rocks. It was also nice to head back to Dutch Haus for a shower and a hot meal at the end of the day.Speaking of Dutch Haus, this is the best place I've stayed at since the start of this trip. It's clean, the food is great, and everything is made easy for hikers. The owners genuinely like hikers, and they are the masters of logistics. I highly recommend it!Today's hike was one of the best yet. The weather was ideal, the views fantastic, and of course, I was sporting a day pack. Usually, I hike alone, but today, Bad Influence and I stayed together. There's a set stream of consciousness that I go through on a daily basis. Usually, it begins with a grateful mantra about the trail's beauty, my physical and mental state, etc. (even if I'm not truly feeling it, I still recite it in my head). Then follows thoughts of food or logistics. Then, I rehash old disasterous relationships. And on and on... Today, all of my thoughts were verbalized and poor Bad Influence was caught in my thinking-aloud malestrom. No, actually we had a good long chat and the miles whizzed by under our feet.We said goodbye to the Gourmet Boys this morning. At least for the time being. There are no real "good byes" on the trail, since you tend to bump into the same folks over and over. The Gourmet Boys managed to hike a day ahead of us somewhere between here and Glasgow and have left us in their braised-in-sherry-sauce dust. Particularly sad to see Spaceman off, as he's become such a close friend. But, I'm sure we'll all bump into one another again. The trail is a small place.