morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-01
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Sarver Hallow Shelter
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a very strange day as far as the weather goes. It started off hot and humid, and then the afternoon was thunder and lightning (with no rain) then when the thunder stopped it rained. At least the rain has cooled things off a bit. The morning started out with a bridge that washed out and rather than take a road detour I forded the stream. I actually stayed pretty dry because I found a down tree and kind of worked my way across. Then the day consisted of three big climbs with big downhill¢s to follow. It was a punishing day and I have a new issue with my feet. I assume that my feet are swollen because after 600 miles all the sudden my pinky toes are rubbing and I have a new blister problem. But I will get them taped up tomorrow and be ready to go.I hiked with Caveman today. He is a thru-hiker that started March 20th but had to get off the trail for a couple of weeks due to illness. He has to be back to college by August so he is trying to do big miles. We are planning on attempting a 30 mile day tomorrow so I better get some sleep.
Date: 2006-06-02
From: Sarver Hallow Shelter

To: Johns Spring Shelter
Miles today: 29.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today felt like about three days. Caveman and I were determined to do the big miles so we hiked the 1/2 mile uphill out of the shelter and started making miles. We knocked out the first 16 miles by noon where we took a break with some other hikers for lunch. The talk amongst all the others was a restaurant one mile off the trail in Catawaba. That was 13 miles from where we were and 1 mile from the shelter where we wanted to stay. So we figures we could easily make it there before it closed at 8 pm. Then we hit Dragons Tooth and Knifes Edge. These were sections on the ridge of a mountain that were rockier and more difficult to traverse than any other stretch of the trail so far. Each step had to be calculated and placed with caution or you may never take another. There were even sections where steel rungs were placed into the mountain to allow you to climb up or down. This really put a hitch in our plans until the last 6 miles which were more manageable and allowed us to make up some time. We got to the road just before 7pm and walked the mile to Home Place Restaurant. We were told it was AYCE, but we didn¢t realize what we were in for. This fancy country style home was packed with people dressed like they were attending church. They were very friendly to us stinky hikers and seated us as many of the other patrons looked with curiosity. Next came the most unbelievable meal one could eat for $12. The food was delivered to our table in family style including; roast beef, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, cole slaw, baked beans, green beans, macaroni and cheese, biscuits and iced tea. Caveman was shaking as he loaded his plate with food. It may have been the best meal I ever had. As any of our dishes got low they were refilled immediately. It is hard to say how much I ate but it had to be the most I ever had in one sitting. Once I finally thought I was done, the waitress brought us ice cream and cherry cobbler.I could barely walk and luckily we got a ride back to the trail. It was dark so we slowly and painfully walked the last mile of our over 30 mile day in the dark with headlamps. So after a long eventful day it is 10 pm and time to get some sleep. 18 miles tomorrow and I get to see my wife...can't wait!
Date: 2006-06-03
From: Johns Spring Shelter

To: Howard Johnson (Daleville, VA)
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: scattered clouds

To break up the monotony of my regular journal entries, I am going to do something a little different today. Because today was such an awesome day on the trail, I am going to list the top ten things that made it a perfect day on the A.T. (David Letterman style).10. I only got stung by 2 bees after stepping on an entire nest and having many bees on my leg. (This is kind of stretching it as far as an awesome day but it could have been much worse.)9. Waking up not feeling hungry after last nights feast at the Home Place.8. The weather was perfect mid 70's sunny and breezy.7. Today¢s hike included awesome views including McAfee Knob.6. Today was the perfect distance to hike and the terrain was moderate but challenging. This made my feet happy after yesterday's tough day.5. I could listen to radio stations all day and not have hear the same songs on my mp3 player. (By the way, I have declared "Dream Big" by Ryan Shupe the theme song of my hike.)4. My day ended with a shower, a four walled shelter with a door, and all of the other conveniences of the modern world.3. I spent the day hiking with Caveman, enjoying the company of very cool guy and the fellowship of another thru-hiker.2. I experienced the pride of reaching the 1/3 point of the trail in only 5 weeks. (Only 1,400 miles to go.)1. Danielle just got here so I get to see my wife for the second time in 5 weeks and share my experiences with her.There will be new pictures posted sometime this week.
Date: 2006-06-04
From: Howard Johnson (Daleville, VA)

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was what I would call a nero day (almost a zero). I didn't hit the trail until 4 pm after spending almost 24 hours with Danielle. We had a great time and as usual there was a lot of good eating involved. Today we actually drove south to Catawaba so Danielle could experience the delights of the Home Place; of course I didn't mind a second round of their incredible food. It was tough to say goodbye, but I will see her and the rest of my family in 2 weeks when I get to Harpers Ferry. Danielle will actually be hiking out of Harpers Ferry with me and staying on the trail for a night. Having these mini goals has proven to really help me to shorten the trail and not hike all day thinking about getting to Maine. Danielle will be getting some more pictures posted shortly. I really have to thank her for how much she is doing. Without her I could not be having this opportunity of a lifetime and I wouldn't be able to share it with all of you.I switched out some more of my cold weather gear for summer gear and also switched from my frogg toggs rain jacket to a Mountain Hardware jacket. The frogg toggs are slightly lighter but they were leaking at the seams. This made the dry weight of my pack lighter. Unfortunately I didn't get to experience the effects of a lighter pack because I am carrying so much food. I decided to hike from Daleville to Waynesboro (over 120 miles) without a food re supply. My pack was extremely heavy today for the short hike, but after another day or two it will be back down to a comfortable weight. Well the bugs are attacking me because I have a nice fresh clean smell. This means its time to go crawl into my sleeping bag.
Date: 2006-06-05
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night I slept great. It was in the low 50's and I now have my summer sleeping bag so it was a nice cool night to sleep. I actually woke up feeling rather chilly. This was very different then the last week or so when I was sleeping on top of my winter bag. This is uncomfortable because you feel very vulnerable to the mice and bugs when your not in your bag. Tonight feels even cooler so hopefully I don't get cold.The hiking for the first part of the day was very easy. The A.T. crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway 5 times. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of the lucky hikers to get some sodas and snacks from the tourists on the Parkway. I was only planning to hike 20 miles today. I got to the Bryant Ridge Shelter, which is a huge two story shelter, made dinner and was ready to settle in for an early day. As I was eating dinner, some of the other hikers there started talking about Caveman leaving one of his camp shoes behind. Since I know what is like to loose a shoe, I decided to hike to the next shelter and return his shoe. When I got here there was no Caveman. He must have hiked onto the next shelter. So I will carry his shoe and hope to catch him tomorrow. He got out ahead of me when I stayed in Daleville with Danielle. It is a very different experience for me to be trying to catch someone I know ahead of me on the trail.As I continue to hike north one of the biggest changes has been the availability of water. In the South, springs and streams were all over the trail and they were flowing with clear water. Lately the sources are getting more spread out and are often a quarter mile or more off the trail. A number of times I have gone to a spring and it was no more than a mud puddle. This new challenge just requires a little more planning and sometimes means I will have to carry more water than I would prefer.Well I'm getting cold, time to zip up my bag and call it a night.
Date: 2006-06-06
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning started with some tough climbs and I wasn't feeling myself. I felt really low on energy. I kept forging along until around noon when I found a perfect little spot for lunch followed by a nap. I think part of my problem was the fact that it got really cold last night and I didn't sleep well. I think my body probably is used a lot of energy trying to keep me warm. The second half of the day felt better.Today on the trail I saw a few neat things. There was the FAA radar dome on top of Apple Orchard Mountain. The coolest thing was the Guillotine, which is a huge boulder suspended above the trail. Then later in the evening I crossed the James River on a large foot bridge. So it was an interesting day. It was nice to get finished hiking by about 5 pm. There is a nice sized stream next to the shelter so I was able to wash up and get rid of some of my funk. My dinner is in its little cozy cooking so as soon as I am done eating I am going to get to bed early tonight. I should sleep better, it is a bit warmer tonight and I am over 2,000 feet lower than last night. I plan on hiking about 80 miles over the next three days so I can stay in Waynesboro. I will need all of the rest I can get. It should be nice and quiet; I am the only one at the shelter.
Date: 2006-06-07
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 34.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Well I got my energy back today! I got about 11 hours of sleep and that seemed to do the trick. By lunch time I had done 14 miles of my originally planned 24 and I was feeling great. After seeing that the shelter I planned on staying at was almost 1 mile off the trail, I decided I would hike past that and possibly tent somewhere.The miles continued to come easy even with the huge climbs. Then to make the day even better, I was blessed with some awesome trail magic. Flash and Hot Flash, former thru-hikers were out day hiking and we got talking and they offered me a soda and then some apple turnovers. It was unbelievable! Something about their gesture motivated me to hike on to this shelter. The last couple miles became almost like torture, but I made it before dark and caught Caveman. I returned his shoe but he had already ditched the other one thinking he would never see it again. It was worth a try. Well I need to get my rest hopefully and didn't do any damage pushing myself so far today.
Date: 2006-06-08
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter

To: Rusty's Hardtime Hollow
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: overcast clouds

At the start of the day I was definitely feeling the effects of yesterday's big miles. The up hills made my legs weary and the downhills were like torture for my feet and knees. But I chose to do the big miles yesterday and that was my consequence.My decision paid off in several big ways. Around 1 pm after about 12 miles Caveman and I came to a gap where we were blessed with some trail magic. Peyton, a generous native of Virginia, was cooking up burgers and giving out soda and chips on behalf of the Sierra Club. Caveman and I took almost 2 hours to sit and relax and eat 2 mammoth burgers with fresh veggies. This was great at the time but we were about to climb the Three Ridges which was a 3000 foot climb known to be the toughest in Virginia. The burgers were definitely slowing me down and I was wishing I wouldn't have gone with the second one. We finally made it to the shelter a little after 6 pm. At the shelter there was a father and a son that had really made themselves at home. They had their stuff everywhere and were a bit different. Caveman was intent on walking an extra 2.5 miles to the Parkway and then to a hostel known as Rusty's Hardtime Hollow. I was in since I wasn't excited about staying behind at the shelter.Rusty's is virtually indescribable in words. It is as backwoods as possible but with true southern hospitality. Rusty was not around when we got here so we followed the directions on the signs and helped ourselves to the food and made some egg sandwiches and nachos. (We later realized that we were helping ourselves to Rusty's personal refrigerator rather than the spring where the hiker treats were located.) Later he arrived and it was interesting to chat with him and Pirate. He has been running this hostel since the 80's and has lived here even longer. Amazingly he has only had electricity for 2 years. Well I am beat and it is late so I going to turn in and go to sleep in this barn. Rusty said if he's up he will cook up some pancakes for us tomorrow. By the way Rusty's place works completely on donations, I will definitely be hooking him up tomorrow.
Date: 2006-06-09
From: Rusty's Hardtime Hollow

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: broken clouds

My day started at 4:30 am when the roosters decided it was time for us to get up. There were roosters everywhere making more noise then I was used to hearing. After tossing and turning for about an hour I decided it was time to get up. I made some tea and Rusty made us some of the biggest pancakes I have ever seen. Caveman and I played some basketball before catching a ride back to the trail. We were making miles by 9:00 am and the first part of the day was somewhat challenging and slow. After making our way over Humpback Mountain it was smooth sailing into Rockfish gap. I actually made it in time to get a ride into Waynesboro before the post office closed. The generous man that gave me a ride to the P.O. waited for me and then took me to the church hostel. The hostel was an amazing place with overwhelming generosity. The basement of the church is set up as a hiker hangout. There is a room for your belongings and sleeping, showers and a lounge area with snacks, TV, and internet. As great as all of this was I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to stay with a family in the Waynesboro area. A friend of mine from school, John Myers, has a cousin that offered to have me as a guest for the night. The Kunkle's went out of their way to make my stay amazing. Garth, John's cousin, picked me up at the hostel. After getting cleaned up I enjoyed a big delicious steak and great evening talking with the family. Ben, Garth's 10 year old son, was a huge help. He got my bed in the basement set up, hung my gear out on the porch and made me feel at home. It was really fun talking with him and telling him about my hike. He is very involved with mountain biking and I am sure he will be very successful at what ever he chooses to do. Well I need some good sleep so I'm going to call it a night.Congratulations and good luck to the class of 2006. You will have to stop in to school next fall to hear about some of my adventures.To the underclassman, enjoy your summer and I will see all of you next school year.
Date: 2006-06-10
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After an awesome night with the Kunkle's (Thanks Garth, Christine, Ben, and Danika) I am back on the trail. This morning Garth whipped together a great breakfast steak, eggs, potatoes and donuts. After eating and going through my mail drop Garth and Ben took me to a pharmacy for a few things then it was a quick stop at the outfitter for stove fuel and finally back to the trail. Today I entered the Shenandoah National Park. So far it just looks like the same old A.T. other then the strange bear hanging pole at the shelter.Today was the first time since day 1 that I hiked without a single bandage on my feet. My goal was to go as slow as possible today. Only hiking 7 miles to the first shelter in the park was to try and give my feet a chance to heal up a bit after a stretch of big days. Hopefully it pays off because tomorrow it¢s back to the big days and a push to get to Harpers Ferry one week from today.I am not sure if I will see Caveman again. He took a zero day in Waynesboro so I am ahead of him now. He has an online journal about his adventure at intothewild06.blogspot.com. There are a number of people at the shelter tonight including a father with his 5 year old son and a mother with 2 teenage sons. They are having a good time making smores and hanging around the campfire. It definitely makes me miss my family. There are also 6 other thru-hikers here. Well I am going to put my mp3 player on and try to get to sleep so I can get myself caught up after a few late nights.
Date: 2006-06-11
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The day started off very cool with rain threatening. In the first four miles I went through a cycle of putting my precip jacket on, getting hot and taking it off, more rain back on ... hot take it off. Finally the sun broke through and it turned into a nice day. The morning was a bit slow and then I ran into 42 (a female thru-hiker). She was slack packing with her family and doing trail magic. While chatting with her River Weasel came by and the big talk was of the wayside coming up about 1 mile off the trail. So I put my head down and made some miles to the Loft Mountain Campground right on the trail. I went in the camp store and asked how to get to the wayside and the kind women working said she was headed that way and would give me a ride. Everyone has raved about the milkshakes at this place so I was pretty excited. The wayside made me think of a concession stand at an amusement park; limited selection and expensive. I went with a grilled cheese sandwich, pork barbecue sandwich, and fries. I didn't see the milkshakes on the sign and when I inquired it was with great sadness that I learned that the machine was broken. Luckily, I found some homemade fudge in the gift shop area and that had to do. I wasn't as lucky getting back to the trail so I had to walk 1 mile uphill to rejoin the A.T. From this point, I had only 6 miles to the shelter and I took it nice and slow. It is an awesome feeling to get to a shelter and not have to make dinner. I just had a couple of snacks and I feel stuffed.I must have seen a dozen deer today. Several of them got within about 5 feet of me. I saw one fawn that was about 1 foot tall with spots and 1 buck. I think that was the first time I ever saw a buck that still had felt on its antlers. As I sit here at the shelter (I guess it¢s officially called a hut in the Shenandoah's) there is a doe about 20 feet from me eating some vegetation. Today was also unique in that I was able to listen to the entire NASCAR race. Other than in a few gaps I was able to tune in and hear the entire race. Out on the trail it is very difficult to follow any news especially sports.I was the only one at the shelter until Minnesota Smith rolled in. He was dressed for winter, gloves and all, even though it is in the low 80's. On the trail, this guy is known to have a bit of a reputation. Apparently he can get under your skin. I believe I will use the privy and then go to bed early.
Date: 2006-06-12
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 32.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today there was no putting the precip jacket on and taking it off. It was on and stayed on until late afternoon. I wanted to wake up earlier than normal, but when 5:00 am rolled around and I heard the rain pounding on the shelter roof I lost my ambition. I didn't get hiking until almost 8:00 am. The rain had slowed but I was soaked from the wind blowing the rain from the trees. I stopped for a break at the next shelter up the trail around 10:30. There were many hikers still lingering around trying to stay warm. Pillbox had a thermometer and it was 48 degrees. I didn't stay long because it was so cold. Around 1 pm I needed some water so I checked my guide and realized there was a campground coming up that bordered the trail. I couldn't pass up a camp store so it was cold Chef Boyardee and tea for lunch, with ice cream for desert.About nine miles later, I found myself at Big Meadows lodge having dinner in a pub. I had planned on staying at the campground at Big Meadows with a particular interest in the showers and laundry. When I found the showers and laundry and saw that they were coin operated I decided to shower up, dry my wet clothing and then hike on about 4 miles to the next shelter. It saved me $19 and at the rate I have been spending money on food in the Shenandoah's it was the right choice. The only bad thing was I didn't leave the laundry mat until after 8:30 so I had a good bit of night hiking to do. It is pretty fun to hike in the dark with someone else, but its a little unnerving when you¢re alone.Well it¢s about 10 pm and the rest of the shelter is silent so I best get my headlamp off and get to sleep. I have no idea what I will do tomorrow because the next shelter is 15 miles and the one after that is 28. I don't need to do another big day or I will end up at Harper's Ferry to soon.