morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-09
From: Travelodge Motel (Daleville, VA)

To: Fullhardt Knob Shelter
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: few clouds

High: An all-you-can-eat breakfast at Shoney's was up on the list, but I must say the high was seeing Caleb, Dawson, and Michael pull to a stop in front of the outfitter after waiting for them all day in Troutville. We all hugged and walked over for an expensive (yet totally worth-it) BBQ dinner at Three Little Pigs. We joked with the waitress and laughed at nothing in particular. It was a grand ol' time, and the adventure hadn't even really begun. It was 9:15 PM when we walked back out to the car and sorted out the gear for the hike under the lamplight. By 10:00 PM we were on the trail, a line of dim headlamps inching towards Fullhardt Knob Shelter.Caleb, Dawson and Michael were all sturdy hikers--sturdier than I expected, in fact--and we arrived in good time that night (by "good time" I mean 12:15 am). I bore Caleb's backpack, my rusty old Kelty external-frame from my Boy Scout days. It was loaded with 50+ lbs. of stuff, an entirely foreign level of stress to my feet. Bone structure clearly disturbed, I could feel them groaning in my tennis-shoes like an old ship in a storm. Just outside of Troutville, we cut off the headlamps and crossed a hilly pasture, big and black under a dim blue spread of starlit sky above.That night was Caleb and Dawson's first night in an A.T. shelter, which really excited me. It was late and I was tired. I was the first asleep.
Date: 2010-04-10
From: Fullhardt Knob Shelter

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

We rose late the next morning, I repeating my eat-and-return-to-sleep cycle several times before actually rising. The others had no real schedule or "hiking routine", so we all just kind of took our time. We left the shelter by 11:15, passing Drip-Dry and Reveille who had hiked the 5 miles from town early that morning. We stopped at a waterfall and stream several miles down the trail. There, we all layed down for a long and sleepy break in the sun. I ate, Caleb and Dawson smoked a cigar, and Michael puffed on his pipe; we all slept. I was in bliss. I will never forget that long, warm hour by the stream. On we hiked, passing the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time. Again, we stopped to eat and sleep in the sun. It was heaven. I was drifting off when I heard a voice: "Are yall thru-hikers?." I opened my eyes and looked back. A car was pulled up and a thin, scruffy kid hung out the passenger window. "I am," I said, "I'm Uncle Frank." As it turns out, it was Knee-Deep, another thru-hiker I'd heard a great deal about on the trail. He'd been a day or so behind me for months, he said, and was about to catch up. Today, however, he was spending on the parkway with his girlfriend. He said he'd plan to catch me in a couple of days, and I said I'd be looking forward to it. Off he drove. Off I went back to sleep.Near dusk we pulled off at a shelter for dinner, SWEET POTATOES! We made a roaring kindling fire and dumped the foil-wrapped 'taters in the coals. Fifty minutes later, we each had a piping hot meal in our hands. We ate and night grew. By 8:00, we were on the trail again. The climb was grueling, but by 10:30 we were at the next shelter. Again, I fell asleep quickly. Later that night, I awoke to the sound of Caleb throwing up. I got out of my bag, grabbed some trail mix, ate it, then went back to sleep. Caleb was still vomiting, yet I was surprisingly indifferent. To me, upchucking is a good thing.
Date: 2010-04-11
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: clear sky

I'll just do highs and lows today. The high was hiking with the boys down to the river. I really did love the company and I dreaded losing it, but there was nothing I could do as Caleb, Dawson and Michael drove off. That was the low. In fact, the rest of the day was low. I hiked slowly and indifferently, covering only 17-some miles and intermittently napping because it took my mind off my depression. It was just a hard day. Several highs, however: I saw a pretty wildflower bed along the trail, and I arrived at the shelter before dark. I thought about calling Haywood and telling him, "I know what you mean: M.A.I.D."
Date: 2010-04-12
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 25.1
Weather: clear sky

I'd run out of food the day before and had 15 miles to cover to access my mail-drop in Glasgow, VA. My hunger wasn't too bad, neither hurting nor slowing me down noticeably. The trail was smooth and hot, and it reminded me of the trails out in New Mexico. I felt good. High up on the ridge, I spotted the James River, flowing mightily in the valley. I hollered in joy. Not only was it a symbol of home, it was the location of the road to Glasgow and thus a symbol of food. I called my Dad and we set up a mail-drop and talked about meeting up in Harper's Ferry. I missed him. Down into the valley the trees bloomed and leafed, making a tunnel of neon-green light. It was magnificent. The red-buds were blooming in their explosive purples and the maple leaves were glowing verdantly. I took photos of wildflowers and cool leaves. At the river, I was bubbly. I ran across the footbridge just as a freight train ran across on a nearby trestle. The sun poured down on the river. It was all so glorious. I yipped and hollered uncontrollably like a little kid.At the road I stuck out my thumb and an under-cover cop pulled over. "Hitchhiking is illegal anywhere in Virginia," he said. He background checked by ID and gave me a ride into town in the back of his souped-up Dodge Charger. I sat in the back where they put the criminals, fidgeting on hard plastic seats meant to tell them: You're screwed, and these seats are just the beginning. The cop was nice, and asked me question after question. At the store, I bought some chocolate milk and picked up my mail-drop, and the cop gave me a ride back to the trailhead.I hauled up the food 1.7 miles to a shelter, where I sat down for a gorge to remember. I chugged chocolate milk and consumed an entire loaf of homemade banana bread, then passed out for an hour. I awoke feeling great.I lounged at the shelter for at least an hour, until Knee-Deep came strolling down the trail. "Theerrreee he is," he said. "Now I can finally stop." He'd been hiking for 28 miles already that day in order to catch me, and after exchanging trail news and whatnot we both moved on 7 miles to the next shelter. The shelter is located near the site of an unexplained murder of 4 year-old Ottie Bundren in the 1890's, and it's apprently haunted. We left some chocolate by the gravestone where they found her body to pacify the ghost. I slept well that night.
Date: 2010-04-13
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Seely-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We left camp at sunrise, before 6:45 am. The first several hours of hiking were difficult. My feet hurt and morale was low, but being with Knee-Deep helped a lot. We talked most of the time, exchanging stories and sharing experiences. Then we'd go silent before resuming talk. Trail talk is a funny mode of communication. It's entirely aimless and self-centered, bouncing mindlessly from one subject to the next. For example:Knee-Deep: "I love dogs."Me: "Yea, I want to get a pit bull one day."Knee-Deep: "My Uncle has a pit bull. He has like ten Siamese cats, too"Me: "Oooo, my neighbors had some Siamese cats. They were awesome."And so on...Knee-Deep needed to resupply, so I waited on a picnic table in the sun while he hitched into town. I gave him $10 and asked him to get me "something meaty" at the Subway. He came back in 2 hours, I ate my sub, and we marched on. We passed Cold Mountain, my old stomping ground, and took in some awesome views. The views in Virginia have been like no other: I'm proud to call this state "home."At the shelter (it was dark by then), we found an older fellow sleeping with his two wily pit bulls. They growled at us but were a cute, innocent pair of pups. Someone had left a bag of food, so I ate three bags of oatmeal before falling asleep.
Date: 2010-04-14
From: Seely-Woodworth Shelter

To: Reed's Gap
Miles today: 22.3

The next morning I was dragging painfully once again. We stopped in the fog for a climb to a view less Spy Rock, then made our way to The Priest Shelter. After the climb up Spy Rock I was feeling brighter. The fog was thick and soaked everything. At the shelter, we laughed at the trail register, where, going with the "Priest" theme, people had left all sorts of confessions (mostly about skipping miles and not paying at hostels). They were hilarious. From there, we dropped off the edge of The Priest into the valley below. There, the Tye River paralleled a highway, and we walked down the road to get chocolate and soda and hitched back. The climb up from the valley to Three Ridges wasn't as bad as we expected (we'd been dreading it all day). The views were spectacular on top. I took some amazing photos and was in high spirits.A side note: when I say "high spirits", I mean a sort of bursting joy that I scarcely find in civilization. It's a strange mix of physical exhaustion, emotional exhilaration, and mental consolidation. I'll miss that when this is all through.Knee-Deep and I had planned to stay at Rusty's Hard-Time Hollow, but we decided to move on to cowboy camp. There were plenty of awesome overlooks, and we hiked into the night for an hour before finding a great spot at Reed's Gap. It was a 360-degree view of the mountains and stars. We bedded down on the grass and fell asleep.P.S. Where's God been the last several weeks? I don't know...surely not loud like before.
Date: 2010-04-15
From: Reed's Gap

To: Wesley's frat house (Charlottesville, VA)
Miles today: 28.0

As usual, getting started that day was hard. I always drag in the mornings. My right foot was killing me. Knee-Deep's snoring that night had kept my awake, so I was doubly tired as well. Also, I was hungry and out of food. Knee-Deep gave some to me, but my stomach was still grumbling. Those were all the lows.The highs were plenty, as I ended the day in C'ville. But first, running 8 miles before 4:45 was a rewarding yet painful event. That made my day. Wesley picked me up from there and took us (Knee-Deep hung back and we picked him up at I-64) out to dinner at the A.Y.C.E. dining hall, and I drank Legends Brown Ale and listened to the Avett Brothers that evening. There was a frat party, but I didn't feel like going. It was an awesome night.
Date: 2010-04-24
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

It was raining when I left the gazebo at Bear's Den. Several miles into the last leg of the "Roller Coaster", I hid from the wind and crawled under a slab of stone for a nap. I woke up feeling discouraged and angry. I planned on meeting Sean in Harper's Ferry that day (18 miles), but a mid-day stop at Blackburn Trail Center became my stop for the night. Here's why: Cold, hungry and above all immensely bored of walking (to the point of anger), I arrived at Blackburn after a measely 8 miles from Bear's Den. The the door a lady loaded groceries from the car trunk, and I offered a hand. Rita was a long-time ATC employee who now works with local schoolteachers to incorporate the Appalachian Trail into the curriculum. That very moment, a high school group was hiking towards the Trail Center for an end-of-semester field trip. They would hike in, spend the night, and hike out the next day. Rita was unloading groceries to feed the group, and she tried convince me to stay for dinner while feeding me strawberries, cheese, and salad greens. The kids would love to meet a thru-hiker, she said. Her food bribe worked and I called Sean to change plans.Sean arrived around dusk and we ate with the group. After dinner, we drove to Harper's Ferry and skateboarded around town and drank beer by the railroad tracks. A train flattened a penny and I decided I'd carry it the rest of the way to Maine. On the way home we did some doughnuts in a field and stopped to shoot pellets at empty cans.It was a great night, and I really appreciated all the energy Sean brought into a phase in my hike which, at the moment, was feeling pretty drab.
Date: 2010-04-25
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Harper's Ferry Hostel
Miles today: 12.5

Sean and I slept in the car that night. We got up, yogi-ed from pineapple juice and scrambled eggs from the high school group. By 9 o'clock we were hiking on the AT to a gap 5 miles away, where a parent chaperone kindly agreed to shuttle Sean's car. Sean and had some good conversation, which honestly we don't do much of. When I'm with Sean it's alot of action and not alot of idle chit-chat, but a causual hike was a good combination of the two.For the first time in the trip, I decided to skip a 7-mile section from the road to Harper's Ferry, so Sean and I drove into town to eat and drop me off at the hostel for the night. A quick disclaimer on the trail-skipping: First of all, I ended up going back that day and hiking the section, so I didn't end up skipping any miles. It was less guilt than boredom that led me to hitch back to the trail (after a thousand miles my trail-morals are going gray). I just didn't feel like sitting around the hostel until the owner returned.Well, the rest of the hike was nice. I trail-ran most of the way (with no food my pack was light as a feather), stopping every couple minutes to listen to the thunder of a a swift-approaching thunderstorm. At the Potomac River I yipped and yelled and danced across the bridge. Cars honked at me and I honked back. I was excited because Harper's Ferry was the half-way point, and I was crossing into it. One of those trip milestones. At Harper's Ferry the storm hit. I still had 4 miles to cover, including a time-consuming stop to register as a "thru-hiker" at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy HQ. I chatted with lady at the AT HQ and decided that, though she was maybe 40, I would have asked her on a date had the time been right. Nomads don't go on dates. Lightning exploded overhead and torrential rain came rushing down the old stone steps into downtown Harper's Ferry (the trail passes right through town). I thought about the probability of being struck and decided it wasn't high enough to warrant a stop, so I kept hiking towards the hostel.The storm cleared and I arrived at the hostel at dusk. I sure do love a post-storm evening, when the air smells like rain and lightening and the birds aren't sure if they should come back out or call it for the night. At the hostel I tore into a maildrop and chowed on a bag of home-made muffins (THANKS MA!!!). I greeted Kevin, my Smoky-Mountains hiking partner, after nearly 2 months of separation. Pancakes were free, so I cooked a couple before bed. Kevin, Muffin-Mit and I planned to hike 40 miles the next day (a.k.a. the Maryland Challenge, where hikers enter Maryland from W.Va and leave it into Penn. in the same 40-mile day.).
Date: 2010-04-26
From: Harper's Ferry Hostel

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: light rain

A rainy day and lonely hike to Pine Knob. Failed the Maryland Challenege thanks to a big pancake breakfast, a late start, and a steady, disheartening downpour throughout the day. Talked to myself in Spanish and a New Zealand accent for several hours out of boredom. Spent an hour in a shelter writing a rap song while the lightening passed. Got the Pine Knob in the dark.
Date: 2010-04-27
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: near Devil's Racecourse Shelter
Miles today: 13.1

A really crappy day. I'd been excited at the hostel to run into two fellow thru-hikers (I was desperate for some company for motivation), but one was already a day ahead and another a day behind. I was alone again, and it had it's effects. I trudged along all day, eating way too much food and covering way too few miles. I stopped at the trailhead leading to Devil's Racecourse Shelter and didn't even have the motivation to walk the 0.3 miles to the shelter itself, so I rolled out my sleeping bag right there and fell asleep for the night. What a bad day.
Date: 2010-04-28
From: near Devil's Racecourse Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Met up with the Georgia boys today. Like a dream-come-true, the caught up to me near the Pennsylvania-Maryland border as I stood on the railroad tracks looking dazed and confused (which I was). An hour before, I'd curled up in a bathroom in a park and awoken to a old man poking me with his trash-picker. "Wake up! What are you doing here," he demanded. I told him the wind was cold and I was a tired hiker, and he told me to fetch some fried chicken and a half-drinken bottle of lemonade. I had a piece left, and I gave it to the Georgia boys to split. Reckless and Boomerang were they're names, and I let out a sigh of relief: I'd found some good hiking partners at last.We hiked to the Tumbling Run Shelters that night, only a 13 mile day for me but a 26 mile day for them. There were two shelters, one for "SNORING" and the other labeled "NON-SNORING". Boomerang carries a guitar, so he played an old Texas tune as I drifted to sleep. I slept outside the shelter on the picnic table and woke up to some brilliant stars.
Date: 2010-04-29
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Tom's Run Shelters
Miles today: 25.8
Weather: clear sky

A good day with the Georgia boys. I left early and hiked the first 10 miles alone, and at noon we met up and hiked together for the last 16 miles. During our lunchbreak, we bummmed fresh milk, carrots, bananas, and pretzels off a state-sponsored pre-school group that had extra. "They give us way too much food," said the chaperone. A black girl about our age swatted at gnats and asked us how we'd spend 2 months in the woods. "I'm like...*swat*...like I can't stand it out here!," she said. We laughed. We talked about how much we'd like to see a pretty girl, and Reckless produced a zip-lock back. He showed us a photo of his pretty girlfriend and unzipped the bag to let us smell the contents, a perfumed-scented letter from her. He smiled proudly.We made it to the shelter in good time that night, and I boiled water over the fire with my pot. I was hungry and out of food (thanks to gorging 2 days before), and I went to bed with my stomach growling. The next morning, we planned to pass the official halfway point of the AT (Milepost 1089.55) and continue three miles into Pine Furnace State Park to accomplish the "Half-Gallon Challenge". As tradition goes, thru-hikers mark the mid-point by consuming an absurd amount of ice-cream."I'm listening to Boomerang sing 'Ain't Never Gonna Be Satisfied' on his guitar, and I'm thinking about the 1/2 Gallon Challenge tomorrow and wondering how true that is," said my entry into the shelter logbook.
Date: 2010-04-30
From: Tom's Run Shelters

To: north of Boiling Springs
Miles today: 27.8

A good hard day of hiking. After waiting around until noon for the owner of the general store, we abandoned the "1/2 Gallon Challenge" and started hiking. For nearly 7 hours we hiked hard, racing across the 22 miles to Boiling Springs. I was ahead of the Georgia Boys by an hour, and I met up with a couple at Boiling Springs and they invited me for a picnic. Fresh flatbread with roastbeef, cheese and mustard, triscuts with hummus, grapes and an apple, fig-newtons, and several cups of fruit juice! I thanked them and moved on around sunset. This area, called the Cumberland Gap, was the first break in mountains on the AT. The Georgia Boys stayed in town, but I ambled along into the night down narrow corridors of woods between huge corn fields. I stopped to watch a big fireworks show by some locals. I slept in a field under the moon and stars. Tomorrow, I'd meet up with my dad.
Date: 2010-05-01
From: north of Boiling Springs

To: Red Roof Inn (Duncannon, PA)
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked relentlessly through the heat to meet my Dad at the gap by noon. Stopped to get some water from a farm hose and a cyclist rode by and said, "You're not going to get there by sitting here!". Thanks, man.From the shade I saw a day-hiker walk by. Yes! The motivation of company! I followed behind the day-hiker, a local lawyer, to ride out my exhaustion. Several miles from the gap, I took off running and made it just as my Dad pulled up. We hugged, laughed, high-fived, and hugged again. It was good to feel back home again, even it I was in Pennslyvania.The rest of the hike was only 10 miles, but I was struggling. The sprint to meet my Dad had bruised my feet, so I was in alot of pain as we climbed the last ridge before Duncannon. It was great being with Dad, however. His dry humor and lemonade-out-of-lemons attitude really kept me going. He also got to see me feeling crappy and how I dealt with it, which I appreciated. Now he knows.We limped into town and got Gatorades, and it was the best-tasting Gatorate I've ever had. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the hunger, but I swear it was the best Gatorade I've ever had. We got to his car, and ate Mom's blond-brownies on the way to the hotel. That night we went to an Italian resaurant to eat. I had an AWESOME grilled salmon. We got coffee afterwards, bought some atheletic shorts and new socks, and hung out at the bookstore until 11. I stayed up until 2:30 getting my iPod all "synced". That's right, Ford Prior has let an iPod infiltrate his pure, all-natural AT "vision-quest". Let me just say this: it's necessity, okay? I'm about to die of boredome here. The other day I told a lady I was bored out of my mind and she said, "How do you get bored of these beautiful woods?!" I bit my tongue but wished to say, "Listen, lady: YOU hike 1,000+ miles and then come talk to me."I took my sleeping medicine for the first time in 2+ weeks and I slept great that night.
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: light rain

Oh, what a day. I left before 7am, while the rest were still asleep. The rain was gone but the forest was dripping and moist, and sharp-toothed gnats swarmed my face (these gnats are a bold species, unafraid to kamakazi into the ears and eyes). For some reason I was very tired, so I covered myself with a poncho and laid down for a nap nearly 10 miles into the day. I got up again, and again was overwhelmed with sleepiness. By mid-morning the last of the northbound pack passed me. I woke up and tried to catch up but still fatigue struck me down. Let me say here that it's times like these that I hate my narcolepsy; it's times like these that if feels like a real disability. I don't get angry at it. I just feel wronged by it sometimes.After my 3rd nap, I woke up and began walking. If I walked fast enough, I'd catch the group taking their lunchbreak. Well, I walked in the wrong direction...for 1.5 hours. I ran into Sampson (the flip-flopper), who I thought had passed me. "Hey man, did you turn around?" I said, quickly realizing by his face that something was amiss. "You're not heading North, are you?". He affirmed. I cursed aloud several times in front of Sampson, thanked him, and turned around. I cursed again and again. Between 6 and 8 miles lost. I was very angry. Rain showers came and went.Just before sundown I arrived at Rausch Gap Shelter. Sampson was there (he passed me during another nap) with another flip-flopper named Rewind. I ate and put up my feet. It would be another 14 miles to catch the others, and 14 miles meant a long night of hiking. HYOH (Hike Your Own Hike), I said to myself: I just didn't feel like moving along. It was a bad day and it felt better at the shelter. Happily, I shucked off the guilt of not hiking on and settled down for the night. That decision redeemed my day. By the way, Rausch Gap Shelter is awesome. Someone built a spring-fed retangular dish that constantly overflows with cold water. That night I slept great.