morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Mountaineer Falls
Miles today: 17.5

I just don't sleep well in shelters. It is the hard floor. Maybe I should get one of those heavy inflatable mattresses. I am always amazed at the speed some people can pack up and head out. It's like they sleep in their hiking clothes, roll up their sleeping bags and go. Since my sleeping bag is at the bottom of my pack, I must have everything spread out all over the shelter. I have discovered the joy of ramps. Ramps are related to the onion and garlic family. You can find them along the trail and add them to anything. They have quite a strong odor, so they also are a cure for overcrowded shelters. I like them raw but they really mess up my breath. I walked 8 miles in the rain to a road. At the road most people were heading into town for the night. I don't need much of a re-supply, so I headed the other way to a restaurant. I decided to walk in my Teva sandals because my feet and socks are soaked. It was a gamble since I had no idea if it would be open on this Mother's Day Sunday. Luck is usually on my side and the half a mile walk paid off with a steak house and an ACYE (all you can eat) buffet. I must really be quite a site after the last few hard days. They asked me to leave my backpack outside on the porch. Maybe they thought that was what smelled so bad. The buffet wasn't really very good, but my intention was to fill up on food so I can make it another day. Afterwards, the Tevas were doing so well I decided to try to hike in them. I immediately got sleepy so I strung up my hammock and got some rest. I think my hammock is my favorite piece of gear. After an hour nap and another hour to get motivated to hike, I got going in my Tevas again. They work well as long as it's pretty flat. The trail has been relocated in this section. They added another 3.1 miles to my journey for some reason. It kind messes up my mileage count, though. There are a lot of people camping here since they haven't built any shelters yet. Laffy Taffy just came in after hiking 24 miles to catch up. She has been hiking with Pace. I have completely run out of Aqua Mira to purify my water. I will get someone to purify 2 liters in the morning and hopefully it will get me to the hostel tomorrow. I may switch to putting 5 drops of bleach in every liter if I can't get something better before Damascus. 65.2 miles and 6 days until Trail Days. Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Mountaineer Falls

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 14.8

Woke up, packed up, and headed out. Laffy Taffy bestowed me with purified water. The hiking is really easy through here and I can make really good time. Very uneventful, but a perfect day to hike. Cool, cloudy, and windy with no bugs. Kincora Hostel is full, but I can camp. More importantly, I can get a shower and wash my clothes. Also, my food drop is here. I have to adjust the amount snacks. I eat a steady diet of candy bars now. Here at the hostel I ordered some steaks from the grocery store. I gave one to Sara and Jason who gave me a cheeseburger two days ago. Miss Janet dropped off a present. A couple days ago, I met a day hiker and we talked for a while. I asked him if he knew where I could get some Aqua Mira. He apparently called the local outfitter and they got the Aqua Mira to Miss Janet who dropped it off. I am totally amazed. I was going to start using household bleach, which doesn't taste very good. I met that guy on the same day I was given tea and oranges, plus the cheeseburger and coke. When this is done, I will be going out of my way to be a trail angel. There are a lot of people here including Baltimore Jack, Twigs, and Nuts. I'm just 50 miles from Trail Days and I have pretty much made it. I am so happy with the pace I have kept. I had to leave a lot of friends behind to make here. I know about people in front of me but I know nothing of people behind me. I hope to see everyone at Trail Days. I am right behind Loser and Groovy. I really don't see many people when I hike anymore, because everyone hikes at the same pace now and don't stop for breaks much. So shelters are the place to meet up with people. Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Vanderventer Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Of course I'm not going to try the Damascus challenge. That would be 33 miles of insanity. Last night I pitched my hammock really sloppily. I knew it wouldn't rain, so I didn't use the rain fly. The problem was the trees I picked weren't far enough apart and I was too tired to go looking for better ones. I kept sliding to the foot and never got comfortable. As soon as I set out, I noticed more and more rhododendrons blooming. I have been waiting for this since the trail started. It seems every day is another plant¢s turn to bloom. The forest changes color all the time. I really enjoyed the mountain laurel and now the rhododendron will shock the forest with purple accents. Bees and butterflies are busy getting their bounty of nectar while they do their job of cross-pollinating. Nature is the only place where so much diversity can live with so much harmony. I have been 1 day behind Loser forever. We communicate by writing notes in note books in the shelters that everyone signs and dates as they stop by. He keeps writing to catch up, but he never slow down. Everyone will be at Trail Days. It is a huge celebration of thru-hikers. People that are behind or ahead hitchhike or take shuttles to get there for Friday through Sunday. There is a talent show where Loser is supposed to sing "Broken Pack" to the tune of AC-DC's "Back in Black". It is about the infamous Lonewolf and how he carried his pack at a 45 degree angle because his hip belt was broken. There will be a parade where the town folk throw water balloons at us. There will be many gear manufacturers there. That is one of my interests since my Montrail shoes disintegrated in 3 weeks. They did great until they completely ripped out on the sides. I just want to throw them at the sales reps. I will definitely be getting new shoes. All in all, I expect a concert atmosphere and get see a lot of people I have been missing. Woods Dragon, who I haven't really seen much of since the 3rd, will be there. I can't wait to see Cathlene (MG) and hope Cruiser and Reason make it. If they don't, I may never see them again. After Trail Days, the crowd changes. I will be hiking with totally different people. This is a big place for people to drop off the trail. It all gets more serious after this last big party. Everyone should be broken in and in shape. It's all pretty much big miles and towns are a place to re-supply rather than a place to party. I, by the way, hiked my first 20 mile day. I was on cruise control all day. There wasn't a real need to hike 20 miles, but it is an ego booster. I even stopped for a big lunch, had a soda with Tora at a road crossing, and stopped at a shelter and cooked dinner. Oh, one more thing: I did it entirely in sandals. Tomorrow is Trail Days. Goodnight.   Peace,DutchSoulshine is better than sunshine.Way better than moonshine.And damn sure better than rain.
Date: 2003-05-16
From: Damascus Trail Days

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Ear plugs were my friend last night. Not only are all the bunks full, but there are 4 people sleeping on the floor in my room alone. Since everyone is still sleeping at 6:30, I can get a shower and go to the laundrimat. After starting a load, I meandered over to the gas station/resturant. Their breakfast looked pretty bad, but the cheeseburger was pretty good. I went through my mail drop and tried to organize my pack a little. I'm really not into Trail Days at all. If this day sounds boring, it's because it really is. I found where everyone is camping at. It is about a mile out of town. It looks like any camping concert I've ever been to. Lots of tents and people passed out. I checked out everything and went to the park where the main vending and music is. I ran into Woods and she wanted to go on a helicopter ride. She asked me to go and I said I would. As we walked over to the helicopter, we ran into Reason. Reason took my place on the helicopter. I was really only going for Woods¢ sake, but I really didn't want to spend the money. If it weren't for Jess coming tonight, I'd be hiking out of here. I must say I am very surprised I'm not feeling more festive today. I think I may have reached a point that I feel more comfortable in the woods than in a town. Since the rest will do me some good, I decided to catch up on my reading. As I try, I keep getting interrupted and wind up rereading every other paragraph. All these people sure are annoying. I guess if people see someone reading it means they aren't busy and they can just ask random questions. "Do you know what the weather is going to be like?" or "Did you check out the campground yet?" they would rudely ask. Well, sorry this entry is so boring. At least you didn't have to live it.   Peace,DutchSoulshine is better than sunshine.Way better than moonshine.And damn sure better than rain.
Date: 2003-05-17
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Jess and I had to hurry to town to meet up with Woods, Twigs, and Nuts for breakfast. It was packed at the resturaunt and there was no way we were going to get a table, so we all went to a gas station that served breakfast. It was not the way I wanted Jess to meet Twigs and Nuts at all. I was so busy and impersonal that no one really got to know anyone. Soon we were in the local bank to get our papers notarized. After an hour wait, the bank manager notarized them at no cost. We went to the park where we got to meet the creators of trailjournals.com. We went shopping and I got some badly needed trail shoes. I have changed brands since my Montrails didn't hold up at all. We finished running errands and went back to Damascus to eat and hang out for a while. We wound up at the campground where I got my trekking poles serviced for free. I also gave my Montrail shoes to the sales rep and let him know how really bad they suck. There was really nothing he could do, but it still feels good to tell someone off about it. I got my poles back from Leki and they said I take care of my poles better than anyone on the trail. They cleaned them and put new tips on them. We visited with everyone at the campground and I basically said my goodbyes. People are too many miles behind me to catch up. I doubt I will be seeing Woods, Reason, and Cruiser any more. I will not stay tomorrow and enjoy the festivities. I have re-supplied and I am more than ready to hit the trail again. I had dreamed too much about Trail Days, and I am disappointed that it is really just a drunken party. Everyone is pretty trashed and I for some reason just can't get into it. I gladly went back to the hotel to enjoy Jess's company and go through my gear. I am sending home my fleece jacket and Jess sent a pair of silk boxers with the pee hole sewn shut. I will hike in just the boxers on really hot days. It is as close to naked as the law will allow. My pack weight keeps getting lighter as the weather warms up. Soon I will exchange my sleeping bag for a fleece one that weighs half as much as my down one. I promise better journals now that I will be hiking again. I really didn't enjoy this stop for Trail Days, and I think my priorities have changed. Jess's visit has been great and the rest has helped my blisters. Goodnight. Peace, DutchSoulshine is better than sunshine.Way better than moonshine.And damn sure better than rain.
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Damascus

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

CHECK OUT THE NEW PHOTOS!A hotel stay again. I still sleep better in my hammock. I got to see Jess twice in two weeks. We ate a good breakfast. I had a bacon cheeseburger just because I can. It was hard to say goodbye. I walked to the trail and headed right up. I never stop in town for anything. My food bag is extremely heavy. I have brought more food because people keep telling me I'm losing too much weight. It is always uphill out of a town and today is no exception. At one point, as I walked by, a hundred large flies flew up from the side of the trail. Upon closer inspection, I found them buzzing around some feces from an unknown source. I needed some entertainment and this looked like a good opportunity. But what can I do with a pile of feces and a hundred flies? I got it, after thinking about my great desire for scallops and how I never get to eat any. I took out my 100% Deet bug spray and sprayed the feces. (I told you it would get more exciting when started hiking again.) Every time the flies would fly down to the feces, they would be repelled by the bug spray. They flew to nearby leaves and just stared at it.   Now they know what I'm going through with scallops. I stopped for lunch and laid out my mattress to eat. I wound up taking a little nap after lunch. I don't know why I'm so sleepy. I had a hard time making it up this never-ending hill. I came up on the first shelter and decided to stop here and get a good supper. Spaghetti with vegetarian sausage makes me the envy of the shelter. I set up my hammock and it will be an early night tonight. Peace,DutchSoulshine is better than sunshine.Way better than moonshine.And damn sure better than rain.
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept solidly through the night until sunrise. Only 8 people showed up at the shelter last night. Three of them were section hikers on their first night out. I seem to have beaten the mass exodus out of trail days. Loser is the only one in front of me that I know. Reason is over a hundred and twenty miles behind. I'm going to keep pushing big miles to put some distance between me and the large wave behind me. I ate all day today. I stopped every two hours to keep filling up. I want to eat my very heavy food bag down. I also have been drinking a lot more since I've been adding Kool-Aid to my water. My new shoes have been working out pretty well. They seem a tiny bit big, but I don't have any blisters and that's what counts. I read on my Slim Jim wrapper that the second ingredient is mechanically separated chicken. I must like mechanically separated chicken. It seems better than free range chicken, and comes in such a nice wrapper. The weather has been terrific, even thought they keep forecasting rain. It's been about 2 weeks since my last full day of rain. I am up on top of Mt Rogers now. It was a big climb, but I think it is my last major mountain for quite a while. It's really foggy since I am again in the clouds. I never really found the shelter and must have walked past the sign. I'm glad to be able to put in more than 15 miles a day. I need that to be my average and I have some catching up to do. I am 9 days behind on my original schedule but I am catching up slowly. I think I will have plenty of time. Peace,DutchSoulshine is better than sunshine.Way better than moonshine.And damn sure better than rain.
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

As it turns out, my hammock can be used to strain the moisture out of the air when there is dense fog. My sleeping bag got soaked and it was freezing last night. I don't know if I got any sleep. I thought about just getting out and hiking, but I was too tired. As it turns out, I was about 200 yards from the sign to the shelter but I gave up last night in the fog. I walked to a big bald with huge boulders. There are huge boulders everywhere that just look like they dropped out of the sky. I found a particularly flat boulder and set out everything to dry. An older gentleman joined me we covered the place with nylon and down. I heated water for his coffee and he shared almonds and Belgium dark chocolate. He hiked the AT 4 times. I wonder how many times I'm going to hike it. There are wild ponies on this bald. Supposedly when this area was logged, they were left behind. I don't know, but I would think they would use something bigger than ponies. Maybe they got loose from a circus or petting zoo. In any case, they are cute. I am so tired from not sleeping last night I keep taking breaks. Finally, I just decided to take a good two hour nap. When the next shelter came, I couldn't resist stopping. I hated to only go 11 miles but I'm so tired. I'm going to take something to insure a good night sleep and crash in the shelter. I have a feeling it will be raining in the morning and this way I don't have to deal with wet gear. Goodnight.Peace,DutchSoulshine is better than sunshine.Way better than moonshine.And damn sure better than rain.
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

Got a really good night of sleep last night. It was raining hard all night into the morning. I waited till 10 am for it to slow down and then I took off. The hiking is incredibly easy today. It may be because of good sleep or all the food I ate for dinner. In any case, I was flying. The rain picked up a little but it didn't bother me at all. I only wish I had only worn shorts so I didn't get so much clothes wet. I got to the second shelter in just 5 hours - that is close to 3 mph. The rain is good for hiking because you can never stop. I could do about another five miles but I have a new plan. I really can't conceive how far Maine is, so I just plan to my next reward. Tomorrow I have a reward of pizza, soda, and a sub. At the shelter, there is a ranger station with a payphone. With this phone, I can call for delivery. This is really roughing it. There is also a shower there. Well, I'll get another good night of sleep. Peace,DutchSoulshine is better than sunshine.Way better than moonshine.And damn sure better than rain.
Date: 2003-05-24
From: 1/2 mile past VA 610

To: 4 miles past Walker Gap
Miles today: 18.2

It rained hard until 4am. I know because I couldn't sleep a wink. I heard something rustling around and it had me worried all night. At least it wasn't raining at sunrise. I walked to a shelter where there was a large group. One guy was hitting his backpack with a rock. I told him he needed a bigger rock. He agreed then broke his pack. I keep meeting new people for about a day then I don't see them again. I have been trying to catch Loser but he is always a day ahead of me. I am really tired and I took a nap at 1 pm. Today is filled with big climbs. I took breaks often to eat my food bag down. At 5 pm, I made mashed potatoes mixed with stove top stuffing for supper. I think I forgot my spork when I did. If I did, I won't be having supper for another 60 miles unless I figure something out. I hung my hammock without the rain fly. I'm really hoping it doesn't rain or I'm going to be putting it on in the middle of the night. Well, good night.Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-05-25
From: 4 miles past Walker Gap

To: Helvey's Mill Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: broken clouds

It got cold last night. I'm worried since I had Jess send my summer bag in my next mail drop. Maybe I should carry both until I see her on Monday. I don't have warm clothes since I shipped all of my fleece home. I searched everything for my spork and found it at the bottom of my pack. It is an extremely important piece of equipment since I need it to make 1/3 of my meals. I felt good in the morning, but quickly got tired. After 5 miles I found the first shelter. I took lunch and a little nap. I think I'm gaining weight from trying to eat all the food I brought. I may become the only obese thru-hiker. After 5pm, I finally felt good and picked up the pace. I still had 8 miles to a shelter and it was starting to rain. I hiked as fast as I could until I hit this hill from hell. It was so incredibly steep. Supposedly it only lasted for 1/2 mile, but it felt like 3. Just before I got to the shelter, I came upon Moo and 42, a married couple. I thought about passing them but I didn't want to look like I was racing to get a spot at the shelter. After we walked the .3 mile we found one spot open at the shelter. I thought I'd get it since they would need two. They decided they could cram the both of them in. Drats. I hope everyone snores all night. It was a real long hard day and I'm safe in my hammock. I keep pushing to get away from the crowds but I keep running into more large groups. I have 40 miles to my next town and I think I will at least take a half day off to rest. It all depends on if I can find a motel close for when Jess comes to see me a week from tomorrow. She is stopping to see me on her way back from knitting camp. Yes, I said knitting camp.   Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Helvey's Mill Shelter

To: 1 mile past Dismal Falls Trail
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I tried to set up my rain fly so that more air would pass though my hammock. I made it so rain passed through. It is unseasonably cold and my sleeping bag gets wetter each day. I tried to let it dry, but I have to hike all day. I couldn't stuff it in its little nylon bag again for another day. I hung it up and just waited lazily around the shelter. Everyone left early, so I made the dinner I had to forgo last night. I had chicken saut©ed in olive oil with garlic and sun dried tomatoes wrapped in a tortilla with hot pepper cheese. It was awesome, especially for trail food. My only regret is there wasn't anyone to make jealous. At 10:30, I got all my gear put together except my sleeping bag. I was able to hang my bag off the back of my pack in a big "W". I was a walking drying rack. It worked pretty well but I had to be careful I didn't snag anything. I can tell when I'm getting close to a road by the amount of trash I see. People don't think anything of littering down here. Beer bottles and fast food containers cover all road crossings. Also, people just dump tires, appliances, and bags of garbage. The first thing you start to see is cigarette butts. Apparently, smoking day hikers can only penetrate about a mile into the woods. Some thru-hikes smoke, but they don't litter and usually roll their own. That way there is no filter to throw on the ground. I have a hard time seeing the point of the filter. You're filtering out the tar and nicotine, but isn't that what your smoking it for? If you¢re gonna smoke, why do you have to fill the planet with little fiberglass filters? I've been getting only hit country stations for some time now. I like country and have a great appreciation for ballads and humorous stories. They have to work on spreading out their rotation. I can hear the same Shania, Travis, Toby, Garth songs every two hours. I have listened to days and days of country and have yet to hear one Johnny Cash song. Have they forgotten about the man in black? Today I got to hear a classic rock station. It is a custom on Memorial Day weekend to have a count down of the greatest 500 rock songs. I can't imagine why it changes from year to year since it has been the same songs for the past 25 years. I thought for sure being in the south "Free Bird" would be number 1, so you can imagine my surprise when it was number 4. So what was the number 1 song for mountain radio southwestern Virginia? It was also "Free Bird". The DJ said that song was so good it had to be 1st and 4th. I had a good day considering I got started so late. In the time it takes to take a picture or appreciate a view, I could have walked another couple steps so there will be no more pictures. I am like a machine that goes step, step, step, step, step, snickers, step, step... I did some good mileage this week. I may walk the rest of the way to Pearisburg tomorrow. It buys me a zero day, but there are some big hills in the way. Well, goodnight. Peace,Dutch