morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-10
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

Pretty much a perfect day for hiking. About 80 degrees with a nice breeze (even though the weather forecast I saw predicted 89 degrees.Started at 0720 and hiked the mile to where the trail should be and was trying to find a white blaze to get on the trail. One of the Waynesboro network of trail angels had just dropped someone off and he got me straightened out. Met Overload at the backcountry registration kiosk. You're supposed to fill out a triplicate slip and just take the top copy but silly me took the whole thing.The trail was really well graded and marked - a nice dirt path that was in the shade for the most part. Lots of flowers, butterflies and birdsong and a couple deer. Got passed by several NOBOs but even I was making incredible time. Got to this shelter where I had planned to spend the night at 1230 but didn't want to stop hiking. Also did not relish the idea of spending a boring lonely afternoon at the shelter but knew I didn't have the legs to do the 13.5 miles to the next shelter (which including the non-AT miles would have meant over 22 miles for the day). So plan B was to get a tentsite and hitchhike to it from further along skyline drive. So I went further along to a spring and as I was treating the water I called around but the campsites were full. So I eventually decided to come back here. So I'm a little disappointed but with the backtracking, etc. I hiked 10.2 miles. Not bad at all for the first day.Read the shelter register which mentions bear sightings near the shelter (although doesn't seem to be a nuisance) and a big rat. There is a pole with hooks for hanging food bags but there is a pitch forky thing to get the bags up that I'm too short to use. Managed to get a rope over the hooks so my bag is sort of hung up. Hope I'm not the only one here tonight - there have been at least a few people here each nite the past week, but the only way someone would come here on such a fantastic day would be if they went to Waynesboro for resupply and didn't make it back onto the trail in the afternoon.5 pm - still alone. Have set up tent and am listening to All Things Considered.Made dinner and was hoping a bear didn't take an interest. As I was finishing a hiker came in - yay!
Date: 2010-06-11
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

When I signed off last night, Tattoo was just coming in we were later joined by Croft and Gray Wanderer. Very glad to have their company.Woke up at 0230 and thought listening to the BBC World news would make me sleepy but it was a special World Cup soccer broadcast from Soweto so they were a little shrill and excited.Got up at 0540 and was hiking by 0640. Was another day of good trails but a little hot. The last 12 miles had no water so I ran out about 3 miles before the shelter. Very glad to get here.So all the conversations & register entries have been about hoping to see bears, seeing bears, or not seeing bears. Or walking very quietly in hopes of seeing a bear. My goal is to NOT see a bear. Two guys hiking south told me they had just seen a bear 5 minutes earlier and were disappointed by my unenthusiastic response. I was making a ton of noise but I still saw a small bear, probably a cub. So I was worried about there being a mama bear around but I didn't see her. The bear wasn't afraid of me at all but eventually I maneuvered out of his sight and kept on hiking.Here tenting at the shelter with Sean and his son Aiden and Croft. Sean and Aiden missed the last spring when they set up camp last night so they hiked 10 miles today on a half bottle of water and no breakfast or lunch. Aiden was reading the shelter register which includes info about a pesky raccoon, rats in the shelter, and bears at the spring, behind the privy, at the tent sites, under the food bags - not timid or able to be scared away. Aiden's comment about the register - "it's like Facebook".Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter but I will be passing my first Shenandoah Wayside... which means: BLACKBERRY MILKSHAKES!!!
Date: 2010-06-12
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Boss came in to camp just as I was getting into my tent. Croft had packed up and was talking to Boss at the shelter as Sean noticed a BIG bear across the dry creekbed from us. The bear climbed down and disappeared from sight. We finished packing up our tents and brought our stuff to the shelter. The bear must have been waiting for us to leave and came into the tenting area right to where Sean had set up his tent and climbed up a spindly tree for his breakfast. It was incredible how this huge animal could be way up in the canopy of this tree. Finally he very agilely climbed down and we took off en masse.Boss had a rough night in the shelter. While he was getting water at the spring, he saw a small bear waiting for his turn at the water. So he had to pass the bear to get into the shelter. He took a pile of rocks with him to throw at the bear if needed. Then he was right near a big spider (cane spider sized) and watched him catch a cricket and coaxed the spider into relocating. Then 2 rats were running around making a racket.Croft and I were hiking together and we blue-blazed into Loft Mountain campground. At the camp store, she got a sandwich and a root beer to tide her over until we got to the wayside a mile away. I was fine with an iced tea and a V8. We walked to the wayside and I had a tuna sub and a blackberry milkshake. The shake was $4 but totally worth it. It was very hot and we were full, so we dawdled at a picnic bench on the deck chatting with tourists.Finally we started onward. I got to a sign for trail magic 200 yards west just as thunder started booming. It was 3.8 miles to the shelter from there so we decided to check out the trail magic which was awesome. 2 former thru-hikers and their friends and family were putting it on. We sat out the rain in a big screened tent eating hot dogs and brownies and drinking organic juice boxes. They had beer too but it was too hot and too early in the afternoon.We left around 4:30 pm and it was much cooler and breezy. About a mile from the shelter, Croft was walking in front of me and I heard all this trashing above me which I knew exactly what it was even before I saw the bear sliding down the tree trunk. Fortunately it ran right off into the woods.We are the only ones at Pinefield Hut - both too stuffed to make dinner.
Date: 2010-06-13
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: broken clouds

Knew I had a low mileage day today so not moving too fast. Super muggy - sweating like crazy. I was making a ton of noise and heard a bear sliding down a tree - just out of sight. So all that yelling was worth it.Croft and I arrived at shelter at 2 pm. Spent afternoon getting cleaned up and rinsing out clothes. Aah - feel much better.Aiden left us a message in the shelter register from this am - "Haha Just woke up haha we beat you Croft and Judy haha I saw a rattle snake!!"Read the entire register from last October . Favorite entry: "Feeling a little bearanoid today." I feel that way every day.After a few hours on my super-awesomely rigged clothesline my cotton bandana is dry but my fancy "quick-drying" hiking clothes are still sopping. Why is that? Has been sprinkling on and off - will try to set up tent now.
Date: 2010-06-14
From: Hightop Hut

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Went into my tent early last night and read my maps and listened to "Shamrock and Thistle" or whatever that NPR Celtic music program is called. There was a really creaky bough above my tent and I was sure I could hear a bear breathing. So I used my secret anti-bear weapon - listening to the Ricky Gervais show podcast. Slept great. Croft stayed in the shelter and we were the only 2 at the hut.We got out at 7 and were making good time. Croft passed her 900 mile mark just before we got to the South River picnic grounds for lunch. A man came over and trail magic'd us Jolly Ranchers. Normally you don't take candy from strangers, but things are different on the AT.We got to the Lewis Mountain campground store just after 2. I tried a Virginia brand of potato chips called Route 11 - had the sweet potato chips and the dill pickle potato chips. There was also a VA soda called Cheerwine that I was told is like a cross between Dr. Pepper and cherry soda - but I had iced tea and V8 instead. Alpine from Australia came up - she had come Pinefield Hut where we had been 2 days ago and was going to Big Meadows lodge. That sort of got me thinking of pressing on - the original plan was to go to Bearfence Hut but that was only 0.7 miles away and it was still early. Also, neither Croft or I had ever done a 20 mile day so we decided to go for it.We did the last 8.7 miles in 4 hours. At one point there was a doe blocking the trail. She was eating something that must have been really good because she did not want to move. Finally she moved a couple feet but when we passed she went right back to eating at the same spot.The last few miles were tough, especially because the trail circled around the entire complex, and because the wayside was 0.8 miles out of our way - no blackberry milkshake We got our tentsite and quarters for the shower and laundry just before 8. After setting up our tents, we went to the lodge taproom for dinner. The entertainment was a guitar player who was a 10th grade English teacher. So I learned that Shenandoah means "daughter of the star" because the Shenandoah river is one of 6 rivers in North America that flows south to north (i.e., towards the North Star).A long long day.
Date: 2010-06-15
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Byrd's Nest (#3) Hut
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night I was lying in my tent and saw some little feet scurrying by. Croft shone her light on it and it was a skunk!Got a late start after showering and doing laundry. There were several deer hanging around the campground. Had an encounter with a bear in a tree early on and also saw a couple turkeys. It started sprinkling early on and started raining hard right before Skyland Lodge. Made it to the lodge and there was a woman waiting for her son Little Foot. They are hiking together for a while and are here in the shelter with Croft and me.Had lunch in the dining room - quiche and blackberry cobbler.Another 6 miles to this shelter.Getting picked up 3 miles north of here tomorrow to go into Luray to see the caverns and do some re-supply.
Date: 2010-06-16
From: Byrd's Nest (#3) Hut

To: Luray, VA
Miles today: 3.2

The only morning pick-up time for the shuttle I could get was 7 am so I got up at 4:30. It had been raining steadily throughout the night and was really misty. Even with the headlamp, I couldn't see a thing. So even though I was all packed up at 4:50 I waited half an hour until it was a teeny bit not so dark. I got to Mary's Rock and tried to call the shuttle to check in but had no signal. Since the rain had stopped, I took off my poncho and rain hat. Of course, about 5 minutes later, thunder kaboomed and rain came POURING down. Got my raingear on, but it was really coming down so I was drenched. The trail was like a brook. The descent into Thornton's Gap was rocky and slippery. I had a couple bad ankle turns and one nasty fall that left my knee and shin bloody and covered in mud. Fortunately, since I was focused on making the shuttle, I didn't have the energy to get too worked up about falling off the trail or getting mauled by a bear. Shortly after 7, I knew I was close because I could hear traffic and then I saw Rodney walking up the trail. Whew, so glad he waited.He gave me a tour of the town on the way to the Best Western. Very cute town. There is a river that runs through it with a pedestrian walkway beside it. Got cleaned up and saw that the movie Temple Grandin was going to be on HBO at 2:30 so I wanted to make it back by then.I went to the Luray Caverns which were amazing. Many many caverns with jillions of stalactites and stalagmites. Went to Walmart to resupply for food and various other things. Walked back on the highway to the outfitters. The bitevalve for my water bottle has come off, I think maybe in the shelter. The guy at the outfitter suggested I come back later with the water bottle and he would look at it. My last chore was to pick up a salad for dinner. Watched Temple Grandin while listening to the thunderstorm outside. Aaah.After the movie, I started poking through my purchases and realized I only had half the Walmart stuff. The cashier must have put the stuff in 2 bags even though there were only about 8 items. I had my food but was missing duct tape and moleskin. So I walked back into town and managed to cobble together the stuff I needed from the pharmacy and the outfitter. The outfitter owner did an awesome job and rigging a new valve to fit the hose.I saw Swift and Gearbomb, who I had met at the skyland dining room. Gearbomb was VERY focused on getting to the Best Western but Swift came over to talk a while.Got back to the hotel and cleaned and repaired stuff. It is incredible how much needed to be done after only a week on the trail. Didn't finish until after 9 - time for bed!
Date: 2010-06-17
From: Luray, VA

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: few clouds

Rodney dropped me off at Thornton Gap at 7:15. It was sunny and very breezy - perfect hiking weather. About 10:30, I saw up ahead a black bear's behind waddling north on the AT. I made some noise and he turned around and stared at me. Then kept going north. So I gave him a little head start and kept going and came upon him looking back my way. This happened again and I realized I needed to come up with a strategy. He solved the problem for the both of us by going off the trail a few yards to the right - I could still see him out of the corner of my eye as I passed.Which shows 2 things - 1., bears are really smart because he had to go through a complicated thought process to figure out what I was trying to do and how we could avoid each other. Also 2., bears are really quiet. He went off trail in an area with lots of saplings and underbrush and didn't make a sound.Made really good time and got to the Elk Wallow wayside. I was disappointed they didn't have tuna subs there but had a cheeseburger and a blackberry shake. Last shake - no more waysides I met Big Foot who has section-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. He said he understands why some people don't carry cameras - "you just need the picture at Katahdin and Springer". He was saying there are just no views on the AT but on the PCT the views are breath-taking.Saw 2 small snakes in the afternoon. Not sure what they are, just not black snakes or garter snakes. Got to the shelter turn-off just before 4 and right away saw a big snake in the trail. I kind of thought it was a rattlesnake, but when I threw a rock at it and heard the rattle, I was sure it was a rattler. After waiting a few minutes, it slid off the trail.Right before the shelter, I saw a sign for problem bears in the area. Was not happy. Paul Bunyun and City Squirrel came for water and I was trying to get them to stay for the night, but no luck. They did mention that they thought Jaybird was staying here, and she came soon after. So it's just the 2 of us here - hoping for an uneventful night.
Date: 2010-06-18
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

No bear activity during the night. I had a vague dream about people in the shelter with headlamps. Then in the morning Jaybird said that the people who came in late had set up a tent. So not a dream after all.I got to Hogwallow Gap and was trying to figure out the mileage and heard a noise and there was a deer just a few feet from me. I crossed Skyline Drive and started up the hill and heard a weird scary animal noise. Then I realized it was snoring coming from the tent that Little Foot and his mom had set up.Left Shenandoah National Park and got to the Terrapin Station hostel, my intended stop for the night, around 11:30. Croft was still there but headed out a short while later. I showered, did laundry, and sorted through my maildrop. Way too much food. There was one maildrop that was a 20 pound black case. I told Mike, the owner, that it had to be a weapon that someone had sent ahead because firearms are not allowed in national parks. Mike pointed out how cheap the postage was and I said, yeah, they give you a discount when you're in the CIA. Mike said maybe Gov. Sanford is back on the AT and needs protection.Mike dropped me off on route 522 and I continued north to the shelter. So I "yellow-blazed" a 4.9 mile section of the AT (i.e., skipped by getting a ride).Wildlife today - several deer, 2 rabbits, and one black snake.Staying here - Croft (who got here after me because of the skipped section), and a couple going SOBO for a few weeks, Haley and Cashy. This shelter is very elaborate - there is a porch with a bench and and an Adirondak loveseat and day lilies planted around it.Haley is having a rough time. She says she imagined this trip to be a lot of hanging around the camp with people her age (26). Instead, "it's all 35 and over people who come into camp really late and grouchy and then just go to sleep". (then I went to bed at 7:15 after warning them I'd be up at 5 am). We finally figured out that she likes camping and doesn't really like hiking.In contrast, Jaybird was telling me she "just wants to walk" and hates the logistics and planning part. She has no stove and eats cold instant oatmeal for breakfast and dinner and trail mix for lunch. Her planning is not like my planning though - she was saying "OK, so Harpers Ferry is 67 miles away, that's 3 days of hiking..."I guess I'm somewhere in the middle - mainly I love the hiking but want to be well rested and well fed to do it.
Date: 2010-06-19
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: broken clouds

OMG so freaking hot. Today had fairly good terrain including a lot of meadows. Because it was a Saturday, there were a lot of people out - day-hikers, weekend backpackers, trail maintainers, and Boy Scout troops. I left the Denton shelter at 6:30 am and arrived here 6:30 pm. I had seen Swift and Gearbomb slackpacking south yesterday and I expected them or Croft to pass me during the day but they must have stopped earlier. I saw thru-hiker who I had first seen near the Gravel Springs hut who has been slack-packing for a few days courtesy of his wife. At Gravel Springs, he was lamenting that he hadn't seen a bear. I saw him today and he said he had finally seen one and as he was trying to take a photo the bear was chattering its teeth at him. Yikes! Anyway, he had to rush off - his wife wanted to go to a Celtic festival in Front Royal so he could only do a half day of hiking (14 miles).I had lunch at the Dick's Dome shelter and talked to a couple out for a hike. As I was leaving, a Boy Scout troop was pulling in for the night and I was relieved that I wasn't spending the night there. Turns out there is a different Boy Scout troop spending the night here but fortunately they seem pretty mellow. There is a couple here going SOBO from Harpers Ferry to Georgia and were running low on food so I palmed some of my extra food off on them. Anything to make the pack lighter.I was thinking today about how the terrain looks pretty, how it looks on the AT for the next 600 miles (through Connecticut). The shelter here is at 840 ft above sea level and it is so hot, humid and buggy. I'm so glad I have the mid-Atlantic section done and I pity the NOBOs leaving Harpers Ferry in June.Supposed to be even hotter tomorrow - ugh.
Date: 2010-06-20
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

So hard to sleep - too hot. Got up at 5 but was trying not to wake everybody up so I didn't get going until 6:45. Shortly after the shelter, there was a sign:Hiker Notice WARNINGYou are about to enter the Rollercoaster. See you in 13.5 miles - if you survive.(And someone carved an arrow into the tree "Must be this tall to ride" - cute)What happened was that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy could only get access to a narrow strip of land and the trail goes up and down hills. Roller coaster, schmoller coaster - just generic AT. I was having flashbacks to my 2007 hike in Maryland and Pennsylvania - the lichens, white marble veins in the rock, lots of stream crossings.I met a guy going south early on who had just surprised a bear - great. It was pretty miserable hiking - sooo hot, nobody out. I thought they called it the Roller Coaster to make a boring unrewarding section of trail seem fun. Towards the end, I rolled my ankle really bad twice and then right after slipped on a muddy rock and ended up with both legs bloody and muddy and a trekking pole bent. It took me 7 hours to get here - couldn't make myself go faster even though I really wanted to get here. And I have no cash so if they didn't accept credit cards here, I would have had to keep going.They have a hiker special that includes bunk, shower, laundry, a soda, a pizza, and a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Managed to eat the whole pizza but now regret it. Didn't have any ice cream.I thought I would be the only hiker here but Croft showed up! She hiked 14 miles today, called the hostel to pick her up, and slack-packed the other 14 today.They have posters here signed by hikers - I recognized a bunch of 2007 names - Pinky, Dirty Blonde, Widowmaker, Martini & Rossi, Lakewood, 357 Magnum. Also, Earl Grey started a flip-flop hike (Harpers Ferry to Katahdin, Harpers Ferry to Springer) the same time as I did and he signed the poster in September, which means he at least completed the first half.20 miles to go to Harpers Ferry. Tomorrow's high says 91, and 95 for Tuesday. Looking forward to finishing up.
Date: 2010-06-21
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

June 21st - Happy Hike Naked Day!Who in their right mind would do that?The trail today was just as miserable, but at least I wasn't. Very pokey though - took me 6 hours to go 8 miles. I sat on Crescent Rocks with TK, who was talking about arranging to do the Hundred Mile Wilderness with his dad. So I got to tell the lost-my-Dad-in-Jersey story - always a crowd pleaser.Later I met a family of four who were doing the opposite of my hike - Harpers Ferry to Rockfish Gap. The dad said I had done it fast and I said it was just because the Shenandoah trails were so great, "You can actually look around instead of watching your feet all the time" - they were quite relieved.Got to Blackburn around 2. What a beautiful place. There is a swatch cut through the forest there for the power line that gives them a view - supposedly on a clear day you can see the Washington Monument.Set up my tent, took a shower. Normally solar showers are pretty cold, but this one was actually warm. Sat on the lawn and read a Hercule Poirot book I found in the hiker box.Croft, then 4 other thru-hikers showed up. The caretakers made us dinner - spaghetti, fresh baked bread, and fresh baked brownies.12 more miles to Harpers Ferry!