morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-29
From: Maupin Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap/ Waynesboro
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: moderate rain

Didn't rain last night but when I woke up you could smell the moisturein the air. That gave everybody a little jump. Crossed the Blue Ridge a few times early today. As the day moved onthe trail became rocky and rock hopping was the sport of the day.But that was nothing compared to the hike up Humpback Mtn. The rain came and so did more rocks. The two don't mix very well;did some slipping and sliding across Humpback. There were so many]great views but with the mist, rain, and fog couldn't see much.I marked this area down because it would be a really cool hiketo spend a couple of days playing on a warmer and sunny day. The rest of the day was cool, rainy and more cool I loved the last5 miles into Rockfish Gap; foggy and mystic, very cool stuff Arrived @ the Gap; was walking around in a daze when a red van stoppedand the windows came down. An ederly lady driving shouted "you mustbe Snowdog". It was KB's grandparents; they are also in the area.Great to meet them and will see them again in a few days. I knew theB's were behind; SB was having some blister problems so hopefullythat wasn't hurting. Mom and Dad brought me off the mountain; make things short I amhere in Waynesboro and going to take a zero on Sat. How good was the food @ Ruby Tuesday's?? Ahhhhhhh........................... Time for some R&R; a few Molson sounds good.***HAVE A GREAT B DAY WELLS....I OWE YOU A FEW DRINKS*******   You guys are running through Virginia- - tell Kado he is    still a bast***d!!!!
Date: 2005-04-30
From: Rockfish Gap/ Waynesboro

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Zero day............. Saw something that hit home......here it is "Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free,   Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,   And when we find ourselves in the place just right,   Twill be in the valley of love and delight,   When true simplicity is gained,   To bow & to bend we will not be ashamed,   To turn, to turn will be our delight,   & by turning, turning we come round right".    Gotta go, take care!!!
Date: 2005-05-01
From: Waynesboro

To: Blackrock Mtn.
Miles today: 20.6

   May 1st?? You got to be kidding man! Time is flying out here,seems April went by in a flash. Now I can see why thru hikersslow down @ the end to stretch out the fun and games.   Also have to pinch myself; we are @ the gates of Shenandoah NationalPark. From what I have heard the 2000 -3000 ft. climbs are doneuntil the Whites in New Hampshire. We shall see; actually the climbs are cool. Great views take a little sweat and a littlepain to reach.   With my brother around and the B's grandparents around wedecided to do pick up where we left off @ Rockfish Gap andhead to Blackrock Mtn. The terrain is leveling off and man,the ammount of people is increasing steadily, which is cool.It is just that the first two and a half months, the trailwas really quiet so that will take some getting used to.   Had a huge lunch @ an overlook with everybody and then hikedon to Blackrock. Bro Tom stayed up in the Shenandoah's and campedout while I headed with the B's back to town for some more R&R.My body is feeling great; we have a long ways to go and the zero'sare critical in keeping my feet happy. (Have to admit, the burgersand beer are critical also).   I hope my brother Tom finds his week of peace and scerinityaway from "the real world" as they say; man coming out of thewoods and into "the real world" is getting tougher for all ofus as we move deeper into this journey.   Peace
Date: 2005-05-02
From: Blackrock Mtn.

To: Blackrock Mtn.
Miles today: 0.0

Chilling in the boro.......... Tuesday heading out for a longstretch to Harpers Ferry. Until then, so long and a big hug to little "m"; be carefulwith those fireworks baby!!!!!! "In a state of grace....   I don't believe in destiny,   or the guiding hand of fate,   I don't believe in forever,   or love as a mystical state,   don't believe in the stars   or the planets,   or angels watching from above,   but I believe there's a ghost of a chance,   that we can find someone to love,   and make it last".   Ghost of a chance   RUSHP.S. - More pictures on the way soon................TO KADO AND WELLS- - what is up you bast***S?? Miss you dudes;we will see you soon. Hard to catch you two; I'm sure Kado ishiking 80 MPH; we check the shelter journals all the time man.Anybody who talks to Wells or Kado***** tell them hello from theB's and Snowdog............................... and drop thatguitar Wells and your ankle will get better!
Date: 2005-05-03
From: Blackrock Mtn.

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: overcast clouds

   Let's see, met up with the B's and KB's grandparents earlyin the morning. They stayed in Richmond; brother Tom came byand him and I loaded up on a bunch of trail magic he could spreadin SNP.    The whole group of us ate @ Weesies (not sure I spelled that right); AYCE pancakes before heading on.   After getting to Blackrock Mtn. where we left on Sunday it was time to say goodbye to KB's granparents. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!You guys were wonderful and we will see ya'll again soon.   Cool, spring day out here, nice hiking again. It is bizzare; springhasn't hit up here @ 3000 - 4000 ft. Some of the locals say it isthe coldest spring they have seen in decades.    Beautiful day of hiking; walked till dark and @ the hut was myold friend waiting for me; some mice. After I layed my stuff downthe first thing I saw was a mouse running across the top bunk. Gotmy light on him and he froze; figure he was the lead spy or somethinggetting the plans ready for the evening. Sure enough, we all layed down& the troops made their rounds for a while. Crazy creatures!!   The AT is getting busier here in SNP....sweet dreams.
Date: 2005-05-04
From: Hightop Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: broken clouds

   Brother Tom has been an awesome help! Yesterday and today hehas helped with lunch; trail magic and just general good stuff.He is hanging around the park; camping on his own and followingus around with food. Can't beat that; thanks bro for everything.   Lots of cool things happened today; the usual on the AT. Raninto some folks from New Zealand. Talked for a long time aboutthe states; their homeland and other stuff. Refrained from bringingup any Lord of the Rings questions but being a big fan I couldn't resist. They are on a 4 week vacation on the East Coast; wanted tosee a little of the AT. They even brought some oranges down to mefrom the lodge; trail magic worldwide man!!    Another cool thing was Big Meadows; SNP has all these storesand restaurants scattered across the park. Some are closed butBig Meadows is open; met Bro Tom there for some grub and such.   Also the deer in this park; tame as dogs. You can get within5 - 10 ft. of them and they don't move. Every night and morning theycan be found in the campsite looking for food inches from the tentsand huts.   Awesome sunset..........great views..........life is good!   "never imagined that existence could be   so simple, so uncluttered, so Spartan,   so free of baggage, so sublimely gratifying".   Thanks Peggy and Dick....
Date: 2005-05-05
From: Hightop Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 28.6
Weather: broken clouds

   This was one of those days I felt 20 again. They are few andfar between. Of course it helps when I can stop by Skyland for6 pancakes and 4 eggs out here in the woods. And on top of thatBro Tom was waiting again with a huge lunch @ Thorton Gap- - -KFC and other goodies.    So with all that food and cheer I pretty much walked from sunupuntil after dark. Love that night hiking man. Now I have a headlampand nothing beats night hiking. Everything changes; the woods becomeearily quiet and the wind speaks as it wips thru the trees. I findit exiting and very interesting hearing the night noises thru thetrees.   Before dark I sat on an overlook for a while and slipped in thesoundtrack to the Passion of the Christ. Love that movie and thesoundtrack is great. Sat and gazed across the horizon; the mood perfectfor the music.    Anyway, another great sunset (probably getting old saying thatbut it is true).    Have been hiking with the Newlyweds off and on, and meeting moreand more hikers in this park. The B's are a day behind or so and weplan on meeting @ the Royal or later @ Harpers Ferry. The list is long ofall the people I have met; some thru hikers and some not.    Did run into a couple of Penns. hikers; one dude was a Viking fan(he noticed the Bears ski cap I was wearing). We talked about everythingfrom football to growing up in the 70's to the Broad Street BulliesLoved the old Philly Flyers of the 70's man; Clarke, Shultz, Moose,Parent among others. Where or where has good hockey gone?????   Long day, laying here feet propped up, dreaming of ice cream barsand double cheeseburgers! So long for now...................
Date: 2005-05-06
From: Hightop Hut

To: Front Royal/VA. 522
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

   Racoon alert!!   Wanderlust, (one of the Newlyweds), hung hisfood on a bear hanger outside the hut last night. Found two emptypop tart wrappers and some other stuff on the groung this morning.Also found a good size hole in his food bag; looks like Mr. Racoonsomehow got up the hanger and had some snacks.   Besides that, good night of sleep. Met Tom again for a short lunchbefore meeting up with him @ VA 522. Going to head into Front Royaland have a few cold ones with him before he heads back to So Cal.Once again Tom, everybody says a big thanks and hope you had a blast out here.   Hiked out of SNP today; Shenandoah is a cool place. Great viewsand great hiking. However, I was freaked a bit on the people. Youhave to understand; after 2 1/2 months of hiking without seeinganyone, the park was a shock. The trail crossed the Skyline Driveevery two miles it seems and was a bit much. I was in the park5 days and was asked three different times by Rangers what I was doing. Having a huge backpack on and not shaven in 4 dayswould be a give away I would think; maybe. Just felt a little bitlike big brother was around every corner???? Just freaky, thatsall.   Can't wait to get back to a place "where the streets have noname" as Bono would say.........................   Take care!   "the wrath of the Gods   got a punch on the nose   and it's starting to flow   I think I might be sinking,   throw me a line   if I read you the time,   meet you up there   where the path runs straight    and high".            ZeppelinP.S. thanks to the guys for the two Milwaukee Best @ the laughs, the second tolast road crossing before VA 522. (Even though I was a bitty slowup that next uphill).
Date: 2005-05-07
From: Front Royal/VA. 522

To: Front Royal
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

   Hanging here in Front Royal; neat town. A little mix of the new southand the old south.    The B's came in last night; Tom and I went to the trailhead and pickedthem up. We all are going to head back out on Sunday.   The weather is supposed to warm up a bit and everybody is excitedabout that. Also Scarecrow; a thru hiker from last year made it in thismorning and is also going to hang out here.   I saw my first movie in 3 months or so; Kingdom of Heaven which Ithought was fantastic. The B's, Scarecrow and myself lumbered down tothe theatre and enjoyed about 4 lbs. of popcorn and soda. 4 thumbs upfrom the thruhiker community for the movie.   After some great pizza from Shahs Pizza and some beer and laughs;hit the sack for some deep sleep.    Talk to you later; living the dream!!!!!   PS - have bunch of pictures; waiting to get a computer that has thetools to load them on.
Date: 2005-05-08
From: Front Royal

To: Dicks Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

   HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!      To you Mom; and to you Grandma! And to all the moms everywhere.(Don't know how you put up with my sh** in my younger years   In dedication to Mothers Day we walked thru a section of thetrail today that was awesome. The biggest patch of Trilliums (hopeI spelled that right) east of the Mississippi. After some reallycool hiking out of Front Royal we came upon a 2 mile stretch ofTrilliums. Must be a huge thing here because many day hikers wereout just to see them. One couple told me that they just had bloomedin the last couple of days. I have no clue what they were but asI walked thru them I thought how perfect for Mothers Day.   Anyway, hanging with the B's and a interesting dude calledScarecrow who has hiked the trail before. If you were to ordera perfect day, this was the one. About 70, cool breeze in the air;life is good!   Tenting weather is here and I set mine up and slipped in early.Laying here, the smell of spring is in the air and a huge smileon my face. Zzzzzz...............................................   **Everbody here says hello to everybody, thanks for all thesupport!
Date: 2005-05-09
From: Dicks Dome Shelter

To: Trail/Near Bears Den
Miles today: 18.5

   Lets see; found my first tick trying to dig in my leg today.Bugs are on the way; time to check for ticks every night. Theyare fun little creatures to watch. Amazing how they can crawl sofast with such little legs.    I was up early and about 6 miles or so in @ a road crossing there was a sign for Doc's BBQ , .8 mile west. We had talked aboutgoing there the night before. I hauled a** down the highway anda couple hours later I had put away some grub. Cheeseburger, fries,cole slaw, milk , soda, water, 2 ice cream sandwiches, a banana,and 2 beers. Hard part was getting on; was going to have a few morebeers and wait for the B's but probably wasn't a good idea   After a slow, lazy walk about mid day I heard some crashingand bumbling in the woods. Man,I thought my first bear!! I was pumped;got my camera out and kept following the noise. Ended up itwas some dude in dockers looking for mushrooms. What a laugh!   Also today is the start of the famous Roller Coaster section. 13.5 milesof straight ups and downs. Actually the whole AT is a roller coaster so whats the difference?    B's caught up; met an interesting kid named Pilot who is flyingthru. Also an Eagle Scout we swapped stories as we set up campon the trail @ dark. ( I'm sure SB is getting tired of the Boy Scoutstories).    Great day, great times, great company......................   "nobody knows anything about themselves,   because everybody is worried about everybody else"   Jack Johnson   Peace
Date: 2005-05-10
From: Trail/Near Bears Den

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

   Well, I don't talk about miles much or even think about themiles much. But today it was hard not to because we hit the 1000mile mark.    Everybody is kind of freaking out a bit; time is flying andVirginia went by quick. Getting to this point is a big thingfor the thru hiking community. The sad thing is pretty soonwe will be getting closer to the end then the start. Lots ofplaces still to see and a long ways to go.    Speaking of Virginia, we left for good today and alls I cansay is Virginia is a beautiful state. They have everythinghere from high climbs to low flats and everything in between.I loved every step and every view and will come back again;with my mountain bike of course.   Arrived in Harpers Ferry @ dinner; went to a Pizza place and grubbed out. Shared some laughs with two other greatkids thru hiking; I just call them the dudes from Conneticut!   Going to hike tommorow and come back to Harpers Ferry to check out the history here. SB's parents are in town and willbring us back. Civil War history is deep here and lots to see!!   Take care!!   ** Can't load pictures on this computer either; have a bunch      and will get them on soon!!**
Date: 2005-05-11
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Gathland State Park
Miles today: 10.0

   A great BIG THANK YOU to SB's parents. I don't have enough wordsto explain what angels you two have been. Great times!!   Lots of stuff to see in the next week or two. KB, SB and myselfstopped by the ATC headqurters today and said hello. The trail goesright thru town so we saw a lot of history; Jefferson Rock andCivil War stuff. Some really beautiful churches here. The St. PetersCatholic Church has an interesting story. During the Civil War thechurch flew the British Flag to show its nuetrality. ( Harpers Ferryswapped sides it seemed hundreds of times during the war). Bydoing that the church remained untouched which is amazing in itself.   Went thru West Virginia and into Maryland. Some of the trail ison the C&O Canal Bike trail; a trail that is 180 miles long or so.Another trail I would like to come back and ride.    SB's parents picked us up @ Gathland State Park; ran into Scarecrow,Shorts, among others. Good to see Shorts back @ it again!   Nothing like arriving @ the parking lot with a full cooler of beerand other goodies. Went back to Harpers Ferry and grubbed out @ theHilltop Restaurant.    Anyway, going to hike a bit tommorow and then spend some time backin Harpers Ferry; got to see the firehouse where John Brown made history.   Life is good..................   **By the way, Judy, thanks for the brownies from myself and manythru hikers.**
Date: 2005-05-12
From: Gathland State Park

To: U.S. 40
Miles today: 12.4

   Went down to "downtown" Harpers Ferry today with the B's andSB's parents. Checked out some cool stuff; a Civil War gunshop wherethey had presentations on the weaponry of the War. Ate lunch @ a placecalled the Secret Six; named after the 6 people from the north whofunded the John Brown enterprise. Also a beautiful B&B that wasStonewall Jackson's headquarters during the campaign.   Lazy, Lazy day. After lunch and some ice cream we were trasportedto where we left off yesterday @ Gathland Park.    Walked thru more history; came to a battlefield next to the trailwhere two generals (one from each side) where killed during the battle.Seeing the Civil War history from the AT is different for me thentouring in a car. You walk thru the woods and almost can feel and sensethe charges and retreats as they unfold in front of you. The stonewalls are everywhere and the long, grassy fields stir the imaginationas I walk.    Also stopped by the Washington Memorial (the original one) dedicatedby Virginian's in the early 1800's. The Union used the tower as alookout during many of the battles in the area   Well, enough of the history lesson. Had a laugh today; told everybodythat south of the line I am taking only pictures of Confederate stuff.Once in Pennsylvania I will take pictures of only Union stuff. Onlyfair, right?????   Great day of hiking besides, take care.   "I came upon two paths in the woods,   I took the one with white blazes,   that has made all the difference"
Date: 2005-05-13
From: U.S. 40

To: Tent near Deer Lick
Miles today: 22.9

   This was one of those days on the AT that stands out over theother great days.   KB, SB and myelf got to Annapolis Rocks early and spent some timelike kids climbing on the rocks for some pictures. The temp. was cooler; hiking was awesome.   Did a lot of day dreaming as usual; met up with two weekendhikers with two beautiful dogs. Both were German Shepards or somemix of that sort. They were both carrying those doggy packs andseemed to be loving every minute. Asked the dudes if they couldcarry my pack as well!   The rocks are getting a little thicker as we go thru Maryland;Pennsylvania is supposed to be a bit rocky so we will see.   Got to Pen Mar Park and met up with Helmet & Catapult. We watcheda family gathering under the pavilion as the kids tried to destroya pinata. Pretty entertaining; the kids couldn't break the thingso they took off the blindfolds and let them have @ it. A nicegentleman brought some beer over to us and we gladly accepted. Buta few minutes later a Park Ranger came by and told us to get ridof them.    So, KB, SB , myself and Helmet and Catapult decided to walk1.5 miles to Rockies Pizza and stuffed ourselfs there. Made up for the beer being grabbed from us; smiles everywhere.   Hiked the last 5 miles @ night; crossed the Maryland/Penns.line in the dark (probably a good thing).   Long, long day; laying in my tent and my eyes are gettingheavy....................................................
Date: 2005-05-14
From: Tent near Deer Lick

To: Pa 233/ Gettysburg
Miles today: 8.5

   What a great night of sleep!! Perfect weather and some crazydreams. Man, when you are deep in the woods the dreams get a littleweird, which is cool.   I'll make this short and sweet; nice hike to PA 233 today.SB's parents met us again; and once again for the hundreth time,thanks for everything!!!   Going to do a zero Sunday; going to Gettysburg and chillinthere.    Right now am doing laundry; getting close to the 1/2 gallonice cream challenge which is @ the mile halfway point.   Ya'll (I guess it is you all now that I am in the north)take care!!    **Thanks Liz again for everything**HAPPY 4th B-DAY TO MAURA......................................      " I've looked under chairs,         I've looked under tables,         I've tried to find the key         to 50 million fables         they call me the seeker,         been searching low and high,         I won't to get what I'm after         until the day I die".
Date: 2005-05-15
From: Pa 233/ Gettysburg

To: Gettysburg
Miles today: 0.0

   Zero day today in Gettysburg. SB's parents, the B's and myselfjourneyed back in time and enjoyed some Civil War history and down time.   Took a tour of the site; I've read so many books on the battle soseeing it in person was awesome. (Came thru as a kid with the familybut all's I was interested in then was where the ice cream shops wereat).   Want to thank the SB's parents for taking me around; enjoyed it all.   I could talk about the history of the battle but you all know it.One thing that sticks out was the money and effort being put into restoringthe grounds to the original look that it had back in 1863. They are tearingdown trees; planting trees; moving dirt and things to get the battlesiteas close as to it was that warm July.    There are monuments everywhere; the 1st Minnesota, the New York,group that saved Little Round Top, Lee, Meade, and every state represented. The one from Maryland touched me the most; being a borderstate it was torn in two with brother fighting brother. The monumentfor Maryland had one Union soldier and one Confederate soldier; bothwounded helping each other to an aid station. Touching stuff.   Take care!!
Date: 2005-05-16
From: Gettysburg

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

   After a great breakfast @ Lincoln's Diner, it was time to getback on the trail and continue moving towards Maine.   Said bye to SB's parents; took off @ the spot they picked us upa few days before.   As usual, a lazy day out of town; great weather. KB left his fuelbottle back @ Caladonia Park and was freaking a bit when we all gotto the shelter. Like most of this experience, good karma struck again.A local lady arrived, day hiking with her dog and met KB @ a roadcrossing and took him back to get his bottle. The cool thing was hecame back with a case of beer. With a great fire going, Paladin,Helmetand Catapult, the B's , Shorts and myself shared some laughs and dranksome cold ones to end another great day. (Loved the beer but that meanta few extra pit stops during the night)!   Beautiful moon out tonight; life is good here in Pennsylvania.