morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-24
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Catawba Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: clear sky

Awoke today with sun shining in my eyes. What a great nights sleep. Made the decision to get a late start and head back to the trail around noon. Was still lying in my sleeping bag when who walks in the door? Sunshine! He walked 12 and two 25 mile days to catch Moonpie and myself. He was afraid that we would have already left the shelter...ha I was lying in my sleeping bag! He should have known I¢m lazy in the mornings, and even lazier when leaving a hostel or town. It was good to see him again and update him with all the trail happenings and gossip. A lot can happen in a week on the trail. We decided that the four of us should go eat at the Home Place Restaurant as a group since Sunshine and Red Dog did not yet have the fine opportunity to dine at the best restaurant on the trail. Moonpie and I were all for eating there again so it was a win-win situation. So we hiked 6 miles to the restaurant and had a grand ol¢ time. The food was just as good and the company was great. It¢s just so amazing how comfortable it is being around fellow hikers. They feel like best friends. Its incredable! It¢s times like these we remember. We tend to forget about the bugs, heat and starvation. It was prom night and the place was packed with prom couples. Made me think about being back home with close friends, and especially my girlfriend Charity who is going to a prom event. I am not able to join her due to my trip. Everyone was dressed in nice clothes and here we were with salt stains all over our stinky clothes. We got some looks, but you get used to it after a while. They have no clue what we are going through day after day. It¢s the entire experience that makes this so much more than just backpacking. Sure some of those people have been camping, but most not to these extremes. I¢m not trying to toot my own horn here or anything but it¢s just a completely different lifestyle. It¢s a lifestyle that you can¢t get with a weekend backpacking trip, or even a week trip. A nice couple took us back uphill a mile to the trail head. That was tough to do on a full stomach. We ate at 4:30 and its past 10 and I¢m not hungry. Not full anymore, but very content. The plan is to wake up at 5 and be on the trail at 5:30. Hike to McAfee knob and watch the sunrise while eating breakfast. Then push 19 miles into town where the five of us are going to split a hotel room. Tonight sharing the shelter is Red Dog, Sunshine, Moonpie, and Drifter. Will only be getting a few hours sleep so I¢m gona call it a night. Those of you who know me personally know I¢m not a morning person. My typical non-college day consists of my mother waking me up at 11:30am. Just enough time for me to take a shower so we could meet my dad for lunch during the week. I could not pass up a free meal :-)
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Catawba Mountain Shelter

To: Hotel in Daleville
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: mist

We did get moving early in the morning just as we planned. The mile and a half climb in the dark was easier than expected. We all had our headlamps on. It looked like something on the discovery channel hiking with a team up a mountain in pitch blackness. I¢m so glad we woke up early to see the sunrise on this famous rock because this view was not there.... that¢s right it was fogged in. We sat and waited, but the fog did not clear. We talked to some other hikers at the next shelter past McAfee knob and they said the view was amazing the day before. Can¢t have everything, lots more to see ahead. Yesterday, when walking to the restaurant, a very unique pain started where my right leg joined my hip. It hurt so bad I could not put any pressure on that leg. The good part is it only was like this for about thirty seconds. It did make me realize that something like this could easily happen and could ultimately take me off the trail. It¢s a scary thought to think about since the chances of stress injuries are so high. This is very strenuous on the body day after day. Just made me think how lucky I am to not even have a blister yet, and still have all my toe nails! Walked into town and shared a hotel room with Red Dog, Moonpie, and Sunshine. It was nice to have TV even if we did not watch it all that much. Being on the trail the TV becomes obsolete. Went shopping at Krogers before dinner. That¢s always a big mistake because I bought way too much food for this next section of trail. After Krogers went to Pizza Hut which was conveniently located directly across from the hotel and ordered a medium deluxe pizza. Came back and when they gave me the pizza, they apologized that they ran out of medium hand tossed pizza, and had to make me a large pizza in its place. It was just my lucky day!
Date: 2004-04-26
From: Hotel in Daleville

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: moderate rain

It was so nice sleeping in a hotel room! Eventually got my lazy butt out of bed and cooked breakfast. I forgot that breakfast was provided with the room. So I had a microwavable breakfast bowl of potatoes and bacon, a quart of OJ, and a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Of course it was raining so it was discouraging to hike, but I sucked it up and went hiking. It was ok since the rain kept the temperature down. Everything is in waterproof bags and I know I will be spending the night in a shelter which is well protected from the weather. This trip would be so different without shelters. Today¢s hike went well without any real problems. Have already hiked 725.1 miles. Only 1449 miles to go! Just had 2 packets of ramen with peanut butter. Sitting around the shelter in our sleeping bags just talking about life as rain drips from the trees. listening to the whip-o-will in the distance. It¢s believed by the Cherokee Indians that the whip-o-will is a sign of bad luck. Nothing bad has happened yet, but Moonpie tells a very freaky story about a friend who heard a whip-o-will and that night was thrown from a shelter that got struck by lightning. So it¢s interesting what is fact and what is fiction. Off to sleep!
Date: 2004-04-27
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Got a somewhat early start of 8 this morning. Wonderful weather today. Had a constant cool breeze all day long. It was all blue sky till after lunch. The dark clouds began to roll in one after the other. One could only wonder when they would release their wrath. It was all a mater of time. And then there was rain... First the wind picked up with a good force that turned the branches this way and that. Next the first little drops began to fall. Once this happens you know for sure more is to come, and there was more. Not much more - we hikers got lucky today. It could have really let out. Got to the shelter and all is well. This shelter is massive! It¢s got three levels, and could sleep a small army, or at least a small platoon. Will take a picture in the morning if I remember. Though it might not be bright enough because I¢m leaving before the sun is up....ha...sure...not really, that¢s not going to happen. Am really looking forward to this Bed & Breakfast in a few days. Need some R&R to just chill and do nothing. Just been feeling sluggish these past few days. Might be my less than nutritious diet of snack foods. Another long day ahead of me, so I best be off to bed. Oh yeah, whoever said Virginia was flat and easy lied! Over halfway finished with Virginia!
Date: 2004-04-28
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Matts Creek Shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: clear sky

WONDERFUL WEATHER! Nothing but blue skies. Not a cloud was visible all day long. The morning was cool, and thus made it very difficult to leave the sleeping bag. The night before we talked about the shelter being haunted. In the morning all was well, and all were accounted for. When Sunshine awoke he saw a shovel hanging right above his head. I¢m sure it was there when he went to bed, but we were just too tired to notice. But it does make one wonder. There seems to be many stories of ghost sightings and even though I¢ve never seen a ghost myself I do believe they exist.Ate lunch on top of Apple Orchard Mountain. It had a giant "soccer ball" FAA radar dish on the top. We all enjoyed a long lunch soaking up the sun on some nearby rocks. After lunch we walked under "The Guillotine".   It¢s the 2nd of three areas of the trail where you walk under a rock.Feet are killing me, hope its not my shoes dieing. The manufacture claims my shoes will last 500 miles. As of now I¢ve completed 768.4 miles. I honestly don¢t think they are covered by the warranty now. Have been happy with them and plan to order the same type of shoes, but maybe a half size larger due to feet swelling. Have a long day, need sleep, this time I do plan on waking up at 5:30. That will allow me to take a long nap during the day!
Date: 2004-04-30
From: Brown Mountain Shelter

To: Seely-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Oh it¢s so nice to be at the shelter early at 4:30 (before 6 is an early arrival)! It appears operation 19 X 13 was successful. Sunshine signed the shelter register at 10:35am.... That¢s amazing! They woke up at 4am. Don¢t know when they left because I was back to sleep instantly. 16.8 miles by 10:35am! I left the shelter at 8:30 so it was a lazy start, but no rush today. Before I forget, let me tell you about the mouse incident at the shelter last night. Red Dog was just about ready to lay back in his sleeping bag and get some sleep when all of a sudden his headlamp caught a mouse sitting on the wall not more than two feet from his head. He defended himself by whacking it with a folded map. The mouse grabbed hold of the map and was flung out the front of the shelter. So Red Dog is freaking out about sleeping near the wall where the "killer mice" lives. I was getting ready for bed so I went to water the trees behind the shelter. Instead of going back to my sleeping bag I decided to have a little fun and crept around the back of the shelter near the area of the "killer mouse". Next, I proceeded to scratch the outside wall with my finger nails. Instantly Red Dog was like "Hey! You guys hear that!" I was trying my hardest not to burst out in laughter. Finally when I felt a burst of laughter coming that could not be stopped I slapped the side of the shelter then came running back in the shelter with tears in my eyes. Red Dog was the last to figure out that it was me playing a practical joke. Sunshine said he jumped a foot when I hit the shelter. Red Dog kept saying that¢s too big to be a mouse and started scooting his bag away from the wall as fast as it would move. That has got to be the funniest moment on the AT for sure hands down.The views were limited today due to high amounts of humidity and haze. Ate lunch in a nice shady spot on top of Cold Mountain. That¢s the name of the mountain, it was actually quite nice up there. No views again due to the haze, but a nice breeze. Was chillin¢ to a great 80's station on the ham radio. Life on the trail will be different without without it. So I listened to it till the batteries were no more. Tomorrow it will be shipped back home for use later. Unless Kenwood comes out with a lighter charger the radio will not be joining me on the AT. Sniff sniff. On the flip side the MP3 player with updated songs is waiting at the post office so all is well! Best be getting to sleep, have a busy day of three miles to hike where my pre-arranged ride will be waiting! Oh! Life is good!
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Seely-Woodworth Shelter

To: Dutch Haus Bed and Breakfast
Miles today: 2.2

It was a nice easy stroll to the rendezvous location. Decided to walk an extra mile down the forest service road just to make sure I did not miss this ride. Sure enough the ride came pulling up just as soon as Silvin Poet and I reached the parking lot. She was bringing Red Dog, Sunshine, and Tell It Like It Is to the trail head. Sunshine, and Red Dog were planning on just staying for lunch and then hiking a few miles up the trail and camp. Well they were suckered into staying, and I don¢t think you had to twist their arms very hard :-)After dropping the other hikers off at the trail head we got to the B&B around 9. Picked up a package at the post office containing a lighter sleeping bag for the warmer weather. Also got my MP3 player back, and its all loaded with new tunes. Took a nice warm shower, and they even did my laundry. This time coming into town I was much more organized. Had to get all the chores finished before relaxing. Overall it went a lot better! Went to the store and bought enough food for the next few days. Once all things were finished I chilled and watched the "Dead Poets Society". It basically talks about seizing the day, and to live your dreams. I enjoyed it, but still think "Goodwill Hunting" is better. Had a great dinner, of chicken and egg plant parmesan. Desert consisted of home made chocolate cake and a tall frosty glass of milk. It was bliss! Stayed up till 4 in the morning on the phone and chatting online. I was using all the communication resources available to me while I could, sleeping is for the trail. Charity surprised me over the phone telling me she is going to drive 10 hours to come and spend a day with me. How cool is that! Also trying to arange a ride to trail days that is aproaching soon. Will explain more about that later, am really sleepy now...mmmm a real bed!
Date: 2004-05-02
From: Dutch Haus Bed and Breakfast

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Got a late start today. Still had a few phone calls to make, a few emails to respond to and a movie to finish. Arrived at the trail head at 2pm. Had lunch at the first shelter four miles in. Believe it or not I was thinking about throwing out my sleeping bag right there and crashing for the night. Storms were in the area and the winds were unusually strong. It¢s hard to leave a shelter that late in the day when you know torrential rain could spurt from the sky at any moment. Clouds were flying by overhead, but it was difficult to see what was coming in due to the high tree cover. Decided to push on to the next shelter. After about an hour of hiking the heavens let all the rain loose and all came pouring down. The trail became a river, and my shoes were dry no longer. The 7 miles to the next shelter flew by quickly. Upon arrival, the shelter was packed. I had expected this and was thinking I should have stayed at the last shelter. All worked out in the end. Cooked....well, prepared ramen and two Snickers bars for dinner and squeezed in the shelter for the night. Everyone was willing to squeeze together a few more inches. We are almost shoulder to shoulder, but all is good. Clothes are still damp, but should be dry by morning. Wearing my wet clothes to bed, this is a very effective drying method. All new faces in the shelter except for Swiss Miss. Ta ta for now.
Date: 2004-05-03
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Paul C Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke to a very brisk morning. It took some coaxing to get my feet back into the shoes. They were just as wet as when I took them off last night. Left about 8 and was feeling good. Weather is overcast and remained that way for the remainder of the day. Once or twice the sun came out for a max of ten minutes per showing. Started hiking with shorts expecting to warm up once I started climbing some hills. Put my pants on at lunch because the wind was picking up and made it bone chilling cold even when climbing. To make matters worse it rained! But everything dried out by the time I reached the shelter. Shoes are still a little damp but that¢s all. Might 0 in town tomorrow, but would like to go in for half a day then get back on the trail and hike a few miles to the next shelter. Will just have to see how efficient I am.
Date: 2004-05-05
From: Paul C Wolfe Shelter

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Well I¢m sure you will find this mildly entertaining. Yesterday I hiked 5 miles to the trailhead, and hitched into town easily. Actually a kind day hiker out for a morning stroll with his dogs offered me a ride. He dropped me off at the library where I spent two hours working on emails. Then a kind lady saw me leaving the library and offered to give me a ride to Kroger¢s. I was just going to buy food and then head back to the trail and hike 7 more miles to the nearest shelter. Considering that I had to arrange a ride for trail days and make a few other calls, I figured why not take the hotel room. It was a good move. After I bought all my food for the trail, and food to eat while at the hotel I found out my room did not have a fridge. So what was I going to do with a half gallon of chocolate milk, 1.75 liters of OJ, and a pint of ice cream? Eat and drink it all and call it lunch and dinner. Yeah, have never done that before, and don¢t expect to do it again anytime soon. The plan.........Organize gearmMake phone calls for about 2 hoursWatch the weather channelTake advantage of the bed and get a good nights rest starting at 10pmWake up at 7Breakfast at 8Leave at 8:30 via arranged pickup and head for the trailReality..........Organized my gear just fine - quickly and efficiently. Called home and a few other places. Ended up staying on the phone till 3:30. After that, watched T.V. for an hour. Went to sleep around 5am. Wake up call hit at 7am. I remember the phone ringing and picking up the phone, but that¢s all I remember. Rolled over and right back to sleep. Slept in till 8am, jumped in the shower, and when I got out it was already 8:30. So I packed everything as quick as possible and headed down for breakfast. The ride had not yet come, so that was a relief. Swallowed three bagels and took one for the road. (I need to make this entry short because I¢m falling asleep) Got to the trail at 10am and was headed northward on my journey. Found 2 ticks on me today, for a total of 3 ticks for the trip. All of them were crawling, and not burrowed in. My backpack is so heavy because when I went to Kroger¢s I had "hungry eyes". That¢s when you go to buy food before eating a meal in town. If you don¢t eat before going to the store your gut reaction is to buy everything that looks good. For example I bought a container of cookies. With my Kroger¢s Plus Card the second box was free. So I ended up giving them to the hotel management. Hey guys, its bed time, I can¢t keep my eyes open any longer. Ta Ta
Date: 2004-05-06
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

Guess what! Got another tick today! Quincy, Numbskull and me stopped in for lunch at the camp store that was closed...grrrr. Quincy treated us all to cold drinks from the Pepsi machine. Tell you what - it does not get much better than that! Found ourselves a nearby shade tree with a great view of the valley below. Quincy bummed a ride a mile down the road to a diner for her lunch. I settled for 4oz of beef stick, a nutty bar, and crackers for lunch. Numskull stands up and picks 4 deer ticks off him. I checked and also had 4 on me. It¢s kinda scary to think one only has 48 hours after a bite from a tick till Lyme disease sets in. I¢m not sure how common Lyme disease is among ticks. Let¢s hope it¢s not common! So now I¢m paranoid about walking through any tall grass that touches my legs. It¢s getting super duper hot out, and I imagine it will only get worse. Drenched my shirt in the stream to attempt to tame the heat for a little bit. It worked quite well, and was very refreshing. All ready for bed here at the shelter. It¢s a wonderful night, had a good view of the sunset. The temperature could not be better. The humidity seems to be at bay for now. Not a cloud in the sky today. No clouds besides the contrails of planes far off in the deep sea of blue blanketing these mountains. I don¢t know how much longer candy bars will be on the menu due to the high temperatures. Had a debate with Sunshine a while back about smashed Snickers bars. Is a Snickers still a Snickers if it is not in a Snickers shape. For example if you have all the same ingredients, and it isn¢t made in the exact way as a Snickers is it still a Snickers? Here in the Shenandoah¢s the bear population is said to rival the Smokey Mountains. So they have 10 foot poles with hooks on them resembling a very tall hat rack. In order to get your food bag on the "hat rack" you have to use a long metal pole resembling a javelin pole with a hook on the end. You hook your food bag on the "javelin pole" and thrust your heavy food bag up 10 feet to the top of the "hat rack" hooks. This might sound easy but it¢s not for the following reasons. 1) The food bag is not light 2) the "javelin pole" is not light 3) trying to balance a heavy food bag straight up in the air on the end of a pole is difficult, and even harder to get it on the top hook. So I developed an easier method! Put my arm through the loop on the food bag and climb the "hat rack" and simply hook the food bag on the top hook. This stunt gathered a large crowd, and some even took pictures. Just hope the bears were not watching. Its 11 o clock. Its bed time! If I still worked back in Dayton I would be at work doing the 11 o clock news. On most nights I would not get home till midnight. That¢s one thing I don¢t miss about work.
Date: 2004-05-08
From: Big Meadows Lodge

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: scattered clouds

It was sooo nice sleeping in that room last night. Don¢t think I even rolled over. The view from the room was spectacular, really wanted to get out and hike. Mousetrap wanted to make some coffee but ran into a few roadblocks. First of all there were not any filters for the coffee maker, so we used a napkin. Second, the only three prong plug in the room was in the bathroom. So he had to hold the coffee maker while it brewed the coffee. There was no shelf or a place to set it and the cord was too short. All worked out and he got his coffee. The hike was great and started out very flat. The last 10 miles of the day were up and down quite a bit though. The wind was cool, but not cold as long as you were moving. The wrong path we took last night was clearly visible in the daylight. Live and learn! I am going to avoid night hiking at all costs, have learned my lesson. At lunch I came to a shelter without a trail register! So I replaced it with a notebook I had been carrying just for that reason. A register is a notebook commonly found in every shelter along the AT where hikers leave short messages about their hike, and notes to hikers behind. When the register is full the last person sends the register back to the person who placed it in the shelter. Then that person can leave an empty register in hopes of receiving it back in the mail some day. It makes a nice keepsake. Sunshine stopped by at lunch, but only stayed long enough to sign the register. Saw lots of day hikers today enjoying the weather and views. Passed a group of three that were from Columbus Ohio! Another day hiker had two really adorable dogs. They were Australian Kelpies. He said they were part Dingo. They are bred for herding and for showing at dog shows. Sunshine and I were both sitting on top of this amazing rock outcropping on top of the mountain when I scratched my back and felt a bump. Sure enough, it was a tick! I¢ve got no clue how long it had been there. Sunshine managed to pull it out along with a piece of my flesh. The head of the tick was in the piece of flesh, so that was good to know. Earlier in the day one had burrowed into my leg but when I tugged on him he popped his head out. Seconds later he was flying through the air after a good flick of the finger. I¢m really paranoid now since I¢ve already started to use DEET bug repellent on my legs. If anyone has a good defense against ticks PLEASE let me know! Think I¢m going to push to the hostel tomorrow to get a shower and check for ticks. Sunshine was calling me the "Tick Magnet" not to be confused with the chick magnet :-)Saw another bear. Well I heard it at least. Sunshine was just five yards ahead of me and he saw it running away in the brush. Everyone else here in the shelter are sawing logs, so its time for bed.