morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-10-01
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Stealth by ancient car crash
Miles today: 12.3

Leaving Duncannon was not nearly as hard as leaving Pine Grove, though the hill we had to climb was much more severe. On top, looking over the area, I was filled with sadness. It wasn't even a 1,000-foot climb! I had bounded up climbs like this before - Bear Mountain, CT, in the Whites . . . I felt like the climb up this nameless, little hill was nothing that should have exhausted me or made me hurt.So that stunk.We sang as we went, all through the woods, likely annoying anyone in a 25-mile radius. We decided not to stay at the shelter where a couple of viciously murdered in the 90s, and we decided to hike farther than Darlington Shelter, so we stealth camped at the strangest place yet: the site of an old car wreck.The car, at least forty years old (but Phil would say much older)was flipped upside down and rusted through. The tree it had hit had grown around its wounds and was flourishing. Broken bits of car were scattered about. If there hadn't been a nice spring nearby, we would have moved on. Phil's not feeling quite himself still. He needed a shorter, easy day. It's sad that what for him is a short, easy day still manages to wipe me out.
Date: 2009-10-03
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Stealth by Tagg Run
Miles today: 13.3

Today was a really hard day. Looking at the map, it should have been easy. It was easy for Phil, who even now isn't 100% better. The highlight of the tired day was passing signs for Alex (or Alec, as my guidebook claims) Kennedy Shelter. Strange, strange world . . . We stealth camped not-so-stealthily (are we ever truly stealthy?), I failed to hang a bear bag, oh, and the beloved Thermarest met with its untimely demise due to a rock.
Date: 2009-10-04
From: Stealth by Tagg Run

To: Tom's Run Shelters
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Days have been getting harder and harder for me. Today, for instance, should have been one of the highlights of the entire trail. Don't get me wrong, there was some fun involved: we got to stop at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, the official halfway point (woohoo!!). We didn't partake in the half-gallon (ice cream) challenge, but we each got a hot dog and a small serving of ice cream to celebrate. We hung out by the extraordinarily lame halfway marker and hiked to this shelter. I couldn't go any farther.At this rate, Zeus is gonna beat me to Springer.
Date: 2009-10-09
From: Harper's Ferry, VA

To: David Lester Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Hi world - I've got 30 minutes to write about the last week.So, first, Jo is off trail. Remarkably it wasn't because I drove her nuts, but rather, because of badly hurting feet, legs, knees, toes, etc... We've known this might happen for a long time, which gave us time to think through our options. I decided to stay on because I was still enjoying the hiking and because completing the trail means a lot to me - I've got too much unfinished business back in civilization and I don't want to add this to the list. I don't know if I'd ever get the time to come out here again. I sure miss Jo, though... We'll see if I can keep this up, solo. More about all that later. (actually, Jo explained everything better here - http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=292295 )One of the conditions of my hiking is that I promised to update the trail journal otherwise Jo would make stories up about me.   So here it goes!FRIDAY, OCT 9This was the day Jo left. We had managed to get a cheap room at the Comfort Inn the last night which meant that I got to use their waffle machine in the morning (I heart waffle machines). While eating my waffle I got into a political conversation with a guy who informed me that Obama had just won the Nobel peace prize. Then he told me about how he advised one of the Watergate burglars before their trail while working for a law firm in the 70s. He wouldn't stop talking until his wife came in and pointed out the people at the tables around us were leaving. Later Jo and I walked to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and got our picture taken to include in the book of thru-hiker (and section hiker) photos. I picked up my travel guitar which dad mailed to Harpers Ferry for me - along with my Irish tin whistle, harmonica and train whistle. :-) Later we went to a used book store so Jo could find something to read on the train. Then we went to a cafe get a bite to eat and got into a conversation with the family at the next table. Remarkably, the dad was friends with the couple I read about in Zero Days - a book my old boss sent me - who through-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail with their 10 year old daughter. He invited us to hike across Maryland with him, the PCT family and other Mensa members next year. He said they'd waive the IQ test for us.Finally it was time for Jo to leave. I walked down to the quiet little train station nestled between the cliffs and the river. If I had to choose a place to say goodbye, I think I'd choose a train station.That night I hiked 9 rocky miles out of town to the next shelter. I got in around 8:40pm, well after dark with two other hikers already asleep. Jo hated hiking in the dark. I'm ok with it - although the yellow, beady eyes that surrounded me at one point were, admittedly, disconcerting. dum dum dum...
Date: 2009-10-10
From: David Lester Memorial Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

SATURDAY, OCT 10I slept in after hiking late into the night yesterday. My feet were hurting badly from carrying the extra weight of my guitar. After the two other hikers left I took some time to tune the guitar up and see what it sounded like in the woods. Little did I know, Tim and Jeff were camping down the hill and came up to offer me coffee and energy bars. They came out from the Baltimore area for a couple days and were looking for rock-faces to climb. The sky was dark so I finally packed up my gear and went on my way.This was a new feeling, being a solo hiker. Most thru-hikers start out hiking by themselves, often grouping up with other hikers later. But for me, it was all new since I¢d been so used to having Jo with me. Hiking alone gives one a great sense of freedom. This freedom is probably what draws many people to the trail. It is so far removed from civilization, waking up with the sun, no deadlines or commitments, no to-do lists falling out of my pockets, no need to dress any certain way, no one to impress. It¢s nice. But it¢s also nice to have someone to share the experience with.Today was the start of a 13 mile section of trail called The Rollercoaster, with constant ups and downs. I was sore from the guitar weight and the hiking was more intense than anything we¢d encountered in PA or MD. Plus every step had to be carefully negotiated with the sharp, jutting rocks ¢ there were just as many here as in northern PA which is infamous for its rocks. In short, the day went by kind of slow, with lots of breaks. Oh, and during lunch a dog started pawing dirt right in front of me to pee. Lovely.Later in the day I stopped into a hostel called the Bears Den to use their computer to fix a problem with my bank card. And to order a surprise ¢congratulations¢ dairy queen cake in MN for Jo. When I came out of the bears Den I passed an overlook where a troupe of young boy scouts were all exclaiming loudly about the view and running around. It made me happy.Again I ended up hiking into the evening, and at dusk two large coyotes came walking down the trail towards me. I almost soiled my pants. They looked like frickin¢ WOLVES, I swear. I talked to them sternly until they ran away, pretending to have some command over the situation. It was really cool - besides, you¢ve never heard of hikers being mauled by coyotes, right? Right.I got into the next shelter at 8pm, tired.
Date: 2009-10-11
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

SUNDAY, OCT 11Nice day. Finished the "roller coaster" section and the trail became far less rocky. I met many day hikers viewing the fall colors which were just starting to hit their peak. It was sunny all day! I was still not on my game and had to take more breaks than usual. I got a late start again after calling my parents and Jo in the morning. Late in the day I hiked over a grassy "bald" section of mountain called Skyland Meadows. Excellent views. The last few miles flew by and before I knew it I was at Dick's Dome shelter (built like a geodesic dome, by Dick, presumably). Three older boy scouts and their dads already had a fire going, which they invited me to cook over. After dinner there was still daylight to spare, so I read for a while. All night I could hear coyotes howling and owls hooting. Beautiful! Also, it was beginning to get cold... dum dum dum...
Date: 2009-10-12
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Tom Floyd Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

MONDAY, OCT 12Finally, an 18 mile day. That's what I need to be doing to get to Georgia before Christmas. I started earlier and the terrain was, again, much easier. Shortly into the day I met an elderly gentleman with a hunting rifle. I asked him if he knew whether the outfitter in Front Royal was open since I needed to buy some warmer clothes. He said no but suggested the K-mart. Also, he mentioned that he designed and helped build the shelter I was traveling to that night. Cool.At the next major road I hitched into Front Royal with Buddy. Buddy was really excited to run into a thru-hiker, since he just read Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" and because the trail cuts through a corner of his property. He dropped me off in the center of town, where I hit up the McDonalds dollar menu to refuel. There were a bunch of Hispanic men that kept stopping to look at my guitar - I realized it was because it's an "Amigo", the word written on the case. :-)It was so cold I was having trouble sleeping the last couple nights, so I bought some long underwear at K-mart. Hitching back to the trail was also easy - a young man in a funny hat offered me a ride. "Sorry for the funny hat", he said, "I'm trying to cheer up my girlfriend." OK. He told me that I was about to hike past the relatively secret National Zoo research facility (as in DC's Smithsonian), where he used to work. I thought I heard some strange animal noises earlier in the day and that was why.It was a quick hike to the Tom Floyd shelter, where I arrived well before sunset. I met Tom who was taking time off between passing the bar exam and starting a job at a NY law firm. We talked and played guitar around the fire for a while before going to bed. It was getting even colder... dum dum dum
Date: 2009-10-13
From: Tom Floyd Shelter

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

TUESDAY, OCT 13I woke up to noticeably warmer weather and sun. A few miles down the trail I entered Shenandoah National Park and encountered the hiker registration box. There were no registration cards in the box, so I'd need to pick one up somewhere else in the park (ahem, this may or may not have happened). Once in the park I took a side-trail to see a thrilling view of the valley below the park, resplendent with yellow and gold trees.One of my goals for the week was to hitch-hike to catch up with Anya and Josh, who were a day ahead of me. Hitch-hiking on the parkway, which follows the trail in Shenandoah, proved difficult. Most vehicles were either mini-vans driven by protective mothers or large sedans with fancy grills stopping at every viewpoint but not for me. My fancy-grill prejudice was dealt a blow when later in the day a "nice" car stopped for me. The driver, Steven (?), was a law professor dressed in tweed who was taking the scenic route home from a conference in DC.Steve drove me ahead just a few miles to a tourist way-side where I had dinner and a black-berry sundae. I also stocked up on a few groceries at the camp store. Outside I encountered a big group of Japanese men dressed in suits who were laughing and singing, to my enjoyment. From the wayside I hiked 5 more miles to Pass Mountain Hut (basically a shelter) making it an 18 mile day, walking, 24 total.The trail to the hut had a sign warning of the many "PROBLEM BEARS" in the area who "ASSOCIATE HUMANS WITH FOOD". How comforting. Good thing I was alone that night. I was secretly hoping to skirt that fine line between not seeing bears and being mauled by bears. I was told I'd see many in Shenandoah. Alas, no bears.I made a nice warm fire for myself that night, using the technique Fire Builder taught me months ago. The fire proceeded to smoke out the shelter. Oh well.
Date: 2009-10-14
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Rock Springs Hut
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

WEDNESDAY, OCT 14Snoooooow!But first... The last night at Pass Mountain Hut was super cold and, even with my new long underwear, I slept poorly. It was a mostly cloudy day but the views were spectacular and the fall colors were at their peak. Plus I was climbing to some of the highest elevations in the park. I took another side trail (yeah, need to get to GA, I know!) to Stony Man Summit and had fun harassing a German guy - "Where's the Stony Man? Where's the Stony Man???" On the way down another day-hiker wanted to take his picture with me, telling his wife, "This kid is living my dream!" This was a popular part of the park and I encountered many international tourists. Also, I hiked right past a corral holding at least 20 horses. They were all tuned into the weather as the temperature was dropping.I considered stopping in the Skyland motel dining room for dinner but decided I wanted to make sure I finished hiking before dark that day. Good thing, because IT SNOWED the last 4 miles of my hike! I was joined on this wet slog by Terry, who was out testing gear for a thru-hike he hopes to complete next year. It snowed heavy for a couple hours, later turning into freezing rain/sleet. Again I did not sleep well. I called Jo to whine, but just my luck, it was snowing in MN too!
Date: 2009-10-15
From: Rock Springs Hut

To: David & Lois Crosby's house
Miles today: 7.0

THURSDAY, OCT 15Bitterly cold night and morning. Continued freezing rain. Terry was a brave soul and left early, headed for the nearby camp store. I tried to sleep in but couldn't. Tried to read but couldn't. I did manage to compose a song on my guitar called "the lonesome cowboy" in a short burst of inspiration. I tried to get Jo to sing background vocals over the phone. All in all, I didn't leave until noon, when the rain gave way to thick wet fog. As I left, two guys past me rolling a wagon down the trail loaded with beer and food. They had reserved a cabin (fully enclosed) nearby.I walked 6 miles to the Sky Meadows lodge where I stealth-dried my clothes in a bathroom stall. I felt like a hobo until a receptionist welcomed me and invited me to warm up by a fireplace. Thank you, kind receptionist! Next I walked another mile to a way-side. Still crumby weather. I ate dinner there and a couple at the next table started chatting me up. David and Lois Crosby were interested in my thru-hike and I explained that I was going to try and hitch further down the parkway to catch up with friends. Before long, they invited me to their house that night and offered to drive me back out to the parkway further south the next day. It didn't take long for me to accept the offer!It's fun getting a sense of who people are in the short time a hitch lasts or an overnight stay. I learned that David's life-long hobby has been collecting stray golf balls from nearby courses. He started doing this at the age of 7 and quickly started making more money reselling them than his dad made as a machinist. Now he gives the golf balls to a nurses charity and is their biggest donor (post sale of balls). I see this golf ball entrepreneurship as an extension of his political conservatism. Lois' coconut-laced pudding almost made up for having to watch Lou Dobbs that night. Cheers to David and Louis for taking in a poor, wretched, liberal hiker.
Date: 2009-10-16
To: Thank Yous part 1
Miles today: 0.0

Now that I am off the trail, I've been reflecting on all the wonderful experiences these past 3.5 months have given me. Phil and I will be writing thank-yous to all you beautiful hostel owners, kind souls who pick up smelly hitch-hikers, trail angels, etc, but I want to take an entry here just to thank the people who I hiked with or who made the trail experience come to life.First, of course, Hungry Creepster, you were a wonderful if ravenous hiking buddy. Thank you for your spontaneity, wonder, and persistence. Things that made me cry so hard it hurt will never be understood by anyone else in quite the same way. Thank you for hitch-hiking 45 miles with me to go to the midnight showing of Harry Potter. Anya and Josh (Smokin' Loon and Mountain Yogi) - thanks for catching up to us and inspiring us to catch up to you. You're a double portion of fun.Lightweight, thank you for getting me addicted to Twilight. I think.Root Beer Float, thanks for being one of our first friends in the Hundred Miles. I wish we could have kept up with you. Thanks for the 30-mile detour. That was ridiculous.Tiger, thank you for your positive entries in the journals. I don't think I ever read anything negative from you. Amazing. It was great to hang out with you.Brotucky & Peeps, thanks for the fires and laughter.Mudpuppy, who may never see this, thank you for getting back on the trail! I saw your entries in PA and was bummed we'd never run into you again. I am so proud that you didn't let the ocean that was Maine deter you. Rock on, warrior princess!Flying Scotsman, who also will probably never see this, thanks for being the coolest northbounder and for being the northbounder with the most appropriate advice.Zeus, thanks for hiking your own hike. We all talk the talk but you walk the walk. And hey, you'll beat me to Springer! Jerk.Bugsy and Burly Girl, thank you for the absolute best hitch-hiking story of the trail. Thanks for keeping in touch with us. Now that I'm back in civilization I'm hoping I can stalk you guys a little better and hear YOUR stories from the trail. Keep pluggin' along!
Date: 2009-10-16
From: Thank Yous part 1

To: About Phil's Hike
Miles today: 0.0

So Hungry Creepster is still out there, ravaging buffets and freezing. I'll let him tell his own story, but I wanted to update and let everyone know that he's hiking through Shenandoah NP in the Pinnacle area (in the freezing rain), and that he is at the home of some trail angels tonight.PLEASE CONTINUE TO SEND ALL MAIL TO JO'S ADDRESS. I'm now in charge of maildrops and will be happy to send anything onto him. Y'all can keep sending me mail too, of course.
Date: 2009-10-17
From: About Phil's Hike

To: More About Phil's Hike
Miles today: 22.0

By popular request, here is what I know about HC's hike as of late. He is camped 14 miles from Daleville, VA, where he will be picking up his next really awesome maildrop prepared by me (keep those cards and letters coming!) and then Anya and Josh are sharing their friend with him, so tomorrow he will have a nice roof over his head. Well, I assume they have a roof. He's still getting his strength back from being horrendously sick in Waynesboro (Dude. He ate a jalapeno frog leg.) and not pushing his body to its limits for the past section. But today he went 22 miles and was cheery when he called. I'll leave the rest of the story up to him.Jo: I don't even want to know if you hung a bear bag or not. Don't even tell me.Phil: . . . Well. I really don't think there are any-Jo: I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!Phil: I didn't say if I did or didn't.Sigh.
Date: 2009-10-18
From: Roanoke

To: Roanoke
Miles today: 0.0

Hi - Phil again. I spent the day relaxing in Roanoke, VA with trail friends Anya and Josh. Their friend Jess (http://cupcakepunk.wordpress.com/) is putting us up in her house and we're taking a zero. I got to see Where the Wild Things Are tonight! I ate at a fancy Mediterranean restaurant! I had homemade pizza and wine! Life is good.The last couple weeks have been hard. I'm not going to try and recap every day, but the gist of it is that I ran into some unseasonably cold and snowy weather in Shenandoah National Park and spent a few nights sick in Waynesboro, VA. I was camped out behind the YMCA for the first two nights and the third night a random guy approached my tent, took my out to eat and put me up in a hotel for the night. Thanks Len.Since then I've been hiking again. At first in fits and starts and finally now more consistently. I hitched ahead maybe 40 miles in order to catch up with Anya and Josh, which I don't regret since it was getting very lonely alone. Since then I've been regaining my strength. For a while each step was hard and painful and I was feeling very homesick, which is unusual for me. But the last couple days have been much better and I'm pressing on.Tomorrow it's back on the trail. I'll try and write more later tonight... that's the update for now...
Date: 2009-11-06
To: Summary of 10/18 to 11/06
Miles today: 0.0

Hey everyone, I have a lot of catching up to do on Trail Journals. Here's some highlights from the weeks I've missed:10/29: Crossed Tinker Creek! One of my favorite books is Anne Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, inspired by said creek. I dunked my head in the water in honor of my literary hero. Also, G-Fog scared us when we got to the shelter with his scary Halloween mask.10/30: McAfee Knob. The most photographed spot on the trail is this rock ledge extended high over the surrounding countryside. It was completely fogged over when we arrived. But we took our pictures and made up for the gloom with excessive silliness.10/31: Halloween! Anya's family was in town to visit Anya and Josh and let me share a hotel room - and some homemade Russian treats - with them. Josh and I had fun going to a "haunted trail" attraction and trick-or-treating with Anya's young cousin Jacob.11/02: Full moon night hikes. The sun is setting around 5pm now so we have usually been hiking into the dark. On this night we enjoyed a bright full moon which illuminated the landscape around us in an especially magical way. Also, we ran into a herd of loud donkeys that threatened not to let us pass them!11/05: Stayed at Woods Hole. The owners, Neville and Michael, were out of town but had friends staying at the cabin retreat/hostel they run and they invited us to join them. We had fun playing on the instruments laying around the cabin, looking at all of Neville and Michaels' artwork and eating a huge country-style breakfast with their friends.Lots more to write. I'll try to later!
Date: 2009-11-07
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Big Walker Inn, Bland, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

This morning I needed to buy fuel at a store near the trail. Josh and Anya tagged along to buy coffee. At the store Anya realized that the sniffles she had picked up yesterday had progressed into a nasty cold. She used the store shuttle to get to Bland, VA to rest up. Josh and I began hiking, planning to meet up with her that night.It was a crisp, sunny Saturday and there were dozens of hunters out so we watched our heads. We couldn't help but notice the trail of fresh blood on one particular suspension bridge. Hopefully not a hiker, we thought!We spent most of the day crunching through dried leaves atop long ridges. Josh and I enjoyed lunch together and hiked separately for much of the afternoon. The only other hikers we met were a middle-aged couple who have been section hiking the trail for 17 summers. I think that would take much more dedication that a thru-hike.It was after sunset when we hiked down from a ridge onto a road where we conferred with our maps for directions to Bland. It was only a minute before a pick-up truck stopped for us and offered us a ride. At the hotel we found a still sick Anya as well as a pizza delivery menu. Enjoying our pizza, we called Jo to wish her a happy birthday. Jo, we miss you!