morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-14
From: Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Rocky Run Shelters, MD
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: few clouds

So good to be back on the trail again. I was getting incredibly squirrely just sitting at home and was welcomed back with a beautiful day. My dad and Kassie dropped me off in Harpers Ferry around 12:30 and I was on the trail within 20 minutes or so. In my haste to hit the trail I managed to UPS all of my maildrops to post offices which is like driving to Mc Donalds and ordering a Whopper. UPS doesn't deliver to post offices so I spent about 15 - 20 minutes on the phone rearranging my maildrops. It all worked out without a problem.I hiked the first hour or so with tears of gratitude in my eyes, seriously. Or maybe I was just underslept and overtired - out late last night and then couldn't sleep when I got home - too excited. Either way I was weepy and kept having to turn my head from the day hikers. Don't want them to think we're just a bunch of sissies.It's like a whole new trail out here. While I was home the temperature rose about 20 degrees and summer reared it's head. The wildlife is much more active then before and the heat and humidity is a shock to the system. The bugs are out in full force each equipt with homing devices for my eyes and ears. I spent a good part of the day picking gnats out of my eyelashes and swatting mosquitoes from just about everywhere. Caterpillers and spiders dangle from the trees and trying to hitch rides on my body and pack. I feel like fly paper - especially after I get nice and sweaty - everything I walk through sticks to me. No complaints though - everything feels so alive. The terrain is entirely different as well - not nearly as steep and elevated as it was in NC. It's a beautiful section of trail and I spent the first few miles just walking along the Potomac River.Some thunderclouds rolled in towards the late afternoon prompting me to haul ass to Gathland State park where there is a picnic area complete with shelter. I didn't want to be caught on the ridgeline in a summer thunderstorm feeling like a lightning rod. Made it to the park but the storm never materialized. Continued on the the shelter where I spent the night with Walk On, Mellow, Hillbilly, and a German guy (Haus?). Didn't sleep very well but was still grateful to be tossing and turning to the hum of crickets and the gurgle of the creek.Good to be back.
Date: 2004-05-15
From: Rocky Run Shelters, MD

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

I'm either kicking a cold or having allergies but either way spent the first part of the morning trying to clear my head and lungs. I think I just need a good nights sleep. Day was awesome and I really enjoyed hiking with my Ipod. Having a soundtrack really enhances the trail experience. I can't believe I hiked for so long without it - I missed my music terribly. Sometimes I felt thoughtful and other times I would just zone out and enjoy the views. Stopped at Pine Mtn Shleter for lunch where I met Semi-Joy. More on that later. As I said before the terrain here if fairly mild, but the trade off is that it can be ankle busting rocky. Passed a lot of weekend and day hiker and many flocks of boy scouts. Busy trail.Thunderstorms approaching again in the late afternoon so I picked up the pace to the Shelter. I heard the boy scouts had all but taken over the next shelter so I decided to stop for the day despite the fact that it was only 5pm or so. Besides, there was good company at this shelter - Walk On, Semi-Joy, Kodiac, and Mr. P. And the shelter was awesome - newly built with double tiers of sleeping platforms. I had the entire second "floor" to myself so I spread out and enjoyed. We ate dinner and chatted a bit and then a storm rolled in in earnest around 8pm. We were all pretty much in our sleeping bags by then, talking and reading, so I just turned on my side and faced out of the shelter and watched this sucker blow through. It was awesome, blasting lightning and thunder and bending trees until their tips touched the ground. Initally the wind was so strong I could feel the mist of the rain all the way inside the shelter. The rain was pounding on the roof so hard that my sleeping platform was vibrating. It was awesome being snug and safe and watching the storm.It finally began to calm down around 8:45 or so and I fell asleep soon after.Slept well.
Date: 2004-05-16
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Apparently I snored last night. I really don't believe it but this is what I was told. I chalk it up to this cold. I try to spend the night breathing through my mouth but I fear eating bugs in my sleep. So maybe I snored. Just a little.Listened to my Ipod the 9.5 miles to Penn Mar park - the Pennsylavania - Maryland border. Gorgeous morning and the going was good. As I was rolling into Penn Mar I ran into Semi-Joy. She was having a rough morning - she had been hiking with her mom and her mom had finally gone home. This was her first day without her. We hiked into Penn Mar together, got a couple of cold sodas, sat at the picninc tables, and dished for a good while. It was awesome - I think the company was much needed by both of us so after about 1/2 hour rest we rolled back onto the trail together and chatted the whole afternoon away.We stopped to snack at Deer Lick Shelters and pressed on to the baseball fields after Antidam Shelters. There was a foursome picnicing at the park and I approached them to see if there was a store or soda machine near by. The day was another hot and humid affair and we were craving sodas like the breath of life. They didn't think there was a store nearby but did even better by giving us 2 ice cold Gatorades and then offering us food. We gratefully accepted the Gatorades but declined the food and then sat and drank and marveled at our good fortune. A cold drink on a hot day and life is good.We pressed on to the Tumbling Run Shelters where we stopped for the day. This site has 2 shelters - one labeled "Snoring" and the other labeled "Non-Snoring". I quietly slipped into the non-snoring shelter in hopes that last night was a fluke. Here we met Mary Mag, a 22 year old recent college graduate with a closely cropped brown hair, barefeet, and a quite manner. She reminded me of a little pixie who could spout Mathematical theory from the top of her head (she majored in math). She said she could see math in the trees and we chatted for awhile about signal processing, code breaking, and the book I am still reading - Cryptonomicon. An hour or so later some weekend hikers rolled in and took the shelter next to us. 2 guys and 2 girls and a ton of alcohol. The more they drank the more they offered us and by the end of the night they were insisting we take their liquor, food, tents, etc. Really funny. They didn't seem to understand that we would never consider carrying more then we needed so Semi and Mary Mag indulged by their fire, but none of us took any of their goods with us. They were up late and kinda loud but one of the girls told a story where she had eaten a slug for $20 so I decided they were good people. I just popped my earplugs in and let them party on.BTW - a mouse had eaten a hole in my socks at Ensign Cowell Shleter last night. Bummed to be down to only one pair of socks but on the flipside it's one less item to carry.
Date: 2004-05-17
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Fayetteville, PA
Miles today: 9.6

Town day!!Had a maildrop scheduled for Fayetteville so Semi-Joy and I popped up at the crack of and rolled into town by 11:30 or so. Cloudy but humid and the bugs were a small terror. Started the day uphill so we both but our music on and just grunted our way up. I've found that there is certain music that is more fitting to particular terrains and types of weather and some music that just doesn't belong on the trail at all. Radiohead is one of my favorite bands but I just can't seem to make it fit while hiking. Maybe under a starry sky. It's mostly been Bowie, the Reverend, and Morphine when the sun is out, Belle and Sebastian when it is cloudy, Neutral Milk Hotel has carried me up many uphills (often on repeat), Sigur Ros when I'm feeling thoughful, and Ween for every occasion. I really start thinking about the albums when I listen to them - the lyrics, the feeling and the album as a whole entity. When it's Bowie I think about context, Belle and Sebastian tell stories so I think about that, and with Ween I wonder what drugs they were on when they wrote it.Got to Route 30 and walked 1/2 mile to the grocery where we caught a ride to the Rite Spot Motel - way seedy but the price was right. The woman who gave us a ride also dropped me off at the post office (where I picked up my UPS package) and gave us a bottle of juice to split between us. The kindness never ends and never ceases to amaze and move me. The day itself was boring and restful. Laundry, food, phone, TV (Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), and a great night of sleep. No storms overhead but a few to watch in the distance. In the evening I layed outside on the warm concrete of the parking lot and made a few phone calls while watching the stars. I've been in shelters so often that I felt like I hadn't seen the starts in a long time. It was nice.
Date: 2004-05-21
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Zeroed at the Doyle today. It was so wonderful I don't even want to write about it - I essentially did nothing but rest, chat on the phone, eat, and rest. Much needed - feet are feeling better. In the afternoon the police and coroner showed up at the hotel. One of the permanent residents of the hotel was found dead in his bed this morning. I think he had been dead for awhile because the police were talking about Vicks Vapor Rub which I know they put under their noses when a corpse has a strong smell. The man was in his fifties with a history of medical conditions. He was down the hall from us. It's so surreal. To think I was up in the hotel hallway last night with a dead man down the hall.I said a little prayer. I hope he is at peace.Back on the trail tomorrow. FYI - I don't know when I'll be updating again. I'm off the trail on 6/1 to go down the Jersey shore for a week (holla!!!) and may not have access to internet until then. Our next stop is Port Clinton, PA, but I don't know if there is internet there. Until then, happy trails to all.
Date: 2004-05-23
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: few clouds

Turned out to be a beautiful day - still hot and humid but really gorgeous and a pleasure to hike in.The entire shelter did an early rise and shine. We were among the last to leave and on the trail by 6:45am. The boy band (Red Dog, Mousetrap, Gentle Ben, and First Light)that rolled in last night were planning a 30 mile day today and therefore set their alarms to rise at 5am. Soon after the rest of the shelter began to wake and there's just no more sleeping when everyone else is on the go so eventually Semi-Joy and I (prompted by my initiative, as usual) got moving. On the flip side, it was nice to hit the trail so early since we could tell it was going to be hot. 7am on the trail and I'm already sweating.A nice relaxing hike. We leap frogged with the boy scouts and another female hiking duo, Tikka and Zeek, all morning. Around noon we stopped at Clarks Valley for some lunch and to camel up at the stream. A side note: I always treat my water. I don't filter - I just use a bandana to eliminate any major floaties and then I add bleach, Clorox bleach. This seems to suit me well - I don't mind the taste and it's far less weight to carry then a filter. Semi-Joy (and others) never treat their water. Blows me away. In my opinion, it speaks volumes about our personalities - in some ways I'm more structured and cautious while others seem to roll the dice more frequently. But the thought of giardia locomoting by flagellum in my water makes me really uptight - I got incredibly sick (twice) while traveling in Nepal and am unwiling to subject myself to easily avoidable illness. Anyway - bleach. Tastes great, kills buggies.Spent the afternoon talking about food. All kinds of foods, restaurants, and recipes. Semi-Joy gave me step-by-step instructions on how to make the perfect omlette. I'm in front of her yelling behind me "So, how many eggs?", etc. It was amusing but left us feeling dissappointed when we cracked open our Lipton noodles and sauce dinners.Feet are still sore. Hiked in sandlas for half of the day in order to give my toes a break, but it resulted in blisters on my heels instead. Next outfitter is in Port Clinton and I'll definitely be hitting it up.Bugs were tough today. Keeps you moving though because when you stop they swarm and when you swat they just laugh. Mostly black flies, mosquitos and noseeums. I am a bug bite. I feel so satisfied when I actually manage to kill one.Arrived at the shelter by 3:30 and Dad and Mack were already there. Spent a relaxing evening chatting and reading. Stepped outside around 8:45 or so to catch the sunset. Popped on my Ipod to listen to sunset / nightime songs as the sun bowed low and the moon rose behind me. Felt really good, really peaceful.
Date: 2004-03-04
From: Amicalola

To: Springer Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Thursday March 4th,2004Destination : fr Visitor Centre to Springer Mtn , then to Shelter Distance : 8.8 miles approach, 0.2 miles AT      Total AT 0.2 Miles      Registered at the Visitor's Centre at 9:30 am - signed the Thru-Hikers Binder. Then, back to the Maple Restaurant, at the Lodge, for Turkey Clubs, all 'round.      Started approach trail by 11:50 amAll of us felt great, good easy pace. Weather was great - sun and cloud, not as hot as yesterday.    Reached the peak of Springer Mtn. at 5:00 pm and saw the first white blaze! I was not prepared for how emotional I would be. A feeling of joy, and excileration, washed over me, as I touched the bronze plaque - the starting point of the Appalachian Trail. It was not until then, that I grasped the enormity of what we were embarking on. This is big!!      Snapped some pictures - fog rolled in, visibility not great. Headed down the trail 0.2 miles, to the Springer Mountain shelter - home for tonight.   At the shelter tonight are : Melissa from Chicago & Audra and Ian {friends hiking with her for one night}, Nick from Lisbon Maine, aka 'Bird Star' - both are thru-hiking.James from London, aka 'Taap' because when he says 'tarp' no one understand him, comes out as 'taap' .... smiles...He only has time to hike to Harper's Ferry.    We sat around, getting to know each other and playing 'shithead', a card game Melissa taught us.    Since there was lots of room we all stayed in shelter, we had the loft. All are sleepy - in bed by 9:00 pm. A great day!
Date: 2004-03-05
From: Springer Mountain Shelter

To: Hawk Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Friday March 5th, 2004Destination :From Springer Mtn.   Shelter to Hawk Mtn. Shelter   Distance : 7.4 miles                        Total AT 7.6 Miles   Left Springer shelter at 9:30 am with a light mist in the air. Visibility not great, but hiking was good. Wish Bon could see the forest of Rhodedendrun {sp?} trees - not just bushes - actual forests of 15 to 20 foot trees! Feels like we're walking in a jungle, as they canopy over the trail. Took some pictures, but will take more, once in bloom.      All are faring well - my feet feeling achy, but no blisters! Robin had some knee & groin pain, but better as the day went on, a small blister. Carter, well, no complaints other than the usual...hunger....{smiles}   Got to shelter at 3:15 pm ready to be done for the day. Shelter is full tonight. All the same people as last night plus "Hunter" - a 3rd timer, "King Lamar" - a Texan who's finishing his section hike, this year. Great guy to talk to - a lot of neat stories. He worked on the Margaret Todd out of Bar Harbour - the same one that we sailed on!!   "Ottey's" is from Alabama, and owns a bar by the same name - very cool guy. "Fingers", a young guy, and "Quincey" a 40+ year old mother of 2 - both   doing the hike alone.    Everyone turned in early - 8:10 pm as the rain's coming down in droves. But we're all snug and dry in our bags. Time to sleep!
Date: 2004-03-06
From: Hawk Mtn Shelter

To: Gooch Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: broken clouds

Saturday March 6, 2004Destination :From Hawk Mtn. Shelter               To   Gooch Mtn. Shelter Distance : 7.1 miles {11.36 km}         Total AT 14.7 miles   Left shelter at 9:00 this am with blue skies - rained hard all night but we stayed dry in the shelter.   Did a pretty big climb up Sassafras Mtn., going from 2675 feet to 3340 feet in 1 mile. Dorothy Rogers will be pleased to hear that we sat on top, for a well deserved snack break of her fuel bar and peanut butter! Watched a couple of eagles and a hawk circle in the sky. Took pictures.    Did not realize how hot it was - 25 + degrees and we all got some sun burn.    Easy day - we could have done more, but the next shelter was too far away. So we opted to stay at Gooch for the night. Carter & I chose to pitch the tent, while Robin opted for the shelter. Here tonight are all the people we've met so far, plus, a lot that we haven¢t met. shelter is full - 15 people, 5 tents. Carter & I retreated early for some alone time. All was quiet by 9:00 pm.
Date: 2004-03-07
From: Gooch Mtn Shelter

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: few clouds

   Woke up to a beautiful sunny day! We ate and were on the trail by 8:55 am. Trail was very easy going today. Shorter day hiking because Carter & I needed to re-supply for food. So we got to Woody Gap, then took the road into Suches - I think it's the motorcycle capital of the world. Saw a few hundred, easy. Re-supplied and had a school teacher offer us a ride back to the trail head. We were pleased because the road was very twisty and VERY busy.   Made camp at Woody Gap for the night. The rest of the group has moved on...but I'm sure we'll run into them again.      Had a bit of freezing rain and wind, so turned in at 7:30, for the night.
Date: 2004-03-08
From: Woody Gap

To: Blood Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: clear sky

   Damn- Woke to very cold, high wind! Ate oatmeal in tent & broke camp quick. Hurried up Big Cedar Mtn. so fast we didn't realize we climbed from 3200 to 3740 feet in less than 1 mile! It was just sooo good to get out of that Gap and that wind!   The rest of the day was great! Beautiful views - could see for miles!More Rhododendron forests and took pictures of Holly Trees - not bushes - Trees 10 to 20 feet high!   Ended our day on top of Blood Mtn. Elevation 4461 feet! Had a few hairy moments with a striped skunk!! Wouldn't let us in the shelter for a while. Robin was snapping pictures of the view and left his camera pouch opened - skunk was very interested in the contents! Took his chap stick and banged it on the rocks a few times. Entered the shelter a couple of times throughout the night. So, we hung our packs and food bag.    Looking out at the view we could see Georgia, North & South Carolina and Tennessee! Saw Atlanta lit up after dark - wow approx 100 miles away!    Beautiful sunset. Life is good. Sky is clear, but wind is chilly. Hope snow holds off, until we get down off the mtn tomorrow.         Heading to bed @ 7:00 pm. The shelter is different from all the others, so far. It is actually a stone house - the size of the main room, at the day care. 4 window openings and a doorway - no door, though. Wooden beams across the ceiling. Fireplace - blocked by Rangers because of the fire ban in this area. All is well, sleep tight.
Date: 2004-03-09
From: Blood Mtn Shelter

To: Walasi-Yi center
Miles today: 2.4

   Our plans to get to the Hostel early in the day - to rest and get clean - worked very well. Weather report said snow starting early in the day, so we broke camp and were on the trail by 9:00 am. Arrived at the Centre by 10:15 - snow started at 10:25!   The shelter holds 16 people - full by 11:30, for the night - snow drove a lot off the trail.
Date: 2004-03-10
From: Walasi-Yi center

To: Sheep Rock Top
Miles today: 10.0

   We were up early and packed, then went upstairs to the supply Centre. I bought a pair of camp sandles (transcriber note here If I had a $ for every pair of camp shoes bought at Walasi-Yi Center, I could do the trail again this year - Gimp)- the boots at night can't keep happening!!Carter found a pouch for the side of his pack - to put his water bottle in. Robin got a book, & camp sandles - to hope it helps the blisters.   Packs fully loaded - 4 days of food, water for the day - ready to leave, then Carter & I decided to weigh them - his was 45 lbs, mine 35 lbs. Can lower that, once we're able to send home winter gear. Robin preferred to remain in the dark on his weight.      9:30 am we headed back on the trail, which actually goes through the archway connecting the hostel to the store. Neat Fact.   Walking was hard!! Damn my legs were like lead! Not sore, just heavy...Was the day off worth it? Hmm...   The sun was shining, air warm but the snow was melting off the trees - landing on us - made for a real cheery walk. Trail was quite slick in spots, so going was slow.    The day eventually got better - met some folks on a day hike who were very interested in our adventure. Gave us a history lesson on the area - was Cherokee {sp?} land at one time. They took pictures of Carter's red chuck taylors & gave us their card. When we get home they said to e-mail us & they'd send us the pictures.               Tried to get to Low Gap Shelter because it was just over a mile away, but at 5:30 pm, I was done... so we made camp & tented for the night. Looking forward to getting to Blue Mtn. shelter tomorrow. Sleep is VERY close. Until another journal entry...
Date: 2004-03-11
From: Sheep Rock Top

To: Rocky Mountain
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

   Wow - great hiking day! A lot of ups & downs, but worth it. Started at 8:45 am, ended at 5:45 pm, with snack breaks in between. Weather was sunny, low wind, tee-shirt for hiking, sweater when still.    Trail magic today! Got to Blue Mtn. Shelter @ 2:15 for a break, a day-hiker left a food bag with all kinds of food & a note for thru-hikers to help themselves. We took the snack crackers & some soup.Then, on the way down the mtn, met a man taking a bag of apples to the shelter. When he heard we were Maine bound, we each were given an apple & lots of well wishes!   Tenting tonight, on top of Rocky Mtn - elevation 3800 feet. Caught up with King Alabar {the Texan} at Unicoi Gap, so he is with us tonight. All are doing well - feeling good. Robin nursing a blister, but doesn't seem to be bothering him much.    We all ate supper, hung our food bags chatted for a bit. Said good night at 7:30 pm.    As I finish writing this - sleep is near - the only thing we hear is the wind in the trees, and Robin saying," Damn, I stink!"