morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-19
From: Jennings Creek

To: Thunder Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Broke camp late at Jennings Creek to a hazy hot morning. Rolled in to Bryant Ridge Shelter, by my book the most striking shelter on the trail so far. I had a hunger strike again, and ate all of my daily allotment of snacks before 11 am. Left the shelter for a stout 2000' climb up to the top of Floyd Mountain. It felt liberating to be doing a big climb again, like we had back in Georgia. The summit was wrapped in clouds, a cooling break to a sweaty climb. We relaxed at Cornelius Creek Shelter, waiting for Leviathan and Proteus to catch up. Once they arrived the late afternoon was stunning in the silent cloudy presence. Apple Orchard Mountain at over 4000' was striking, with Trillium blooming in excess and the greens of moss and fern accentuated. The top of the Mountain was marred by some sort of NOAA radio facility-made it to Thunder Hill Shelter in an moinous air as the rain crept in on us. I set up my tent and started to cook dinner, till the deluge began. I evacuated my tent and brought all my stuff up to the shelter, leaving my tent soaking wet but me dry. Thunder Ridge lived up to its name, with a massive storm lasting the night, but we all slept well.
Date: 2005-05-20
From: Thunder Ridge Shelter

To: Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Woke to clearing clouds and a tent saokled to the core from the maelstrom in the night. One of the most striking mornings on the trail, with a clear and quiet mind giving clarity to shocking greenery, accented with pastures of blooming trillium flowers, lily of the valley, and a few rare yellow ladys slippers. Fantastic hiking as the mist bled away into sun, then back to forboding clouds, mist, and back again. Stopped at Petites Gap and engaged Proteus, Levaithan, High Noon, and Unknown into a short 4-square game. Lunch was eaten and then we moved on to High      Knob. This section of Virginia has been a pleasant suprise, with high peaks, rugged country devoid of the setllement found in southern Virginia. The rhododendrons are blazing forth with groves of purplish flowers, which excorted me down to the James River, where I crossed the slow brown waters and caught a hitch into Glasgow, a quiet Virginia mountain town, where we caught dinner and caught a hotle room. Made alot of phone calls and enjoyed staring at a Television for the first time in a couple of months. Forsake the cushy hotel bed for a pad on the floor. I'm getting to prefer it.
Date: 2005-05-21
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Punch Bowl Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

Woke up early at Mom and Pops Motel. The whole plan for coming into the town was to make some phone calls but apparently Mom and Pops is one of those places where they don't have phones in the rooms. Probably can't get dirty movies either. I had a long talk with Proteus to the sun rising. Rolled in to the breakfast buffet, which was abysmal, but the coffee was hot and pouring steadily, so I was content. I packed up, rolled into the library and finaslly put up my first entries on the website that you are reading now. I bought a copy of "The Godfather" at the library from the very nice librarians-I like to think of my hiking crew as a trail mafia. Headed to the road to hitch back to the trailhead and grey walrus, another hiker, kindly let me hop in the back of the truck that he had paid $20 to give us a ride. I personally have not paid anybody anything for a ride, but it seems like every trail town has someone who charges to give a ride back and forth to the trail. They seem like vultures to me, but if someone else is paying, I won't turn it down. HOT day, and I saw a huge brown and orange frog not far from the road that must have weighed in at 4-5 lbs. Most of the day was spent in a long uphill, with legs weighed down with cheap buffet food and coming down off a long caffeine high. Luckily, some day hikers on their way home loaded me down with treats, which I ate on the spot, although I didn't take their animal crackers. Nothing personal, I just don't dig on animal crackers. Proteus and myself took a long afternoon nap and I started reading The Godfather, then headed up to the top of the ridge and then down to the Punch Bowl Shelter, which looked like a Refugee Camp with 7-8 other tents spread about the area. Dinner was followed by a no-bake oreo cheesecake Proteus had smuggled out of Glasgow, but High Noon and Leiathan missed out since they moved on to the next shelter. Went to bed early, ready to rock in the early a.m.
Date: 2005-05-22
From: Punch Bowl Shelter

To: Hogpen Gap
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

So much for an early start, but made up for lost time in the a.m. as I hiked with a quickness, filling my mind with dreams of a 25 mile day. Drank from waterfalls and skirted a reservoir, but continued to move quickly until my hiking enthusiasm hit a stone wall when it heated up and a small waterfall appeared with a swimming hole underneath. I Dunked my head in and got a morning shower, avoiding the crawfish that didn't share my enthusaiasm at being there. dried off in the sun and read for an hour, then gathered up enough energy to stumble another 2 miles to Brown Mtn Creek Shelter, where I fell again and napped/read/stared into space for another 3 hours. Came to and started chugging up a 2000' climb up to Bald Knob, where I saw a bright Orange frog up at the summit. What was he doing up there at that high summit? I spent much of the afternoon focussing my mind on my leg movement. Even after hiking for so long I still have so much to learn about using my body to hike with the most strength. As I strode longer, I used more of my quads and less of my hamstrings, but my knees ached, pointing to a painful morning tomorrow. Rolled into Hogpen Gap to find a 1997 thru-hiker finishing up a bbq. I enjoyed myself to a couple of hamburgers, a bag of chips, drinks, beans and tomatoes, and then set up camp and headed to sleep. Cloudy tonight, and smelling of a mroning rain.
Date: 2005-05-23
From: Hogpen Gap

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke to a wall of condensation inches above my face. My tarptent doesn't weigh much but if there is any dew whatsoever it is soaked with condensation. I woke up early but was forced to sit around for 3 hours to wait for my tent to dry off. If I pack it up wet it adds a couple of pounds of water in weight that I don't usually fell like lugging on my back. So I spent the morning getting engrossed in The Godfather, before finally getting started. Boring morning walk, and met up with Rich at the Seeley-Woodworth Shelter, where I drank from the strong-flowing and tasty spring. When I rolled back from the Spring to the shelter, there was a motley crue of 15-20 teenage girls hanging out. They were just standing there dumbly when they astarted getting orders barked at them by this women. They had to line up and take their packs off in unison. I was openly gawking at this ridiculous display, when their drillmaster came up and explained to me that they were on some sort of juvenile delinquency "hoods in the woods" type thing. I responded politely, but to me they were getting less of an apprecaition of nature and more of a primer in 19th century military drills. Nonetheless, I moved on to a boring afternoon of walking. I walked straight to the Priest Shelter, and was feeling a little down after such a boring day of walking, when Leviathan and High Noon rolled up and we started getting rowdy a bit. We mowed up to the top of The Priest and hung out for an hour at the most impressive view in Virginia at the top. We then proceeded to drop like a stone off the edge of The Priest for 3000' to the Tye River, with stormclouds gathering. We then had another crushing uphill to the scenic Harpers Creek Shelter. Everyone was already asleep in the shleter when we arrived (mind you it was an hour before dark), so we set up our tents as it began to rain, then ate a wet dinner and settled down to sleep, my legs tired from my first 20+ day in a while.
Date: 2005-05-24
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Rusty's Hard Time Hollow
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

Leviathan and I woke up early, ate, stretched, visited the privy, and left camp before High Noon opened his tent in the morning. I had run out of toilet paper so was forced to use a page out of The Godfather in the privy. Moved on in the morning fog to the Maupin Field Shelter, whereupon the skies exploded into rain. The shelter was full of others waiting out the torrent, and as I read the shelter register I read that Rusty's Hard Time Hollow was open. Rusty's was a place of legend, a trail destination that we had heard alternately was open/closed for the entire trail. Nobody quite knew whether he was open or closed, but faced with a wall of precipitation and with rumors of basketball courts and Ping pong tables at Rusty's I decided it was worth the risk. We walked the mile and a half to Reeds Gap, and then realized we had no idea how to get to Rusty's from there. With low hopes, we stuck out our thumbs on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hithching a ride can be challenging by itself, but hitching a ride when you do not know exactly where you are going is exponentially tougher. The first tow cars that stopped didn't know where Rusty's was, and by this point Leviathan had become exasperated and busted out a bag of honey roasted peanuts, proclaiming that he was going to leave if we didn't have a ride by the time he was done with his peanuts. The peanuts slowly were consumed, and as Leviathan started to walk away, I flung my thumb out in a last ditch effort to get to Rusty's. He stopped, he knew where Rusty's was, and the next week of my life changed dramatically because of it...
Date: 2005-05-31
From: Rusty's Hard Time Hollow

To: Rusty's Hard Time Hollow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 7 at Rusty's Hard Time HollowRusty's is the best spot on the Trail, hands down. In an out of the way hollow off the Blue Ridge parkway, Rusty Nesbit has been taking in hikers since 1982. When I say taking in, I don't mean allowing them to sleep in a bunkhouse somewhere and cooking them breakfast. No; Rusty takes them into his home and his heart. His first hikers slept on his back porch, cooked on his wood stove, and hung out in his living room. In the next 20 years, a community of hikers have developed around Rusty's which have expanded his Hollow, without losing the homey feeling that made it such a nice place to spend 7 days. Rusty just got a phone and electricity last year. We still did alot of our cooking on wood and gas stoves, including his massive morning pancakes cooked on a skillet which was 24' wide. Cold drinks were kept in the springhouse, clothes were washed in the creek, and fun done in the sun. For a rambunctious foursome of hiker guys, there couldn't be a better place than Rustys. Ping pong, basketball, darts, frisbee golf, horseshoes, four square, water fights, wiffle ball: all a young man needs. The sunny days were spent working around the grounds for Rusty on projects ranging from picking up pallets to weedeating. We ate hearty greasy breakfasts, ran in the sun in the morning, devoured sandwiches for lunch, napped, played in the afternoon, ate hearty dinners, went to the wood powered hot tub or sauna, and retired happy and unwilling to leave. Rusty is a loving man who continues to open his house to hikers. He has seen big changes in the culture of the trail, and by listening to his stories and wisdom I came to realize how I had fallen victim to the unwitting accoutrements of the ultalight hiking culture: speed hiking, without paying attention to what you were passing. In the early days of hiking, Rusty said it would be normal for a hiker to take a week off at Rusty's and enjoy themselves, but since ultralight has enabled people to put in big miles, many have forgotten that thru-hiking doesn't have a damn thing to do with when you reach Katahdin, but with the experiences you garner in your journey there. In our week there, only four other hikers stopped at Rusty's. Only one, Sowega, stayed for more than a night. I couldn't imagine a better place to spend a week, month, or longer, and expect to keep Rusty's a part of my life for a long time coming. The Hollow is on sale, but for future hikers I hope Rusty keeps it and people keep on coming. His love of hikers keeps the place going, and I hope it keeps going for a long time.
Date: 2005-06-01
To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

With a heavy heart I left Rusty's, brought back to Reeds Gap, where our fateful hitch had brought us to the Hollow a week back. Proteus headed back to Maupin Field Shelter to make another impassioned plea for hikers to head to Rusty's and Sowega and Leviathan stashed his pack in the brush at Reeds Gap so he could pick it up. Getting moving again was a bit tough, and the unforgiving rocky terrain didn't help the situation. We moved along, passing a few houses less than 50 yards gfrom the Trail, thanks to the Wintergreen Ski Resort, built in the early 1980s despite vigorous protests from the Appalachian Trail Council. The day was clear and it was good to be out again, drinking spring water and noting the new wildflowers that had sprung. After climbing up to Humpback Rock, we began a long descent to Paul C. Wolfe Shelter, where we met a bunch of new hikers, those thathad passed us during our week siesta at Rusty's. I hiked with High Noon most of the day, and after relaxing at the shelter for a while we were suprised to see Proteus run up without his pack. He apparently hadn't found his pack at Reeds Gap, and had hitchhiked around to the shelter to try to find us. Sowega gave him explicit direction to his hidden packm, and after eating he jogged off to hitch back, hopefully to find it. The trail dinner of straight macaroni and cheese was not nearly as satisfying as Rusty's dinners, but I fell asleep well as dark fell, ready to hit up Waynesboro in the morning.
Date: 2005-06-02
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: light rain

One of those mornings where I popped up extremely early and actually felt like moving out. I got good practice at the delicate technique of leaving a shelter without waking anybody up, and managed to keep it so till I fell down walking out of the shelter. My groans woke everyone up, but I kept on moving in the early misty morn. My morning walk through the clouds was punctuated by many many deer sightings, but soon I came to Rockfish Gap and the diesel smell that is so noticeable near Interstates. I threw my thumb out in the rain and caught a hitch into Waynesboro with a USGS engineer who was working on the South River near Waynesboro, doing their best to clean up the mercury deposited in the river by the Dupont Company. Waynesboro was a nondescript town obviously having seen better days. The Post Office, Library, Chinese buffet, and Grocery Store were all close together, so from a hiker point of view it had everything you could want. I spent a good hour at the Post Office, rummaging through my bounce box and the box from my Mom and Dad containing summer clothes and tasty chocolate chip bars care of Mom. With a heavy heart I sent home my down sleeping bag and my warm Primaloft Jacket, replacing the sleeping bag with a fleece one sewn by Terry. Thanks a million! Moved on to the Library and then wreaked havoc on the Chinese Buffet with my boys and Sowega. Sent off some postcards and then caught a ride up to the Trailhead with High Noon with a "Trail Angel," one of a group of people in Waynesboro willing to offer rides. Rockfish Gap was not a pleasant spot when we were let out, and Sowega surveyed the driving rain and cold and took a ride back into Waynesboror to stay at the Hostel. High Noon and myself trucked on into Shenandoah National Park. The walk was wet, with plenty of steep mud slopes which are always fun in the rain, but we arrived to Calf Mtn Shelter around 7 to a full house, with other hikers escaping the same inclement weather. We made a spot in the mass of thermarests and then ate. Another hiker, Naked Sun, realaized he had forgotten his journal back in Wayneboro and ran back into town that night. Good to hear he actually found the journal waiting for him at the hotel, and made it back to the shelter the next morning. Proteus and Leviathan rolled in a bit later, and as the wet rainy weather continued on, I laid down with my down bag on my mind and a fleece bag on my body.
Date: 2005-06-03
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Loft Mountain Campground
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

I stayed warm in my fleece bag, but a different kind of warm than in my down bag. I know how happy I will be with it once the torrid days of summer begin. It rained hard all night, and we woke up knowing that my good friend Will was coming to meet us that afternoon about 10 miles down the road. We were in no rush to get started, and as the rain continued to pound down we bunkered down in the shelter as all the others filed out, played a lot of spades, took another nap, read, and happily managed to waste away a complete morning. The afternoon brought clearer skies, and as we got moving it was exceedingly pleasant walking, empty trails and ghostly glimpses of Shenandoah trees. Will came driving in from Maryland, and we rolled into the Campground in the back of his truck slobbering at the beers and steaks we smelled. Camp was set in the mist, and Will proceeded to concoct a tour de force of a meal, with fresh organic greens off his farm stewed in beets and butter, followed by big T bone steaks marinated in all sort of sauces and flavorings. As we stood around the fire, watching the steaks pop and sizzle over the open flames, we could barely contain our rabid hunger, and once they were off the grill we engaged in a pre-civilization rite of gnawing at hot meat around a fire. Sadly, this was the first time I had done it since I have been on the trail, and I could not get enough of the greens. Mix in the greens, 3 or 4 Yuengling beers, and some of Proteus' homemade pumpkin bread (c/o his Mom) and we were sataiated and proceeded into a long dark slumber.
Date: 2005-06-04
From: Loft Mountain Campground

To: The Ecosystem Farm at Accokeek
Miles today: 0.0

We awoke to the same cloud that enveloped us the night before, and clumsily went about breakfast, complete with coffee from the campstore. We had decided to go to Will's farm for a few days to work. Obviously we just came off of a week break at Rusty's Hard Time Hollow, but we struck a deal with Will where we would do some much-needed work on his farm in exchange for him feeding us consistently gargantuan and filling meals. The first challenge facing us was getting ourselves and all our gear from Shenandoah National Park to his farm near Washington, D.C. The packs were tied to the top of the truck, giving them some much needed air and sun. Three of us piled into the back of his Toyota Tacoma, with two more up front. Those in the back were piled with thermarests, sleeping bags, and various garden tools. All in all, we manged to make it pretty comfortably. We took the back roads back from the mountains, watching the fields of north-central Virginia fly past. They reminded me alot of the Piedmont of South Carolina, and it was nice to ride through them with Will Allen, a friend from age 10. The day grew hot, and as we neared the Chesapeake the terrain flat. After much deliberation, we chose to miss out on a demolition derby, an event which I usually take in wherever possible. We drove into a grocery store and proceeded to buy food to sustain us for four days, along with the requisite alcohol for hard working men. Now the truck was loaded with 5 guys, all their gear, plus food and alcohol to feed them for four days. In the front seat I was immobilized with groceries stuffed under my legs, on both sides, and on my lap. Luckily, the drive was only 15 min to Will's house, located on the 18th century Parker family farm. Once we arrived, we put together a great meal of pork chops, fresh organic salad mix, and ice cream. Late that night we walked down to the family pond and dove in for a bit of nightswimming, the closest thing to a shower I had since Glascow. Relatively clean and content I went to sleep.
Date: 2005-06-05
From: The Ecosystem Farm at Accokeek

To: The Ecosystem Farm at Accokeek
Miles today: 0.0

The day was hot at the Ecosystem farm. Will is the comanager of the farm, which is administered by the Accokeek Foundation. The website is www.accokeek.org. We arrived at 11, ready to work but wilting under the coastal sun, with the thermometer at 90 and the humidity off the charts. Nonetheless, we got ourselves accustomed to farm work, weeding three long beds of squash and beans. We soaked ourselves with water to keep cool, but in the intense heat the only thing that could relieve our exhaustion was a good ol fashioned siesta. Underneath a grove of shade trees we relaxed, then back out into the fields to finish up one more bed.The feel of the dirt was good, and seeing all the work Will has put into the farm and the success with which the farm is operating makes me proud and happy for him. We worked until 7, rode home for a late afternoon dip in the pond, followed by a satisfyingly southern meal of grilled catfish, collard greens cooked up proper with a hambone, and a vat of baked beans. We slept well that night.
Date: 2005-06-06
From: The Ecosystem Farm at Accokeek

To: The Ecosystem Farm at Accokeek
Miles today: 0.0

The day rose hot, like the one before, and we managed to make it to the farm by 9, and immediately set to work on the greenhouses, trying to work before the temperatures in there soared up to 110. We broke ground for four beds, loaded and spread 100 or so wheelbarrow loads of compost, let Will and Leviathan hit up the rototiller, and planted eggplants and peppers with Will and Erin (the co-manager of the farm.) The tomatoes plants were weeded and the early flowers picked. Proteus went at the copse of shade trees to allow for more of a breeze during our siesta, and my friend Bridget drove down from DC to visit. She just started an internship with the NEA there, and it was great to see her, not to mention the fact that she brought yummy pasta salad. The day drew to a close with plans to catch and cook one of the many geese that invaded the property of the Accokeek Foundation, and Bridget left as we gathered together garden tools to be used in the slaughter. We cruised the property looking for victims, but they must have gotten word of our arrival and hid up in the woods. We left the slaughter for another day, but returned for another meal of pork chops, homemade mashed potatoes, and salad, then retired to watch some Dave Chappelle show on DVD. The rain came in that night, with lightning and thunder, and it was a long deep sleep.
Date: 2005-06-07
From: The Ecosystem Farm at Accokeek

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Hey Yall-I have lost all motivation to get into town and write on this website, so I will not be posting here in the future. If you want to keep track of me, you can visit the following website for my pictures:http://www.aaafamilysites.com/family/barbara_miles/photoalbum.htmlMy good friend and hiking companion Proteus is also keeping a web update of our progress at:http://www.runs247.com/Kevin_journals.htmlThanks for visiting!Buttah