morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-08-29
From: Unionville NY

To: Culvers Gap NJ (US 206)
Miles today: 23.1

After 20 plus miles, stayed at a true sleazeball of a motel in Culvers Gap. If you can't say anything nice about somebody or something, better off to say nothing at all ¢¦ (deafening silence) ¢¦ ok, pretty much covers that. Let's move on.How 'bout some AT history? Sure.Most hikers know that the original trail (approved by GATC) has been shortened by 20+ miles, but these same hikers do not realize that the APPROACH trail was once part of this original trail. That is, Earl Shaffer and Gene Espy and other early hikers started at Mt Oglethorpe and proceeded up the trail to Springer.Now, the ORIGINAL original trail (NOT approved by the GATC) but encouraged by the early ATC in the late '20s, would have followed the western Appalachian chain and ended in the Cohuttas. GATC opposed this vehemently since they believed that hikers would not see the 'best' that Georgia has to offer, and would only hike about 30 or so miles in their great state. That's why the trail starts at Springer heading NE, then does a sharp turn NW after crossing the NC border so that the trail can hook back up with the AT on the NC/Tenn western ridge. Now you know.Thanks for reading.   ~ Obie (Dr Jekyll)PS: details concerning the original trail can be found in "Friendships of the Trail", a history of the GATC from 1930 to 1980.
Date: 2007-08-30
From: Culvers Gap NJ (US 206)

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 28.4
Weather: broken clouds

Let's go to Pennsylvania!Yikes! Check out the latest snake pictures. This was in NJ prior to the bridge. At least this one did not strike at me. But, as before, they are so easy to miss when you're truckin'.All in all, had a very nice day to do a relatively mild 29 miles to reach DWG PA. The folks at the Church of the Mountain were very friendly and very hospitable -- even fed us on Thursday night.I met up with Pyro, Alpine, Princess Brat, Farsang, and Traveler (among others). TNadine and Contact arrived on Saturday. Four of us ended up going to a bar. Pyro and I stayed WAY too late, and consequently took a zero to recuperate. So much for my new hiking strategy which dictated NO zeroes (see journal entry for two days back). Thanks for reading.   ~ Obie (Dr Jekyll)PS: made it to Pennsylvania
Date: 2007-08-31
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Phone conversation:¢Baby, I didn¢t make it out of Delaware Water Gap yet ¢¦¢¢ what, ¢¦ are you in jail?¢¢Wellll, I WAS handcuffed to a telephone pole last night.¢¢ you didn¢t have to be a smartass¢¢ Hey, they were wearing cargo shorts¢ OK, so you had to be there to fully understand the significance of that phone-con, but let me assure you that the consequences were not pretty. Not pretty at all.Know that its been a loooonnng week in and around DWG. With my new found friends, we decided to take a shuttle into Stroudsburg. We hit the mall, a movie, and then a bar. It all started in the bar. It all ended with Pennsylvania¢s finest (wearing cargo shorts) explaining to us exactly what the law will allow.Let¢s just say that it was an extremely fun day (probably a little too fun), and with a really funny story we (me, Pyro, Alpine, Princess Brat, and Farsang) all have disorderly conduct citations to pay after Labor Day weekend.No harm, no foul.Thanks for reading.   ~ Obie (Dr Jekyll)PS: yeah, so, like aren¢t cargo shorts considered ¢out of uniform¢ ?
Date: 2007-09-01
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Wind Gap PA
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

Today we escaped the vortex known as DWG. It is sooo easy to get sucked into a trail town where all forward momentum seems to fade away.With the ¢cargo shorts¢ episode safely behind us (see yesterday¢s journal), today I hiked with Pyro and Farsang. They are two really cool guys with whom I frequently stopped along the way to engage in more disorderly conduct. Gotta break that habit.When I made it to Wind Gap, I had already passed Alpine and Princess Brat, and decided to crash for the night in the parking lot, expecting to see Pyro and Farsang later. They (surprisingly enough) never showed up. Who knows, I¢m sure I¢ll run into them again around Port Clinton.The Penn rocks really aren¢t that bad. Guess it depends on your perspective ¢ SOBOs have already dealt with this kind of rockiness and much more. Won¢t know for certain until I¢ve hiked further south. Which is what I intend to doThanks for reading.   ~ Obie (Dr Jekyll)PS: rocks, what rocks?
Date: 2007-09-02
From: Wind Gap PA

To: Lehigh Gap
Miles today: 20.7

I¢m having a great time lately, mostly due just to the fact that there are fun people to hike with again. Plus, I scored some Gatorade powder at the grocery in Wind Gap, and the weather has cooled off significantly.If all goes to plan, by Sept 4 (exactly 2 months from the start) I¢ll be in Port Clinton with only 116 miles short of halfway! I absolutely can¢t wait.That¢s also where I am supposed to pick up my mail drop with NEW HIKING SHOES. The ones I¢ve been wearing since Maine are absolutely positively shot. I¢ll spare you a disgusting picture of spent shoes, but you can get a hint from today¢s pic of me (I¢m at the other end of the foot) looking over the edge of Lehigh Gap.Dad told me the other night that halfway is the next big emotional hurdle (e.g., I¢ve already been going for months, and I have to do all this AGAIN?). He was totally right about the 30-40 day mental hurdle, and knowing it was coming was a huge help. Hopefully I¢ll continue wanting to speed up, and blaze right through halfway making killertime.Oh well, I guess the only thing to do for now is to get hiking. That¢s what we do out here. Gotta love it.Thanks for reading.   ~ Obie (Dr Jekyll)PS: Want to give a shout out to Woody for the encouraging words in the guest book. Also want to say hi to Eden Express, wish we could all meet somewhere down the trail. Good luck to both you guys. SOBOs rock.
Date: 2007-09-04
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Soooo, two months in, I arrived at Port Clinton right on time.Getting the new shoes was a huge plus, though I¢ll be dealing with blisters over the next few days I¢m sure. I met up with Traveler again, then on to Cabela¢s and a nice hostel at Ye Olde Backpacker.It appears to be a pleasant 8-day trip to Harper¢s Ferry, and only 3 days to Duncannon along the way. I managed to stay out of both a motel and a bar tonight, so hopefully my costs will continue to drop (I¢m staying the next 2 nights on the trail, believe it or not!). The weather couldn¢t be better, and all-in-all it¢s a great time to be out here (and push some miles once these shoes break in).While talking with Traveler and the Backpacker owners, I realized how much I¢ve been missing school. Since I¢ve been hiking every day, I don¢t use the logic side of my brain nearly as much as I used to. And the weird thing is: I can¢t wait to sit at a desk and do some thermodynamics, yeah, just totally geek out on some homework problems. My next zero day, I may try to get a puzzle to work on.In the beginning of the AT (July 4), I was concerned that I might have some hippie life ¢ changing epiphany such that I gave up all my scholastic ways and lived in the forest forever. Nope. That¢s not a threat anymore.Before that, back in the spring of this year, I was concerned that I was getting burned out at school, but that¢s changed and now I¢m looking forward to getting back into it all. Good news, man. Another few months here in the woods, a month or so to get things in order and do the whole ¢holiday season¢ thing, then it¢s time to get back to grad work. If things go the way I envision, I¢ll come up with some sort of new as-to-yet unthoughtof alternative energy source that will save the planet. Funny how a month doesn¢t sound that long on paper. Now that I think about it, my perception of time has been really strange. For instance, I know that today is the 4th, but I have no idea what day of the week it is. It just doesn¢t matter. Also, while at times this has seemed like the longest 2 months EVER, it¢s all gone by in a flash. I can remember every single day on the trail, what happened, who I was with, the weather, the mountains, good views, funny jokes, etc. And though there have been some ROUGH times, I have only positive memories. Even the worst days have been learning experiences.This is the first time I¢ve ever seriously considered this notion (or at least this idea is starting to sink in) but it¢s going to be reeeeeally sad when all this is over.Oh well, for now, it¢s an 8 day journey to Harpers Ferry.Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS: kspirit you are right, and I¢m trying to break the bar habit. Thanks Tom for the encouraging words concerning the journals.
Date: 2007-09-05
From: Port Clinton

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Dog Food ???A very interesting day today. After getting into Port Clinton yesterday, I ran into Traveler at the town pavilion, went to Cabela¢s (to exchange new shoes from my mail drop for new shoes since my feet got bigger since July ¢ btw the Cabela folks were very helpful and understanding), then caught a ride to the hostel where Traveler was also staying.Well, today we defied (or redefined) physics once again. I¢m sure you are all aware of those familiar math problems that go something like:Train A leaves 501 at 9:30 heading north, ¢¦Train B leaves Port Clinton at 11:45 heading south, ¢¦ (that¢s right, I didn¢t START today until almost noon!)Question, when do they collide?Answer, NEVER! arrrgggggI have no idea how we missed each other (train A was Traveler after being shuttled), it just happens.Now consider another facet from this set of related circumstances: these are some issues which aren¢t all that bad on their own, but collectively, wellll- rocks on the trail- spider webs everywhere- trail doesn¢t curve, it often makes 90 degree turns- blazing isn¢t always great, certainly not consistent- it isn¢t one trail, it¢s four, spaced about 10 to 15 feet apart, running parallel then separating and criss-crossingNow let¢s combine these like ingredients into an ¢Obie gets lost again¢ cake:you walk down any ole trail you want, and since you don¢t know which one¢s the real trail, at any given time you could be off it (or on it), while the real trail takes that 90 degree turn off into the netherland. Of course, you wouldn¢t know this because it¢s poorly blazed. You¢re accustomed to walking several minutes without seeing a blaze, and because of the rocks and spiders you¢re looking down and preoccupied 34 of the time!So, after hauling booty all day (24 miles in 6 12 hours), I get bountifully LOST, reach highway 501 a mile early, then hike down the road almost 2 miles in the WRONG direction before being driven back to the trailhead and shelter. (The 501 shelter is absolutely AWESOME by the way.)Tomorrow morning I¢ll slack the last mile just to say I hit the blazes, then it¢s time to get to Duncannon (2 more days!).What a trip!Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS:   Oops, almost forgot. I came close to eating a can of Dog Food today thinking it was chili. Either Hormel¢s standards have dropped, Alpo¢s have risen, or I¢ve been on the trail too long.
Date: 2007-09-06
From: 501 Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: mist

Lesson for the day: Once you¢ve decided to stop and relax, stop second-guessing and relax.The shelters between 501 and Duncannon are oddly spaced. I knew this ahead of time, but it still didn¢t matter. I arrived at Rausch Gap shelter before 3:00 PM, and normally I would push on until dark and don¢t look back. Buttt, ¢¦The next shelter is 17.5 miles, rain could come at any minute, and that would put the total mileage to about 35 for today.   Grrrrrrr. I don¢t need the miles, and my legs finally don¢t hurt, so I decided to waste an afternoon. However, I have no booze and no tobacco, so entertainment must be made creatively.I decided to test an old Boy Scout skill, the one-match fire. I spent almost an hour getting wood and building a spectacular log cabin, used my handy-dandy notebook for tinder, and, ¢¦ Success!After contemplating my next move, I started on a scarfing spree of everything I didn¢t need tomorrow, including a dehydrated meal. Since I carry no stove, the water was cold and the chicken had a strange resemblance to Styrofoam croutons.Around 5:00, the second person I¢ve seen all day rolls into the shelter ¢ and it¢s Traveler! He had extra food, cigars, and about 14 lbs of water. Springs around here are perpetually lame, so it¢s really unsafe to travel light on water. But he thought it would be bone dry here so he brought enough for a small army!Anyways, it¢s been an excellent afternoon, and now I¢m making plans to shuttle around Duncannon and so forth, which would allow for an easy-going-yet-productive trip into Harpers Ferry.The weather seems to be holding off, so hopefully the rocks (which really haven¢t been that bad) will not be wet tomorrow going into Duncannon. All in all, a nice, easy, relaxing day. Great to be surrounded by the outdoors, and I still made some miles. So I guess there¢s no complaining.Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS:   Sorry, but I¢ll have to upload pictures of the one-match-fire later.
Date: 2007-09-07
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: Duncannon (the Doyle)
Miles today: 28.9
Weather: clear sky

An 800 lb man-eating Grizzly, followed by a face-plant.Ok, so maybe it was a black bear, and obviously it was not a man-eater since I gave it ample opportunity to sample human flesh and he did not oblige, ¢¦ but I still maintain that it was HUGE.   And the look in its eyes, ¢¦Here¢s the story (there always has to be a story). I¢m sailing along doing the final portion of a 29 mile stretch to get to the Doyle. Terrain¢s easy, no major problems during the day, so I¢m really in a Zen state where I only envision the ground gliding beneath me effortlessly.Just about dark, but not yet dark enough for my headlamp, something catches my peripheral and causes me to hesitate. Then stop to investigate. To my left is an enormous black object no more than ten feet from me. Yikes ¢¦ it¢s a bear!!! Flashback: my dad had a large black bear charge him in SNP a few years ago. It was NOT a good experience, and I did not want to follow in my father¢s footsteps.Being the conditioned athlete that I have now become, I instinctively turn to launch into such a forward frenzy of speed that this furry menace would be utterly amazed and dazzled that a man creature could move so fast. Unfortunately, just as I take my first step, my foot catches on a tree root and I do an immediate and complete FACE-PLANT directly in front of the hairy beast. Now, it has always been a curiosity to me that most people in a crisis situation (real or imagined) experience a strange phenomenon where time seems to slow down. Split seconds turn to seconds, seconds turn to minutes. Typically one can recall each and every detail. Soooo, as I was watching mother-earth approach my face, I vividly remember saying to myself, ¢God, please don¢t let him think that I¢m offering myself as a food sacrifice.¢ Once I was one-with-the planet, and I regained my composure, I noticed that I was not any closer to mangled bloody flesh parts than I was when I was standing. So I turned my head in his direction to see if the bear was mounting the classic grizzly attack posture. He was yawning. Yawning??He seemed to have a puzzled look on his face and was probably thinking, ¢ ummmm, this looks entertaining¢. As he slowly swaggered away, I swear he was smiling (I don¢t think bears can laugh).I took this as my exit cue, slowly stood up, started moving away from him, then ran (at least for a bit). As I was almost out of visual range, I looked back and noted that the bear (although quite visibly shaken by the confrontation) was going about his business, whatever that is.Somehow, not sure if its psychic-telepathic or what, I got the distinct impression that this bear (as I was sprawled out in front of him and he was yawning) was thinking, ¢ lordy, how did humans ever make it to the top of the pecking order?¢.Made it the rest of the way in record time. Enjoy your day and,Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS:   Wouldn¢t journaling be dull if someone simply wrote: woke up, ate oatmeal, hiked, saw bear, got blisters, etc.
Date: 2007-09-08
From: Duncannon (the Doyle)

To: Duncannon (the Doyle)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Friday night, after a 30 mile day from Rausch Gap, I stayed at the Doyle bar, restaurant and hotel.At said bar, I meet a gentleman who just took over a Boy Scout camp in Pennsylvania. I have worked at a rather large Camp in Georgia for many summers in all capacities (from beginner-helper to director), so we had much in common to talk about.As the night wore on, and he understands the quest I am engaged in, he offers me a ride to Boiling Springs. This would mean a slackpack day, AND another night at the bar (hooray!).Well, scout guy and I never cross paths the next day (today - Sat). But, Traveler shows up, rain pours hard, so I decide to take a zero in Duncannon. See how easy that was.Saturday night Yellowbird and her mom come into the Doyle. Yellowbird¢s mom, Grey Goose, offers me the same ride to Boiling Springs on Sunday morning (hooray!). Hope this offer works out better than yesterday¢s offer. We¢ll just see what tomorrow brings to the table.Now for something completely different. Someone pointed out to me in today¢s pic that the scar I acquired back in Maine (see journal entry 7/16/2007, the bloody mess) is quite similar to the scar which Harry Potter has to bear. Not sure if that¢s good. Although I have not read the last chapter of the final book (so I don¢t know how it turns out), I do know that he has survived all the outrageous obstacles thrown at him to date.So I accept that vague resemblance as a good omen.Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS:   Stuck in a hole in Duncannon PA
Date: 2007-09-10
From: Duncannon (the Doyle)

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: broken clouds

Monday morning comes, we get up early to eat breakfast ¢ and there¢s a solid line of cars all the way out of town. This stuck in Duncannon thing is quickly becoming a ¢Twillight Zone¢ episode.Turns out a big wreck on the highway shuts down EVERYTHING all morning. Sooo, we wait and see what happens.Around 11:00 things have cleared up. Traveler and Tau take TNadine and me down to Boiling Springs. I hike back, and finally got those 26 miles! Traveler mentions that he wanted to get up early on Tuesday, hit breakfast and then go right back again, which means I can continue south from BS and never miss a beat. (hooray!)Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS:   (whew) finally moving again. maybe
Date: 2007-09-11
From: Boiling Springs

To: Pine Grove Furnace (Ironmasters)
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: light rain

This morning I woke up refreshed, and eager to move on. That is, do the shuttle to Boiling Springs (third shuttle promise has to be the charm), and leave Duncannon far behind. Four nights in the Doyle is WAY too much. I¢m Doyled out.So I bounce down to Traveler and Tau¢s room with a spring in my step. But they checked out before dawn! Arrrrggggghhhh.What to do. If I hike south from here, I still take a third zero because I already did these miles yesterday. If I wait for Tau and Traveler, I take that third zero, and still may not get the ride I need. Finally, if I get a taxi or a shuttle, it¢s about 40 road miles, so it¢s $40 to avoid this third zero.Now, while that¢s pretty expensive for me, it¢s $20 a night to stay here plus another bar tab, so it¢s probably even more expensive to zero! Oh, and it¢s raining again, which wouldn¢t be bad if I were already wet, but I¢m dry and warm and full. If I spend $40 on a ride then I ought to stay in a shelter instead of a hostel to save money tonight.Gotta get out of this town.Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS:   so I hired the shuttle
Date: 2007-09-16
From: Bear's Den Hostel VA

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 28.2

Today was GREAT, and it was all about the people.I've been bothered by this 'trail drama' stuff, so much that I no longer even say I'm a "thru-hiker", rather, I'm just a guy walking from Maine to Georgia. As selfish as it sounds, I'm not doing this for other people, or their recognition.Anyways, this morning I met "Goin' Somewhere". He started in Maryland, so he's immune to the thru-hikiness. We hang out for a while, sit around, hike, etc; the funny thing is, when I first saw him I was startled at his resemblance to my old friend Aaron Cardwell (if Goin' Somewhere had red hair, they'd be twins). He's around the same age, and he smokes a pipe. The point is, it was refreshing to stop getting so serious all the time. Lighten up and enjoy the moment(s).Also, now that I've been zooming down the trail (see today's pic - warp drive does have it's consequences), I'm running into other SOBOs from waaaay up north. Tango and I hooked up first, then caught up to Cowpie and Twisted Sister, Solar, Lunar and Violet, and "Porta" John from back in Duncannon.Porta John and I hiked in beers and hot dogs from Linden, and we sat around until all hours of the night (though we were asleep like logs before midnight) drinking and hanging out. I was so happy to meet everyone, and I wish the best for all of them. But I gotta keep moving on. I'm feeling stronger now, and there's more trail to do.I hope your day today will be as good as mine.Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS: yeah we're in the movin' zooming mode alright ¢¦ feels good
Date: 2007-09-19
From: Big Meadows Wayside

To: Ivy Creek Spring (Maintenance Bldg)
Miles today: 31.4

What a great day!Stayed at Big Meadows wayside last night, and it rocked my socks. Unfortunately, it also rocked my wallet, so I'm playing it cheap and stealth-sheltering at Loft Mountain Wayside. As you are aware (see the entries for 8/25-26/07) stealth-sheltering can be kinda tricky. But it's convenient mileage-wise when it presents itself and everything works out ok (no law enforcement to encourage you to leave).The day itself was not one of those event driven days, which was in itself nice for a change. No sudden adrenaline rush. No wild animal attacks. Nothing but pleasant views and weather. Consequently, I made great time, setting myself up for less than 30 tomorrow. I did meet some cool dayhikers, and now I'm enjoying an awesome sunset listening to the coolest choir ever: crickets keep the beat, off in the distance a bear is laying down the baseline, owls sing the harmony, and some coyote is howling melody. All we need is a tenor! (Park Rangers maybe?) But here's hoping I don't hear them tonight (the park rangers that is). Whoever thought stealth-sheltering was a bright idea (I know, me and Peace Train) are complete idiots.After my recent speed increase, I've often been contemplating the remainder of the trip, scheduling, etc. The last few weeks I don't even care about, they'll handle themselves. What will be will be. The last real challenge in my mind is the month I'm in now. It's the middle of September and I'm already 5 days into Virginia. Unbelievable! I see this challenge as a hard-fought battle between me and the great southern mountains, both mentally and physically. Don't know how I could have prepared myself any better though. I'm actually feeling more in tuned with my environment than at any other time on the entire journey to date.Since I'm taking fewer zeros (none since Duncannon) I've been treating myself to more restaurants and overnights (if that's possible), trying to stay energetic and healthy. I think it's paying off. Springer is like a magnet and I am just now slowly beginning to feel its pull. Fingers crossed, nose to the grindstone, halfway is long-gone and this is the last real meat of the trip. Smokies be damned, I'm focused on VA and the mountains ain't got sh@t on me! (Maine cockiness returning).Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS:   a non-event day, ¢¦ yeah, that's ok