morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-13
From: Waynesboro

To: Pinefield Hut 
Miles today: 33.2
Weather: broken clouds

Wow! Big day! About 54kms. The Shenandoah National Park is a bit like the Smokies as you are supposed to stay in the huts (not called shelters here) rather than camping. Also there are many bears as they are protected, so perhaps it is wise to be in a hut if you believe in safety in numbers. However this means that you can be slightly restricted in terms of mileage. One hut can be too close and the next quite far. The Shenandoah is known for its flat trail and people do impressive mileage while going through. If your average AT elevation looks like a person's heartbeat on the chart you see on tv, then the Shenandoah's elevation is like a dead person's heart rate. I got a taxi to the trail, as I wanted to start early to avoid the heat. Waynesboro has a list of trail angels who are happy to give people free lifts back to the trail but asking to be dropped off at 630am on a Sunday is probably pushing it. The trail was lovely. Maintained beautifully and not difficult at all. I got some trail magic, once a bottle of water left by a Waynesboro angel and once, some chocolate left by Moonwalker, AT class of 2009, who was doing some trail maintenance. I saw two separate large bears. They looked at me, unafraid and as if I was bonkers when I sung Advance Australia Fair, my national anthem to scare them away. I could see there were bears close as I saw some bear scat, large, black and full of badly digested berries. I also saw a black and gold snake coiled up on itself whose scales looked almost velvety. I had brought a delicious whole meal wrap with grilled beef, avocado and tomato and it kept me full all afternoon. I skipped the Loft Mountain Wayside (where you can get food and resupply - shock, horror - she missed food!) and headed to Pinefield Hut. I got there at 730pm and chatted to Chief (the third of that name so far) a 70 year old Boston and ultra marathon runner and to Tattoo who was already half asleep. We saw two bucks with big antlers about 20 meters from the hut. They were magnificent.
Date: 2010-06-14
From: Pinefield Hut 

To: Big Meadows Lodge
Miles today: 28.7

The Shenandoah has definitely not disappointed me. It has been all I was looking forward to and more. I got up at 530am today to avoid a bit of the heat. As I mentioned, it has been 94F (34C) the last few days. I tried Chef Glen's homemade apple crunch oatmeal and it was delicious, even cold. I developed a very nasty looking rash on both my legs above the sock line on my calves. People who have seen it have been quite horrified. I'm not exactly sure what it is but I suspect heat rash. I also have some horrible chafing issues due to the humidity and so many insect bites that I look like I have chicken pox. I'm not complaining but this gives an overall picture of my health!At around lunchtime, I went to a picnic area to try to wash myself under a tap and to have some lunch. I washed my top half, then I wanted to cool my legs down under the tap to relieve the rash so I took off my pants. Under my pants I found several wood tick (they look like medium size brown spiders) and more scarily some deer tick. Deer tick can carry Lyme disease for which I don't think the cure always works. You need to avoid being bitten. One tick was just crawling on me, the other was attached. The tweezers on the Swiss Army Knife the Manager gave me before I left Paris helped me remove it. While I was standing in my underpants, some came to offer me some lollies (candy). I justified the fact that I was in my smalls by saying I was looking for ticks. Another couple passing by decided to check out my legs and rash for themselves too. They they all started talking about the merits of retirement in Florida. I was standing there uncomfortably and all I wanted was to be back in my clothes but it was hard to do with them all standing around!I arrived at Lewis Mountain camp store in the late afternoon. I felt faint from a lack of calories (I took no chocolate bars on my last resupply) so I ate an ice cream, a Starbucks frappacino (you can buy them in glass bottles here), a yogurt and half a packet of crisps. I felt better! The nice manager on duty let me call the Big Meadows Lodge, 7 miles away to book a room. This was a bit extravagant as the rooms are rather expensive for a thru hiker but chafing issues and the rash made me want a sanitary rest place. The manager of the the Lodge was an Australian. When I arrived there, we were chatting and an American said "do you actually understand what the other is saying because I've got no idea". Bit different from the last person who was convinced that I speak English with a French accent!I had dinner at the Wayside, a blackberry milkshake (the speciality of the area) and a healthy burger. I saw another bear today and many deer and bucks. The Sheanandoah rocks because there are so many animals, the walking is easy and flat and the trail well maintained, and there is good availability of food. It's just annoying my Mum'll miss it as I'll be out of the park by then.
Date: 2010-06-16
From: Big Meadows Lodge

To: Thornton Gap
Miles today: 17.0

The next camera is being developed by the Manager and the decent pics will be put online as soon as they are ready. Since I only have a disposable camera, the quality is slightly iffy. I called a local shuttle provider yesterday about heading out of the Shenandoah then coming back to the same spot once I'd met my Mum. Unfortunately the only availability was this afternoon. Ideally I would have preferred a shuttle tomorrow morning to get a maximum of hiking done. However this means that my Mum will get to do some of the Shenandoah with me and if it ends up being my preferred part of the trail, then that's good to share it with her. I calculated when I needed to get up and leave and how fast I'd need to hike to get to my rendez vous point - Thornton Gap - in time. I ended up getting there 5 minutes early. You really know your speed and how long hikes will take when you have done 800 miles on the trail!The day was so incredibly foggy which was annoying as I passed many viewpoints and as I've mentioned I love the area. You could not see more than about 20 metres ahead. I passed Stony Man lookout where I believe generals during the Civil War used to check on troop movements in the valley. I hope they never needed to check on a day like today. I stopped by the Pinnacles picnic area because it was the most beautiful picnic area I'd seen on the trail. There were park benches, a gazebo type structure, toilets and bubblers and all was covered in mist. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. I spoke to Stick Built, a DC area resident thru hiker, who offered any help from his wife and himself in the trail area near his house. Fellow hikers and their better halves (such as Skink and Lee and many others) can be so kind helping out, it really does make life easier and more pleasant. When I arrived at Thornton Gap, I found out from a maintenance worker that e-coli had been found in the water bubblers in that area. I had debated whether to treat the water at Pinnacles. I know now I should have!The drive from Shenandoah to Harper's Ferry was good, again I saw the area I'd been hiking through. Along the way the heavens opened and it poured down. My seven and half hours of hiking in the rain since Georgia is still intact.
Date: 2010-06-18
From: Thornton Gap

To: Mathew Arm campground 
Miles today: 11.0

We actually walked about 12 miles today but only 11 miles were official AT miles. Rodney from Mountain Valley Shuttles picked us up from Harper's Ferry Comfort Inn at 900am. I would have asked for an earlier shuttle but Rodney lives in Luray which is 1.5 hours away so 900 seemed more reasonable. The drive up to Shenandoah showed us the ridges and also the distance we'd be walking to get back to Harper's Ferry. Scary stuff, it felt like a long way! The weather was a lot more pleasant - less humid and hot than the first two days through the Shenandoah. Thankfully for my Mum because she already has jet lag to deal with. We hiked up some moderate hills, nothing compared with the trail up till now and Mum exclaimed at their steepness. I didn't say too much so as not to scare her.I make her walk ahead of me so that I don't enforce a death march on her. That way she can walk at her pace. Her pace is rather weird. Sometimes it'll be really slow then it'll be really slow then she'll be walking as fast as I normally do and I fall behind. There seems to be no reason for this and she doesn't realise she does this. Perhaps she is still finding her legs. A flight from Sydney to San Francisco to Dulles can do that to you. I tend to walk as I run in competitions, like a metronome without changing pace. We caught up on news and I explained my time so far. I said that I thought other thru hikers don't always include how hard the trail is and that I've tried to make it clear in mine. However she said that she had not realised how hard it was until she arrived here and talked to me about it. I'll try to share the pain, frustration and other emotions more.I didn't want to push too hard especially as we only started hiking at 1100am so we decided to camp at Mathews Arm Campground. My guide did not say whether water was available so I lugged up 5 litres for 3 miles. When we arrived at the turn off, my guide said 0.7 miles to go. We walked and walked and walked. It ended up being 1.3 miles. Aaaaahhhh! The next shelter was only 3 miles. We should have gone there! I could tell Mum was exhausted but I couldn't do anything to help her. I just hoped the campground would appear. It did, finally! I arranged payment of the tent site fee and put up both our tents while she took a break. We met up with Toboggan who I'd met at Big Meadows Lodge. We had a nice chat and he made us Raspberry Crumble for dessert. Hot pudding! Trail magic for Mum on her first night! Mum passed out and started snoring before I'd got in my tent. Maybe it was a death march.
Date: 2010-06-19
From: Mathew Arm campground 

To: Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

Mum slept in her tent the wrong way so her head was where her feet should have been. She's small so didn't notice the inconvenience. I had a small breakfast, only one small cup of cereal and one tortilla. As I am doing shorter miles, I'll be the first person to become a fattie on a thru hike if I don't calm down! As we had descended an extremely steep and rocky hill to get to the campground, I treated Mum to a short cut (back to our position on the AT) via the Skyline Drive rather than the hill. She was very relieved!I thought it would be a humid day but in the end it was ok. The trail was easier than usual too. We made great time though and had soon walked half the miles planned. The trail was reasonably busy, perhaps with Father's Day groups. I now have a new look as I changed my black holely merino Tshirt for a bright blue hiking shirt. I don't like the coordination with my olive pants but I guess I look like a female David Attenborough and he's one of my fave TV presenters. I also look even younger than people think I am now. I usually get asked if I am 21. I am 29, nice!We rolled into the shelter just before 3pm but Mum was feeling tired (jet lag I think) so we decided to stay. We found a perfect tent site for both our tents. I pitched them both as I did last night then Mum passed out. I went to the spring to get water. It felt like miles away down a hill. I wet my shirt and it almost felt dry when I returned to the tents. The privy was quite cool, it had a door with the top half open so you could have a nice view while doing your business. I found another book in the shelter, The Other Boleyn Girl. I have already read it but I'll read it again.
Date: 2010-06-20
From: Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter

To: Manassas Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: broken clouds

There was a huge electrical storm during the night so I got up to check the tents were well pitched and got Mum to close her tent flap. The lightning (thanks for the spelling help in my guestbook!) was quite far away but impressive none the less. There was some rain but nothing significant. In the early morning, I heard a rustling of a plastic bag and I knew a bear must have found a food bag and be opening it near my tent. To my surprise this didn't bother me at all. I whispered to Mum what was happening and found out she had used a plastic bag filled with clothes as her pillow. So much for a bear.We got an extremely late start as I heard Mum snoring at 630am so I wanted to let her rest. The day was hot, apparently 94F (34C) but the long green tunnel is shaded so it didn't feel too bad. As we headed to the road leading to Front Royal, we found a cooler of trail magic. There were lovely crunchy cold gala apples from Washington, V8 drinks, water, cheese sticks, snickers and other treats. I do hope it was trail magic and not someone's lunch! I sampled the wares and it came at a perfect time because we had a decent climb to follow. When we reached the top, we found out from some southbounders that there was more trail magic at the next shelter! Yippee! Half Elvis, an 08 thru hiker had cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, corn...at the shelter the previous night. He wasn't there when we arrived but had left watermelon, cookies, banana and beer. So I helped myself to a big slice of watermelon, some cookies and a High Life beer. I thought hiking would be hard after the beer but it was fine. The trail is flat and green in this area and we enjoyed the afternoon. However Mum found the last climb tough and we heard the following shelter's privy was leaking into the water source so we stopped at 530pm. We pitched our tents again and the area has crowded up with other hikers.Alpine's Mom:Hi y'all. Thanks to Cleveland in the guest book and the hikers who I have met for your warm welcome to the trail. Today I am starting to get over the jet lag and the miles are coming a little easier. It helps that Alpine carries all the food, so my pack is light - about 10 pounds without water.Two nights ago I was bitten by a spider and now I have a fat finger. I hope it doesn't get infected. I now have a new trail name though, "Fat Finger". We heard that one hiker was recently bitten by a dog and "the authorities" are searching for him as the dog may have been rabid.
Date: 2010-06-21
From: Manassas Gap Shelter

To: Camping near Morgan Mill Stream
Miles today: 16.1

New photos are in the tab "Photos" to the left of the screen.Mum was full of beans when we left our campsite this morning. She strode up the trail very fast. It might have been the flatter trail or getting over jet lag but it was very impressive. We passed some wide open spaces which were a nice change from the woods and also crossed the Sky Meadows State Park which was nice. People had suggested in Harper's Ferry that I skip the walk from Front Royal (the town on the edge of the Shenandoah) to Harper's Ferry because it was boring and of no interest. I disagree, I've found it to be just as enjoyable as the other parts of the trail I've seen. The weather is very hot and I end up getting very sweaty on the way up hills. Doing 15 mile days means longer in between towns and I don't anticipate a shower before Harper's Ferry, so that will be at least 5 days without. Probably a record for me.I saw Stucco again today, last time I saw her was the start of the Shenandoah when she was hiking with some non thru hiker buddies. One got heat exhaustion and passed out so had to go home 2 days into a week long hike.We passed some lovely streams where I washed my shirt. Well I rinsed it in water. I don't use any soap or detergent as I don't want to pollute the waterways. My shirt is insect proof, sprayed with a product to prevent ticks and other bugs. Apparently it lasts 70 washes.At the end of the day we arrived at the start of the dreaded Rollercoaster. People have mentioned it in my guestbook. The Rollercoaster is 13.5 miles of tightly packed ascents and descents and most hikers dread it. I like climbing so I was not fazed and I'm not going fast anymore so I knew it would be ok. We scaled the first two hills before finding a fantastic campsite at Morgan Mill Stream. There was a flowing creek nearby so getting water and cleaning up was easy. We had..."surprise!"...mashed potatoes for dinner with chicken of the sear (as the salmon is named on the packet). Delicious. Even after 51 days on the trail, I don't tire of my mashed spuds.
Date: 2010-06-22
From: Camping near Morgan Mill Stream

To: Camping near Sand Spring
Miles today: 10.5

Fat Finger hung the food bag amazingly well last night out of the reach of the bears. I would have been content to hang it on a small tree at my height but she enjoyed the challenge. I hope it stays that way, then I'll not have take charge of that chore!We finished most of our food at breakfast save for a few chocolate bars. We planned that four miles into the day, I would walk along the highway to a gas station to do a quick and small resupply. Fat Finger would continue walking. Along the way we would stop at the Bear's Den Hostel which is a hostel owned by the Appalachian Trail Conference (who manage the AT) and run by the Potomac Trail Conference (who maintain the trail in that area). We knew the little store attached to the hostel was only open from 5pm to 9pm but we thought we'd try our luck anyway. When we arrived, one of the people who worked there greeted us and showed us the "hiker lounge" where we could buy soft drinks, take a shower, use the internet and telephone. He then said if we wanted to buy a few goods to avoid my resupply run, he'd open the store for me. Wow! Thanks! I quickly selected some nibbles to get us the 19 miles into Harper's Ferry. Then we had a shower and washed our clothes under the shower. I felt like a new person! I drank a chilled Dr Pepper and a Coke and filled up on oreos and crisps. Leaving the hostel was hard but all good things have to come to an end, so we headed back to the Rollercoaster. Mum suffered on the last two climbs as they were tough! She had a Clif bar to keep the energy up and it worked. We made it to camp near a lovely spring.It was a pity that we did not make it to the Blackburn Centre which is an ATC run shelter, as they provide a free dinner. But mashed potatoes are delicious so that's fine.Fat Finger:The Rollercoaster was tough but Clif helped me near the end. The Clif Bar is an energy snack that the inventor named after his fater. It is full of organic goodness and tastes delicious. To those who are wondering how I will go on trail food, I just eat it, don't think about it and figure that it can't harm me as it is only for a month.Alpine has put me in charge of water sterilisation but today I forgot to do a bottle - I had drank about 200ml before realising. Hope I don't get giardia. Another health issue I faced was finding a tick in my head. Alpine removed it and I was horrified to see it swollen with blood. Hope I don't get Lyme disease.
Date: 2010-06-23
From: Camping near Sand Spring

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Dave, I just passed through your area and very much loved it. It would have been good to meet up but Fat Finger and I are already in Harper's Ferry and off tomorrow upwards to Maine!I had another amazing night's sleep. Tenting away from a shelter really ensures solitude and peace. Shelters have snorers, people arriving or leaving late and critters. They can be good for company but it's so pleasant to be out in nature by yourself. That's part of what the trail is all about. In addition, it's far more comfortable to sleep on dry leaves and other duff in a tent rather than a hard wooden shelter floor. We only had oatmeal, in cold milk for breakfast as our cereal was finished yesterday. We complemented it with a pop tart. The flavour was undecipherable, perhaps apple and cinnamon. For my French friends, pop tarts are a type of biscuit with a sweet filling and glaze which are put in a toaster and normally eaten warm. I guess people normally eat them for breakfast. I thought it would be sickly sweet but there was not a huge selection at Bear's Den yesterday. Surprisingly they tasted ok. I was not impressed when I went to the stream. A local lady had passed in the evening with 3 dogs. I found one dog had done it's business about 2 metres from the stream. If you know hikers use a stream or spring for water, it would be kind to ensure your dogs don't pollute the source.We had a 16 mile day to get to the Ferry. About 4 miles in we dropped by the Blackburn AT Centre. We took a solar shower which was cold but that was fine as it was over 95F (34-35C) today. A killer! We met a couple of southbounders who informed us that there was no water the rest of the way to the Ferry. We loaded up with a few litres to ensure we had enough. Fat Finger did really well today as I could tell the heat and longer mileage were tough on her. Nevertheless, we made it to town by 330pm. I have chafing again and the heat rash has come back so we might zero and do some tubing on the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. We saw people doing it today and it looked delightful in the heat. I had to walk another 1.5 miles each way (which don't count towards mileage!) to the laundromat - I spared Fat Finger the extra miles but an ice cream along the way sure made the walk easier!At the moment we are deciding whether to skip another section. If we keep walking, Fat Finger will only get to experience Pennsylvania and it's horrible rocks. We are trying to make arrangements to skip from Duncannon in PA up to Bear Mountain (or that area) near the Hudson River. Then Fat Finger will be able to see a bit of New England. If I get the time, I'll pop back down to finish the section.
Date: 2010-06-24
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Feels like I have spent half my time in town's in Pearisburg and Harper's Ferry! Anyway, last night we decided to spend today in Harper's Ferry. A rest would be good for Fat Finger after 84 miles and I had my rash and chafing to cure. We decided to do a day long tubing trip with River Riders, a local rafting company. We had been informed yesterday that their meeting point and store was close to the Comfort Inn but after asking again at reception this morning, we found out that the information we received yesterday was wrong and that it was actually further than the campground with laundromat which I keep visiting. One of the employees of the hotel was very kind and offered to take us there.We had the choice of deluxe or standard tubes for our outings. We debated for a while, the deluxe had a little back rest and cup holder but we decided to go for the standard version which proved to be fine. First we had our flat water tubing experience on the Potomac. This trip was filled with kids but you go at your own pace so it felt like we had the river to ourselves. You need to paddle along with your arms to get anywhere. The water was extremely warm, but still a good antidote to the searing air temperature. After about an hour we were done and we were driven back to the HQ. We had a salad lunch which I had bought the day before at the 7-11. Then we headed out to the Shenandoah River for our white water tubing session. This was far more exciting and the age of the participants was higher. You bump along in your tube getting quite wet. It's not scary because you are going too slow to seriously bump into rocks. There was a lightning storm while we were on the river but the guides were not worried and it seemed ok. At the end of the trip my arms nearly fell off because I had to paddle so much to get to the take out point. Luckily we got a ride back quite quickly with the white water rafters who had just finished. Then River Riders gave us a lift back into Harper's Ferry which was very kind. I needed to go to the outfitters to get a pair of hiking shorts so we needed to hurry before it shut. All tasks were done so we ordered in Italian food and sat watching tv. A great day off but onwards tomorrow up through Maryland.