morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

I hiked my first 20 mile day yesterday after only about a week on the trail and my feet are sure reminding me that I did! I'm still getting acclimated to life out here and am still wondering how my journey is going to unfold. I've been meeting up with occational section hikers and have only crossed one thru-hiker, Running Man, who is actually a 60 year old trail runner that is already about 10 miles ahead. The views are beautiful, the climbs are challenging, the rain is tolerable, and the solitude is amazing. Prior to coming out here I was living a similar lifestyle outdoors. I lived out of my tent and ate camp food, I didn't mind the absence of a bed or a soda, but the big difference is, is that now I don't have a group of five teenage boys that I have to take care of and always be supervising. I'm by myself, taking time to myself, sometimes not even seeing another person for a day or two, and it has helped me unwind immensely. As fun as my job was, the stress undoubtedly built up and needed some cleansing. I do hope to have a group of people to bond and hike with in the near future (since I'm actually a very social person), but the solitude is much appreciated and extremely refreshing for now.
Date: 2009-05-21
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center, NC
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

A long drop into the NOC (6 mile downhill) was like coming up on an oasis in the middle of nowhere: a rushing river, colorful kayaks scattered about, and the smell of hamburgers cooking in the diners. By now I'm starting to kick in my miles and have already attempted two 20 mile days and the arousing notion that uphills are okay but downhills are bad is a true sign of me slowly coming into the role of a long distance hiker. I spent a good portion of the afternoon relaxing with fellow hikers but was primarily stressed out trying to get my gear chaos in order. I had recently realized that the plastic on my hipstrap had cracked and my cell phone was not working properly to assist me in calling the outfitters to fix my dilemma. Nevertheless, things always seem to work out in the end. Being so close to some friends that live in Waynesville, NC provided me with a good opportunity to take my first zero day and find a way into Asheville to work through my gear problems. It also provided me with some great company and my first few beers since being on the trail. Many thanks to my SOAR friends for hooking it up in W-Boro!
Date: 2009-05-27
From: Mt. Collins SHelter

To: Gatlinberg (Pecks Corner Shelter)
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: moderate rain

The Smokies have been nothing short of rain, mud, fogg, mist, and horse droppings all over the place. The elements have caused crowded shelters, forcing the sleeping conditions to mimic packed sardines. I left this morning parting ways with Penny Ben, Alex and Paul, and headed into Gatlinberg with Just Bill (Memo) for a food resupply and a stop at Shoney's All-You-Can-Eat breakfast buffet. I got a quick ride into town and gorged myself at Shoney's, staying there for over three hours through breakfast AND lunch, finishing at least five plates of food. Countless miles of hiking and a shortage of boring camp food causes extreme hunger pains and gluttony.Gatlinberg, however, wasn't a place I wanted to be in after a few weeks of peaceful hiking with down to earth folk who aren't obsessed with commercial stuff and superficiality. As Pit Stop says, there were tons of "fudge people" walking around. By "fudge people" he means those people that go visit the Smokey Mountains, drive around for a few minutes, take a picture from the seat of their car, and drive back into Gatlinberg to buy a tee shirt that says "I visited the Smokey Mountains" as well as a bundle of overpriced fudge. I felt as though I was a part of their tourist attraction, especially when it took me an hour and a half to hitch a ride back to the trailhead standing in the rain as carloads of fudge people starred me down with confusion. I was stuck in a place that I really couldn't get out of and I didn't even get to visit the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum!
Date: 2009-05-30
From: Max Patch Summit

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: clear sky

I couldn't get any really good photos in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park due to rain and heavy fog the entire time and I was quite distraught when I couldn't see but more than 10 feet in front of me upon arriving to the top of Max Patch. Hoping for a clear day on the horizen (probably the first in a week) I decided to camp at a campground near the summit and try my luck in the morning. Sure enough, as I woke at the break of dawn the fogg had rolled out and the views moved in and I jumped for joy!I made it 20 miles in to Hot Springs that day in order to meet with a good friend from Asheville and upon arriving at the Hot Springs Spa I was encounted with my greatest hint of trail magic yet. As I was walking up to the spa through a large open field I noticed a covered tent with tables set up and a few people hanging around the area. A young man wearing a suit hollered over toward my direction as I passed and approached me with a warm smile. "You a thru-hiker?" he asked (it was pretty obvious with my pack and poles and smell and all). He turned out to be a thru-hiker from 2002 and had just gotten married on top of Max Patch that afternoon to his wife that he met while hiking the trail himself. He continued to invite me and my friend to their wedding reception that included a dinner buffet and open bar - like a pot of gold to a hiker. We dined and danced our hearts content for the rest of the evening with our new friends in Hot Springs... thanks Polish Ninja and Frodo!!
Date: 2009-06-06
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter (The Barn)
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Roan Mountain was tough but not tough enough. I definitely had to take a mid-climb break due to calorie depletion (I started to get a little dizzy after my energy levels dropped) but made it over and out with no complaints. Although Roan Mtn provided some decent views at the top where the hotel remains were, the balds that followed provided spectacular 360 views of TN on one side and NC on the other. At this point of my hike I was in the midst of forming a trail family and had been hiking with a group of guys since departing Hot Springs which included Two Lions, Pit Stop, Mission, and Spaceman. We were also joined by Rabbit and Running Clear and a few others that I would cross paths with occasionally. Everyone camped at Overmountain Shelter which was an old barn used during the Civil War times that had an open bottom floor with a living room view of rolling mountains in the distance. Happy Birthday to my sister Sara!Photo courtesy of Spaceman
Date: 2009-06-07
From: Overmountain Shelter (The Barn)

To: Hump Mountain (Mountaineer Shelter)
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I really just had to post this picture.. one of my best. Today we crossed Hump Mountain which is a beautiful bald area with gorgeous views just as beautiful as the previous day. As I was walking up the side of the mountain which had breathtaking views in every direction, the sun's rays were slicing through the clouds and a beautiful song shuffled into my headphones... I almost started to cry from the beauty. Such are the emotions on the trail~
Date: 2009-06-09
From: Kinkora Hostel

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: few clouds

A large group of us stayed at the Kinkora Hostel last night and feasted on pizza, ice cream, and loads of other desserts until our stomachs burst. The best was when Corey backed a pan of mouthwatering brownies and served everyone a piece with a scoop of ice cream and strawberry toppings... yum~ I don't think it's been so easy for me to chow down an entier large pizza with an appetite left over.Leaving Kinkora presented one of the toughest climbs so far, Pond Mountain, as well as a few options to take a swim. Although we knew there was a huge climb ahead, Pit Stop, Two Lions and I swam Laurel Fork Falls, taking action shots jumping off the rocks. After reaching the viewless summit of Pond Mountain, an afternoon dip in Watauga Lake followed by a ride on the rope swing was in store and we finally made it to the shelter right before dark to witness the sunset over the horizon from our nesting spot. What a fun-filled fantastic day!
Date: 2009-06-14
From: Damascus, VA

To: Virginia Highlands
Miles today: 22.1

I left Damascus, VA two days ago along with my recent hiking krewe en route to make it to Harper's Ferry in time to catch a nearby music festival when I get there. It's looking like 25 days with a 23 mpd average to make my deadline! Therefore, I'm now alone again but excited to run upon and meet new trail folk that roam ahead of me. Entering Virginia was a pleasant surprise. The Highlands are scattered with wild ponies that annoyingly beg for food when you cross paths with them and I fortunately passed through that specific area when the rododendron's were in full bloom. Thousands of pink flowers color the mountain sides and dozens of ponies graze the grasslands as you walk by. The sun even decided to poke it's head out for the entire afternoon just to allow me to marvel at the sight.Before I left my trail family for a month they were sure to christen me with my trail name. "Ronin," which means "masterless samurai" was originally devised by Two Lions, but since that didn't stick too well a more familiar "Rufio" soon took place as my permanent trail name. My identity as I know it has started to mold to the soil beneath my feet and the wind that blows across my face, and therefore the grouping of letters that once denoted the person I once was has been changed as well. +500 Virginia miles and tons of new trail faces lie ahead.
Date: 2009-06-15
From: Old Orchard Shelter, VA

To: The Magic Schoolbus
Miles today: 24.7

Keeping your eyes up and scanning the scenery is always a hiking tip to remember because if you get stuck staring at the ground for too long you may overhike the abandoned school bus in the bushes in the middle of nowhere and miss out on a magical shoolbus ride that I got to experience with my new hiking friend's Patches and Josh. It really felt straight out of "Into the Wild" when we came across the bus with the added enjoyment of a school of cows mowing the area. Not only were they munching on nearby patches of grass, but as you can tell by the photo, the sweat secreted onto our backpacks makes an appetizing treat for cows as well. Patches made the mistake of leaving her pack unsupervised and a baby cow left a surprise pound of slobber on waiting for her upon her return.Getting stuck in an hour of downpour later that evening made arriving at the Partnership Shelter (or as we call it, the "Pizza-ship" shelter) that much more enjoyable. Being situated close to the national forest visitor center provided the possibility to call for pizza delivery TO the shelter, therefore allowing us to dine on hot, steamy pizza after taking cool solar showers at the local AT shelter... what a world!
Date: 2009-06-24
From: Va. 624 

To: Tinker Creek
Miles today: 25.2

The day started off beautifully however a wrong turn hiking up on the ridge lead me 2.5 miles in the wrong direction and a bunch of cursing to follow once the mistake was realized. Nonetheless, the rest of the day held some of the most beautiful scenery and overlooks the trail has yet to offer, the first of many being McAfee Knob. Stepping out to the ledge didn't feel as dramatic as when I realized what was really beneath me... practically nothing! Some day hikers joined me while I was enjoying the view and said that watching me simply sit on the ledge with my legs hanging off made their knees tremble with nervousness. Further down the trail was a long section hiking along Tinker Cliffs with similar breathtaking views and some more locals to chat with as I took a lunch stop and a few snack breaks just to prolong my presence on those cliffs. Together with my early morning detour and overdrawn stops at beautiful lookouts, I was still left on the ridge as the sun was setting over the horizen. Although I typically prefer to be at camp prior to dusk, hiking along the ridge with countless opening to watch as the sun slowly sink over the river was awe-inspiring. The sky was painted with majestic colors which shifted tint every time I took another peek. The day really kept getting better!
Date: 2009-06-27
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: James River Bridge
Miles today: 21.6

As the rain continues to fall steadily throughout the days and the sun heats up more when it does appears, ripening blueberries start to flourish all along the trail adding another reason to lolly-gag and forage for some juicy afternoon snacks, as obviously evident in the picture... mmmmmmm, blueberries! And right along the trail no less! The only thing to worry about is that another hiker in front of you didn't decide to make your blueberry bush their afternoon bathroom stall...We arrived at the James River footbridge later that afternoon for some fun bridge jumping and bouldering alongside the cliff walls with some other thru-hikers and locals kids to join. An ideal summer afternoon spent swimming in the James River, watching some kids slackline underneath the bridge and jumping 20 feet off the cliffs just to land on the same aching feet you've been hiking on for the past 800 miles! A friendly section hiker offered to take myself and my new hiking partners, the Hiking Poles (named appropriately so due to their being Polish), into Glasgow for a quick resupply having his car at the nearby parking lot and not only did he shuttle us around to some stores but also had a cooler full of ice cold beer to share as well. The day ended as we hiked into the shelter after a few beers and ice cream cones at the local gas station only to be surprised once more by some trail magic from some weekenders that cooked a few too many hotdogs for themselves and graciously offered to let me polish them off with my outrageous hikers appetite. It really was an ideal summer day on the ole trail!
Date: 2009-07-02
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Shenandoah National Park
Miles today: 26.2

I saw my first bear, finally! No surprise it was in the high bear volume area of the Shenandoah National Park. I hiked out early that morning and as I was trudging along around 7am I heard a rustle in the bushes to my right only to see a teenage sized black bears scurry off but he didn't get too far out of sight before stopping, turning around and posing quite eloquently for the camera. Initially I thought it was a human wearing a bear suit I was that surprised. After hearing story after story of other hikers encountering bears I thought I was the only one who hadn't seen one yet but today made that assumption false. What a beautiful animal, especially to see it out in the wild and in it's own home!
Date: 2009-07-04
To: 4th of July Celebration!
Miles today: 15.3

Celebration rituals like those performed on the 4th of July are a hiker's fantasy: eating tons of grilled, fatty foods, drinking cold beers, getting a good fire started, etc. And as I hiked past tons of groups of people performing these acts without me in the mix as I continued to stroll through these social quarters of the Shenandoah Mountains, I started to ponder and plan out my own party, thru-hiker trail magic style. After leaving a message for a group of hikers behind me urging them to try to make it a few more miles to the next shelter in anticipation for a "surprise" that I planned on bringing there, I hitched into the town of Luray, bought a whole bundle of goodies and continued to pack it all up in my pack and hike it up 2 miles further north on the AT. In all I bought: 24 hotdogs and buns, ketchup, mustard, relish, an onion, s'more materials, and 3 litres of boxed wine. I had to carry my tent in my hand just to fit everything in there! I finally arrived at the shelter around 7pm and as soon as I pulled all the magic out of my pack, every hiker there was scambling to gather fire wood, start a roaring fire, and chop up the onion for the festivities to begin. We dined in the middle of the woods at an AT shelter and stuffed ourselves silly for our own unique 4th of July celebration... independence is delicious~
Date: 2009-07-07
To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

Although Harper's Ferry is still a handful of miles short of the actual Appalachian Trail half-way point, hikers consider it the psychological half-way due to finally breaking through the 1000 mile barrier and it being such a historical monument. For a good part of a month I was racing time to make it here by the 7th in hopes to catch a music festival a few hours west of Harper's for my 1000 mile celebration. I had averaged 23 miles a day for 25 days (definitely a difficult physical task) and finally strolled into town right around dark to claim this victorious checkpoint. Crossing the Shenandoah River rocking out with my headphones caused me to laugh out loud and smile with excitement. Soon, a few of my friends from Florida will be rolling through to pick me up in order to head to All Good Music Festival to work for a free ticket and celebrate rock star style, dancing for three days straight on my blister-ridden feet.
Date: 2009-07-19
To: Half way point
Miles today: 0.0

Despite all the challenges of the trail (climbing up and down countless mountains, no being able to shower for days on end, getting stuck in downpoors) us crazy hikers like to tack on a few of our own additional challenges. I skipped the "Four state Challenge" which a few of my friends attempted and amazingly succeeded. This was the challenge in which you hike for approx. 45 miles within one 24 hour period and subsequently pass through 4 states in the process (VA, WV, MD, PA). The challenge that I did attempt is pictued above and it's the "Half Gallon Challenge" where you eat a half gallon of ice cream of your choice upon reaching the AT half way point. Being as it's a huge milestone in itself, what better way to celebrate than eating a half gallon of one of the major cravings I've been experiencing recently. Sure enough, the first third of the ice cream was amazing, mouthfulls of ice cream exclaimed "I love ice cream" every now and then but eventually turned to a stessful frown as the cream vigorously churnned in my stomach... My eventual completion time was 51 minutes accompanied by wooziness and a handful of brain freezes. Nonetheless, the hiker's appetite is amazing as 5 out of the 6 hikers I attempted this challege with ended up ordering 2 hot dogs a piece shortly after completing the challenge. Introducing some meat and solidity to my ice cream filled stomach was actually comforting.Since the general store where we got the ice cream was located in a park I got a chance to slowly digest my food by a sandy lake beach and soak off my recently accumulated grime before heading out another handful of miles to the next shelter. By the time dinner time rolled around my appetite was back and kicking. mmmm, foooood!
Date: 2009-07-22
To: A wilderness community (Peters Mtn Shelter)
Miles today: 0.0

I once talked to an ATC employee hiking the AT and he mentioned that after Harper's Ferry and 1,000 miles, the hikers that remain and continue forth claim that they really start becoming a family. More now than ever am I starting to experience that statement as truth. Upon meeting another thru hiker, there seems to be a unspoken pre-established connection that I didn't feel as a novice back in Georgia or Noth Carolina. The trivial introduction questions and interactions are disregarded as necessary, and as new as this person is in my life, there exists an uncanny familiarity with them as well. You also start running into hikers that you may have not seem in ages. Hikes that I briefly met in Georgia or Carolina started popping back in to my life in PA. After spending a quaint time in Duncannon with the 'luxurious' accomodations at the Doyle, about 20 or so hikers ended up at the same shelter due to a thunderstrom rolling through that evening - good thing the shelter was newly developed and housed 20. Upon arriving at the shelter at dark, being welcomed by 20 familiar faces, some that I just met in town, some that I met on Day 2 of the trail was a special experience. A family of the woods, my trail family... it's difficult to explain..
Date: 2009-07-27
To: "Pulmerized" (Palmerton, PA)
Miles today: 0.0

The night before heading into Palmerton, PA, my buddy Hot Chocolate and I were looking at the guide book and checking out the town's info which included an All You Can Eat pizza lunch listing, free lodging in the town's jailhouse, as well as requests not to get too "Pulmerized" and disturd the public upon arrival (apparently there's been a history of disrutive drunk hikers in the past). Although 17 miles away from town, salivating from AYCE prospects motivated us to depart early and charge through the rocky PA terrain in attempts to get to pizza in time for the buffet. That's 17 miles in about 5.5 hours, you do the math.En route to town we passed a number of hikers that I haven't seen in a while and although I wanted to stay and chat, "We're trying to make the pizza buffet!" was what remained of my fading voice as I hiked over the horizen. When we got to the last shelter before Palmerton's road crossing we called the shop and realized that with the one extra mile left and the time it would take to hitch a ride into town, we MIGHT arrive with 15 minutes left... mission failed! It was about 1:30 and we just dropped down and started to chat with the one other hiker resting at the shelter, out of the hot PA heat and humidity. "Man, since we missed the pizza now we've gotta do SOMETHING else, Rufio!" exclaimed Hot Chocolate to me in dissapointment. As soon as he said that, our other hiker friend sitting in the shelter glanced over to a dark corner and spotted something. "Guys," he said, and slowly pulls out a full handle of vodka with the sign, "It's all yours" taped to it. We just found that 'something' else. By 2:00, due to my dehydrated blood stream and un-pizza-filled stomach, I was quite drunk. The people that we passed on the way in started to catch up and all provided me with a good laugh when they realized we traded in AYCE pizza for AYCDrink vodka. We ended up meeting some local day hikers on the way down and they invited us to cold beers back at their car, which we happily indulged in. Hot Chocolate and I ended up swimming in the nearby river to cool off, checked into 'jail' completely drunk, and by dinner time I had gone through the whole cycle of pass out and the subsequent wake up with a throbbing hangover. The best thing about the trail is that you're on your own schedule and when things come up spontaneously, there's nothing really stopping you from indulging. We were considerate and well tamed but ultimately completely "pulmerized" in Palmerton :D