morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-17
From: Glasgow, VA U.S. 501

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 1.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Erin says:We are still in Glasgow. We won't be staying the night, but we wanted the chance to update our trail journals. The library didn't open until 1pm today, so we were able to have a leisurely morning in town. It is late afternoon and we are still here. We got booted out of the library at 2pm for a Kid's Corner presentation and couldn't return to use the computers until 4pm. So we will plan to leave Glasgow late and just hike a few miles to the first shelter.Everyone here knows each other, it is that kind of small town. People drive by and honk and wave at each other. Very friendly folk. It is unbelievably hot out today!!! Craig and I have consumed a bevvy of cold beverages. We hung out last night in our little room watching TV, reading, and relaxing. It was really nice. Except for when Craig noticed that there was a deer tick crawling around on his ankle. Icky. We spent a solid 30 minutes after that doing a thorough tick check. Those deer ticks are so tiny and we have so many moles on our skin, could be easy to miss one. They make me antsy. (or rather, ticksy, hah!) We have spent most of today hanging out at the deli mart in the air conditioning reading and writing. Nice to not feel rushed. The library here is about the size of a family room in a house. But hey, it has more than one computer and instant Internet access, so we are not complaining! Thank you to my Mom for her quick action in sending me another sports bra from home. Thank you to the Bridges crew for our great care package with Clif Bars and fruity snacks! Yeah! Thank you to those who read our journals and sign the guestbook. It is great to hear from you.And congratulations to my cousin Erika who just had another baby boy! Craig and I love it when we can call home and can get an update on all the news from friends and family. It helps us to feel more connected to the "real" world.So, Craig and I are headed off back to the trail soon. We should be in Buena Vista on Saturday. And then we will push on to Waynesboro, VA and the start of Shenandoah National Park. We are very excited!Craig says...It was getting dark, we were on the outskirts of the town, and just when we were about to head back into to Glascow proper to see if we could pay to get a ride a large red pickup gave us a hitch.We made it to the shelter about fifteen minutes after dark and sat on the picinic table to drink our 20oz "Steel Reserve High Octane Malt Liquor" we'd hauled up the mountain. They were suprisingly cold. A little while later, around 10:30PM, a the unexpected light of a headlamp bobbed in and out of the darkness above the shelter. Soon a female hiker appeared to share camp with us for the night. Erin and I tried striking up conversation with her but she didn't seem interested. Like two seperate islands seperated by darkness and pineneedles, we both just quietly set up camp. Her, her hammock and us, our trusty REI half-dome. It's muggy as hell outside right now. I'm sweating just laying on top of my sleeping bag.
Date: 2003-07-19
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Buena Vista, Virginia
Miles today: 10.6

Craig Says...The forest is thick, green, and everywhere. It looms above you and hangs at your sides. At times it seems to creep in and try to swallow you whole. It can be dizzying, almost suffocating. The only remedy is to stick your head down and follow the little brown ribbon of trail that weaves its way over the fallen logs and through the endless layers and shades of green.The sounds too can be consuming in much the same way. The birds and insects are always filling your ears with their conversation and bickering. At times they all seem to be arguing at simultaneously, the rush of sound rising to such a pitch and fury that you think everything is going to explode until it eventually dies back down againAside from the landscape, today's hike itself was uneventful. It rained off and on during the night. We stayed cozy and dry inside the shelter listening to the drops pitter-patter against the roof. The pale ghost of Little Ottie never came to visited me last night, unless ofcourse he took the form of a busy squeeking mouse for the night.We arrived at the Gap at around 2:30 and didn't get a hitch till around 4:00. Nobody even looked slightly interested at the notion of picking us up. One older, older man even waved his finger in shame at us as he passed by. Are we bad, bad hikers for hitchhiking? Maybe. I feel ashamed.Buena Vista is one large disapointment. For one its ugly. It's very, very redneck. But most of all, they are the least friendly hiker town we've come to so far. You get the feeling that "they don't want your kind round here.." If you are hiking Southbound, do not stay in this town. Get in, get your food, and get the hell out. The Budget Inn, where we are staying the night, stuck us in a very smelly old cigarette saturated smoking room with dirty walls, dirty towels, dirty pillowcases, a dirty tub, a dirty sink, two out of four working lights, a broken remote, a tv that makes everything yellow, and charged us 56$ for it. The worst part is, when we asked for a non-smoking room they told us they were all smoking...Which is a lie. AWOL already stayed here and posted on TrailJournals that they'd done the same thing to him and that he had to really argue to get a non-smoking room. (We didn't find this out until after the fact) When we went to get food at Burger King we got smirks from the employees and one of them put his shirt over his nose. I know we stink but...Anyway, we were planning on a zero tomorrow but we decided against it. It's off to Waynesboro instead. I don't know, maybe it's just us but...Buena Vista should be called Mal Villa.
Date: 2003-07-21
From: Hog Camp Gap, USFS 48

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

(craig says..) The morning was brisk and beautiful, the type of morning that asks "Please, please, won't you get out of that tent and hike in my beauty." Really. It asked me that. Don't tell anyone.So we hiked. The usual ups and downs. But due to the brisk wind the bugs weren't doing circles in front of my eyes and trying to lay eggs in my ears.I gotta go...I being kicked of the damn computer!!! We'll write more later and tell about the 'Mountain Pirate' we ran into during our break at Seely-Woodworth Shelter....See ya.
Date: 2003-07-24
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: light rain

Erin says:Hello all! Greetings from Waynesboro, Virginia. Craig and I are psyched to be here! We are staying at the Quality Inn which is fabulous and very hiker friendly. Craig was very excited to find that they have complimentary copies of USA Today and free apples at the front desk. What more could he possibly want?We are having a wonderful afternoon walking around town. We got up early this AM and hiked the 5 miles into town. It was so crisp and breezy out this morning, perfect hiking weather. The sun was streaming through the trees and we didn't mind its warmth. The trail passed through an old abondoned settlement (reputedly haunted), and we could see the remains of a stone house foundation and chimney. Sort of eerie but kind of fascinating, too. We like hiking in the early morning hours with a hot travel mug of coffee. Mmmmm, caffeine. We are writing to you from the public library here in Waynesboro. It reminds us of the public library in Nashua -- same layout. We hope to get the last week of our journal posted online before we leave Waynesboro and begin Shenandoah National Park. And just as I write this, I am being booted off the computer. My time is up. Craig got booted off too. It is tough using public Internet access. We will try to get back on later and do some updates! Hi to Kayce and everyone who reads and signs the guestbook!!!
Date: 2003-07-28
From: Fire Road (?)

To: Loft Mountain Campground
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Erin says:Craig and I are staying at an official Shenandoah Campground tonight - as in we are paying to camp here. There are some perks I suppose. There is a bathroom right near our tent site that has hot water, real toilets, and even a hand dryer. The hand dryer is just the thing we need too because it dumped rain on us today - hurricane force rain. I was soaked through in under 5 minutes. One minute it was a little cloudy, and the next the rain just came down in droves. I had nowhere to seek shelter, so I just started running with my poles. The lightning and thunder were very close by. It was a tad scary. Craig and I arrived at Loft Mountain Campground very soggy. He took a shower, and I put my clothes in the dryer there. I also bought a can of Pringles which was a great treat. We set up the tent at our site just before dark, hung the bear rope, and then went to use the hand dryers in the bathrooms to work on drying out our shoes. The hand dryers work wonders! At the bathroom facility, we ran into a guy and gal cooking their dinner. They didn't have headlamps, so they were using the light from the bathroom to see. They are on Phish tour and are stopped here for the night before travelling to see Phish in New Jersey I think. They were making tasty burritos and Craig yogied one from them. I had a bite - oh it was good. They also gave us beer which was nice. It was fun talking to them, they are students at Humboldt State in California. The guy had dreads - it was sort of comforting to see dreads. You don't see that too much in the South.Funny that we paid to camp here because now that Craig and I are lying down, we realize that our tent spot is exceptionally rooty.
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Loft Mountain Campground

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

Erin says: We saw our first bear in the Shenandoahs this morning! It was very exciting. We were leaving Loft Mountain Campground and walking along the path to the Loft Mountain Wayside along Skyline Drive. As we were walking along, we heard a rustling in the trees to our left. We looked up to see a very large bear up in the tree! It saw us approaching and climbed down from the tree. It then went down the embankment and crossed the paved road to the other side of the woods. We were both very surprised at how big this bear was because we'd heard that bears in the Shenandoahs were tiny. This bear had very long legs -- it was neat to see it walking across the road. I was also shocked to see it up in the tree - it was perched upon relatively skinny branches. I couldn't believe that the tree brances were supporting its weight. Makes you rethink how you hang your bear bag.Craig and I did a lot of walking along Skyline Drive today. It was great! Wonderful overlooks and turn-offs with great views of the mountains and valleys. Sometimes I wish the A.T. had better views. There are beautiful and bountiful flowers along Skyline Drive - tall Thistle, Turk's Cap lillies, Black-eyed Susans, Common Mullein, etc. How do I know all these names? At the waysides there are kiosks with info about the flora and fauna along the trails and roads. It is really helpful to have that information. I am really taken by all the gorgeous wildflowers we have seen! We also came across many blackberries bushes today. Yum.Tonight we are tenting at Hightop Hut. We are here with Sleeptalker and another hiker whose name I can't recall. It was fun to hang out with them tonight. They had a great fire going when Craig and I arrived. I made Craig and I a dinner of mashed potatoes, black beans, chili seasoning, and textured vegetable protein. It was really good and very spicy! We all sat around swapping snake stories. Sleeptalker is also a northbound thru-hiker. It is really late and I'm exhausted. It is very buggy here.
Date: 2003-07-30
From: Hightop Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

(Craig says) Today was an early day. I think I was up at 6:45 or something like that. Erin needed a little coersion. So to celebrate the early rise I made some hazelnut coffee and built a morning fire, a first. I have to say, sipping a hot cup of coffee by a warm fire while a cool fog blows through is one of the best ways one can greet the day. If only every morning could be like that. Wait...it could.Anyway, the fog and dark clouds stayed throughout the day, threatening rain and keeping the screaming afternoon temperatures at bay. We traded hiking the trail with walking along the road all day, although most of the lookouts and vantage points along skyline presented the same view. White. We ran into the fourth Israeli hiker of our trip who informed us that the next climb, (can't remember the name right now) was just one long steep up followed by one long steep down with no view, no interesting rock formations, really nothing gratifying about it all. In trail terms it's refered to as PUD's, pointless ups and downs. The A.T. does alot of those. So we took the road and fortunately for us the clouds blew off and we were afforded some nice views of the shanendoah valley and the Massenhutten mountain range. When we rolled into Hightop Hut we were greeted by Sleeptalker,(another late thru-hiker) and another dude who looked like a cross between Tre Anistasio from Phish and a roadie for Foghat. He was about 6' 2" 120lbs with long red stringy hair. They had a fire going and were busy discussing Dave Mustang, Megadeath, Van Halen, Metallica, and music in general. We set our stuff up and joined in on some of the conversation. One interesting thing to note:The dude from Foghat regularly eats squirrel and rattlesnake killed himself with his slingshot. Only on the trail do you get to meet people like this! I asked how he eats his squirrel and he said, "oh, I usually grill em' or make a stew." I love it!The other guy, sleeptalker, carries mouse traps with him that he sets around the shelter before bed every night. He said his record number caught in one shelter was 9. I think everyone in the thru-hiking community owes this guy a thank-you. We chose to sleep in the tent behind the shelter.
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Big Meadows Lodge
Miles today: 8.0

Erin says:Okay, okay...(wait...craig says..Sleeptalker killed two mice last night although one wasn't killed right away. Sleeptalker didn't have the heart to finish the job so he went to Foghat to finish the job with his pocket knife. I wonder if he made stew....ok. anyway..sorry..go ahead Erin...) Craig and I are staying at the lodge at Big Meadows. It is so chilly and wet out today that I couldn't imagine sleeping in our tent outside tonight. We would be soaked. The air is so thick with fog and moisture. I had no idea that the weather could be like this in late July! We had a short hike today, mostly along Skyline Drive. We couldn't see anything at the overlooks because of the fog. Big Meadows does have lots of meadows and it feels like we are at the moors in England or Scotland or something. We arrived at the Big Meadows wayside and warmed ourselves up with yummy hot chocolate. I tried to make us a camping reservation over the payphone at the wayside, but the phone # listed on our map connected us to a national park service reservation hotline. The woman I spoke to tried to tell me that I had to make a camping reservation at the park entrance station. I tried to explain to her that I was at Big Meadows and had WALKED here. She didn't get it. So Craig and I went to the Visitor Center where they were much more helpful. We learned that even though it said you had to make an advance reservation, we could actually go right to the campground and get a spot.On the walk to the campground, as we were wading through the thick, wet fog, I decided that the lodge was calling to me. We were tired and wet and I wanted to be dry and comfortable. So here we are. Our room is very quaint with a log cabin feel. There is a little stone fireplace in here too.We did our laundry at the campground, and read USA Today while waiting for our clothes to dry. We also got a little trail magic at the laundry facilities - someone had left two energy bars behind. Yes!Tonight we got to listen to some downhome "mountain music" at the taproom. The taproom is a little bar/performance space in the lodge. It was fun to relax there. We both tried some "legal" moonshine. They make a corn whiskey here, and it packed a punch! The featured singer was this elderly gentleman who I think doubles as a park ranger. At the end of his performance, he started singing "God Bless America." Everyone in the room stood up and put their hands over their heart and sang with him. It was endearing, but also a little freaky to see how automatic everyone's patriotic response was.   It is cold and rainy out right now. I am thankful to be dry and sleeping in a bed tonight. It is nice to have the opportunity to visit a lodge and get yet another perspective on Shenandoah National Park.
Date: 2003-08-01
From: Big Meadows Lodge

To: Nicholson Hollow Trail
Miles today: 10.0

Erin says:Oh how wonderful to have spent the night at Big Meadows Lodge. What a treat to stay in such a cozy, rustic room. It was perfect. It was so chilly and foggy when I woke up this morning early to go to the bathroom. I crawled right back into bed and slept in.Craig and I got free coffee from the lodge before we set out on the trail. We didn't get going until about 1pm. It was hard to leave the warmth and shelter of the lodge. We hiked to Skyline, another lodge/wayside, to eat dinner in their taproom. We have eaten very well in the Shenandoahs - nice to have "real" meals instead of cooking with the stove. We shared bean with bacon soup. Craig had a turkey wrap and I had a chicken sandwich. We finished that off with a cold draft beer from the bar! What a treat! It was nice to sit at the bar, drink a beer, and watch the T.V. there.Finally we pulled ourselves away and hiked on. We climbed Stony Man Mountain and had gorgeous views of Skyline Drive down below us. The sun was slowly sinking in the sky casting a warm yellow glow on the cliffs just below the summit. We hiked down the mountain and began searching for a campsite because it was getting dark very quickly.We are camped tonight in the strangest of places -- sprawled out in the middle of Nicholson Hollow Trail. This trail breaks off of the A.T. and was wide enough for us to spread our tent. We've noticed that there haven't been too many camp spots along the A.T. itself. It feels sort of eerie here because we are surrounded by woods. However, we are only a few hundred yards from Skyline Drive. Craig and I walked to the road and walked south to the Stony Man Overlook along Skyline. The overlook is a pull-out along the road for cars to stop. We could look up and see where we had stood on the cliffs earlier. It was beautiful to be at the overlook and gaze down into the valley below. We could see the city lights of Luray, VA spread out in the valley. A tiny crescent moon hung in the sky and wisps of clouds occassionally passed over it. Craig and I sat on the stone wall at the overlook for a long time enjoying the peaceful view. Sometimes it is nice to see "civilization" when we are so far from home.
Date: 2003-08-04
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Front Royal Used Books
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

(craig says) We're staying at the Center City hotel. Or should I say Center Seedy? It's the cheapest hotel in town, right along the main drag and it has AC and a television so who can complain? It's owned by an Indian family that lives in a small apartment attatched to the hotel. There's a huge grocery store nearby, some resteraunts, a library, and here's the big one...a used book store! And it's not an inspirational, christian, southern bookstore like all the others we have come across. Erin and I are probably going to stop by and see if we can find a good read. But for now I guess we're gonna kick back and enjoy the bug free life of the indoors for a while.
Date: 2003-08-05
From: Front Royal Used Books

To: Center City Living
Miles today: 0.0

(craig says) Thick black storm clouds pushed over the peaks north of the city. I was hoping we'd get a good show of lightning beneath the pretection of the hotels front stoop but nothing really happened. I love to watch storms when I'm not completely submersed in them. Yes. We've decided to spend one more day here in the luxurious Center City Motel, where the stars can be found lounging by the pool or playing black jack in smokey back rooms. Niether of us feel particularly rested, and our laundry is still on the floor, so we have but no choice.....
Date: 2003-08-06
From: Center City Living

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

(Craig says) The forest is completely different here than inside the park. There doesn't seem to be the evidence of fire damage that existed almost everywhere in the Shanendoahs. The undergrowth is thick, viney, and overgrown. The trees are old and towering, bigger than most we've seen since Georgia. We passed by some sort of huge Federal Zoological Preservation that is completely fenced in and the trail skirted around the fence for an hour or so. I saw a small fox inside the fence prance through a field and disappear into the patch of woods. I felt rather sluggish today. It's hard to start back up after a couple days off. Especially when it's a humid scorcher. The beginning was steep and the familiar taste of salt built on my lips, but after a while it leveled off and we were treated to a soft, wide, and most importantly, flat trail that meandered through shadey giant forests and ulimately led us to Dick's Dome. Deer are still around but due to the lack of hunting restrictions they enjoyed in the Shenandoah's they are skittish and quick to tear off into the bramble at first sight. We arrived just before dark hoping we'd get a shelter to ourselves but no such luck. Section hikers were already there. I could here them for almost a mile before we arrived and I kept on telling myself that I was hearing things. It was the wind, a stream, anything. But alas, it was conversation. We did our dance of rushing around to find good spots to pitch a tent and hang the food bag. (which took me a long time to hang.) We cooked up some Ramen tonight which I have to say was damn good. We get to sleep to the calming sounds of a passing stream.
Date: 2003-03-17
To: Almost there!!
Miles today: 0.0

I decided just recently to post information on this web page for my upcoming hike. This is a great way to keep friend posted where you are, so I thought I would give it a try. My last day of work is this Friday, and I am scrambling to get some last minute things done. However, the trip will be well worth it.This note is to my friends who want to send me things along the way. I think the best way to send me something would be to send it to my parents first. This way they can put it in a maildrop box, and I am sure to get it.One week left!!!!
Date: 2003-03-24
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Amicalola Falls State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Beautiful day, rode down with Dad to Lodge. Reached Lodge about 3:50 pm. Checked in. Met Michelle and her dad Pat. They are nice. Can't wait to get going. Watched sunset at 6:45 pm outside room window. Incredible. Great view. Scheduled to meet Hacksaw 8:00 am tomorrow (March 25).
Date: 2003-03-25
From: Springer Mtn, GA

To: Hawk Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: clear sky

Met Hacksaw at 8:05 am- rode in back of truck to trailhead near Springer Mtn.- walked to start of trail on Springer Mtn. in GA. Michelle and Mary are good hiking partners! Trail not incredibly hilly. Stopped by Long Creek Falls. Met along the way Mike (Moo), Liz (42), Paul and Sharron with dog. Stopped at Hawk Mtn. Shelter. Great time talking with everyone. A little sore