morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-01
From: The REAL truth about Pennsylvania

To: Hitchhiking anyone? Anyone?
Miles today: 4.8

Okay, yesterday was a little discouraging, but after a good night's sleep, Sonic and I were ready to tackle a little more of Pennsylvania. Our plan was to get to the outfitter in Port Clinton and find a ride back to our car. Since we had not gotten as far as we hoped to yesterday, we now had 20 miles in front of us. As we started our day, back on the rocks, we realized that it would be extremely difficult to make it all the way in one day, and we decided that the revised plan would be to get off at a closer road and hitchhike back to the car. We wanted this to be a positive experience, and there was no need for us to become miserable! We hiked the 6 miles to the road and walked down to a small hotel/restaurant/bar in the middle of nowhere.(Only a mile off the trail, great food, but not very helpful for anything else). Happy to find it open, we gladly sat down and had some lunch first as we contemplated getting a hitch. We asked the bartender for advice, but he looked at us like we had 3 heads, and didn't even know what services were 2 miles down the road, let alone how we could get back to our car 16 miles back. We decided to take our chances hitching. Again, the experience in the south has been very positive. Most people who live near the A.T. know about these groups of hikers who come through every year, and they are very accomodating. Not in Pennsylvania.We stood on the road for about an hour or so, getting some very interesting looks from people. And you have to understand we ARE in the middle of nowhere, PA. Sonic went across the street to make a few phone calls and try to find someone to pick us up. The hitchhiking option was clearly not working.After 30 minutes or so, Sonic returned with success. She had found a very generous man at the Appalachian Outfitters in Port Clinton (located 15 miles east) who was willing to come over and take us another 15 miles west to our car. What a lifesaver!!! Within an hour, we were back at our car, on our way back to civilization...An interesting start to our section hiking. We are going to try to stick with day hikes from now on, and with pre-arranged rides. That should help with the rocks and the lack of hitchhiking possibilities!We'll be back out on the trail next week to tackle some more...
Date: 2003-05-08
From: We Will, We Will ROCK YOU!

To: We Will, We Will ROCK YOU!
Miles today: 14.4

We had a rockin' day today. We completed the 14.4 mile stretch from Route 183 trekking North to Port Clinton in 6 and 1/2 hours. Except for a few very rocky miles and the excruciatingly steep descent into Port Clinton (bring your rappelling ropes), the day was fairly pleasant. The clouds kept dripping on us, but no drenching rain.(Note to hikers - the park officials have marked the boundaries of the gamelands with white paint blobs on the trees. This can be confusing, but the AT blazes are their usual shape and size and can be distinguished from these by paying close attention.)We met only four people - two hikers and two hunters. A good amount of the area we have been hiking is in the Pennsylvania Gamelands. So we advise other hikers to wear some bright colored something. One of the hunters informed us that the color shirt 'Guana had on (blue) and the one I had on (red) are the colors of wild turkey. Of course, there was nothing that we could do about it but make a lot of noise and I wondered if he was pulling my leg. I told 'Guana that if she heard any fake turkey calls to watch out...it may be a hunter. As it turns out we did hear a turkey call at the end of the day, but it sounded real. 'Guana also saw a deer and I saw a chipmunk. We encountered another small snake, however, something else had gotten to it before us as the snake had no head and the tail was cut off. We were able to do this hike because we finally found a kind soul to shuttle us. Her name is Lucy, an avid hiker who also thru hiked the AT. (Trail name - Roughneck) She is opening her cottage to hikers through this part of the wilderness while she is there. She may be gone to hike the Colorado trail in July, but until then she said she will be available to shuttle and house people. Here's her number if you are in the area - (I'll insert later). She also said that Cindi Ross, one of the first female solo hikers to complete the AT, lives outside of Port Clinton. It seems that she usually will help with shuttling but appears that she is on a trek of her own for now. As 'Guana's canoe practice increases, our hiking will decrease for the time. However, we are eager to get back on the trail. I find that I miss the sleeping outside and the people. Whenever we drive along a forest, my eyes search for a trail - any trail. Road signs and reflectors take the shape of trail blazes. 'Guana swears she saw a trail blaze on a tree in West Chester, PA - a place which is nowhere near the AT. And so, though our feet may be off the path, it seems our hearts never are.
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Sole Healing & Paddle Practice

To: Sole Healing & Paddle Practice
Miles today: 0.0

Okay, race fans, the "Just Add Water" Canoe team is gearing up for the Clinton Canoe Regatta on Memorial Day in Cooperstown, NY. Yup, that's a 70 mile race in one day. The team consists of 'Guana and her canoe partner Judy. Sonic is the Pit Crew Chief and responsible for refueling, cheering and general support along with a crew of 10 - 15 people made of family and friends. 'Guana has been practicing with a fury. Some days she practices up to 4 hours (2 by herself and 2 with her canoe partner).As to hiking, we've decided to give it a rest and allow our bodies to heal. It seems to me that it is more painful to the joints to hike for a day then get stiff for a couple of days. So we shall leave the rest of Pennsylvania for when we are next up this way. It has been good to spend time with family and friends. It has also been good to heal our bodies and get some repairs done to our equipment. We are also re-organizing some of our mail drops to avoid carrying too much food and to adjust to our increased hiking pace. While here, we are also going to buy our second pair of boots and try to break them in. It seems my foot has already grown a half a shoe size so I am trying different things to make the old pair last a little bit longer. The most important thing is resting the knees and feetsies. 'Guana is trying Glucosomine. That stuff is supposed to help you heal and rebuild muscles. I tried it too, but believe I am allergic to it, so I will have to try something else to keep my knees going.   After the race, we plan on getting back on the trail in Virginia where we left off. So we should be putting our feet back on the trail on May 28th. :) We are looking forward to it.
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Sole Searching & the race is on!

To: Sole Searching and the Race is ON
Miles today: 0.0

My knees don't hurt now, my feet feel fine but funny, and I don't stink like a pig everyday......I miss the trail. Having walked from the woods over four weeks ago and back into "civilization" has been slightly maddening to say the least. The best part has been a chance to catch up with family and friends without whose support this hike would not be possible. (Big thanks to our pit crew Anne and Michele. Another thanks to our gracious hosts Donna and Alison for sheltering us this past 5 weeks. :) It's also been a great chance for us to re-work our maildrops (which are posted on our website), upload some of our photos of our trip (check that out too), clean equipment and prepare for the hotter weather. Of course, being thrust back into the complexity of American Society is no easy task even after you've been in the woods after just two months. Oh, don't worry, I have gone through re-entry many a time as I voyaged back from working overseas where poverty is the norm and returning to the United States where luxury is the norm. This too I will survive. But I miss the simplicity of the trail.On the trailHmmm, what shall I wear today??? Boots? Or my boots? Oh, I'll wear my boots!(Another choice might be wet clothes or dry clothes or there may be no choice at all)Hmm, what shall I eat at this meal? Whatever is in my bag!Hmmm, how far shall I hike today??? As far as I want or as far as my feet shall take me!Choices on the trail are far between and few.....amazingly and deliciously few. In a country where we are lucky to have so many choices you can get carried away with choosing, choosing, choosing so much that you forget maybe that you don't need it....or want it. And so it is that I eagerly await our return to the trail....a return to the simple life. Now we are in the homestretch for the canoe race. 'Guana has decided to catch a bad cold just five days before the big race, so she is aggressively treating it with anti-biotics, orange juice and such. She and her canoe partner have been practicing individually and as a team. I think they are looking good for the race. The canoe race is on Memorial Day in Cooperstown, NY. If you are in the area, just look for the JUST ADD WATER Canoe team banners. The weather looks rough this year, but they seem to predict thunderstorms every year for this race. Let's hope they are wrong this year. The name of the race is the Clinton Regatta and they have a website which is supposed to have a live camera at the finish if you want to tune in. The website is www.canoeregatta.org 'Guana starts the race at 7 AM and will usually finish between 9 and 11 hours later....depending on the river level. They will also post race results on this website if you are tuning in after Memorial day. They will be under the names Carol Culbertson ('Guana) and Judy Jeanes. That's the scoop for now. Only four days until the big race and only six days until we are back on the trail. YEAH! :) Be good to yourselves, Sonic
Date: 2003-05-29
From: Relax Inn - Atkins, VA

To: Knot Maul Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: light rain

One month later...back on the trail! Just like riding a bike...without the wheels. Michele dropped us off at the Relax Inn, just where we left off on April 27. It was about 11 pm, and we were still needing to catch up on our sleep, so we got a room and decided to cash in on that much needed rest. It had only been 48 hours since my canoe race, so I didn't have to think twice about it!We got a late start today, left about 12:30, and decided we would go as far as our bodies would take us. It's always hard to leave a warm, dry place and head out in the rain, but that seems to be the way of life on the trail lately. Canoeing was in the rain, so hiking...no big deal. We passed through some high grassy fields and began ascending into the woods. It felt so good to be back, just like coming home again. Lots of ups and downs - literally - many ladders as we passed through several cow fields, but we were feeling pretty good. We decided to push on to the second shelter - 13.3 miles for our first day back - not bad!It is strange to meet up with a whole new crowd of faces - most of them started the first week in April, so we should be right on target. Bed is calling now - it is 9 pm....ah the trail life!
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Knot Maul Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

Okay, the body has not yet fully recovered from the canoe race yet. I am quickly discovering the muscles that are used in both hiking and canoeing. It is not miserable pain, just enough to let me know that they are there. It rained most of yesterday, and today was great hiking weather - mostly cloudy and cool. Especially nice when you have a 2,100 foot climb to do! It was a butt-kicker, but we trudged up it and arrived at this beautiful, fully enclosed stone shelter. We weren't planning on a short day, but now that the wind is kicking up and the temperature is dropping, we are VERY glad that we are here. Still breaking the bodies in, so we will settle on 9 miles today....
Date: 2003-05-31
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

What a great call on the shelter last night! It was like a hurricane outside last night - the wind was howling and it was raining very hard - and we were warm and dry in that cozy shelter!We got a late start today - left about 9:30 because of that heavy rain and wind (it is REALLY hard to get out of your sleeping bag in that kind of weather!). Off and on rain again today, even a little hail thrown in this afternoon! We reached this shelter at 3:30 and decided to call it a day again. The next shelter is 14 miles away and the forecast is rain and wind again tonight. Opting for another dry night...Tomorrow we make a quick pit stop in Bland, Virginia. Hope it won't be too ordinairy or boring there...Getting some groceries, stopping at Dairy Queen (ah..ice cream, it's all anyone ever talks about these days!), and back on the trail by tomorrow evening. Loving these longer days of daylight, just hoping that some day it will stop raining!
Date: 2003-06-01
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Past Helvey's Mill Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: broken clouds

What a great start to June! It's a little chilly, woke up to about 45 degrees, but within hours we had sunshine! Sonic and I had a renewed energy - maybe it was the fairly level terrain and scenery, or maybe it was the thought of eating ice cream in town.Great ridge walking today, with endless views of beautiful Virginia mountains. We stopped for a nice lunch, and had hiked the 12 miles to the road before we knew it. Luck was certainly with us today - we arrived to the road just in time to catch a ride to town. Some local folks who were out day hiking not only gave us a ride, but proceeded to give us a cold beer to go with it! They dropped us at the grocery store, where we gathered our food for the next few days, and then immediately got another ride to the Dairy Queen! An Oreo Blizzard and 2 phone calls later, we started to make our way back to the trail, and within 10 minutes had ANOTHER ride to take us there!A successful trip to town, and it was only 4:30, so we decided to hike on in the beautiful cool weather. We put in another 4 miles or so, making it 16 for the day, and are now settling in to the tent for a well-deserved good night's sleep. Definitely feeling like we are getting back in the groove here!
Date: 2003-06-02
From: Past Helvey's Mill Shelter

To: Dismal Falls
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 2 of rain-free weather! We heard today that it has rained 21 of the 31 days in May in Virginia. We are learning to really appreciate the dry weather! It is supposed to start raining again tomorrow, so we decided to make the most of it today. More beautiful views, and we stopped at a shelter to eat lunch, where we met a few more new faces. Sonic wants to learn Spanish out here (mostly from me), so we spoke en espanol for about an hour, which was a nice diversion from the rocky terrain.We had read in our friend Wench's trail journal about these cool waterfalls not far past a road crossing - so we decided to check em out. It is a beautiful cascading waterfall, and had it not been 5:00 pm, and only 60 degrees, we would be swimming in it! So we decided to just ice our feet in it instead and enjoy the peaceful scenery. There are great little tent sites right next to the falls, so that is where we are writing from right now - enjoying the sunset hour, enjoying the non-rainy moment while we have it.
Date: 2003-06-03
From: Dismal Falls

To: Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

And so the rain continues again...We woke up to the wet stuff, but had enough time to pack up our stuff before it really started coming down. As we were putting things in our packs, Sonic turned to me and said that one of her socks and one of her gaiters was missing. After going through all of our things a few times, we concluded that some creature took off with them during the night - the sock probably made a nice warm bed and the neoprene gaiter provided a waterproof house for some happy rodent!A few minutes later, we discovered that the strap on my hiking pole was gone too - a nice hammock I suppose! We scrounged around for a little bit, hoping to find at least the gaiter, but no such luck.Hiking in the rain is usually pretty easy for us, and so we had knocked out about 6 miles before we knew it. We arrived at a shelter for an early lunch and the rain really started coming down. Knowing that we had a 1500 foot climb in just over a mile in front of us, none of the 5 of us in the shelter were heading out too quickly. After a little lingering, we began the slippery, rocky climb. Sonic and I just laughed at the rocks, felt just like our hikes in Pennsylvania!As we reached a road crossing at 4:00, we couldn't resist checking out the Wood's Hole Hostel, just a half-mile walk from the trail. The hostel is owned by Tillie Wood, who spends her summers here and operates the hostel next to her log cabin retreat that was built in 1880. It is an incredible place, lots of charm, amd Miss Tillie is so full of hospitality. It's great to have a dry place to sleep and we are looking forward to her home-cooked breakfast tomorrow morning. We had planned to hike 14 miles today, but we are happy with the 12 and a free hostel to stay at. On the Pearisburg tomorrow for the long-awaited shower and laundry!
Date: 2003-06-04
From: Wood's Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg VA (Plaza Motel)
Miles today: 10.0

Arriving at a town is a wonderful feeling. Sonic and I had a very interesting, but exhausting hike this morning to get here! As we have been hiking this last week, we have seen sooo many flowering trees and birds and signs that spring is all around, and today we got to experience the wildlife that comes with this time of year!Around 11:30, we were hiking along, Sonic just behind me, when I heard a huge rustling noise ahead of me. I looked up and my jaw dropped as a black bear ran across the trail only 15 feet in front of me! We have been talking about seeing a bear, and figured it would someday happen, but it was pretty exciting/scary to see one that close! Our hearts were pumping just a little hard for the next few minutes, but it was pretty cool!About an hour later, we came around a corner and saw a pretty large deer right near the trail. We have seen lots of deer, but this one was looking at us curiously, moving a little bit, but not dashing off like most do. As I was watching the deer, Sonic noticed that there was a little fawn laying right beside the trail! The deer was the mama looking after it's little fawn that couldn't have been more that a few hours old! It was so cute with it's little spots - we wanted to take a picture, but we could tell that mama was pretty nervous, so we quietly kept walking.Pretty exciting morning for us...stopped for a quick lunch and then began the big descent into town. Basically one big mud slide for the 2 miles into town, and thankfully the hotel owner here is used to seeing dirty people, and she is not only letting us stay here, but has offered laundry service and this internet time too!! The shower was wonderful and we are enjoying the afternoon off before heading back out tomorrow...
Date: 2003-06-05
From: Pearisburg VA (Plaza Motel)

To: Campsite past Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: few clouds

 Beautiful campsite last night -at one point it seemed like we were surrounded by deer! We left town yesterday around 1:00 and headed back into the woods for another big uphill climb. We took out time, as the bellies were wtill full of town food. Before we knew it, we were back up on the ridge, with great views of West Virginia in the distance. We bypassed the shelter and opted to camp at a nice place about a mile after the shelter since we were once again rain free for the moment!We had a very smooth and productive time in town - got laundry and email and showers all real easily, and even were offered some Coleman fuel for our stove by the lady at the hotel. Only snag...one should make sure that the fuel actually works or is good fuel before hiking 9 miles out of town! Apparently the fuel must have just been old, because when we went to light up the stove for dinner at our campsite, it did not work. No light-o. And we were in the middle of the woods, and out for a week-long stretch! Once again, thanks to the kindness of strangers, we did not have to eat Pop-Tarts for dinner. We borrowed some fuel for the night, and the next day another hiker GAVE us an alcohol stove and some fuel! We have been thinking of trying the alcohol stove - it is much lighter weight-wise than our stove, so now we can do that!!
Date: 2003-06-07
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: moderate rain

We had a short day mileage wise today, but we had about all the rain we could handle in one day! We arrived here to the War Spur shelter completely drenched. planning to just stay here for lunch, but decided to stay for the night and try to dry out a little. Tonight we are extremely thankful for dry clothes to put on, and nice pack covers that have kept everything inside the packs dry. It poured rain on us all morning, and there is nothing better than dry clothes and a warm sleeping bag to get into at the end of the day!!
Date: 2003-06-08
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

LONG day - we finished hiking at 8:15 pm and arrived at this shelter about 30 seconds (no exaggeration) before the lightning, rain, and HAIL began!! How lucky are we??? And not just that, there were actually 2 spots left in the shelter - we didn't have to put up the tent in the crazy weather!
Date: 2003-06-09
From: Niday Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

If only we had gotten some good sleep last night... I am not sure if it was the fact that we were wall to wall rotisserie hikers last night (9 people in a 6 person shelter), or the off and on rain, but neither Sonic or I got much sleep last night, which after a long day of hiking yesterday does not set you up for a good day today! We were both dragging physically and decided to get to a shelter a little earlier in the afternoon so we could get a nap and dry out some more from the rain yesterday. Today was a beautiful day - sunny, breezy, and cool, and we were enjoying every minute of it!Sonic and I took a nice long lunch on top of the ridge and had some good conversations about why we are out here. Everyone who is out hiking has different reasons to be out here and for us it is about the experience - having fun, no stress, and enjoying the outdoors. So we took advantage of the day and did exactly what we wanted to be doing today!
Date: 2003-06-11
From: Leap of Faith to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

To: Leap of Faith to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia
Miles today: 0.0

Tic, toc, tic, toc....the hiking clock was running and by our calculations we would have to hike 15 miles/day for 6 days a week. That stressed us out. Besides we missed our hiking buddies, Fly, Smoothie, Wench, Hot Dog and Litefoot. So why were we suffering in Virginia???? We couldn't answer that so we fast forwarded to Harper's Ferry. Amazingly enough as soon as we made that decision without knowing how we would get there, the universe opened up two possibilities for us. The first a ride with 'Guana's sister and the second presented itself on the doorstep of Four Pines Hostel....Bonzo, a hiker, to the rescue. He was at Four Pines visiting from Harper's Ferry....his home. So we hopped a ride with Bonzo and POOF, four hours of driving and we were in Harper's Ferry! We will return to the miles we skipped in Virginia and complete them after we hike to Katahdin, Maine. So that makes our finish line into Harper's Ferry in mid-October. See our revised Maildrop schedule for details of our new agenda :)