morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-13
From: Beaver Gap, Shenandoah National Park

To: Beaver Gap, Shenandoah National Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Saturday , July 13thBeaver Gap, Shenandoah National Park0.00 milesWe all talked it over and there were only three hikers who could or would hike once we entered into Shenandoah National Park. I still have a bum ankle and it's killing me not to hike, but I'd rather rest it so I can hike once the aquablaze is completed. We picked up Indy, Thistle and Brow in the park after a nine mile hike where we settled at Beaver Gap just off the Skyline Parkway not too far from the South gate. Not too long after we set up our tents the wind started howling and rain poured down on us. I was hoping for a break in the weather so the river could go down, but no such luck. When the rain stopped after about 20 minutes, Mountain Man said it was nice out now that rhe rain is gone.   When I emerged from my flapping tent, I was surprised to see a gray sky, with a gusty wind blowing in my face from the South. It was weird outside. The gusty wind was dry and cool after all that wet. After a while I got so cold I borrowed a pair of long johns from MountIn Man. Sunshine and Cannibal furnished a pasta and who knows what. I remember them debating and finally saying "Should we mix it up?". And others saying "Just mix it all together", which doesn't sound like normal mixings.. Out here on the trail mixing foods is a pastime. Recall when GMan, Noodles and I ate cheese noodles with peanut butter and raisins. Odd things just taste good. Everything tastes good out here.The pasta dinner was good. It was sooo good. It rained while we were cooking, stopped a while, then started up again as soon as we filled our various metal pans and plates and plastic bowls or whatever we could find that was almost clean. When we started eating it rained again so we all went to our wet tents. It rained on and off for hours.I think of the river.
Date: 2013-07-14
From: Beaver Gap, Shenandoah National Park

To: Shenandoah National Park
Miles today: 2.0

Sunday, July 14thShenandoah Nat'l Park2 miles hiked I drove the Betty Ford up the trail so everyone else could hike. I felt better today, but I've heard it's always best to wait one extra day after you think you're ready. I picked up hikers along the way up North on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. The plan was to do 8 miles, then see who wants to get off and who wants to complete the 15 miles as planned. As it turned out everyone was almost done after the first 8 miles. Since there were plenty of potential drivers I decided to hike and give my ankle a try. A group of us hiked a couple of miles and my ankle felt pretty good. There was some pain, but it felt really good to get some exercise. Thistle took over driving the Betty, a 1985 Ford 250 monster of a truck. You could see she was a bit uncomfortable at first. Not only was she driving this huge truck she could barely see over the dash to drive, but also hadn't driven in four months. When we were done hiking, we loaded up the Betty, stopped by the grocery store to get supplies where I finally got some ice cream, and went searching for a pre-river campsite. Cannibal asked what we wanted to eat for supper and my suggestion, only half kidding, was filet mignon. We settled for brats. We couldn't find a campsite close to the river, but did find a dirt road that led to a field in the National Forest. Cannibal cooked our brats with help from others. They were wonderful. When I finished my brat, Cannibal came to me with a plate of something. I couldn't believe my eyes and nose when he handed me a perfectly cooked filet mignon. It was fabulous. I was the only one to get one as he did it as a light hearted joke, so I shared it with Indie to not be greedy. Best joke yet on the AT. We called the rafting company again and found out that they were putting people on the river tomorrow so we decided on getting on earlier than planned. I slept well with a full stomach thinking about the river.
Date: 2013-07-17
From: Shenandoah River

To: Shenandoah River
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

Wednesday, July 17thShenandoah River Aquablaze Day Two9 river milesLast night we had the anti-rain tarp city up and ready, and per Thistle's law it didn't rain. It's like when you have an umbrella it doesn't rain, but when you're unprepared, it always does.   We had this huge hole in the raft problem so when we eventually got moving after coffee and a morning chat, we sought a solution at the grocery/drug/dollar store shopping center. Glue was purchased and we went to a park by the river to repair and then launch the rafts once they were repaired. While we were sitting at the picnic table a gentleman pulled up in a Honda Civic and started asking us questions about our rafting trip. He was advising us about the river and volunteering information on how to best ride it. By the end of the conversation we were camped free at a raft rental place where he worked. We were looking for a base camp while riding the river, so I'm glad we ran into this guy.To repair the raft, we applied glue to strips cut off a busted raft found on the river. Once the raft was repaired, the day had almost crept away. It was 5:30 by the time we got on the river due to repairing the raft and letting the glue dry a bit.   The river didn't seem as high today, so the water didn't appear to be running as fast.   We hit a few class one rapids here and there as well as some slow spots.   I saw majestic Blue Heron birds flying from one spot on the river to another, never flying above ten feet or so from the river surface. Since we started late it wasn't long before the darkness crept in. We sort of knew it was coming and decided to add it to our adventure instead of an early exit. It was kind of cool watching the river change into its night mistress. The water became smooth in slow areas. The mist rose from the water in miniature clouds. The air became cooler. It was awesome. While we were taking in the scenery we turned our attention to finding the place where the Betty was parked. The sides of the river were pitch black. I couldn't see anything with my poor night vision. Luckily we all had the wherewithal to bring our headlamps. Where we parked the truck earlier that day, I'd left a white garbage bag hanging on a tree so we had something familiar and visual to mark our spot. Unfortunately, as we later found out, someone who probably cursed us for leaving our garbage removed said garbage, leaving us no beacon to find our truck.As we were floating, Thistle recognized the Betty so we hurried to the aide of the river to get out. I feel we got lucky and may not be so lucky next time. I never saw it and nor did anyone else. It would have been a nightmare had we passed it. But we were all safe and sound. We made camp at the raft rental place by the river. To add to the fun we met a local who shared his moonshine with some of us. We slept very peacefully this night.
Date: 2013-07-18
From: Shenandoah River

To: Shenandoah River 
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Thursday, July 18thShenandoah RiverAquablaze Day Three9 river milesOnce we gathered everything and left camp, we parked near the river to have lunch while we patched our rafts once again.   As with every day since starting the aquablaze, it started with the patching of rafts. The Chuckleberry had another rip in the bottom, even bigger than the first. There were also various small leaks in the Dingleberry and the seat cushions supplied with the rafts.We set up camp and prepared to get on the river. By the time we actually got on it was 1:40 in the afternoon. That's a lot better than yesterday, and a record start for us, but still not early as every night we say we will begin. I think the patching of rafts is what slows us the most, but I have to admit, as a group we're pretty slow too.The weather was perfect, hot and sunny. The river was perfect, high for a good ride but not too high to be dangerous.I saw several Blue Herons, turtles and other wildlife. It was a beautiful ride. The cliffs ran lazily by as we drifted down the Shenandoah River. Some fished, we all went swimming, and just had a nice day, the nicest day yet I believe.I decided to have a snack while we were rafting so I pulled out my waterproof bag. I saw that the bag I had all my electronics in was full of water. Oh no! As I looked closer I noticed the outer layer of plastic on my expensive camera was bubbled up. I knew it was ruined. Everything that had polyurethane seemed to be ruined. Water doesn't do this. I looked closer and noticed that I had included my new bottle of spray sun screen. Only the new can was empty. The entire can emptied into my electronics bag. What a mistake! I cleaned everything off and remarkably my camera still worked. Luckily my phone was in a separate waterproof container.When we got back to camp I felt really dirty. I haven't had a bath in seven days now and have been on this dirty river for two days. I took my soap and shampoo up to the water source inside the raft rental grounds. I cleaned all over from this suspect hose which I believe is a well, but to get a bath from anywhere was sublime!
Date: 2013-07-19
From: Shenandoah River 

To: Shenandoah River 
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

Friday, July 19thShenandoah RiverAquablaze Day Five8 river milesLast night I could hear voices into the early hours of the morning. Thistle and Brow were up laughing all night. The rest of us got up fairly early and we wanted to hit the river early if we could. There was some patching to do, so that would slow us again. Today we had high hopes of getting in a lot of miles on the river. We woke up the two late partiers and it was obvious they hadn't had a lot of sleep.We started with a plan to do 25 miles. When it got later we changed it to 19 miles, but even that was suspect when we didn't get on until 1:30. It was late, but yet another record early start for the 2013 Experience.The river was beautiful. Today we had cliffs and lots of wildlife. Blue Herons spread their lofty wings to drift from one point of the river to another. A bald eagle graced the sky with its patriot beauty, something you don't see every day. The river here is made of rock ledges skirting wide rifts across half the river or more. It's only class one rapids, but the interruption of still water is a welcome add-on to the ride.We underestimated the time it would take to navigate to mile post #19. It was getting late and we were still less than halfway to our intended destination. We would be drifting into the wee hours of the morning to get there, so we all agreed on getting off the river at mile post #8 in the Shenandoah National Forest.   Although Brow was not on the river with us, he didn't leave keys or access to either vehicle. We were stranded. Sunshine struck up a conversation with a guy with one fishing pole, one more than the number of teeth in his head. He talked his friend into giving one person a ride to Ducky's car. Cannibal and Ducky went to get the car, to get the Betty, to pick up us and the rafts. We waited a long time and didn't get to camp until close to midnight, a long day. Hopefully we can get an early start tomorrow and get to mile post 19 with plenty of time to spare.
Date: 2012-12-30
To: HOME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

HELLO READERAfter thinking about this hike for years it feels good to be only 2 months away from the start date. I can't wait to be out on the trail. I'm preparing to accomplish this monstrous task with my hiking partner and good friend Tucker Westphal. His trail name is Dovetail and mine is Caribou. Together our combined age is 37. There is no real rhyme or reason to our purpose for hiking the trial. We have thrown ideas around such as... Cutting materialism out of our lives... Growing up... Finding true self... I realized those aren't reasons and more expectations. All I know is that I'm going to have a lot of fun and experience a challenge. I think I won't really realize the true purpose of hiking the AT until I've done it.Tucker and I have done several hikes before. They included a 100 mile stint in Pennsylvania from the Pen Mar to a Highway, 20 miles past Duncannon. Were a good team. We hike the same pace, encourage each other, laugh, have a good time.I personally have logged a few hundred miles. Including hikes in Yellow Stone and Colorado. I have also done several other hikes on the AT. It amazes me how many Thru Hikers tell me they had no experience from the start. I guess when one is hiking 2,181 miles it doesn't matter how much experience they have. Most thru hikers will tell you that hiking the trail is more mental then physical. I definitely believe it.I've never been so excited for anything in my life. Reading Journals on this website really gets me pumped. Bomber, and Tarzan have great journals. Their stories are really inspiring. They write well, keep their journals updated and interesting. I will try to do the same.Our start date is March 3rd. I will post more on our preparations, gear, ect...before then.Peace,Connor McCauley, 19aka Caribou
Date: 2013-01-01
To: HOME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

HELLO READERHere is a picture of Tucker and I right before we walked into Duncannon on a section hike this summer.Tried out Tucker's warbonnet Blackbird hammock Today and it felt amazing. It's incredibly easy to set up. Lots of space inside. Light weight. What more can you ask for. I decided to go the hammock route too. It's definitely going to have some advantages over a tent. Mine is in the mail. Can't wait for it to arrive.Happy New Year,CaribouP.S. Dove tail will soon be adding his own entries.
Date: 2013-01-06
To: Trail Names
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

HELLO READERI hoped to be doing a journal on my gear right now but my hammock has been back ordered. It should be arriving sometime next week. Once I have my hammock I will I have acquired all of my basic gear (Dovetail should have all his gear next week too). There will be a journal covering all specs of our gear, soon in the future. Since I'm not talking about gear today, I'm going to take a quick moment to talk about our trail names. Tucker choose dovetail for himself because of his passion in carpentry. Dovetail is a type of joint that connects two pieces of wood together. This is Tuckers favorite skill in carpentry so he choose it as a trail name for himself. My trail name is Caribou. My original trail name was conman because that has been a nickname for me for awhile. However, I choose Caribou because I never heard anyone using it as a trail name before. It sounded good too me plus caribou is the name of one of my favorite bands. I am however still open to other trail names if a better one presents itself later.
Date: 2013-01-06
To: Story Time
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Back to the trail names. Tucker didn't always have the trail name Dovetail... We had just ended a 19 mile hike to Darlington Shelter just pass boiling spring in PA. Two thru hikers Trippy and Fetch (whom we had meet earlier in our section hike) had caught up to us. We all ate dinner and had a good time talking to each other. As the sun started to set, we decided all to hang our bear bags. We hung ours in trees tonight mainly because we were worried about the racoons and other critters eating our food. We then helped Duffer (an older thru hiker who had joined us) hang his. Meanwhile, Trippy and Fetch had manage to entangle their bear bag rope on a limb about 20+ feet up in a tree. When Tucker noticed he said "no problem". He kicked off his shoes and proceeded to bear climb the tree. Once he reached the branch, he untangled the rope from the limb. Duffer then started calling Tucker Tree Huger. That was Tuckers trail name for the rest of the trip. The name was cool and worth keeping... but Dovetail ended up being more sentimental and just as cool. Check out the picture of Tuck in the tree.
Date: 2013-01-22
To: GEAR TIME C
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

HELLO READERIts finally time for me to do my gear journal. My Blackbird hammock had just arrived last week. I slept in it the first night I had it. I was amazed with the comfort and warmth of the hammock. Even though temperatures came down to 28 degrees and there were 20 mph winds, my 35 degree bag, a sleeping pad, and a few layers kept me warm. I used a Warbonnet Mamajamba tarp and no under quilt (A kind of sleeping bag that goes underneath you).My First list is clothing. This all adds up to 3-4 pounds. Which is a lot, but I'm planning on using layers to stay warm because I only have a 35 degree sleeping bag. Plus were starting in march, so I need to be ready for cold nights.Feet-Ultra 106 North Face Trail Shoes-Crocs-2 Pair Hiking Socks-1 Pair Smart Wool SocksLegs-1 Under armor like pants-1 Fleece Like pants-1 Underwear-1 Gym Pants with Liner-1 Shorts (very light)Upper Body-1 Under Armor Shirt-1 Slink Under Shirt-1 Fleece Liker Running shirt-1 Fleece shirt-1 Fleece-1 North Face light Jacket-1 EMS Polyester ShirtRain- Marmot Precip Jacket- Marmot Precip Pants- Rain Cover for Backpack- 1 Large Trash Bag- Few Zip lock BagsOther Mics. -2 Small Knee Braces-Mask to Cover Face from Wind-Gloves-HatA lot of this gear will be sent home as the season goes on and the weather becomes warmer.Next is my shelter list. We will be mixing our nights with camping and staying at actual shelters along the trail.-Warbonnet Blackbird Double layer Hammock-Warbonnet Mambajmba Tarp-100' Rope-8 Stakes-Ems 35 Degree Bag-Silk Liner for Sleeping Bag-Vapor Liner for Sleeping Bag-2 CarabinerNext List is Food-Food Sack-Cup-Spoon-Bowl-Propane (My Bag)-Jet Boil (Dovetails Bag)-Water Filter (My Bag)-Platypus 1 LiterLast List Other Stuff-Trekking Poles-Head Lamp-Camera Nikon Super Small-Ipod And Head Phones (Ohh yeea! IM jammin!)-Phone-3 Chargers-Knife-1st Aid-ToiletriesAND My Pack will be the Ospray Atmos 50. All my gear including all my clothing and poles in my bag weigh around 20 pounds. Pretty good considering I'll be wearing some clothes and holding my poles. Also, about 3 pound of clothing will be shipped home by the end of April. This Weight doesn't include food and water.39 MORE DAYS!!!!PEACECaribou
Date: 2013-01-26
To: Gear Time DT
Miles today: 0.0

Hello there! this is my(dovetail) first journal entry for our hike. I was waiting to acquire all my gear to start my entries which is now complete. this will be my longest entry to to introduce myself a little. me and my buddy caribou decided to hike the trail together about a year and a half ago. this hike has been a dream of mine for years prior though. when i was a senior in high school, waiting to graduate i started thinking of what i wanted to be doing when i had completed my high school years. 4 year college? nah. trade school? hell yeah. trades are in my blood and is what i want to do with my life. but i wasnt so sure that right away was the best idea. the thought that came to mind was a year off between my further schooling. and thats when we decided we were hiking the spring of 2013. attempting something greater than anything i have endeavored in my life and the amazing things i have heard about thu-hiking. ive always loved simple living and most important i love walking. for the past few months we have gone on a few prep hikes gathered gear( which i will include in my next entry), planning food/drops we will be doing, reading and researching the trail, and just getting siked! now it is about a month away from our start date. its all i think about anymore. we have our final planning yet to do and we will be ready to take on one of the greatest adventures i can think of. that is all for now. until next entry.Dovetail
Date: 2013-01-27
To: Gear Time DT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This is log was really posted on 2/21 we just made it this date so our gear logs are closer to each other.Hi everyone! i am not the most technical when it comes to computers and dont know how to put pictures up, i qill learn, just not now. but it is time for me to post my gear. i have gone over it many times and now am completely ready.feet/legs:2 wool socks2 hiking socksleg warmers1 pair of underwear2 athletic shortsmerrel moab waterproof shoegaitersmarmot precip rain pantsknee braces when and if neededconverse( these are my camp shoe, it may seem odd because they are rather heavy compared to crocs or sandals. converse are my favorite shoe, i started wearing them again in the 8th grade and have always had a pair ever since. i will continue to wear them until i do not need shoes anymore. this is the biggest journey in my life so far and i found it fit that my converse come along for the trip.)Top half:thermal base layerT-shirtpolyester shirtflannel polyester sweatshirt/fleecemarmot precip rain jackethat/bandanasglovessleeping:Warbonnet blackbird double layer hammock/tarpropestakes3 carabinersbig angus 15 degree bagems sleeping padEverything else:pack coverheadlampjournalharmonica mipod( got to have me some trailbums( AT vocab word. albums to listen to while bustin out miles)phone2 chargersbenchmade knifestovewater filter (caribous bag)bowl spooncupwater bottle/ platypusfirst aid toiletriesThis will be my last post until about march 1st. i am getting a new phone mailed to me so there will not be much for this first week but once we have things under way and goin i will be ranting shpeeels, anyway until then, good times.Dovetail.
Date: 2013-02-07
To: Quick Update
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hey Guys,It has been a little while since I've updated. There really isn't to much to talk about until we actually start this adventure. This will most likely be my last log until our departure date. So Here are the last details...1. We (Dovetail and I) have thought long and hard about how to resupply. Do we use grocery stores and the occasional gas station in town, or the classic mail drop to PO's and hostels? Maildrops seemed right at first b/c of the reliability and the guarantee of having all your gear and food in one box. However after some research on various blogs and journals I realized that in town resupplies are the way to go. I've heard and read stories of people going in town on a Sunday and having to wait for the PO to open. Another reason includes the ability to choose my food out at that present moment. I have a feeling that even food will be a learning experience on the trail. I can take what I learn from others and apply it to my resupplies. My last reason is, shipping costs. I rather not pay for them...   Disclaimer- I understand Hike your own Hike principle. In no way am I implying this is the way that things should be done. Mail drops work and can be a great way for some to complete the trail in fact...2. After my research I found there are actually a few places where we do want to send mail drops due to convenience. These places include Fontana Village, NC / Sanding Bear Hostle, NC / Possibly Harpers Ferry, WV / Port Clinton, PA / Bear Mountain, NY / Glencliff, NH.3. Getting to Georgia from Lancaster PA is going to be a journey in its self. Coming along for the send off will be Dovetail's mother, and my parents. We plan to leave 3/1/13 and drive 9 hours down 81-S to Knoxville or somewhere close. Then we will drive the last two or three hours to the approach trail at Amicalola Falls. There we will part from our parents and begin our journey with that all important first step. After the approach trail we will hike a few miles on the AT to our first camp. Then our journey will officially begin 3/3/13 with the first full day on the trail.4. Few things have been added to the gear list but nothing big. Things like iodine for treating water, a book, a harmonica, nylon tape, and one or two things I can't think of right now.5. SO PUMPED. I have been waiting, dreaming of this moment for a long long time. This kind of adventure is in my blood. I was born for this. I never felt excitement on this level before. Good Bye Lancaster and hello fresh mountain air. 21 Days.Caribou