morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Damascus, VA

To: campsite near Creek Junction Station
Miles today: 11.7

5/25 Damascus, VA to campsite near Creek Junction Station - 11.7 milesI always find it hard to get myself out of towns. Not sure if it is because I am leaving all the comforts or if it is because I am heading into the unknown.I went to church this morning with Slowpoke. It was a new 8am service at the Methodist chuch (which also runs the hostel). The hikers almost outnumbered the congregation 2-3. They did serve what the pastor called continental breakfast- oatmeal casserole with craisens and hard boiled eggs. Interesting combination.After church I got ready to leave with Wood's Dragon, and on the way out we stopped in at Cowboy's for breakfast-my breakfast was mozzarella sticks and a bacon/egg/cheese biscut. Strange combination I know.I hiked the whole day with Wood's Dragon. It was nice to have company for a change. We stopped in at the first shelter and it was packed, I guess because of the holiday weekend. There were no thru hikers there. So we moved on hoping to make it to the next shelter. But we are tenting next to a creek and I hear thunder in the distance. I just looked at my data book and realized that we really only had 2.3 miles to the next shelter. oh well. I need to experience tenting in bad weather since it is close to summer and I am sure to see a few more storms. The weather forecast is iffy for the next few days but I am prepared to take it slow so I get to see the ponies, I just hope we get some consistent good weather soon.
Date: 2003-05-28
From: campsite past Wise Shelter

To: Hurricane Campground
Miles today: 13.7

5/28 Campsite past Wise Shelter to Hurricane Campground - 13.7 milesThis was written on the bulletin board at the campground along with some gross looking tick identification information."Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find resources of strength that will endure as long as life lasts." - Rachel CarsonI thought that was profound especially since we have been hiking in one of the most beautiful areas.Today wasn't extremely eventful, except for the fact that we hit the 500 mile mark as we went up and over Hurricane Mountain. We hiked over a couple balds and the wind was fierce. I felt like I could have been blown over a couple times.Wood's Dragon and I decided to end the day a little early and headed to Hurricane Campground instead of the next shelter. We got a great big site next to the creek. The campground host was nice enough to let us have 6 people (Wood's Dragon, Shelton, Jason, Thomas, Vincent and myself) and 3 dogs (Mission, Sage and Thorn the scary barking doberman) all share the one site. So we only paid $2 each and had a hot shower too! Tomorrow we are determined to make it to Partnership Shelter - 16ish miles. That will be a big day for us as we have been taking it easy this past week.
Date: 2003-05-31
From: Atkins, VA

To: Crawfish Valley
Miles today: 6.3

5/31 Atkins, VA to Crawfish Valley - 6.3 milesToday was another beautiful day (can you sense my sarcasm?)This morning the weather looked iffy. Wood's Dragon and I planned on hiking only 6 miles today so we joined No Pepsi and Pirate for lunch at the Red Barn. We all gorged ourselves till we were stuffed.When we were ready to leave (around 1pm) the sky was clouded over and possibly looked like rain. Wood's Dragon and I decided to hike while No Pepsi decided to take a zero day. The first 2.5 miles were Cicada City. The story is the eggs are laid in the ground where they stay for 7-17 years (depends on who you talk to). Then they crawl out of the ground, hence all the holes in the trail. They climb onto tree limbs and leaves where they shed their shell. We see these "carcasses" all over the place. They stay in the trees until their wings dry and then fly and go on with their cicada thing. I've only ever heard them as I drove by fields and heard the loud buzzing sound. I never knew how large and buggy they are. They are very sedentary right now, but I would think it would be scary if I ran into a whole flock of them.As we got to the shelter, 2.7 miles from town, it poured. A half an hour later we saw blue skies again and decided to hike on.We found our campsite and got our tents up when it began to rain again. We were incredibly lucky today to get to our destination without getting drenched. I ended up eating a cold dinner of peanut butter and crackers, double stuff oreos, a fruit leather, a few handfuls of tropical medly dried fruit, a luna bar and some beef jerky. I was trying to get over 500 calories in me so I will stay warm tonight. It is supposed to go down into the 40s. Wood's Dragon also shared her warm raspberry jello with me. That was a tasty treat.I found out about 2 more people dropping out. First is Switchback! I'm not sure if I had mentiod earlier that he found out at Gatlinberg that him and his wife were pregnant. He made it to Pearisburg and decided he'd rather be home with his wife during the pregnancy of their first child. He emailed me and said he may hike some sections over the summer. He mentioned meeting up in Shenandoah which would be fun.The second person is Slowpoke. I finally got to meet him in Damascus where he was nursing a knee injury. Under doctor's orders he was supposed to rest until Memorial Day and then he could try hiking again. Apparently the knee still hurt and he went home.It is scary to think about the dropout rate and how they say 1 in 10 make it to the big K. So many people seem capable and determined to make it. I guess you just never know what could happen and that is why we have to make sure we enjoy the time we do spend on the trail.
Date: 2003-06-01
From: Crawfish Valley

To: Lick Creek
Miles today: 10.8

6/1 Crawfish Valley to Lick Creek- 10.8 milesFelt like a lazy sunny hiking day. Wood's Dragon and I hiked together again today. We walked through several fields and pastures and I wanted to tumble down the hills like the girls in Little House on the Prarie.We got to a road crossing and took a good hour and a half break. We stared at one stile that hikers had to cross and never saw anyone. Then we decided to stay until we did see someone cross it. Eventually No Pepsi showed up. It was a good thing too as he later used his yogi skills for us.We came across a family taking a day hike and No Pepsi used a great tactic by asking for directions to Ceres, the closest town. He then asked how far it was to the closest store or soda machine. The guy responded "Take a right and go to the second brick house and tell them Jay sent you. Better yet, just wait at the pavillion and we will bring you some soda." No Pepsi worked some magic.When the family was done wih their hike they brought us back sodas (every imaginable flavor) and moon pies. And they had KFC for themselves and shared the extra with us. It was the best trail magic I've gotten next to the magic from the convicts.The 3 of us and Superfly ended up camping at Lick Creek which was a very peaceful spot. Superfly tried to build a fire and failed so I stepped in. I got a nice blaze going that lasted through dinner. Girl Power!!!!! (and an esbit fuel tablet helps get things started.
Date: 2003-06-13
From: VA 624 (Four Pines Hostel)

To: VA 311 (Catawba)
Miles today: 5.9

6/13 VA 624 (Four Pines Hostel) to VA 311 (Catawba) - 5.9 milesFriday the 13thI woke up feeling awful. First off I didn't sleep well as the hostel wasn't my first choice for sleeping accomodations. We were in a 6 car garage. Some on mattresses, some on cots. We had a small group compared to other nights, but it was the snoring, creeking cots, Dirty Frank swearing in his sleep, flies buzzing around my head, and the smells of hiker funk and garbage that kept me awake.I woke up with a sore, dry throat and congestion. I tried to eat some breakfast and started to feel weak and got the chills. I layed back down until 10ish trying to feel better, but it just wasn't happening.I had 3 choices :1. wait for the hostel owner to get home and see if he could drive Wood's and I to Troutville2. Yellow blaze (road walk) the 1.5 miles from the Hostel to Catawba and wait for Ed3. Hike 6 miles on the AT to Catawba and wait for EdI ended up choosing 3, hoping that the hike would be easy and that the exerise would help get rid of my cold.The hike was ok. It reminded me of yesterday where we kept going up the puds (pointless ups and downs) wondering why the trail goes to the top of each one when there are no views. We finally made it to VA 311 and got a hitch into Catawba. We stopped at the general store for some ice cream and drinks and relaxed there before heading over to the Homeplace Restaurant. The Homeplace is considered one of the best feeding holes on the AT. It is located on a farm and has a great porch with rocking chairs. Wood's and I relaxed ther for about an hour waiting for Randy and Gerri to show up.Once we were seated we had only one decision to make - what would our second meat be. We chose roast beef. I went to the bathroom and when I returned all the food was already on the table and everyone was eating.The Homeplace is a family style AYCE country dinner restaurant. We had roast beef, fried chicken, mashed potatos, maccaroni and cheese, green beans, slaw and biscuts. We could eat as mush as we wanted and they would keep bringing more out. I don't think I did my part in the AYCE part. I was feeling sick and really tired. But I still enjoyed it even if I didn't eat my share.Ed finally showed up and brought Wood's and I to Troutville. I was so happy to shower and crawl into a bed. Ed went to the grocery store and bought me Nyquil and gatorade. Just what the doctor ordered. I can't wait to kick this cold. It has really got me down.
Date: 2003-06-14
From: Troutville, VA

To: Troutville, VA
Miles today: 0.0

6/14 - Troutville, VA - zero dayIt felt so good to get some sleep in a real bed and a quiet room. I'm still sick but I see a big improvement thanks to some Nyquil.I spent most of today relaxing with Ed. Watching the Crocodile Hunter in between laundry and drying out all my gear. Looks like I will be sending home most of my winter clothes as it has been extremely hot and humid this week. Hopefully it will help lighten my load.We ate dinner tonight at the Chinese Buffet with Wood's Dragon and No Pepsi. I hate to say it but my body seems to be rebelling against Chinese buffets lately. And the one coming up in Waynesboro is supposed to be the best on the trail.:(After dinner Ed and I watched Star Wars episode 2 and shoveled down some ice cream. It was a great end to a relaxing zero day.
Date: 2003-06-16
From: Lambert's Meadow Shelter

To: US 220 (Troutville, VA)
Miles today: 9.4

6/16 Lambert's Meadow Shelter to US 220 (Troutville, VA) - 9.4 milesWoke up this morning to my most favorite aqueous substance, rain. I didn't get out of my tent until it stopped, and that was bad as I started to get small puddles in it. That got me worried. I'm not sure if it was tent leakage or condensation compiling enough rain inside my tent and form puddles. I'm thinking leakage.I finally took my tent down and was packing everything up in the shelter when Crow Dog and Prarie Chicken stopped in for a break. After talking for a while the 4 of us decided to split a room in Troutville. Back at the Best Western.The hiking wasn't extremely eventful. But it did go by fast and we barely took anybreaks at all. We got to the railroad not far from town and saw someone had written detour in rocks with an arrow pointing down the railroad. We looked a little closer at the AT and it was a swamp so we choo choo blazed and eventually ran into a road that lead us right to the hotel. Tonight Wood's Dragon and I ate at the 3 Little Pig's Restaurant. It was very very good.Saw Martin, Randy and Gerri tonight. It feels good to be reunited with everyone again.
Date: 2003-07-04
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 12.0

7/4 Blackburn Trail Center to Harper's Ferry, WV - 12 milesHappy 4th of July!I tried to get up and moving early today because I knew Ed would be waiting for me at Harper's Ferry around 12:30. I ended up leaving around 7:45, but I knew the terrain would be somewhat easy. When I got to the next shelter, only 3 miles, there was a strange guy wearing jeans, white Reebok sneakers and carrying a duffle bag. He was sitting on the AT by the sign for the Lesser shelter. He asked where the closest road crossing was and if there was anywhere to buy food. Everything close was in the directon that he had come from. He also asked where the next big town was where he could buy some shoes - well Harper's Ferry was only 9 miles back. The next biggest town would be Front Royal. Very shady character. Trickster ran into him soon after I did. He had a few words with the guy and ended up telling him he should carry his own food. The hike into Harper's Ferry was rather uneventful, except that I crosed the 1000 mile mark (minus the 107 I skipped in the Shennies). Hiking into Harper's Ferry did go by fast, but not as fast as people made it out to be. There were some sections that had quite a bit of rocks which made it hard to hike fast. When I got to the sign that said Harper's Ferry was only 2 miles away, I ran the downhills. I just couldn't wait to be there. It is considered the psychological halfway point as most people hit it around their 3 month anniversary. I also crossed the VA state line for the last time. That felt good knowing I was out of Virginia, finally after almost 6 weeks.So I made it to Harper's Ferry, but then they send you through a blue blazed maze to get to the ATC headquarters. When I got there Ed had just arrived. They took my picture for the book. I am AT thru-hiker #618 for this year. Woo-Hoo! Maybe I should play the lotto with those numbers. Last year 687 people made it to Harper's Ferry. I think we will exceed that this year. There are lots of hearty people out on the trail who all seem to want to finish.While I was at the center I got the speech about making it to Katadin in time, keeping a steady pace and limiting zero days. aggghhhhhh. I don't want to feel worried about this trip. I don't want to get consumed with mileage and distance. After visiting the ATC we went downtown to check out Harper's Ferry and grab some lunch. We ate at the Armory. A little overpriced but it tasted good. We went to the outfitter and then headed back up the hill to the hotel.We spent the night eating pizza, watching movies and then the fireworks on TV from New York City. I was really hoping we'd get to see the DC fireworks since they are more local. Strange thing about Harper's Ferry is that they had their fireworks the weekend before the 4th. I guess so they don't compete with DC???
Date: 2003-07-05
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0

7/5 Harper's Ferry, WV - zero dayI slept so good last night. I get so spoiled by hotel stays.This morning I stopped at the P.O. and received a surprise package from my friend Lynne - thanks so much!!!! I also stopped in at the library and saw No Pepsi. He was planning on getting back on the trail today.Ed and I played tourist and went to the Harper's Ferry National Park. We walked through a few of the historical buildings, saw rifles being shot off and enjoyed ice cream and lemonade. Harper's Ferry has a lot of history to it including the Civil War, John Brown and his fight to end slavery, and the rifle factories.We went back to the hotel hoping to swim in the pool, but I didn't see it anywhere so we ordered pizza, watched movies and played around with our backpacks and gear. Did a lot of walking, should have done more resting.
Date: 2003-07-14
From: Tagg Run Shelter

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 12.2

7/14 Tagg Run Shelter to Boiling Springs, PA - 12.2 milesWell, I survived my night alone last night. I heard a few noises and sticks breaking, but nothing came sniffing around the shelter. There were some plastic bags in the corner of the shelter that moved once in a while. But after the third or fourth time I really didn't care anymore. As long as whatever it was stayed in that corner and didn't move to my side of the shelter.I got to hike through a section that is like a boulder maze. It is up on a ridgeline and the trail weaves in, out, up and over all these massive boulders. It was neat, if you didn't have a pack on, but I was also looking for snakes the whole time.I got to Boiling Springs around 3:30. It is an awesome little town with a lake right in the middle. Aparently there is a natural spring somewhere too. I called my friend Lynn from college who had offered to take me in for the night. I was so hot and tired that I was hoping she would pick me up in Boiling Springs rathr than Trindle Rd., another 4 miles down the trail. She did!!!It was great to spend some time with Lynn and catch up. She showed me some of Chuck's woodworking projects including some of their bathrom cabinets! Very handy hobby.I got a big dose of trail magic from Lynn and her husband Chuck. Chips and Salsa, cheese sticks, cheeseburgers, corn, beans, etc etc etc. It all tasted soooooooo good. After dinner Chris and Mike, also friends from college stopped over and we all caught up and I shared my AT stories. I'm getting ready to go to bed, in a warm, comfortable bed - inside with no creatures running around!
Date: 2003-07-24
From: PA 61

To: Hawk Mountain Rd.
Miles today: 10.7

7/24 PA 61 to Hawk Mountain Rd. - 10.7 milesMy parents slack packed me today. I did two sections that I hadn't done before. Port Clinton to Windsor Furnace and then from the Pinnacle to Eckville Shelter. I skipped the section between Windsor Furnace and the Pinnicle as I have done that several times and it served as my training site for this thru hike.The trail was awesome the whole day. The springs were flowing, the bugs were minimal and it wasn't too hot.My parents met me for lunch at Windsor Furnace. Then I headed up a service road for the second half of the trip which was also easy terrain.I got to Hawk Mountain road a little early so I checked out the Eckville shelter. That seemed like a cool place to stay. I met Hiking Buddy and 2 young boys from Lansdale there. Hiking Buddy saw copperheads at the Pinnicle. I'm glad I skipped that part.On the ride back home I got to cuddle with Haley (my brother's black lab). Life is good.
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Culvers Gap (Branchville, NJ)
Miles today: 17.9

7/27 Mohican Center to Culvers Gap (Branchville, NJ) - 17.9 milesI already dislike NJ. The rocks and puds are aweful. The rocks in NJ are continuous, never ending. In PA you have small rocky stretches that end and there was alot of ridge walking. In NJ I feel like we are constantly being led up and down for no reason.This morning I found No Pepsi lounging at the Mohican Lodge. Apparently he made it here last night but then got a ride back to the Delaware Water Gap on the PA side so he could get some dinner. We ended up hiking together all day.No Pepsi is evil. He talked all day about eating dinner in town and getting a hotel room. It is my 2nd day back on the trail after a week of zeros. I didn't want to start spending money already. I almost got him to tent at a shelter, but when we got there a large group of kids we there. That made him turn right around.We made it to Culvers Gap and ate dinner at the Sunset Grill. I had an awesome burger. No Pepsi got a room and was able to get a guy at the bar to give us a ride.We are staying at the Forest Motel. Small and cheap but it works. One of the only hotels I've ever seen with 2 single beds in a room. They advertise satellite TV, but the only channel we got clearly was HBO. Even the local channels were fuzzy.Hopefully I'll get a good nights rest in a real bed and AC. I feel like I am spoiling myself.
Date: 2003-07-28
From: Culvers Gap (Branchville, NJ)

To: NJ 23 (Highpoint State Park)
Miles today: 14.3

7/28 Culvers Gap (Branchville, NJ) to NJ 23 (Highpoint State Park) - 14.3 milesI woke up feeling great. And we woke up late. It took a long time to get a ride back to the trail. We tried hitching at an RV sales lot for half an hour. Then a customer in an RV ended up giving us a ride in.We ate breakfast at the famous Worthington Bakery. Then decided to get lunch there too as the grill wasn't open yet.Musk showed up and told us there was a huge thunderstorm last night. I guess I didn't hear it because our air conditioner was soooo loud and noisy, or it didn't hit near us. Kind of glad I stayed in a hotel room.The best view of the day was from Sunset Mountain. There was an awesome pavillion up there that would have made a great camp spot.I saw a baby buck today. That was the extent of the wildlife. Tons of rocks and puds. - blah.I did see an interesting birds nest. It is made out of leaves and branches. It is round and hangs from a tree branch. I'm very curious what kind of bird makes those.Tonight we got to the High Point Rangr Station around 8:30pm. There were 2 section hikers here too. We all decided to stealth camp near the rangers office. No Pepsi and I put our tents up right behind the office. I'm praying we don't get caught. I also hope we don't get a thunderstorm as we are right next a huge metal tower.
Date: 2003-08-04
From: Bear Mountain, NY

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 7.2

8/4 Bear Mountain, NY to Graymoor Friary - 7.2 milesMolassass (and her dog Chloe) picked me up at 10am and brought me back to the trail at the Bear Mountain Inn. We saw Strider and all headed out together. Strider and I walked through the zoo as that is actually where the AT goes. We then got to go over the Bear Mountain Bridge. That was neat to see the views of the river and mountain.The weather was so strange today. When we left Bear Mountain it was blue skies and sunny. Then we'd get clouds and rain. The some sun, then a little thunder. This lasted all afternoon, but we never got hit by a full thunderstorm.15 of us ended up at the Graymoor Friary. No Pepsi showed up too. Turns out he stayed in the room next to mine at the Bear Mtn. Bridge Motel last night. Its funny that we never saw each other. Graymoor is a huge campus and they are nice enough to offer hikers space to sleep under their picnic pavillions. There is also water and a cold shower. They also feed us dinner which was great. Ziti, meatballs, salad and soup. Father Fred was the only monk we saw as he gave us the speech and guided us to dinner. The food was cooked and served by men who stay at St. Christopher's Inn which is a place for homeless men. It is a really nice place which also is supposed to have views of NYC, but with the clouds I can't see much.Looks like I am back in a big group again. It'll be nice to have people around. I've heard the terrain this side of the river is better than what we have done. That makes me happy.