morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-28
From: Rock Spring

To: Three Ridges Mountain
Miles today: 16.5

Who doesn't like a fungus? There are all kinds of molds, fungi, and other remarkable growths out here on the trees and in the ground. This one was probably about 8 inches across.I've met a few hiking purists out here. I'm not one of them. For instance, most shelters have two paths that lead to and from the AT. They're kind of like entrance and exit ramps for an interstate. When I go to a shelter I take that path that most directly leads me there. Then when I leave I take the other path that's going in the direction I'm going. But that does mean that there is a bit of the actual AT trail that I did not step on. A purist would go back the way he or she came and get back on the AT to make sure that every step of the AT was tread upon. I admire them for their purist ways, but I personally don't feel so inclined.The gnats are starting to get pretty rough out here. I'm used to small gnats and there are plenty of them. But there is also this larger kind of half gnat, half fly that is pretty annoying. While hiking, I wear a cap with a brim that deters the bugs some, but a few times today I pulled a hikers' head net over my hat and down over my face. That certainly foils them but it is hot to wear, so I have to choose which is worse - the gnats or the heat.Judging from my trail guide, today I had maybe my last steep ascent for a while. But what a climb that was while I was hurrying to beat dusk. It was a climb up to the top of Three Ridges Mountain and I swear this mountain has a bit of extra gravity. I chose where to set up my tent, and still the gnats were just ferocious. There were also some biting bugs that were making my arm bleed in spots. So I rushed to set up my tent so that I could dive inside the netting. Then I dealt with the couple of dozen gnats that trailed in with me.I'm up here all alone on the top of this mountain with a partially obstructed view of a long distance - all alone with about a billion of my little closest gnatty friends. I cleared the stragglers all out of my netting, and I'm happy to be on the top of this mountain with a cool view and some phone connectivity. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-05-29
From: Three Ridges Mountain

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter near Waynesboro
Miles today: 18.7

This little chubby guy was about 5 inches long. Might be one of those "giant" Appalachian salamanders. The past couple of days I've hiked some with "All The Way." (You gotta love the confidence of that trail name.) He has a yellow lab with him that adopted him. That's right, the dog just started following him about four days ago. All The Way has shared his food with the dog and has called the owner - name/number on his collar - several times and left messages. It turns out all the locals know this dog, Snoopy. He takes up with a Northbounder for a few days and then a Southbounder, and he's been doing it for years - up and down this section of the the AT. He's in the shelter with us now and quite well behaved. Cool dog. When I'm walking up switchbacks to the top of a mountain, I can tell when I'm near the top by the level of incline. To explain: Have you ever strung Christmas lights on a Chistmas tree before? Down low, where the tree is wide, the string of lights go all the way around and rise gently for the next circle around. When the strand of lights get near the top, the last bit goes almost straight up because there just isn't much width to wrap around. It's the same with the switchbacks. They rise gently at the base of the mountain but get very steep near the top. So as it gets really steep after lots of switchbacks, it usually means the top is very close. If you ever wonder what kind of weird stuff I think about out here, that's a fairly good example.I was in a pretty hard afternoon downpour today. When driving and a storm pops up, I just turn on the wipers. Out here, I just slip on my rain pants and rain jacket and keep on walking. I decided to dry out and sleep in this shelter tonight. In fact, as I'm writing this, it's raining again. It's a nice temp, I'm dry, and sleeping near a cool dog. Nowhere I'd rather be
Date: 2015-05-30
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter near Waynesboro

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 5.1

Ever wonder what these trail towns look like? This is Waynesboro where I resupplied today and am spending the night. It has a quaint downtown section with live flowers on the light posts. Some of the towns are comprised of just a dive hotel with some fast food joints and gas stations, but this one is a really nice mountain town. Friendly folks, too. In all of these towns, I have to do a good bit of walking to get from the motel to a place to eat to a place to buy groceries or do laundry. I had to pee during one of these walks today and despite all of the comforts of being in civilization, this is one discomfort I don't have to endure in the woods. In fact, it occurred to me that our human species is the only one that subjects itself to having to restrain ourselves, sometimes for long periods. Smartest species of all, eh?Oh, about the laundry - if it's too far to walk, I just wash my clothes in the shower and then hang the items up around the room to dry. I end up doing it that way more than half the time.A friend of mine sent me an article from the Asheville newspaper. It's about Scott Jurek, who is an ultra runner, and is trying to break the record of 46 days for running the whole AT. The thing is, I saw him when I was in North Carolina. He had on earphones and was just singing up a storm as he ran past me smiling saying "Hi." Not long after, I came to a roadside where his wife had water and food for him. He was finished for the day and looked pretty whipped. (He has to average over 50 miles a day!) His wife offered me donuts and told me that he was running the trail, but she never mentioned that he was going for the record. Just another cool trail memory. Tomorrow I'll enter Shenandoah National Park, which I've been looking forward to. This is, however, another National Park that requires staying in or around their shelters, which they call huts. They can be about 12 miles apart, so you either have a short or a very long day (24ish miles) of hiking. I plan to use a couple of private (fee) campgrounds to bridge some of those large gaps. My ride back to the trailhead isn't until late morning so tomorrow will be a short day of hiking to the first hut. But it will be in a national park that I'm looking forward to experiencing.
Date: 2015-05-31
From: Waynesboro

To: Shenandoah - Jarman Gap
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: light rain

I sure hope they don't see the hang glider I'm sneaking into this area. Is that sign serious? Even though this sign was on a ridge, there were miles of narrow trail to get there. There must be one heck of a story behind a sign prohibiting hang gliders out here.I am now comfortably in the care of true trail angels for the next two days. I have a good friend from high school who has a good friend who, with his wife, are volunteer "hosts" at one of the Shenandoah Park campsites. They are staying in their camper during June at the park's Loft Mountain Campground. Their primary job is to track and ensure folks are paying for their campsites. They love hiking, have hiked thousands of miles, and are doing this volunteer gig to pay it forward. They've been following my blog and contacted me to offer to pick me up, feed me hamburgers, and, since it's been raining, to let me set up my tent under their big tarp to keep my tent dry. Tomorrow they'll assist me with my first slack packing. What is slack packing? I'll have just my lunch, rain gear, and water in my otherwise empty backpack on my hike tomorrow. First thing in the morning they'll drive me to where I left off and I'll hike to where they'll have my gear for me. They'll do a similar assist with me the next day as I continue my journey. So I'll have two days of hiking with a lightweight pack. Sweet. I've seen other thru-hikers do that and I want to experience it too. True trail angels. I'm in my dry tent under the angels' large tarp and psyched to try slack packing tomorrow. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-06-01
From: Shenandoah - Jarman Gap

To: Shenandoah - Loft Mtn Campground
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: light rain

This little wild, and yet tame, rabbit briefly considered my offering before hopping away. I hope to post a bear picture at some point, but for now, a bunny. I really enjoyed slack packing today with so few pounds on my back. Add to that the generally nice rockless trail in Shenandoah National Park and I had a relatively easy hike with decent mileage. I'm going to attempt a good long hike tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. The couple assisting me are seasoned hikers, know these trails in the park, and even gave me a refresher lesson in identifying poison ivy. Their trail names are The Roundabouts. That's because they travel and hike together with one car. How do they do that? They drive to a trailhead and drop off Ms. Roundabout who starts hiking, say, north. Mr. Roundabout drives north and parks the car at another trailhead and hikes south. They meet in the middle and have lunch together. They then continue in their own directions until Ms. Roundabout comes to the parked car. She drives it back to her starting point to pick up Mr. Roundabout. This, I think, is a clever way for a couple of folks to hike while only taking one car. And thus, The Roundabouts. Trail etiquette: An accepted practice when two hikers approach is for the one going downhill (easier) to step aside for the one going uphill (harder). I did that for a dad and son going uphill today. Then I looked down and remembered yesterday's flora lesson...I was standing in poison ivy. Sheesh. Hope I don't get the rash. It's starting to get dark and I'm yawning here in my tent. I heard an expression that this is "hiker's midnight." Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-06-02
From: Shenandoah - Loft Mtn Campground

To: Shenandoah - Lewis Mtn Campground
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Shenandoah National Park is green, lush, and just so beautiful. Look at this picture of the trail today. Surely, there must be a leprechaun somewhere out there. I slack packed again today and set a personal mileage record of 27 miles. Besides the reduced pack weight, the trail in this park is so smooth, making longer hikes very doable. There are still plenty of ups and downs, but the ease of the well maintained trail makes hiking here especially pleasant. I ran into All The Way, the guy who had the dog (Snoopy) take up with him for several days on the trail. He had left messages with the owner and said where and when he'd be in Waynesboro where he would be catching a ride, and that he couldnt let Snoopy get in the car. Then my friend's phone ran out of power, common among thru-hikers, so he couldnt receive any responses -- tough situation. So I asked him today what had eventually happened. He said that as he was talking to some guys in a truck about this predicament, Snoopy's owner drove up and happily reunited with his dog and took him back home. Happy ending, right?Okay, that's the movie version. What really happened was the owner drove up, roughly grabbed Snoopy's collar, and threw him in the truck. He was clearly agitated, merely nodded when my friend asked him if he was Mr. - I won't say his name - didn't say a single word, and immediately drove off. Hmmpf, no wonder Snoopy keeps following hikers down the trail. Speaking of movies, I think about this every time I've had to make my water stretch for several miles and I get pretty parched. When I finally get water, I thirstily drink down at least a half litre. I have watched lots of movie scenes where the crazy thirsty guy in the desert is handed a canteen, and he greedily pours the precious water too fast into his mouth and half of it goes outside his cheeks and down his shirt. I mean, "Hey Buddy, give me my canteen back and maybe I'll let you try again when you calm down." That's just a movie scene pet peeve of mine. It rained all last night and today was foggy and drizzly all day. But that meant nice cool hiking weather with no bugs. I'm now in my dry tent, it's still drizzling, and I'm settling down for a cool night snuggled in my warm sleeping bag. Sweet. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-06-03
From: Shenandoah - Lewis Mtn Campground

To: Shenandoah - Byrd's Nest #3 Hut
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: few clouds

Note the fuzz still on these deer antlers. A real wilderness pic, right? Well actually, when I was getting a ride to my starting point today, these fellas were hanging out by Skyland Drive and I just rolled down the window for this shot. However, I have had similar close encounters hiking on the trail. Probably due to the fact that the deer in this park are protected. I had another big mileage day and this time with my full pack. I'm so grateful for my steady ankles, knees, and hips. My feet still hurt, but so do everyone's. Taking Aleve in the mornings seems to help the most, but also massage, stretches, airing out the feet on any break, and occasionally soaking them in a stream during lunch. Sometimes I write the cursive alphabet in the air with my toes, which flexes the whole foot and ankle. You know how when you've been in the water a long time your fingertips get to looking like wrinkled prunes? I almost posted a fairly disgusting picture of the bottom of my feet looking like that. (You're welcome.) Today was the third day in a row of rain and thus, wet shoes, socks and (wrinkly) feet. I stopped a few times to tape my toes. I've read and discovered myself that I need to investigate the moment I notice a hot spot. The tape I use is called Leukotape and it stretches in all directions and adheres well to my skin. I also often apply "Trail Toes," a Vaseline-like substance that helps toes and heels slide instead of rubbing. It's June and pretty raw tonight - raining, blowing, and it must be in the upper 40's up here. I'm in my tent wearing everything including my fleece jacket that normally serves as my pillow. So I stuffed my rain gear in a dry bag and, voil , instant pillow. It's funny, I never even check the weather anymore; I just deal with whatever rolls in. This park is gorgeous even in the fog and rain. Huge ferns, trees, grassy areas along with tame critters all about. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-06-04
From: Shenandoah - Byrd's Nest #3 Hut

To: Shenandoah - Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

This is Electric Lizard (Trick, for short) plopped down on the floor in a gift shop and grill off of Skyland Drive and next to the Appalachian Trail. She was hanging her wet socks on the bottom vent of a refrigeration unit - outrageously stinky wet socks she had been wearing and sweating in for four days in the rain and through the mud. I was sitting right next to her having removed my equally horrendous socks and muddy shoes. Also there was her traveling companion, Fozzie. We looked and smelled like three people I would keep my children away from. And to my own kids: Sorry, but your dad is now officially a bum.We were in a wayside station and their burgers and french fries had been a rallying cry for all thru-hikers for the past two days. There were picnic tables outside but as it was still raining and nowhere to sit inside, we sat on the floor in an aisle. Despicable. That's why we three used the opportunity to dry our feet some and conduct some toe and heel repairs. Our feet are tough and calloused, but walking in wet shoes and socks for days really takes a toll. Their feet were even more horrible than mine. I won't go into details. We sat in that nice, dry, warm, linoleum comfort zone and ate our burgers and fries. We did go get a broom and swept up all of the mud and dirt that we had tracked in.Something else interesting was going on outside. There is a group called Warrior Hikers that is recently returned soldiers who, as a group, thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. It is a wonderful way to clear one's mind. A crew from CNN was outside interviewing them. The reporter didn't seem too interested in the filthy homeless people in the gift shop.I'm now in my tent for my last overnight stop in Shenandoah National Park. It's still raining. In fact, I have posted a second picture today. You see the gray border in the margin of your screen? That's what all of the overlook views have looked like for most of my time here. But really, that's just the reality of hiking along the backbone of the Appalachian Mountains - lots of walking in the clouds and lots of lush green plant life and crystal clear spring water as a result. I'm in my warm dry sleeping clothes (that I meticulously keep dry) and feel good about crushing the miles through this park.Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-06-05
From: Shenandoah - Gravel Springs Hut

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 13.3

It's the sun! After days of rain, sweet beautiful sunshine. You see that figure in the distance? That's "Lightning" who passed me so quickly that by the time I got my camera out he was that far ahead. Thus, his trail name of "Lightning."Today started out with a bang. Most of the shelters have a privy which I use even if just tenting nearby. This privvy (or outhouse) had a ramp leading up to it. Since it has been raining so much, that ramp was really slick. When I stepped out, my feet went straight up and out and for just an instant, I was horizontal in the air. Bam! The flat of my back hit that ramp and my head bounced a little. I had a headache for a few hours and I'm sore, but it's only muscle soreness and will ease in a few days. I'm so relieved it wasn't serious. Plus, how embarrassing would it be to end my hike THAT way?!Here's something I do a few times every day. If I stop and take off my pack or leave a tent site or anything like that, before I walk off I say out loud "360." Early on I had heard another hiker do this. The idea is to turn completely around 360 degrees and see if you're leaving anything. The other aspect is to say it out loud. There have been times when I haven't checked and have been taking off and noticed the silence, the silence of my not having said out loud "360." I would go back,check around, and then say "360." Somehow I'm better at always remembering to do it if I say it out loud. Works for me.I came to a trailhead today and called a cab to take me the few miles into Front Royal, VA. I'll stay here tonight in a hotel room, wash my clothes and dry out everything. Tomorrow I'll get groceries and get back to hiking. Short break, but feels really good to get clean and dry.
Date: 2015-06-06
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Near Dirk's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

These cute little orange lizards come out on the trail after a rain and sit perfectly still. They are only about 3 inches long and I've been seeing them my entire hike. They must be toxic or taste bad to birds because they seem to advertise "here I am." That's one of nature's survival techniques -- when a predator has a bad experience with one prey and never touches another one again. So the brighter and more attention grabbing some creature is, the more likely it is an undesirable meal. At least that's what I've seen on nature shows, which I love to watch.One tricky timing aspect of hiking is how to deal with someone who is hiking slower than I am and I'm coming up behind them. If l get too close when I say "excuse me" or "good morning", there's a good chance I will startle them and I don't like doing that. But if I say something too far away, it's kind of awkward during the time it takes to close the distance. I think the sweet spot is to say something about 20 feet behind. But what I have found to be even more effective is to click my trekking polls together once or twice a good distance back until I see them look around. Now the hiker knows I'm coming up behind without any startling or awkwardness. A few nights ago I was at a shelter and noticed a long haired guy playing the guitar. Then I met him yesterday and we hiked a little bit together. He seems to be a really nice guy. His trail name is Peace Dog. I'm in my tent near another shelter tonight and he's up there playing his guitar and singing House of New Orleans. He's really good. My tent is near a stream and I'm enjoying the sound of the tumbling water. After all the rain, I'm particularly grateful for a dry and mild night. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-06-07
From: Near Dirk's Dome Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter, near Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 15.3

Serendipity - Luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for.This is one of my inspirational heroes, Jennifer Pharr Davis. She is the current record holder of thru-hiking the AT in the fastest time, men or women. I read a couple of her books years ago and have wanted to meet her ever since. Here's how I got to meet her today. A few days ago Vicki, a trail angel, wrote a nice note in my guestbook. I emailed her and then we emailed back and forth a little. This morning I had a text from her where she offered to pick me up at a specific location (which she had spent a good deal of time determining) and take me to see a presentation by Jennifer Pharr Davis. Vicki knew from our exchanges of my high esteem for Jennifer. What an incredibly generous offer for Vicki, who lives over an hour away, to make! Vicki picked me up at our agreed upon location, fed me a couple of homemade fried egg sandwiches, gave me several cold cokes to drink, loaned me her husband's shirt to wear, and drove me an hour to where Jennifer was making the presentation at a church. The presentation was well done and moving...really good. Afterwards, we met Jennifer, who was personable and gracious. When she learned I was in the middle of my thru-hike, she jumped up and hugged me.When I had awakened earlier this morning, I had no idea that I would get to spend time with two wonderful women -- Vicki, the trail angel with a heart of gold and Jennifer, the AT record holder. Serendipity.I'm in my tent near a shelter just shy of a thousand miles . Pretty cool. The wind is loud and strong tonight but I'm at the bottom of the valley and not feeling it. It's a nice temperature, and I had a surprising and wonderfully memorable day. Loving life. Nowhere I'd rather be.