morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-10-25
From: High Top Hut

To: Swift Run Gap
Miles today: 3.5

No one at the shelter saw any reason to get up early as the wind howled and the rain fell. They were content to just sty in their sleeping bags, all day if necessary, to wait out the rain. I eventually was inspired to get up as I knew I just had a few miles to go and I could get clean and warm and dry.I didn't start until 9 and was at the Ranger entrance station by 11:15. I hiked slowly and very carefully especially when there were rocks that looked slippery. The Rangers let me use their phone and I called Bob, at Country View Motel and he came and got me.I had decided to have this place be a food drop and overnight stay after reading Blue Meanie and Hiker Chick's journal of last year. Glad I did. The motel is not highclass or fancy but it has a comfortable double bed, TV, Refrigerator, and microwave. And it has Bob, the owner, who was more than happy to drive me into the small town to do laundry and eat another Sub and do a little shopping. He even drove back to Swift Run Gap to retrieve a rainmit I had dropped. He will also slackpack me tomorrow. (That means I will leave most of my stuff here and he will drive me to Big Meadows Campground and I will hike back to Swift Run Gap and stay in this motel 2 nights instead of one.)Tomorrow is my most challenging day for distance. I thought it was 16 miles, which was challenging enough, but it is 17.4. I am VERY glad I am slackpacking. I just hope I can get to Swift Run Gap before dark.It will be good to know I am coming to a nice warm place with bed and microwaved dinner I bought today. Not buying expensive park food at Big Meadows saves me as much as the cost of the motel for the extra night too. Win, win, win.This afternoon I have caught up on my journals while consuming large amounts of rootbeer floats. I intend to do very litle else. Resting is nice. Life is good.
Date: 2008-10-26
From: Swift Run Gap

To: Service Road Before Big Meadows
Miles today: 16.0

Bob was a gem and drove me up to Big Meadows so I could start hiking at first light. I actually walked the above miles Southbound instead of Northbound. And I was able to walk them as a slack pack, taking only water, warm clothes and rain gear, first aid kit and a little cheese and crackers. Thank you, Bob.Now 16 miles is not a really long day for most thru-hikers. But for this old lady with a bad knee it is a challenge, but one I could handle as a slak pack.The hike took 10 hours with an hour stop at Lewis Mountain Camp Store for lunch and visiting with Sarah and Dafnah and Toby. They were hiking northbound after zeroing at High Top Hut in the rain yesterday. I may possibly see them tomorrow and then they will be ahead of me as they can do longer miles. I have enjoyed talking with them.In the areas over 3,500 ft toay the wind had whipped most of the leaves from the trees and there were winter-like views seen between tree trunks. Lower elevations or areas procted from the wind still had color to show.Although leaves were gone even from the low bushes, the branches of bushes and trees allowd me to envision what the area would look like in summer. It would clearly be "The Long Green Tunnel" in many places. And I can see why hikers in the summer would see more bear as there were many berry bushes in areas along the trail.I saw half a dozen deer just on the ride up to Big Meadows. I also saw 8 deer on the trail. No Bears. One of the deer was just pass Faun stage.AS I left Lewis Mountain Campground for the last half of my hike, I passed No Pilers trying to catch up with Sarah and Dafnah. I met a number of day hikers today but did not get their names even though we chatted a bit. Oh, I also passed Shamrock and Slow Jo, NOBOs on the way to Harpers Ferry.The knee is doing pretty well. I think my fall could have resulted in much worse damage if I were not wearing the brace. Even though the brace doesn't keep the tibia forward as much as it needs to go, still, it does prevent much lateral movement as well as twisting. For that I am thankful.Not too long before Swift Run Gap I ran into a couple of day hikers of mature years. We chatted a bit and I moved on. But when I got to the ranger station to call for my pickup, they offered to give me a ride so they could pick my brain about light weight gear. That was fun.And now I am once again showered and fed and ready for bed in my motel room.
Date: 2008-10-27
From: Service Road Below Big Meadows

To: Skyland
Miles today: 8.0

Bob took 2 other hikers and I to trail heads this morning. One was a SOBO thru-hiker named Oreo and possibly his Dad and dog. I did not get to talk to them much as they rode in the back of the truck and I rode in front.Today was cold, especially when I started out. It was 39 degrees and from there it went down to 34. By mid afternoon it was up again at times to 38. The massive cold front affecting most of the nation except the west is going through.Strange as it seems, I still sweat going uphill, but not as much and I was not tempted in the least to take off my shirts or my fleece or my gloves or my wool mittts. I did juggle the temperature by taking off hat and hood at times and not zipping the rain gear I was wearing for a windbreaker. I am not even close to wearing everything I have while hiking. Which is good as the coldest time is when I stop, get ready for bed and get up in the morning. Sleeping and walking are OK.And the woods are still nice to walk through although the gusty wind could be very cold. I actually saw about 5 day hikers out in spite of the inclement weather.I saw 4 deer too. No Bear. Maybe the bear have decided it is winter and have all gone to gournd. There were even a few snow pellets at one point but just barely enough to say they were there.There were some nice views of the Shenandoah Valley. Actually there were views both east and west. And there were yellow and gold and bronze and brown leaves.I am very careful about leaves. They can hide the surface of the trail, rocks underneath, or somthimes holes in the trail. Oak leaves are the most slippery on smooth rock. I do not want to fall again so I am very careful.The Shenandoahs showed me today that they sometimes have rocky trail too. There were actually a number of stretches that were pretty rocky and one short stretch over a pile of rocks so jumbled it would be hard to call it a trail, although you could clearly see the trail on the other side of the rocks.Today was a short day and that was fine with me. I am staying in a cabin at Skyland. I have a whole cabin to myself with 2 double beds and one single. If I had realized that earlier I could have invited Defnah and Sarah and No Pliers. But perhaps not. I don't think dogs are allowed in the cabins.I had a late lunch of chilli and spinach dip at the bar. It was delicious. For dinner I had a 1/2 lb burger and fries, also good. For breakfast I am planning on 2 apple dumpling pasteries and a banana. This is all pricey but it is my splurge on this trip.I actually have stayed inside for the last 3 nights and I have had showers 3 days in a row. How positively civilized is that!?I am a very lucky hiker to be somewhere warm tonight. I pray that all hikers stay warm in sleeping bags in cozy shelters with fires in front. It may be even colder tomorrow. But I have hopes that once this cold front moves through there may be more days of nice fall weather.And now for sleep.
Date: 2008-10-29
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

The temp in the shelter was still 37 when I woke. After a bit on the trail it was down to 32. I guess even three sided shelters with the front open are warmer than without.BTW Shelters, or Huts as they are called in the Shenandoahs, are three sided buildings sometimes made of stone, more often of wood. They have a raised floor/sleeping shelf. Some have a second sleeping shelf above the first. Rarely, one has 3 levels, like Mountaineer and Bryant Ridge. There is often an overhang with a picnic table. Shelters in the Smokies and occasionally elsewhere have fireplaces in the shelter. Here they usually have a firepit in front of the shelter. They also usually have pegs or ropes or nails to hang up packs.I must confess I am getting used to using them. And they are reassuring to be in when the wind is high. I know of one shelter that had a tree fall on it in a storm but your chances of survival are much greater in a shelter.It was still windy today but not as fierce. And it was still cold only not quite as cold. The sun was out and trying hard but this is a powerful cold front. Still, half the day it was above 40 and once it got up to 49 in the sun, a veritable heat wave.I think I must be the sweat queen of the universe. I still sweat going up hill even when it is 32.At noon I stopped for a hamburger and a milkshake at Elkwallow Wayside. This wayside has no where to sit inside and the wind was blowing hard about then so I went in and hung my sweaty raincoat and fleece on ends of the camping shelves of stuff for sale and ate my lunch standing up. Maybe it was my using th place to dry off sweat or the sweat itself that caused the lady to skip the tomato and lettuce on my burger until I went back and asked for them. But I did get them. Maybe she just forgot.I made sure I emptied my trash including last night's left over dinner. Glad to see that go.There were fewer views today although there were some. I stopped less and moved well on very nice trail today with many fewer rocks.I saw only one deer today and no bear. I only have one more day in the Shenandoahs. It does not look likely that I will see bear here.I saw no one while hiking until just before lunch when I met David, a NOBO short section hiker. There were 2 day hikers too. And in the afternoon when I had just about decided that all the SOBO thru-hikers had gone by, I met Screech who said I must have missed Wheeler who was in front of him.I cruised along so well that I arrived at the shelter before 5 even though it was 2 miles farther than yesterday. I got my water pumped and ate dinner. I ate an extra peanut butter and jam roll up for desert as I was very hungry.I have the shelter to myself. It is now 7:30. Soon I will be asleep.
Date: 2008-10-31
From: Front Royal

To: Zero Day at Front Royal
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I forgot to tell about my ride into town yesterday. The hitch hiking grandma did well. I got to the highway, stuck out my thumb and the third car stopped. A very nice grandfatherly man gave me a ride in and found the Scottish Inn for me.Long distance hikers have no cars, at least with them. They are quite dependent on the good will of perfect srangers. Thank you to the man who gave me a ride and all trail angels everywhere who get hikers to town and back to the trail.The harder part was arranging o get back to the trail. I would have to get to where the highway leaves town to be clearly seen as a hiker heading back and that is a disance from the motel which I did not particularly want to walk in addition to trail miles.It took most of the day but I finally got in touch with the trail angel Hollywood had told me about. She will take me back to the trail tomorrow morning.The rest of the day was taken up with organizaion, voting with the absentee ballot my son sent me, walking at least a mile to the post office and back and a trip to the grocery store for something I can fix for dinner and breakfast. I stopped between the Post Office and the grocery store for a very tasty burger and milk shake at a local hamburger place.I have called family and friends to let them know I am alive and catch up a little on life in general.So now I am back in my motel room and plan to do no more than a littl resting, watching TV, dinner and a shower and bed.It was a beautiful, warm day today. I hope it will be tomorrow also as I head back to the trail.
Date: 2008-11-01
From: Zero Day at Front Royal

To: Manassas Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

What a lovely day! It was sports bra weather all day long. The temp got up to 72 today and as I write this after the sun went down it is still 63. Amazing!Sharon picked me up a bit late from the motel but I am very grateful she took me to the trailhead. Pounce, Johnny and dog Cash were in the car too, SOBO thru-hikers. They went south and I went north.I did not start hiking until 9:00. I felt positively decadent starting so late. The trail was pretty nice all day - a few rocky parts but lots of good trail. No great views today, just a very plesant walk in the woods. I had more than 2,000 ft elevation gain spread out over 3 chimbs. The mountains are getting shorter, nothing over 2,000 ft, but the still go up and down.Superman, former thru-hiker dayhiking today, passed me as I was almost to the top of the first climb. I had lunch at Jim and Molly Denton Shelter with Thomas, a day hiker and cancer survivor from Vrginia Beach. It was nice to have company.3 other sets of day hikers passed me going SOBO in the afternoon. And I passed a guy chopping down grapevines who said they smother the trees. He gave me a taste of local cider. Thanks!The lower altitude compared to the Shenandoahs means there are leaves on the trees and more fall color, predominately yellow. Pretty.I got to the shelter by 5:30 and had plenty of time to get my water, bathe the sweaty parts of me and get dinner before dark. How nice to still be warm enought to bathe! I always feel like a new woman to get the day's sweat removed.Tomorrow we lose daylight savings time. I will be getting up between 5:00 and 5:30 now and need to get to the stopping point for the day by 4:30-5:30 and hiker midnight will be at 7:00. That seems so different, yet it is, in reality, no different than now. Changing the time seems like a very artificial construct while hiking. The only thing that is important is how many hours of daylight there are. What they are called is irrelevant.Tomorrow I need to be hiking a bit sooner than today as I have 2 more miles to go. But the rest of my hiking days are going to seem relatively easy, time wise, as I have shorter days planned for most of the time.It seems unreal to be so warm tonight after being so cold the last few days in the Shenandoahs. I am not complaining though, just commenting. The crickets are singing and I will soon be sleeping.
Date: 2008-11-02
From: Manassas Gap Shelter

To: Rod Holow Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I am still operating sort of on daylight savings time in my head although, as I said, the only thing that is important is to be hiking during hours of daylight. Maybe my head will be on stanadard time tomorrow.So, I got up at 6 (5) and after breakfast in bed, packed up and was on the trail by 7:45 (6:45).The sunrise was especially striking this morning, abrilliant red-orange ball before it rose very hight and hid behind a cloud. Unfortunately, I could only see it through trees so could not get a clear enough shot for a picture. Still, I enjoyed it.It was cooler today, 51-53 all morning. But it was nice weather for hiking. I just kept my shirts on.I saw few people until lunchtime, which I shared with Keith, a day hiker, on a bench at a tril junction for Sky Meaows Stte Park. It would be more appropriate to say Keith shared the bench with me as he and his little dog were there first. He even shared half a sandwich with me, said he wasn't going to eat it. I, of course, had no trouble gobbling it up, yum. As well as all I had for my own lunch. Thank you Keith.AS I ate lunch and afterward, I saw many day hikers, probably at least 15-20. It was a nice fall day in the woods. I also saw 3 SOBO thru-hikers, Red Cloud, Buzz and Ghost. Buzz said to look out for Native, another SOBO, but I never saw him. I met Newb, a section hiker out doing a day hike and doing some filimig for a guide book. Interesting.I saw more bear scat today than I saw in the Shenendoahs. They seem to be eating the bright orange berries with the yellow husks. I still don't know what they are. I also saw the white tail of a deer disappearing into the bushes. That and a few squirrels were all the wildlife visible today.The forest was beautiful, though. There were times I felt positively bathed in yellow and orange laves and the light shining through them, baptized in the light of Gold's love in yellow and orange. It was a nice Sunday image.I made it to the shelter by shortly after 5 (4). And I had time and energy to take a half bath again even though it was colder than yesterday. Oh, it did get up to 63 this afternoon. Nice, sports bra weather for the last 4 miles.Tomorrow will be a shorter day but more difficult as I will be entering a section called the roller coaster: 8-10 hills with steep ups and downs of 3 to 6 hundred ft each.So now I had better get some sleep as it is just past hiker midnight 8:00 (7:00).
Date: 2008-11-05
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

The Washington Monument was still lit up as I ate breakfast in bed in the pre-dawn hours. I was not too speedy getting away but was on the trail at 7:00.Chef and Noname said they saw 15 deer on the lawn at Blackburn. Their dog went nuts barking at them. I did not see 15 on the lawn, maybe because their dog scared them the day before or maybe because I was rustling around before dawn. But I did see 9 deer within a couple hours of leaving.I met Ooma and Oopa, section hikers heading to Daleville and a bit afterwards I saw Neville, a short section hiker.Today and yesterday it has been in the 50s and most of both days I was in sports bra. Certain, a thru-hiker whom I briefly met last year and whose journal I have sometimes read, calls herself a cold weanie as she hates to be cold. I guess I am a hot weanie as I hate to be hot. I can deal wih the cold much better than with the heat.I did put my shirts back on in the late morning when I was in a pretty foggy area and the fog was cold. Fortuneately I had my shirts on when I passed a class of 5th and 6th graders on a hiking field trip. They and their leaders asked me many questions and I enjoyed being show and tell for the day.It did not seem like I made very good time for most of the day. Even though there were no major climbs there were lots of rocks.I met Boone and Follower, two brothers who are SOBO thru-hikers right before descnding to Harpers Ferry. They started from Katahdin on September 17! Wow! That is a very late start. Yet they have passed many other thru-hikers and are more than half done with the trail in just a bit more time than it has taken me to do 400 miles. Ah, youth! They were fun to talk to.I got to Harpers Ferry and went to the AT Conservancy Headquarters to pick up my food drop. They took my picture to add to their records. I forgot I was getting my bounce box too. I did not know how I could carry it and the pack and my poles but a very nice previous thru-hiker gave me a ride to the hostel. Thanks bunches!The hostel is pretty new. It is next to the outfitter and it is in a building built in 1840. Pretty cool. Tiny rooms but very nice. I am sleeping in a brass bed in a house that is reeking of history in the old town of Harpers Ferry. It is also near the railroad tracks but you can't have everything.I ate a huge burger for dinner followed by half a box of Whoppers. And now to sleep. it is past hiker midnight for sure.
Date: 2008-11-08
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

Late last night Jessie got in to the shelter. First he tried to hang his hammock but something was wrong and he couldn't figure it out so he came in the shelter. He is a NOBO short section hiker. I thought I might see him here tonight but he went farther, I guess.It rained in the early morning hours and was a good 10 derees cooler than yesterday. But much of the day had blue sky and sunshine. A lovely fall day.Jessie and I leap frogged on the trail for a couple hours and then he went on faster than I did.The trail was FULL of people today. I can sure tell it is a weekend. First at least 30 runners went by, then a herd of Boy Scouts and then many, many day hikers and weekend backpackers. I must have seen at least a hundred people today.There were a couple of nice views today, one from the White Rocks trail and one from the Washinton Monument. Yes, I said the Washington Monument. Not the one in Washington DC that I saw at night a few nights ago. The first Washington monument was built by the people of Boonesboro in 1827. It is a monument built of stone that has the shape of an old fashioned milk bottle. It was also used as a lookout tower by Federal troops in the Civil War. I walked over South Mountain today, one of the places a number of battles were fought in the Civil War.The trail was nothing bad today other than a few rocky placs but for some reason I feel absolutely whipped tonight. Partly perhaps because I did not get good sleep last night. My tummy has not been feeling well ever since my burgers and fries I had at the Secret Sis Tavern in Harpers Ferry. It was the only place open at dinner but I think the greasy fries got to me. Hopefully, I will feel better tomorrow. And I hope to get some good sleep tonight.
Date: 2008-11-09
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Devil's Racecourse Shelter
Miles today: 13.0

The first 2/3 of today was on easy trail, some ups and downs, a couple stretches of rocks but the rest was smooth and nearly level walking. Very nice.There were still some day hikers, weekend campers and another batch of Boy Scouts but not quite the heards of people as yesterday. I did meet 2 thru-hikers, Barley and Hell on Bad Wheels. They actually finished at Katahdin in October but came back to do this little piece as Hell on Bad Wheeles had skipped it going north.I had begun to think that there was no wildlife in the "wilds" of Maryland as I had not even seen any deer. Then today I saw some bear scat. And, sadly, by a road someone had dumped 4 deer, 2 of them small, probably road kill.I started out so well that I took the detour to see the view from Annapolis Rocks. Nice. And I made Cowall Shelter. 8&1/2 miles, by 12:30 for lunch.Then there was some more nice hiking with a bit of rocks and then 2 climbs to end the day, the last one very steep. Along the way a knowledgeable hiker recommended against staying at Devil's Racecourse shelter as it is very near a road and some locals like to party there. So I left my pack on the AT and went down the .3 mile to get water and then brought it back to my pack and tented tonight.I haven't used the tent since Loft Campground in Shenandoah. I guess I have just gotten lazy since the shelters are here. In fact, since I have usually been staying in them by myself they have seemed like my private bedroom. When the man said it would not be good to stay at Devil's Racecourse it felt like someone was telling me I could not sleep in my own bedroom because some strangers were using it.Actually there are advantages to tents. They are usually warmer as the tent is not open on a whole side. The forest floor is much softer to sleep on and my stuff is more confined and easier to reach in my tent. But I have a hard time convincing myself of all that when the shelters are so handy and require no set up or take down.But tonight I am in my tent and ready now for sleep.