morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-20
From: Buchanon Mountain

To: Robin Larson's House
Miles today: 0.0

   The past week has been intense for sure. I woke up from Fat Fest and hiked down to Lake Tiriorati to meet the parents. After celebrating my dad's birthday as a family, Hall went off to do some more walking (the trail is addictive) and we headed to Asbury, NJ for my class at Tom Brown's Tracker School.    They dropped me off there at the Tracker School farm and we said our goodbyes. What followed was the most intense week I've had in quite a while, if not ever. I can't do the expereince justice writing it here but I will say that I learned a WHOLE lot and that I'll be in a different perspective the rest of my journey to Maine.    Robin Larson, a friend from NOLS, picked me up there and brought me here to her house. Last night we went to NEW YORK CITY through the Lincoln tunnel to Port Authority. We walked around times square for a while and then took the Subwway to South Ferry. In the Subway tunnel, we bought a bootlegged copy of Dumb and Dumberer (which we watched late last night and was of pretty poor quality). A real bootlegged movie! I felt like I was on some Sienfeld episode. We took the Staton Island ferry (free) to go by the Statue of Liberty (twice) and then headed back through the subway to 42nd street and walked through times square to Port authority. $14 bus to and from port authority, $6 for the subway (with some left over), $1 for a pepsi = $21 for a trip to New York!    This morning I've gotta get moving. I'm definitely ready to get back to the trail. Until next time,
Date: 2003-08-20
From: Kent, CT

To: CANADA via The Long Trail
Miles today: 270.0

   I know, I know; it's been almost a whole month since I last had a chance to update this thing. Oh well. Better than nothing a?    Conecticut and Massachusetts blur together a bit for me...I'd have to break out the books to give an account of what happened through there. I'll do that later.    Today, I crossed the Canadian border! I stayed in Canada about a minute or two and then stepped out. It's a nice place. That means that I'm a 2003 Long Trail end-to-ender! For those who are lost, the Appalachian Trail, when it crosses over the Massachusetts border into Vermont, follows The Long Trail, the oldest long-distance hiking trail, for 105 miles. At that point, the A.T. makes a sharp turn east--into New Hampshire and the L.T. continues to wind through the whole state of Vermont, ending finally at the Canadian border.    Before I took that left turn off of the A.T., I'd been sick for a while, my sandals had just broken, it had been raining for AT LEAST a week, and I had just caught up with Goat and Sprite (two of my friends from way back). In short, it was one of the hardest decisions I've made all summer. When I left the A.T. headed for N. VT, all seemed to shift in my favor. The sickness went away, I (kind of) got used to tennis shoes again, it stopped raining (after 3 or 4 more good, wet days), and I kept running into more, really interesting folks!    Even though the Northern section of The Long Trail is some of the hardest, most rugged hiking that I've ever done, seen, or heard of, it was TOTALLY worth it! One of the groups that I ran into was from NC state. When I told them where I was from, they said that they knew a guy from Lumberton named (can you believe it?) Hall Sigmon! I hiked with them for about 3 days over Camels Hump and Mt. Mansfield which are both beautiful mountains. Mt. Mansfield is the highest Mtn in VT and I had an extraordinarily clear day to summit it!    While this trail has been great, I REALLY look forward to getting back on the A.T. and seeing who was 2 weeks behind me. I also look forward to finally trekking over the White Mountains of New Hampshire. They say that the Whites are different that ANYTHING else around. I can't wait!
Date: 2003-09-12
From: CANADA via The Long Trail

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Computers seem to be less and less frequent as time passes. Right now, I'm in the library in Stratton, ME. Stratton is in the Bigalow Mtn range, right before Bigalow Mtn itself.    The White mountains were AWESOME: miles and miles above treeline, intense wind, great weather (for the most part), and good people, as always.    Right after I got through the whites, I ran into Litewalker, Shifty, and Hyde. Litewalker has since taken a zero to get over some sickness. Now I'm hiking with Shifty. We just ran into O.F.F. and Kokopelli.    Maine is wild! It's SOOO different up here than anything we've done so far. I heard a Loon the other night camping on the beach of a pond for the first time since I was in Minnesota. So far, I've seen 5 moose...I'm still waiting to see a buck though. Katahdin and the end of this trip are now in sight (literally). Recently, I've been a whole lot more about life off of the trail and reflecting on the past 5 1/2 months. This has been the best trip ever. I'm such a lucky guy.    I'm sorry that I can't give a better description of what's going on...I'm sure everyone else's trail journals are much more thorough than mine. Maybe I'll get a chance to catch you up on things after I return.    One last thing. Don't worry about my fording rivers. The rivers listed in the data book as fords have all been rock-hoppable and I plan to take the ferry over the Kennebec River in a few days.    I plan to finish sometime between the 26th and the 28th...we'll see.
Date: 2003-01-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Finalizing plans for my 2003 section hike. Plan to start near Catawba, VA where I finished up a 2001 section. Hopefully, I will make it all the way to the Mason-Dixon line some 377 miles down the trail. This stretch will include Shenandoah National Park which will be a real highlight. Not only are the trails a bit more gently graded, but there are numerous opportunities for food at the park waysides...a hikers dream!!I plan to start in Virginia April 11th and be a bit ahead of the thru-hiker crowd. A hiker starting the AT at Springer Mountain, Georgia would typically need 7-8 weeks to make it as far as Catawba, VA. That means I will be walking with hikers who started mid-February. Not many begin that early...just the crazies!!Am planning to buy a good deal of my food along the trail this year. Lots of good trail towns in Virginia. Will supplement with some dehydrated dinners mailed to Post Offices in Glasgow, Waynesboro and Front Royal, VA. Along with those dinners my wife Reggie will also be mailing me maps, guidebook pages and maybe some chocolate chip cookies.
Date: 2003-04-11
From: Craig Creek

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Great day to start a section hike. The weather in VA the past 4 days has been miserable. The other hikers on the trail have endured rain, sleet, hail and cold temps. I was dropped off by a super shuttle person, Maurice Turner (email: HikerATC@aol.com). He does trail maintenance in the area and like so many volunteers has really committed alot of personal time to make the AT a better place. Craig Creek was overflowing and even though there are two bridges spanning the stream, it was a challenge to get from one side to the other. I found in the debris along the bank a tire still on the rim which I wanted to use as a stepping stone. However, when I threw it into the water, I realized the tire still floats, so I had to step quickly as it was beginning to move downstream.After the river crossing, I climbed the mountain and at the top found a old woods road where someone had recently installed a beautiful bench which I immediately sat upon. Shortly I came upon a thru-hiker named Crow. We hiked together to the Audie Murphy monument. It is hard to imagine the most decorated soldier of WWII surviving all those battles only to die in a plane crash on this mountaintop.Next it was up and over another mountain to Dragons Tooth, a rock outcropping that is very unique. The climb down was an adventure as the path required metal rungs drilled into the rockface at several points to assist hikers with the sheer drop of the decent. Thank goodness it was a dry day as I am sure it is downright lethal on a rain soaked afternoon.At the next road crossing a hostel is located .3 mile off the trail. Joe Mitchell has turned a three car garage into a nice hostel complete with shower, bathroom and woodburning stove. Joe enjoys this experience so much, he has tatooed "Four Pines" on his arm. He gladly offered his truck so Crow and I could eat dinner at the Homeplace Restaurant which should not be missed especially since it is AYCE (All you can eat). Later that evening Magic and Sweetfeet arrived and took the truck to Homeplace.All in all, a great first day of hiking the AT!!!
Date: 2003-04-12
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

As I got ready to leave Four Pines, I learned Crow was leaving the trail to return home for his father-in-laws surgery. Sweetfeet & Magic were going into Roanoke for some town duties, so I was the only one hitting the trail this AM. It was a warm & sunny Saturday morning and I soon discovered that a weekend this close to Roanoke meant lots and lots of weekend hikers. As I climbed toward McAfee Knob, I met a former thru hiking family known as the Odd Couple. Homer, his wife and two children went from GA to ME last season! Their children are 10 and 8 years old. I also found out that Homer and his wife were married on top McAfee...hard core AT hikers for sure.Although I have hiked only 750+ miles of the AT, McAfee provided the most outstanding views I have ever seen from a mountaintop. The weather provided totally clear vistas for what seemed like 50 or more miles in every direction. You can clearly see the Roanoke airport runways just as well as a pilot coming in for landing. From McAfee you can also see Tinkers Cliffs about 8-10 miles away which was the destination for later in the day. Looks like a looong way for a hiker on day 2.I eventually made it to Tinkers Cliffs where the trail winds only inches from the cliffside. If it had been a foggy day, this would have been quite a dicey scramble. Later I arrived at Lambers Meadow Shelter where I was greeted with some Trail Magic as someone had left orange sodas inside a rock ring in the middle of the stream running below the shelter. If the AT teaches nothing else, hikers learn to relish simple pleasures we usually take for granted. That orange soda never tasted so good! Thanks to the trail angel who hiked a long way up to help out one thirsty hiker.That evening Sweetfeet arrived at the shelter. He had gone into town and didn't leave Four Pines until 11 AM. Imagine a 60+ year old who hiked 16 miles in just half the time it took me...proof that it takes lots of time to get in trail shape.
Date: 2003-04-13
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: US220 Econolodge
Miles today: 9.4

Got on the trail at 6:30AM looking forward to a motel room and food. I soon realized that my hiking pace would get me into town before Noon. Since I wanted a hot shower even more than a meal, I decided to slow down so the room would be available by the time I hit the highway.There were great views of Carvers Cove which is the lake supplying water to Roanoke. An even greater view awaits hikers at the US220 road crossing. You pop out of the woods and you are looking directly at a Pizza Hut! Just beyond that is an AYCE chinese buffet.I checked into the Econolodge at 12:01 and got my shower. This motel and I have a history. Two years ago I asked to park my car here and then got shuttled to Pearisburg, VA for my very first section hike. As a newbie hiker with a 50 pound pack and 4 pound hiking boots, I was in agony the 5th day into the hike. I decided to stop after spending the night at Niday Shelter in mortal pain. That morning I hitch-hiked (for the first time ever) back to my car. Somehow, the memory of pain on the Appalachian Trail always seems to fade quickly and I was section hiking again the next season.Had both a late lunch at Pizza Hut and an early dinner at the Chinese restaurant. The Chinese place is identical to a Chinese Buffet in Russell Springs, KY. Same placemats, dishes, buffet table and even the same ice cream machine. I swear the Chinese mafia have these set up all around the country and have total control of General Tso and his chicken.
Date: 2003-04-14
From: Black Horse Gap

To: US220 Econolodge
Miles today: 13.6

Last evening I decided to slackpack south back to the Econolodge for another evening at a motel. My handbook listed one Mr. Del Schechterly who I called for a ride north so I could hike back to the motel. When I identified myself on the phone, he already knew where I was staying and my room number. This guy must have "informants" everywhere!! He had other committments, but called back within minutes and announced he had found a volunteer to take me to Black Horse Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway. My driver was none other than Homer of the Odd Couple.On my drive north, I asked Homer if he had home schooled his kids on the trail. He replied that when he told the childrens school teachers about their upcoming thru hike on the AT, the administrators allowed the kids to leave school in March and that they would be automatically advanced to the next grade in the fall. They believed the hiking experience was more valuable that sitting in a classroom.The hiking was easy especially without carrying a pack. I took a break at Fullhart Knob Shelter which is one of the only shelters on the trail located on a mountaintop with a good supply of water. Thanks to a cistern that collects rainwater from the roof of the shelter, water is available closeby. The privy even has toilet paper thanks to a "mouseproof" metal USMail box mounted in the privy. At the shelter I met section hikers Lead Dog and Dakota (from NC) who had completed 1800 miles on the AT. Later I learned they had to leave the trail since Dakota had become sick. She was recovering from a serious illness the year before and the hiking was just too taxing. They have only 350 miles to go...I hope they can finish.Later I met See Blue, a thru hiker heading north. He had stopped at the road crossing to shop for groceries and was not sure if his hiking partners were still behind or now ahead of him. He asked if I had seen a red head and a brunette which I had not. Little did I know I would be bumping into this trio for some time. He told me their names were Sweet-n-Lo and Not Yet. I did run into the girls about 20 minutes later and they were surprised I knew them by name. They are childhood friends from Dayton, OH.Got to the motel in time another pizza and a good nights sleep.
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Black Horse Gap

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: few clouds

Dropped off by Homer, said my goodbyes and put on my pack which now really felt heavy after a day of slackpacking. After an hour or so, plugged in my MP3 player...a real delight and a tool that makes the miles fly by. Bumped into See Blue, Sweet-n-Lo and Not Yet at the roadcrossing hitching into Buchanan. Next I met southbounders Snuffles and Fuzzy. They started at Big Meadows and plan to hike to Springer then flip-flop to Katahdin and march south to Big Meadows. Sounds like a good plan. Apparently I was singing to myself listening to the MP3 player, because Snuffles asked if I was hiking alone. When I said yes, she simply replied..."You're quite the chatty hiker".Was thinking of stopping at Cove Mtn Shelter but it was occupied by lots and lots of bees. The next shelter was 6.9 further, so continued on. Passed Jennings Creek which was quite beautiful and the water cooled off my feet. Met several trout fishermen who weren't catching anything but seemed to be enjoying the afternoon.As usual the last mile to the shelter seems to go on forever. Bryant Ridge Shelter is relatively new as shelters go. Three levels and a covered cooking area. It is located in the deep woods and has streams bordering it on two sides...really a nice location. Snuffles mentioned to me that mice had gotten into their food bag the night before. Then I read the shelter register. In January Boy Scouts were sleeping in the upper level when bears entered the shelter and climbed the ladder into the sleeping area. Maybe the entry was all in fun, but I decided to tent away from the shelter. My new tent is a Wanderlust 242 silnylon model that weighs an amazing 2 pounds. Due to the terain, I had to pitch the tent on a slope. Although I was warned by the tent designer Kurt Russell, when you pitch the tent on a hillside your mattress slides on the silnylon floor. I continually woke during the night to find myself bunched up on the downhill wall of the tent. Believe me, it felt like sleeping on a sliding board. Lesson learned!
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Harrison Ground Campsite
Miles today: 13.6

Todays challenge was Apple Orchard Mountain. After a long, grueling day yesterday, I needed whatever advantage I could find. I checked my foodbag which still seemed heavy. I found a full can of cashews and decided to leave them for See Blue and company. It wasn't that I was being overly generous, I just didn't want to carry one extra pound over that mountain. I wrote their names on the can of nuts and trudged up the mountain.Apple Orchard Mountain has a FAA radar dome on top of it. You can see it miles before hiking to the top and it seemed I would never get there. Finally I did reach the summit. There are lots of old apple trees on the mountaintop. Some were still blooming. There must be a road to the summit because I saw a maintenance worker by the radar dome. If the US government would get the idea to put a coke machine outside the fence of this facility, it would get plenty of business from the thru hiker crowd. Maybe it could help reduce the national debt...a little.Just beyond the summit is "The Guillotine"....a round boulder stuck between two vertical rock formations. The trail passes right under the boulder. It was a nice spot to stop for a break.Finally found a tentsite near a spring. There were two tents already pitched and I called out hello to one older hiker I saw there. Apparently he had his hearing aids turned off and I literlly had to tap him on the shoulder to let him know I was here. Jack and his friend Dick were older hikers maybe 70-75 years old. They were hiking 5 or 6 miles per day and I give them alot of credit for enjoying the trail. Jacks friend was already turned in for the night at 5:30PM. Jack and I talked for an hour before he went to bed at 6:30. It was a bit lonely that evening so I called Reggie on my cell phone knowing I would not be disturbing anyone at this campsite.
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Harrison Ground Campsite

To: US501 Glasgow
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

Hoping for a short day to arrive in town early for the Post Office, laudramat, lunch, shower and dinner. Had a very enjoyable hike in the James Face Wilderness. There were times where I could look in any direction and only see mountains, trees and rocks...not a single sign of development anywhere.The trail dropped down to Matt's Creek, a really interesting stream where there are natural rock chutes that the water flows through. From the shelter the trail followed the creek to the James River, then made a sharp turn to the right and continued following the river for several miles. It was so nice to be hiking in a cool river valley with waterfalls flowing from little streams coming down the mountains into the main river. The flowers and vegetation were different from what we experienced high up on the mountain ridges. I wish the AT could spend more time down low instead of constantly up on the higher elevations.Eventually the trail crossed the river on the newly built "Foot Bridge". This was named for AT thru hiker Bill Foot. He and his wife worked to see this project added to the trail so hikers would not have to share a bridge crossing with cars and trucks. Bill died just before this 600 foot bridge was completed and I know he would be proud of the beauty of this structure.At the other end of the bridge the trail crosses US501 which leads to Glasgow, VA 6 or 7 miles west. See Blue, Sweet-n-Lo and Not Yet were standing there trying to hitch into town. I decided to wait on the bridge since most cars are not going to stop to pick-up 4 hikers. After 20 minutes they were still standing there, so I joined them anyhow. They decided the girls would have better luck getting a ride so See Blue and I moved up the road just a bit. Sure enough a pick up stopped within minutes. The girls asked if the boys could join them in the rear of the truck and that is how we all got to town.We stopped at the only motel in town, "The Wright Place". If I was travelling by car, I wouldn't even slow down for this motel. It had 12 rooms but only 9 were usable. See Blue and the girls were going to share a room but the house rules only allowed 2/room. See Blue and I were bunkmates for the evening!Later, I said hello to a dirty looking guy who had a dog in his motel room. It appeared that this motel was his home. I thought "what a way to go through life living in a dump like this". See Blue joined me and remarked that the guy had socks drying on a towel rack attached to the door. "Those socks are Smartwool"...that's no bum, it's a hiker!!! Jim, Elaine and their dog Appalachia were section hiking from Troutville.The other unique feature of Glasgow are 5 or 6 life size statues of dinosaurs all around town. There is even one whose head sticks out of a condemned building window looking like it has just demolished the structure.Town stops are always an interesting experience!
Date: 2003-04-18
From: US501 Glasgow

To: Blue Ridge Parkway just past Punchbowl
Miles today: 10.9

Today I was slackpacking. I left my backpack at the motel having made arrangement with a hikers B&B in Montebello who would pick me up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Later we would go back and retrieve my pack and then it was off to the Dutch Haus Bed and Breakfast. Sounds sweet!We secured a ride in the morning from "Stewart". This guy hung out at the restaurant in the morning and waited for hikers who needed a ride back to the trail. With Jim and Elaine we were now 6 hikers and one dog. It was a cold ride in the back of the pick-up and you could tell that rain was on the way. Whenever you leave town the trail usually goes straight uphill. This was no exception. The rains came in buckets, probably the wettest day I have ever experienced on the AT. As we reached the ridgetops the winds really put a chill on our soaked bodies. As long as you keep moving it's tolerable, but at breaktime the misery factor goes skyhigh. Added to this we were walking in the clouds so no views were available all day long. Views are the "bonus" hikers get for hiking uphill hour after hour. No bonus=no fun.We arrived at Punchbowl shelter a sorry looking sight. See Blue continued ahead hiking as fast as possible just to stay warm. The girls decided they had enough of the foul weather & got out of their clothes and into their warm sleeping bags. I was early for my ride and without a change of clothes. It was looking pretty grim. Thankfully, Earl Arnold arrived on the Parkway with a hot thermos of tea. This was my first introduction to the Dutch Haus.