morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-09
From: Uncle Johnny's Hostel

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Barbarossa Gongs at the All You Can Eat Chinese placeMonday, June 9, 2008Uncle Johnny's Hostel 4We got up and my feet are even more swollen. I can't figure it out. We went out to get Cyclone's tooth fixed at the dentist and I was definitely glad for another day's reprieve. I have to keep elevating my feet. I can't figure out why they are still swelling. I guess I'll just pack them in my boots tomorrow and start walking, we don¢t have time to keep sitting at Uncle Johnny¢s; not to mention, it¢s costing us a ton of money to keep staying here. We keep going out to the buffets and Pizza Hut to eat. It costs a hell of a lot more to eat at places like that than it does to eat our trail provisions. It only costs us about $80 for four days of food for the three of us. We¢ll have to stay on the trail just to stretch our budget out enough for us to survive financially! I hate being so budget-conscious but we really didn¢t factor in the amount of money it was going to cost us to be out here. The websites say you can do it for about a dollar a mile but they must be talking about the people who never go off trail. It¢s more like 2 or 3 dollars a mile. I thought we¢d be getting more donations and that my company would be booking more gigs while I was away; but, Midnight Productions hasn¢t been getting any future bookings and the donations have been slow. Staying at hostels and eating in cafes has been disastrous on our budget.Around noon, we watched a wicked storm come up out of nowhere. We were riding the bikes when the wind came up and the sky got crazy dark. Lightning was blowin' up everywhere; it was sweet! We holed up in the Huddle House until the storm blew through and then all these cop cars started flyin' past. Later we learned that a church¢s steeple got struck by lightning and there was a big accident on the interstate at the same time. Hell, I'll bet the newspaper will be twice as thick as normal tomorrow! Rolex rolled home on the bike while Cyclone and I went o go see the Kung-Fu Panda movie.We got back to the hostel and read I ¢Catch 22¢, elevated my feet, took vitamins and passed out. I think we're finally leaving Uncle Johnny's tomorrow. This ¢Catch 22¢ book is probably not the right book to be reading on the trail. You really have to concentrate on what¢s going on because things don¢t happen in chronological order. I like the book tremendously; but, it sure isn¢t a casual read. I can identify with a lot of what is going on because of my time in the Marines. There is a lot of truth to the way it is written even though some of it is completely ridiculous. I¢m sure it¢s going to affect my dreams in ways I can¢t even begin to imagine¢¦ I hope it helps with the swelling.David AKA "Jukebox"Website:http://www.brotherproof.comBlog:http://brotherproof.blogspot.comPictures:http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproofFilm:http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/brotherproofDavid's Website:http://www.davidpatrone.com
Date: 2008-06-10
From: Uncle Johnny's Hostel

To: Fire Road Campsite
Miles today: 14.0

Grandma's RoomUncle Johnny¢s Hostel to Fire road Campsite 14 MilesWe left Erwin after breakfast and climbed pretty fast. My swollen legs were giving me trouble and I imagined I was a bloated slug trying to climb the trail. It felt like slow going but then I looked at the GPS and it said my average was over 3 miles an hour and that was mostly up hill. Cyclone and Rolex took off up the hills as usual and I ended up playing catch-up.I got in to the Curley Maple Gap Shelter about 2PM and Cyclone and Rolex were sitting there waiting for me. It turns out, I got in just in time because about five minutes after I dropped my pack, the thunder started thunderin¢ and the lightning started a-flashin¢ and shortly thereafter, the rain and the hail and the cats and the dogs were all fallin¢ all over the place. Cyclone prognosticated the thunder with a comment like, ¢Is that thunder?¢ just as it went BOOM! And Rolex laughed uncontrollably until the hail started playin¢ ¢This Old Man¢ on the tin roof. In the plastic bag where the hiker log is, Cubit left me a tube of Icy Hot and I applied some to the backs of my legs. I recommend you don¢t do this in the rain. It just kept getting hotter and hotter! It felt good though, my legs have been cramping up or something. It feels like a cramp but also like a strained tendon on the back of my legs. It¢s weird though, because it¢s intermittent. Lots of rest and thick, juicy steaks seem to help it though. There were some potassium pills in the bag that someone had left behind and I put some of them in with my vitamins. This is a weird coincidence since I¢ve never seen potassium pills before and I was just thinking yesterday that lack of Potassium might be part of my leg problem.The rain eventually let up and we donned some wet weather gear and took off. Within 100 yards all of us had taken off our rain gear while we were walking. Removing your raingear while you are walking with a pack on is an art form that is unfairly overlooked in Modern Civilization. It requires a m©lange of skills, combined with the severe consequence of failure; a delicate balance of daring and dexterity where death or disfigurement can come as quickly as it takes to tangle rain pants and Leki pole. This is not an endeavor for the faint of heart or the uncoordinated to be sure. I was having a rough time of it and finally stopped moving so I could stuff my jacket under my pack cover. Rain loomed and threatened all day but held off until we found a place to hole up for the night. It was just a small campsite off the side of the US Forest Service Road that was near a weak water source. We lit a fire and ate. The wind was strong and it rained a little; the fire stayed lit and we slept. Paraphrasing Billy S: ¢To sleep, perchance to heal¢¦¢David AKA "Jukebox"Website:http://www.brotherproof.comBlog:http://brotherproof.blogspot.comPictures:http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproofFilm:http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/brotherproofDavid's Website:http://www.davidpatrone.com
Date: 2008-06-11
From: Fire Road Campsite

To: Ash Gap Campsite
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Fire road Campsite to Ash Gap Campsite 18 MilesI stayed in the hammock and let the fellas leave early this morning, I¢m sick of being rushed so I just suggested they take off without me. I have enough water so I¢ll just meet them way up the road. We had a cool camp last night despite the imminent threat of thunderstorms and crazy winds and lightning, I lit a fire. It turned out to be a good idea. We had a nice fire.Water sources haven¢t been very good and I haven¢t been able to wash the mud off of my legs. I hate sleeping in my bag with dirty legs. My feet have a wet dog smell after a while and I don¢t like transferring it to my sleeping bag along with the dried dirt crumbs and possible varmints living in them. I got out of camp about 45 minutes after Cyclone and Rolex. I am starting to really like hiking alone. You wouldn¢t believe the things that go through my mind as I hike, especially when I¢m in pain. I have been writing a novel in my head as we walk. I also go through all of these fantastic scenarios.We got in to Ash Gap campsite and the water was way down the hill and hard to fill up. We only stopped here so we wouldn¢t have to hike all the way up Roan Mountain on a 23 Mile day. They say that it¢s beautiful to stay at the top of Roan Mountain but I was chafing so badly when I got in to the campsite that I just couldn¢t go anymore. The space between my leg and scrotum looks just like seared ahi. I know that sounds disgusting but it¢s true. I¢m not exactly bleeding but the skin is bright read and rubbed off. There¢s a kind of foam of dead skin collected down there and not only does it smell awful but it looks really dangerous bacterially. I asked Cyclone if we had any Neosporin and he threw me the tube. I¢m really worried it might get seriously infected since I can¢t really clean it. I¢m not about to try and wash it. It¢s excruciating to touch. I¢d hate to have to get off the trail from something as stupid as Jock Rot.I¢m definitely not looking forward to the climb up Roan Mountain tomorrow but as long as I just put one foot in front of the other I eventually get up the hills in time. Continuing up Roan Mountain at the end of this day would have been a bad idea. I went and got some wood and started a fire while my brothers were down trying to get some water from the trickling stream. I¢m starting to dig these nightly campfires. I have an idea they scare the bears away. It¢s probably not true but I like the idea of it and it helps me get to sleep. We filmed our setup of the tents and I want to do a time lapse thing with it. I¢m too tired to continue typing and it¢s really uncomfortable sitting on this log. Tomorrow...David AKA "Jukebox"Website:http://www.brotherproof.comBlog:http://brotherproof.blogspot.comPictures:http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproofFilm:http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/brotherproofDavid's Website:http://www.davidpatrone.com
Date: 2008-06-16
From: Watuga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

Butterfly on Poison HemlockWatauga lake Shelter to Iron Mountain Shelter 14 MilesOne thing I¢ve noticed out here is that people keep saying, ¢The next section is pretty easy, you¢ve gotten over the hard part,¢ and they are always LYING BASTARDS! We woke up late and in the morning everyone left us. Rolex got up earliest and left without me and Cyclone. We took off last and crossed the Watauga Dam. Two huge brown Eagles were on the dam and unfortunately they took off before we could get good pictures of them. It was a tough day and Cyclone and I had a lot of discussion about what we are going to do about our schedule. If we are going to get off the trail by August 24th, we are not going to make Maine, it¢s just not possible. I want to skip ahead to New York and at least finish out to Maine but Rolex doesn¢t want to do that. Cyclone seems cool with the idea but I just found out he has to get off the trail the first week in July. I wasn¢t aware of this; I thought we were all clear to go all the way to August 24th.When we got to the shelter we had decided we would talk to Rolex and try to convince him to skip ahead. This way we can start again next year at Damascus VA during what they call ¢Trail Days¢ which is a festival for Thru Hikers in the second week of May. That way if we decided to finish the trail next year, we can start then at Damascus and just finish up through PA. After talking to Rolex we discovered he¢s planning on leaving the trail when Doug does so I guess I¢ll be the only one on the trail. I¢m not sure how I feel about that. That¢s not true; I¢m sure how it makes me feel, it pisses me off. I¢m cool with hiking the trail alone; but I wasn¢t planning on it, and I have trepidations about the situation. I really don¢t have a problem with hiking alone, we¢ve been having such a hard time getting along I would prefer it at this point. I¢m planning on making it to Katahdin before I have to be back in San Diego in September. I¢m not sure how it will affect the film but whatever happens is part of the story.We met some folks at the shelter here tonight and they are marveling over the computer and we are showing them some of the videos that we¢ve taken. Four are from Miami, their trail names are Sunshine Bee (who spotted a mossy gorilla at Laurel Fork Falls); Piecemeal (67) (It¢s taken him 7 years to get from Springer to here); Burninator (who burns things); Sweat Heifer (who shot one of her ex-husbands) and a large group of young fellows from Greensboro who roasted tortillas over a custom Spit and Grille thing made out of wood.. Right now they are throwing knives. I may go over later and give them some lessons. For now, I¢m going to post blogs since we have a good internet connection from this shelter out here in the middle of nowhere.David AKA "Mister F. Gentle Spirit"Website:http://www.brotherproof.comBlog:http://brotherproof.blogspot.comPictures:http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproofFilm:http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/brotherproofDavid's Website:http://www.davidpatrone.com
Date: 2008-06-21
From: Philly

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

We got a ride back to Philly from Gregg AKA "Blue Blaze" and we regrouped, got our equipment fixed and exchanged. I had already blown out a pair of Vasque boots in just one month and REI did a wonderful thing by replacing them. Gregory Mountain Products' customer service also gets the Oscar nod for prompt replacement of a broken hip strap on my pack which I love. We're going back out on the trail in a few hours, resuming at the Delaware Water gap on the border of PA and NJ. Our Dad will be joining us for a few weeks on the trail so we'll have to get you some pics of that and some updates. I am exhausted right now, I met a few cool peeps tonight while we were having our second going away party and I'm really itchin' to get back on that trail. I'll be right here, on the trail, hope you are having a great summer. David AKA "Mr. F'n Gentle Spirit" Website http://www.wbafinc.org   Photos: http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof Videos: http://www.youtube.com/WBAF1
Date: 2008-06-22
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Delaware Water Gap to Mohican Outdoor Center 11 miles The family got up at 6AM and got everything together. We were supposed to all leave at 6:30 but it was apparent that that wasn¢t about to happen. So we got it together eventually, threw everything together and sat in the driveway while we kept remembering things and running back into the house to get them. When we finally got on the road we had a couple of hours to drive up tot the Delaware Water Gap and I passed out on the way. It was raining a little and we stopped in some crazy place to get gas. JESUS GAS IS EXPENSIVE. I¢ve been on the trail so long I haven¢t notice but you guys are paying WAY TOO MUCH for gas. It¢s time to blow up another one of those OPEC countries again. Where¢s George Bush when you need him. Let¢s take out Saudi Arabia this time! We really need to take those bastards out after Iran. Anyway, we got on the trail by 11 or so and headed up the trail with Dad leading the way. His trail name is Pennsylvania Mongoose. That¢s been his CB handle since forever so we¢ll take that until we give him one. We had a short incline and then a really rocky flat. The elevations are not really changing at all but the rocky grounds are making it tough to go at any good speed. Dad¢s on his first day too so we¢re taking it easy. We got in to the Mohican Outdoor Center and got some sandwiches from Dave at the center and then I played some instruments. They had a piano and a guitar and bongos so we all fooled around after we set up our tents and we hung out with Sara from Hungary. Sleep was wonderful. The skies threatened hail and thunderstorms but it never came to pass.David AKA ¢Mr. F'n Gentle Spirit¢ Website http://www.wbafinc.org Photos: http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof Videos: http://www.youtube.com/WBAF1
Date: 2008-06-26
From: Unionville

To: Unionville
Miles today: 0.0

The Mayor¢s place to the Mayor¢s placeWe stayed another night. It was weird after Rolex split and we had a bunch of stuff to get done so we did it. Post office, re-supply, pizza etc¢¦ A few more hikers showed up at the Mayor¢s House and we hung out and ate dinner and went to bed after watching Million dollar baby.David AKA ¢Mr. F'n Gentle Spirit¢Websitehttp://www.wbafinc.org/Photos:http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproofVideos:http://www.youtube.com/WBAF1
Date: 2008-06-27
From: Unionville

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

The Mayor¢s House to Wawayanda Shelter 19 MilesWe got out of there and the Mayor dropped us off at the trailhead. Breakfast was wonderful and we said goodbye to the Mayor, Butch and Bill. We had a long one in front of us but we knew we were going to run into a bunch of people that had been at the Mayor¢s. We were going for a 20 mile day and we¢re going to try to make the Hudson River by Sunday evening. It¢s going to be a long haul but we want to make it as far as possible before Cyclone heads home. We really took our time today. We stopped and ate a bunch of berries, filmed a bunch of stuff including another bear that was hanging out on the trail ahead of us. We stopped at a cool produce place called Heaven Hill Farms where they had great ice cream and fruit and stuff. We got a little to eat; it was only a tenth of a mile off the trail. Then I got the wacky iodea to carry a watermelon up the 1000 foot vertical climb to the next shelter. I knew I had to do it as soon as I thought of it. No one would believe I would do something like that which is exactly why I had to do it. Defining moments come along pretty often on this trail and I like to take advantage of all of them. We got a seven pound watermelon and I found a way to stuff it in the pack. I carried that bastard all the way up the hill but I wasn¢t sorry I did it. It was so cool to pull that thing out when we got to the shelter after a 20 mile day and give it to the Ohio State crew. Riddler and the Scarlet Seven are a group of people who are hiking for six weeks as far as they can go. We knew they would be able to appreciate the true value of a watermelon on the trail after climbing that hill themselves. It¢s weird without Rolex. We had too much spaghetti but man was it good! We finally killed the bottle of parmesan cheese. I¢m a little concerned about all of the food smells tonight. There is a ton of stuff in the bear boxes and I can guarantee a bear comes by tonight and tries to get into that thing. I¢m just trying to get this blog out before that happens. It¢s been dark for about an hour now and this is the time they come by. A group of six girls came up to the shelter late and cooked this amazing mud pie, peanut butter, jello thing and there¢s no way five bears can¢t smell it from all over the state. I better get this posted and get in my tent before I become dinner.David AKA ¢Mr. F'n Gentle Spirit¢Websitehttp://www.wbafinc.org/Photos:http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproofVideos:http://www.youtube.com/WBAF1
Date: 2008-06-28
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Wawayanda Shelter to Wildcat Shelter 12 miles Last night I managed to clean up a little bit in the bathroom at the nearby ranger station and we haven¢t needed to use our water purifier much because there have been spigots or restrooms around us. We got up and left just behind the Scarlet Seven Crew and spent some hours trying to figure out the ¢what fits under the Umbrella¢ game. I¢m still not sure what fits under the umbrella but I know the umbrella always fits under the umbrella. That¢s all I know. We were cruising right along and then the trail started to get interesting. We traversed long ridges of smooth rock and lots of ups and downs. We finally crossed over into New York for good, goodbye to New Jersey and signed the Logbook with lots of sweat drops blurring the ink. I thought this section was supposed to be easy but I started sweating a lot and my socks kept getting really wet. I have to wring them out and change them while I hang the old ones on the back of my pack although they never really get dry. I¢m completely out of dry socks, or dry anything for that matter. We got to NY17A and someone hipped us to the Bellvale Farms Creamery. We got some ice cream of course; it was about 300 yards west of the trail so we just had to, twice. It was hot and sunny and I rinsed out my socks and left them on the hot concrete to dry from a spigot that was on the side of the building. Cyclone and I eventually stayed there for several hours as lots of people we knew kept rolling in and getting ice cream, then moving on. Not us! Birch beer in a bottle and vanilla ice cream¢¦ Ahhhhhhhhhhh, satisfaction! It rained for a little bit and we eventually got back on the trail; wet socks and wet boots. Hiking with a heavy pack and pruney feet is not a good idea. Every couple of hours they start squish squishing and I have to take them off and wring them out. I feel like I¢m getting blisters under my feet in a weird place in the middle of my foot but under the pads next to the ball of my foot. I¢ve never had that happen before. I need gaiters desperately. Maybe I¢ll get some tomorrow when Mike picks Cyclone up. Since we spent so much time at the Ice Cream place, we didn¢t think we could make the next shelter so we just packed it in at Wildcat. It was only 12 miles but I could use a rest with my feet acting up. The Scarlet crew was with us as we came in to the shelter and so were some of the other guys we have met. I met a couple of new hikers: Baggins and Mr Burns (who looks just like Mr Burns from The Simpsons). We ate and I played guitar and so did one of the Scarlet Seven, his name escapes me, and another of them sang. I¢m writing this like four days later so please forgive me for not being able to recall your names, email me and I¢ll fix the blog. Tomorrow Cyclone goes home.David AKA ¢Mister Gentle Spirit¢ Website http://www.wbafinc.org Photos: http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof Videos: http://www.youtube.com/WBAF1
Date: 2008-07-01
From: Greymoor Friary

To: Greymoor Friary
Miles today: 0.0

Greymoor Friary to ? I think I¢m going to zero. My foot is in a lot of pain. I can barely walk on the bastard; although, I¢ve been blogging and walking around a little and it gets better so I may just throw three pairs of socks on and go for 10 miles today. There¢s a campsite but I¢d like to make Kent, CT as soon as possible because there is an outfitter there and I need those gaiters to keep my feet dry. They make some neoprene ones that wick off of your legs so when the sweat pours down it doesn¢t go into your boots. I also think I¢m going to get a kilt. Walking around everywhere in my underwear is getting a lot of crazy looks. It think people are beginning to figure it out. A bunch of guys have rolled in here this morning, Mangy Mo, Goodfella, Shakedown Cruise as well as Papa Bear and the Preacher boys who I was calling The Christian Brothers and Dad and it turns out there are only three brothers and all this time I thought there were four. Hmmm. I¢ll post all these blogs and see if I can get on the road. It¢s supposed to rain today after 2PM: 50% chance of thunderstorms. We¢ll see what three pairs of socks feels like and maybe I can get back on the trail. David AKA ¢Mister Gentle Spirit¢ Website http://www.wbafinc.org/ Photos: http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof Videos: http://www.youtube.com/WBAF1