morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-14
From: Front Royal

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I enjoyed my last complimentary breakfast at the Quality Inn Hotel in Front Royal Va. The hotel offers free rides to the AT trailhead for its customers. I scheduled mine for 10:30 AM and with four others I was dropped off at the trailhead about 11:00 am. The four day layover was restful but it was time to get back on the AT and give my knee a try. It held out well and the 5.2 mile hike to the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter took about 3.5 hours so I was the first there at 2:30 pm. After I took my pack off I just set down and wondered if other hikers would also shelter here or would I be the only occupant for the evening. It did not take long for "Dirty Bird" to come to roost. She is an experienced thru hiker that is now on her second thru hike in 10 years. Soon other hikers came in. A ninteen year old hiker name "Tarzan" bounced in for a lunch break berfore he was up and on his way to complete a 25 mile day. A father and son team by the names of "Hawkeye" and "Human Torch" arrived followed soon after by "Patches", another 20 something male hiker. That made five which were comforably slept in the eight person shelter. This shelter is the only one with a solar shower. I had just left town so did not use. The "Human Torch" was so named because of an accident he had with an alcohol stove which resulted in him catching fire! He was not burned, his pants were, but he did say that the incident skeered him pretty bad. For dinner I had a Mountain House Beef Stroganoff Mountain and a cheese tortilla toasted in a little fry pan I carried. Today's hike was not overly ruff and I enjoyed it immensley. Hiker midnight came in at 8:00 pm and all were soon asleep. On the trail today I met "Waldo" whom was tent camping at a spot used by Col. John Mosby during the Civil War. Waldo and I visited for about 45 minutes. He is 31 and from Germany. I told him about my family's German heritage and about the Nueces River Massacre of my German relatives by a confederate force. Waldo began his hike at Daleville and is hiking to NYC.
Date: 2013-05-15
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 12.0

Today's planned hike was for 10 miles to the Dick's Dome Shelter. It is known as one of the two worst shelters on the AT. It only sleeps four, in part to its octagonal shape. The trail today was not too rocky and the single biggest climb was 1,300 feet over a distance of 4.5 miles. The most stressing aspect of today's hike was the heat. By the time I arrived at the shelter it was only 2:15 pm and I was ready to call it a day. The first order of business was to soak my bandana in the creek running next to the shelter and lay it over my very hot head. I filtered and chemically treated a little over a gallon of water which was totally consumed before I went to bed at 8:00 pm. With the bandanna I also soaked in the cool creek and rinsed off my sweaty, smelly upper torso. I had an early dinner of a cheese on a toasted tortilla and a Lasagna with Meat sauce by Mountain House. Tasty! On the trail today I finished off the double chocolate brownie and dried fruit sent by mom and received in Front Royal. This, and a piece of jerky gave me the energy to complete the day's hike. "Dovetail" (age 20) came in after me about 4:00 pm after completing an 18 mile hike. Soon Waldo also arrived. That made three and no room in the shelter for a couple of ladies that took one look at us three and the shelter and decided to find a place to tent camp for the evening. On the trail today I came upon a group of 12 Japanese out for a day hike on the AT. They were congregated around a trail turn that I falied to notice. After about 5 minutes of not seeing a white blaze in the direction I was going, I turned around, saw the trail turn that I had missed and was once again NoBo on the AT. When I first passed the Japanese I said syannara to which they responded in kind. The shelter was .2 miles off the AT, not unusual for most shelters but extra steps nevertheless. It's now 7:00 pm and soon time for bed. In this posting I intended to discuss the merits of using my trusted trekking poles. Late now but will elaborate in an upcoming journal entry. My hiking destination for tomorrow will be either 8.4 miles to the Rod Hollow Shelter or 18.3 miles to Bears Den Hostel which I would really like to do if I am up to the challenge. The obstacle between here and Bear's Den is the "roller coaster" which begins at Rods Hollow. The roller coaster is a series of sharp descents and ascents over a distance of 13.5 miles.
Date: 2013-05-16
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I started stirring at 5:30 am and was on the trail by 6:30 am. I started the day with 2 liters of water which I knew was inadequate for a scheduled 15 mile hike. Seven miles down the trail i filtered 3 liters of water at the Rod Hollow Shelter where I also had my lunch. "Trudger" and "Vegas", the two ladies from Dick's Dome came in for the same reason and we were all soon back on the trail. Actually the stop for me was 1.25 hours. On the trail tosay I saw two snakes. The first was a 4 foot black snake that was sunning in the middle of the trail. He did not want to leave even after some encouraging so I ended up having to toss him aside with my trekking pole. A few yards down the trail a three foot snake that was not a black snake was also sunning but decidced to leave the trail with some help. The trail terrain was one of extremes. First, the hike thru the Sky Meadows State Park was very nice: no rocks, no significant elevation changes and it traversed some large open meadows which I really enjoyed. But, soon thereafter and beginning near the Rod Hollow Shelter, the roller coaster started. None of the high points or low points in the roller coaster are more than 700 feet and most most less than this. But all ascents and descents are tightly packed and they go on for 13.5 miles. I decided to spread them out over three days with days one and three encompassing more miles than just the roller coaster. The days hike was cool early due to an early shower but after the sun came out the humidity was very oppressive. Anyway, I finally arrived at the Sam Moore Shelter at about 5:15 pm. Two College age girls from Illinois were already there when I arrived. They are section hiking south until they have at least completed some portion of the SNP. They don't have trail names so i will refer to them as Roadrunner and Bambi.
Date: 2013-05-17
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 4.0

Today I completed the second third of the roller coaster. About 4 more miles to complete. I arrived today at Bears Den Hostel at 9:00 am after a 4 mile hike from the Sam Moore Shelter. I was on the trail at 6:30am. The hostel was built in 1933 by adoctor out of the same grey stone much like I have been hiking on since I left Daleville almost a month ago. The place is huge and can sleep about 50 hikers. By 4pm it was filling up fast. When I arrived I was pleased to see Waldo and his German friend whose trail name is Roadrunner. First order of business was a shower, the first since leaving Front Royal on the on the 13th. I still had a set of clean clothes so after changed I set in the yard and visited with Waldo, Roadrunner, Gimpy, Smooth Sailing, and Can't Wait. Dinner at 5pm Was pizza and a pint of Ben and Jerry's chocolate and peanut butter ice cream. I washed my smelly clothes which was included In the cost of the hostel. Tomorrow I complete the last 5 or so miles of the roller coaster. I will be glad when its done. Looking forward to some easier trail.
Date: 2013-05-18
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry WV
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: light rain

I left Bears Den Hostel with the intention of hiking 12 miles to the David Lesser Memorial Shelter but when I arrived there at 12:30 pm I decided to hike an additional 10 miles to Harpers Ferry WV. I came into town at 6:00pm and on my way to the local hostel when I saw Waldo and Roadrunner through the glass of an Italian Restaurant. We had dinner together and decided that for the price a room at the Comfort Inn was a better deal than the local hostel. I left this morning with Orange Glow, another section hiker leaving Bears Den when I did at 6:50 am. We hiked together for a while but as was usually the case his pace was faster. There were many day hikers on the trail, including a Boy Scout troop out for a weekend hiking and camping. By the time I got to HF I was pretty exhausted. After much contemplation, I decided that 300 miles and one month on the trail it was a good time to catch a train for Texas. The knee has improved but the pain still requires 2 ibuprofen every four hours. I've made a lot of trailFriends and seen a lot of pretty country and have numerous fond memories. But I miss Peggy and home so I am catching a train today at 5:15pm and will arrive at the Amtrak station in SA on Tuesday at 9:55pm. I look forward to my arrival!
Date: 2013-05-19
From: Harpers Ferry WV

To: Texas
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

With decision made to leave trail and go back to Texas the only order of business was to make train reservation. Departure is 5:16 pm so with time to kill I hung around the hotel until 2:00pm. I strapped on my pack, probably the last time for awhile, and walked the short distance to the Amtrak station. For lunch I ordered chicken pot pie at a restaurant. Peggy and I had previously visited Harpers Ferry so instead of taking in the sites I went to the station and caught the train for home.
Date: 2013-01-22
To: Pre-Trail reading
Miles today: 0.0

In the past, my reading on the Appalachian Trail was specifically limited to Bill Bryson's excellent book, A Walk in the Woods. My only other book that even mentioned backpacking was a book from 1961 which touched on a variety of outdoors subjects. As the beginning of my walk has drawn nearer, I have begun picking up other literature regarding the Trail.Naturally I have my copy of The A.T. Guide. Mine is the 2012 northbound copy, as I started investigating the Trail before I publically committed to it. Recently, I ordered three books from Amazon. The first I have read already, David Miller's Awol on the Appalachian Trail. I loved this book, and Awol's accounts resonate strongly with me. I am working on a second book now, Zach Davis' Appalachian Trials. I am not far into this title yet, but it is an interesting read and I will probably finish reading it this week. My mother, having already read Awol on the Appalachian Trail after I finished it, is now reading Jennifer Pharr Davis' book Becoming Odyssa. I will pick that up once I finish my current reading.Beside books, I am gradually picking up more and more trail journals. I started out looking for other 2013 walkers that are starting in February and early March, but I plan to start reading more journals and connecting with more 2013 walkers. I also have a few older journals that I am planning to read. The one I am reading now is Portrait's 2011 journal. I have a couple other older journals queued up - Postcard and Awol's writing.Whenever I load up trailjournals, I start off by checking all the 2013 journals I follow for new entries. Once I have caught up with those folks, I continue reading the older journals. Soon I will add more 2013 journals to my reading, but as of now I am following Bazinga, Boo Boo, PrayerWalker, Prop Blast, and Sole Sister. Some of these journals have not been updated recently - I hope they are still planning to walk! Another 2013 journal I was planning to read has been taken down altogether, to my disappointment.I don't have much more to add here, but if any 2013 walkers see this and I am not reading their journal yet, drop me a line you guys!Peace,
Date: 2013-01-29
To: Odds and ends
Miles today: 0.0

There's nothing major to report in my preparations, but there have been a few developments. Each step on the Trail is one step closer to Katahdin, and each one of these developments is one less hurdle between me and Springer.-I have my Amtrak ticket, to bring me from Trenton to Atlanta on February 28th. It has been my bookmark for the last two books I've read. Never before has a bookmark been a source for such excitement!-I've finished reading Appalachian Trials and Becoming Odyssa. Both were great books, and all the accounts I read of being on the Trail leave me smiling myself stupid. I might pick up a couple more books to read in my remaining time with civilization.-I requested my leave of absensce from work. It was denied immediately. Too bad for them. Money is not a thing that will stop me from pursuing adventure. All this leave of absence denial means is that they can't expect me to return in October. I'm sure I'll muse more on what the workplace has meant to me in future entries. There is plenty to unpack there.-I have received the winter insulation for my hammock. Unfortunately I didn't photograph it while I had it set up, but the only place I can set it up on my property is the front yard. Is it telling that I feel safer sleeping alone in the woods than I do in a suburban sprawl front yard? I had to change my hammock packing strategy, and not to the one I envisioned, but I determined how I can effectively take the whole thing down without taking it apart, and roll it up fairly neatly into a compression sack.-My hiking kilt is on the way! Chafing sucks, and not wearing pants seems like a good time. I'll have pants for colder weather of course. Soon I will attempt to optimize and finalize the list of clothing I am bringing. I will probably also get a new, colourful soccer jersey to complement my Guatemala and Jaguares ones.-My efforts to contact contra dance communities are going well. I've opened communication with dances from Georgia to Tennessee and southern Virginia. I have also registered for the Almost Heaven dance weekend in northern West Virginia, and the Pinewoods dance camp (American song and dance week) in Massachusetts. I'm probably also going to attend Whitewater Whirl in southern West Virginia - Perpetual e-Motion is playing, and the weekend is very affordable!Unless I think of any more to add, that's all for now.Peace,
Date: 2013-02-01
To: Future phone, music, and dancing
Miles today: 0.0

This week I joined the 21st century and replaced my flip phone with a smart phone. This was done solely to support my rapidly-approaching walk. I hope to journal daily while I am on the Trail, and my aspirations to attend dances whenever possible will mean plenty of close coordination with the folks at these dances. I wonder how much I will actually wind up using my phone to interact with the outside world. I will be communicating as much as needed to upload journal entries and get myself to dances, but I hope I don't wind up using it too much beyond that.This phone will also replace my mp3 player. I don't plan to keep myself plugged in too often, but some music to raise my spirits will be useful. Dancing has really changed what music is for me - I feel it in a whole new way, now that it has been so closely tied to movement. The music present at contra dances can inspire me to more spirited movement outside the dance hall, for sure. Sometimes it is simply a good, driving tune that can make me do whatever I'm doing harder and faster. Other times, specific tunes will have specific memories tied to them, of beautiful dances and the excellent partners and great communities that I found myself present with in those moments. I hope I can tap into some of that energy on the Trail. (I also hope I can find people that are game for waltzing up the Trail.) (GAME and waltzing up the Trail? Don't mind if I do!)Tomorrow is the Birdsboro, PA contra dance. That dance occurs on the first Saturday of the month. The first Saturday of March will find me in Georgia on the Appalachian Trail, so this is my last dance there for a while. It is also the last Birdsboro dance for a while for two of my friends. One of them is traveling to France for several months, and the other is riding her bicycle across the country to work in Yosemite for the summer. I am blessed to enjoy the company of such adventurers of my generation. This will be a great weekend.Peace,
Date: 2013-02-19
To: Final packing test
Miles today: 0.0

Last weekend was a huge dance festival in Saratoga Springs, NY. On the way to this event, I stopped at an REI and procured everything I still needed. This was mostly clothing, as most things I have used for hiking and backpacking in the past are worn out, or don't work well enough to be desirable for my coming thru-hike attempt. For better or for worse, I now have everything that will be on my person as I walk the Appalachian Trail. Here are a few figures on how things weighed out. For the base pack weight, I removed some arbitrary clothing that will likely be what I wear on the move, including my hiking shoes.Base pack weight: 23 poundsAdd worn clothing: 27.5 poundsAdd camera gear: 33.5 poundsAdd 18,000 calories of food and two liters of water: 48.5 poundsThe food weight will definitely change one way or the other. My pack will definitely be lighter most of the time, and the only time I think there's a chance it will increase is if my pace winds up being very slow when I hit the Hundred Mile Wilderness. The camera weight is subject to change, as I will probably switch up my lenses sometimes. Currently I have my D800 equipped with the 16-35mm f/4G VR and the 85mm f/1.8G lenses. I am giving serious thought to switching the 16-35mm f4 with my 24mm f/1.4. They have overlapping abilities, but the difference comes in how they handle low light. The 16-35mm f/4 lets me shoot handheld with very low shutter speeds, while the 24mm f/1.4 let's me use a wider aperture to freeze action. A third option would be to use the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 VC. It isn't as sharp as either Nikon lens, but would be a compromise between the two. I could freeze action slightly better than the 16-35mm f/4, and handhold at much slower speeds than I could with the 24mm f/1.4. Indeed, choosing which lenses to take with me when I am used to having many options on hand has been the biggest challenge in assembling my kit!I will probably do some test hiking next week, after I leave my job of almost seven years. I'll limit myself to the 24mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8 and see how I feel about foregoing the ultrawide field of view and vibration reduction of the 16-35mm f/4.Peace,
Date: 2013-02-21
To: A couple quick pack changes and notes
Miles today: 0.0

After loading my pack yesterday, I wound up making a couple last-minute touches. My BlackRapid camera strap is going away. It isn't long enough to comfortably bring my camera to my eye when worn under my pack. Instead I am going to use a length of parachute cord with a carabiner at one end. The free end will be tied to the left strap of my pack, and the carabiner will clip to the hip belt on the right side. The eyelet for the BlackRapid strap that screws into the tripod mount can move freely on the cord, so this will be no compromise on functionality. I even shed a few ounces off my pack this way.The lens bag I am taking is much larger than either lens I am bringing. It is attached to the sleeve covering the hip strap, oriented horizontally and much easier to access than the prior arrangements where the lens bag was vertical and was farther back on the strap. The bag is large enough to fit my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, and really tempts me to bring that along! As it is, it will usually have my second lens and plenty of spare volume. I will probably use that to stash snacks or a drink.While testing my fully loaded pack, I also discovered that this pack'a lid compartment can easily be accessed while wearing the pack. This can be exploited to keep more food and my guide readily available. In an extension of this idea, I found it easy to attach the rain cover without needing to remove my pack. I wonder what else I will be able to keep readily accessible.Nothing else to add now. The adventure begins in a week! All I really have left to do is some paperwork (taxes and my truck's registration) and to make my farewells.Peace,
Date: 2013-03-01
From: Atlanta, GA

To: Clarkston, GA
Miles today: 0.0

(In which I arrive in Atlanta and spend the day there)After a night of terribly uncomfortable sleep I decide to consider myself awake. So I rouse myself to a seated position with 2.5 hours to go until reaching Atlanta. I use this time to catch up on the trail journals I have been following. Some of the folks are already on the Trail, and it looks like they have seen a good sampling of spring weather.Amadei, a friend who used to live near Philadelphia but now lives north of Atlanta, picks me up from the train station. She had picked out a place for breakfast, and after navigating through the construction we reach the target caf© - Rise 'n Dine. I get a Polish omelette which is made of delicious and promptly demolished. Amadei had been contemplating French toast all morning and procures that. The waitress witnesses our enthusiastic exchange about how food is great, and is a bit startled. I get to explain why food is so exciting to me. Tomorrow the thought of such a meal will fade to near-fantasy.After eating breakfast and washing it down with plenty of coffee, we visit the Coca Cola museum. It is a pretty cheesy thing, but is pretty entertaining and offers sampling of their products that are unavailable in the States. Sadly, this does not include Coke made with cane sugar. At least there are some other tasty flavours present, including a few sour apple-ish varieties. I also get to see my first bear - okay, a guy dressed as a polar bear. I wouldn't think it too much a loss if this was my only bear encounter.A little rest ensues before dinner. The dinner is at a Mexican place - my hosts present many options but I estimate that I will most desire and be least capable of finding decent Mexican food near the Trail. A couple burritos and a truckload of nachos are summarily inhaled.Following dinner is the Atlanta contra dance. This is the farthest south I have danced, easily beating Glen Echo, Maryland. It is a pretty calm dance, with a young gal bringing plenty of beginners for her birthday. I find some spirited folks to dance and play around with, and I get to embark on some of my usual antics. (If you dance with me, you know what I mean. If not, you should try it!) I wear my Cape Cod and Glenside nametags, and get to explain to several folks that I am in Atlanta because I am starting the Appalachian Trail tomorrow. Everyone I relate this to is encouraging toward this endeavor.Tomorrow night I will find myself writing my next entry in a hammock or shelter in the Georgia woods. It is possible that I will be cold, wet, and hungry. It's a strange thing to look forward to when viewed that way; but with the bad comes the good, the great, and the incredible. I look forward to it.Peace,