morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-14
From: Pass Mountain Shelter

To: Gravel Spring Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I saw another bear this morning strolling along the trail at a liesurely pace. When I went for my camera, very carefully, he twisted his head toward me to investigate. They say you should not make eye contact with a bear. It is a sign of aggression supposably. But it is hard to look away from them.This bear turned back to the path and meandered around the bend. Then he bolted. It was as if he was telling himself to stay calm until he could make his escape.My sightings are not rare nor incredible. At the shelter tonight, a section hiker showed us a perfectly framed image of a bear on his digital camera. It stood looking yonder surrounded by a bed of plush green. We asked him to email us the picture so we can say we took it. Nobody manages to capture them well,especially with digital delays.Deer still abound everywhere and I believe I heard one crying in peril as I approached the shelter today. Very disturbing. It sounded like a baby crying.Today we stopped at the Elkwallow Wayside for two hours in the sun. We would have stayed longer if a storm wasn't brewing. I had one last Blackberry shake. The trail doesn't pass anymore amenities stops. And after looking at my lunch supply, I splurged on a cheeseburger. I am leaving the park tomorrow with $5 in my pocket.I hiked most of the day alone with Krispy Kritter and Pegasus a few minutes behind. Near an overlook I came across a couple that took my picture. The wife was thrilled to hear I was thru-hiking because her husband couldn't believe there was a trail 2000 miles long that people actually hike. Now she has proof. They held me up asking some pretty intelligent questions about hiking. I haven't gotten the dreaded Bill Bryson book questions yet. Maybe like the draw of the Trail this year--the numbers are low-- the book is also waning in popularity. Good thing. Although very funny and informative, it isn't about the AT, in my opinion.I also came across Jitterbug and Hoover completing the last leg of their string of dayhikes thru Virginia. Hoover was hurting and they looked ready to finish. They had one more day to go before their trip was done and they could go golfing. What an inspiration. You can read their journals on trailjournals. After tomorrow, they have completed the trail through Pennsylvania.Krispy Kritter, Pegasus, and I got to the shelter mid afternoon. Pegasus didn't want to waste the sunlight (even though it was foggy) and headed out. Gradually a crowd of hikers showed up including Hawk, Quest, and Catdog. They did 23 miles to get here.I have to say that dehydrated risotto makes an excellent quick dinner. I have had it two nights in a row and it doesn't disappoint. Hope there is some in my maildrop tomorrow when I hit Linden.
Date: 2004-06-16
From: Linden, VA

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

"You have a car?"I am suddenly the envy of my peers because I have a faster means of transportation. This was the question I would get from hiker friends I saw in Front Royal."How'd you get a car?" they would ask me with amazement.I woke up this morning to the smell of chocolate chip muffins and hot coffee. I needed to run errands so I asked the Kokernak's if I could borrow a bicycle. "Why not just take the Lumina." So after sorting my food I headed into town and, naturally, bumped into Hawk and Quest also taking a zero.It was a hot, sunny day. No rain. There is never any rain on a zero day. We took advantage of the air conditioning as much as possible. Catdog, though, went ahead to do a liesurely four days to Harpers Ferry.I am very glad that I took the time to stop in Front Royal. I think thru-hikers would like it. They have a very friendly outfitter, a 24 hour supermarket, a used bookstore, and some unique restaurants.We all went to the Confederate Museum and then a small pub called the County Seat. This restaurant had an assortment of Belgium beers including the Chimay Ale I had to try. We chatted with the owner Garry who needed more information on how he can get into Wingfoot's book. If you are interested in this place, keep in mind that it is only open until 5 pm.When I went shopping later, I bumped into Coyote with Beast and Gaia. Coyote and Saltlick aren't hiking together because he needs to race ahead to meet his fiance in Duncannon. There was some talk of a party in DC in a couple of days. I figured I pass. Went to get (denatured) alcohol.Then Quest came by and told Coyote that I had a car. Sheesh! Shhh!She looks at me with awe, "Dude, you have a car?!"I got back together with the gang for a really bad dinner at some Mexican restaurant. I think it was the service mostly but the food lacked some class. The waiter dealt our platters out and they all looked the same. Some tortilla wrapped mush, covered with a loose dark sauce, hidden under shredded lettuce and one tomato.I drove everyone around like the cool kid in highschool. I wonder if they only hang out with me because I have a car, I think in jest. I even drove Wooly and a hiker named Glutonous Monk back to Terrapin Hostel. Glutonous Monk has a neat name but he only started a few days ago and is already taking a zero day.By the end of the day, I realized I did not get everything done again and felt far from ready to hit the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2004-06-17
From: Linden, VA

To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0

Well, it didn't take much thought or persuasion to make me stay another day in Linden with the Kokernaks. First I found that my pack was way too heavy for the three day hike to Harpers Ferry. As I unpacked, unloaded food, and repacked a few times, the phone rang. Cindy was calling from work. I could hear her sing song voice on the answering machine. It was like she was a kindred spirit--she knew I'd still be there and I knew it was her calling. She wanted to know if I'd like to hit the County Seat one last time for lunch. I'm there.At the County Seat, we got talking to Garry and his wife again. He commented on my ability to speak more clearly today. The Chimay Ale hit me a little hard the day before. Cindy and I shared a corner table and chatted. She convinced me to stay another night. Considering the growing humidity and heat, I accepted.After she went back to work, I decided to get a Black Raspberry shake and enjoy the walking tour in town. Front Royal offers historical homes dated before the Civil War, including Belle Boyd, the confederate spy who helped Stonewall Jackson win the Battle at Front Royal.I also visited Stokes General Store, a shop that has all your farming, horse, and confederate needs. I almost bought some spice called Trail Dust but decided to pass.After mailing another bounce box ahead (I don't just have one), I decided to go down Fiery Run in Linden to visit the wine vineyard there. On the way, I saw Meanderthal struggling in the sweltering heat where the AT crosses the road. He wanted to get to Linden's post office to pick up his mail drop. I offered him a ride, a cool place to sort his mail, and within an hour, drop off at the trailhead again.I also bumped into Moo Juice, Beagle and Slowpoke while at the post office. They are a day behind me and I'm sure I'll see them again.When the Kokernaks returned from work, we all visited the German restaurant in town for some Chicken Cordon Blue with Speatzel. I thought it was a decent meal and would recommend it to anyone passing through.I also showed the Kokernaks, new to the joy of helping hikers, where the AT crosses Fiery Run so that they can offer trail magic to future generations of thru-hikers.Then a storm rolled in that blinked the lights in the house. It broke the heat wave though. And I felt more ready to get back on the trail.
Date: 2004-06-18
From: Menassas Gap, VA55

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: few clouds

I was able to pull myself away from the wonderful generocity of Cindy and John, and at a pretty early hour too since John had a forty mile drive for golfing this morning.Today I was ready for the trail which was reflected in my speed and energy. The storm the night before cooled the earth, left everything dank, but the terrain was extreemly easy. I flew.I visited the Manassas Gap Shelter to find Meanderthal packing and woke up Diago, Poco, Critter, and Bucket (remember him?). They had been travelling together for awhile taking the miles slow to enjoy nature. They informed me of the copperheads (actually, Bucket called them cottonheads in his sleepy tone) that lived beneath the shelter and how they watched the storm down a tree infront of their platform. Meanderthal had informed them of my great trail magic the day before which Poco referred to as "fat digs".Today I experienced the resonating mating call of the cicadas--the seventeen year dormant locust that emerges from the ground, climbs a tree to mate with the female waiting there, and then dies. It is strange to hear them. A brood of them always seem to be right around the corner, but you can never find the source of the noise. The only way I can think of describing their hum is that it resembles the phasers in Star Trek--the old Star Trek.I saw a few of these ugly guys up nice and close. They seem fairly scarce at the moment. Former hikers remark that you would be stepping on their body shells as you walk the trail. But I haven't experienced that yet.I got to the shelter at 2 pm where they had a "shower". It was a pipe at waist level with cold stream water pouring from it. I found it refreshing. People showed up and we gathered to cook our dinners under a sturdy pavilion that covered the picnic table. Wish we had these in the Shenandoahs. The same guys from the morning shelter were there. Very funny group.It poured a couple of times. Missed me--hah!There are a couple of big build ups here. Tomorrow we hike the notorious rollercoaster. It is 13 miles of 800 foot PUDs (pointless ups and downs). I'm looking forward to it. The trail today was flat and I would concentrate on gaining miles in a certain amount of time. My excitement for the day was the blackberry bushes.Another build up is the Hike Naked Day on the 21st in honor of summer soltice. I'm sure this was invented by a male hiker in hopes that we females would try it. Too bad I'll be taking a holiday in Harpers Ferry.
Date: 2004-06-19
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn AT Center
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: broken clouds

As I suspected, the roller coaster was blown way out of proportion as grueling. Granted, I was very tired by the end of the day but I had a lot of fun hiking.It was a cooler day with sunny skies. There were also many breaking points along the way including the Bears Den Hostel and a shelter. At the Bears Den, I took an hour and half lunch, enjoyed some sodas, and organized some mail. Wisconsin David, the caretaker, informed me that the Blackburn ATC Hostel will most likely have a spaghetti dinner tonight. That was incentive enough for me to leave the Bears Den and continue eight more miles to Blackburns.I really think that it is not the elevation gains that exhaust you but the rocks that scatter the trail. I don't believe these are the PA rocks everyone mentions. They are imbedded in the trail but can break an ankle if you wedge a foot between a couple.I think it rained this morning but very lightly. Not the cold downpours I kept getting stuck in at the park. Along the way I met Eelz--a fast hiker but funny guy. We crossed into West Virginia at the same time as Meanderthal. All I could think was "Yeah, no more afternoon rainstorms!"This theory held true for the most part. I finally felt my boots were drying out.The Blackburn is great. It was too hazy to see DC from the porch though. Chris, the Trail Boss, gave us the rundown and lent me a towel for the solar shower (which was luke warm).Then the caretakers gave us the rumored spaghetti dinner with garlic bread, string beans, olives, and really refreshing well water. The boys were here along with some new faces. Mary, who did part of the trail three years ago, is hiking the whole trail again this year with her friend John. She had to quit before after breaking her ankle in NJ. Instead of taking up where she left off, she wanted to start from Springer. Would I do that? Not likely.I also met Jalan Jalan who is going to take some days to recover from shin splints. Eelz seemed ansy because he came for the spaghetti dinner. He thinks he has ADD because he hates to sit on his butt for very long.The night is clear and cool. We all decided to sleep on the covered porch. Somehow the no-see-ums found us but eventually went dormant as the temps dropped to a comfortable 50 degrees. Tomorrow is Harpers Ferry. Can't wait.
Date: 2004-06-20
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: few clouds

We woke up to a crisp 48 degrees on the porch. The sun was peeking through the trees. All the guys were coccooned in their 50 degree bags with their winter hats on. I felt warm enough last night and had a very good sleep.But my hiking today wasn't great. My feet hurt from traversing the rocks the day before. I took the miles to Harpers Ferry slowly.Along the way, I checked out the fine craftmanship of the David Lesser Memorial Shelter. The Potomac ATC does a great job maintaining this section of the trail. A caretaker was waterproofing the shelter when I arrived. I also find that the staff friendly to thru-hikers--very different from the no-eye-contact workers in the Shenandoahs.The storm that hit Thursday night brought down some fresh trees that blocked the trail. Chris, the Trail Boss at Blackburns, is aware of these, but he got the latest report of trail maintenance requirements from us last night.I also was being followed closely today by a group of singing boyscouts. Drove me crazy so I let them pass. The leaders looked tired of the singing too.Meanderthal and Eelz walked with me for a bit but soon trudged ahead. It was an excellent day to enjoy the mild 55 degrees.When I arrived in Harpers Ferry, the ATC Headquarters was crowded with tourists and thru-hikers. There are many hikers I have yet to meet. I seem to just miss them. When I signed in, I was number 376. Eelz, who started two weeks after me, was 377.We headed over to a local barbeque until Catdog, her husband Gary, Quest, and Hawk all showed up. Since they had laundry in their hotel, they took me back to Charles Town to clean up.My feet are pretty sore so I'm resting in this historical town for a bit. Debatable whether I'll leave tomorrow. I have to wait for the post office to open. Right now I am sharing a room at the Hilltop Hotel--a historical resort that has a tremendous view of the Potomac--with Eelz and Jalan Jalan. There is no TV here but it is sufficient for what we need--sleep.
Date: 2004-06-21
From: Harpers Ferry

To: stealth campsite near Trail to Weaverton Cliffs
Miles today: 4.9

Oops. I really intended to sleep at the AYH about two miles out of town. But the AT runs along a very straight bicycle path and I missed the blue-blaze turn. When I figured out what I had done, I was two miles beyond the hostel. So I forged ahead in the evening darkness with the intentions of reaching the first shelter three miles away.As it got darker, I bumped into a couple and their dog as they worked their way down the trail. They offered me water. I accepted and camped at the next clearing. That was fortunate.Never expected to start hiking today since I had been looking forward to visiting Harpers Ferry historical district for awhile. Because the day was long, I managed to get my errands done, visit the outfitters, eat lunch with Hawk and Catdog, and tour the historical district.Books on the AT remark that this is not a particularly hiker friendly town, I think because the restaurants are expensive. But I found residents amicable and the ATC office useful. The Hilltop Hotel offered a nice view and rooms at a reasonable price. I hope to visit this place again someday.I also have never met so many hikers as I did in Harpers Ferry. Because we all had to wait for the post office to open, many hikers stuck around for the day.I had an opportunity to meet Baltimore Jack again. He is working at the outfitter here after working a few months at Bluff Mtn Sport in Hot Springs. His reason for traveling north is for research for his book about the AT. He has done the Trail maybe twelve times and provided many of us with resupply information on whitblaze.net.Later as I was writing postcards on the front porch of the Hilltop Hotel, a helicopter was flying over the Potomac monitoring a rescue. Three kids were trapped on the rocks.Mad Hatter, Poppins, Skippy, and Gator were there as well as Poppins' sister. She offered us dinner.Then I headed out on the trail at 7 pm for a liesurely walk through the backside of Harpers Ferry. The blue-blaze from the ATC passes by Storer College, one of the first to graduate an African-American after the war.After I descended the "morphisized" rock stairs of the church, through the empty historical district, and across the railroad bridge, I then had a endless flat walk on the C&O Canal Towpath that almost put me to sleep. I also wondered if I was on the right trail since there were no white blazes.Anyway, I managed the evening fine, amazed that I actually left Harpers Ferry without taking a zero day.
Date: 2004-06-22
From: stealth campsite near Trail to Weaverton Cliffs

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: light rain

Dang. At this day's end, I will have been on the trail three months. And yet, I haven't gone halfway to Maine yet. Sigh.I woke up well rested and comfortable in my tent. No condensation, no rain. And hordes of misquitos outside the netting eager to come in and drink my blood. I could still hear US340 traffic.As I packed I saw thru-hikers Nameless, Wonka, and Hermes passing. They were on their fifth or sixth mile of the four state challenge. They started at four that morning in West Virginia and plan to finish forty miles later in Pennsylvania.Also passing me was "65 and Alive" who has been on the trail since April 17th and took his third zero day in Harpers Ferry. Man, that's three weeks after my start date. Sigh again. This isn't a race. I came on the trail to see the south--enjoy the towns.I eventually caught up with 65 and learned that he has pulled some 25 milers as well. He even crossed three state lines in one day recently. That would be the rollercoaster section and beyond. A particularly hard section before Harpers Ferry.Maryland's terrain is flat once you reach a certain altitude. Pulling a 20 miler is easy here and many do this. But today we passed Gathland State Park and Fox Gap, Civil War sites with signs, monuments, ruins and graves. Then we jumped back to the 1700s when we visit the Washington Monument, which has been rebuilt almost as many times as the North Bridge in Concord, MA.65 and I pretty much hiked the whole day together until I visited the Washington Monument museum (to enjoy some air conditioning.) We both were thinking of visiting the Greenbriar State Park to go for a swim in a pond there. But this turned out to be a big waste of time and almost two miles added to our day. The book says .4 off the trail, but that is only to the sign of the park. You still need to hike another half mile to the pond. The rain returned after two fantastic days of dryness and sun as well. So the lifeguards prohibited swimming until the storm passed. I managed to get a ride back to the trail but 65 wasn't so lucky. He was a good sport about it though when he arrived here at the shelter.Along with some screaming boyscouts, I am sharing this shelter with John & Mary, 65, Bones, and Pipesmoke, whom I haven't seen since the NOC in NC.I tried to leave a note for Hawk, Quest, and Catdog at the Ed Garvey Shelter, which is another example of PATC incredible craftmanship. Most of the shelters have registry books that are too full. They are probably at the Dahlgren campground five miles back enjoying free showers. I'm sure I'll see them at the Doyle.Bones dropped into the shelter very late and offered me a beer. Everyone was asleep so we drank his stash. Tomorrow, I plan to hike 22 miles.
Date: 2004-06-24
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Another incredible day. I have noticed that Pennsylvania is less moist than Virginia. Actually, Maryland was too. Any state must be less humid than VA.I learned a new AT term in Harpers Ferry from Jalon Jalon--pink blazing. It refers to a guy thru-hiker who adjusts his pace to be with a woman thru-hiker. Wonder what it would be called if a woman were to change her pace? Can't use blue-blazing. Been used already.The plan on everyone's mind today was to hit the Caledonia State Park and go for a dip in the pool. Tapeworm, 65 and Alive and I raced across the rock scrambles to get there. We arrived around noon, in time for lunch, and hung out in the sun with middle American families for three hours. I felt like it was the fourth of July.Granted the concession stand was a little pricey for badly cooked food, we still ate lunch there and took occasional dips in the very well maintained pool. We saw Half Moon outside the fence. He opted for the Italian restaurant down the street. Probably a better deal. We also saw Mary and John who did not want to pay the $3 to enter the pool.I figured I had gotten baked by the sun enough, packed up and left for another nine miles. The quad state boys were eating lunch at a picnic table as I was leaving. They had also heard about the trail magic at some cabin ahead.I got to Quarry Gap Shelter--a great place. It had two sleeping sections with the picnic table under the roof between them. There were hanging flowers and an awning. Pipesmoke pointed toward the nearby stream. More beer was lying in the current. Silly me, I had one despite my desires to hike ahead five more miles.As Tapeworm and I headed to the rumored cabin for dinner, I realized that the sun and hiking caused the alcohol to go right to my head. Thankfully it wore off in an hour.The trail magic was no rumor. Aaron and Matt from Blue Mountain Sports had rented the place to provide hot dogs, grilled cheese, sodas, and the most scrumptious peaches on this side of the planet to us. Wonka, Hermes, and Nameless also emerged from the woods and enjoyed their share. Our timing was impeccable. Blue Mountain was going to pack up and leave the next morning at six am.Finally we dragged ourselves away to the next shelter. Just a note here for anyone researching. After the Milesburn Cabin, there are plenty of campsites along the trail but you must get water at the cabin.Birch Run Shelter is another well built structure. PATC really knows what to do with their money. I have to say that these last few days have been the best for me.