morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-22
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Zero day in town. Spent most of the day watching the boring TV, yet I still watched it. It has been along time since I¢ve been 'involved' in current events and it seems the world has gone lu lu. Between the distasteful news and the pointless reality crap I am going crazy with it all. Unfortunately towns cause me to loose some of my trail motivation, but from previous experience I¢m sure it will return. 133.4 Miles to the Shenandoah's!Go Mav's!Trukin'
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Daleville

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Very proud of myself today because I not only got out of town, which I was tempted to stay in again, but I made a good day mile wise also. Guess what the weather was like.......you got it, rain!! VA is at least 3 times above their average rain fall for the month of May and there is no sign of it letting up any time soon. Good thing, I would say that I should stay fairly clean while in the woods because I get a 'rain shower' in the rain showers.There are 7 of us in the shelter tonight and we are snug as a bug in a rug. I don¢t know any of these folks very well because all my former hiking pals are behind me a ways. I have been enjoying hiking by myself lately because it allows me to focus more inwardly on the purpose of this journey. Funny thing is that I still haven¢t figured out why I was directed to come out here, but I will continue to trust and continue forward.Peace,Trukin¢
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Cornlius Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: light rain

Like the lady that is snoring next to me, I am tired and ready for sleep. Tonight is the first night in a while one the trail that I am feed, and cleaned and in my bag before sundown.Oh yah--guess what the weather was like today--no, it did not rain! It was a most perfect day to hike. The sun stayed hidden by the clouds so it was not to hot and I actually saw mountains in the distance from the trail. I had forgotten how nice it was to be able to see farther than 30 yards in any direction.Interesting story. After hiking about 10 miles I decided to stop at Road 614 where Jennings Creek flowed. I heard that it was a popular spot where the locals swim at in the warmer months. I went and sat down at a rock to mellow out, it was not warm enough out to jump in, and I was ready to head back on the trail when a fella came down and offered me lunch (fried shrimp and onion rings). Jeff was his name, a local who was on his way to work and stopped to eat lunch by the river. We got to talking (he gave me lunch, I had to say something) and it turned out that he owned a place up the road at the foothills of the mountains. Anyway, he said that he once did something like I was doing and remembered the kindness of others along his way and invited me a ride to his place to shower and eat some food out of the fridge and a room for the night. I felt overwhelmed by his kindness and offer but I was unable to accept the offer. Maybe it was because I was solo, or I wanted to hike more, or just didn't trust the guy. I had to go with my instincts and make an excuse to decline. So, instead of hanging out in a home, eating homemade food, sitting on a lazy-boy and watching movies I am in a shelter in the woods, eating ramen and writing to you--which is fine with me.20 miles to Glasgow where I have food waiting for me and I should make it there tomorrow (Sunday), only problem is the P.O is closed Sunday and Monday (Memorial Day) so I will have to find something to do until Tuesday morning.Good night to all,Trukin'
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Cornlius Creek Shelter 

To: Va. 130 (Glasgow) 
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: light rain

Last night as we lay fast asleep was woken by some strange movement outside the shelter. Just as I woke up the guy next to me shined his light out into the dark and there stood a dear. This was the biggest dear I have seen so far, maybe because it was two feet from my face! I remember looking at the thing and saying 'oh' and rolling back to sleep. I guess I was too tired to be amazed or rattled.The rest of the day was pretty mellow with only a few steep climbs and the rest progressively down hill. The weather today was identical as yesterday with no rain and cloud coverage. A few off the interesting sights today were; the Guillotine, which is a medium sized bolder being suspended in air by two large rock formations on each side. Also today we crossed the largest footbridge on the trail. The James River Foot Bridge is about 100 yards long and takes over the great James River.Tonight I am camped out (for the first time in weeks) in my tent by a stream .2 miles from Va. 130. I plan to wake up tomorrow (always a good thing) and hitch down to Wildwood Campground for a shower and laundry. Seeing that the P.O is closed for my Birthday/Memorial Day I will have to take a zero day and wait until Tuesday to get my food drop and resume hiking. Now I rest my head, meditate to the sound of flowing water and dwell on my last night of being 24.Peace and Health,Trukin'
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Glasgow 

To: Glasgow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Zero day today, or otherwise known as stuff your face full of everything you can get your paws on day. And that is what I did.This morning I waited for a hitch for a record 2 and 1/2 hours! Finally I flagged a car down to ask for directions (like I didn¢t know which way town was) and I guess the lady sympathized with we and gave me a ride. I am staying in Glasgow which has three gas stations, one motel, a laundry mat, and one cop, who, according to a local, is not very well liked (that¢s another story for another day).First 2 hours in town; Had a beer that was given to me by the lady who gave me a ride, double cheese burger, big bag of chips, beer, orange, bag of cookies, pint of chocolate milk, beer, nap.Next 2 hours; Beer, 3 pieces of fried chicken, pint of Ben and Jerry¢s, nap.Next 2 hours; Laundry, Simpsons, nap.Now; Still hungry but also tiredTrukin'
Date: 2003-05-27
From: Glasgow

To: Punch Bowl Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: moderate rain

Nice sleep last night! Kinda wish I was in a warm, dry, four walled room again tonight but I can¢t let myself get soft, can I? No.This last attempt at hitchhiking was definitely my worst so far. Totaling up the time it took to get into Glasgow and from Glasgow back to the trail, 4 and 1/2 hours! Not a bother though because it rained all morning while Dezman and I looked for a ride out of town (we stayed under an awning at a gas station therefore staying dry) but the moment we hit the trail at 2:30 it cleared up and turned into nice hiking weather. A couple of big uphill climbs today but nothing to get strung about.Tonight I rest and tomorrow I hike and hike hard. I hope to test myself tomorrow and put in a big day. Tune in next time to see if Trukin' lives up to the challenge he has set for himself or if he crumbles in the face of adversity. dum dum dum dummmmmmm.Trukin'
Date: 2003-05-28
From: Punch Bowl Shelter

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Oh ya, I¢m feelin' good ya'll. I told myself I would start hard and finish big and that I did. Today was part 1 of a 3 day series of 20 milers. The weather was conducive to big miles because once again it was rainless with a cool breeze. I left the shelter at an eye opening 8 AM and took one half hour break at Brown Mountain Shelter and then hiked non-stop the remainder of the day.Tonight I had Spam for the first time on the trail, yikes. One can held over 1000 calories (very good) but for me its like eating at Waffle House; a once every 2 month deal. Well, I used about all my energy hiking today so I will bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.Trukin'
Date: 2003-06-01
From: Calf Mtn. 

To: Loft Mtn. Campground 
Miles today: 20.4

Last night turned out to be a rough sleeping night because I was at the entrance of the shelter, for lack of room in the main sleeping space, and the people getting up all night kept my awake. No worries though because I got up early and headed out about 7 AM. It was nice to get the early start and cover a bunch of miles before noon. The goal for the day was to hike 26 miles to Pinefield Shelter after a stop at Loft Mtn Campground for some eats. I did make it to the campground around 3 but the store with the food was .3 off the trail so I decided to cook up so mashed potatoes and take a nap where the trail and the campground meet. After an hour and 1\2 of eating and resting and using the 'flush' restrooms I headed back on the trail. About .3 miles down the trail there was another side trail to the store, which happened to be 70 yards away so I detoured. While in the store I ran into Medicine Man and his father who is hiking with him for a few days and they invited me to cookout with them! I can¢t resist an offer to gorge on burgers so I hiked back to the campground and we all chowed down. Granite it took about 2 hours to cook because the wood is still damp but it was worth it all the way. Tonight I camp on top of Loft Mountain and just got finished seeing the most amazing sunset I¢ve seen since being on the trail. Tomorrow I will hike 25 miles to another campground (they are spread out all over the Shenandoah's) and maybe enjoy another grilling!I was looking forward to the Shenandoah's for weeks prior to now and so far I have not been disappointed, life is truly a blessing.Cheers,Trukin'
Date: 2003-06-02
From: Loft Mtn. Campground 

To: Lewis Mtn 
Miles today: 25.7

Very amazing night because it was below 40 and I stayed warm and asleep. Originally I had planned to send my tent forward a few hundred miles but was I ever glad to have it last night! This morning I was woken up to find out that a Park Ranger lady came by last night and to show some weekend campers the fabulous view only to find all of our tents sprawled all over the mountain. We were camping 'illegally' and if it had been any earlier in the night she said she would have made us leave, glad she cut us a little slack.Left the spot pretty early and sure enough the sun was shining once again! Not 1 mile down the trail I saw my first baby deer, a fawn. These deer around the camping area in the park are so tame that you can almost pet the creatures. The fawn was not too scared of my presence but as I got closer it would try to run away, not to easily though. It would sway and trip and looked like it had been hitting the booze bottle for a couple of hours.Today I also saw my first bear. Actually I saw two bears. One was off the trail about 20 yards but the other was laying basically one the trail. First thing I thought to do was scream and pound the rocks and scare them away but Two Fiddy decided he needed to take a picture. The only picture I could see was me laid up in the hospital with my face torn to shreds. I guess they weren't to hungry because they took off as we got closer. Very exciting day for me! Pulled up to another camping area at about 7:30 with the intention of using the HEATED bathroom to clean up and clean out, if you know what i mean, and head .7 to the next shelter. Well, 1 hour turned to 2 to 3 and before i knew it i was making plans to sleep in the bathroom because camp spots are $18, 18 dollars, are you crazy. I'd much rather sleep in a warm john then pay to sleep in the cold. Just before i was going to set up for sleep Ranger Rick came into the RR and gave us the 'what in the hell are you boys doing' look. So much for that plan. Fortunately while doing laundry in the RR we meet a fellow that was out taking photos of the park and he was impressed with the journey we were doing and offered us beer and a spot at his camp space--saved by the grace of a fellow human (again). Up went the tarp, down went my head, off to dream land fast asleep in my bed.Trukin'
Date: 2003-06-03
From: Lewis Mtn 

To: Rock Spring 
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

Not as an enjoyable day as the previous one due mainly to the rain. Ahh yes, the rain is back. It started as I left camp this morning and hasn¢t let up once, its about 6 PM now. I made a quick 8 miles to a wayside, which serves hot food and offers limited groceries, and got me a burger for my belly. My food bag was boarding on empty, which scares me, so I got a few more dinners and enough snacks to last 2 more days until I exit the Shenandoah's. The longer I stayed at the restaurant the harder it rained so I decided to run next door to the Visitor Center to hang out and dry out. Stayed there for a couple hours and sat in a lecture about the deer. Turns out that prior to 1933 there were no deer in this area and at that time 13 were introduced into the Park. Today there are an estimated 2000 plus roaming the area.Finally pealed myself away from the warmth and got myself to this here shelter which I will call home for the night. Still pretty early but i am looking for a long night sleep! Maybe i will hike my longest day on the trail tomorrow? Maybe I'll stay here and sleep all day? Tune in next time to find out.Trukin'--who saw another bear today!
Date: 2003-06-04
From: Rock Spring 

To: Pass Mtn. 
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

So did I make it 30 miles, no. Did I stay in the same shelter all day, no. So I split the difference and hiked 15ish. There were to many places today to stop and eat to even attempt to do 30. First stop was at Skyland lodge for breakfast; two eggs, biscuits and gravy, pork chop, and hash browns. I got to the joint 10 min. late for breakfast but throw in a little pity speech and it¢s amazing what you can get.Second stop was Thortom Gap Panaroma. There I was able to consume; soda, cheese Danish, bag of Fritos, and a chunk of rocky road fudge which was given to me by the nice lady behind the counter because I informed her how good it look but couldn't pay the price. Amazing what a little wink can get ya. Third stop, this here shelter. Short mile days can be good, here I hiked slowly all day, took many of breaks, and in to the shelter early...nice change of pace.Tomorrow I think I will visit a hostel called Terrapin Station--Trukin' likes the sound of that. Hopefully I can do a work for stay because it is a $13 charge, which is not free.Last night I had a dream about my nephew TJ. I took him to the grocery store with me and we were shopping for some food for him. We passed by the Lipton Noodles and he went right for them! He is about 10 and 12 months now, and was in my dream, and doesn¢t know one food from the next but he wanted those noodles so badly. I thought, this dude is destined to be a long distance hiker! Like Uncle, like Nephew.Picked up a new book today so tonight I will start it up.Dead-a-Head,Trukin'---who saw yet another bear.
Date: 2003-06-05
From: Pass Mtn. 

To: compton fire rd. (Terrapin Station Hostel) 
Miles today: 22.7

Saw 2 bears today. Both times it was the same story as the last, they were running away so no exciting stories about a fight to the death-but at least I¢m still alive. Woke up at 5:45 AM!! Not by choice but by the grace of a weekender firing up his stove. Oh well, I was up so I decided to start getting ready and was curious to see what it was like to hike before 7 AM. Not to exciting, or not exciting enough to do it routinely. The weather turned out to be good so I actually got to see some views from the peaks of the mountains that I worked so hard to reach. And many mountains there were today, 7 in all. I meet a fellow Texan today who was visiting her daughter for the week. She was actually from the same neck of the woods I am from, small small world it is!Throughout the day I felt my body getting weaker and weaker and by the end I was drained. My feet, legs, back, everything was sore and tired so I decided to take a side trail .5 miles to the Terrapin Station Hostel. If you are a fan of the Dead you might recognize the name. The guy who runs the Hostel is a former AT and PCT hiker, Dead Head (his first show was in September of '69), GreenPeace member, and Budda worshiper spent the night listening to music and glancing at the many books he owns. Got a nice hot shower, did some laundry, and got to wear cotton clothing for the first time in 2 plus months!--ah cotton, the fabric of our life. Tomorrow Grateful Greenpeace Guy (the hostel owner) will take me into town where I will get enough food to last me until Harpers Ferry. Now I sleep."Without love in the dream it will never come true" GDTrukin'
Date: 2003-06-06
From: compton fire rd. (Terrapin Station Hostel) 

To: Manassas Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

What an amazing sleep i had last night. It felt great to be in a bed as opposed to a hard floor. Well, i am officially out of the Shenandoah Park. The total count of animals; 6 bear, 1 turkey, tons of dear, 2 fawns, and all us thru-hikers.Got a late start today (11 AM) after a run into town for food, ummm fooooood. I now have 3 days of food but the weight of it is quite unbearable. Maybe it is the peanut butter, or the bagels, or the jelly or the fact that I¢ve lost 25 pounds and i feel weak-who knows.?.?The weather today is the best that it could be and i used it up. It made me realize just how fun it can be to hike in the woods when its not under water! Made my way to Manassas Gap Shelter where i met a new face, Doulos, which is Greek for servant. He is using this as a self mission to spread his faith of God to those willing to listen. We got to talking about this and that and I decided to stay the night at the shelter. It was just him and I so it was nice to have all that extra space. Hopefully i will be hanging around Doulos for a while and get to hear some of his stories.The weather is calling for HEAVY ran tomorrow so i will try a anti-rain dance tonight."One man gathers what another man spills" GDTrukin'
Date: 2003-06-07
From: Manassas Gap Shelter 

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Bam, the rain is back and harder than ever. Not very motivating to hear a downpour first thing in the morning. So, what do you do when that happens--go back to sleep. Thankfully Doulos decided to get up and hit the trail because that gave me the inspiration to do the same.Not much to brag about today, just a whole lot of mud and rain. I did slip and fall on my side if that makes anyone laugh back home! There were bushes covering the trail and as I went to move them out of the way my feet went this way and my body went that way and WAM, right to the ground. Oh I am so muddy and drenched that I decided to make it a short day because I was miserable. Now that I am fairly dry, feed, and warm things are good. Tonight in the shelter is Doulos, Spiderman, Bob, Genesis, and Alright. Tomorrow is supposed to be a nicer day so I will plan to make it 2 miles short of Harper Ferry so I can spend all day in town farting around. Here's to hoping everyone back home is safe, dry, and warm and well feed.Always,Trukin'check out the photo page for new pictures!!check back next week for more journals and pics
Date: 2003-06-08
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Loudoun Heights 
Miles today: 26.9

Long long long day. First thing off was a 13.5 mile section of the trail dubbed the ¢roller coaster¢. Ten mountains stacked right together and the trial goes up and over them ALL. Once that was out of the way it was fairly level which allowed for the big miles. I hiked the day with Alright and actually, he carried my tent for me today. We wanted to get supper close to Harpers Ferry tonight so we could wake up in the morning and get to town quickly for breakfast, food is the ultimate motivator! In order to do this we had to camp near the trail and Alright had no shelter, and I am carrying both a tent and a hammock, so he got the tent tonight. I am very excited to get to Harpers Ferry tomorrow and on my way to the half way point. The Appalachian Trail Conference Headquarters is in H.F. so it should be interesting to see the stats for this years thru-hikers. You, the readers, can go to the ATC website and get current updates about how many hikers started the trail and the drop out/success rate so far.My whole body is sore and I still have to set up my hammock so I must wrap it up. Tonight it will rain so lets hope I stay dry! Happy health.Peace,Trukin
Date: 2003-06-09
From: Loudoun Heights 

To: Harpers Ferry 
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Yes it did rain and hell yes I got wet. Soaking wet. Miserably wet. Wet, wet, wet. Wet. But, I did make it to town quickly and had a all-eat-could-eat breakfast, and the ice cream machine was functioning that early! I stuffed my face for an hour, and for only $6! Turned out that I actually made a profit this morning. How you might ask. Well, a nice lady was in the restaurant and some how we got to talking about my trip and she was getting so excited for me. Question after question she was asking but she was so interested and excited that I didn¢t mind spending the time to explain (between mouth loads of food of course). Well, she left the table and then as I was leaving the place she found Alright and I and handed us a 20-dollar bill! She explained how when she was our age she had taken a trip that changed her life and while on this trip she was given 20 dollars by someone. That person told her to take the money and have fun but to reciprocate the jester to some one when she gets older. So the favor was passed on to me and I felt blessed and look forward to keeping this tradition alive when I get older. True trail magic!, and that was just the start.Trukin'
Date: 2003-06-12
From: Devils Racecourse 

To: Tumbling Run 
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, I have already broken my new standard for myself, which was to do no less than 15 miles per day once leaving Harpers Ferry. But it was for reasons other than laziness or pain.Up and out of the shelter at about 8 AM with a belly full of oatmeal (I am now eating four packs of oatmeal and a cereal bar every morning--seems to give me the energy to get to the early afternoon) and a passion to get into another new state, Pennsylvania! Maryland was such a small state mile wise and so very flat, I will miss that. Crossed the Mason-Dixon Line early in the afternoon, after a quick break at Pen Mar Park for a couple sodas, and was officially in PA. If I would have stayed around another 10 minutes at the park I could have joined a senior citizens group that was renting out the pavilion and gobble up sloppy Joes, corn, potatoes, etc.. but I missed the invite. Spiderman was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time so at least one of us hikers got some good eating in--way to represent Spiderman!I may have missed out on that magic but I got my share later in the day. As I pulled up to Antietam Shelter I ran into the caretaker who was out cutting the grass and picking up the area and he had with him sodas and apples! He offered and I accepted, and accepted some more. He knew the area well and recommended a good place to wash up, I have been wanting to rinse off in a stream for a while now but haven¢t had the opportunity. Another mile North on the trail was Tumbling Run Shelter and behind the shelter down the creek I found a nice 'Jacuzzi' spot, as he called it (It was NOT Jacuzzi temperature) and got right in. Yah-nice and clean now, gotta love a free bath!This same caretaker made his way over to this shelter and gave me more soda and ended up taking me into town so I could get some Subway! This is really why I stayed her tonight; because I am feed well and don¢t want to ruin my state of fullness by hiking to another state of hunger. That and it is pouring rain, things are starting to flood again, no surprise here.So, all in all it was a marvelous day. In a new State, not hungry, shelter to myself (Spiderman is in the shelter next to me--PA has a couple of spots with a duel shelter system), and its early enough to lay around and listen to the radio and read and still get about 10 hours of sleep. Simple.Peace,Trukin'check out the photo page for new pictures