morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-29
From: Hog Camp Gap, Virginia

To: Ramping Up the Miles
Miles today: 22.0

Today when I set out to hike, the excessive weight upon my shoulders had eased. Since leaving Glasgow, VA I had eaten some of my extra large food supply. The weight of the foodstuffs in my pack was back to what I am accustomed to at the start of a typical three to four day stretch of trail. The weather was pleasant with a cool breeze and the terrain was not difficult. With the burden of pack weight reduced and the terrain less of a challenge, my mind found time to think about other things besides immediate concerns.I thought about a dream of mine to become a novelist for young adult readers. It has not happened, at least not yet. The tangible evidence of my aspiration, a first manuscript, has been rejected by several publishers. Several weeks ago, while checking my e-mail messages in a trail town, one such rejection greeted me. Ugh!While hiking, it dawned on me that I have never checked my voice mail since beginning this journey. That omission is an indication of how thoroughly this AT experience has separated me from what was important back home¢staying in touch, following the news, going online. Since beginning this hike, I have avoided newspapers, magazines, and never turned on a television. Sometimes I wonder if I am taking this avoidance of the media too far.My destination was Priest Shelter, which I reached late in the afternoon. Susan was there along with Slow Train, who I had not seen for a while. This shelter was located at close to 4,000 feet. The temperatures there were too cold for my joke of a sleeping bag. I decided to push on an additional 7.4 miles to the next shelter at a lower and warmer location.I hiked with an obsession to reach the next shelter before night arrived. The trail took me down a steep descent, crossed a road, and led me up a difficult and final ascent. It was almost dark when I arrived at Harper's Creek Shelter.Occupying the shelter were thru hikers Wilson and Deeds, young men in their twenties. An older man who was hiking a short section of the trail had pitched a tent across a stream from the shelter; that is where I strung up my hammock.The imminent arrival of darkness caused me to rush through the setting up of my hammock and the preparation of supper. When I had finished eating, I used my headlamp to guide me down a slope of loose rocks to find a place where I could draw water from the stream and wash out my pot and utensils. I performed this chore downstream from where other hikers draw water for drinking.In spite of the harried circumstances of my arrival, I did find the time to relax at the picnic table and chat with the other hikers.I pushed hard to reach this shelter. It was nice to have completed seven extra miles off of this stretch of trail leading to Waynesboro. But are these rushed hikes detracting from my experience? Are these extra miles taking a toll on my legs and knees?
Date: 2004-07-02
To: Layover in Waynesboro, Virginia
Miles today: 0.0

While visiting large trail towns like Waynesboro, Virginia, it amazes me how much time is spent performing tasks rather then resting. There is also a fair amount of walking from one location to another.The nice part of a trail town is the opportunity to wash clothes, shower, and socialize with other hikers. Here is a synopsis of some of the things that I accomplished and the hikers I met.I sealed with glue the seams of the tarp which protects my hammock, then I helped a hiker named Victory Light seal the seams of his bivy sack shelter.Food was purchased for the next leg of the journey.I visited a barber shop.My drift box was picked up at the post office. Later, it was shipped out as a general delivery package to Harpers Ferry, WV, the next major town on the trail.My clothes were washed at a laundromat.My latest journal entries were transferred from a pocket notebook to a small electronic device that sends text messages via telephones.Denatured alcohol was purchased for my Pepsi can stove.I ran into Wipeout, one of the hikers from that first night on the trail back in Georgia. She had taken a few days off to visit home. I met up with Inchworm, who always seems to reappear when I least expect her to. We walked over to a Pizza Hut for supper. There, a nineteen year old hiker we knew named Seraphim was working temporarily as a waitress to earn money to resume her hike to Maine.Besides Inchworm and Seraphim, I ran into the following people that I have hiked with or met in hostels: Deeds, Jazz, Knuckles & JP, Little Engine, Mello Mike, Shivers, Sleepy the Arab, Stick, Super Jew, Superstition, Susan, Swedish, and Wilson. I attended a Roman Catholic mass on Saturday evening. Near the end of the service, the priest asked that two women step forward to the front of the altar. He handed them wafers of Holy Communion for delivery to sick parishioners. One of these women suddenly collapsed and landed hard on the floor. Some members of the congregation rushed forward to assist. The priest asked that someone call an ambulance. The mass ended without a recessional hymn. I don't know what happened to the woman who fell.I visited the YMCA and shot some basketball with hiker Deeds.Tomorrow, Inchworm has arranged for a volunteer to drive her, Knuckles, JP, and I back to the Appalachian Trail for the next phase of the journey.Before us lies the Shenandoah National Park.
Date: 2004-07-09
From: Near Skyland in Shenandoah Park

To: Hiking with Sardine
Miles today: 18.8

This morning, Slow Train, Mountain Goat, and myself set off on the trail and immediately became separated from each other; this was expected and commonplace. Hikers seem to walk at their own pace and meet up later at rest stops, shelters, or perhaps in trail towns several days later.When I stopped to rest, Sardine caught up to me and we hiked together for the rest of the day. He is twenty-three years old and recently finished a hitch with the Marines. He hikes a tad faster then me, but I decided to keep up with him. It was a good decision. He regaled me with fascinating stories about his deployments in places throughout the globe.We stopped in a shelter for lunch; it was occupied by a woman in her twenties. She spoke with a foreign accent. We attempted to make small talk with her, but she conversed with us in a vague manner. She told us that she grew up in Russia and was touring around and sleeping in a car. She revealed little else about herself. Maybe she was being cautious in the presence of two strange men in a remote area. Sardine and I joked that her trail name ought to be called "Vague." In the evening, we ate some burgers at a picnic table outside a roadside grill. A raccoon climbed up a solid metal trash bin, opened up the panel door, and dropped into the barrel. The animal was trapped inside, although it did not seem to care about its predicament as it rummaged through the debris for food.Sardine and I camped under the porch roof of a locked up, stone cabin located off of a spur trail. I strung up my tarp between two wooden pillars. Sardine spread out his sleeping pad on the floor of the porch.Before going to sleep, I asked Sardine if he wanted to go in the hammock to check it out. He agreed."Awesome!" he said, lying back on the fabric. He told that me he might covert to hammock use.It was dark when Sardine related to me his experiences from boot camp with the Marines. In a field beside us, a deer walked about, seemingly unafraid of our presence. Today was another pleasant day on the Appalachian Trail. I am on a roll.
Date: 2004-07-16
From: Hostel in Knoxville, MD

To: Soldier in the Confederate Army
Miles today: 21.4

Before I departed from the hostel, I checked my e-mail and got a laugh. A friend had sent me a link to a news article online. It stated that a person had been smoking a cigarette inside of an outhouse. The build up of gas, and the smell, must have been excessive. The outhouse blew up. The man survived.I rejoined the Appalachian Trail feeling like myself again.The trail led me through a series of gaps in the mountains where some battles had been fought during the Civil War. These battles happened during the Antietam campaign of General Lee in 1862. He had ordered his generals to secure the gaps in the mountains. The Appalachian Trail, which traverses a ridge line, is apparently the former site of a road or path that once linked the gaps. At Fox Gap, I read some informational plaques and observed a monument to a deceased Union general. At this battle, soldiers from Massachusetts, my state of residence, had fought. When I continued hiking up the wooded slope of the gap, I imagined myself not as a Union soldier, but as a Confederate soldier, moving forward to occupy the heights in the area. I figured that since I was walking north it would be closer to reality to imagine myself as a Confederate soldier because those men would be facing the Union troops to the north.Later I stopped to read some informational plaques at Turner Gap, the site of another battle. These plaques informed me that the Confederate forces had actually been advancing toward the south which meant I had been mistaken when I imagined myself as a Johnny Reb facing northward.I made a pit stop at a state park where free showers are available in a washroom. It felt great to wash the sweat off of my body, even though I knew that I would soon be sweating again.Late in the day, the trail led me across a footbridge that spanned Interstate 70. There is a sign on the bridge that says "Appalachian Trail." When I made the crossing, some motorists honked at me with encouragement.I camped near Pine Knob Shelter, MD. A father and his young son were camping nearby. In the evening, I hung out with them at their campfire. There were no other thru hikers present. I can hear the sound of traffic moving on Route 70, which is located less then a mile away. The sound will not keep me awake; it is a white noise. I am also tired from having hiked 21 miles.
Date: 2004-07-18
From: Birch Run Shelter, Pennsylvania

To: Trail Magic Galore
Miles today: 23.2

This morning, I took down the tarp and hammock during a drizzle. I put on sandals and an old pair of socks¢my rain footwear¢and stored my hiking shoes into the backpack.I hiked alone for much of the day. Wipeout had left the shelter before me and Tarzan was still in his sleeping bag when I hit the trail.I crossed paths with a southbound long distance hiker. Whenever I encounter such a person, I ask him for information about the whereabouts of hikers ahead of me. The same questions are asked to northbound hikers who pass me by.Lately, there have been fewer thru hikers encountered on the trail. Some hikers I have become friendly with have quit the trail and returned to their homes. Others have flipped by jumping north to Maine and hiking south. "So and So got off;" that is the common expression used when one hiker conveys the news to a peer that another hiker has stopped hiking. During the last few weeks, I have heard that expression on several occasions.Today, I experienced more acts of generosity.In the first instance, someone had deliberately left some juice drinks beside the trail. At a state park, I met a woman beside a washroom. She asked me where I was hiking too. What happened next was deja vu. I was invited to another family reunion where I ate hot dogs, vegetables, and deserts.The woman who extended the invitation was named Nancy. She told me that recently she and her dog had been rendered unconscious from toxic fumes leaking from a breach in a chimney at her home. She woke up, revived the dog, and got away from the gas. She told me that she regards her survival as an act of God. She told me that she is a Methodist.Many acts of generosity, or "trail magic" that I have experienced on this journey, have come from people who profess to be Christian. I caught up to Wipeout, and we hiked a few miles toward the Birch Run Shelters. Along the way, we passed by a cabin which was being rented by two men on a mountain biking trip. They offered us some pizza. I declined the offer because I had eaten at the family reunion. Wipeout, who was hungry, ate a couple of slices. We chatted for a while with these men. One of them had fallen on his bike. His knee was badly cut. I suggested that he drive to an emergency room for treatment; he said that he would.We made camp at Birch Run Shelters, where thru hikers Gather and Tex (a new face, a forty year old man) were sitting around a campfire. I set up my hammock, carried over some firewood, and joined them. A section hiker named Gravy Train was present. Wipeout strolled over and joined us. We all relaxed around the fire and enjoyed each other's company.Later I turned on my headlamp and walked into the trees where my hammock was located. As I prepared to enter the hammock, some moths, attracted by the light, flew repeatedly against my head and face. I had to quickly enter the hammock.
Date: 2004-07-19
From: Birch Run Shelters, PA 

To: Beacon of Light
Miles today: 17.2

Today a milestone was achieved. I have reached the half way point of this journey from Georgia to Maine. It happened near Pine Grove Furnace State Park here in Pennsylvania. When I crossed this line, I was hiking with Wipeout. It seems appropriate that she accompanied me during this moment. Wipeout is one of the four hikers I met on my first day on the Appalachian Trail.There is a tradition that some hikers will visit a store in the park and celebrate this achievement by eating 1/2 gallon of ice cream. I declined to participate in this custom; it seemed too gluttonous. Instead I ordered a lunch at the store and ate a smaller amount of ice cream. Hikers, Wipeout and Gather, also took a pass on this custom.I made camp tonight near the James Frye Shelter. Other thru hikers staying here are Gather, Wipeout, and Tex. Section hikers Gravy Train and Catman are also present.A camp fire had been burning in front of the shelter. When it grew dark, I reached into my backpack for some sparklers that I have been carrying since July 4th. I got everyone's attention and made a brief remark congratulating us for having traveled half way up the Appalachian Trail. I gave one sparkler to each one of the hikers present except for Catman who had gone to sleep. We placed our sparklers over the fire and ignited them. Then, in a moment of joy and camaraderie, we held the glowing sparklers up high and placed them together, forming a bright beacon of light. It was a moment that I will always cherish.The sparklers soon extinguished. Shortly thereafter, I wished everyone a good night sleep, turned on my headlamp, and made my way over to my hammock.Tomorrow, I begin the second half of this journey. I remain anxious about my ability to hike longer miles each day, further on average then during the first half of this hike. But for tonight at least, I will try to ignore my concerns and enjoy what has just been achieved.
Date: 2004-07-20
From: James Frye Shelter

To: Forest to Farm
Miles today: 20.2

For several days, the hiking has been less hard. There have been fewer sharp inclines. For this reason, I have been hiking over, or close to, twenty miles per day. I must maintain this pace in the mid Atlantic states where less harsh terrain is supposed to prevail.The obstacles that I will face on this mid Atlantic stretch will be heat, humidity, insects, rocks underfoot, sore feet, rain, and my own physical limitations.When I reach New England, where the ascents are sharper and the elevations are higher, my mileage will drop considerably. Hopefully, the mileage and distance I will have gained during the next few weeks will buffer the slower pace in New England, and enable me to reach Mount Katahdin before Baxter State Park closes on October 15.Today, the trail led me down from the mountains and into a flat agricultural area. The soil here in Pennsylvania is rich for farming. I hiked by some stalks of corn that reached twelve feet in height.A man on a southbound day hike crossed paths with me as I made my way through a field. He was carrying a child on a kiddie backpack. The man offered to let me camp in his back yard. I declined the offer because I was hiking further. I hiked into the small town of Boiling Springs and visited a field office of the Appalachian Trail Conference. There I learned that 1,535 hikers had begun thru hikes this year. From that number, 628 are still hiking, two have finished, and 905 have stopped or flipped.I resupplied in Hot Springs and resumed hiking with Gather, Wipeout, and a ridge runner named Heidi.The afternoon was hot and steamy as we crossed one agricultural field after another. Our feet became sore near the end of the afternoon. We detoured off the trail and checked into rooms at a Super 8 Motel on Harrisburg Pike. There is a gigantic truck stop down the road. The pike is loud with the noise of trucks. What a change from the quietude of the forest.This evening, Gather, Wipeout, and I ate supper at a nearby buffet restaurant. I need to eat a lot of food to fortify myself for the hard days of hiking, and calorie burning, that lay ahead.
Date: 2004-07-22
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Shower From a Roof
Miles today: 11.4

After leaving Duncannon, PA, the Appalachian Trail led me across a massive bridge that spanned the Susquehanna River. I walked along a pedestrian walkway that overlooked the silty current of water. To my left, trucks and cars sped by, creating a noisy din. It was uncomfortable walking across this concrete monolith under the heat of the sun.When I had walked over half way across the bridge, I stopped and looked down at the river. A snapping turtle was swimming just below the surface of the water. It was a pleasant diversion to watch this animal swim sideways to the direction of the current.After crossing the bridge, the trail re-entered the forest and climbed the side of a mountain ridge. It was grueling to ascend this steep trail with the heat and humidity at high levels. When I reached the top of the ascent, the trail passed through a concentration of boulders and rocks that further challenged my stamina.I hiked along a wooded ridgeline and stopped for a break at a shelter. There, a thru hiker who I am familiar with was sitting at a picnic table. He told me that he was hurting from shin splints and a sore knee, and was taking a day or two off from hiking.I have so far avoided problems related to the joints of my legs and feet. Whenever I walk down a steep grade, my downward steps are slow and methodical. Whenever I ascend a steep grade, I include my heels, rather than just the balls of my feet, in the motion of my steps. Both approaches cause me to walk slower, but my knees and ankles are in better condition as a result.During the afternoon, the trail continued to follow the top of the wooded ridgeline. There were no water sources anywhere, other than the ones located near shelters. I loaded up with three liters of water at the first shelter I visited. My plan was to hike close to twenty miles and make camp in the woods where there would be no water.My plans changed when I visited a second shelter for a break. A thunderstorm moved in followed by steady rain. It was after 4:00 p.m. so I decided to remain at the shelter. There was a torrent of rain pouring off of the roof of the shelter. I stripped off my clothes, stood under the "shower," and rinsed the sweat and grime away from my body. I used bandanas to dry myself.This is a large shelter with a loft. My sleeping pad is spread out in the loft. I am tired and look forward to a good sleep. Until then, I will cook a hot meal and enjoy the company of hikers Wipe Out, Gather, Tex, and Baloo.
Date: 2004-07-26
From: Woods near Port Clinton, PA

To: Rocks and a Pinnacle
Miles today: 15.9

In the small town of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, there is a sign attached to a telephone pole that hikers walk by. The sign states that the community is hiker friendly. I patronized a store that specializes in candy. After purchasing a few chocolate bars, I asked the clerk if I could use their sink to fill up my water bottle. The woman behind the counter pointed to a case of bottled water and said, "I'm sorry, but I am not allowed to give out water because we sell water."In fairness to the town, there are some nice business people. The employee at an outdoor sports outfitter was happy to let me use his sink to replenish my water.The hiking conditions became increasingly difficult today. There were more ascents and descents than on past days. The concentrations of rocks on the trail became more numerous. Some concentrations featured small to medium rocks, others had large rocks and boulders. These rocks slowed down my pace and caused my feet to become sore. To add to this discomfort, I was carrying three days worth of food. The added weight meant greater pressure on the soles of my feet when they stepped on rocks.I recognized one viewpoint called "The Pulpit." That is where I took my niece, Annie, and nephew, Kevin, on a day hike several years ago.The trail led me to another viewpoint called "The Pinnacle." It offered a spectacular view of farming lands. The fields below appeared like a patchwork quilt. This was my favorite view so far in this state.I finished hiking at Eckville Shelter, which is actually a cabin with a caretaker living in an adjoining house. There is a shed on the property which contains a cold shower; I took advantage of it.The shelter is occupied tonight by Gather, Wipeout, Baloo, Pop Tart, and me. Pop Tart used his cell phone to order us a delivery of pizza; what a treat!Pop Tart has been getting hikers to participate in a game he invented. The object of the game is to make a person utter the word, "mine." Whenever someone says it, the penalty is ten pushups. It was amazingly easy to get people to say that word.The door and windows of this one room cabin are shut to keep out the bugs. There are no screened windows. The air in the cabin is stuffy. The smell of sweaty and filthy hiker clothes permeates the air. I do not look forward to sleeping in a place with bad air. The alternative is to hammock outside, but heavy rain is expected. Given both options, I will sleep inside.I hope the rocky conditions on the trail will lessen. Or will they persist all the way to New Jersey?