morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Marble Spring Caqmpsite

To: Saltlog Gap Campsite
Miles today: 15.1

I woke up about 5:00 a.m. crawling with what looked like fleas! Long ago another hiker had mentioned getting fleas in a shelter that presumably had been brought by a hiker's dog but it had seemed a remote threat at the time. Now it did not seem remote at all!I got up and shook out everything as thoroughly as I could, then doused myself with insect repellant. The good side was that by 6:00 a.m. I was packed and on the trail. I consoled myself that tomorrow night I should be at a motel with a laundry and could decontaminate everything.The first part of the day's hike led through a section where the trail surface of broken slate and the way the trail clung to steep shrub-covered slopes reminded me fondly of the Pine Ridge Trail in the Ventana Wilderness of Big Sur. Then the Trail descended relentlessly down to Matts Creek Shelter where I had lunch and then to the James River, which is the first of the really big long rivers the Trail crosses. I followed the 625 foot long footbridge across then went to the Johns Hollow Shelter. First I had a second lunch; I seem to be having two more often than not. Then I went to the fast-running stream near the Shelter and found a spot like a cold water jacuzzi and put my sore feet in. While the swirling water soothed away the pounding my feet had gotten in the long descent I filtered enough water to make a quart of Gatorade to fuel me on the long climb back up into the mountains.The afternoon proved overcast and breezy, making the climb much easier than it might have been. I found myself hurrying the last mile or so lest a storm blow up, but there was no rain or even a distant rumbIe of thunder. I arrived at the site I had planned about 3:30 and set up camp, aside from my sleeping bag. I was sorely tempted to leave it in its stuff sack and triple plastic bags, preferring to sleep cold rather than open it and possibly find a flea circus. Now I am a scant 14 miles to Highway 60 where I expect to get a ride to Buena Vista. I will spend tomorrow night there getting cleaned up then get picked up the next day to work at the festival.
Date: 2004-05-31
From: On Break

To: Hwy. 60 Camp
Miles today: 1.0

I am back on the Trail again. It was a pretty strenuous break. I spent two days helping prepare for the music festival. Then I spent the three days of the festival itself running around 16 hours a day with a radio headset solving all the off-stage problems of sixteen music groups along with lending a hand backstage and tarping the speaker stacks whenever it rained. I was ready for the quiet life of the Trail. Still, it was a nice change of pace and my feet and knees benefited from the break from hiking.On my wrist is my festival worker wristband, a souvenir to add to the bits of violet nail polish still remaining on two nails from when I put it on way back in Erwin, TN and two beads I picked up from the trail after they were dropped by other hikers and a feather that looks like those from my pet cockatiel back home.The music reminded me of home, and being with my significant other and everything else that one leaves behind when thru-hiking. More than once I had to find a quiet spot backstage and blink away the tears before rushing back to work. But who knows if I will ever get the chance to thru-hike again, so I am willing to make the sacrifices to keep hiking. Especially with so manypeople from all over the country giving me moral support from my former co-workers back in California to family to fellow hikers and even just people who stumble across my journal.I did not get away until nerly 4:00 and it took until well after 6:00 p.m. to get food, ride to the trailhead and get organized to hike. It quickly became obvious I would have to hike until dark to reach the nearest shelter over four miles away. I was already exhausted from spending most of the day helping disassemble and load a truckfull of heavy sound equipment so when I reached a fire road junction with a poison ivy-free spot next to the roads, I decided to go ahead and camp even though I had gone barely a mile.
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Hwy. 60 Camp

To: Sealey-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

During the day I crossed two more balds maintained by mowing. I love hiking on those high mountain meadows with their views but these may be the last balds I see, I do not believe they exist up north.I arrived at the shelter by 3:00. For a shelter it had quite a library; two new testaments, an adventure novel and the latest issue of the New Yorker. I was reading happily when a hiker from Canada named Rocket arrived. A bit later Andrew arrived! I had not seen him since Damascus, so we did a lot of catching up. About 6:15 Slowpoke showed up as well. It was unusually chilly. I put on my longsleeve top and retreated to my sleeping bag to stay warm.
Date: 2004-06-02
From: Sealey-Woodworth Shelter

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night was chilly with wind and rain. For the first time in weeks I tucked my head into the hood of my sleeping bag and rolled my body into a ball for warmth. Oddly, the chill vanished when the sun came up. On the good side, it did not rain a drop today and it felt cooler and less humid than past weeks.I noticed this morning that Rocket has the male version of my pack, the Mountainsmith Auspex. I asked him how he liked it and was a bit surprised to hear he was having neck and back pain from it. I offered to try to adjust it for him. It seemed like the attachment point for the shoulder straps were too high for the loadlifter straps to work properly on him. I raised the lifters as far as they would go to try to get them closer to the proper 45 degree angle but there was little else I could do. It was a bit surprising to see how different the geometry was from my Chimera, which has given me nice service under all load conditions. Today's hike was slow because of the climb up Priest mountain followed by a foot-jarring 3,000 foot descent to the Tye River and an 800 foot climb to the shelter. It felt wonderful to pop off my shoes near the wobbly suspension footbridge over the Tye and soak my feet in the cold river.At mid day I ran into Stretch, whom I went through most of the Smokys with and last saw at Hot Springs. He had had to take a five day break there with shin splints. It is nice to run into people I know so quickly after getting back on the Trail. At the shelter I found two section hikers. We all ended up tenting because of mosquitoes. It was only 530 but I felt so tired it was tempting to skip supper and just curl up in my sleeping bag. Finally after a short nap I got myself to eat. I don't want that pound or so of food in my pack when I start tomorrow with a 2,000 foot climb.
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Humpback Overlook Campsite

To: Waynesboro 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: moderate rain

It starts raining at 500 a.m. and keeps up. By 6:30 I know my hopes for an early start are drenched. With just a cheap poncho with a hole in it I am disinclined to venture out, at least not until it warms up.By 7:30 I venture out. A couple with a dog come into view. Naturally the dog wanders over to me and shakes the water off its drenched coat onto my legs."Come on, Town's calling" the woman tells me. I retrieve my food bag from its branch and retreat to my tent.With Rockfish Gap only 12 miles away I can afford to be patient, but the rain seems relentless. I begin thinking about duct-taping the hole in my poncho and using my long-sleeved top under it to give some warmth and avoid the cold wet plastic feel. I check the map and it is downhill nearly the entire way. No sweaty climbs inside a clammy poncho. If the rain lasts all day there will be a nice motel to dry off in. There is even one right near the Trail in case no one wants to drive a drenched hiker to Waynesboro.I begin breakfast. Next I repair the poncho, then methodically pack everything away. By 8:30 I am hiking.Even in the rain there are things to see. I heard a hissing and flutter of wings in the underbrush. It is my first grouse attack! If you come too close to a nest the mother usually tries to lead you away by pretending to have a broken wing. If that fails she ferociously attacks the intruder to protect her young.A bit later I saw what at first seemed a very wet cat or coyote. It turned out to be a small fawn. It stumbled awkwardly to the side of the trail and stood regarding me with wide eyes. I spoke gently to it in a soothing voice as I passed, near enough to touch it if I wanted. I hoped its mother found it before my vulture friends did.Later still was a box turtle walking along the Trail. With all the wet and the ferns crowding the underbrush I half expect a dinosaur to appear, it looks more like their world than our current one. I was glad I had not tried to outwait the rain. It rained all day, for only the second time in my through-hike. I got to Rockfish Gap and the Information Center there. The man there, Mike Soloman, had me try to hitch a ride for five minutes as it might be faster than calling for a ride. I tried it, but fog was setting in and no one stopped. He called and fairly quickly found someone to take me to the outfitters and also set up a reservation at a motel. If I did not get a ride from the outfitter he also offered to come get me after he got off work.At the store I finally got a new pair of lightweight Merrell Chameleon shoes to replace my heavy Asolos, some Aqua Mira water purifier to save my filter elements, a new photon flashlight as my old one had failing batteries, and a water repellant windbreaker to replace the cheap plastic poncho. A woman who had section hiked most of the Trail was there and offered to take me to my motel.I had an AYCE seafood buffet and bought food for my next leg then rested up for tomorrow.
Date: 2004-06-05
From: Waynesboro

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

My motel was so far from downtown that I decided to check out and take my whole pack to the Post Office rather than bringing my bounce box to the motel. I went through the box and got another box to mail my old boots to Harpers Ferry in case the new ones did not work out. I also put in my leaky mattress. I had dipped it in the motel sink a bit at a time until I found the leak; it was in an awkward spot near the valve that would be hard to patch reliably. I barely got both boxes sealed and addressed and to the counter before the post office closed.That done, I walked back to the outfitters and bought a Ridgerest pad. It was only half the weight of my mattress but MUCH bulkier. I might cut it down to my width and height to reduce the size a bit. I really wanted a Z-rest but they had sold out a few days ago.I hitched a ride to the Trail and was hiking by noon. It was not actually raining but was still damp, cold and windy so the new jacket came in handy. The landscape varied between wet foggy forest that reminded me of Jurassic Park and fog shrouded meadows with high grass and brush that nearly hid the trail. Despite reports of the trail being easier, so far I have seen as much boulders, rock ledges and steep climbs as elsewhere.I seem to have left my hat somewhere, probably in a car as well as leaving the map for the first section of Shenandoah National Park, so it was not the best of town visits.On the other hand the new shoes seem to be working so far. I might try to go 20 miles tomorrow or the next day and see how that works. Like the Smokys, there are restrictions on where you may camp. That makes for limited choices on how far to hike. The shelter tonight had about 16 people in and around it. Some are section hikers who thru-hiked last year. They had lots of stories to relate.It was so chilly I went straight to my sleeping bag and only came out when I had to. It has not been like this in over a month. The funny thing is, the Weather Channel forecast for the coming week is the same 84 degrees partly cloudy and thunderstorms we have had for weeks, just as if this damp cold spell had never happened.
Date: 2004-06-06
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Loft Mountain Campground
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: light rain

TWENTY MILES! Woohoo!!!Once I got into the Park proper, the Trail really was flatter and smoother. Between that and the lighter shoes I was moving a lot faster. My feet may be sore tomorrow but it was worth it. I got a real shower and some real food at the campstore. But the laundry and restaurant were too much of a walk, they will have to wait until next time.The deer here seem fearless! I passed three close up that did not bother to run away. One was standing on the Trail nibbling at the undergrowth. It looked at me, stepped off the trail to let me pass, then went right back to resume nibbling.Just before the campground I ran into Gaiter Woman, who slept next to me last night. She is a nurse from Vermont. We ended up sharing a campsite with Fire Marshall and Hotrod.Fire Marshall, Gaiter Woman and I went to look at the store and restaurant. We found the restaurant was a mile further and closed soon so we settled for buying food. I got corned beef, canned mixed vegatables and chocolate milk for tonight and ham, crackers and an apple for later.Then we went and tried the showers. It was an odd type I have not seen before where you put in four quarters for five minutes.Tomorrow I think I will go to the next shelter 14 miles away to give my feet a bit of a break.
Date: 2004-06-07
From: Loft Mountain Campground

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

Last night was like a Wanderlust Tent convention. I counted five and until now the most I had seen besides my own was one. They were all of different years so I could see the gradual changes in the design.This morning several of us slept in so as to arrive at the restaurant after it opened at 9:00. Gaiter Woman and Fire Marshall and I had breakfast together. At the store I found a wide-brimmed hat with an adjustable chinstring almost like the one I lost for only $7.00. It is stiff instead of soft but I think a few trips through washing machines and some trail time should fix that. Amazingly, it is even plain with no touristy logos.It was mostly damp and foggy today but no rain. We saw another fawn right by the Trail. Apparently it is normal for the doe to leave them for a bit and they stay motionless until she returns. That makes me feel better about the fawn I saw before Waynesboro, now I know it was probably not hurt or abandoned.The shelter tonight was the most crowded I have seen since the Smokys with both shelter and tentsites packed. There are over a dozen women, the most I have seen in one place on the trail, and nearly as many men. This is my first stay at a shelter inside the Park boundaries and it is an adventure. In Shenandoah the shelters are called "huts" to distinguish them from picnic shelters. Instead of the bear cables seen further south they have poles with hooks at the top. You are supposed to lift your food bag up to a hook using a long pole with a u at the top. The catch is that the pole is heavy pipe that is very hard for most women to lift upright. Even some of the men found it a challenge. Watching each other learn how to use them is as much fun as when we first learned to toss a rope over a branch to hang food from.One thing I really like here is that instead of the wooden signposts scattered on the rest of the trail that sometimes are too rotted to read, there is a concrete post at every trail junction and road crossing with metal bands with embossed letters giving the location and distances to other places. They are very durable and make navigating very easy without having to consult a map or guidebook.One thing that is annoying is that you can only camp in certain spots and like in the Smokys the spacing is inconvenient. I checked and I can either do about 20 miles tomorrow, then 19 the next or I can take an extra day and do about 12, 12 and 15. Either two long hard days back to back or three too easy days. No other choices. I will wait until the twelve mile point tomorrow to decide which to do.
Date: 2004-06-08
From: Hightop Hut

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: moderate rain

Oooooh, my feet! I did the 20 mile option. Now I have 19 tomorrow but at least it will speed me on my way north.We are all getting a bit desperate to get to Harpers Ferry and out of Virginia. Virginia is so big it makes one feel like being on a treadmill getting nowhere, and that is discouraging. I am also bothered especially by knowing that it will take more than 3 months to get to the halfway point. I had hoped to do the whole hike in five and a half months and had taken the lightest gear possible to be able to but my feet just have not cooperated. My biggest mistake was not getting lightweight boots back in Damascus. Still, I went faster the second month than the first and am going even faster now so I really should not worry. But having a slow first half still makes me anxious. Speeding up makes me feel better so I decided to try the two long hikes if I could.I made the 12 miles to the campstore at Lewis Mountain at 11:15 a.m. My feet had new blisters on my toes from the socks and my heels a touch raw but not getting worse so I decided to keep going.I bought two days and a night of food to last until ElkWallow Wayside and a can of peas, half pound of salami and pint of chocolate milk for to eat for lunch. I am finding it is a good idea to get non-trail food when I can get it. By noon I was on my way. Pilot and I kept passing each other on the 8 mile trek to Big Meadows. She suggested that she, Gaiter Woman and I share a campsite there. I got there first, so found a site, paid and registered, then left a note so the other two would know where to go.Pilot joked that it was the "All woman, all Nomad tentsite" because we all three have Nomad tents.First we all had showers and combined our laundry to make a load. It felt great to be clean again and have clean clothes. Then we went to the Lodge dining room for supper. It was sort of surreal coming from a hut in the wilderness that morning and now being in a full-service restaurant. It was the best meal I have had on the Trail. I had steak with all the trimmings. All three of us were too stuffed for dessert.
Date: 2004-06-09
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Yow, another long day. Near the end was a long downhill on badly washed out trail whose uneven rocky surface was the worst thing possible for sore tired feet. Fortunately the last mile was a gentle uphill on mostly smooth trail that actually felt soothing after all the rocks.The good thing is that we have zipped through the whole central section of the park in just two days.We were not too rushed to stop in at the dining room of the Skyland Lodge at midmorning. I was a little behind and had to settle for a box lunch but everyone else got to pig out on their breakfast menu.We did not have the same luck at the next stop at Thornton Gap. We knew the restaurant there had shut down but there was still a store with snacks. It had a big "OPEN" sign but there was a handwritten note on the door saying it was closed Tuesdays and Thursdays! Hmmmph!!! Not even a soda machine. Even the drinking fountain was broken.But everything evens out. The '03 Gang, trail alumni out for a reunion hike, showed up at the shelter with two pizzas from a nearby town and gave one to the rest of us.Andrew is here to, as well as the group I have been keeping pace with. He had said he would take a zero day in Waynesboro so I was surprised to see him. The bugs are bad here, so I am hiding in my tent.It gets a little thin at the ends but I guess it is true that in the middle part of the Smokys you can eat your way through. More than half my meals lately have been at stores and restaurants. That is just as well. If the wayside store at Elkwallow is closed like the one at Thornton was, I have enough food to last until I am out of the park.A few days ago the Trail was badly overgrown and had a fair ammount of poison Ivy. I tried to avoid it but apparently not well enough. I am getting little patches of rash here and there on both my arms and my legs. Now I have some nice bug bites to go with them. I have not gotten nearly as many chigger bites as further south but the ivy makes up for it and I am as itchy as ever. For now, all I can do is try not to scratch and bear it as best I can.
Date: 2004-06-11
From: Gravel Spring Hut

To: Terrapin Hostel
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

Today was a short 10 miles to the Terrapin Hostel run by 1995 Thru-hiker Mike "The Grateful Greenpeace Guy" Evans. I thought about going further but there was simply no place further on that did not mean a string of twenty mile plus days and I had had enough of that.Being run by a thru-hiker meant it had everything, from soft beds with real sheets and pillows with pillowcases to the bins of assorted sized clothes to borrow after showering to let you wash ALL of your clothes instead of having to keep out something to wear.Mike drove us into Front Royal for shopping, food and even a movie! I got a full length 3-season lightweight Thermarest to replace the Ridgerest that had worked out so poorly. After supper we all went and saw "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". I had been worried I would not be able to see it before it left the theaters, so that was a special treat.
Date: 2004-06-12
From: Terrapin Hostel

To: Manasas Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I was one of the first ones up but my hopes for an early start were dashed by a health problem . I had serious constipation, one of the hazards thruhikers face from eating a trail diet low in roughage and eating unaccustomed foods when in town. Before all was resolved I think I burst a hemorrhoid. For a while the amount of bleeding was alarming and I feared I would have to go see a doctor. Fortunately it tapered off and I decided to go on. Because of the delay I did not get on the Trail until after 10:00 am. I had not lost TOO much blood but I still felt weak and shaky from the ordeal and was very worried about an infection developing.After leaving the park boundary the trail got rougher just as it had been at the south end. Along the way I picked all the dandelion greens I could find in hopes the roughage would help get my digestive system back in order. It was 3:00 p.m. when I got to the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter. I was drained and it is one of the fanciest on the Trail so I was tempted to stop early. But that would mean either another short day tomorrow and getting to Harpers Ferry a day late or a twenty mile day. So more from lack of options rather than energy, I headed on to my original destination, Manasas Gap Shelter.I was just as glad I did! I found the first ripe raspberries of my hike. At Manasas Gap were two big coolers full of Trail Magic from Aloha Ann herself. The log showed The Walking Stomach had passed through today. I had not seen her since Damascus!At the shelter the only one there was Rex, a woman who had decided she would end her hike at Harpers Ferry. She told me The Walking Stomach, Litle Tree, Aloha Ann, and several of their friends had been through just and hour before, slackpacking. I had just missed them! Maybe I will catch up soon.