morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-23
From: Lewis Mtn. Campground

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Tough day, he he he! We hiked 8 miles to the Big Maeadows Lodge here in the park for lunch...hung out there for 3 hours..then hikedthe 4 miles to the next shelter.Our first excitement was a mam bear and 3 cubs! Radar was trucking along, headdown, when he heard a rustling along the side of the trail. He looked over, andnot 6 feet from him is mama and her cubs. She lifted up slightly and huffed athim. He backed up slowly and the cubs took off up the trees. She then went uponto some large boulders. That's when a group of boy scouts came along, andthen me and the group I was hiking with. With cubs up the trees and mama onher rock, we couldn't exactly pass by. Most of the crowd backed up a bit, andRadar and I stayed and watched as the only cib we could see came scrambling downthe tree. Mama appeared to be watching her other cubs, one to her left and oneto her right, but we couldn't see them. Was it safe to pass? I said I would goby her...then Thumper said he'd go with me...then all the hikers got brave andwe hiked by clacking our poles to make noise and keep her back. It worked! Buthow exciting But that wasn't the onbear siting of the day...late in the day I spotted a beardown to my right headin in the opposite direction. They sure are plentifularound here. And still a sight to behold!We've been looking for edible plants. I've found lambs quarters, a leafy greenthat I eat raaw: We've also found wild garlic which I'll cook with if we findit again. The last ones we picked were not used because it just got too late tocook that night. i've also pick sassafras root to make tea, but it was the samelate night and we didn't use it. I'll try it again. Tonight Thumper and I switched dinners. I had only tortalini left and wasn'tinterested in it and he had his Thai ramen dish that sounded good to me, so wecooked and switched dinners. Works for me!Right now I'm swinging in a string hammock that a section hiker was packing. Itis so comfortable for relaxing...just not for living in day after day. I thinkI'm going to have Dennis bring my small string hammock when he comes nextweekend...it should be light enough...we'll see.Step lightly
Date: 2007-06-24
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Campsite with a View
Miles today: 11.6

These Shenandoahs are hard mountains to cross...there are too many restaurants to sample along the way! And when we get there, we meet so many other hikers to talk to and tourists to share our stories with,   it's hard not to spend 3 hours there before hiking on. Today, since we had decided to go to Skyland for lunch and it didn't serve lunch until noon, we got out of camp about 8:30 having lessthan 5 miles to get there. But then after lunch we had nearly 11 miles to the next shelter...on fullstomachs. We decided to get water about 5 o'clock and hike on to the next possible place to camp (and there are not a lot of places because of the rocks, the steep mountain sides, or the brush) We found a small flat spot with the most gorgeous view and we tucked our 3 solo tents carefully on the site a bit like puzzle pieces.This is the life!I met a family today that was doing letterboxing. This is an international game where a box is hiiden in thewoods or reallyany place public and then a clue iswritten for someone to find the box...then the clue is posted on line at www.letterbox.com (or letterboxing.com, I'm not sue). Anyone wishing to play goes on line to get clues to boxes in their area and then sets off to find the box, taking with you your own rubber stamp to leave your mark and a book or something to place the mark from the rubber stamp from the box. The family I met, Laura & Richard Thompson and their children Madeline and Logan, had found 3 boxes today...their first day out. What a fun thing to do with your kids! I love seeing children out in the woods. Madeline, that tree Who's leaf I showed you that looked like a duck's foot was the Basswood. You could make a book this summer of leaves from different trees with the name ofthe tree next to it. You can preserve the leaves by ironing them between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Have fun with your tree project and send me a note with all the different trees you are able to identify! I can't wait to hear from you!It's so funny right now...Thumper EZ and I are all nestled in our tents but we are talking to each other trying to plan out the next few days...it's kinda like having a sleepover! I'm so lucky to have hooked up with these two wonderful men! The laughter is continuous, the patience neverending, and the supportpriceless. Trail magic...this is exactly how it works! Well, I have to be up and ready to depart by 7 am because we have a long day tomorrow. We've really been lax on mileage here in the Shenandoahs...and we need to get serious if we're going to get to Katahdin by mid October. We have to start doing 15 mile days 6 days a week...then we can zero for a day. It's 9:30 and time for sleep.Step lightly
Date: 2007-06-25
From: Campsite with a View

To: Gravel Spring Hut
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I had insomnia last night...must have been the caffeine in the coffee I had at noon...got only 4 hours sleep. At about 5:30, Thumper calls out "Anybody awake?" "Yes", says I..."Nope," says EZ!We were up and hiking by 6:15...ugh! Got to the Wayside for lunch just after noon and we had hiked 11.4 miles in 6 hours...we are good! I was planning on the Mountain Blackberry Shake I had heard so much about...I was going to eat it first so I wouldn't run out of room...(I don't have the appetite and ability toeat huge amounts of food like the guys do, my appetite's about the same)...but they were out of ice cream...darn it! I was so tired today, I asked the guys if we could rest their awhile during the heatt of the day...we hiked out at about 3 and got 6 miles to the shelter at 6. I'm pooped and don't have much to write so I'm signing off for today.Step lightly
Date: 2007-06-26
From: Gravel Spring Hut

To: Quality Inn, Front Royal VA
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: light rain

Going to town! Up at 5:15 am and hiking by 6:15. We trucked today. I can't keep up with these guys hiking...the hills slow me down. But that's okay, I like hiking alone and I catch up with them when they break...and they break every hour. It's working ok.I've been learning about the chestnut tree. There are many very large ones down in this area. Thumper has taught me that they have a defect thatonly allows them to grow to just before maturity and then they die never bearing fruit. The new ones are generated from the roots of the old ones. The leaves are very jagged like the teeth of a saw. The wood of the logs is so hard that they don't rot.We left so early yesterday that we were the first of a large group of hikers into town yesterday. Michelle and her dog were nice enough to pick us u when we were hitchhiking to town. She even gave me a lift out to the post office and back to the motel. Michelle, you're a trail angel! Thank you, again!!!We're sharing a room (Thumper, EZ, and me) and three packs exploded sure takes up a lot of space...mine looks the worst! These guys seem to be able to manage their stuff better than I. Oh well...Dinner at the Soul Mountain Cafe was delicious and now it's time for much needed sleep. I spent 2 hours labeling pictures on the hotel supplied computer, but could not get them moved onto a CD. I need to get a memory stick. Dana's gotten a little behind moving the ones I've sent on to Dennis so he can ship them back to me...a bit of a logistics problem getting to a PO. I guess I needto buy a few more sticks.I viewed them last night (remember I broke my viewing toggle button on my camera so I can take pictures, but not view them again). The video of the bear cub coming back down the tree although rough is still good...he's so cute! so please be patient until I can get it to Dana and she can get it up on the site. Delayed gratification is a sign of maturity!Step lightly
Date: 2007-06-27
From: Quality Inn, Front Royal VA

To: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Boy, was it hard agreeing to leave own after only one night, but the guys were right, we needed to keep moving forward. It was a majorly hot day...high 90s and humid...but we were in the woods by 1:45.This morning Thumper and EZ were up early, as usual, but knowing I wanted to sleep later they quietly left for breakfast at the pancake house. They need to eat much more than I do for some unknown reason, so I opted for the continental breakfast that the motel had...and it was really good.Then I figured out my food needs from my bounce box and called Kathy Foley, the woman while I was standing on the street yesterday waiting for a ride. She said the most caring thing one person could say to another, "Is ther anything you need?" And I answered that I was traveling with 2 guys and that today we would need a ride back to the post office and possibly the library. She said sure andgave me her cell number. So this mrning I called her and she helped us out!   Thank you, Kathy! Meeting you was trail magic, making you an official trail angel!I hope the many eople reading my journal are beginning to believe me when I say that 99.99% of the people in this world are good. Every day I depend on the charity of strangers and they never let me down Thumper and I were talking tonight that if people "out there" could start treating each other like people on and around the Appalachian Trail did, how much better the world would be. We work together and depend on each other...it isn't a competition to get to Katahdin, but a cooperative effort. . What about more cooperation in school and in the workplace. I don't know but maybe we'd all be a bit happier and more content with our lives. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox...it's just that our lives out here are so much more happy and we'd all like to bring some of the magic back to the real world.So today's hike started out hot and humid and with heavy food-laden packs, but as I hiked on, I got some of the good feelings back...and my pack got lighter and my feet lifted a little higher (which is a good thing, 'cause otherwise I trip alot).More hikers are arriving (it's 7:45) and the noise level is picking up...we need to start moving past the shelters to get some peace and quiet...I'll mention that to the guys tomorrow.In 2 days Dennis will be joining us. We've planned some shorter days for the 2 days he's hiking with us,. I can't wait for him to meet everyone, but especially thumper and EZ! He'll see why I'm having such a good time. He's going to have a hard time going home, I'm sure.We've got early plans for the morning, so I'm going to sleep soon to get my 8-9 hours.Step lightly
Date: 2007-06-28
From: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter

To: Campsite by Stream
Miles today: 17.5

Loud bunch of partiers last night. The young folk hauled in beer, had a fire and whooped it up til nearly midnight, making it hard for us old fogies to sleep...so tonight we decided to camp away from the shelter wherever we could find. It's not always easy to find camp sites because the terrain is hilly and rocky so level spots are few and far between...and we have three tents to put up. Nothing particularly exciting or onteresting happened today. We got up about 5 and were hiking by 6:40, trying a new routine for breakfast..Thumper, who's always up first goes and boils water after he's packed up. We use the water for coffee or hot ccereal. We did try not cooking for breakfast and just grabbing a breakfast bar, but we got hungry later. We're trying to work out routines with the 3 of us that maximizes the groups activities.My pack must have had bricks put in it. I spent most of the morning figuring out what I could remove and still survive. I want 10 pounds out of that thing on my back...well, 5 is probably more realistic...but I don't know what I could remove and get that big a reduction. I plan on looking into it while zeroing inHarpers Ferry with Dennis. For some reason, I feel so weak now that I have a hard time during parts of the day just lifting my feet, and the trail is very rocky, and I'm tripping a lot!The humidity might have something to do with it. It's so humid the sweat just pours off, especially on the face. I have found that a wet bandana is a great cooling device. It gets cold just hanging in my pack or around my neck, so I wipe my face frequently with the wet cold ends of it...instant air conditioning.!I'm going to get some sleep while a thunderstorm rattles the skies overhead...music for sleeping!Step lightly
Date: 2007-06-29
From: Campsite by Stream

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

Today we entered the area known as the Roller Coaster...a sries of hills that look like a roller coaster ride on the profile map...they go up and down about 500 feet 10 times in 13 miles..but don't close your eyes or you'll trip and fall. I thought they were fun and I had a lot of energy today. The guys said it was because Dennis was coming tonight!We got to thwe hostel about 5:00. It's a beautiful hostel in an old stone mansion built in the 30s. They allocate the downstairs to hikers to try and contain the smell. In case you haven't guessed it, hikers stink...bad!Dennis got here about 9:30 and was I glad to see him. We've decided to camp out on the lawn instead of sleep in the bunks...it smells better out here.My journal entries may be a bit shorter these next few days...I want to give Dennis all my attention...he deserves it!Step lightly
Date: 2007-06-30
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: David Lesser Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: broken clouds

Dennis and I spent the night in our tent...he brought our full-size inflatablemattresses and bed pillows...I was in luxury. Oh, the things you can have whenyou have a car and you don't have to carry them on your back!And speaking of a car, we took Thumper and EZ with us out to breakfast at alocal diner. Then came back to get packed and hick about 8 miles to theBlackburn A.T. Center for a free dinner. Abal, you're not going to beleive who I ran into at Bearks DenHostel...Amoeba...the woman who sreeched her car to a halt in TN, I think, whewe were hiking in snow, and jumped out to take our picture just before wecrossed a stile into a field. She does some volunteering there and plants theirgarden with fresh vegetables for the hikers. Poor Dennis had to hike about 5 miles or so of the end of the rollercoaster...not an easy hike anyways, and especially not ewhen your feet aren'tready. He got blisters on his heels in about the first hour, but was a realtrouper a bout it. I don't think I could have been with blisters the size ofquarters on my heels. He got them taped up and we hiked on the the Blackburn AT Center. Even though i's down a steep decline that you have toclimb up again later, it's worth the trip. It's housed in a beautiful log lodgewith a large wraparound screened porch. They feed hikers dinnerat 6pm every evening and breakfast in the morning if you stay over. It wastempting, but we really wanted to do the 3 miles to the next shelter to put adent on the miles into Harper's Ferry tomorrow. Now we have 10 to do beforelunch. EZ's wife is meeting us there and will help us go back to pick upDennis' car at the hostel. We also have to find someplace to stay for the next3 nights on this busy holiday weekend. Things will work out , they always do. Step lightly
Date: 2007-07-01
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Hilltop House Hotel, Harper's Ferry. WV
Miles today: 9.4

1000 MILES! I've hiked over 1000 miles...even I can't beleve it! It just boggles my mind!!! And Dennis was ther to photograph the moment...how cool!Thumper and EZ have this loud fake yawn they do every morning to wake me up... I call it my alrm clock. They even did Saturday morning at the hostel when Dennis and I were sleeping out in the tent. The power was out at the hostel, so being the campers that they are, they came out to the picnic table and lit up their alcohol stove to have a cup aof coffee. And being thejoksters that they are, they couldn't pas up the   opportunity to wake us up with a loud YYAAAWWWNN! I could have shot them! Well payback is sweet. this morning, planning pur usual early morning start, I as awake just after 5 am. dennis and } were camped away from the shelter while Thumper and EZ were tenting on the deck of the shelter. I had to walk past the shelter on my way to the privy. Would they be up? No. my chance to give them an YYAAWWWNN I got them!Later on at a rest stop I said we should come up with woods calls so that we could see if anyone was witin earshot. I have the same call I used with Abal, WOO WOOP.   Thumper is going to use YAAWWNN since he started it. So that left EZ with coing up with a call. And he called out "He'p me!" in a very quick but high pitched voice. It cracked us all up!We hit Harper's Ferry during 4th of July week and were afraid we couldn't find any place to stay, but this old hotel with quaint features had room for us. We're in a romom in the Tower...a round part of the building. But we'll have to change rooms tonight because last night the bed was so hard thatIhad to put my air mattress on it to sleep comfortably. Go figure! Oh, Dennis got a trail name. He se said he hiked 1% of my first 1000 miles...and today he was hiking 1% of the second 1000 miles...so that's what I named him 1% Great name, huh?! Step lightly
Date: 2007-07-03
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0

Two zero days in a row...a weekend! My feet are loving it, but my legs are getting itchy to hikeSpent today packing my food for the next section, redoing my bounce box and sending some things home with Dennis. I want to keep my pack weight down around 22 lbs so that my body is happier walking. We'll see how I did when I pack up in the morning.Another relaxing day enjoying our room at this quaint hotel, biking around town, and doing a little shopping.Step lightly
Date: 2007-07-04
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

It feels so good to be back on the trail after 2 days off, but I had such a good time with 1%! Just having time to be together was what I needed. He brought our bikes so when I needed to do towen chores, he went for long bike rides. He got a mini-vacation. And he got to meet my trail buddies nd get a taste oftrail life. I sure hope he had a good time! I sure did!!!Now that I'm past the halfway point and mileage is critical to get to Maine, only people willing and able to do 15 miles a day will be able to hike with us. We're definitely feeling the pressure to pack away the miles or we won't reach Katahdin by October 15th. Gotta get a move on, that's for sure!We had breakfast of bagels toasted over my alcohol stove again, melon and cherries, and Starbucks coffee made cowboy style...eaten out on the patio of the hotel...delightful.Oh, yes, I read Bill Erwin's book Blind Courage this weekend...he's the only blind person to hike the AT completely with a Seeing Eye dog. Fascinating story, but Istill don't know how he did it!Off to bed!Step lightly
Date: 2007-07-05
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Pogo Memorial Campsites
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: moderate rain

Rain. Our 2nd day of rain. It was great for sleping last night, but I hate packing up a wet tent. I have to rearrange my pack to tryand keep everything else dry. Today I was not successful, and had to string a line at lunch to hang tent and sleeping bag out to dry. I forgot to mention my little mishapyesterday involving my sleeping bag. Thumper and I stomped at a picnic pavilion when the skies opened up, so we decided to hang out there, nap, and cook up ur dinner. During my nap on a bench with my Thermarest pad, I got cold and pulled my bag over me. Then when I awoke and cooked supper, I kept myself wrapped up in my bag to keep warm while sitting on my mat. I had a pot of soup with my long handled spoon sticking out of it...and ooops! I bumped the spoon knocking the pot causing the soup to spill on my down sleeping bag and mat! Yikes! I managed to get it mopped up with my towel. I sure hope bears don't like chicken! To tell ya the truth, beteween the nauseating odor of my boots, my socks, and my shirt...I don't think any bear could smell the chicken. It reeks in here, but I'm beginning to like the smell!...just not the socks. If it were dry out, I would have all my clothes hanging on bushes to dry out over night, but that's not going to happen with this rain.I also remembered something that happened on Sunday, July 1st, that I forgot to share. When a hiker gets into Harper's Ferry, they check in at the Appalachian Trail Center to get logged in, get a picture taken, and get a number. I'm #491...Nearly 500 thru-hikers have come through here this year! I don't know the statistics for how many of those who get this far finish the whole thing. There are no sign-ins at mt. Katahdin, I understand.So that's me, ole #491!The other thing that I don't think I've mentioned is the forest damage done by the gypsy moths. They eat so many leaves that acres of trees have no leaves left on them at all. The woods look like springtime with so much sunlight coming throug, and the trunks of the trees are covered with cocoons. I've heard that if the same trees are hit 2 years in a row, they will die. I know we went through areas where they said they were going to spray for gypsy moths, and some people taked about seeing the stuff covering the groundThat's all the news from LAKE Wobegon.Step lightly
Date: 2007-07-06
From: Pogo Memorial Campsites

To: Campsite North of Mason Dixon Linem Falls Creek, P
Miles today: 15.4

I'm in the north! I crossed the Mason Dixon Line this evening and entered into my 7th state!!! Pennsylvania! I'm almost home!!! It's mind boggling, that's for sure!A wet start to today. My tent was wet, my sleeping bag got damp from where it bumped up against my wet hiking clothes at the foot of my tent during the night, and my socks and boots were soaked. Yesterday, from my feet being wet all day, the pruning of my toes and the balls of my feet caused soreness and near blisters. Knowing that I was going to have wet feet again today, I decided totape my feet with duck tape to try and protect them,but now they're all sticky where the duct tape was. I can live with that until I can remove it.   When I got to an open sunny area today, I laid out all my gear to dry...and took off my boots and socks to see if I could at least start to dry them out. I made a dent in it, anyways. The boots dried most of the rest of the way this afternoon while hiking.We started to have some hills today and we seem to have lost our climbing legs. The climbs were hard i'm sure we'll remember how again real soon.I did kind of a dumb thing with my pack. It had a terrble squeak...really loud and annoying. I was able to deduce that it was the load stabilizers insert, so I removed it during the 2 days 1% was hiking with us just to see how the pack did without the insert. (It was an extra option.) The pack worked well, so Isent the insert home with 1%, figuring I didn't need it. Well, I did! The pack is slowly settling into a round pack ball that hangs from my shoulders quite uncomfortably. I was able to get the manufacturer on the phone today and he said silicone spray on the metal braces seems to help. So Dennis is busy fixing them for me tonight and mailing them back to me in Boiling Springs where I'll be Tuesday. I'll just have to suffer til then.Tonight we hiked into a park and ordered pizza for dinner. Then we met a guy, Craig from Philadelphia, that was just getting ready to hike north for the weekend. he shuttled us into town for resupply and hiked out with us tonight and joined us at our campsite. He doesn't think he wants to go the 18 miles we're planning to do tomorrow...but we'll see.Gotta get my sleep...      Step lightly