morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-03
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Black Rock Shelter
Miles today: 20.2

The US postal service has dissapointed me My package of journal notes for the section from Waynseboro, VA to Harpers Ferry, WV has dissapeared. I will not attempt to recall daily activities because it would be futile at this late stage (over 2 months later). I will however try to write my general impressions of the Shenandoah National Park. I hope you enjoy the new Tilli style of writing and if you don't, then just skip ahead to Harper's Ferry and you'll be good to go.
Date: 2004-05-04
From: Black Rock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Shenandoah National Park in a word is delightful. Thru-hiker paradise or hiker heaven if there is such a thing. This is one of the few sections of the trail that I would even consider doing over again, I would even bring some of my feeble friends and relatives because the hiking was so easy! Gentle terrain, rolling hills vs. straight up and straight down made my feet and knees feel happy. The trail criss-crosses the road, every mile or two so I walked along the road most of the way. Confessions of a yellow-blazer (as in following the yellow-blazes down the middle of the road). I just don't care. I'm tired of trees, how many trees can you look at before they all start to look the same. As I have taken to saying, the trees make me crazy and now that I have an option to not walk through trees, I will gladly take it. Of course, sometimes the road covers more miles than the AT would, so I take the trail. I sometimes have to take the trail to a shelter so that's cool to. The key is getting back on the trail in time so as to not overshoot the shelter on the road. Tricky. It's nice to have choice and I feel like I'm making some productive use of my many brain cells as I analyze my little tourist map, trying to make out mileages. There's something delightful about waving to the cars as they go by. Friendly people out here, they all wave back. I like looking at the license plates. I think a lot about where they've come from and where they're going.Heck, I even hitch-hiked throught part of it. Probably every day in the Shenny's I walked until I was tired of it (usually after 12 miles or so) and then I stuck out my thumb and off I went at a rapid pace, startingly so at times, around twisty curves that overlooked the beautiful mountainsides. Nice people, usually the first car I stuck out my thumb for would pick me up.
Date: 2004-05-05
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: few clouds

Little Debbie and Semi-Joy. 2 of the coolest people I met on the entire trip. They're a mother-daughter combo from Michigan (not Detroit they're always quick to point out!) They hiked a good section of the trail in 2001 but had to get off because of knee problems with Little Debbie (the Mom) and financial problems for Semi-Joy. But they were back in 2004 and better than ever.Little Debbie loves twinkie type cake things...specifically Zingers. That's how she got her name but she can't stand the name Debbie so it made for some good entertainment. She loved her coffee and cigarettes, much to the annoyance of Semi-Joy at times. She also couldn't take the heat...not just disliking it but almost melting in the mid-day sun. She never let Semi-Joy get too far ahead because she liked to walk with someone. This made Semi-Joy semi crazy so Little Debbie would be chattering away and she would be listening to her MP3 player and ignoring her Mom. I walked with them on and off and it was REALLY FUNNY to witness the interaction. I just laughed and laughed. They would always try to suck my in to their little fights and try to get me to pick a side but I usually resisted, however tempting it was.Maybe I've made them sound crazy but they really are no crazier than the average thru-hiker. I loved hiking with them and miss them a lot. So many good memories...scaring boys out of shelters, the run-in with Bushy, eating potato chips, restaurant feast, the good talks. People like them make the trail a good experience. Sadly, I heard that Little Debbie got off the trail because of knee pain and I think Semi-Joy kept walking but I don't know how far she made it.
Date: 2004-05-06
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

Sometimes, as I walk through the Shenandoahs I wonder about all of the people who drive along the Blue Ridge parkway on their motorcycles or in their cars. They zoom by me at such rapid speeds, oohing and ahhing I'm sure at all the delightful overlooks but do they really see? Do they really know what this park is all about? I meet them occasionally at the overlooks when i feel like walking on the road and I meet them at the concession stands and restaurants, where I stick out like a sore thumb because I'm dirty and I smell. I feel like a tourist attraction in itself because an unbelievable amount of people have looked at my pack and wondered and asked me what exactly I'm doing. Walking, they say, isn't it pretty far? Do you have to carry all that stuff? Are there hotels that you can stay at? How different my life is from theirs. They see the edge of the wilderness and think that's what it's all about. They don't smell the trees, know the stillness of the forest, know the fury of nature. They travel so fast.
Date: 2004-05-07
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The AT in Shenandoah National Park is not a "true wilderness" experience. The park is only a mile or two wide at any point with a road running down the middle. This was delightful. What hiker at this point wouldn't appreciate a nice restaurant or campstore everyday. Overpriced, yes but I didn't care. Money becomes a secondary issue when it comes to eating.I had especially memorable meal with Little Debbie and Semi-Joy. We got up early and made some good time to hit a lodge with a restaurant for some breakfast. For some reason, breakfast was the meal that appealed most to the thru-hikers. We all had an appetizer, mine was a greasy, buttery cinnamon roll. I asked for extra butter, the waiter said no one had ever asked for that before. Little Debbie had 4 eggs, which is a lot for a smaller lady. It was out of control but delicious. Dessert consisted of another cinnamon roll and a king size Milky Way. I wasn't even that full.Some people did the 3-meal challenge. If you timed it right and did 20 miles or so one day you could have 3 restaurant meals in one day in the Shenandoahs. Impressive and a source of great delight to hikers. Food is happiness.
Date: 2004-05-08
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: few clouds

It seems that Semi-Joy, Little Debbie and I had a good (oops...I mean bad) habit of scaring boys out of shelters in the Shenandoahs. Girl power on the trail, deeeelightful. On a trail filled with testosterone, anytime the girls prevailed in taking over a shelter, I felt happy. Of course, many of the boys on the trail I was happy to see and considered friends but there were always the few that deflated my good spirits anytime I saw them. Maybe they thought the same about me. I honestly liked all the girls I met, maybe it wasn't such of an ego thing with them, maybe there's so few of us that we just had an easier time bonding with each other. I don't know.Anyway, the three of us, mid-afternoon came to a shelter where we were planning on stopping for the night. A father/son were already there, with their crap spread over the entire shelter and picnic table. They made no attempt to move so I politely (probabaly rudely from their perspective) made some room so I could have a snack and sit down. The son was smoking inside the shelter...I didn't come to hike the AT to pollute my lungs and this was the second sign that all would not be well if we stayed at the shelter together. Then they had a chocolate bar and the wrapper blew onto the ground. They made no attempt to pick it up. This disturbs me so I pointed it out and they made a big show of picking it up, like they were doing me a favor. I started to get angry. Stupid people who trash the trail are not cool in my books. Anyway, the father/son sensed that all was not well in shelter-land so they packed up and moved on, strongly encouraged by us three girls. We had the shelter to ourselves that night and had a very enjoyable time. Sweet victory. Stay tuned for the next installment of girl power tomorrow.
Date: 2004-05-09
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: few clouds

I know it wasn't this shelter where girl power prevailed but I will tell the story anyway because I don't remember where it was....I think it was further back somewhere.Anyway, Little Debbie, Semi-Joy and I arrived at a shelter to the sight of 6 packs placed strategically around the shelter, taking up all the spots. There was room for 10 or 12 people in the shelter but this group made it obvious that they weren't big on intruders. There was one of the guys at the shelter when we came in and he didn't like the look of us so he ran off to find his friends. After hiking, I liked to just lay down and eat so I moved one of the stategically placed packs to the other side, took out my pad and sleeping bag and moved in for the night. Little Debbie and Semi-Joy took up residence at the picnic table and started cooking. We had claimed our territory. The guys came back and seemed to be intimidated by our presence and shocked at our nerve in moving in on their territory. I didn't care, I was tired and was staying no matter what. Hostilities ensued. The boys had a pow-wow and left. Sweet victory. The next morning, when hiking out, we saw their trucks from Maryland about 1/2 mile away in a parking lot. When you're only hiking 1/2 mile you don't deserve to stay in the shelter...I don't care what anyone says...especially when there's 6 of you and you plan on partying all night.However, the saga did not end there. Little Debbie, Semi-Joy and I were having an enjoyable last night together (I needed to leave them to do bigger miles to meet my Mom in Washington) and along comes a thru-hiker named Bushy. The first thing he obnoxiously said was, "Give me 3 reasons why I should stay here." Some very sarcastic, mean comments came into my head but I restrained myself and only said, "I don't care if you stay or not." The night went downhill from there to open hostility between Bushy and I. It was not a pretty sight and one of my low moments on the trail. He was just so obnoxious and I was tired and impatient and just wanted to enjoy my last night with the girls. He didn't even ask us our names and made me feel like a piece of shower scum because I wasn't doing huge miles. Excuses, not such good ones at that because no one deserves to be treated the way I treated Bushy. That night was one of the things I have regretted on the trail.
Date: 2004-05-10
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 21.9
Weather: clear sky

Well, I had to leave Semi-Joy and Little Debbie. They, along with almost everyone else I know are stopping at the hostel just outside of Shenanadoah National Park (Terrapin Hostel I think it's called) but I need to keep moving to meet up with my mom. I did some very short days to stick with the girls so I needed to pick up my pace a bit.It's hard to leave people on the trail. Thru-hikers seem to form bonds way more quickly than anyone in real life ever would. Maybe it's because you see everyone at their lowest point, when they're hungry, with feet hurting and exhausted from a long day of hiking. I think everyone misses home and we need each other on the trail to stay sane. I was talking to Flying Brian a ways back (who did the Triple Crown in one calender year) and it seemed like one of the hardest things for him was the loneliness because he was hiking the 3 trails kind of in the off-season for all of them. That would have been the toughest part of it I think.The funny thing is that people don't just say goodbye, the standard line is, "I'll see you down the trail." Realistically, you will see very few of the people that you've left, especially if your paces are similar. Maybe it makes it easier that way, I don't know. I try not to think about it I guess.The past couple days, since I left the girls I've been hiking with Walk-On and a guy from Japan that we call Tokyo Man. Walk-On is good company, I first met him back in the Smokies and I've been following him ever since but he just took a couple days off to visit his girlfriend. We don't hike together because Walk-On has a faster pace, but I take shorter breaks so we usually take breaks together and chat. Tokyo Man doesn't speak much English but we have a companionable silence, the 3 of us...like a little family. I like that about the trail, most people don't feel the need to keep up the endless chatter.
Date: 2004-05-11
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

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

Today is the famous rollercoaster. Most people associate rollercoasters with fun, however this was not. It was a crazy amount of small hills, torturous climbs on any day but especially when it was hot and humid, like today. Nightmarish is more the word for it. Something like 17 or so if I remember correctly. However, at the end of the day I knew comfort was awaiting at the Blackburn AT center so that made things more bearable I guess. I had heard rumors of a free spaghetti, garlice bread, green bean meal and so I knew I had to go there. Also, a bunkhouse and solar shower. The caretaker guy Bill was awesome and greeted me with a choice of soda, plus fixed up a nasty cut on my hand for me from when I slipped on a rock earlier in the day (he was a veterinarian). The spaghetti supper did not dissapoint and the company was good as well, Heald and Walk-On, as well as a cool sectioner guy and another crazy lady. More about the crazy lady in a bit. I always think it's funny to see the interactions between section hikers and thru-hikers, I think it must be hard for the sectioners, especially the ones who are a bit shy. By this time, a lot of the thru's have a bit (a lot for some) of a superior attitude. Plus we all know each other. Anyway, Walk-On, Heald and I had a great time hanging out that night and the next morning just visiting and relaxing..good times all around. Both awesome guys. Heald got in a bit of a fight with Numbskull, another thru over something stupid (it was mostly Numbskull being a jerk) so it was a bit tense but I found it mostly entertaining. The rest of us kind of had to pick sides though (literally, which side of the hostel!), which was crappy.Anyway, about the crazy lady...she kept saying she was doing a "special journey" by foot and horseback along the AT in support of a solar house project. Her goal was to be on national TV. However, her plans were quite ill-formed and she thought she could count on people just lending her horses along the way for weeks at a time. Plus you can't take horses on the AT, this however did not seem to worry her. Needless to say, no one would lend crazy lady horses so she set out to walk. Her pack was so heavy though that she could only do 4 or 5 miles a day so water sources became a serious problem for her because in this section they were about 10 miles or more apart. She was hiking in jeans, ouch! People like that can end up dying on the AT...serious lack of preparation, lack of physical fitness, lack of judgement and lack of experience in the outdoors. She had nothing going for her. I haven't seen her on TV yet but I'll keep my eyes open!
Date: 2004-05-12
From: Blackburn AT center

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Harper's Ferry, as Wingfoot says, "The psychological 1/2 way." 1000 miles! Who walks 1000 miles...well actually a lot of people from the looks of the book at the AT headquarters. Tradition says that you have to go into the AT center at Harper's Ferry and get your picture taken. It was a good time checking out the pictures of the people already gone through.I hiked most of the way today with Heald and Walk-On, Walk-On was feeling pretty sick so I think neither of us really wanted to leave him alone. It was nice hiking with someone for a change...made the time go faster. Heald entertained us with lots of stories.Just before I got there, I ran into 2 teenage guys out for the weekend. I stopped and talked for a few minutes and then got up to keep walking. As I was walking away, one of them said to his friend, "Wow, look at how muscular her legs are." It was quite satisfying.When I got to Harper's Ferry, everyone was there! Good times all around! I hung out at the porch at the AT center, at the pizza place and at the outfitters. I passed numerous hours this way, how easy it is just to sit and relax after being on the trail for so long. A couple trail angels came by to ask us if we needed rides anywhere. So nice!I needed to catch the train to DC in the morning so I needed a place to stay overnight. The Outfitter kindly let Waterfall, Early Bird and I sleep on the porch. The only negative was the train whistles that went off every hour or so during the night! Not much sleep was had, anyway, that's the way it goes I guess. I was just thankful for a place to lay my head, instead of having to stealth somewhere in the trees and worry about the police picking me up.Onward to Washington tomorrow. I need a break.
Date: 2004-05-13
To: Washington DC with Mom...
Miles today: 0.0

May 13th to May 18th:My mom and I had a very enjoyable time in Washington. A vacation complete with a comfortable bed and good meals. It was exactly what I needed. At first, I only missed the trail a little bit by the end I was definitely ready to hike.I think we saw everything in Washington: The White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, Mount Vernon, Alexandria, the Smithsonian, the War Memorial and lots of other stuff I've probably forgotten. Plus we saw Jesus Christ Superstar. Then we saw George Bush driving past the White House with his entourage. I watch a little TV too and was happy to see that Rupert won the million on Survivor.I think that is about it for Washington. If you haven't been, I definitely recommend going. It was good to se my mom. It was good to get off the trail. It was good to indulge in a shower for 6 days in a row! Washington made me happy.JB -- Tell It Like It Is...
Date: 2004-05-18
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Campsite...
Miles today: 2.7
Weather: clear sky

As I was sitting at the Union Station waiting for the train to Harper¢s Ferry I spotted Sunshine. He didn¢t have a pack so I was a little unsure if it was him, so I tentatively said, ¢Sunshine?¢ It was him, coming from Washington, via Trail Days. How fun to see a familiar face.We walked together from the train station to the hostel just outside of town and ran into Capt Hook. AMAZING! Two super cool guys that are old trail friends when I didn¢t expect to see anybody I knew from before my vacation.It was already getting late by the time I left the hostel and my intention was to walk 3 or 4 miles and camp for the night. The skies started to get really dark and a few drops of rain started to fall so I frantically began looking for good trees. They were all so big! So far apart! I was moderately troubled but eventually settled for a spot with a lot of underbrush. Less than ideal but it would have to do. I made it into the hammock with seconds to spare. The good news is that I stayed nice and dry. The bad news is that I have to pack up a wet hammock in the morning. It was really warm so I decided to go without my sleeping pad. It was a lot more comfortable.JB ¢ Tell It Like It Is¢¦.
Date: 2004-05-19
From: Campsite (just north of Harper's Ferry)

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 12.8

Rain, rain, rain. It rained a lot today but it was quite enjoyable with my umbrella. Two sectioner¢s laughed at me when they saw it but I had the last laugh because they were sweating out of control and were soaking wet. Plus one guy was hiking in wet jeans, ouch!I did an easy 12 miles to give my legs and feet a chance to get back in shape. They still were tired.I¢m at the shelter now with Capt Hook, Scorpion (a thru-hiker) and another guy who¢s out for a week. We¢ve all had an enjoyable afternoon. I love getting to the shelter at 3:00!Oh yeah, I almost forgot I crossed another state line yesterday, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, W. Virginia and now Maryland. Onward to Pennsylvania in a couple of days.JB ¢ Tell It Like It Is¢¦
Date: 2004-05-20
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Devils Racecourse Shelter
Miles today: 20.0

Today was a delightful day of hiking; the forest was mysterious, shrouded in mist. It threatened to rain all day but I only used my umbrella for 10 minutes or so. The temperature was in the low 60¢s, perfect! I could hike in a t-shirt and be warm and only sweat going up hills.I like Maryland a lot! Too bad there¢s only 40 miles or so of it. Great trail maintenance, easy terrain, and nice views if it wasn¢t so misty, plentiful shelters, great water sources. What more could a hiker want? Even a free hot shower today but I didn¢t take advantage of it because I still feel semi-clean. Plus I¢m semi-lazy when it comes to hygiene. Trail hygiene that is, not in real life. Too much information Anyway I¢m happy I¢m at the shelter now, having claimed the prized and coveted corner spot, before the Pack of 5 (2 fathers & 3 sons) move on in. Packs of 5 should NOT USE THE SHELTERS!!!! I hope there¢s room for Capt Hook and Scorpion when they show up. However, they are lighting a fire, which I plan to cook on so I should be more forgiving. Their 3 attempts so far have been unsuccessful so I¢m not holding my breath. I would offer my expertise but I don¢t think 3 young men would appreciate it.One of the dads got to the shelter and immediately got out his Termarest and laid down. I find all of this quiet entertaining. They also have 2 huge Dalmatians. Cute but I hope they don¢t bark all night.The fire is going now! Must run and cook. Hungry must eat now¢¦ no more journal.Next morning update: The two dads were wondering why everyone came to the shelter, surveyed the situation and then turned around to go set up their tents. I politely informed them of trail etiquette: No groups in the shelter and no dogs taking up people spots! They said that it explains an encounter or two with hostile thru-hikers.The dogs took up 2 spots in the shelter; the dads took up 3 and that left 3 spots or so for the 3 kids and me. As a matter of principle, I refused to be cramped out in the shelter by 2 dogs and rude people, so I pulled my pad half a foot from the wall and had quite a spacious sleep. The 3 boys, however, did not. The 3 of them basically had to spoon! Sweet revenge. I was happy to leave them behind this morning.JB ¢ Tell It Like It IS¢¦