morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-28
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

A wonderful night sleep in my new bag brought me into the new day. There was a minor interruption when around midnight three hikers arrived with a dog. I had slept for nearly 10 hours, by my 7:30am wake up.At breakfast I recognized two of the three.Sampson and I made it to the Blackburn Side Trail about 6:30pm. The Blackburn Shelter Hostel is a great stay. Dinner was provided and the opportunity for a solar shower was available.Dingle and Skirit where there when we arrived. Yoga Monkey made it for spaghetti dinner.Samson [YJ: Looks like they are finally spelling it correctly] and I relaxed on the screened in porch sitting upon a swinging bench. We learned from dingle that his Mom wakes up everyday and reads new trail journal entries. How caringly adorable. Yeh ¢ her!
Date: 2004-06-29
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: few clouds

We leave late in the morning ¢ around ten ¢ to arrive in Harpers Ferry about four. We went first to the AT and humored ourselves as we looked at Polaroid¢s of hikers who passed through. Samson and I were #490 and #489 of Northbound thru hikers.We settled into the Hilltop Hostel¢s last hiker room to hurry on to the outfitter. The outfitter sold Samson a watch. Plus we received stellar info from Baltimore Jack who was running the register.Finally I packed as Samson slacked the final 0.5 mile of Harpers Ferry. Then a hurried dinner and packing put us to bed by eight.
Date: 2004-06-30
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 31.8
Weather: clear sky

Awake at 4am. Heading to the trail by 4:45am. Heading north by 5. The first two miles were an old canal two path making, low light travel less challenging. I decided to hike with Samson vs. going off on my own.The plan was eat a ¢lunch¢ every 10 miles. Our first meal was at 8:30am. Then another about 1:30pm. We were on schedule. Samson was slowing and feeling pain. AT mile 28 she was going no further.We were to meet her friend the next day so we needed to make at least the next shelter 5 miles further. So I slacked her the next five miles, carrying both our packs. The weight wasn¢t too much, but my neck had to be held bent. The trail was rocky/technical(?) for a mile, which was a joy with my odd gear configuration. We made the shelter by 8:30pm. Yeah, my second 30+ mile day.
Date: 2004-07-01
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Pen Mar Park
Miles today: 9.2

We met Samson¢s friend, Barb, at Pen Mar Park. Barb drove us to lunch and then here home in VA.After a shower and nap we went to REI, as we left the store a strange occurrence happened. A young adult male was walking to the door. It was Tarzan ¢ whom Samson and I met in Erwin, TN at Miss Janet¢s. He was from a suburb close to Barb¢s and had returned to get new shoes.On the trail he was in Front royal, VA.Whacky!
Date: 2004-07-26
To: Yellow Jacket
Miles today: 0.0

I have journals thru 5-Jul-04. They are short and uneventful. I'll post them later.I have NOT received another batch from Casey in quite some time. A couple of weeks ago he told me that he was going to stop doing daily entries in lue of longer entries whenever. I told him I thought it was a good idea as his entries do seem a bit strained at times.Now for the bad news. A few days ago Samson left the trail again to be with her sister's new child and because she had lost her drive. She hopes to return later and hike with Casey, though I'm not thoroughly convinced.Casey has continued on his own for the past 5 days or so. Today I heard a rumor that he is seriously thinking about leaving the trail. If/when any of you talk with Casey PLEASE ENCOURAGE HIM. He claims he won¢t be disappointed if he leaves now, but I think otherwise. He only has ~750 miles left. That¢s less than 7 weeks at his current pace.Ask him about other folks on the trail that he has met up with and about their quirks and behaviors. Remind him that he¢ll have plenty of time to be with loved ones once he has finished and that there are great people and places yet to visit.For those of you who have always wanted to hike with Casey now is the time (he was in Ft. Montgomery, NY today) . NY/MA/CT portions of the trail are quite accessible and realativly easy. Having someone he knows cares hike with him would prove to be a great help.
Date: 2004-07-27
From: Yellow Jacket

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Most of New York was weakening to my mind. Little was clear to me on why this could be. My first day in the state (July 25) had nearly everything desirable for any outdoor adventure. The weather was calm and the skies filled with puffy clouds. For many peoples¢ tastes the trail had much to offer in the form of open ridgelines even allowed glimpses of the NYC skyline some30 + miles in the distance. Yet, I was uneasy.Could my discomfort be from the more rugged terrain? Or possibly had some emotional loneliness burdened itself upon my perceptions and colored my world with gloomy lenses? These could have been leading factors if it wasn¢t for something else. At first I didn¢t realize the issue involved because I was simply dealing with it. But what was it? Ah, I may have difficulty explaining it to someone not familiar with the trail or foot travel but here is my attempt. The blazes. Yep, the blazes, not intrinsic in anyway but simply how they were put together. Let¢s remember though that I have a nearly obsessive compulsive behavioral problem on passing every white-blaze for ¢purities¢ sake. As I tried to follow the ¢continuous foot-path, stretching from Georgia to Maine,¢ I kept hitting a ¢purity¢ dilemma. For example, on the lovely ridges there¢d be outlier blazes, did I need to go tag them? Or trails through wooded parts of NY, had blazes pointed off into the woods as if the blazes were searching for lost hikers not guiding me down a path. What about the intersection of white-blazes? The last time I checked straight lines don¢t have ¢T¢ intersections and I remember seeing this at least twice. Finally there was the ¢teardrop¢ of the trail were two routes were blazed WHITE and then ended in the same point (for a while I tried to take both).Well all the extraneous blazes, I now like to think of them as ¢bonus blazes¢ of NY, began to really frustrate me. How many times do I want to double back and take a new route after discovering some outlier white-blaze (wait is that one faded / or scratched out?)?My mental frustrations all lead me question why should I continue hiking. I had already recognized back at the Delaware Water Gap that many of my primary objectives of hiking had been achieved. Also NJ had been so wonderful to me, but its sweet memory was being diluted by the bitterness of NY.
Date: 2004-07-29
From: RPH Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

The other story of NY happened my last night in the state. I consider the moment more of a gift. At the end of a mild 16 miles, I made the decision to press on into Pawling, NY. Information had come my way that hikers could stay for free at a pavilion by a lake. Incentive number one was that lakeside was reported to have a shower as well. In addition, I wanted to contact Sampson about her return to the trail in a few days.I started my 3.1 mile road walk, as hitching north of the Maxon-Dixon line has become more time consuming than it is sometimes worth. In addition, skuzzy looking loner males aren¢t always inviting advertisement for drivers. As I walked I passed by a new subdivision, which I had seen from the trail above, I spotted a young entrepreneur. An oasis, it would have seemed out of no where, as I had walked without water for more than an hour, of a lemonade stand. I crossed through the road¢s weeded drainage ditch, through an empty lot and entered what seemed to me a sterile environment. I approached the stand and asked if he had change for a $5. I bought four cups. Guzzilying down the ice tea (which I had been thinking of just before making it the road as a treat from town), Robert and his sister made change for me. Then their mom came out and asked me about my travels. Was I hiking or biking?The questions continued. When I answered how long I had been hiking I said four months and the mom crossed her self and gasped ¢oh my God.¢ Yep it was exactly four months from when I left Springer Shelter back in Georgia. As the conversation progressed, I gained access for a phone and learned that the town of Pawling was spread out, i.e. inconvenient for a hiker. So now with one of my incentives fulfilled, I felt I could press onward.I called home and Sampson. Then Robert filled my water bladder and he also added some ice, very thoughtful. As I packed, the ice tea vendors and other young neighbors began questioning me about my journey. Their interest was very uplifting, as I had been losing interest in my hike. As I left through the ditch on cloud nine, a vision of a classic trail magic, a chorus of young voices, said good bye and then all in unision ¢Check for ticks.¢Back on the trail, I went 9 miles whoops! I thought I only had seven to go. Just an aside, along the trail about 9 pm I missed a turn and walked up to an arch for a gate. In the iron work was written ¢Gates of Heaven.¢ This was erry to come up to in the dark, by myself, worried about missing the shelter, and in the middle of the woods.
Date: 2004-08-30
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Hello,Sorry for the short entry. I have hiked as far north as Hanover, NH which is 1729 miles from GA. Currently I am enroute through Boston, MA to Me by bus. I will beginning hiking south back to Hanover on the First of September.I am doing well phycically and looking forward to the flip-flop. I can't wait to see some of my hiking comrades that I haven't seen in weeks as we pass on the trail or possible in town. The remaining 441 miles will take us approximately 1.5 months. Yet because of the southward direction there will be no pressure to hurry through some of the most rugged and possibly most beautiful parts of New England's AT.The short list of events:My first few days in Vermont were of cold rain and deep mud. Sometimes the trail maintainers place boardwalk like wood planks over high erosion / very wet areas. The rain in Vermont and a beaver damn conquered some of the maintainers work. One day Sampson and I had stayed dry by making it to a shelter for lunch and out of the afternoon rain. Saddly after lunch we had to soak our feet as a boardwalk was under four - six inches of water. So sad.My parents met us south of Killinton and took us to Lake George, NY for two zeros. We spent a day on the lake and the next inside out of the rain. Seeing and being with them was very rejuevating.Shortly before making it into Hanover, I saw my first Moose ever. Very cool.Sampson has a friend who is doing grad. work at Dartmouth and we were able to crash at his pad for the weekend.I am waiting with bated breath for some of my hometown compatriates to join me in the White's of New Hampshire.My knees have been 'speak up' through out Vermont and I'm sure this will continue for the rest of the trai as the terrain is no longer rolling. The rest of my body is doing well, e.g. no blisters.
Date: 2004-12-07
To: Reflections ? 
Miles today: 0.0

I have been home in Sylvania, OH for some time now. Because of not be accepted into an alternative teaching program, I now will be staying here a while longer.Being home has been a blur of business. Traveling for interviews. Organizing photos (hey any of you fellow hiker tired of having people ask to see photos, but not have a laptop to show them on, check out www.mypublisher.com. i like my first album's quality and so has everyone i've shown.). Visiting friends around my home state. But I'm slowing down as I shift through my days become more routine.As a result of visiting and resting, questions have been raised to me about my hike. I am very greatful for peoples' questions for they help to continue to evaluate and learn from my trip.The greatest conclusions I've gleaned so far are 1) that the Hike was not so much a place to find answers but away to distance myself from traditional world existence in the USA, so that I might see my place in the world clearer. Also 2) I am beginning to think that the trail was not a place of 'harvest' but a time of 'sowing' and therefore the benefits and gifts from the trail will only come with time.
Date: 2005-01-10
To: Photo of Comrades on the trail
Miles today: 0.0

I was finding the upload process at bit slow at here.so to see a multitude of photos.1) Copy the link into an new web browser2) You shouldn't have to register / log - in3) to save a copy to your computer right click and save.Photos from Approach trail to NOC (14)http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=qv9ii6j.5sdgrrv&x=0&y=-jvd5p who: Adam / Willy Wallace, Regular Brian, Mousebait, Flyin Brian, Photos of NOC to Damascus (29)http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=qv9ii6j.mtrarbv&x=0&y=ycwh3v Quest, Ms. janet's, Marathon,Dreamer, Burningtown gap trail Mg (Outdoor Source), Scarecrow, drunk hikers[ white patch, big tree, mousebait], sampson, wife / beater, pita man, Indigo, Rocket, General, Looser('03) & T bird ('03) Photos of Damascus, VA - Linden, VA (19)http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=qv9ii6j.16pdqgm3&x=0&y=uiv639 who: Keytone, Father Ounce, Sampson, Fugitive, Sarge, Harry, my Dad, Guy from New Zealand, Froggie Pete, Dave and Sal? (South African Couple), Scarecrow, I Need a Hug where: Four Pines, Photos from WV - NY (19)http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=qv9ii6j.wqjd5tn&x=0&y=-ril6jk who: dingle, skirt, yoga monkey, swan, spincycle, traildog, Baltimore Jack, Ms. Janet, Chef (from CT), Elly & Chris, Big StickPhotos of NY -NH (6)http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=qv9ii6j.kvvwhmj&x=0&y=-ew113u who: Rooster, Sampson, Father Ounce, Buckeye, Jalaan Jalaan, Jester, Mama's Boy, Zip Code, Keytone;Where: Bromley Tower, the Friarary, Upper Goose Pond CabinPhotos from (flip - flop) Katahdin - Monson, MEhttp://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=qv9ii6j.12u166kb&x=0&y=-1ybnvw Two Cents, wife & beater, big tree, scarecrow, quest, Rooney Tunes, Chris & Elly, Pasific Bound, Whiteblaze Party '04, Chef (of CT), Regular BrianPhotos from Stratton - Gorhamhttp://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=qv9ii6j.8uewukn&x=0&y=-si1dm2 Flyin Brian, Silver Girl, Sampson with a self inflicted face injuryGorham to Carter Notchhttp://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=qv9ii6j.ra4p9kr&x=0&y=-dsin6z tim, be (friends from high-school)
Date: 2004-01-23
To: Month left in Maine
Miles today: 0.0

I have 39 days to go before my hike. I have all my gear, my schedule's done, my maildrops are planned, my hotel room in Atlanta's reserved, I've even taped forgettable song lyrics to my Nalgene bottles. My physical training hasn't been as rigorous as I'd have liked due to the negative temperatures here in Maine, but I'm 5'8, 125, and my thighs are still rocks from this fall. Georgia won't treat me as badly as New Hampshire did. Actually, my biggest stress has been over hiking partners. My original partner, a friend from college who lives in Los Angeles, dropped out of the hike late last summer. Unfortunately, she'd lost interest and felt too much stress from civilized life to make the commitment. Immediately after I received the news, I scoured the trailplace.com bulletins in search of a new partner. I found one; a 22 yr old married girl from Florida. We both jumped on the possibility and set our schedules and prehike plans within a week of my answering the bulletin. Two months later, she informed me of her obesity, complicated health issues, and mental problems. I was more than a little worried, but decided to honor our plans and hope for the best. Unfortunately (again), a few weeks ago she emailed me in a panic because her husband was having legal troubles and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to make the hike. I'm assuming she's dropped out as I haven't received any further information. A week ago, a friend of mine recommended a friend of his as a partner for my hike. I'd met this person once before and he seemed relatively sane. Socially awkward, but sane. We decided to meet and discuss the hike and its requirements. At 4am we had been discussing my hypothetical reaction to his hypothetical trailside emotional breakdown for at least four hours. He's on antidepressants. I wanted to punch things. So screw that.Now I'm planning on just taking things as they go. I've got a decent partner for the first part of the trail at least. He's thruhiking anyway, partner or not, and we're staying in the same hotel in Atlanta after I pick him up from the airport on the first. So now all I have to stress about is moving all my stuff from my rental house to my mom's attic. Hopefully I won't throw my back this time. See you soonGraceful
Date: 2004-01-24
To: moving, etc
Miles today: 0.0

So two days ago, I agreed to meet with the depressed guy to help him pick out gear. Since he didn't know what gaiters were before I told him, I figured we should get an early start. Early obviously has a different meaning to this guy, because we agreed to meet at 1pm the next day (yesterday) at the information booth in LLBean. I left my house at 12:15 and by the time I'd found a parking spot and gotten inside to the booth, it was 1:03. No depressed guy. I waited until 1:30, then left. Either three minutes was too long to wait for help in deciding what gear is needed for a 5 month hike, or he never showed. I still haven't heard which it was. Oh well. I only wasted two hours on him, rather than the five I was expecting to waste. He can go away and pick up sticks.So I got back to my mom's at twoish, packed, put my cat in my car, and drove to Orono. Roommates were at work when I got there, so I decided to work on the paint job in the foyer, stairway, and upstairs hallway. Rental house, pushover, I know. While I was painting, Morgan (the cat) was in my room eating my lip salve. Last summer, she ate my H2O bladder's mouthpiece and peed all over my four season tent. The cat doesn't want me to go on the hike. This week I have to pack all my stuff into boxes, rent a Uhaul, and make the move down to Wiscasset. It'll be long and boring, so expect lots of pointless lists to be posted.
Date: 2004-01-24
To: yeah, already bored
Miles today: 0.0

I find lately that with my impatient anticipation comes a deep craving for ramen noodles. I've been sleeping without a pillow, too. Wearing bandanas, clipping my toenails nightly, drinking water from Nalgene bottles rather than water glasses, peeing without touching the toilet seat... OK maybe not that last one. But you get my point. Since I can't actually be hiking the trail right now, I figure I've been subconsciously acting out my frustration by pretending I'm on the trail. Maybe that's why I'm leaving multiple entries per day. Too bad I don't have very much of worth to enter right now. Do people ever use that "suggest entry" button down there? I think you should use it. Get involved, Paco. Since you can't suggest mid-entry, Paco, I guess I'll just be lame and list things about normal life which I'm guessing I'll miss eventually.Ready? Break.Sushi.Cats. My boat.Family, I spose. Whatever.Driving.Being a well-groomed foxx.Uhm...Garbage men. I figure they'll hold superhero status by the time I'm done.But mostly sushi. Actually I could probably eliminate the rest of the list.So I'll just miss sushi. And that about covers it. Be expecting another post in oh...40 minutes or so.
Date: 2004-01-24
To: Other Journals
Miles today: 0.0

I've been reading lots of other journals today. Lots of touching accounts of life journeys: the trail's a metaphor, a physical test, etc. Since I've been planning, I've talked to lots of people, my (final, hopefully) hiking partner included, who've told me that my take's too light. I'll never make it with such a humored attitude. I have to take it as a grave matter in order to see the end of it. To that, I say phooey.I choose to take my experiences by day, not by end result. If I make Katahdin, good. If I don't, I won't kill myself. I'll have made friends along the way. The less ground I cover, the less friends I'll make, but I'd rather make friends as a crinkly-eyed little girl than as some kind of a hell-bound psycho-hiker. Another point of focus in what I read today was reasoning. Some people have real reasons to be hiking. Hike for PETA, hike for God, hike to collect trails... Honestly, I don't see why bunny rabbits would care if some chick hiked the AT in their name. I don't see what God has to do with hiking, 'cept maybe the whole Moses thing, but then again I'm an atheist. I know history, but not much about what goes on in the hearts of the religious. Maybe God really does want everybody to hike a lot. Bragging rights don't really interest me, so I don't keep track of the trails I've hiked or the mountains I've climbed. I'd rather climb a nameless mountain enough times to have a favorite boulder than climb all the 4k's in New Hampshire and never stay long enough to remember the smell from the tops. I spose I'm hiking all that way just for the little things I wonder about. What will break first on my pack, how big are the trillium leaves in Tennessee, why are people so afraid of shelter mice... Also, I'd rather hike every day than what I do every day now. I want to wake up knowing I'll spend the rest of my hours between breakfast and dinner doing one of my favorite things. What more do I need for a reason? I truly wish hikers wouldn't so often dismiss my intentions when they find out I'm more interested in the blisters, odd weather, bad food and good laughs than in Katahdin. Cuz in my mind, it's just a big pile of rock compared to what I'll find in the time in between. Hope I'm not the only one.
Date: 2004-01-24
To: stupid ems people...
Miles today: 0.0

I just had to say that I'm tired of outdoor rec store employees assuming I'm gear-retarded just because a) I'm not a boy, and b) I don't have beaded dreds. "Welcome to EMS, do you know what hiking is?""Welcome to shutup, do you know what punchintheface is?"That is all.