morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-05
To: Mail Drop
Miles today: 0.0

If anyone wants to send me something here is a place:Jackie Bolen (AT hiker)c/o general deliveryTroutville, VA24175ETA: April 21I plan to resupply for about 8 days of hiking here so if you've ever thought that you'd like to send Tell It Like It Is some tasty and delicious hiker-type food here is your golden opportunity. You will be famous among the 6 people or so that read my journal because I'll mention your name plus I will be extremely grateful...probably even more than you could ever imagine. When I make it to Katadihn I will send you the famous finishing picture. A letter or card is awesome too, I'm always really encouraged by them. Thanks again to everyone who sent me something already.Some things I like:dried fruitbeef jerkyliptons noodles or rice (not the cheesy ones though!)foil tuna/chicken/ground beef packagesinstant milk and granola/cerealpop tarts/cereal bars/granola barsanything homemadecandy/chocolatenuts/trail mix type stuffIf you have money burning a hole in your pocket the freeze-dried/dehydrated backpacking meals.
Date: 2004-04-06
From: Damascus - The Place

To: Lost Mt Shelter
Miles today: 15.8

Good times in Damascus! How hard it was to get out of my warm sleeping bag and start walking. Once I was up I knew there was no turning back. Pilgrim Soul bought my breakfast at the old greasy spoon, biscuits & gravy, eggs, and bacon. I still feel full 10 hours later! I don't know how everyone down south doesn't die of heart attacks at a very early age.I love Virginia already! The terrain is easy and the views are beautiful. The AT crossed the Virginia Creeper Trail (bike trail) on and off throughout the day. The Creeper Trail has benches!! Glorious benches! Why couldn't the AT have them too? Anyway I enjoyed it, wish it lasted.Tonight I cooked the nastiest thing I've made the entire trail. Au gratin potatoes mixed with powdered eggs. INEDIBLE... there will be some lucky animals tonight! I think the eggs were probably expired. I got them out of the hiker box. Shadowman gave me 1/2 a bagel. Pilgrim Soul gave me some peanuts and then I had a chocolate bar, so all is still good.Pilgrim Soul, Shadowman and I are just discussing how the 2 shelters in Virginia both have had nice privies. Shadowman said, "They sure know how to crap down here!" Trail talk how entertaining it can be when you are in the mood for it but when you are not it can be the most monotonous thing you can imagine. It makes me crazy sometimes. I like hiking with Lars and Maisey because we had normal conversations!Also here tonight is Packrat who just started in Damascus and heading North. He has been aptly named. Jackie feels tired and thinks she is just writing random weird things, so she'll stop now.JB - "Tell It Like It Is"...
Date: 2004-04-07
From: Lost Mt Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It¢s all a matter of prospective. Today¢s middle 10 miles or so were tough, slogging through ankle high snow and slush, with mostly down hills isn¢t so bad because you can do the step, slide, step, slide. Going uphill, you slide too just in the wrong way. Listening to my MP3 player made the hiking bearable. At about mile 12 or so the trail got out of the trees and cleared up and I meet 2 ladies heading south. I stopped and talked, telling them where I was headed. They had stayed at the Wise Shelter last night. They said the trail was horrific, calf deep snow in places and really hard. It was probably the easiest and most snow free miles I walked in a week! I didn¢t warn them about the section they were going to cover because I thought it couldn¢t possibly be worse then what they had just hiked through. The funny thing was that the trail was six times worse. They won¢t know what hit them. I¢ve learned to just trust my own instincts on how hard the trail is or trail conditions, unless they¢re a thru-hiker or an ex-thru-hiker.Today was an awesome day of hiking, nice and sunny but not too hot. Even the crappy trail conditions didn¢t dampen my spirit too much. The scenery was spectacular, the best of the trip so far. I felt happy to be hiking the AT. This is the kind of day that will forever be etched in my memory. Hopefully I can remember it when the rain hits for days on end and I feel like giving up.I saw the wild ponies, who are not really so wild after all. I got close enough to pet one but he kind of snapped at me when I tried so I thought it might not be such a good idea. They were really cute and I sat and watched them for about a half an hour.Today is another milestone. Mt Rogers is the last 5000-foot mountain until I get to New Hampshire. Just a little bit north of here is the Promised Land of easy walking and big miles. I¢m excited but I know I will miss the big climbs. I think my body is built well for climbing hills because I usually find then easy and I can gain ground on almost everybody going up them.Tomorrow is also a milestone: 500 miles!!! How crazy to think I¢ve walked 500 miles since February 22nd. How crazy to think I have 1600+ miles to go. I try not to dwell on it too much because it kind of overwhelms me and stress me out. The stats vary considerable but apparently about half of everyone who starts at Springer has dropped out by now and only 1/3 will make it to Harper¢s Ferry the unofficial halfway point. I feel optimistic about my chances of making it the whole way. My body feels healthy, mentally I feel strong. Some people out here have started viewing their hike as a job or something, they want to hurry up and get it over with. I wonder how they will last. Sixteen hundred miles is a very long way to go doing something you¢re not really enjoying. Some people are obsessed with making it to Maine and doing big miles everyday and forgetting to enjoy the journey. Hike your own hike I guess. (I hate that saying but it seemed appropriate to use here!)
Date: 2004-04-08
From: Wise Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 20.0

Cling-ons, how annoying they are! As in ¢how far are WE hiking today?¢ When did 2 I¢s ever become a we? My standard answer to this question is ¢I¢ll walk until I feel tired and then I¢ll stop.¢ This seems to annoy them. However, if someone says to me, ¢How far are you planning on going today,¢ I will give them a straight answer. Maybe I am too picky with words.While I¢m on the topic of what annoys me, I have another couple: Weather Nazi and Map Guru. They are usually combined in one but occasionally could be separate. These people listen religiously to their radios and obsess over their elevation profiles on their maps. Now there is nothing wrong with either of these except when they proceed to tell me all the useless information they have learned. The weather is for some town far away, hundreds of feet lower in elevation, so it is usually wrong. The elevation profiles usually make the climbs and descents seem worse then they really are. I don¢t care about the weather report and I don¢t care about the elevations! I just hike. If it is raining and steep climbs, then I¢ll climb until I¢m tired and cold. If it is a beautiful day then I¢ll hike until I¢m tired. I just walk, why make it more complicated.Anyway enough complaining! Today was a beautiful day, perfect weather for hiking, great scenery and now good company at the shelter with Pilgrim, Shadowman, Haiku and Briar Rabbit. It was a pretty easy 20 and my legs aren¢t too tired.I think my hiker hunger is starting to kick in. Last night was the first night I woke up and was ravenously hungry. Today, my stomach was rumbling and I felt a little weak at points. I need to carry more food! When I¢m in town I buy lots of food and then pick up my food bag and think it is way too heavy to carry, so I eat some of it before I leave. This strategy no longer seems to be working for me. Shadowman wouldn¢t sell me his extra jar of peanut butter for $1.00 profit. How sad.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-04-09
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 10.5

Today has been a great day! It was an easy 10.5 miles into Partnership Shelter. (Transcriber¢s Note: This is the only shelter on the trail with a shower!!) I did it in about 3 hours. I made plans last night with Haiku and Brair Rabbit to head into Marion today to resupply. I had planned to do a full day and supply at a truck stop but decided a Wal-Mart and a real grocery store would be a much better option. So, after a delightful hot shower at the shelter, the 3 of us headed out to hitch into town. It was one of my most successful hitches so far; we only waited 10 seconds or so! Food was the first thing on our minds so we headed to the Pizza Hut AYCE buffet. We all ate the equivalent of a large pizza or so, plus dessert pizza plus salad, plus breadsticks. It was the first time I felt full in a while. I actually felt a little sick but I knew it was good for me. I know that I don¢t eat enough calories when I hike so I have to go crazy in towns. Anyway, the 3 of us had to lie on the lawn for a while outside the Pizza Hut to let our food digest a bit before we could walk. We thought we might get picked up for loitering.Off to the Wal-Mart, then the supermarket, then the liquor store for the boys. We splurged and took a taxi back to the shelter. So now we sit and relax. Brair Rabbit is a funny guy and I¢ve just been laying in my sleeping bag talking to him and occasionally asking him to pass me things! The guys on the trail treat all the girls so well.I¢m happy to be traveling with people around my age! Others take this trip too seriously, at least in my opinion.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-04-11
From: Davis Path Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: light rain

Today was not a happy day. I got to sleep late because I talked to Bair Rabbit after he got to the shelter pretty late. Good conversation but I get really tired on only 9 hours of sleep.Then as I started walking I started having stomach issues. I¢ve had the runs for 2 to 3 days. I don¢t know if I drank bad water or if it¢s simply the stomach flu. I have a feeling it might be related to the Pizza Hut in Marion and the lactose overdose. I drink skim milk powder a lot on the trail but that's nothing compared to the dairy I consumed at that pizza hut! I had to stop every hour or so, it made for slow walking. I got to the shelter 12 miles in and cooked up a Lipton¢s and rice with tuna. I let it settle for what I thought was long enough but as I walked it kept threatening to come back up. Thankfully it didn¢t because I need all the calories I can get.Then it started to rain. Fairly hard for the next 9 miles or so. I¢m cold and all my stuff is wet. I got to the shelter and all the bunks were full. Two guys moved over so I could squeeze in between them. Apparently one of the guys snores really loud. I might just walk 10 miles tomorrow. This isn¢t too much fun anymore. I hate being sick and having to force down food. Anyway maybe tomorrow will be a better day.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦.
Date: 2004-04-12
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Weather wise today is much worse but in terms of how I feel it is much better. This is because I decided to take a zero day at the shelter. When I woke up this morning it was cold, rainy and extremely windy. Hypothermia weather. Brair Rabbit decided he was staying and that made my decision all the easier. The shelter is also the perfect place to spend a chilly, rainy day because it is fully enclosed with only a few leaks and drafts. There is no close by water source but Brair Rabbit and I have been operating a little rain harvesting operation from the roof run-off.I¢ve stayed warm in my sleeping bag listening to music, reading, napping and talking to Brair Rabbit and the couple of people who stopped in for lunch. It¢s been very enjoyable so far.There is a guy in here right now that¢s out for a couple weeks. He only has cotton clothes! It seems troublesome and I worry about people like him in weather like this. People often don¢t die in 40-degree weather because they are prepared for it, it¢s this type of weather when people think it will be nice because it is April but it¢s not. Most thru-hikers don¢t have a schedule so will take a day or two or three off because of bad weather but those out for section hikes often don¢t have that luxury. The guy with all the cotton just left at 3:30 to hike another 10 miles. He probably won¢t make it to the next shelter before dark. Anyway the weather seems to be getting a bit better, it has stopped raining, at least momentarily. I¢m pretty sure tomorrow I¢ll try for 24 miles, my longest day yet out, there is a shelter at 10 miles that I may stop at if the weather is bad.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-04-13
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 9.8

Last night¢s storm was crazy, out of control, scary actually. I prayed that God, despite our stupidity for sleeping on the high point of an exposed ridgeline would keep us safe. I was thankful that steel cables anchored the roof down or things could have been considerably worse.At about 3:00 a.m. the wind started to pick-up and the torrential rain and hail hit. This was not as scary as the lightening that was literally striking within a mile of us. At some points there was no time separation between the lightening and the thunder. The lightening lit up the shelter like a light switch had been turned on and the thunder shook the walls. It was deafening and an awesome display of the power of nature. Amazing! I knew that whoever built the cabin must have taken some precautions against lightening strikes but I couldn¢t stop my mind from making plans for a quick exit if necessary. Adrenalin kept me awake much longer then the storm lasted.I awoke the next morning to silence, no sound of rain falling on the tin roof. So I hiked for about 20 minutes in the fog until the rain hit, ranging from light mist to a solid rain. It wasn¢t happy times and by the time I got to the shelter at 10 miles I was pretty cold and getting into my sleeping bag with dry clothes on seemed better and better. Plus there was a paperback by Robin Cook to occupy my afternoon if I stayed. I ate lunch and pondered my options: stay or hike another 14 miles to the next shelter. It wasn¢t a day for walking nor was it a night for camping, so I stayed. I regretted the decision momentarily when the sun came out but was quite thankful when it started throwing down some nasty hail. I enjoyed a good storm from inside the shelter! Then more thunder and lightening. I was thankful I was at a low elevation. Deja Vous and Early Bird decided to keep walking after stopping at this shelter for lunch, despite my best efforts to convince them otherwise.I saw a bobcat today while I was hiking, stealthing it¢s way along the trail in front of me as I steathled along behind it. I watched it for about 30 seconds or so before it heard me and turned and ran off into the trees. Then my imagination started to get the better of me and I kept thinking the bobcat was stalking along behind me waiting for the opportune time to take down an innocent hiker. Then I started hearing noises behind me but I had my hood up from the rain so I had no peripheral vision and my hearing was reduced to a muffle. Maybe this is the first stage of craziness. Sometimes at the end of a long day I have what I call shelter hallucinations. Rocks, clouds, big trees all become shelters. Sketchy. Ty calls this SOS, short for Shelter Oasis Syndrome. Anyway I have lived to tell of my encounter with the bobcat. Brair Rabbit just showed up here so I have someone to hang out with before I go to sleep. Capt Hook may be heading here too. It¢s getting dark and I should get ready for bed.
Date: 2004-04-14
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helvey Mills Shelter
Miles today: 14.3

Last night was some good times at the shelter with Brair Rabbit and Capt Hook, joking around about differences between Canada and the USA. Can you believe they have never heard of West Edmonton Mall? It is only the biggest (or second biggest ¢ it¢s up for debate) mall in the world!! Anyway 12 hours later my good times became a nightmare. One bad decision on my part and it could have been all over. Part of the trail today was about 5 miles of creek crossings. There was a blue-blaze high water route, which regretfully I did not take. The first few crossings were not so bad but then it started to get treacherous as side streams flowed into the main creek, like if I slipped and fell I would have been swept downstream and died. In some places the water was waist high. The water was icy cold and it was snowing. I really thought I might die but the thought of going back the way I came was not really an option because I thought the stream crossing ahead might not be as scary as the ones behind me. I was wrong.So I obviously made it through because I lived to tell the story but a couple miles after the nasty stream I had a major run-in with hypothermia. I started to feel light-headed and my stomach started to hurt, I started to feel warm when obviously I was freezing cold and I wanted to lie down on the trail and sleep. I stopped for a minute and had a drink and something to eat, then briefly layed down on the snowy ground. Something compelled me to get up, knowing that if I fell asleep I would die so I started hiking faster to get warm. I made it to the shelter in record time: 14 miles in 5 hours. I¢m in dry clothes now and in my sleeping bag but I still feel chilled. The weather is supposed to be getting warmer tomorrow and for that I am thankful. My clothes have been wet for so long that they are starting to mold. Oddly the thought that I should quit never seriously entered my mind.I found some sweet trail magic: a cooler of cold juice at a road crossing and a garbage can. I wish the sun was out and I wasn¢t hypothermic so I could have lingered a while and savored it but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Sometimes I have trail hallucinations like thinking I see a plastic bag hanging from a tree or a cooler at a road crossing. However, not to worry friends and family back home, I¢ve asked other hikers about it and they see phantom shelters and trail magic as well. Trail magic: always a good point in a great day as well as a crap day. It did make my crap day not so horrible.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Helvey Mills Shelter

To: Trent's Grocery Store
Miles today: 16.3

I awoke this morning to sun, glorious sun with a backdrop of clear, blue, cloudless sky. How happy I was! In the dark pit of despair that was yesterday I thought it would never get sunny again. My clothes dried out within an hour of walking and then I started to feel warm again. The walk today was an easy 16 miles, mostly small ups and downs along ridgeline. I made good time again, averaging just under 3 miles/hour.I remember back in the old days in Georgia when it was a bit of a struggle to do 2 miles/hour. Now I hike a lot faster with no extra effort, which makes those 15-20 mile days go a lot faster.Because of the zero day I took at the shelter I didn¢t really have enough food to get Pearisburg. However, it all worked out good because there were two little grocery stores right off the trail today. Capt Hook and I decided to go to the one with $3.00 camping and shower and check out how it looked. I got an awesome hitch! A guy driving in the opposite direction turned around and asked if I needed a ride to the store. It was sweet. I got to the place before Captain Hook because he takes more breaks, so as I was sitting on the lawn enjoying my pint of ice-cream, I see Hook walking down the road, to what appeared to be the store I was at. Oddly though, he kept walking right on by, not even noticing me! I yelled, Captain Hook, where are you going? He appeared startled, I thought it was funny.I packed down a chicken sandwich, fries, a bag of chips and a pint of ice cream plus resupplied for one more day. I took a shower and now Capt Hook and I are cowboy-camping (on the ground w/o a tarp or tent) in a trailer storage area/horse pasture. It¢s a little strange but the grass is soft and I know I¢ll sleep well tonight. I hope it doesn¢t rain.The mad professor, a guy who has hiked the AT a couple times and is now sectioning just come over and gave me a couple pieces of pizza! Now I probably won¢t need to buy supper. I love it! Capt Hook gave me some of his mac & cheese yesterday too. Thru-hikers are cool!If anyone wants to send me something you can send it to:Jackie Bolen (AT Hiker), c/o General Delivery, Waynesboro, VA, 22980   ETA: May 1(Transcriber¢s Note: Due to the lateness of this entry if you are planning on sending anything it had better be sent Priority Mail. Sue/HH)
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Trent's Grocery Store/VA 606

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.5

Cowboy camping probably wasn¢t the brightest idea I¢ve ever had. I awoke in the middle of the night with a layer of ice on my sleeping bag. I got a little bit stressed out because I have a down bag and was worried that if the water soaked through I would get really cold. By the morning it looked worse then it actually was. I¢m happy that it was sunny today so I could dry my bag out at lunch.The day got off to a bit of a slow start because I was reluctant to get out of my bag because it was a bit cold. Then I swung by the store to pick up some breakfast. Then I walked 0.3 miles back to the trail and started down the trail when I realized I forgot my wet rain suit hanging on a trailer near where I slept. I knew Capt Hook would bring it for me if he saw it but it was out of the way so I didn¢t think he would even see it. So, I turned around and hitched back, picked up my rain suit and then hitched back! I was annoyed at my forgetfulness. I had planned to do a 20 but knew I probably wouldn¢t have time to do it before dark without pushing myself hard.I was actually pretty happy to do only 16.5 because at the end of the day I was really tired. I¢ve felt pretty fatigued lately, I¢m not sure if I¢m not eating enough or I¢m weak from my stomach problem (it is better now) or if I just need a break from hiking. Everyone seems to be having a bit of a hard time now. I wonder if it has something to do with the terrain.Anyway Capt Hook and I are at the shelter, cooking, eating, and listening to his radio. Moonpie and possibly Brair Rabbit are expected. Kung Fu just stopped by and is going to do a little night hiking. He has already done 24 today and seemed reluctant to leave but eventually did.I¢m tired, it has been a long day and my eyes don¢t want to stay open anymore. On to town tomorrow. No more stinky clothes.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦