morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-28
From: deer park mountain

To: HOT SPRINGS
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: clear sky

Hiked into Hot Springs this morning and had a great breakfast! I'm meeting lots of new thru-hikers, so the social phobia is slowly wearing off. I've decided to stay at Elmer's. It seems pretty cool, there is a music room and a library and they serve organic vegan and vegetarian meals. Found Old Spice wandering around town, he's given up on his rush to Damascus. Later ran into Roni and we all had lunch together. I'm at the library now, adding all these journal entries.I got so much good mail today! Thank you Aimee for sending my food packages and for all the letters. Thank you Kaycee for the amazing chocolate and letter. If anybody else wants to mail stuff to me, click on the "Maildrops" link to the left to see where I will be next. I seem to be hiking a little faster than I anticipated, so you may want to make sure it's at least two weeks before I get there. As much as I am enjoying it out here, I do miss New York and all my friends a lot, so it would be wonderful to hear from you.Well, I'm off to shower and do laundry.xodanny
Date: 2006-04-29
From: HOT SPRINGS

To: spring mountain
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Lately everyone has been talking about the breakdown. By now, most hikers have reached the period where the novelty of living adventurously in the woods has worn off and the monotony of hiking, the relentless aching and the sogginess from the days of bad weather have kicked in. Some people have left the trail. Some people get cranky and bicker a lot. Some just cry. The closest I've come to reaching that point was when I fell the other day. I tripped on a root and landed with my knee on a rock and then got pinned by the weight of my pack and my hiking pole struck me across the face. It was pretty ridiculous. Fairly minor as far as injuries go, but as I lay there, struggling to get up against the weight of the pack and watching the people I was hiking with getting further and further away, totally oblivious, I almost started crying. I think I felt that something would crack open and I wouldn't be able to stop because instead of crying I forced myself up and ran ahead to catch up with everyone, ignoring the blood streaming down my leg. So I haven't had my breakdown yet, even though I'm sure I'm due for one since absolutely everything in my life has changed dramatically and now instead of living in a great apartment in an awesome city surrounded by my friends and the people I love, I am hiking in the woods, usually alone all day and sleeping in a differnt rodent and spider infested lean-to each night surrounded by strangers. (Also, I'm filthy and smell really bad). But, I don't know, so far I am loving it and feel really lucky and grateful to be here. Even when, like today, the miles stretch on forever and even when the food is disgusting and even when everything is damp and cold. Although it kinda feels like new-age enthusiasm, I hope the optimism lasts.posi-core forever,daniel.
Date: 2006-05-04
From: no business

To: ERWIN!
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: light rain

dreamt all night about eggs and biscuits and woke up at 7:00 with a start. practically ran down the mountain to get in town in time for breakfast. woah - this is a bad sign. maybe i just need a rest to get reinvigorated and all that. i'm pretty homesick. but i also still love being in the mountains and when I am in town it is amazing to look out at the mountains in the distance and think that's where i've been and where I'm headed.
Date: 2006-05-11
From: kincora hostel

To: watauga lake
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

awesome hike today, even though it rained. laurel falls was amazing. we had dinner at a picnic site and it started to rain again so we ran to the bathrooms to wait it out. roni wanted to stay the night there, but that idea was quickly vetoed and we ended up night hiking to the shelter.
Date: 2006-05-20
From: DAMASCUS!

To: NYC!
Miles today: 0.0

my first zero day.just hanging out at trail days, having fun catching up with people i haven't seen in a while.around noon, chickadee, who i met yesterday told me she was leaving for wilkes-barre and if i wanted a ride i should be ready in an hour. it was sooner than i expected, but i had been trying to find a way to get back to ny for aimee's graduation, so i had to go. it was sad saying goodbye to everybody i've been hiking with, especiallt roni, beth, michelle, garrett and dan. hopefully i will see them again some day.the ride was great and i caught a bus in harrisburg to arrive in nyc around 3:45 a.m.
Date: 2006-06-02
From: partnership shelter

To: chatfield shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: light rain

so i stayed in nyc an extra couple of days. it was so hard to leave, when i had such a great time catching up with old friends and being with aimee.got to marion around 2:00 in the afternoon and got a ride to partnership. once i started hiking, it felt great to be back in the woods, even though i was exhausted from the fifteen hour bus ride. it was so beautiful - all the rhododendrons had bloomed and everything was so green! the rain didn't even phase me. i didn't see anybody all day and was worried about being alone at the shelter but was happy to see someone there. granny franny introduced herself and was very pleasant company.
Date: 2006-06-03
From: chatfield shelter

To: knot maul branch
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: scattered clouds

slept really well last night and walked to a restaurant for a great breakfast. weird to not see any hikers there, but i enjoyed it anyway. i did not enjoy the lack of water sources. passed by many dried up streams, it was frustrating, especially since it had been raining. the biggest excitement of the day (week? whole trip?) was seeing my first bear! it was about 70 feet away up the trail and it was HUGE! of course it ran away as soon as it saw me and i stood there gawking with my heart beating fast. too bad i didn't get a picture, it was incredibly beautiful. i was busy singing made up songs about my exciting bear sighting when, not five minutes later, i almost stepped on a giant black snake! it was at least four feet long and just sunning itself on the trail. lucky for me it slithered off as soon as i started to step around it. the excitement of the day wore off when the exhaustion of hiking all day set in. for some reason the shelter seemed miles away from where it was supposed to be. when i got there, finally, after 8 p.m., it was empty. my first night alone on the a.t. i thought i should be scared, especially thinking about the bear, but i ended up really enjoying the solitude and slept pretty good.
Date: 2006-06-04
From: knot maul branch

To: near garden mountain
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

been hiking alone now for four days and seeing very few people on the trail. stopped at chestnut knob shelter, a stone building on top of the mountain, for a late hot lunch and met a few other thru-hikers, so that was nice. decided to try and make the next shelter, but it got dark and started to rain so i just pitched my tent and went to sleep somewhere right off the trail. i think i was on top of a copperhead nest cause i kept dreaming about them and scaring myself.
Date: 2006-06-05
From: near garden mountain

To: helveys mill shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: light rain

today was awesome! woke up at 6:00 and started hiking, probably my earliest day yet. hiked to jenkins for breakfast and hung out with some very friendly deer. then saw a sign for free breakfast in town so i rushed down the mountain to see if i could get there in time. i did, but i was the only one, so i sat in a church basement with five or six ladies who served me the most delicious eggs and biscuits and grits and apples, etc. it was awkward, but the trail magic was well appriciated. i hiked all day not seeing anyone and wondered if i would be alone again at the shelter. i was surprised to see there were at least a dozen tents set up - cub scouts! and two thruhikers in the shelter, jericho and mummytoes. nice to have company for a change.
Date: 2006-06-07
From: wapiti shelter

To: PEARISBURG!
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm in pearisburg now, staying at the holy family hostel. it's beautiful there, but too far from town. i've finally caught up with some people, so maybe it won't be so lonely now. snail is here, as is harley, from slackpacking days in erwin. the hiking has been getting rough. i need to try and slow down a little and give my knees a rest. i'm listening to the radio (npr and cheesy eighties love songs) a lot now when i get reception. it helps relieve the monotony of walking all day, but then i miss the sounds of the forest and the peacefulness that comes from that almost silence. the radio also tends to dull my other senses and when i shut it off i can smell the trees and flowers and see everthing so much better. but when i am tired and still have a lot of miles to get to camp, it really helps with the morale.
Date: 2006-06-09
From: PEARISBURG!

To: campsite after rice field
Miles today: 8.1

short day today. nice hike out of pearisburg, except for the smell. glad to finally have caught up with some people. i was planning to do more miles but the prospect of hiking alone for the next two weeks was unappealing so i got talked into joining the group campsite with harley, trail boss, playdoh, jamman and dartman. and, blast from the past, met up with frankenfoot and b-cat who i haven't seen since, like, tennessee.
Date: 2006-06-11
From: bailey gap

To: laurel creek
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: scattered clouds

today felt like such a long day, even though it wasn't. all the shelter logs talked about rattlesnakes and copperheads so i hiked with my eyes peeled wide open, but didn't see anything. took a nice break on kelly knob and climbed over the rocks to the awesome lookout.
Date: 2006-06-12
From: laurel creek

To: niday shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: broken clouds

this morning when i got to the giant keffer oak tree, trailboss handed me a plastic bag full of bacon and sausage. i was so hungry (my trail appetite finally kicked in, but unfortunately i only have my usual rations of food on me) i was busy stuffing the second or third piece into my mouth before i thought to ask where it came from, out in the middle of the woods. i realized that i had assumed she found it by the tree and then realized that i was eating it even though i thought that was the case. hiking is doing wonders for my weird food paranoias, i'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.in other news, heard my first whippoorwill tonight. luckily it didn't go on all night and i got a good rest.
Date: 2006-06-13
From: VA route 621

To: ERWIN!
Miles today: 1.3
Weather: overcast clouds

unbelievable day today! as i was hiking out of the woods a dog ran up to me and licked my hand. i thought, funny that dog looks just like trouble, the cutest dog ever, from miss janet's hostel back in erwin. turns out, it was trouble! when i got to the road, there was $3, nokia, and livin (three hikers i met when i was at miss janet's a month ago) standing near a big car. they were looking for harley and wanted to take us three hours away for a surprise bbq at miss janet's back in erwin. we all decided to go and had the best night ever.(more details later, i hope, i am at the library and have to get in a bunch of entries before my time runs out)
Date: 2006-06-16
From: catawba mountain

To: US 220 - Daleville
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: few clouds

long day to get into town. but it was an awesome hike. mcafee's knob, and even more incredible, tinker cliffs. i sat on the cliffs eating lunch and gazing out into virginia. photos coming soon. shared a hotel with harley, trailboss and playdoh and had a great dinner. jam man was also at the hotel, so it was nice for everybody to be reunited.
Date: 2006-06-18
From: wilson creek

To: jennings creek
Miles today: 16.9

trailboss has to meet her parents in a few days so we wanted to make good miles. and it was a hot day so the thought of camping out near a swimming hole seemed good. it was, but we lost harley and playdoh, hopefully they are not too far behind. also, somebody left sodas in the creek. i never used to drink very much soda but now i crave it all the time. delicious and refreshing!
Date: 2006-06-19
From: jennings creek

To: thunder hill
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

so after weeks of being terrified of finding a rattler, it finally happened. this one came out onto the trail just as i got to it and it started rattling and hissing and writhing around. i backed up in a hurry and it coiled up nice and cozy right in the middle of the trail, rattling away the whole time and staring me down. it was a fat one, too, at least 3 feet long and thicker than my arm. seemed like a good time to take a smoke break, so i sat on a rock about 15 feet back and waited. and waited. still rattling and staring, not budging. there were too many trees and shrubs on the trail side to go around so i considered looking for a stick to push it off the trail. only i really didn't want to get anywhere near it. luckily jam man came by and i told him the stick idea so after trying to talk it off the trail to no avail, we found a very long branch. jam man did the honors, it was pretty scary cause that snake was really pissed off and didn't want to go anywhere. after what seemed like a terrifying forever, he finally managed to nudge it off the trail. only problem was the snake only went about a foot and then really refused to budge. we decided to try and sneak past it as we had maybe 3 feet of clearance. jam man went first, holding the stick between him and the snake. the snake didn't even flinch so i figured i was safe and then went by. of course, the second i passed, the snake struck out at me! i bolted, heart beating so fast, not looking back. luckily jam man was still there with the stick and the snake hit the stick instead. poor trail boss had to go by after witnessing that, but nothing happened to her. the snake was obviously out to get me and this has done nothing to relieve my snake anxieties.
Date: 2006-06-22
From: irish creek or peddlars river

To: hogcamp gap
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

today was trail boss's birthday. we hiked up some ridiculously hard mountain in intensely hot heat. met a guy who thru-hiked in 68 and he gave us pop and cookies. well he gave trailboss a pop, but she was nice enough to share it with me. then hiked over cold mountain right before sunset. it was so beautiful, and much cooler with a nice breeze.
Date: 2006-06-23
From: hogcamp gap

To: tye river
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

today's hike was awesome. i took the side trail to spy rock and climbed up to take in the amazing 360 degree views of virginia. then hiked up to the priest, where i saw another rattlesnake! this one was gorgeous, not like the ugly beast that tried to attack me the other day. this one was a deep rich velvety black with bright yellow marks. it was pretty huge but totally chill and i had passed it by before i realised what it was. ended up at tye river, where i took a swim and lay out on a rock reading and smoking and having the time of my life.
Date: 2006-06-25
From: laurel springs

To: waynsboro
Miles today: 14.1

went into town alone today and got a shuttle from the visitor center at rockfish gap. the hostel was closed and the campsite on the side of the road seemed like a bad idea with all the thunderstorms, so i splurged and got a hotel room. what luxury! the longest shower ever and i got to sprawl out on the bed and spread my gear out everywhere. i cleaned everything pretty thouroughly and got some ice cream and watched tv. it was heaven.
Date: 2006-06-27
From: calf mountain

To: pinefield hut
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: moderate rain

the day started pretty awesomely. officially entered the shenendoah national park and within two hours saw a deer, a bear and a rattlesnake! the bear reared up and snorted at me and i froze, afraid it was gonna charge. but then it ran off and i exhaled with relief. then it started to rain. nice at first, but after a few hours i was soaked completely through and the trail had become a river. then i missed the shelter where i was hoping for a break from the downpour and a dry place to eat lunch. so i had to hike on, too miserable to stop and eat in the rain. after about 20 miles i saw a sign for the campstore. my book said it closed at 5:30 or some time that had already passed, but i decided to check it out in case there was an awning or something i could stand under. much to my delight, the store was open and there were other thru-hikers! i met lumber and the beast, waterfall, and two step (who i had met right before hot springs and hadn't seen since). i got some coffee to warm up and put my soaking wet clothes in the dryer. lumber even put extra quarters in for me when it ran out while i was in the store. it was such a nice way to end the day. but of course the day wasn't over, i still had 6 miles to hike to the next shelter. they went quickly and i saw the sunset on one of the overlooks. i think it was my first sunset on the trail. nice!
Date: 2006-06-28
From: pinefield hut

To: bearfence
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: few clouds

my friend dean is meeting me tomorrow so i need to do another long day to get to the meetup point in time. everybody says they are easy miles here in the shenendoahs, but it's still hard work to hike with a pack on, no matter what the terrain. plus, yesterday kind of wiped me out. but i saw another bear and lots of deer and right before getting to the shelter, i saw two baby bear cubs!!! (i know that baby bear cub is redundant, but i needed to stress how amazingly cute and little they were) they climbed up a tree and i watched and then i thought "where's mama bear?" and then i bolted down the trail as fast as i could.
Date: 2006-06-29
From: bearfence

To: rockspring hut
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: few clouds

nice easy, fun, relaxing day. hiked up to the parking lot 5 miles away from the hut and met up with dean and his sister lis. lis was jetlagged and all so we ended up just walking a couple of miles to the wayside restaurant and visitor center and ate and hung out. it's great to see friends from home. i had the most delicious lunch and blackberry shakes. plus dean brought me the most amazing foods, greenbeans and sweet potatoes and olives and artichoke hearts and cherries and chocolate. i had the best dinner on the trail yet.
Date: 2006-06-30
From: rockspring hut

To: pass mountain hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: few clouds

another short day (relatively). the shelter was great. the maintainers were there with firewood and homemade brownies! two step was there, after a horrible e.r. visit after she got stung by a zillion hornets. apparently waterfall accidentally stuck his pole in a nest. one more thing to worry about now. yikes!
Date: 2006-07-01
From: pass mountain hut

To: gravel spring
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

i'm getting lazy and really enjoying these slow days. there was another wayside, so i got lunch and another delicious blackberry shake. the shenendoahs are definitely spoiling me.oh, and i saw another bear. this one was just chilling out by the trail and i got to watch it for a while before it took off. cool.
Date: 2006-07-02
From: gravel spring

To: terrapin station
Miles today: 9.6

got to the hostel and was the only one there, so i took a shower and did my laundry and read a little. then waterfall, lumber and twostep showed up and shortly thereafter, mike, who runs the hostel came home. he took us to the grocery store and to a great all-you-can-eat buffet (with a dessert bar!)i forgot to mention that the reason i am taking all these leisurely days is because aimee is going to meet me at harpers ferry on the 6th, but it's not that far away so i can take it easy. i can't wait!
Date: 2006-07-04
From: manassas gap

To: rod hollow
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: few clouds

started out today pretty depressed. and then it started to rain. but then lumber's friend came and met us with a bunch of pizzas and cokes. we got to pile into his warm, dry van and eat and drink. then the rest of the afternoon was nice and i was pretty giddy. i think i am addicted to cola now. there have been a few instances where i'm all sad and lethargic and then i find some trail magic cokes and all of a sudden i am flying down the trail.at night we lit sparklers for the 4th of july and then went to bed.
Date: 2006-07-05
From: rod hollow

To: blackburn center
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: light rain

today was the rollercoaster. something like ten ascents and descents in 13 miles. it wasn't that bad, in fact i really liked working up a sweat and it went by pretty fast. but then the last few miles of relative flatness went on forever and i was wiped out by then. finally got to the blackburn center managed by redwing and hopeful who thruhiked last year with my friend dr. nick. they were great and the dinner and brownies were so good. i love food.
Date: 2006-07-06
From: blackburn center

To: HARPER'S FERRY
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

how exciting! i made it! crossing the bridge over the shenendoah river felt so good! i went to the atc office with trail boss and we got our photos taken for the thru hiker book. a bunch of us had a bet about how many people would have been through. i was way, way off. my number was 565. then i went down to the train station to meet aimee. we had a great dinner at the secret six (and the most delicious beer, too) and stayed at the fancy (but cheap for hikers) hilltop hotel overlooking the potomac and/or the shenendoah river.
Date: 2006-07-08
From: harper's ferry

To: crampton gap
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

aimee and i hiked a little bit today. it was nice and leisurely. we camped out near a shelter, made a delicious dinner (my new best friend jacob and pooja sent me homemade dehydrated tomato sauce, with zucchinis and peppers and spices and all kinds of deliciosity and also the best jerky ever!) and went to sleep. around midnight or one a.m. there were lights everywhere and a dog trampling over the tent. i shouted out, "GET YR DOG OFFA MY TENT" but then i heard an apology followed by a "good girl!" to the dog. wtf? turns out it was cops. there were looking for someone. (not us)
Date: 2006-07-09
From: crampton gap

To: dahlgren campsite
Miles today: 8.8

we actually hiked to washington monument park, but there was no camping so we backtracked. aimee is getting picked up tomorrow at 6:00 to go back to new york. the hike was really nice, berries everywhere! ripe and juicy raspberries and blackberries. so good. the campsite had showers and picnic tables so we were able to clean up and make another delicious dinner. then aimee lifted the dinner pot to stop the overboiling and somehow the flaming alcohol from the stove ended up on my shorts and she's like oh no yr crotch is on fire. it was pretty funny. slept wonderfully with the nice grassy campsite. but then we were woken up again at midnight by the cops, still looking for someone.
Date: 2006-07-10
From: dahlgren campsite

To: deerlick
Miles today: 26.6

so sad that aimee went home. i'm glad i got to hike with her for a couple of days, but now i miss her even more. so i just hiked, and kept on hiking. someone left some trail magic of water and little debbie cakes. i got the last one, it was great cause i'm running low on snacks.then after about 20 miles i got to pen-mar park and met pixie and snake-eyes and waterfall was there. they had ordered a pizza and waterfall very generously gave me a slice. so good. then i left the park to find a campsite, but the closest one kinda sketched me out so i kept hiking. then i found some cokes. it was perfect cause i was so tired and hot and thirsty. the cola powered me to the next shelter and i settled into my bag to sleep.