morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-13
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Nero Day in Clifton
Miles today: 2.9

Full disclosure: I am writing this entry a day late because I didn't want to spend my time at home working on my journal.I think this was my shortest nero yet. And then I went home, yay!I slept quite well in the shelter, much better than I expected. Bugs were not an issue and none of my shelter mates snored. Still, I do prefer the privacy and coziness of my tent.I woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep so I just got up and got going. One advantage of staying in the shelter is that packing up in the morning is a piece of cake. So I had my second earliest departure ever, on a day when it really didn't matter. Oh well!I passed Yoda's camp about a mile away and she was awake but smartly just lounging in her hammock. On I went, and I got to the road about an hour early. What can I say, I was excited to go home! As I was waiting, Lisa from the 'cabin' stopped to see if we needed a ride or a place to stay, and later Mike from Terrapin Station did the same. Front Royal was definitely giving us the friendly vibe. Gary arrived (with sodas, by request) and we went to the Quality Inn to pick up Yoda's resupply box. In Front Royal we found Power House who was denied a room because he's only 18. Odd, but we gave him a ride to another section of town where there were some more options and I'm sure he found something somewhere. And then it was homeward bound, with a stop on the way for food. We did all the usual town chores (shower, laundry and later another trip to the supermarket for resupply), but we did them in the comfort of our house and while wearing more comfy clothes than a rain suit. It was glorious.My friend Kirsten was coming over for dinner and she brought the most professionally beautiful looking fruit tart , which we had for dessert. And then she cut my hair, so my bangs don't hang in my face anymore.All in all, it was a great Nero, and I will be taking a few zeros next week that I am also really looking forward to! But first I have to get to Harper's Ferry.Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-06-15
From: Signal Knob Campsite

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: broken clouds

Today started with imminent threat of rain and ended with clear skies. I like it!Just like a few days ago, the perfectly still evening gave way to a very windy night. I didn't have my rain flaps closed and they make a fair amount of noise in the wind. It also means daylight streams into my tent very early, so I was up earlier than normal. I did all my chores and left camp and none of the other three was stirring as far as I could tell. Then I checked the time; 6:15. I crushed my old record and I wasn't even trying to leave early!As I was putting on my pack, the sky darkened ominously and I actually put on my rain jacket pre-emptively. Maybe that's what did it, but it didn't actually do more than spit a little bit and I took it off a few minutes later.The first few miles went through Sky Meadows State Park and were quite pleasant and very easy. After 4 miles or so we had to cross Route 50 , which was a bit of a shock to the system! Northern Virginia rush hour traffic, even that far out in the exurbs, is nothing to sneeze at. But, I made it across safely for some more miles of relatively easy hiking until Rod Hollow shelter. All the others had passed me by then and Outro, Yoda and I all had lunch together at the covered picnic table there. We surmised that this was the first covered table since the Smokies.After lunch, the real work began; a 13.5 stretch of shortish but steepish ups and downs known as the Roller Coaster. I have actually hiked a very small section of it before and don't remember it as anything particularly cumbersome, but we don't get to that part until tomorrow.Today's part of the Roller Coaster involved 8 bumpity bumps, some of them more bumpity than others. It is also a very rocky section, apparently Virginia wants to go out with a bang. Partway up bump number five, we hit the thousand mile mark. Outro and Yoda kindly waited for me so we all took each other's picture and also a couple of all of us with Outro's hiking stick tripod. I may also have sung 'Eye of the Tiger' snippets...We were all pretty tired of the bumps by then, but we still had 2.5 of them to go in about 3 miles. I took a bit more of a break at the sign before moving on and those last few miles were pretty hard fought. My feet were tired, actually all of me was tired, it had been very humid all day and now it was getting hot too boot. I was a sweaty, nasty mess when I got here at Bears Den Hostel, but as it turns out, that's how everybody looked on arrival. It was just a sweaty, drippy kind of day, I suppose.Bears Den hostel is lovely. The bunk room is nothing special but there is a really nice living room that I could hang out in for days. Think Old Lodge style, as the house was built in the 1930s.I am showered and clean, but I didn't do laundry just for that one day, so tomorrow I put my ammonia-smelling (I.e. cat pee smelling) shirt back on. I can't wait...Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-06-17
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Zero Day in Clifton, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Oh Zero Day, how I love thee, let me count the ways... A zero day is usually filled with chores. But when you are planning to take 3 or 4 of them in a row, the chores can be spread out and it's more like a little mini vacation. I still got up early, I think even earlier than on the trail because I am not as dependent on daylight. But then there are multiple cups of tea, fruit tart for breakfast and a generally relaxed morning.When asked if anybody needed to go to REI, the response was 'I can be convinced to go there' and so we did. After lattes at Starbucks and before lunch at Chipotle followed by ice cream at Ben & Jerry's (I had coffee coffee buzz buzz buzz. It is good.). We easily spent an hour+ at REI. Since I changed to hiking in running shorts in Waynesboro and am no longer using my convertible pants, I wanted long pants to wear in camp to deal with bugs. Or cold, though that just doesn't seem that likely at this point, at least not until New England. Funny how quickly we forgot the bone-chilling low fifties and relentless rain of only 2 weeks ago! I did find pants, and I am pretty sure that the combined weight of the new pants and the running shorts is far less than the weight of the 1998 pleated convertible pants. All those pleats take a lot of fabric! I also upgraded my filter to a regular Sawyer, and got another pair of socks and another pair of underwear. I now have 3 of each. Such luxury!We went to Wegman's to resupply and do groceries for dinner and when we finished it was raining. So, we followed all this retail activity with a lazy afternoon. I unsuccesfully tried to plan my next section (there will be another attempt today), there was some world cup soccer watching and there may have been a nap. Today I will take Yoda back to Harper's Ferry and Outro to the metro to go visit a friend in DC. And then I will really get down to the chores. I better start a list...Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-06-22
From: Dahlgren Backpacker Camp

To: Raven's Rock Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: broken clouds

I had a good night sleep in my tent, mostly on top of my sleeping bag, but I woke up crazy early. And because there was a bathroom with running water, morning chores were accomplished quickly which resulted in me leaving camp at 5:55! I don't think I'll beat that time the rest of the hike. Most campers were still sleeping. Leaving so early meant that I was on spider web patrol until the next shelter, more than 5 miles in. Ick.The first landmark was the 'first Washington monument' a couple of miles down the trail. It is currently closed because of the damage sustained last week in the lighting strike. I can't imagine being blasted out of a stone tower like that, yikes. It is an odd experience to walk through a deserted park like that in broad daylight. I think I caught a glimpse of a marmot at the monument, at least I saw a brown blur and heard that marmot-like whistle. I am going to assume that's what it was and add it to mental list of 'wildlife seen on the trail'.I stopped at Annapolis Rocks for lunch, because the guide listed it as an 'outstanding lookout'. Well, I beg to differ. It's true that you could see very far, but most of the view was a developed valley. Hardly outstanding in my book. Just as I was leaving, another hiker arrived. He asked if I was thru-hiking (not an uncommon question) and when I said I was, asked if he could take my picture. He was working on video and photos for Backpacker Magazine, about the AT in a Day event. He ended up hiking a little over a mile with me, taking some photos in the process. I'm sure I'll be famous come October! All day, the miles came pretty slowly but I decided to just go with the flow and not worry about it. My plan was to get to this shelter and I had plenty of time to do it. Mostly the trail was quite level but some sections were super rocky. There also was a not-that-short and steep climb to get here, something we haven't seen in a while. So naturally I was a sweaty mess when I got here but that's pretty much par for the course these days and most likely for the foreseeable future.I made an afternoon snack stop at the previous shelter and chatted a bit with three young guys from Indiana who started their flip-flop a few days ago in Harpers Ferry. I'm sure they'll blow right by me once they have their trail legs, but for now they hike low mileage.This shelter is really nice but the bugs are atrocious. I cooked dinner at the picnic table and got 10 mosquito and/or gnat bites on my arm just while doing that. I am happy to report that the new pants are quite comfy and work well as bug protection though. Tomorrow I have a short day planned but I'm not altogether satisfied with the plan. Given the locations of shelters or camp sites in the next few days it makes sense, but it might just be too short. Regardless of how the day shakes out though, I will cross into Pennsylvania!Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-06-29
From: Stealth Camp North of PA 225

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: light rain

I slept better than I had in days. It was nice and cool out, there were no people coming back to their room at 3 am and if anything went bump in the night, I missed it.I got up at 5:40 without having to worry about who I might be waking up, and left camp at 6:20.The trail was again mostly easy today. The first 9 miles were more or less level and a combination of rocks and mud, but neither was too bad to deal with. There were a couple of views early on, which is always good for morale, and I particularly like the crispness of views in the (somewhat) early morning. They don't often photograph well when they are facing east like this morning, but I try anyway.I got to the first shelter really quickly so it was still early enough that most (all?) inhabitants were still sleeping. Bunch of slackers! . I signed the register (quietly), waved at Mooch who was just getting up and who I met a couple of days ago, and went on my way.A few miles later I was passed by Nurse, from Vermont, and we walked together and chatted for a bit about lightweight gear and such before I decided his pace was too fast for me. I had one descent into and subsequent climb from the road, but other than that, nothing much to worry about. Shortly after the climb I came to a camp site where someone had arranged rocks to make two chairs, so that's where I had lunch. Smoked trout and crackers, and lemon flavored water. Yay for care packages! (New mail drop listed for anyone who is interested). The trout was delicious but unfortunately very low calorie for the weight (much lower than sardines) so I'll probably not have them again. Oddly, I didn't feel like snacking all afternoon. That would be a good thing in normal life, but not on the trail. Sure enough, by three or so I was dragging and I still had a few miles to go.I was shooting for a camp site with spring that was listed in the guide, but I didn't find it. .1 miles later was the side trail for the shelter and I just went there instead. It is supposed to be .3 miles of the trail but I don't think that's correct. It doesn't seem that far. Beer Man is there and a group of six young guys who are not thru-hiking. I know this because I heard one of them ask another in a incredulous tone 'did you just eat that off of the ground?' This section of trail goes through State Game Lands which means you have to camp within 200 ft of the trail (no problem) and 500 ft away from water sources. That one is quite challenging and I'm not sure I am compliant tonight. But this is clearly the established camp site so here I'll stay. I'm the only tenter and quite a distance away from the shelter, so it's almost like stealth camping.Tomorrow is supposed to bring rain, but I think it's in the form of afternoon thunderstorms and not an all day soak. I will probably get to 501 shelter, which is where the notorious rocks are supposed to start. Have I mentioned how happy I am to have new shoes? Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-07-04
From: PA 309

To: Zero Day in West Reading and at Fiddler's
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It was the most un-Fourth of July-like weather we woke up to this morning. Grey and overcast and misting a little bit. I did not think I'd be swimming in the river at Fiddler's, with the high predicted to be below 70 degrees.But first, there was coffee (thank you Twilight, the Starbucks card is still going strong!) and then breakfast at the local diner. After that, I tried to do some very necessary laundry, which took a lot of waiting for machines to be available, and Gary went for a run.Gary had picked Reading because it is about halfway between the trail and Fiddler's house. Actually, we are in West Reading, which everybody here keeps telling us makes a big difference. West is acceptable, the rest apparently not so much. I haven't been there, but this is a perfectly nice area.We got to Fiddler's around noon, not entirely sure what to expect. As it turned out, he was hosting a big get together with other musicians. Most of them were fiddlers too, but there were also a number of banjos and guitars. Before most of the guests arrived though, there was time for a tour of the neighborhood under the expert guidance of Fiddler's adorable lab Thorn. It is right on the Brandywine River and has a very laid back vibe, maybe because most of the houses used to be vacation homes. I noticed vegetable gardens everywhere, it was great.We even went on a river cruise (ha!) on the floating dock. It has an electric motor, which means no noise and no fumes and it was all highly civilized. Great way to spend some time on a holiday afternoon!Once the other guests started arriving, people formed into (what seemed to be) impromptu groups and played, mostly what Fiddler refers to as Old Timey Music. Here is a link to a video Gary took:Youtube VideoFiddler's friend Mary Jo told me that wasn't the best session, but it sounded good to my untrained ears. (Hi Mary Jo, it was great to meet you!).At some point there were two sessions being played and Gary and I sat in between, marveling that they didn't get themselves confused. But even though they weren't far apart, you couldn't hear the other group from the opposite location.In between there were fabulous meat loaf burgers (as Fiddler called them), and equally fabulous salad (hooray for vitamins!) and some really good spinach filled bread. We did not go hungry. Fiddler has been battling shin splints but is hoping to get back on the trail soon. Maybe even tomorrow, so he can catch a ride back with Gary to Harpers Ferry. We'll see what happens. We left late afternoon, even though clearly fiddle festivities will continue way into the night. I still had a few town errands to run, and my bedtime is around 8 pm these days. I'm so glad we went though, it was great to see Fiddler and meet some of his friends!Tomorrow we hike the Knife Edge. Fingers crossed the rocks will have dried out by then! If not, this may be my last journal entry... Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-07-07
From: Leroy Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: moderate rain

Woohoo, 100 days! And we're back on track for 500-in-4!Anytime you start the day by having to remove a slug from each of your crocs, you do sort of wonder what sort of day it's going to be. But at least one of the slugs had the courtesy of being visible, because if I had squished the other one with my bare toes as I put on my crocs, I probably would have curled up in a ball in my tent and cried... Actually, the day had started just before that and rather ominously too, when it started pouring again juuuuust as I was about to let the air out of my mattress. So I left the mattress inflated for another 25 minutes or so while the rain did its thing. But it didn't really rain the rest of the day, so I suppose I can't be upset the weather messed with my early start plans. As it was, I left camp at 6:25, still not bad.I had planned the early start because I was going to try to get to Delaware Water Gap (DWG) today. But that was 20.2 miles away and over rocks, possibly wet rocks, that could take me a while. The first eleven miles were pretty terrible. The whole stretch was basically the smaller buried rocks that inflict maximum pain and discomfort on the feet. I even have a blister and I pretty much never get blisters. I am not amused. I got passed by Beer Man, Walking Home (who I had not met before) and Freebird, who I hadn't seen since Woods Hole Hostel. At least that was a little fun moment in an otherwise endless morning.I stopped for lunch at Wolf Rocks, which had a bit of a view. I didn't know, but this was more or less the end of the truly nasty trail. There were still rocky stretches, but now they were interspersed with some nice smooth wide trail. I'll take it!Obviously this also meant that I started making slightly better time, going back to my normal pace of mph. The end still had some surprises, with a wrong turn (my own fault) and stone stairs (whose bright idea was that?) but finally Pony Puncher, who had caught up to me, and I did reach town. She had been planning to stay in the fancy hotel but it was closed and I had been planning to stay at the free church hostel but it was full (and unappealing) so we decided to split a room at the Pocono Inn. South Paw, who I ran into a few times yesterday, joined us as well. The Pocono Inn is a typical hiker motel but the room seems clean enough and the water pressure is excellent.We had dinner at the diner and sort of planned the next few days. Tomorrow I will get to the Mohican Outdoor Center and have lunch there. Several people have asked me where my next mail drop location will be and I promise I'll try to figure that out soon!I may even sleep in tomorrow. Till, you know, until 6:30.Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-07-31
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Clarendon Gorge
Miles today: 18.5

Contrary to expectations, it was not cold and I did get up early. I left camp around 6:20 and immediately had some mud to deal with. Vermont is notoriously called Vermud by hikers because of the often ridiculously muddy conditions on the trail. I have to say though that we must be extraordinarily lucky because while there definitely has been mud, none of it has been the ankle deep, shoe sucking kind. The conditions in the Smokies were far muddier, as far as that goes.The storm yesterday has blown away the humidity and the weather was great for hiking, and sometimes even a little cold if sitting around, say for lunch. It also meant that the view was not hazy. Sadly the view was of the Rutland airport... In the early morning though I passed some very idyllic streams and two ponds that looked quite inviting. It was too early to swim but I did take some non-hazy pictures. I ran into Sam I Am and Red Hot and we hiked together briefly. I can never keep up with them for very long. Sam I Am had already fallen today and Red Hot hit his head on a fallen tree while I was there and in general I've heard several stories of hikers falling lately. I was extra careful today, because it would be a huge disappointment to get injured this late in the hike! I later passed Ice Man, whose wife gave me a ride the other day, and hiked and chatted with him for a bit as well.I passed two 'cairn gardens' today and added my little stone contribution to each of them. I saw on Facebook that these can be controversial but I liked them here. Southpaw and I had lunch at one of them.The afternoon dragged on a little bit. 18 miles is still a pretty decent day for me and my feet usually are done well before that. I had one climb, which was actually nice. I passed a couple and chatted a little and after I had gone on, I heard them yell from behind "are you Dutch?". I get asked, usually with a somewhat puzzled sound "where are you from?" all the time, but I never get asked if I'm Dutch. It was funny and they clearly have a good ear. Also his parents were Dutch, but he said he didn't recognize my accent, it was his wife.I took a brief break at a shelter before finishing the last 2.6 miles to the gorge where we are camped. The seven of us are still all here (Clover and M&M with Mya, Laces, Outro, Adios, Southpaw and I) but tomorrow Gary and I will stop at the top of Killington and they'll hike on. I am ready for vacation and a break but it's a real bummer to have let this fun group go. Though I also have to admit I'm not sure how long I'd be able to keep up. I told them to send me a picture should they all summit Katahdin together. That is still a ways away, but you never know!There's a road nearby and half a mile down the road to the west is a cafe. We all went there for dinner and it was very good. We're going back for breakfast and Gary is meeting me there. He did get his hammock, though not without trouble, so hopefully tomorrow I can report how he'll love camping from now on!Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?