morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-01
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

We were all excited today because the trail crossed Jenkins Creek, which has a swimming hole. This was going to be a nice treat, especially with the hot weather lately. Today was no exception for the heat. By the time I made it to the creek I was soaking wet with sweat. After a few minutes of relaxing I went in for a dip. Whoa was already there and had made friends with the two middle aged locals who had graciously given him a bunch of capri-sun drinks. Whoa shared them with all of us. Then the guy offered Whoa a ride to the store which is about 1.5 miles away. Whoa brought back a 6-pack of High Life, a bunch of pops, and some candy bars. So we sat by the swimming hole and had a beer. The wierd thing was just the other day we were talking about what we would miss this summer and I said sitting by a lake or pond drinking a beer and being able to cool off by jumping in the water.After a couple of hours we headed on to the next shelter and felt like sweaty grubby hikers again. M&M was at the shelter tonight. We had been reading her shelter log entries for a while. She was hiking with her dog but apparently the dog was having a rough time so she took the dog home.It's wierd when you're behind people you have never met because you feel like you get to know them through their shelter register notes. One of the best parts about getting to a shelter is seeing what people write and how far ahead of you they are. There are funny entries, wierd entries, poetry, etc. You get a picture in your head of who someone is but when you actually meet them they could be very different. You don't know if a person is old, young, man, woman, etc because their trailnames generally don't give that away.**********This entry posted on 7/29/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-02
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Marble Spring (campsite)
Miles today: 17.2

Another hot and humid day! See, I told you I would be complaining about it soon. Actually I still like this better than the rain. Went under the Guillotine today which is a boulder that is stuck between two much bigger rock outcroppings and is about 15 feet in the air. There was thunder in the distance and we were making a push to get to camp before dark since we got a late start. Just before getting into camp I was coming down the back side of a mountain when I almost stepped on a small Diamondback snake. I stopped and backed up a bit and he just sat there as if to say 'I don't have to move for you buddy, I'm poisonous.' I gave him a poke with my hiking stick and he struck at it twice. Then he must have decided he wasn't going to win this battle so he slithered off. The rain never came.**********This entry posted on 7/29/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-03
From: Marble Spring (campsite)

To: Punch Bowl Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: broken clouds

A fairly easy day for 18 miles, except the heat made the hiking a bit harder. Before heading out in the morning, about a 50 year old guy came running up the trail. He stopped and talked with us for a bit and it turned out he was the trail maintainer for that part of the AT. He had also hiked the trail. Actually he ran/walked the trail in 52 days. I have been out here 72 days already and am only 1/3 of the way. That means he averaged a little over 40 miles per day. Of course he had a support team helping him so he didn't have to carry anything and he slept in hotel rooms every night. I guess he had the record for the fastest time for a while but someone did it quicker since then.It began to rain on us an hour or so before the shelter. Once we got to the shelter it was a bit annoying because three other thru-hikers were there and had their stuff all spread out. There was room for at least six in the shelter and normally people move their stuff over right away, however for some reason these guys forgot common courtesy and after a few minutes we had to ask to get into the shelter.**********This entry posted on 7/31/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-04
From: Punch Bowl Shelter

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

Another hot and humid day! Not a huge mileage day but one of my toughest hiking days due to the heat. I'm not sure of the exact temperature but it feels like 90°F with 100% humidity. We are not exactly an early riser group so we end up hiking through the afternoons. And since I'm a chubby white kid from snowy Buffalo, New York, I'm not happy on days like today. Finally made it to the shelter which had a great ice cold spring and a really nice big shelter.**********This entry posted on 8/1/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-05
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: Montebello, VA
Miles today: 12.5

Today was just what I needed after a tough day yesterday. We had heard about a Bed & Breakfast place from a SoBo (South Bounder) in this town and decided to try it out. It was a little pricey compared to the hostel prices but well worth it. It was $25 a night for hikers (I think it was $90 for non-hikers) but that included my own room with a nice clean bed, laundry service with a bath robe to wear so all of our clothes could be washed, and breakfast. Dinner was an extra $10.The bath robe thing is soooo nice. Normally for me, only everything but my camp shorts get washed. I have a separate pair of shorts that I hike in, then I change into 'clean' shorts around camp. Although I call my camp shorts 'clean', in fact they are far from clean. The problem is when it comes down to washing the camp shorts or the shorts I've hiked in for 6 days straight, I'm gonna wash the hiking shorts every time. When it was cold out I had my rain gear to change into while I washed my clothes, but I've since sent that home because when it's warm rain gear is pointless for me. Some people put on a garbage bag but I don't think I'm ready to sit around a laundromat or a hostel for 2 hours in nothing but a garbage bag, not yet...Anyways, the Bed & Breakfast was great, and since we were the only people there we got to spend some time talking to the owners, Earl & Louis, who were incredible. They are a couple who moved up from Dallas four years ago and bought the place from the previous owners. After dinner we watched a movie from the selection of videos.**********This entry posted on 8/1/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-06
From: Reed's Gap

To: Montebello, VA (SoBo slack pack)
Miles today: 19.9

After a great breakfast we talked to the owners about their slack-packing shuttles. We decided to do a slack-pack today and spend another night at the Bed & Breakfast place. Earl drove us to where the trail crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway about 20 miles up the trail. They had some small day packs that we used to bring food and water in. We ended up taking a 'blue-blazed' side trail that split off from the AT then rejoined later, so we skipped part of the AT. But we did this since the blue-blazed trail followed a creek with waterfalls and more importantly swimming holes. We stopped for lunch at one of the swimming holes and it felt very refreshing to wade in the cool water. Later that afternoon we had some great views off of Priest Mountain and Spy Rock. Spy Rock was named for the 'spies' that kept watch for troops during the civil war since there was almost a 360° view off the top. Earl picked us up where the trail comes into Montebello and even had a beer for each of us. We sat around and talked with Earl & Louis for a bit then watched another movie.**********This entry posted on 8/1/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-07
From: Reed's Gap

To: Paul Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: few clouds

Had a really good French toast breakfast then headed out to the trail. On the ride back to where we left off, Earl mentioned that the trail had been re-routed away from a really nice overlook and he said to take the blue-blazed side trail to the left and that it would come back to the AT. However we ended up taking the wrong blue-blazed side trail and came out to a picnic area then ended up walking the road for a while before finding the AT again. Oh well. At the shelter with us tonight is a middle aged guy and his 77 year old dad. The guy and his dad take a trip together for one week a year on the AT. At 77 the guy is still out hiking with a 30 pound pack, most impressive.**********This entry posted on 8/1/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-08
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Got an early start to get into Waynesboro for a late breakfast. The trail doesn't actually go into Waynesboro but it is about 4 or 5 miles outside. The trail crosses Skyline Drive just south of Shenandoah National Park and there is an information center that has a phone and a list of trail angels that will pick you up and take you into town. An elderly gentleman picked us up and gave us a quick tour of town, then dropped us off at the Enterprise Car Rental, where I had a car reserved to head to Vermont for a friend's wedding. After getting the car and some breakfast I decided to wait until tomorrow to do the drive since I wanted to help out Wideload (Ray-way) and Butterfingers by running them around town and helping them slack-pack tomorrow. After doing errands we got some dinner and saw a movie. Unfortunately this time Butterfingers and Wideload will not be waiting for me. Since I will only be off the trail for three days and since they will be taking some time off in August for her sister's wedding we figured we would meet up somewhere down the trail.**********This entry posted on 8/2/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-13
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I made it through the night. Luckily Rambo decided not to draw first blood last night. I actually even slept pretty well. I got on the trail pretty early but after about a mile my calves were cramping up again so I decided to rest for awhile. I layed around reading and napping until 1, then decided to give it another try but I decided to hike the road for a bit (the AT repeatedly crosses Skyline Drive throughout the Shenandoahs) in case my legs cramped up. I figured I'd hitch a ride to a campground and take a day or two off if I needed to. Luckily though my legs started to feel better. I ate some lunch at one of the wayside places, then got back on the trail for the last few miles to the shelter. Right before I got back on the trail I got to see a bear cross the road then hop up on the small 2 foot hight stone wall that goes along the road. Then he disappeared down a hillside. Tonight at the shelter is another thru-hiker, Zinc, who is a younger guy.**********This entry posted on 8/3/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-14
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: scattered clouds

The legs felt fine today, which is good cause I really want to start trying to catch up with Wideload and Butterfingers and some of the other hikers that have gotten ahead of me. The Shenandoahs are beautiful with lots of great views every few miles. Although you don't exactly feel out in the wilderness completely cause you constantly cross Skyline Drive. But the campground and waysides are a real nice perk.I saw about a dozen deer today which was nice but they must be pretty used to humans because they barely flinch when they see you. I was able to get about 5 to 10 feet from a lot of them and that was only because they would keep walking towards me or not run off when I walked right by them on the trail.I stopped at a campground store and got some snacks then moved on to the shelter that was just under a mile away. At the shelter tonight is a youth group of 13 (10 kids and 3 leaders) and Zinc again. The youth group is tenting. The kids were good entertainment for the night and had a million questions for Zinc and I when they found out how long we were going to be hiking for.**********This entry posted on 8/4/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-15
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 26.8
Weather: scattered clouds

A great day today! I got out of camp early and hiked the 8 miles to Big Meadows Lodge where I ate a late breakfast in the nice dining area. I got a lot of wierd looks from people since I was all sweaty and dirty looking. After breakfast I hiked another 8 miles to the Skyland Lodge and with even more sweat and dirt on me ate a big lunch in the dining area. After lunch I came across a mother deer with her fawn right on the trail. They flinched a bit at first but just sat there with me about 10 feet away. The fawn was feeding off the mother. I inched a little closer and got some pictures, then watched a little longer. But after a while I figured I should get going. I probably could have watched longer but the whole time the fawn was feeding, the doe was cleaning the fawn's backside, which I didn't care to see. I started to walk towards them until they finally took off down the trail. However they only went a few hundred feet down the trail. This happened for about 1/4 mile. I would hike towards them and they would run off but always stayed on the trail. Finally I started yelling at them and scared them off.**********This entry posted on 8/5/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-16
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Saw 4 bears today!! I kept reading people's register entries about seeing bears all over the place and I was very disappointed that today I was leaving the Shenandoah's and I had only seen one briefly.But that all changed today. The first one I saw was the perfect place to see a bear (at least if you're a big scardy cat like me). I was on a rocky cliffside overlook just finishing lunch when I heard a rustle at the bottom of the cliff. I looked over the edge and sure enough there was a big ole black bear rummaging around for food. The cliff was about 50 ft high so I was able to watch the bear with no worries. I watched him for a bit, then was going to get some pictures but my batteries were dead. Luckily I had a spare and I changed it out. I went back to the edge knowing he would be gone but he wasn't. I got a gew pics then decided I wanted a face shot and since he couldn't possibly get to me I made some noise and he looked right up at me and smiled for my camera. OK, he didn't actually smile but he did look up. We just stared at eachother for a while. I think he wasn't sure what I was since only my head was looking over the cliffside. After a bit he finally moved off.I packed up and headed down the trail. After about a mile I saw a momma bear and her cub. This time I had no cliff protection. I saw them from about 50 feet away and decided I wanted a bit more of a buffer, so I backed up some and watched them for a while. They were pretty close to the trail and I didn't want to go by, so after a bit I decided I would scare them off. So I began to yell and smack my hiking poles together. This sent the cub right up a tree. However mom must be hard of hearing because she never flinched. She just kept on foraging for food. So I waited a bit longer. I don't even think momma bear knew I was there. After a bit they crossed the trail and started foraging on the other side but coming towards me. I got a little nervous at this point cause if she came too far over I would be up wind of her and I didn't want that. So I tried again to scare them away and again the poor cub practically had a heart attack and raced way up a tree. But momma just kept foraging. Finally though she crossed back over and headed away from the trail. I walked up the trail and tried to snap a picture of them leaving when I heard something to the left. That's when I saw the second cub go bouncing through the woods trying to catch up with momma bear. That was so cute. Then I was done with the Shenandoah's.**********This entry posted on 8/7/2004I will be on vacation for a week, so this will be the last entry for a while. This is all I have from Dan at this point but he says he's mailing me a bunch of his entries today. So hopefully I will have a lot to post when I get back in a week.Just for a quick update, Dan has just made it out of Pennsylvania and into New Jersey. So he's still going! More later...Jen (the scribe)**********
Date: 2004-07-17
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Not an eventful day. I went up, then down, then it was flat for a bit, then up, then down, etc. There were rocks and trees and bugs, but no views. I did however learn that I'm closing in on my hiking buddies. I had thought I was 2 days behind them but they must have gotten sucked into a town for a day because when I got to the shelter tonight I saw in the register that they were at the same shelter at 4:30 pm. I got there at 7:30 PM, only 3 hours behind them. Maybe tomorrow I can catch them before Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.**********This entry posted on 8/14/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-18
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 17.8

A great day today on many levels. Though at first it started off rough because I had to do "The Roller Coaster". Apparently due to private property the trail has a limited area to be routed over a 13.5 mile stretch and therefore has to go over 10 ridges, which means 10 ascents and descents. Even with fresh legs this was a tough hike.Almost at the end of the roller coaster I got a huge burst of motivation. I crossed over from Virginia into West Virginia. Finally I was done with Virginia!!! The Virginia part of the trail is 550 miles long, about 1/4 of the trail. I wish my friends were here to celebrate, we had been cursing VA for a while. It might be better they weren't there though because I peed across the state line onto VA then flipped VA the bird and continued hiking. This was immature I admit but it just felt right.A couple miles after the state line I came across Wideload and Butterfingers, finally! We hiked a few miles then decided to check out the Blackburn Trail Center which is a hostel. On the side trail to the center we must have stepped on a bees' nest because all of a sudden we were being attacked. I must have been stung about 10 times. Butterfingers and Wideload each got a few stings themselves.Once at the Blackburn Trail Center we talked with the caretakers for a while, then realized it was getting pretty late in the day. It was around 4:30 and we had 12 miles to go. We could probably make it to town (Harper's Ferry) just before dark. Instead of risking not making it we opted to get a shuttle to drive us into town. After already doing almost 20 miles and being stung by bees all over, I just wanted a shower, some food, and a bed. I wasn't feeling up to possibly not making town or getting in really late. So we got the number of a local guy who will give shuttles to hikers and he came and got us and took us to town. We got a room at the Hilltop House which was a very historic place. Apparently it has been a hotel since 1888. The hotel was neat looking but what we didn't know was that the rooms are civil war era type rooms. The room was just big enought for the double and single bed and dresser that were in there. No TV, no clock radio. Although I don't miss TV, it is a nice treat to have when in towns. Especially when you pay for a hotel room as opposed to staying cheaply in a hostel. The bathroom wasn't much bigger than a closet.We grabbed some food at the local pizza joint then got some snacks and a 6-pack at the 7-Eleven then relaxed for a bit in the room before bed.**********This entry posted on 8/16/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-19
From: Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

To: Crampton Gap Shelter, MD
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Got some breakfast at the hotel then headed over to the Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) Headquarters. We signed in there and they take a picture of hikers for their 'yearbook'. We spend some time there looking through the pictures of all the hikers before us. I was even able to look up Handstand in the 2002 yearbook. We then headed out of town but not until getting lunch and visiting the outfitter. Just like that we were out of West Virginia and into Maryland.**********This entry posted on 8/19/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-20
From: Crampton Gap Shelter, MD

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: clear sky

Today we met up with Butterfingers' sister and her husband at noon. We all went out to lunch then did some resupplying. As they were waiting for a shuttle ride to jockey their car up the trail some I decided to push on to get ahead of them some before the weekend since Jen is coming out to hike this weekend. the plan was for Butterfingers and Wideload to catch back up with us Sunday or Monday night.I got to the shelter around dark and it was full of a "wilderness survival" group?? I was pretty annoyed because large groups are not supposed to take up the whole shelter. This was a big shelter, too. It could probably fit 16 people. What I couldn't understand was why a wilderness survival course group is even using a shelter?? Aren't they supposed to be building a lean-to or just roughing it? I just set up on the floor of the overhang and slept there.**********This entry posted on 8/19/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-21
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Fayettville, PA
Miles today: 27.3

Another state down!! Granted West Virginia and Maryland are not many miles (there is even a 4 state challenge where people start in Virginia and hike to PA in one day, about 42 miles or so) but after being in Virginia forever, having the states go by quickly feels great. Had lunch at the state border at Pen-Mar Park, then headed on to Fayettville where there is a pizza joint 0.3 miles from the trail. At the pizza joint I lost my motivation after a chocolate shake and instead of hiking 3 more miles to the next shelter I opted to get a ride to the hotel 2 miles down the road.**********This entry posted on 8/19/2004**********
Date: 2004-07-22
From: Fayettville, PA

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So Pennsylvania isn't the most scenic portion of the trail. The good thing is it seems that every couple of days or sometimes even twice a day you can eat at a pizza joint or deli. The down side is that you cross about 4 to 8 roads a day and part of the hiking has been on old mining roads or gravel back roads. I got into Pine Grove Furnace State Park around 6 and got some food at the campground store. I also debated on joining the 1/2 gallon club to celebrate making it halfway through the hike. Apparently there is a 1/2 gallon challenge to eat a half gallon of ice cream. However I arrived alone and read the register at the store and everyone who ate the 1/2 gallon of ice cream said they were seriously hurting. So I got a pint of ice cream to celebrate completing half of the trail--almost 1100 miles!! Yeah!I got a room at the hostel next door and played the Appalachian Trail Game with Underhill, Knuckles, and Magnet (3 other thru hikers). Jacob was also at the hostel with a friend. It was nice to see Jacob because he was getting off the trail soon and I hadn't seen him for at least a month.**********This entry posted on 8/19/2004**********