morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-20
From: Seeley - Woodworth Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: broken clouds

Another long day, I think the first time I've done two 20s back to back and there's a 21 already pencilled in for tomorrow. I had wanted to escape the low Georgia mileage I've been hitting of late but maybe I'm overdoing things.It was a tough day, the hike up Three Ridges from the Tye River was hard, easily the hardest climb in Virgina and one of the hardest yet. The endless uphill was on a narrow trail, swathed in mist, crowded on all sides by dense vegetation overspiling the muddy, slippery path. Whoever said this state was flat needs his.... The weather hasn't been great, there was a lot of rain last night and this was the first time I've had to pack up a soaking wet tent since I started. I remind myself how this contrasts with vrtually every hike I've ever done in the UK but...Truth is I've felt a bit lethargic the past couple of days. The wet, humid weather probably doesn't help. At least the furious pace means Waynesboro is coming up tomorrow, finally. It's been 2 weeks since this section began in Pearisburg, the longest yet. Too long.
Date: 2004-05-21
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Quality Inn, Waynsboro, Virginia
Miles today: 21.1

I started hiking at 8.30, setting some sort of personal best, though I was the last one to leave the camp. The others were REAL earlybirds.It was mostly downhill to Rock Fish Gap and Waynesboro on a humid, thundery day. After the hilly terrain of the last few days it was easy to make the 21 miles. There was a little rain, afterwards I spotted 3 bright orange salamanders in the trail. They have an even brighther orange 'eye' on their sides.We made it down to the road and hitched a ride in to town without trouble. The Quality Inn turned out to be a nice place and I was ready for a shower, after the rain this week I was a bit muddy: extra dirty.
Date: 2004-05-22
From: Waynesboro, Virginia

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

"I've been on the other side of Blue Ridgeseen the Shenandoah rolling thereI stepped off the mountain's edgejust to climb the golden stairI seen the streets up thereI been on the Mount Transfigurationbeen there with my Ma and Paon the mountain of commandmentI been handed down the lawyou should have seen what I saw"Kristin HershThings that happened in Waynesboro:1. Selma turned up. Yes,that blue and yellow blazing piece of section puke tracked us down in a pizza joint. It was nice to see him, he's fit and well.2. I went to 2 AYCEs. 1 steak place with a great salad bar and 1 chinese. The latter was far and away the best chinese buffet on the trail so far.3. I got drunk on quality beer. Sam Adams and Pete's Wicked Ale.4. We met up with Mainsail who had befriended and elderly gentleman called Len who was rnnning him (and then us) all over town.5. The Post Office have lost my summer bag that I'd bounced on from Pearisburg. If it turns up they will send it on to Harpers, but I feel there's little chance.6. I spent lots of quality time at the Quality Inn, watched a lot of TV and generally rested those muscles after 3 back to back 20+ mile days.
Date: 2004-05-23
From: Waynesboro

To: Rough Camp, Shenandoah National Park
Miles today: 13.2

Today has a weird significance for me as I've been here before. Yes, Rock Fish Gap where the Shenandoah National Park meets the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was here that I hiked on the AT 6 years ago for 3 days. In that time I saw 5 bears including a mother and 2 cubs that refused to move from the trail. I also met quite a few thru-hikers but, in those days, I thought you had to be some kind of super athlete to hike the AT and that it was far too long for me. Now if I could have just held that thought....!Slainte and I got a ride back to the trail with a nice guy and trail enthusiast called Len. He also gave us a ride up to the Outfitter yesterday. Len seems to be spending his retirement being as helpful as possible to hikers and that's fine by me. Thanks Len.
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Rough Camp, Shenandoah National Park

To: Rough Camp, Simmons Gap, Shenandoah
Miles today: 21.9

Last night I camped with Slainte next to a disused forest track. There were semi-tame deer wandering around all night and the woods seemed alive with critters. I'm not sure if any had a big fat arse, sharp teeth and a preference for honey but I wouldn't have been at all surprised.The miles seemed to fall away today. I made it to Loft Mountain Campground, 14 miles, by 1.30 PM, practically unheard of. Truth is, the Shenandoah National Park is not especially hilly compared to what we've been used to. I took a long extended break in the afternoon as there are campstores here that sell things like ice cream, cheese, tomatoes. The luxury! I'm only carrying 3 days worth of food on this leg as there seem to be a good few of these facilities.I was dismayed to read in a journal that we just missed meeting up with Alabama yesterday. He must have been getting a ride in to Waynesboro as we were getting one out. Apparently, he's been doing some southbounding with his brother. What a bummer.We ended up rough camping at a bad spot just off a fire road. Buggy and stony. There was no real reason to hike late as we hit the last shelter at 7.00 PM and that was 20 miles.
Date: 2004-05-25
From: Rough Camp, Simmons Gap, Shenandoah

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: few clouds

Well, it finally happened today, I saw a bear, in fact I saw 3 bears! Now, I won't have to drag up my Shenandoah bear story from 6 years ago just to fill all this space.I saw the first one at about 5.30 PM. It had crashed off to the right of the trail and I only saw it fleetingly, just a dark shape, not clearly enough to get a positive ID.   However, instantaneously, a second medium sized bear clearly crossed the trail about 40 yards ahead and headed straight after the first bear. I got a good look at that one. I hadn't noticed another hiker, Wicked Lobster, heading south and closer to the bears than me. It was he who had surprised them, he'd actually managed to get a photo. He has now seen 9 bears all told in the Shenandoah. The third bear, the largest, came about 30 mins later and again crashed off from the trail over to the right. It didn't seem as scared as the others and only bothered going 50 yards or so in to the vegetation. If I got down low I could still see it and I thought it might come back up but it didn't. Just before I got to Bearfence Hut there was a big thunderstorm and I got soaked. It didn't last long and there was a friendly crowd of section hikers in at the hut. When the rains had passed the sun briefly came out again before nightfall and I tented after all. Glad to have a good, flat, relatively bug-free spot tonight after a couple of nights of crappy campsites.
Date: 2004-05-26
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Skyland Lodge, Shenandoah,
Miles today: 16.1

There was no way I was staying at Skyland Lodge tonight but it rained and rained and rained, so I ended up staying at Skyland Lodge.The Shenandoah, you gotta love it, there are visitors centres dotted all over, most with snack bars, shops, or restaurants attached. If you play your cards right and hauled ass you could eat out 3 times a day, now that's what I call a wilderness experience.I had lunch with Slainte and Bandicoot at Big Meadows Campground. I had the Philly Steak Sandwich, it was pretty good as was the coffee. When I get a really good coffee I just cup it in my hands beaming wildy and feeling great. This is because the instant I normally drink is bitter and not very nice. I really do become chuffed with good coffee.I got soaked in the afternoon. The heavens opened and I was drenched. There's a peculiar phenomenon here that when it's raining normally you hardly get wet: the canopy is so thick. However, there is a critical mass and after a certain point the leaves just can't hold back the flood and you really know it's raining.So that was me when I found a not for me pinned to an AT sign fron Slainte to say he'd gone to Skyland. He was there with Bandicoot tucking in to a huge plate of multi-coloured nachos. They had already had more than a couple of beers.What could I do? I ordered a plate of Nacos myself and got stuck in to the Killians Red, not a bad beer at all. Slainte went off to 'just check out the prices of the cabins' and came back swinging a set of keys. But it was a good call, it was still raining.
Date: 2004-05-27
From: Skyland Lodge, Shenandoah,

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Well a bumper day for bears!Yes, that's right, today I saw a total of 4 bears. In this I'm being rigorously honest and counting only those I saw myself up close and personal. In fact, there were 7 bears altogether as the last 2 sightings were of a mother and 2 cubs both times - but it was either too dark for me to see all them, or some had scarpered before I'd got a chance to positively identify them.I saw my first bear, a really big one, late in the afternoon. It was off to the side of the trail and ran maybe 50 yards when it saw me, but it wasn't too bothered and felt safe at this distance to just sit down and regard me. I got a pic before beginning to feel a little uncomfortable, so I moved on.I met up with Bandicoot and Slainte at Elks Meadow Campground. We decided to do some night hiking in order to reach Gravel Springs Hut and a record day of over 23 miles.Just as it was getting dark we rounded a corner, there was a commotion in the bushes over to the left as a bear cub and it's doting mother dropped out of a tree. Slainte was out in front and I think it scared the s**t out of him. The other cub stayed up the tree and the mother waited at the bottom patiently, not paying us any attention. We got photos but they probably didn't come out too well in the gloomy light. We went on our way with Slainte falling behind after a while. It was pretty dark when we were brought up in our tracks by some unearthly hissing and grunting coming from a tree right on the trail. Closer inspection with our head lamps revealed yet another bear family of 1 mum and 2 cubs. It didn't seem safe to carry on beneath them and have all 3 drop on our heads, so Bandicoot and I decided it was wiser to hang back for a while.After about 10 minutes of waiting we heard Slainte coming down the trail and decided a little bear fun was in order. As he approched we did some hissing and snarling of our own, only to bring the flustered Floridian up short in his tracks, clicking his poles together, staring frantically in to the undergrowth and squealing in the fashion generally associated with little girls. What fun! Bandicoot and me were curled up with laughter but, strangely enough, Slainte didn't seem to be able to see the funny side of it.When we checked on the real bears they had moved to the very tops of the tree and were silent as we made our way hurriedly beneath.
Date: 2004-05-28
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: light rain

After yesterday's record breaking day on the mileage I got a late start, leaving the shelter at 10.15. Last night was also the first time I stayed in a shelter since the Smokies. Usually, I camp on the tent spots at the shelters, as I am tonight.After about 7 or 8 miles I left the Shenandoah National Park. I had mixed feelings about leaving, I enjoyed the visitor facilities, the campstores and Wayside grills etc and I also appreciated the respite from massive climbs up and down hill. But most of all I liked all the bears. However, I thought the scenery was some of the dullest so far, which is odd given the Shenandoah's national park status. There are views, but they are more spectacular, more frequent and from higher elevations on the Blue Ridge Parkway side. The park was originally concieved as one of Roosevelt's job creation efforts and much of it was reclaimed from farmland with the result that any old growth is rare and much of the forest looks imature.I shouldn't hike with Slainte, we are bad influences on each other and I knew that as we approached the highway leading to Front Royal it was inevitable a town visit was on the cards. It was an easy hitch the 4 miles in to town. We got picked up by a nice guy who runs the nearby Terrapin Hostel. The plan had been AYCE chinese but the buffet was limited to lunchimes and it was about 4.00 PM. We ended up in KFC and later Ben and Jerrys propped up on the sidewalk outside The 7 Eleven. Hiker Trash. We got a ride back to the trail with a guy who claimed to have been attacked by a mountain lion.It poured with rain back on the trail. I got soaked but it only lasted about 30 minutes and I had dried a little bit before reaching this shelter. Bandicoot, Monkey Man, slick and Slainte were already here in this immaculate shelter with an extended deck, wooden chairs, even a solar shower.
Date: 2004-05-29
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

Today was a bitty kind of a day in straggly woods that have lost some of the grandeur of the Blue Ridge, with its endless miles of lofty ridges puntuated by numerous look outs over spectacular views I eventually took for granted.The promised cicada season has just arrived and the noisy little buggers are everywhere, thick in the trees and lying dead in the trail. Apparently, every 17 years there's a 'brood year' and they crawl out the ground in plague proportions. According to Pooner, they are carniverous and make straight for your eyeballs, but I cannot confirm that. I know from experience the ceaseless chirruping eventually becomes background noise. Roll on background noise.Slainte, Monkey Man (a nice guy from Milwaukee) and I finally visited a southern barbeque place this afternoon. It was authentic according to Slainte, who is practically a professional southerner and should know. I had the N. Carolina barbeque, which is vinegar based. It was pretty good. As we approach the Mason-Dixon line I'll soon run out of opportunities to try these things.The big news today is that we finally caught Stumblebum, who has been on the run from us since Damascus. It was great to see him and catch up on who's seen who where and other trail tittle-tattle too sordid to mention in these pages. We have almost been up with him a couple of times before having taken a birthday nero, or something like that, and fallen back again.
Date: 2004-05-30
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn ATC Centre
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's big highlight was hitting the Bears Den Hostel for a free lunch courtesy of Zero and Yo Yo, 2 thruhikers from last year.First it took me a while to get there, through the area known as 'The Rollercoaster'. This turned out to be not as taxing as it sounds but still made for the toughest day since Waynesboro. The many small ups and downs are not through particularly pretty country and I wasn't rewarded with great views on the high points. Yo Yo and Zero are a great couple who met on the trail last year. They met a lot of friendly people who helped them out a lot during their hike, so they wanted to give something back by laying on a whole day of magic for this years crop - free breakfast, lunch and dinner for hikers served all day. I was worried I'd miss the feast as I was the last to leave the shelter this morning, but I needn't have worried there was still burgers, chips, salad, home-made cookies and fruit when I got there. Hell, I even decided against a pint of Ben and Jerrys from the store I was so full. It was great. Thanks to Zero and Yo Yo.An amazing day for free food. The Blackburn ATC Centre was serving up spaghetti, beans and garlic bread when I arrived at 7.00 PM. I wasn't really hungry but...
Date: 2004-05-31
From: Blackburn ATC Centre

To: Hilltop Hotel, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: mist

Last night I slept in the enormous, airy, fly-screened porch that wraps itself around the Blackburn ATC Centre. It was a cool night, breezy; again I was glad I still had my 15 degree bag. The guys who slept in the hikers' hut even had a fire going half the night in the wood burning stove.I left the centre at 9.30 with Stumblebum. It was a misty morning, half raining, the rocky path slick in the wet, the stones salmon pink. It was only 12 miles to Harpers Ferry, we did it more or less without stopping, happy to be in the town that marks the spiritual half way point and the actual 1000 mile point.1000 miles. It sounds like a long way but it doesn't feel so far, my boots may have just died but the body has a few miles left in it yet. We called in at the ATC headquarters and signed the register, then had the traditional mug shot taken. My image joining an archive stretching back years. We found the hotel, we got a room. night.I left Blackburn with Stumlebum at 9.30. It was half raining, amisty day that turned the forests even more mysterious and rendered the rocks in the trail, a taste of Pennsylvania, slick and salmon pink in colour.Harpers Ferry was only 12 miles away and it didn't sem to take long to reach it.
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Hilltop Hotel, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Things St Rick did in HF.1. Stayed at the Hilltop Hotel. A good, old fashioned place unlike any other I have stayed in so far. Most of the places I frequent are either corporate or dumps. I liked the Hilltop despite the lack of TV, laundry facilities, even an ice machine. I thought all US hotels had to have an ice machine. I thought it was in the constitution?2. Discovered that whilst touristy things are open on Memorial Day, they close early, even the pubs. Stumblebum and me had to snack on Pecan Twirls from the 7/11 instead of an evening meal.3. Got taken on a shopping trip to Super Wal-Mart by a trail angel called Blue Moon. Thanks Blue Moon. 4. Got taken out to dinner by Slainte's mother, Barbara, up from Florida. Thanks Barbara. Slainte's brother and cousin also arrived in town, they will be hiking for a while.5. Selma failed to show up. People have told me he may be as much as 2 days behind. Hurry up Selma.6. I finished hiking the first 1000 miles of the AT. Wow! It feels good.
Date: 2004-06-02
From: Hilltop Hotel, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, 

To: Crampton Gap Shelter, Maryland
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It was hard to leave the Hilltop Hotel even though the breakfast buffet had myseriously disappeared when I arrived at the dining room at 9.30.I had no intention of being on the trail early today as there were things to do: taking my bounce box to the PO; seeing if Selma had rolled in at the ATC yet; write postcards; eat a couple of ice creams, those kind of things. Selma was still nowhere to be found, I think if he had just been rolling in to town I could have easily been persuaded to take a second zero, as it was there wasn't much to detain me. It was 3.00 before I crossed the bridge over the Potomac river that signalled my arrival in Maryland.So this is it, the second part of my hike, the Mason Dixon line is almost upon me but I already feel in the North. Something changed. A thousand miles down but I seem to bear no ill effects, my body wears the miles surprisingly lightly. I still have all my toe nails, not so much as a blister to report despite the brand new Montrails. Last year when I was reading other journals I disliked ones like this because of the lack of shades of light and dark. I just didn't think it would be this much fun. I still can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing.
Date: 2004-06-03
From: Crampton Gap Shelter, Maryland

To: Pogo Memorial Campsite
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Slainte's brother and cousin have joined him to hike for a while, they have taken the trail names Hair Pie and Short Bus.Maryland feels, not exactly urban, but much less wild than the land I've been walking through prior to now. There have been busy road crossings, one on a caged-in bridge over the interstate and quieter, suburban crossings past houses with tidy lawns and logs for hikers to sign at the edge of the property. There are parks with visitors centres, museums, restrooms, soda machines and water fountains. Most of the parks have a civil war significance and plenty of interpretive signs to help you out.None of it feels very wild compared to the endlessness of Nantahala Forest, or Southern Virginia's distant ridges.   But the woods are still pretty and the trees are mature and strong, there's obviously a lot of protected old growth. Today was a perfect day for hiking, sunny not too humid, the evening long and shower-free. I had a leisurely, reflective meal in the shadow of the hint of a great sunset mostly hidden by trees.I stopped hiking just before 6.00 PM, very early for me but I was waiting for Slainte's newly arrived family to catch up, they didn't obviously staying back at the last campsite. Hair Pie is on the trail for at least a month and is right not too push things too hard, too early. Tomorrow I'm undecided whether to hold back on the miles or push on ahead.
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Pogo Memorial Campsite

To: Penmar Park, MD
Miles today: 14.1

So, tonight I'm 'stealth camped' on the covered scenic view platform in Penmar Park. It's practically on the Mason-Dixon line, if I walked .1 down the trail I'd be in the North, but instead I'm still whistling Dixie and hiding from the Caretaker.I may have finally lost Slainte today, I don't know. I do know he only made 11 miles today as I'm pretty much staking out the access point from the AT in to the park. We always thought that I might go ahead when he was joined by his brother, Hair Pie and cousin, Short Bus, but if I have lost him it would have been nice to say goodbye. I was hardly kicking up the big miles myself today, at one point I started heading south for a couple of miles courtesy of a misunderstanding at the High Rock Scenic Loop Trail. I was stuck on that thing like a f***ing hamster going round and round and then I started heading south. Would you believe it.....?I do not see many people still hiking in the same groups they started out in, they mostly seem to dwindle, erode, fall away. My links seem to have lasted longer than most, me the bloke who always imagined himself inching slowly northward alone, as I've lived most of my life. I feel a new phase coming on. This is the North, it's a foreign country, they do things differently here.
Date: 2004-06-05
From: Penmar Park, MD

To: Rocky Run Shelters
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: moderate rain

I spent most of yesterday either in the library or drinking Yuengling in bed, making the most of my most expensive room on the trail yet, so I neglected to notice that my old amigos, Slainte, Short Bus, Hair Pie and Chigger had surrepticiously checked in to escape the wet. But I caught up with them at breakfast.I got back on the trail at 3.00 PM, my standard leaving town time. I hitched a ride and got one almost straight away with a very attractive young lady called Emily, who was really far too pretty to be giving rides to strangers. At about 7.00 PM I came across the guys who had established a camp near the spur trail to Rocky Run. They already had a fire going and there was a fun atmosphere. When you have camped out practically every day since March 16th nights round the fire are nothing unusual, but tonight was one of the special ones, they still come up from time to time.I hope that never changes.