morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-06
From: Lost Mtn Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 545.6.048:45pmVirginia is for lovers hikers. The trail here is spoiling us. Graded climbs, switchbacks, awesome scenery, wild tame ponies, Western-style landscapes. I swear, at times today I felt like I was hiking in Wyoming -- boulder-strewn fields, a slight desolate look to it. All we need is another 10,000 feet in altitude and we¢re there. But, today was a super great day. My longest yet, in miles and time. Started at 7:30. Had to drag myself from bed. Was so tempted to lay about and do absolutely nothing. But, the zipping noises emanating from the neighboring tents roused me sufficiently to get up by 7. Packed up my stuff, grabbed a quick breakfast of Brown Sugar Pop Tarts (the only kind worth buying), and I was off. The climb up to Buzzard Rock was exhausting, not b/c it was steep but b/c it was interminable. And, once reaching the summit, it was darn windy and cold. I curled up next to a boulder pile and had a snack, waiting for Little Tree and Walking Stomach. Just as I¢d resigned myself that they were too far back, up they strolled. Then, on I went. Up to Mt. Rogers. Met the Tates from Alabama, out wildflowering. (Speaking of which, saw hordes of red Columbine, but my dratted camera was on the fritz. Will try to get a shot of one) Also met Just Jake and Joe w/o a Trail Name Yet, section hikers from Florida. Ran into Peggy, Curtis, and 12-year old canine Casey at Thomas Knob Shelter, as well as ATK and Miss Dasiy. Boy, was that shelter a welcome sight. Took a long lunch break before continuing on. Stopped at Wise Shelter for a chat w/ Fizz and some Annie¢s Mac & Cheese (yum). Then, pressed on to Old Orchard, arriving just before 8. Got all my chores done in record time, and am now curled up in my tent, ready for bed after a long day. 23.2 miles in 12 12 hours, but really less than 9 hiking hours. I stopped quite a bit, what w/ the vistas today afforded. And tomorrow, I¢m aiming for even more miles to reach Partnership Shelter (and pizza). We¢ll see. My right knee held up admirably, despite the miles. It¢s amazing how hypochondriacal you can get out here. Every new pain has the potential of serious consequences, so you don¢t want to ignore it, yet focusing and obsessing over every minor ache is detrimental too. At least it¢s only the new aches we worry about -- I¢ve resigned myself to sore feet for the next 4 months as an inevitability I have no control over. Well, blessed slumber awaits, to prepare me for long miles tomorrow.
Date: 2004-05-07
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 24.7

Day 555.7.047:30pmEvery part of my body aches. Today was the first day that I literally ran out of gas. If Jester hadn¢t been there to pull me along, I think I would have simply collapsed somewhere beside the trail. But, I made it to Partnership Shelter, and now, after a hot shower(!), pizza(!!), Pepsi(!), yummy burritos (compliments of Chris and Elly), my tummy is satisfyingly full and I feel 100% better. It¢s amazing what being clean can do for you. It still hurts to move, but how important is mobility anyway? Just as long as all parts are functional in the morning. Planning a nice short day tomorrow, stopping at the Relax Inn (right on the trail, yay!) w/ Sox, Tree Frog, Sanguine (? -- if she makes it here tonight), and whoever else. After churning out 48 miles in the past 2 days, my legs have earned a break. So, an easy 1112 tomorrow, unless plans change. Took another wrong turn today. Had company, Sanguine, this time. Caught up to her this morning, on a section where they¢d widened the trail to accommodate vehicles, likely to move materials for the new Hurricane Shelter. Unfortunately, as we were chatting, we missed the turn-off for the AT. Didn¢t realize it until 12 mile down, when we hit a road and a different trail. Turned around -- alas, no white blaze. So, we trudged uphill in search of the last blaze. Lo and behold, a double white. Ah well, only added less than a mile. Little did I think how much my legs would regret the mistake later on.9:15pmQuite the par-tay tonight. But, the shelter is so capacious, it¢s not even close to full. Several folks lying out under the stars. I¢m up on the second floor. Quite a climb up the ladder. Hope I don¢t have to make a midnight privy run. It¢s great, running into folks again. Sox, Bear Tracks, Tree Frog, and 20 others. After 3 hours of down time, my body¢s well on its way to recovery. But, I know it¢ll be protesting in the morning. I¢m not sure what was up today, but around 4 o¢clock it felt like my body shut down. Drenched in sweat, all of a sudden I felt chilled and my stomach revolted. I don¢t think it was a hydration problem. More of a ¢I haven¢t eaten all day except for 2 Snickers bars.¢ A little food in my tummy went a long way. Still struggled the last 4 miles, but I made it, Jester coaxing me every step. Man, was I salt-encrusted by the end of the day. Sweat poured off me all day long. It was a fine layer over every inch of exposed skin. And the shower felt wondrous. Life¢s simple luxuries. Didn¢t even care that I didn¢t have a towel. Air drying is fine by me, in 80deg. weather. Well, after 2 very, very, very long days, I¢m ready for some sleep, and a nice easy day tomorrow. The visitor¢s center may be open in the morning, so I may hang around ¢til 9. We¢ll see¢¦
Date: 2004-05-08
From: Partnership Shelter

To: US11/VA683 (Relax Inn)
Miles today: 11.6

Day 565.8.042:10pmShort day today, and boy am I glad. If I had had to do much more, or the terrain were even moderately difficult, I wouldn¢t have made it. But I did make it. And will be very happy just to lay in a bed and watch the game this afternoon. Ran into a slew of SOBOs, all heading to Trail Days. Saw Chef Ra, Ludicrous, and Van Gogh, headin¢ south from Pearisburg. Also came across Dingle, walking the wrong way. He¢d just gotten into Damascus and hitched up to Atkins to hike south. Apparently Skirt and Cuppa Joe left D-town, going north. Good to hear that everybody¢s still truckin¢. When I reached the intersection, I immediately went to the Relax Inn, dripping w/ sweat. Krispy and his wife were there, offering a ride into town for groceries. FireMarshall was just leaving. Beatbox is hanging around tonight. Bear Tracks not sure yet. Grabbed a shower (what a sweet luxury! a towel!!), then it was off to DQ. Crash!Bang! was just finishing up lunch. He¢s departing this afternoon (maybe¢¦) Folks here are so friendly. A younger guy came up to us, asked if we were thru-hikers, and offered us a lift into town for resupply. Then, a woman came in, said we¢d be walking through her family farm in the next 2-3 miles. Ahh, I¢m definitely taking it easy today. Planning another short day tomorrow too. Hiking in the heat, I¢m not eating much, and I think I need more salt, considering how much I sweat out. My stomach¢s been a little queasy the past 2 days. But, some nice greasy fries hit the spot.
Date: 2004-05-09
From: US11/VA683 (Relax Inn)

To: O'Lystery Pavilion (Woodshole Hostel)
Miles today: 11.8

Day 575.09.04?pm -- lost my watch Today just goes to show exactly how much your plans can change in a day. Right now I¢m 10 (trail) miles shy of Pearisburg. Slacking is a wondrous thing. Carrying a pack under 15 pounds, feels like flying. Krispy Kritter¢s wife, Jacquie, drove up from Florida and is slacking him from Atkins to Pearisburg. So, today was a short 11.8 miles. I¢m sure she didn¢t feel that way. (Riva Queen¢s husband, Dave, was also in town, conveniently, and shuttled a vehicle so she could hike w/ KK today). I don¢t know if it was the terrain or the lack of pack weight, but it was so luxurious today. Flew up the hills, even. (Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration, but they were definitely easier.) Unfortunately, Woods Hole Hostel, where we are tonight, is about 1 12 hours from the road crossing. Maybe not planned out fully in advance¢¦ But, can¢t say enough about slacking. The Six-Pack Slackers have grown to 8. Started w/ KK, Jacquie, Bear Tracks, me, Jester, Riva Queen. Then Rooster hopped on board. Then Sanguine caved into peer pressure. Hangin¢ out at Wood¢s Hole, then headin¢ south in the mornin¢ for an 18-mile day. Today was the first time hikin¢ in a group for me, and it was a great experience. Lots of fun and conversation and the miles went by faster. Stopped much more frequently than usual, which helped a lot too. But, still averaged 2 mph, despite all that. Those purists don¢t know what they¢re missin¢. Looking forward to tomorrow¢¦
Date: 2004-05-10
From: O'Lystery Pavilion (Woodshole Hostel)

To: VA623
Miles today: 17.3

Day 585.10.04?pm (3:30ish)Still watch-less. Meant to look for one at the Shell station this morning. Sitting along Lick Creek, soaking my tired tootsies. Trying out the sandals today. Riva was having such a grand ol¢ time in hers yesterday, had to give it a shot. Figured now was the best chance. Relatively flat terrain, basically no pack weight. So far, so good. No stubbed toes. No new blisters. Knees a little achy, but that¢s nothing new. 12 miles down, 5 to go. It¢s been great so far today, hiking in a crowd. But, our idyllic little break seems to be coming to an end. Supposed to meet Jacquie at 6 at the Pavilion. May be a little late. (Bear Tracks just informed me it¢s 4:15). We¢ll do our best. Sanguine, Riva Queen, and Jester still in back.?pmAfter 10. Here at Hungry Mother¢s Campground. Feels like a family vacation. Kids running around, playing Hide and Seek, jumping out and scaring each other. It¢s surreal that the whole AT experience for me has changed so drastically in such a short period of time. I¢m hiking w/ a group, I¢m slackpacking. Not only am I slackpacking, but today compromised my purist tendencies completely and slackpacked SOUTH. Yeah, we all consigned ourselves to purists purgatory. Ah well. Coming down that LONG 4-mile descent from Chestnut Knob Shelter made us all glad that our values were so easily sacrificed. I¢m just so happy that I stumbled into this opportunity, to spend time w/ this group, really get to bond w/ them. Jester read me some of his trail writings today -- poetic and wise Makes me somewhat ashamed of my trite and bland recordings. The rain fell in droplets and the fireflies twinkled sporadically as we sat in the growing dark around the campfire. The luxuriant hot shower and ginger scented body wash returned me momentarily to the world of civilization. Until tomorrow, when the grungy, sweaty, still-damp hiking clothes resume their place on my weary frame. Surreal today, to see so many hiker friends all headed the opposite direction. Not being the first SOBO of our bunch, the opportunity to play evil psychological tricks was lost to me. (Bear Tracks and Rooster had the honors.) Passed Sox and Danny, Mouse at Chestnut, Zippy and Switchback (who ragged us for caving into temptation), Pokey (who understood), Sadie and her human companions, Chris and Elly at the truck at the end of the day. Will have to give mom and dad advice on trail magic when they come to visit. Tomorrow only 15 miles planned, w/ a stop for coffee and snacks on the way. Getting spoiled out here.
Date: 2004-05-14
From: Trail Days!

To: Trail Days!
Miles today: 0.0

Day 625.14.046:30amSeriously behind on my journaling, so I figured what better place to catch up but my favorite vortex on the trail -- the Side Track Caf©. And 6:30 should be early enough. But no, in walked Cuppa Joe. Time to chat¢¦
Date: 2004-05-15
From: Trail Days!

To: Trail Days!
Miles today: 0.0

Day 635.15.047:30amOkay. Time to try again. Back at Side Track for b-fast. Have already seen Cuppa Joe this morning, and he¢s coming back, but I should have a small window of opportunity. So much has occurred the past handful of days. Encountered so many friends, old and new. Saw Paqet and Storm, who I¢d met on Sassafrass Mtn, way back on Day 2 or 3. Reunion in the Side Track, of course. And Sweetleaf is here! We played tag all afternoon on Thursday, routing messages thru absolutely everyone we knew. Finally found me lurking in the library. So good to see her. And she¢s in Damascus, so not even far behind. I have no doubts she can catch up. She¢s talking about meeting in Harper¢s Ferry on July 4. And, I¢m thinking about doing some ¢aqua blazing¢. Krispy and Bear Tracks idea. There¢s a section in the Shenandoahs where you can go on a 4-5 day rafting trip. We¢re still planning on hiking the miles as well, so it wouldn¢t really be aqua blazing. But, it sounds like a blast. So many colored blazes out here. Like a bloomin¢ rainbow. White, the most prominent. Blue...
Date: 2004-05-20
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Day ? 68 (I think)5.20.0412pmWhat a total journaling slacker I am. Once you fall off the horse, out of the habit, it¢s a struggle, you have to claw your way back. And so much has happened in the past¢¦ack¢¦10 days. Gosh, have I been slacking for so long? Well, the short, short version -- Trail Days was awesome. Totally worth the 5 consecutive zeroes. Caught up with, well, everybody. Hung out w/ Sweetleaf, Norma, and Mollie. Didn¢t really sleep, at all. But well worth the sleep deprivation. Am in Pearisburg now. Caught up w/ Krispy and Bear Tracks. Beatbox. The Honeymooners. Jabberwalk and Yippy. Mojo and Hitch and Dexter. Meanderthal. Wizard. Half Moon. Wildman. Polar and Jack. Eagle Eye and Pooka and Zack and O¢Henry. The list goes on and on. Benny and Franco (the watch-finders, who reunited me w/ my beloved Timex after 5 tortuous days of time-lessness). Lord Duke (formerly known as Jester). Pearisburg is positively swarming w/ hikers. The Rendezvous had a No Vacancy sign up, so I slogged up the hill to the Holiday Motor Lodge, which I heard was better anyways. Brimming w/ us. And next door at the Plaza, full up. Not to mention the Catholic hostel. Quite a crew. Eases my fears about being behind. Instead, I seem to be in the middle of the pack. Good place to be. Those guys who are way up in New England already -- well, good for them, but I¢d miss the company. The people are what keep me out here, keep me goin¢, day in and day out. Passed my 2 month anniv. down in Damascus. Hard to believe 60 days have passed already. And in those 2 months I¢ve met so many people, so many good friends. Such a social atmosphere. Everyone who worried about me, before I left, being ¢on my own¢. Such groundless fears. I finally spent my first night in the woods alone. Just really needed the space.6:45pmHave a few more minutes to write. Head finally feels like normal again. Hate taking all these zero days, but one thing that¢s being hammered home w/ increasing frequency is that you have to, you absolutely must listen to your body. Every day it seems there¢s a sob story of another hiker who¢s off the trail. Yesterday it was Lil¢ Bit, who (trail rumor has it) broke her ankle while dancing around the drum circle during Trail Days. Also, apparently Blaze went home w/ a bum ankle, to be checked out by a specialist. Too many horror stories to risk ignoring the signs.
Date: 2004-05-23
From: Campsite

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: light rain

Day 715.23.049pmGot soaked again today. What else is new. Journal also waterlogged, so can¢t write much. 23 and change today, all in sandals. No new blisters, only slightly aggravated one pre-existing one. Long miles, but I feel good. We¢ll see what tomorrow brings (beside more rain).
Date: 2004-05-24
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 725.24.048:30pmReally, really exhausted today. The last up took it out of me. Don¢t know if yesterday¢s miles just caught up to me or what. But, may take it slow tomorrow. Here at Niday Shelter (18.1 miles) w/ Crash!Bang!, Mojo & Hitch, Day Break, Ski Bum, Coyote, SaltLick, Southern Boy. Sounds like the Honeymooners are headin¢ home. Told me they just felt like it was the right thing, after praying. Sad to see them go, but glad that they made the realization now rather than making themselves miserable. Well, I¢m tired. No, exhausted is more accurate.
Date: 2004-05-26
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: broken clouds

Day 74 5.26.042:15pm Once again, I¢ve neglected my journaling far too long. Sitting up on McAfee Knob. Feels like the top of the world, or the edge of it. Long way down from up here. A few sprinkles on the way up, but the sun was kind enough to show his face and there¢s a spattering of blue now amidst the clouds. Up here with Day Break, out for his second go-round, after a ¢99 thru-hike. Really nice, soft-spoken, extremely modest Texan. Don¢t know if I mentioned Half Moon yet. He¢s out for his 4th time -- ¢00 (1500 miles), ¢01, ¢02, and now ¢04.8:10pm Here at Lambert Meadow Shelter. Just me and Day Break it seems. Got here just after 6. Took my first blue blaze. Maybe I¢m just a wimp, but the thunder was talkin¢ to me. I missed Tinker Cliffs (which only gives me an excuse to come back¢¦) I passed the sign marking 1.3 miles to the Cliffs at 5, just as the skies were darkening and ominous thunder rumbled in the near distance. But, against my better judgement, I forged on, foregoing the blue blaze that avoided the exposed ridge. What the heck, I figured. Hadn¢t seen any lightning. Yet. So, I trudged (uphill, naturally) onward for a mile. Just as I got within spittin¢ distance of the cliffs -- flash! bang! crash! boom! Lightning, dead ahead. That gave me pause. The second strike made me consider my options. The third sealed my decision -- back down the hill I went. I must say, though, the blue blaze really creeped me out. Maybe b/c it was overgrown and not well-trodden. The unnatural dark and gloom from the rain and clouds. Or maybe I was just missing my old familiar friends -- the white blazes. Plus, I knew that no one was coming behind me. I was so, so happy to see that first white rectangle, peeking through the trees. I was home again. I would really like to go up and see the cliffs someday. Maybe make a 2-3 day trip, go over McAfee¢s Knob again. And chill at Dragon¢s Tooth some more. Yesterday was a spectacular day, filled w/ awesome views, even though I was thoroughly pooped by the end. Ended up at 4 Pines Hostel, a stellar place run by Joe Mitchell and sons. Based in his garage, but a hot shower, mattresses and tenting space, a mini-kitchen, and a convenience store down the street. Spending time in places like that, I want more and more not to just do trail magic when my hike is over, but to actually run a hostel, at least for a year. It¢d just be so much fun, to meet virtually all the thru-hikers of the year, and just to make their hike that much better, even for only one day. Sometimes, that¢s all it takes. But now, I¢m gonna try and catch some Z¢s, since I haven¢t been sleeping well lately.
Date: 2004-05-31
From: Bearwallow Gap

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 20.4

Day ?5.31.048:15pmBreakin¢ in my brand spankin¢ new journal, hand-delivered by Dad. Once again, I lapsed in my journaling, but now that I¢m back on the trail, back to normalcy, I can slip back into my routine. It was terrific seeing Dad. Been almost 10 weeks, amazingly enough, since I started. I¢ve grown and changed so much since then. When I look back to that first day hiking up to Springer, or even the previous night at Josh and Leigh¢s Hiker Hostel, I seem in some ways a totally different person. Not in essentials. No, in essentials I believe I am unchanged, much as I ever was. Rather, me being w/ myself for 2 (relatively) undistracted months, I just feel like I know myself better, have a better understanding of who exactly I am. Still not any closer to figuring out my life. But, I¢ve definitely matured -- not that I was a childish punk before I set out on this journey. But I¢ve matured in the sense of truly reaching adulthood and independence. I¢m just more self-confident and self-aware. And, if that¢s all I take away from this experience, it¢s more than enough. But I¢ve already gotten so much more. The people I¢ve met, the friends I¢ve made. Wouldn¢t trade it for anything. I¢m so glad Dad got to come down and meet some of them. And the trail magic was vastly appreciated. The hike up to McAfee¢s Knob was disappointing due to the rain and lack of view. But, it certainly was a true AT experience. Can¢t control the weather out here, and you just have to take what you get. I could tell Dad felt bad about leaving me at the trailhead this morning in the rain. That¢s the way of the trail, though. And, the rain let up shortly anyway. Turned out to be a great hiking day, although it¢s windy and overcast now. No, the hardest part was simply saying good-bye. I¢m sure he didn¢t realize how tempted I was, and how close I came on several occassions to saying, just take me home, this trail thing¢s great but I miss my other life, the one where I don¢t carry my life on my back. I did not succumb, however. Even surpassed the second temptation, which I learned from River Otter and Firefly (formerly the Hobbits) -- that Navigator was picking them up at Bearwallow Gap and driving to CT tomorrow. My immediate thought was -- PA's on the way to CT. But, here I am, still on the trail. Actually, it feels really good to be back in my sleeping bag, in my tent. Put in an (unplanned) 20-mile day. Krispy and Krew are one day up, Cuppa Joe just 5-10 miles. So, may catch them soon, esp. if they all go into Glasgow. I¢m hoping to go all the way to Waynesboro w/o stopping, a 7-day stint. Would be my longest stretch. Only worry is if I have enough fuel. 5 more dinners might be a stretch. But, I can always bum some off a fellow hiker. Or, if need be, hitch into a town. But, the plan (as much as I ever have one) is not to stop. See how it goes¢¦
Date: 2004-02-29
To: resupply and 9/11
Miles today: 0.0

I spent the day today planning out my re-supply schedule. I wanted to minimize maildrops and do as much re-supply as I could in towns. But, I'm not inclined to live on Lipton Noodle dinners or Ramen Noodles. That stuff is NOT food. Empty calories are not what I seek. So, I ended up with 10 maildrops, and the rest are town resupplies, mostly at full grocery stores or supermarkets where I can buy real food.In order to plan my resupply, I essentially had to plan my entire hike. If all goes according to plan (it won't), I will summit Katahdin on Sept 10th or 11th. I would love to summit on Setp 11th. To reclaim that day. I live in Hoboken, NJ, and I work (er..worked, until last week) in midtown Manhattan. I was at work that terrible morning. The World Trade Center is downtown, about 3 miles away, so I didn't witness much first-hand. I just got the heck out of Manhattan as soon as I realized we were under attack. The towers came down while I was enroute to NJ. The experience of, essentially, running for your life from an attack, stays with you. For months I had vivid nightmares of plane crashes, falling off skyscrapers, etc. I can only imagine what those who were in the the twin towers or its neighboring buildings are still dealing with today. I would love to reclaim that day. It would only be for myself, though.