morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-09-15
From: ??

To: Manassas Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Uggh¢¦ again so many things that I want to write and record¢¦ but I¢ve forgotten some and I am too tired to write those that I remember in any sort of interesting way. I played a few games with the guys today along the hike¢¦ but spent the majority of my day hiking alone and by choice. ¢Quasi-moto,¢ who has flip-flopped and is now headed south (and recently joined our group) really got me thinking again about why I¢m out here and my original intentions. Twice I hiked up to him to find him just sitting for a bit and taking it all in. I recognized then how little I observe when I¢m traveling and talking. So I backed off of the group and started to really appreciate my surroundings. Trouble is I realized that I¢d really like 2-3 years to hike the AT (in sections) ¢ so that I may bring my art supplies and a camping chair and have the freedom to really stop wherever and whenever I want and record and make observations and drawings of this life and these places. That¢s just something that won¢t get accomplished on this trip. So¢¦ on this trip I¢ve got to find the balance between socializing and personal time and awareness of place. At one point today we got drenched (I mean totally soaked from a 45 minute downpour) in a storm and I found that there¢s a point when you¢re hiking that¢¦ (once everything is soaked through and your hiking through a rust colored river along the trail and the rain is pouring down upon you and making you blink much more than normal just to see¢¦) you just lose it and the animal in you wants to dance naked and free and your whoop and holler as you hike because that¢s the only polite way to express your irrational desires. I found that point today and I did get giddy and have fun in the rain¢¦ until we reached our shelter for the night, because that was when I realized that my camera was covered with liquid juice plus wafers¢¦ who had somehow popped though their Ziploc bag and into the Ziploc camera bag (all of which was in my soaked belt pouch.) So¢¦ I¢m not sure if the camera is in working conditions, although I¢m currently doing my best to keep it dry and clean. It could take a day to a week before I¢ll know what¢s up so I¢m crossing my fingers for the best, ¢cause I love this camera. So that was the bummer of my day¢¦ well, that and the fact that we¢re sleeping I a shelter that¢s known to have families of copperhead snakes frequent the area. So far though no sightings.
Date: 2003-09-16
From: Manassas Shelter

To: Front Royal, Pioneer Motel
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Today Junkie and I high tailed it to town for re-supply before going into the Shenandoah¢s. While I was at the library, Riddler visited the hospital and learned that he had "pink-eye" in both eyes! By the time we all walked to the other end of town for his new prescriptions, the optometrist¢s office was closed and he needed glasses. So¢¦ between this mini-problem and the upcoming hurricane (that everyone is warning us about) we decided to stay in town, watch the weather forecast, get the new glasses in the AM and decided what to do from there. We¢d really hate to not hike¢¦ but we¢re unsure of just how bad the hurricane will be and we don¢t want to be stupid about it. We may ask the local church to house us for a while if it¢s looking really bad. Our plan is to also call the Shenandoah park service and ask for their opinion on what to do. On the bright side, we dried our boots and sock, did some internet stuff, and phone calls, showered and are watching movies. An unanticipated luxury¢¦ well, for all of us but Riddler, he¢s got blurry eyesight and probably isn¢t haven¢t as grand a time as he could.
Date: 2003-09-17
From: Front Royal, Pioneer Motel

To: The Front Royal riverbank 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Wow¢¦ what a hysterical day! It just got funnier and funnier as the day wore on. Ok, so first we woke up and split¢¦ Riddler and Moose went to pick up Riddler¢s new glasses and Junkie and I stayed in the room to try and contact the park service and get their opinion on the hurricanes we were about to hike into. We had no luck getting in touch with the park, so we went to plan B and devised evacuation routs that we could take (if necessary) once we were in the park. After this we decided to grab a quick bit to eat at the 7-Eleven before heading out of town. It was here that we realized the gravity of our situation. The cashier informed us that the Shenandoah National Park was officially closed and sending people out of the park due to the impending hurricane! This meant that we had to spend another night in town¢¦ so we decided to talk to the different churches, visitor¢s center, police, sheriff¢s station, librarians, and firemen to see if there was a place that we would be allowed to spend the night for free. After meeting nearly everyone who worked for the city of Front Royal the sheriff told us of a cow pasture where we could spend the night just on the edge of town. By this point in time we had seen or hear of our other friends who were now in town due to the weather. ¢Right-on¢ caught up with us after taking a week in Philly. Woo-Hoo! We also saw Harold, Ginger, and Jeremy, Freegan, (who I hadn¢t seen since Maine), and heard that Grambler, Stringer, 3oz, and Synapse were in town. Still haven¢t heard or seen Maude, Birdsong, or Quasi-moto¢¦ but they must be around here somewhere. As the night was drawing to a close, we all went to the laundry-mat to watch the news and call parents. While walking down to the cow pasture, we had a little bathroom adventure in a creepy high school whose door was left open. There was a bat flying through the halls and we were trying to hold in our giggles over our sneaky bathroom run, so as not to get caught. Then we played with our street shadows making ourselves look like we had no arms or a really big head as we walked down the road. Sometimes we just get really silly!The cow pasture was never found, although the river at the end of town was, so we pulled out our bed pads and slept under the stars and slept really well with the exception of the police showing up at 4:30am to check us out. They were astounded that we were just sleeping on the ground and they wished us well. It was too funny! No one really wants to spend this time in town waiting out a hurricane¢¦ but it¢s kind of a fun adventure anyway.
Date: 2003-09-18
From: The Front Royal riverbank 

To: Front Royal Stadium Storage Shed
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

So here we go again with another pretty funny day. Last night was excellent (weather wise) but tonight the town was suppose to get hit by the hurricane, so we really were searching for a place to stay today. We hit the Laundromat first for the most up to date assessment on the hurricane, then to a caf© for breakfast, and then to the library for the phone and internet access. Apparently the guys spoke to the librarian while we were there and she told us of the stadium in town that she had thought was being opened for shelter. The guys went down to the stadium to check things out and help with getting the place set up as a shelter. I followed soon after (I was on the phone), and met them in a storage shed which they had organized for sleeping after the local volunteer firemen unlocked it for us. There were spoken promises from a couple of different city workers that they¢d find us a better place to stay that night, but no one actually showed up later that day/night to tell us any different, so the storage she it was! Rumor has it that our night was filled with comedy involving cards, a mannequin leg, a mallet, and a shovel¢¦ perhaps someone (no names!) peed their pants too from all the laughter. Yes, we had fun¢¦ we always do, and that night we slept on the tops of 2 game tables about 8x4 feet big, while the floor flooded beneath us. Makes for a good story although we didn¢t get to meet the other homeless folks like we would have hoped, save that for the next hurricane I suppose.
Date: 2003-09-19
From: Front Royal Stadium Storage Shed

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

Yeah! We woke up in the shed to a much receded puddle of water on the floor and a quiet tin roof over our heads. The storm had passed¢¦ and we decided that it was time to hike. I still had some leftover giggles from the events of the night before, but by now it was controllable. We headed over to the grocery since we had eaten much of our backpacking food over the course of 3 nights off the trail. The trail was quite messy when we got back on and we treated it much like an obstacle course over fallen trees and muddy-river like conditions. There were a dew slips and falls along the way and a scattering of raindrops, but on the whole the weather has improved. It appears that the park may be closed until Sunday with all of the trail and road cleanup that the hurricane has necessitated. We may even be out of the park by that point! So far we¢ve gotten 1 good view in the Shenandoahs and a few register warning about the bears.
Date: 2003-09-20
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Bird Nest #3 Shelter
Miles today: 17.0

I wish I could explain what we¢re hiking through. Sometimes we lose the trail just trying to scramble over and around the poison ivy and picker laden trees that have fallen in the path. The miles came very slowly today to say the least, somehow I managed to laugh my way though it all, and I mean it¢s just insane. We are out here in the aftermath of a hurricane, in a National Park that will be closed for nearly 2 weeks, with no permits, camping illegally in a picnic area and we just completed a night hike to get here. We rock! (or so we say). It¢s just really crazy to have a whole National Park to yourself. Usually this place would be crawling with tourists and day hikers, but today we lunched on the double yellow line in the Skyline Drive road (that runs through the park) and we¢re passing all sorts of closed gift shop / restroom / caf© areas in the park. It¢s like a ghost park that¢s been hit by a tornado. I hope the pictures do it some justice¢¦ we were like monkeys today just trying to get to our destination. The place is really wrecked from the weather.
Date: 2003-09-21
From: Bird Nest #3 Shelter

To: Bearfence Shelter
Miles today: 22.4

I¢m tired. The last 2 miles to the shelter felt like forever. On one of the trees in the path I just sat right down on top of it instead of finishing my climb over it. It just took far more energy than I had in me to do the miles and get over/around the fallen trees. On the bright side, I love these female boxer-briefs that REI makes (wick-drying and quick)¢¦ also very helpful for crawling and climbing over this obstacle course in a skirt (aka: no self conscious thoughts about flashing anyone this way). Another happy thought of the day is that we avoided night hiking by mere moments. At 7:20 pm the sky began to darken, at 7:28pm my depth-perception was going awry, and at 7:30pm we were at the shelter. WooHoo! Only 1 fall today¢¦ another plus!At the shelter tonight there are 6 of us¢¦ Riddler, L-Moose, Junkie, Right On, myself, and Maude (she surprised us with a 26 mile day and showing up after dinner, the gal is hardcore!)
Date: 2003-09-22
From: Bearfence Shelter

To: Hightop Shelter
Miles today: 13.0

Wow. Okay, so here¢s another day where 1 event nearly out-shadows all other events I had planned on journaling about. After 9 miles to Rt. 33, Riddler, myself and Quasimoto decided to hitch and grab food for the 5 of us who were running quite low. Our driver turned out to be this awesome guy, Bill, who owned a restaurant in the nearby town of Elkton. Bill not only drove us all to the grocery store, but also to his restaurant where he gave us 4 doggie bags worth of food from the lunch buffet table for free (we¢re talking yams, mashed potatoes, lasagna¢¦ the works!) and then drove us back to the Shenandoah park entrance at US 33. How cool is that? He¢s definitely getting a letter from us all. We only hiked 4 miles today because by then it was 4 pm and rainy, foggy, and the same sort of trail obstacle course that just takes forever to get though. But now these low miles aren¢t a problem for us because we¢ve got food! Yippee!
Date: 2003-09-23
From: Hightop Shelter

To: Blackrock Shelter
Miles today: 21.0

3 miles of tripping over branches getting attached by all varieties of torns and scraping my legs even more by the attempts at climbing over the blow downs in the trail in the dark. Why am I doing this? Because tonight I met my match in stubbornness and I wasn¢t about to leave the group. It didn¢t put the best end to an otherwise beautiful day, but it does get us into Waynesboro tomorrow for a shower and laundry, and for that I¢m grateful.
Date: 2003-09-24
From: Blackrock Shelter

To: Hippie Hiker ChicÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House
Miles today: 20.0

Yea, we did it, a 20 mile day over blow downs and we were into town before dark! Last night wasn¢t as bad as I made it out to be, I mean I was laughing at the shelter and the stars were out at night. Guess I¢m just used to getting my way and I wasn¢t happy to hike in the dark. Junkie and I had a long talk about it at Joy¢s house that night which was great¢¦ but I¢m getting ahead of myself. So we hiked out of the Shenandoah¢s today and I would have taken a moment to say goodbye to the park, but the hole in my liner sock where my big toe was popping through was preoccupying my thoughts. At the last few shelters in the park we had read about a gal named Joy who is planning on hiking the trail next year and was offering help to through hikers this year since she lived nearby. So¢¦ upon arriving at the first pay phone we saw, we gave her a call and she said that she¢d love to house us for the night! The guys and I ordered pizza while awaiting her ride and made a list of what we thought to be helpful info for her hike next year. At her house we slept in beds, watched the IMAX Everest film and showered. It was fun to swap stories and get excited for her. That night Junkie and I talked until 4am about lost of stuff and it was really rewarding for me. Gertie, it was like when you and I would share a bed on trips and talk all night long. I love and miss you!
Date: 2003-09-25
From: Hippie Hiker ChicÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House

To: Waynesboro YMCA
Miles today: 0.0

Yummy breakfast by Joy¢s mom, the amazing cook that she is! Today Joy graciously drove us all around Harrisonburg and Waynesboro for our mail, grocery shopping and outfitter needs. We listened to the Rent soundtrack and Ani Difranco in her car and I was in heaven! It felt so good to belt out tunes with the window down and my hand traveling the in the mind as we drove. Weird the things that you can miss so much! Unfortunately Joy wasn¢t able to dine with us that night¢¦ turned out to be a real shame because we had a pretty fun night at the Karaoke bar, checking off another one of the ¢to do¢ items on our list. I can¢t say that our voices were that great, but there was definitely 100% effort from the group of us (Junkie, Riddler, Little Moose, Quasimoto, Vince, Jon, and myself). Plus we got to watch the dance master moose shake his stuff on the dance floor, he¢s so entertaining! That night we also met ¢Sarge¢ a 70+ year old man who drove us in circles (before understanding the orientation of the roads) as he made his way to the restaurant¢¦ he was a trip¢¦ and he¢s thru-hiked just a few years ago. It¢s really amazing and inspiring to see him acting so young at his age. I hope that when I get to that age I¢m just as zany and energetic as he!
Date: 2003-09-26
From: Waynesboro YMCA

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

No, today wasn¢t quite a zero, it¢s what we like to call a ¢near-zero¢. Not sure why we didn¢t try to stretch the day out more, feels like we¢ve been slacking on our miles for quite some time. The towns are pulling us in longer and longer and I suppose it didn¢t help that there was a burger and shake restaurant lining the road that we walked out of town along. At the moment the shelter is half full, and we¢re seeing some of the Sobo¢s that we last saw in Front Royal. Rumor has it that Harold and Synapse managed to meet their own challenge of easting 1 gallon of ice cream each while waiting out the hurricane, a feat I can¢t even imagine when I picture the gallon sized ice cream bucket in my head. Both now claim to have permanent stretch marks across their bellies! I received new boots by mail (compliments to the Tecnica customer service crew) in Waynesboro, but sadly neglected to take a side by side photo of the difference 600 miles can make on boots out here. The brilliant blue that now cloaks my feet is awing¢¦ (to think that I had the power to erase color in boots between Massachusetts and Virginia is awing too). Tonight Jon taught us the card game of ¢Euchre¢ which, although falling under the category of ¢strategic games¢, proved to be very fun. It¢s Jon¢s last night with us on the trail, and Vince left earlier today. Such great friends that Moose has shared with us, it¢s a bit disappointing to see them leave. Yet the guys and I have begun planning a new adventure for ourselves for the summer of 2008¢¦ a bike across the country¢¦ and Jon and Vince suspect they¢ll pop back into the scene for that journey as well. The more I talk with Quasi, the more I recognize the desire in me to extend this vagrant lifestyle that satisfies my curiosity and expands my understanding of the things that make this planet. We¢ve been talking of Tibet, New Zealand, Brazil, Switzerland, and Bhutan¢¦and I know I¢m infected with the exploration bug¢¦ as the wheels in my head are already working out the process I¢ll need to follow to chase these new dreams.
Date: 2003-09-27
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: RustyÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hard Time Hollow
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

This morning we presented Riddler with 5 dice, a whoopie cushion and a coloring book. He might have thought it odd had it not been his birthday. It¢s Grambler¢s birthday today as well, and as luck would have it we were all planning on hiking to Rusty¢s Hard Time Hollow to celebrate the fine day. The Hard Time Hollow is one of those must see hostels along the trail and for good reason. Signs lined every 4th tree along the driveway in, telling hikers quips ranging the span of your imagination. The signs only multiplied when we met Rusty and toured his 19 acre property run on a generator. A wood burning hot tub is in order for us all tonight now that we¢ve settled into the hiker barn! Pictures of past visitors cover the walls in the kitchen area, porch, and privy, and as long as you¢ve got eyes you¢ll din no lack of entertainment. We¢re listening to the Beatles by lamp light at the moment and I find myself thinking about the time this morning as I was singing ¢Hey Jude¢ while walking past the tallest heal-all plants I¢ve seen yet¢¦ as always, the medicinal plants that I recognize remind me of my times with Littlebird in the mountains of Montana.
Date: 2003-09-28
From: RustyÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hard Time Hollow

To: RustyÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hard Time Hollow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today we were passengers in an Amish woman¢s car, driving back from church, when we got sideswiped by a 16year old boy that I could have mistaken for Kelly Osborn. Strange story, but true! The car accident wasn¢t that bad, and eating ¢Sunday dinner¢ in an Amish household around lunchtime was interesting. Maude had to be instructed by the Amish folk how to operate their water dispenser inside their water dispenser inside their refrigerator¢¦ in some respects we are much more lost to the technological world I think. I¢m still unsure of much of the rules / culture / traditions / and religion of the Amish (the electricity and car use already threw me off my expectations)¢¦ but I do know that in church (at least) their voices were amazing. This church had no background instruments (like organ) and yet the Amish carried the notes perfectly with multiple harmonizing layers as well, truly spectacular. By the time the 13 of us returned to Rusty¢s the day was declared another zero day. We spent the remainder of the daylight hours watching crazy Sobo¢s summersault and roll down the steep hill behind Rusty¢s in races. Synapse rolled down inside a trash can, crazy kid! Then Rusty set up a skeet-shooting area on his remote property and everyone (with few exceptions) attempted to hit the clay disc¢s with a 5 round shotgun. The night was finished off with a brownie-cake to celebrate the tri-birthdays of 3oz (28), Riddler (26) and Grambler (26). We¢ve been having fun playing up the southern-farmer-hicville persona today.
Date: 2003-09-29
From: RustyÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hard Time Hollow

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

Brr¢¦ it¢s frickin¢ freezing tonight! I¢m hoping that Quasi gets those 15 degree bags soon. I may have to get a warm jacket sent out from home as well. Today my voice even changed to a hairy croak when I laugh, complements of the brick weather. Hope my vice box gets used to it soon and returns to normal. Today I had my revelation. I had given up on any sort of answer coming to me on this trek, but today it just totally surprised me¢¦ it was great. So I know what I want to do next. This winter I hope to work for the AMC and caretaker a hut ( they keep a few open for winter backpackers). Then I go home for the spring and work on more long term job applications, interviews and resume stuff. I also apply (and get accepted for) a summer job leading 6 week backpacking trips for teenage girls in Main. I know ¢Mode¢ could help me get that job, his mom runs the program! Then, next September ¢04¢¦ (11 months from now!)¢¦ I drive out west to work at an outdoor therapy program for troubled youth, and on my breaks I like in my car and drive to friends houses in Montana, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico¢¦. And I explore more hikes and get in some mini bike tours. Sounds perfect, eh? I¢m so happy! Now I just gotta apply for the winter job, and hope that I get accepted¢¦ a big part of my planning relies on getting accepted for these jobs I guess. Things always work out though, hakuna, matata.