morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-21
From: Devils Racecourse Shelter

To: Rocky Mt Shelter 
Miles today: 19.9

Today was some crazy weather. About an hour into hiking I walked into the dungeon ¢forest¢. The sun got completely hidden by the angry thunderclouds and I actually wished I had a headlamp because I would have used it. I could barely see where I was stepping. Night hiking at 9:00 am. The perfect way to start the day. Oh yeah, it was also torrentially raining and I walked down a boulder field of slippery ankle-breaker rocks. I said to Scorpion that maybe the world is ending.Eventually it cleared up but not before the ¢trail¢ was more like a mud-wrestling pit than anything else. My feet were already sopping wet so it didn¢t really matter, I guess. I know this all sounds negative but it was actually really cool seeing the fury of nature. It made me feel alive.We came to a state-park partway through the day, which I had planned on counting on for a water source as I was really thirsty and out of water. Everything was closed up, but there was a water fountain so I filled up and sucked back 2 Liters or so. I immediately felt queasy and it ended up all coming up 5 minutes later or so. There were some dayhikers observing me and I felt like a bit of a freak but whatever. No one else seemed to get sick so it was a bit strange.Scorpion and I met a ¢thru-hiker¢ at one of the shelter on a lupper (lunch/supper) break. His first question was if we did the approach trail up to Springer back in Georgia. No thru-hiker at this point even cares! I haven¢t even heard of anyone talking about it in 800 miles or so. Then he couldn¢t quite keep his story straight as to whether he was heading north or south. Why lie about thru hiking if you¢re not? Bizarre.Anyway now I rest at the shelter doing everything, writing-eating-organizing-from a purely horizontal position. My body has enough of this vertical business all day. Scorpion is here and turned on his radio for us. He¢s a retired guy and good company. Capt Hook should be here soon. He gets to the shelters late because he takes a lot of breaks. Everyone has their own hiking style but mine and Scorpion¢s are quite similar because we kept passing each other on and off all day.I feel content, at my happiest point of the day when I¢m at the shelter. I love hiking for about the first 5 miles, like it for the next 5, think it¢s okay for the next 5 and then hate anything after. It's torture when my feet start to ache.JB ¢ Tell It Like It Is¢¦
Date: 2004-05-22
From: Rocky Mt Shelter 

To: Michener PATC Cabin 
Miles today: 16.1

Sweet trail magic! My best of the trip so far. I walked 13 miles to the shelter when I ran across Big Trail Rat, who hiked in 93¢. I had planned on having a little mid-afternoon nap at the shelter so I ws a little annoyed when I saw someone else there. However, Big Trail Rat offered me some trail mix and this immediately changed my intentions...someone who willingly gave me some trail magic without me even having to hint at it! It was even better when he asked if I wanted to head to town for a meal. Then he said he was buying. Then he asked if I wanted to stay at a PATC cabin that he rented that was just off the AT. It came complete with a mattress to sleep on. He¢d rented this cabin but all of his plans of family and friends fell through so I think he was happy for the company. Scorpion and I were more than happy to take him up on his generous offer.So off we sped in his van into town to this amazing buffet, complete with 3 ice creams. It was some quality food...not the usual Pizza Hut crap that I'm accustomed to! I walked out of the restaurant with an icecream in each hand. Scorpion, our new trail friend and I had a very enjoyable evening, doing some Trivial Pursuit questions. It was a really old set, so I was at a bit of a disadvantage! Now I lay on a mattress with blankets, writing this. Too good to be true. I love trail magic. Something I really like on the trail is the way that age doesn't really seem to matter. In real life, when would a 25 year old girl, a retired stockbroker and a middle-age teacher hang out? It all seems so bizarre when I stop to think about it, but out here it's just normal. I have wondered why it is sometimes. Maybe necessity, sometimes there's no other people going your pace except someone you'd probably never be friends with in real life. Maybe partly that the trail makes everyone the same, you've all walked the same distance, you've all had horrible weather at times, you've all seen the same beautiful things.I feel kind of bad for Capt Hook because he missed out on the trail magic but he just hikes too slowly and we would have had to wait another hour or two for him. He¢s a town-meal junkie so I know he would have enjoyed it the most out of all of us.Stuff like this makes the bad days not so bad.JB ¢ Tell It Like It Is¢¦
Date: 2004-05-23
From: Michener PATC Cabin 

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter 
Miles today: 22.3

I am exhausted. I¢m stupid for doing 22 miles. Never again! It was horrible, horrible, horrible. The shelters were not spaced out optimally at all and Scorpion and I decided to go for a longer, instead of shorter day. There were so many rocks, so few good water sources. I was so dehydrated at one point and came to a source that I had planned to get water at only to find a low-lying, slow-moving, scungy-looking stream. I kept walking. Scorpion saved me from delirium by giving me some water. I was very thankful. Today I reached the HALFWAY point! It is also 1100 miles. Scorpion finished a half-gallon of ice cream as per the thru-hiker tradition. I only attempted a pint because I knew my stomach would not be happy. Bones (optimis) is at the shelter now. Hillbilly is here as well along with WilleMakeit. I haven¢t seen him since Fontana. Need rest. Sorry for the crappy entry¢¦JB ¢ Tell It Like It Is¢¦
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter 

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 18.2

I have a confession to make¢¦ I only walked 6 miles instead of the 18 posted. I am officially a yellow-blazer. I walked 4 miles to Boiling Springs and ran into Hillbilly. We were hanging out at the ATC center and he suggested doing a little shuttle action because his knee was hurting. I got sucked in and am quite happy I did. My body has been tired and an easy 6 was just what I needed. We got a little trail magic with our shuttle so it was sweet. Now I¢m at the shelter and Optimus is giving me flack about yellow blazing. My patience is wearing thin! Hike your own hike. He skipped a section so how can he talk! Whatever¢¦ A lot of the people seem to get rubbed the wrong way by him.Tomorrow I am on to Duncannon and the famous Doyle Hotel. Baltimore Jack found a dead body there one year! I¢m in desperate need of a shower and a trip to the Laundromat.Now I¢m at camp with Scorpion, Hillbilly, Optimus, as well as Puffy and Stumbles, 2 section hikers. We are all hanging around the picnic table eating and chatting. Scorpion hates to carry food into town so he¢s feeding us all his extras, which everyone is more then happy to eat. I love it.So, if anyone wants to send me hate mail telling me I¢m not a real thru-hiker and just a tour hiker go ahead. I actually called myself a tour-hiker. I find hate mail, thinly veiled as trying to ¢help me¢ amusing. I guess if it makes you feel better about yourself than go crazy.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-05-25
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA -- The Doyle Hotel
Miles today: 11.3

The famous Doyle Hotel, the classic thru-hiker trash hangout. Rotting wood, dirty floors, skuzzy bar, walls that haven¢t been painted in 30 years, and no water in the bathroom, definitely the wrong side of the tracks. However, there is character and it is not a place to be missed. I¢m splitting a room with Scorpion that has 2 kid¢s beds and a shag chair. However, the new owners of this place are fixing it up so it should be a lot better in a year or two or five. Plus, they're awesome people, so nice and they actually really like hikers.We went to the grocery store with Optimus and picked up a Rotisserie chicken, yogurt and fruit. Now we are having a feast in the room. We saw Hillbilly walk by so we invited him on in. We were joking about how for us this was the high life, washing grapes in the shower and gnawing at a chicken with a hiking knife.I¢m afraid to walk around without my flip-flops on. At least there¢s no dead body, so far. It sounds bad but actually is quite enjoyable. One of my favorite stops so far. What fun at the Doyle Happy Hour, cheap drinks for all the drinkers out there. Scorpion and I got a GIANT plate of homefries for $3.00. The best deal on the trail so far. We sucked them down in about 10 minutes. Greasy good! Then the owner of the Doyle hooked me up with a big screen TV so I could watch the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup Finals. Go Canada!!JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-05-26
To: Tell it like it is
Miles today: 0.0

Hi everybody...I've noticed that some of you are wondering if Tell it like it is made it out of Washington and back on the trail. Let me tell you, it was tough but I have escaped the vortex. I'm now in Duncannon, PA, at mile 1130 or so (don't have my book right here) and just finished a night at the famous Doyle hotel. No dead bodies under the bed so it was a good stay all around. Send me food! My mom put up another maildrop for me on May 23, to Kent, CT. Letters too are super-cool.Check out the new pictures too.2 journal packages are in the mail to Hammock Hanger so more news from the trail should be up soon.
Date: 2004-05-26
From: Duncannon, PA -- The Doyle Hotel

To: PeterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mt Shelter 
Miles today: 11.3

The day began well with a big plate of greasy goodness at the Doyle. I couldn¢t even finish it, quite shameful actually for a thru-hiker. Then off to do a tough 11 miles. Why only 11 miles? It was either 11 or 30 or camping in likely thunderstorms and showers. Eleven was the best option. Plus I'm a lazy hiker, you always have to take that into account!Now I lay on my sleeping pad talking with Will-e-make-it, Scorpion and Northern Strider. All middle-aged men. All nice but I want to hang out with people my own age! How do I always get stuck with middle- aged men who snore? Pennsylvania is famous for it¢s rocks sticking straight up, others say flat rocks that move when you step on them, others that basically every step is on rocks and there is no dirt. Some people say that the serious rocks start before Duncannon, others that they start after. I don¢t know what to believe, but so far it really hasn¢t been that bad. Some patches of nasty rock but mostly decent trail. Shush just showed up. Not much more to say, short miles make for a short journal entry.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢
Date: 2004-05-27
From: PeterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mt Shelter 

To: Rausch Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 17.5

Today was non-descript, boring, boring, boring. Probably one of the easiest 17 miles I¢ve done, but no views or even tough climbs. Also no shelter in the middle which makes it mentally tough to stay, focused the whole time. Huddling on a damp rock trying to give my feet a break is definitely not as luxurious as a shelter stop. I hiked at the start with Scorpion and Northern Harrier, which passed the time, but I always grow tired of hiking with other people, no matter who it is so I took a break and fell behind.The trail today had a few rocks, a bit of mud and not much else. Does anyone find this kind of hiking fun? It was like doing the 9-5 at the office except I did it outside. I didn¢t want my hike to be like this. The thought of dropping out has run through my head a lot lately but some compulsion to make it to Katahdin has so far overcome it. Tomorrow will be under 1000 miles to go, surely things will get better. I hope so at least. My optimism is slowly corroding away and pessimism is taking over.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-05-28
From: Rausch Gap Shelter 

To: 501 Shelter 
Miles today: 17.5

Yesterday was horrible. I was so tired, so exhausted. I can¢t remember ever feeling that tired or lethargic. I was talking to everyone in the shelter about it and the consensus seems to be that I¢m not eating enough iron or food in general. I kind of suspect it may by Lymes disease. I don't think I've gotten a tick bite but who really knows, there's so many of them out here. I think I do know for sure is that I'm eating less then 3000 calories, probably closer to 2000. Food of any kind repulses me and I¢m never really hungry. How freakish this is to be able to literally be able to eat any food in any quantity and yet I don¢t want to. Anyway I have decided to make myself eat more. I ate about triple of what I usually eat for breakfast and almost immediately felt better. Then a big lupper and when I got to the shelter a nice surprise of pizza was waiting for me!! Shush, Rainbow Bright and Scorpion had ordered pizza because the shelter is near a road and saved me some. It was delicious, even better because Scorpion wouldn¢t let me pay him any money. So the moral of the story is food is my friend, not the enemy.The shelter I am at is awesome! Right by a road but there is a caretaker here so hopefully there won¢t be any partiers. It¢s an enclosed building with a huge skylight and bunks, an ex-pottery studio. Lots of magazines too, how enjoyable to read something besides my trail book!The hike today was better too. Actually a nice view or two, plus it wasn¢t so swampy.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-05-29
From: 501 Shelter 

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 15.0

Weekends are generally bad on the AT and I knew this Memorial Day long weekend would be even worse, especially considering how beautiful the weather is. It got off to a bad start when 2 punks stole my lighter. I was sitting down having a break when 2 guys asked if I had a lighter. My first instinct was to say no but then I gave it to them. They started to walk away with it so I said, ¢You¢re not planning on keeping that are you?¢ The guy said, ¢ we¢ll bring it right back.¢ So they went off into the trees a bit to smoke, I packed up my stuff and next time I looked they were gone. Very uncool. What if that lighter was the only thing I had to light my stove, to cook dinner? Not that I really need a lighter because I don¢t cook, it¢s just the principle of the whole thing.On weekends the hordes of unfriendly people come out, the ones who when you say hi, just downright ignore you. The ones who do say hi will quite rarely stop to talk. I know that thru-hikers are in the small minority of people who use the trail but I can¢t help thinking to myself ¢I wish they would stay off our trail.¢I¢m at the shelter now and there are a few campers and just Scorpion and I inside. I thought there would be a horde. I guess you can never predict what will happen on the AT.The serious rocks have hit. I only did 15 today but my feet feel beat up. I walked alone most of the day in zombie mode, eyes glazed over not really thinking of anything but just staring at the trail. It made the day go fast because before I knew it an hour or two had gone by. I call it schizophrenia happy hiker because when the trail is so crappy I go off into another world. I know it sounds crazy but I think all long-distance hikers do it.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-05-30
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 14.7

Today I had the biggest burger of my entire life. Two south-bounders were telling me about the giant burgers at the Port Clinton Hotel. I pictured a 12 pound or so but it was close to a pound plus 10 pieces so bacon and a huge amount of cheese. Scorpion and I shared a MASSIVE plate of $3.00 fries that were even bigger then the ones at the Doyle. I ate until it threatened to come back up. Then I ate a bit more. Shamefully I could not finish my burger, quite embarrasing when you're with other hikers...a definite sign of weakness. Not that I really care, it's more just for laughs. It was probably 4000 calories or so. I was asking Scorpion what normal person could actually eat that much food. But in walked some people who appeared to pack in almost as much food as we did but who obviously didn¢t need all the calories.Then I waddled over to the candy store to buy 10 chocolate bars and on to the outfitters for some trail food for the next 3 days or so. Then it was six more miles to the next shelter. I felt not so hot as I was walking so I took it slow, resting at all the nice looking spots. Here at the shelter are Bigfoot and Stanimal, (2 thru-hikers), 2 section hikers and a massive Boy Scout Troop camping out. It was peaceful until the Boy Scouts got here. Death to the Boy Scouts.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-05-31
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter 
Miles today: 16.5

The first half of the day was very enjoyable. I woke up feeling refreshed. The first few miles were quite rocky but then the next 4 were slightly downhill or on a road. Then into the Eckville shelter for a break. The Eckville Shelter has electricity and a well-stocked fridge. I had soda, juice, Oreo cookies and ice-cream sandwiches for lunch. The lunch of champions! I wish I was staying the night but Maine is calling.As I was enjoying my junk food extravaganza it started to rain. But as thru-hikers say, no rain, no pain, no Maine, so off I walked. It was somewhat nightmarish walking through boulder fields in the rain because each step was treacherous. This is how people break ankles. As I was walking I tried to come up with a witty ode to my umbrella that you all could enjoy but all my attempts were embarrassingly bad. The best of the worst is:Oh little blue umbrellaHow enjoyable you areLike Mary Poppins I can flyYou also keep me dryWith you I can hike really far.I hope this hasn¢t disturbed you so much that you stop reading my journal.Anyway, now I hang out at the shelter with Scorpion, staying warm in my sleeping bag, listening to the radio, watching the rain. I started hiking at 7:00, took a 2-hour break in the middle and still got here at 3:00. How to fill the hours, maybe I¢ll have more lupper, then a first and second dinner, then a bedtime snack. Eating is an enjoyable way to pass the day. Plus I still have all those candy bars that I bought at the store yesterday, Sweet, literally!JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter 

To: Palmerton, PA 
Miles today: 17.5

Out of control trail magic today. It started off good where we stopped for lunch at the shelter and some section hikers waited until the boys left and started feeding me, Pringles, homemade granola bars and gum. They said that the boys could fend for themselves but they always feel sorry for the girls. Not that I need people feeling sorry for me but if it means free food then it¢s okay with me.Scorpion and I had big plans to hitch into Palmerton and stay at the old jailhouse but as we were walking across the bridge to hitch a lady swung by in a sweet convertible and picked us up. A ride without even sticking out my thumb! Then she asked if we wanted to stay at her house. Of course we said yes! Laundry, shower, sodas in the fridge, beer on tap¢¦ We had hot dogs and potato salad for dinner and then the lady ran us to the grocery store. Now I lay in bed watching Fear Factor, to good to be true. I think I¢m on a sugar low from my soda-fest, must sleep.Next morning update: The house we stayed in was a beautiful log cabin that they designed and built themselves. Very impressive and ranks up there with the Dutch Haus and Elmer¢s for nice places on the trail that I have stayed at. The lady whipped us up some eggs for breakfast and then off we went to the trail. It sure was hard to get out of that nice convertible.I¢ve decided that even if I get no more trail magic this entire trip, that¢s okay because my quota has been filled.Almost forgot, the husband and the wife have a little competition during hike season, to see who can pick up the most hikers. One time the wife saw some hikers so she was just going around the block to turn around and when she got back her husband was picking up the hikers. Every town should have people like this.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦
Date: 2004-06-02
From: Palmerton, PA 

To: Leroy A Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.0

It seems that bears like to walk on the AT as much as people do. I kept seeing tracks on the trail so I knew they were around. I heard some branches breaking and there they were, a mom and 2 cubs. So cute! If only I could have taken one of them with me as a pet. I love watching them, watch me. Now that I¢ve seen some bears I feel somewhat relieved because everyone has seen some except me.Anyway now I¢m hanging out at the shelter, a bit overwhelmed by all the activity around me. Scorpion, Bigfoot, Unfinished are all here. There¢s also a section hiker who¢s going to start a southbound hike next week and then 3 teachers who are hiking the northern part of the trail during their break. One of the teachers looked in the shelter thinking there would be room for all of them. There definitely was room for one, maybe two but not three. However, the girl was convinced that she was going to make it work. She thought we could all squish down and one of them could sleep at our feet. She was convinced that since the book said the shelter could sleep 8, it should. They have now decided to set up their tent, much to the relief of everyone in the shelter. If they had insisted on squeezing in I probably would have gone out and set up my hammock.Trail magic is awesome! I felt happy all day today. I think a couple of good meals, clean clothes and fresh food to eat on the trail make a huge difference in how I feel about the AT. Morning Update: Those 3 girls waited and waited and waited until it finally started raining to cram their way into the shelter. When the rain stopped they made no attempt to set up their tent. Not that any of us minded making room when it was raining; it was just all the stupid mind games. Let¢s just say those 3 girls are not making too many friends among the thru-hikers.JB - ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦