morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-18
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Niolay Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Shelter was pretty full of a group of would be snorers so I camped out. So did Jake and Dropkick and we had a tent city. But before all that , we walked a ways today through the heat and green pastures. A few surprisingly tough climbs got me a little dehydrated but nothing serious. Still glad it¢s more hot than cold.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-19
From: Niolay Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Planned on doing an easy day today and did. Woke up late (8:30) and left around noon. Walked up the mountain; always a mountain and saw the Audie Murphy monument. He was the most decorated soldier in WWII and apparently a Texan as I was greeted by a large Texas flag at the top. Met back up with the crew and tented out again due to full shelter. Then the rain started. I poured! But I stayed dry mostly. Only my bag got a little damp where it touched the tarp. Very beautiful scenery today going through the mixed pine/oak forests. Trees are bloomin¢, happiness is here.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-20
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Catawba Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: broken clouds

No rain while hiking today, but it looks like rain soon. Hiked up Dragon¢s Tooth today. Basically some big rocks on a mountain top, but awesome views of the valley below. Once we hiked down to the valley we road walked a bit to get to the Homeplace Restaurant. Supposedly the best food on the trail, and all you can eat. I agree. It would be hard to top their fried chicken and cherry cobbler. Only two miles to this shelter afterwards and I was in no hurry. Got here, dried out my tarp and now time to enjoy the woods.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-21
From: Catawba Mountain Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: moderate rain

Pretty lucky so far that the rain has been restricted to the night. Until today. Woke up to some sprinkling precip., but just waited and it stopped. Hiked up to McAfee¢s Knob and got my picture on the edge. Rain came off and on today every two hours or so between beautiful sunlight. Got a room here in Daleville with Fester and Dropkick at the Howard Johnson Motel. Had my first Bojangles experience. It¢s fried chicken to rival Popeyes at least. Watched Ferris Bueller¢s Day Off on cable whilst eating my hearts content of mint chocolate ice cream. Huzzah.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-22
From: Daleville, VA

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up early for the ¢deluxe¢ continental breakfast. It was very good for hiker standards. I¢ll leave it at that. Resupplied my food bag and go outta there like a cavity at a dentist¢s office. I was feeling kinda down until I got back into the woods and could no longer hear the ¢song of the interstate¢. The trail town blues are a weird but seemingly inevitable fate. Pretty easy hike to the shelter over a lot of creeks and rills. Also here are the following: Jake, Jax, Launchpad, Don Juan (NOBO) and I¢¦Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-23
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: BryantÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I like waking up and having no idea where I¢ll end up that day. Today just seemed to roll by and before we knew it we had gone 21 miles to this shelter in some nice pine and hemlock woods by a stream. And the shelter¢s huge too. One of the biggest on the AT sleeping 20. Only Fester, Jake, Dropkick, Jax, me, Don Juan and three other sectioners here tonight. Pretty warm night.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-24
From: BryantÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Ridge Shelter

To: Marble Spring Campsite
Miles today: 17.2

Phew, that was a long day. Got woken up early by everyone but the people in our gang. What are they in such a hurry for? Climbed about 3,000 feet today which may not sound like much, but it is. The humidity was bad at points, but for the summiting of Apple Orchard Mountain we got some nice cloud shade. This is the tallest mountain until New Hampshire at 4,200 feet. Not too shabby. Good campsite here with an awesome spring, which is good since my MIOX water purifier decided to kick the bucket today. MSR is going to get and ear full.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-25
From: Marble Spring Campsite

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept out ¢cowboy¢ style last night by the fire along with Dropkick. Nothing to do in the morning but hike, so we did. Had some great views of the James River Valley as we hiked down into it. When we finally got down to the river it was in the heat of the day (80 degrees F), so Dropkick, Jake and I tried some fishing to no success. I lost my line and hook from my trekking pole on the first cast. Crossed the longest footbridge on the AT across the James River and went straight upwards towards Bluff Mountain. Jax had to hitch into town because of a bad shin splint and said he¢s wait for us in Waynesboro. Got a nice spring rain while climbing Bluff Mountain complete with lightning and all. Kind of a scary moment, but it turned out all right. Plenty of room in the shelter and dry now. Supposedly this shelter is haunted by a five year old¢s ghost¢¦we¢ll see. Happy as ever to be here.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-26
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: few clouds

No ghosts, but Treefinger¢s dog started barking in the night which startled me needless to say. Woke up to a hammock city outside the shelter, which is who the dog must have been barking at. All my stuff was pretty dry this morning, so I didn¢t have to curse yesterday¢s rain. I was so humid this morning, and water was kind of sparse so when we got to the next shelter for a break we all took improvised baths in the river shilst relaxing through the heat of the day. Jake¢s radio issued a caveat of bad storms headed our way, so we decided to chance it again today and make it over Bald Mountain (4,000 feet) before the lightning did. We won the bet and all made it too the shelter on the other side of the mountain as the storms blew in. Very nice temperature now as the rain drops trickle outside. All the regular crew is here plus California Joe (NOBO) and a couple headed to the MA-PA Border. Good night.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-27
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: Dutch Haus B&B
Miles today: 13.1

Woke up early today. Actually it was just around 7. We were all really motivated to make the free lunch at the B&B which ends at 1pm. We barely made it, when the B&B people picked us up. The place was so nice and the weather bad enough that we all decided to stay the night. Watched The Graduate and Lord of The Rings. So nice to have a mattress, but can¢t really afford to do this kinda place too much more.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-28
From: Dutch Haus B&B

To: HarperÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: moderate rain

Good to be back on the trail again, even if in the pouring rain. To ward off the rainy day blues Dropkick and I hiked together and sang some tunes. It got colder and a tough climb led us to stop a little earlier today in favor of hiking a little bit more tomorrow which will put us 5 miles outside of Waynesboro and the Shenendoah National Park. Hope these April showers will bring all the more May flowers.Leprechaun.
Date: 2008-04-29
From: HarperÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Shelter

To: Paul Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: broken clouds

As I write this I am wearing mittens, 2 long-john tops, a fleece jacket and my beanie. It got cold, surprise! I know it¢s not as cold as it was when I started out, so maybe I¢m just wimping out from being spoiled due to the nice sunny days. Though it is supposed to get to freezing tonight. I know it may not seem like I write much in these journals, but it really is a difficult thing to do after backpacking all day and being exhausted. That¢s why my notebook is so small, so it feels to me like a write a lot. Any who, Dropkick and I hiked 22 miles today and climbed the last 1,000 foot climb until Massachusetts (small party). Jake didn¢t make it to the shelter tonight, but when we caught him today, he didn¢t feel to good, so he probably camped out. I called Pogue and he said he is in Waynesboro which we will walk 5 miles to tomorrow. It¢ll be good to see old friends. I love and miss all of you back home, that¢s right, even you.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-04-30
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter

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

An easy 5 this morning, but it was cold!! At least 32 degrees last night. Jake caught up this morning and we all got a ride to the YMCA in Waynesboro by a trail angel. This town has a really good attitude towards hikers and very accommodating. Free showers at the YMCA and an AYCE (all you can eat) Chinese Buffet make me feel citified again. Pogue and his friend Superman were here in town and will hike north with us after our zero tomorrow.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-05-01
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Slept outside by the fire and got a little dew on my bag, but nothing the sun couldn¢t dry out. Pretty lazy day. We check out a music store in town and a farmer¢s market. This town seems to be half old and half new. But the trees and city parks here are hard to beat. I¢m glad I had a chance to come here in my life, as I probably would have been otherwise oblivious to.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-05-02
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept soundly in my tarp by the factory last night. Woke up and called my Mom to wish her a happy B-day. I re-supplied at Krogers and had one last solid meal at Weasies, a sort of home cooking experience. We all got a ride back to the trail by a very nice lady who stopped on the road and asked us if we needed a ride. Excellent. Pogue and Superman hitched ahead in the Shenandoah Park so me and Dropkick will meet them tomorrow. This is my third national park to be in and I can¢t say I¢ve been too disappointed yet. Very lush this time of year and I can honestly say there¢s no other place I¢d rather be. Now it¢s time to see some bears!LeprechaunPS The ticks are out and I flicked about 4 off me today.
Date: 2008-05-03
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

The Shenandoah¢s are pretty nice I must say. I think this is the perfect time of year to travel through here. I saw a monster pileated woodpecker this morning. Laughed at me then flew on. The grade of the trail is very easy here. Mildly strenuous at best. It really is like the Disneyland of NP. We cross the skyline drive at least once every few miles. Although this has its benefits as I scored some food from backpackers ending their trip. We stopped short today at the shelter because a big T-storm is supposed to blow in the evening. Only a few ticks today. I called home and got to talk to a lot of my relatives gathered to celebrate my Mom¢s B-day. I miss all of you back home an appreciate your support. Gonna do 22 miles tomorrow. I hope I make it to Harpers Ferry in about a week or so, then hitch back to Damascus for trail days! Can¢t wait.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-05-04
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Mountain Camping
Miles today: 21.9

Woke up semi-early this morning at 7:00 and was hiking by 8:30. Tried to walk with my radio on to little success. It¢s still nice to have in the evenings though. After hiking a couple of miles I ran into Dropkick at the trailhead of the Doyle River Trail which we took. It met back up with the AT, but was about 12 mile longer than the AT route. It was a beautiful trail besides a fast, wooded river and 4 major waterfalls. After meeting up back with the AT we hit our 1st wayside station of the Shenandoah¢s. We got our fill of ham and cheese grilled sandwiches, chips and I even got a blackberry sundae which would have been OK in normal life standards, but was awesome at the time. I felt great walking today and saw off the rest of the weekend tourists. Pogue singed the register at another shelter saying he would be at the next one, but wasn¢t! Dropkick and I walked on to High Top Mountain to see if they were here, but weren¢t. O well, there was an awesome spring and two day h ikers who gave me a steak and a block of cheese and crackers. Awesome unexpected mountain top trail magic.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-05-05
From: Hightop Mountain Camping

To: Luray, VA
Miles today: 1.5

Happy Cinco de Mayo. Dropkick and I celebrated by going to Luray with Pogue, Superman, Big ¢Un and Root. We drove in Big ¢Un¢s car sardine style and once in town saw Jax. Jax is headed off the trail due to more shin splints. Sorry man, we¢re gonna miss you. We all split a room at the Budget Inn and went to eat sooo much Mexican food. ¡Viva la revoluci3n!Leprechaun
Date: 2008-05-06
From: Luray, VA

To: Luray, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Well this zero day was an unexpected surprise. We all woke up early and at at Uncle Bucks Lounge. So far it was the best biscuits and gravy on the trail. Afterwards we went to the garden maze made of Arborvitae, but didn¢t get lost (the maze was kinda lame.) But next door were the Luray Caverns which were much cooler than the maze. There was this organ deep in the cave who¢s means of projecting sound were these rubber mallets that struck stalactites in tune with musical scales. Very neat. Well gotta get back to hiking mana±a.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-05-07
From: Luray, VA

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

Ohh it¢s a beautiful morning. Ate lunch/breakfast at a cool natural deli and had the best cheeseburger of the trail so far. Luray has surprised me with its culinary offerings I must say. Big ¢Un dropped Dropkick and me off at the Thorton Gap back in the park and went back with the other guys to Damascus to prepare for Trail Days. Dropkick and my plan is to make it to Harpers Ferry and the 1,000 mile mark in 4-5 days then hitch back across Virginia for Trail Days where we will probably take 4 or so zeros. The Shenandoah¢s are really beautiful and would probably be my favorite part so far if they weren¢t so pillaged and covered by man¢s far-reaching hand, namely the Skyline Drive. Crossing this road and hearing it all day can really wear on you. Oh well, we¢ll be out of this park tomorrow and escape this asphalt madness!Leprechaun
Date: 2008-05-08
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Manassas Gap Shelter
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: light rain

As I waited the prescribed 8-9 minutes for my yogi-ed Mountain House spaghetti with meat sauce to be ready I¢ll write this entry. I case you didn¢t know, yogi-ing is the art of thru-hikers getting food off of weekenders without blatantly stealing it. Sort of like Jedi mind tricks. Didn¢t rain to bad on us today whilst walking, a little drizzle here, a sprinkle there. I was so glad to be out of the ¢Shennies¢ today and as a seeming reward I saw my first bear. 5 actually if you count cubs too. First I saw a quick movement to my left and expecting a squirrel or deer or some other repetitive mammal I turned to look only to see a large, maybe 400 lb black bear. This was the first time in my life I¢ve had to yell bear so as to warn Dropkick behind me of this fuzzy creature with claws. We halted and watched it gather up its 4 cubs, and then it watched us. Slowly we walked by it and it stared us down eerily. Dropkick had his hatched and I my denatured alcohol at the ready. It all worked out and I was super stoked to see my first wild bears. Beautiful scenery as Virginia comes to and end here in the next couple of days. Green forests and colorful flowers.Leprechaun
Date: 2008-05-09
From: Manassas Gap Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: light rain

Rained like no other last night. The people on the radio made it sound like Armageddon with all their talk of tornados every where around us. Luckily we were safe in our shelter in the mountains. Only drizzled on us this morning a little as we walked and eventually cleared up to be a nice cloudy humid day. Walked through cool stat park today called Sky Meadow. Looked kinda like it sounds, but a little cloudy today so I will return later in life. Also started the ¢Roller Coaster¢ today, which is 13.5 miles of the trail which pretty much looks like a roller coaster on the profile. Luckily this shelter cuts the roller coaster in half. It¢s really not that bad. As I write or just was writing, I heard a large tree fall in the woods not too far from the shelter. Yes, they do make a sound. Oh, by the way, I changed my trail name today from Leprechaun to Crow. It¢s better suiting, and I even have a black feather to stick in my head band Native American style. Well Harpers Ferry tomorrow and the unofficial 12 way point. Can¢t wait!Crow
Date: 2008-05-10
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: Commune
Miles today: 0.0

This was probably one of the most interesting days on the trail so far. We woke up and finished off the roller coaster State of Virginia. WOOT! Those were a long 535 miles. However right after the sign Dropkick got a bad pain in his right foot. We managed the next 7 miles to Blackburn AT Hostel which is right off the trail and run by the ATC for donations. After eating lunch we were a little unsure of what to do as we had to make it to Harper Ferry to begin our hitch back to Damascus for Trail Days. Luckily though we met Harman from Stoneybrook Farms which is a 12 tribes religious commune. To make a long story short, they saved our lives by giving us a place to stay, feeding us, and even letting me jam with them on one of their guitars.Crow
Date: 2008-05-11
From: Commune

To: Trail Days, Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The hitch hike went well down to Trail Days as we were met with unbelievable kindness the whole way down and were offered rooms in complete stranger¢s houses. Thanks to Marilyn, Dawn, and random couple. Trail Days was a blast as the whole Here Here Gang showed up and we had the best camp by far at the campgrounds, Camp Riff Raff. Superman gave Dropkick and I a ride back to Harpers Ferry on his way to a job in Wrangley, MECrow
Date: 2008-05-20
From: Trail Days, Damascus, VA

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: overcast clouds

That¢s 6 states I¢ve officially been in now. Maryland is all right I suppose. It reminds me a lot of WV in that there are trees, rocks and plants. I waited out some rain in HF, and was too scared of a 2nd wave so I stopped at this shelter. My pack also decided to break, or at least the zipper that runs down the back of it did. So I called Granite Gear and they¢re mailing me a free new one in PA! This shelter is a luxurious double decker and I think I¢ll sleep well tonight.Crow
Date: 2008-05-21
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

Got a late start today around 10am. Couldn¢t quite wake up. As a result I didn¢t push and extra 8 miles to the next shelter--and the torrential downpour. Stopped at Gathland State Park for some H2O and checked out the museum there. Pretty nifty. Dropkick showed up with bad athlete¢s foot, so he¢s going back to HF and is going to meet me and Pogue in Duncannon. Oh yeah, Pogue is coming back to the trail in Boiling Springs to hike with me. Awesome. Sunny tomorrow! Oh yeah, I also met up with Willie today on the original Washington Monument. Hadn¢t seen that fool since Hot Springs, NC.G¢night,Crow
Date: 2008-05-22
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Rocky Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 33.0
Weather: few clouds

Whew! By far the longest day yet. Woke up early and was out of camp by 8am. From there began the mad race. See the PO hours in Boiling Springs close at noon on Saturday leaving me many miles before reaching there. If not I have to wait in town all day Sunday and since Monday is Memorial Day, all day Monday to get my new stove and guitar strings in the mail. Not do-able, so until Saturday I will be busting my hump. I saw Willie off the trail today at Pen Mar Park so he can take 4 days off and surprise his wife in Chicago for their 30th anniversary. Needless to say he¢s an awesome guy and I hope I see him again. Only about an hour of night hiking to reach the shelter here and I¢m pooped. At least it was a beautiful day.Crow
Date: 2008-05-27
To: The Beginning
Miles today: 0.0

Hello Everyone,It's CyFi. I have been getting ready for my trip over the past couple of months. Right now I am in the hospital getting a tune-up for my Cystic Fibrosis so that I will have the best possible chance to finish the trail. I will be busy doing more preparation over the next month. I only have about a month and three days left until I should be flying to Maine to start my journey. Thanks a lot for the support and stay tuned for updates.
Date: 2008-06-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hey Everybody,I have the estimated mail drop dates updated. My estimated to get back is going to be around 12/10/08. That way I will be back in time to go to Melissa's college graduation. But I also have ordered my stove it should be here next week. I have also been trying out a lot of the receipt that I am going to be eating on trail. So far the snack I have made are really good and pretty high in calories.
Date: 2008-07-01
To: Getting up to Maine
Miles today: 0.0

July 1st, Nice flight up to Maryland where I had a VERY brief layover. Just enough time to buy shot glasses for my mom. Then onto Portland. From there got on the bus a few hours later. Had another brief layover in Bangor. where I ran into Slot Machine for the first time. It's a small world out here. He went to Parkview (booo) and graduated in 03. But got up to Medway and stayed at Katahdin Shadows. Pretty nice place to stay. More for tourist than hikers. Cause at the time I didnt' know about the AT Lodge in Millinocket.
Date: 2008-07-02
From: The Beginning

To: Katahdin Stream Campground/Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 5.55
Weather: broken clouds

Hello Everyone,Robert made it safely to Maine. He stayed over at his first campsite and will be heading to Katahdin Stream campsite toady where he will be going up and down the mountain. His GPS did not download last night but as soon as it does I will keep everyone updated.Thanks for all your prayers,Robert's Mom JuanitaIf you are wanting to make a donation in Robert's cause you can email me at nine11ita@aol.com.July 2nd, Got a late start to get the Katahdin Stream Campground. I didn't even start up the mountain until 10:30. Luckily you can slack pack up it and bring just the things you need since you have to go up and come right back down in the same day. Got up there pretty late to the summit. Luckily there were a couple of older ladies up there so they could take my pic for me. Didn't end up eating a good lunch and no dinner cause I got down right at dark and couldn't find my headlamp. My best guess is that I lost it at Katahdin Shadows.
Date: 2008-07-03
From: Katahdin Stream Campground/Mt Katahdin

To: Katahdin Stream Campground/Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy 4th to everyone!Robert checked in today, July 3 at 12:53pm. He is still in Baxter State Park near Lily Bay Rd in Maine. His longitude 45.887 and latitude -68.9994. I am not able to download the map from work so I will do that tomorrow. You can also google to find a site that will look it up for you. We are upgrading his GPS so we will be getting more updates so I will be able to update you more often.Have a safe Holiday,JuanitaJuly 3rd, I got up and had breakfast and tried to head out got all of ten yards before I knew I would have to rethink my food for the 100 mile wilderness. So I ended up taking my first Zero day my second day on the trip. But I dropped my food down to a slim 10 days of food instead of the good heafty 16 days that I had. My pack was still heavy. But thats when I ran into Greg and Jerimia(Not sure on the spelling). There both cool guys. Stayed the night at their lean-to.