morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-12
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Out of camp by 9:00 this morning. It wasn¢t raining but boy was it humid. I really hate putting on wet clothes in the morning! Nothing dried last night, which is okay, I just hate putting on a wet shirt in the morning. The first climb of the day was pretty bad, it seemed to go on forever. I think it was the humidity that made it so bad. I was completely soaked in sweat within the first mile. Made it about 9.5 miles to the road crossing at Jennings Creek where Smokey, Viking and I took a little detour to A Wonderful Life Campground for some lunch. I had a grilled cheese, French fries, onion rings and some fruit punch. Then the owner gave us a ride back to the trail which we all greatly appreciated. There was a warning of a hailstorm that was headed this way so we hurried to get to the next shelter 5 miles up the trail. That was also a tough climb after stuffing myself on fried food but I did make it. We¢re sitting here listening to it thunder but there is no rain. I think we will be moving on here very shortly. Trying for another 5 miles, all up hill of course, and it¢s 6:00. Well, we did it. It was almost 9:00 when we rolled into camp. Those 5 miles kicked my butt! I hoped that when we stopped at that last shelter the storm would have come and gone so we could have been sheltered from it but it never came. Well, it did but not until about 30 minutes after we left the shelter. The thunder was sounding really scary and I kept praying that it would go around us. I seriously didn¢t want to get caught on top of the mountain in a lightning storm. Luckily it did go around us to a degree. There was still some rain but I didn¢t fear for my life or anything. Hiker Biker stopped about 3 miles back so we¢ll probably see her bright and early in the morning. Got into camp and laid out my sleeping bag, then made some dinner and into my bag I went. The 3 of us and Chemo are the only ones here tonight.
Date: 2003-06-13
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Matts Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

What a crappy day it was. It started off with my new blisters, which I received yesterday evening, not allowing me to sleep comfortably. I couldn¢t sleep on my back without putting pressure on them and any other way I lay the sleeping bag stuck to them. Not to mention all my bug bites decided to start itching in the middle of the night. So I kind of started today off in a cranky mood. Before I left camp I dressed my blisters with some moleskin and duct tape, which didn¢t last very long. The duct tape kept rubbing so I had to stop and fix it. It was pretty painful walking today. It didn¢t seem to matter if I was going up hill, down hill, or level, it all hurt the same. It¢s the backs of both heels that are torn up. Stopped in at one of the shelters for a break and took a 30 minute nap while it rained. I thought the storm passed so I went ahead and continued on but I was wrong. It stormed on me about a mile or so after I left the shelter. I really do like hiking in the rain (without the thunder and lightning), there is a nice pattern to it and I¢m able to zone out faster. I really didn¢t enjoy today at all. I hate to admit it but I did start to cry about 2 hours from camp because I just didn¢t think I could take the pain any more. And those were the longest 2 hours ever. When I did get to camp it was somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00 and the very first thing I did was take my boots off. Ahh, some relief. Viking actually got my water for me when he got his so I wouldn¢t have to stand. I laid out my sleeping bag, resisted the urge to crawl into it, and then made some chicken-broccoli rice for dinner. Now I¢m laying in by bag with my feet somewhat propped up. Oh, my aching feet! Oh yeah, I almost forgot I have a hole in one of my boots. Looks like I¢ll be sending home for my other pair.
Date: 2003-06-14
From: Matts Creek Shelter

To: James River
Miles today: 2.0

Didn¢t sleep well at all last night. I couldn¢t get comfortable. If I was on my back there was so much pressure on my heels and any other way my sleeping bag would stick to the blisters. It was a slow morning with my feet aching the way they do. Smokey and I didn¢t even get out of our sleeping bags when we made breakfast. Her feet are giving her problems also. She has some blisters that are oozing and her feet are a tad swollen. I could hardly walk with my waldies (?) on and putting on my boots was out of the question. We decided that it would be best if we didn¢t go very far today so we walked the 2 miles to the bridge and hitched a ride into Glasgow. Thankfully, the terrain was pretty easy. There was no way I was getting my feet into my boots so I walked in my waldies. Once we got into town, Viking called home and his mom came out and rescued us. She took us back to Blacksburg for the night. I was able to do my laundry and get a nice warm shower. While we waited for her to come and get us I laid under a nice big shade tree where there was a nice breeze and read my book. Smokey and Viking sat outside the grocery store and read the paper. After we got to Blacksburg, Viking¢s mom took us all out to dinner for some Italian food, yummm. My feet have swelled some and Smokey¢s have doubled in size. Off to sleep in a nice soft bed. hope the feet are better tomorrow.
Date: 2003-06-15
From: James River

To: Punchbowl / Blue Ridge Parkway
Miles today: 11.5

Slept really well! Viking¢s mom lent us her car so we could do some slacking this week. Smokey dropped Viking and me off at the Blue Ridge Parkway one half mile north of the Punchbowl shelter and we walked south. Then she drove around to the James River crossing where we got off yesterday and started hiking north. We were going to get the key from her when we saw her and then drive back and get her at the other end. When we did meet up with her she decided to just walk back with us. Her feet are really bothering her and she has decided to call it quits here instead of at Harper¢s Ferry. L When we got back to the car we ran into Toro and Snooze who are also slacking. They are staying at the Wildwood Campground so that¢s where we went. Set up our tents and hammock then went into town for an AYCE Italian buffet. After we stuffed ourselves we came back to the campground and hung out talking with Toro and Snooze. We¢ve worked it out so we can all slack together since we both have vehicles. Well, I can hardly keep my eyes open so good night all.
Date: 2003-06-16
From: Punchbowl / Blue Ridge Parkway

To: Salt Log Gap
Miles today: 18.5

Smokey dropped me, Snooze, And Viking off this morning in the rain. It did eventually stop but not all that soon. Taro and Smokey were going into Waynesboro to take care of some stuff so they said they would make us dinner when we got back from the hike. I thought the area we went through today was pretty neat! It was full of history. We passed over a stone wall when we went over Tar Jacket Ridge that was built by slaves in the 18th century. Then later in the day we followed along a creek, Brown Mountain Creek, in the valley and this area was full of old fields and remnants of a community that was founded by freed slaves after the end of the Civil War. I found it to be very fascinating just knowing that they lived in such an area and what they went through to build that rock fence. I was a long day but going through those areas made it worth it. The last 5 miles felt like they were never going to end. But when they did, Smokey and Taro were there to get us. J Went back to the campground and got cleaned up. Then ate fajitas and boy were they good. It¢s after 10 pm and I must get to bed. Good night all!
Date: 2003-06-17
From: Salt Log Gap

To: Tye River
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

Boy, was it cold and rainy today. The hiking was pretty easy, walked along the ridge most of the day. The toughest part of the day was climbing over the Priest and then the long 5-mile down hill to the river. Never really stopped until we got to the shelter at Priest Mountain and didn¢t stay there very long, it was just way too cold. Viking and I hiked north to the Tye River while Snooze and Taro hiked in the opposite direction. Viking and I met up with Smokey at the Tye around 7:30 or 8 pm. The 3 of us sat in Taro¢s truck while we waited for Snooze and him to get back. They showed up around 9:00 or so and were as miserable as we were. So we all voted to go to the Daus Haus B&B. What a nice place! For $25 you get a real bed with real sheets, shower, they do your laundry and cook breakfast in the morning. It was 10 pm by the time we got in so we all got cleaned up and Snooze made us some hotdogs and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner on the porch of our cabin. The 5 of us have our own cabin. This place is awesome!
Date: 2003-06-18
From: Tye River

To: Reeds Gap
Miles today: 11.0

Breakfast was at 7:30 this morning. French toast with blueberries in between, juice, cereal, sausage, mmmm. I slept great! We actually slacked this section from north to south so Smokey dropped me, Taro, Snooze and Viking off at Reed¢s Gap and we worked our way back to Taro¢s truck which was parked at the Tye River. This was a nice hike as we all took the Mau-Har side trail down to check out the waterfall. It was really pretty. Sat up there and ate lunch but couldn¢t sit for long because of the bugs. The Mau-Har trail is really rocky so I was glad when I finally got back on the AT. Made it down to the river and met up with Laffy Taffy and her boyfriend who were looking for a ride into Waynesboro. So the 3 of us rode in the back of the truck (trying not to get car sick) and Taro and Viking rode in the front. Snooze stayed behind and hung out with some others that were just coming off the trail. Taro took us back to Reed¢s Gap where Smokey was waiting for us then into town we went. Smokey, Viking and I are camped out at the YMCA (it¢s free) with a bunch of others. Sleepy Floyd and his dad showed up at the campground, what a surprise! Looks like he¢s getting off the trail for a while. I hope he decides to come back. Sleepy, Smokey, Viking, and I went in to the only bar in town and had a few beers and some dinner and just hung out for a few hours. This is so sad. Smokey and Stephen are both leaving.
Date: 2003-06-25
From: Ashville, NC

To: Paul Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

So the day started out great until I realized I had done my math wrong and had to go 3 miles farther than I had planned. But you know that¢s okay because it was a beautiful day. That¢s another thing, I get off the trail for a few days and it stops raining. I really did expect it to rain today since I got back on. The rain is gone, the bugs are in full force and it is hot and supposed to reach 90 degrees. The forest was full of life today. The birds were very talkative, I saw numerous deer, along with tons of squirrels. I did see my first bear today. The only thing was that I was in the car on my way to the trailhead when I saw it. I also saw a couple of marmot looking animals. The last 5 miles of the hike seemed like it was a lot longer, everyone at the shelter (5 of us) are all saying the same thing. It was kind of nice hiking by myself; it has been so long since I¢ve been able to do that. There¢s always been someone to walk with. It was a little tough getting back on the trail today. I wasn¢t looking forward to carrying a full pack again and my body really enjoyed the time off. My feet do hurt quite a bit as do my knees. I¢ll be taking it a little easier tomorrow. I wish the bugs would go away!
Date: 2003-06-26
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy Birthday Dad!      I had a pretty good nights sleep last night considering I woke up a few different times. The only one I really remember was when the 2 guys sleeping on the lower level were up because of a mouse. I guess it chewed some holes in one of their packs. The day seemed to drag on and on. I guess it was mostly due to the heat, it was in the lower 90¢s. Of course during the hottest part of the day I was no longer walking under the cover of the trees so I had full sun and there wasn¢t a cloud in the sky so hope for a little shade was out of the question. Oh yeah, I came VERY close to running out of water today and I didn¢t like the feeling of that. I was REALLY thirsty but I had to conserve since there wasn¢t any in this section. It¢s kind of weird, I¢m so used to everything being so wet, so walking this section today and seeing the ground so dry that it is cracked was a little strange. I had only seen two other hikers today and I was pretty sure I wouldn¢t see them here at the shelter, I felt that I would be the only one camped here. How creepy that would have been. Luckily, I¢m not alone. There are 9 of us here tonight and they are all new faces for me. Hanging the food bag was a real challenge tonight. In the Shenandoahs they have these poles with really short poles extending out from the very top. The object is to lift your food bag up using another pole and hang it from one of the extending poles. According to the south bounder camped here tonight, this particular one is the hardest one in the park. The pole is way higher than it needs to be and I gave up after the pole and my food fell over backwards when I tried to raise it over my head. So I went and found a tree and hung my bear rope instead. Now I¢m lying here in my tent away from the bugs and listening to them bounce around on my rain fly. Hopefully, it will cool off just a little bit so I can sleep without breaking a sweat.
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

I slept pretty well last night hiding out in my tent from the bugs. It did cool off some but I was constantly getting in and out of the sleeping bag. I got a later start than I had planned on this morning but that is okay. I¢m definitely getting an early start tomorrow. It was pretty warm today, not as bad as yesterday but still hot. I had to conserve my water again today due to there being no sources on these 13 miles. I think part of that is why the walking has been so hard for me these last couple of days, as I¢m not getting enough to drink. The rain managed to hold off until I was about 10 feet from the shelter, and then it came down. Didn¢t last long, though. It was somewhere between 4:30 and 5 when I arrived here. I¢m sharing the shelter with 2 northbound sectioners, Braids and Whichway, and one northbound thru-hiker. There¢s finally been some relief from the bugs now that the temp started to drop. It is actually pretty cool out. I saw several deer today. I can¢t believe how close they let you get to them before they turn and run. I was so close to a couple of them I could have actually reached out and touched them. I really haven¢t been in the mood to hike these past 2 days but if I don¢t keep moving in a northern direction I¢ll never get to Maine. The only people I saw today were a thru-hiking south bounder who was very chipper and 2 groups of south bound weekenders. Oh yeah, I also saw a ridge runner heading south and a maintainer doing some weedwacking along the trail. The Patomic Appalachian Trail Club maintains the trail thru the Shenandoahs and of all the AT I¢ve hiked so far it seems to be the most well maintained. So I cooked my Lipton noodles and fended off the bugs while I ate, hopefully I didn¢t eat too many bugs in the process. I was able to hang my food bag on the bear pole tonight. This pole set up is much easier than last night. It was the same design but missing a few things.
Date: 2003-06-28
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Didn¢t sleep all that well last night because the floor in the shelter was too hard. Got up and had some breakfast with my shelter mates, Braids, Whichway, and Moe. The hike to Loft Mountain Campground where I stopped for lunch was pretty easy. I had planned to stop at the wayside for some lunch but when I reached the little camp store and realized it was another mile to the restaurant I decided to see what I could find in the store. So I had a Lunchable, a bag of chips, and some ice cream. Not long after I started eating Moe, Whichway and Braids showed up. Braids decided to buy some wine for us all to drink tonight so she picked up a bottle of Shenandoah Ruby and poured it into her water bottle for later. I hope these nest 6 miles are as easy as the 7 I did this morning. Well, it¢s 2:00 pm and I should probably get moving. So, the last 6 miles went terribly bad but a little tough on a full stomach. I did stop and sit a little at some of the overlooks, figured I should enjoy the view while it lasts. After my lunch break I saw a few deer and a couple of rabbits. The rabbits are as tame as the deer. I made it into camp around 5:30. I had planned on tenting out tonight but have changed my mind since all the campsites are up a very steep hill. Another shelter night with the bugs. Set up my stuff and made some dinner ¢ Lipton noodles (chicken flavor) with a Kit Kat and some peanut butter crackers for dessert. Sat around with Braids, Whichway, and Moe, eating, telling stories, and drinking just a little wine. My dishes are clean (somewhat) and my food bag is hung, it¢s 8:00 and I¢m in my bag waiting for dark. Walking through SNP the trail will cross the road 28 times. Isn¢t that sad! For most of the day I thought about how I should take advantage of this and hitch up a few miles here and there. But every time I came to a crossing I decided I should keep walking. I¢m not out of the park yet so I may still do this. Besides, it¢s my hike and if I want to hitch to skip a few miles, what should it matter to anyone else. Right! With that said, good night everyone.
Date: 2003-06-29
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Definition of a Thru-Hiker: Someone who is never through hiking.I actually had a pretty good day today. Didn¢t get started until 10:30 because I slept in and sat around and had breakfast with my shelter mates. Then off I went. I¢m not sure where I was but I think I was about 4 miles from camp when I stopped for lunch on a rock outcropping. It was very peaceful once I blocked out the noises of the cars below. I guess I was just in a better mood today so the walking went easier. Since I hadn¢t planned on going very far I took my time and tried to enjoy this beautiful day. As Whichway has been saying all day ¢ it¢s the journey, not the destination. Very true. Made it into camp between 3¢30 and 4. Sat around and looked over the mileage for the coming days to see what I might do, did the usual camp chores of getting water and setting up my bed. Then one of the trail maintainers (Radar) came thru doing some weed wacking along the trail and he stopped and talked with us for quite a while. Told us about a cure to stop the itch of poison ivy but gave it to us in a saying. ¢What is all around you but isn¢t?¢ The answer is ash. If you wet the irritated area then rub the ash onto it, it will draw out all the bad stuff. When he finally left I made my dinner of mashed potatoes and tuna with a cup of hot apple cider. Moe made a fire so hopefully the smoke will help keep the bugs away. Whichway had me show her how to hang a bear rope so when they are camping in Maine they can hang their food. There are more than 4 of us here tonight. We have a total of 15. Tom for Short and Senica Lou are two of them. I was surprised to see them because I thought they were ahead of me. I was even more surprised to see Senica come walking up with her arm in a sling. I guess she broke her hand the other night. I had heard about someone who fell at one of the shelters and broke something but I didn¢t know it was her. I can¢t believe she¢s still hiking. If it had been me, I¢d have been on the first plane home. Tom for Short says she gets the BA (Bad Ass) award for this and I think he¢s right. Two things happened today: 1) I hit myself in the eye and my contact popped out and 2) Braids and Whichway offered to drive me up the trail tomorrow however far I want to go. Decisions, decisions. Braids suggested Front Royal but that would be 50 miles of trail I¢d end up skipping. So I think this is the plan: we¢re hiking 15 miles to Booten¢s Gap where Whichway¢s truck is parked. Then we¢re driving to Big Meadows Wayside for some food. Then they¢re dropping us (me, Moe, and whoever else is there) off at Rock Springs where there is a shelter. Well, it¢s 8:45 and I must get up early in the morning so off to bed I go.
Date: 2003-07-03
From: Terrapin Station Hostel

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Oh my aching feet! They sure did hurt when I got up this morning and took those first few steps. They actually hurt all day but this morning was the worst part. Don¢t think I¢ll be pulling any more miles like I did yesterday. I¢m not sure what I was thinking. Never mind, I know what I was thinking, bed, shower, laundry. Let me tell you, I slept sooo good last night. I heard nothing until I woke up this morning. I had a late start out of the hostel; I guess I was in no hurry to go back out into the rain. It did eventually stop but then it was real muggy. I did have to go into Linden, VA to get my mail drop, which didn¢t take long at all. The 7 miles from Linden to the shelter went quickly. The terrain was much easier than it looked to be on the profile map. I hope tomorrow¢s terrain will be as nice. I saw some more deer today. I¢m beginning to think of them like I do about the buffalo, you can only ewww and ahhh and take pictures of them the first 100 times and then it becomes ¢oh, its just another deer.¢ It¢s kind of sad that I¢m already thinking of them that way. I saw one person today and he was doing a section hike south bound. Now that I¢m out of the Shenandoahs I have to say that I miss the frequent mileage posts. Any time you came to any little side trail there was always a marker telling what that trail was and the mileages to various points. Today I crossed many side trails and had no clue which ones they were. There were a couple sections I went through today where the trail has become a river, oh how fun. Not having rained in a week I almost forgot that the rocks are slick when they¢re wet. I made it to the shelter at a fairly decent time. It¢s an interesting looking structure. A urt (sp) is what they really call it and from what I hear I won¢t be seeing another one until I get up north. There was no one here when I came in and it is now 9:30 and there is still no one else here. Looks like this will be my first night alone. So I made some rice and a cup of tea for dinner, followed by a few mint Girl Scout cookies for dessert. I was prepared to share the cookies with whoever was going to be here tonight but now it looks like I¢ll be taking them with me tomorrow, not that I mind any.   Well, I¢m off to bed. Not that I¢ll actually be falling asleep any time soon but with the sounds of the creek flowing right out front, maybe that will help lull me to sleep. I hope there are people at tomorrow night¢s shelter.