morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-16
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Marble Spring
Miles today: 17.2

Finally an early start! I'm surprised actually, because at some dark, dark hour this morning I could not sleep. Apparently Crazy Horse couldn't sleep either and decided to build a fire. I hung out with him by the fire and we talked. A bit later I felt sleepy again and went back to bed. Today was almost all climbing. Luckily it wasn't that bad of a grade. It was also a higher mileage day. I hiked by myself until the first shelter where I had lunch. After lunch I walked in the biggest train yet: Zen, Redbeard, Whore-A, Dandy, and me. We stopped at Black Rock, climbed around a then stopped at The Guillotine and chilled. The Guillotine is cool because it's a rock that's suspended above you held in place by the two giant boulders you squeeze between. We all ate dinner at the next shelter and pressed on to the campsite. Somewhere before Petites Gap (a forest service road), Dandy and I lost the other three. An awesome family was hanging out there and gave us some 7Up, chips, and cookies. The five kids were sickingly cute and quite entertaining. After hanging out at the toad for a bit with no sign of Redbeard, Zen, and Whore-A, we pressed on to make it to camp before dark. The final climb of the day was Highcock Knob where Dandy and I chilled, grateful it was over, and continued to wonder where the other three were. We quietly walked into Marble Spring campsite where a whole schlew of kids were already sleeping. The cold front has finally moved in and the wind is whipping out outside of my tent. It¢s a good thing I still have my 15-degree bag. ;-)
Date: 2005-06-17
From: Marble Spring

To: James River
Miles today: 7.5

The wake up alarm was set for 5:30AM this morning thanks to the group of kids waking up. This morning was great though because it gave me time to screw around. Dandy seemed to think that Zen, Redbeard, and Whore-A were abducted by aliens. We hiked on down to Glasgow where we had some incredible views. After stopping at Matt's Creek Shelter for lunch and a foot soak (down hills are hard on your feet) we arrived at the James River. It was so cool walking across the footbridge across this massive river so steep in American history. Hitching a ride into town was easy. Dandy and I jumped in the back of this gentlemen's truck while Vermont (an Englishman who lives in Scotland) rode in the front. We ate at Mom & Pops Restaurant and then re-supplied at The Grocer across the street. I completely ran out of money so luckily Dandy helped me and until I get more (hopefully). We ran into Sunflower and Bottle-Rocket, which was awesome. While in the restaurant this older guy, Cliff, approached us asking if we were backpackers. He offered us a ride back to the trailhead, which was amazing. What a nice gentleman. After getting dropped back off we finally saw the other three. It turns out they were not abducted by aliens after all, but instead camped out before Highcock Knob last night. They got a ride into town with Cliff after we agreed to the campsite before the first shelter. We also managed to convince Bottle-Rocket and Sunflower to camp with us instead of pushing on. So the four of us plus Chainsaw (he camped with Dandy and me last night) all set back out on the trail. There was a note in the grass addressed to Nesthead (a.k.a. Sunflower) and Bottle-Rocket. It turns out someone left them a treasure map. We all started scoping the landscape for a broken tree branch and a rock. Glimmering in the sun under some loose brush were four cans of Ice House. Mr. Fusion! It had to be him. We continued on our way up the trail with Bottle-Rocket grinning from ear to ear carrying his treasure. The campsite did not look big enough for all our tents so we decided to backtrack and head to the kick-ass campsite on the river. We left a note for everyone in town telling them where we were so we could all camp together. After saying my goodbyes to the James River earlier, I found myself walking back over it to the south side. As soon as we set up our tents, Sunflower and I, along with Bottle-Rocket headed to the bridge for a swim. Now this is the completely insane part -we jumped off of the bridge into the river! I cannot believe I was brave enough to do it. The first time I got a river enema, as Sunflower would call it. I'm still in shock over the whole event. Later tonight we all sat around the campfire, drank beer, made s'mores, and I played my first game of chess (thanks to Snackman, who is a wonderful teacher). It was an incredible evening all around. :-)
Date: 2005-06-18
From: James River

To: Little Irish Creek
Miles today: 15.1

Another late start led to a late evening. It was a fabulous day for hiking and a lot cooler. There was a ton of climbing to get back on the ridge, but it was nicely graded. On the top of Big Rocky Row where I stopped for lunch, we watched one storm system move toward us and listened to the thunder from a separate system on the backside of us. It was only a matter of time before the two merged right above. Chainsaw found a cool rock overhang where Vermont, Dandy, and I all squeezed in for the downpour. Whore-A set up his tent just before the overhang and climbed in to avoid the rain (true fair-weather hiker style). By the top of Bluff Mountain the rain had pretty much subsided. Bluff Mountain had incredible views along with a memorial for a little boy that wandered up there in 1890. Thy found his body five months later. It was a touching memorial. We all ate dinner at Punchbowl Shelter where I managed to leave my spork (bye-bye eating utensil). The hike to the campsite was nice and rolley. I saw so many picture opportunities that I'm starting to get really upset about not having a camera. Dandy, Redbeard and Panoramic have been taking pictures for me, but I can't take over their cameras. :-( This problem must be solved soon. Dandy and I rolled into camp well after dark. We're camping by the bridge at Little Irish Creek. Dandy set up his tent under the stairs and I set mine up on top of the stairs with just enough room for people to walk by if need be.
Date: 2005-06-19
From: Little Irish Creek

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: broken clouds

Virginia is so beautiful! The terrain is relatively easy, the trail is so well maintained, and the forests are so lush. I left camp early today for a change. Around Brown Mountain Creek there were some interpretive signs explaining the life of a bunch of freed slaves that settled there at the early part of the 20th century. Dandy and I chilled there for a while and finalized our plans for our Buena Vista visit. We got a hitch into town amazingly enough in light rain. Rain can either help you or hurt you when you're hitching. Most of the time no one wants to pick up wet smelly hikers, but occasionally you'll get a driver who feels sorry for you and will stop. We waited a while (Dandy, Chainsaw, and I) on the side of the road. Dandy did the car dance - similar to a rain dance, only it brings cars instead of rain. :-p A nice couple heading out for a day hike drove us out of there way into town. The three of us got dropped off at Hardees where Dandy and I got really cold nasty fries. I had no money in my account so Dandy bought me food and Chainsaw bought my re-supply. Thank you guys sooooooooo much. The last stop of our town visit was Breyers Ice-cream Shop. Mmm mmm... Hitching back to the trailhead was no problem. A couple of guys in a pickup truck pulled up to us as soon as we got to the road. We had all talked about camping at Hog Camp Gap, which was still over six miles away. Oh, by the way, Chainsaw delivered my Spork to me. Whore-A picked it up at the shelter and handed it to Chainsaw since he was staying in town. Yah for Whore-A!! :-) Redbeard and Zen also decided to stay in town and Bottle-Rocket and Sunflower were nowhere to be found. The three of us decided to be slack and only hike to Cow Gap Shelter - even though it was over a mile roundtrip off the trail. Hikers are pretty weird about no hiking any extra mile than we have to. So here we are - 6/10 of a mile away from a white blaze.
Date: 2005-06-20
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: Montebello Camping and Fishing Resort
Miles today: 12.5

Last night we had a downpour and my pack definitely got wet. Oh well. In addition to all the rain, a bunch of Dandy's stuff broke last night. Poor guy. The two of us were definitely in a funk this morning. I think I experienced my first bout of depression out here on the trail. We barely hiked a mile before stopping at an overlook. We sat and talked for a very long time. It is absolutely wonderful being able to share my spiritual beliefs and deep rooted feelings with someone. Just having him there put me at ease. When we finished our talk and turned to head out, we noticed a string of prayer flags near us. Apparently we picked an ideal spot to unwind. We hiked into Montebello to try and hitch a ride into Waynesboro for repairs. A woman at the country store gave us $10 to stay at the campground and secured a ride for us in the morning. It sucks because we really wanted to get there tonight, but it was looking bleak. Before I sign off, I must mention our intended campsite for last night. It had swings! What a nice break this morning after our weird moods, and what a great day for swinging. So we're at an official campsite and not at the Priest Shelter. I feel bad because we kinda ditched Chainsaw. :-( Hopefully I'll see him soon so I can pay him back.
Date: 2005-06-21
From: Montebello Camping and Fishing Resort

To: Quality Inn, Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Dandy and I woke up super early this morning so we would not miss the ride to Waynesboro. Earl, who owns the Dutch Haus Bed & Breakfast in Montebello, drove us into town. He's a really nice guy and we listed to old country and bluegrass the whole ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway. We got dropped off at the Visitors Center at Rockfish Gap where we called a trail angel to take us into town. Waynesboro is so cool that it has a Trail Angel Network: -a list of phone numbers of people that provide rides for thru-hikers. Incredible! First stop: Weasie's Kitchen. Great food, great staff, and great prices make it a must stop for hikers. Second stop: post office. Third stop: Quality Inn. The hotel would have been a better experience if the girl at the front counter wasn't so concerned with her Solitaire game. After a nice long shower we hit the outfitter. Dandy took care of all his broken gear and I bought a new pack! It's so little!! I'm a bit scared that I won't fit everything in it. I also bought a summer bag, which is really just a fleece blanket that zips up like a sleeping bag. It will be a lot better than my gigantic bulky 15-degree bag though. We worked with the owner of the store and he was incredible. On our way back to the hotel we met a local and he showed us around town. We stopped into Club Caribe and the owner gave D (the local) his truck to drive us around. How awesome is that?! It enabled us to get both our grocery shopping and laundry done in a reasonable amount of time. Doing laundry was the highlight of the day. I got to chill in this cool laundromat for over an hour and hang out with the locals. Who knew laundry could be so fun? I even met some hikers who've been ahead of me. It was a super relaxing afternoon. Dandy didn't have such a hot afternoon due to the fact that he had to deal with some folks making a ruckus out on our patio. When I got back, we locked ourselves in our room, shut the blinds, and ordered a pizza. I made my rounds of phone calls, which included getting the phone at the opposite end passed around a toga party (on a Tuesday night!). It was awesome getting to talk to everyone at once. I also got to catch up with my friend Matt after almost three months. I miss my friends back home, but I couldn't be happier out here on the trail. Today is Summer Solstice, also known as "Hike Naked Day". I cannot believe I zeroed on "Hike Naked Day"! I wonder how much fun we're missing out there. :-P
Date: 2005-06-22
From: Quality Inn, Waynesboro, VA

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: light rain

This morning when we woke up, Dandy randomly called The Dutch Haus to see if Earl was driving to Waynesboro again. He was not, but his wife was. We quickly threw our stuff together and got a ride up to Rockfish Gap where she picked us up. When we arrived back at Montebello, I squooshed my old backpack and sleeping bag in a box and mailed it home. Then we went to The Dutch Haus for a free lunch they hold for hikers. I felt bad not staying there with all the kindness they provided us over the last two days. Redbeard, Zen, and Whore-A were there, along with some new faces and Inspector Gadget! After lunch, we hiked out with a stop at Spy Rock. It was such a huge boulder, that we almost lost our way back. My pack is amazing. It feels like I'm not even carrying anything at times. Not too long after we made it to The Priest Shelter - a half mile from The Priest summit. I can't believe I was dreading the climb as much as I was the other day. There's a small crowd here tonight. I met Night Crawler (Earthworm) and Sideshow and his doggy for the first time. Inspector Gadget is here, too. I haven't camped with him since the Smoky's! Uncle Silly and Katie are here as well.
Date: 2005-06-23
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a rather lazy breakfast. I took my time hiking today. When I got to the Mau-Har trail I debated taking that to Maupin Field Shelter¢¦ three miles versus seven, but very steep. I decided no to skip the three ridges and just stay on the white-blazed path. The three ridges was not a bad climb at all, but did involve a never-ending switchback. This is the last major climb for a while which I enjoyed with my new pack. Today had a lot of cool overlooks, but I missed out on all the cool waterfalls of the Mau-Har trail. Oh well. I arrived at the shelter just as night fell. I set up my tent far from the shelter along with Dandy and Sideshow. A bunch of people left to go to Rusty¢s Hard Time Hollow where there was a decent party going on. Panoramic came up to the shelter, which was cool, but he was searching for his lost journal. He was quite distraught, understandably so. As tempting as Rusty's was, Dandy and I decided not to go.
Date: 2005-02-08
To: Introduction
Miles today: 0.0

Welcome to Aaron's exhaustive documentation of the 2005 Northbound AT hike!!! Please bookmark www.trailjournals.com/scarecrow/ to follow my progress! And by the way, you may want to "REFRESH" the browser every time you visit, to make sure your computer retrieves anything new since your last viewing. Whenever I reach a town, I will try the Public Library to either send an email to my dad (Bruce) or update this site myself. If the library is closed, a phone message will be left on with Bruce and he'll update the site. Photos are taken on disposable cameras, which take excellent shots AND can be ripped right onto a CD at the store. Piece of cake! Once a camera arrives home in the mail, Bruce will post the pics. LOOK to the taskbar on the left to see my photo gallery link. This will be a lot of fun not only for me, but for YOU following my trek!Thanks Dad for participating in the updates!!!
Date: 2005-02-09
To: The basic idea...
Miles today: 0.0

Q: WHERE DO YOU SLEEP??A: The AT is a heavily traveled footpath. Rising demand has prompted the construction of "shelters" every 8-15 miles, usually near a water source. A shelter is a rickety, 3-walled structure with a low hanging roof, and a platform to get off the ground. SOME are really nice, others are rubble heaps filled with mice. Shelters are convenient, but you coul camp in the woods or on a mountain just about anywhere. Q: WHAT DO YOU EAT????A: Lightweight, high calorie foods to cover all the basic foodgroups. For carbs, I prefer glazed honeybuns (Sold for 50 cents at every gas station), which have like 450 calories and taste great. Another good salt and carb provider are the Combos Pretzel Snacks and HONEY. For protein, I enjoy pepperoni slices, canned sardines in mustard sauce (no really, they're great!), and partially cooked bacon. For fats, I take olive oil straight from a bottle. There's always the staple foods like Ramen Noodles (good tummy filler, and electrolytes), Gatorade or equivalent, Snickers bars, peanut butter, and multi-grain bagels. There's always an occasional "wild card" of fish, crawdads, or bugs of various sorts. Now I DO take some Vitamin C, Calcium, and other suppliments as I feel the need. POWERBARS OR DEHYDRATED FOODS? Dehydrated stuff is very expensive and not available at all resupply places. Powerbars taste like cardboard in very short time. OH! and my diet changes when I really get in shape. I drink chocolate sauce straight from a bottle while walking, or sip olive oil. Q: WHERE DO YOU RESUPPLY????A: The trail crosses roads, ranging from overgrown dirt roads to raging interstate, and the roads eventually lead into town. There's a GUIDE BOOK published especially tailored to thru-hikers that has towns listed, their distances from the trail, and available services (like laundry, grocery, motel, hiker hostel, hopsital, etc)Q: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?????A: There's a guidebook.Q: DO GIRLS HIKE THE TRAIL???A: Yes.
Date: 2005-02-22
To: "Real Life" winding down
Miles today: 0.0

After doing my taxes, getting all my paperwork changed around, and packing my LIFE into crates for storeage at the parents' house, I'm about ready for some freedom. My boss recieved my "8 month notice", so he'd better not get leaky-eyed at my departure! HA! Dad and Mom offered to drive me to Springer Mountain, Georgia this coming weekend (Feb 26, 27) to see thier child off into the wilderness of peril. Special thanks goes to Kentucky (a former thru-hiker acquantance) who lives 12 miles from Springer Mountain (where the trail starts in Georgia). She offered housing AND to show us the way up to the mountain if we needed.
Date: 2005-02-24
To: A little about myself
Miles today: 0.0

Aaron "Scarecrow" Banyai, 23 years old. 6' 1" and 275 pounds. I'm a truck driver and mechanic from Newark, DE. I hiked 1965 miles of the AT southbound in 2003, from July 12 to December 6. (Maine to the Smokies)If you want to leave a message, sign my guestbook. OR you could send me an email: abanyai at gmail dot com. (I wrote it out-of-format here, to thwart the spam gobblins. You should do the same if you post your email on any forum.) Many many many people are viewing this site, including current or past thru-hikers. Non-hiking people (Or "muggles" as they're called) must pardon any woods lingo or comical trailnames. OH!!!!! and by the way, this is MY Hike. I'll do my best to keep you informed, but don't be surprised if there's no trail entries for long periods of time. If you feel the desire to come out and hike or camp with me on the trail, it'd be supreme...however....The last thing I want is a schedule and appointments. I'm not going to hike super-fast or wait by the roadside for days to coincide with your paid vacation or spring break. Always swing me an email, and we'll try to work something out. Otherwise, estimate my daily mileage and create a timeline to try and head me off! sounds like a neat weekend adventure, doesn't it?
Date: 2005-02-25
To: MAPS FOR YOU!!!!!!
Miles today: 0.0

http://www.rhodesmill.org/thefox/maps.htmlOK!!! BOOKMARK THIS!   Scroll down to find detailed maps of the AT, so you can follow my progress. If you click on a map and your window automatically shrinks it, then do the following..... At the top of the browser, hit Tools -> Internet Options.. -> Advanced (tab) -> Scroll down to Multimedia, and UNCHECK "Enable Automatic Image Resizing" -> Click Apply, and then OK, and the refresh your browser. The map will be huge and readable.
Date: 2005-03-01
From: Springer Mtn start

To: 30.5m Hiked, Neels Gap
Miles today: 30.5
Weather: overcast clouds

30.5 Miles hiked! I'm at the Walasiyi hostel building at Neel's Gap, an outfitter store and hiker hostel run by former thru-hikers. Now I see why so many people go home after a few days. It's not been warmer than 20 degrees out today, and it's snowing and raining heavily. My knees and feet ache, of course, but it will pass. Everything is wet. Anyway, my body is snapping back into shape nicely! I hiked an 8 (from springer Mt, gA), then a 20 mile day, then 4.5 to here in the blinding snow. I didn't take to many pictures because it's rather foggy and rainy for the past two days. Near Woody Gap, GA, there was a blue cooler filled with beer! "For thru-hikers only" it said on it. That's what we call "Trailmagic" I've been having trouble getting to sleep. I'll try to remedy that soon. Photos coming soon! So long everyone!!
Date: 2005-03-03
From: 30.5m Hiked, Neels Gap

To: Dick's Creek Gap, GA MP 67
Miles today: 36.5

Scarecrow called in this AT report at noon March 3, 2005, from the Blueberry Patch Hostel in Hiawassee, GA. MP 67 45 degrees F, comfortable finally.Sunday evening, February 27 he and RiverOtter started out together and camped at the Hawk Mountain shelter, in the cold rain, with about 10 other NB hikers. He got up early and left in the cold rain ¢ it was rainy, cold, foggy all day and then it turned icy at nightfall. A 20 mile day.Tues morning he hiked in the heavy blowing snow 4 hours, over Blood Mountain in six inches of snow, before stopping at Walasiyi. He dried out and warmed up there. Wednesday March 2 was bright and beautiful, but very cold and windy, never getting out of the high teens all day, 40+mph winds in the mountains. Hiked 18 miles over Blue Mountain and Tray Mountain. Spent the night in a shelter with 5 other NB hikers. Air temperature was near or below zero with high winds ¢ they started a fire but it didn¢t last. Said he was ok with the cold.He hiked today to Dick¢s Creek Gap, on his way into Hiawassee, GA to re-supply. A trail angel from the Blueberry Patch Hostel picked him and took him to town. He found out that Corsican, another 2003 SB AT hiker who he had hiked with, lived nearby ¢ he called and they are planning to spend sometime together today while he get his needed supplies. Some comments from Scarecrow, as he was in good spirits when we talked, having just eaten a 12 ounce block of cheddar cheese, given him by ¢Kirk & Lisa¢, fellow NB couple carrying too much food: ¢NB from Springer before March 1 can be dangerous ¢ now I know why. Heard from some NB veterans that they often have to wait out winter storms before moving on in early spring ¢ as he found out at the start of this week. Heard that 100 NB hikers waited until Tues to start from Springer because of the foul winter weather he has been hiking in.I forgot how long a mile is on the AT.My left knee is sore, foot blisters broken open but starting to toughen up.Next re-supply in North Carolina at the Nantahala Outdoor Center¢
Date: 2005-03-04
From: Dick's Creek Gap, GA MP 67

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter MP 78
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Friday was a 15 mile day ¢ hiked with ¢Barry¢, a day-hiker from Atlanta, to Muskrat Creek Shelter, MP 78. Bly Gap, just after crossing the GA/NC border, has a very steep climb: 900 ft in less than a mile, no switchbacks. Like Maine in 2003!Temperatures were near freezing, rainy, had heavy hail and heavy thunder in the clouds at evening, then a thunderstorm. Barry and Scarecrow were the only ones in the shelter.