morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-19
From: Montgomery Village, MD

To: Dixie Campgrounds, Salem, VA
Miles today: 0.0

"Rejoice, rejoice - we have no choice, but to carry on."                  Crosby, Stills and Nash - "Carry On" What started out as a continuous thru hike evolved into a flip flop,and now has become the ultimate in disco camping. I am presently in my truck, a 95 Pathfinder thatI fondly call Petunia. Miss Chloe is tied to the spare tire rack barking hysterically as invisible and unknown critters lurk amongst the 42 foot mobile mansions at this campgrounds. This is the ultimate disco car camping experience. We are car camping at Dixie Caverns campground, within throwing distance of route I-81 in Salem, VA. Since I am so pig headed and determined to make it to Katahdin, my plans have changed once again. The plan now is to do extensive dayhiking along the AT from this point north to Maine. We will also do many overnights. Once we get to Gorham, NH we will walk to Katahdin. What we'll do with Petunia Pathfinder has yet to be determined. This isn't what I set out to do. I am disapointed with myself for not following through as I had initially planned but this is what it has morphed into and I will live with it. There are several reasons for this change. First, I spent a lot of time at home! Miss Chloe is more than a handful. She's not quite ready to do the miles necessary for a through hike. And money is a factor. Instead of getting only so far before the money runs out, I hope to see the "best parts" and finish this year. Granted it won't be a thru hike, but it is "My Hike." Good things about this plan, I won't have to carry as much, neither will Chloe. It will also be complete before time runs out. The biggest plus is I wont have to hike in the rain if I don't feel like it. This is the wettest spring on record and I am happy to have missed a lot of the rain. It's raining right now-and hard. I am thankfull to be mostly dry and glad to be in the truck, Chloe at my side. One down fall, wet dog, close quarters, muddy feet, and she had a chili dog for dinner. Could get interesting. So tomorrow my goal is to hike up to McAfee Knob with a days food, tent, bag rain gear and good camera with tripod and take a whole slew of pictures. It has been a goal of mine to pose on McAfee Knob naked. I dont know why, just because. Im not overly proud of my body, not an exhibitionist, just want to do it - so I will. I won't need another person to take the shots, I have a remote! So weather permitting, it's a go! Don't get your hopes up, or anything else for that matter, naked photos will not be posted on this site.So I sit in the truck, in the rain, sipping a 24 ounce luke warm Coors Light. Ate half a Hardees burger, Chloe ate the other half, fries and soda. Now I'll try to settle in with a wet dog and essence of chili dog! Wish me luck!"Thank you" to everyone who remembered my birthday! - especially Mike Wright and Sparkys' mom and grand mom. The people I have met out here are amazing! Thank you. In case you didn't know, I am now 40! - sounds old, but I feel 12. Spent the day with family, it was nice and mellow! Peace, Molasses------------------------------
Date: 2003-06-19
From: Dixie Campgrounds, Salem, VA

To: McAfee Knob
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

"On the road again - going places that I've never been - seeing places I may never see again - just can't wait to get on the road again."   Willie Nelson Sleeping in the truck wasn't all that bad! It certainly is better than some of the shelters I've been in! Up at 7 am, Chloe had to do her dog business, made coffee and futzed with my gear for the day. Packed with the full intention of sleeping in a shelter near Mc Afee knob. Tent, bag, 1 days food and rain gear, without a thru hiker sighting all day. I walked back to the car - didn't want to shelter alone and had a weird vibe when I left the car at the road. Anyway, back at Dixie Caverns for $6.57 a night. Todays hike was splendid. Seems the rain has left the streams burgeoning from their banks! At some points the trail was a stream and very muddy! Chloe isn't too fond of the mud. Got to Boy Scout Shelter around 11:30. The shelter was missing. It's being rebuit this season. Some nice tent sites though. Continued another mile to Catawba Mountain Shelter and ate some brownies and gorp. Chloe did her thing while I read the register. Seems my hiking herd went through about 10 days ago. Cool to read their entries. Hung there for about 45 minutes, then hiked up to the knob in low clouds and fog. Hazy sunsine was threatening. Got to McAfee around 1:30 and I was so excited I couldnt sit still. When I got there Ragamuffin and her sister {out dayhiking} were there and they took a few pics of me for me. Tied Chloe in a comfortable spot and began the busines of setting up a photo. The photo! Seems the remote only works from so far away and I couldnt get it to work, so I did the naked thing from a different out cropping. We'll see how it works. McAfee Knob is all I expected it to be. Amazing views of the Catawba Valley - a little hazy, but the sun was improving greatly. It was beautiful! Lingered til 4 and made it to the car in under 2 hours. Took a 20 minute stop at some neat rocks. Headed to a market and got a Diet Pepsi and a pint of Corona. The Pepsi was gone in seconds, the Corona, I savored. Tomorrow I head north to Front Royal. Plan to camp with cousins Susan and Keith and hike on saturday. Should be fun. I'll take my time tomorrow heading north, it's only a 3 hour ride. Maybe I'll hit a hiker town or two. Peace, Molasses
Date: 2003-06-22
From: Gooney Creek, Front Royal

To: Big Meadows, Shenandoah Nat'l. Park
Miles today: 0.0

"Happiness is a warm puppy."      Charles Schulz Left Susan and Keith just before noon after a leisurely morning at Gooney Creek. It was great to see them and spend good time together. They treated me like a queen! I thank them from the pit of my heart! Family and loved ones are the most important things in life and I appreciate the time and effort they extended to me - plus we had a damn good time! After a quick stop at a 7-11 for hot dogs, soda and coffee, I headed south into Shenandoah Nat'l. Park - destination Big Meadows camp ground. Took my time getting here. Bumped into Homer and 2 other guys. It was good to see him. I asked if they needed anything, but fresh out of Luray they were set. Got to Big Meadows around 2 and who do I bump into but 2/3 and 3/3. Carolina Cruiser is also tenting in their site! Very cool. I pitched my tent across the road and we spent the afternoon and evening catching up. Great to see them and share stories. The weather has really turned for the better! A few sprinkles early on today, but a gorgeous sun filled afternoon and a cool stary filled night. It is good camping and hiking weather. We drank a few beers around a nice fire and were joined by Moonshadow and Here's Johnny. Great to see them. Moonshadow was with us during the 1st snowstorm at Standing Indian, saw her again at Miss Janets and then at Damascus. Excellent. I am now hunkerng in the tent with a very gassy dog. Miss Chloe ate her normal dinner with a third of my macaroni and cheese mixed in. Note to self, "do not feed dog macaroni and cheese to avoid gassy dog." Tomorrows plan is to do some hiking south of Big Meadows, then maybe walk aroung the "Big Meadow" -it's huge and beautiful. Folks say there are 3 bears who are frequent visitors, a momma and her 2 cubs. Hope to see them. Carolina Cruiser saw 6 bears today! I would love a glimpse of 1 running away from me! My tent site is right next to the trail. Maybe I'll see some other friends tomorrow!Peace,Molasses
Date: 2003-06-23
From: Big Meadows, Shenandoah Nat'l. Park

To: Big Meadows, Shenandoah Nat'l. Park
Miles today: 6.0

"If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.                     John Ortberg" Another in what has become a string of good days. All good vibes and all good people, 2/3, 3/3, Carolina Cruiser, Moonshadow and Here's Johnny left for points north this morning. Chloe and I headed out on a 6 mile hike. We return, sit a bit {an hour}, seemed like 5 minutes and who shows up? - Seiko and Pushing Up Daisies. Very cool! Daisies and I hang out a while, catch up and head up to the wayside. We bump into Bearable and eat some munchies. They eat burgers and fries, I get chips and dip. Dip is key! We hang for a while enjoying the incredibly awesome weather and chat, head back to the campsite and later Daisies and I head out in quest of hot dogs, bread and beers. $16.00 later we have everything we need and are roasting weenies, drinking beer and having excellent conversation. Bearable is a very wise guy for his 20 years. He has seen a lot of hard times and is a fine young gentleman. He'd like to hike the AT every 20 years. I think he could. We had some very deep conversation til 11:30. Joined by Dealer for a bit and it was a very peaceful, thoughtful night! Daisies and I talked a lot too. She's been back on trail for 4 days and has been thinking of going home. Her foot has been bothering her. We've decided to hook up after July 4th and walk together. It will be fun. I like her and we both seem to want the same things out of this adventure. Should be cool. Chloe has ben passed out for hours. She did well on our 6 mile hike - no sit down strikes. She was sound asleep under the picnic table as several deer walked through. When I went to get into the tent, she was sluggush but crawled right in. She now sleeps right next to my head. She really is a sweet wonderful dog. She just needs a little work in the barking department and a little in the hiking dept also. Other than that she's eating like a champ and loves to bark at squirrels and chipmunks. Peace,Molasses
Date: 2003-06-24
From: Big Meadows, Shenandoah Nat'l. Park

To: Stony Man Mountain
Miles today: 8.0

"Too much of a good thing can be wonderful."                        Mae West Another peacefull and positive day in the beautiful Shenandoahs. Had a leisurely breakfast with Bearable and Daisies after we were awaken by the same loud group of Boy Scouts. They actually set up their camp on the opposite side of us. This morning they were a little more kind and woke us at 6:30. They must have been tired. Boy scouts have their good and bad points. Despite their teenage angst and commeraderie, they can be very generous. Daisies has been hiking the same sections of trail with half of the troop. They are a very friendly bunch. As Daisies and I were heading north out of the campground we stopped and chatted. Daisies was slacking 10 miles back to here. Chloe and I were going up to Stony Man Mtn. to sit and ponder. As we met with the boys they offered us a huge bag of food! It included (3) 4 person meals - chicken with rice and carrots. Coolest part they come with vanilla pudding! Yum! We would eat like kings tonight!I hiked up to Stony Man and sat for easily 2 1/2 hours! Beautiful sun and hawks and turkey vultures were catching the updraft and soaring right in front of me! Very neat! I got back to the campsite, chatted with Bearable and took a shower - the 1st in 5 days...needed it badly! Also did laundry. Yeah everything is clean including me. Then to the task of cooking these monster meals with alcohol stoves. Usually a large pot is required however we have 3 small pots and 3 alcohol stoves. This would take a little creativity, however we were successful. Splitting the chicken, rice and sauce between two pots and rehydrating the carrots in another. Voila - a little mixing and boom dinner. My job was the pudding - just add water and stir and well, it was a little, um crunchy. Dinner was very filling and good. A lot of food. Steppenwolf joined us but didnt eat. For the heck of it he made me a Pepsi stove out of 2 Coors Light cans - very nice. Steppenwolf has beautiful blue eyes. After dinner we hung out and chatted. Everyone is leaving tomorrow. Bearable is walking north from here. I'm taking Daisies north of here. She'll head to Harpers Ferry - then meet a friend from Philly. We will possibly meet over the 4th of July, then later head to western PA and begin walking together north to Maine. Just moments ago two boyscouts brought over a huge bucket of you guessed it, chicken and rice with carrots. Couldn't eat another thing! Peace,Molasses
Date: 2003-06-25
From: Stony Man Mountain

To: Grayson Highlands, VA
Miles today: 0.0

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I ended up where I intended to be."               Douglass Adams An early rise to what would be an early day. Up at 6. Chloe was all about the critters lurking about. Daisies, Bearable, Taro, Seiko and Snooze were all up and active. I told Daisies I'd take her to were she started ysterday. On the way we stopped at Skyland for a real breakfast, eggs, toast hash browns and biscuit & gravy ,yum. Dropped her off near Hughes Gap and spoted a deer up near the trail. A momentary pause and Chloe was out the drivers side window and after Bambi. Oh God - major fear as she took off into the woods. Cool thing, I walked a quarter mile or so - called and she came back to me! Very pleased. Maybe now she can run free when dogs don't need to be on a leash. Left Daisies around 11. We will met up in Philly then walk together in PA. I've always liked her. I think she's cool. We should make a good team! Headed south, destinaion Grayson Highlands State Park - home of high rock strewn meadows, balds, beautiful forest and feral ponies. Stopped in Waynesboro for a pit stop, thought I'd see familiar faces but couldn't quite find the down town area. Hit a market, hardware store, got what I needed and I was gone. It took forever to get here! I-81 just sucks! Too many trucks. A lady in a minivan didn't see me next to her and nearly ran me off the road. Bad vibe. Stopped at a rest stop and noticed a piece of something hanging off the bottom of Petunia - hunk of metal. I pulled it off as it didn't seem to be important. Not the muffler or anything, just a piece of thin sheet metal. No big whoop. Having enough of I-81, we got off at Wytheville and headed south on Rt. 21 - beautiful hills and small towns. Reminded me of Maine minus a lot of trees. I then headed west on Rt 58 and made it to the park. I climbed and climbed to the camp ground, found a decent spot and set up the tent while Chloe barked ysterically. Made mac and cheese, yuck and gave most to Chloe then pitched the rest. I'm now sitting by a fire of wood I pilfered from the woods and empty camp sites. Tomorrow, we'll hike, maybe stay here, maybe go someplace else. peace,Molasses
Date: 2003-06-26
From: Grayson Highlands, VA

To: Grayson Highlands
Miles today: 7.0

"It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.'         Graffiti on back of a bus. - Gaithersburg, MD. The Grayson Highlands have to be one of the most beautiful places on earth! Up at 7 and spent a leisurely morning around the campsite then went hiking. State parks are very nice - this one especially. My only criticism is the mileage of the trails within each park. Mileage is posted on signs, but they don't transfer it to maps, thus planning a good hike beforehand is next to impossible. Regardless Chloe and I hiked around 6 or 7 miles and spent a lot of time sitting on the rocks. The highlands are rocky meadows in the 5000 foot range. The Grayson Highlands resemble the Montana grasslands - low scrub with a few sparse trees, lots of tall grasses and an occasional decimated pine tree. The climate was cool and breezy and the combination of wind and sun made me feel like I was at the beach. The only thing missing was the sand and surf. Needless to say I got a little sunburn. Spent a good part of the afternoon and evening attempting to make Pepsi can stoves. So far all three haven't worked. I'll continue making them as long as I have cans or until one actually works. It's a beautiful cool evening. I swore I heard thunder but now it seems clear and cool - another night of excellent sleeping weather. I spoke to some friends on the phone tonight and on the way back from the phones, a herd of coyotes were in the woods. I had a half mile walk and they got pretty close. Chloe didn't seem to mind, but I was spooked. I'm fine now back at the campsite with a roaring blaze and people around. Got an E-mail from Skeemer. He's at Bear Mountain, NY. He's so fast - he'll be done before you know it! He said he was slowing down and he's taking a zero because its 98 degrees. Sounds like a day to sit in'a stream! Tomorrow I'll head a bit north - where? - dont exactly know yet. Stay tuned!peace,Molasses
Date: 2003-06-29
From: Grayson Highlands

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

"Don't take life too seriously because you won't come out of it alive."\                        Warren Miller Woke up friday mornign to rain. Uck! Decided to head back to my folks in MD. I hate the rain and thought of where I needed to be when and where and took off. Got to my folks around 5:30 pm. Spent satuday doing chores, washed Petunia, went through my gear, boring stuff. Gave Chloe a bath. The excitement was killing me! I told Strider that I would meet him in Waynesboro, so I left at 9:30 AM and drove like the wind. Got here before 1:00. Checked at the trailhead, checked at the hotel, no Strider. hmm! I thought what are the first things hikers do in town... first eat, so I checked Weasies restaurant, no Strider. Next the laundromat, I pulled in and saw his scrawy self pulling aload out of the washer. His back was to me so I strolled up beind him and said, "excuse me sir, are these your underpants? He turned, looked a little shocked and said, "Molasses! how did you find me here?" I said, "deductive reasoning my friend". We watched the clothes go around for awhile and then I checked in to the hotel. We met for dinner after 2 trips to the outfitter. He heard from Firefeet gavis was good. He still eats an incredible amount of food! Me I'm still a wimp! After dinner we walked Chloe and agreed to meet at 7:30 AM so he could eat again. I'm taking him to the PO then up into the park so he can slack back to town. Spent a quite rest of the night fixing the damage Chloe, the rock star dog did to the hotel room. D'ont ask, not pretty!   peace,Molasses
Date: 2003-07-10
From: Smithburg, Rt 3 491

To: Boonsboro, MD Rt # 40 X
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

" We are often confronted with many insurmountable opportunities."                        PogoToday, we slack pack! After a yummy breakfast of eggs and bagels, Pop dropped us off at MD 491. Daisies went north into the woods for a rest stop. Who does she find? Foxie eating a snack. A major coincidence that she happened to stop there on her northbound at the time we got there to start our southbound slack. Events of the day were: #1 Spoon Princess hurting her achilles tendon. #2 Watching a six foot rattle smake consume a squirrel. Ended up at the Dogpatch Saloon again where we left Petunia, my Nissan Pathfinder, and drove back home for real food.peace MolassesAdditional info from Molasses Dad:On friday July 11th, Wendy the Spoon Princess decided to go home due to her aching achilles tendon. She also missed her 2 year old daughter. Her dad, mom and husband, Brandon, came here to pick her up. (Brandon and Wendy along with Brandons' brother own and operate The Weasel Creek Outfitter in Front Royal, VA.) "Hikers "Check it out." After Wendy left, Molasses, Daisies and Flatlander got on the Metro and went in to DC to see the monuments and museums. Anne and I enjoyed having the whole crew here for a few days. It was also a good way for us to get rid of the last of the hot dogs left over from our trail magic fiasco.
Date: 2003-07-12
From: Boonsboro, MD Rt # 40 X

To: MD - PA State Line
Miles today: 5.9

"I don't know much about being a millionaire, but I'll bet that I'd be darling at it."      Dorothy Parker Yesterday, the all girl gang zeroed in Washington, DC. Wendy "Spoon Princess" was picked up by her family at "Chez Molasses' Parents" and whisked back to reality - bummer, we'll miss her. She injured her ankle and had to leave the trail. We, Daisies, Flatlander and I, took the Metro into DC. The public transportation was a little overwhelming during friday PM rush hour but we managed. Got into the district around 6 and wandered around the mall til dusk. Saw a bit of the Smithsonian, Washington Monument, Vietnam and Korean memorials and the Lincoln Monument. The Vietnam and Korean memorials are very moving. Many people finding their friends and loved ones names on the wall. It was very emotional for me, I can't imagine what they were feeling. We then walked up towards George Washington Univ. for dinner at TGI Fridays, ordered far too much food and gave the leftovers to some homeless people. Reality is they're not that much different from us. Walked back to the monuments to see them in the dark. A very beautiful evening. We got the metro back to the folks and arrived there at 1 am. -long day! Up at 8:30 AM, breakfast ala mom of banana pancakes and off to the market and Walmart to resupply. Hit the trail by 2 and hiked up a big hill 800 feet. Had dinner at Pen Mar Park during a light thunderstorm. The ranger said no dogs were allowed, but with my persuasive powers and a look of pity he let us stay. Chatted with some nice folks. They gave us cake and cantelope!! We then headed to the Mason Dixon line and PA. I no longer have to keep my yankee mouth shut. That's just a joke that a bunch of us from the north have been saying since GA. I will miss the south. The people there are incredibly generous and kind! We are tenting just over the Mason Dixon line in a site thats not really an official site but it offers good tenting. There is a family of 4 here too. It's their first time taking their 2 young girls out. They seem to be having fun. Tomorrow likely some bigger miles. Just about 6 today. The trail has been very very rocky and it makes for slow going. Hopefully PA isn't much worse. Tonight we played blisters again. It's a dice game and alot of fun. We are playing to 2172 points - 1 point for every AT mile. So far im still in VA. Just after I finished writing this, we heard the family near us say "come on, we gotta go to the hospital." It seems they got a call on their cell phone and his mother had suffered a heart attack. We quickly jumped up and helped them pack up and carry their stuff a half mile to their car. They have a 3 hour drive back to Glen Burnie MD. I hope his mom is ok. Again, the most important thing in life is family! keep them close!peace and positivity,Molasses