morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

Caught up on some sleep after rolling in late last night. I was happy that I was able to find Byte Code and Church Mouse because they let me stay in the room they had rented. In the morning I made some waffles for breakfast and touched base with Carissa before packing up to run the usual town errands. While running back and forth between washing my clothes and the post office I ran into Chuck Norris and Tigger who were being driven around town by an extremely nice lady- who's name I can't remember (hiker amnesia). They gave me a ride back to the laundry mat, then to Subway for lunch, then to the outfitters so I could pick up a new rain jacket and get my gaiters (used to keep debris out of boots) replaced and finally back to the trial. We were very grateful for her generosity and encouraging words. It's these people that take the time to help us out that makes hiking the A.T. special. While hiking out to the first shelter (Calf Mnt Shelter), seven miles out, I saw my first bear cub. When it saw me it took off like a shot into the woods. This would be the first of many bear encounters for me. I arrived at the shelter where I met Moon Goat, and his dog Otto, and a few other thru hikers. We struggled to hang our food bags on the bear pole which took some skill. Unlike the bear cables of the Smokies (because the Shenandoah's bears are smart enough to unlatch the cable clips), the bear poles here consisted of a fifteen foot steel hanging pole that looked like a giant coat rack. In order to hang my food, I had to first hook my food bag on the end of another fifteen foot steel pole and gingerly raise the bag up t the top of the giant coat rack. I then had to slide the food bag off the first pole and on to one of the portruding rungs. Easier said than done!After a few attempts I was successful but I didn't win any prize.
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Pinefield Hut 
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: light rain

I was up early and moving by six thirty. I planned on hiking twenty six miles and I wanted to stop at my first wayside for a burger and fries. Most people describe the Shenandoahs as a place to do big miles and eat at every campstore or wayside you come across. What they fail to talk about is the odd contradiction of cars and tourists, driving sometimes within feet of the trail, and the amount of wildlife just as close.While stopping by an overlook, I heard a strange grunting noise that sounded like something was directly behind me. When I turned nothing was there but as I walked down the trail, into a dark hollow, I decided I should make some noise- just in case. After clanking my poles together a few times I was startled when an adult bear came barreling down a thirty foot tree and took off into the woods! I was amazed at how fast the bear moved and relieved that he was the one doing the running. This was my second bear encounter.After a long day I was able to make it to my first Wayside where I ordered a bacon cheese burger, large fries, a chocolate shake and two grilled cheese and ham sandwiches for a snack later on. After eating, I saw Flying Turtle whom I had met earlier and I made some adjustments to my new gaiters while he grabbed a bite to eat. We hung out for awhile and then started back up the hill to the trial intersection. Flying Turtle is in his mid sixties and has run over fifty marathons! He plans on running one in every state and has about three left to complete his goal. As we headed up the hill we saw another hiker who we let catch up to us. Her name was Scholar and she had already hiked the entire A.T. She was out this year doing some big sections but had decided to walk on Skyland Drive rather than the A.T. through the Shenandoahs. When we reached the trail, Flying Turtle and Scholar decided to pay for a campsite and call it a day. I continued on and made it to Bear Fence Shelter just before nightfall. I entered the shelter, I found myself completly alone for the first time in my journey. It rained during the night which helped drown out the scurrying of mice and made sleeping a little easier after a long twenty six miles.
Date: 2007-06-15
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bearfence Mtn. Hut
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: light rain

When I awoke the rain had stopped and the sky was begining to clear. The hiking was pretty easy with little ups and downs as I crossed Skyland Drive numerous times. Early on, a group of high school aged kids hiking behind me spooked a bear cub that ran right past me as it crossed the trail. When I reached the road for a break, I told them about the cub and asked them if they had seen any bear. They said they hadn't seen any yet. About an hour later, as I was walking quietly through a stand of oaks, I saw a large female bear with her cub not more than twenty feet off the trail. I was a little concerned when the mother bear did not budge. She gave me a look and went back to foraging.Now that I had seen so many bears I was feeling a little better aboutthe Shenandoahs. I was told I might see a bear but I'd already seen five! Well, believe it or not just before noon, as I was coming around aturn I heard some rustling in the woods ahead of me. I clanked my polesand to my left I saw a very large bear tearing apart a rotten log.This guy was much closer to the trail and had no intention moving. Imade sure he saw me and then slowly walked by as he watched my every step.This was very unnerving but once I had passed he went back to tearingapart his log. I was begining to think that they might have to changethe Shenandoahs to The Shenandoah petting zoo. Although, I don'tthink I would try to pet a 300lb bear. After my sixth bear encounter I stopped at a shelter for lunch and some water. Just as I stopped I saw Almost Lucky coming up from behindmoving at a good pace. The first thing he said to me was, "Did you seethat huge bear sitting in the middle of the trail!". I told him of myencounter and was happy the bear was ten feet away from me when I saw it.Almost Lucky showed me a few pictures he had taken that were prettyimpressive. I unfourtunately had none(I bumped my camera ahead.We talked for awhile and caught up on how people were doing. The firsttime I had met Almost Lucky was just outside of Franklin at Silers Bald Shelter. After lunch Almost Lucky sped ahead and I followed... at a slower pace. We were both aiming for Big Meadows campground where we knew there was acamp store with food!I made it to the campstore just before it closed and bought two chickenburritos, a rootbeer soda, some cliff bars and ice cream. Scholar hadalso rolled in from her road walk and the three of us sat in front of thecamp store filling up on a balance of proteins and junk food. Afterwards, Lucky took off running in order to beat a monsterous thunderstorm that was brewing. I walked with Scholar across the campground, where she was going to tent and then I took off for the shelter before the storm hit. I made it just in time but the shelter was packed so I set up my tent and jumped in while the skies unleashed their fury. My tent held up well and I went to sleep to the sound of rain, again.
Date: 2007-06-16
From: Bearfence Mtn. Hut 

To: Skyland Road 
Miles today: 16.0

When I awoke the rain had stopped and the sky was begining to clear. The hiking was pretty easy with little ups and downs as I crossed Skyland Drive numerous times. Early on, a group of high school aged kids hiking behind me spooked a bear cub that ran right past me as it crossed the trail. When I reached the road for a break, I told them about the cub and asked them if they had seen any bear. They said they hadn't seen any yet. About an hour later, as I was walking quietly through a stand of oaks, I saw a large female bear with her cub not more than twenty feet off the trail. I was a little concerned when the mother bear did not budge. She gave me a look and went back to foraging.Now that I had seen so many bears I was feeling a little better aboutthe Shenandoahs. I was told I might see a bear but I'd already seen five! Well, believe it or not just before noon, as I was coming around aturn I heard some rustling in the woods ahead of me. I clanked my polesand to my left I saw a very large bear tearing apart a rotten log.This guy was much closer to the trail and had no intention moving. Imade sure he saw me and then slowly walked by as he watched my every step.This was very unnerving but once I had passed he went back to tearingapart his log. I was begining to think that they might have to changethe Shenandoahs to The Shenandoah petting zoo. Although, I don'tthink I would try to pet a 300lb bear. After my sixth bear encounter I stopped at a shelter for lunch and some water. Just as I stopped I saw Almost Lucky coming up from behindmoving at a good pace. The first thing he said to me was, "Did you seethat huge bear sitting in the middle of the trail!". I told him of myencounter and was happy the bear was ten feet away from me when I saw it.Almost Lucky showed me a few pictures he had taken that were prettyimpressive. I unfourtunately had none(I bumped my camera ahead.We talked for awhile and caught up on how people were doing. The firsttime I had met Almost Lucky was just outside of Franklin at Silers Bald Shelter. After lunch Almost Lucky sped ahead and I followed... at a slower pace. We were both aiming for Big Meadows campground where we knew there was acamp store with food!I made it to the campstore just before it closed and bought two chickenburritos, a rootbeer soda, some cliff bars and ice cream. Scholar hadalso rolled in from her road walk and the three of us sat in front of thecamp store filling up on a balance of proteins and junk food. Afterwards, Lucky took off running in order to beat a monsterous thunderstorm that was brewing. I walked with Scholar across the campground, where she was going to tent and then I took off for the shelter before the storm hit. I made it just in time but the shelter was packed so I set up my tent and jumped in while the skies unleashed their fury. My tent held up well and I went to sleep to the sound of rain, again.
Date: 2007-06-17
From: Skyland Road 

To: Gravel Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

By morning everything had dried out- including my sneakers which stunk up the entire cabin! I went back up to the lodge to get some breakfast before hiking out. After I finished eating, I bumped in to Sleeping Beauty and Fireball. I congratulated them again and thank them for their company and conversation. I couldn't help but cover breakfast for them as a small gift.Today would be be my last night in the Shenandoahs. I planned on hiking twenty three miles to Gravel Spring Hut. I made good time and hit my last wayside for a small resupply and a late lunch. I continued on and saw my last three bear of the Shenandoahs. As I was walking up an old logging road three bear cubs came running across the trail and were about to climb a small tree when they saw me. They took one look and ran off into the woods. I felt kind of bad that I had spoiled their fun. I pulled into the shelter around eight and met two other hikers. One guy was heading South for a couple of days and the other was a thru hiker named J.P. heading North. I ate quickly and went right to sleep.
Date: 2007-06-18
From: Gravel Spring Hut

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: few clouds

Today I walked out of the Shenandoahs. I got up early with the intention of hiking nineteen miles to the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter. I also wanted to walk to the town of Linden for a little more food. J.P. had left almost two hours before me but around eleven o'clock I methim at Hog Wallow Gap (a spot where the A.T. crosses Skyland Drive).I said a quick hello and started to move on, but J.P. was not looking very well and he asked if I could help him out. He told me that he had been having chest pains for the past few days and that today they were so bad that he almost passed out. He had told his wife thathe would hike to Front Royal to get checked out but that was at least five miles away. I was very concerned for J.P. and having some back country medicine training, I knew he should get some immediate care. I attempted to call the park service but I had no reception, so we waved down a car and used their phone. The Park Rangers responded quickly and started to take J.P.'s vitals and medical history. I told J.P. that he would be fine and that he would probably have to go to Front Ryal in an ambulance just in case. He was a little distraught but eventually calmed down. The ambulance did show up and they took J.P. to the hospital. I gave J.P. my phone number and address and told him to let me know how things turned out. I did hear later through the trail grapevine that he was okay, but wasn't going to get back on the trail.After an interesting morning I continued on and eventually made it to the shelter. To my suprise, I saw Moon Goat with his dog Otto. He had gotten a ride from Front Royal and skipped some of the trail to resupply. It was good to see him and I told him that I was going to walk to Linden and get some food. So while I hiked an additional two miles, Moon Goat got a good fire going. When I returned we roasted hotdogs and ate a variety of junk foods! Later that night another thru hiker came in by the the name of W.A.G.O.S. (with a grain of salt). We discussed tomorrow's miles and a possible place to get some lunch.The average person burns two thousand calories a day. The average thru hiker burns an average of six thousand calories a day. No matter how much a hiker eats eventually they start to break down muscle. I have already lost almost twenty pounds. Other hikers have lost thirty pounds or more.
Date: 2007-06-19
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was pretty uneventful. I hiked out to Rod Hollow Shelter for a total of nineteen miles and picked two deer ticks off my leg. These were the fourth ones I found on me so far. The restaurant that we were going to eat lunch was closed so we continued on to the shelter. The hiking wasn't bad and at one point the trail opened up into an enourmous field. This is probably were I picked up the ticks. Anyway it was a hot day but a good day for being outside.At the shelter, I met two elderly ladies that were section hiking South. One of the women was orignally from Wesport R.I. a town very close to where I grew up. The woman, Phyllis, recognized my accent immediately which got the conversation going. Eventually, Wagos and Moon Goat rolled in and to our surprise, late that night, Alpine Strider arrived! I tented but was bombarded all night by falling hickory tree nuts.Look out below! Love you C,M,E & #3
Date: 2007-06-20
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel 
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We headed out for the Bear's Den today, one of the best hostels on the A.T. We were also starting the infamous roller coaster, a series of thirteen climbs! The great part was that the Bear's Den was right in the middle of the roller coaster and a great place to rest. The climbs weren't hard but the temperature started to rise and the humidity was severe.After ten miles of ups and downs I was done. At the top of the last climb was the sign for the hostel and I just about ran down the trail. Bear's Den is run by a great woman named Queen Diva. While I stayed at the hostel she cooked up a delicious meal of fried chicken with apple   turnovers for dessert. (I had already eaten a large pizza and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream!) Also working at the hostel was a thru hiker named Snack Break who was a lot of fun. We (Moon Goat, WAGOS, Alpine Strider and I) had a blast. A young kid from Belgium that was biking from D.C. also stopped in along with other various people. Later on I called Carissa to confirm a time and place that she would pick me up. We decided that I would slow down over the next few days and she would met me in Harpers Ferry. It has been two and half months since I've seen Carissa, Matthew and Emelia. I'm really excited about spending time with them and also being halfway done. We are planning on spending a day in Fredrick,MD and visiting my brother John, who lives in Northern Maryland.
Date: 2007-06-21
From: Bear's Den Hostel 

To: Blackburn Center
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Moon Goat cooked up pancakes for everyone and Snack Break made some good coffee. No one was in a rush to leave but eventually we had to. Bear's Den is definatly a place I would revisit. I tackeled the rest of the roller coaster which wasn't that bad and descended down to the Blackburn Center (a hostel run by the Potomac Trail Club). We were met by the caretaker who offered us a cold soda and then showed us around. I couldn't believe that I was staying at another hostel. After I settled in and talking to a mom that was out hiking with her two daughers, Byte Code came walking down the trail. I hadn't seen him since Waynesboro. We caught up quickly and then everyone joined in to help cook dinner. When everything was prepared, everyone sat down together , including the caretakers infant daughter (Hikelet) and we ate. The food disappeared quickly so dessert (brownies) were handed out quickly to keep the hungry hikers satisfied.
Date: 2007-06-22
From: Blackburn Center

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0

After a another good nights sleep, I headed out on my own for Harpers Ferry. I walked in a dream state for a long time not believing that I finally made it. As I climbed over large ridge I could hear the roar of trucks and cars driving over the Shenandoah River. I dropped down under the bridge and then walked over the river into Harpers Ferry. I walked over to the Appalachian Trail Club building where they took my picture as a thru hiker for "07". (I was number 353). Moon Goat and Byte Code were also at the center sorting thru their gear and picking up mail. Afterwards I went for pizza with Moon Goat and we contacted an Organic Farm/ hostel for a place to stay for the night. We ate our pizza and soon after we were picked by a great gal named Ginnie that worked at the farm. I know a lot about organic farming from my brother Tim who has gained a tremendous amount of knowledge from working on such farms in Maine and Rhode Island for a number of years. We had a great time walking around the farm and seeing how the whole operation worked. The couple who ran the farm, Shannon and Atilla were very kind and made us feel at home. Unfortunately, I could not stay but enjoyed the calm atmosphere before heading back into society.Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.
Date: 2007-06-27
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Waynesboro, PA
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: few clouds

In the morning, I introduced myself to the girls and found out they were out for a couple of days of rafting, hiking and rock climbing as part of an adventure program run by Saint Mary's College. I was psyched for these girls, what a great program and a great opportunity for them. After checking out Annapolis Rocks I kept on for the Maryland Pennsylvania border. I caught up to Ididarod and White Crow and kept leap frogging them until I decided to keep hiking to Waynesboro P.A.I was lucky enough to get a ride all the way to the Best Western where Church Mouse was resting after making it to P.A. with twenty minutes to spare!I slept to almost nine o'clock the next morning then went looking for some breakfast with out much luck. Church Mouse was going to be taking another zero day as he tried to figure out what to do next. He was going to be hiking with his father for a week but needed something to do in the meantime. I had to try and get a ride back to the trail which was not going to be easy. I got a lot of strange looks by passerbys, and eventually a very kind mom gave me ride back to the trail head. I hiked until about five o'clock then took a break at Caledonia State Park for some food and to dodge an on coming rain storm. I was lucky on both accounts. I just made it to the food stand before it closed and I ran under a pavillion just as it started pouring rain. I ate and relaxed and when the rain died down I hiked two mile up to Quarry Gap Shelter (twenty four miles).Tell them I love them. Me
Date: 2007-06-28
From: Waynesboro, PA

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept to almost nine o'clock the next morning then went looking for some breakfast with out much luck. Church Mouse was going to be taking another zero day as he tried to figure out what to do next. He was going to be hiking with his father for a week but needed something to do in the meantime. I had to try and get a ride back to the trail which was not going to be easy. I got a lot of strange looks by passerbys, and eventually a very kind mom gave me ride back to the trail head. I hiked until about five o'clock then took a break at Caledonia State Park for some food and to dodge an on coming rain storm. I was lucky on both accounts. I just made it to the food stand before it closed and I ran under a pavillion just as it started pouring rain. I ate and relaxed and when the rain died down I hiked two mile up to Quarry Gap Shelter (twenty four miles).Tell them I love them. Me
Date: 2007-06-29
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Iron Master's Hostel 
Miles today: 18.0

It was still raining when my alarm clock went off at six so of course I rolled over and went back to sleep. I was surprised when I woke up and two hours had passed. I guess I was pretty tired! I got moving around ten and had to hike quickly to make it to Pine Grove Furnace before the camp store closed. Pine Grove Furnace is where the the famous half gallon ice cream challenge takes place. I was lucky enough to witness my good old buddy Ididarod eat a half gallon of peanut butter ice cream in 15 minutes. Not to bad for a tall tale teller, although he was bragging that he once ate two half gallons of ice cream in four minutes. I'll let you guess what flavor I thought that ice cream was! Anyway, after relaxing for awhile I ran into WAGOS and Mtn Squid. I hadn't seen WAGOS since the Blackburn Center, but Mtn Squid I almost didn't recognize. I had met Mtn Squid on my first day on the trail three months ago! Squid had the time to travel since he was retired from the Navy, hence the name Squid. He was traveling North helping thru hikers out and doing a little hiking. Once again it was good to see old faces and catch up on what was happening up and down the trail. One concern was the number of people off the trail and folks with lyme disease. I have already picked off my share of ticks but I've been making sure to check myself daily for these little critters. After setting my own record for eating the least amount of ice cream in the longest time possible, I walked over to the Iron Masters Hostel where I stayed for the night.