morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-07
From: Lambert's Meadow Shelter

To: Daleville, VA US 220
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: fog

   It rained last night and was still raining when I woke up. My seam sealing didn't work. I had a small river going through my tent last night. I now have to find another place to dry out my tent and seal it again. Well, seal the corners at least, cause that is where my tent is leaking.   I was going to share a hotel room with Windtalker and Pipes, but they were going to go ahead to make it to the post office in time (Today's Saturday). They told me that they would probably be at the outfitters when I got to town. Cool. I could meet them there later.   I took it easy today, especially cause of the rain and the forming mud puddles in the middle of the trail. I didn't want to fall into one.    The closer I got to town, the muddier the trail became. The puddles were getting to the point where you had to wade through ankle deep mud. Yuck. I kept slipping, but I was able to save myself with my poles. I then came to a puddle that was so deep that people had made a path around it. I know that it is not good Leave No Trace ethics to go around mud puddles, but this time I was sick and tired of sloshing through, so I decided to go around.   The Leave No Trace Gods must have been watching, cause I promptly slipped, falling directly into the puddle! The whole left side of my body was drenched in mud. My dreads were soaked in mud half way up back. My poles looked like they had been taking abuse from hiking for years. I wanted to cry. Instead, I started laughing. There was not much I could do about it, cause it already happened.    The shower was now calling my name! At least I was very close to the road. You should have seen the look on the face of the guy behind the register. I think he was realived that he wasn't the one cleaning the rooms. I guess I would have felt the same way. I was filthy.    The rest of the day was spent doing town chores and resting. I decided that I will be taking another day off to get out of the rain and get rid of the illness that is still lingering.
Date: 2003-06-09
From: Daleville, VA

To: Fullhardt Knob shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I almost didn't leave town today. I was debating taking another zero day to decide if I was going to continue. I realized that I might not be able to finish the trail this year due to lack of funds.But then I realized that if I didn't get out of town, I would be spending more of my limited reasources. I decided to hike 5 miles out of town to the nearest shelter. If I want to continue I have to figure out how to spend as little as possible in towns. That means not staying in them. Most towns have shelters a few miles out on either side, so I might have to start staying just outside of town and get out after I get my chores done.I have to be honest and say that the rain is really getting to me as well. Someone figured out that we had only five days last month without any rain. Five days! I'm starting to find it difficult to understand what I am still doing out here, trying to deal with all the rain. I'm trying to look at this in a positive light - at least we won't have any problem finding water this year. Everyone is seeming to get some kind of blues. Whether it be from the rain, money issues or from the dreaded "Virginia Blues", many people are starting to talk about going home. Twigs and Gus (used to be "Nuts") were getting off the trail as of Harper's Ferry, but are now thinking about leaving sooner. Boiler Plate went home to go to a music festival, and I have a feeling that he's not going to be back. All Gravy just left for home a few days ago. I am also struggling with continuing.Even with all this talk of rain, I am happy to tell you that we had a day of wonderful sunshine today! I was glad to get it because that meant that I could dry out my tent a little more and then try to seam seal it around the corners. I hope that will fix the problem of having a leaky tent. No more repeats of the other night allowed! This tent wasn't designed to have a small river running through it!I hiked the five miles out of town with Sheepshank, who is from Wisconsin. We got a later start then I would have hoped, but we did have to go to the coffee shop to celibrate getting 6 1/2 lbs of stuff out of Sheep's pack. She told me that she wouldn't have gotten rid of some of the stuff if I had not been sitting there. I really didn't say much; she got rid of most of it herself. I did say something about her carrying both the Companion and the Handbook (two popular trail guides) and six, yes six lights. Sheep ended up letting go of 4 of the six. I was very proud of her for doing so. I think she is afraid of the dark.Even with the reluctant attitude towards leaving, I did have a great hike today and am glad I am back on the trail tonight.
Date: 2003-06-13
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Philly, PA
Miles today: 0.0

weather: (in Glasgow) foggy and humidtemp: (in Glasgow) 70'sTwigs and Nuts left early with Paula, the librarian of Glasgow. They were goingto go rent a car and then pick me and slack pack me to Punchbowl Shelter.I needed to do a few things before they came to pick me up. I needed to shop for food and I wanted to make a few phone calls. Twigs and Nuts had offered their extra food so I didn't need to buy much. Next, I went to a pay phone to check my e-mail (pocket mail).I got an e-mail that surprised me. Maledrop, who I had hiked with from theSmokies to Hot Springs had emailed me. We had plans to meet up again to hike the Shenandoah's together, but he wasn't going to be able to do so. He said that he missed me. I admit that that I missed his company as well.My mind started hatching a crazy plan. Twigs and Nuts were going to be goingthrough PA on their way home. Would they be able to give me a ride to Philly? Iwould have ask them when they got back. And first I had to get ahold of Maledrop to see what his plans were for the weekend.My first call was greeted by his voice mail. I knew it was a bit early for himto be awake, so I left a message, hoping he would be awake next time I called.He wasn't. I was beginning to think that this plan wouldn't work out. Darn. Ireally was looking forward to seeing him again.I ran into Night Owl, who I hadn't seen since Partnership Shelter. He wasn'tstaying in town; he just needed to do laundry. I offered the use of our shower,which he was happy to partake of. I let him know of my potential plans, knowingthat soon everyone on the trail, whether they knew me or not, would know where I was. Ah, the Trail Grape Vine. Sometimes it can be a blessing when you wantsomething to be known. Twigs and Nuts arrived back to the motel at 10:30. I had to try to reachMaledrop one more time before I had to get back on the trail. Yeah! he answered the phone. I told him about my crazy plan and he seemedpleased and shocked at the same time. Sure, he was ready for some company. Andjust like that I was heading to Philly. This is one of the most crazy, spontaneous things I have ever done. I'm usuallynot one to just jump in a car and go. I need plans; to have everything workedout ahead of time. This time, I am ready for an adventure in Philly.
Date: 2003-06-15
To: Pushing Up Daisies
Miles today: 0.0

Hello All!Yeah, I've been slow at updating my journal. Hopefully over the next few days, I will get it fully updated and then after that I will try to keep it updated more often. If I can't fill in any of the details of the days that have not been posted, I will just put the entry up to show where I stayed that night. I appreciate you for taking the time to read my journal. Please sign my guestbook as I would love to know who is out there reading it.Today, I am in Philly taking a break from the trail. I am visiting Maledrop for the next few days. He's showing me the sites of Philly, the Jersey Shore, and New York City. I don't know the exact date I will be going back to the trail, but it will be sometime this week. I will be heading back to Waynesboro, VA in a few days.I am excited to go back to the trail, because Waynesboro is where I left off last year. I'm heading into unknown territory now. I will get to see the sights that I missed out on last year. The thru hiking crowd is starting to thin out mostly because of the wet rainy weather we've had this year. Many people are also starting to drop off the trail due to lack of money. Sad to say, but this may happen to me as well. I realized that I am running low on money, but I am going to keep going and try to make it as far as I can. I have posted my next few mail drops, so if you would like to send a card of encouragement or maybe even some treats (hint, hint) they would be much appreciated.Thanks again for reading my journal.
Date: 2003-06-18
To: Pushing Up Daisies
Miles today: 0.0

   Time to go back to the trail! I've had fun the past 5 days in Philly hangin' out with Maledrop and his friends, but I need to get back to the trail if I am going to finish.   Maledrop showed me around the sights of Philly, New Jersey, and New York City. He was a great host especially since this was such a spur of the moment trip. I got to see the Mutter Museum, The Philly Museum of Art, New York City at 2 am, a band that MD is friends with, and got to go bowling with about 20 of his friends. Wow! We sure have been busy the past few days. I think I need to go back to the trail to recover. :)   I accomplished my goal of updating my journal as best a I could. I hope to finish updating it while on the train back to the trail and send the emails (via pocketmail) to my mom.    I have also gotten a request to mention what gear I have now vs. what gear I started with. I will try to get that posted soon.   Thanks to everyone who has been reading my journal.    See all you hikers on the trail!
Date: 2003-06-20
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

weather: dark and cloudy, rained later that nighttemp: 60's daytime 50's night  I forgot that I had to go to the post office this morning, so I got a later start then I wanted. Seiko offered a ride to the post office and then the trail. I hung out at the visitor center at Rockfish Gap before I started out. I was trying to deal with all the emotions that were popping up, as this is the spot that I had gotten of the trail last year due to my ankle. Today I am going into new territory.  Up to this point, I had been hiking the part of the trail I hiked last year. My co-worker, Ken, had joked (I hope) that I wouldn't make it past this point this year. I knew I could do it. Now I just have to continue. I didn't see anybody for the first 4 miles. I see now that it was a good thing, as I needed time to think about what this journey has come to mean to me. I had been thinking way too much about the destination instead of the journey, when it is the journey that counts more then the destination. I got to meet the Count and his daughter Brittney soon after the first road crossing. They are out for a week to hike the length of the park. Britt is thinking about thru hiking some day. I hope this experience is a positive one for her and she does get to thru hike someday. She seems very enthusiatic about hiking. The three of us were at the shelter joking and talking while making dinner. Afterwards, I think Britt got bored and was trying to figure out what to do. Until the boy scouts arrived, that is. The Count and Britt both layed out on their sleeping pads while propped up on their elbows, ready to watch the fun that unfolded. Although this group was rather organized, the scene still resembled a circus ring full of clowns. The Count, trying not to laugh, turned to us and said that this was better than watching TV at home. Britt and I, with big smiles on our faces, whole heartedly agreed. Our amusement multiplied when a second group of Boy Scout arrived on the scene. This group was great entertainment as well, but more organized than the first. They set up their tents and started in on their camp chores. We then found out that both groups were together, but split up to make cooking easier. I was really intrested to see that they had ordered bulk Mountain House freeze dried meals for the groups. The first group asked us if we were hungery, cause they were going to have extra. Two people had dropped out at the last minute. I decided to hold off on making dinner to see if they had enough. The other group also ended up having too much food. Let's just say I ate well tonight. :) Tonight at the shelter we have the 18 boy scouts, the Count and Britt, and the Littlest Hobo. It's been a great day to get back on the trail.
Date: 2003-06-21
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Loft Mountain Campgrounds
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: broken clouds

weather:Thunderstorm in morning Clear in Afternoon  Thunderstorm in Evening Temp: mid 50's   Again, I am glad that I am able to get up and get moving early. Soon after I started hiking, it was pouring. If I had been at the shelter still, I would not have been moving right then. It poured for four hours straight. I didn't bother putting my rain jacket on all the way. I knew I would be soaked through soon enough anyway. I just covered my head and put the jacket over my shoulders for a wind block and kept hiking. I had been using a shower cap to try to keep my hair dry, but I didn't bother this time. The Bouffant size just isn't big enough to keep my dreads dry. (Buoffant, which is bigger than the extra large, is the biggest one I can find.) I wasn't too intent on looking at much except the trail as it was soon a river and very slick. Even when it stopped raining, I was too intent on staying warm, so I kept moving. I didn't realize how far I came until I saw one of the concrete trail markers, telling me that I was now at Blackrock Hut. 13 miles in under 5 hours! I was cruzing! I decided to try to make it to Loft Mountain Wayside for food. That's one good thing about the park is there are several opportunities to get food. Meaning you don't have to carry as much food. The food is expensive, though.   I met up with Coyote and his girlfriend, Ala. I had been reading their register entries for a while, so it was great to finally met them. Down side was that they were hitching a ride out of there; they were done. Going home. They gave me their extra food and we exchanged addresses and said goodbye. It's sad to see so many people get off the trail.There was a huge group of people standing over at the side of the parking lot, so I decided to go over and se what was going on. I was also hoping to get a ride to the campground. The park ranger, Emily, was educating peple about the bears in the park. I ended up meeting The Hall family from Ohio who not only gave me a ride to the campground, but let me stay in their sight and invited me for dinner. Wow! I tried to offer them some money to help pay for the site, but they said to just tell them some stories.   The Hall family are such a great family. We spent a couple of hours in their van while stormed for the second time today. I learned a lot about their family. The twins are big readers and gave me a list of books that are must reads. Their mom had to remind them that I had to carry anything that they gave me. Their son was into photography and we had a long conversation about our cameras. I had a great night with the Hall family and hope to keep in touch with them during and after the hike.
Date: 2003-06-24
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Stoney Man Summit
Miles today: 9.4

weather: sunny temp: 80's I got to slack pack again today. I was glad to give my foot a slight rest without a pack and less miles. My foot is still feeling sore, but is much better than it was. Molassas and I went up to the Stony Man Overlook and sat at the cliffs for about 2 hours. It was a beautiful day for lounging on the rocks. Then I had an easy hike back to the campground. Molasses was not at her campsite when I got back. That was too bad as I was hungry and she had my food bag in her car. Bearable told me that she had been up at the building with the showers and laundry. I headed up there knowing that if she wasn't up there I would at least be able to get a snack because there were vending machines. That's where Molasses found me, munching on something that was supposed to resemble food. i convinced her that we needed to go back to the campsite to make our chicken, rice and carrots meal that we had gotten from the boy scout. Those boy scouts are going to be feeding me for a while. Earlier this morning, we were driving past their campsite and I heard my name being yelled out and saw them running towards the car with a huge bag which turned out to contain about 12 servings of chicken and rice freezed dried meals as well as many other things. Score! I will be sick of chicken and rice in no time. I dined in style with Bearable and Molasses while Steppen Wolf entertained us by making a pop can stove. What more could you ask for? Good food, entertainment and great company. That's what the trail is all about.
Date: 2003-06-25
From: Stoney Man Mountain Overlook

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

weather: sunny temp: 80's I realize that lately I have been perfecting the fine art of taking it easy. I been starting late, slack packing, and taking lots of long breaks. That's ok, as I have plenty of time. Molasses and I ate breakfast at Skyland Lodge before she brought me back to the trail head. The plan is that she is going to try to meet up with Stryder and slack pack for a few days. After the Fourth, we are going to meet up and hike together for awhile. It will be cool to have a hiking buddy again. All day I was leap frogging Bearable, Steppen Wolf and Lumberjack. I would pass them while they were at an overlook and soon they would pass me. Although I was not hiking with them, it was great to see other thru hikers today. There just doesn't seem to be many around recently. Don't know if that is because of being in a pocket or if there are not many people left on the trail. During one of my breaks, Lumberjack told me about his hiking phiolosophy. He realized that he had been hiking someone else's hike by doing high mileage days trying to kep up with his friends. He decided to slow down and hike about 13-15 miles a day instead of the 18-20 that he had been hiking. He hikes everyday, with some days being shorter for resupplying. He plans to make it by Oct. 1st. With this plan he can take time to chill out on a cool overlook or hike as slow as he wants and still gets done fairly early in the day so he can have some time to himself. What a great way to hike. Hikers at the shelter tonight: The boy scout troop (8), a church youth group (6), Taro, Snooze, Lumberjack, Steppen Wolf, another boy scout group (4) and several section hikers.
Date: 2003-06-26
From: Pass Mt Hut

To: Gravel Spring Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

weather: Hot and Sunny Temp: 90's Stayed in: Tent With all of Lumberjacks talk of the "13 mile a day plan", we decided to spend alot of time at Elkwallow Wayside. Hey, we had the time to do so, right? It doesn't take long to hike 13 miles. I hiked the first 7 miles to Elkwallow Wayside in just over two hours without eating breakfast. I knew there was good food ready to be eaten a the wayside. I hang out most of the day at the wayside with Snooze, Taro, Lumberjack and Steppin' Wolf playing a game called Blisters. I also took a long nap, ate a lot of food and read a book while there. I Spent 8 hours total there. At 5pm, I realized that if I didn't get going soon, I wasn't going to make it to the shelter. I packed up while everybody else continued to hang out. I knew they could hike faster than me, but I was still wondering if they were going to make it because of the large amount of alcohol that was consumed between the guys. I enjoyed the miles from Elkwallow wayside to the shelter. Someone told me that the second half of the SNP was more difficult then the first half, but I am finding that I like the second half better. Tonight at the shelter is the first group of boy scouts (are they following me? :) ), all the people mentioned above, Iron Chef CT, and a few others I don't know. What great, fun, relaxed day.
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Gravel Spring Hut

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: light rain

weather:rain showers temp: 70's during rain, 80's otherwise Stayed in: house I hiked the 13.7 miles to Front Royal by 1 pm, knowing that I had to get to the post office before they closed. I didn't know if they were going to have a package or not, so I had to check. It is smetimes a pain to have to rush to a town for a mail drop. I feel as if I don't get the chance to stop if I want to and enjoy what's around me. I'll have to figure out a way to solve this delemia. Even with the rushed pace, I felt that it was a good hike today. Took a long break with Steppin' Wolf at a road crossing, talking to him while waiting for Iron Chef CT (ICC) to catch up. I asked if he would hitch into Front Royal with me. (I don't hitchhike alone to get into town. Just one of my "rules" out here.) It started to look like it was going to rain, so SW and I deceided to hurry to the road so we could get into town before the rain. Soon after we arrived, so did ICC. I did some of my town chores and then went to the library, where I ran into The Littlest Hobo. I been leapfrogging him all through the Shenandoah National Park, but had not seen him in a few days because of my zero day a few days back. I ended up walking around town with him. We ended up going to the new outfitters in town, Weasel Creak Outfitters. As soon as I walked in I asked if there was some place I could set my pack as I walked around. I was directed to the back room. When I put my pack down, I was surrounded by the employees of the store, who were all eyeing my pack. There soon was a rapid fire question and answer session about the pack I was testing for Granite Gear. They were all GG fans and were really into going over the strengths and weakneses of this prototype pack. I have not found anybody else that has been that excited about a pack! Not even Gear Heads! After the pack talk, I asked if they knew how I could get to the new hostel that was 2 or 3 miles back on the trail. I had missed the turn off, and that's where I had been planning to stay. They said they would take me there. I hesitated, went to talk to Hobo about his plans, when Brandon, the owner of the outfitter, walked over to us and invited me to stay with him and his wife. WOW! Thanks! So tonight I am hanging out with Brandon and Wendy and their 2 year old daughter, Helen who is very sweet. As soon as I arrived, she reached out for me to hold her and rested her head on my shoulder. It made me think of my sister and how much I miss her.
Date: 2003-06-28
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I was talked into a zero day by Wendy and Brandon (It wasn't too difficult to do!) and hung out around the outfitter for awhile and then went and walked around town. I ended up at a used book store, where I ended up buying 5 books. What was I thinking? I now have to carry them because the post office isn't open tomorrow and I don't want to take anothe zero day. I've taken so many already and I have more next week when I go to Philly to visit Male Drop again over the Fourth of July weekend. I stayed with Brandon and Wendy again. Wendy made a wonderful dinner of Portabello Mushroom Burgers. Wow! what nice people to take in a total stranger and play host for a couple of nights. Tomorrow back to the trail.
Date: 2003-06-29
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Weather: Sunny Ok, so I took another zero day. I was invited to Brandon's parents house for dinner. Not much more to talk about except after dinner, I talked Wendy into hiking with me and Molasses after I get back from Philly. I told her that I would help to get her gear together, so tomorrow will be another zero