morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-05
From: Compton Peak viewpoint

To: Dicks Dome Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Leaving Shenandoah today, three more bears wish me farewell in the morning. It gradually heats up to 103 (that's 40 degree Celcius). The tree cover would provide some relief if it wasn't for the backpack and rocky hills. There are wild raspberries and blackberries everywhere, I eat so many of them I worry the bears will start seeing me as a serious competitor. In the middle of the afternoon I come to a road crossing, according to the book there's a good burger about 1.5 miles down the hot road. After 1 mile I come to an intersection with a busy road with a few more miles to go. Time to hitch hike. On the way back a guy at a fruit stand sniffs and unsubtly tells me 'phew, I smell some of that hiker musk'. Since I had washed a few hours before, it must have been my backpack..With the lunch delay I was destined for some nighthiking, arrived after 10, put up my tent and went to sleep without dinner, too weary to eat.
Date: 2010-07-06
From: Dicks Dome Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, another day where you felt as if you were hiking in an oven. With the oven set to broil. Or self-clean.Started early to beat the heat. This section is called the Roller Coaster. A 13 mile section with a series of very rocky steep uphills and downhills. Not many water sources, and my bottles carry only about 2.5 liters. (I'm getting another, bigger bottle). With the sweat pouring off, it's nearly impossible to stay hydrated. I was going to stop at the Bears Den hostel to grab something to eat and drink, but once my butt went through that door, it wasn't going to come out again until the next morning. Spent the evening rehydrating and eating pizza and ice cream.
Date: 2010-07-07
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: haze

Over 20 miles to hike on another 103 day. So I got up at 4:30, had packed my pack last night. First stop is the kitchen, to brew some coffee, and bake some pancakes on the griddle. Even in a hurry, you've got to stop and smell the pancakes (if no roses are available). At 5:30 on the trail, cool weather for a while, and then the oven scenario resumes. My destination is Harpers Ferry, a historic little town in West Virginia. Yes, I'm leaving the state of Virginia today after 550 miles of its trails. Another milestone: crossing the 1000 mile boundary! Harpers Ferry is the psychological midway point on the trail. The real center is 75 miles further north, but there's no town around, and this town's a pretty cute place to have a celebratory beer, and burger, and beer, and burger,...Nobody on the trail all day until the last hour when I run into two sweating southbounders and then Giant and 3-ball, just in shorts and with a water bottle, slacking a few miles south and hitching back into town. They took some time out to celebrate the 4th in DC and are getting back on the trail.Lee's driving up from Charlotte, I'm trying to get to town late afternoon. Then two zero days, the first since Damascus. My body, especially the bottoms of my feet can use a break after the punishing rocky trail.
Date: 2010-07-08
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: haze

Rest day, I wake up around 6 and go look for a cup of coffee. Nothing's open until 8 or 9. This is not a good hiker's town. Hikers want cheap lodging/tenting, laundry, a supermarket to resupply, affordable food and coffee in the morning, all within easy walking distance. Harpers Ferry has none of that. This is a great little historic town, perfect for tourists, not for hikers. Luckily we have a car, so we head to nearby Shepherdstown, a cute little university town. We find everything we need and spend a happy morning drinking coffee, eating croissants and sandwiches and drinking more coffee. On the way back we stop by a barber to see if I still look the same under all that hair.
Date: 2010-07-09
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Another rest day with a morning trip to Shepherdstown. Cricket, who came in yesterday went with us to raid the coffee shops. Just took it easy all day and enjoyed a drink and good conversation with Cricket and her friend Bob that evening.These zero days are a welcome break. It had been 460 miles since my last day off. This trip sounds like a lot of fun when you read this, and it definitely is a great experience. But we hike between 8 and 12 hours every day, with 40 or more pounds on our back, seven days a week. That takes a toll on your body. You wouldn't want to trade legs or feet with me right now (maybe not ever). When you're in a town you can always tell a hiker by his slow, stiff-legged, sailor-like gait (especially younger ones, I suppose older hikers do less miles and already walk a little slower). A hiker in his 20's one morning summarized it well: ' So I guess now I know how I'll feel when I'm 90 '.
Date: 2010-07-10
From: Harpers Ferry

To: In the woods
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Finally left Harpers Ferry at 1PM. Lee had a 6.5 hour drive home and I had an 8 hour walk in the opposite direction. The next time she comes up will be when I'm in Vermont, about 585 miles north of here. There was a lot of civil war action in the area I'm walking through. Harpers Ferry changed hands 8 times during that war. (Wikipedia has an interesting page on the town). There are ruins, memorial sites, and historic landmarks and buildings everywhere. I'm heading towards a state run campground that has bathrooms and showers, a luxury. When I get there at dusk, there are more tents crammed than I've ever seen at a campground. There are people and kids running around everywhere. It's Saturday, and the campground is free and close to a road. I fill up my waterbottles and keep on walking. A few miles further I find a nice quiet spot to put up my tent, cook dinner and have some rest.
Date: 2010-07-11
From: In the woods

To: Somewhere else in the woods
Miles today: 23.7

A story I heard along the way. We all know the ubiquitous Canadian Goose as the noisy source of green dung we can't avoid stepping into when we go for a stroll in our city parks. Well, not long ago a hungry Australian hiker spotted one of these (protected) animals. He got out his (what else) boomerang, took aim, and like a true outback native, killed, cooked and ate it.This was just a story I heard from an undisclosed source. Today I didn't meet the guy, and he didn't confirm the event.A long day ending in a state park where you can't camp, but you can call a nearby restaurant for delivery. So about 6 of us called in a variety of meals and had a nice dinner at the picnic tables. Then, after dark, we moved on to find camping spots in the woods.
Date: 2010-07-12
From: Somewhere else in the woods

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I was planning to go to a shelter a little further today, but when I got to an intersection near the state park there was a cooler with snacks and drinks, and a message inviting any hiker to get dinner, camp, shower and get breakfast at a campsite up in the park. Of course that's where I headed. For the ninth year, the week after the 4th of july, these people have been coming down from Indiana with a U-Haul full of food, to cook for hikers. They stay a week, and any hiker that drops by gets a great dinner and breakfast, they cook, serve and clean up afterwards. All we have to do is sit on our butt and eat. Talk about trailmagic! This is about as good as it gets.They do it as sports mission work for their church. Rather than proselyizing to a local soccer club, the organizer chose to come down to the AT and make hikers happy. The only religious thing they do is pray before a meal, no preaching, just reaching out by setting an example. Whether you're religious or not, you've got to respect, and certainly appreciate that.
Date: 2010-07-13
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Somewhere in the woods
Miles today: 22.1

I don't know if the 25 blueberry pancakes I ate for breakfast had anything to do with it, but today is one of those days where I feel like I'm about to explode (figuratively) with energy. The guy from Indiana is dropping some people's packs off 20 miles down the road, and they are slacking the distance. Of course I'm too stubborn to do that, and as the only guy with a pack still arrive at the state park ahead of some of the slackers in their 20's. Chalk one up for the 'early middle-aged' guys.On the way I see Cricket. That girl can walk! I thought she was a day or so behind me. She couldn't find the trail-magic camping spot this morning, the park was still closed, and sadly moved on. I pass the official mid-point marker, and end at a state park where the general store is the 'home of the half gallon ice-cream challenge'. You eat a half gallon of ice cream as fast as you can. No prizes, you still pay for the ice-cream. It's just one of those little trail traditions invented by someone with too much ice-cream in his freezer. I didn't participate, just ordered an ice-cream cone and watched two guys square off. They faced each other like ancient gladiators, circling the picnic table with serious expressions on their faces. One chose vanilla, the other chocolate. They let the ice get soft and stirred it up to loosen it. With eyes locked they sat down. The chronometer started, and they went for it. Vanilla attacked the ice like it was a life and death match. Chocolate tried hard, and made a solid effort. But he was no match for vanilla. After 2:57 minutes there was no more vanilla, and still half a bucket of chocolate. This guy vanilla, skinny as a rail, is olympic material. Chocolate still finished his portion in a very respectable time. Later they both disappeared into the bathroom for a little while, and emerged looking remarkably refreshed. Then, when the fun was over, I hiked another hour or so into the woods and set up my tent, just in time before the all-night rain started.
Date: 2010-07-14
From: Somewhere in the woods

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: moderate rain

At the end of today is the town of Boiling Springs, with a family owned resort that has theatre, dinner and breakfast buffet, and a hiker special. The special used to be $25, but after two bad experiences with hikers this year they raised it to $40. So a couple of jerks are costing a lot of hikers $15 a night. That makes a big difference to someone on a budget.It rained most of today, so it feels great to get a shower, dinner and a few drinks. I'm skipping tonight's play, it's a musical!
Date: 2010-07-15
From: Boiling Springs

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 25.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Trying to get to Duncannon today, 25.7 miles. But first some freshly baked scones at the great local coffee shop. The first half of the trail is flat, through woods and meadows, but all good things come to an end. It gets a little hilly and quite rocky.I make it to the infamous Doyle Hotel around six, and am greeted by some friends holding big glasses of beer. Forget the shower, first a few beers, a BBQ sandwich and a burger!While Boiling Springs was a picturesque, pretty, yuppified little town, Duncannon is one of those tired, worn out looking small blue collar towns where the manufacturing that once supported the area is long gone. The setting is beautiful, the large Susquehanna river and surrounding forested mountains make it look like a little resort town from a distance. The AT runs through the middle of town, right by the Doyle hotel. The large 4 story building, gone to seed, shows remnants of its past grandeur in the large staircase, beautiful but worn out woodwork, intricate tin ceilings and large first floor balcony, now leaning precariously.I'm just reading a novel by Buchowski (Factotum) in which the hard drinking protagonist, an aspiring writer, moves from town to town, taking and leaving jobs, staying in boarding houses and hotels. I feel transported into the setting of this book, and can imagine the character staying in this hotel, drinking in the downstairs bar, and working a crappy job down the street.
Date: 2010-07-16
From: Duncannon

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

Late start from Duncannon. Twelve miles was good enough today. This is a nice shelter with the next one 18 miles further. Nice to have an early evening for once, I've been coming in at dusk too many times. Another hiker, Buck, was already at the shelter, and later Cricket showed up with her three brothers who are joining her for a few days. A story I heard a few weeks ago. Way back at the Watauga shelter in Tennessee, they had a trouble bear. He was getting into hikers' food and couldn't be scared away. One hiker didn't think he needed the bear cables (used to suspend food bags high off the ground). So he got in his tent with all his food. The bear showed up that night, thought the tent was a large food bag, and just grabbed it and dragged it down the hill, the hiker still inside. Luckily for the hiker he gave up, and nobody got hurt.
Date: 2010-07-17
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: clear sky

At the Doyle I was sitting at the bar when the bartender got a call. Trailmagic at Rausch Gap on Saturday, he told me. So today that was all I could think about. Sure enough, when I got to the gap, there were a bunch of people cooking food. They called me over, sat me down in a comfortable camping chair and brought me beers, hot dogs, burgers, sauteed vegetables, ham steak and more beer, and a little wine. Great people, they all work together as geologists, and are planning to do this every year. Later Buck showed up, got the same treatment, and then Cricket with her three brothers. The poor guys had done 18 miles on a rocky trail on their second day out and looked more than ready for a beer.When it got dark I left, satisfied and happy, and looked for a camping spot near the creek.
Date: 2010-07-18
From: Rausch Gap

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I get on the way and after a few miles see a sign: Trail magic at road 443 on Sunday 7/18. That's today! I hurry and find a guy ready to cook me anything I want. I get a few bagels with egg and cheese and hashbrowns. The guy, JZ has done 1 AT thru hike, 1 Continental Divide thru hike and 3 Pacific Crest Trail (about 2700 miles in the rocky mountains from Mexico to Canada) thru hikes. I looked through one of his albums of the PCT hike. I'm ready to do that one. But it won't be anytime soon!JZ does this all the time on the weekend. Just sets up and feeds hikers.When I get to the shelter I hear that Buck woke up this morning with an unexpected guest in his tent. He looked out his mosquito netting in the eyes of a big rattlesnake looking in. What a way to wake up!
Date: 2010-07-19
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

We've been catching up with people we've seen in the shelter logs for weeks, and haven't met anyone who started near our starting time in a long time. But yesterday we met Tabasco, a young Colby (univ in Maine) student who started on the 23d of May. He hasn't taken any days off, looks fresh as a daisy and can outeat even me. He told us a few days ago he was hiking with Pale Blue Dot, our friend we've been expecting to catch up with us. It turns out he broke his wrist, slipping on a rock. We haven't heard from him and want to hear how he's doing. It looks like we've lost another good friend to the trail. Maybe he'll manage to continue. Today ends in Port Clinton. All day we're looking forward to a good dinner, but when we get there it turns out that everything's closed on Monday and the outfitter's out of business. This town is just a small collection of worn out houses between a busy road and a creek. They do let hikers stay at a pavillion for free, so that's where we'll sleep. A nice local woman, Laverne, drives the 4 of us to a nearby town to get dinner and a beer to celebrate crossing the 1200 mile barrier, and comes back to pick us up. We can give a donation that she'll give to her church.
Date: 2010-07-20
From: Port Clinton

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Had breakfast, a big platter for four (Cricket, Tabasco, Hobo and I), with every breakfast item they have, at a great little diner in Port Clinton and started a day short in miles, but hard hiking. The rocks are getting worse. Not that they ever were good, but there are more miles of them.The shelter we arrive at is very nice. There is running water and even a shower. Refreshing after a hard dsy.
Date: 2010-07-21
From: Eckville Shelter

To: George Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: few clouds

Got up early for another hard rocky day. Looking forward to the end of Pennsylvania. Water's been hard to come by, and it's hot and humid. Got caught in a late day rainstorm which was very refreshing. Got in late, cooked, ate and went to sleep.
Date: 2010-07-22
From: George Outerbridge Shelter

To: Leroy A. Smith shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: broken clouds

With the occasional thunderstorms I've lately been staying in the shelters a little more often. The next shelter is 16.7 miles up, the one after that 30.5 miles. So it'll be a 16 mile day today. After a steep descent we get a great rocky scramble up a slope that looks like a mountain made of rocks and boulders. A lot of fun, using hands and feet to get to the top. This area is a Superfund site, a hundred years of zinc smelting has deforested the ridge, which is now in the process of being restored. There are great bushes of ripe wine-berries along the trail, and I notice nobody's been picking them. Everyone has the same thought: they might be contaminated with zinc. I didn't eat any either, better safe than sorry..
Date: 2010-07-23
From: Leroy A. Smith shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The last day in Pennsylvania!! I get up around 5:30, pack up, eat a snack bar and get moving by 6. Sit down to cook breakfast (coffee and oatmeal) after about 6 miles, and hike the next 15 without stopping. This is probably the rockiest day we've had, but having a town, shower and food at the end of the road always adds a little energy.The hostel tonight is donation based and run by the friendly local Presbyterian church. There's a bakery in town, but you don't need to go, I've eaten everything they have...Here's my summary of Pennsylvania:Best trail magic (for me).Most disappointing trail magic (empty containers, already finished by previous hikers)Easiest, flattest trailsHardest, rockiest trailsLeast water sourcesMost water spigots at trailside motels or restaurants to refill bottles.And now it's over, into New Jersey tomorrow!
Date: 2010-07-24
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Four years ago today my father passed away. I keep on thinking how he would have enjoyed reading this journal, tracing my every footstep from Georgia to Maine. He's with me in my thoughts.The usual late start after another visit to the excellent bakery and a final burger at the diner before taking off around 1pm. It's a very hot and humid day today, high 90's. Add to that going uphill for a while, the very rocky trail, and by the time I get to the Mohican Outdoor Center to pick up the food package Lee has mailed, I'm ready to call it a day. This is a nice place with bungalows tucked into the woods around a lake. The bungalows have bunk-rooms, a living room and a kitchen. First thing: swimming in the lake. On the way back a large rattlesnake is moving off the road and into the woods. It has the brown diamonds on a yellow/ochre skin and a bright white rattle; a very beautiful animal.At the bungalow a lady has brought a bunch of cookies and brownies to share, very good! Then Dave, our roommate, offers to drive us into town for a beer. I have to consider for about 0.1 seconds. We drive to a cute little town called Blairstown and have a very pleasant evening at the local pub.
Date: 2010-07-25
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: light rain

This morning I see a baby bear scampering down a tree, agile as a monkey, and then scurrying off, probably to tell its mother about the two-legged creature with the big sandwich bag on its back.Someone had told us the rocks ended in New Jersey. Not yet, they end about 40 miles into NJ. So tomorrow the trail will get easier.This apparently is the most industrialized state in the country, but you can't tell from here. The views are beautiful, lakes, streams and forests all around us, and we haven't been around this many bears since Shenandoah. Every shelter has a steel bear-proof box to put our food in.Two guys we know had to move to a different spot yesterday after a bear kept on showing up while they were eating. They couldn't chase it away. Yelling, throwing rocks, and even one guy playing his harmonica (really) wouldn't deter the bear.
Date: 2010-07-26
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: The Mayor's house
Miles today: 20.1

Starting early today. There are a few kids with their counselors camping here and we get out before they get up. The counselors are from England and Poland, and came here on a similar type of exchange program as I did about 25 years ago. Some of the kids I hike with weren't even born yet. Sometimes it hits me how much older I am than some of my friends here, but then a 70 year old shows up to make me feel young again.The sky is blue, the scenery beautiful, and it is a good hiking day. By late afternoon I get to the General Store in Unionville, Cricket is already there and so is Terrapin, I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks. This is the pick-up site for our ride to 'the Mayor's house'. The 71 year old ex-mayor of Unionville has made his house available to hikers since 2007. They've been host to a couple of thousand hikers since then. He wasn't there, I think he stays at his girlfriend's house. A guy named Butch, a loud, hard-drinking drill-sergeant type of a guy with his heart in the right place, runs the show. The kitchen is the jealously guarded domain of Bill, an 81 year old hard-working grouch who was rescued from an old folk's home. He does all the cooking and dishwashing. Every hiker gets a free dinner and breakfast and a free first beer (the rest are $0.50 each). The house is full of hikers, some sleep in the basement, some camp in the yard. Moss is there, we hadn't seen her in a while. She's in high spirits, ready for a trip to NY the next day. The 'geriatrics' arrive a little after us. They're a group of three guys, two of them around 70, who are slackpacking the trail. They have a driver in a minivan following them all the way up. One of them, 'Loon', had given us a ride before from the trailhead to the Mohican outdoor center two days before. Earlier that day I'd met the other ones 'Seldom Seen' (after an Ed Abbey character) and 'Eastwind' who's turning 71 and walks about the same speed as me.