morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Waynesboro YMCA Campground

To: Waynesboro YMCA Campground
Miles today: 0.0

Here¢s the plan I hope to pull off tomorrow. Dad wants to hike Shenandoah next week with me after picking me up from Trail Days, so I¢m hoping to catch a ride up to Harper¢s Ferry tomorrow. I¢ll hike south from there for the next five days, leaving a good length of the park for Dad and me to do together. It¢s a bit more complicated than hiking should be, but I think it¢s the best thing for me to do right now. In addition to allowing Dad to do what he wants to, I¢ll also hopefully be able to see all the folks I was hiking with before my days off in Blacksburg. I always see their names in shelter registries and miss them a lot. Java, Grunt, Dimples, A-Train, Flick, Subman, Dean, Tennessee, Pop Tart, Red¢¦ I can¢t wait to see their faces when they see me coming south.         I¢m finally in with a good crowd again here, though, the night at Maupin Field was the first time in a while that I was in a full shelter. And last night here at the campground we had a large crowd. Most of them are gone tonight, though, either back on the trail or seeing friends off the trail. I hope to be able to catch them again when I get back to Harper¢s Ferry after hiking with Dad.
Date: 2003-05-10
From: Waynesboro YMCA Campground

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: light rain

This morning I woke up to the sound of thunder. By 7am there was a raging thunderstorm outside. It has been so muggy outside for the past several days that everything is kind of sickly damp, and nothing dries out. I hear that whatever weather system this is bringing up all the moisture will break in a couple of days, and I really hope that¢s true. It will be nice to put on a shirt in the morning that doesn¢t stick to my skin.         I didn¢t quite get up to Harper¢s Ferry today, but got a ride far enough to accomplish what I wanted. This morning a guy from Waynesboro bought me breakfast and gave me a ride to the Greyhound station in Verona (near Staunton), where I got there just in time to catch the bus I wanted. I was with this trail angel all morning, and right now I can¢t even remember his name. I¢m feeling a little guilty for that right now. I think that I¢ve been pretty good about remembering names on this trip of people who helped me, but not this one. Anyway, I caught the trail again this afternoon at Snicker¢s Gap, in Northern Va, where highway 7 crosses the trail. About a half mile south I went in to Bear¢s Den Hostel where I saw Subman and Journeyman and talked with them a while. Then I went on to this shelter where I found Grunt, A-train, Squirts, Moxie, Johnny Walker, and Shovel. Its been fantastic catching up with these guys, and I¢m looking forward to seeing even more of my early hiking buddies tomorrow.
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

Whoa, man! Was it humid today! It seriously had to have been around 99% humidity all day long. And somehow it just saps all my energy away. I really didn¢t feel much like hiking today, and in fact I took a hour and a half nap at a shelter about 7 miles into the hike. It didn¢t seem to help very much, either.I did get to see some more of my old hiking mates today. Both Flick (who I haven¢t seen since Kincorra, I think) and Pop Tart were on the trail, and I spoke with them for a while. It¢s not easy saying goodbye to them since I¢m not sure I¢ll ever see them again. Who knows what might happen though. I expect to see Red Tomorrow, and Java and Dimples sometime in the next couple of days.Flick told me he saw a weather forecast this morning for severe t-storms tonight. I¢m in the shelter, so I¢m not worried about getting wet. But if they come through, I hope they take some of the humidity away with them.
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This is more like it. The big nasty t-storm I was worried about never came through, but the weather sure has changed just the same. It was nice and cool and dry all day long, perfect Spring hiking weather. Where yesterday I was totally beat after 16 miles, today¢s 18 felt like hardly anything at all. My only complaint is that there weren¢t many views. The ¢Green Tunnel¢ effect is in full force with all the leaves now on the trees.I saw a few more old hiking companions today. Eggman, Shifty, Java, and Canoli. Canoli had his alcohol stove blow up on him in Shenandoah somewhere and had nasty burns on his right hand and face. His beard is coming back and his face is healing fine, but his hand was still totally wrapped in bandages.I just tried a morel mushroom for the first time. Rise¢N Shine brought one into the shelter from the trail and fried it in olive oil. I¢m not sure I¢m a big fan of the taste, but that¢s probably a good thing since they cost like two or three bucks a pop in the grocery stores.
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Pass Mtn Hut
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Long day today, but so far everything I¢ve heard about Shenandoah is true. The trail is pretty easy and well graded, and I had a large late afternoon meal at the Elkwallow Wayside. I had a bacon cheeseburger with fries and drink, and afterwards, even though I knew I needed to get hiking so I could make the shelter before dark, I couldn¢t resist ordering a chocolate milkshake. The thing was super thick and super cold. I downed about 20 fluid ounces of it in under five minutes, causing what must have been the single worst brain freeze ever documented. Ugh! But it sure was tasty.It looks like I¢m going to be headed down towards Damascus for Trail Days tomorrow. There¢s a southbound section hiker in the shelter tonight who has a car about 14 miles from here and says he¢s headed in that direction tomorrow. I was starting to get a bit anxious about finding a ride down there as the time draws nearer, but this might work out for me.
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Damascus, VA Trail Days

To: Damascus, VA Trail Days
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I made it down to Damascus yesterday after catching a ride out of Hawksbill Gap in Shenandoah. The five-hour car ride drove home to me how far I¢ve hiked. Sometimes walking can feel so slow, and I don¢t feel like I¢m getting anywhere. But five hours by car is a long distance, and that doesn¢t even include Tennessee, N.C., and Georgia.So now I¢m at Trail Days surrounded by a mass of hikers, and it¢s only going to get bigger tomorrow and Saturday. It¢s rather like a large music festival only instead of music we listen to people¢s hiking stories from the past.
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Damascus, VA Trail Days

To: Calf Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Wow, Trail Days. What can I say about Trail Days? A weekend of gorging on food, checking out all kinds of outdoor gear, listening to live music, beer is flowing like the South River outside of town, and everybody is your friend. People growing up during the era may disagree, but the atmosphere of Trail Days is about what I imagine it was like at Woodstock.But that¢s over now, and I¢m back on the trail heading north again. My Dad came to pick me up yesterday, and we stopped by the Homeplace on our way up to Waynesboro to gorge once again. I¢m curious how many wonderful pounds I gained this weekend with my gluttony. Today, though, my stomach is feeling a little strange, and I have to wonder if it has anything to do with eating so much. At one point a couple of hours ago I felt like I was about to throw up. Hopefully, I¢ll feel better in the morning. I¢d hate to ruin Dad¢s week out with me feeling crappy. So far he seems to be digging it and talking to all the folks at the shelter tonight.
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Calf Mtn Shelter

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

I¢m sitting here thinking about what to write, but realizing my mind has been empty all day long. It seems like I haven¢t thought about anything at all today. My mind is clear. I¢m on a path to Nirvana¢¦. Whatever.Physically I felt a lot better today after getting a solid night¢s sleep last night. I had a lot more energy today too, and probably would have easily pulled a 20 if Dad wasn¢t here. I have to give him credit, though. Thirteen is a big day for someone who just got out yesterday. I remember my first 10+ day on this hike and how destroyed I felt afterwards. The best part is he didn¢t complain at all, just took breaks when he needed them. I think he¢s pretty proud of his thirteen and has a right to be. Give him a few weeks out here and he¢d be pulling 20¢s over this terrain as well.
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: moderate rain

Today Dad and I got a full taste of the National Park system. Camp stores, laundry, showers, grills, and rain. Seems that the same weather that hit early on in the Smokies has come back to haunt me in the Shenandoah¢s. We passed a number of great viewpoints, but had zero views. We did have food, though, so it wasn¢t a bad day. I bought some Triscuits and Easy Cheese at the Loft Mtn. Campstore, and then Dad sprang for some cheeseburgers at the Wayside (everything of course way overpriced, but worth it).We¢re in a crowd of hikers right now. I hope it breaks up soon. Crowded shelters on wet days aren¢t much fun.
Date: 2003-05-22
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I was worried beforehand that there would be some days with miserable weather while Dad was out here, and that he would get bored without any views. As long as I¢m not physically uncomfortable (i.e. cold and wet), I can retreat into my mind and be perfectly happy on such days. Well, we¢ve had two of them in a row now, and Dad is thankfully still in good spirits. The weather forecast for the next several days is for more crap, so we¢ll see how long the mood holds out (both for him and me). It¢s times like this that make us realize even more how important it is to be around good people, that the quality of the day often depends on it.I¢m really enjoying my time out here with Dad, though I¢m starting to wish our paces were more similar. I¢ve got an itch right now to do a 20 mile day, but I know there is no way he could handle that. It¢s a good thing for me that I don¢t have a full time hiking partner for this hike. My mood and desire to do miles changes so often, I don¢t think I could ever match paces with someone else for an extended time without getting ornery. A week with Dad is good, but any longer wouldn¢t be. Nothing personal.
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Hightop Hut

To: Bearfence Hut
Miles today: 12.6

I remember the evening way back at the Icewater Springs Shelter, just north of Newfound Gap in the Smokies. It was a fairly crowded shelter that night, and right about the time the sun was setting everybody stepped outside and looked up. After several days of viewless, damp, generally crappy weather, the clouds suddenly broke, and there was a hope for a good day in the morning. Boy, I sure could use a moment like that right now.It rained pretty much all day. For lunch, Dad, Oly (pronounce Oh-lee), and I stopped in the men¢s restroom at the South River picnic area and sat down right on the floor, since in was the only dry place for miles. It was clean and fresh smelling, not like the shelter privies, so it was actually a quite pleasant place to stop. There was mention in the shelter register here that a few days ago someone actually stopped by the women¢s room for a nap.Next stop for us was the Lewis Mtn. Camp Store to use the laundry drier and buy some edible goodies. From there it was less that a mile to this shelter, so our clothes are actually relatively dry tonight. Except for my socks, which have a very fowl odor after several straight days of being wet.When speaking of weather forecasts, the talk has turned from speaking in terms of ¢chance of rain¢ to ¢chance of sunshine.¢ Oh, but to see the sun again!
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Bearfence Hut

To: Big Meadows Lodge
Miles today: 7.8

It was a get up late, hike slow, take it easy, stop and smell the azaleas kind of day. And the weather decided at times to go along with it. Dad, Oly and I actually saw the sun for the first time in days, though the sky took a while to clear up. Even after it did it was very hazy from all the moisture on the ground evaporating. So the views weren¢t spectacular, but we were all just ecstatic just to see something. Now I¢m in a nice, comfortable hotel room with a full stomach, all courtesy of Dad (no small gesture since everything at Big Meadows is very overpriced). Oh, and the sunset was spectacular with the remaining clouds and haze combining to give a rainbow of pastels. I wish I had my camera with me at the time, but a picture may not have come out right.Tomorrow I finish Shenandoah and skip back to Snickers Gap again. So close to 1,000 miles and Harpers Ferry, some bigtime milestones!
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Big Meadows Lodge

To: House in New Market, VA
Miles today: 5.0

I¢m excited. I could reflect on my hike with Dad tonight, but my mind is too busy thinking about the future. Tomorrow I head into Harpers Ferry, home of the Appalachian Trail Conference, on the border of a new state, psychological halfway point on the trail, and just a major, major milestone. And about eight miles before I get there, I cross 1,000 miles since Springer. Yep, tomorrow¢s a big day. A big, big day.Today was big too, so I guess I should write something about it. I completed the trail through Shenandoah at Hawksbill Gap, Dad completed his hike with me, and we were picked up by my uncle, Noel, whom I haven¢t seen in I think at least ten years. He drove out from the D.C. area to give Dad and I a ride back to the car in Waynesboro. Dad left from there heading back to Nashville, and my uncle and I drove to a friend of his¢ house in New Market, VA. We are staying the night here and leaving early tomorrow to get me back on the trail.
Date: 2003-05-26
From: House in New Market, VA

To: David Lesser Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I know I said I was all excited about hitting Harper¢s Ferry today, but that¢s the beauty of being out on the AT, I can change my mind. Not that I¢m not still excited, I just wasn¢t feeling the miles today. Didn¢t feel like going twenty. When I got to the shelter this afternoon, I figured the pace I was going would bring me to town late in the evening. Since my hammock was mailed to the Outfitter there, I gave up my tarp to Dad when he left for home yesterday. So I don¢t have a shelter, and it was either stay here or go pay money for a room in town. And this is a nice spot, so I stayed. 1.4 miles from the thousand-mile mark, according to Wingfoot¢s book. Tomorrow I hope to get to Harper¢s Ferry by noon, crossing a thousand miles and leaving Virginia for good (I¢m on the VA/WV border right now) on the way. I hope tomorrow my rhythm comes back so I can do the big miles I want to. Lot¢s-a people up ahead a few days that I¢d like to catch.
Date: 2003-05-27
From: David Lesser Memorial Shelter

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I actually did it today. I actually passed through the big AT milestone of Harpers Ferry. I¢m the 136th northbound thru-hiker to do so this year. Go my picture taken and everything. Yee haw!The unexpected big news of the day is that I bought a new pack. My old Shasta has been through a lot with me, and it¢s showing some wear and tear. I had been noticing it pulling back on my shoulders more that it should, tiring them out quickly. When I got to town I examined the pack and noticed the stitching on one of the stays (the thing that gives the pack rigidity) had totally come out, and the other was about to go. I¢m sure Gregory (the pack manufacturer) will fix it for me, but that will take a while. So I let the lady at the outfitter talk me into buying a new pack that I¢d had my eyes on for a while. It¢s an Osprey Aether 60 (for all the gear-heads out there), pretty sleek and almost half the weight of the Shasta. New gear is so much fun, but so expensive.
Date: 2003-05-28
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Annapolis Rocks campsite 
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: light rain

Just when things seemed like they couldn¢t get any worse¢¦ they got better. This morning started off with rain, again. I gotta say, rain every now and then I can deal with, but this constant everyday stuff is getting to me.By the time I got to Gothland State Park, I just didn¢t want to go on. I waited in the restroom for a while, trying to dry out and motivate myself to walk farther. When I finally got moving again, the rain stopped. And the sky has been gradually clearing all day. And I had a great hike. The view from the Washington Monument was probably the best I¢ve seen in quite a while. I decided to push my luck and camp out tonight, so I¢m hoping it doesn¢t rain tonight. This is my first night during the thru-hike that I¢m using my hammock, which I had mailed to me at Harpers Ferry. I¢ve used it in storms before and stayed dry, but I just don¢t want to pack up a wet hammock in the morning. That and I¢m sick of rain.
Date: 2003-05-29
From: Annapolis Rocks campsite 

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, I¢m officially in the North, now. This evening I crossed the Mason Dixon line into Pennsylvania, shortly after being thoroughly doused and hailed upon by a thunderstorm. Aside from a few sprinkles early this morning before I got up, I thought today might actually be dry up until I started hearing thunder. I had a number of good views, starting off with Annapolis Rocks this morning. After breaking camp I sat up on the rocks and cooked breakfast and generally had a lazy morning. It was quite a wonderful way to start the day. Most of the rest of the day up until the storm was really quiet and uneventful. I did get to meet the Maryland ridgerunner and talk with her for a while (she¢s a talker to be sure). I met only a few other people, and no thru-hikers. I seem to be in a large gap between hikers right now. I¢m even at the shelter alone tonight, which is a first. Tomorrow if my mood allows I¢ll do another 20+ mile day to see if I can get closer to some folks.
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: few clouds

Quick entry tonight, ¢cause it¢s late. I¢ve hardly seen anybody hiking the past few days, so when I saw a crowd here at the shelter I had to talk as much as I could. The Pennsylvania PATC ridgerunner is here tonight. He¢s pretty fresh on the job, so I told him some about my experience, last year, maybe give him a little idea of what to expect. It took me a little while to get comfortable with the job last summer, and I imagine he is feeling the same way.Today was a great day for long miles. No rain and few clouds, a first in a long while. I hear, though, that the forecast for tomorrow isn¢t so good. Phooey. I¢ll just have to take my time eating my 12 gallon of ice cream tomorrow (a tradition when a thru-hiker reaches the 12 way point).
Date: 2003-05-31
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Tagg Run Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: light rain

My triumphant return to my section of trail. I did the nine plus miles into Pine Grove Furnace, the southern end of my section last year as a ridgerunner, pretty quickly this morning. And on the way I passed the 12 way point on the AT for this year. I¢ve gone a long way; still have a long way to go. The tradition some thru-hikers choose to take part of, or endure, if you will, to celebrate the 12 way point is the 12 gallon challenge. Simply put, you go to the Pine Grove Furnace Camp Store and buy a 12 gallon of Hershey¢s ice-cream and eat it. No time limit, it¢s not free if you finish it, all you get is pride and a wooden ice cream spoon that says ¢1/2 gallon club¢ on it.After watching many thru-hikers attempt it last year, I was rather excited to finally have the opportunity myself. I bought a carton of Hershey¢s Chocolate (gotta go with the simple flavors) and went at it. For me, the challenge wasn¢t in the quantity. For me, it was that the ice cream tasted terrible. I guess Hershey¢s ice cream doesn¢t quite compare to Ben and Jerry¢s. I finished it, though, in an hour and four minutes. And then washed it down with a cheeseburger to get the taste out of my mouth. So, with a really hefty stomach, I continued down the trail, trying to outrun an impending thunderstorm. I thought I could make it even when it started to drizzle and rain harder, but by the time I was within 2 miles of the shelter I was soaked.I¢m really getting sick of being wet all the time. If I hadn¢t been such an optimist I could have just stayed at the hostel in Pine Grove Furnace tonight. Then, to add insult to injury, the shelter was jam-packed with Boy Scouts when I got here. We have eight scouts and four thru-hikers packed into the shelter tonight sleeping shoulder to shoulder, every thing hanging up somewhere in hopes that it will dry just a little bit my morning (which it won¢t). So I don¢t know if today counts as a good day or bad day. It had its good parts, and it had its crappy parts. I don¢t know how much more of the being wet I can take, though.
Date: 2003-06-03
From: The Doyle, Duncannon, PA

To: Peter's Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.4

I¢ve been curious what it would be like to come back and hike this section again. As a ridgerunner this section became my pride and joy last summer, almost like a pet. There have been times the past couple of days that I really wished I was ridgerunning again instead of thru-hiking, which is kind of ironic because there were many times last year that I desperately wanted to be thru-hiking instead of ridgerunning.I got to stop at the Scott Farm Sunday night, the place that I lived on my days off. I arrived there (after a gorgeous evening hike through the Cumberland Valley) to find John, the caretaker, in his workshop. We started talking and it felt like I had never left. I stayed up pretty late catching up with John, Abigail and Nathan, and was too tired to write a journal entry when I went to bed. In the morning they all had to go to work, so I had the run of the place, just like old times. I was in no hurry to get out since it was only about 14 miles to Duncannon, so I took a shower and did laundry. It was near 11:00 before I finally left, and for once the skies were mostly clear. What a novelty to not have to think about whether or not I should get out my jacket and pack cover.So last night I stayed at the infamous Doyle Hotel in Duncannon. This is a very old, very run down hotel right on the trail, and it¢s just as much a trail tradition to stay there a night as it is to eat a 12 gallon of ice cream. When I got there I saw only one other hiker looking person, Beast of Burden, a Southbounder. We ended up sharing a room for the night and hanging out with some of the local folks. Duncannon is a very blue collar town. Get these folks drunk at the bar (which has very cheap Yuengling on tap, by the way) and you¢ll have an interesting night. I¢m not going to describe it because it doesn¢t all belong on a public website.Today was the same old story of hiking in rain, so I¢m not going to write much about that, either. It¢s been raining steadily since about 10:30 this morning and this afternoon the bottom dropped out of the temperature. Hard to believe it¢s June out here.
Date: 2003-06-04
From: Peter's Mtn Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Don¢t really have much to talk about tonight. The day started out cold (especially for June) and rainy, and I waited it out in the shelter. The rain stopped about 10:30, and I got going. It was really kind of a dull hike, I thought. The mountains were in the clouds, so no views. There was only one really significant descent and ascent. Nobody else on the trail except the folks at the shelter last night (El Dude, Dumpy, Shoreman, Valley Girl and his dad), and of them only Shoreman is here at the shelter tonight. I did leave my section of trail from last summer. From here on out, there aren¢t any sections of trail left that I have hiked. It¢s all new.