morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-06-17
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: David Lesser Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: moderate rain

Phrase of the Day: "Virginia, kiss my grits"Had a great night at teh shelter talking to Pound Hound and Garage Man. Turns out that they are both ex Army. Pound Hound was one of the first women who were part of the regular Army instead of being a WAC back in 1974. She was also in the first group of women to do basic training at Fort Jackson, SC. I arrived at the same post for basic 6 years later and the army had changed enormously in those years. Pretty cool.Woke up at 3:30 and it just started to rain. And, of course it has been raining every since. It was apropos that my last day in Virginia was hellish. It has been raining with gale force winds and fog all day. We finished the roller coaster and it wasn't that bad. Just the rain made it even more fun than I am sure it normally is. Roller coasters are never fun in the rain. We passed into West Virginia about 11 am. The landscape today was pretty eerie. There seemed to be a pink glow. The fog was really thick and the light was hitting all of this pink granite or gneis (can't remember from geology class), but it gave everything a glow. Pretty weird.We are at a pretty nice shelter tonight, but the front is totally exposed. The wind is blowing the rain in - not a pretty sight. Garage Man hung his and Pound Hounds tarps (they both are hammock hangers) up in front of the shelter. It is really helping to keep the rain from getting us even more soaked than we already are. I am really jealous of Birdsongs boots. She has a pair of LL Bean boots and her feet are totally dry. Mine on the other hand are totally soaked and have been since an hour into the hike. Plus, I just noticed that I have worn through spots on my heels. I should have had the SQ send my other boots - too late now. We'll see. Let's pray for sun tomorrow.It is so good to be finished with VA. One long hard state. A few things that I loved though - the ponies at Grayson, the Shens, Damascus and all of the mountain laurel, azaleas, and Rhodies.   But, there was a whole lot more that I could do without.Milestones:661.7   Trip Miles1451.7 Total Miles535   Virginia Miles$2.95   Found MoneyAnd, best of all 9 states completed.
Date: 2009-06-18
From: David Lesser Shelter

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We were up and hiking by 7 today. We wanted to wait until it had stopped raining, plus it was going to be a very short day.We arrived in Harpers Ferry around 11 am. Went to the ATC and had our pictures taken and went over to the outfitters.   Walked down into town a little and had a great lunch at a deli.Finally made our way to the motel at 1 and got cleaned up. We set everything out to try to get it to dry. More rain in the forcaste for tomorrow.My friend Elaine came and got us at 3:30. It was great to see her. She took us to Wally world to resupply and then to her home. Very nice.Had dinner, did laundry and just visited. It was really nice to see her. We couldn't really remember the last time we saw each other - a few years at least. Wish we had more time to visit, but home is calling me.   We will technically finish West VA tomorrow and move into Maryland which should only be two days.   Neither of us are up to the 4 state challenge. Maybe the next time. NOT.Lots of friends are here in town. Garage Man and Pound Hound, Bluegrass, I heard that the Tag Team was here and we ran into firecracker at the ATC. She ended up falling and breaking her arm in the Shens. Took days off, but will continue to hike. I don't know if I could do it.
Date: 2009-06-19
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Phrase of the Day: "Welcome to Maryland"Had a great breakfast at the Comfort Inn. Had one of those waffle makers - sweet. I just love homemade waffles. I've never had a bad stay at a Comfort Inn. We hit the trail by 7. The terrain was pretty easy coming out of Harpers. Pretty flat along the C&O Canal. Basically, the first 5 miles were pretty cool and we cruised right along.The rest of the day was one big rocky road. I've decided I will never enjoy rocky road ice cream again after hiking the AT. There are way more rocks in Maryland than I expected. This is my 10th state - only 3 more to go. Wooo Hooo.We ate lunch at a pavilion at Gathland State Park. It had a lot of Civil War stuff including a great War Correspondent memorial. Harpers was really interesting also. I will definitely need to come back to do the whole history tour.The shelter we are at is a beauty. Has a deck and is a double decker. The floors are finished and are pretty amazing. I would love to build a shelter like this in my backyard. Just to hang out in. Lots of birds today - nuthatches, titmice, and there is even a nesting Carolina Wren at the shelter. We also heard a hawk calling which was pretty special. Haven't heard one hiking yet.I called the SQ - I am going to have her send me my other pair of boots. Not only are the heels totally worn through, but one boot is coming apart at the seams near the sole. The rain is taking a toll on the boot as well as the rocks. I don't think they will make it through PA, so better get the other pair as quickly as possible.Found another penny - up to $2.95
Date: 2009-06-20
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Wolfsville Rd
Miles today: 15.5

Phrase of the Day: "History"Had a great night at the shelter. Some old faces showed up - Goggle, Linus Cloudbuster, Ranger, Garage Man, and Pound Hound. Plus some new faces. Traveler (a Scotsman) doing a sobo. He did a nobo back in 87 and is now doing the sobo. He started in Hanover back in April. Can't imagine doing Vermont & Mass that early. He is going to Harpers tomorrow and will catch a train to Portland and then a bus up to near Katadin. He will then begin the sobo to Hanover. When he gets there he will get back on a bus/train and come back to Harpers. Another guy Swift (from ME) road his bike down to Key West and then back up to Springer and started his hike. Both are in their 50's.   The scot is in the middle of selling his business and is hiking while the lawyers and bean counters work out the deal.Also, a mother (60's) and daughter (40's) who started in Kent going North to Mass in April. Sounded like it didn't go well so somehow they got down to PA and here they are. They are going into Harpers and getting off to regroup.   Nice people, but one of them hasn't stopped talking since we got to the shelter. We were up and ready to hike by 6:15 and it started to pour. More fun than you can imagine. We put on our rain gear and headed out. I made a rain skirt from a garbage bag. Pretty stylish, but it is so much cooler than wearing the rain pants. We ran into a company of Confederate soldiers. They have been doing a re-enactment close by. Pretty cool. We stopped them and asked if we could get a picture. Probably not kosher, but how could we just let them walk by. I feel as bad for them to be in the rain in their outfits as I do us. Nasty.We then passed by the original Washington Monument. Of course it was foggy and rainy and we couldn't see anything. But, it was really a neat structure. Maryland is way more rocky than I would have expected. Even though I love all the historical aspects of the state - I rank it now as my 2nd least favorite state behind VA.Birdsong and I are now clean and dry at the Free State Hostel. Great Place. We are the only two here. It's too bad because it is a really nice clean place. We may even order a pizza. Yum.Found another penny - $2.96We saw a young buck early this afternoon. It had 2-3 inch fuzzy antlers. We got a really good look at him before he bolted.Happy Birthday to the SQ. We will celebrate when I get home.I weighed myself at the last hostel, but I wasn't sure it was accurate, so I did it again today. I am down to 120lbs. Yikes. I've lost 15lbs. Not too good. The good thing is that the trip is almost over.
Date: 2009-06-21
From: Wolfsville Rd

To: Antietam Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Phrase of the Day: "So Long Dixie"The hostel was pretty nice. Bare bones, but very comfortable. Nice and quiet. Swift was the only other person to come in. We had the whole place to ourselves. We ordered take out - we all went with lasagna instead of pizza. Good price and it tasted pretty good. We were up and hiking by 6:20 - made it back to the trail head by 6:35.The last 10 miles of Maryland were just like all the rest - all rocks.Started raining again right out of the chute. Oh well - what can you do.We made it to PenMar State park by 11:15 and had an early lunch. They had a concession stand, but it wasn't open yet. And, we didn't want to wait. Maybe tomorrow when we go through Caledonia State Park. I did get a soda to go with my lunch. Better than nothing and always a treat.We passed into Penn today. Yippee. No more hiking in Dixie. Officially done with the southern portion of the AT. The best part of all - only one more state to go on this trip. Today was hike naked day. And, we basically forgot. It wasn't until Linus Cloudbuster came into the shelter and said that he scared a few people that we realized we had missed all the fun. Now, that would have been a site. Me hiking topless.   We are at teh shelter with Garage Man and Pound Hound. We did a staged picture of them hiking naked that they emailed to friends and relatives. It was pretty funny.We hoped to yogi food today, but no such luck. I keep trying to tell Birdsong to get out there, that people like blondes. But, she is not buying it.Happy Father's day to the Southern Support Team.   THANKS DAD.Milestones:Trip Miles: 719.2Total Miles: 1509.2States done: 11States to go: 3Money found: $2.96
Date: 2009-06-22
From: Antietam Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Phase of the Day: "Chow Fest"The shelter was pretty close to a picnic/park area which was nice because we were able to get our water out of a faucet. There were lots of people coming and going by the shelter until after 6 because of the park. Everyone was very friendly.Some familiar faces stopped by the shelter - continueing on for the night. Toothpick, Pellet, Goggle, Fantasy Feet (hadn't seen him in a while), Linus Cloudbuster and a new person - Gozer. It was just us and Garage Man and Pound Hound in for the night.We had a really short day today - shortest non town day I have done in a long time or ever on this trip.We got up a little later, but were still hiking by 6:30.So far, I really like PA. I know the rocks are coming, but so far it is pretty nice. We had a couple of climbs today and a few rocky spots, but it was pretty managable.And, the best part - the sun is out. There is a breeze and very low humidity. Sweet.The first day my boot were dry the entire day in a long, long time. Good thing I asked the SQ to send my boots because they are really starting to fall apart. One boot - the leather is splitting from teh sole on both sides.Today we hiked through Caledonia State Park. Our goal was the concession stand. We did 11 miles by 11:15. Just in time for an early lunch. Started with a cheeseburg combo - fries and a drink. After that - I had another order of fries. They were the good real potato fries with vinegar. And, then a single scoop ice cream cone. I could have stayed and eaten more - I was starving, but we needed to get moving. We finally headed out around 12:45.The shelter was only about +2 miles. It is a great shelter. Actually, 2 shelters together with a covered patio area. There are hanging flower baskets all over and a little brook in the front.   The maintainer really takes care of the place. It was one of the nicest shelters I have been in.I almost fell today and in the process strained my left cheek muscle. I started to fall on rocks and couldn't get my hand out of my pole and trying to keep myself up - I pulled my cheek muscle. Ouch.When I got to the shelter I turned my phone on and it rang. I didn't know the number, but answered it. It was the postmaster from the Gardners PA postoffice. He wanted to know when I would be arriving at the hostel because he had a package to deliver and wanted to know if he needed to have someone bring it out today. I told him I would be arriving tomorrow. Cool that he called, but the SQ paid extra to have it delivered today.   I feel like I should hike some more, but it is nice to just sit and relax.I know that it is still early in PA, but so far I really like it.
Date: 2009-06-24
From: Pine Grove Furnace

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: clear sky

Rusty offered to let us slack pack to Boiling Springs and we jumped at the chance. My new boots would be eased in with no pack. And, both Birdsong and my knees are hurting.Rusty made us a great breakfast - she brought the guys to Boiling Springs and Hijack brought us back to Pine Grove.Rusty was also going to do the same hike - but starting from her house (5 miles from the park).The day went well. We ran into Garage Man and Pound Hound. They are going to come back with us to Rusty's. Cool beans.We did the hike in great time - started around 7:30 and got there by 3:15. We sat around the ATC regional headquarters until the others showed up and Hijack came to get us. Had dinner in town. Nice place, but not really hiker friendly.The hike was pretty easy - some small climbs and we did some walking thru corn fields. All in all a great day.
Date: 2009-06-25
From: Boiling Springs

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: broken clouds

Rusty served us another great breakfast and had us back to Boiling Springs before 8. Today was pretty much 12 miles of walking through cornfields and farm land. Pretty easy going. The last 2 miles to the shelter was a pretty good climb, but well graded.Pretty hot and humid today. We made it to the shelter by 2. So, all in all it wasn't a bad day.My pack felt really heavy this AM. I think because of the weight lose it is not sitting the same on my hips. But, after a while I don't seem to notice it as much. I will be heading into Duncannon tomorrow for my last zero day. Yippee.My knees and feet have been sore the past few days. Probably because the change in boots, so a day off will feel good.Birdsong is having troubles with her knee and will probably be getting off. Pound Hound is having issues with her ankle and may be getting off also.Sad, but they need to do what works and is good for them. We will see how it plays out.Saw another scarlet tanager today - spectacular.
Date: 2009-06-26
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: light rain

Pretty hot and sticky all night in the shelter and the bugs were really bad. First time in a long time that the bugs were bad. Not fun especially when you can't cover your head because of the heat.Ace, Desert Fox, Fire Bug, Fantasy Feet, Garage Man are here with us at the shelter. Most are tenting or hanging. Me, Birdsong, and Fantasy Feet have the shelter to ourselves. Pound Hound actually got off the trail today. She just couldn't walk anymore. She called the ATC office and got a ride into Duncannon. We were up and hiking by 5:50. Very humid even that early. And, the bugs were flying in our eyes and attacking us. Gnatts and Sceeters. There is a big hiker shindig in town and I really want a room versus having to camp. And, the Doyle doesn't take reservations. It is a first come - first serve kind of deal. And, they open at 11.   So, we wanted to make sure we were there when they opened.Quite a few long climbs and a lot of rocks on the trail today. Had one good view of the river and of the town, but not much else. We made great time and got into town around 10:15.Pound Hound was waiting on the balcony of the Doyle for Garage Man and was our welcoming committee.The Doyle is a trip. 100+ year old hotel. Let's just say it has seen better days. Got a room, but they don't have air and it is a scorcher today. But, they do have a fan and I can open all the windows in the room. Wooo Hooo.I am hoping that a storm comes through to cool everything off.Birdsong found a dime today on the trail to add to our findings.She has decided to leave the trail. I am sad because it was nice to hike with her. And, because now I will be hiking alone. I missed the rugged shark by one day. He pulled out of town today. He left me a really nice note and let me know that Pyrite is off the trail for good. Too bad.The Pound Hound is also getting off. She will be flying back to AK on Monday. I am really going to miss them both. They were lots of fun and made the shelters great. I may just try to keep hiking with the Garage Man.Doing town stuff today. Pat (one of the owners of the Doyle) gave me and Garage Man a ride to the market and brought us back. Very good.   The Doyle proprietors really take care of the hikers. It may not be pretty, but they are great people.I ran up to the hiker feast today and had a burrito. We will be heading over there in the AM for breakfast, and more food all day. Picked a great day to take a zero.
Date: 2009-06-27
From: Duncannon

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Phrase of the Day: "The Plan"My night at the Doyle, pardon my french, sucked. The guy in the next room has been here for 10 days and is part of the group of volunteers that are doing the hiker feast. A group of people were in his room boozing and BSing until at least 2am. Not really conducive to a good nights sleep. I was glad that I was not hiking today. I am going to see if I can move rooms. I ran into him this morning and he apologized. I asked him about tonight and he said they would be back again tonight.The weather is much nicer and cooler today. I had a great morning - up and out by 7. I went and got a green mtn coffee and sat on the balcony of the luxurious Doyle Hotel. I haven't had a good cup of coffee in a long while - it was great.I'm working on "the plan". My goal is to be in Port Clinton in 4 days (weds) and then to be in Delaware Water Gap in another 4 days (sun). I want to be finished by July 5th. A couple of big mile days, but nothing that I can't handle. I have bounced a box of good ahead to Port Clinton so that I do not have to worry about resupplying. I also sent another box home. It contains anything that I haven't used in 7 days. Lightened my load as much as I can.Got a new room on a different floor. The room is way nicer than the other room. Sweet.Went up to the hiker feast to have breakfast. Had something called a "Bacon Explosion". Think turducken with pork product. Heart clogging I am sure, but it sure was tasty.Saw lots of hikers that I hadn't seen for a while - some are still behind, but hitched to get up here.   The best was a guy named TDS that I hiked with in 2007. It was really cool to see him up and about since his accident. No plans for the rest of the day. Moving out in the am.Milestones:Trip Miles : 794.9 - the trip has finally surpassed all the other trip miles.Total Miles: 1584.9Total $ found: $3.06
Date: 2009-06-28
From: Duncannon

To: Peter Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

Phrase of the Day: "Birdzilla"The rest of my day was pretty relaxing. Almost as relaxing as the day I spent at the Dutch Haus. My new room was sweet. Quiet and oh, so much cleaner. Felt more like a college dorm room than a room in an old seedy hotel.Had dinner at the Doyle again. The food is actually really good. Garage Man & Pound Hound had visitors from NJ, so I was able to enjoy dinner with them and have actual conversation outside of hiking. It was quite enjoyable.Garage Man, Pound Hound, and I were at breakfast for 6 and hiking by 6:50. Goodbye Pound Hound.Today is my last short day of the trip. Should have stayed in town a bit longer today, but I can never seem to do that. Being in town or sitting around kills me. Just like these short days kill me. Easy on the body, but oh so hard mentally. I always feel like I could be moving up the trail instead of sitting around. It is a short day becasue there didn't seem to really be anywhere to camp that would make the other days shorter. So, we are hitting the first shelter out of town.Leaving town today felt great. My pack felt great. I probably am not carrying enough calories, but it sure feels good. Sending home the extra stuff really seems to have made a difference in the weight. Crossing the Clark Ferry Bridge today was a trip. So, many spider webs. I have had it happen on the trail when I am the first person out there in the morning, but never like this. My poles and I were covered from breaking the webs. It actually reminded me of silly string. Lots of spiders too. As I was crossing the river, I spied a snowy egret on the shore. I am pretty sure it was a snowy by the size, but I didn't get a look at the feet to confirm it.Ran into a crazy turkey that I dubbed "birdzilla". It was a tom and he was running around all crazy like. I flushed him out of the brush on the side of the trail and he ran across the trail then up the side and he just kept crossing the trail and running. Usually, they will run off to the side and disappear, but he just kept coming back to the trail. It was pretty humorous.Later, I flushed out three more and a bunch of chicks.I saw my first black snake today. It was about three to four feet long. It was stretched across the trail and I almost stepped on it. I wasn't quick enough getting my camera out, so I missed getting it's picture. Bummer.Saw some indigo buntings and a couple of yellow warblers.Finished really early and now it is raining. Having it start to rain helps with the mental part. Since I hate hiking in the rain it makes me feel ok about stopping early.I miss the Pound Hound and Birdsong especially conversing with them at the shelter. Found another penny.
Date: 2009-06-29
From: Peter Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Phrase of the Day: "Berry, Berry good to me"The shelter was like a weigh station last evening. Lots of hikers passed through, but hardly anyone stayed. Salty and Startrek came through first. Ate snacks and moved on. Then a group of middle aged guys who are doing PA as a section came through. One of the guys is apparently having a mid-life crisis and talked his friends into hiking. They are doing six 4-day weekend hikes. Finally, a group that calls themselves Electric Mayhem came in to eat snacks. They were slack-packing back to Duncannon. The group includes the Wampus Cat, Zen, Daddy Longlegs and others. It ended up being Garage Man, Fidget, Mudslide, Pudgie Pie and myself.The shelter is a really nice shelter. Double decker with a deck and a roof covering the deck. One of the nicer ones that I have been in.Today was spectacular. It rained last night, but had stopped by the time that I was up and hiking (6:10). Blue sky, sun, a great breeze and great temps. Perfect hiking weather.I stopped, picked, and ate lots of black raspberries. They were clean and oh so sweet. Today was 17.5 pretty easy miles. Had a climb that was long, but graded perfectly. You hardly knew you were climbing.The best part of the day was the birds. Just incredible. I think I can add a bird to my life list - I saw numerous hooded warblers. I may have seen one in Cape May, but I am not sure. I need to check the actual list. But, it was so cool. I saw at least a dozen of them. I also saw a couple of pileated, ovenbirds, chestnut sided, black throated blue, scarlet tanger. It was just so incredible. Had I had binoculars it would have been even more spectacular.At this point I have hiked 7 days in PA for a total of 111.8 miles and it really has been great. Got 6 more days to go for a total of 117 miles.Found a quarter today.   Up to $3.32.