morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-27
From: Harper's Ferry, West Va.

To: Turner's Gap
Miles today: 17.5

Do you ever wake up early in anticipation of what will happen during the day? Well, that was this morning for me. Susan was meeting me in Maryland and as usual I couldn't wait to see her. First I had one last errand to run in Harper's Ferry. I needed to check on a package at the post office. So off I go up the hill to the business district. About a mile later I find out the package is not there. It's okay because I had a great time eating mulberries from the trees along Washington Street.Trail Trash and I headed for the bridge over the Potomac. Susan, along with our friends Matt and Maggie were waiting for us there. After a couple of hugs and a kiss from my wife, Matt, Trail Trash and I started hiking north. The girls were on bicycles on the C&O Canal. Along the way we saw dozens of turtles in the canal. Our first stop was Weaverton Cliffs. We ate a kind of first lunch and looked down at the Potomac. We hung out about an hour and then hiked on to Gathland State Park. There is a memorial for war correspondents there. We drank a lot of water and ate some more food.By the time we started back hiking the temperature was really hot. The bugs were starting to swarm and the Deet was burning my face. With all that going on we still maintained 3 miles per hour. Matt was starting to get tired and I was ready to slow down too. We passed Rocky Run Shelter thinking we should be farther along. At Reno Monument Road we called Maggie and Susan to meet us at Turner's Gap in about 45 minutes. At Dahlgren Backpacking Campground I saw Bandito. He had just stepped out of the shower. I'm sure it felt good in this heat.At Turner's Gap we waited for the girls to show up. They brought cold drinks and wet wash cloths. We rode to Matt and Maggie's house for showers and clean clothes. Maggie had tons of food prepared so we dug in. Their son Drew topped off the meal with some of the best ribs I've ever eaten.We finished the evening with a dip in the pool. After such a full day (and full stomach) no wonder I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Date: 2010-05-28
From: Hagerstown, MD

To: Hagerstown, MD
Miles today: 0.0

Last night after a great meal and a hot shower, I slept in a real bed. It¢s strange how something I expected every night before this hike now is such a big deal to me. I still enjoy sleeping on the ground but a soft dry bed is a true luxury. I'm sure I will appreciate a lot of other things too when I return home.Maggie started the day the way she ended it. Trying to fill me up with as much food as possible. Breakfast was quiche and sausage. I also had tomato juice and some yogurt. As soon as breakfast was over Matt, Trail Trash and I took Purdy, their dog for a walk. Matt pointed out several houses that had some history behind them and told us all about them. It was like having our own tour guide.When we returned, Maggie, Susan and Trail Trash went to Wal-Mart for trail food. Matt and I went to Frederick to an outfitter for Aquamira. The guy that waited on me said I was the first thru-hiker he had seen this far north this year. On our return, the food fest continued. We finished off the shrimp from last night while the ribs were warming up. The ribs disappeared just like the shrimp.The rest of the afternoon was spent drying gear and packing food. I kept looking for a time to nap but it never worked out.For supper we went to a local crab shack. It was great fun cracking open crabs and watching shells and Old Bay fly everywhere.There was just one more course to be served. Back at the house we had cheese cake and ice cream. It has been a great two days spending time with Matt and Maggie. It has also been great spending time with Susan.
Date: 2010-05-29
From: Turner's Gap

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 28.2
Weather: haze

This morning was the last meal Maggie would serve us. We had scrambled eggs and bacon. I'm going to miss her cooking back on the trail.Matt, Maggie, Susan, Trail Trash and I loaded up for the ride back to Turner's Gap. After a few pictures and hugs all around Trail Trash and I started hiking. Our first stop was at the Washington Monument. It seems a bunch of locals got together one 4th of July and built a tower to honor George. We took in the views at Annapolis Rocks and at Black Rock Cliffs. For lunch we stopped at Ensign Cowall Shelter. That's when we started talking about doing a long day and continuing into Pennsylvania.I left from lunch first. I ran into Scout Troop after Scout Troop getting ready for Philmont. One Troop was not even going until next year. When Trail Trash caught up he told me he had seen Sonic. The three of us stopped at Pen Mar park and had supper. We had hoped there would be lots of kind hearted people cooking out but our luck was not that good. We cooked supper and hiked into Pennsylvania. Six states down and eight to go!
Date: 2010-05-30
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: clear sky

Morning came a little quicker than what I desired. The 28 miles from yesterday left me with sore feet and cramping muscles during the night. My clothes were still wet with sweat so getting dressed was not a pleasant task.Trail Trash and Sonic were both up when I went over to the shelter to make breakfast. I ate with a couple of thru-hikers that gave me some Fig Newton's.Trail Trash and I were hiking by 8:00 which isn't bad. He has decided night hiking is not for him. So he is going to get up to avoid the dark. We stopped at Old Forge Park and got water from a faucet so we didn't have to treat it.Just before we got to Caledonia State Park Sonic caught up with us. He had hit trail magic at Old Forge. A thru-hiker from a couple of years ago gave him some peanut butter cups. As we entered the park we saw Moose. He had stayed one shelter ahead of us last night.In the park Trail Trash and I headed for the snackbar. We had cheese burgers and fries for lunch. As were eating, a family with a Golden Retriever walked past. The dog was 12 and looked a lot like my last dog, Maggie Mae. He and his family were friendly but he really wanted to get back to the stream to swim. Maggie would have been the same way. There was also a 4 month old puppy we saw on the way out of the park.A few miles later we stopped at Quarry Gap Shelters. The maintainer was there and we took a break while we talked with him. By the time we left it was after 4 PM. We made it to Birch Run Shelter about 6:30. Not a bad 7 1/2 miles. There was a family in the shelter with a kid that was super hyper. We tented. That was a good decision. They were up late. We were a couple 100 feet away and I could hear one of them snoring loudly.Today we cross the half way point. It's been a long time coming.
Date: 2010-05-31
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 25.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I was awakened by the sound of the family that stayed in the shelter over night. I packed up my gear and went over to the shelter to fix breakfast. The hyper kid wanted to start a fire so I told him to rub two sticks together. That kept him busy while I ate.We crossed the halfway point by mid-morning. Then it was on to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Trail Trash and I each ate a half gallon of ice cream to celebrate completing half the AT.After leaving the park a storm came up. Sonic and Hobbs were with us and we continued to hike in the pouring rain. Just as we got to the next shelter it stopped. It didn't matter because we were soaked.We talked about going all the way to Boiling Springs to spend the night but by the time we got to Alec Kennedy Shelter we were both worn out. Sonic went by himself.The shelter is full. Everyone is expecting rain tonight. Tomorrow we will pass through Boiling Springs and most of the way to Duncannon.
Date: 2010-06-01
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 25.5
Weather: light rain

Everyone was up early this morning. We all wanted to get to Boiling Springs. As usual I wanted a cold Pepsi. Before we left, Veggie invited us to stop at the US 11 foot bridge for trail magic from her mom. The trail into Boiling Springs was an easy 4 miles ending with a walk across a corn field. In town all the hikers were gathered at the ATC Regional Office; Sonic, who spent the night in a local¢s backyard, and Hollywood, who we have not seen in a few weeks. Trail Trash noticed Hollywood was not wearing his usual Desitin on his face. I guess the bugs weren't bad enough yet.I decided to walk to the store on the corner a get a drink. I asked Trail Trash if he wanted one and he said "surprise me". So I did. I surprised everyone when I came back with a bag of drinks for them.On the way out of town Trail Trash and I stopped for some "real" trail magic. Along the side of the trail were mulberry trees with plump black berries. We picked a few from each tree and hiked on.At US 11 there was no trail magic. I found out later it was at a house nearby. Oh well, I'll stop at a store tomorrow and make up for missing it.We stopped at Scott Farm Trail Work Center for lunch. Sonic and Hobbs were there already. Hobbs keeps telling us if we find him dead to call his wife. The message is she can go pick up that BMW she wants. The truth is he is doing well and a BMW is not likely in her future. Before we left, Dr. Beefstick and Roughing It walked up. We had not seen them since the Smokeys.We crossed more fields and finally started to climb Blue Mountain. After a brief break at Darlington Shelter we descended into another valley. The fields here were deep in grass so we lathered up in deet to avoid ticks. Eventually we got to Cove Mountain and missed the rain showers that rolled through the valley. It didn't matter because our clothes were still wet just with sweat instead of rain.The ridge line was covered with rocks. So our pace slowed down. We were the first to make the shelter. There is a sign on the wall to expect porcupines. They like to gnaw on things covered in sweat! Should be an interesting evening.
Date: 2010-06-02
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 4.1
Weather: broken clouds

Finally a true nero! Not the usual 20 or so miles into town. But it wouldn't be us if we didn't hike a few extra miles. On the way into town I missed a turn and came in on the old AT. To keep it all on the up and up Trash, Hollywood and I went back and hiked the new trail. Sometimes being a purist is a pain.In town we stopped at Sonny Daze Laundry and washed our clothes. Nothing like wearing rain gear on a sunny day. Afterwards we checked in at the Doyle Hotel. It's been around for over a hundred years. Pat and Vickey run the place and cater to hikers. Even the food they serve is reasonably priced.Lunch was at the Pub. The cook there is Trail Angel Mary. She took Trail Trash and another hiker to Harrisburg to an outfitter. Trash needed new shoes. It took going to three stores but he came back with new Merrells.Meanwhile I'm in Duncannon shopping for groceries. The store sent a van to pick up three of us. I finally got time to call a few hikers we hiked with back in NC. Bread was out in the ocean somewhere. He said his feet where normal size again. Burgundy misses the trail and wants to start back. He is concerned it¢s too late in the season. He also said to keep up with Trash and me he would be hiking all night!I also heard from Studmuffin. I hiked with him a few years ago. He contacted me on Facebook about New England. May be he can meet us on the trail.We had supper downstairs tonight. The haddock hung off both sides of my platter. I'm full. That's a sure sign it's time to move on.
Date: 2010-06-03
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Yellow Springs Campsite
Miles today: 24.6

Trash, Moose and I all agreed to start early this morning. We were expecting hot temperatures and lots of rocks. We also knew we had a 14 mile stretch with no water. So I got up at 5 AM and starting getting ready. I told Trash I would be across the street having breakfast. He made it over after awhile and ate too. By 7 AM we were hiking out of town. The walk to the mountain includes a long bridge beside a busy highway. The walkway was covered in cobwebs from over night. At the end of the bridge I had silk streamers all over me. The climb to the ridge line was fairly gentle. Along the way we got a couple of views of Duncannon's waterfront. Before long we were at the top and hiking toward Clark's Ferry Shelter.As we walked up to the shelter a head popped out. I thought it was another hiker, but he quickly informed me he was the ridge runner. So I'm thinking this guy might have information about water conditions to the north. I thought it was a reasonable assumption. Well I was wrong! He seemed to know less about the trail than I did. Each time I asked a question he would unfold his map and look for the location I had asked about. He did know the trail club was doing maintenance on Sunday. I had complained about the condition of the trail. Of course by Sunday Trail Trash and I will be miles away.We both loaded up with water and headed back to the trail. Moose had just passed the shelter. Seems he took a wrong turn in town and had to double back to the Doyle and start over. The three of us walked along taking a few pictures here and there, stopping to take breaks and checking out Peter's Mountain Shelter. We scored trail magic twice today with cold colas and water the first time and snacks at the second one. The rocks we had heard about for so long were pretty easy. That may change tomorrow but we will see.Tonight we are camped at the sight of an old coal mining town. The only problem is there is no water here. We'll hike out early and eat breakfast at the first water we find.
Date: 2010-06-04
From: Yellow Springs Campsite

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 22.1
Weather: few clouds

I was packed and on the trail by 6:30 this morning looking for water. It didn't take long. I passed a spring about 1 1/2 miles from where we camped. My next stop was the bridge over Rausch Creek. There is a well there designed to pass water through limestone to raise the pH. It neutralizes the acid from the old coal mines and makes the water suitable for trout. I sat near the trail and ate my potatoes and talked with other hikers. When Beefstick came by he told me Trail Trash and Moose were near the shelter having breakfast. When I finished eating I packed up and hiked on knowing it would not take long for Trash to catch me. When he did catch me he was telling me about a hiker feed at 501 tonight. How lucky could we be? Then it occurred to me the 20 some people that passed by me at Rausch Creek were also going there. I wasn't too concerned about the food but I did not want to be at the end of the line for a shower. That's right. This shelter has a shower and I was looking forward to it. We turned up the pace and crossed Second Mountain. At PA 443 we checked out a cooler but it was empty. A little while later we walked past one group taking a break under a tree. At PA 72 there was a second cooler. The group sitting around it told us it was empty. I responded that was our empty cooler. They laughed and opened the lid to reveal ice cold Cokes. As we drank one the cooler owner Dirty Ernie came up so we got to thank him.The next section of trail went up a steep grade. At the top it was over grown with weeds. Also rocks littered the trail. We still maintained a good pace and arrived at William Penn Shelter by 1:30.After lunch we had just 4 more miles. I thought they would go quickly but the rocks slowed me down the last 1/2 miles. My feet had really taken a beating.When I arrived at 501, Trash was already in the shower. The care taker was telling a couple of hikers he had not heard anything about a hiker feed tonight. Anyway I got a shower and the pizza guy will deliver. It's past time for the trail magic/hiker feed, we're ordering pizza!
Date: 2010-06-05
From: 501 Shelter

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 29.8
Weather: broken clouds

Before I forget let me continue last night's story. The trail magic did show up. Snackbreak, a thru-hiker from a couple of years ago, arrived just after Trail Trash ordered the pizza. She brought three homemade casseroles. The Mexican Lasagna was my favorite. There was also pumpkin pie and muffins for desert. The shelter care taker and his wife brought over ice cream. We all enjoyed talking with her and appreciated the home cooked meal. So why was she late? She got stuck in traffic coming from Harrisburg.This morning Trail Trash and I were out the door at 6:30. We knew the rocks would be bad so we wanted to start early. We needed it. The farther northeast we hiked the worse the rocks got. There were places on the trail where it looked like a truck dumped the rocks. Even the path through the boulder fields was hard to find. At lunch we stopped at Sand Spring. There was a group of people having lunch at the spring including Sonic, Roughing It and Dr. Beefstick. It seems a trail angel-thru hiker named Banjo had put about 50 canned drinks in the spring to chill for thru-hikers. There's nothing like a cold soda to go with lunch. The rest of the afternoon we walked. About 4:30 we passed through Port Clinton. The fire company was having a dinner but we still had another 6 miles to cover so we didn't stop. It was a steep climb out and we were both worn out when got to the shelter. We fixed supper and hung food bags. Now it¢s off to bed.
Date: 2010-06-06
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter
Miles today: 26.5
Weather: light rain

Something happened yesterday and I forgot to tell about it. I fell. I mean flat on my back type of fall. We were crossing some rocks and I lost my balance and just fell down. Trail Trash rushed to help me up but I righted myself like and upside down turtle and got back on my feet. Trash asked me if I was okay and I told him I hit really soft. It should have hurt but I landed soft. Here's the funny part. At supper I found out why I landed so soft. I fell on top of my titanium pot and folded in half. No problem, I took a few minutes to bend it back into shape and made a pot of Tortellini.Today we started out with decent trail all the way to Eckville Shelter. Trash and I took a break there and filled water bottles and dropped off trash. This shelter is like 501 and has a caretaker on site. He came out and talked a few minutes and warned us about thunderstorms later. The next section of trail was very rocky. Instead of our usual 3 mph pace, we were only averaging about 2 mph. Now that's okay in Georgia on a 10-12 mile day but way too slow for the 22-30 mile days we knock out. As we arrived at Allentown Hiking Club Shelter a storm rolled through. We ducked in and ate some lunch. The storm didn't last long so we decided to push on to the next shelter. We had been warned that the water was a long walk at that shelter so we planned to haul in the water we were going to need. There is a restaurant 6 miles from the shelter so we would fill up there. Heck if we're getting water we'll get supper too and not have to cook either. That would save even more water. So we left Allentown Hiking Club Shelter and hiked 4 miles to the restaurant. We started with wings to honor a tradition from Ron Burgundy when he hiked with us in North Carolina and Tennessee. Then I got a NY Strip. It was cooked perfect. Trail Trash got tenderloin and TP got linguini and clams. After we ate we loaded up with water and started hiking. One section we hiked is called the Knife Edge. It¢s a narrow ridge line of rock slabs. It¢s like boulder hopping 60 feet off the ground. We took a few pictures and decided this was the best part of Pennsylvania. At Bake Oven Knob I walked out to see the view of Leigh High Valley. A man and his son were bird watching. When he saw us he introduced himself and told us he had worked in the past for Backpacker Magazine. When he found out we were thru hiking he said he would watch the trail journals for our names.We headed for the shelter to find a very unmaintained shelter. So all of us are in tents tonight. Tomorrow we will climb down into the gap.
Date: 2010-06-07
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter

To: Smith Gap Road
Miles today: 20.0

Destination: Smith Gap RoadStart: Bake Oven Knob Shelter Mileage: 20Burr! I woke up to much cooler temperatures this morning. I could actually see my breath. Trail Trash said he thought it was June, but it sure didn't feel like it. Breakfast was delayed until George W. Overbridge Shelter. TP, Trail Trash and I sat on the front of the platform mixing cold water and mashed potatoes. We continued down into Lehigh Water Gap. After some confusion with directions we hiked into Palmerton for Subway and a quick resupply. Trash and I headed back to the trail. We climbed to the top of the rocky ridge and took a moment to take in the view. The first part of the hike was easy. There were gentle slopes and grass covered paths. Then the trail turned across a rock covered ridge and continued into the woods with rubble on the trail. There was even one climb that was rock all the way to the top. Our feet really took a beating.About mid afternoon TP caught up with us. A ridge runner was with her. His name is Calm Water. He said Mechanical Man was picking him up at the gap and he would let him know we were coming.About .7 miles from the gap, Mechanical Man was waiting for us. We ordered out for supper and his son (The Blur) entertained us with bicycle stunts. He even jumped over Trail Trash. Time for bed. Tomorrow will be our last full day in Pennsylvania.
Date: 2010-06-08
From: Smith Gap Road

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: broken clouds

It was another cool morning. I slept the last couple of hours with my rain jacket on. I heard Trail Trash taking down his tent about 6 AM. I had not told him our ride to the trail was at 8.Calm Water was ready at 8 so we all piled in and rode back up the mountain to the trailhead. When I stepped onto the trail I asked if he was sure this was the right place. There were no rocks. He laughed and as I walked away I found the rocks. This turned out to be the rockiest day of all.Water has become a big issue. Springs are drying up due to a dry spring. We were warned the source at the shelter was dry except for a spring way at the bottom of a steep hill. We planned to bypass that one and get water at Wind Gap. The Gateway Motel gladly fills water bottles for hikers. They also sell soft drinks so Trash and I each had a Coke. We continued on stumbling over softball size stones. Finally I told Trash and TP I need a break. They hiked on while I ate a snack and downed some Advil. Before I got going very far Calm Water walked up with two friends. He told me I was almost through the worst of the rocks. One of his friends told me to come back in two months. The trail club will be out changing the angle of the sharp rocks so the SOBOs get the full effect. Then I got a short lesson on the geographical history of the area and how glaciers deposited all this rubble here.I caught up with Trash and TP at Wolf Rock. They had found a nice view and had decided to take a break. After a string of boulder hops I made it off Wolf Rock to some fairly easy trail to Kirkridge Shelter. We loaded up with water one more time and hiked out.The trail was back to rocks again but we were able to made Delaware Water Gap in about 2 1/2 hours. Trash and I checked in at The Church of the Mountain Hostel. TP had called a friend to pick her up. The pastor stopped in and asked if there was anything we needed. We told her we just needed to eat and pick up supplies. She made a couple suggestions. When asked about how long we were staying, I told her it depended on the weather. A front is supposed to move through with rain. The next forty miles are still on rubble and it's bad enough dry. The boulders would be downright dangerous in the rain.We ate at a restaurant down the street. I had a half of a baked chicken. Then we went to a quickie mart for supplies. Back at the hostel Gumby and Make Time had claimed the two couches so Trash and I had the bunk room to ourselves. We showered and crawled into our bunks after a very long day.