morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-15
From: The Priest

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 34.2
Weather: light rain

I awoke in a still fog. Father??? (my shelter mate) introduced himself. His pack is rather strange, I won¢t even begin to explain it. He¢s carrying 13lbs. I climbed down the Priest and climbed up the three ridges. The climb up was hell. The heat and humidity combined to make my breath impossible and my sweat run down my face and body in a massive torrent. Once I was at the top I got a few good views, but then it began to ran. It rained the rest to the day, a constant steady rain. Eventually, I got to Rockfish camp. I got up under a bridge and put out my thumb. 10 minutes later I had a rice this guy was incredible.. He gave a thorough tour of the town, tips on where you can eat, and waited whiles I got out to checked on roomrates and looked for hikers to share a room. He knew one of my track coaches, so we had some common ground. Still he went over the top with his kindness, he even gave me $20 when I couldn¢t find someone to share a room. I was stunned.I cleaned up and per the trail angel¢s suggestion ate at an all you can eat Chinese buffet. It actually wasn¢t too bad. I ate until my stomach was about to pop. Now it¢s time to read a newspaper and drink some OJ¢true luxury.
Date: 2004-06-16
From: Waynesboro

To: Pinefield Shelter
Miles today: 33.2

I woke up at 7ish in the hotel. The place had a continental breakfast, so I just ate there¢about half the food they had out. I packed and went over to the post office.While I was dealing with my bounce box an elderly woman walked in ¢Do you need . . . ¢ I recognized her immediately .It was Pat of the PCT Express. I met her and her husband Walt last summer when I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail.We exchanged the usual greeting. She met me ten minutes later and she and Walt gave Grey Squirrel and I a ride to the trailhead. Gray Squirrel looked exactly like he was named. He must have been in his 70¢s, but he was fast, averaging more than 20 miles a day. Shanendoah is famous for easy walking It didn¢t disappoint. However, it rained again, the 9th day straight.   I walked into Pinefield Shelter at about 8:30. Buick and Voyage cleared some space for me in the shelter. Now, the last days I had spent some time relaying messages for other hikers who wanted to communicate with people ahead of them. Two people even gave me written notes to deliver. As I related these stories Buick and Voyager decided that I should have a trail name that relates to this. They dubbed me ¢Pony Express.¢ It¢s not the first time anyone has tried to give me a trail name, but none would stick. I like this one so I think I¢ll keep it. Finally I have a trailname.
Date: 2004-06-17
From: Pinefield Shelter

To: Skyland
Miles today: 36.0

I left Pinefield Shelter. It was my first morning on a schedule. I was meeting my parents at around 6:30 for dinner at Skyland, which was about 36 miles away. Luckily the terrain the Shanendoah is conducive to fast walking, not only was it well graded but the tread was smooth and well maintained. The mile flew by.I enjoyed the easy walking and frequent view, but I also enjoyed the two conveniently placed campstores. (Lewis MT and Big Meadows), where I filled up on Gatorade and Ice Cream. Just before a got to Big Meadows: however, I was treated to a first. I had just scared a doe when I saw something lying in the middle of the trail. It was the doe¢s fawn. Instinctive fear held it motionless, trusting its camouflage to protect it. Unfortunately it had chosen a poor location. The mother tried to distract me while I took pictures. All the while the only thing the fawn moved was its mouth.The day was mellow and pretty the whole way through, even the weather held up, raining for only about 5 minutes, a brief sun-shower that barely got me wet and dried up immediately.   I met my Mother on the trail at around 6:10 and walked the last 10 minutes with her. When we got to Skyland, he said I smell, so I went to the bathroom to wipe down some and make myself a bit more presentable for a nice restaurant. It is amazing how much food I can put down when someone else is paying. I ate just about everything in sight. The entire appetizer sampler, a Greek salad, my meal and portions of their meal. The blackberry cobbler was sublime. My family left me at 8:30, after giving me some cookies and snacks. It was already getting dark, so I camped at the first clear patch of ground I came across, which was already inhabited by a group of boy scouts. I fielded the usual questions. They were fun to talk to , and the guys in charge were very hospitable.   However, after everyone decided to retire, things changed. I had unwittingly set up my tarp next to the tent containing two of the younger scouts, I listened to a half hour conversation about, among other things, bears and Krispy Kremes, and then this:¢Hey Ben, hey Ben, hey Ben . . .¢¢What Patrick?¢¢I don¢t know you took so long to answer I forgot what I wanted to say.¢Silence for a bit then. ¢Hey Ben, Hey Ben, hey Ben¢¢WHAT!¢ ¢I forgot again.¢Silence then again ¢Hey Ben . . . ¢On and on in a continuous monotone.   I was about to get up and wring Patricks neck, when another scout did it for me. This guy got his ass handed to him. As another scout insulted his hiking ability, personality, mentioned me and the other campers and basically told him to shut up. Thank God.During the night I saw a bear sniffing around Ben and Patrick tent. I thought about ignoring it, but thought better of it. I got up and coughed loudly. The bear and I stared at each other and he finally sauntered off. Now maybe I can get some sleep.
Date: 2004-06-18
From: Skyland

To: Denton's Shelter
Miles today: 42.0

I left the scouts at around 7:30. By the time I stopped, 14 hour later, I¢d seen 5 bears. The first two and the last two I saw were typical bear sightings. All I saw was a big black butt running away from me. The third, however, was a bit different. I was walking along when I heard something to my left. Thinking ¢deer¢ I turned to see a bear nosing around in the brush for food. He was about 10 ft away from me. Stunned that he hadn¢t seen, smelt, or heard me I reached for the camera. As soon as the Velcro ripped, he was in the air and 10 meters away, now the familiar black butt.Because I was leaving the park today , I milked the waysides for all they were worth. I got three massive cookies and 12 lb of fudge at Panorama. I wanted a milkshake at Elkhollow, but they were out of milk, so I waited (the truck was on its way). 15 minutes later a truck arrived, this was apparently the bread truck though. The milk truck was still a half hour away in Skyland. Oh well, I left more than a little disappointed.On the climb up to Hogback ridge, coming out of Elkhollow. I came up onto a cliff just as a massive hawk soared out over me, so close it felt as though I could have jumped and grabbed him. Like the bear though it was too far away once my camera was out. No matter, images like that stay etch in your mind for a while.I left Shanendoah and the well maintained well graded trail and walked on to Denton Shelter. Apparently the weather had been expecting me earlier because it had just been raining recently¢and hard. The foliage was soaked and the trail was a muddy mess. I was in mud up to my ankles more than once. Can¢t stay up too long, the shelter¢s full and I arrived just as everyone was going to bed. Long day today easy day tomorrow. I can sleep in.
Date: 2004-06-19
From: Denton's Shelter

To: Bear's Den
Miles today: 29.0

Easy day today, made somewhat uncomfortable by the lack of food. I had forgotten to resupply at the last wayside, so all I had was some granola bars, oatmeal, and instant pudding. The day¢s hike was uneventful with the exception of a patch of blackberries. I love fresh blackberries on the trail, it is like God¢s gift to hikers. I ate as many as possible. After a while I reached the ¢Roller Coaster,¢ I didn¢t notice too much of a difference in the trail. My pace didn¢t change, but the people I passed were walking remarkably slower. I reached Bear¢s Den at around 6:30. I proceeded to scavenge the place¢s selection of food.   Completely famished, I reduced myself to ¢Yogiting¢? a ride from a family (two sons college ¢age and a dad) from Nashville) to Jose¢s Pizza, but it was ohhh so worth it. One large Pizza later I was satisfied and relaxing in the lounge area. I¢m meeting my girlfriend Courtney in the morning at 8:00, so I¢m in no rush to get to bed and get out early in the morning. It¢s nice.
Date: 2004-06-20
From: Bear's Den

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 26.9
Weather: clear sky

The first thing I realized when I woke up was that I had nothing to eat for breakfast. I had forgotten to resupply while we were in Perciville. No matter, it was only twenty miles to Harpers Ferry.Courtney arrived at 8:30. We left her mom and two loud Terriers at the hostel and walked of in the direction of a sign labeled AT North. We ended up wandering arond on a 1/2 mile long nature trail for a while, unsure of where it would eventually take us, when it dumped us of on the AT about 15 mins later.Courtney and her mom had brought me a cliff bar and some beaf jerky, which I called breakfast and greadily devoured at our first break, 20 mins down the trail. She is a strong hiker, and we made good time, helped along by the fact that the trail was consistently dull and non-descript, which made me that much more gratefull for her company.At around 3:00 we had an experience that was completely new to me. A pair of what we could only assume to be were stray dogs ran forward and started following us. They seemed healthy and well-tempered but just the same I tried to keep my distance, not wanting to entice any of their parasites to move to a less crowded area. Courtney however (in true dog-lover fashion) was constantly handleing the dogs and trying to think of ways in which to better serve them. At one point she suggested that we give thwm some water out of my cook-pot. I, however, was content to let them get along on their own. they looked like they were doing fine.We ran into a small group of thru-hikers about two miles out of Harpers Ferry, they didn't know anything about the dogs and had, of course, assumed they were ours. We chatted for a while and when we got up to go the dogs were gone. I was fairly relived, I had no idea what we would have done with a pair of stray dogs following us through town.We walked a mile uphill from the trail on a traffic-clogged road to where she had left her car. Unfortunately the ATC office was closed, so I didnt get a chance to sign in. We parked at the hilltop house and walked to go get some food.While we ate the family of three that had given me a ride last night (we'd seen them off and on through the day) spotted us on the patio. They asked Courtney if she would be willing to give them a lift back to the Bears Den. I felt bad putting her into the situation (I doubt they would have asked had I not been with her) but she didnt seem to mind. We agreed to mee them at 7:30. We spent the evening eating, talking, and wandering around the historic areas of Harpes Ferry. We took the AT back up toward the hilltop house. The Tennessians were there waiting, they all dropped me off at the potomac bridge and I was alone again, but this time I felt a little lonely. I put in anouther six miles or so to the next shelter, arriving at 9:30 to find everyone asleep. Ill join them momentarily.
Date: 2004-06-21
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelter
Miles today: 42.5
Weather: scattered clouds

When I woke this morning all I had in my food bag was 2 packets of oatmeal and 1/2 a jar of nutella. Like the idiot I am I had forgotten to resupply in Harpers Ferry.I had awoken to the grunts and wheezing of an early teen girl (sleeping in a tent set up INSIDE the shelter) responding to and calling for her father. It was 5:00. Their whole family was up and about hushing, banging, cursing and calling. Everyone else, including me, was pretending to sleep. After I while I gave up and decided to get up and attempt a race to the Cascade PO to get my drift box.I stopped twice between 6:00am and 4:30pm, both times to get water. This section of trail was perfect for going fast... flat, simple, and for the most part, boring. The woods were alive only with the rmenants of Cicadas still hanging on at the end of the Brood X orgy, and the few views were of surrounding suburbia...flat and dull. Any semblance of a wilderness landscape was gone. There was a lot of history, and the trail past by a lot of state parks commited to the past (including an early Washington monument). As I approached Pennsylvania I began to encounter some fields of rocks, a preview, I assumed, of things to come.I reached Pen Mar Park, 34 miles and ten hours later, at 4:15. I wandered around the park for 10 mins looking fo the road to the P.O., I had a bit of time because it didnt close till 5:00. I had just gotten my bearings when I kindly old English women picked me up and drove me to the PO, offering to pick me up 15 mins later to take me to the grocery store.I felt exhausted.   My legs were numb with fatigue and my body felt on the verge of revolt. As soon as I had stopped walking it seemed as though my body, now aware that it's mission for the day was over, decided to punish me for what I had done to it. My buisness in the PO took longer than usual, as I was in a constent daze. Joyce showed up as I went to pay, and suddenly I felt light-headed. I tried breathing deeply but the next thing I knew I was on the ground, my head throbbing, with Joyce and the clerk over me with water, a rice-crispy treat, and a lecture. I desperatly needed all three.I left the PO with Joyce and she took me to the grocery and a gas station with a carry-out menu. I packed my bag and stomach with food, and brought a carton with me to picnic at Pen-Mar park.I felt much better as I left the park, passing a group of Meanonites along the way. The evening went by fast. Today was the first day of summer, the traditonal "hike-naked day" I had seen a few participants throughout but I waited until after 8:00 to indulge, as my cances of running into anyone else on the trail were slim. I replaced my clothes just before I got to the Antitem shelter I had planned to camp there, but it was infested with girlscouts so I moved on 1.5 miles to Tumbling Run. I'm sharing one of the shelters with River Otter and Popeye, twin girls from Vermont, I could tell they were twins even in the dark because they consantly completed each other's sentances.
Date: 2004-06-22
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: James Fry/Tagg Run
Miles today: 36.8

I lost my water bottle somewhere between Antitem and Tumbling Run so I went for a quick jog this morning to find it. I am partially attached to it by now.Today's walking was quite a bit like yesterdays, easy and slightly dull, although the suburbs at least appear to be gone. I got a taste of PA rock scrambling. I was thankfull that we havent been getting rained on the last two days, because they look as though they'd turn into a death trap when they are wet.My relif was short-lived however, as I reached Pine Furnace Grove just as a thunderstorm broke. I'd had a feeling a storm was coming, and Ive learned to trust my gut out hear and so I took out my tarp. Two minutes later the sky opened and dumped a celestial bucket of water on Pennsylvania. As it hadn't rained in two days I guess the weather was trying to make up for lost time.Because I was cold and wet I was in no mood to do the 1/2 gallon "challenge", where thru-hikers eat a half-gallon of ice cream to comemerate crossing the 1/2 way point, which was about 30 mins from the store. I got three hot dogs instead, but just as I finished them the sky cleared, the sun broke throuh and it warmed. I went back into the store and bought a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. While I ate I listened to other hikers discussing the merits of cows milk vs. goats milk, why we drink them, should we drink them, and why didnt we buy human milk in the store instead. All very amusing. I had been sitting in the shade but I began to get cold so I moved to the sun. The 1/2 gallon dissapeared in a 1/2 hour. I wanted more food but I decided to wait till camp.I got to camp at around 8:00, my earliest end to a day in a while. My stomach already feels empty again.
Date: 2004-06-23
From: James Fry/Tagg Run

To: Clarks Ferry
Miles today: 42.4
Weather: scattered clouds

The morning started out on three hills, toped with pennsylvannia rocks. The rocks weren't too bad, a little difficult to negotiate at times but on the whole well marked. The worst part was the spiderwebs. My first ten miles or so I was swimming through them. Now I am not a fan of spiders to begin with, so this was a fairly uncomfortable situation for me. Especially when I ran into the big webs that were already finished by its inhabitants. The single strands that are the beginning stages of a web are strong and not very sticky, so they come off easy, thankfully they are the most common. Occasionally, however I would run into a completed web the massive, sticky, thin, entangling strands require, in succession, a scream, a shudder, and about ten minutes of dancing around like a demented chicken who not only has no head, but is being chased by a few thousand mosquitoes. Luckily the big webs are easier to spot, and I would grab a lage stick and tear it down, watching with glee and fascination as the spider in the middle attempted to flee.After I passed the next shelter the webs ended, cut down by last nights occupants. I continued over another hill to the Cumberland valley. The valley is a 20 mile wide stretch of farmland and busy roads, between the northern tip of the Blue Ridge and the Appalachian Ridge and Valley system. At the southern end is the town of Boiling Springs. I stopped in to get some food and water and headed out.The valley was hot and humid, but the day was partly cloudy so at least there was some protection from the sun. The most notable trait, however, was the noise. In the woods my senses, notably smell and and hearing, tend to become much more accute. Here in the land of man the noise seemed incredibly oppresive, I could here highways an hour before I saw them, as well as lawn mowers, farm equipment, powerlines. It was all so loud. But at least there were blackberries.After a few hours of walking through the valley, which would have been plesent were it not for the noise and heat, the trail climbed up to a small ridge, which offered views of the valley and the blue ridge beyond. Two ridges and a can of Manderin Oranges later (left by trail angeles and opened with my pocket knife) I reached Duncannon.I didnt want to spend the night so I did my buisness fast, I didnt even stop to eat. I resupplied and walked through town, past people mowing lawns, washing cars, and napping on porch swings. Eventually I crossed the massive Sesquhana river, just as the sun was setting, and climbed up into more spiderwebs. The spiders here worked fast.Two miles of the a good portion of it a rock scramble, was in the dark with only my flashlight to go by. It was a nice little trip, and I nearly fell to many times to count. I reached the shelter at 10pm and was relieved to find it empty, as I wouldnt have to disturb anyones rest. The only thing on my mind is food and sleep. Tommarrow wil be shorter.
Date: 2004-06-24
From: Clarks Ferry

To: William Penn
Miles today: 37.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up and headed out into the spiderwebs of the morning. The spiders, combined with the heat and the large amount of small, sharp, needle-like rocks served to make the morning unplesent. At least it was flat. I passed Peter's Mountian Shelter, Lightfoot was still there from the previous evening, but a few others had left, so that meant the spiderwebs would be down. The next few hours, however, I was serenaded by near-constan gunfire and plagued by a haze of mosquitoes.Things got a little better as evening approached. The weather got better, a breeze swept away the hodes of insects, and A walk through an open field revield the surrounding area, and contained blackberries. I saw a few groups of boy scouts, most of them straining under massive packs full of the excessive amount of supplies that their mother had given them, which made me appreciate my relatively light load even more. I crossed over a stream and under I-81. The climb out of the small valley was a mirror image of yesterdays. complete with an empty shelter at the top. I must be in some sort of drought.
Date: 2004-06-25
From: William Penn

To: Windsor Furnace
Miles today: 34.9
Weather: overcast clouds

One long, flat, rocky ridgewalk today. I showed up at the 501 shelter (more of a mini-hostel) at around 8:30. Achilles and Mountian Do were just getting ready to leave, with Achilles in the middle of butchering a Ben Folds Five song. They wlked fairly quickly so I got to here Achilles singing and Do's treking poles for a while.I dont use treking poles, but most thruhikers do. I cant stand walking with hikers that use polls because there is a near-constant click click noise that drives me baty. I sped up my pace to lose them faster.The walk from 501 to Port Clinton was fairly uneventful, although there were some plesent stretches. I was desperate for food. My bag was almost empty and I didnt want to have a repeat of my Cascade PO incident so I had to resupply here, unfortunatly there is not even a small convienece store in town, so i followed the trail as it parelleled the highway for a bit, crossed under it at a bridge (not a good sign) and started to climb. Relizing that I was not going to be able to access the road easily I bushwacked up a steep, shrub-covered embankment to the busy highway.Walking the two miles down to the Interstate (and the gas stations and fast food joints I would find there) was the scariest thing I've done on the trip so far. The shoulders were narrow and the trucks numerous. I was constantly being blindsided by the massive wind that they brought with them, threatening to toss me like a leaf.I resupplied and ate dinner at Wendys entertaining a few of the travelers with my stories. I enjoyed an extensive people-watching session and went back to 33. Not wanting to attempt the walk again I decided to attempt a hitch. I was on the road for 30 minutes (really busy roads are harder to hitch on than really empty roads) and had just given up when a guy in a Jeep Cherokee pulled up, a local (of course) on the way to visit his girlfriend. He passed where I originally asked him to turn off, so he completed a U-turn in the middle of the road, flipping of the multitude of honking cars and screaching brakes. After he dropped me off I told him to have a good night."Don't you worry about that my man" He said, and winked.I climbed throught the rapidlly darkening forest, it wasnt past nine yet, and two early to be getting dark. I looked up and saw a massive storm cloud above me. Then it began to rain, making to rocks slippery in such a way that every time I stepped on them i narrowly avoided pulling my groin. The route from the road to Windsor furnace was conveluded with dirt roads and mowed areas with no discernable tread. My flashlight was becoming weak and the trail was hard to fine in the dark, pouring rain. Eventually I splashed up to it, thankfully finding that there was enough room for me.