morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-26
From: David Lesser shelter

To: Harper's Ferry, VA.
Miles today: 9.0

Hiking early in the morning is essential in this hot weather. I reached the bridge over the Shenandoah well before 11AM. I hiked into the headquarters for the AT Conservancy and registered. I am number 426. That means I am the 426th northbound hiker to reach Harper's Ferry. I believe I am part of the last group of northbounders coming through so that with more than 1400 hikers starting at Springer Mt. most have dropped out by now. Flaxseed and wife Nancy came over from Pasadena, MD> to visit me this afternoon. They brought Maryland crab salad, watermelon, soda's and then took me and some other hikers to the next town for resupply. Leave it to a hiker to understand the importance of trail magic! Flaxseed's knee seems to be healing. I expect he'll be back on the trail, probably starting in Massachusetts next month.
Date: 2007-06-27
From: Harper's Ferry, VA.

To: Harper's Ferry, VA.
Miles today: 0.0

I'm taking a zero day as cousin Jeanette and husband Jerry are coming over today to visit me. More on that later.I always enjoy seeing Jeannette and Jerry. They are retired now but enjoying the good life and VERY busy. When i suggested to Jerry that he try hiking the trail he just looked at me like I was crazy. He's all about the creature comforts, you see. After a fun lunch in the historic district of Harper's Ferry, J&J brought me back to the hotel and we said our goodbye's. I called the outfitter shortly thereafter and sure enough the replacement top flap of my backpack had JUST come in. So, I had to trek back to the historic section again and pick it up. Now, you might not think the 3 mile round trip walk should bother a thru hiker but the fact is no one wants to hike on their day off. I calculate I walked about 6 miles on this zero day.
Date: 2007-06-29
From: Harper's Ferry, VA.

To: Dahlgren Back Pack Campground
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: light rain

Long distance hikers call town (or any other place that has creature comforts) a vortex. It is easy to get caught up in and hard to get away from. So it was with Harper's Ferry. Still, I trudged out about 6:45 AM and got as far as the Shenandoah River bridge before it started to rain. "Welcome back to the trail", I thought.Right after crossing the bridge, I got on the Chesapeake and Ohio canal tow path for the next 2-3 miles. This is a neat tow path that stretches all the way to Washington DC (nearly 185 miles) on which mules used to tow barges until about 1924. The only thing that saved the tow path from a super highway in later years was chief justice William O. Douglas, himself an Appalachian thru hiker. The rest of the hike was uneventful and the 18 miles today was so easy as to be embarassing.I just reviewed the guest book entries and noticed a comment by Nancy Teng (Flaxseed's wife). I had told her about my niece Kari Weniger getting a company command during Plebe week at the U.S. Naval Academy. In Nancy's entry she states she saw Kari on TV giving the plebe's hell. Everyone is very proud of her. Sure wish I could talk her into being "one of the few, one of the proud."
Date: 2007-06-30
From: Dahlgren Back Pack Campground

To: Smithsburg, MD.
Miles today: 13.7

This was a hard decision. 13.7 miles is not very much and, in fact, I finished the hike at 1:30. Still, the call of a shower and sheets beckons to me and I don't have the will power to refuse. Add to that the fact that right about now, Barb is sipping champagne on the fantail of a cruise liner off the coast of Martha's Vineyard with her mother and sister and I would just be gulping more stream water and...well, you see my dilemma.Maybe I'll make up the miles tomorrow. Or, not.
Date: 2007-07-01
From: Smithsburg, MD.

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 28.0
Weather: broken clouds

Ken Berry runs a superb place in his newly opened Free State Hostel. He thru-hiked last year in less than 4 months and he knows what thru-hikers need. Everything is on the honor system which I particularly like. He was off with family and there were no other hikers so I had the run of the place. With no one else to divert my attention, I got up early and was on the trail by 6AM. The day was perfect for hiking and the terrain not bad so that might account for my personal best day of 28 miles! I can finally see now how days of 30+ are possible.
Date: 2007-07-02
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

I wondered if I might suffer somewhat from the previous day's high mileage but it was no problem. When hikers arrive at the Pine Grove Furnace General Store they typically undergo the ice cream challenge. Since before 2000, hikers have attempted to consume a half gallon of their favorite ice cream in a recorded time and so it was with me that I ate Hershey's Cookies and Cream in 41 minutes and 20 seconds. Not a record (the current record is 4 minutes 17 seconds) but I was primed after a hot day of hiking and acquited myself with honor. At first I thought this was just a smart marketing ploy to sell more ice cream ($5.50) but later that night I realized it was intended to sell more toilet paper.
Date: 2007-07-03
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs, PA.
Miles today: 19.2

At first, Pennsylvania looks much like Virginia, West Virginia or Maryland. Then, you come into the flat, open, hot farmers' fields.   As I walked through the miles and miles of corn on the left and wheat on the right, I kept playing the tune in my head by Glenn Campbell (Gentle on My Mind) and thought of Barb. Funny thing about these trail ditties.   At first they are fun and sometimes poignant as "Gentle" was, but then you just can't stop humming them... I mean for hours. Drives you crazy.Boiling Springs is a quaint little town literally built around a very shallow lake fed by...you guessed it, a boilng spring. Maybe the lake was installed later but it certainly is the focal point of the town. As I was leaving the next morning, Fourth of July activities were getting underway around the lake.
Date: 2007-07-04
From: Boiling Springs, PA.

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

I would like to have reached Duncannon, PA. on this day for the July 4 celebrations, but I just did not have 25.6 miles in me and Idid not get underway from Boiling Springs until 9AM. So, I had to settle for Darlington shelter which is only 14.3 miles. Enroute, I saw a large black snake crawling up a tree. I did not realize they were such good climbers and later I found out they like to raid the bird nests for eggs and young. At the shelter I found a very sick young man. "Nice" had a fever and very little water (there was no water at the shelter). So, I loaded him up with water I had collected prior to my arrival and gave him some grapefruit I purchased back in Caledonia. I spent this Fourth of July in a shelter in the Pennsylvania mountains with no fireworks and a sick hiker.
Date: 2007-07-05
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA.
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

"Nice" assured me he could walk into town without my help so I started out early (6AM) and walked in the rain down the mountain. This is the town I have heard so much about. It is a railroad town, that is to say there is a train station on it and it boasts commercial activities back to the Revolutionary War. The Doyle Hotel, which caters to hikers, is one of the original Anhueser Busch hotels and so you can imagine the wild times this town has seen. It is a quaint town but much gone to seed. Two things of significance have happened as I arrived here. First my boots fell apart, catastrophically! Secondly, my debit card expired. Even though she is out to sea on a cruise liner, Barb handled both these important events quickly and efficiently so that by July 6th I have new boots and cash.   She is amazing. OK Barb, you can go back to sipping champagne now.
Date: 2007-07-07
From: Duncannon, PA

To: PA 325
Miles today: 18.0

Festivities continued at Duncannon with trail angel Mary providing a pig roast hiker feed for all the thru-hikers. It was hard to leave knowing all that was going on but I really needed to get out of there. Do you know there are some thru-hkers who find a nice town like this and end up staying for years!I ran into Blue Dog on the hike and he was being followed by the Japanese film crew that we met in Damascus. They are doing a documentary for NHK (equivalent of PBS) and the segment will air in late September.Blue Dog's mom and dad were there and invited me to saty with them at Ft. Indiantown Gap in a cottage on the base. Shower? flush toilets? are you kidding me? I accepted.
Date: 2007-07-08
From: PA 325

To: PA 443
Miles today: 0.0

Lunar and I ended up hiking together. The hike was unremarkable but the place we stayed for the night was...interesting.   As it turned out, there was no shelter or good camping site at the end of our hike so I noticed this hostel in the ATC Companion called the money pit so I called them. "Fritz" answered the phone ans said he would come get us. His "former" wife with whom he still lives, Amy Lu runs the hostel ans she made some dinner for us when we arived. Ther are only two bes in this hoste. and they are both in the same room. So, Lunar took one and I the other. I really don't know how to describe this house. It is out in the woods.   There is no floor, only a sub floor. The enamel on the tub is completely gone so that there is only a steel shell. She raises dogs so there were probably 10 of them, most of which were running throughout the house at any given time. She is a self admitted "clutterug" and the house looked it but she had a heart of gold from beginning to end.   She told me all about her first husband who died young of a heart attack and of the family she was helping (Missy and her 3 children) who were at the house.   Seems Missy lost her husband as well and she is having a rough go of things. "Ox" was loved by all but didn't leave them very well off.Remind me to tell you some more stories about this hostel called the Money Pit. Anyway, we left early the next morning. She brought us back to the trail head.   As I was getting out I kept bumping this heavy box. I asked waht it was and she told me..."Oh, that's Ox!"
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Hertlein Campground

To: Port Clinton, PA.
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I had heard it was going to be hot so I left early (6:30) and it was a good thing. Humidity was in the 90's, there was no breeze and the temp hit 102. If I just could have made some time, it might not have been so bad, but agi9n, the rocks.   The descent into Port Clinton was precipitous and I fell just before getting in to town. Somehow I found my way to the Port Clinto Hotel which is a throwback from days gone by and walked into the bar. I ordered two large cokes. I was dehydrated and delusional. It probably took me more than one hour to recover and become rational. Seriously, I was that bad. I heard today from Alexis Elliott, a CSR at Tyson who was a major help to me as long ago as my days in Hawaii. It's funny, the bosses come and the bosses go, but Alexis, Sonja, Karen, Raye, and Mark just keep on getting the job done.   They don't get paid enough!
Date: 2007-07-12
From: Eckville shelter

To: PA 309
Miles today: 0.0

I had intended to hike to Bake Oven Shelter but I came upon this restaurant that served a mean prime rib lentil soup and that was all she wrote. The owner, Ken reminds me so much of Jack Aaron in Hawaii, same mannerisms and everything. When he told me he had some rooms in the back I was hooked. So, I took a room for the night and still made my destination the next day..on time. It was like Christmas time, finishing my hiking day at 1PM. After lunch, there was nothing else to do so I took a nap. Life is good on the AT.
Date: 2007-07-13
From: PA 309

To: Palmerton, PA.
Miles today: 13.5

I think I am no longer hiking but rather rock climbing.   Some of it is just hand over hand climbing.   Anyway, left early and so I made it to Palmerton by 2 PM. Now I can update my journal and read the mail from all my friends and well wishers.   Three more days and I'll be out of PA. Hurray!
Date: 2007-06-03
From: Bland, Va.

To: Helvey's Mill Shelter
Miles today: 1.5
Weather: light rain

WOOOHOOOO, I'm back on the trail for the summer and it feels good to be back. I wasn't as excited about this trip as I was the others, but I think I know why. I've been so busy I haven't had time to really think about it much. We just bought a new house and that move took up all my energy. Then my son graduated from high school and that took up all of my emotion. All that on top of the normal madness involved with ending a school year, this hike was on the bottom of the priority list. The time to leave for my hike was upon me before I knew it. Hope I didn't forget anything important. I started this section near Bland, Va. and have until July 12th to hike. I hope to get through Shenendoah N.P., but I'll have to make good time for that to happen. Day 1 is already a bust. I got to the shelter after only hiking a mile and a half, when it started to rain. It was sprinkling on me the whole way, but once it started coming down good, I figured it'd be a good place to stop. It was ten miles to the next shelter and I didn't feel like walking in a downpour on my first day. I had only gotten three hours of interrupted sleep last night and I was fighting sleep. I finally succumbed and fell asleep, waking up around 6:15. I fixed myself a cup of hot cocoa. I'll drink that and go back to bed.
Date: 2007-06-04
From: Helvey's Mill Shelter

To: Jenny's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: light rain

The last ten miles of trail was the easiest ten miles I can remember hiking. Started out around 9am and arrived at the shelter at 5. That's good time for me, of course, the trail was mostly ridge walking and pretty level. Skittles and Michaela arrived shortly after me and started to make a fire, nice. There's lots of people at the shelter tonight. One guy, Sled Dog, is quite a character. Told us he drove a dog sled team from Anchorage to Montana with 2800 pounds of whale blubber and oatmeal. Then told us that six of his brothers, a cousin and an uncle, were all killed in Iraq in one bombing. Then he told us that his wife and three kids were killed in a car accident the day he left Iraq. I don't believe a word of it. Especially when he said he'd been in Iraq for seven years. We think he's running from someone or something (the law). Set up my tent tonight and Tennis set up his right next to me. It is a 30 year old J.C.Penny tent. It looks like a small house it is so huge!! I bet it could sleep 5 easy. It's gotta weigh at least ten pounds. YIKES!! Doesn't slow Tennis up tho, he just hiked 33 miles. Nothing of interest to note from this hike today. No views, no wildlife, except a garter snake I had fun playing with for a bit. At least the privy isn't full to the rim like it was at the last shelter. YUCK!! One of the perils of coming up behind the rush of thru-hikers. Just a note about my left foot. I was really worried about how it would perform out on the trail, and so far it hasn't been a problem. Haven't felt any pain from the plantar fascitis or the broken bone. My leg muscles have felt every step though. Not pain, just a soreness, like they are waking from a long sleep. Ahhh it's good to be in the woods again.
Date: 2007-06-05
From: Jenny's Knob Shelter

To: Trent's Grocery
Miles today: 6.0

I had a tough climb out of Jenny's Knob today. Not so easy, makes me wish I had gotten in shape a bit before heading out, but it's all good, I'm on the trail. I was going through my water fast, and every stream and creek I've crossed so far has been dry as a bone. Climbed down to Hwy 608 and went to Trent's Grocery store, which is .4 miles off the trail. My shins were killing me from the climbing up and down today, so I thought a good rest at Trent's would help. They have a little restaurant there, so I had a cheeseburger and waited for the heat of the day to pass. In the meantime, more hikers showed up. My shins were still hurting me so I decided to stay the night with the other hikers. Trent's lets you set up a tent behind the store, take a shower and do your laundry, all for 6 bucks. Great deal. I met a woman named Stitches and we seemed to hit it off pretty good. We won't be hiking together though, her legs are as tall as I am. Maybe I'll see her at Pearisburg. The weather was gorgeous today. Rain was predicted but it never happened. Saw a doe on the trail and when she saw me, she took off, but not very far. Then she started snorting at me. I clicked my poles together and she trotted off a little ways one way, and something small took off the other way. She stopped again and started snorting at me again. I hiked on and left mama and baby alone.
Date: 2007-06-06
From: Trent's Grocery

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Left Trent's just a little while ago after eating a sausage and tomato biscuit. I'm stopped at Dismal Falls right now and it is beautiful here. Sunshine, cool breeze, lovin life on the AT. I packed a turkey sub out of Trent's for lunch and am enjoying it here by the falls. They gave me enough tomatoes that I made two sandwiches, one turkey sub and the other tomato and mayo. YUMMMM. Those tomatoes were good! I'm behind in my schedule now by a day already, but that's how it works on the AT. Make yourself a detailed itinerary, start hiking, and throw the itinerary away. I didn't plan to stop at Trent's, but I'm glad I did. Skittles and Michaela, along with Lotus are here. They're young and in love and it's sweet to watch them together. Time to hike, more tonight.Got to the shelter around 5:30 and decided to call it a day. I don't want to push myself, even though I probably won't make it to Front Royal if I keep this pace up. Physical check: My feet are doing good. Whew. Still hurts when I stop for very long, but nothing like last year. My shins are feeling better but my back is screaming. If I stumble, just slightly, my whole back seizes up on me. It only lasts an instant, but it's one instant I could do without right now. I'm also hearing complaints from my left hip. I'm hoping it is just weak after being on crutches for six weeks, but it's probably because I'm an old lady. For some strange reason my vertigo has kicked in since I got on the trail. Last night, I woke up and literally grabbed the floor of my tent so I wouldn't fall. Imagine feeling like you're going to spin off the earth. Very weird feeling.
Date: 2007-06-07
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: few clouds

OK. Time for a reality check. The trail kicked my butt today! I was spoiled by the ridge walks up until now. Had to climb 1000 ft. over a long mile and I felt every inch of it. The upside was the view awaiting me at the summit. It never fails to take my breath away. Read in the shelter register that Wood's Hole is open now, so I decided to stop here for the night. I'm glad I did. This is an awesome place. The main house is an 1880's log home while the hostel is an old converted barn. It's like stepping into yesterday, except with running water and electricity. Oh yes, and the solar powered, outdoor shower. I'm here with Nutella, and we have the place to ourselves. She's 29, and a fellow redhead, so we naturally hit it off right away. She's a little nervous about the bat in the loft, but he left at sundown....I didn't get to meet Tillie, the woman that has been running the hostel for 20 years. Her granddaughter, Neville, is running it while she's gone, and she is absolutely charming. Tillie and her husband found this house back in the '40's while he was studying the Elk in the area. They fixed it up and added on to it, and later started the hostel. Tillie is in her late 80's and still came up here this summer to run the place. Neville told us that Tillie has been given 6mo's to a year by her doctors. I'm sorry I missed meeting her.
Date: 2007-06-08
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Church hostel, Pearisburg
Miles today: 10.0

What A Great Day!! The weather was perfect up in the mountains. Down in the town is another story, I'll get to that later. Up in the mountains, it was warm, breezy, sunny and just gorgeous. A lot of ridge walking again today. It's funny how my sense of time and distance is completely absent from my day. I get to thinking about all kinds of things and before you know it, hours have slipped away. The trail edged along side of a cliff and I had stunning views of Wilburn Valley. I could see forever, it seemed. One farm had their hay rolled, and they looked like little dots on a checkerboard quilt. Outstanding!OF course, most towns have a good descent to get to them and Pearisburg was no exception. The downhills can be just as arduous as the uphills. I have to slow myself up or my knees would take a severe pounding, and I'm all about saving my knees. Also, my feet slide forward in my boots, making my toes very unhappy. Two miles of toe-crunching downhills, that even the switchbacks couldn't help. As I got lower, it also got hotter and those cool breezes were a thing of the past. By the time I got to Dairy Queen, I was a wreck. I downed a huge glass of icewater while sweat poured out of me like a faucet had been turned on. Once I ate and cooled off, I headed for the hostel. Had I known it was a three mile walk through town, I would have rethought sending a mail drop there. I passed hotels I knew had air conditioning and pools and would have stayed at in a heartbeat. The heat coming up off the asphalt was oppressing and by the time I got to the hostel, I was wilted. As I walked to the front, there was the most beautiful sunset I had seen in quite awhile. This hostel is set on a hill, overlooking a valley with the mountains as the backdrop. I felt immediately refreshed and the long, hot trek here was forgotten. Time to take a shower and head for bed.
Date: 2007-06-09
From: Church hostel, Pearisburg

To: church hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

My first zero day. I spent last night sleeping on the covered porch. Lots of people here so I chose to sleep outside rather than in the loft with all the other hikers. It was Great! I hauled one of the thin mattresses down and slept on that. The breezes were warm and kept the mosquitos away. The stars were out and the fireflies were everywhere. Needless to say, I slept really well. I spent most of today getting chores done. Did my laundry, got som alcohol, had a sno-cone (very important chore) and got some bagels. Bought a peach at the store and it was one of those good kind with the juices running down your chin. I also went to the library and started this journal. I'll try to keep up with it but don't hold me to it. Tonight it was just Clearwater and I at the hostel. He walked up to Walmart and bought dinner. We had a great meal together, watched the sunset and hit the hay.