morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-19
From: Troutville

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I will summarize the last four days. We have had a great time of relaxation, good food and wonderful friendship. We spent the first two nights in the home of Pat(Footnotes) & Rita Chiles in Charles Town, WVA. We had met Footnotes on the first day of our hike. He was heading up Springer as we were going down. We had looked forward to meeting Rita and the steak dinner ever since we said goodbye in GA. It's funny how you can meet people for a day or two and feel like you have known them your whole life. Rita is a real sweetheart and we enjoyed our time spent with them. The next two nights we were at the home of Ken & Susan Jones in Lutherville, MD. I had met them in GA in Oct 2001 while they were section hiking. They have been section hiking the AT for 16 years. We exchanged email addresses & phone numbers at that time and we have talked on the phone and exchanged emails but we had never seen each other again. We had hoped to see them last year during our travels but the timing just didn't work out. They had extended the invitation to call them when we were in HF. I was looking forward to seeing them again and having them meet Navi. I am so glad we did! They made us feel very much at home and Susan is a wonderful cook. I'm sure I put on a few pounds while there. Once again new friends that feel like old friends! Thank you all for opening your homes to us and inviting us into your lives. While in Harper's Ferry Navi talked to Laurie about volunteering for a week at the the ATC.. She will be working in the shipping dept. A volunteer apartment was available for her to stay in for the week so this will work out well for her. She loves to help out so I know she will enjoy this. I was able to get a new hip belt from Gregory with some help from Baltimore Jack. He was working at the outfitter's in HF. He is always willing to help fellow hikers. Also while in HF we met up with our friend Shawn(Giftgiver). He was staying at the hostel. He may have Lymes disease, he was waiting on the results. Hope you get better soon, Shawn. Well, all good things come to an end and it is time to head north but actually I'm ready to get back on the trail. I feel great! Life really is about the journey!
Date: 2004-06-20
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Dahlgren backpack campground
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

The morning starts at 5am and the night has given in to daybreak. Ken & Susan are already up eating breakfast outside. They are going to hike with me today. I didn't wake Navi until 5:30. We were packed and out the door by 6:00. We drove to HF and parked the truck so Navi could hike with us about 3 miles and then pick up Ken and Susan at Gathland State park. Navi did really good with the three miles. Ken, Susan and I continued on and stopped to see Weaverton Cliffs for the views. What views, you could see at least 50-75 miles. We hiked on to the Ed Garvey shelter which was awesome. The ridge runner, Swedish Fish, was there. We arrived at Gathland State Park at about 12:30. Navi was there sitting on a blanket waiting for us. She had not been there too long she said because she had been to see the Antietum Battlefield. I took a nice break and then it was time for me to continue on. Navi will take Ken and Susan back to their van in HF. Thanks again Ken and Susan for a nice time and great food. I was heading for the next shelter that was only about 5 miles. Time went on and I was getting a strange feeing that I missed the shelter. I left Navi at 1:30 and I should've been at the shelter no later than 3:30. It was already 4:00 and no sign of the shelter. Then I came upon the sign for Dahlgren backpack campground and a hiker said I passed the shelter 2miles ago. Oh well! It was nice to use the tent and thre are showers here. I put up my tent, cooked dinner and wrote in the journal for awhile. Thanks again Ken for the bearline. I got to use it tonight. Like I say, things happen for a reason. This camping area is nice and there are eight other hikers here. What a wonderful day!
Date: 2004-06-21
From: Dahlgren backpack campground

To: Devils Racecourse shelter
Miles today: 18.4

Slept great in my tent last night. Up at the crack of dawn, packed and on the trail by 7am. The hike started pretty nice but the terrain was a little rocky at first. In a couple of miles I could've gotten a picture of Washington Monument but my feet were not cooperating at the time so I choose to pass on it. The pull up Boonsboro Mtn was pretty good and made me sweat too much. Then I crossed a footbridge right over US 70, that was cool. I made it to Pine Knob in good time and took a short break before moving on to Black Rock cliffs where I got pictures. I made it to Ensign Cowall shelter by 2pm so that gave me plenty of time to take off the boots and rest. Another hiker joined me for awhile then moved on and said he would see me at the next shelter or campsite. There was only 4.5 miles to go so I should be camp by at least 5:30pm if I leave here at 3:00. The hike wasn't bad until the last mile when it was up and rocky again. The ridgerunner didn't tell me about that. My feet were telling me I had to stop soon. I finally saw the sign for the shelter, only .3 mile down a rocky path again! I was here at 5:30 and the shelter is very old and dark, but there is a nice stream about 75ft to the right where I can soak my feet. First I had dinner then I got my stuff together to soak my feet. Man, did that feel good! None of my sores are healed yet but they are not worse. Another hiker came in just for dinner but moved on up the trail to tent camp. Good day. Can't wait to see Navi tomorrow.
Date: 2004-06-22
From: Devils Racecourse shelter

To: Tumbling run shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

Well, I made it through the night without being attacked by a bear in the old shelter. Didn't even get bit by a bug, even with all the water around. I heard one little critter nibbling at some paper. I think the privy is as old as the shelter, but it works! To start the day hiking it will be a pull to get out and back on the trail. The trail is rocky but all in all not bad. Maryland has been interesting and as far as the rocks go I guess it's training for PA. Maryland had some really nice flat and wide areas which allowed me to make up time. As I was coming into Pen -Mar Park I saw a young buck deer feeding but he hurried off when he saw me coming. I decided to take a nice long break since I only had a few miles to go yet. I saw a Pepsi machine so I got a Pepsi and enjoyed it and the view from the pavillion that overlooks MD and PA. After the break it was no time before I crossed the Mason-Dixon line and crossed into PA. I got to SR16 where I'm to meet Navi at 1-1:30 and it's only 11:30, so I sat down at a picnic table to wait. Hopefully it won't start raining. Navi did show up around 1:30 and Shawn was with her. We drove to an AYCE buffet that included so many pies and other desserts you couldn't possibly try them all. What a place! It's in Waynesboro only 2-3 miles off the trail. It would be worth the hitch. After stuffing ourselves we went back to the trailhead and I resupplied food for the next few days. I got back on the trail and Navi and Shawn drove up to Pine Grove Furnace to drop off a food box for me since Navi is going to go to Washinton DC with her friend Kaye for the weekend. The terrain was great and I moved right along. So when got to Antietum shelter I decided to go on to Tumbling Run shelter. PA is starting out real nice. At the shelter I met Southernman and another hiker who was with him. I also saw Luna whom I met at the ATC. The shelter has signs that read Snorers on one side and Non Snorers on the other. I'm on the snorer side by myself even though I don't snore too often. What a nice shelter and campsite. I saw another deer and a lot of chipmunks running around. The weather couldn't make up it's mind whether to rain or be sunny. It's not raining now.   LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-06-23
From: Tumbling run shelter

To: Milesburn cabin
Miles today: 17.2

The day is starting out with a light drizzle. Everyone is out before me but I still manage to get out by 7am. The goal is to get to Caledonia State Park befoe lunch and go swimming. The first pull was pretty good and my feet were playing their tune for about the first hour of hiking. Then they were fine all the way to the park. The trail wasn't bad with a few rocks and rock gardens. I got into Caledonia park at 11:30. Luna and Crispy Critter were already there, Southerman and Now or Never had moved on to Birch Run shelter. I had a cheeseburger, large fry and a large Pepsi. Then it was time for the pool. I figure for $3 I get to go in the pool, take a hot shower and my clothes get washed in the pool. Not a bad deal! I called Navi to say hi and tell her where I was. She was working at the ATC. She's been putting map/guidesets together. Her friend Caye is coming tomorrow and she is looking forward to going into Washington DC for the weekend. I figured if I leave by 2pm I can do nine miles and get to the shelter by 6 or 6:30. In just a couple of miles I came to Quarry Gap shelter. What a shelter! There was a bench in front and hanging baskets of plants. The caretaker wanted to make the hikers feel at home. Krispy Kritter came in as I was leaving and he told me there was trail magic at Milesbarn Cabin a couple of miles from the shelter. If I make it to the shelter it will be a 19.6 mile hike. I moved on and the feet were feeling pretty good so I was moving real good. So good that I tripped on a rock and almost planted my face. I was thinking about what Cup of Joe had told me, that he was in the same shelter as Lint. I will probably see him tonight at the shelter. That will be neat. I ran into two hikers I've seen but I don't know their trailnames. They told me I have a treat coming in about 4miles. So I put my feet into high gear and I got to the cabin at about 5pm. Matt and Aaron from Blueridge Mt Sports in Virginia Beach had came out to treat hikers to some trail magic. Aaron cooked me a cheeseburger and a hotdog. I drank a Pepsi. Matt kept trying to feed me. They even had gear to give out if you needed anything. I couldn't thank them enough. Krispy Kritter and Luna came in followed shortly by Cup of Joe. They said Lint would be here in about 45 min so I decided to wait for him. Aaron said we could pitch our tents here so that's what we did. Lint came in with Strange Love and now we're all here sitting around a fire. What a day I had!
Date: 2004-06-24
From: Milesburn cabin

To: Pine Grove Furnace
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: few clouds

I slept really good and was up at daybreak which is about 5am. I could hear movement and when I came out of the tent Cupa Joe was gone and not long after so was Krispy kritter. I was just about to leave when Aaron came out of the cabin and put on some coffee and started making pancakes for us. Then Matt came out and helped out. They didn't know I had just had some oatmeal and a peach. I couldn't disappoint them so I ate two large pancakes and drank some coffee. After thanking them again I got on the trail about 8am. I wanted to get to Ironmaster's Mansion hostel around lunchtime. The trail was really nice and really flat in most areas. The forest had a wonderful smell of pine and other fragrances. I saw plenty of blueberry and rasberry bushes but not ready to eat yet. I reached Pine Grove Furnace around 1pm. Luna who left at 9:30 got there before me by only a minute or so, she flew. Krispy Kritter, Cupa Joe and Salt Lick were there. We were waiting until everyone got here to do the 1/2 gallon challenge. It is a contest to see who can eat a 1/2 gallon of ice cream the fastest. A trail tradition. I went in the General Store and got a cheseburger, fries, soda, cookies and a candy bar for lunch. About 30 min later everyone was here and Krispy Kritter started with his 1/2 gallon. Follwed by Luna, SaltLick, Lint, Strangelove and then me. Needless to say I was the last one to finish with a time of 85 min. Eating before was not a good idea and getting the banana split flavor didn't help. I almost blew lunch. What a crazy thing to do. I think the record is 7minutes. I got a small wooden spoon that says Member of 1/2 Gallon Club. After we just hungout until the hostel opened at 5pm. What a place! It's a mansion that was built back in the 1820's. On one side of the house there is a huge lawn chess game with wooden pieces 2-3 ft tall. The inside living area has a large fireplace and their are a lot of antiques. There is also a secret room under the house that was part of the underground railroad where they hid slaves. A very interesting place with a lot of hisory. I got the food box Navi left for me and left some of it in the hiker box beause it made my pack too heavy. Time for bed. Busy day tomorrow.
Date: 2004-06-25
From: Pine Grove Furnace

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The day is starting at 5am right at daybreak. Cupa Joe, Now or Never, Krispy Kritter and myself are all up. They are all gone by 6am. I had to doctor up my feet for the day because it will be a long one. I finally got on the trail at 6:45. My feet were singng at first but in a hour they were fine. The trail is pretty nice and flat for the most part. As I hiked I thought about the hostel. What a neat place with so much history. I wouldn't mind coming back here to learn more about the area. I was making good time this morning. It was only 11:30 and I only had 7 more miles to Alec Kenedy shelter. At PA 34 there was a store .2 miles to the right but I chose not to go in. Instead I picked a nice place on the lawn and had something to eat. Krispy Kritter came out of the store. We pretty much hiked together into Boiling Springs. We made good time but when we got to the cornfields it got really hot and humid and I just about ran out of gas. We got into town at the ATC Mid-Atlantic Regional office around 4pm. Boiling Springs looks like a neat little town. There were only two B&B's in town and they were both filled up. The only hotel was 8 more miles and I didn't think my feet would take it. So after eating dinner and talking to Navi I walked back to the campsite just ouside of town. I knew there was a storm coming so I hurried to get my tent set up. There were 5 other hikers already here; Still Learning, Turtle, Machine, Waterloo and Sheppard. As we sat talking a train came by about 100ft from the campsite. I got the feeling in town and now to see train tracks so close to the campsites that Boiling Springs may not not like hikers. Anyway, we could see the storm approaching so we headed into our tents and then it hit. It rained very hard and the lightening was bad. There was one bolt that hit really close, like within a 1/4 mile. The storm did pass and now we are survivors. Now to see how many trains come by tonight. As for Krispy Kritter, Lint and I think Cupa Joe, they walked 8m more to PA11 for Motel 8. I'm done for tonight.
Date: 2004-06-26
From: Boiling Springs

To: Cove Mtn shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I was awake at 5am. No rain, only the drops from the trees. I slept okay until the trains made there presence known. They passed 4 times, the last time was at 5:30. I was packed up and ready to leave at 6:15. The trail was real nice, going through farm lands and pastures for almost 8 miles. I managed to catch up with Now or Never and Souternman and tagged along with them. After hiking awhile we came to the bridge over US 11 and we took a short break there. I pulled my guidepages out and my little pocketknife fell out, about 30-40ft down. Maybe a young kid will fnd it and mange to hang on to it longer than me. We hiked on till we got to Scott's Farm which is an ATC headquarters. We stopped there for an early lunch and water. No one from the ATC even came out of the office to greet us or ask if we needed anything. We moved on to Darlington shelter which we found is no longer there. They are building a new one later this year. We headed on to Cove Mtn shelter. There were a couple of good pulls today but the worst part was the rocks at the last mile or so from the shelter. Oh yeah, we had some trail magic from Candy Man, AT 00, he left some goodies in the field. Thanks Candy Man. After walking over so many rocks my feet were really singing to me. Now or Never and Souternman moved on to the shelter and I fell back. As I stumbled on the rocks I came upon a hiker, it was Wanderlost. He remembered me and especially Navi. He wanted to know how she was, so I filled him in on eveything. We are all staying at the shelter and going into Duncannon in the morning, only 4 miles away. Had a pretty good day. My second 20 miler in a row. 41.6 miles in two days, pretty good!
Date: 2004-06-27
From: Cove Mtn shelter

To: Clarks Ferry shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: broken clouds

It got a little chilly last night but slept fine. I was awakened around 5am when Now or Never started packing up to leave. I lay there for another 30 min then decided to get up. I was in no rush becaue it was only 4miles to Duncannon. I did manage to get on the trail by 7:00. I checked on Wanderlost before I left. He had a pretty bad fall on the rocks before getting to the shelter last night. When I got to Hawk Rock there was a beautiful clear view of Duncanon. I got to town just before 9am. I saw Krispy Kritter up on the balcony of the Doyle Hotel so I went up. Krispy wanted me to stay the night but I decided to move on to the next shelter for the night and meet Navi as planned tomorrow. I did wash my clothes while there. I walked to a store about a block away and the woman at the register asked me to sign their hiker register. She was as nice as could be. When I came back to check on the clothes Lint came out and he looked like he had partied all night. "He did" I went with him to a womens' house that he had drank with. She invited hikers for breakfast. Thank you Mary. I also got to meet Bag of Tricks who later gave me a ride to Rite Aid so I could get some bandages. I also talked with Navi and she said she is having a great time in DC with Caye and I said we will go with our plan for tomorrow. Now I'm just hanging around a little longer chatting with everyone at the Doyle. I decided to get out of there before I changed my mind about hiking out. I had to roadwalk about 1.5 miles to get to the trailhead on the other side of the Clarks Ferry bridge. The trail went up but the ascent wasn't bad at all. It got very rocky and at times was hard to follow. Before the rocky area there was a good view of Duncanon and I could see the Doyle. The rocks got to be a real pain. At one point my left hiking pole went between two rocks into a hole and threw me off balance and then it broke right in half. I couldn't retrieve the other half from the hole. The trail finally did smooth out somewhat. Just before the shelter I saw a camper to the right with two dogs but they were friendly. The young woman is a girlscout leader who is out for five days. She said her husband doesn't like that much time out in nature. After I got settled in the shelter and got my water I went over to chat for a little while. While we were talking she treated me to some cheese and crackers. Later when I was finished eating my dinner she came by with a choclate bar for dessert on her way to the stream to get water. Now I'm getting ready to hit the sack so I can get an early start in case there are a lot of rocks to deal with. Had a nice day.
Date: 2004-06-28
From: Clarks Ferry shelter

To: Clarks Valley VA 325
Miles today: 13.3

Last night was strange because I was awakened by something near the shelter. When I sat up and looked out I saw something or someone leave in a big hurry. I said hello but no one answered and I was too tired to investigate and went back to sleep. I was awake this by 4:50am and couldn't go back to sleep so I got up and started getting things together. The birds were already saying "good morning". There was a little nip in the air but it feels good. I only have 13.3 miles this morning but I don't know what the terrain is going to be like. Hopefully not too rocky. I feel my pack is heavier this morning as I get ready to leave. Bought too many goodies at the store yesterday. As I get on the trail I looked over to my left where the woman and her dogs are camping and there is no sign of life yet at 6am, not even a bark from her dogs. The trail is kinda flat with a few ups and downs until I came to Shikellimy overlook. The view was awesome. The fog just hung in the valley below. I hope the picture I took turns out good. As I continued on I did get into some rocks, but they weren't hard to navigate. I did manage to find a stick to replace my Leki that broke yesterday. That made life a whole lot easier for me. My balance is off because of my eyesight and the hiking poles are a very much needed piece of equipment for me. I'll call Leki as soon as I can and they might send me a new pole. They are good at guaranteeing their products. As I came out of a rocky area and into a nice flat lush area a deer came flying across my path heading east. This was a pretty good size deer that didn't want any part of me trying to get a picture. I'd rather it had been a bear anyway! I got to PA 325 at around 12:30 and just threw my pack on the ground and started eating my snacks. Not too long after Navi & Caye showed up and we headed out looking for somewhere to eat lunch. After lunch we went to the home of our friends, Duke & Ginny Hallacher in Palmyra. Duke & Ginny walked across America on two-lane roads a few years back. We met them last year at the ALDHA Gathering in Hanover, NH. We visited them in their home on our way back to FL and they had offered to help in anyway they could as we passed by their area on our thru-hike. Navi had called them and they invited us to stay with them. So here we are. It was so nice to see them again. Their grandaughter, Rachel, is visiting them also. She is camping in the back yard. She is a very nice young girl that you can tell loves her grandparents. We are staying the night in a guest cottage so after dinner and chatting awhile Duke took us over to the cottage for the night. It felt good to soak my feet. We are settled in for the night and now it's lights out.
Date: 2004-06-29
From: Clarks Valley VA 325

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

0 dayToday is a zero day and Navi, Caye & I are off to explore the nearby Amish countryside. They are a fascinating people with a simple lifestyle. First we had breakfast at the Filling Station with Duke, Ginny, Rachel and her friend. It was formerly a gas station but now it is a local diner. We went to Intercourse, PA where we took a tour of an Amish farm(they no longer live there). It was very interesting and the guide was informative. As we toured the house she exlpained about the Amish culture; how they live, their clothing, their style of worship. We then drove into the countryside and went to the Lapp Family farm, a diary farm that makes and sells ice cream. It was delicious. After a stop at Wally World(walmarts) we headed back to Duke & Ginny's house. There we were treated to a wonderful sphagetti & meatball dinner. I hadn't had a good sphagetti dinner like that in awhile. Thanks Ginny for a great dinner. Caye is flying home tomorrow from Baltimore, MD so she & Navi went tonight so they wouldn't have to deal with traffic in the AM. Duke is taking me back to the trail in the morning. I had a wonderful day. I hope Navi and Caye did also.