morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-02
From: Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter 

To: Front Royal VA
Miles today: 2.9

Everyone at the shelter had decided to sleep in late this morning, but then somebody mentioned being hungry and that he really couldn't wait to get breakfast at McDonalds. It wasn't long before we were all up getting ready to leave. We just happened to be the first ones on the Trail and the first ones to McDonalds! We only had three miles to hike, and we hitched a ride fairly quickly. Soon the other hikers arrived, and we all enjoyed breakfast together. Then we went motel shopping. It wasn't long before we were checked in at the Super 8, taking showers, and resting on a real bed. Later, we did our laundry and shopping for the next four days. The remainder of the day was very relaxing and enjoyable. We left the Shenandoah National Park late yesterday and now look forward to seeing Harper's Ferry and visiting the ATC Headquarters again. We hope to get there on our 36th wedding anniversary which will also be the completion of our 3rd month on the Trail.
Date: 2006-06-03
From: Front Royal VA

To: Dick's Dome Shelter 
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up for the continental breakfast, then returned to our motel room to relax and pack. We woke back up in time to leave by check-out. We got a quick hitch, and we were on the Trail at 11:00 AM. The Trail today was very pleasant. Even though we climbed 3055 feet, it was spread over 15 miles, so seemed very gradual. The weather was excellent for hiking-high 70's with a cool breeze. The Trail was easy to hike with f rocks or roots. We arrived at the shelter at 5:00; it is the smallest and most decrepit shelter we've been in yet. Of all places, there are more hikers here than any other place we've stayed. The shelter only sleeps 4, so most people are tenting or in hammocks. Craig built a fire and various hikers gathered around all evening talking about how it had been a good hiking day especially after eating all that food in Front Royal.
Date: 2006-06-04
From: Dick's Dome Shelter 

To: Bears Den Hostel 
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: scattered clouds

We wanted to get an early start today because we're going to stay at the Bears Den Hostel tonight. After breakfast we were on the Trail by 6:30 AM. The first 9 miles were fairly easy but then we came to the Roller Coaster section (see pic). It's 13.5 miles long with 10 ascents and descents because the corridoris narrow. In all we climbed 4,410 feet and many miles were on rock. We had great weather to hike the Roller Coaster. It never got above 70 degrees and we had a nice breeze most of the day. By the time we reached the Bears Den we had completed 7 of the ascents. The other three will have to wait until tomorrow. Later Silverback, Yoshi, Hamburglar, Rightside and Gary joined us. We had pizza later and then just sat around relaxing. Not too bad of a day!
Date: 2006-06-05
From: Bears Den Hostel 

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

We didn't get on the Trail until 10 AM because the breakfast at the Bear's Den was great, and we then had a difficult time leaving all the comforts. We only had 5 miles and 3 ascents left to do on the Roller Coaster. The Trail, however, wasn't too difficult. We only climbed 1,890 feet by the time we reached the Blackburn Trail Center. It was 8 miles from the Den, so we were planning to just visit and have lunch there. However, once seeing the place, we decided to stay for the night rather than staying in Harper's Ferry tomorrow. We arrived at 1:15 PM and just laid around the rest of the day. Dirt and Sir Lancelot asked Craig to play Settlers, which we always play with our children. Craig wanted his children to know that "yes he didn't win, but he only played one game." We had a great spaghetti dinner and evening of conversation before bedtime at 9 pm.
Date: 2006-06-06
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Ed Garvey Shelter 
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

!! 1,000 Miles !!COMPLETEDWe passed the 1000 mile mark today, despite a rocky start. We both were feeling sick during the night and visited the Privy frequently. We were still determined to get on the trail by 6:30 AM but struggled with flu like symptoms all day. Many hikers have gotten a 24 hour flu for the past 2 weeks. The Trail wasn't too bad to hike but we didn't have any views until reaching the Shenandoah River. We got into Harper's Ferry at 11:30 AM and didn't leave until 1:30 PM. Harper's Ferry is the psychological half-way point on the trail and is an exciting milestone for thru-hikers. We then needed to go to the Outfitters because Craig's trekking poles needed to be fixed. We got back on the Trail at 3:00 PM which started by crossing the Potomac River and then following it for a couple hours. We climbed 2,520 feet and most the ascents were fairly gradual. We also completed West Virginia and are now hiking in Maryland. We reached the Ed Garvey Shelter at 5:00 PM to find 5 Thru Hikers and 5 Day Hikers. It sleeps 12 and a couple Hikers were going to tent. We had a light meal, then Craig built a fire. Good time talking with everyone.PS: A note to Sam &Carter. We were thinking of you two tonight while spending the night at the Ed Garvey Shelter. Carter would have been more comfortable, than when we met here a year ago, because the temperature this time was in the low 70's.
Date: 2006-06-07
From: Ed Garvey Shelter 

To: Pine Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: few clouds

We woke up feeling better, but the way we felt yesterday compelled us to stay in our bags until 7:00 AM. We were on the Trail by 8:00 AM, and we were looking forward to taking a shower at around 1:00 PM. There is a campground called, "Dahlgren Backpackers Campground" that is right on the Trail and has free showers. We spent almost 3 hours there as did some other hikers. The Trail in Maryland, so far, has been fairly easy, and we only climbed 2,560 feet. We saw Mountain Laurel in bloom almost along the entire pathway.   The shelter is less than a mile from I-70, so we hear the traffic. One of the hikers commented that "it's hard to believe we're in the wilderness", but the wind is picking up and before long, we won't hear the traffic at all! Cathy saw a mouse in the shelter while reading, so Craig tried to stuff the holes in the shelter floor with papers and sticks. We've heard mice before, but never saw one when it was still light! It may not work, but hopefully we'll sleep better.
Date: 2006-06-08
From: Pine Knob Shelter 

To: Devils Racecourse Shelter 
Miles today: 13.1

We were supposed to have a bad storm last night but all was calm. The other hikers started getting up at around 7:00 AM, but since we only had 13 miles to hike, we waited until they were gone until we started getting around. We still have low energy but feel better than yesterday. We were on the Trail by 9:00 AM and started with a climb. At first it wasn't very rocky but then things changed, (see pics). The Trail was mainly rocks for the first 8 miles. Then things improved for the next 4 miles, and we even walked through some meadows. One meadow even had some Longhorn Cattle grazing there. The last mile was rocky again with a steep climb. We had climbed only 2,215 feet when we arrived at the blue-blazed path to get to the shelter. It was a .3 mile walk down a steep rocky trail to the shelter. We were not very happy about this but when we arrived at around 3:00 PM we were happy to find that water was just a few yards away and that the shelter had been recently painted. All in all, it was a good hike today. The temperature was in the low 70's and there was a light breeze most of the day. We passed about 6 day hikers and 2 teenage boys who were just starting their hike to the Shenandoah's. We did have to pull three Deer Ticks from Cathy's legs, something we're always checking for. The fear of getting Lyme Disease is a part of the Trail we don't particularly enjoy. We were alone at the shelter until Grey Fox came in about an hour latter. He's from Albermarle, NC. We met him first after just beginning NC. It was nice to get in so early so we could just relax. We had a fire later which is always good but then it started to rain and thunder. It was so loud at times that it was hard to even read. During the rain Sidewinder and Wrong Way joined us. We met Wrong Way 4 miles South of Harper's Ferry hiking South to Katahdin. We explained that he was going South not North. He handled this surprisingly well stating that he had just started his hike at Harper's Ferry. We hadn't seen him since so when he came in Craig said, "Hey it's Wrong Way, how you doing?". He didn't yet have a Trail Name and decided "Wrong Way" was right for him. We went to bed with it raining which was nice in that we could read with our headlamps and not be bothered by bugs being attracted to the light.
Date: 2006-06-09
From: Devils Racecourse Shelter 

To: Waynesboro PA
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: broken clouds

The rain stopped at around 10 PM and we woke up to clear skies. We skipped breakfast because we got up a little late and wanted to get moving and get in our motel room ASAP. We're going into Waynesboro PA, where our daughter, son-in-law, & grandson will be flying in tomorrow to hike with us for 3 days. We'll be hiking from Waynesboro to Caledonia State Park. We were on the Trail by 7:30 after climbing 250 feet and hiking .3 of a mile on the blue blaze trail from the shelter to the AT. The Trail today was a mixture of a couple easy sections and a lot of ROCKY ascents and descents. We had one nice view from High Rock, and the Pen Mar County Park, (see pics). We passed a couple section hikers who we had a nice conversation with. We left Maryland and will now be hiking in Pennsylvania for the next 2 1/2 weeks. We hope that Pennsylvania's ROCKS aren't as bad as people say or it's going to be a very long 2 1/2 weeks. We got to PA-16 at 11:30 AM and were in our motel room by 12:00. Hitch-hiking was pretty easy this time, (see pic). After cleaning up we spent a couple hours in the library and then went to the Golden Corral for dinner, a place we wouldn't necessary choose before the Trail. After our 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th courses, several of our hiking friends showed up, (see pic). It was quite a surprise and a nice way to finish our remaining courses. We were there 2 1/2 hours! We then did some food shopping and laundry, something Craig doesn't enjoy. We spent the rest of the evening laying on our bed, watching TV and wondering how we could have eaten soooo much. Oh well, by morning we'll be hungry again...
Date: 2006-06-10
From: Waynesboro PA

To: Tumbling Run Shelter 
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

We had a nice night's sleep and then breakfast at the motel's restaurant. Then we relaxed in our room while waiting for Chad, Jodi, and Levi to join us. It was so exciting when they arrived; Levi had grown so much, was all smiles, but didn't know what his parents had gotten him into. Chad and Jodi were eager to try the backpacking, but were apprehensive as well. The guys dropped the women and Levi off at the trailhead, then drove to Caledonia State Park to leave the car and shuttle back to the trailhead in Waynesboro, PA. Then who did we see at the trailhead--Energizer Bunny (Betty)! We have been trying to re-connect with her for 3 weeks. The four of us and Levi in the backpack began hiking at 2:30, and we were all amazed when we reached the first shelter 2.1 miles and only 1 hour later. The trail was very smooth and gave us lots of opportunity for talking. We passed by the second shelter 2.4 miles later, and continued to a small park where Sanford and Miss Parkay and other hikers were taking a break. These were two more hikers whose names were familiar to Chad & Jodi. We reached our destination shelter at 6 and found a level spot for the tent and 2 very nice small shelters. Irish was already in residence in the "snoring" shelter so we took the "non-snoring" one (they were labeled!). We gathered wood for a fire, and Cathy fed Levi while everyone else went for water. We enjoyed a meal of pasta and chicken and around the campfire had coffee and brownies for dessert. During dinner we were surprised by the arrival of Texas, another of our favorite hikers and someone we were pleased Chad & Jodi got to meet. Just as we were heading for bed, Little Engine & Gotta Go arrived and set up their tent. We had not seen them since Georgia. All in all, it was really a fun day having our family join us and being able to see so many good friends. Having a very easy trail that only climbed 750 feet was very nice as well!
Date: 2006-06-11
From: Tumbling Run Shelter 

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We can't believe we're saying this now, but it was a very COLD night getting as low as 40 degrees. As a result, the Mulders were a quite COLD during the night since Upload & Stitches had told them that it would be warm and to bring only fleece sleeping bag liners. Oops! Craig got up early and   had a camp fire going for when they got out of their tent. While sitting around the fire having breakfast, Swiss and Happy Feet stopped by. It was surprising that we were able to introduce so many of our hiker friends to the Mulders. We had such a good time relaxing around the fire and greeting hikers as they passed by that we didn't get packed up and start hiking until 10:40 AM. This also gave Levi time for his morning nap in the tent--all swaddled in fleece, of course! Because it was so cold last night and this morning, we didn't know where we would end up tonight. We would either go 12 miles to the next shelter or 10 miles to Caledonia State Park where we would look for a motel. The hike today went well but was more difficult and farther than yesterday. We climbed 1,380 feet and had more rocks in the trail and some rock climbing. We saw Chimney Rocks, which was impressive, as well as one vista. Wrong Way passed us in the afternoon, and we saw Lunch Box, Sanford, and Park Bench while feeding Levi at a picnic table at Caledonia State Park. Levi was a great hiker and got the most attention from people we met on the Trail. He enjoyed either sleeping in his backpack or looking out as he traveled the Trail on his father's back. Chad did a great job hiking with Levi, and Jodi was always close by to handle any problem. Because it remained cool all day we decided to go to a motel rather than the shelter and tent. Craig pointed out that since we were going to a motel we should also go out to eat. We found Ryan's, an all you can eat restaurant, which was a plus as far as Craig was concerned. We ended up at Days Inn and played Don & Mom's dice game. We started to feel tired at around 10 and headed for bed. Upload & Stitches are starting to get "soft"-2 motels and 1 hostel in the last week! Oh well, it's back to the real world of thru-hiking tomorrow.....
Date: 2006-06-12
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Birch Run Shelter 
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Everyone had a nice warm night's sleep and breakfast before heading off on a day of sight-seeing by car. We visited Gettysburg and it's attractions and then enjoyed lunch at a sidewalk caf©. Then Chad pointed out that a good day shouldn't end without a stop at a coffee shop. We had a great day and a great weekend with Chad, Jodi and Levi. It was especially good that they were able to experience some of the Trail, meet a lot of our hiking friends while having no one was injured. It was difficult saying goodbye but we also know that they and the rest of our family want us to finish the Trail. They brought back to AT at 4:00 PM and we were back on the Trail by 4:20 PM. Since we got such a late start we had planed to just hike to the first shelter. However we made such good time we decided to just keep walking to the next shelter. We got there at 7:50 PM but pnly climbed 1,615 feet on a very easy Trail. Energizer, Gotta Go, Little Engine and Nifty were all ready there. We only had juice and GORP because we were full from our earlier eating. We'll make it to the Pine Grove Furnace tomorrow which is the mileage halfway point. They have the 1/2 gallon ice cream challenge there where you try to eat a 1/2 gallon in a half hour. We'll wait till tomorrow to decide if we'll take the challenge on.
Date: 2006-06-13
From: Birch Run Shelter 

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter 
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: overcast clouds

HALFWAYIt was a long but easy and fun day until the last four miles. We woke up at 7:00 AM, had breakfast while talking with Gotta Go, Little Engine and Energizer, and we on the Trail at 8:00 AM. We all left at different times but Nifty and Andy caught us and walked with us until Pine Grove Furnace. We were able to take one another's pictures at the actual mileage halfway point and share in all the excitement. We got to the Pine Grove Grocery Store at 11:30 AM where there's a tradition--the challenge of eating a half gallon of ice cream within a half hour. Craig thought he is already doing something stupid (walking over 2000 miles) why do another stupid thing. So...he took the challenge, eating a half gallon of Mouse Tracks ice cream. There were several others doing this at the same time, including Andy. He didn't find it very pleasurable but finally was able to finish. Two other hikers set 2 new records-- Mystic ate a half gallon in a record time 2 minutes and 37 seconds and Marley ate 1 half gallon followed by 3 hotdogs, 3 times during a 24 hour period, (see pic). Craig ate a hotdog and fries after his half gallon and that was enough for him. At the challenge, we met a couple new hikers including Skunk and Skank. Texas was also still at Pine Grove having done a work for stay at the Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel. We stayed at the grocery store until 1:30 PM but then decided we better get going because we still had 15 miles to hike to the next shelter. We had hiked around this area a year ago and had walked to the Midway Marker. It was fun recalling some of our discussions about what it would be like if were able to hike to this point from Georgia. Well we made it! And wrote in the journal, "halfway? where did the time go?", and then ran into a very elderly women who was hiking down the Trail. She had Thru-Hiked in 1979 and was still doing Trail maintenance. Pretty ironic that we would run into her after having written what we wrote in the Midway Marker Journal. We certainly hope we are able to be active and enjoying life 27 years after our thru-hike. We had some uphill after the marker but the Trail remained fairly easy until the last four miles. We then encountered the Pennsylvania ROCKS-not just rocks but MONSTER ROCKS with steep ascents. We climbed 3,130 feet and it felt like it was all done in the last 4 milles. Cathy was not a happy hiker. We finally made it to the shelter at 7:50 PM. Just a 1/4 mile before the shelter we ran into Bunny and Baltimoron who were tenting. They didn't want to hike the 1/4 mile uphill on a blue blaze to get to the shelter. Skunk had passed us earlier and was there when we arrived. After getting water Craig ate a cold hamburger and Cathy had a bagel we had bought earlier in Pine Grove. It was a very peaceful evening ending a beautiful day.
Date: 2006-06-14
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter 

To: PA-944
Miles today: 16.2

We woke up at 7:00 AM but didn't get on the Trail until 9:20 AM. Late la t night, Craig was able to reach Steve Sheaffer about getting together. He's the brother-in-law to the school teacher in Waynesboro VA. He's going to pick us up at PA-944, which is about 5 miles from his home, at around 5:00 PM. To get there, we have about a 16 mile hike that he says is pretty flat with easy terrain, so we had plenty of time and no need to be in a hurry. We didn't make breakfast since we'll be hiking through Boiling Springs at breakfast time, and we love when we can eat out. We started out with a 330 foot climb but then went down hill until coming out of the forest 30 minutes later. We walked in pastures or along roads until reaching Boiling Springs at around 10:30. We had a nice breakfast at a coffee shop across from the pond. We were there until 12:15 PM having a very leisurely meal. When we got back on the Trail we continued to go back and forth between forests and pastures. At times the Trail was lined with Honeysuckle bushes which smelled fantastic. We also passed some type of berry tree that caused Craig to repeatedly fall behind, (see pic). The Trail was as easy as Steve said, only having us climb about 500 feet, a total of only 880 feet for the day. It was by far the easiest 16 miles we have hiked so far. At 3:30 PM we did run into a significant rain storm, hearing later that it was almost an inch in 1 1/2 hours. As a result, we quickened our steps and got to PA-944 at 4:30 PM. Steve was able to pick us up quickly, and we were in a warm shower at his home in no time. And boy, did it ever feel good! We met Steve's wife Pam and sons Bryce and Connor. We relaxed having coffee and talking about the Trail until going out to dinner. We went to a beautiful restaurant and enjoyed a great meal outside on its deck next to a river. We later relaxed at their home having more coffee and ice cream. We were up until 11:30 PM talking, then realized we all needed to go to bed due to work and needing to get back on the Trail early in the morning. Again another great day on the Trail!
Date: 2006-06-15
From: PA-944

To: Duncanon PA
Miles today: 13.3

Craig woke up this morning so he assumes the berries he ate yesterday weren't poison! He thinks they were Mulberries. Anyway, he and Cathy had a delicious pancake and eggs breakfast with Steve and Pam. We had a wonderful time relaxing with them and their children in their home. Steve drove us back to the Trail and we started hiking at 9:15 AM with only 13 miles to hike. Steve said that the first 7 miles wouldn't be too difficult but that the last 6 miles would be rocky and tough at times. He was right, but it wasn't as bad as we had expected mainly because of the weather. They had predicted that it would be 85 degrees with no wind. However, it was only 70 degrees with a light wind all day. We arrived at Duncanon at 3:00 PM and checked into the Doyle Hotel. Craig's sister Judith and her husband Bill had sent us a goody box which will keep us full and happy for a while. There were quite a few hikers at the hotel already including Irish, Nifty, Marley, Happy Feet, Swiss, Skunk, Tortoise, Lunch Box, Sanford, Figgy, Mistic, Park Bench, Rad, Leprechaun and Matt Parker. We enjoyed our afternoon with everyone and then our evening dinner at the Doyle Hotel. There was a women folk singer for evening entertainment which was a nice bonus. Most of the hikers were there enjoying the music and singing along at times. It was a fun evening that will be remember for quite some time.
Date: 2006-06-16
From: Duncanon PA

To: Petters Shelter 
Miles today: 11.4

The hikers from the Doyle Hotel swarmed into Goodies Restaurant , across the street, outnumbering the "locals" 3:1 for breakfast. We sat with Fire Fly and Guinness and enjoyed an omelet (Cathy), eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, pancakes, orange juice, and lots of coffee. It was a good way to start the day! Our revelry soon ended and we returned to the Doyle to pack. We left Duncanon at 11:30 and hiked 11 miles today, taking our time due to the ROCKS. It took us an hour to get back to the forest and then we climbed 1,000 feet to the top of Petters Mountain. We then walked the ridge the rest of the day. We only climbed 1,520 feet and arrived at the shelter at 2:45 PM. Peter's Mountain Shelter sleeps 20, and 12 hikers were already there when we arrived. Most had come from the Doyle. We had fun talking and even had a swing dance lesson from Nifty and Guinness. Marley walked the .5 mile DOWN and got water for everyone. It was another fun day on the trail; one of the first Craig agreed he'd rather be hiking than in his comfy home.