morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-09-17
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Port Clinton Pavilion
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Slacked again today! YAY! Even so, we were both tired and definitely need a zero tomorrow.Roy and Janet left our packs with Fred and Anna Kauffman in Port Clinton. When we arrived, no one answered the door. We walked down the street to the pavillion and met Caveman. He is hiking from Springer to NY State. After chatting with him for a while, we went to check out the Peanut Shop. This guy Steve told us that we had to go there before we left and "It's like a childhood from your past!" hahahahahahaha He said it with such enthusiasm. We got there and the "OPEN" sign shut off just as we were going to open the door. HAHA! We told the lady working there we'd be back tomorrow (she did offer to let us in). Then we went back to get our packs. Again - no answer. :/ Fortunately, the man who lives across the street knew the combo to get into the garage, so he let us in. We hiked back to the pavilion. Sadly, my brand new titanium spoon that Heavyweight had purchased for my birthday was gone! NOOOOOO!! We have gone through both packs completely and I went back to the house (inspecting the ground all the way) and looked in the garage. Not there! Janet said she put it on the same side as the apple she left, but we didn't find it. I'm pretty sad. Fred offered to drive us to Cabela's or wherever tomorrow so maybe we'll take him up on that. I just don't understand where the spoon could be. We will check again tomorrow.My new headlamp is nifty, but I miss my little glow in the dark flashlight. The red light setting is bugging my eyes out. Last night when I got up to pee, something in the grass caught my eye. I didn't know what it was. I shined my light on it and it was some small bug or something. I figured that it was catching the light from the street lamp, but then I saw another! They were glow bugs or glow worms or something! SO COOL!!I also learned just today that spiders have reflective eyes. I learned this by first hand experience. Like the glow bugs, it caught my eye... glowing eyes!! EEEK! Creepy!
Date: 2012-09-19
From: Port Clinton Hotel

To: stealth site
Miles today: 15.0

I didn't write yesterday because we took a zero. It was very rainy and windy and there was the possibility of (or was) a tornado watch! Very glad that we weren't hiking. Memento was out walking in it and he said that branches and trees were falling all around him. Instead we watched television. YAY! Heartbreakers was on, so that was fun. Heavyweight had never seen it. We also both read. I've started The Night Circus which is engrossing so far. We heard an eagle the other day, but didn't see it.Today we started around 9:30 and still hiked almost 15 miles. Go us! We are in a stealth site sort of near a road. I tried to make a fire, but failed. Everything is so wet. Oh well. I could use a kindle candle out here...Our shoes are starting to wear from the lovely PA rocks. Not the big ones - the small "pyramid rocks" that attack from all angles. It is chilly. My feet are sweaty. My sleeping bag is slightly damp. Hopefully I'll sleep well. The alarm is set for 6:15. I don't even know what time the sun rises. I guess we may find out tomorrow! Goodnight.
Date: 2012-09-21
From: 501 Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was a benchmark day. We've now hiked over ONE THOUSAND MILES!! WOO!!! We saw a stick insect, a praying mantis eating a grasshopper and the biggest caterpillar I've ever seen. It was the size of my index finger. Crazy.We are at the brand new Rausch Gap Shelter. Poncho and Pepper are here with us. They said they've been trying to catch us for about a month! They summited Katahid on June 28th I think.Today's hike was about 17 miles. It was both easy and hard. The terrain was changing between rocks and no rocks. The end was nice and flat with no rocks. YAY!
Date: 2012-09-22
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

An excellent hike today. Far fewer rocks and almost all flat. We hiked 18 miles in 9 hours. This is what I'm talkin' about! I wish every day would be as easy as this one. Perhaps it would get boring after a while. I'm not sure.The songs I had in my head today were the Perspectives song from She Loves Me and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Interesting. We also saw another stick insect today. They are so strange. It stopped moving and just disappeared. It took us a while to find it again.I wrote a poem in my head today too:There was a little acornin a grand old treea little squirrel went running byand bumped it with his knee.The squirrel, he stopped and thought"Oh, what a tasty treat!"he thought that he could get itwith his crafty feet.The little squirrel tried real hardbut the acorn liked to stickand thought that she had wonwhen squirrel ran off real quick.The little squirrel came backwith a bigger, bad-ass squirrelwho dislodged the little acornwith a fancy pawing swirl.The acorn fell far from the treeand landed with a THUNKshe looked around to seeshe was at her tree's grand trunk.The acorn went unnoticed by squirrels both big and smalland not too many years latershe had grown so very tall!So now she tells HER acorns"Fear not, my little seeds,if a squirrel comes to get youlet go, my child - be freed!"(or something close to that)I never said I was a real poet or anything. Don't judge. This is what happens on the trail. Your mind finds things to entertain itself. It is kind of interesting.Pepper and Poncho are here too! I'm glad they made it. Poncho's feet were bleeding earlier and wasn't sure she'd make the 18 today. I'm glad they did because they are fun to talk to. Pepper is a chef and Poncho is an RN. I really like them.Did I mention the fab weather today? I thought it was going to rain but it didn't. We even thought it would storm. The wind picked up a lot around 4:20, so we booked it after that. It is one of the reasons we made such good time today. That and the flat terrain. To The Night Circus...
Date: 2012-09-23
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

This morning we hiked 11 miles into Duncannon, but had a bit of a fight. We've not been getting sleep because of Heavyweight's cold, so I was sitting on a rock and eating (I was also hungry). He told me that if we were "going to get to Duncannon today" that I'd have to get up. That pissed me off for multiple reasons, so I got up and hiked off ahead of him for about 30 minutes until I got to a place with a view so I could have my snack and a break. Heavyweight didn't catch up for over ten minutes. We had words and then things got better.We had thought about resupplying in town, but we also wanted to hike a big tomorrow, so we only got what was necessary for the next day (or two). We had an afternoon snack at the pizza place in Duncannon where we saw Pepper and Poncho. Then we pushed on another 4 miles to the Cove Mountain Shelter. Unfortunately, I have discovered the cause of all my diarrhea issues. Pizza. It is my enemy now. I had only once slice of cheese pizza and I had terrible diarrhea! What the heck? So, I won't be getting pizza anymore on the trail. This is a tragedy.At the shelter, which is crazily eaten by porcupines, we met up with Memento and Spider Monkey. That was a shock because they were doing big mile days - or so we thought. Anyway, it was interesting and funny to be in a shelter with two 18 year olds. Memento told us that Stitch QUIT! Stitch, who told me that I had 0% chance of finishing the trail. HA! Good. He says he was bored which may be true, but part of me feel victorious because I've hiked further than him.
Date: 2012-09-24
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we woke up and got out of the shelter at 8. Not the best idea when our plan was to hike 22 miles. We stopped at the Darlington Shelter to see the Taj Mahal Privy. I was thoroughly disappointed. It was just a large sized privy. No special roof, no reflecting pool, not even special decorations on the inside. Boo. I really had high hopes.We hiked on and I could smell a campfire. The issue with that is that camping is strictly forbidden between the Darlington and Kennedy shelters except for the campsite in Boiling Springs. We did come across a stealth site with a fire burning and NO ONE there!! We spent at least a half hour extinguishing the fire. We finally realized there was a spring nearby so we could use the water. It was a fairly windy day and just the right amount to keep the fire burning. SO, I'd like to take credit for preventing a huge forest fire in PA on September 24, 2012. This put us WAY behind schedule for our 22 mile day!! We hiked on.The Cumberland Valley is lovely. There were a lot of road crossings, though. We got to Boiling Springs around 5:00 or 5:30. I'm not sure. We hung out at the AT regional office and filled up our water. I read the register - it said that sleeping at the campsite was terrifying in the extreme because the trains go by all night and honk their horns which is VERY loud. So, we made the decision to walk back the way we came and beyond to The Allenberry. We got there and it was CLOSED. Luckily, one worker was left and he got the owner to come over and set us up with a room. He lives on site, so I didn't feel bad. Then he offered to give us a ride to town so we could eat dinner! Awesome!We went to the pizza place, Ailene's? or something like that. We wanted a booth, but every single booth except one that was in the far back corner with dirty dishes on it. I turned the corner to check again and who do I see? Pepper and Poncho!! We sat with them. They decided to skip 7 or 8 miles because they had already hiked that section this year. They got a ride and hiked 17 and caught up to us again. Sweet! After may verbal sadnesses from Poncho about trains and being scared about camping so near town, we invited them to share our hotel room. They accepted! That means we split the already crazy reduced cost for hikers!We walked back to the Allenberry and listened to the very loud, but distant trains from our slightly ajar window with satisfied smiles.
Date: 2012-09-25
From: Boiling Springs

To: Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: clear sky

This morning we had breakfast with Pepper and Poncho at Cafe 101. They hiked on and we went to the grocery store and stayed to watch Smoky Joe's Cafe at the Allenberry. It was fun. We hiked only 4 miles to the Kennedy Shelter. Something happened today that I feel is important. I always have a sad feeling when we leave a town, and today was no different. There was a new feeling, though: excitement... or wonder. What is the next town going to bring? We'd have probably never heard of the Allenberry if we didn't hike the trail. There is so much more out there to be explored and I finally feel good about that.
Date: 2012-09-26
From: Kennedy Shelter

To: Tom's Run Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

Today we hiked an unplanned 19. We didn't see a single person until about 3 or 4 PM. Wow! We met The Flower today. What a breeze of happiness and enthusiasm! She hikes very fast, so we couldn't keep up with her for long. She told us she regularly hikes 30 mile days. Amazing! She isn't much taller than me, so I'm in awe. I'm also tinged with despair or something. She can easily finish by Thanksgiving. In fact, she has to slow down to finish when she wants. We, on the other hand, have to push to finish by the first or second week in December. So - last night... I turned my light out at 8:30. I still hadn't fallen asleep by 9, but Steven woke up. I gave him my watch so he could know when to take Nykwill (haha at the spelling). I finally got to sleep and I would say around 10 PM or so three people showed up to the shelter. They had their lights all shining brightly and they made tons of noise setting up their tent and stuff. Heavyweight thinks they showed up at 11 PM. Good grief! Needless to say, I didn't feel particularly bad this morning when we were getting our stuff together. In fact, I didn't try to be quiet, like I usually do.We had smoked bologna with dinner. I'm very nervous about it. It said to keep it refrigerated and it was out for two days. It also didn't look cooked otherwise. I hope that we don't get sick!! We'll find out soon. I've also re-started taking glucosamine. I thought it might be the reason for my diarrhea, but I guess it was really pizza. Hopefully my knees will feel better soon.I also hope we both sleep tonight. I was pretty cranky today. Also - we have almost no fuel. NO!!
Date: 2012-09-27
From: Tom's Run Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: light rain

We woke up to rain today, but since we planned on only hiking 13 miles, we lingered in the shelter until it stopped. By the time we reached Birch Run Shelter for lunch the sun was peeking out (or trying) behind the gray sky.We made it to the very quaint Quarry Gap Shelter complete with bench and potted plants by 4:20. I hit my head REALLY hard on the beam in the shelter when I was changing into warmer clothes. It is small in here. I teared up a bit because I hit it so hard.It started to rain soon after our dinner of cold cous-cous and sardines. The fuel got the water to just get warm. There is a nice guy here that gave us his extra hot water so we had tea and hot cocoa. I read aloud from the Barefoot Sisters book while the guys listened. So, here we sit in the shelter, safe from the rain even though it does kind of seep into everything to give it a perpetual damp feeling. Apparently the gross bugs that I don't like are stink bugs. Also, the place where I bit my lip several days ago has turned into a blister inside my mouth or something. It is pretty obnoxious and is rubbing against my teeth. I wish it would go away. Heavyweight just bonked his head as I did earlier. OUCH!!
Date: 2012-09-28
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a fairly nice day though it was gray. It rained most of the night and some of the early morning, but by the time we hit the trail it had stopped.We hiked a few miles to Route 30 and got a hitch from Jim who takes care of the Quarry Gap Shelter - where we stayed last night! He took us to WalMart and all the way back to the Italian restaurant near the trail where we had a delicious lunch of subs and garlic knots. YUM!We hiked to the Tumbling Run Shelters because that is where Jim told us we should stay. He also told us to write in the register that we like Quarry Gap better than Tumbling Run just to joke around with the keeper. Well, we met the keeper here too and he and his wife (?) seem very nice. The dog was nice too. We did joke around a bit about the little "competition" the two shelters have with each other. It was all in good humor.We had dinner using some things that Doug had given us last night. I had the usual Ramen Noodles, but added 2 Lipton Cup-of-Soup packets plus Mountain House peas. It was GOOD! Then we sat by the fire that a section hiker made and chatted with him until a little after 8:00. It is chilly now, but the katydids are still scratching, so it can't be THAT cold.
Date: 2012-09-29
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: few clouds

Amazingly we hiked about 18 miles today and it wasn't a struggle at all. Hooray! It was even over hills.I forgot to write yesterday about how beautiful the forest is now that some of the smaller trees have changed to red. The sun shone briefly and the light filtered through the red leaves making a gorgeous pink.We are in Maryland. Do you know what that means? We've crossed the Mason-Dixon Line! OH YES!! I'm starting to feel good about this hike... I wonder what will happen next to make me doubt. Hopefully nothing.This evening we saw our first bear. It was pretty big. It walked very close to the shelter and didn't seem to care that there were people here. It actually walked between the shelter and the privy. Heavyweight was off getting water, so he didn't see much of it - just its butt as it disappeared into the forest. We are at the Ensign Cowall Shelter with section hikers Ella and her dog, Duke, and two other fellows, Jason and Matt. The boys had a fire going when we got here so that was nice. I tried to smoke the stench out of my shirt. I wonder if it will work. Not likely. hahaha
Date: 2012-09-30
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: clear sky

Well, we made a short day of it today and are now sitting at Pine Knob Shelter. This morning we went into Smithsburg to get a big resupply. The AWOL book says it is 1.5 miles to town and there is a Dollar General and a Food Lion. We found the General (nod), but not the Lion. We asked a woman where it was and she told us it was about 1/4 to 1/2 mile down the road. About 1.5 miles later we got to the Food Lion. GRRRR! I was so mad at that woman, but it also makes one realize how when you don't walk, you don't know distances. Driving distorts everything. I doubt I would know if it was a mile or not if I had been driving before we started hiking. It was still very annoying.We shopped and I dreaded our walk back to the trail. It was about 3 miles and uphill. I know we needed sustenance, so we stopped at Subway to eat fresh. Yum. While we were eating, a man offered to give us a ride back to the trail!!! SCORE! He was a carpenter who wanted to have thru hikers stay with him for a small fee. He gave us his card to hand out to others on the trail. We're going the wrong direction now - I'm sure we won't see anymore NOBOs - the last one we saw was in Unionville, I think.It was kind of chilly, but the uphill kept us warm, thankfully. The sun was also out, so that was nice. There were a few views where we stopped to look and at the last one, we could see it was raining to the north and south of us. Doh!We definitely got poured on. And hailed on. I got soaked and after the rain with no sun, I was FREEEEEEEZING! I took off my shirt and put on my arm sleeves and raincoat. Brrr! I am now in my fleece and arm sleeves, fleece socks, and inside my sleeping bag. My pants were not totally drenched and I want them to dry, so I'm wearing them too. It is 4:40 now and it is getting fairly dark again. I'm glad we're in the shelter. We were planning on cooking sausage over the fire tonight. I hope that still happens. I can't tell if the scary rumbling is I-70 or thunder.I wonder how Ella and Duke are doing. Duke was scared of us every time we met him even though I slept next to him last night. Poor pup. So scared.So, it is almost time to sleep and I definitely just saw a cockroach crawl out of the wall near my head. Gross. I can see my breath. It is raining again. My socks and shoes and shirt are sopping wet. I am warm in my sleeping bag. I want to wake up tomorrow in my bed with dry clothes to put on. Either that or my clothes have that button installed that you push to instantly dry your clothes like in Back to the Future 2. Seriously... last night I was not sleeping for fear of axe murderers. Tonight I fear a cockroach will be on me.
Date: 2012-10-01
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

Well, we've made it to October! Four months to the day and we'll be doing the ROLLER COASTER! Happy Anniversary to us. Anyway, today was another gorgeous day to start that clouded over. It is raining now at 8:17 PM.We saw Ella and Duke at the Dahlgren Campsite. There we took showers - WOO HOO! Before that we were at the original Washington Monument State Park. We didn't have a view from the monument, but I did wash my socks in the sink there. It took forever (read: about 20 minutes). I kept washing them over and over, but the grime kept on coming out. It was horrifying in a way. I will say this: soap does work. Truly. We are at the Ed Garvey Shelter which is awesome. We are in the loft. It is equipped with a door and it overlooks some town and a farm. The cattle are lowing and we see the lights glowing. nice.Harpers Ferry tomorrow. In the rain. Blah.
Date: 2012-10-02
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Teahorse Hostel, Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: light rain

Today when we woke up it was POURING. Then it rained, sprinkled, and poured on and off for a while. We stayed in the shelter until about 10:25. HA!We hiked to Harpers Ferry in the mist and got lunch at Hannah's which was more expensive than we thought. It was tasty, though - we both got pulled pork. Then we went to the Outfitter where I purchased new shoes, Oboz brand, "Sawtooth Low". Hopefully these will work out better than the Merrells I got in Bennington, VT. I couldn't test them out with my pack weight because I couldn't wear them outside, so I tested them with Heavyweight. HAHA! I was giving him a piggyback around the store. I think the lady there was entertained a little bit. She told us about some French couple that had been in earlier. She said we should try to catch up to them after we left town because she thought we'd become friends. We haven't heard about them before, so they might be hiking much faster than us and just passed us. We'll look for them, though.After that, we got back on the trail (which was a little confusing for some reason) and hiked to the ATC headquarters. There we signed in and got our photos taken. It was a moment I had been waiting for. We are hikers 113 and 114 going southbound. We were about 80 starting at Katahdin. I don't mind that we're slow. We're still doing it. We are now at the Teahorse Hostel which is very nice. I would put it in the top 5 of the best places we've stayed on the trail. Maybe even #2. Lizann's is definitely #1 Then here, then Shaw's. We even get waffles in the morning!I forgot to buy a new journal. I hope they have one for sale somewhere!! I will be sending this one home tomorrow. That makes me a little sad. I love this book. I should make sure I have a new one before sending this one home, but I guess I could use Heavyweight's... and let's face it. There really isn't more room in here to write a real entry anyway. We had free ravioli for dinner that was left in the freezer here and also ice cream. YAY!We saw a buck on the trail today and Heavyweight saw two fawns. Also, I saw something in the canal next to the bike path/AT that may have been a muskrat and also a fairly large turtle.