morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-05
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Skyland
Miles today: 16.1

June 5, 2004 ¢ Bearfence Mountain Hut to Skyland ¢ 16.1 milesI was the first one up and out of the shelter this morning. We had thunderstorms during the night and this morning it looked like we were in the middle of a cloud. Hiked the first 8 miles completely in the fog. Sometimes I couldn¢t see more than 10 feet in front of me! I saw lots of deer. Guess my rain pants don¢t make enough noise to scare them off, or they¢re curious. I stopped at the Big Meadows wayside and had a second breakfast. Fried eggs, sausage, toast, potatoes and two cups of hot cider. Yumm! Went by several overlooks that I¢m sure would have been picture-worthy on a clear day. Stopped at Rick Spring Hut around lunch time for a break and a snack. There was one southbound hiker there with his dog and there were a bunch of older Boy Scouts camped up on the hill. They had started a fire. I got dried out a bit and warmed up. The fire made it hard to leave. Today I was hiking in shorts, my rain pants, my long john top and my rain jacket. For most of the day I also had on my rain hat and rain mittens. Wet and chilly. I¢m happy with my rain pants. My boots are wet on the outside, but my socks were still dry. The rain jacket on the other hand is supposed to be breathable, so it¢s not water proof. The rain doesn¢t bead up and roll off ¢ or it doesn¢t ¢shed¢ water. I also sweat like mad in it. I¢ve decided that rain gear is designed to keep you warm when you¢re wet, not to keep you dry. Pack cover worked better today. I¢d Scotchguarded it in Daleville. Picked up an extra day of food at Big Meadows too and made a reservation to stay at Skyland. Skyland is a mountain resort. Basically, I have a motel style room (where the heat wasn¢t on when I arrived) for twice the price of a nice B&B ¢ like the one in Waynesboro, and no breakfast. It is getting warmer, and my gear is drying out. I¢ve decided that I¢m a wimpy camper. I can hike in anything as long as I know I have someplace to go at the end of the day that is warm and dry. I do not like putting on damp cold clothes in the morning to slough through the clouds with no end in sight. I¢m definitely a fair weather camper. Pray for good weather. If it¢s going to rain, it needs to be warm, and stop long enough so I can dry out. Otherwise I¢m going to be spending a lot more time in towns, motels, hostels, B&Bs, etc. than I had planned. I had a good dinner down at the lodge. Complimentary ham salad & crackers, a house salad with blue cheese dressing, 8 ounce steak medium rare, baked potato with butter and sour cream, and broccoli and cauliflower, and an Old Dominion Root Beer. Didn¢t touch the bread, but I got a box and that will make a great addition to tomorrow¢s lunch or dinner. Heard it¢s supposed to clear up a little tomorrow, but that another storm system is coming in Monday. Looks like I can camp tomorrow night, but that me and my leaky tent will be back in the shelters after that.
Date: 2004-06-06
From: Skyland

To: Junction with Jeremy's Run Trail
Miles today: 17.5

June 6, 2004 ¢ Skyland to Junction with Jeremy¢s Run Trail ¢ 17.5 milesSlept til about 6:30 this morning. Packed everything up and checked out and went to breakfast. I had their omelet with everything in it. It came with hash browns and a biscuit. After two big meals yesterday, I couldn¢t finish it. I was on the trail about 8:30. The sun was out on top of the mountain, but everything below was in fog and clouds. At least it was warmer than yesterday. Forgot to mention that I saw SlimFast again yesterday (and today at breakfast). He¢s doing some slack packing with family and friends to finish out this section of the trail. He¢s offered to slack pack me some when I get near their summer home in Western Massachusetts. Had some more overlooks today where you could see nothing but white. Did see a doe and fawn this morning and a toad this afternoon and lots more Columbine. There was ever a spot where, when a train maintainer had come through and whacked back all the weeds, they had trimmed around a few patches of Columbine! I stopped at a picnic shelter for mid morning break and remembered that I¢d put the little butter and jam packets from breakfast in the back pocked of my rain pants. A mesh pocket. Well, when I¢d sat down on this break or a previous one, one of the butter and the two jam packets got squished, enough to burst. The pocket was full of sticky jam and butter. It coated part of the insides of my rain pants and one butt cheek of my shorts. A little hard to clean up in the back country, but some camp soap and water and a change into my nylon pants, and I was back in business. I hung the rain pants and shorts from the back of my pack to dry. They did pretty well. Stopped at another wayside for a late lunch ¢ Fritos, the jumbo bag, a huge chocolate chip cookie, and a root beer. Finally saw a little bit of the valley coming through Thornton Gap. I¢m tenting near a trail junction on what appears to be an old woods road. How come, when you find the perfect spot to hang your food bag and toss the rope up in just the right spot on the first try, there are no witnesses!? Had bread and butter and cheese for dinner.
Date: 2004-06-07
From: Junction with Jeremy's Run Trail

To: Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

June 7, 2004 ¢ Trail Junction to Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter ¢ 16.8 milesAnother day in clouds and fog but a good temperature for hiking and by late afternoon it had started to dry out a bit. Looks like a blue sky now. Saw some more deer today. Several does and a really nice buck. Saw Little Chicken today slack packing with a friend. I¢d met here a day or two after Waynesboro. Talked to a nice couple from England at a road crossing. They¢re in the US for the third time and were doing some bird watching. Also met Fire and Buddy today and am sharing the shelter with them tonight. Fire got his name because he almost set his tent on fire his first night on the trail. He¢s from western Kentucky.   Buddy is a chocolate lab who likes to play fetch more than he likes food. Doc has also joined us for the night. I met him with Tank and Diesel back before Erwin. Saw a big black snake today ¢ almost stepped on it.
Date: 2004-06-08
From: Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter

To: Dick's Dome
Miles today: 18.0

June 8, 2004 ¢ Tom Floyd Wayside to Dick¢s Dome ¢ 18.0 miles        So I proved to myself once again that my feet can only to 15-16 miles. Do you think I¢ll learn this time? I got a good start this morning, just after 7. The trail was mostly smooth and a bit muddy. Which was good since it made it softer. Hiked along the edge of a Zoological Park. Just looked like overgrown farmland. I got to the cut-off for one of the shelters about 10:50 and realized that if I really moved I could get to the Post Office in Linden before they closed for lunch. One mile on the trail and one mile on the road. Caught up to Fire and Buddy about there. They¢d passed me earlier in the morning. Made the trail head at 11:11 and the second car that went by, the first in our direction, stopped and asked if we needed a ride. We all piled in the back of the truck and were at the PO by 11:17. I got my supply box and two priority mail envelopes. Had time to go through everything and organize my food bag and get a few things in the mail. James, the license plate Mosky Mt., came by the PO to mail some boxes and offered me a ride back to the trail head. He has a friend who just finished the trail and has hiked some sections of it himself. Round trip to town was just under 1 hour. I was at the next shelter by 2:00 and didn¢t feel like stopping for the day. If the timing at the Post Office and rides to and from the trail hadn¢t worked out, I would have been there much later. So, I got some water, visited with Wonderlost and Joanne the Sampler and headed on. Lots of deer tracks in the trail today but didn¢t see any deer. The ones around here know enough to give humans a wide berth. Saw one big black snake. The interesting thing today is the cicadas. Boy are they loud! The sound of the stream here at the shelter doesn¢t even drown them out. And I¢ve seen lost of dead ones on the trail. It must be the lower elevation. Until today it had just been talk and news articles ¢ now I¢ve seen and heard them. Doc is here tonight and three others are tenting. Thanks for the notes from David, Meara and Tom. Don¢t let me lose track of what the rest of you are up to.
Date: 2004-06-09
From: Dick's Dome

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: few clouds

June 9, 2004 ¢Dick¢s Dome to Sam Moore Shelter ¢ 15.9 miles                Slept late this morning, til after 7. Was slow getting going too. The first 9 miles weren¢t bad. Saw a deer and three turtles. Saw a fawn not more than 2 feet off the trail ¢ didn¢t see mom. I hope it was okay ¢ it didn¢t budge, no ear twitches or eye blinks, but I did see it wiggle its nose. The last 7 miles were half of what they call the roller coaster. It¢s something like 12 miles with 6000 feet of elevation gain and drop. In ~500 foot increments. Wouldn¢t have been so bad if there were some rewards/views at the top. On a hot humid day it was a bit sticky and I had sweat dripping from my elbows, nose, chin, etc. Had to give myself a little sponge bath in the creek when I got here.One other person here ¢ a section hiker Bodie, and two young kids and their dog tenting nearby. Ate like a pig today. I might run out of snacks before Harper¢s Ferry. Might need to sneak into a town at one of the gaps and grab a meal. Bodie was raving about his new tent. Guess what it is? The Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1! That¢s one less person out here with tent envy.
Date: 2004-06-10
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: David Lesser
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

June 10, 2004 ¢Sam Moore Shelter to David Lesser ¢ ??? miles                Got a reasonable start this morning and headed for Bears Den Hostel 3 miles further on. I was hoping to get a few extra snacks and maybe check e-mail. The computer wasn¢t working when I got there, but I got an ice cream sandwich and a root beer as well as two candy bars. I also took the opportunity to have a shower and do a load of laundry. It was a great 3 hour break and I did end up checking e-mail. I saw a bunch of toads today and several lizards and squirrels. Had two decent views but both too hazy for photos. Finally got off the roller coaster and had a nice ridge run the last several miles. I pulled a tick off myself Tuesday. Not entirely uncommon out here, but this one was stuck good. Now I have an ugly little sore with a ring of red around it. I see another trip to the local clinic coming tomorrow.It¢s me and Noname, Hamburg¢s friend, at the shelter tonight. Tonight is his last night out before going home. He¢s ready, dreaming of his own bed and pillow. I dream of mine too, but they are a few more months away. Forecast is for rain, already had afternoon t-boomers, but somehow I slipped through. Tomorrow I don¢t care if I get wet because I can dry out in town.
Date: 2004-06-11
From: David Lesser

To: ATC Offices in HarperÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Ferry
Miles today: 8.8

June 11, 2004 ¢David Lesser to ATC Offices in Harper¢s Ferry ¢ 8.8 miles                Crossed the 1000 mile mark and left Virginia today. Two big milestones. Fairly easy walk down the ridge on a cool foggy morning. Had my picture taken at the ATC office. Looked at the relief map and retrieved my boxes. In addition to my resupply box I had brownies from mom, new insoles and socks from Linda and a new tent fly from Bill at Big Agnes ¢ a windfall! My friend Jeff from college met me at noon. He very graciously agreed to take me to the urgent care clinic in Charlestown to have my tick bite checked out and he was incredibly patient for the hour and a half it took for me to get an antibiotic prescription. The doctor and I decided that the better safe than sorry approach was the way to go given my circumstances. I can stop and get tested for Lyme Disease in a few more weeks when the antibodies will have shown up. If I do test positive I¢ll likely have to have another dose of antibiotics. After the clinic I met my uncle and his wife back at the ATC office. The four of us went to lunch and I got to go back to my uncle¢s house for the night. I had a shower, did laundry (including my sleeping bag!) and had a home cooked dinner. They¢re planning a great breakfast ¢ I heard sausage, eggs and French toast - and then a ride back to the trail. And I¢m sleeping in a bed with sheets and a real pillow. It¢s too bad humans can¢t purr.
Date: 2004-06-12
From: ATC Offices in HarperÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Ferry

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: broken clouds

June 12, 2004 ¢ Harper¢s Ferry to Rocky Run Shelter ¢ 16.1 miles                Had a great breakfast with my uncle and aunt and was back in Harper¢s Ferry on the trail about 9:00. Hiked through some of the Harper¢s Ferry Historic Park. I¢d like to go back and explore there more. Followed the C&O Canal Towpath for ~2 12 miles. Say ducks, geese and turtles. The water in the canal was green with algae. Stopped at the Ed Garvey Shelter for lunch and saw Wanderlost and talked to Giftgiver for quite a while ¢ good conversation. Hiked through Gathland State Park and by ruins and the war memorial there. Bright blue sky today and cooler than it¢s been. Saw a garter snake and one view on the ridge. Get to check off one more state ¢ West Virginia ¢ and I¢m a third of the way through Maryland. Lots of weekenders out today and several boy scout troops. There are 12 of them camped by the shelter tonight. Two section hikers here tonight and one weekender. Guess all the other thru-hikers went on to the Backpack campground.
Date: 2004-06-13
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

June 13, 2004 ¢ Rocky Run Shelter to Ensign Cowall Shelter ¢ 15.7 miles                Rocky Run Shelter was built in the 1940s. It was comfy and close, but dark. Consequently I slept late. Probably a good thing. It was dark this morning and a little rainy. Never really warmed up. Hiked past some more Civil War monuments and plaques. Also went through Washington Monument State Park. The monument was the first erected to honor George Washington and was used as a signal tower during the Civil War. It was restored in the early 1900s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Had lunch at Pine Knob Shelter and talked with some section hikers. Saw an ATC ridge runner out for the day. Saw one deer and a bunch of Indian pipes. Met a trail maintainer and was the recipient of some trail magic. ¢Playdough¢ hiked the trail southbound in 2002. He had a Snicker bar for me which I inhaled while we chatted. Hit Ensign Cowall Shelter about 4:30 and decided to stay. It¢s cool and a bit dark because of the cloud cover and I¢m really not in a hurry. Looks like the Roman Noodles are a half day ahead. Mailman and CNN came by here the 10th. I¢m not sure if it was for a break or overnight. Talked with Keith, a section hiker, here at the shelter for a while. He also volunteered to lighten my load by taking out my trash! He¢s headed out to the road to meet family now, so I have the shelter all to myself. If I don¢t sleep too late tomorrow, I should be in Pennsylvania by noon.        Lightfoot and OverUnder just passed through. They¢re doing the Maryland Challenge ¢ the whole state in 24 hours. They have 4 hours and 9.4 miles to go. Doc, Syracuse and two section hikers came in late for the night.
Date: 2004-06-14
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Antietam Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: light rain

June 14, 2004 ¢ Ensign Cowall Shelter to Antietam Shelter ¢ 16.5 miles                I¢m getting a lot better at rolling over and going back to sleep in the mornings. Hiked through some old farm fields this morning. Saw lots of daisies and purple clover and that yellow flower that looks a bit like clover and lots of purple flowering vetch. I saw tons of chipmunks today and no squirrels. I had lunch at Pen-Mar Park. The facilities were closed, but it had a nice view and lots of picnic tables. Crossed into Pennsylvania and across the Mason-Dixon Line. Dodged a few showers early in the afternoon and then the big clouds moved in and it started to thunder. I made it to this shelter maybe 10 minutes before the rain started. Someone said there are flood warnings in the area and that some towns are expecting up to 4¢ of rain! I met Poky Puppies during an afternoon break and met Freedom and Carefree when I got to this shelter. Now it¢s just me again. We¢ll see if there are any late arrivals. Feet seemed better today given the rocky sections I came over. I resisted the temptation to go on. Continuing thunder and showers helped keep me here. Even with the extra zero day and low mileage lately, I¢m still averaging 13.9 miles a day. If I can stick to that average I should still hit Katahdin mid-September. Why do those irritating little gnats that buzz around my head insist on flying into my eyes? I¢d leave them alone if they just buzzed about, but I¢ve killed/squished way too many on my eyelashes. I¢ve gotten so that I unpack my thermarest first when I get to camp and I¢ve noticed that it¢s now the last thing I pack. I think it¢s because I have less natural padding and wooden benches and floors can be very hard.
Date: 2004-06-15
From: Antietam Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

June 15, 2004 ¢ Antietam Shelter to Quarry Gap Shelter ¢ 13.4 miles                Got a good start this morning. Had one good climb and the rest of the trail was relatively flat. Hit Route 233 into South Mountain about 9:30. It was 1.2 miles on the asphalt to the Post Office. You know you¢ve left the south when you can¢t get sweet tea, the waitresses don¢t call you ¢Hon¢, and strangers won¢t look at you, let alone make eye contact of offer a ride. The clerk at the Post Office was nice enough and two other people said hello. I sorted through my box, took what I needed and mailed the rest, plus some maps and guidebook pages home. Then it was another 1.2 miles on the asphalt back to the trail. Needless to say, my feet did not have a happy afternoon. Went through Caledonia State Park and had two hotdogs, fries and a Klondike Crunch. Then it was 2.2 painful miles to the shelter. But, what a shelter! I feel like I should be in the Swiss Alps. There are hanging plants, a covered picnic table, great wide overhang, lots of pegs and a clothes line and a stream running right out front. I filled my cook pot with water and went behind the shelter, stripped down and had a sponge bath. Then I sat and soaked my feet for a while. I¢m not exactly clean, and neither are my ¢clean¢ clothes, but the top layer of dirt and sweat is gone. It¢s going to be ugly getting back into my hiking clothes in the morning. But tomorrow is the halfway point, family, and a shower and bed.
Date: 2004-06-16
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

June 16, 2004 ¢ Quarry Gap Shelter to Pine Grove Furnace State Park ¢ 17.4 miles                Rather uneventful morning. Didn¢t sleep particularly well and my feet were still sore. Made decent miles, though. Both shelter registers between Quarry Gap and Pine Grove were full of tales of ice cream. My feet were so sore at lunch time I couldn¢t bear to put my boots back on. Not sure why they were such a problem today. The terrain was relatively forgiving. I put my camp shoes on and shuffled on. Did better in them than I expected, but had to work to keep out of the mud. No idea when I passed the halfway point. I hit Route 233 and knew I¢d passed it. Had an ice cream sandwich and a root beer at the camp store. Lightfoot and Tank had just joined the 12 gallon club and Syracuse was giving it a valiant try. I think Oxymoron and Maindish gave it a go too. Mom and Gordon pulled in a little after 3:00 and we drove into Boiling Springs. They hugged me despite the 5 days of sweat and grime. Nice B&B here, home for three nights. Great dinner at the Tavern. Food coma is setting in ¢ time to crawl between real sheets
Date: 2004-06-17
From: PA 34 South

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: overcast clouds

June 17, 2004 ¢ PA 34 south to Pine Grove Furnace State Park ¢ 8.6 miles                Had a great breakfast this morning. Fruit, tulip egg (egg poached in a piece of Canadian bacon with mushrooms and chives), biscuits and mulberry muffins. I surfed the web a bit looking for trail shoes. Found an outfitter in Mechanicsburg, about 15 miles away. We had a bit of an adventure finding it, but when we did they were very friendly and helpful. I tried on all the women¢s trail shoes in the store and walked out with a pair of Merrels and a new set of Superfeet. We (mom, Gordon and I) had lunch at the Italian place here in Boiling Springs and then Mom dropped me for a short slack pack to try out the shoes. I saw a grouse and a fawn. Trail was wooded and mild, seemed much of it was graded. Made great time, and though my feet still hurt, I wasn¢t hobbling as bad by the end of the hike. The Merrels feel a lot more like sneakers and you can feel the rocks some, but my top priority now is cushion. Also, almost got to see how they do when wet. There were afternoon thunderstorms, but I only got rained on for about 15 minutes. So far they are still dry on the inside. Wet feet can cause their own problems with blisters and skin rubbed raw. Might be trading one problem for another. We¢ll see. Mom and Gordon picked me up from the camp store where I was chatting with Syracuse and the Pokey Puppies. Neat remains of a real iron furnace at the park, and some good info on the iron-making process of years ago. Had a bowl of ice cream and headed back to town. Showered and had dinner in the bar at the Tavern. The Roman Noodles were there. They¢re staying here at the B&B too. I¢m sure we¢ll catch up some more at breakfast. Got organized for tomorrow and am soaking my feet in an Epsom salt bath
Date: 2004-06-18
From: PA 34

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: broken clouds

June 18, 2004 ¢ PA 34 to Boiling Springs ¢ 10.8 miles        Another great breakfast this morning. French Toast souffl©, fruit in sugared glasses, mini-quiches and sausage, tea and juice. Mom and Gordon dropped me at the trailhead about 9:30 am and I headed north back to town. Another day of mild terrain. Feet did ok but tomorrow with a full pack will be the real test. Mostly open woods with low undergrowth and lots of ferns. Had a few boulder piles to climb over. The last mile or so was through cornfields ¢ pretty neat walking. I¢m glad there was a breeze. Saw a couple toads today and a big turtle, not a box turtle, on one of the rock piles. Then of course there were all the ducks and geese on the pond here in town. Back to roughing it on the trail tomorrow. I hope Gelina¢s hasn¢t spoiled me too much.