morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-28
From: Bench South of Ashby Gap

To: Blackburn A.T. Center (hostel)
Miles today: 24.5

Day 65I got going early, needing to get some miles in to put me close enough to reach Harpers Ferry tomorrow. The early part of the day was muddy, then came the roller coaster.At this part of the mountain range, the receding tides of ancient oceans flossed the teeth of the mountains. Trail maintainers view it as a great opportunity to PUD out over 5000' of elevation gain and loss over a series of hills no higher than 1400'. What gave me the most difficulty in this section was the rocky trail. Take a look at the roller coaster sign in the "PHOTOS" section, and look for the note scribbled by a hiker below the sign! The day ran long. I stopped by Bears Den Hostel, a neat-looking old stone building. There were an unusually large number of hikers on the trail late in the day. I saw Stretch and his friend Justin, Ken and Marcia, Bearable, Torch & Superman?, and Doc & Llama all still hiking past 7:30 pm. All but Ken & Marcia make it for a spectacular treat at the Blackburn PATC (Potomac AT Club) Center.This place is a complex with a private residence, hiker hostel, tent sites and maintenance building. Today a wedding is being held on the lawn, and they have invited all hikers to partake in a buffet of smoked pork, turkey sandwiches, salads, deviled eggs, and 4 kinds of desserts. As I headed down the side trail to the center, I could hear a bluegrass band playing. Tables covered with white tablecloths and wedding guests in suits and dresses contrasted with the smelly hikers.Hikers already intoxicated with good fortune also had kegs of beer and bottles of wine at their disposal. We set up at a picnic table at the back of the reception, but the guests filtered back to us with trays of food, eager to include us. The hired photographer came back to take our picture.Crossroads, Dunkey and his sister are also here.After all the guests left, we moved up to a linen-covered table and continued to work the keg and talk with Bill, former thru-hiker who run the place. A couple bottles of whiskey only survived 3 and a half trips around the table. Bill has a proposition that we all accept; stick around in the morning to clean up after the wedding, and he'll take our packs to Harpers Ferry.
Date: 2003-07-01
From: Dahlgren Backpack Campground 

To: Pen-Mar Park, PA
Miles today: 23.1

Day 68I sprained my ankle. About 2 miles before Pen-Mar Park the trail passes through boulder fields. I was stepping down from a boulder on a downhill trail and landed on something uneven with my right foot. I have rolled onto the outside of each foot a handful of times, but this time it turned a little further.I took 3 Advil right away and started to walk, figuring walking was only going to get harder. I did okay if I kept my right foot landing on even surfaces. Once in the park, I took my shoes off to see some major swelling on the outside knot of my ankle. I got a ride to Waynesboro, PA, checked into a motel and went to the hospital.Nothing is broken, the doctor called it a "severe sprain" and said to stay off of it as long as I can, at least a week, take Motrin, ice it, and wrap it. I expected to hear this. Normally I wouldn't have bothered going to the hospital, but I wanted to get it checked out to make sure I was doing everything I could, as soon as possible.I'll take a few days off and see how it goes.
Date: 2003-07-02
From: Pen-Mar Park, PA

To: Martinsburg, WV
Miles today: 0.0

Day 69I called on my friends Dan and Wilma Kesecker to see if they would put me up (or should I say "put up with me"?) a few days to rest my ankle. They said yes without hesitation and again I am awed by their hospitality. They have really made me feel at home. Still being close to their home was the one bit of good fortune from this accident.The hospital gave me an ankle brace that came with a rehab video. I'm glad I watched the video, because the advice was not what I expected. They say ankle sprains are best treated by starting exercises right away. It's good to feel like there is something I can do (other than vegetate) to accelerate my return to the trail.
Date: 2003-07-03
From: Martinsburg, WV

To: Martinsburg, WV
Miles today: 0.0

Day 70Being injured is motivating in two respects. First, I don't want my hike to end on accident. If I were to leave the trail I'd want it to be because I decided to.Second, since I've been put through this I feel like I have more invested in the hike. Damn if I'll quit my job, suffer through knee pain, a foot infection, and now a sprained ankle just to go home saying I did half the A.T.Dan drove me back to Harpers Ferry today where I chanced into meeting Tipperary's brother John, who is over for a visit. I also saw Leaf. I looked through the photo album to see all who have passed through since I was there, those I will now see again.
Date: 2003-07-04
From: Marinsburg, WV

To: Martinsburg, WV
Miles today: 0.0

Day 71Another day of rest here with Dan and Wilma. Everything Wilma cooks is excellent, and I'm being coerced into eating seconds and thirds at each meal. I'm probably going to return to the trail heavier than I was 2 months ago.I went to Wilma's gym, and did upper body weight lifting for the first time since starting my hike. I'll be sore tomorrow.The swelling in my ankle varies and seems to manifest itself in different parts of my ankle. I have a blood-bruise below the spot where I had the initial swelling. My whole foot is a little swollen tonight, so I plan to rest here one more day.
Date: 2003-07-06
From: Martinsburg, WV

To: Fayetteville, PA
Miles today: 18.5

Day 73The day went well. My wonderful hosts, Dan and Wilma Kesecker, returned me to Pen-Mar Park. I started out slow, carefully picking my steps. Even so, I was making decent time. The terrain here is pretty mild. There is one notable uphill stretch following Tumbling Run Shelters and one rocky section north of Rocky Mountain shelter. The rocky section of trail was almost like an afterthought by the trail builders. The trail runs alongside a rocky ridge, and then in three places there are 90-degree turns that go straight up to the ridge and take you through lovely boulders. Not what my ankle needed.During the day I only made about 6 miss-steps that reminded me to pick less painful places to land my right foot.I saw NO other thru-hikers today and only a few signed registers yesterday. My break seems to have placed me in a hiker void. I'm staying at the Rite Spot Motel, same place I stayed during a weeklong hike a year ago. The motel owners recognized me!
Date: 2003-07-08
From: Pine Grove Furnace (Ironmasters Hostel)

To: Carlisle, PA (Appalachian Motel)
Miles today: 27.4

Day 75There were three parts to my hike today. The first 8 miles out of Pine Grove Furnace were ideal. There was a store at the end of this part where I got a sub and iced tea for lunch. Now that I'm in a more populated zone of the trail, there are more food/shower/laundry opportunities than I can use. Too bad some of these can't be moved down south.The next 10 miles were harder. The trail went up and down small hills, and weaved through boulder fields on top of some. When they used arrows to point you between boulders, it seemed a little contrived. The hills were thinly wooded, so I was in the sun a lot, with little breeze. Today was the hottest I've been on this hike. I popped out of the woods into a cornfield, and walked through corn and soybean for the final mile into Boiling Springs. In full sun, my feet were on fire.Boiling Springs is a swank little place badly in need of lodging. There is no camping from this town to the next shelter north, about 13 miles away. I went to the ATC office to ask what was around, and the person there had a sign on her desk: "I can only help one person a day, and today is not your day." What kind of person displays such a sign?I went by the two B&Bs in town to see what kind of vibe they had. "Be gone, filthy hiker." wasn't the vibe I was looking for. On a positive note: Leo's Ice Cream behind the gas station is excellent.The third part of my day was walking 8 more miles to get here. I heard these miles would be mostly through farmland, so I waited for the sun and my feet to cool off. I walked from 6:30 until 9 pm, coming in just after dark. 9 pm is very late on the trail, but to the people in the hotel lobby it is still early in the evening.   I saw Dharma Bum, Steamboat, Singsalot, Pipes, and Phlegm today - these are the only thru-hikers I've seen for 3 days. I met a ¢Dharma Bum¢ hiker last year too - the name comes from a Jack Keroac novel.
Date: 2003-07-10
From: Duncannon, PA (motel)

To: Stoney Mountain (tarping)
Miles today: 20.5

Day 77I passed two nice shelters today, but location is everything. They were 5 and 11 miles from Duncannon, and most thru-hikers aren't going to walk that short a day. After the second shelter it is 17 miles to the next one, and that is the gap within which I am tarped.It was an overcast, misty day, which helped keep the heat down. I quit walking when the mist started turning to rain.I saw Doc and Llama and their dog Coy again. They are in their early 30's and this is their second AT thru-hike. They have also done the PCT. When they aren't hiking Doc does landscape work and Llama waits tables. They just make enough money to keep hiking. Doc hikes in sandals (Chacos) and a skirt. He is the second thru-hiker I've seen walking in sandals and the second man to wear a skirt.The other skirt wearer was "Groovy", who I met today. Groovy says his feet hurt all the time, which has nothing to do with wearing a skirt. I want to talk about feet now.Why are shoes designed so poorly? Pull the insole out of your shoe and compare it to your foot. The area across the "knuckles" of your toes will likely be wider than the insole. And the insole is pointed! Shoes are made to cramp your toes. My feet are feeling better. I haven't talked about all 5 pairs of shoes I've tried, but I think it is safe to say the pair I have now is working out best. I've worn them for 5 days and my feet have definitely been less painful. I bought New Balance 805s, a half-size larger and in EE width.New Balance is popular on the trail because they offer wider shoes. Shoe salespeople tried to tell me that buying bigger shoes was not a good idea, and even that I needed smaller shoes, because loose shoes were what was causing my pain. Bigger shoes are working out much better.
Date: 2003-07-14
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Slatington, PA (Lehigh Gap)
Miles today: 17.4

Day 81 The trail today was mixed, some very easy and some very hard. The easy part was along dirt roads, basically level. The hard part was the boulder fields at The Cliffs and Bake Oven Knob. I've taken some pictures of the rocky trail, but they may not be attached to journal entries because pictures of rocks aren't that interesting.   Some rocky trail pictures are uploaded and you can see them in the PHOTOS section to get a feel for what I'm talking about. Look for ones with this date.The boulder field over The Cliffs was dangerous. I talked to other hikers after getting through, and they confessed to having the same fear - a slip on this cliff could kill you. I was trying to keep moving today, to get into town in time for the P.O. and outfitter. I was waylaid when I hit the mother-load of ripe blueberries, right about where the trail goes over the Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnel. I remember reading Earl Shafer¢s account of the same delays while he hiked. Before the trip I guessed my food cravings would be for pizza, ice cream, and Mexican food. All of these I have wanted at some point, but my most persistent craving is for hamburgers and cold drinks. This is surprising to me, since these were things I had infrequently in my "real" life.I am at a dive called "Fine Lodging" in Slatington. The name "Fine" must come from the penalties paid to the housing department.
Date: 2003-07-17
From: Delaware Water Gap (hostel)

To: Mohican Center (hostel)
Miles today: 10.5

Day 84New Jersey has the highest bear density on the trail, and only 5 miles after crossing the Delaware River I hear one crashing through the woods. A mother bear bolted upon seeing me; her cub jumped onto a tree. This scenario makes my heart race, because I know the mother won't go far. She's out there trying to decide what to do about the threat posed to her cub.After I take a few more steps the cub climbs down and runs off. Sure enough, mama bear wasn't far away, and she steps from behind a bush to run away with her cub.Last summer I hiked a little in Pennsylvania, and in younger days I hiked down south. From now on, the trail will be new to me. I've only been to New York once, and I've never been in a state north of there.I'm lunching at the 41-acre Sunfish Pond, the first glacial pond on the trail at an elevation of 1380'. It¢s a beautiful day, no clouds, about 80 degrees.I pulled into the Mohican Center to see a chunk of the lodge roof torn off, and two workers, looking perplexed. They saw me watching and asked if I knew anything about roofing. One of the "roofers" turned out to be TrailJournaler Bono - attempting to be the first-to-start and last-to-finish thru-hiker. The other was Scott, assistant manager. So I'm roofing for my stay and a little food.This is a nice hostel, with a kitchen, fans in the rooms, mattresses and pillows.
Date: 2003-07-18
From: Mohican Center (hostel)

To: Mohican Center (hostel)
Miles today: 0.0

Day 85I finished the roof today, having some delays because of light showers. It was 2 pm when I got done, so I'm staying another night.Bono took me to town to do laundry. He and Dave (the manager) and Catherine have been super nice, giving me food, soda, beer, and an AMC tee shirt. Bono is grilling swordfish right now.Many more thru-hikers flowed in on this raining night: Shelton & Jason, Leaf, Morph, Indiana Slim, Skittles, Dutch, and a few more.
Date: 2003-07-20
From: Mashipicong Shelter

To: Vernon, NJ (St. Thomas Church Hostel)
Miles today: 26.1

Day 87I've set foot in New York - the trail is now on the NJ/NY border. There are a number of swampy areas spanned by boardwalks. Toward the end of the day there was a real nice boardwalk spanning more than a mile of cattail-laden swamp. With the wetlands come mosquitoes. They were buzzing my head all night last night. Today I walked through an old sod farm converted to a "wildlife preserve" (for what?..mosquitoes?) Walking through there I was constantly slapping them on my arms, neck, and face. From a distance I looked like someone with self-flagellation dementia, but I killed at least 100 of those mosquitoes they are trying to preserve.After the sod farm I took a productive break. 20 miles into my second 26-mile day my legs were gone. I took care of hot spots on my feet, put on a shirt and deet, bandaged a cut on my finger, and my second wind carried me into Vernon. It's interesting how seemingly unrelated troubles (a finger cut) will drain your hiking energy. I saw two more bears at separate locations today. One was tagged on the ear. Neither bothered to run away.This is a great hostel (donation only) that has showers, laundry, TV, Internet, 25-cent sodas. The place is full of hikers that I've been around the last few days: Tipperary, Stretch, Trace, One Third, Soul Train, Orbit (from Orlando), Tunnel Vision and others.
Date: 2003-07-21
From: Vernon, NJ (St. Thomas Church Hostel)

To: Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles today: 15.2

Day 88Sometimes fallen trees tear out at the roots, creating a disk of earth and roots higher than my head.   I startled a mama bear and cub just on the other side of one of these root-disks today. They weren't more than 20 feet from me when they took off.The cub scampered away. The mom hopped up on the trunk of the fallen tree and started walking away. I fumbled with camera settings, hoping to get a shot before she got too far, then she turned around to have a word with me. I got one picture and she growled at me. I don't know if "growl" is the right verb for bear threat; it sounded like air expelled through jowls, similar to the sound of a restive horse. Whatever it's called, it is a very effective form of communication. I laughed at myself when I saw attempted photo number 2, which was a blur of leaves I clicked while backpedaling down the trail.These were bears number 15 and 16: I think I've seen enough bears now. I've definitely seen enough rocks! This was another rocky day, as rocky as any day in Pennsylvania. This morning I waited for the P.O. to open, got my mail drop, packed up, and got a ride back to the trail. I didn't start hiking until 10:30 am. A number of hikers were still at the hostel, opting for a zero day there. I envied them. With a pack full of food and weary legs I trudged up the trail. When I took my first break, I even unloaded my pack wondering if someone did the sneak-rocks-in-my-pack joke. Nope...I'm just that weak. About 9 miles into the day I hit the top of the ridge, capped with assorted rocks. The NJ/NY border is painted on one of the boulders. There are many rounded slabs of stone, some are as long as 75 yards, like a big concrete dinosaur back. The trail weaves through these boulders on the ridge for about 5 tiresome miles. Many times I needed to pull myself up or lower myself down using my hands. At one place they've built a wooden ladder to help you get up a sheer rock face.Wingfoot's 2003 data section is of little help here. I didn't know where I was between mile 1350 and 1355 - but it seemed longer than 5 miles. Wingfoot's book is a great guide that I wouldn't hike without, but there are a few sections that are not detailed well, maybe because of trail relocations.Water continues to be bad. If a water source is listed as "seasonal" or "unreliable" it is almost certain to be dry. When there are streams, they have green-black algae muck at the bottom, so I'm using them only when I have to. Me, and most other hikers are filling up at towns and road crossings and carrying a little more water than we did previously.At NY17A there is a new ice cream/produce stand 1/10 mile to the left that is not in this year's guidebook. I went there, and was offered a ride into town. That's how I got here to the #6 room, no phone Greenwood Lake Motel.
Date: 2003-07-26
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 12.7

Day 93If I had to do it again I wouldn't. As of today that's how I feel about this AT hike. I don't say that because I'm having a bad day. I'm not going to quit, and I'm not disappointed that I am here. Doing this hike is too much hard work, too much pain, too much time away from family, too many bugs, hot weather, cold weather, and rain.Today is a race - I have to do 12.7 miles to the road and get to the Post Office a mile into town before it closes. An annoyingly difficult mountain in the last 3 miles makes it close and I get to the road at 12:10. Fortunately ATWannabe (on TJ) is there with a car, and I get a ride in with her, Leap Year, and Ken and Marcia.Snakes and deer I don't mention much but I see them daily. The only poisonous snake was a rattler at the Mohican center - not really on the trail. Most of them are black snakes and garter snakes. One black snake I saw in Harriman State Park (NY) was a monster, probably longer than 6 feet.
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Kent, CT

To: Cornwall Bridge, CT
Miles today: 11.1

Day 94Yesterday I couldn't find a place to stay in Kent, and I was too whipped to head back down the trail, so I hitched to a motel in Cornwall Bridge. Today, the motel owner drove me back to the trailhead near Kent, and I slack-packed 11 some miles back to the hotel.These 2 short days were a good way to get some rest, take care of ailments, and still advance a few miles. While walking I took breaks often and am doing more of the things I thought I'd be doing, like writing in the middle of the day.I met Lion King who is carrying a camera so he can make a documentary after finishing. He has posted some video on walkforfreedom.com (do I have that right?). South-bounders (SOBOs) are starting to show up - today I saw Nanowolf and BS.   I still hear of people getting off the trail. Seabee told me about one, and another said farewell in a register.The hotel owner let me take his car to go see a movie (Terminator 3).
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Road MA-41 near South Egremont, MA
Miles today: 18.5

Day 96In Harper's Ferry there is a 3D map of the entire AT. The mid-section of the trail - from West Virginia through Connecticut - has the lowest Mountains. The ends of the trail have the rougher sections, peaking with the Smokies in the south and the Whites in the north. Entering Massachusetts today (state number 11!), the elevations are starting to ramp up.It is another beautiful clear day, and there are views from Bear Mountain, Race Mountain, and Mount Everett. All 3 mountains are similar with low undergrowth at the top and steep rocky descents. There are stunted pines 3 - 6 feet tall on the mountaintops. These mountains seem too low (2500 feet) for krummholtz.Sage's Ravine has the most enticing swimming holes I've seen so far, but it is too cold for swimming today.Juli flew into Albany and met me at the end of my day. We're getting a ride tomorrow, courtesy of Blue Jay La Fey, and Juli will hike with me for 2 days.
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Shaker Campsite

To: Main Street, Tyringham, MA
Miles today: 2.9

Day 98Juli is in great shape, as she showed by going over 21 miles on her first day out. But today she is paying the price for having a spouse fool enough to lead her into such a long hike. Her legs are sore and her knee hurts. We hitched out at Main Street in Tyringham, 10 miles short of our plan.Juli's knee pain was in her illiotibial (I.T.) band, which I've come to see is the most common overuse ailment among hikers. Anyone planning to do a significant amount of hiking should learn what this is, and do some stretching exercises before starting. And bring Advil. I'm also happy to have a restful day. We go to outfitters, do laundry, eat and see a movie.
Date: 2003-08-01
From: Main Street, Tyringham, MA

To: Beckett Road in MA
Miles today: 9.4

Day 99While hiking with my wife, I noticed big advantages to hiking with someone. You can go lighter with one tent, one stove, one filter, etc. And you can get things done quicker - Juli filtered water while I set up the tent.Today was even easier. She slackpacked me over a chunk of trail, putting it away in 3 hours. Hiking without a pack at this stage is incredibly effortless. It rained on me most of the way, but I didn't care because I had a car waiting at the end.I've really enjoyed hiking with Ken and Marcia this year...but I noticed they made a jab at slackpackers in their journal. Co-dependent hikers are ALWAYS slackpacking relative to solo hikers. It¢s unfair of them to rag on solo hikers who get measly opportunities to go light (less than 40 miles for me).
Date: 2003-08-03
From: Dalton, MA

To: Bascom Lodge Hostel
Miles today: 17.0

Day 101It¢s muggy-humid today and the incline out of Dalton is harder on me than it should be. The drinks that seemed like a good idea last night don't seem so smart in hindsight. The beer is sweating out of me like a shower and the Jagermeister is playing ping-pong in my head. I'm over it by the time I get to Cheshire at noon.My timing is good and I'm able to wait out a downpour at a convenience store. From there, the trail ascends to Mt. Greylock, with this lodge at the summit. It is rainy, windy, cold, and completely blanketed by fog by the time I arrive with Ken and Marcia.Mt. Greylock (3500') is the first time the trail has been above 3000' since the Shenandoahs. Climbing this mountain easily made me feel better about the higher elevations ahead.I also hiked some of the day with an interesting section hiker, Kane-son. IMPORTANT HIKER INFO:Wingfoot's 2003 guide has Jones Nose Trail north of Mark Neopal Lean-to, which is incorrect. When hiking with Kane-son, we saw the Jones Nose trailhead and he turned around and headed back south, assuming we had missed the shelter. Further north I saw the shelter and felt terrible about my "help" in providing him with the incorrect info from my guidebook.