morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-16
To: Somewhere In PA
Miles today: 0.0

I left early Wednesday... around 10am when i planned to be out the door by 6. Realized quickly that I had forgotten my sleeping pad and only managed to hike ~6 miles before i called it a day. I build a roaring fire and was greeted by a female thru-hiker an hour or 2 after arriving at the shelter. The extent of our conversation was "mind me disturbing your solitude" ..."hi where are you from" ..."wow wtf happened to the picnic table" {it was half burnt} ..."good luck on your hike" {next morning before she hiked away}. Sorry Roneil, she was a little chub for my taste not to mention in her mid 30s. That nite i realized how cold i was from lack of sleeping pad and how hard wood is when you try to sleep on it. I also learned not to drink a quart of water just before you go to bed. Around midnight I woke up cold with a strong desire to pee in my sleeping bag. I decided to hold it in. Every hour after that, I woke up and pondered peeing out the side of the shelter. Not wanting to disturb my sleeping companion or losing the heat out of my sleeping bag I held it in. {getting out of your sleeping bag in 35 degree weather @ 2am = bad idea. You lose all of your warmth and don¢t get it back until the sun rises.} When the sun finally rose around 6 am I ran to the privy and swear i peed for 5 minutes. It was the longest i ever recall urinating. If only the woman was watching, I¢m sure she'd be turned on. The 2nd nite i went to the bathroom 3 or 4 times before I was brave enough to climb into my sleeping bag. I had also filled my rain-fly with leaves as a make-shift sleeping pad. 6 inches of plush, crunchy goodness was compacted to half an inch by morning but at least i kept me warm and cozy. The 3rd day i ended up hiking the entire length of the first 2 days {aprox. 16 miles} and headed home instead of camping out another nite. Most notable on the return journey was a field sprayed with some sort of pest/herbicide. Once i got back into the woods I noticed I was sporting fashionable white boots. And when I stopped for a snack i got some of the white powder in my mouth. Upon tasting the substance caused a burning sensation. In conclusion it must have been pesticide as i have never been called a plant.
Date: 2005-04-24
To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: light rain

I hiked down from Smithsburg and spend the 1st nite at rocky run shelter. On the 2nd day I hiked down to Ed Garvey and met a father/daughter duo as well as an older couple. The next morning was cold and wet with thunder storms expected in the afternoon so i got an early start in an attempt to beat the bad weather to the next shelter. I arrived at rocky run at around 11am just as the sun came out from the clouds. The next shelter up is right next to I-70, covered in grafiti and the shelter after that is 13.9 miles away. Not wanting to get caught in the rain, i stayed where i was and enjoyed the sun. The thunder storm ended up being a flop but i enjoyed the company of those from the last shelter and a group of college kids out for the night. The next morning was cold, so cold that the 2nd half of the day it was snowing. The combination of snow in late april plus passing a number of fairly strange people all within half an hour started messing with my head. I was kinda scared about what to expect next but the rest of the day was uneventfull other than the continual snow.
Date: 2005-05-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This will be the last entry before i begin my trip from WV->ME. Today my friends took me to an all-you-can-eat buffet as a suprise so i could get as many calories as possible. All my equipment is packed, mail drops prepared, phone canceled and i'm excited about tomorrow. Weather's looking good next week so i should get plenty of miles in. The next town i plan on hitting is about 7 days uptrail so entries should be updated in about 10 days. I hope you enjoy reading about my journey and wish me good luck. See you in late July/August.
Date: 2005-05-04
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Rocky Run
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up a bit later than planned and was slow to get out the door. I didn't get to Harpers Ferry until about 10:30AM and after trying to find the AT office, visiting the outfitter and saying my goodbyes it was 12:00 noon. I did a 17 minute mile on the C&O Canal towpath, wow ___ miles per hour ^_^. The hike up to south mountain was easier than I had expected and the view from Waverton Cliffs looking down at the Potomac River was amazing. I stopped at Ed Garvey Shelter for lunch and pushed on to Rocky Run Shelter. Here I met a thru-hiker, Big Daddy D, whom had a roaring fire going. He's planning on going to Race Course tomorrow but I don't know if I'm ready to hike 20 miles and have to go 25 mi the next day. I would rather do three 15mi days until I get my legs in proper working order. For now I sleep.
Date: 2005-05-05
To: Ensign Cowall
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: haze

Big Daddy D called me a rookie for sleeping until 7am but I still managed to pack up and leave only 15 minutes behind him... I managed to catch just before the I-70 crossing but got passed when I stopped for lunch @ Pine Knob. My first trail magic = a bag of Tang and a pair of lightweight soccer shorts. I think I passed the people that left it there. Around 1PM I passed a couple that said they stayed at Pine Knob the previous night. So by 1PM they had hiked ~2miles + planned to reach Cowall, 10 miles away, that evening. I reached here around 4:30 and kinda wonder if they'll make it before sunset. I think I'll make them a fire, at least it will save me an oz of fuel.
Date: 2005-05-06
From: Ensign Cowall

To: Deer Lick
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Spent last night with Bob & Barbra, a pair attempting to hike north to Maine. They are crazy slow and I'm kinda glad to pass them. I don't need anyone slowing me down. Just past MD-491 I met a group of three hikers heading north to Pen-Mar Park. We leap-frogged a number of times but before the park I was in the lead. A fellow hiking south out of the park asked if I saw three hikers; he was their driver. I said, "Yeah, but there are only two now. One of them didn't make it." He didn't laugh. Once I reached the park I met a PATC volunteer that was out repainting blazes. I asked if there was a pay phone around and he offered me his cell phone. Nobody was home so I left a message. I should hit Boiling Springs in 4 days + Duncannon the day after. Kinda hope someone'll be home so my mom won't worry about me. It's getting cold... I'd make a fire but I'm tired and lazy. Maybe I'll go to bed early.
Date: 2005-05-07
From: Deer Lick

To: Birch Run
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was the longest day yet on the trail. I spent 11 hours on the trail and put a huge dent in Pennsylvania. Boiling Springs, the first trail town I'll hit is ~30 miles away and my first resupply is in Dunncannon, 75 miles away. I don't know if I still want to go 26 miles tomorrow. I'm tired... sleep now.
Date: 2005-05-08
From: Birch Run

To: James Fry
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

Pretty flat easy day today. I probably could have made it to Alex Kennedy today but Free Spirit convinced me to "waste" the day. I said it would be a waste to call it a day at 4PM when I could make the next shleter by 8. But you know, good company is better than spending the evening alone.
Date: 2005-05-09
From: James Fry

To: Darlington Campsite
Miles today: 26.5

Wow that's a lot of miles under my belt today. Hiked from 7AM to 7PM. Hike started with some ups and downs... went along a ridge walking between bolders. Then the trail went into Boiling Springs and across the Cumberland Valley. It was flat + fast but hot and I didn't have a whole lot of water. The first water source was a stream full of algae with a cow pasture just upstream. The second looked good enough but had some sediment in the water + kinda tasted funny. That's a bad expression... it didn't taste funny it tasted bad. Eventually I heard the roar of trucks + cars figured it was the turnpike + there was a road with some restaurants 0.3mi in either direction. From the bridge I saw a sign with a large sandwich so I headed west. Behind the sandwich was the Middlesex Diner; tempting but they had a sign of someone walking with a red circle + a line through him. I went in anyway because I didn't feel like walking any further. The people were friendly enough, gave me a large glass of water + I ordered a cheeseburger. Best meal I had since Mongolian BBQ the night before I got on the trail. (The half gallon of ice cream I had the day before shouldn't be counted as a meal. Even though it was 2000 calories I didn't finish after 40 minutes. [I forgot to write this yesterday] 3 cokes + 2 glasses of water and I was on the trail again. Revived, I pushed on the last 6 miles to the campsite. Around 8PM Free Spirit arrived to my surprise. I'm kinda happy to not spend the night alone but more so that she kept up with me and will be able to spend more time with her. We first met on the 7th at Birch Run and we've been hiking together since then.
Date: 2005-05-10
From: Darlington Campsite

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was my first real Trailtown experience. I hiked in with Free Spirit, we hit a grocery store + stopped @ a pizza parlor. She went to check the hiker hostel as I went to the Post Office to get my maildrop. The box was crazy heavy, I have nearly 10 days worth of food, Far more than I would ever need to carry. As I'm packing my bag outside the PO, Free Spirit comes up without her pack + told me that her friend whom had done a thru-hike before was 30 miles away + going to take her to Trail Days in Damascus, Va. She then asked if I wanted to come with her. Without hesitation, I said yes + she jumped in joy. I left my pack at the Doyle + went in search of a pay phone. I talked to my Mom as well as Anna/Alex and a few answering machines. I went back to the Doyle + saw a guy sitting across the table from Free Spirit. She introduced me to him as Night Rain + explained that he hiked ME -> GA the year before. He asked me if I wanted to join them, I said yes again + we were off for Georgetown, D.C. Trail Days starts on Friday + we need to pick up Night Rain's childhood buddy Alex, trail name Moose/Moosekateer. I kinda hope I'm in good hands but these are genuine people so I'm not worried.
Date: 2005-05-13
From: Georgetown, D.C. *off trail*

To: Damascus, VA *off trail*
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Woo! Hiker Days in Damascus! We left from Moose's place in Georgetown early in the morning + drove south to the VA-NC line. The streets are lined with hikers, banners, and vendors. Somehow it managed to rain while the sun was still out + I wasn't able to find a rainbow. I've met a lot of hikers but only managed to remember a few of their trail names. Good thing I'm not in the tent village because the 30 or so people are overwhelming. I can't imagine being surrounded by hundreds. Almost all of th people at Mountain Man's Ranch are a group of friends that met while hiking Subo in '04. It's easy to feel left out because most everyone knows each other but after a few drinks and a thunderstorm forcing everyone to a half completed house, it was easier to single out people to talk to. Lots of interesting people + far too many stories to remember but it's an odd luxury to be so social.
Date: 2005-05-14
From: Damascus, VA *off trail*

To: Damascus, VA *off trail*
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

More fun @ hikers days in VA. A few of the people I met yesterday were in the talent show + two of them were finalists. Bone Dancer played a song on his banjo, one he carried from GA->ME, to win 2nd place + Bebop won 6th placed. I'll let you guess as to what he did.
Date: 2005-05-15
From: Damascus, VA *off trail*

To: Damascus, VA ->Georgetown D.C. *off trail*
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Had a huge breakfast after waking up in my wet sleeping bag. I think I had 7 pieces of french toast *cough* freedom toast, lots of bacon + the remainder of egg after we ran out of bread. I pakced up my wet stuff + got on the road for Georgetown. Along the way Night Rain stopped near Roannoke, VA to see a friend of his. We went to lunch at the Three Lil Pigs + I got a plate of ribs...mmm. When the check came I realized that while buying a shirt from a vendor @ Damascus I left my credit card. Paid w/cash + contacted my private detective, Roneil. He was able to find the outfitter for me + they should be mailing the card ahead to Port Clinton, PA. *phew* called somemore people to say hi + continued on with the crew to Georgetown. Oh I forgot, the girl Night Rain came to see is planning to start a Sobo hike somtime in June. Maybe I'll see her along the way. This was such a long day + I'm crazy tired. *passes out on couch*
Date: 2005-05-16
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peter's Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up this morning in Georgetown D.C. to hitch a ride w/ Night Rain + Free Spirit back to Duncannon, PA. We arrived @ 2:30 + after visiting the Doyle, calling home + mailing my mail drop to Kent, CT, I was on the trail by 3PM. I originally planned to hike 11 miles to Peter's Mountain Shelter but because of the late start had doubts about whether I would make it. The miles went fast + I reached the first shelter by 5PM. Free Spirit arrived shortly afterwards to stay for the evening. I'm excited to be back on the trail + didn't want to stop as I would be able to make the next shelter before dark. I arrived @ 8PM to find a couple, Phoenix + Strider, that started in Pen-Mar + plan to hike north to Maine. They've been moving pretty slow but plan to stay @ the same shelter as me tomorrow night so I'll get to know them beter beffore I hike away into the sunset. It was fun to get off the trail but I need to be here. It feels so natural to out on the AT I can't imagine giving this up + going back to real life. People speak of Duncannon as a vortex that sucks hikers in. It sucked me all the way to Damascus, VA + has spit me out into the wilderness as if the trail itself was a vortex. Maybe its the pull of Delaware Water Gap + the New Jersey line or even Katahdin Maine sucking me in.
Date: 2005-05-17
From: Peter's Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today's hike started with me coming across an odd man that I ended up talking to for ~15 minutes. He couldn't remember where he started hiking but says his hiked everywhere. I hate getting sucked into conversations while hiking especially when they don't go anywhere + the person I'm talking to is kinda unstable in the head. Later in the hike I kept hearing the roar of jet engines going over the hill. As I got further up toward the top of the hill, an A-10 Warthog Tankbuster skimmed the trees just over my head while sharply pulling up and banking to the left. Moments later another passed further in front of me + I attempted to take a photo. If there's one of trees + a patch of sky, that was the plane. Later... Around lunch time I reached a grassy area w/ an AT mailbox saying Yellow Springs Village. The box was empty so as I got my lunch I tore a couple pages out of my journal to write on. I made my PB sandwich + just before I started writing there were noises/voices off in the woods. Just then I remembered "The Village" and those we do not speak of. I started to write about it as a joke but the noises got louder, closer. Realizing m backpack is bright red + seeing some red berries in the trees I was truely scared, finished my entry + started running. More berries lined the trail + I could hear something following me. With nothing yellow in sight I remembered the secret stones of protection. Scanning the trail I searched for something special that would qualify. I picked up a few random rocks, put them in my camera bag + kept moving fast down the trail. Coming down a steep rocky slope there were some logs lining the trail + immediately past the logs the trail was flat, smooth + lined with grass. Shortly after, I arrived at the shelter made a fire, ate dinner + was joined by Phoenix + Strider. Hopefully I will be safe from those we do not speak of tonight. I fear waking to a red line on the door... wait there are only 3 wall + no doors.
Date: 2005-05-18
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Easy hiking today along the ridgeline with a quick down + up early in the day. I believe I've mastered the art of running down hills. The trouble is realizing when it gets too rocky + stopping in time. I'm trying hard to fall + keep getting close but it never happens. I saw two black rat snakes today + a box turtle. Both of the snakes were in the middle of the trail, one was sunbathing + the other was neck deep in a rat hole. I met Chino last night when he arrived at the shelter around 9PM finishing a 28 mile day. Today Free Spirit caught back up to me, passing while I was still asleep. I caught her in a couple hours + was caught by Chino around lunch. We arrived @ 501 shelter early. Almost a cabin w/ twelve bunks + a dinner table. Free Spirit + Jay arrived a couple hours later. Jay had a cell phone, saving us from hitching a ride into town to get pizza. I have 995.1 miles left + if my math is right, if I average 16 miles a day I should be able to climb Katahdin on my birthday. Please don't do the math + prove me wrong or I will be sad.
Date: 2005-05-19
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA Church Pavilion
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

Woke up at 5:30 AM + was on the trail by 6. Wanted to get an early start so I could make the Port Clinton Post Office by 5PM. Felt strong today, didn't stop + sit down until Noon when I reached Eagle's Nest Shelter. I actually managed to wander off the trail and onto a mountain road for about 5 miles. Must have missed the double blaze but figured I was still walking along the ridgeline + going in the right direction. Took me a couple hours to find the trail again, the feeling of relief seeing a white blaze after getting lost is amazing. Turns out I made good time + was ahead of schedule. Reached the Post Office around 4PM to find that my credit card beat me to town. Kinda scary knowing you have 4 days worth of food + no money. Shortly after arriving in town I was joined by Chino whom helped me ravage the Peamit Shop. We then hit the Port Clinton Hotel for hiker hamburgers, chips + a small order of fries, I managed to eat the burger + chips but needed help putting a dent in that huge mound of fries. Chino stayed to finish his beer + maybe a couple more as I headed back to the pavilion. Around 7PM Jay + Free Spirit arrived and I headed back to the hotel w/ them for some desert. Tomorrow looks like another 20+ mile day but there's no rush so I'll try to enjoy my hike tomorrow.
Date: 2005-05-20
From: Port Clinton, PA Church Pavilion

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up early to see the sun rise only to watch it rise into the clouds. Fell back asleep to wake around 8:30 + headed to 3C's for breakfast. There was a slow, cold rain all day making jumping from rock to rock extremely dangerous. After many attempts to fall I still managed to catch myself. Late in the day the sun came out, it warmed up + I saw a blueblaze marked balanced rock. Blue lines on the rock led me to a stack of three rocks with lift written at one end. It took me a while to realize I had to lift that rock instead of the one above it. The rock moved an inch leaving me thoroughly unimpressed. I walked to the other end of the rock + started jumping to make the rock teter up and down. After five minutes of this I stopped laughing, got bored + carried on. As I walked back onto the *up arrow* it occurred to me that I haven't managed to break myself on these rocks. The rain turned the green thin moss that grows on PA rocks into slipping jagged pillars of stabbing death. I started by stepping off balance onto a slanted rock covered in green slime. My foot slipped out from under me and my trekking pole missed its mark in an attempt to save me from falling. I turned in the air to prevent myself from doing a face plant into the rocks. I landed on my back + flailed about like a turtle trying to right itself. Somehow I figured it would be easier to get up if I took off my pack first. No injuries make my first fall a success. Dusted myself off + hiked on to the shelter to find a gentlemen with a fire going. Great end to a terrible day.
Date: 2005-05-21
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Palmerton, PA Borough Hall
Miles today: 17.5

Chino met me later last night at the shelter. Everyone else stopped at the previous shelter. I never saw the blue blaze + hiked through. My socks were still wet from the day before + my hands were killing me all day. The weather was great all day + I got several great views to make up for the bad weather yesterday that caused me to miss the pinacle. The cliffs were a fairly technical knife's edge. Then there was Bear Rocks where a couple took a panoramic photo of me up on a rock. I took my time hiking + had trouble catching up with Chino. He was waiting for me at Lehigh gap so we could hitch a ride together into Palmerton. After 15 minutes trying to thumb a ride a guy in a pick-up waved us in. He passed the exit to Palmerton + dropped us off in a random town. We went into a store, got some food + told the girl at the register what happened. She said, "hey, I can get my boyfriend to drive you to Palmterton." We ate + he arrived about an hour later, drove us into town + dropped us off in front of the old Borough Hall. No one answered the door + there was no response at the police station. After several attempts to flag down a cop, Jay, Free Spirit + Chestnut got dropped off across the street. Out of nowhere a gentleman came out of the Borough to sign us in. We got a bag of goodies + were shown the shelter, boiler room + our bunks for the night. I headed to the grocery w/ Jay + Chino, picked up a coffee cake, some half + half + snacks for the next couple days into Delaware Water Gap.
Date: 2005-05-22
From: Palmerton, PA Borough Hall

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Easily hitched a ride back to the trail w/ Chino + started the climb out of Lehigh Gap. It started easy but turned into a hand over hand scramble up the mountain on rock faces. This area had been destroyed by leeching Zinc out of the mountain. The first couple miles was a barren wasteland with nothing but exposed rocks + dead trees. Rest of the day was on + off of the same P.A. Rocks. Got to the shelter early just after Chino. Jay + Free Spirit arrived a bit later + decided to hike on + camp out. They were followed by Mississippi Alan, Old House parent, Bass Master, another Jay, + Running Moon.... FULL Shelter tonite...
Date: 2005-05-23
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA Church Hostel
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up earlier that I have in the past few days + was the first on the trail @ 6:45. Another day of the same PA rocks. Jersey is said to have about 30 miles of rocks + then it'll clear up. Last day in Pennsylvania is feeling kinda good as I look forward to getting into New England. I hiked with Mississippi Alan for a bit but he's way too fast for me to keep up. I arrived at the hostel just after him to find Jay + Free Spirit coming back from the P.O. Chino arrived a few minutes later + we headed to the BP for resupply w/ Alan. We hit the pizza shop on the way back for some supreme pizza + finished my Neopolitan Ice Cream. I'll be spending the night with a bunch of people here in the church hostel + make plans to get up early for the race to tomorrow's shelter.