morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-06-18
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Annapolis Rocks campsite
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: broken clouds

Long day but ended with a great camping spot. Also passed through a lot of historical sights, mostly civil war battle grounds. Missed some trail magic from Fulltime who I have hiked near quite a bit. Need to take a zero but there just isn't anywhere around here to do it, going to get to the half way point in another fifty miles and there is a hostel that includes breakfast and dinner in the stay.So I managed to get up and going pretry late today and I am not sure how. I was up at 6 and didn't hit the trail until 8. I believe it was because of the horrible breakfast this morning. Made oatmeal and it was way to thick so I poured the rest of my coffee in it, took a while to get down after that and would of been better thick. So after I started walking late the first stop was at the War Correspondents memorial at Gath gap. There was a soda machine here but I had no ones, I won't make that mistake again. walked around and read some of the signs there. The next stop along the trail was at another ridge line where Lee had split his troops to attack some where and there was a battle and a general from both sides died. The final site in the tour was the Washington monument that was a small tower with a great view on top. This is where I missed the trail magic because I had stopped at Dahlgren Backpack campground and took a shower. Somewhere in between they moved to the campground and actually setup the trail magic. Finished out the day hiking to Annapolis rocks. Visited the cliffs where they have rock climbing and sat there a bit and talked with the ridgerunner who was at the ATC yesterday. Eventually found a camp site and setup. Had to cook a snack as I have no lunches and way to many dinners. This morning before leaving camp some section hikers on their last day gave me three Enertia trailfood meals and I ate one for a late lunch. Then a little later I made dinner. Afterwards I went back to the rocks and sat out there talking with the ridgerunner and Mountain Dew till 9:30. Now I am back in my tent away from the bugs for the first time. I actually figured out why the floor always slides so much. I had a new piece of tyvek sent with it and the two slide on each other. Will have to fix that issue later. Rain is expected tonight and before leaving the cliffs you could see lightning in the distance. Hopefully it isn't bad.Tomorrow morning I will be passing a city and need to go in and get some tortillas and lunch stuff as well as some tums and Vitamin I, I have had the worst heartburn all day today for some reason and actually meant to get both in Harpers Ferry but didn't due to that rush I mentioned yesterday. Pizza for lunch tomorrow as there are two in town.Time for some sleep to get up and out in the morning.
Date: 2011-06-19
From: Annapolis Rocks campsite

To: Raven Rock Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Happy Fathers day dad!Headed into town and did a small resupply and talked with my dad for a bit and got poured on thirty minutes before the shelter. So I felt really lazy this morning! Woke up at 5:30 around normal time but turned over and decided to sleep more. Woke back up at 7:30 and finally got up. Packed up and had breakfast and finally started walking at 8:30. It was an easy hike to the road to Smithsburg where it was 1.5 miles to town. Started down the road and within .2 miles got a hitch to the foodlion. Was going to eat at the chinese place in the shopping center but they were not open even though the time said they were. Went in and got my food and some steak fries, chicken wings and chicken sandwich from the deli. When I came out of the Food Lion the chinese place was open. Ate my lunch and organized my huge food bag and started walking back to the trail. About three tenths of a mile someone stopped and picked me up. He had to stop at the dollar store on the way back so I picked up a coke to take with me. Back on the trail I walked another few miles and stopped at a stream and sat there for a bit and drank a bunch of water. Eventually started again and as I got to the next road and a mile from the shelter I was possibly going to stay at I could see the sky and it looked ominous. First thought was damn why did I take a long break. Started hurrying to get to the shelter before it rained but started getting sprinkles only a hundred yards later and full on downpour at a quarter mile. Got to the shelter soaked but wasn't bad. Will have to deal with wet shoes tomorrow. At the shelter I had some left overs from lunch then later had dinner. Mountain Dew, Shaka, A Game, Spike, and Pidgeon are here along with some others and a bunch of boy scouts. Blackfoot got a virus coming into Harpers Ferry so him and Smiley took a zero. Everyone here is planning on getting to the half gallon challenge mid day Wednesday to gorge ourselves. I will then take a zero the next day before starting the second half of the journey.
Date: 2011-06-20
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

Wasn't feeling it this morning and in a bad mood due to wet socks and slippery rocks. Then I got soda and the sun and felt better.Woke up this morning and packed up and dreaded having to put on all my wet clothes and especially wet socks. Eventually gor it done and on the trail close to 8. This morning everything was still wet and Maryland offered a ton of rocks to end the state with both going up and down some short but steep ascents and descents. Had to go real slow and plant every foot perfectly and still slid around some. Mad for a very slow first four miles to PenMar park. The park was great though and I got a pepsi from the vending machine with my change I got the other day. Sat there and ate a bunch of food and drank my pepsi. Shaka, A Game and Spike caught up and we eventually left and I walked with them two miles where they went into town to resupply. I went on and made quick miles with the sun out to the next shelter. Took off my shoes again to air out the feet and layed back in the shelter and passed out for thirty minutes. Stiffened up from not moving but got going quickly and made fast time to the shelter here. Arrived and a guy in the shelter seemed to be a guy the ridge runner mentioned to me the other day, Heavy Metal a guy who has been hiking the trail off and on for the last two years bumming everything and living in shelters for days at a time. During the winter he lived in a homeless shelter in Waynesboro. The ridgerunner said he might be going by Redeye. He told me that last night he was awoken by a swat team pointing guns at him. He was let go but had been called on because he looks like redeye. He is still a bum but not the apparently crazy redeye who is a wanted felon, unless he is just telling stories still. Either way it is still a little unnerving meeting him. Eventually everyone else showed up and that was much better as well. The shelter which is actually two small ones are fairly new and there is a covered table and an uncovered one, clothes lines and many fire pits. The privy is stocked with TP and sanitizer. I am using my tent though not to wake anyone for an early start tomorrow on a 19 mile day. Two days and counting till ice cream! Can't wait and getting super excited, just doesn't seem I get enough of the ice cream food group on the trip so far and will have to fix that. Will be zeroing there so might do the challenge two days in a row. I think the challenge should be eat the ice cream and then the first person to the next shelter without throwing up wins. I have to say so far this has had the highest anticipation level of anything on the trail and that is even over the fact we will pass the halfway point. That is how much food holds sway, every road you hope for trail magic food or a close food option. Towns aren't about resting or resupply as much as they are about town food. And tomorrow we pass Caladonia State park that might have a concession stand. Well time to dream about ice cream.
Date: 2011-06-21
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Long hot day with food at a state park in the middle. Total body is sore and both my old blisters hurt though I didn't get a blister.So the rain finally started around two or three this morning and kept up till 8 when it finally stopped. Was up at 6 and packed up inside my tent and had breakfast by 7. Decided to give it till 8 then hike out no matter what. 5 minutes till the rain stopped. Jumped out of the tent and packed it away and got going shortly after. Still had a lot of tree rain and wet grass so my dry shoes and socks didn't last long. Made it to the first shelter and didn't want to walk the three tenths to the shelter so just tossed down my tyvek sheet and ate a snack at the trail head to the shelter. A couple more miles I made it to Caledonia State Park where first think a got a large overpriced pepsi, hikers got one free refill though so it actually made it worth the cost. After relaxing a bit and dranking the first pepsi I ordered a cheeseburger and fries along with the refill. Took about and hour and a half break their and layed out the tent and all my wet stuff to dry in the sun which had come out. Most others actually stayed a bit longer and went swimming in the pool, I decided to head to the next shelter and took another midday nap. While walking the last five miles or so thunder started rumbling in the distance and I was rushing to get to the shelter and not get rained on. It still hasn't rained and the thunder has gone away, hopefully it doesn't come back and I can get a dry start, or at least dry feet to start. My shorts, underwear and shirt are never dry because of sweat. Luckily my feet don't really sweat so unless it rains my feet usually stay dry. All my sweat come right from my forehead and just dribbles down my face shirt and eventually my shorts all day. A lot of people are here tonight all with the same plan of the half gallon challenge at lunch tomorrow. It is just about 10 miles there, but first its 6.7 miles to the actual halfway point. Tomorrow we will actually have less miles to do than we have done and that is such a cool thing. 1090.5 miles it is still crazy thinking I have walked that far or soon will have. I just think about how long it takes to drive that far and try and compare the two. It doesn't really seem that far out here. Can't wait to see what the second half has in store except for the injury list. The south can keep that one. A day or two rest then on to the rocky sections of Pennsylvania. I will definitely be needing new shoes after the coming section as the rocks are where shoes go to die they say. So very tired I must go to bed.
Date: 2011-06-22
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Ironmasters Mansion Hostel
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Well today was the day I have been anticipating. Half way marker and half gallon challenge.I woke up around 5:30 and heard the beginnings of rain coming. Rushed to pack up again before it hit but was to late. Waited in the tent a bit and sat there staring at a pile of wet sweaty ammonia smelling clothes I had to put on. Amazing how bad your clothes begin smelling and I won't make the mistake of just leaving the clothes sitting in a pile. Even if they don't dry hanging the rain isn't going to make them anymore wet than they already are. Actually got going around 6:30 so the rain really didnt delay me to long. Did about six miles to the next shelter about a half mile before the halfway marker. Sat there a bit and put on my semi dry socks. Then off to the halfway point, before I thought I was there, a sign had been put up marking the point. It was just put up recently so it wasn't listed as being there in the book. Had another hiker take a picture of me and hung there for a few. Then I rushed the 3.5 miles to the Pine Furnace State Park, home of the half gallon challenge. Sat around and watched Coaster, Warbler and thimble start there ice cream. I was waiting for the others to show before starting mine. They all finished theirs but Warbler had a hard time at the end. Finally everyone arrived and I was dying to get started. So we got our ice cream, I choose Cherry Jubilee, and we all started. It was Pidgeon, Shaka, CSpike, Mountain Dew, and myself. About halfway through what i feared would happen did, i broke my spoon. I knew i needed a spoon and tried to get one before but it never happened. I finished in 21 minutes without feeling bad although I did slow at the end. Pidgeon also finished around the same time and did it without the help of any utensil. A little later I topped it off with a cheeseburger and fries. I then sat around all day watching others do it as well before heading to the hostel across the street to do laundry and shower. Well the disappointment of the day was the hostel. Apparently the listing in the guide has everything wrong. There is no laundry, spaghetti dinner or waffle breakfast. Since I really need a zero I didnt know of any other choice. Took a shower and washed my clothes in the shower and hung them outside. Did have a decent bed so that was the only good part. No AC and it was hot so that was another downfall. Overall it was a good day hanging out at the store and visiting the AT museum. Tomorrow I will just sit around at the store and relax all day. Then I believe I will split a campsite with others that arrive at the state park. The cost is pretty much the same as the hostel but I found out you can have five tents so can split with others for cheap.Halfway to go with a rest before I head out.
Date: 2011-06-23
From: Ironmasters Mansion Hostel

To: Campsite mile 1094.4
Miles today: 1.0

Well I didn't actually zero but real close. Ate some leftover icecream and read most of the day.Got up early and then went back to bed till about 8:30 before getting up and starting the day. Breakfast consisted of two small pancakes, two bisquits and a hashbrown all frozen. Put them all in the toaster and that worked well. No syrup or ketchup just butter. After that I packed up my stuff because I knew I would not be staying another night. Headed back down to the campstore to sit there all day. Today a lot of people didn't finish their ice cream and I got a quarter gallon from Lady Sherpa and finished that. Others felt pretty bad and had some aweful faces and where eating in the grass flirting with vomiting they said. Towards the end of the day I was going to split a campsite with others but found out that their was some stealth sites just past Fuller Lake about a mile away. So I headed there at the end of the day and setup for the night. I was on a side trail called the Swamp trail for obvious reasons. The trail was solid though and had no problems. Read most of the night and never wrote my journal and now doing it the next day. Was a good day watching others and resting.Tomorrow I head to Boiling Springs resupply some and then a day of absolutely flat farm land with no shade.Going back a few days to the day before I got to the halfway point, when we where sitting at Caledonia State park. I looked at my shirt and had a ton of spots where it was thread bare and developing holes, I said hoopefully it will make it to the halfway point, only one more day. Well later that evening as I finished the day and took off my pack apparently I pinched the shoulder in my strap and when I pulled it off it ripped a huge hole in the shoulder. It made it halfway but has definitely seen better days. Hmmm I wonder if it can make it all the way. I will patch it up one day and see what it can do.
Date: 2011-06-24
From: Campsite mile 1094.4

To: Backpackers Campsite Boiling Springs
Miles today: 18.1

Well today was a great weather day and somewhat cool. Got some good miles in, resupplied and felt pretty good most of the day.Started the day at normal time and headed out. Passed others stealth camping near by made great time all day. Took a few breaks including one at the Green Mountain store near the trail for a DrPepper and a chocolate milk and to throw away my trash I somehow forgot to do while zeroing. I then made it to Boiling Springs where I walked .9 miles to the grocery store and then had to walk that back with all my grocerys including a two liter, can of chili and other stuff. I had luckily dropped off my pack at the ATC regional office here and didn't have to carry it as well. Stopped at the outfitter which is really a fishing outfitter but stocks a few backpacking items. Got some fuel and another $3 plastic Light My Fire spork. Maybe I can make this one last a while. At the grocery store I got 3 pounds of kiebalsa for lunches and dinner tonight. Since I am camping just before town at the backpacking campsite I also got chili for tonight, and a two liter to top off my caffeine tanks before heading out tomorrow. For breakfast I got 4 apple fritters. Didn't really see any thru hikers on the trail today but a few showed up here tonight. It seems we are in a small bubble of just a few people right now. Tomorrow I have 14 miles to do pretty much all through fields. I am planning on getting up super early and getting those miles out of the way by night hiking them. Then I can take a long nap during the heat of the day and get a few more miles in later. Will probably be a big day with the early start. I forsee a problem though as the third train since I have been writing rolls by. Sleep might be an issue tonight. The field I am in has a bunch of ground hogs in it and I have been watching their heads poke up out of the grass and look around. Also the fireflys are every where and there are way more than at other places over the last few weeks. At dark I am going to try and get a video of them and see if it turns out. Sitting here enjoying some music, good weather, and great spot before heading off to bed.
Date: 2011-06-25
From: Backpackers Campsite Boiling Springs

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Long mostly flat day with not what I had been told to expect. Little trail magic and good weather.So I didn't get up early like I wanted in fact it was well past midnight before I even got to sleep, and then I realized the grass would have dew and I would just have wet feet. So I actually got up at regular time packed and went to the ATC office. There I meet Hoop and Socks and we went to the coffee shop for coffee. Then I got on the trail around 9. I meet Hot Sauce at the beginning of where the trail leaves town and we walked together absolutely flying for the first 8 miles. Turns out the trail isn't as bad as we had been told. Its definitely flat but you mostly follow along fence lines or between two fence lines, so it is mostly covered with only short quarter to half mile sections of open fields. Because of that we did the first 8 miles in just over two hours. Shortly later we got to Scotts Farm, the ATC work center. They had picnic tables and water there so that is where I had lunch. After another few miles we had our one 800 foot climb to the next shelter. Took another break and started the last six miles, the last two and half are listed as very rocky. It definitely got worse but not terrible. The worst is it was the end of a twenty two mile day so I was tired and makes you stumble a lot. Eventually made it to the shelter leaving four miles for tomorrow. Was the only one here until about 9 when Hoop and Socks showed up along with an actual southbounder. That is the first one we have meet so far, he didn't actually climb Mt. K and just started outside the park earlier. Cove mountain shelter where I am staying apparently has porcupine problems. They come into the shelter and gnaw on the wood where hikers sit and get sweat. They even say they come in at night when hikers are sleeping. Never seen one before so that would be cool to see, keeping my camera next to me incase one comes in tonight.Tomorrow I have 4 miles to Duncannon where the famous Doyle hotel is located. I will just be getting a few things in town, doing laundry and showering and moving on, hopefully I don't get sucked into the town vortex. Its easy to do with the Doyle which has cheap rooms and a bar where everyone goes. The good thing is the rooms are known to be pretty bad.
Date: 2011-06-27
From: Clarks Ferry Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: broken clouds

24.7 Rausch Gap Shelter tentBig day to make up for yesterdays short one. Saw my first porcupine as well. Woke up around 5:30 and decided to get more sleep after the late night last night. Woke back up around 7 and on the trail around 7:45. Had a long day planned due to shelter placements so a late start wasn't necessarily a good idea but worked out fine. Its not that it really mattered, there are plenty of spots to setup tents anywhere and I am actually about a tenth short of the shelter in the tenting area. The shelter doesn't allow tenting at it and I knew the shelter would be pretty full. Lately I have disliked sleeping in shelters when there are a lot of people in them, much better if there are only a few people and plenty of room. So the morning had a few views but there was a low cloud cover so couldn't really see anything. The morning seemed to go pretty slow but after a break around 2 and 12 miles left I kicked in to high gear, had the only climb of the day of about 1100 feet and then flew to camp. About 2 miles before camp I walked up on what I thought at first was a skunk walking down the middle of the trail in front of me. Then I realized it was a porcupine, they don't move to fast and he waddled in front of me for probably 100 yards before moving to the side and climbing a tree. I chased him down and got a couple pictures. That is the first time I have actually seen one before, I don't believe we have them in my area. Arrived at camp around 7:30 which is pretty late for me and had to be pretty efficient setting up camp and cooking before dark. For dinner I had a spaghetti type dinner camp meal I had received a week or two ago, but I added some dehydrated beef to it to make it extra good. Tomorrow I pass the mark at which I will have less than 1000 miles to go and in to the triple digits, very exciting. Its still a long ways to go with the hardest sections still yet to come. Need to make up some time now if I want to finish around the six month mark. Mileage will come slow once I get to the White mountains. Easy 17 mile tomorrow time to get some sleep tonight.