morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-26
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Iron Master Mansion Hostel
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Date: 5/26/04Total Milage: 1087.7Daily Milage: 10.7Half way done! I crossed into the 2nd half of my hike at about 11AM hiking with Rockhound, Hoplite, Einstein, Condor, and Alabama.We reached Pine Grove Furnace State Park within a mile, found rockhound's mom there and decided to have a lazy day, I like lazy days! (Ed. Note - 11 miles of hiking is now lazy...ok....) Thruhiker tradition dictates that we attempth the 1/2 gallon challangeand buy and eat 1/2 gallon of ice cream as fast as possible. The store was closed but we were lucky - Rockhound' mom was there! 30 minutes later we were sitting in front of a 1/2 gallong of ice cream of our choice, taking pictures. I never really had chance (Ed. note - Anyone who has eaten a meal with Jeff is say to themselves..."no kidding") My box had 16 servings of 200 calories each. I like mint chocolate chip - but not that much! I fizzled out with 1/4 gallon starting to puddle in the heat. Rockhound (Raspberry) and Hoplite (Chocolate) were the only men amongst us boys. Rockhound took of around 1PM off the trail for 6 days. He'll have to be hauling butt to catch back up, the res of us are headed over the hostel next door and ate, read, and watched "Hang 'em High" Until we crashed.
Date: 2004-05-27
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Date: 5/27/04Trip Milage: 1103.2Daily Milage: 15.5Absolutely beautiful day for hiking today - I walked with Einstein, Condor, and Lucky Dog (He pulled 23 yesterday into the hostel) We walked through Quiet Pine Forestes on largely flat trail, serenaded only occasionally by the cicadas.We took a little detour to have lunch at a nearby resturant and continued on, arriving at the shelter around 4. Alabama & Tarzanrolled in and moved on, then the place started filling up. Skylne and Sundance showed up with Hoplite and Wings & Feather (Mother & Daughter team) Pulled in - I had been reading of them for months. Packrat & Mad German joined us, as well as a couple of hikers. Crazy but fun. I'm tenting out to avoid bugs but get the bonus of some space and privcy. Catching up on journals and making a few cell phone calls tonight and tomorrow. I get the next mail dro and my replacement shoes from the Boiling Springs Post office. I als get to walk almost the entire day across the flat Cumberland Valley - should be an easy day. then Heather comes for a visit on Saturday, Yay!
Date: 2004-05-28
From: Kennedy Shelter

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

Date: 5/31/04Milage Total 1121.4Daily: 18.2Ed. Note: To Squish's adoring fans, sorry for not updating this in several weeks, but my own life has been one of senior projects, catapults, and basic exhaustion at the end of the day. I will be updating these enteries in reverse chronological order. Come back often to see what Squish has been up to!You do not break in new shoes- they break you. The good news is my replacement shoes were waiting for me. The bad news is my feet are sore all over and I have 20 miles planned for tomorrow. AlasBoiling Springs is the prettiest town I have seen yet on the AT. Beautiful park with trout stream & a pond for the ducks and geese. Great cafe (coffee!) and nice people the trail before and after the town is flat fields. Good stuff!I a m still in a big group of hikers, camping with Hoplite, Condor, Einstein, Wings, Feather, Lucky Dog, Skyline and Sundance, Packrat, and Mad German, Stelth and a selection of weekend hikers.It is a tent city out here - 9 thruhiker tents and tarps within 50 yards, perhaps not solitude, but definetly company and fun conversation.Looking forward to walking to Duncannon,PA tomorrow. Perhaps I'll have time to get lunch if I am running ahead of schedule - I am planning to meet Heather around 4-ish after 20 miles.We've started to get some pretty reliable cell phne signal out here, so I am occasionally making calls when I am alone in the evvening. Again perhaps not wildernessbut it makes me happy.Saw one of the coolest things yet this evening a pair of hawks, perhaps redtails, were circling and calling overhead for 15 minutes. They kept approaching each otehr close enought to touch then swirling in the air and separating. I think it's a mating dance, but not sure. Any help? Anyone know about this?
Date: 2004-05-29
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

Daily Milage: 11.3Total Milage: 1132.7Ok, I am a slacker at heart (Ed note. yeah, most slackers quit working, taking regular showers, eating vegitables and walk 2200+ miles, ok other than the last part that sounds like some of the high school kids I teach...) 11.3 miles across beautiful fields, ugly rocks, nasty downhills and into the town of Duncannon by 11:30. I was supposed to hike another 8.5 miles and meet up with Heather by 4. Instead I had a chicken parm sub, a pint of ben & jerries, a bunch of root beer and a lot of thru hiker company 'til 3 when heather showed up to pick me up. What a great thing slacking is!We tood off to Motel 6 in Carlisle Pa for the next 2 days of eating & relaxing. Heather brought me book 5 of Stephen King's Dark Tower Series (Did I mention she is the love of my life?) I ate my usual two entree dinner, had a great sierra nevada beer and the rest of the trip is my business!
Date: 2004-05-30
From: Duncannon, PA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Zero Day! Breakfast at Panera, laundry, haning out in a beautiful park in Boiling Springs with more treats from Panera, Dark Tower to read, Heather to make me happy. What an insanely wonderful day. Brainless Van Helsing (sp?) movie followed by lots of mexican food and a bunch of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. More Dark tower. Yay!
Date: 2004-05-31
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peter's Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 11.4

Daily Milage: 11.4Total Milage: 1144.1Waffle house is great way to start the day, especially when you have already had Krispy Kreme doughnuts and then order the biggest meal on the menu. Yum! Did I mention coffee? I am not carrying coffee on the trail, but I absolutely love it in town!Then there is the feeling of saying goodbye to Heather, putting the wonderful weekend behind me and walking out into the rain. Yuck, yuck, yuck! This is hard. Really makes me question how much I want to hike this trail. Heather's loving and supportive, but it is tough anyway. 62 degress in the rain and no more Heather for 3 weeks, yuck!One thing I should have learned by now is to use the bathroom when it is available. I am a slow learner sometimes - the two mile hike out of Duncannon was tough with a full bladder (Ed note - how do you like that coffee now?) The bridge over the Juanita River was unnerving, the long bridge over teh Susquehanna was painful. Think I learned my lesson this time?My mood did not improve during the climb out of Duncannon, ugly rocks, miles of poison ivy reaching for me, invading the trail. Rain, mist, wet folliage and weeds, yuck!Then I acam to the Peters Mtn. Shelter, Hoplite's here! And Wings and Feather! Kinloch, Packrat, and Mad German! Chris, Anna, & Beau! I met optimus and Crazy Horse too. A great way to end the day - I am back on track...
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Peter's Mt. Shelter

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

Daily Milage 17.5Total Milage 1161.6Murphy's Law Applies to thunderstorms. If you beat the storm to shelter, it will rain for hours, if you get wet while hiking the sun will come out just as you reach the shelter. That is just how it goes.Today, after a wonderful first 14 miles of walking, the rain caught me and soaked me. The sun emerged 15 minutes after I arrived at the shelter. I am not surprised - just wet. but what the heck - the morning walk was amongst fog and wet trees was awesome. The sun beams coming through the trees disguised the rocks perfectly - many twisted ankles and knees were enjoyed by all.The back corners of shelters bend reality. It is 7 PM now and real, real, dark. I've been using my headlamp for 1.5 hours now, but when I walk outside to bush my teeth, I am blinded. Makes it easy to get lots of sleep.Tomorrow's 17+ miles to the 501 shelter. I am still with Hoplite, Wings & Feather, Kinloch, Packrat, Mad German, Chris, Anna, Beau and Optimus. 5 miles before the end of tomorrow's hike , we cross another big milestone, there will be less than 1000 miles to go. I figure I will be in Vermont by the end of the month and finish August 8th if all goes well
Date: 2004-06-02
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

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

Daily Mileage: 17.4Total Milage: 1179.0I'm in a shelter, eating loaded sicilian pizza and drinking a beer. Ther is a 10 foot wide hexagonal skylight overhead lighting the joint and I am not wet or cold. AT or no AT - you decide!Ok, I'll make it easy - this is the wonderful 501 shelter 24 miles south of Port Clinton PA. Ther is a local pizza place that delivers to within 1/10 of a mile and after a day of beautiful hiking - life is good!It is amazing what I've come to accept as normal. The rocks are still annoying - perhaps one mile out of five is rocky. The posion ivy is no longer content growing on the sides of the trail - now it's taking over. Hikining is at times a brutally ugly ballet, processing at 2.5 miles per hour without contacting much ivy or breaking many ankles. Amazingly very few of us have any ivy - none for me!The views hve been somewhat limited - occasional glimpses of the farming towns on either side of the ridges we hike on. There was a cool detour today through a construction site on Rt. 81, Not often do our 2 x 6 inch white blazes get replaced by a day-glo orange and black construction sign saying "Appalachian Trail Detour" Hoplite and I hiked together today and had to push ourselves not to stay and watch the big machines play for too long. (Ed. note - Wow even on the trail the siren song of big trucks still sings sweetly to the traveling man, but I guess that is a bunch better than other things they could fin.d...)Real nice having Hoplite - this is the most mature 23 y/o I have ever met. We had a really enjoyable converstion about religion, a topic not often discussed in depth. It is still a topic I struggle with, Hoplite is a chemist and a devout christian who had some well-expressed thoughts on the subject.
Date: 2004-06-03
From: 501 Shelter

To: Pavilion @ Port Clinton
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: clear sky

Daily Milage: 23.7Total Milage: 1202.7Twenty-four long miles today, ending with a hellbending descent into Port Clinton. Wings & Hoplite as well as Feather, Packrat and Mad German were great company through the long day. I played story and word games with Wings and Hoplite and the miles flew by.By the time I'd hit the 16 mile mark, however, I was slumping. the shoes are still breaking in and my feet were screaming.Hoplite and I were both feeling tired so we agreed to split a Hotel room in order to get a shower, but then were disapointed to find that there were none available! We were in the dumps. The town of Port Clinton has a 80' by 40' pavilion for camping hikers, but I was still disapointed.Then we found Peanuts, the candy store in town. Jelly Bellies! All of them! I made a great mix (Juicy Pear is my favorite) and moved ont to the Resturant & Bar with a smile on my face. After a huge taco salad, a pile of fries and a couple of beers, life was great again! Some great conversation with Wings certainly helped as well. With 23 miles behind me, tomorrow is a free day. Whether I make 7 or 15 miles it does not matter - anything works for me. Time to read a bit more of 'Tao of Pooh' eat a few more Jelly Bellies and crash like a rock...
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Pavilion @ Port Clinton

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: broken clouds

Daily Milage: 6.1Total Milage: 1208.8Note to self & Aspiring thruhikers: The Port Clinton Pavilion, while free, is real close to Rte. 61, and Rte. 61 does not shut up! Rte. 61 also has some good bumps and potholes on it according to my ears, oh well free is free.Awesome breakfast at 3C's cafe. Interestiong walk through Cabela's although useless to thruhikers. Enjoyed the aquarium and flyfishing section however. Lazy day just hanging out otherwise. Got my next mail drop from Bro & Cic, thanks! Called heather and finally walked out of town with packrat at 3:30. Nice walk to the shelter, hanging out with Packrat, Mad German, Wings and Feather, Hoplite, and Norway. Hoplite hiked 1.5 miles past the shelter and hiked back to join us. 1.6 mile south on purpose? Not sure I would have done that myself (Ed. note - Jeff just does it by accident, see blood mountain entry) Can anyone say Jelly Bellies?
Date: 2004-06-05
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

Daily Miles: 9.1Total Miles 1217.9Lazy, lazy, lazy, but happy. Very content, and not wet or cold, I like this.I walked 9 miles over some rocks chatting with Packrat through intermittant rain before arriving at the eckville shelter around 11 AM. My hiking ended right there, because hey, this is the Eckville shelter. Bunks, light, electricity, flush toilets, pizza delivery, cookies and soda for purchase and again, great company.9 miles is almost respectable isn't it?Hung out with Packrat, Wings & Feather, and Chestnut for a mile. Hoplite had forgotten some Grad School paperwork in Port Clinton, back south for 6 miles! He caught a ride from 'Bag of tricks' to near the sheter we startred the 9 miles here by 3:15. Papers in hand, out of the rain, back with friends, good stuff!1/2 a large meat lovers pizza, some wings, a couple of beers and the rest of my Jelly Bellies before bed in addition to reading 50 pages in a Jonathan Kellerman Book.In the morning this book stys here and I get to walk 25 miles over rocks. Heather says the rain is supposed to stop around 9 AM around here. Should be the start of some good weather for 3 days after that. 3 days (60 miles) to New Jersey!
Date: 2004-06-06
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Palmerton Jail
Miles today: 24.8

Daily mileage: 24.8Total milage: 1247.225 miles over the Pennsylvania rocks and I end up happily in Jaill. The old jail that is - now run as a free hostel for hikers. I have had a shower, some chinese food and a care package from the local girl scout troop. Wow!Tough walk with Wings & Feather, Hoplite, and Packrat from 8 - 2. Hoplite was a bit tired and sore, so we hung back and talked our way through the rocks. Showing up ant hte trail head at 7:15 PM. Two dayhikers, Glenn & Karen, drove us to town and dropped us off after a nice conversation, Thank you! You really helped us a ton!The rock scrambles were difficult when dry and dangerous when wet. I have got a mild groin pull from a slip on the rocks. HOplite strained a quad. We'll see how he's doing in the morning!11:30 now - crash time! Laundry, then 17 miles tomorrow and tuesday I hit New Jersey!
Date: 2004-06-07
From: Palmerton Jail

To: Tenting at Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: broken clouds

Daily Mileage: 16.1Total Milage: 1258.8Lazy morning, breakfast at a diner, laundry, left over chinese food to snack on. The building we stayed in ahd a small gym, so I wandered up there a few times to imagine I was playing volley ball. The folks I am hanging out with think I am crazy to think about playing V-ball. They are probably right, the impact on my feet would probably kill me.Hoplite and I walked the 2 miles back to the trail on a suicidely busy road since no rides presented themselves. The scramble out of Lehigh Gap ws the best yet on the trail. Lots of rock hopping on top of a ridge for a tough 16.1 mle walk especially whe the rain is supposed to stop around 9PM though and there shodl be a good string of weather after that. 3 days to go, or 60 miles, until NJ!
Date: 2004-06-08
From: Tenting at Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Ramada - Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: few clouds

Daily Milage: 20.2Total milage: 1279.0I am 0.2 miles from the NJ border, less than 1 mile from the hellacious foot-distroying rocks almost being over (the actually extend about 20 miles into NJ, I hear) I am less than a mile from the first state I consider "near home". Each of NJ, NY, and CT will take less than 6 days to cross. For that matter, Mass is only 5-6 days to cross too!So, let's talk about the rocks. They are evil - but not consistantly evil. Sharp, pointy, and unavoidable for 75% of the northern Pennsylvania part of the trail, you never know when they are going to go away for a few miles. They may do this only to increase the psychological impact when they return...My feet are as bad as they have been the entire hike. Today the thickest callous on my foot blistered! To be blunt: rocks suck.Did I mention I am almost in NJ?Hoplite and I broke camp at 6:20 and put in some fast ankle turning miles to get to town early. I'd write about the hike, but I am having too much fun writing about the rocks...If you can't time your poops to coincide with the privies, standard proceedure is to dig a 6" deep 'cat hole' in the wood and cover it when finished. Factor in the amount of food I have to eat to power this adventure and the urgency of "when you gotta go, you gotta go!" Ok back to the rocks... I get off the trail out of site and find a good spot. I use a metal snow stake to dig a cathole, but I can't get through the rocks! Again, again, and again. I gotta go, so I am ripping my fingers to shreds trying to find the magic rock that reveals the perfect 6" cathole. Ah, the joys of the rocks...lets just say though, things did finally work out.Met up with Skyline, Sundance, Condor and Einstein in town, also met Captain Hook. The 42$ room in the Ramada Inn was awesome and the fudge from the nearby farmer's market made for a real nice night when combinded with lots of phone calls to friends and family. New Jersey, here I come!
Date: 2004-06-09
From: Darlington Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Date 6/9/04Heather's post -Jeff is .2 miles from the New Jersey border, after sleeping in a Ramada Inn in Delaware Water Gap area in PA last night.He will soon be making his way to New England. Give him a call on his cell if you want to meet up with him or hike a while, he'd love the company.
Date: 2004-06-09
From: Ramada - Delaware Water Gap

To: AMC's Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

Daily Mileage: 10.5Total Milage:1289.5I have never been so happy to be in New Jersey! The walk over the Delaware river on I-80 was fun (lots of honking & waves) The rocks were far better than yesterday, I saw another bear and I reached my first glacial pond. Throw in a 2$ shower, the frogs & whip-or-will calling and all is great, and if the impending thunderstorm behaves itself, that is!The bear was cool - 40 feet off the trail just a couple of miles into delaware water gap park. I heard the usual snorting sound, looked over and found him/her hiding behind a tree. I am guessing he/she was 150-200 pounds. I took a couple of pictures, walked on, feeling safe.Sunfish Pond was awesome! It is the first body of water that feels like home. The water was clear & tasty; sunfish, frogs, and tadpoles where everywhere; and the AT skirted around the pond for almost a mile! It felt so good to be there, now just another week until New England!I met Tim tonight, a 3rd time thruhiker from Ohio. After not seeing any bears in the last 5500 miles of hiking, he saw three today! Condro is here, as well as Wings & Feather, Packrat, Mad German, John, and Lucky Star. Hoplite may also roll in later today. Heard from Rockhound - he called my cell and is just 60 miles behind me now.
Date: 2004-06-10
From: AMC's Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

Daily Milage: 14.3Total Milage: 1303.8It was less than 1/2 a mile into my hike when I saw the bear. His head was too big - like I was sieing him through a zoom lens. That is probably because he was 400 pounder standing on his hind legs 35 feet away...Like I said, too big, and too close!My routine is to keep walking (Ed. note, now ask yourselves, how many of you have a 'bear routine' hmmm?) staring the bear in the eye and try to walk paralell or away - not toward the bear. The trail however, had other ideas, it turned towards the bear and filled itself with sharp rocks. I went from alert to nervous, but not so nervous I couldn't take my camera out you understand.The bear stood up again to look at me and to sniff the air as I drew closer. Yup, big bear. I'd guess he was 6' - 7' off the ground as he sniffd. I got off the one picture from the hip as I walked by, didn't want to change my apperance/perspective to the bear. I guess it worked. 1/4 a mile down the trail I stopped to look at the picture, steadied my breating and make sure he wasn't following me.Bear # 6, I appear to be charmed, just don't tell my grandma...Easy 14 mile stroll through light rain today. I am tired so I camped at 3, ate lots of food and try to go to sleep by 8. Lets see if I have more energy tomorrow. The mosquitos are bad here, so getting into my tent at 6 is a relief.Great views today from the rocky vistas. the AT is looking more and more like new england trail that inspired me to do this hike in the first place. Blueberries are ripining, ponds and lakes are more common, and the New York border is only 23 miles away...
Date: 2004-06-11
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Camping
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: clear sky

Daily Milage: 29.4Total milage: 1328.7Great Day - I woke up with tons of energy and put in 25 miles over some pretty terrain. I saw my third bear in as many days, got some trail magic soda (thanks itchyfoot!) Drinx mix and water (thanks Desperado) Now I am tenting on a former thruhikers property and I am being serenaded by his pair of donkeys. Perhaps serenaded isn't the right word...The pavillion on top of Sunrise Mtn. was cool - all rock and wood. Nice views from there anda few other points today. The bear I saw about 250-300 pounder, running away when he heard me, boy can they move!Staying with skyline and sundance, chris and anna and beau, tarzan and mouth tonight. Hoplite is still behind me.Looking forward to an easy day tomorrow or sunday. We'll see how I feel in the morning. Might be a good day to sleep in a bit if my body lets me!
Date: 2004-06-12
From: Camping

To: St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Miles today: 13.6

Daily Milage: 13.6Total Milage: 1342.3Two wonderful things happened to me today. I got to walk over the new mile long boardwalk/suspension brideg near Vernon, NJ and I got to stay in a Hostel run by the St. Thomas Episcopal Church. I will get to those in a moment, in the mean time I need to mention that I overheard a woman talking loudly on her cell phone saying "He is 19! I paid $150 thousand for him to go to 5 years of privet school! F**k Him!" This was in a parking lot of an ice-cream stand. For Pete's sake woman! Could you not drop the f-bomb when surrounded by little kids?!?I am in NJ, cars drive faster, food is more expensive, and not as many people seem to care or notice hikers. Oh well.So, about that boardwalk - it was awesome! Great construction, raised about 4 feet above the surrounding marsh, it is one of the coolest things I have seen on the trail! Good view of the beautiful marsh as well as frogs, turtles, birds, etc. that live there. Go check it out!The churc hostel offers a shower, laundry, internet access, and a clean place to sleep for a $5 donation. Perfect for us hikers - we can't afford the hotel prices in this area but showering more than once a week feels good! Hikers seem to do a good job keeping things clean and it is massively appreciated. Stayed with Skyline, Sundance, Condor, Einstein, and Tim.