morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-05-22
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Stealth camp near Range View Cabin
Miles today: 23.3

Still running through SNP, 23.3 miles today even with two long pit stops. There were actually views on the AT today specifically at The Pinnacle, so I cannot say that there are NO views on the AT. Stopped today at Skyland Resort to eat second breakfast at the restaurant and lucked out as apparantly there is an AYCE buffet on Sunday mornings. We spent a good hour and a half there and I can proudly say that they lost money on us.That evening we also stopped at Elkwallow Wayside hoping to grab a few beers before finding somewhere to camp, but the Wayside was closed. Grad School was there, a hiker we had been hiking around through SNP, and we sat with him and used the picnic tables to cook dinner as we knew it would probably be dark by the time we camped. We hoped to camp at Range View cabin, but there were big signs stating that there was absolutely no camping within view of the cabin, which while locked up and unoccupied we didn't want to risk a visit by rangers in the night so we kept hiking until we found a flat enough spot off the trail to stealth. As I write it sounds like the good weathing isn't going to last; thunder moving in.
Date: 2011-05-23
From: Stealth camp near Range View Cabin

To: Terrapin Station Hostel, Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

   Not much to the hiking again today. After almost a full week of 20+ mile days, a 14.7 seemed like a nero. We had some major thunderstorms overnight, but it was clear this morning. It stayed sunny for a good part of the day, but it began clouding up and looking like rain again in the afternoon. Had a bit of a gear failure today - as it clouded up I put my Packa (combination poncho and pack cover) on my pack, but as I did the pack cover tore in a major way. I hoped that it was repairable there, but when I looked at it I realized that there was an 18" gaping hole in the middle of the fabric - well beyond what I could sew with what I had. I used two pieces of duct tape, one on either side of the hole stuck to each other to patch it. That was necessary due to the fact that apparantly duct tape doesn't adhere to sil-nylon, the fabric that the Packa is made from. Of course, the pack cover turned out not to be needed that day as it didn't start raining by the time we made Terrapin Station Hostel. Shitty. At least the Packa has a thru-hike guarantee, so I should be able to get one sent out ASAP, as the guy who makes them lives in VA, and I left him a phone message.Terrapin Station is a cool hostel, like an old hippy crash pad. The owner Mike converted a garage into a bunkroom, and a basement room into a kind of lounge with TV and an extensive vinyl collection, including dozens of Dylan and Grateful Dead LPs and hundreds of others. Had a frozen pizza (heated up, of course) and some Ben & Jerry's.
Date: 2011-05-24
From: Terrapin Station Hostel, Front Royal, VA

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: broken clouds

Had a loud snorer in the shelter last night, but earplugs too care of that and slept good. 8:15 shuttle into town for resupply and Dunkin Donuts, the first one of the trail! Late start hiking, around 11:00 but easy terrain and good weather made for fast hiking hooked up with a group for a while, Portrait, German Shepherd, River Rat and another whose name I don't recall. They hiked very fast, but stopped for the day before I was ready as they had done 10 miles already by the time I caught up with them.   Once I was hiking solo again I spooked another bear, but being outside SNP now it reacted like a bear should, and took off into the woods at high speed. I thought it was a deer at first as I could only hear something running away in the near brush, but as the trail rounded a corner and the brush thinned I saw the hind end of a bear disappear over a small hill at a dead run. Spooked me a little too, and I talked to myself outloud for a while so that any other bears would hear me coming. Did my 19 miles in just under 8 hours, so still only averaging about 2.3 mph. Even though I know I can sustain a 3-3.2 mph pace for several hours, my many breaks always seem to bring the average down.Dick's Dome Shelter tonight. Considering a 25.9 mile day tomorrow, we'll see what the morning brings.
Date: 2011-05-25
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Blackburn AT Center
Miles today: 26.3
Weather: broken clouds

Couldn't have asked for a better day to do big miles! In celebration of crossing the 1000 mile mark I decided to push and do a marathon+ day, including doing the "Roller Coaster", a 13.5 mile stretch of constant up and downs ending at the VA/WV border. Finally out of VA! (Granted, I went back into VA after a few miles, won't be out for good until tomorrow but it still feels good.) Managed to average 2.2 mph as well, not bad considering the amound of snack and water breaks I needed to take over what amounted to over a marathon day! In fact, I think a big part of what made me able to do that day was to eat constantly, eating what I had in fact rationed as two full days of snacks. Perhaps there is something to learn here.Bear's Den Hostel was tempting today, but I pushed on. Did end up pretty exhausted but not unbearably so. Ended up running into a few people during the day, and caught up to a big group of 12-15 thru hikers that I had been catching up to since my big mile push starting in SNP. the big suprise was catching up to Grandpa who was hiking with the big group. It was good to see him again!Arrived at Blackburn AT Center literally just as a spaghetti dinner was being served. I set my pack down, walked onto the porch and sat down to eat. Can't ask for much better! Sleeping on the screened porch tonight (after cooking a second dinner out of my food bag, big miles burn many calories!). Tomorrow is going to be an early start and fast hike into Harper's Ferry, WV the psychological halfway point of the trail although not the mileage halfway point, which is in PA...
Date: 2011-05-26
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 13.2

Early start again, hiking by 7:15. Made it into town by 11:00 after hiking fast with a destination in mind. Hit the ATC office first and found that I had caught up to many people, including Ducky, Crazy Goose, MoFo, and surprisingly The Colonel who had taken three zero days in DC and was just getting back to the trail. Got the obligatory photo taken and hung around the ATC for an hour or two. It was interesting to see all the people in the photo book that were ahead of me. Had lunch in town with MoFo, then hit the PO for a package with the next set of maps and the outfitter where I got some new socks, and a new waterproof bag for my camera. I was walking through town on my way to the hostel when a pickup truck FULL of hikers came around the corner and pulled over, and they asked if I wanted to stay at a farm a little ways out of town for free tonight. Yes, of course! The truck was being driven by Humdinger, and it was his girlfriend's parent's farm that he was taking us to. The place is a hippy haven called Folly Farm. The pickup was overflowing with hikers, and asides from me carried Ben, Humdinger, Darvey, Dayman, Six String, Ducky, Crazy Goose, Disco and Grandpa plus all of our packs! The farm was amazing, they had 15 foot high marionettes on a covered stage, and a jewelry studio in a barn. There was a high-school graduation party going on while we were there, and they let us dig into the buffet. Humdinger gave us a ride to the grocery store in his truck for a resupply, and we literally raced a super cell thunderstorm on the way back. The storms passed within a mile or two of the farm but didn't hit it directly luckily. We slept on the floor of a the jewelry studio hta night, with an early morning wake up call because most of the crew there was going to catch a commuter train into DC. My plan is to hike out however.
Date: 2011-05-27
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: New Jersey!
Miles today: 0.0

Since when do my plans go as planned? The early morning wake up call was hard, so I eased it's pain with most of a 6-pack of hard cider for breakfast. Once we got dropped off at the train station in town around 7:00, I decided that screw it, I wasn't doing any hiking! Jumped on the train with everyone else, and headed towards DC.Problem was, I didn't have any interest in staying in DC. So while we headed into the city, I called my mom and told her that I'd be arriving in NJ by train later that day. Once in DC, I hopped an Amtrak train on the NE Corridor line into NJ, and was picked up at the station by my mom for a little R&R...
Date: 2011-05-30
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Dahlgren Backpack Campground
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

After a couple of unexpected zero days in NJ, I'm back on the trail. Mom actually drove me down to Harper's Ferry which turned out not to be all that far. Hung out in town briefly before heading out onto the trail. Not much to the terrain; flat. Chafing started again today, these shorts have a liner and the hem seems to be rubbing. Probably the fact that it hit 93* today didn't help matters. Dahlgren is just a field next to the trail with bear poles and a bath house with showers. met up with Blaze, Grasshopper and a Ridgerunner named Castle during the day, and we all camped together at Dahlgren. Cowboy camping for the first time, just the plastic sheet I got at Terrapin Station underneath and the stars above.
Date: 2011-05-31
From: Dahlgren Backpack Campground

To: Raven Rock Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: light rain

Fantastic sleep last night! Wasn't sure how cowboy camping would go, but I fell asleep fast and slept through the night. Early wake and hiking by 7:30. As expected, hot as hell today; up to 96* although it wasn't too bad hiking in tree shade all day. Hiked with Castle in the morning, and then with Grasshopper and NightTrain in the afternoon. Chafing was worse today, I ended up removing the liner hem with a knife during a water stop at a shelter. Seemed to be rubbing less afterwards. Longish day today at 18.9, but the terrain suits big miles. Possibly a shorter day tomorrow, around 13, due to weather and logistics. We'll see, my plans are dynamic as always.Still have to call Cedar Tree in the Am about my replacement Packa. Crossing into PA in the morning!
Date: 2011-06-01
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: haze

Welcome to PA and to June! Hot day, but short miles and many rests made for one of the better days in a while. Took a long break at Pen-Mar Park and played on the playground with other hikers for a while. Crossed into PA an then got a miracle hitch with Eddie into town. The miracle was that we were approaching the road and heard a car coming in the distance from the left which meant it was headed in the right direction. I dashed full speed to the road, and out of the woods just before the car go there. I put my thumb up for three seconds, and the car stopped. Hitches never come that fast! Took the ride into Blue Ridge Summit, PA and ate a big meal at the diner there. (Is there any other type of meal?) The miracle was a once-off however and Eddie and myself ended up walking all the way back to the trail with our thumbs up and not a single car stopping. Only 1.2 miles though, not too bad. Stopped at Deer Lick Shelters and took a 3 hour siesta through the hottest part of the day, then took a leisurely stroll to Tumbling Run, which is actually two nice shelters and a covered picnic table. The shelters a labeled "Snoring" and "non-snoring"! I opted for the third option, which was a small grassy area near the brook where I opted to cowboy camp again. There was a threat of rain however, so I set up my tent nearby, just in case.
Date: 2011-06-02
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Toms Run Shelter
Miles today: 25.8
Weather: clear sky

I slept GREAT cowboy camping again! Got up at 5:30, to find nearly everybody gone already. Overachievers. Bumknee, Eddie and I are all that are left. Started hiking by 7 with Bumknee; Eddie was still in her tent when we left and Bumknee said that she's sick. Bummer. Windy all day and cool to start. Decided to do the big mile day today and hiked with Bumknee pretty much all day. Ran into Mofo, Guinness and Corky during a break, but passed them during the hike. Ended up coming into the shelter to find Twigg there along with his Aunt and Mother, who had joined him for a few days. Heard that there is trail magic in Boiling Springs tomorrow, some kind of street festival and some ceremony honoring AT hikers. Hope it's true! Oh, passed Grandpa again today! He didn't go into DC from HF, so he had gotten ahead.
Date: 2011-06-03
From: Toms Run Shelter

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: few clouds

Hiked with a purpose this morning... soon into our hike Bumknee and I hit the official halfway point of the AT! 1090.1 miles down, 1090.1 to go! There was a big sign with trail register, and Bummer and I stopped to shoot some photos. Came into Pine Grove Furnace mid-morning. This is the place where the half-gallon challenge is located; eat a half gallon of ice cream in a single sitting and win a small wooden spoon. Well, we didn't do it. It was only just after we had eaten breakfast, and neither of us were feeling ice cream in that quantity. Got a burger and checked out the AT museum there, where there was a thing about Geek, the AT hiker that gave me my trail name back on day 2! Still not much to the hiking, flat and plain. Bumknee and I got to the road to Mt Holly Springs, PA and got a ride from the second car that passed. Good hitches into town in PA! Got a package with maps at the PO, then hit the Dollar General for resupply. Apart from the usual resupply, I also picked up a four pack of squirt guns, and a pair of flip flops with muscle cars on them for camp shoes. Bummer and I split the water guns, carrying them in our pack straps. As we loaded up our haul in the parking lot, a pickup pulled into the lot and the driver asked us if we wanted a ride back to the trail... Best hitch ever! ESP hitch! Didn't even have to put our thumbs up! The driver took ups past the trail at first, taking us to his house where he gave us some MREs that he had and strawberries from his garden, then a ride to the trail. Super score!Riding the good vibes, Bumknee and I trucked into the shelter at high speed, doing the last 6.2 miles in 90 minutes grooving out to tunes on our respective MP3 players. I think I forgot to mention that I had an MP3 player sent to me in Harpers Ferry. Sometimes it was just too much to go without music all day everyday. Got a cheapo Sansa player that takes one AAA battery, so I can carry an extra battery and not have to worry about recharging.Bummer and I rolled into the shelter and startled four section hikers that we met briefly in Pine Grove Furnace; Ben, Thirsty, Chapstick and Kirsten. We must have been quite the sight, running up the trail without shirts, filthy and stinking. Chatted with them for a bit while eating the MREs. They started in Harper's Ferry; some plan to hike for a few weeks, and some all the way to Katahdin. Cowboy camping again tonight!
Date: 2011-06-04
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Short hop into Boiling Springs, PA. Really nice small town with a beautiful man-made lake in the middle of town fed by the spring. Foundry Day celebration going on as foretold on the trail. Big street festival with a ton of vendors and street food. The regional ATC office is located here as well, and the hiker celebration spoken of is the fact that Boiling Springs is being named an official Trail Town. Not as many goodies as I hoped for, but still a really good time. Took a nap under a tree on the lake then hiked out of town with Bumknee and the gang we camped with last night. Hiking was easy, dead flat across the valley for 12 miles out of town. Rained briefly and I got to use the plastic sheet I picked up in VA after the Packa failure, but it cleared after only a short downpour. Climbed up to the shelter to find the entire shelter full of boy scouts. All backpackers had to tent because the scouts had taken over the entire shelter. I was a little pissed, but pitched tent without saying anything. Looks like rain might be moving back in.
Date: 2011-06-05
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Short day into Duncannon, PA today but took it slow. Split two rooms at the Doyle with the same crowd. Doyle kind of a strange place.. could be really nice with $50-60 thousand in renovations, but a total dump as is. Not much to tell.
Date: 2011-06-06
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

Hiked out of town with a big group, MEAN Gene, Bumknee, Kirsten, Chapstick, Thirsty, Ben, Grandpa; caught up to Greenlite, Kozmic and Zion at the shelter. Stopped at Subway on the way out of town and packed out a sub for dinner.They aren't kidding when they say it is a steep drop to water... Apparently it was a 400' drop in 0.1 miles. Luckily, someone the night before had filled several gallon jugs at the shelter and we could get our water from there instead of doing the steep climb for water. Ended up cowboy camping again, just because I sleep so much better in the open.
Date: 2011-06-08
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Not much to the hiking today, but the shelter is pretty boss. Used to be an artists studio that has been converted into a bunkhouse. It is right off of PA 501 (hence the name), and the pizza place delivers right to it. Thirsty had a rough night last night, after accidentally setting her alarm clock for 2:00 AM instead of 5:00 AM. She didn't notice, and hiked out. After wondering why it wasn't getting light out, she checked the time and realized that it was before 3 AM! She was napping at the shelter when I arrived. Thirsty is a small girl, but holy hell can that girl snore. She was roaring away in the bunks, so of course we devised a prank. There were many chairs in the shelter for the table in the middle, and we placed all of them in a big semi-circle around the bunk Thirsty was in as if everyone was watching her. When she woke up, we told her that she was so entertaining sleeping that we were watching her for amusement. She almost believed us for a moment,but knew we were joking pretty quick. Got pictures though! After enjoying a solar shower, I had a cheese steak delivered and went to bed.
Date: 2011-06-10
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton Pavillion
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Short day into Port Clinton today. Big group in town tonight, and everyone excited for town. Looks like a number of us planning a zero tomorrow. Managed to get a ride into Hamburg from a guy doing some trail magic at the church pavillion, and hit Wal-Mart and Cabela's for re-supply. Talked to my mom on the phone, and she decided to come out! Wandered around Hamburg with Caveman and Kirsten until my mom showed up and gave us a ride back into Port Clinton. She ended up getting a room at the Port Clinton Hotel, and I had dinner with her at the bar/restaurant before heading back to the pavillion for some shut-eye. A hiker named GreenLight that I hadn't really met before but was pretty awesome was there, and had the filthiest hiking shirt imaginable, that he had also written in large red letters across the front "AT [symbol] hiker to town" to help him get hitches. I don't think it worked. He managed to buy a new shirt while in town, and decided to burn the old one in the outdoor fireplace. The cloud of heavy black smoke that came from the fire when he put it on was monstrous, and I'm sure shortened the lives of anyone that breathed it by a year or two. Also, MEANGene and Giggle decided to get new shirts as well at Cabela's, and went with the ugliest colors they could find. Gene ended up with a bright yellow shirt tht nearly got him renamed buttercup, but I believe Giggle won with his bright salmon pink button down. Nearly forgot to mention that I had my first rattlesnake on the trail last night, curled up mad in the middle of the trail and refusing to move. Brush was too heavy to go around, so I ended up shoving it off the trail with a really long stick.
Date: 2011-06-11
From: Port Clinton Pavillion

To: Port Clinton Pavillion
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero day in PC with a big crew and my mom. Breakfast at the 3C's restaurant was interesting when while at breakfast, I went to the restroom and left my mom with Checkers (not the Czech), who while a great guy is pretty much crazy. Came back from the bathroom to find my mom staring wide eyed at him while he ate. When we left, she told me that while I was in the bathroom, he had told her that he had to hike the trail because he couldn't hold a job because he was part of a government experiment, and the government was following him. I laughed. Mom was not amused. She left for home that afternoon, and another night in the pavillion.
Date: 2011-06-13
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Jail House Hostel, Palmerton PA
Miles today: 18.0

Long hot day on some of the worst rocks yet in PA. Got into town after about everyone else and checked into the Jail House Hostel, which while in the basement of the Palmerton City Hall was never actually a jail. Supposedly I was supposed to check in at the borough office and have my ID checked and jump through some other hoops, but I arrived just after 4:30 when the office closes; after which I was to check in at the Police Station a block away. Checking in there was much easier apparantly; after ringing the back doorbell the Sergeant on duty answered, and when I told him I needed to check into the Hostel, he just told me where it was and closed the door. Guess I don't look too threatening.Had a nice dinner at Bert's Steakhouse across the street before hitting the bunks, still with a big group. Present in town are - Guiness, MoFo, Corky, Grandpa, Giggle, The Stanley Thermos, MEANGene, BumKnee, Darvey, Cayenne, Thirsty, Kirsten, Chapstick, Caveman, Chief, Toto, Kozmic, Zion and Chapstick.
Date: 2011-06-14
From: Jail House Hostel, Palmerton PA

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

Good day today after a good sleep and repairing my air mattress 4 times. Breakfast at Burt's with a number of hikers. Food was awesome! Hit the trail around 10:00 after using Kirsten to ask for rides outside a gas station. Funny how fast people will agree to give a girl a ride before they know that she has two other friends with her as well...Great weather today, cool and breezy as we climbed, literally actually, out of Lehigh Gorge. Exposed rock scrambling like hasn't been done in a while! It was supposed to be hard, but I thought it was more fun than anything. Took a long break at the top with Darvey and Kirsten before finishing off the day with 15 miles of flat ridge walking. It was still rocky, but not unbearable. Hiked with Cayenne, Darvey, Kirsten, Giggle, BumKnee, MeanGene and Grandpa pretty much all day. Darvey found a small pink butterfly net that he spent the entire day trying to catch things with before attatching it to his pack like a flagpole. Made it to the shelter early enough that I got shelter space and didn't have to tent, which was nice because the rain moved in in the evening. 20 or so miles tomorrow to Delaware Water Gap, then on to my home state of New Jersey!