morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-29
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We stayed at the Teahorse Hostel for two days and left on Friday to start hiking again. I was excited and antsy to get back on the trail; however, the idea of going back on the trail also felt strange. I was off the trail visiting relatives and friends and trying to heal my leg for nearly two weeks, so by this time I had gradually readjusted to civilization again. On Thursday my dad's friend and his wife, who lived nearby, picked us up to take us to Anteitam Battle Field. Growing up in Salt Lake City I never learned too much about the Civil War. I enjoyed Anteitam, but I was overloaded with so much information that I couldn't keep it all straight in my head. After the battle field tour we drove to the town of Frederick and had lunch/dinner at La Paz caf©. I was so exhausted by the time we got back to the hostel that I immediately crashed on my bed and fell asleep. I awoke around six and was refreshed enough to explore Harper's Ferry. Dad and I went and and explored every nook and crevice of the town. We had planned to end our day with a ghost talk tour hosted by a man dressed up as a confederate soldier, but we were too tired. Back at the hostel again we found we shared our room with a new couple. They had all their belongings and clothes spread out all over the floor and the room was RANK!! The weather had quickly changed from cold to hot, so hikers and bikers came in sweaty and gross, but this couple I think outdid them all! They took showers, but did not get their laundry done even though that was one of the services offered at the hostel. When they left for town I went and took the freshened spray from the bathroom and sprayed the entire room--only a temporary relief. Before dad and I went to bed we opened all of the windows--two in all and dad put lavender tea tree oil under his nose to block the wrench.
Date: 2013-05-30
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 0.0

Every night at theTeahorse Hostel dad would sit outside by the picnic table to play his guitar. This night I went to join him to escape the smell and as I sat down I saw a bright flickering of light. It kept on moving around and going on and off. Then I realized that what what I saw was a firefly! I had never seen one in my life and was mesmerized. Just like insects are attracted to light I could not keep my eyes off of it. Unfortunately when it was not lit up I could not find it. So I got up and tried to follow it. In total I think I saw about three that night, which is not a lot, but it was still early for firefly season. Just like that I finally got my trail name--firefly. Before my brother thought if 'Spark' my dad thought of 'Ember' and the first night out everyone wanted to call me 'Headlamp'. My brother wanted to call me 'Spark' because he believed a spark would light up inside me every now and again and reveal my true self. Dad didn't t like that so thought of changing that to 'Ember'. Firefly I think became the perfect name over those two because fireflies still light up even more brilliantly than a spark or ember yet they hide themselves when they aren't lit up. I also think fireflies are magical and mysterious.
Date: 2013-05-31
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Friday morning we left Harper's Ferry around 7:30am, which was good, but a little on the late side to beat the heat. By around 1pm dad and I made it to Gathland State Park. We were excited because a girl named Sunshine mentioned that there would be trail magic there. Sure enough at the first pavilion that we came to we saw an ice chest with a bunch of hikers piled around. Since our final stop, Crampton Gap shelter, was only about 1 mile a or so away dad and I decided to chill and hang out with all the hikers and listen to stories while munching on goodies. Around 6pm we left for Crampton Gap Shelter and called it a night.
Date: 2013-06-01
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: scattered clouds

We left Crampton Gap Shelter by around 6:30am. The terrain was for the most part flat and smooth, but by 9 or 10am the temperature already reached 90 degrees! At 10:30 dad and I reached the Dalgren Backpack Campground. We decided to stop there because this campground had flush toilets and hot showers. It took some work taking a shower there because I had to run back and forth to the sink soap dispenser and then to the shower again, but I felt great afterwords. Outside my dad was talking to the hula-hoop girl (that's what we called her since she carried big hula-hoops with her). She mentioned that she was sad because somehow she alway managed to just barely miss trail magic. Ironically just after she left a man with trail magic showed up! We already were stocked with plenty of food so dad and I kept on moving after an hour and a half break. On the trail we ran into several historical info signs about civil war battlefields and such but I didn't pay much attention to those (as I may have mentioned earlier all of that civil war stuff just went over my head). What I found the most exciting this day was a great big snapping turtle just chillin' in the middle of the trail. Even though I haven't seen any bears around I sure have seen a lot of cool animals along the trail. Towards the end of this day's hike we took another big stop at the Washington Monument which was a tower. I did stretching and I also saw a big black rat snake! We finally made it to the Pune Knob Shelter around 3:30 pm or so. We had a good night and met a lot of southbound section hikers.
Date: 2013-06-02
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: FreeState Hostel, Smithsburg MD
Miles today: 8.0

We did a short day of 8 miles after Pine Knob Shelter because my dad had a brand new pair of shoes waiting for him at the FreeState Hostel in Smithsburg MD. I think we were due for an easy day anyways. The weather was hot and muggy and even worse, a thunder storm was reported to roll through in the afternoon. The terrain was fairly easy except we walked through a lot of grass and rocks. As for wildlife I encountered a mole, which was way smaller than expected, and a deer. At the end of our hike we had to go down a fairly steep hill to Wolfsville Road. Going down would have been a lot easier if I had my leg in perfect shape; however, with each step my leg became more and more aggravated. We made it down alright around 11:30am, but then we had to walk a long .3 mile to the hostel. Dad and I were also with WildBill who we had camped with for the past couple nights since Crampton Gap Shelter. When we got to the hostel there was no one in sight to greet us so we just made ourselves at home. WildBill who was about 65 and still developing his trail legs collapsed in one of the provides bunk beds. Dad and I changed into nothing but our rain gear and washed all of our clothes. It was miserable in the rain gear. The rain gear is designed to keep you warm and is the last thing you want to wear on a hit day. I was sweating like crazy even with five fans running. Later on in the evening the owners came and showed us that there was AC! Anyways after our clothes we all clean and dry dad and I walked another mile and a half into town to buy supplies. As we were heading back to the hostel and gearing up for walking back up the hill the rain started coming down, gentle at first, then a furious downpour shortly afterwards. Dad and I were prepared with rain gear but we still were getting drenched. We tried to hitchhike up the hill but no one wanted to pick up two soaking hikers. Finally our luck turned and a man driving a black truck stopped for us, however it turned out our hostel was only ~100 ft away! At least we had a dryer waiting for us. When we got back inside we collaborated with WildBill and ordered two large pizzas. When the delivery man came so did surprisingly my aunt Elena, who we visited in D.C. That was nice she had a slice of pizza and chatted for awhile then headed back home. She was able to come see us because she had a dog frisbee event nearby. It started raining again in the night and I got to fall asleep with a soft pitter-patter of rain drops.
Date: 2013-06-03
From: FreeState Hostel, Smithsburg MD

To: Campgound by River
Miles today: 8.8

In the morning dad I packed up a mixture of Nutella, peanut butter, and honey--which I think saved me later on. WildBill left early while I slept in but I woke up to say goodbye. This was the last time we saw him. He was was hobbling with blisters and sores on his feet and I think the trail just beat him down. I don't think I had too much energy this day but it was an exciting day; we crossed the Mason-Dixon Line from Maryland to Pennsylvania. Before all that though we climbed on Raven Rock to look at the view and looking over the edge of those rocks made my heart race! Soon after we reached Raven Rock Shelter where we stopped to eat a snack. As we entered the shelter I felt something pricking my hand and discover a Deer tick had mysteriously landed on my hand! Luckily it hadn't dug in yet and I was able to flick it off. Thinking of Deer ticks has scared me but I was reassured a little because the tick was bigger than I expected. Still, I don't want Lime disease! This tick would be the first out of four ticks I would receive. Three were Deer ticks and one was the bigger Dog tick that is less likely to carry Lime disease. Later on that day we had to hike down a rock obstacle course that I thought was fairly steep and tricky; I figured it was a good prelude to the supposedly tough, rocky terrain of Pennsylvania. At the end if the day we finally did cross into Pennsylvania and shortly afterwards we ran into Loral, who ran the Teahorse Hostel in Harpers Ferry! After we saw her we had only about half a mile down to a campground that was right next to a river. We set up our tents and cooked dinner. In the meantime we met a man from London and another girl named Moxie. After dad and finished our dinner we went to find a good branch to hang out food on our bear line. The first branch, which was pretty big broke. The second branch work but as I stepped back to avoid another branch that was loose and falling down I felt a sharp pain in my foot. I looked down and saw a big, fat yellow jacket fly away! That was my first time ever being stung by a bee! I had always had this fear of being stung by a bee but not for the pain but for the possibility that I would be allergic and not know it. Being out in the woods unprepared for an allergic reaction to a bee sting could and most likely would be fatal. Fortunately after about ten minutes the agonizing pain died down and I did not break down in hives or swell up.
Date: 2013-06-04
From: Campgound by River

To: Rocky Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.1

For the most part Dad and I had traveled an average if 11 miles per day. This day we took it even further and hiked for 16 miles! I was exhausted by the end of the day. We needed to cover some distance so we could meet our friend Dave Shupe again at Caledonia State Park. Before at Harpers Ferry he and his wife took us to Antietam. This time he was coming to take us to Gettysburg. Dad and I past by two shelters when my leg started hurting so we stopped and I stretched and drank some "Go Juice" consisting of coffee and espresso shots. I think I needed it too because we had a fairly big climb ahead of us. At the top we climbed on top of the Chimney Rocks which were even more frightening to me than Raven Rock. I did spot a brilliant blue-striped lizard, which made the side trip worth it. As I mentioned earlier we had never gone so far before and I was ready to pass out as soon as we stopped for the end of the day. We were shooting for the Rock Mountain Shelter but had heard it was a long ways down a hill. So instead we hiked just a little bit further and stealth camped off the side of the trail. I was worried we would never find a flat spot since we were going down hill, but my dad found the perfect place for us. Somehow I managed to save enough energy to set up my tent and eat dinner, then I was out for the night.
Date: 2013-06-05
From: Rocky Mountain Shelter

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 3.0

We only had to go three miles and the terrain was all downhill, but still I was tired. For the past couple mornings I woke up around 5:30am and I was never a morning person. I needed my beauty sleep! We got to the Caledonia Park around 8am--an hour before Dave was to pick us up. We found some restrooms to clean ourselves up (fresh clothes, brush teeth, etc.) and eat breakfast. That early in the morning we had the entire park to ourselves! That was nice. During the whole car ride into Gettysburg I fell asleep and when we got there I could barely get myself out of the car. Fortunately we really only spent a half day there. We climbed up a tower the overlooked Little and Big Round Top, then we went to Little Round Top. Dad and I were mostly interested in finding info on John Chamberlain. He was a school teacher-turned General and was instrumental in the war through his battle at Little Round Top. Some believe that if he lost that battle the South would have won the war and the US would be replaced by several small countries or territories. It took my dad and I awhile to find his memorial but we had success in the end. After we were finished touring Dace took us to a restaurant called The Bobbin House I believe. It was an old, restored house that was involved in the Underground Railroad Movement. They had a small muse upstairs and was very interesting. After Dave dropped us back off at the park we had planned on hiking another two miles and calling it a day. However I was too tired to even think about hiking and we would have an uphill as well. So I convinced my dad to pay for a campsite at the park. We had to walk another half mile or so but it was worth it. We had flush toilets and a hot shower. That night we also took a stroll to search for fireflies. They clung to the trees like Christmas tree lights. They were all over and I promise they held little bits of magic in them. For the grand finale I caught one in my hands and watched it light up in my palms. Once again I was a little girl.
Date: 2013-06-06
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

After catching up on sleep and getting a nice shower I was ready to get going once again. Dad and I hiked fairly fast this day and covered nearly 10 miles in four hours. Along the way we journeyed through rhododendron tunnels. I felt like I was in the jungles of Costa Rica! Along the way we stopped at the Quarry Gap Shelter so I could take a potty break. It was one of the nicest shelters I had seen so far on the trail. There was a bear box and a little entrance gat with a a yellow duck pinned on and there were hanging flower baskets. At this shelter we ran into a German hiker named Rain in May. He and my dad swapped stories and both my dad and I decided we liked him. We kept on going though because it started drizzling and the clouds were dark. We made it to our shelter around 12 or so just before it really started to rain. Soon after Rain in May arrived as well. We thought we were going to have the place all to ourselves since none of us had really seen too many people in the last few days--we were wrong. The shelter filled up but I was able to grab a bunk. There were about 8 bunk beds and then we had at least 8 more on the floor. Many more people stopped by drenching wet but they wanted to go another 10 miles or so to Pine Grove State Furnace Park for the half-gallon ice cream-eating challenge.
Date: 2013-06-07
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: moderate rain

The weather hiking into Pine Grove Furnace State Park was cool and drizzling like the day before. Dad and I walked with Medic, who we met at the shelter before, for awhile then sped by her. We were hiking at least three miles per hour. The hostel we planned to stay at, the Iron Master's Mansion, didn't have check-in until 5pm so dad and I hung out at the general store where the half-gallon ice cream challenge took place. We met most if the hikers from the shelter before and watched them sickenly downing ice cream buckets and with wet clothes on a rainy day! After awhile dad and I got bored and left to check out the AT Hiker Museum and also the old furnace, then we took a little walk towards the campground. There was some excitement in town. A hiker reunion from 1983 was taking place over the weekend. Free food and probably other fun events were held but we didn't attend. The iron Master's Mansion was a neat building but the food was not that great. It was kind if nice because there was a women's dormitory and a men's dormitory with bunk beds. All of the ladies: Medic, B-Rocket, and Lauren I had already met so it kind of felt like a sleep over.
Date: 2013-06-08
From: Pine Grove Furnace

To: Campground
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

We didn't leave Pine Grove Furnace until after noon because we were trying to research and order me a new pack. Even though my leg was mostly healed, I still was hurting from carrying my dad's old day pack. We failed to pick out a pack mostly because Internet service faded in and out every five seconds. The trail heading out of the park began on a flat, paved walking trail and led us to a swimming lake with lots of people. Eventually the trail turned into a dirt road but the people didn't disappear until the trail turn up a hill. We had a pretty hike through rhododendrons and rock steps. At the top of our climb we entered the Rock Maze. This was a bunch of boulders that we climbed over and around. For the most part we figured out where to go by following the white arrows, but at one point someone drew an extra arrow to make the trail even more into a maze. I was going to accept their challenge but in the end I didn't feel like taking the extra big step over the boulders. This section of the trail was one of my favorites because it was a change from the same dirt trail with scattered little rocks. Who doesn't like climbing over rocks anyways? In a bunch of places I had to use my hands instead of my poles to lift me up or climb down the rocks. There is something sensual in the wilderness touching the rocks or the bark of trees that just makes me feel connected to the nature and surrounding environment. I guess that makes me into a real hippie! We ended the hike going downhill. We were keeping an eye out for a footbridge over a stream where our campsite was to be, but we apparently mistook one spot about a half mile before the real campsite for our destination. Adter we set up our tents Lentil and Fifer who we met at the Dutch Haus in Montebello and again in Pine Grove Furnace passed and told us we weren't in the real campground. Oh well, in the end I think it was better this way because we had the place to ourselves. Lentil and Fifer also mentioned that at the Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs where we were going to stay was going to be a play at 1:00pm the next day. After they left dad and I got back to cooking our dinner. This night we made something special--black-eyed peas with dandelion greens that we had picked during our hike. My great-grandfather Noni would always tell my father that eating dandelion greens would make him 100 times stronger that Popeye! I also wanted to be that strong so I ate them and they were bitter. The pot was also maybe 80% dandelion 20% black-eyed peas. I did my best and ate most of my share but could not eat it all.
Date: 2013-06-09
From: Campground

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: broken clouds

We only had about 7 miles or so to Boiling Springs and the play. As we came closer to town the trail took us through farmland mostly consisting of cornfields. It was really pretty walking under the open sky and gazing across the fields but we were in a hurry so we could check-in at the resort and make it in time for the play. It turned out that we made it to the resort before any rooms were ready for us so we were sent to the pool to freshen up a little. The play started at 1:00 and we got there around 11:45 or 12:00 pm. We saw Boon, Doc, Lauren, and SpiderMac hanging out by the pool. They were hikers we met on the trail and had stayed at the Allenberry Resort the night before. I took a quick swim to cool me off. The water was so refreshing and I would be sad if I went the whole summer without at least one swim. Then I went and took a shower and changed into my fancy town clothes--a pair of outdoor pants and a thrift store shirt with my green teevas. We stored our packs in the gift shop next to the lobby and headed across the street for the play that is held by the resort. The play was fashioned on the old TV show Happy Days. It was cute but a little corny and both dad and I enjoyed the play immensely. By the time the play was over we could check in. So we grabbed our packs and found our Meadow Lodge; however we almost got lost. The Allenberry Resort was big with a pool and a tennis court. Mainly the resort catered to older people who fish and play golf. They also don't really have too many people during the week and so coming in on a Sunday all the rooms we passed were empty. Only the hikers go on the second floor of the lodge as well because the tourists who are older font want to climb the stairs. Downstairs they had a TV with movies, a piano and games, etc. For dinner my dad and I ate at the Breeches Bar and Grill below the lobby. I had the luxury of having a pomegranate martini with honey-glazed salmon served over butternut squash Rissotti. It was very delicious. We ended up staing at the resort for another day because it was raining and there were warnings of flash floods and tornados. My dad's pack had also ripped and he couldn't finish fixing it the night before. He also had to go into the town to find a notary. So we wouldn't have made it very far anyways. I was catching up on sleep and stayed in bed most of the day. I also played the piano for a little while, but I don't usually know what I am doing without sheet music in front of me. For dinner this night we made our own salad with mozzarella cheese sticks, sunflower seeds, avocado, and spinach with a sesame-ginger dressing. I'd say it was top-notch!