morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Kelly Knob, VA

To: Niday shelter, VA
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: light rain

Today was another beautiful day, but the terrain was harder than we expected.We saw the Keffer Oak today-a tree that is estimated to be more than 300 years old and is about 18 feet in circumference. Karen walked by without seeing it. I called to her as I stood next to it and said "Hey, notice anything ?" She couldn't figure out what I was talking about until I pointed at it . Funny.It just started raining few minutes ago, and the shelter is packed now. There are these 2 southbound Brits, who are both very funny. One guy told us a story about how he accidently put a big scoop of butter on his cherry cobbler-he couldn't figure out why everybody was looking at him funny. He said that he ate half of it before he realized his mistake.Okay, almost time for bed. One more thing- there was a small herd of deer walking around the campsite today, about 5 feet away from people. Definitely not afraid of us.Oreo
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Niday shelter, VA

To: Four Pines Hostel, VA
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: broken clouds

Today the weather stayed nice. There was no rain and only a few clouds. There was a big dark cloud in part of the sky, just so you could keep praying for n rain.We had lots of views today. The greatest view was at Dragon's Tooth. Dragon's Tooth is a big rock that sticks up out of the top of Cove Mountain. The descent down the mountain had a lot of rock scrambles, which was a little challenging with our big packs. There was also a view from a bit further down on Devil's Seat and Rawies Rest knife-edge ridge. There were a lot of nice campsites going down the mountain but none of them had water.Tonight we're staying at Four Pines Hostel owned by Joe Mitchell. It's 0.3 miles off the trail. Joe has some cots and large sleeping pads in his garage for the hikers to sleep on. There's also a shower and little kitchen. We ordered pizza and Joe went to pick it up for us. There are quite a few hikers here, we just met most of them. The Montanas and Lion King are here. Lion King has foot spurs. He's been hiking with them and didn't even know until a couple of days ago. He plans taking it easy for a bit. I think he still plans on finishing.Tomorrow we're doing 6 miles into Catawba. We're taking a week off to go home for a wedding.
Date: 2003-06-05
From: Catawba, VA

To: Somewhere beyond the Boy Scout Shelter
Miles today: 4.0

Buttercup and I arrived back in Roanoke, VA today via the Hell Bus after our restful week off at home. Brenda and Rob's wedding went well (from our perspective, anyhow), and it was great to see all of our college friends and families again. Plus, we got to spend the night in the posh posh posh Boston Harbor Hotel.We've replaced a few gear items. Both of us left our rain pants at home. I can't stand mine. I'd rather be wet from the rain than wet from sweat. So both Buttercup and I now have gaiters instead. I also picked up a capilene longsleeve, and I built the Pepsi-G stove. Total burn time on 1 oz of denatured alcohol is 12 minutes! I can reach a full boil with four cups of water in 6 minutes - and all of that is without the windscreen and simmer ring I also made. So it looks like this thing might even out-perform my MSR SuperFly. I decided to replace it because I've gone way too many times without being able to find fuel in major hiking towns - basically I can only refuel at an outfitter, and the fuel is expensive. Sorry MSR.I've also moved to a fleece bag. Hopefully it is warm enough. If it isn't, I still have my silk liner and emergency blanket. That reduced my pack weight by nearly 2 lbs.FYI, if any of you are thinking about taking a bus for your AT trip, don't. Take Amtrak or fly. Not only will a bus trip be the worst 20 hours of your life (say, on a trip from MA to VA) because you get no sleep, you also change busses at least 4 times, will probably take the wrong bus because you were given wrong directions by a bus employee, be made to pay extra money because of said bus employee's mistake, have to put up with bus employees' bad attitudes, and generally have to blunder through their ineptitude since the entire bus company has a combined IQ of 15. I am leaving out the name here for a reason, but feel free to speculate on your own. Think of a national chain. Bus tickets are cheap for a reason. But if you do take a bus, bring a poncho, earplugs and something to keep your eyes busy. (Poncho, you ask? Think drooling, sputtering children)So we're back to the trail, finally. I can't wait. Our ride picks us up today and drops us off at the VA311 AT trailhead.-Oreo
Date: 2003-06-06
From: East Stroudsburg, PA

To: Campbell Shelter to Fullhardt Knob Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today we hiked 20 miles. It was hard work. We hiked until abut 10:00 pm. We got up a little late this morning and out of the shelter at 10;00am.We hiked over the Tinker Cliffs, which had a real nice view of the valley. Then we stopped in Troutvulle for a Pizza Hut dinner. We got bake on the trail after that. It was our first time hiking in the dark. Dan and I both agreed we¢d prefer not to do it again. Dan saw a brown snake, 3 feet long, with stripes. It started to uncoil as we walked by and Dan told me to run. Luckily I have my snake bite kit.We also met a guy doing trail maintenance at lunch. He hiked it 2 years ago with wife and kids, 8 and 10 years old. Karen
Date: 2003-06-07
From: East Stroudsburg, PA

To: Fullhardt Knob Shelter to Campsite on top on Cove 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Today was difficult, mostly because it rained nearly all day. By the time we stopped for lunch, 6 miles in, we were already soaked and the rain showed little sign of letting up. What a contrast from yesterday!After lunch I became an animal-killer. I was kind of spaced-out (not hard to do when it rains constantly), and all of a sudden, Karen is looking at me, agape, pointing at my left boot. Apparently, she had pointed out a beautiful little orange salamander which I promptly stepped on. I felt pretty bad. But by late afternoon, we cheered up: The rain let up, the sun peeked out a little, a big fuzzy (dry!) bunny hopped across our path, and there was trail magic waiting for us at Bobbletts Gap Shelter (salsa & chips, oreos, gatorade, & peanut butter cups). We ate dinner at the shelter and hiked a few more miles. It started getting dark by the time we found a tentsite- Karen was flying. I think she is worried about steppin on a big snake at night. We just gave ourselves baths with our wet naps. Kind of ghetto, yes, but it feels pretty nice not to be sticky. Now off to bed.Oreo
Date: 2003-06-08
From: East Stroudsburg, PA

To: Campsie on top of Cove Mtn.
Miles today: 14.9

Today we got up late. We didn't leave out tent until about 11:00. I think we're still a little off schedule from our bus trip back home. We made pretty good time today hiking; we didn't want to get caught in the dark again. We also missed the rain since we got up so late. It rained until about 11:00 am. We saw a few deer today. There was one in the afternoon that ran off into the woods. There were two more near our campsite that looked at us as we walked by. There were also two more right before the campsite that ran off when they saw us.There were a couple of good ups today. A 1000 foot climb this morning up Fork Mtn. After lunch there was a 2200 foot climb up Floyd Mtn. There was about 99 percent humidity today so we were sweating pretty heavily.We planned on camping at a campsite a mile past the shelter that was listed in our book. When we got there, though, the tensite was nowhere to be found. Plus all the land was a little wet. Must be a mistake in the book. But we managed to find a flat and dry spot ot tent. It is starting to thunder and rain, Luckily we already made dinner and set up the tent. Buttercup
Date: 2003-06-10
From: Campsite near Matt's Creek

To: John's Hollow Shelter, VA
Miles today: 2.1
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning it was still sunny. We had a one mile walk into town on flat terrain. The trail went along the James River; which is the widest river we've seen so far. The trail crosses the river on a footbridge, which doesn't seem like it was made all that long ago.      It was a few miles into town. We walked most of the way. When we got there we headed straight for lunch. Dan bought a double cheeseburger with bacon. I think he's making up for all the meatless years he had as a vegetarian. I had a grilled cheese with a leg of chicken and cole slaw. Food tastes so much better when you've been hiking for a few days. It was nice not to have cream of wheat or burritos. We also ate some Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream. Which isn't good for us but I crave ice cream on the trail.   We also did our laundry and bought groceries. There weren't too many options for food at the grocery store, but we got some pretty good things. We bought, stuffing, cheese and broccoli rice, and Ramen and mash potatoes. On our way out of town we met "Searching." He's a thru-hiker that got off the trail this year because of heart palpatations. He was hiking with his brother "Monster" and was currently trying to track down his brother on the trail. Dan asked him for a ride back to the trail head, which he kindly gave us.   We hiked another mile on the trail to the first shelter. The shelter is on a creek and there is no one here yet. But I'm sure someone else will show up later. Shelters are rarely empty. We just ate our burgers that we carried in, yummy.Buttercup
Date: 2003-06-11
From: John's Hollow Shelter

To: Brown Mtn. Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night, finally being fed up wiht being bug-eaten through my mosquito head net and sleeping bag liner, Karen and I moved out of the shelter and into our tent. This was around 1 am. Today, I am simply covered in bites.When we woke this morning we were surprised to see blue skies, as we expected the rain to roll in last night. The sunny weather made some beautiful views possible from Bluff Mtn (3372'), although it was a bit hazy (and very humid).Near the top of Bluff Mtn is a memorial for Ottie Cline Powell, a four-year-old boy who's body was found near the summit of the mountain. Somehow he had wandered nearly 7 miles and died (of exposure?) on April 5, 1871 (I think that was the date - I remember the April 5th part because it is my birthday). People had left toys on the memorial marker.After we headed down the mountain, we came across a couple giving out trail magic from their camper. Karen and I ate some cookies and drank some iced tea. They offered us dinner - beef stew - but there was a thunderstorm rolling in, so I thought we should be going. We thanked them and left.The thunder chased us over the next few miles, and finally the storm hit just before we reached the shelter, so we weren't too wet when we arrived. The shelter was full, so we ate dinner (burritos) and pitched our tent. I'd much rather deal with a wet tent than mosquito bites.-Oreo
Date: 2003-06-12
From: Brown Mtn. Creek Shelter

To: Porter's Field campsite
Miles today: 16.9

This morning when we woke up it had stopped raining. But the humidity was like 90%. The first thing we did was go up 2500 feet to Cold Mtn (4022'). The top was bald. We didn't get much of a view because of the haze and some clouds rolling in. We ate lunch up there, hoping to avoid the bugs. The wind wasn't strong enough to get rid of all the bugs. There weren't many big ups or downs after that.When we got to camp it started to sprinkle. Then once we made dinner and started to eat, it started to thunder.- Buttercup
Date: 2003-06-13
From: Porter's Field campsite

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

When we woke up this morning, the rain had stopped but everything was wet. Last night it rained so hard that everything was splashed with mud, especially our tent. We did our best to shake the mud and water off, but I still ended up carrying a wet tent today.Humidity aside, the weather was sunny nearly all day. We started out by climbing up Spy Rock (3860') and looking at the view on the overlook. All of the clouds were below us, and the tops of the mountains looked like islands.At the Priest Shelter, we ran into a family having a family reunion. After hiking the Priest (4063'), we walked a long downhill to the Tye River (997') where we had lunch. It started to sprinkle and we could hear thunder off int he distance, so we started hiking again, hoping that we would make it to Harpers Creek Shelter (1800') before the storm hit. We made it in time, and we had tea and conversation with Hopefull and some section hikers while we waited the storm out.After the thunder had passed, we set out again in a light drizzle. To out surprise, the rain stopped after 20 minutes, and we had fantastic views as we hiked up the Three Ridges (3970').We arrived at the Maupin Field Shelter (2720') just past 8 pm and we slept there with a recent college graduate (Chapel Hill) named John (who was leaving soon to teach English in Korea) and a section hiker named Ray.Tommorrow we plan on hiking 21.1 miles into Waynesboro where we hope to take a zero day. We have to get up early tomorrow, though, yuck.- Oreo
Date: 2003-06-14
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night we slept in the shelter, we were too lazy to put up the tent. The bugs bit our hands, but not much else.We spent the morning hiking up Humpback Mtn (3600'). We got a view from the Cedar Cliffs of the valley down below. The temperature got to about 80 degrees; it felt pretty hot hiking. We were running low on snacks and my tummy was rumbling. I was hoping I'd be able to make it through this big mile day with a rumbly tummy and the heat. Then around 11:00 am, as we crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway, a woman came out of her car. She was at least 60. She asked if we wanted some donuts. Of course we said yes. She gave Dan and another thru-hiker, "one-third", some honey glazed donuts. We all had three donuts; she kept telling us to take more. Apparently she hiked the trail last year and got up to Vermont where she broke her wrist. So this solved my hunger problem.We contined on to the Paul C. Wolfe shelter, which is about 5 miles before Waynesboro, VA. We stopped at the shelter for a chicken and stuffing dinner. The shelter was new, with 2 floors and next to a creek. I took my socks off to dry my feet. On my leg was a big tick, luckily not a deer tick. Dan suffocated the tick with an alcohol wipe so its head didn't get stuck in my skin. Not fun.The last 5 miles went by pretty quickly into Waynesboro.When we got to the road we walked to the visitor's center to see about shuttles. The building was closed. While we were looking at the signs, a man offered us a ride into town.In town we got a tentsite at the YMCA. Since they are closed for the night we have to wait until tomorrow for our showers. We went to the Ming Garden Chinese buffet for our second dinner.- Buttercup
Date: 2003-06-15
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Karen and I decided to take a zero day today - we needed the rest, and we've definitely earned it. In the last three days we've hiked almost 60 miles! I'm pretty proud of ourselves.Funny, though, we ran into a hiker that bemoaned the "speed hikers", i.e., the people who do 20+ miles a day. But that got me thinking- we've run into people who hiker 10 miles/day who complain about the 15+ people, 20+ people who complain about the 25+ people, 25+ people who complain about the 30+ people. The argument is the same: "You're going so fast that you miss all the beauty on the trail." As far as I can tell, NO ONE misses the beauty of the trail. Hike your own hike, people. Personally, after a few miles, it's all kind of a blur to me anyway. I mean, how many rocks can a person's brain process, anyway?! Sometimes, unless something is really standing out, I just miss it - and honestly, I don't think a person's speed has anything to do with it. Why do you care?Okay, enough of the diatribe. This morning, we ate at Weasie's for breakfast... but not the famous all-you-can-eat pancakes, Karen and I just can't eat enough to make it worth it. The food was good, though. We ordered Papa John's pizza for lunch (awesome, since PJ's recently closed all of their MA locations!), and we went to Gavid's Steak House for dinner where we ate WAY too much.It was nice to take showers at the YMCA, after not having showered for 11 days!Okay, I'm running out of time on the library computer, gotta go!-Oreo
Date: 2003-07-07
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Campsite near Clarks Creek
Miles today: 17.2

Despite the nice, cool weather we had this morning from last night's thunderstorm, today ended up being quite muggy. Both Karen and I sweated profusely.We left town at 9:30am after sending our bounce box ahead from the post office. The first couple miles were easy - down a street and over a bridge on the outskirts of town. The bridge, called the Clarks Ferry Bridge, crossed the Susqeuhanna River, the longest river that the A.T. crosses (444 miles).After climbing a ridge and hiking another 6 miles, we came across a cookout put on by [fellow thru-hiker] Loser's church (the Independent Charismatic Church - sounds hip, no?). They fed us hot dogs and burgers until a thunderstorm broke up the party. Thanks, Loser!The next few miles were tough, possibly due to the cheeseburgers in our stomachs, but more likely due to the excessive number of rocks on the trail. Now, at the end of the day, we are sharing a nice campsite with Looney and Svensaw and we're totally exhausted.-- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-08
From: Campsite near Clarks Creek

To: Swatara Gap, PA
Miles today: 16.4

Today was a fairly easy day. We hiked about 1000 feet up a ridge called Stony Mountain. We stayed on the ridge most of the day until the end when we went down to Swatara Gap.The ridge was a bit rocky but it was mostly flat or downhill. This morning it was cloudy, so it was a nice temperature outside. It sprinkled out for a few minutes but that's it.As we were hiking on top of Stony Mountain Dan remarked how this was the first time in Pennsylvania that we've been hiking and heven't heard any cars. Just then, to our right, we heard a loud noise. At first I thought it was a train but then it started coming towards us. Then I thought maybe it was the beginning of a really big, scary storm. Then we realized it was the sound of some A-10 jets and some other planes flying over us. Every few minutes another one took off and flew by. We got to see a few of the A-10's because they flew so low.We stopped for lunch at the Rausch Gap shelter. It was in a pretty and peaceful spot.At the bottom of Second Mountain a woman rushed out of her car. She said "I know you'll be excited. I have water!" Turns out, she is a friend or relative of "Soul Train." We've never met Soul Train before.Soon after we reached our campsite. It's next to a creek and you can hear a highway nearby. But it's a pretty nice spot.- Buttercup
Date: 2003-07-09
From: Swatara Gap, PA

To: Hertlein Campsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: moderate rain

Lots of rocks today. In fact, nearly all of today's trail consisted of rocks of all sizes, but all of them were very jagged and pointy. My boots did a good job protecting my feet, but the unrhythmic pace - from the rocks - was exhausting.Two good things today: we saw a turtle this morning (how can't such a goofy animal make you feel happy?) and we now have less than 100 miles left! 989.2 miles to be exact.A rainstorm rolled in just before we hit camp. It has stopped for the moment, and for the first time in more than a week, it is pleasantly cool inside of our tent. I think I'll sleep well tonight.- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-10
From: Hertlein Campsite

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we woke up a little late. We didn't leave camp until about 10:00am. We were both tired and needed more sleep. Plus it was raining and we hoped it would stop. The rain did stop by the time we got out of the tent. It was misty and about 60 degrees for the rest of the day.We stayed up on Blue Mountain all day and walked along the ridge. There were rocks almost all day, big ones and little sharp ones.We went to Eagles Nest Shelter for lunch. It was 0.3 miles off the trail, so that took a bit of time out of our day. We didn't see many people today. We saw Loa and Gumby as they were setting up camp a few miles before town.We were going to fill up on water before town at the Phillips Canyon Spring, but when we got there we found out it was dried up. Who would have thought, with all this rain? Luckily, we had enough water to make it another 4 miles to town.As we went into Port Clinton, PA, it was starting to get dark. The trail down into town was really steep. Possibly the steepest we've seen so far. Luckily, the trail was dirt and not rocks.Port Clinton is a very small town. Tonight we are staying in the town Pavilion. The town allows thru-hikers to sleep here. There are about 6 other hikers here but we're not sure who because they are already asleep.It's still misty out. I hope we don't get wet sleeping. I guess tomorrow it is going to be wet too, but then it should clear up. Makes me wonder how we made it through 2 months of rain.- Buttercup
Date: 2003-07-11
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: light rain

Karen and I woke up bright and early this morning and headed over to the 3C's Family Restaurant where we got heaps of pancakes, eggs, etc., for cheap. Diner food. Hiker _soul_ food. It was so good that we came back for lunch, too.Nothing special happened today; we did out mail stuff, replaced some worn-out gear at the outfitter (socks, pack cover, seam sealer, etc.). Port Clinton does have an excellent candy store, tough, and Karen satisfied her sweet tooth with a big bag of taffy. I settled for a bottle of sasparilla and some chocolate-covered pretzels.As we hiked out of town, the clouds disappeared, the humidity dropped, and the sun shone sparkling clear. We have a beautiful, crisp evening, and hopefully a nice day tomorrow. God night!- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-12
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we had nice weather, no rain or hot sun. We got a couple of nice views from Pulpit Rocks, Dan's Pulpit, and the Pinnacle.As we were headed to the PInnacle we met a couple of weekend hikers. They asked us if they were going the right way to the Pinnacle. We told them to turn around and head north on the Appalachian Trail. They looked at us like they had never heard of the Trail before. They they asked us where we were headed. Dan said "Well, eventually Maine." As the couple walked away ahead of us they joked together, "Maine, who says that kind of thing? Yeah, whatever, I'm hiking to *Alabama*!" We think they thought we were pulling their leg. They obviously had never heard of the A.T.At lunchtime we went to the Eckville Shelter. There was a solar-powered shower there that we used. There was also a fridge full of sodas and ice cream for a donation. No grape soda though, which I've had a craving for.The next 7.4 miles to the shelter were very rocky and tiring. By the time we got to camp we were sore and exhausted. Only a few more days left of PA.- Buttercup