morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-13
From: Annapolis Rock

To: Falls Creek
Miles today: 17.0

I found my legs today! I guess holding back the miles the last couple of days was a good thing. The weather was perfect and the legs felt strong so I pushed on a lot further than I had planned. This campsite at Falls Creek is as good as it sounds. Like the gurgling water I will hear tonight while I sleep and while I am writing this as I sit on the wooden bridge over the creek. By getting this far today, I now have the option tomorrow to get within three miles of Fayetteville for my first re-supply stop Friday. Always nice when you can get to town early in the day and take full advantage of the amenities. I will stay over in town, do laundry, shower about a dozen times, pick up the supply package that I mailed to myself, do some shopping, and rest this body. This is the first of 16 planned re-supply points between Harpers Ferry and Maine. The bad news is that my left heel hurts from plantar fasciitis. The pain is the worst when I am on level ground. Uphills and downhills don't seem to bother it as much. So far I can put up with it, but if the pain gets progressively worse, this is going to pull me off the trail and end my trip. I am trying not to think about it. I can only take it one day at a time and see what happens. Oh yeah, last night the sunset from Annapolis Rock was awesome. I shared it with a school group from New York City. They were on their class trip and came to Annapolis Rock for some rock climbing lessons. The star viewing was a bust because the bright moon we had kind of washed out the stars. Plus, it was really cold again last night so I just wanted to stay warm in the sleeping bag.
Date: 2009-05-14
From: Falls Creek

To: Rocky Mountain Shelters
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

Yes we have two shelters here. One is marked "Snoring Shelter" and the other "Non-Snoring Shelter." What I need is a shelter marked "Non-Snoring Hikers Who Go To Bed At First Sign Of Darkness." Yesterday I did not mention the most important accomplishment. I completed the 41 miles of the trail in Maryland when I crossed the Mason-Dixon Line into Pennsylvania, which has 230 miles of the trail. I saw a sign at the border for northbound hikers which basically said...up to this point you have been hiking in the "Appalatchins", and now you will hike in the "Appalayshuns." Pretty funny and I had to laugh because I have heard it said both ways. Sometime during the night it started to rain and the tent kept me dry.I woke up this morning to rain and eventually had to break camp. I packed a soaking wet tent but all my other gear stayed dry. I hiked in the rain for several hours this morning and then it cleared around lunch. The rest of the day was kind of uneventful and I made this camp mid-afternoon. I am only three miles from the road to Fayetteville, where I have arranged for the local motel in town to pick me up at the traihead tomorrow morning. Feels good to get the first section done.
Date: 2009-05-15
From: Rocky Mountain Shelters

To: Fayetteville, PA
Miles today: 3.0

Walked the easy 3 miles to the road this morning and caught my shuttle ride to the motel. Since I got to town so early, getting all of the town chores done was easy. I probably will get a late start tomorrow so the foot has time to rest. Thought I might mention that I have now met a lot of folks on the trail. Most are going northbound like me to Maine. Two young fellas who started in Georgia in late March are named Squeek and WD-40. Great trail names. Another is Romulus (like Romulus and Remus) who is from Rome, ah Rome, Georgia that is. And we have an older gentlemen from England named Englander. I know, not terribly original. Another very nice guy from England calls himself Brightington. I believe that is the town he is from. I asked him why so many folks from England come to the States to hike the trail, and he replied that it is because there are no trails anywhere close to the length of the Appalachian Trail in England. A middle aged women who is aptly named Braveheart since she wants to hike up to Maine from Harpers Ferry like me, but then will return to Harpers Ferry and walk south to Georgia. That approach to hiking the trail is known as a "flipflop." Last, Big Boots, because he still wears those huge leather hiking boots. The people I meet out here continue to get more interesting.
Date: 2009-05-16
From: Fayetteville, PA

To: Birch Run
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Got out of town and was dropped off at the trail around 10:00 a.m. this morning. The trail runs right through Caledonia State Park. Nice place. Several guys were fly fishing the Conococheague Creek for trout, others were walking their dogs, and I spoke to one guy who was out jogging and has the same dream to hike the whole trail. From the park it was a sharp climb up to the nicest shelter I have ever seen. Quarry Gap Shelter is actually two shelters attached by a deck and one roof. On the deck was a nice picnic table, lanterns mounted on the walls, a magazine rack full of reading material, playing cards and board games. And last but not least, flowering petunias were in baskets hanging from the rafters at the corners to dress up the place. Think Swiss chalet. Awesome. All maintained by one guy for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. I bumped into him raking the trail smooth just before the shelter. Apparently a five foot long black snake sometimes hangs out at the shelter. Woo, that's a big snake. Unfortunately he was not around today. It was early so I went on and camped right next to Birch Run, which is a very pretty stream. There are a lot of people here at the shelter, including a Boy Scout troop, but the soothing sound of the stream should drown them out. Tomorrow I will pass the halfway point on the trail, which is just 2 miles south of Pine Grove State Park. The tradition is to celebrate the accomplishment by joining the half gallon club. That is you have to eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting. Maybe I could have done that last year when my appetite was going through the roof, but I am definitely not having that problem yet. You need to be out here for at least three weeks for that to happen. Nevertheless, I will buy and consume some ice cream and whatever other goodies they have at their camp store to celebrate the accomplishment. All and all a good day on the trail. The hot and humid weather we had today is supposed to cool off after a storm passes through tonight.
Date: 2009-05-17
From: Birch Run

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

After getting hammered by rain and wind last night, I woke to find that the weather was trying to clear. And it did. The temperatures cooled down considerably and made the hiking very pleasant. I also woke up thinking about Don Amos, one of the good people you meet in life who I was surprised to learn passed away last week after a short bout with pancreatic cancer. Don had the same job with the EPA that I did and retired shortly before I did. I worked with Don several times over the years and enjoyed his company immensely. He had a great sense of humor and was quick to laugh. So, to honor his memory, I dedicated my hike today to Don. Tonight it is suppose to drop down to the 30's so I am staying in a hostel located in the Pine Grove State Park. It is known as the Ironmasters Mansion. The 1827 mansion was once a station on the Underground Railroad. The park is the location of the former Pine Grove Iron Works. In 1764 they manufactured ten plate stoves, fireplace backs, iron kettles, and munitions used during the American Revolution. Just for the record, I did not even try the half gallon ice cream challenge. One fellow hiker tried, but he is regreting that decision now. Looks like I have a couple of big days coming up because of a lack of good water. Fortunately the terrain looks easy and there is some good weather in the forecast. If all works out, I might make Duncannon a day early.
Date: 2009-05-18
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: broken clouds

Left the hostel around 7:30 this morning. It was very cold to start but the day got warmer and warmer and by lunch I was in shorts and a tee shirt. The coolest part about the hike was going over Rocky Ridge. You had to scramble over a ton of huge boulders which was a lot of fun. A nice diversion since most of the trail here requires you to keep your head down so you don't trip on the rocks and crash. Tomorrow I will go another long day through a stretch which has only a couple of water sources. Four miles in I can get water in Boiling Springs, as the trail goes right through the center of town and passed the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's Mid-Atlantic Regional Office. Then the next source is ten miles north. The trail there is very flat as it passes through the Cumberland Valley. Mechanicsville is due east and Carlisle is due west. Hopefully the weather will be cool again.
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was different. Last night it got unbelievably cold. I woke up around 1:00 a.m. cold. I got out of my tent for a quick stretch and started to shiver uncontrollably in a matter of 30 seconds. So I dove back into my tent and started to put on every piece of clothing I could find. I put on a long sleeve fleece shirt, a heavy fleece jacket, hiking shorts, long rain pants, two pairs of socks, stocking cap, and gloves. I got back into my summer weight sleeping bag (down to 40 degrees) and slipped inside my silk liner. I then zipped up my rain jacket and slipped the foot of my sleeping bag inside the jacket to keep my feet warm. Then I closed down the mummy hood on my sleeping bag and left just a small opening so I could breathe. Finally I was able to get warm. This morning I cooked under my tent vestibule for the sole purpose of generating some heat in the tent. That was so nice. I ended up wasting a ton of stove fuel but it was worth it. I quickly broke camp and started walking which helped keep me warm. After about 2 hours I walked into Boiling Springs and found out it went down to 30 degrees last night. And that temperature was found at a much lower elevation, so the camp temperature was probably below 30. But it turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the temperature was cool and pleasant, and not one single cloud in the sky. I walked across the Cumberland Valley. I came down out of the mountains and spent the bulk of the day walking in and around farms. Really nice pastures of grass and corn fields as well as dairy farms. Thought I should give a wildlife update. I have seen no bear or deer since Harpers Ferry. However, this area is full of Barred Owls. I hear them calling most every night. I have also seen some huge woodpeckers (Hairy?), a brilliant Red-headed woodpecker, lots of Turkey Vultures at the overlooks, Fly Catchers, Wood Thrushes, etc., etc. Tomorrow I hike into Duncannon to complete my second section of my hike. I will then go home for a couple of days to get some rest and to visit the Doc about the foot.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Another beautiful day as I made my way into Duncannon, PA for a couple of days off. When I got to town I shared some adult refreshment and some pizza with a fellow hiker. Marie later picked me up in front of the historic Doyles Hotel and we were back home by 8:00 p.m. The highlight of my hike today was my not one but two encounters with snakes. The first was a Black Snake stretched across the trail in front of me. He was about 5 feet in length and maybe 2 inches thick. He was sunning himself right in the middle of the trail. They are not poisonous and nothing to be afraid of. So I got pretty close and filmed a video of the snake as it sat there and then slithered off the trail into the brush. Very cool. About 15 minutes later I came across another snake crossing the trail. This snake was also black in color, only about 2 foot long. Much smaller and skinnier than the previous snake. I concluded it was another harmless Black Snake. But after taking a few pictures, the snake made a u-turn and started to retreat back into the brush. As he slithered away, I reached down and touched the tail end of his body. He did not like it one bit. He immediately stopped, turned around, coiled up, brought his head up in a striking position and started to rattle his tail. I was like, oh shoot, that is no Black Snake, that is a baby Rattlesnake. So I jumped back and gave him plenty of room and felt lucky he did not try to bite me. After carefully moving around him I continued on down the trail. I began admonishing myself for messing around with the snake and made a pledge to be more careful in the future. However, I have done some research and have concluded that the snake was in fact a Black Snake and not a Rattlesnake. Apparently, Black Snakes when startled mimic Rattlesnakes by coiling up and vibrating their tails in dead leaves. That makes sense because I looked for but did not see any rattles on his body. Regardless, playing with snakes is probably not a good idea. Lesson learned.
Date: 2009-05-21
From: Duncannon

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, I went to the Doc last night about my foot and the news is not good. I am going to have to bite the bullet and accept the fact that I will need to take some time off to let the bugger heal. The fact is that if I continue hiking I may cause some serious long term problems which I don't want to risk. It is not like I can't come back later and finish the job. I could have gotten another one of those cortisone shots to mask the pain, but that only would have lasted maybe another month and I would be right back where I am now. So any shot of going the distance to Maine without any pain in the foot is not likely. Plus, without knowing it, I could have made the problem a lot worse. So, my plan is now to shut down and rest the foot until it is completely healed. Then I will gear up again and get back on the trail when I am 100%.For those who have been so kind to send those encouraging messages, thanks for your support. I really do appreciate it. Below is the link to my pictures from last year and from the last couple of weeks from Harpers Ferry. Bye for now!http://picasaweb.google.com/cfbearski
Date: 2010-05-01
From: Duncannon

To: Peter's Mountain
Miles today: 9.4

Today started with a drive from home to the trail. Butterflies werein my stomach. When we got out of the car the smell of the forest hitus right away. Day hikers were gathered in the trailhead parking lot. Goodbyes were said and then I was back on the Appalachian Trailhiking north out of the Susquehanna River gorge.It has been a year since I got off the trail in Duncannon because ofmy foot. I am going to see if the foot can withstand the rigors ofthe trail by trying to hike the 147 miles up to the Delaware WaterGap. Then I will take a few days off and decide if I should gofurther.Today was incredibly hot. Not the best of days to start a hike. ButI was able to reach my destination and hope to go about the samenumber of miles tomorrow.
Date: 2010-05-02
From: Peter's Mountain

To: Old Coal Mine
Miles today: 8.2

Finally cooled off some last night when the evening breezes kicked in.Other than the "Townies" who came to party at the shelter, it was aquiet evening (They did not go to sleep until morning, beer canseverywhere). I was glad to get an early start and leave them behind.The trail followed the ridge and then dropped sharply down to ClarkCreek in Clarks Valley. I guess years ago some guy named Clark ownedthe land around here. Today, most of the land along the trail here ismanaged as Pennsylvania State Game Lands. Hung out at Clark Creekwatching the fly fishermen do their thing and then hiked up out of thevalley another couple of miles. Found a nice spot to camp near an oldcoal mine. There are piles of debris around here from their long agomining. The mining operation spoiled the spring and made itundrinkable. The water is a bright orange and yellow. Nevertheless, Ihave plenty of water and know a good spring is just a short distanceup the trail. I will top off the canteens on the way out tomorrowmorning. Other than that, I have been taking naps this afternoon tohelp my body recover.Oh yeah, a little wildlife today. I came upon a rock pile which thetrail went right through and scattered two black snakes. Each wasabout three feet long. At first I heard them moving as I approached,so I was paying close attention. This is why I don't listen to musicwhile hiking the trail. Stepping on snakes is not my thing.
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Old Coal Mine

To: Rausch Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: light rain

I am glad to say that my tent is very waterproof. Yesterday I quithiking in the early afternoon so that I could make sure I set upa dry camp. It had already showered twice and it was looking like abig storm was coming. I was also very tired and figured some restwouldn't hurt either. The rain arrived around 7:00 p.m. andcontinued straight through the night until early this morning. Thewalls of my tent were getting hammered all night, but I was dry andwarm.Wow, with the thunder and lightening it was a very entertaining evening.Today's hike went well. The rain knocked out the hot humid weather.It was much cooler walking as the forest slowly dried out. The trailis for the most part pretty level here, but with all the rain lastnight I was dodging puddles all day long. It was hard to distinguishbetween the trail and a fast moving stream in some places. Generally,I have found that there is a lot more water available on the trailthan indicated on the map and in the trail guide. And the waterlevels are very healthy. For example, a "small stream in arhododendron grove" was more like a whitewater torrent. I guess allthe rain from last summer and the snow we got this past winter hasreally had an impact.I had to force myself to stop a little early again today. I don'twant to over do the miles. It is best to just give the body a chance to adjust. So far so good.
Date: 2010-05-04
From: Rausch Shelter

To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: few clouds

Rausch Creek was still roaring this morning as the trail followed itdown and through several old abandoned mining villages. Apparently inthe late 1800s they made a real go of it. They ran a railroad rightthrough here and as many as 1000 people lived in the area supportingthe operation. At some point they started losing money. The mine wasclosed down, the railroad was rerouted and all of the residentsdispersed. Classic boom town story. You can still see the piles ofcoal mine tailings in the woods. They are anywhere from 10 to 20 or30 feet tall. The trail was black.As I was approaching Swatara Gap, I met a hiker going southbound onthe trail who is a Vietnam Vet who is walking to Washington D.C. tosee the War Memorial. What a great idea. He wanted to make the tripmore meaningful so he decided to use the A.T. and several other trailsto include the Potomac Heritage Trail on his walk to D.C. He was around60, long,grey beard, had an Army rucksack and a hat full of militaryservice pins. Cool guy. Loved meeting and talking to him today.Shortly thereafter I got to the Swatara River. It was so swollen thatit was uncrossable. Fortunately, several hikers before me hadbushwhacked a path up to a road bridge which got us over the riversafely. Out of Swatara Gap was a healthy climb back up to the ridge,which I basically followed all the way here to camp. I resisted thetemptation again to go further, leaving me a total of 27 miles tocover during the next two days to get to my resupply point, PortClinton.
Date: 2010-05-05
From: William Penn Shelter

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: clear sky

I got a very early start today knowing that I needed to hike a totalof 27 miles during the next two days to reach my resupply stop of PortClinton, PA tomorrow. My thought was to do a little more than half ofthe 27 so I wouldn't have a long day tomorrow into town. It is alwaysbetter to get into town early so you have plenty of time to getcleaned up, eat a few good meals, and resupply. As it turned out, Iunintentionally put myself in a position where I had to do some extramiles. In short, I somehow missed a turn on the trail and ended up ona service road used by hunters, snowmobilers, and those who maintain abunch of radio towers which followed the ridgeline. The trail is verypoorly marked around here, and I spoke with several other hikers laterwho also missed the turn. Fortunately I have a very good map whichindicated that if I just followed the gravel service road for about3.5 miles it would put me only a half mile from the Eagles NestShelter. This was way further than I had intended to go today, but itmeant I only have about 8 miles to go tomorrow to get to town. So Isaid what the hell and took the service road. It wasn't very scenic,but I was able to make good time. I arrived at the shelter around5:00 p.m.The decision also to lead me straight into a one on one with thebiggest rattlesnake I have ever seen. He was about four plus feetlong and really fat in the middle. I have long fingers, but if youuse your hands to make a big "O" with your index fingers and thumbsyou will get an idea how thick he was. Color wise he was very dark.Mostly black with some gold/yellow highlights. He gave me a nicewarning with his rattle when I got within 10 feet and then after Ijumped back and away he finished crossing the road in front of me intothe woods. That woke me big time. I was tired and it was hot hikingthe service road in the middle afternoon so the rattlesnakestraightened me right up. The rest of way I was more alert.Well, it is 730 p.m. and in the woods...it is time to say goodnight.
Date: 2010-05-06
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

The wind really kicked in last night and cooled off the woods.Excellent sleeping weather. But it also brought in some cloud coverand a couple of light showers during the hike into town. I am stayingat the historic Port Clinton Hotel. Very basic accommodations butexcellent food.The trail in Pennsylvania is truly a mixed bag. On one hand it isrelatively flat with few serious ups or downs. On the other it can bevery rocky. So rocky that you can't get into any kind of rhythm asyou try to find your way through a sea of jagged rock edges. It ishell on the soles of your feet. You really have to concentrate sothat you don't twist an ankle. Needless to say, it can really slowyou down.   And folks, that is why A.T. hikers refer to this state asRocks-sylvania.Relaxing tonight and will get back out on trail tomorrow for the pushon to the Delaware Water Gap.
Date: 2010-05-07
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Windsor Furnace
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Stayed up kind of late last night watching the rerun telecast of thePhillies afternoon baseball game against the Cardinals. Felt like Iwas home again in the "Cabin Room" lounging in the recliner. Nomatter, as soon as the sun came up this morning, Bing! I was awake. Ihung out until around 9:00 a.m. before leaving the hotel since I hadplanned a short day of hiking. I am staying in a shelter sincethe weather reports are calling for a big thunder and lightening stormtonight. We shall see. Tomorrow I will get serious again about doingsome miles.