morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-15
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Calf Mountain Hut
Miles today: 13.0

It¢s not even 8 pm and I am lying on my sleeping bag in my little tent listening to the light rain splatter on the leaves, on my rainfly, and in the mud outside. Strangely, it¢s a very comforting sound. Up until about a half hour before we reached Calf Mountain Hut, the day had been quite lovely. We got up with the early-risers in the shelter and were on the trail by 7:30 am. We had a long way to go today and Fern handled it extremely well. Fortunately her knee didn¢t give her any trouble (I think the past two relatively easy days gave it some needed rest). On the downside, though, she¢s developing a pretty good crop of blisters on both feet. Even so, she set and maintained an excellent pace throughout the day, which got us here a little before 4 pm. Thirteen miles of mixed ups and downs is a pretty darn good day. Way to go Fern!Along the way we enjoyed a leisurely lunch of tuna salad and cheese wraps followed by short naps in the freshly mowed grass at a parking area in one of the many places where the AT crosses the Skyline Drive. There were only a few vistas today and we were in heavy forest most of the time. Having sunshine (welcome back, BOB!) throughout the morning and early afternoon made a big difference in our spirits and I found myself noticing flowers and different types of trees I hadn¢t seen before.Soon after we arrived at the hut, ¢Blue¢ arrived from Waynesboro having taken a couple of zero days with her boyfriend Matt. It was so good to see her again! ¢Blue¢ really looks great and is still thoroughly enjoying her AT experience. Like me and many others, she has replaced her tent, (she too has an MSR Hubba, as do I) as well as her backpack and sleeping bag. In addition, she has also replaced her stove and her water treatment system, (I still have my original ones). So in effect, she¢s virtually a complete ¢new woman¢ when it comes to gear, but that¢s just part of the learning experience we all go through. We had a really nice time catching up on things over dinner. Now I¢m pooped and it¢s time for some shuteye.
Date: 2004-07-03
From: Pennsylvania Rt.30 / Caledonia State Park

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: few clouds

Surprise! I¢m B-aaa-ack!After 1 12 very full days of Crenshaw-related work at my business partner¢s office (Barb lives about 25 miles west of Caledonia State Park) I returned to the Trail this afternoon around 4 p.m. The day was sunny and a little muggy when I got there, but it felt great to be back in the woods even though it will only be for a few days. It seems that it only takes an hour or two of hiking before I left my ¢other life¢ behind me and I am again ¢Bumpo¢, Section Hiker (with a Thru Hikers heart!)The AT here in southern Pennsylvania, is a wider path than most of the other places I¢ve been and there aren¢t any fir trees intermingled with the hardwoods to cover the ground with a bed of soft needles. Even so, the width of the Trail makes for great walking.The trees here are not as dense nor as tall as I am used to seeing, so more light comes through to the forest floor which changes how things look. I¢d imagine that not so many decades ago, these ridges had been cleared by loggers, which would explain the difference in the condictions.Today¢s 10 miles of travel passed quickly and I arrived at the Birch Run Shelter around 7:15 with plenty of daylight left to set up my tent, fetch water and have dinner. There¢s no one here whom I had previously met from my earlier outings (the Shelter log tells me though, that I am a couple of weeks behind ¢Stretch¢ and ¢Pegasus¢, and a week behind ¢Coyote¢, but just a few hours or a day or so behind ¢Blue.¢) While here I met ¢Bumpkin¢ who is tenting nearby. She joined me for some conversation at dinner. ¢Bumpkin¢ is from Pensacola and has 800 miles to do to complete her hike which she began last year. She was sidelined when she took a fall and broke her tailbone. Her husband will be running the Marine Corps Marathon this fall as will I (I found out that I was accepted into the race just before I left to come here!) and so now I have a chance to see if all this hiking and an occasional long run will prove to be adequate training for marathon preparation. I sure hope so!It¢s quiet now in the woods with only the sound of the nearby stream to be heard. Occasionally I can hear the ¢Boom¢ of some distant Independence Day fireworks. I am glad to be here without much planning and without much prior notice. I come with no expectations. It is good.
Date: 2004-07-04
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Tagg Run (James Frye Shelter)
Miles today: 17.0

Up at 7:30 am and did some long yoga stretches before leaving. The morning was gray with light fog floating in the woods, which soon faded away. The trees here are taller than those of yesterday and you can see still a ways into the woods on either side, but no vistas anywhere to behold. My pace was good all day and, expecting rain, I hiked with my shirt off¢only shorts, shoes and gaiters. I took a long lunch on the porch of the Pine Grove Furnace General Store where I was able to behold an AT tradition¢hikers seeking membership into the ¢Half Gallon Club,¢ It goes like this¢any Thru Hiker who is up for the challenge buys a half gallon of their favorite ice cream and then eats it as fast as they can. Their time (and flavor) is recorded in a logbook and, if they finish the half gallon within 45 minutes, they receive a commemorative wooden spoon as an emblem of membership. Free use of the bathroom facilities is included. I stayed long enough to watch ¢Buckeye¢ and ¢Red Beard¢ start out on their membership quest but left them in ¢Bumpkin¢s¢ good care so I could get going again. Around 3:30 pm it began to rain and did so steadily for the next two hours. I must admit that there is something quite primeval about walking through the woods in a pouring rain, completely drenched and half naked. It was actually quite exhilarating¢¢early man¢ meets the ¢corporate man¢ or something like that.When I arrived at the Tagg Run (or James Frye Shelter, as it is now called) the rain let up and then eventually stopped. Up until a few minutes ago (i.e. 9), when ¢Roadrunner¢ popped in, there were only two of us here. ¢TW¢ is a 10-year veteran AT Section Hiker and a very nice guy. We had a pleasant conversation over dinner intermingling military experiences from the 60¢s with the usual fare of Trail lore, gear preferences and weather anomalies. It made for a very pleasant evening.Now, though, with fireworks echoing from distant townships, I can hardly keep my eyes open long enough to say how thankful I am to have as much freedom and independence as I do because I live here in America. Time now for some grateful sleep!
Date: 2004-07-09
From: Footbridge at PA Rt.11

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: few clouds

Barb¢s mother, Betty, dropped me off at the Route 11 footbridge today at 1:15.In the 4 days I¢ve been off the trail I¢ve been to Washington DC; Dayton, Ohio; Palm Beach, Florida; Dayton OH, Cincinnati OH, back to Dayton and then onto Baltimore via Pittsburgh. I also spent two nights at Betty¢s house in Mercersburg, PA. It is good to be back to the simpler life, where everything I need is on my back, and where I go is strictly a function of how far my legs will carry me today.Today was absolutely perfect for hiking ¢ sunny ("Hi there, BOB!") and yet cool with temperatures in the 70¢s and very low humidity. Picking up where I left off on Monday the terrain was initially flat, open farmland that later returned to woodlands as I hiked across Blue Mountain and then up onto the rocky plateau of Cove Mountain. I shared some ¢Trail Magic¢ of energy drinks and M&M¢s (candies) with a SOBO Section Hiker named Mike and his dog, Neo, and chatted for a while with a hiker named ¢Deer¢ at the site of the now demolished Darlington Shelter. ¢Deer¢ had just completed the 250-mile long Tuscarora Trail, which he described as ¢an overgrown rock garden¢ that he would not recommend to anyone. When I arrived at the Cove Mountain Shelter just before 8 pm, I met Ishmael, a high school grad from Howard County, MD. I didn¢t have any difficulty talking Ishmael into joining me for some of my excess mashed potatoes and Vienna sausage concoction that I was quick to prepare. Other than Mike, ¢Deer¢ and Ishmael I haven¢t seen another soul all day and the Trail feels particularly empty. Even the logbook here and in Darlington seems to be filled with entries from people whose names I don¢t recognize. What a difference a few days can make! I hope over the course of the next five days I find my way back to my more familiar Trail mates. If not, it doesn't matter. I know I will see new sights and meet new friends along the way, that¢s for sure. That¢s life on the AT.
Date: 2004-07-30
From: New York City

To: BACK TO THE AT SOON
Miles today: 0.0

Having covered 535 miles during my previous six outings since I first began hiking the Appalachian Trail last March, I'm really excited about the coming month of August when I hope to get in 400 more miles of AT experience.My plan is to start at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia on Tuesday, August 3rd and to cross Maryland and into Southern Pennsylvania, going as far as Caledonia State Park which is where I began my "PA segment" earlier in July. I'll then return home to New York City for a one-day meeting on August 9th before heading up the Hudson to Bear Mountain State Park, New York, where I'll pick up the AT and head toward New England. Barring any major SNAFU's, (military-speak for Situation, Normal, All ¢Fouled¢ Up) I hope to get through Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont during the following three weeks, ending in Hanover, New Hampshire some time around Labor Day.If you can't join me in person, then I'd love to have you follow along vicariously here in my journal which I will do my best to keep up-to-date with pictures and commentary as I continue to pursue my life-long dream of Section Hiking the Appalachian Trail...
Date: 2004-08-03
From: Harpers Ferry, ATC Headquarters

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 15.6

It was around eleven o¢clock when Barb dropped me off at the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters). I spent nearly an hour looking through photo albums of people who have passed through Harpers Ferry so far this year. There are pictures, of course, of many, many, people whom I have encountered during my Section Hikes since March¢it was interesting to see how many of them have changed! Seeing the pictures was a wonderful retrospective of my journey-to-date. The photos reminded me of people I¢ve met and the places where I met them bringing back the experiences and sights we shared. It only goes to underscore the fact that the Appalachian Trail is really more about the people than about the hike itself. After I had my picture taken for the album and signed the register, I departed the AT ¢Mecca¢ and headed north, passing Jefferson Rock and then down into Harper¢s Ferry: a ¢very charming¢ Civil War era town). The trail then crossed the Potomac River on an old railroad trestle, and ran along the C&O canal towpath which parallels the river. Even though the path was close to the river, it was still very hot and muggy until around 2 pm, when the Trail leaves the river and heads straight up allowing, me to gain enough altitude to begin to cool down a bit. I stopped for a couple of PB&J burritos and sat on a rocky outlook with a fairly decent view of the river down below, while my clothes dried in the sun (my shirt was so sweaty I had to wring it out before spreading it in the sunshine)The trail was in excellent condition all day and I made great time walking easily. I am very happy to be back hiking again! At 4:30 pm I arrived at Compton Gap, the site of an 1862 Civil War battle that is now a small State Park with a couple of museums, restrooms, a spigot for water, and one of the nicest Rangers I have ever met¢¦just a genuinely nice guy. At his suggestion, I took a break in one of the museums, which, as he told me is maintained at 65 degrees to preserve the artifacts (and 65 degrees felt wonderful after 12 miles of hiking in 85 degree temperature. I enjoyed the break immensely!) For the last 5 miles of the day I wore my sandals, which are now fully broken-in from having worn them around the city whenever I could. They worked great-my feet were cool and adequately protected. I arrived at the Rocky Run Shelter and set up my tent on a dining platform near the shelter. My only ¢shelter-mate¢ for the evening is ¢Taffy¢, a Welshman, whose daughter lives in the States. He¢s spending a month or so on the AT, having started at Port Clinton and is working his way south. By his own admission he got ¢stuck¢ at the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon for nearly a week. He¢s pleasant and fun company. It¢s now 9:30 pm and I am ready to hit the sack. The ¢peepers¢ are incredibly loud tonight and I forgot my earplugs, but somehow I don¢t think it will matter. It¢s really good to be back in the woods and hiking again.
Date: 2004-08-06
From: Rocky Forge Road, PA

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 10.5

¢ This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.¢ (Psalm 118 verse 24)Yes indeed it is! After last night¢s rain this morning exploded with clear brightness and unseasonably crisp, cold, air. A day made for hiking and I am going to rejoice and be glad in it. Also, after two hot showers, a great night¢s sleep and a breakfast buffet at the Golden Corral; along with a great time spent with my own personal trail angels Bill and Valerie Dick, I was PRIMED to ¢rejoice and be glad in it¢.There wasn¢t even so much as a trace of yesterday¢s glum-ness left over. I will have to admit, however, that the fact that someone had preceded me up the trail this morning and had already ¢eaten¢ all the spiders otherwise destined to adorn my age-enlarged forehead, only made matters more rejoice-able.   After a couple of hours, with my legs in overdrive and my ¢head on a swivel¢ (an old flying expression referring to a pilot¢s deliberate effort to see everything around him¢everything!), I realized that this short section would soon be over. Wanting to take full advantage of this special morning in the woods, I dialed it back and spent some pleasant ¢meander- time¢ collecting colored leaves of red and yellow that had overnight began to appear on the forest floor. It amazes me how one premature day of autumn can produce such an incredible mid-summer affect.I have much to rejoice about and certainly more things to be glad about than I can ever count. I¢d be remiss, though, not to mention one thing in particular, and that¢s the condition of the trail in Maryland. The tens of thousands of Potomac Appalachian Trail Club members, who have built and maintained this section of the trail over the years, deserve a heartfelt expression of gratitude for the great job they have done. By and large the trail in this area is wide, well drained and well marked (even though it did go missing yesterday for a while.)   The sides have been regularly trimmed back and the briers and poison ivy seemed to be non-existent along the walkway. As with most things, it¢s attention to details and diligent repetition that makes the difference and here, the difference is both notable and appreciated. I am now in Caledonia State Park and although it¢s noon, the day is beginning to turn surprisingly gray. I am heading towards Virginia to spend a few days visiting my mom, sister and brother-in-law and then I will head back to New York for meetings. But come next Tuesday¢ I¢ll be BACK!
Date: 2004-08-10
From: Bear Mountain State Park

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: overcast clouds

As promised,¢ I¢m BA-ACK¢ yet again.This time I am in New York State, having started hiking around two o¢clock this afternoon at Bear Mountain State Park, which is approximately 20 miles up the Hudson River from the Big Apple. My ¢long standing¢ (a more generous term than ¢old friend¢) Joanne Caruso Fernandez met my train at Pelham this morning and chauffeured me to the park. We had a laughter-filled lunch on the porch of the old Bear Mountain Inn, built in the early  20¢s. It overlooks the Appalachian Trail where the trail curls around Hessian Lake (unbeknownst to the mass of picnickers and strollers wandering along it). A little fact, Hessian Lake is named after the 250 Hessian soldiers who died on this site during the Revolutionary War in 1777. The first hour or so of hiking threaded me through the park, past the pool and through the zoo, which although small, was very informative. Along the way, I enjoyed the stares and questions that were sparked by my appearance. Directly in front of the bear cage is the lowest point on the AT which, somehow, seems befitting.While crossing the Hudson on the Bear Mountain Bridge, I had the chance to simultaneously watch barges being hustled down the river by energetic tugboats, passenger trains zip along the Amtrak tracks that run along the river¢s edge, plane making their approach to the Westchester County Airport, while cars and trucks whizzed by only a foot or two away. All the while I plodded along; one foot in front of the other. Right now, for me, this is the way to go.Tonight, I am sleeping on a picnic table in my ¢Hubba¢ tent under a large pavilion on the grounds of the Graymoor Friary, a Franciscan Monastery. Normally hikers stay down by the ball field, but the weather calls for thunderstorms tonight, so one of the ¢brothers¢ helped relocate the seven of us up to this larger, better protected site. There are four southbound Thru Hikers, ¢Tinkerbell¢ and ¢Tapeworm¢ (who each have journals on this host in case you are interested) and ¢Scorch¢ a NOBO (northbound) Thru Hiker, as well as, another northbound Section Hiker like me. I¢d like to talk some more with the south-bounders as these two and the two I met along the way this afternoon, are the first I have encountered. I¢d like to know what lies ahead, as well as to see if there are differences between what I have experienced over the course of the last several months and what they¢ve experienced up until this point. But right now I am just too tired to do anything but shut my eyes and go to sleep. I guess city life is too vigorous for me and I need to get back here to the woods in order to catch up on my shuteye.
Date: 2004-08-11
From: Graymoor Friary

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

Nothing special about the morning! Up, breakfast, get water, stretch, pack up, and walk.At 12:30 p.m. I stopped for lunch and had a nice chat with a SOBO long-distance hiker.At 1 p.m. though, ¢the prelude¢ began, and for the next half hour there was not a single moment when the sound of thunder was not echoing in my ears¢rolling, rumbling, building, ominous. At 1:30 p.m. sharp all hell broke loose! Torrential rain and lightning all around, with several bolts striking close enough that the sound and light occurred simultaneously. The ground shook and I could smell the nitrogen released in the strikes. And throughout the storm (that lasted over an hour) I kept right on walking. I planned on getting soaked and the furiosity of the storm only facilitated the accomplishment of my plan within minutes. But, as I learned earlier on this hike, when it rains on the Appalachian Trail you get wet, so what¢s the point of getting wet standing still when you can get just as wet making progress?By 3 p.m. the storm was over and by 5 p.m. BOB was struggling to show his face. Just before I began the descent down Shenandoah Mountain to the shelter, I was treated to a wonderful and peaceful section of the trail that felt like I was walking through a ¢Thomas Kinkade¢ painting. The woods were characterized by tall hemlocks, forming a solid canopy high overhead. Towering rock cliffs punctuated by over-sized boulders were 30 yards to the left of the trail. A steep ravine fell off sharply to the right, from which ghost-like clouds of steam rose to drift through the trees and over the rocks. This entire scene was gently backlit by the soft, late afternoon summer sun, filtered by the high canopy overhead and diffused by the moisture-laden apparitions floating by. The pine needles underfoot made the sound of my passage imperceptible as much like the clouds rising from the ravine and the sunlight glowing on the weeds and ferns bordering the trail. The shelter scene tonight is really great. There are five SOBO thru-hikers, plus two brothers who are out for a few days of hiking, as well as ¢Scorch¢ (whom I met yesterday at the Friary.) ¢Scorch¢ and I are the only two north-bounders here. Excluding me, the average age of tonight¢s crew must be between 22 and 25.The pizza deliveryman has made two runs to the shelter so far tonight (we are very close to a road that goes into town), and a few minutes ago a local hiker walked in, dropped a 12-pack of cold beer on the table and said, ¢Hikers enjoy!¢ He turned around and left. Without any help from me, the others managed to plow through it in no time at all. It¢s a fun, interesting group of people, with a lot of energy. Thunder and rain showers have passed through intermittently since I arrive at the shelter, and reportedly we can anticipate getting rain through the next few days. Right now though, it doesn¢t matter. I am dry and in my sleeping bag, ready for a good night¢s sleep after my long hike.