morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-08
From: Bears Den Rock - Bears Den Hostel

To: Key's Gap, WV Hwy 9
Miles today: 14.1

I left the hostel around 9:30am. The rains have stopped and the sun is out. I continued my hike down the roller coaster and came to a stream with a note on a tree saying "1,000 mile mark". There was a 1,000 mile marker made of rocks on the trail, but because of the rains, it didn't show up very well, so I decided to make my own. I thought about using green leaves to spell out 1,000, but the smell of honeysuckle got my attention so I decided to use the blossoms instead. This took me about 20 minutes to set up and I started taking pictures of it with my feet in the picture. Then I heard clicking sounds coming and it was "Timber" and "Little Engine". I congratulated them on their 1,000 mile mark and let them use my display with Boo Boo's name removed, of course. So "Timber" took my picture and they asked me if I had left a gray hat at the hostel, which I had. They said that the Elozory family has it and will give it to me the next time we meet up, which hopefully will be soon. Later on I met a group of people and they asked me about my hike. I talked to them about it and they gave me an orange and one little girl let me have some of her hard candy and some gummy bears. You know how I like my gummy bears! I also met "Jack-a-lope" and he showed me what a garlic mustard plant looked like and I tasted it. It was okay, but not something I'm planning to eat along the trail unless I'm really hungry. I later come across a gentleman that looked familiar and he was someone that I had camped with a couple of weeks back. His name is "Noodles". He said he was hiking south and headed for Bears Den Hostel, where I had just come from. Today is also my 23rd wedding anniversary and Kathy is planning to pick me up at Keys Gap on WV Hwy 9, which is a very busy road. I had to get back on the shoulder of the road several times while I was trying to get across to the parking lot. I felt like the frog must have felt in the old Frogger video game. Luckily, I made it across and I was early for once at the pickup location and my wife's outdated GPS was sending her in circles because of a new section of road. So I went out to the roadside and waved at her as she drove by. She did see me and turned around in Virginia and picked me up in WV (both just down the road from each other). We later went out do eat to celebrate.When we checked into our hotel (Econolodge), "Pacesetter" was sitting at the hotel computer. He said his wife, "Pacemaker" has had a high fever and they have been here for six days while she recovers. She is doing better and they plan to leave soon. I have posted my video of the Momma bear and her cubs, that she sent up a tree and you can see it by clicking the VIDEO button on the left blue sidebar.
Date: 2013-06-09
From: Key's Gap, WV Hwy 9

To: Weaverton Rd
Miles today: 9.8

Kathy drove me back to Keys Gap to finish my hike into Harper's Ferry. I decided to carry a couple of extra cans of soda in case I came across any hikers that might want some. A couple of miles into the hike, I came across "Crush" and his wife "No Trail Name" sitting on a rock having a snack and they accepted my offer of the soft drinks, which in return lighted my load. My load was actually quite a bit lighter today, as I had left a few of the heavier items back at the hotel. The hike was mostly downhill and rocky which is a prelude to what's in store for me in the next section of the trail. Kathy hiked over the Shenandoah River to meet me and together we hiked into Harper's Ferry to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. There I had my picture made to put in the 2013 book along with all the other thru-hikers who have make it this far. I was hiker number 393! I looked through the book for friends I have meet along the way. While I was there, "Better Man" and his wife "Smothers" and "Shaman" all came in. I bought a few items, went and had lunch and then Kathy dropped me back off where I had gotten off the trail so that I could get in a few more miles today.My hike took me through the heart of Harpers Ferry and I came across Jefferson's Rock, where Thomas Jefferson once stood and described the views on a visit to Harpers Ferry. The trail meandered through the town and then crossed the Potomac where it meets the Shenandoah River. I hiked along the old tow road that had been used to tow boats up the canal. I once again carried some soft drinks to hand out. The first one I gave to a southbounder who looked whooped. I later come across some southbound hikers, which turned out to be "Timber", "Little Engine" and her sister. They said I was going the wrong way and that the trail had turned. The trail is not well marked in this area and they thought they had missed a turn and had turned around. I gave "Little Engine" my Mountain Dew and we continued our hike, where Kathy hiked in to meet me. The three of them continued on to the next shelter and Kathy and I, who were now in Maryland, returned in the Boo Boo mobile to the hotel. After a shower, we went to eat at the "Town's Inn" and walked around Harpers Ferry.As of today, I have completed 5 states - Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, and have done a few miles in Maryland. Tomorrow I will zero and try to get some chores done and relax. I am doing everything possible to help me succeed in my journey, one of which is slack packing. Some people may frown upon it and say that they want to carry their pack all the way and I have no qualms with that. I will do what it takes to make this hike possible for me. As long as my feet touch the trail, I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail and I hike my own hike, like everyone should.
Date: 2013-06-10
From: Weaverton Rd

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today is a zero day for me, no hiking. I slept in a little bit - about 8am. I went ahead and refilled my medicines and did some resupply shopping in nearby Ranson. For lunch, I wanted to go to Quiznoes and it was out of business. Then we were going to go to Panera Bread, but they had a bus load of tourists, so we ended up taking a chance on a place called Glory Days Grill. It ended up being a very nice lunch. Later that afternoon, I had a massage back in Harpers Ferry and then the rains came. It was a gully washer. And when Kathy came to pick me up and we were driving back to the hotel, her van got really hard to steer. Then as we were turning in, the steering became worse and the temperature gauge was as far as it could go. We immediately parked the van. When we opened the hood, I discovered that the serpentine belt had come off. I assume it was due to the puddles of rain splashing up on it and making it slip and come loose. I worked on it with the only tool I had - an 8" crescent wrench. I was able to pull the belt tensioner and slide the belt back on. Later we took the van for a test run down to the historic district and walked around some. It is really strange how deserted the historic district is in the evenings. It reminds of the beach at 5pm, when everyone is off somewhere having supper. We walked to Jefferson's Rock, as Kathy had not seen it yet and read some of the plaques that I did not take the time to read when I was hiking through town yesterday.
Date: 2013-06-11
From: Weaverton Rd

To: I-70 Footbridge
Miles today: 18.8

This morning my wife, Kathy, dropped me off where I had ended my hike two days ago at Weaverton Rd in Maryland. I am finding that this part of the trail is full of historic event sites which slows me down. One of the most unusual places I saw today was a monument dedicated to news correspondance people - out in the middle of nowhere there is this - well, just look at the photo. It was at Gathland State Park and built by a newspaper man. I also came across a campground - Dahlgren. It was just off the trail and had campsites, hot showers and soap, and a place to charge your electronics. It would have been a great place to stop. I came across Etch-a-Sketch there and she was charging her stuff. I also saw a neat little chapel that was built by the wife of lady whose husband invented a Dahlgren gun. They use the church for events and weddings, though I don't think they hold regular church service there anymore. I was ready to continue on and I spotted the Boo Boo mobile. She was to meet me at the Washington Monument, so she waited on me to get there. Now the Washington Monument is not the one in Washington DC. This one is the first monument built in honor of George Washington. In the parking lot, we met several hikers and passed out some cold soft drinks. Two of the ladies were from Austria, one of which had never tasted a Mountain Dew. So she tried one of those and is probably in Maine by now! So then Kathy and I hiked to the monument, which has been rebuilt several times, the last of which was by the CCC. The door was open so we were able to climb to the top for the view. It is crazy how many rocks were surrounding this structure, which is exactly where they got the rocks from. Looks like they could have gone higher. Kathy made her way back to the parking lot and I continued on to I-70 and 40. As luck would have it, one of the Elozory's, "Boots", was in the parking lot waiting for the rest of his family at I-70 and he returned my hat, which they had been carrying since Bears Den Hostel, which was before Harpers Ferry. Thanks so much!I have a new blister that has popped up between two of my older ones. Why, I don't know. I had already been using sock liners. I have been using the blister band aids, duct tape, larger bandaids, Desitin - yes, the diaper rash ointment that has zinc in it and even Gold Bond powder. Not to mention, that I have been using body glide on my feet the whole time (runners use it). It may be my boots, but I hear that they will not likely make it through Pennsylvania, so I may be getting news ones, again, in the near future. I have tried going back to my Salomon's, but the inside cushion on the heel in literally gone.
Date: 2013-06-12
From: I-70 Footbridge

To: Pen Mar Rd
Miles today: 18.7

Today Kathy took me back to US 70 to start my hike. It was hot and muggy and I wasn't feeling that great. I really would have rather spent this last whole day with Kathy, but she really wanted to help me slack pack and get Maryland completely behind me. So my goal today was the Maryland/Pennsylvania state line. There were not many views today and I only saw two thru-hikers, all the rest were section hikers. I did see Bambi and her mother again on the trail. It's funny, the mother will stop and look and tilt her head every which a way, but the little one would just run right towards me. Kathy met me at Wolfville Rd for lunch and brought me a salad and slice of pizza. I continued on and was planning to make my way to High Rock, but I missed the turn and kept going. Kathy was there and said the entire rock was covered with graffiti and I didn't miss anything except the view, which was a very similar view that I did get to see at the Pen Mar County Park. Kathy parked there and hiked in to meet me. We came across an old garbage pile, where some family must have dumped their garbage years ago. It had some old bottles and cans that they don't make anymore. One I had never heard of before was a soft drink called Crass. There was also a clear Coke bottle, not like the green ones we're used to. So I make it to the park, which was a nice one by the way, with restrooms, water and at least one Pepsi machine. Just past the park is the Mason-Dixon line. Does this mean the end of my sweet tea? Will I have to try to dissolve sugar in cold unsweetened tea? Stay tuned and I will let you know. The Mason-Dixon line is also the Maryland/Pennsylvania state line so I made it! So count along with me - 1)GA, 2)NC, 3)TN, 4)a very long VA, 5) a very short WV, and 6)MD! Look out Pennsylvania - I plan to knock you out next.By the way, who would have ever thought that Maryland had so many farms? Not me. They are everywhere. And there just happened to be one that we were passing on our way back to the hotel that has opened an ice cream shop, with a small food menu and farm animals to visit - cow, pigs, chickens, goats, miniature horses, sheep, rabbits and donkey. It was a perfect end to a hot, tiring, long day.Something that I have come up with to help me get through the upcoming rocks in Rocksylvania, goes like this:The rocks are my friends.I will not curse them.They will let me gently walk across them.They will not trip me.They will not hurt me.The rocks are my friends.
Date: 2013-06-13
From: Pen Mar Rd

To: Tumbling Run Shelter
Miles today: 8.2

I woke up around 7:30am, thinking it was around 6:00am because it was dark in the room, so I pulled back the curtain and there was a dark cloud coming our way. About 10 minutes later the bottom dropped out and the winds were just a blowing. Twenty minutes later it had stopped. We loaded all of our stuff into the van and stopped off at McDonalds before I continued on my journey. Kathy asked if I would like to go see what she calls Graffiti Rock. This was supposed to be my pick up location yesterday and I missed the turn off. I'm glad she brought me here as the views were unreal, looking down on all the farms. And she is right about the graffiti ¢ I¢ve not seen anything quite like this before. She then drives me down to the start of my hike where I ended yesterday, just over the PA state line. This is the part that we both have a hard time with, saying goodbye, but we do and before I know it she¢s gone and I'm in the woods with this heaaavvvy pack and the gnats that just want to dive bomb my eyes. I make it to the first shelter and have a difficult time deciding do I stay or do I go? The weather for today is damaging winds, hail, lightning and possible tornadoes. The skies are cloudy and the winds have picked up. The next shelter is only 2.4 miles away and I have only done 4.6 miles so far, so I push on and hope I make it before the storm arrives. It only takes me 45 minutes and I arrive at the second shelter of the day and I decide to keep going and I finally stop at Tumbling Run Shelter. The storm never came and I just had light rains. I'm tenting with M-80 and Trooper and their dog Willow. It's raining but I don't mind, it sounds kind of nice. So my first day in PA was not that bad. The rocks are my friends!
Date: 2013-06-14
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: Ridge Rd
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: scattered clouds

The climb out of camp this morning was a doozy, straight up for about 1000 feet, then it was smooth sailing for awhile. I didn't think I was going to have much to talk about today, other than the rocks. I stopped and talked to a lot of people today, one of which was on a so called ¢trial¢ hike. She and a bunch of ladies are getting ready for a 50 mile hike to celebrate one of them turning 50 years old. I gave her my two cents worth and wished her well. I soon found myself looking at a sign that read Caledonia State Park. This is the park that the Strauss family invited me to join them at, but I am too early - sorry guys! As I was walking into the park, I glanced over at the stream and ¢Captain Planet¢ says, ¢Hey Boo Boo.¢ He's sitting on a rock in the middle stream cooling his feet. I told him I'll have to try that but first I'm going over to see what's on the menu at the pool¢s snack bar. I had two hot dogs, some good ¢o deep fried French fries, a large Mountain Dew and later one scoop of strawberry ice cream in a cone and a Gatorade to take with me. I passed three hikers who made a bee line for the pool and I start my way out of the park. But first I need a bathroom break and while washing my hands I notice a power outlet, so I plug in my phone and MP3 player and I go outside and sit at a picnic table and wait about twenty five minutes while they¢re charging up. Then I start my hike - that's right, straight up again! I soon find myself at Quarry Gap Shelter, which is a cool looking log cabin, (reminds me of the Ponderosa on Bonanza) with a shelter on each end and a picnic table in the middle. It even had hanging baskets on each end. As I was climbing yet another hill, I came across a lady and her two young grandchildren. Their trail names are ¢Doughnut Kid¢ and ¢Sports Kid¢. The lady is telling me that they found this plastic container buried and when they uncovered the lid there was a plastic bag that was swollen and it smelled bad. She had left in a hurry and was going to tell the innkeeper at the shelter. I wonder what's in the bag?! I thought about going to see for myself, but, uh, I uh, had to hike some more, yeah that's it - hike some more. So I'm doing a little stealth tenting tonight, next to a camp site and about five miles from the plastic container!
Date: 2013-06-15
From: Ridge Rd

To: James Fry (Tagg Run) Shelter
Miles today: 19.2

Nature woke me up just before 5 this morning - no not me, the birds chirping! So I lay there, falling back to sleep, on and off till 7:10 and finally I get up and get ready for a day of hiking. I see ¢Smothers¢ pass by, so I fall in behind her and catch up to her and we hike to the next shelter where I get water and she looks though the log book. Her husband, ¢Better Man¢ shows up about fifteen minutes later and we hike together and then ¢Smothers¢ falls back to third place. All of a sudden we hear her scream. She is too far back for us to see her and she won't answer ¢Better Man¢, so we turn around and run back, only to see her filming a four foot Timber Rattlesnake. It was probably three minutes earlier that I was telling ¢Better Man¢ that I haven¢t seen any rattlesnakes and we must have gone right by this one. From then on we all hiked together. We came across the official, unofficial half way mark. The 2013 half way mark is about two miles back but nothing is there to mark it. The mileage can change each year with changes in where the trail goes. So we took each other¢s photo and we hike to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. They have a half gallon ice cream challenge in honor of the halfway mark and I picked butter pecan. I finished it in thirty minutes! This makes the first time I have ever eaten that much ice cream at one sitting, and I was able to keep it down and later I even had a grilled cheese sandwich. The two future thru hikers, ¢Sports Kid¢ and ¢Doughnut Kid¢ and their grandmother, which I had met yesterday, are here enjoying their ice cream as well (and no more mention of the plastic container). ¢Shaman¢ shows up but decides to only eat a pint. I think he may be the only one with any common sense. Afterwards we waddle our way up to the AT Museum and look around and then ¢Shaman¢ and I decide to head back out and start hiking. He stops up the trail a little ways and is going to tent. He¢s already done twenty miles today and is going to wait for ¢Smothers¢ and ¢Better Man¢. I decide to go on to the next shelter, James Fry Shelter and tent. The closer I get to the shelter, I start hearing a live band, and I'm thinking big time trail magic ¢ wrong! Turns out it¢s a private bar down the road. I go ahead and set up my tent, grab my food bag and go sit on a rock in the middle of a stream and soak my barking dogs. Tomorrow I go into Boiling Springs. The rocks are my friends!Two more things:1. I have taken off the mileage from where I did the Approach Trail, way back in Georgia, so now my mileage reflects the official mileage for the just the actual Appalachian Trail.2. There is a very short video of the Timber rattlesnake that I have posted under my videos - just click VIDEO on the left blue side bar.
Date: 2013-06-16
From: James Fry (Tagg Run) Shelter

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 12.0

I had a good night¢s sleep. My goal today is to go into Boiling Springs and stay at the Allenberry Resort Inn and Playhouse. They have a hiker special - $40 for a double bed. I just can't pass this place up, but first I have about fourteen miles to get there and over two rock mazes. I'm hiking along and I hear gun fire. This goes on for hours and also there must be a drag strip nearby and I hear it all day long. The first rock maze is kind of fun, it has you going all over the place, but the second one was a pain, and I don't mean just on the feet. I have 3.2 miles to go to get into town and it¢s all downhill. Then I come out of the woods and I'm facing a corn field. I hike around it a mile or so then cross the railroad tracks and over a bridge and I'm in town. There is a man-made lake and the water is so clear you can see the bottom of it. It's being fed by a lot of springs. It was made for the iron plant that was here years ago, but today it¢s used as a center point for the town and the park that surrounds it. I called the lodge and the room will be ready around 4:30 or 5:00pm so I go to the pizza place and order a hot sub sandwich and a sweet tea. Well the sweet tea is out of a soda machine - uumm that tastes awful! So I get my food and sit on a bench where the spring water bubbles up out of the ground and it starts raining on me. Great - maybe the rain will help the sweet tea taste better. Just as I finish eating, it stops raining. I go across the street to the stop-n-rob and pick up a couple of things to eat for breakfast, then hike on the A T along a busy road and where the A T turns, I go straight 4 tenths of a mile to the lodge and when I walk in, I notice backpacks in the lobby, and when I go inside the first people I see are ¢JD¢ and ¢Trip¢. I just can't shake these guys - it¢s like having a cold. Just kidding! I had to say that because I know he reads my journal. You didn't hear this from me, but they¢re a pleasure to be around. Also here are ¢Oreo¢ and ¢Quahog¢, ¢M-80¢, ¢Trooper¢ and ¢Willow¢ and ¢Cash¢. My room and everyone else's rooms are not ready, so eight smelly hikers wait in the lobby for rooms. At 6:20pm my room is ready. The first thing I do once I leave my room is go sit in the hot tub for one whole hour and man did it feel great! I went back to the room and hand washed my clothes, took a shower and went and got something to eat. I ate with M-80 , Trooper, Willow, Quahog and Oreo. JD and Trip were at the bar eating and watching grown men bounce a ball around on the T.V. It's now 10:15pm and I'm drying my clothes at the laundry mat because the a/c wasn't drying them in my room. It will be an all you can eat breakfast trough, I mean buffet, in the morning. Then I will force my way out of this place and hike some 14 miles on FLAT ground.