morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA (Quality Inn)
Miles today: 0.0

Today I have been busy writing journal entries and labeling pictures for my daughter and son-in-law. Oh, yeah¢¦ also eating, a favorite town activity. I also got a chance to check my email and see the nice job that my daughter and son-in-law are doing on my journal. I¢ve also seen more messages of support. To all of you, thank you!Now I¢m going to tell you about someone else who started the trail this year. This is one of those ¢you think you¢re having a bad day¢ stories. This is about a 43-year old lady who is hiking the trail with her son. She had been experiencing a problem with a stiff neck before she came on the trail. She went to the doctor who discovered that she actually had lung cancer that had progressed into her neck. That would have ended most people¢s hikes before they even started. Not her, she leaves the trail to go for her chemo treatments and returns to hike. I don¢t know what her current status is, although I understand the outlook isn¢t what we would like it to be.So, if you are thinking about giving up on something or someone important to you, you may want to remember this woman who doesn¢t know the meaning of ¢quit.¢
Date: 2004-05-02
From: Waynesboro, VA (Quality Inn)

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It seemed that today was a thru-hiker exodus form Waynesboro. Healed, Red Beard, Walk On, Waterfall, Foggy Bottom, Haiku, Lulu and myself are all at the shelter. It¢s only 7 miles, but they are talking about severe thunderstorms this evening. It¢s a good group to be in the shelter with as we all get along well.Sometimes getting out of a trail town can be a problem if you can¢t get a ride. Lulu called Pam, our trail angel from yesterday and she came in and drove us back to the trial. Thanks, Pam!Sure enough, about 5:30 this evening, the skies opened up and the weather they had been predicting hit. It rained hard and it was very windy. These are times when you are glad to be in a shelter. About 8:30 pm a section hiker walked in and was soaked from the earlier storm. We all moved and made room for him. I was glad I didn¢t try to do any additional miles today because I would have been caught in that storm, too.
Date: 2004-05-03
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite near Loft Mountain
Miles today: 20.4

Today started off cloudy and it made me think that it was going to rain most of the day. It did sprinkle once, enough to make me put my pack cover on, but it only lasted a short while. Now that we are in the Shenandoah National Park, we hope to take advantage of the ¢wayside¢ restaurants along the way, as well as the camp stores.Lulu and I were about a half-mile from the first campground when I looked off to my left and moving away at a slow pace were two mature black bears. I¢m sure they hadn¢t seen me yet. I signaled back to Lulu for her to come up to me on the trail, but before she got there, the bears were out of sight. In a short time we were at the campground and discovered that it had not yet opened for the season. Lulu and I walked down to the Wayside 1.3 miles only to discover that it was closed for the day. We were both disappointed. We walked back up and camped near the campground.
Date: 2004-05-04
From: Campsite near Loft Mountain

To: Campsite near Saddleback Mountain
Miles today: 20.3

The trail through SNP is in excellent condition; the miles just click by. We passed a trail crew today. They were working on cleaning out the water bars that divert water off the trail. I was sure to thank them for their efforts. Without them it would be impossible to do a through hike.We stopped along Skyline Drive for lunch at a place called Simmons Gap under a shade tree. Life is simple and Lulu and I know how lucky we are to be able to be doing this. I decided to walk a short distance to the Ranger Station to fill my water bottles before starting out again this afternoon. Water sources have been good up to this point in the park. This afternoon, Lulu and I are hoping to cross over Swift Run Gap where US33 crosses the park.We did reach the Gap that afternoon and I got there ahead of Lulu, so I waited for her near where the trail reenters the woods. While sitting at the edge, I looked up the trail where we would be headed next. Just where the trail reenters the woods I thought I could see a cooler. Could it be? Maybe trail magic? I walked over and the sign read ¢For AT Thru-Hikers from the Country Inn.¢ I hoped that it wasn¢t empty. I opened it and there were half a dozen sodas still in here. I took one for me and one for Lulu. She was so surprised when she got there to have an ice-cold Coke waiting. Big thanks to the Country Inn for the ¢cold ones.¢We climbed Saddleback Mountain and just before dark found a campsite to set up our tents. Another great day, living the dream.
Date: 2004-05-05
From: Campsite near Saddleback Mountain

To: Pollock Knob
Miles today: 22.4

It seems that each day there is something that we look forward to. Today we have two things. First, the trail passes next to Lewis Mountain Campground. There is a camp store there. When we came into SNP we didn¢t carry in a lot of food because we were counting on using these camp stores for some of our resupply. We were concerned whether or not the store would be open, as the last campground hadn¢t opened yet. Well, this was open and we got there mid morning, just in time for a very early lunch. Two kids in a candy store is the best way to describe us. We both came away with a big bag of goodies, much of which never made it out of the park alive. When it comes to food, we take no prisoners. The second point of interest that we wanted to reach that afternoon was the Big Meadows Wayside where we would eat a late lunch or early dinner. We got there and had a nice meal. I also had a piece of apple pie and ice cream. I told Lulu that it¢s all about the food. It¢s not about the miles you did yesterday or want to do tomorrow; it¢s about where we are going to get our next pizza or burger.That night, we camped on Pollock Knob. This gave us 22.4 miles for the day. But more importantly, it puts us in a position to hit the Skyland Wayside for breakfast. See, I told you, it¢s all about the food!
Date: 2004-05-06
From: Pollock Knob

To: Campsite near Range View Cabin
Miles today: 20.7

Well, the first order for the day was to pack up without breakfast and make tracks to the Skyland Wayside for breakfast. We covered those three miles in about an hour and before you knew it, two very smelly hikers were sitting down to breakfast in this very nice restaurant. There were only a couple of others and it seemed that the staff was used to hikers. After breakfast we put on our packs knowing that we couldn¢t make it to the last Wayside in the park before it closed that day. I guess that our practice of eating our way through SNP was coming to an end. Later in the day, Lulu and I got separated and we had some nervous moments not knowing where the other had disappeared to. We linked up again at the Elkwallow Wayside (which was closed for the day). We made a few rules to keep from getting separated again. It was getting late and we needed to find a campsite for the night and had to climb to get some level spots to set up the tents. We got to a side trail that went to the Range View Cabin that had a sign that said no camping in sight of the cabin. I found that if I stood between my tent and the cabin and faced my tent, that I couldn¢t see the cabin. Actually, I think I would have been ¢ok¢ even by park standards. This was a good campsite as there was a great spring at this location.
Date: 2004-05-07
From: Campsite near Range View Cabin

To: Compton Gap (Terrapin Hostel)
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: few clouds

Today was the last day in SNP. I enjoyed it. Some people don¢t like when you are so close to Skyline Drive, but I didn¢t mind that at all. There are plenty of quiet areas in the park.Our goal today was to get to the Terrapin Hostel early enough to get a shuttle into the Lincoln Post Office before it closed at 5:00. We actually arrived at the hostel a few minutes after 3:00.Mike, the hostel owner/operator got us to the post office well ahead of the closing time, after which he dropped us at KFC while he ran some other errands.
Date: 2004-05-08
From: Ashby Gap

To: Compton Gap (Terrapin Hostel) - SOUTH -
Miles today: 24.1
Weather: few clouds

Today Lulu and decided to do a ¢slack pack.¢ Mike drove us north 24 trail miles and we hiked south back to the hostel. We started at 9:30 and knew we would have to hurry if we were to get back before dark. We had a pretty good thunderstorm last night and wondered what the trail would be like.There were the expected wet areas but the worst one was nearly at the end of the day between route 522 and the Zoological Park fence. This area needs some attention.As we hiked through this 24-mile section, we encountered several groups of people who had hiked into the area to see the Trillium wild flower. Apparently this area is the largest natural Trillium area in the world and it¢s also about far north as they grow. There were large areas where the Trillium carpeted the forest floor.We didn¢t take long breaks today as we had a lot of ground to cover. We passed a thru-hiker going north and learned that it was ¢Grasshopper¢ who didn¢t start the trail until April 2nd, and was already nearing the 1000-mile mark. And we thought we were doing good! We finished our long hike just as it was getting dark and also as Mike (the hostel owner) was getting ready to come look for us. Thank you for the nice thought, Mike.
Date: 2004-05-09
From: Ashby Gap

To: Bear Den Hostel
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: few clouds

Today I experienced what most of what is known as the ¢roller coaster.¢ The trail took us up and down a number of hills. It was a hot and humid day and a there was a constant threat of thunderstorms. Several storms passed near us, but it did not rain on us. My trail experience with the PACT to this point has been the SNP and now these next 40 miles north of the SNP. This area that I¢m in now must be the ugly step sister to the trail in the SNP because it doesn¢t seem to get near as much attention and care as the SNP. In nearly every valley up to this point (along the roller coaster section) there were muddy areas. I¢ve said before that without trail maintainers there would be no thru-hikers. If you live in this area and would like to help this club, contact them. You¢ll find them willing to accept your help.We reached Bear Den Hostel by later afternoon. This is a must stop for future thru-hikers. It is a beautiful facility and located very close to the trail.
Date: 2004-05-10
From: Bear Den Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: clear sky

Another hot and humid day. We finished up the last little section of the roller coaster and moved toward Harpers Ferry. We took a few minutes break every hour or so just to cool down in this heat. We stopped once and I walked down to the Blackburn Outdoor Center to get water. They also gave me two free sodas to take back with me. It was a steep hike down and back, but worth the trip.We pushed on toward Harpers Ferry, occasionally hearing thunder in the distance. Where the trail was good we could make good time. In other spots it was very rocky, which slowed us down. At one of our later afternoon breaks Lulu dug out her headlamp and I told her we wouldn¢t need it because we were going to get there before dark. At about 8:15 we were where we needed to be for the day and a hot showers and pizza were soon ours.We hit another milestone today; we broke the 1000-mile mark.
Date: 2004-05-11
From: Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We had to check in with the Appalachian Trail Conference Headquarters today and get our pictures taken for their 2004 book. I was the 50th hiker to be registered this year.While were at the ATC headquarters, a trail angel who goes by the name of Blue Moon came in and invited the five of us thru-hikers to his place for lunch. I needed to get to the local outfitters and buy some Shoegue to temporarily fix my boot, which was loosing its side. I was getting a new pair Thursday afternoon and just needed to make another 40+ miles.So I found the Shoegue, got checked out of the Hilltop Motel and walked to Blue Moon¢s place for lunch. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, tossed salad and cold drinks. Blue Moon, many, many thanks for an excellent lunch.We started out of Harper¢s Ferry shortly after 1:00 pm. We were only going to the Ed Garvey Shelter about 2 miles along an old canal towpath before the trail took us back into the forest. It was another hot day.We got to the shelter in good time and it was a real nice shelter with two floors and a deck. The water source was 0.4 miles and about 500¢ down the hill, but it was a very good spring. I filled up everything I had and reclimbed the mountain to the shelter. I took time to use the Shoegue and let it set up overnight.A short day in terms of miles, but a very good day.
Date: 2004-05-12
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Pogo Campsite
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

We got a good start this morning and the plan was to do at least 20 miles today. Both Lulu and I had visitors meeting us on Thursday and would do no more than 15 miles that day. We saw a Civil War site at Fox Gap. Later we came to a campground that had free showers (with HOT water). So, we had lunch and showers. That¢s kind of like dinner and a movie. Next, we passed an old stone church that wasn¢t very large, but the stonework was very impressive.Shortly after the church we came to the George Washington Monument Park. Again, impressive stone work. As we approached interstate 70, we came through the neighborhood of Boonsboro where Mr. Wells Ridenour asked us to his house for some cold drinks. We had a nice visit. Thanks!!After crossing interstate 70, we came to Annapolis Rocks. I took a short trail down to the view and took a couple of pictures. We reached Pogo Campsite an hour or so before dark. Another good day.
Date: 2004-05-13
From: Pogo Campsite

To: Pen-Mar Park (Mason-Dixon Line)
Miles today: 14.3

My wife is going to see me for the first time since February 20th when I flew to Atlanta over 2 months ago. She will find me 64 pounds lighter than I was when I left home. Yes. This is the best diet in the world. You can eat all you want. All you have to do is hike 15 to 20 miles a day with a 35 to 40 pound pack on your back. The trick will be keeping it off when the hike is over.We hiked the 14 miles to Penn-Mar Park and the Mason-Dixon Line and finished Maryland. It wasn¢t five minutes after we got there that my friend Dan Gilbert was there to pick us up. Dan and I have known each other since he lived in Owego, NY. He took me home, fed me and washed my dirt clothes. Everything a smelly hiker needs, he helped me with. He even took me back to the hotel where I met my wife and left me with a car to drive. Dan and Mickie: many thanks for all you¢ve done to help Lulu and I.
Date: 2004-05-15
From: Route 30 PA 

To: Pen-Mar Park (Mason-Dixon Line)
Miles today: 18.0

We did a slack pack today. Lulu and her friend Frank drive me north to route 30 in Pennsylvania and I hiked south. Then Frank and Lulu drive back to Pen-Mar Park and hiked North. We met and I got his keys and drove his vehicle back up to route 30 and picked them up. It all worked out and now we have 18 miles done in Pennsylvania. I started hiking at 8:00 and finished at 2:30. There weren¢t a lot of ups and downs, but we did have a mix of smooth and rocky trail today.
Date: 2004-05-16
To: Lulu
Miles today: 0.0

Hello, Journal Readers. This is Lulu. I have been hiking with Pilgrim for about 1000 miles. We are in Pennsylvania right now. I think this will be my least favorite state¢¦ all of these rocks! But I shouldn¢t complain. Life is pretty simple out here. Walk, eat, sleep and repeat. Last week I met Linda, Pilgrim¢s wife. What a nice lady! And she sure spoils him with all of those mail drops, always correct, always on time. And sometimes she even sends me little prizes. I am very happy that I met Pilgrim. He has become more than a hiking partner. He has become a great friend. I better say goodnight because 5:30 am will be here soon.Lulu
Date: 2004-05-16
From: Route 30 PA

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

It was hard leaving all the comforts of town and leaving friends and family, but the trail was waiting. So at 11:00, Frank dropped us off and we covered 10 miles to the Birch Run Shelter. On the way here we passed Quarry Gap shelter. Quarry Gap Shelter is without question the best maintained shelter on the trail. (See photos) The Birch Run Shelter is also a nice shelter and I¢m looking forward to spending the night.
Date: 2004-05-17
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Campsite in the woods
Miles today: 20.2

We hiked into Pine Grove Furnace State Park. We passed the grocery store where a thru-hiker can take the ¢half gallon challenge¢, which is to eat an entire half-gallon of ice cream. Thankfully the store is only open weekends until after Memorial Day. So, no ice cream for this kid. Lulu and I stopped at a picnic table near the beach for lunch. While there I took a walk in the water, which is just what my feet needed.Before we finished lunch, trail magic struck. Alicia Miller of Carlisle PA, who was at the park with friends, brought Lulu and I chips and some great fruit salad. Thanks, Alicia!We moved on and in about a mile came to the Halfway sign. The correct location of the sign should/would change every year because of the trail relocation that happens periodically. It¢s easier to leave it as it is, rather than putting it on wheels. We stopped for pictures and then moved on.Late that afternoon we came to Hunter Road. Three-tenths up the road there was a restaurant and we headed there for dinner. After a very good fried chicken dinner, we headed out to do another 2.5 miles and shorten our distance to Boiling Springs.We set up camp for the night and were fortunate not to get hit by any of the several thunderstorms that moved through this evening.
Date: 2004-05-18
From: Campsite in the woods

To: US 11 Super 8 Motel
Miles today: 17.2

I got my tent packed up dry, which was a small miracle given the weather last night and the thunder I was hearing first thing this morning. We started hiking at 7:00 and we made good time on fairly easy terrain. We stopped briefly at the Alec Kennedy Shelter for a snack and then headed into Boiling Springs. We stopped to put on our pack covers as it started to rain a little. It didn¢t last long and we made good time. We came out of the woods and started across Cumberland Valley. The trail passes next to and between corn and hay fields and finally into Boiling Springs. I picked up my resupply box and once again have a heavy pack. We stopped to see ¢The¢ Boiling Spring, which is quite impressive. The spring brings 22 million gallons of water to the surface each day at a cool 53 degrees.It was hot and humid when we left town and we were shooting for Route 11 where we were planning to get rooms for the night. You cannot camp in the Cumberland Valley and we couldn¢t make it to the next shelter which was 14 miles from Boiling Springs.I got here ten minutes before a serious thunderstorm hit. I need to get back to relaxing, so that¢s it for now.
Date: 2004-05-19
From: US 11 Super 8 Motel

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: moderate rain

The last few miles of the Cumberland Valley were the first miles to be covered and just before Lulu and I finished the valley, we came upon trail magic in the form of cans of fruit juice. This was left by Trail Angel Mary.We stopped at the Darlington Shelter for a break before pushing on to Duncannon. It rained lightly on us most of the day and this afternoon the trail crossed a number of hay fields. My hiking boots stayed dry until I had to walk through all that wet grass and then they got soaked through. The last mountain before dropping down into Duncannon was steep. Duncannon sits in the Susquehanna River Valley and is an old town. We got rooms at the Doyle Hotel. The Doyle has a lot of history, being built by the Anheuser-Busch family about 1900. The rooms are inexpensive and meet the basic needs of hikers.After a shower I headed to a pizza/sub place up the street from the hotel. Trail Angel Mary stopped by the hotel with dinner for any hikers that were interested. It was a good day for a rainy day, a very good day.
Date: 2004-05-20
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Duncannon at about 7:30 this morning and crossed the Susquehanna River. All of this traffic was something we hadn¢t seen in awhile and we were both stressed by it. When we finish the trail, this is one thing that we don¢t look forward to. We climbed up and away form the river valley. We stopped at the Clarks Ferry Shelter for a short break, as it was too early for lunch. We walked another hour and half and then stopped to fix lunch on the rocks. After lunch we soon came to PA225 and the new AT overpass bridge. We also found more trail magic from Mary.We stopped for the day at the Peter Mountain Shelter after only 11.4 miles. We decided to stay because of the weather, which didn¢t look good. Also, the spacing for the remaining shelter didn¢t look good if we had pushed on.We are here with the Lost Boys, Red Beard and a couple of section hikers.
Date: 2004-05-21
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: mist

Today is my three-month anniversary on the trail and to celebrate, I hiked in a thunderstorm this morning. Actually, when I left the shelter, it was just windy. We had gotten about a half-mile when it thundered for the first time. Shortly I was putting on my pack cover. It reminded me about a question a lady asked me when Lulu and I had dinner just off the trail. She asked what I did when it rained. I told her, ¢I get wet.¢ Getting wet is what I was doing this morning. Right now I¢m hiking in a swimsuit and a polypro shirt. If it is warm then it is better for me to hike without a raincoat, as it is too hot. When it stops, my clothing dries pretty fast.It did stop late in the morning and it got humid. So, instead of getting wet from the outside in, I was getting wet from the inside out.There was a little excitement this afternoon when a couple of A-10 (attack aircraft) were making low level passes over the AT. That will make hair stand up on the back of your neck.We pushed on to the Rausch Gap Shelter. This shelter is located in an area where at one time there was some coal mining. The trail to the shelter I¢m sure is an old rail bed used to haul coal from the mines. There¢s a nice piped spring in front of the shelter tonight. Somewhat different than the spring at the Peters Mountain Shelter where I had to descend 500¢ vertical to get to the spring. At the shelter tonight are Briann and John (section hikers) as well as Foggy Bottom, Rocky, Fozzy, Red Beard and Lulu.
Date: 2004-05-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I thought I'd give you all an update on Pilgrim's progress. He is currently in New Jersey and should be in New York by the end of the day today. (You can look forward to an upcoming entry where there was a visit from a bear.) I will be away from a computer for a week or so, but I will post journals as soon as I return.   Thanks for your continued interest in my father's journal and all of your support. I know it means a great deal to him.