morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-16
From: Hightop Hut

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: broken clouds

It was pretty chilly last night, so I got a pretty late start, which was probably due more to the fact that I was in no hurry to get on my feet. They are still killing me. After what has become the morning ritual of applying second skin, then moleskin, and finally wrapping duct tape over it and around my ankle, I put on an extra pair of socks. Hopefully this will reduce the amount of friction between my foot and boot. It worked pretty decent at first, but by the time I had reached Lewis Mt. Campground, I was limping pretty bad. I took a long break on the bench in the shade outside of the camp store. There, I bought enough food to get my to Front Royal, and then ate some ice cream sandwiches and drank 2 cans of pop. I called home for a bit, that always lifts my spirits. Before I got going again, I drained the blisters on my heels with one of my safety pins. I used my lighter to try and sterilize the pin somewhat before draining them. It was quite disgusting, I'll leave it at that. The walking was a lot easier after that, since the pressure on the blisters was less, but it was still somewhat of an ordeal to walk. Late in the afternoon, I came upon a group of about 10 college students coming south. What they were carrying was quite amusing to say the least. Most had suitcases with wheels, one was carrying a huge campchair. I stopped to talk to them and give them to directions to their campsite. It turns out they took the wrong trail from the parking lot and walked 2.5 miles the wrong way UPHILL!! I felt pretty bad for them. I walked with them on and off back to the parking lot, where they gave me a beer from their car and filled up my water bottles. I thanked them and continued on. Dinner time was approaching and I was really looking forward to eating at Big Meadows Wayside for dinner. But alas, after taking the half mile side trail there, I came upon it all closed up, only 30 minutes before. So I went back to the trail, hungry and trudged on. At this point, I was walking pretty slow. The trail borders the edge of the campground, which consisted of mostly RVs with a tent here and there. At certain points, some camp spots were only 10 or 15 feet away from the trail. I came upon one where two young ladies (very attractive, I might add) were camped. I exchanged greetings with them, and they invited me to stay there for the night. It was getting dark, so I readily accepted. They are Sarah and Amanda, from Pittsburg. They both just finished college and are on a road trip across the country. One of them said I looked kind of pathetic, so she asked me to stay! She says she is going to be a social worker, so she can tell if someone is in need! I guess looking pathetic isn't so bad. A little later, Heidi and Maruchan came up, and they stayed the night also. Spent a better part of the evening sitting around the campfire talking.
Date: 2005-05-17
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Pass Mtn. Hut
Miles today: 18.8

I woke up at 6, but I layed there for over an hour because it was too darn cold to get out of my bag. I'm beginning to think that maybe it is just a little too early to get rid of my winter bag, but no use now. After I finally finished packing, I said goodbye and thank you to Sarah and Amanda, and was on my way. My feet are still really hurting, but the second pair of socks I have been using seem to be working alright. I passed several dayhikers and St. Pete Sue and Rabit who thru hiked in 2000. Around noon, I made it to Skyland, which is a very nice resturant. I knew it was going to be expensive, but I was pretty hungry and needed to give my feet a break. Inside, I saw Doc and Dad's Grin, who were just leaving. I tore up some quesadillas for starters and a huge half pound cheeseburger with fries. I must have drank at least two full pitchers of water. After the waiter had filled my glass for about the fourth time (before my food had even got there) I just told him to leave the pitcher! Before I started back up the trail, I drained my blisters again, put on more moleskin and hobbled down the trail. For most of the afternoon, I hiked on and off with Doc. I found it very difficult to keep up with him, so I gave up and he sped on down the trail. Luckily the terrain was not bad at all again today, as it has been overall fairly moderate throughout the entire park. The only thing that made it miserable besides my feet was the heat. It probably reached somewhere over eighty degrees in the afternoon. I don't know what I'm going to do later this summer when they can top out at over 100. By the time I made it to the shelter, I had run out of water, so first thing I did was filter and drank 2 liters right away. Here tonight are a bunch of people, including Stick!! I was suprised how fast I caught up to him. But he spent last night in town and walked the one mile from the road today and took a nero at the shelter waiting for me. Tonight, I also met Senator, who has been behind me all the way up until I took a few days off at my uncle's. I had been reading his register entries in the shelters all week and finally got to meet him. He is a real great guy. Since we had a ton of people here tonight, we had a huge bonfire. Stick and I were off to bed early though, we are going to try and do 23 miles tomorrow to go ahead and get out of the park.
Date: 2005-05-18
From: Pass Mtn. Hut

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: broken clouds

It was a long day today. My feet didn't hurt much at all in the morning. We made really good time all the way to Elkwallow wayside. Stick and I stopped there along with Senator, Dad's Grin, Doc, and Selina. We stayed there, eating, soaking up the sunshine and enjoying good company for about 2 hours. Around noon, we came to the realization that we still had over 15 miles to do, so I patched up my feet with some more moleskin and we were off again.Temps rose about 80 again today, so we stopped at the next shelter for water. The water source was nothing more than a mere puddle. We rested for about an hour, and then set out to tackle the last ten miles of the day. My feet are telling me to STOP!! I think I'm going to take a nero into Front Royal tomorrow to heal up. We made it out of the park around 6 that evening. I am sure going to miss the easy trail grades and all of the waysides with their delicious burgers. As soon as we left the park, the trail turned to crap. Stick quickly got ahead of me, and as soon as he did, I got lost! Luckily, he wasn't quite out of earshot, so I yelled out to him and quickly found my way back to the trail by following his voice. We finally made it to the shelter right as it was getting dark. I hurried down the side trail (which was long and very steep, I might add) to get water before it became too dark. My feet have never hurt so bad, I think I'm about to lose a toenail. I'm definately doing three miles into town tomorrow and staying so my feet can heal. Stick decided he would do the same. After a small dinner of ramen, I was off to sleep, completely exaushted. I have just completed the entire park, 103.5 miles in less than five days. I just wonder how much faster I could have done it with my feet being 100% Maybe one day I will come back and find out.
Date: 2005-05-19
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Chester Gap, Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Me and Stick were up early, probably around 5:30 or so. We tried to be as quiet as we could so we wouldn't wake anybody else up. Back on the trail around a quater after six, we practically flew down to the road, as fast as my feet would take me. We made it to the road around 7:20, and we had no trouble getting a ride. I think it was the fourth or fifth car that passed stopped to pick us up. He told us of a really good place to eat breakfast, so he took us there and I had some really good pancakes. After a huge breakfast, we walked down to one of the hotels and got a room. My feet really needed a day off. Unfortunately, Front Royal is really spread out, so I will still have to do a bit of walking today. It will be in my crocs, so it won't be so bad. After we showered and did laundry, we walked down to the post office to get my mail drop. In it was my new compression shorts and another winter hat to replace the one I had forgotten at my uncle's house. Later on, I went to KFC for lunch and Stick went on to the grocery store. It's a funny thing about the KFC. A few nights ago, I had a dream about KFC. I dreamed that I was working at KFC, but I got fired because I was eating all the food! I tried to explain to the manager that I was thru hiking and I was hungry ALL the time! Since then, I was seriously craving some KFC. It's kind of funny, after you have been out on the trail for long enough, you start dreaming about food. I also stopped by the outfitter, for some new socks and sock liners. I got some smartwool socks so hopefully these will do the trick.I went to Food Lion to meet Stick, where I saw Doc. He was just getting in and out of town today. Also, we ran into Mountain Man and Mountain Dew, a father and daughter who have been hiking since November. He is homeschooling her so to speak, as they hike. We both bought a half gallon of ice cream to practice for the half gallon challege we will be doing at the halfway point. Back at the room, the challenge began. It took me forever, but I finished my half gallon of ice cream. Stick did not. He got cookies and cream. We both decided that he should have gotten a homogenous flavor. I had plain vanilla. Stick's friend Melissa, who lives near Harper's Ferry, came by today. We'll be staying with her for a few days when we get up near there. She took most of our gear because we are going to slackpack tomorrow, and she'll pick us up at Ashby Gap.Later that evening, she drove us to the movie theater before she went home. Tonight is the opening night for Star Wars: Episode III. I was quite suprised, the theater was half empty! But it was a good movie. I don't know what it is, but Stick and I believe that there is something in the drinking water here in Front Royal. 6 year-olds and 36 year-olds alike were dressed up and playing with light sabres. After the movie was over, we walked the mile or so back to the room, in the rain. Ordered some pizza and totally got ripped off. Even though I still did a bit of walking today, overall, the day off really did my feet some good.
Date: 2005-05-20
From: Chester Gap, Front Royal, VA

To: Ashby Gap
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: moderate rain

When we woke up, we looked out the window and were severly disappointed; it was raining. Good thing we are only slackpacking today. After a big continental breakfast, the guy at the hotel drove us back to the trail. It rained steadily all morning. The terrain wasn't bad, but it was like walking through a river. My feet were completely soaked within an hour. We stopped at the first shelter to wring out our socks and eat a snack. I have discovered that my boots hold water like a drinking glass. That's the thing about gore-tex; it keeps the water out, but it also keeps the water in. We didn't stop for long, it was still a little chilly out. A little later, we came to a stream crossing that was completely submerged. But no problem, our feet are completely soaked already! When we forded it, we didn't even bother taking our boots off. The water came up to my calf and rushed in over the tops of my boots. When we reached the first road about 9 miles in, we almost wimped out and walked the 1.5 miles to the store to call Melissa to come and get us. I know that I really didn't want to walk through the rain for another 11 miles. But after much discussion, we both came to the conclusion that we were already drenched, so we might as well keep going. It didn't warm up at all for the whole day, so the only breaks we took were to wring out our socks. Stick and I ended up getting separated at some point. After I had been walking by myself for a while, I came across some guy going south. He was a character. I was exchanging small talk with him, then out of the blue, he asked me if I wanted to buy some marijuana. With the straightest face I could, I told him I was a cop! I have never seen someone end a conversation so fast. We finally made it to the gap around 5:30, and not too soon. The wind was starting to pick up and the temperature was dropping. We walked the mile down the road to the store to call Melissa when we saw Doc coming back to the trail. He said that there was a really good barbque place in the store. I almost got some, but we're going home with Melissa tonight. She picked us up and soon we were at her house. Melissa has a wonderful family. They were very welcoming. We showered and laundered and were fed a delicous dinner of tacos. After dinner, we soaked in the hot tub. After that, I went to bed, glad to be in a real bed for a few nights.
Date: 2005-05-21
From: Ashby Gap

To: Snickers Gap
Miles today: 14.1

I woke up really early, having a good night's sleep does wonders. Melissa took me to a diner for breakfast, but since Stick was still sleeping, he missed out. Melissa dropped us off at the trail around 11. Today we would be doing the rollercoaster. In 11 miles, the trail goes over 8 or 9 mountains. I'm just really happy that we are slackpacking it, and not carrying full packs.The trail was really easy all the way up until the first shelter. We stopped for a short break and snack. After that, the rollercoaster started. It wasn't near as bad as people made it out to be. It was just very tedious. It seemed to go on and on. Plus the fact that it was a very hot day didn't help matters too much. Not too much conversation between Stick and I today, just a lot of walking. We just wanted to get this section over with. We finally made it down to the road an hour later than we told Melissa we were going to be there, but she didn't mind. We went back to the house, showered, and Stick, myself, Melissa and her husband all went to Outback steakhouse for dinner. Stick and I treated them in gratitude for putting up with us smelly hikers for a few days. Back at the house, we watched Full Metal Jacket before going to bed. Tomorrow is another day of slackpacking that will finally put us in Harpers Ferry!!
Date: 2005-05-22
From: Snickers Gap

To: Trail to ATC headquaters, Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: clear sky

When Stick and I woke up, we went downstairs to find Melissa's husband making us breakfast. After a delicous meal, Melissa drove us back to the trail. Today's walk was a whole lot easier. There was a ton of day hikers out, we saw well over twenty. The enitre day was pretty much a ridgewalk. It was a warm day, but not eniterly uncomfortable. We stopped at the David Lesser Memorial Shelter, right after breaking the 1,000 mile mark! Stick asked me how I felt now that I've walked 1,000 miles. I told him I felt the same as the last 999, that my feet hurt and I'm tired as crap. At the shelter, we ran into two girls and a guy that were out hiking to do a school project of some sort. I don't think it was going too well though, they have done nine miles in four days. The rest of the afternoon seemed to just drag by, even with us knowing that we would be walking into Harpers Ferry in just a couple of hours. It wasn't a hard walk, just long. For some reason, I was very tired today. But finally, around 6:30, we made it! We crossed the Shenandoah River and walked up the side trail to the ATC headquaters. It is such a great feeling to actually be here. Although the office was already closed for the day, we stopped to take the infamous picture in front of the sign. It is difficult to believe that I am here, after walking over ONE THOUSAND MILES!! After coming down of that natural high, Stick and I realized that we still have one thousand to go.
Date: 2005-05-23
From: Trail to ATC headquaters, Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Martinsburg, WV
Miles today: 0.0

We decided to take a zero day today. We definately deserve it. After sleeping in until about 9 or so, we went with Melissa and her daughter Gabriella back to the ATC to get our "offical" picture taken and our thru hiker number. We were the 100th and 101st to make it to Harpers Ferry for the season. Since I am such a great guy, and Stick is the elder of us two (much elder, I might add), I let him be number 100. There waiting for me was a package from my good friends, the Phillips. In it was some easter candy. Thanks Jeanette! Melissa drove us to REI to pick up a few things. I got Leki tips, Superfeet, a Nalgene and some GU. After that we ate lunch at a place called the Cheesecake Factory. That was some good stuff. That night, Stick, Gabriella, and I went out to celebrate us finally making it to Harpers Ferry. We had a grand time.
Date: 2005-05-24
From: Martinsburg, WV

To: Martinsburg, WV
Miles today: 0.0

Well, we had such a grand time, we decided to take another zero day today. But what was so good about today's zero day is that it was exactly what a zero day should be about. We did absolutely nothing! Stick and I watched a bunch of television and ordered some pizza for supper and that was about it.
Date: 2005-05-25
From: Turners Gap, US 40A

To: Trail to ATC Headquaters, Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: light rain

Well, we ended up slackpacking for another day. On our way out, we stopped by the post office so I could mail off my drop box up the trail a few days. The rain was threatening, so we didn't waste any time getting started. We are walking south for the day. After walking for about an hour, we ran into Snail and Kodak, formerly known as Ellen, who I haven't seen since North Carolina. We stopped to talk for a bit and then kept on. We stopped briefly at the shelter to sign in and walked on. We really didn't want to get caught in a heavy storm if we could help it. The terrain wasn't bad at all today, Maryland isn't so bad after all. A bit later, we saw Whitee coming up the trail, who had taken a few days off in Harpers. Gathland State Park was right on the trail. We stopped there for a pop and candy bar before heading on. It didn't start raining until we had made it to the Ed Garvey shelter, which is a very nice shelter by the way. By this point, we only had a few more miles to go. After a long 16 switchbacks down the mountain, we were greeted with a three mile walk along the C&O canal. It was flat as a pancake, we made it back into Harpers Ferry and West Virginia in less than an hour. We went up to the ATC to call Melissa and walked down the hill to the outfitter to look around. I realized I had forgotten my winter hat back at the ATC, so I ran all the way up the hill to get it. Luckily, I made it before they closed, I couldn't afford to lose this hat too. Before too long, Gabriella had came to pick us up and we were back to the house for a night of relaxing before we head back out for good tomorrow.
Date: 2005-05-26
From: Turners Gap, US 40A

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: clear sky

Today we are heading back out. On our way back to the trail, we stopped by a convience store for a few snacks and then the post office. Back at Turners Gap, we said our goodbyes and thank-you's for the amazing stay at Melissa's. It was so hard starting out, it has been a whole weeks since we have had to carry full packs. Slackpacking and zero days make you soft!A few miles up the trail, there is the Washington Monument State Park, which has the very first monument built in honor of Georgia Washington. This Washington monument looks nothing at all like the one in D.C. We stopped there for a short break and a few pictures. There we met Billie Tree, a lady who was starting her flip-flop hike today. So far, Maryland has been very good to us. The terrian is favorable, as is the weather. We stopped at Pine Knob shelter for lunch and a short nap. We played leap-frog with Billie Tree all afternoon. For some reason, my right shin is hurting a great deal. I don't know if it is because of the extra pressure all of a sudden due to carrying a full pack again or what, but I'll have to be careful not to get shin splits or worse, a stress fracture.The shelter we are staying at tonight is only two-tenths of a mile past the road into town. We almost decided to have one of us hitch in for drinks but decided not to. Here tonight is Stick, myself, Billie Tree, and a few section hikers tenting nearby. Tonight I found out that my Jetboil is only good for small meals, like Lipton and Ramen. Anything bigger than that is going to make a bloody mess.
Date: 2005-05-27
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We got a late start today, as always. All morning we hiking on and off with Billie Tree. It was a very long morning. A bit humid, but nothing too bad. Stopped around 11 to sit on this nice log that I found. Sometimes I'll just lose my motivation for a bit and sit down for a nice rest until I regain it. This was one of those times. I waited until Stick caught up and we continued on together. Right before Pen-Mar Park, there was a big downhill over a bunch of rocks. It was murder on my knees. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come, because Pennsylvania is full of them. We made it to the park, which is right on the trail around one. We stopped for a few hours here. There was a bunch of people, but we found a spot that wasn't crowded. I called home from the payphone to talk to Mom for a bit. Next to the phone I saw that you could order pizza and they would bring it right to the park. So Stick and I ordered a large pepperoni and mushroom pizza and a two liter of pop. It wasn't the best pizza, but we tore it up anyway. Billie Tree came by finally and we left with her around four. We stopped briefly at the Mason-Dixon line and then the Pennslyvania line. We are finally in the north. I think I gained about 15 I.Q. points just by crossing into the north (I kid, I kid). It is a great feeling of accomplishment to finally be in the north. And no, just in case you were wondering, we were not greeted with a boulder field as soon as we crossed into Pennslyvania. Thank goodness. But there will be plenty of that to come. Around 7:30, we made it to the shelter. Or I should say shelters. There is a double shelter here, which is unusuall. We aren't complaining though, we always welcome the extra room. We had one of themselves until this one guy came in and talked our ear off for about two hours before we had to finally sedate him. (Once again, I kid, I kid) I am going to have to get a super early start tomorrow. The post office in Fayetteville is a 9.5 mile walk in the morning and then a 4 mile hitch. And since tomorrow is Saturday, they close at noon.