morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-06
From: Franklin Cliffs

To: Pass Mountain shelter
Miles today: 17.0

No sunset last night. The clouds covered up the sun just before it would have set. And no bears either, all day! When we got to the shelter tonight, overdrive and a couple other people saw the backside of a bear. I had just started to walk towards the privy and heard Overdrive whisper, "Peaches! Come here!" (He was so flustered he got my name wrong.) But but the time I had walked over there, it was totally gone. I have the worst luck.We walked to Skyland Resort this morning (only 0.1 off the trail) and I got a chai latte - it tasted so good! Warmed me up too; the weather is still pretty cold. Overdrive and I sat around in the lobby of the lounge, looking and smelling like hiker trash, for about an hour. ("Hiker trash" is a term we use a lot; it's similar to "dirty hippie". It would be an insult if an outsider called you that, but among hikers it's a term of endearment.) We decided that since we'd had an expensive dinner the night before, we didn't need to buy lunch today as well, when we had perfectly good trail food in our packs already. Tonight at the shelter was one of the most awesome nights I've had on the trail. Data, a section hiker, had a Martin backpacker guitar. He played a few songs then handed it to me. I messed around with some songs he had chords for in a little book, then played "Wagon Wheel" for everyone. Just as I finished playing, Growler, Rollo and Bucket (section hikers we had met the day before) walked up. When Bucket saw the guitar, her eyes lit up and she got really excited. She played a couple songs she had written, and she was amazing - her voice, her playing, as well as her songwriting. What a gift! She handed the guitar back to Data, who played some 60s folk songs at my request, and we all sang along. I could have sat and listened forever, but it was so cold I was literally shaking. I had to get in my sleeping bag and warm up. I could still hear people singing and playing as I drifted off to sleep in my tent.
Date: 2012-06-07
From: Pass Mountain shelter

To: campsite
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: broken clouds

It was hard to leave camp this morning - we said goodbye to Growler, Rollo, Bucket & Data, knowing we probably wouldn't see them again, as they were just section hiking the Shenandoahs. I wrote down the lyrics and chords to "Wagon Wheel" and taught it to Data.We did the 7.5 miles to Elkwallow Wayside for lunch - they had a grill/restaurant inside and Overdrive and I stood there with our mouths open as we hungrily stared at the menu board. I had chicken tenders and fries and a Coke. It was so good! We saw One Speed and Cheezit there, getting lunch as well.It took a lot of effort, but we dragged ourselves away from the restaurant and back to the trail. We came to an overlook area that was roped off and there were signs saying the area was protected b/c peregrine falcons had been relocated there. We saw a couple park service volunteers there, who were tracking and monitoring the falcons. They told us to come under the rope barrier and let us look through their binoculars. We saw 3 peregrine falcons (out of only 10 or 12 in the whole park) in that one spot. It was a really cool experience.The sky started to turn dark and it got pretty windy, and we were lucky to find a decent campsite before it started raining. another cold night in Shenandoah - it definitely doesn't feel like June!
Date: 2012-06-08
From: campsite

To: Quality Inn (Front Royal, VA)
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Goodbye to Shenandoah National Park! I can't believe I didn't see a single bear! It seems like every tourist, dayhiker and thru-hiker saw a bear in the park - not me. Oh well. New Jersey is supposed to have a lot of bears, so maybe I'll see one there.The miles went by fast this morning, and we didn't have to wait by the road long before Tyler, a kid who had just graduated from high school, gave us a ride into town. We checked into the hotel, had pizza for lunch, did laundry, and went to Food Lion. It has been a really nice, relaxing day.
Date: 2012-06-09
From: Quality Inn (Front Royal, VA)

To: campsite
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

We had a great continental breakfast @ the hotel this morning after packing up our stuff. Overdrive and I, along with Tag'n Along and Head'n Out (an older married couple), got a ride back to the trail from a shuttle drive who's a former thru-hiker.My motivation today was pretty low. It was really hot, which took some getting used to after the chilly weather we'd had in Shenandoah. I stopped a lot and tried to drink a lot of water. We took a nap in the afternoon at Manassas Gap shelter (which Overdrive called "Manassafrass" and I made fun of him the rest of the day for it).We are now in Sky Meadows State Park, camping illegally. We are officially hiker trash. But we're around the corner out of sight from the trail, so I don't think we'll get caught.Just as we entered the park, there was a sign that said, "Harper's Ferry 32 miles". I can't believe how close we are! It really hit me when I saw the sign - we are almost halfway done! I am definitely more sad than happy about that, for various reasons. There are some days when the aching feet, bugs and sweaty smelliness get to me and I want to be done, but for the majority of the time, I love being out here. I feel like it has brought me so many unique experiences and opened a lot of doors for me in the future.
Date: 2012-06-10
From: campsite

To: campsite
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

We made it through the night without getting caught in our illegal campsite, so you can rest assured that I'm not writing this in a jail cell. Worst roller coaster ride ever! Today we got to experience a section of trail called "The Roller Coaster" - 13.5 mi of short but steep up and downs. The climbs weren't really that bad, but the heat definitely took its toll on us. We took a mid-afternoon nap at Sam Moore shelter and I fell dead asleep for about 30 min. We saw a sign at the shelter saying there would be a hiker feed that night at Bears Den hostel. We decided it was too good to pass up, and by we were happy we went. The Wesley UMC in Winchester VA had a feast for us - pot roast, salad, fruit salad, cookies, soda & German chocolate cake. It was heavenly! The caretaker of the hostel (Deal) tried to convince us to stay, but we had our eyes on the prize and left around 7.It wasn't long before we got to...West Virginia! It felt so good to be out of VA and in a new state! The border also marked 1000 miles since Springer Mtn. Holy crap! I can't believe I've walked this far!
Date: 2012-06-11
From: campsite

To: Teahorse Hostel (Harpers Ferry, WV)
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

Although our ultimate goal today was Harpers Ferry, we did take a little detour around lunchtime to Keys Gap, where there was a restaurant 0.3 off the trail. It was actually more of a sketchy bar than a restaurant, but the pizza and sweet potato fries were so good.We continued our quest for 5 more miles until we got to Harpers Ferry! Finally! We arrived at the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy - the nonprofit organization that oversees all of the trail) office a few minutes after they closed, so we decided to come back in the morning. It was so surreal to see the building where so many photos of thru-hikers have been taken - and to know that i had walked all the way there! One of the ATC volunteers, Peter Pan, saw us outside and gave us a ride to the Teahorse Hostel, where we had a sweet reunion with Mr. Fabulous! It was so good to see him again and hear his crazy stories about bears and turkeys and trail magic.Overdrive and I walked down the street to find some dinner, but the only place open was 7-11. We got sandwiches and had a picnic dinner in the park.
Date: 2012-06-12
From: Teahorse Hostel (Harpers Ferry, WV)

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: moderate rain

Had a really fun day. Woke up to amazing Belgian waffles made by Laurel (the hostel owner) and her son David. Then Overdrive and I walked around Harpers Ferry, to the ATC and the outfitters. Harpers Ferry is a really cool town; wish we'd had more time to explore. Lots of neat historic buildings and they even have a John Brown wax museum!Went back to the hostel, got our packs and returned to the ATC, where All Balls was doing a hiker feed and had a ton of food set out in the back room. We hung out there for a long time, eating and talking to everyone. Squatch was there filming people. We got our pictures taken in front of the ATC sign and got to put them in the official hiker log book - I'm NoBo (northbound hiker) #438 for this year.We eventually tore ourselves away from the party and walked with Mr. Fabulous back to the trail. We parted ways, as he was going back to the border and starting the 4 state challenge tonight at midnight. (The 4 state challenge is going from the VA/WV border, through WV and MD to the MD/PA border - a total of 44 miles, within 24 hours. Craziness.) It took us a long time to get through town b/c I wanted to read all the signs and take pictures of all the historic buildings. Just as we left town (we didn't even realize it at the time), we crossed into Maryland! State #6!As we were walking along the Potomac River, along the C&O canal towpath, I kept gazing longingly at the water. It was so sticky and humid that all I wanted to do was go for a swim. I cajoled Overdrive into going with me and even though he complained about the cold water, I think he enjoyed it. We walked a few more miles, had dinner right in the middle of the trail b/c I was starving, and made it here to Ed Garvey Shelter well before dark. Today was short on mileage but long on fun.
Date: 2012-06-13
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Annapolis Rocks
Miles today: 18.2

Lots of cool things to see today. I'm a big fan of MD so far - easy terrain and cool stuff to look at.We began the day with a little side trip to Gathland State Park, which had a lot of cool old structures, including the War Correspondents Monument, build just after the Civil War. We got sodas from a vending machine, and met a father and daughter who were section hiking. The father was actually pretty negative when we told him we were thru-hiking; he said, "You've still got a long ways to go. Don't you know only 15% of people finish?" We didn't let it bother us; we laughed about it later: "Oh, I had no idea there was such a low success rate; guess we should just go home now!" About an hour after lunch, there was a woman parked at a road crossing, doing trail magic out of her car. She had been doing some section hiking in preparation for her thru-hike next year. She had coolers full of deli sandwiches, sodas & beer, and chips. Even though we had just eaten lunch, OD and I couldn't resist. We talked to the trail angel (her trail name was Believe) for a while as we ate our wonderful second lunch.Our next stop for the day was the Washington Monument. It's a very old stone structure overlooking a beautiful view. It looks kind of like an old milk bottle made of stone. We ended the day at Annapolis Rocks and saw a beautiful sunset over the valley below. What a great way to end the day.
Date: 2012-06-14
From: Annapolis Rocks

To: Falls Creek
Miles today: 17.1

4 main highlights from today:1. We caught up to Gribley, Daystar, Bebop and Pants on Fire at Raven Rocks. I hadn't seen them since Glasgow and OD hadn't seen them since Grayson, so it was good to hear their stories and see how their hike was going.2. We went to the High Rock overlook which we found out is a spot that hang gliders take off from. There's a platform right at the edge where they jump off. The steps up there and the rocks themselves are totally covered in graffiti, which OD was annoyed by, but I kinda liked - it reminded me of street art.We were talking to a local guy there who said that one of the roads going out from the parking lot leads to Camp David. He said that he once drove down there to see what it was, and got stopped by Marines with M-16s. So of course we had to go check it out. We walked far enough to see a pretty serious "No Trespassing" sign which included the phrase "by order of the Secretary of Defense". So we decided to go back to the trail. 3. We crossed the Mason-Dixon line into Pennsylvania!4. Two words: Golden Corral. It was our main motivation for the day - to make it to the Golden Corral in Waynesboro PA. A woman in a pickup truck picked us up near the road crossing and took us about a mile and a half (she was late for church and couldn't take us any farther). She said it was "maybe a mile" from there to Golden Corral, but as we walked along the busy street it felt like much farther. I almost gave up and said, "Let's just go to DQ," but OD had his heart set on it. Once we got there, though, it was totally worth it. 4 plates of food later, my tummy was happy.
Date: 2012-06-15
From: Falls Creek

To: Quarry Gap shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I am a huge fan of the Potomac AT Club. The shelters in this section of the trail have been amazing. The one we stopped at for lunch today (Tumbling Run) had 2 shelters side by side, which a picnic table under a pavilion as well. one of the shelters was labeled "snoring" and the other one "non-snoring". And I had to laugh when I walked to the privy - there was a (nonworking) doorbell on the front and "new car smell" air fresheners inside.We got to Caledonia State Park around 6:30 in the evening, and as we walked past the pool, I noticed what looked like a concessions stand. It was a snack bar, and we got there just in time - they closed at 7. OD & I had cheeseburgers and fries and talked to a thru-hiker named Bullet.Then we did a couple more miles to Quarry Gap shelter. It is seriously the nicest shelter I have seen yet. There were flowerpots everywhere, and it was really cute and cozy. There's a caretaker who looks after it, and he does a great job. We checked on SoHo, who we heard had been sick with a high fever. She was starting to feel better by the time we got to her, and was planning on taking it easy the next day.
Date: 2012-06-16
From: Quarry Gap shelter

To: campsite
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

Two highlights today: halfway point and half gallon challenge! I'm halfway done with the trail! We reached the halfway mark around lunchtime, and there was a neat wooden sign marking the spot. (Technically it was at last year's halfway point, but it was a great photo op nonetheless.) I definitely have mixed emotions about being halfway done. This has been an incredible adventure so far and there are times that I don't want it to end. But it's also really hard and there are definitely days I wake up and don't want to pack up my tent, put on my shoes and hike anywhere.After the halfway point, we had one thing on our minds: ice cream. It was time for the half gallon challenge, a longstanding AT tradition in which you try to eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting. Everyone had been talking for days about strategies, flavor choices, etc, and now it was time to prove ourselves. When we got there, Bullet was sitting outside ready to begin. OD and I made our selections inside the Pine Grove General Store (he chose chocolate chip cookie dough, I picked black cherry) and came back outside to begin. I hadn't been feeling very hungry that afternoon, so I had a bad feeling about my chances, but I decided to attempt it anyway. It turned out to be a feeble attempt. I had only gotten 1/3 of the way through by the time OD finished his, so he decided to help me out. He finished off my carton with no problem - what a champ! Bullet finished his, as did Possum, Almost Awesome & White Wolf. After we were done, Daystar, Tater Tot, Bebop, Pants & Gribley showed up. We had so much fun sitting ont he front porch of the store and laughing at the looks on their faces as they tried to complete the challenge. Even though I failed miserably, it was a hilarious way to spend the afternoon.
Date: 2012-06-17
From: campsite

To: Alec Kennedy shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: broken clouds

Nice short, easy day today. The weather has been perfect - not too hot during the day and a little chilly at night; perfect for snuggling into my sleeping bag.We hiked on and off with Tater Tot, Gribley and Pants and then caught up with Daystar at the end of the day. Daystar's sister Bebop went home today; she was only hiking with her for a month and now she's working at a summer camp in NY.Today we had two "rock mazes";after seeing those words in the guidebook with no further explanation I was dreading it but they were actually kind of fun. They were these huge towering boulders which you had to find your way through (and sometimes over) with the help of an occasional blaze or arrow.I'm surprised at how easy the terrain in PA has been thus far; all I heard about the state going into it was how rocky and awful it was. We really haven't encountered many rocks yet, but I hear they're coming up after Duncannon. We will see.Headed into Boiling Springs tomorrow for a nice nero day - only 4 miles away! And the trail goes right through town, so no hitching required.
Date: 2012-06-18
From: Alec Kennedy shelter

To: Allenberry Resort and Playhouse 
Miles today: 3.9

Woke up today with this song in my head:"When I'm asked about this situationOf where it is I've been and where I"m boundOh, I've got no homeI've got no homeI've got no homeBut I've got a destination..."-Thad Cockrell,"A Country of My Own"I actually got a full 9 hours of sleep last night, so I woke up at 5:30 Am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to hike. We left the shelter by 7 AM and did an easy 4 mi into boiling Springs.We headed straight for the Allenberry Resort and Playhouse, which is a resort hotel with a theatre onsite. A not-very-nice lady at the front desk tol us we couldn't check in until 3. (It was just after 9 AM.) We saw Mr. Fabulous in the lobby and chatted with him for a while, then sat around and tried to think of ways to kill time. We left our packs at the hotel and walked into town for lunch. Went to Caffe 101, which was delicious, and huge out with Daystar, Pants, Gribley, Tater Tot & White Wolf. We bought some resupply food at a gas station, then loitered on the front porch of the ATC office for several hours. We all played Mindtrap and though of riddles and puzzles to stump each other with. Pants had some good ones; "Name 10 countries that only have 4 letters in their name" was one that stumped us for a while.Finally, it was nearly 3 PM, so we walked back towards the Allenberry and were met halfway by some other hikers who said they had checked in at 12! OD was mad, but oh well. We got our keys, took showers, did laundry, and I took a nap. Went to dinner at a really good Italian place called Aline's where I had a huge salad and a calzone. One Speed, Boots & Melody walked in halfway through our meal - it was good to see them again. Walked back to the Allenberry for what felt like the 20th time that day, watched a movie and went to sleep.
Date: 2012-06-19
From: Allenberry Resort and Playhouse 

To: campsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Had a delicious breakfast buffet this morning, including the Allenberry's famous sticky buns, which were heavenly. We somehow managed to leave the hotel by 10 and hit the dusty trail.It was actually a really nice walk today, despite the insane heat (high of 96 I think). We were walking through corn and wheat fields a lot of the time, which made me feel like I was back in KS. The terrain was really flat and not rocky, so the miles went by fast. There was magic at Trindle Rd - a cooler of sodas and fresh fruit.We stopped at the Scott Farm Trail Work Ctr after lunch and saw Gribley, Pants and Daystar, who were getting a slackpack from Mossy Brown, the woman who had left the cooler of trail magic earlier in the day! They were going to Duncannon, another 15 mi up the trail, but we didn't want to go that far, so we said goodbye for now. OD and I sat by the river and I waded in but couldn't convince him to join me. As we sat there, who should walk over the bridge above us but Impulse. We had last seen him at Rocky Run shelter, sleeping in the middle of the day after his aborted attempt at doing the 4-state challenge with Mr. Fab.We did 4 miles more to Darlington Shelter, had dinner and did 3 more to a nice campsite by a stream that Mossy Brown had told us about. There are fireflies everywhere, and it's much cooler here than it was walking thru the fields on the way here.
Date: 2012-06-20
From: campsite

To: Doyle Hotel (Duncannon, PA)
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I cannot believe we're staying at the Doyle. We only intended to have a drink at the bar here and keep going, but after a morning of blazing heat and bugs, we talked ourselves into staying.The Doyle is a legendary place on the trail. Built in 1905 as one of the Anheuser-Busch hotels, it used to be a really nice place, and i've heard that quite a few famous people stayed here. But by 2012, it has definitely seen better days. There are holes in the ceiling, the sheets and bedspread are questionable, cobwebs everywehre, and I'm confident that the rug in the room has never seen a vacuum. No one but hiker trash would ever stay here. Also, I'm on the 3rd floor and there's no AC. And it's 97 today. The bar downstairs is the only place in the building with AC, which leads to a lot of drinking. Gribley, Pants, Tater Tot and Daystar are zeroing here, and the boys for sure have been drinking all day. They're going to have a rough time hiking tomorrow!All in all, I think Tater Tot summed up the Doyle best. I overheard her on the phone with someone and she said, "I'm at the Doyle. It's awesome and horrible at the same time." OD said, "It's craptastic."
Date: 2012-06-21
From: Doyle Hotel (Duncannon, PA)

To: campsite
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

Woke up hot and sweaty at the Doyle this morning, with the sun blazing through the windows. We went across the street to Goody's and had a bluberry pancake the size of a dinner plate that filled me up completely. Walked through town on the AT, greeting friendly townspeople as we went. It was another hot, humid day, and after a 1000' climb, we decided to chill at Clarks Ferry shelter for a while. One Speed and Tater Tot were already there, relaxing in the shade under some trees. We stayed for 2 of 3 hours, then moved on to Peters Mtn shelter for dinner. OD and I were almost out of water, so although we really didn't want to, we had to go down to the water source at the shelter. It was down a steep hill with 300 rock steps, according to the guidebook. It took us 16 min 45 sec for the roundtrip expedition (I timed it),after which we were hot and sweaty again. But we pushed on a couple more miles to a nice campsite.
Date: 2012-06-22
From: campsite

To: campsite
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: light rain

Today went by really fast; I can't believe how many miles we did in such a short time. The bugs were awful today; I desperately need a head net. But the terrain was pretty flat, so we were able to move quickly.We saw a timber rattler that a couple southbounders (just out for the weekend I think) had just clubbed to death with a stick. then they cut off its head and tail. I was pretty horrified by what they head done. Yeah, rattlesnakes will bite you, but not out of malice; they're just protecting themselves. We are out here in their home and need to have respect for them. People can be pretty awful sometimes. Luckily, most of the thru-hikers out here have respect for the natural world; it's the other people that don't understand how to live in harmony with nature.