morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-27
From: Harper's Ferry, VA

To: Harper's Ferry, VA
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up in the hotel room with everyone still asleep. I was a bit tired myself but got up to get breakfast at the quality inn. They had the normal quality inn breakfast with biscuits, sausage, eggs, waffles, pastries, juice, and coffee. After breakfast we headed out to the ATC to get our psychological halfway pictures.  At the ATC I got my picture taken near the ATC sign. I have seen several hikers before me get the same picture in front of this sign. They printed it out and I filled in the rest of the into on the picture. I placed in the book with other fellow hikers for the 2018 hiking year. I messaged my friends Penny and Dave who had hiked in 2014 and asked when they passed through Harper's Ferry. I found their picture in the ATC records. The ATC's bathroom was filled with inspirational quotes that made me feel that I could finish the rest of the trail. After the ATC we got lunch at the Cannon Ball Deli. I ate a gyro with a salad and chips. It really hit the spot.  After lunch we headed to the old fire house where John Brown led a famous revolt to steal firearms. His plan was to use the weapons to attack plantations in Virginia to free slaves. John' revolt only lasted 46 hours in the fire house. General Lee who was still under the Untied States Army ordered troops to storm the firehouse and arrest them. John Brown was captured and his men surrendered after that. He was eventually tried and charged with murder and treason. He was hung on December 2nd, 1859.  We explored a few other buildings downtown. There were college students interning for the summer. They were dressed up in 1850s clothing and knew a lot about the history of the town. We were all interested in the ghosts in town. One student didn't want to talk about ghosts. We did find another student who did. He told us that there was a ghost tour in town that regularly ran at 8 pm. We thought about making our own tour but it would be really hard to go out after 9 pm. We all headed back to the hotel to rest some more.Back at the hotel Kazi and I wanted some wine and beer but we didn't want to walk. We called Anthony who was like an Uber eats driver. He went to Walmart and face timed Kazi while in the store so we could check out the the selection. We ended up with 3 liters of wine and a six pack and didn't have to lift a finger to get it. There was a premium for the service though. We all hung out in the room eating leftover pasta from the night before and watching movies. I felt super late lazy but I was giving my feet the rest they needed. Stealth rolled in a little while later. He struck up a 2 hour conversation with a local while hiking through town. Everyone stayed up pretty late while I passed out early.Tonight I'm passing out as I listen to my friends having a good time.
Date: 2018-06-28
From: Harper's Ferry, VA

To: Harper's Ferry, VA
Miles today: 0.0

It was another breakfast at the quality inn. It seems all these hotels get the same kind of food. We didn't mind because we had to eat a lot of calories. Stealth, Rebel, and I headed back to the ATC. Stealth needed to get his picture in front of the sign. I hung out in the hiker lounge and got more ice cream and soda. We saw Silver Bullet, Tree Beard, and Mouse King there. Mouse King and Tree Beard were going to do the 4 state challenge which is 44 miles in 24 hours. Silver Bullet wasn't feeling it and asked if she could stay in our hotel room tonight. I didn't blame her. 44 miles in one day would destroy my feet.  I headed out with Stealth to pickup his package drop at the post office.  The post office shared the same building with the police station and a liquor store. We grabbed his package then headed downtown to check out the historic area. On the way, there were houses from the early to mid 1800s. Some had been remodeled while others were rotting away. Other houses looked really creepy and we wondered how many were haunted. We passed the John Brown wax museum and decided to check it out. The museum depicted a timeline of John Brown's life. It showed how he got his initial hatred of slavery and his exploits to abolish it. Some scenes were intense as he raided people's houses in Kansas to kill anyone who supported slavery. The museum depicted scenes from the failed raid on the armory in Harper's Ferry. The last scene showed him walking up to the gallows. After the museum we met Rebel Yell at an outside bar downtown. Someone asked Rebel if he was one of those "trailers". Rebel responded by saying he was trailer trash. We all laughed.  We headed back to the hotel and chilled in the room for the rest of the night. It was going to be my last night with the kaboose crew before I head to Ohio for a week. I'll be seeing my niece for the first time! I can't wait!Tonight I'm a little restless and can't wait to meet Sofia.
Date: 2018-07-05
To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I woke in bed with Theresa. It felt great to sleep in a real bed. I'll be leaving today for the trail. It's been wonderful to see my family and friends. Especially my new niece Sofia. The trail calls again and I need to catch up to my tramily. I got up and packed the rest of my backpack. Theresa had to head to work and I was sad to see her go. I hope we can figure out a place to meet when I'm further north.I started the 5 hour commute back to Harper's Ferry. It was a short drive back and I would be on the trail today. I stopped at Walmart to resupply and picked up some bagels and peanut butter. I already had a decent amount of food from when I left the trail. I drove back to Harper's Ferry and returned the rental. They dropped me off at the ATC building. In the hiker lounge I ran into Fiji. I hadn't seen him since trail days in Damascus. He was part of a tramily now. I got an ice cream and headed back on the trail.The path leaving Harper's Ferry followed the Potomac river. It was flat and every 1/8 mile there was a beach. A few families were walking back to the town as I marched forward. I was planning on 16 but figured I would fall short. It was already 5:30 and dusk would be in 3 1/2 hours. I hiked and night eventually fell. I rolled through Garthland state park. It was a civil war battleground and was pretty eerie at night. Luckily I didn't see any lost soldiers. After the park the shelter was .3 down a steep road. I ran into Snorts and her friend who was building a fire. They pointed me in the direction of the shelter. A few women had setup their tents in the shelter. I didn't want to deal with bugs while trying to sleep and setup my tent in the shelter.  I know it's taboo to do this but no one else wanted to use the shelter.Tonight someone just started snoring in the shelter. It's going to be a long night
Date: 2018-07-06
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: broken clouds

I didn't sleep well last night as the person snoring sounded like a monster in the night. I wanted to get up early but slept in. I made oatmeal for breakfast and had some coffee. I met a southbounder named Firefly. She was continuing her thru hike from the previous year. She had to get off the trail from an ankle sprain. Going south she hadn't seen many people when she got back on this year. She said the worst thing about Pennsylvania is the not the rocks but the rattlesnakes. It was the only area were she saw several of them. I packed up the rest of my stuff then headed out.The elevation profile was pretty flat today. I hiked for 7 miles then came to the Dahlgren backpack campground. This campground had flushing toilets and warm showers. It was a luxury on the trail. I ate lunch consisting of a bagel with peanut butter and Pringles. I took a shower knowing that I would be sweaty in an hour anyways. Snorts told me about being bluff charged by a bear. She screamed at it and the bear ran away. I pushed on from the campground to Washington monument state park.When I arrived at the park a group of hikers were hanging out on some picnic tables. I came to find out a majority of them were from Austin Texas. We talked about breakfast tacos for 5 minutes before we had to stop because we were all getting too hungry. From there I hiked to the monument which looked like a giant milk jug. I climbed the steps inside of it and was greeted with a view of the valley below. The breeze was refreshing from the top. From the monument the trail went on through people's backyards and over a highway. It was pretty flat compared to Virginia. One part had several rocks and did a number on my ankle. I had been wearing new Ultra shoes and had been getting used to the zero drop. My calves weren't burning at all but my ankle had been hurting me. I arrived at the shelter around 9 pm. Snorts was there as well as the rest of her tramily. I made some chicken with a potato sauce for dinner. Another hiker packed out a tenderloin and started cooking it over the fire. It was a massive chunk of meat. Snorts ate it like an animal. I grabbed some water, hung my food bag, then setup my tent for the night.  Tonight a cool breeze is blowing though my tent.
Date: 2018-07-07
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Deer lick shelters
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Today I woke up not so well rested since my ankle was in pain for most of the night. The 21 mile day did a number on my ankle.  I got up and hobbled on my bad foot while packing up my tent. I eventually got my tent packed up and headed to the shelter to eat breakfast. I planned on doing a 20 mile day but I figured I would fall short.  The trail was pretty flat but with my ankle in costent pain it could have been a 3000 foot climb. Walking over rocks set my tendons on fire. I kept thinking my ankle was going to end my thru hike today. It never seemed to let up and I took several breaks to ease the stress on my foot. After 10 miles I arrived at Pen Mar park just before the Dixon Mason line. I took a long lunch to catch up on my journal and to rest my foot. Several other hikers came through the park. Some were hitching into Waynesboro for resupply others were ordering pizza to be delivered to the park.  I stayed until 5 pm then headed out. About a half mile later I arrived at the Dixon Mason line and passed into Pennsylvania. I was finally in the north! The log there was filled with many people I recognized. I hiked another mile and came to a gap with a lunchbox and a box of donuts. It was trail magic! There was one beer left in the lunchbox and one donut. It really made my day after being in a lot of pain. I felt a wave of joy as I drank the beer and slammed that donut. I hiked another 4 miles and came to The Deer Lick Shelters.  At the shelter only one other person was there. Her name was Galileo and she was from Houston Texas. I thought she might have been from a smaller town with her accent but she lived in a small town as a kid. There was already a fire going and I helped gather wood. Galileo worked in the oil and gas industry. A typical field in Houston. Her work gave her a leave of absence to hike the trail. She got her name from trying to seek out a meter shower on the trail.  She had a huge interest in astronomy.  We also talked about the burning man festival and she mentioned there were several regional burns all over the nation. Apparently there was one in West Virginia that's supposed to be the largest. It got cold and we moved the picnic table closer to the fire. I made a pasta and meat sauce for dinner. We ended up staying up to midnight watching cowboy TV before calling it a night.Tonight I setup my tent in the shelter, because I can.
Date: 2018-07-08
From: Deer lick shelters

To: Quarry Gap Shelters
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

I had a late wake up this morning since I stayed up so late. Galileo ended up sleeping in as well. She usually woke up early but this was the latest start she has had on the trail. That's the power of the caboose crew! We slow people down to enjoy the moment on the trail. We hung out eating breakfast until 11 am. A few other hikers stopped at the shelter to break as well. Galileo had oversupplied at Waynesboro and had food to share. I happily took some food off her hands. She ate pretty healthy with dried veggies and fruit. She had just started on the trail in June and was wondering how long eating healthy would last. I headed out and I hope to run into her path again.  I planned on going into Fayetteville today to resupply but I've been getting more food from hikers. I decided to skip the resupply and get food tomorrow after I attempt the half gallon ice cream eating challenge. My ankle had been doing better. It was more of an ache instead of feeling like a thru hike ender. I hiked for about 2 miles then ran into Stryx, Hummingbird, Fire Poops, and Bubbles.  Stryx had worked in the wilderness searching for protected owl areas. She would use an owl call to locate them. I hung out and stretched my legs to get them ready for the rest of the hike. Heading out from there the trail went over gas lines and under high tension wires. There were rocks but not too many. It's going to be rough when I get further north with the PA rocks. I eventually arrived at route 30 that went into Fayetteville. I hiked a half mile with Hummingbird, Fire Poops, and Bubbles to Timbers. It was a restaurant with an ice cream parlor. Hummingbird, Fire Poops, and Bubbles ordered double entrees and the food could hardly fit on the table.  I got a double cheeseburger with a milkshake and didn't want to overdue it like Scotto's revenge.  Afterwards everyone was super tired.  I was ok since I didn't eat until almost exploding.  We headed out around 7 pm. They all stayed at the state park about a half mile down the trail. I pushed onto the shelter.  The Quarry Gap Shelters were some of the best shelters I've seen on the trail. It was well taken care of.  It felt like someone's home. There were flower baskets hanging up and the area was well landscaped. The privy was really clean and had an air freshener, purell, and even a light! I setup my tent in the shelter because I could. One day someone might make a fuss but I didn't want to get eaten by mosquitos. Everyone at the shelter was talking about the half gallon ice cream challenge.Tonight I'm thinking about what flavor ice cream I should get for the challenge.
Date: 2018-07-13
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning was a little chilly since I didn't have my rain fly on. I was able to see the stars though. I started packing up around 7:30 am. Quetzal and everyone else was on the trail by 8 am. With the shelter to myself I spread all my food on the picnic table. I ate oatmeal and had coffee for breakfast. I lazily got on the trail at 9 am.The elevation profile for today was really flat. They should say that Pennsylvania is flat instead of Virginia. There were rocks on the trail but not they were not too crazy yet. I was skipping along and tapping my poles to the beat of the band Washed Out. It made the hike flow. I followed the trail for 6 miles then came to a road crossing with a water source. I sat by the river, took my shoes and socks off, then placed them in the cold water. The water helped my ankles with inflammation. A hiker named Rosie showed up. He had been speeding on the trail like Quetzal and had started May 21st. He said he wanted to slow down to hang out more instead of doing consistent 30 mile days. He also mentioned that his friend Lupan was helping a trail angel bring magic to the gap today. I was excited for the prospect of free grub. We hung out for about an hour and a half. I decided to roll out because I didn't want to arrive too late at the next shelter about 11 miles away. I would have to miss out on this magic but I know there will be more. The rest of the trail had rocks but again it never got too wild. A sign said the trail was most difficult but l didn't find it so. The only hard thing was my toes had seemed to become blister magnets in the new shoes. I had 5 blisters since I started using them. They sting at first but then become a dull pain. Hopefully my toes become tougher to handle the shoes. I may have to think about sizing up since that seems to be what could be causing it. I hiked another 11 miles to the shelter area. A lot of hikers were camping next to the river. I found a spot but it was right under a widow maker. I walked up to the shelter and met a man named Mission who had started on March 14th. I had never met him before. I setup my tent again without the rain fly then made mashed potatoes and spam for dinner.  Tonight I have a tent site all to myself.
Date: 2018-07-16
From: Hertline campsite

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 18.5

This morning there wasn't a snake sleeping next to my tent. It was still held up in its fireplace den. I got up and ate my cold soaked oatmeal for breakfast. We headed out around 7 am.  The trail was pretty flat again. It didn't change in variation much and there were some rocks. Our shoes were still wet from yesterday's rain. Rosie and Lupine left the campsite first. I eventually ran into Rosie near a sign. He pulled back his shirt to reveal he was wearing a bra. He had found it hanging on a sign. We planned a little joke on Lupine. I said it was getting too hot out here and decided to take off my shirt. Rosie decided to take off his revealing the bra to Lupine. We all laughed then headed out keeping the bra with us. We hiked for about 10 miles then hung out at a view to eat lunch and dry out our clothes. I needed to bounce my box from Boiling Springs to Delaware Water Gap. On the phone the post office clerk said it was delivered to a residence even though it was supposed to be general delivery. The clerk had me call the Carlisle office since they delivered the mail. They got my name and number. I was expecting my package to be gone but after 10 minutes I got a call back from the Boiling Springs office. The clerk walked over to the residence and found that the package was still there! I was relieved and had them bouch it to Delaware Water Gap. We moved down a steep decline and eventually came to Port Clinton.  Rosie was already in town and went to the local candy shop. He bought sodas for Lupine and I. I was excited about a cold drink and drank it very quickly. As we were waiting for Lupine a man named John Harrison invited us into the Port Clinton Fire Company bar. I had recognized the door of the bar from a website about pub crawls on the AT. The bar was part of the fire station that was volunteer only. The fire station used it to raise funds for its operations. A member had to sign us into the bar since we were guests. John bought all of us our first round. We met a guy named Tom who Lupine knew since Hiawassee. He offered us slack packing service and told us about a sketchy guy named the mechanic. The mechanic lives next to the trail and dumps out water caches so hikers have to use his stream. The mechanic has creeped out several people. We ordered pizza at the bar and french fries. It was also happy hour and beers were only a $1. John then bought us shots and we hung out there until 8 pm. We were planning on hiking to the next shelter but not in our current condition. In town was a pavilion and tenting field for hikers. We headed over there and put up our tents. We didn't feel like cooking. I ate a peanut butter and bagel sandwich. It got late and I went to bed.Tonight I'm listening to the train go by.
Date: 2018-07-18
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 17.9

I woke up to the birds chirping and Rosie rolling around in his bivy sack. The rain had stopped during the night and the sun was out. I was happy that we were going to have a dry day. I ate a protein bar for breakfast then headed out. About .3 down trail I got water at a spring. Lupine was making her cowgirl coffee and shared some with me. Rosie had quit coffee 4 months ago but had a sip. It might not be long before he's drinking coffee again. We headed out from there.  The water sources on the trail today were all a half mile down the trail except for the last shelter before town. We decide to camel water and carry enough for most of the trek. The trail was flat all the way to town but there were bolder fields in the way. Some of the fields were exposed to the sun. The rocks were a lot easier to skip across than yesterday since they were not wet. In some areas the rocks were so slanted that I had to lean far enough so I didn't slip. A few times I had to jump down boulders. We all stopped at a water source that was .3 downhill and other hikers were there. They had already went down and brought back extra water to share with us. We pushed on. I made sure to reserve my water for the rest of the hike. From the ridgeline there were plenty of view points along the way.  Most were from the boulders we were hiking across. My ankle started acting up from all the rock hopping. I had to slow down and let Lupine and Rosie hike ahead. I hiked on listening to Radio Lab until the shelter before town. Rosie and Lupine were there hanging out. I got another liter of water at the spring then hiked to the access road. We walked to the stop light and put out or thumbs. A guy in a small white car waved us in. Both Rosie and I got in the back of the car while Lupine sat in the front. We tried to rush and squeeze into the clown car before the light turned green. I don't know why both the tallest people got in the back though. It was a quick ride to Bert's, a local restaurant in town that also had a hostel. When we arrived we checked in at the restaurant and they showed us the room. It was basically an apartment with a living room and a shared bedroom. It had a TV with a bunch of movies. Two other hikers were going to show up but they never did and we had the whole place to ourselves. We walked to the Chinese restaurant and order a ton of food. We then walked over to the local beer store and saw a bowling alley that had $1.50 games tonight. I was excited about the prospect of bowling. We took our food and beer back to the apartment and chowed down while watching episodes of Seinfeld. At about 9:30 pm we decided to play one game at the bowling alley. I called them and they mentioned they closed at 10 pm. We didn't have enough time to play one game. We took showers and hung outside instead. The hour approached midnight and we called it.Tonight I have a whole bunk bed to myself.