morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-04
From: US 522, Chester Gap

To: US 522, Chester Gap
Miles today: 0.0

Happy 4th of July everyone. Today has been filled with eating, relaxing, some cooking, eating some more, relaxing some more, and eating some more. Oh, some barley and hops may have been added to the menu as well. Tomorrow Dog Man and I will head back to Harpers Ferry. He needs to stop at the post office and then head back to Team Ninja, while I'll hitch or get a ride to Front Royal and continue north. That's the plan, anyway.
Date: 2007-07-05
From: US 522, Chester Gap

To: US 522, Chester Gap
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, so the ride to Harpers Ferry didn't work out. Instead I'll be spending one more day here, and heading to Front Royal via Harpers tomorrow. Today is much like yesterday. Oh, new photos are slowly being added, as I have time and internet access. There won't be any pictures from Waynesboro north, as my camera is busted, and has been sent back to be repaired.
Date: 2007-07-06
From: US 522, Chester Gap

To: US 522, Chester Gap
Miles today: 0.0

I'm one step closer to getting on the trail, but I'm not quite there yet. DogMan, Reckless and I drove to Harpers Ferry in the early afternoon. Other than almost being run off the road by a tractor trailer, it was an uneventful ride. While in Harpers, I ran into Stich and Figgy, and a section-hiking friend of theirs who had to get to Front Royal to pick up his car before heading back to D.C. Well, after sampling some food and drink in Harpers, we managed to get a ride to Front Royal, not arriving until 9pm - too late to hike. I checked into the Center City Motel (very, very cheap, and overpriced for this fine establishment), grabbed a shower, and headed out to the only bar that was open in town. About a mile away, I get there and hear the dance music from inside. Looks like it's a club/bar. I never really knew for sure, because they refused to let me in!!! Apparently, a sleeveless t-shirt, shorts and hiking shoes were not the proper dress code. I tried explaining my situation (I don't think the bouncer ever heard of the AT, and had no desire to learn), to no avail. Oh well, back to the motel and off to sleep.
Date: 2007-07-07
From: US 522, Chester Gap

To: Big Meadows State Park
Miles today: 17.5

Finally, back on the trail. It took me awhile to get out of Front Royal (needing to hit the post office, get breakfast, and get a ride), but I finally managed. Chatting up the guy giving me a ride to the trail, I didn't realize he was taking me to a road crossing further south than I had intended. In fact, he took me back to where the trail crossed Skyline Drive! On one hand, that's ok. I actually got my ride to Harpers Ferry nearly a week ago from this exact location, and not from the road crossing near Front Royal. I had planned on ignoring the 5 miles I skipped. Now I get to make those miles up. On the other hand, Ally was coming to visit, and we planned on meeting at Big Meadows State Park at 7:30. It's after 1pm, and I have 25 miles to hike! The trail was easy, and I was moving fast. Very fast. I attacked the few uphills. I kept a fast pace and long strides where it was even, and I jogged the downhills. Even so, I was going to be late. I finally got to the trail to the state park. Darkness was falling, and I still had a 2 mile side trail to navigate. Eventually, I made it. Ally was also running a bit late. She arrived after the park closed at dusk. We were supposed to meet at the visitor center, but the gates into the park were locked. That's when she braved the wild. With only a cell phone for illumination, Ally began walking the long, dark and deserted 2/3 mile road to the visitor center. Armed with a pen (to poke the eye out of any murderers that may be lurking in the woods), she continued on. That's when she confronted one of the most terrible, dangerous and meanest animals on the trail - in the country, I'd argue. The beast jumped out in front of her, but Ally's courage convinced the wild animal to return to its home in the woods. Ally decided not to tempt fate, and returned to her car to await my arrival. The deer she had startled was never heard from again.When I finally showed up, I greedily accepted the cold water and cold beer she had waiting. After some wrong directions leading us down a long dirt road (GPS is not perfect) we finally found the hotel and turned in for the night.
Date: 2007-07-08
From: Big Meadows State Park

To: Big Meadows State Park
Miles today: 0.0

The plan was for Ally to slackpack me for part of the day, then enjoy the rest of the day. We headed back towards the trail, and decided to find the location where I wanted her to pick me up. Instead, we found a formerly top-secret government facility. And no, I'm not kidding.Many thru-hikers complain about this section of Virginia, and call it the rollercoaster. The trail just goes up and down, up and down, up and down - for nearly 17 miles. I was told they couldn't get any land rights anywhere else, and were forced to put the trail over every ridge and peak, as opposed to going around them. Now I know who the uncompromising landowner is: the U.S. Government. More specifically, the Department of Homeland Security and Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center. Here's what Wikipedia says about the facility: "The U.S. government has revealed little about Mount Weather to date, although it has acknowledged its basic existence and stated purpose. It houses operations and training facilities above ground for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and contains an underground facility designed to house key components of the American government in the case of nuclear warfare or other calamity. Mount Weather is a central part of the American Continuity of Operations Plan. During the September 11, 2001 attacks a line of government cars and limousines with police escort was seen heading from Washington D.C. to Mount Weather."In the end, we determined that the AT crosses the road "at an undisclosed location." So, I blew off hiking for the day, planned on a longer hike tomorrow, and we enjoyed the rest of the day.
Date: 2007-07-09
From: Big Meadows State Park

To: Snickers Gap, VA7/VA679
Miles today: 16.9

This time, Ally & I knew where we were going. She dropped me off and I started my hike, slack packing for the first time since Erwin, TN. I was a bit nervous, as that slack packing experience was a bit rough (my first bear experience, hitting myself in the face with my trekking pole, etx...) Luckily, none of that occurred. Instead, I was greeted by the roller coaster. Despite the constant 400-600 ft. ups and downs, I had no troubles. It was hot out, but the miles rolled by, and I barely noticed the climbs. What a difference carrying 10 lbs. versus 35 lbs. makes. Ahead of schedule, I arrived at our meeting place. Another great day of hiking.
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Snickers Gap, VA7/VA679

To: 1.6 miles north of Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: haze

After checking out of the hotel (later than planned, as usual), Ally and I drove to Harpers Ferry to drop most of my equipment at the Harpers Ferry Hostel, allowing me one additional day of slackpacking. From there we continued on to Snickers Gap, where she dropped me off before driving back to New York. I started hiking a bit after noon. As soon as Ally pulled away, an intense rain storm hit, soaking me for 20 minutes or more. Virginia knows I'm finally leaving, and decided to throw this one additional hardship my way. It didn't work. In fact, with temperatures in the high 90's, the rain felt great. In less than an hour, I finally crossed the VA-WV line. NO MORE VIRGINIA! It was a great moment. At times, I wasn't sure I'd ever make it out of this state. Yet there was a bit of sadness as well. Virginia and I have been through so much. More blisters, food poisoning, development of a hernia, mental challenges (ie. Virginia blues), very high food costs in the Shenandoahs... I didn't want to leave the state without a proper goodbye. So standing in West Virginia, I relieved myself over the state line into VA. A proper sendoff.I continued on, finishing up the rollercoaster, and enjoying the trail in West Virginia. i hit another milestone, crossing the 1,000 mile mark on the AT. After a quick lunchbreak at the Blackburn AT Center and hostel, I was cruising. It was getting late as I finally crossed the Potomic River and entered Harpers Ferry. Not stopping, I continued on to the hostel, my home for the evening, and crossed one additional milestone. I finished up West Virginia, and crossed into Maryland. There's less than 20 miles of trail in West Virginia, and I have only 41 miles or so in Maryland. After taking over a month to finish Virginia, completing states in a day or two is a bit odd, but welcome. The hostel, part of Hostels International, is great, with a bed and linens, smores offered to me at a campfire as I hiked in, a great shower, and coffee in the morning. After picking up my food drop tomorrow morning, it will be time to tackle Maryland.
Date: 2007-07-11
From: 1.6 miles north of Harpers Ferry

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I've come to both expect and accept Town Suck - the inability to leave civilization (such as it is.) I woke up at the hostel to the smell of coffee. After a few cups and a walk to the nearby restaurant for (overpriced) breakfast, I had to head back into Harpers Ferry to the Appalachian Trail Conference HQ to pick up the food I'd left there a week ago. Luckily, I was able to borrow a bike from the hostel and ride half of the 2 miles to the ATC. That task accomplished, I finally got on the trail around 1:30.I soon came upon World Wide, whom I'd met in Harpers, and Sue (no trail name), who just got back on the trail after an extended break. We chatted for awhile at the first shelter we came to, just 5 miles from the hostel, and met up again a few miles later at Gathland State Park, drying out after a quick thunderstorm. We were enjoying good conversation, decided to continue our talk at the next shelter. It was an easy 9 mile day. I'd like to get to US30 - 48 miles away - by noon the day after tomorrow. I've been invited to stay at friends of my parents in Gettysburg, PA. That means a 30 mile day tomorrow. It should be possible. The terrain is great, and World Wide is looking at the same mileage. It's much easier for me to cover miles when I have company - especially someone with a similar (ok, just a touch faster) pace as my own.One other note - this is an area rich in Civil War history. Harpers Ferry was the de facto starting location, and the town changed hands several times during the war. There are stone walls built for defenses scattered in the woods. Battles and skirmishes were fought at numerous locations along the trail, and a memorial to Civil War correspondents was erected in the state park I just went through (built in the late 1800's.) It adds a great flavor to the hike - being surrounded by all this history. Given the hours I'm alone with just my thoughts, it's amazing to reflect on what would have happened if things turned out differently. Where would we be? What would the country be like? Would I have needed a passport to come to Georgia and hike? And one major plus: G.W. Bush would never have been President of the Union, coming from Texas. Just some random thoughts...
Date: 2007-07-12
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: few clouds

I didn't sleep well last night. Then it hit me. Between partying over the 4th at a house outside Baltimore, the hotel stays and the hostel in Harpers Ferry, this was the first time I've slept outside in more than a week!!! I'm getting soft.I was up and out early, hiking by 7am. If I want to hit Gettysburgh tomorrow afternoon, I need 30 miles today and 18 tomorrow. The trail was nice and easy, and I covered 12 miles by noon. Of course, the Greenbriar State Park required a detour. When I got there, any thoughts of going swimming (which I was looking forward to) disappeared. Wading through hundreds of kids enjoying day camp just didn't appeal to me. Ice cream, soda and hot dogs at the camp store sure did. Unfortunately, the hot dogs weren't ready, but I learned of a bar/restaurant across the street. Detour #2. Once there, I took advantage of the $5 spaghetti and meatballs special, washed down by two coronas. As the temperature was in the low 90's, it was a welcome treat. This is one biker bar I'm glad to have found. Thank you Dog Patch Tavern.Back on the trail at 2pm, I hit my 20 mile mark just after 5pm, right on schedule and despite the extremely rocky trail. At the shelter, I made dinner. I didn't go near the spring as some irresponsible idiot had tossed a big piece of raw meat right by it, covered with maggots. No thank you! I reached my parents friends, the Williams, and mentioned that I didn't think I would make it by tomorrow. The shelter was just too nice (rotten meat not withstanding.) We made plans instead to meet on Saturday afternoon.I walked down the nearby road to a hostel just open by Ken ???, a 2006 thru-hiker. There I filled up on water, got some soda and ice cream, and got a ride back to the trailhead. It looked like a great hostel, but I couldn't justify spending more money after all I'd spent along Skyline Drive, and all the time I'd recently spent indoors.   Starting a fire at the shelter, I was soon joined by Moosehead and Cul-de-sac. We enjoyed a pleasant evening with Mooshead picking on his mandolin, and off to bed to the quiet noise of the fire (and traffic on the nearby interstate.)
Date: 2007-07-13
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Another easy day, and another milestone.I knew I could take my time, since I had an extra day to reach US30 and Gettysburgh. I slept in, ate and relaxed at the shelter until nearly noon. That's when World Wide came sauntering through. He and Sue had hiked together for awhile as I pushed on yesterday. It was his turn to catch up. We hiked together throughout the day, quickly hitting Pen-Mar Park, where I got a ride to the store for ice cream and a sub for dinner. A few minutes later, I crossed into my 6th state, Pennsylvania. Maryland was behind me. We spent a bit too much time at the park, and decided to stop at the next shelter a few miles away. Unlike other states, Pennsylvania tends to build two small shelters at one site, as opposed to one larger one. We made a fire, chatted with Dirty Harry (a section hiker), some kids enjoying a fire of their own, and Pudding Head. Pudding Head is a thru-hiker carrying less than 20 lbs. He had already hiked 26 miles, and was planning on another 14 miles that evening and night. He too was sucked in by the fire and stayed at the shelter. A good day. Tomorrow, Gettysburgh.
Date: 2007-07-14
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a cold night last night, dropping in to the 50's. My thin K-Mart fleece sleeping bag just wasn't up to the task. Then again, I was warmer than World Wide. He had sent nearly all his equipment home to see how little he could survive with. That included his sleeping bag. Instead, he carried a small afghan (the blanket, not someone from the country) he picked up for $1.50 at a thrift store. That and his tyvek ground cloth (that sounds like an empty potato chip bag) were all he had to keep him warm. Pudding Head was up and hiking by 5am, when World Wide and I first woke up. Despite being up early, we didn't get hiking until after 8am.I was taking it nice and easy, stopping at picnic areas and interesting spots, eating the rest of the food in my bag, and enjoying great hiking weather. The trail started out great, but soon became extremely rocky. I have to assume this will be the norm in PA. At some point during my explorations of a picnic area, World Wide passed me. He has is own deadline to keep, though we'll likely meet up again in a few days. I arrived at Caledonia State Park around 1:30, and found a craft fair and a very busy park. After taking advantage of the showers at the park to wash the grime off myself, I called the Williams' and let them know I had arrived. Half an hour later I was in their car and on our way to Gettysburgh.Once there, I took care of some errands (such as washing my backpack for the first time in 3 months), demolishing all food they offered, and caught up on phone calls. It's been a nice, relaxing day and evening. After a trip to the store to resupply tomorrow, I'm hoping to get on the trail in the early afternoon. I'd like to finish up PA in a week to ten days. The only way I can do that is if I get my rear in gear.
Date: 2007-07-15
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Toms Run Shelters
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

It was so nice sleeping well and waking up in a soft bed. Coffee, a great omlet made by Bob Williams, sausage, hash browns, toast - what a great morning. Bob and Judy shuttled me around town to resupply (I couldn't get my mail drop as the post office was closed for the weekend), and by 3 pm they dropped me off at the trail. It was a great visit, but too short.The trail was more of the same. Relatively flat with some steep but short climbs, lots of rocks but also sections of packed dirt, pine needles or sand. I kept a fast pace and soon hit the Quarry Gap Shelters. Gthese have the unique distinction of having hanging baskets with flowers all around the shelters. Sue was there, and it would have been a great place to spend the night, but I wanted to get some more miles in. The 7 1/2 miles to the next shelter flew by, and after a chat with a ridge runner staying there, I decided to head another 6 miles to Toms Run. If I hustled, I could make it just before dark. With a 3 1/2 mile/hr pace, I arrived a bit before 9pm. By-pass (67 yrs old), who had attempted two thru-hikes, was there with his 15 yr old daughter and her friend. I took over the other shelter, made my dinner, drank a beer (courtesy of some trail magic) and called it a night.
Date: 2007-07-16
From: Toms Run Shelters

To: James Frye Shelter
Miles today: 10.9

6:32 am: didn't sleep well, hiking by 7:15. I FINALLY MADE IT TO THE HALF-WAY POINT OF THE AT AT 8:15 AM!!! I'm at the Pine Grove General Store now, and just purchased a 1/2 gallon of Cherry Jubilee ice cream. I'm about to start a thru-hiker tradition. The 1/2 gallon challenge: eating all that ice-cream in one sitting once you pass the trail mid-point. 9:46: Ten minutes into the challenge and making headway. Man, 1/2 gallon is alot of ice cream!9:51: ok, time for a quick break. I need to walk around a bit.10:01: I really don't like this anymore.10:10: OUCH! Brain freeze.10:20: I hate ice cream. I really hate it.10:40: 3/4 through and I give up!!! I can't eat another bite.10:50: I think I'm going to be sick...After this stupid tradition, I wasn't going very far. Hiking just wasn't on the agenda today - not with how I was feeling. I made it to the first shelter and called it quits. Unfortunately, I was low on water. The closest good source was over half-a-mile away off the trail. I decided to risk using the water at a nearby stream for dinner. My guide book said the water wasn't potable, but I chemically treated it, then boiled it before adding raviolis and pesto sauce. I'd save the one liter of "good" water I had for regular drinking. I made a fire, and was asleep by 9:30.
Date: 2007-07-17
From: James Frye Shelter

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 26.5
Weather: few clouds

Feeling much better, I was awake before dawn and hiking once there was enough light, around 6am. The miles went quickly, and soon I was at the next shelter, 8 miles away. I knew it was going to be a long day. The next shelter was 18 miles away, with no camping allowed in between. The trail runs through a long valley, an area full of roads, houses and farms. Time to get moving.I hit Boiling Springs, which the trail runs through, at noon. After checking out the AT Mid-Atlantic regional Office, grabbing some pizza (4 slices and a pitcher of Sierra Mist), and chatting with some Japaneese tourists checking out the AT, I was moving again. Miles and miles of trail crossed fields, with no trees to block the hot sun, and I was running out of water fast (even though I started out with 3 liters from Boiling Springs - 6 lbs. of water!) That's when I came upon the Scott Farm Trail Center, a "homestead" run by the ATC. There I met the ridge runner I'd seen the previous two days in various locations, and met the caretaker of the homestead. Two beers were brought out, and I was thinking, "This is great!! Perfect trail magic for a hot day." That's when I saw the beer was for the caretaker and the ridge runner. None was offered to me, as they cracked them open and began drinking in front of me. Now that's just rude. I moved on, enjoying the easy trail. I got a scare when I saw a stream I was depending on for more water was completely dry. Luckily, another stream further on was running just fine. I made the shelter around 7:30 pm. For the first time on the trail, I had the entire shelter to myself. I fell asleep to the noise of the woods, and planes flying into the Harrisburgh airport about 10-15 miles away.
Date: 2007-07-18
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

Once again I was up early and moving. My goal for the day was a short hike into Duncannon, where I'd spend the night at the legendary Doyle Hotel. This hotel has been hosting thru-hikers for more than 50 years. At $20 a night, you can't beat it.I walked into town around 10am, and waited for the hotel to "open" at 11am to check in. While waiting, I was chatting with a guy who said he'd been camping in the woods for the last 4 nights because he and his wife got into a fight, and he hadn't been home since. That's when a local police officer came over, arrested him, and walked off. I'm not sure what that was about, but it made the wait more interesting. Checking in, I found the hotel hasn't been renovated in at least 50 years, but I didn't care. I discovered that a large number (relatively speaking) of thru-hikers were there. Moosehead, Cul-de-sac, Tuko, Team Ninja (yes I caught up to them finally) and others were all there. The day went quickly, eating, drinking, sleeping, resupplying, etc... I want to be out of town early, since I have 70 miles to hike in three days to meet my parents in Port Clinton on Saturday evening. So it's off to bed.