morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-05
From: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: broken clouds

Guess what? You got it - it rained last night, heavy at times. But by this morning when I got up at 6:00, it was clear and sunny. I started hiking at 7:00 in shorts and a T-shirt in 59 degree temperatures. I encountered very greasy, gooey, slippery mud much of the way today. There were also a fair share of slippery, wet rocks. And this morning there was some tall wet grass bent over the narrow path. Of course there was also some nice smooth woods trails. Wally Gator and I stopped at the first shelter (Manassas Gap Shelter) and on the trail just before there we both saw big bear tracks and little bear tracks in the muddy trail. Neither of us saw a bear, though. We also stopped at the next shelter (Dick's Dome, named for the geodesic construction, but only holds 4 hikers) and had lunch. Then we left for the third shelter (Rod Hollow Shelter) where I arrived at 6:15. Wally Gator, Flow, Fremont, and Alabama Grits are sharing the shelter with me. It is 8:45 and Fremont just rolled in. It stayed sunny all day with a few puffy white clouds appearing later in the day. The high temp was 72 degrees. It was great weather for hiking. It is 8:50 and time to turn in.
Date: 2003-06-06
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn Hostel
Miles today: 17.8

Up at 6:00, hiking at 7:00 in 59 degree temperatures and clear, sunny skies in a T-shirt and shorts. It was great hiking weather all day long with temps reaching only 72 degrees. It was the day of the "roller coaster", named because there are 12 ups and downs, each of between 300 and 500 feet, with very little level ground in between. The ups and downs were not so bad, but today rocks made up 85% of the trail conditions. The rest were 10% wet rocks, wet roots, crossing streams by hopping from wet rock to wet rock, and 5% smooth trails. I just need to remember that all thru-hikers need to deal with exactly the same conditions. Needless to say, it was slow going. I arrived at the hostel at 7:15, making a very long day. This hostel is maintained by the Potomic AT Club and has a couple as caretakers. Both the hostel and the caretakers are very nice.   When I arrived, the hikers were just finishing fresh strawberry shortcake provided by the hosts. They gave me an extra large one because I was too late for the main dinner. After shortcake, I took a shower in a solar-heated outdoor shower. It was pretty neat. I even saved some "hot" water for Fremont. I am here with Spiderman, Fremont, Hiking Viking, Just Dan, and Galloping Flamingo. Tomorrow I should reach Harper's Ferry and am considering taking a zero day. It is after 10:00 and everyone else has turned in. I should do the same.
Date: 2003-06-07
From: Blackburn Hostel

To: Harper's Ferry ATC Office
Miles today: 12.0

Went to bed last night with stars. At 4:00 this morning, I woke to the light tapping of raindrops on the tin roof of the hostel bunkhouse. Got up at 6:30 and when I started hiking at 7:30, the rain was heavy. There was heavy fog and the wind was blowing from the southeast. There was lots of water and alot of mud. In several places, lakes had consumed the trail and hikers just made a new trail around the newly formed lake. In many places, water was running down the trail in streams. Then you either try to walk beside the trail or just accept it and slog through the stream. And, oh yes, there were many rocks and today they were wet and slippery. I would rate it at 80% rocks, 15% slogging through mud, and 5% smooth trails. I did not take pictures because of the rain and because of my determination to reach the AT center before they closed. I arrived at the AT center at 2:05, registered in their log, and had my picture taken for their official AT 2003 Thru-Hiker book. Trog is thru-hiker number 250 to pass through Harper's Ferry this year. This gives me a distance of 1007.4 miles and is considered the psychological halfway point by thru-hikers. The actual halfway point in miles is 1086.3 miles according to Wingfoot's 2003 Thru-Hiker Handbook. Anyway, I am glad to be here and will reward myself (and give the body a much needed rest) by taking a "zero day" tomorrow. I will also need to get supplies and visit the outfitter to check on some gear. Just Dan, Wally Gator, and Spiderman are staying in the same hotel. Looks like they plan to take "zeros" tomorrow, also.
Date: 2003-06-08
From: Harper's Ferry ATC Office

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

This is new. I am writing my journal at 4:40 pm. I am taking a zero at the Hilltop House Hotel. I slept in this morning, got up at 8:30, and had an AYCE breakfast with Just Dan and Spiderman in the hotel restaurant. It was excellent and the bill was only $10. Then Just Dan, Wally Gator, and I got a ride from Chris (manager of the Blackburn ATC Center Hostel) who happened to be at the Harper's Ferry ATC Center. He drove us to a Super Wal-Mart in Charles Town where we got supplies for the next 3-4 days. We got a cab ride back for only $6 each. We walked down to the village, stopping by the outfitter and the The Pub. One of the highlights was the very pleasant, mild aroma of the honeysuckle in bloom that grew on the fences and in the backyards of some of the houses that lined the street. I am now back in the room without TV or hair shampoo writing postcards and this journal. I still need to sort out food into the food bag and then lay down and elevate my feet to make it a true "zero day". Tonight we plan to have the AYCE buffet dinner in the hotel. Hopefully it will be as good as their breakfast was.
Date: 2003-06-09
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Dahlgren Backpack Campground
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 6:30, AYCE breakfast at 7:30, checked out of the hotel at 8:30, and back on the AT at 9:00. In 20 minutes, I had left West Virginia, crossed the Potomac River on the footbridge next to the train trestle, and was hiking on the C&O Canal Towpath next to the flooded Potomac. This 2.5 miles of trail was as smooth as silk. I hiked on to the Ed Garry Shelter, on the way meeting ReBob (his ankle had greatly improved) and a troop of Girl Scounts hiking through the mud. (By the way, the day started out clear and sunny. Every time I looked at the thermometer it was 72 degrees. Now at 9:30 pm there is a moonlit sky with stars. The forecast is for rain tomorrow. We will see.) This shelter is very nice. It has a unique privy and it has a balcony on the back. I had lunch there. The "Healer" also came by and offered me some fresh strawberries. I hiked on. There were spots with honeysuckle in bloom with their pleasant, light fragrance. I stopped by the Crampton Gap Shelter to sign the register and found that Otter and Sherpa had finally caught up and passed me after losing time at Trail Days. I hiked on and saw fresh baby bear foot prints in the trail mud. I did not see any bears. Later, embedded in a big patch of mountain laurel, was a jasmine bush in bloom, exuding its sweet fragrance. This was near the memorial for the Civil War Stonewall battle. I stopped at the Rocky Run Shelter at 6:00 and found Wally Gator, Casey (a different Casey), and a third hiker cooking dinner. I still felt good after my zero day so decided to hike the next 2 miles to the state campground with hot showers. I arrived at 7:00. There were only two other parties there. One party was already in their tent. The other one is "Right On" and her dog, "Brown Dog". She has just begun her thru-hike and is in her second day. She started at Harper's Ferry yesterday and is hiking north to Katahdin and then will flip-flop and hike from Harper's Ferry to Springer Mountain in GA. They say the shower has hot water. Maybe I will try it tomorrow morning.
Date: 2003-06-10
From: Dahlgren Backpack Campground

To: Devil's Racecourse Shelter
Miles today: 18.4

I got in the tent last night and decided to do the shower then at 10 pm. I did it. The water was warm and it felt great. This morning, I was up at 6:00 and off hiking at 7:30. It took a little longer today because I decided to have granola with milk and brown sugar instead of Pop Tarts. Hopefully the granola will improve my diet. The smooth Maryland trails continued throughout the morning. The AT is basically a woods road that comes in different versions - smooth dirt, small rocks, mud, and water. But all were easy hiking. Had lunch with Wally Gator on Annapolis Rocks which gave a good view of Maryland. On the way to the rocks we met "Bookworm" who is a ridge runner for the Maryland section of the AT. By lunchtime, I was ready to declare Maryland trails great, but the afternoon hike proved to be a different story - a rocky story. So I slowly plodded over both tripping rocks and over hopping rocks most of the afternoon. The good news was that they were mostly dry since it hadn't rained the last two days. There is still some mud but the trails are drying out. Of course they are calling for more rain tomorrow. I made it to the Devil's Racecourse Shelter at about 6:30. Wally Gator and Bill were already there. We had dinner and they are already in bed. I can hear the running stream that is fed by a very powerful spring, the light wind, and the baying of some dogs in the distance. These should lull me to sleep tonight.
Date: 2003-06-11
From: Devil's Racecourse Shelter

To: US30/Fayetteville, PA
Miles today: 22.8

Up at 5:30, hiking at 6:30 to overcast, threatening skies in a 69 degree temperature. Wally Gator and I stopped at Pen Mar Park at 9:00 in hopes of finding the snack shop open but it was too early so we settled for Pepsi out of the machine. While we were there it started to rain heavily but it did not last long. It did not rain again during the day. We hiked on another 0.2 miles and crossed the Mason-Dixon Line, leaving Maryland and entering Pennsylvania. After taking advantage of the photo op, we hiked on. We had lunch at the Deer Lick Shelter at noon. My lunch was cheese on fajitas wraps and peanut butter on fajita wraps with a dessert of 10 pieces of white and brown chocolate. I hiked on toward the Rocky Mountain shelter and just before the turnoff, met up with Wally Gator and hiked 3 more miles to US30/Fayetteville where there is an Italian Restaurant 0.5 miles off the Trail. We hiked there, each had a large pizza ($5.99 Wednesday special) and decided to stay in the Right Way Motel in town. I will be back on the Trail tomorrow after an in-town breakfast.
Date: 2003-06-12
From: US30/Fayetteville, PA

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 6:40. Had a hearty breakfast across the road at Flamingo Restaurant (bacon, eggs, 2 orders of hash browns, toast w/ butter and jelly, and coffee and water). Wally Gator decided to take a zero day and play golf with a friend who had arrived by the time I returned from breakfast and they drove me to the trailhead where Wally Gator and I said farewell. He is a true friend and helped me alot with food planning and actual purchases in the grocery store and also calorie counting. I am now counting my calories and protein on a daily basis. My goal is 5000 calories and 80 g protein a day. My calories the last 5 days have been 5280 (today), 5700, 4950, 5300, and 5175. This is an increase over the past but I don't know exactly how much since I didn't do the count. I am working hard to keep it at that level which is not easy to do on the Trail. This is one reason I am trying to get "real food" as often as possible. I can feel the difference. Anyway, thanks Wally Gator for your help. I started hiking at 8:00 on nice trails in Caladonia State Park, stopped in at Quarry Gap Shelter at 9:15 to sign the register. This is a very nice set of two shelters connected by a covered breezeway that holds a picnic table. I hiked on to Birch Run Shelter and on the way had the same type of exhilarating feeling that I had when I started at Springer Mountain, GA. I am really hiking the AT and it is great. Today I felt that I am really hiking the AT and am in Pennsylvania north of the Mason-Dixon Line. The thrill of hiking the AT was there today. The Birch Run Shelter also consists of 2 shelters and is brand new. I had lunch there with "Smoke-in Joe" (because he smokes), "Bear Hugger" (because she is always hugging her dog who looks like a bear), "Fozzy" (the dog, named after the Muppet character), and "Flow" who was slack packing to Pine Grove State Park. After lunch I hiked on to Pine Grove State Park, arriving at 5:20. I decided to stay at Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel there. For dinner I had a large piece of lasagna, a foot-long Italian sub, a pint of chocolate ice cream, and 5 12-oz Cokes as of now (10:30). The trails in PA have been in general very good so far, but PA is known for its rocks which I am told are really bad in the northern part of the state. I am getting mentally prepared and will have to deal with them just like all the other A.T. thru-hikers. Right now I plan on taking advantage of the good trails to make some extra miles - I did pass the halfway mark (in miles) on the AT - 1086.3 miles - and now set at 1086.5 miles. Now that the easy half is done, tomorrow we start the hard half.
Date: 2003-06-14
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: light rain

It did not rain last night, but the inside of the tent fly got very wet due to condensation. Up at 6:00, packed up the wet tent and rest of the gear, and headed down the street to the gas station/convenience store. Bought 2 sweet rolls (400 & 460 calories) and a 32 oz Gatorade (200 cal), heated them in the microwave, ate at the picnic table outside, and wrote a few postcards. I dropped the cards and journal notes off at the post office and started hiking at 7:30. It was a warm 72 degrees and very humid and the temperature later went up into the 80s. The Trail in the morning was smooth, through small patches of woods, along farmer's fields with soybeans, corn, and hay, and through horse pastures. In places the trails were lined completely with white/yellow honeysuckle with their very gentle and pleasant fragrance. I even saw one bush of pink honeysuckle. For lunch I stopped at the Middlesex Diner on US11 in Carlisle, PA, which was highly recommended by Highlander II. It is 0.3 miles off the Trail. I had two 6 oz cheeseburgers with fries for one and chips with the other. It was a good lunch. Deja Vu, Songbird, Flatlander, and his friend also stopped there. I hiked on to the Darlington Shelter at the 14.3 mile mark, signed the register, and as I was leaving to hike on, met Deja Vu, Songbird, Flatlander, and his friend who were going to stay there. Shortly after I started hiking on another 7.3 miles, it started to thunder and then rain, very heavy at times so I put on my backpack cover and rain jacket and enjoyed the rain. It was 78 degrees and a warm rain. But, of course, several miles were very wet, rocky trails. I arrived at the Cove Mountain Shelter at 7:30, suitably wet, but the rain had stopped. There was a group of four 13-year old Boy Scouts and their two leaders, but they made room for me in the shelter. They were very interested in how one goes about hiking the AT. We went to bed at 9:00.
Date: 2003-06-15
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Duncannan, PA
Miles today: 4.0

This is my day for resupply and rest. It did not rain last night or today. I was up at 6:30 and hiking at 7:30 in bright skies and 72 degree temperatures. The first 2 miles were rocky, slippery, and slow going. The remaining 2 miles were cruising trails. I arrived in Duncannan at 9:15, went to check-in at the Doyle Hotel, met my friends Hot Spur (aka Just Dan) and Spiderman there, sitting on the hotel balcony. Check-in time is 11, so I hung out with them. I found out that Plato (aka Eli aka Noodle Hat) and ReBob were also there. Almost forgot to say that when I came off the mountain just before the first paved road there was a cooler filled with Trail Magic - drinks from a Trail Angel called Mary. I had a soda, said a silent "thank you" to Mary, and moved on. Well, it turns out that Mary and her husband Frog live 2 doors down from the Doyle and she had invited 12 thru-hikers for lunch today. The lunch was really home-cooked goodness. It included spicy sweet potato soup with summer sausage, green salad with glazed apple slices and melted cheese, a raspberry vinagrette dressing, a spiral cut ham, baked beans (3 kinds), Amish-style baked corn, asparagus cooked in beer batter, and fried tomatoes. There was plenty for everyone and Mary and Frog were most gracious hosts. Thank you, Trail Angels. I came back from lunch and the Doyle hostess, Wanda, arranged for the supermarket folks to shuttle "Trail Frog" and me to and from the grocery store, which saved us a walk on a road without sidewalks. Very nice people. For dinner, I had 2 large Italian subs from the local Italian restaurant. They were good and very filling. I am writing this journal in my room, sipping on a 32 oz Pepsi that I got from the local convenience store. My room is $15 and there is a common bath and shower for each floor. I'm on the 4th floor. The hotel has laundry facilities. My room does not have A/C or TV, but it does have a fan and a radio. It is a good buy for the price - and the people are very nice. Wanda let me use her home computer to check my email but I only wanted to take her time to read and not to respond. It is 10:30 and I still need to do some packing, get some sleep, and be ready to meet the challenge of the "Pennsylvania Rocks".
Date: 2003-06-16
From: Duncannan, PA

To: Shikellimy Overlook
Miles today: 14.0

Up at 6:30, down to Doyle Restaurant for breakfast at 7:00 when they opened. The service was slow, the portions were small, but the food was good. Started hiking at 8:40. Stopped in the hardware store on the way to fill up the alcohol for my stove ($0.80 worth) which will probably last more than 2 weeks, and stopped by the post office on the way to mail back used maps and the latest journal notes. It was a clear, sunny day, dry, with temperatures in the 60s. I hiked to the Clarks Ferry Shelter, arriving at 11:15. The hike was uneventful except some sections with rocks took longer to traverse. At the shelter I met RayO who carries a guitar on the Trail with him and supports himself and his hike by playing in towns along the way. He writes songs and is also writing a book about his experiences. He is an interesting guy. I took a few pictures, ate my lunch, and began hiking at 12:05. The trail had some tripping rock sections, so the going was slower there. I arrived at 3:50. Shortly thereafter, Bishop arrived, then Deja Vu and Songbird, then Putt Putt and Snappy, then the Honeymooners, followed by Mighty Mouse and Butcher. I got water from the spring 800 feet away and 300 feet down on AT stone steps. It was a hike. I cooked dinner and decided it was too early, so I hiked on 2.5 more miles and pitched my tent. The tent cooled off nicely once I opened up the vestibule. This and the mosquitoes are greatly helped by the brisk breeze blowing up here on the ridge. I will be lulled to sleep by the wind blowing through the trees tonight. I'm hoping it doesn't rain.
Date: 2003-06-17
From: Shikellimy Overlook

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: broken clouds

It did not rain last night, but did rain a little this afternoon. The night was moonlit. I got up at 6:00, packed, ate breakfast (1/2 box granola, 1/8 box brown sugar, 2 cups of milk, and several pinches of cinnamon), and was hiking at 7:30. The trails were mostly based on abandoned stagecoach roads with various amounts of rocks, so going was slow in places. Made it to the first shelter (approx. 15 miles) at 4:15 pm. Along the way I had a lunch break with TLM (The Little Mermaid - because he was always singing Walt Disney movie tunes), Pillow (Rob), Deja Vu, and Songbird. My lunch today was four bologna and cheese burritos consisting of 4 slices of bologna, 4 oz of sharp cheddar cheese, and 4 fajita tortillas. I met two trail maintainers along the way (Howard and Pat) who were clearing blow-downs and cutting off overhanging branches. I thanked them for their efforts. On one of the smooth ridge walks (2 feet wide with vegetation on either side), I was surprised to see a 1 1/4 inch diameter black plastic pipe laying across the trail so I stopped a foot short of it to investigate. It was actually a 5-6 foot black snake. I watched it slither away. I am staying in the shelter tonight with Casey (NOBO who started at Harper's Ferry), the two Honeymooners, Deja Vu, and Songbird. Also tenting here are Two-Step, Mighty Mouse, Butcher, Putt Putt, Snappy, Hot Spur, and Rest Stop. It is only 6:55 and it seems like I should still be hiking. But the body also needs some rest, probably more than it has been getting. I am listening to the body and staying put. Oh yes, it just started to rain and the raindrops on the metal roof will lull me to sleep tonight.
Date: 2003-06-18
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I passed the 1000-miles-to-go mark. I am now at 994.8 miles left to go - and even though I am more than halfway, that is a lot of miles. And yes, it did rain last night, and it rained very hard. I was glad to be dry in the shelter. Some of the folks in tents and/or tarps got drenched. One in a tarp was getting so wet he packed up and was hiking out at 4 am. I was up at 6:30 am and hiking on the Trail at 7:55 after packing up and having my half-box of granola with brown sugar and milk. The rain had diminished to a mist and the temperature was 57 degrees. I was soon hiking in shorts and T-shirt and it felt good. A lot of the hike today was a ridge walk. I did see several white rhododendrons in bloom and one pink wild rose in bloom. There were many white wild roses blooming along the trail, providing an almost continuous strong, sweet fragrance for the hike. I stopped for a quick lunch at 12:30 sitting beside the trail on a log in a sea of luscious green vegetation. It was green everywhere except on the 2-foot wide AT path. After lunch it started to warm up and lighten up, and the sun came out for short periods of time. After lunch, I continued to hike on this AT ridge trail with the conditions varying between smooth, to some rocks, to all small rocks, to all large rocks. In one particular place there was a large rock field about 200 yards long. I took a picture to show a Pennsylvania rock field, and then proceeded to cross it. I got about 200 feet in, carefully stepping/hopping as I went, and heard something rattle. I instinctively stopped, looked down in front of me, and this time saw a snake 18" in front of me with its rattles and head raised. It looked about 2.5" in diameter and 4-5 feet long, although it was tough to judge length because it was partially coiled. I had stopped and it stopped rattling, so... if I couldn't get a picture of a bear, I now at least had a chance to get a picture of a rattlesnake. I carefully took out my camera, pointed it, and took a picture. The snake started to rattle again when the camera beeped so I slowly backed off and - much more attentively - went way around the rattler and crossed the remainder of the rock field. The rest of the day's hike was uneventful, and I arrived at the 501 Shelter which is right next to Rt501, next to Pine Grove, PA. The shelter has a caretaker and is a bunkhouse with 12 bunks. We have 12 bunks full plus 2 sleeping on the floor, plus 2 in hammocks outside. It is 9:40 and time to turn in.