morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-19
From: Rocky's Run Shelter, MD

To: Devil's Racecourse Shelter
Miles today: 20.6

Today was definately one of the hottest days so far. Yesterday was really hot too, but I think that it was even hotter today. I contemplated trying to do my first 30 miler today but I didn't get up early enough and the heat and a thunderstorm foiled my tentative plans. It's all good though. I did nearly 21 miles and that is certainly respectable. It would be nice to throw a 30 in there here and there if I could though. I got going this morning at 8:15 after a hot and sweaty night of sleep and it was already getting hotter at this time in the morning. The trail today was easy enough. It was quite rocky in some places but certainly not that difficult. I saw the old or the real Washington Monument which was a stone tower used for signalling during one of the wars, either Civil or Revolutionary. That was probably the highlight of the day today. I also saw whole forest stands of trees that had been completely devastated and stripped by the same leaf eating caterpillars I saw yesterday. It is really quite alarming to see what could be done to all forests if this thing spread. What could you possibly do to stop it? The trail around here is quite interesting. It looked like an ATV trail for most of the day and it is constantly crosing roads or at least it seems that way. 3 of the shelters, including the one I'm staying at which was apparently built for anybody under 5'5", are right by a road! Apparently the sound of traffic is in the Maryland definition for wilderness. Of course I really think it is because water is so scarce around here that they just have to put them where they are. Which leads me to another gripe about water. Why is it that everytime I come upon a nice stream I read a little note in my guide that says " Do not drink". Water is only the most important thing to all living things and people are dumb enough to put poison in it, Geeze. Alright enough of that, so the day was actually pretty good I ended up racing a thunderstorm to this shelter and beat it by a couple minutes, yes! I am camping with the Maineiacs again as well as this nice gentleman from Kentucky named Slow Bear. Tommorrow I will be heading into Pennsylvania. That will make it 7 states that I have been in. It is always a nice feeling to cross into a new state. Also the border of Maryland-Pennsylvania is the Mason-Dixon Line so I will be headed into the north tommorrow, Yee hah! I think it is suppose to be moderately cooler tommorrow so I'll try to put on big miles again or at least 20 and maybe even catch up to Uncle Tom and L.T. We'll have to wait and see I guess.
Date: 2007-06-20
From: Devil's Racecourse Shelter, MD

To: Quarry Gap Shelters, PA 
Miles today: 25.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was just one of those great days you have on the trail sometimes. It was one of those days where the weather is great, the hiking is great, and you just have an all around fun day hikig the trail. It didn't start out all that great though. The section hiker that was sleeping in the shelter with us was just sawing logs all night long. I have had do deal with some serious snoring at times on this trip, but he really took the crown last night. It did not stop either. I finally got up just before 7:00 and said the heck with it and got ready to start moving. Then I set my pack down on the picnic table and I could tell that somethin was on my lower back. I looked back and there was this huge spider on me. I threw that thing off me about as fast as I possibly could. Man that was the biggest one I've seen so far and the biggest one I hope I ever see out here. I got to the Penn-Mar line early this morning and just kept on cruising. Pennsylvania was really good to me today too. I saw a lot of evergreens for the first time in a while. The hiking and the weather actually reminded me of Maine a lot today. Maybe that is why I enjoyed it so much.   I stopped at Chimney Rocks for a while which was a pretty cool rock outcropping. The breeze was so nice it was just a joy being up on the ridge today. I met another Mainer today named Radar who is from Lisbon. I swear the Mainers are really out here in full force or at least it seems that way. After talking with him a while another hiker named TDS showed up and we hiked a while along this cool ridge with tons of big rocks and outcroppings. Then I made my way down this road and went to a small market to grab a few things and I got a huge Italian for 5 bucks. It was so good. Then I hiked up to the shelter where Uncle Tom and L.T. were. It was nice to see a familar face again. I have also met a lot of new people who passed me while I was in Harpers Ferry. I'll continue to meet more people because I'm going to try and continue to put up some big miles as long as I can. It will be a little different not traveling with the same group of people all the time, but Im sure that I'll meet some cool folks along the way. I heard that Captain is getting off the trail so that's a bummer and Queso, General Lee, Birdawg, and Cornelius were still in D.C. as of today so that puts them about 60 miles behind me and who knows where Tso is at? Oh well, All I can really do is keep moving along I guess. Anyway, I'm really loving Pennsylavania so far and hopefuly this good weather continues for as long as it can. By the way this shelter is really topnotch as far as shelters are concerned. It is way better than the one I stayed at last night. Until tommorrow this is Rangoon signing off.
Date: 2007-06-21
From: Quarry Gap Shelters, PA 

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today was the first day of summer and it was also "hike naked" day. While I did not participate I did enjoy the sumer solstice and another good day on the trail. I had a good nights sleep last night. The temperature has turned fairly cool at night compared to earlier this week and has made for great sleeping weather. I got up fairly early this morning and got moving at 8:00 on the button. When I say moving I really mean moving. Uncle Tom and I hiked 17.3 miles in about 6 hours including a couple breaks. We were definately groving today, but the trail conditions and the weather definately played a huge role in our pace. It was probably in the low 80's today and the trail was pretty flat for the most part and really smooth in places. It was really hard to break a sweat today until it was around 12:30 or 1:00. It was truly great. When I walked up to the Toms Run Shelter for my second break of the day I was somewhat surprised to see a hiker standing there wearing nothing but his shoes, backpack, and a knee brace. His name is 30 pack and we both commented on how it was a weird way to meet somebody for the first time. Then we walked down to the park campstore where the famous "half gallon" challenge takes place. You basically eat a half gallon of ice cream to join the club and most likely feel really sick when doing it. I watched 3 hikers do it and they all looked very ill doing it. It also took them about an hour and a half to do it. Uncle Tom and I chose to have a burger and then an ice cream cone. I think I felt far more satisfied than those who ate the ice cream. Then I went to use the phone and upon my return I overheard a conversation by Crazyhorse about somebody eating poison ivy. I asked him to repeat the story and he said he was in Harpers Ferry the other day and he met a hiker named Birdman who asked him to take him to the hospital because he had eaten poison ivy and was breaking out furiously. Now I should note that I am not sure if this is the same Birdman that I know or not but it sort of sounded like it was him. Apparently he was hiking with this biologist or something who told him that some Native-Americans used to eat it in a salad and he witnessed him eat it and feel no ill effects the next couple days. So I guess he tried one and nothing happened and then the next day he tried three more and the day after that things took a turn for the worst. So I really don't know what the story is for sure but right now he stands to go down in A.T. history because everyone will remember this one. Hopefully he is doing well, or as well as he possibly can be doing after eating poison ivy. Never a dull moment out here I'll tell you that. Tom, Steven, Crazyhorse and I ended up getting a campsite and roasted some hotdogs and talked about things coming up and why the heck someone would eat poison ivy. Well hopefully I find out someday. Tommorrow looks like it will be another good day on the trail. We'll have to wait and see what events unfold that can top today.
Date: 2007-06-22
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 19.4

I woke up this morning a little before 7:00 and Uncle Tom was already gone and Steven (Rizzo) was almost ready to go. I packed up fairly quickly and said goodbye to Crazyhorse and then I went to se if the campstore was open and to get a cup of joe but of course it didn't open until 9:00 so I started hiking. Not more than a half mile down the trail I came upon some trail magic that had been left that morning. It was apples, oranges, and chocalte milk. So I grabbed an apple and some milk for breakfast and then moved on to the halfway marker. Now the marker really isn't halfway because it moves every year because of rerouting and what not. But it was still symbolic so I had Mountain Mike take my picture and then I put the hammer down and started cruising.   The hiking was great again today. It was mostly flat with some moderate ups and downs and a litle ridge walking on some cool rocks but not very strenuous. The weather was about as perfect as it gets as well. It was in the high 70's with a nice breeze. I kept plugging along until I caught up with Tom and then we hiked the rest of the way together to Boiling Springs. We blistered through the rest of the trail and then came to the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Mountains where we descended into wheat and corn fields. It was totally different than anything we have seen so far. It was pretty cool to be able to see something so different from tree canopys all day. It wouldn't be very fun hiking through those fields on a hot day because you are totally exsposed to the elements. We cruised into the town and stopped at the regioonal ATC office to make phone calls. Tom was getting picked up by a friend of his mother for the night and asked if I could come. Alice Gipe was kind enough to say yes bring your smelly friend with you and I'll feed him as well. It was great! There is nothing like a home cooked meal. We had everything you could want. There was a roast, baked potato, beans, carrots, gravy, macaroni and cheese, brownies, and cake and ice cream. It was just incredible. Then she entertained us by showing us around the area including the next town we are going to. Wow, Duncannon certainly has a lot of character. I might even call it Dumpcannon but I'm going to wait until I'm there before I judge it. It was another awesome day though. The weather is suppose to hold like this over the weekend. If it does then we are in for some seriously good hiking. I got a message from Tso today. Apparently he is having a blast and is hiking his own hike as well. I'm glad he is doing well and I hope to see him again when he gets to Maine after I am done. Well it is getting late and I need a little sleep for tommorrow. Peace.
Date: 2007-06-23
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: few clouds

Wow, I am tired. I guess I am not surprised after the day Uncle Tom and I had. I woke up at 6:00 in the morning and Alice's and her husband David were up making breakfast. So David and I made some immediate small talk. He is a very cool guy who has put some serious service time in with the Navy. He drives a shuttle bus now for Hershey Park and when school is in he drives a bus for field trips and extra curricular activities. Then Tom came out and we had a great breakfast with eggs, toast, bacon, fruit and of course my favorite, coffee. I really don't drink all that much in the woods so it is always a treat to have some brewed coffee. Then we began to tell them that we would be going to Duncannon at some point and probably be staying at the notorious Hotel Doyle. They said "No you're not. We're going to pick you guys back up and treat you right again". So being an offer we could not refuse we said absolutely and decided to hoof it all the way to Duncannon today and boy did we ever put the hammer down. Alice and David dropped us off in Boiling Springs around 8:30 which wasn't really an ideal starting time for a 25 miler but we didn't really care. We had it in our hearts that we would be in Dunkytown fast and at a decent hour. So we took off across Cumberland Valley at warp speed. I really don't think we stopped for a break until about 12 miles in. It was so beautifully flat. Never have we had a section like this before. It was a dream come true. The weather was really great as well. There were clear skies and it was mild temperatures in the high 70's and very low humidity. We cruised through croplands and cow pastures the very the first half of the day. Then we went up a ridge and had lunch with 14 miles of the day in the books. After lunch it was off again and we attacked the last 11 miles with a fury. We went back down into a small valley and then up another ridge for about 6 miles. The ridge was rocky and in places totally denuded from the gypsy moths. It was kind of a downer seeing all the stripped trees but it is unfortunately a reality. People inherently do stupid things to nature. The gypsy moth is one of those instances. We finally kept to the beginning of the end at Hawk Rock which gave us views of the countryside and the "ahem" picturesque town of Duncannon. We raced down there and went to the Doyle to call Alice. 25.6 miles in about 8 and a half hours with breaks, not bad. It is no coincidence that we chose a bar so we had some beer and chatted with two great hikers named Ishmael and Thunder. They each have lost about 40 lbs. It is really quite extraordinary how the body under goes these drastic changes out here. Then we were wisked away for baked chicken and a nice salad. Then we of course had chocolate cake and ice cream with a cup of joe and made phone calls to our loved ones and checked the internet. Tom and I are completely gassed right now. He just went to bed and now I shall do the same. I wonder what tommorrow will bring for excitement?
Date: 2007-06-24
From: Duncannon

To: Primitive Campsite
Miles today: 16.5

Ah yes, I woke up this morning to the aroma of coffee being brewed. What a great smell it is especially when you don't get it all that often. That wasn't the only thing being cooked up in the kitchen by Alice though. She prepared yet another unbelievable breakfast for Tom and I. This time it was eggs, waffles, Canadian bacon, and fruit. I couldn't possibly tell them how grateful I was for all they had done for me. I am really grateful that Tom thought to include me in this with him as well. After breakfast Alice and David gave us the scenic tour of David's childhood town of Newton and the surrounding countryside that he use to hunt and fish in. It was really cool to see it from a different perspetive. Then they brought us to duncannon where we said our goodbye's and began on our way back to the trail.   We finally got moving around 10:00 and walked across the bridge over the Susquehanna River and started walking up a ridgeline. It was quite warm out. A litle hotter than the past couple days but not unbearable. We were going at a god pace but not a super fast one. We didn't plan on going a super long distance so we took our time. We stopped at the first shelter we came to and hung out for a while with a bunch of thru hikers. There was Calamity Jane, Signage, Ziplock and Nitro, Grasshoper and his friend P-Ray. They are all very nice folks. Then we started walking again and a little way down the trail we got a scare when Tom turned his ankle on a loose rock. You never know what can happen sometimes. A bad twist of the ankle could possibly send you home if you are not careful. Luckily it was a minor sprain and he could continue although at a slower pace. It was a good day to go at a slower pace anyway because there were a lot of rattle snake sightings on the ridge although I never saw one myself. It was pretty good walking although a little rocky, but we made some pretty good time. I chose not to get water at the next shelter because it was a kind of steep and far walk down the ridge so I chose to hold out til the next spring and almost ended up regretting it. My guide book had an error in it and the spring was actually a mile or so farther than it was in the book. I was beginning to think it didn't exist and I was just walking until I found water and then I found the spring sign and was really happy. There was also a good spot to camp there so I was even happier because it was dusk at that point. So I set up my hammock and made a fire so Tom would see it. He came shortly there after as well as Tank and his brother who I can't remember his name. Tom's ankle was really swollen by this time and it was clearly hurting him. We were just hoping he was going to be alright. So I think we did about 16.5 miles although I am not sure because my book was wrong. It was either that or a little more. All well it will work itself after tommorrow. Not really sure how far I am headed tommorrow. We'll see I guess.
Date: 2007-06-25
From: Primitive Campsite

To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 25.7
Weather: mist

I made the unfortunate mistake of not putting my rainfly on my hammock before I went to bed. The forecast had not said anything about rain but sure enough around 4:00 this morning I awoke to the sound of raindrops on the leaves. So I scrambled out of my hammock and rather haphazardly set up the fly. It worked well enough and I was getting wet so I climbed back in a fell back a sleep. When I awoke again it was a little after 8:00 which was a little later than I had wanted to get up. Everyone else was still there so I didn't feel to bad. It was around 9:15 when I finally left. Tom decided he was going to try and just go to the next shelter 12 miles away. I wanted to go further so we said goodbye and promised to stay in touch. It was kind of muggy and overcast this morning, but the terain was rather easy and I had no trouble making good time today. It was really beautiful walking for most of the day. I made it to the first shelter 12 miles away by 1:00 and took an hour break with Grasshopper and P-Ray. Then I was on my way again. The next shelter was a little over 13 more miles so I was cruising again. The first 6 miles of it was rather easy as well and really a joy to be hiking, but the sun came out for the afternoon and really made things hot and the trail became a little tougher. I climbed back up on another ridge that wasn't to bad but there was poison ivy all over the place. I'm not that sensitive to it but I don't want to be walking in it. It got pretty rockyin some places too. It wasn't the type of rocks where you could jump from one to the other either. They were fairly small and pointed so it was a pain. On the bright side I had my first ripe blackberries of the season. Man were they delicious. I also saw about 5 wild turkeys and I scared them into flight. I also met this thru hiker named Silver who was sitting on the trail and looking as exhausted as I felt. But we both thought we were within 2 miles of the shelter so I took off with what energy in my legs I had left. Upon my arival at the shelter I saw Castaway and Hangman whom I hadn't seen since I was in North Carolina I think. It was nice to see them although I will probably go ahead of them tommorrow because they were talking about resupplying. I had a message from Tom on my cell phone that said he had to get off the trail for today because his ankle was bothering him so much. Tom I hope you make a speedy recovery and are back on the trail soon buddy. So now I am flying solo again. I know that I'll meet some new and familiar faces as I venture ahead but I really do miss all those that are behind. Hope you are all doing well and I wish you all the best of luck. Godspeed, band of brothers and sisters!
Date: 2007-06-27
From: Port Clinton

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up this morning and brewed a delicious pot of some Maxwell house that was in the bunkhouse which made the start to my morning extra delightful. It was already starting to get really hot by 8:00. We got a shuttle back to the trail in town shortly there after. I decided to do a short day today because of the mileage I did yesterday and the fact that it was going to be another scorcher. It was a fairly short but steep climb back into the woods and then back down again to a spring after about 3.5 miles. Then it was another climb back up to the Pulpit which offered some nice views of the hazy countryside. Then it was onto the Pinnacle which involved some scrambling over some large rocks. This offered another good lookout but again it was real hazy. Then it was basically a cakewalk to the shelter which was 0.2 down a paved road. It is a cool shelter with a solar shower and electricity in the shelter. It has a caretaker who maintains from his house next door. I was the second person to arrive here after Robo whom I haven't seen since the day I hiked into Harpers Ferry. He is an older gentleman who is really cool and is quite witty. He has hiked the trail in sections before so he has some cool insight about the trail. He also never hesitates to speak his mind. He told me the only difference between a thru hiker and a section hiker is that we find a way to be unemployed longer which is true to a certain degree. The caretaker ended up having to go to the local convenience store so Robo and I got a ride to the store. I have to say that I was fearing for my life at times when he was cruising around some hairpin turns. We got there and back in one piece and with some soft drinks and snacks. Then a bunch of hikers rolled in. There were some that I have met before like Gimpy, Little Red, Wolf, and Kiwi. Then there were some new hikers like Pootz, Evil Eye, Uncle Buck, and Blue Sky. We had a good time just sitting around and talking. Then the thunder storms rolled in and cooled off the temperature which really was a bonus. It looks like it is going to be pretty good weather this weekend when the cold front moves in. Tommorrows weather is going to be a little iffy but I still would like to put in a 20 so I hope to get up early and get moving. It will hopefully be a litle cooler than today.