morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Rod's Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn Center
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up super early this morning hoping to beat the heat and cruise over the ¢roller coaster¢ (ten summits / peaks in 12 miles) before lunchtime. I was up by five and out by 6:30. The sign that welcomes you to the roller coaster reads: ¢Hiker Alert: You are now entering the Roller Coaster maintained by TrailBoss and his band of merry volunteers. See you at the Blackburn Center, if you survive.¢ Well, the Blackburn Center was precisely where I was headed but there wern¢t going to be any stumbling blocks in my way, particularly psychological ones. I geared up and headed up and down the first five peaks with no problem. I stopped near Buzzard Hill at a cute little tenting site for a crackers and snickers break. I pushed on, but less strong as the afternoon progressed. I later self-diagnosed myself as dehydrated. I simply hadn¢t consumed enough water for the activity I was doing in the heat. I pushed on the rest of the way, stopping at least an hour at Bears Den Rocks, overlooking Shenandoah Valley. The view was nice but I really started to get hooked in my book. I had to force myself to stop reading and start hiking because I had ambitious goals to make it to the Blackburn Center by five, so I could relax there and shower. I made it, thank goodness! At one point I reached Raven Rocks and laid down, partly out of exhaustion, partly to remember Catherine and I hiking here last September and her saying ¢you¢ll be covering this same ground in about six months; how cool is that!¢ And to think I made it this far is pretty damned cool, indeed. Before crossing VA 7 there was a sign that detailed our current mileage as 986 or something like that. It also said that we¢d be at 996 when we reached the Blackburn Center. That¢s when it hit me; I¢ve WALKED (with my two feet) 1,000 miles. I¢ve come so far, there is no reason or no way I¢m stopping now. I dragged myself in to the Blackburn Center, totally weary and exhausted. Plus my feet were really hurting after three big days of hiking. I sat for a while with 1/3 and Chicken Legs, both were planning to push on to the next shelter. I couldn¢t move another step. Bill, the caretaker, brought me a soda, oriented me to the facilities and even went out of his way to be sure there would be a spaghetti dinner that night- despite the wedding party that had booked the building with the kitchen). I took a shower in the solar shower, which lifted my spirits immensely. Now all I needed was food¢¦and food I received¢¦lots of it. Bill and Sara provided spaghetti dinner with garlic bread, green beans, and brownies for dessert. The wedding party folks were generous, too, offering us their leftover dinners, beer and sodas. All was welcome and consumed. By the time I reached the Blackburn Center exhaustion wasn¢t the only problem. I had developed a full-blown sinus infection ¢ with stuffy head, clogged nose and cough. Sleeping, which I wanted so desperately, would be difficult. I took a couple of Nyquil and hoped that they would knock me out. Ugh! Felling sick is not good on the trail.
Date: 2003-06-28
From: Blackburn Center

To: Harpers Ferry, WVA
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Yeah! I pulled in to Harper¢s Ferry today. Psychologically this is the halfway point of the trail. I guess that¢s mostly because I crossed the 1000 mile marker today. It has been a great day in town. I got in around noon and went to get my package from the ATC; they didn¢t have it yet, so I did the other routine hiker things ¢ like register and have my photo made. According to their picture book 500 people have been documented so far this year. (I think I was number 513) I wasn¢t sure if Christina was coming to town or not, so I called her. It turns out she¢s under the weather, too, and isn¢t feeling up to traveling. That was no biggie. I made big plans for myself and my book at the coffee shop. I just wanted to sit, read and consume mass quantities of caffeine all day. Just as I was about to leave the ATC offices, Andrea and Jimmy showed up. I told them my plans, which they liked; so we all walked over to relax. I didn¢t get as much reading done as I had hoped, but I thoroughly enjoyed their company. After at least three or four hours there, we decided to head down to the Outfitter for supplies, then go to the pub for one beer (Andrea owed Jimmy one from a recent bet she lost). Trace joined us for a beer too. We had a grand time. We even got some ice-cream, from next door before Jimmy and Andrea left for the trail. The folks at the outfitter kindly gave me permission to sleep out on their porch. How awesome. It was an excellent alternative to hauling myself out of town to the KOA or making arrangements at the hostel. Tomorrow Play-doh is coming out to visit and bringing my new pair of boots. Yippee! It will be good to see an old familiar face. I¢ll also see if we can find a natural foods store where I might be able to find a herbal remedy for this stupid sinus infection. One thing¢s for sure, hiking this morning was worse than the day before. Each day of hiking and hacking up goo becomes more difficult. I need a remedy, Quick!
Date: 2003-06-30
From: Harpers Ferry, WVA

To: Dahlgreen Campground
Miles today: 0.0

I picked up my package fro mthe post office before the ATC folks picked it up. After a quick bit of sorting I had some goodies to take with me. The rest of the package I mailed off to Boiling Springs. Included in that package was a pair of yellow rain pants from momma. Thanks, Momma! I was on the trail by 10 and trucking at a pretty good clip. I passed some boy scouts and met some new thru-hikers (Kodiak, AWOL and ORbit) along the way. Kodiak and I hiked a good bit of the afternoon together after the rainstorm. I had intended to stop before the campground, but the lure of a shower at the end of my day's hike was too strong. I'd also get the opportunity to wash out some clothes because I didn't do laundry in town. When I arrived at the campground it was a reunion with folks I hadn't seen in a long time: 2 dog, Windtalker, Pipes, Moxy, Crazy Talk, and other folks that I had only recently met: Chicken Legs and her friend CC. And I met a new face - Morph. The open grassy areas provided excellent tent space and being able to wash my dishes after an Indian meal gone awry was good too. I ate dinner with Kodiak (whose wife just left the trail), Orbit (whose girlfriend just left the trail) and AWOL(who misses his wife and kids immensely). Dinner conversation focused on the loss of their partners or a need to rush back to them. I was glad I only had to worry about me. Funny story today - I plucked a tick off a woman in the shower at the Dahlgreen campground today. I didn't know her. No one else did either, really. She and her husband were completing the Triple Crown with this hike. Either way, she found a tick on her while she was showering and no one else would take it off for her, so I did it. Ticks really freak me out. Fireflies are everywhere at this campground.
Date: 2003-07-01
From: Dahlgreen Campground

To: Ensign Cowell Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It¢s already July. Can you believe it? Where¢s the time gone?        I read in the Pine Knob Shelter register today a note from a thru-hiker from last year ¢ ¢Take your time.¢ I¢ve got to keep remembering that, while staying balanced with good average miles to finish before brutal weather rolls into Maine.        I felt so crappy during the early part of my hike when I got to Pine Knob Shelter; I took a long nap (nearly 2 hours). That and eating a huge lunch helped right my system I think. I also tanked up on some water. Either all or part of each of these was bringing me down, but after my break, I was good to go. When I got to Cowell Shelter I got to see Steamboat and Sings-a-lot. I hadn¢t seen them in ¢ages.¢ What¢s more, it put my mind at ease about how crumby Sings-a lot had been feeling. She was feeling so bad around the Tye River, I thought she might have to leave the trail. They're here today with Steamboat's father and uncle. Morph and Millipede are also here tonight.
Date: 2003-07-02
From: Ensign Comwell Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: light rain

Don¢t feel like writing tonight. Check in tomorrow¢¦ Thanks to Toe Jam, Tumbling Run Overseen for much needed snickers, snacks and sodas.Today crossed in to Pennsylvania. I hiked from Ensign Cowell Shelter to Pen Mar State Park where I ate an early lunch. I got a soda from a machine after a bit of work, too. I think Morph drank three Mellow Yellows or something with extrodinary levels of caffine. There were a group of senior citizens out enjoying the day with a picnic. We brainstormed and brainstormed how to get invited over to that feast. Everyone picked up and left the park, somehow I got behind - I think because I stopped to use the indoor restrooms. I was just about to leave, when it started to thunder. I decided to wait out the storm - and divided my time between the bathroom and the covered picnic area. It turns out to have been a good decision. Morph didn't make it across the train tracks before the train came and ended up waiting in the rainstorm before he could continue his hike. After crossing the tracks and crossing the border, I dined on some berries growing next to the trail...mmm. Just before Antietam Shelter I came upon Morph and we chatted for a bit. When we left the shelters he started singing. It was great to listen to his tunes. I think the first he ever sang was "Carmellita" after he told me a story of his friend Tobbi singing it to an innkeeper and telling him it was a happy song. When Morph and I arrived at the shelter tonight, there was someone I had never met relaxing in one of the shelters. His name was Rubberband Man. His girlfriend Haiku just got off the trail; I know he's feeling a bit sad about that.
Date: 2003-07-03
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Really had a nice hike today. Midway through the day my radio batteries died, but hey, no biggie. I think I may have actually appreciated hiking more sans the radio. I think I discovered today that it isn¢t worth the hassle of channel surfing to listen to the radio. From here out, I resolved (I hate using that word, it¢s one of Bush¢s speechwriter's favorites) to limit my radio usage to enjoy more of my hiking time.        Perhaps today I just settled back in to the trail after my time off in Harper¢s Ferry. I just felt very peaceful today.Tipperari's brother came over from Ireland and planned to meet him today in Caledonia State Park. Morph, Rubberband Man, Chicken Legs and I had all been at the park for a while when he arrived. He obviously identified us as hikers and was gracious enough to buy us some treats at the consession stand. He also took a couple people to the store to make some quick purchases. I knew I'd be getting off for a bit if I needed to tomorrow, so I passed on the offer to go to the store. After leaving Caledonia State Park we hiked over a rocky area to Quarry Gap Shelters - which are really awesome. The caretaker has given the place a personality of its own and making it really feel like coming home. I hiked alone the rest of the afternoon to the Birch Run Shelter along mostly old road beds, which is a nice change. Because the path is open larger, your scope of viewing is broader. I passed some beautiful pine trees. The shelter tonight is brand new and very nice. They brought in the supplies along the old road bed that was the trail; there was TONS of debate in the shelter register about whether or not that is the most appropriate way to treat the trail, etc. It's not like they widened the trail to bring in the truck...but again, that's my opinion, and this subject, like so many others on the trail is very subjective. After loafing around with Morph, CC and Chicken Legs for a while Carolina Cruiser (the other CC) showed up. He's the one working on the documentary. He filmed me using aqua mira on my water, then got some close-ups of whatever meal I was eating tonight - which I think was a conglomeration of lots of stuff in my food bag.
Date: 2003-07-04
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

        I attempted and successfully completed the HALF GALLON CHALLENGE! I consumed a full half-gallon of chocolate ice cream in an hour and 10 minutes. Quite an accomplishment if I must say so myself. Brew, who was finishing his half-gallon challenge when I arrived, took almost two hours to eat all of his. I had a good audience to cheer me on: Blueberry, Pivot, Brew, Carolina Curser and Play-Doh. As they chanted ¢chug, chug,¢ I was able to swig back the liquid fat that my ice cream had become, securing my elite position among thru-hikers.        Play-doh had come out from DC that morning and met me along the trail. He had plans to kidnap me and take me to DC for fireworks. I wasn¢t to opposed to the idea considering my resent mileage. Plus he was planning to slack-pack me on Saturday and Sunday.        We left after my stomach settled and drove back to the DC area. We popped in at my sister¢s house so I could pick up some food I¢d mailed there and to get my NEW TENT POLE! It felt just like a 4th of July BBQ should feel. We sat on the balcony and ate fruit and shrimp. We headed for the city and promptly hit traffic also headed toward the festivities. Traffic¢¦that¢s one thing I don¢t miss one bit. But I held myself together quite well. Before I knew it Play-doh and I were headed down to Dupont Circle to watch the spectacular show. It was impressive and not as crazy as it would have been if we¢d been down on the Mall. For dinner I got some gourmet cuisine prepared from his kitchen: BBQ sandwich, fresh broccoli and banana nut bread with chocolate chips. I dined happily then we went about the task of writing captions for my 3 rolls of film so they could be posted online.         This day was jam packed with fun, looking forward to hiking tomorrow.This morning when I woke up (around five) to get an early start, the sun peeked through the leaves of the trees in such a magnificent manner that it seemed almost holy. I didn't take a picture, but Carolina Cruiser filmed it. I hope to see it again, but I know it won't be the same.
Date: 2003-07-05
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 20.0

        Talk about an early morning. Play-doh and I had to leave by 6 to get on the trail by 8. Despite our effort we couldn¢t get out before 8, so I didn¢t get on the trail until 10, which was fine by me. I figured I had plenty of time, considering I didn¢t have a pack, my pace had picked up here in PA and daylight lasts so long.        Talk about a Mickey Mouse hike. The terrain was fairly flat, rocks every now and then but nothing I couldn¢t handle. I even passed the real 12 way marker on the trail and had my picture made. Woo hoo!        Play-doh, my ultimate slack-packing guide, walked towards me at lunchtime, bringing sub sandwiches from an awesome deli in Mount St. Holly. We found a nice place off the trail to dine. After lunch we hiked down to his car and a thunderstorm stared to roll in. What timing! I got to wait out the downpour inside the car before hitting the trail for my last 10 miles of the day.        After the rainstorm the rocks were a little slick, and I had some big boulders to climb over. Most I tackled without a hitch though one brought me crashing down on my elbow. Ouch! The rest of the hike was a delight and I was walking in to Boiling Springs by 5. Play-doh and I hit the local pizza joint for dinner. A large pepperoni always hits the spot. I was craving milk so the waitress gave us cups for the 12 gallon of milk I bought making a perfect combo with pizza.        What a full day! Now I¢ve got to gear up for a 26 miler tomorrow. That¢s the distance of a marathon. Heck, I guess after I get off the trail I could start training for one.
Date: 2003-07-06
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Riverfront Campground/ Duncannon
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: light rain

        Went straight to bed after a long day on the trail. I couldn¢t get a room at the Doyle, so I took a unique tent site in a little shantytown of old RV¢s at the Riverfront Campground.        May thanks to Play-Doh for his generosity over the past couple of days. His planning and coordination of my slack packs, not to mention his intense determination, made my slack packing so many miles a success. On my way in to Duncannon I saw Carolina Cruiser headed up the mountain. He was going to do some filming of the sunset over the little town from the overlook above. When I got to camp tonight and fixed dinner I crashed almost immediately. A couple of other hikers ended up setting up their tent next to mine, which was somewhat comforting. Being the only hiker among all the RV shells was a bit odd for me. They were headed out to the gas station to get some food, so I introduced myself, told them what a long day of hiking I'd had and asked if they'd get me a roll of TP. I sent them with money. They returned with a pack of four rolls of Charmin. I could only carry one roll, so I gifted the rest to the campground - that addition may have been the most luxurious part of the whole place.
Date: 2003-07-07
From: Riverfront Campground/Dunncannon

To: Peter's Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

        Gosh! I must have slept 11 hours last night. The lat morning in my tent meant a late start on the trail. I crossed the Rivers and started the climb out of town. I thought it was going to be really tough, but I took it easily, full pack and all.         At the first shelter out of town, Clark¢s Ferry, I stopped for water and got to see Gazelle who I hadn¢t seen since Damascus, and met Light Walker. I hiked on to get to PA 255 where Loser had set up trail magic. His friends had brought cheeseburgers, salad, and lemonade. It really hit the spot! After we went through Loser¢s pack to see if we could lighten his 47lb weight. I think we got rid of a couple pounds at least. The thunder rumbled and the wind picked up, scattering hikers along the trail. I hiked out with Journey; she and I hiked a 3 mile/hour pace in the high winds, threatening thunder and sprinkles of rain. We made it to the Peters mountain shelter by 3. That¢s when I called it quits for the day. Originally, I¢d planned to hike 15 miles to a spring and camp. Journey had said we could expect a lot more thunderstorms tonight, so that helped me make my final decision.        The rest of this afternoon I really relaxed, and read my book.A church group was at the shelter too; they were full of excitement. This shelter has a water source that is down a long long way, on stone steps; I didn't actually venture down to the bottom since someone else was generous enough to get me a liter. Let's see: here tonight are People from the church group, two section hikers, Journey, Morph, Loser, T-bird, and some other folks camped out back. T-bird and Loser played some great music for us as dusk rolled in.
Date: 2003-07-08
From: Peter's Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite near Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: broken clouds

        It¢s funny to me that the idea of hiking 17 miles is no big deal anymore. Before setting out today all I could think was how nice the hiking would be with only a leisurely 17 miles to hike. I guess with all this extra daylight (from 5 to 9) there¢s lots of hiking time. So, I left kind of late, around 8 this morning, and hit the trail with Morph. He¢s my Canadian geologist friend with super great stories and an off-sense of humor that I can truly appreciate. Every once in a while Morph will break in to song of some folk singer or oldschool hippie singer; that¢s always really cool because it¢s like having my own personal stereo. I can¢t choose the tunes but I enjoy listening to his strong baritone, and he appreciates an enthusiastic audience. I always comply. I also took the opportunity today to start opening myself up to some folks on the trail ¢ Morph mainly. I started talking to him about my confusion as to what¢s next in my life. It felt really good just to share some stuff even if nothing conclusive came from the conversation. For so long recently I¢ve asked more questions of others and learned more about other folks but no given as much of myself. That really impedes personal relationships to grow, so that¢s something I¢m trying to do more of ¢ give more!        As we hiked along about 7 or 8 miles in to the day, my right leg (my hip extender, probably) started hurting me. At first I thought it was a cramp, but as I thought about it, maybe I pulled it yesterday when I caught myself in a fall due to the slide rock. Either way it slowed me down the rest of the afternoon. I had some good company though ¢ Morph, Journey and Skittles. Eventually, and in good time, we made it to the shelter. I just picked up some water from the spring and hiked back 1/4 mile to a beautiful tenting spot by a stream. Jimmy and Andrea were there too. We had a fun time talking about genetically modified food and what can/cannot be done about the situation in America. Seems like the solutions are to live like a hermit or leave the states. Hmm¢¦not ready to do either one yet. Later, T-Bird and Loser showed up too.         My quiz of the day questions was: Use one adjective to describe yourself on this trip. Here are the responses:        Me: Joyful        Journey: Tough        Morph: Amazed        Skittles: Resourceful        T-Bird: Silly        Loser: Musical        Andrea: Pensive        Jimmy: Relaxed                I don¢t know that these adjectives give you a better idea of the people, but each totally fits.
Date: 2003-07-09
From: Campsite near Rausch Gap

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: moderate rain

        Enjoyed a seriously lazy morning today. I prepared breakfast at camp and broke camp just before the rain. I still wanted to drink some coffee and journal so I went to Rausch Gap Shelter to get out of the rain. I also wanted to down a liter or so of water so I¢d be well hydrated for the day. The data book said there wasn¢t water for about 14 miles. The morning was great and I started my hike around 9:30. Onward I hiked.        Over breakfast/break I had a good time joking with T-Bird and Loser about privy evaluations. Until this time T-Bird was our lone privy inspector and grader. But, I challenged her to think more scientifically about her scoring. Consider, for example, each factor having a weight or importance, assuming that capacity, # of flies and funk level aren¢t all on equal footing. Other factors to take in to consideration would be lighting, views, construction, ventilation, etc. She¢s taking my suggestions in to consideration and may even offer me a position of partner. We¢d be like Siskell and Ebert except we¢d be called Bird and Shadow.        Getting to the shelter this afternoon was exciting. It was already a full house, but there was floor space. Thank goodness because it had started raining just before we arrived. Anyways, it was a hoot to have so many good folks in one place ¢ Morph, CC, Chicken Legs, Jimmy, Andrea, Soul Train, Skittles, Dutch, Martha Graham, Jenn, Brew, Loa, Gumby, Loser, T-Bird, Crossroads, Carolina Cruiser and probably others. The first order of business was finding out how we could get some pizza. We ordered some after due process of voting and $ contributions. Thank goodness too because my food bag was looking pretty frightful.         The rest of the evening was full of laughs, conversation and music courtesy of T-bird, CC, Brew and Loser. Great stuff. I read for a long time before bed and hated to put the book down to go to sleep.