morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-18
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: KOA Campground, Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 12.4

Was a good nights sleep but some kind of nuts kept falling on the tin roof overnight. Got up, had some breakfast, chatted with the other hikers and Junker (the ridgerunner for the section). Then off to Harper's Ferry I went! Walked at a pretty good clip today and had made it to town by 12:30. Found a lot of berries on the way (blueberries and raspberries!) so was pretty excited that I am starting to notice and pick them out myself. Hiked with Zeb and Veggie Scraps for a while which was good fun. And when we arrived at Harper's Ferry found another mulberry tree so had some more tasty treats (apparently mulberries are a superfood)!Arrived in Harper's Ferry and hung out at the ATC office for a while with all the other hikers and got my picture taken for their album (#399). Nearly halfway there - woohoo! Went with Beans and Pyro (aka Pizza Baby) for a tasty pizza lunch where we also ran into Achilles and Scat Tracker (who I haven't seen in months!)!!! After that had to head to the outfitter for some pack maintenance. Not sure if I mentioned it but a few weeks ago my back panel started to develop holes and unravel which obviously isn't good long term when my backpack is a pretty essential piece of equipment. So I called Osprey and they told me to go to the outfitter at Harper's Ferry and we could see about repairs. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I got there, so I explained the situation to the clerk and he said 'We've got a pack with your name on it.' Sure enough, he went into the back and came out with an identical pack to mine that actually had my name on it! Big shout out to Osprey for their great customer service and warranty department for making what I thought would be a tricky situation go super-smooth!After my errand, headed over to the KOA campground, where I was splitting a cabin with Sticks, Boomer, Fireball and Sugar Ray. Despite being a huge mile marker for hikers, Harper's Ferry is not a real hiker town - there is limited cheap accommodations (6 bunks at a hostel) and nowhere very close to resupply. The KOA campground was a 2 mile walk out of town and hitching is illegal (apparently hikers got ticketed for it before), so I was real lucky that as I was walking Bonzo (a local resident who lets hikers camp in his yard) and Pyro pulled over and gave me a lift. Had a good night at the campground with the guys. Campground itself was a bit of a zoo (the Gaitlinburg of campgrounds as Sticks put it), but got all my town chores done, had a beer with the guys and even took in a movie they were showing (Avatar). Movie was good - slightly cheesy at parts (particularly G.I. Joe giving the order to destroy a village while casually sipping on his cup of coffee - ha) but I loved the whole cinema-esque experience!P.S. A big thank you to Betsy for the sweet package you sent me! It was so thoughtful and really made my day!
Date: 2010-06-22
From: Alexandria, Virginia

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well after arriving in Harper's Ferry I took a few days off. My good friends Shilpa and Danny (and their new puppy Motley) came down and met me in Harper's Ferry Saturday afternoon. We had a lovely lunch and stroll around town and sat on some rocks by the river where Motley had his first taste of swimming - he did great!Then I went with them to their home in Alexandria, VA (bak to VA... Virginia, I just can't quit you! haha) for a few days of hanging out and some R & R. We strolled around the tow, ate delicious food, went swimming at the pool in their complex, played with cutie pie Motley, and did a little shopping. Alexandria is a great town with loads of great shops and restaurants. And the 'old town' buildings were all very quaint to walk around and look at. Motley was quite the little tourist attraction himself so it was hard to get too far walking! It was such a great stay and just what the doctor ordered - and great to spend some good time with Shilpa who has been one of my best friends for almost as long as I can remember!So now am on a train back to Harper's Ferry (and LJ is randomly seated behind me - glad I wasn't the only one who took a long break!) to stay at the hostel there tonight and hit the trail tomorrow. Was kind of hard to leave (not gonna lie - comforts of a home were so great for a few days)but I know once I get back on the trail I'll get back in a rythym and be so happy to be out again. Plus am now looking forward to my brother who is heading out next week to hike with me for a few days!!!LJ decided to stay at the hostel as well. We had a nice evening splitting a half gallon of ice cream (which combined we couldn't finish - epic failure... defo not ready for that half gallon challenge next week) and watching some classic Chuck Norris dvd... was good for a laugh at least!
Date: 2010-06-23
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Dalhgren Backpack Campground, MD
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Was hard leaving town and was HOT! Seriously hot - think it was about 90 by 10 o'clock - thank God for tree cover! The first 3 miles out of town were flat, following an old canal system, which surprisingly I didn't enjoy. It was hot and I was bored with it so was very happy when we started climbing and were on a proper trail - who know!? There was a great rock outlook early on in the day at Weverton Cliffs. The whole climb up someone had written encouraging chalk messages on the rocks which was pretty entertaining! (such as 'don't give up... only one more climb', etc, etc.).About 10 miles into the day came to Gathland State Park where I ran into Q-Tip and Wood Wrangler and discovered there was a soda vending machine there! Then I also discovered I only had a 5 dollar bill and not enough change - d'oh!! The other guys didn't have change either so that was slightly heartbreaking. As I was about to pack up, a dayhiker came by with his family and I asked him if he could change a $5. He couldn't but he just gave me $2 for a soda which was unbelievable! Then when I bought my cherry Coke two bottles cam out of the machine so I shared with the other guys - trail magic indeed!At the end of the day passed by a memorial for two civil war generals and what looked to be a civil war battlefield which was pretty cool. Ended up going further and then I expected today to go today to this free backpack campground that a section hiker told me about earlier. There were bathrooms and shower which is really handy so I ended this hot day with a nice cold shower. LJ, Red tick, Paul Bunyan, Serentina, Compress and about a million section hikers are here. Haha, just kidding. But there are quite a few people here this eve!
Date: 2010-06-24
From: Dalhgren Backpack Campground, MD

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: haze

Got a late-ish start and was out by 9 this morning. Morning hike was nice and it brought us through a state park that had the original Washington Monument. After that ended up hiking with a day hiker for about 4 miles and talking to him all about the trail... and another potential thru-hiker is born!The afternoon brought me up to Annapolis Rocks (which would have been a great place to camp but was a little too early in the day!) which was a real nice spot for a break. Took my shoes off, laid down... and then the thunder rolled in - d'oh! So got up and moved pretty quickly after that. Rained slightly and thundered a lot but overall didn't turn out too bad at all. There were quite a few rocky sections today that were challenging. It makes me a little nervous for PA, all these rocky sections we are going through don't get a mention but you always hear about the rocks in PA... we will see!Saw an interesting skeleton along the trail today (kicking myself for not taking a picture... is that weird?). It was pretty much picked apart but from what I could see it looked to be some kind of raptor bird. Also saw a toad and a ton of blueberries. THey are everywhere - it's fantastic! Here tonight at the shelter (Bronco's shelter - it's beautiful!) with Chief (section hiker), LJ, and Serentina.
Date: 2010-06-25
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Antictem Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: haze

Today was a great day which I was quite happy about as it always is hard to get back on the trail after a few days off - particularly the first two I have found. So glad to have gotten past that hurdle. And, I have now crossed the Mason-Dixon line and am in Pennsylvania! I will miss the South as I have really enjoyed my time there, but I am also excited to be moving towards New England! It's also been refreshing to cross 3 state lines in just a few days after all that time in Virginia!In a quick recap of the day (as it's quite late) had a lovely walk this morning. Weather was good and there were a few rocky sections which were challenging in a good way. Stopped in at the Devil's Racecover Shelter and was super glad I decided to stay at the one I did last night! Visited high rock on the blue blaze which had a lovely view but unfortunately had road access so all the rocks were tagged with names of prior visitors. Stopped in for lunch at the PenMar Park where a bunch of us (Q-Tip, Wood Wrangler, LJ, Serentina, Red Stick and Mountain Mike) ordered pizzas and cokes which was a nice treat!Spent the afternoon hiking with Serentina and we just jabbered away and the miles flew by and before we knew it had met up with LJ at a nice shelter with a stream going by it so the 3 of us are tenting here tonight. Mountain Mike i also nearby, and we all took a walk over to an adjacent park after dark to get a better look at the full moon tonight. Was beautiful - we could see it rising bright behind the trees and fireflies were dancing in the field all around us. Another great trail memory made... Off to sleep now to see what adventures tomorrow will bring!
Date: 2010-06-26
From: Antictem Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: broken clouds

Was up and packed early-ish this morning but Red tick and Mountain Mike dropped in so we all ended up just chatting for a while. Morning hike was good but long. We were all intent to go 10 miles to a resupply and pool but it was punctuated with many group breaks along the way (and blueberry snacks!). As usually happens when we've been on the trail and are headed towards civilization, I started imagining the food I wanted to eat along the walk - a roast beef sub (or hoagie - this is PA after all!), lemonade and a banana. And lucky me - they had it all in this store!Met Serenetina in the store and we luckily were offered a ride back to the trail (which was really a lifesaver as the mile walk there along the pavement in the scorching sunlight was putting me in red lobster territory!). When we got to the park found the fellas all sitting at a picnic table. We decided against the pool (as it cost $4. and w a zoo) and opted for a creek bath which was pretty fun. Chatted with Serenetina and Red Stick awhile and we tried our hands at skipping rocks.We probably loitered at the park for 2-3 hours and then myself, Serenetina, Boy Floyd and Chief headed to the first shelter which was just a 3 mile climb. There was a very nice boy scout troop here tonight that we enjoyed hanging out with and the shelter is lovely! Clean and with potted plant flowers and German decorations. The privy even has an air freshener and a book about privies - touch of class! Haha!
Date: 2010-06-27
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Toms Run Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up this morning as the boy scouts were banging around. Packed up my stuff and had a leisurely breakfast with the scouts, Serenetina, and Boy Floyd. Day was beautiful and just cruised along enjoying the woods, sunshine and the AYCE blueberries along the trail. About 5 miles in I sat to take a break and Serenetina and Boy Floyd passed me. When I started walking a couple minutes later, I heard a commotion ahead so went to see what was happening and there was trail magic breakfast at the cabin which had been interrupted when a rattlesnake came by for a visit! The nice folks at the cabin there had just given away the last of their leftover breakfast but Serenetina and Boy Floyd were nice enough to share theirs with me so we had eggs and potatoes, toast and pork which was a super tasty treat!Afternoon was a great walk super hot and humid but the terrain wasn't too taxing and I really enjoyed the walk. No more snake sightings to speak of. (We've heard at this part of the trail, it's not bears you should be concerned about - but rattlers and porqupines). Got to the shelter around 4 which is super early but have 2 more days til I have to be in Boiling Springs so taking some chill days which I love! Was able to give myself a little creek bath and attempt to wash some clothes. Had a great evening of hanging out with the other campers here. - dodging rain and having a fire. One of the section hikers has a Native American flute he was playing which sounds so lovely in the setting! Excited for another chill day tomorrow - hanging out at Pine Grove Furnace and crossing the official halfway point (which is only .4 miles from here!!!)! And somewhere I can hear Bon Jovi singing...P.S. Saw these cherry-like plants along the edge of the trail the last coupe days - 3 thick, dark leaves and a red berry underneath. Today I cut the berry open. IT wasn't juicy and I thought it smelled like wintergreen. I just looked in my 'Flower finder' book (yes I bought it and carry it with me- ubber nerd, I know!) and it IS a wintergreen... so I was a little excited about that.
Date: 2010-06-28
From: Toms Run Shelter

To: James Fry (Tagg Run) Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: overcast clouds

W'oah... we're half-way there... Woa-OH... living on a prayer! Passed the official halfway mark today - woohoo! So now every step I take is closer to Maine then Georgia! Had a great day - low mileage again but it will be that way all week.Hiked with Boy Floyd this morning an easy 4 miles into Pine Grove Furnace where we ran into 7, Chief and Serenetina. Had a little late breakfast and then split a half-gallon of ice cream with Serenetina (so didn't do the challenge but kind of held up with tradition - had the moose track flavor... figured it was a good omen to get to Maine!).We hung around the park for a long time - went swimming at the beach area, enjoyed the free showers in the restrooms and visited the newly opened AT museum which gave us some inspiration. Was cool - there were displays on Gene Epspy (2nd person to hike the AT) who I met in Damascus and Geek who I'e met multiple times along the trail which made me realize what a small community the trail really is... I love it.Saw Red Stick, LJ and Trooper as I was leaving and then finished the last 7 miles to the shelter. Hung out here tonight with Serenetina, Boy Floyd and Wookie. Looking forward to meeting my brother Steven in Boiling Springs tomorrow. He'll be out to hike with me for a few days so can't wait!
Date: 2010-06-29
From: James Fry (Tagg Run) Shelter

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 12.0

Great night at the shelter last night. Good fire and great conversation (it's amazing how easy it is for people to be so candid and honest with each other so quickly out here). As me, Serenetina, and Wookie were going to bed in the shelter and Chief was snoring slightly. We started discussing people snoring and methods to deter it in shelters when Wookie started telling us about a man he stayed with in a shelter once that snored like a zombie. Suddenly in between Chief's snores, he let out a zombie-like noise. It took us all by surprise and was hilarious (might not sound like it here, but trust me... it was!).Hike was great today - pretty hot and humid but an overall pleasant hike. There were some big rocky sections that we climbed over today that at times involved a little rock climbing which is tricky with a pack on. There was also a little section to squeeze through that could have rivaled the 'fatman's squeeze' from the Grayson Highlands. We were in the forest for most of the day and then just before Boiling Springs the trail dropped us into the back of farmland. It was beautiful to walk through the field... and then got distracted and kept walking... about a mile out of my way through the fields! No bother though, backtracked a bit and then found the backpackers campsite a bunch of us were staying at just outside of Boiling Springs.My brother Steven arrived into town about 5 o'clock (yeah!) so we resupplied, set up his tent an grabbed some dinner and beers at the local tavern (Boiling springs is a fantastic town by the way!). Later on a bunch of us at the campsite (LJ, Red Stick, Serenetina, Boy Floyd, Marine Corps Joe, Mountain Mike, Wood Wrangler and Q-tip) all had a nice campfire, s'mores and a couple beers and stayed up til about 11 (way past hiker midnight - shock horror!). Was a fab evening with that bunch!
Date: 2010-06-30
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

Woke up earlyish, packed out stuff up from the backpackers campsite in the field (which I loved!) and headed over to the picnic table at the ATC office for some morning oatmeal and coffee with Steve, Marine Corps Joe, Serenetina, Red stick, LJ and Mountain Mike. Headed onto the trail about 9:15 where we walked for the first part of the day under many mulberry trees (many tasty treats and purple stained fingers!). Steve and I ended up walking with Serenetina for most of the morning. The walk was a bit different today (and quite flat for a nice change!) and took us through many farms, corn and wheat fields and horse pastures. At one point we even saw two deer running across a field (with a gun in the background being fired so that could explain that!).About 10 miles into the day came across LJ and Trooper breaking for lunch at a pond so we pulled up a spot under a tree and joined them. For the end of the day we walked with Chief and we all came across an old car wreck in the middle of the forest (random!). The end of the day was a bit of an uphill but Steve was a trooper and made it through a very long first day with no problem.At the shelter tonight had a great time. Was a lot of the crew from last night and Boy Floyd was a champ and packed in our leftover s'mores ingredients so we all sat around the campfire, chatted and ate some delicious camp treats! Chief was definitely the champion and polished off 11 s'mores!! It was also the last night of his section hike so I guess he was celebrating with a sugar rush. Steve was also given a trail name of Red Hawk! Red Stick was insistent that he join the red revolutionary party and have red in his name somewhere, and at one point a burning log fell form the fire and Steve was quick to catch it so we said he has hawk eyes! And so he joined the order of the reds...
Date: 2010-07-01
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I was up at my usual time around 6:30 and had a great lazy morning hanging around by the fire. The temperature dipped way down overnight so it was very comfortable sleeping and hanging out by the fire. Everyone took their time packing up and heading out but especially Red Hawk and I as we only had a 7 mile day ahead of us. So we tended the fire and headed out around 11:30.Walk was good today - we stopped at a nice overlook where a pipeline had been laid and had a leisurely lunch. Met a few members of Warren Doyles group today as well. Weather has been perfect with Red Hawk being here so I told him he has to stay. Had a great afternoon walking and chatting, even having left so late, we were at the shelter at around 3. So we did what we do best - had another fire, hung out, cooked some food and just basically lazed around on our own until we were joined for the evening by Navigator. He was an interesting character. Only 4 miles tomorrow into Duncannon!
Date: 2010-07-02
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Riverfront Campground
Miles today: 3.9

Terrain was a bit rocky on the way out today. Red Hawk and I passed a bunch of cute kids out on a school trip who asked if my back and legs hurt from all the hiking- haha. Steve and I were chatting away when all of a sudden we ended up at a road with no white blaze. So we backtracked (and noticed this used to be the trail as there were many white blazes just blacked out on the trees). And sure enough, we found the white blazes - which were straight up and over the rocky mountain instead of down the gentle slope... that's just how the AT rolls. We met up with Marine Corps Joe and feasted on some raspberries along the walk.Got to Duncannon and Boy Floyd was nice enough to drive us both back to boiling Springs to get Steve's car. Then we all headed back to Duncannon for some lunch at the Doyle. Was sad to say goodbye to Red Hawk, but had such a blast hiking with him and hoping he will join me for some more section hiking up north.Had a great night staying at a campground north of town with Serenetina, LJ, Red stick, Wood Wrangler, Sarge and Boy Floyd. We had some pizza (which Boy FLoyd bought birthday candles to commemorate 1,137 miles!) and then had a big campfire, some beers, some smores and a lot of laughs!
Date: 2010-07-06
From: Riverfront Campground

To: Eagle's Nest Shelter
Miles today: 61.8
Weather: scattered clouds

No, your eyes do not deceive you and I have not pulled a super marathon day - I have just fallen days behind in my journal and know if I don't just summarize I may never get back on track.Well as a brief summary - it has been HOT! And not good hot, like 100 degree hot with most of the water sources dried up. Combine that with the PA rocks beginning and it's not exactly ideal... but will get through it one step at a time. Just attempting to stay hydrated which is slightly tricky with unreliable water.Major happenings - July 4th passed pretty quietly, but yesterday was what I consider our holiday celebration for the 4th of July - best rail magic EVER! It was seriously unbelievable - we came across about 5 trail magics in the span of about a mile an a half. Mostly coolers on the side of the trail but former thru hiker (triple crowner) JZ had set up a cookout in the parking lot which was the first time I'd seen that! Also met another former thru hiker and trail maintainer under the I-81 overpass for some great Gatorade. Really would have been a tough situation to make it through these hot days without some of that trail magic. People leaving bottles of water out on the trail have really been a lifesaver!
Date: 2010-07-07
From: Eagle's Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton Pavillion
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: few clouds

Woo-eee! Talk about a heat wave - hear it got to 105 today! Now those temps are tough enough to just sit around then but climbing up and down mountains all day wears you out (and could e dangerous! Have see a few helicopters flying around today so hoping they aren't rescue hoppers!). Was planning on moving on to the next shelter today... but it was just too hot. Was actually quite dizzy and faint on the walk into town and since I had to resupply and then there was free camping in town decided to hang out. Serenetina and I did some laundry and bath so feeling slightly less funky. It's just as well I hung out here as has turned out to be a super busy day and there are a ton of other thru hikers here tonight (well okay... maybe like 20) including ... TATTOO! Yeah!! Haven't actually hiked with him since Erwin - not that I will tomorrow wither since a bunch of them are going to the Yuenling Brewery and I am hiking out - but great to know we are all in the same bubble again.