morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-03
From: Rock Spring Hut SNP

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

15 miles! Wow! There was a lot of downhill today with a brutal rocky strewn 3 mile downhill. My knee held up but was sore. Old knees have more trouble going down then up. The younguns just fly down with shouts of glee and in speeds that would kill me. When I stopped to suck in air I saw two deers. They just stand right by the trail and stare at us. Also saw a mouse actually on the trail. They love the shelters. Whoops! freaked out about the mice in the shelter...well all the girls did. Sinner got her going with aggressive mice stories. Sinner and Johnny Walker had us up laughing so hard about their adventures...esp with meth addicts gave them a ride into town to get food. Fly your sign everyone! Later I heard the mice climbing in and out of our shoes and running over our heads. One checked out my glasses but fortunately did not chew on them. The trail didn't have too many PUDS (Pointless Ups and Downs). Had a scrumptious breakfast at Skyland. Truly the best omelet I've ever had...course I've never, ever been so hungry. Diana ate a pancake bigger than her head then proceeded to drink all of the syrup, ate all the butter, drank the leftover syrup, drank all the coffee cream and even ate some salt. She felt her body needed it and it probably did. While I charged the phone Beast and Cubby fell asleep on the extremely soft and comfy lobby couches. I was amazed they tolerated and allowed our stink. Its a resort kind of place. We all headed out because we knew those two speedsters would easily overtake us after their naps. Hiked in a torrential downpour. Whoops!loved it. Said it felt like redemption. As a Floridian we feel like dried out sponges that greedily soak all the water into our beings that we can. It was cold and soaked our packs through but absolutely fun except for the wet feet. The downhill with soggy feet killed. Whoops was actually moaning the whole way down.Then it was a mile back uphill. A trail angel on a motorcycle stopped and gave us a bag of chips. The crunch with all our sogginess was splendid. We almost started crying because it tasted so good! Beast had chicken soup hot and waiting for us. I'm gonna miss that boy when he leaves! Yum! We went straight to bed. I am beyond tired.
Date: 2013-06-04
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Wonderful day! we rested at a nice picnic area today. Hammer and Dude were there. We were talking about our favorite foods on and off the trail. Beast said, "I love the dehydrated pineapple the best". Dude answered, "Yes, but there is nothing like a fresh pineapple" and with that he reaches into his backpack and pulls out a huge, fresh spikey pineapple! How wild is that? We rolled in laughter. He cut it up and generously shared it with our hungry group! The guys were going to do the 4 State challenge...hike VA, WVA, MD and PA in one day...well touch end of VA and beginning of PA. They are strong and cruising so they will do it. Later we splurged on a hot meal at Elk wayside. We are eating our weight through this park. Sadly we said goodbye to our last blackberry milkshake. Delicious but they reek havoc on our stomachs and really stir up the gases. We all fight not to hike behind each other after our indulgences. Beast saw a mama deer place a baby right on the trail and leave it to forge. He had to go around it. He said it was so tempting to pet. We went around a doe standing next to the trail later in the day. After lunch we saw a small female bear. She was rushing her cubs up in a tree. She huffed a bit and shifted to keep her eyes on us as she stood her ground beneath her cubs. We gave her wide berth. No tent spaces so we have to sleep in the shelter. The girls are not thrilled. The male BO and mice make for a long night. Sweetly a young man serenades the group with a mandolin. He is talented and the music floats over us in a soothing wave. We met a British man who read Bill Bryson's which inspired him to come over and hike the trail.There are a lot of Germans here for the same reason. We sit around a spectacular fire and chat. Whoops!is leaving us soon. She seems increasingly happy to be getting off the trail. She is chafed and barely a square inch of skin remains unblemished by bug bites and sores. I am disappointed that she is so eager to get off but perhaps her healing is done. Beast left his boots at the wayside and had to hike back for them. Got to hike with JD and Trip all day so that was awesome. Love these guys. They are so kind and patient, funny and helpful. We all love Trips Southern accented voice and JD's hilarious stories and advice. They moved on since there were no tent sites. would write more but so very tired
Date: 2013-06-05
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Tarrapin Hostel US522-Front Royal
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We have left Shenandoah National Park. Staying at the coolest hostel...a deadhead's place,"Terrapin Hostel" right off the AT. We have our first mattresses in 2 weeks and sheets included. The owner hiked the AT and the PCT. He saw Janis Joplin live and Dylan's third electric show. He saw Bruce when he was with his high school group. Bruce played for 5 hours. We missed our first turn off and hiked 2 extra miles much to the girls' sorrow and Beast's rage. When we got to the hostel the pizza, ice cream, cokes, tv and showers went far to assuage the negative feelings. We saw a mama bear with two Cubs in a tree. There were many deer today. We also woke up to three bears by our shelter. Good thing I didn't sleep in the hammock like I'd planned. Cub and Ba-dunk-a-dunk were freaking out about the mice. They put buffs over their ears and buried deep in their sleeping bags. They cinched their mummy sacks over their heads and slept on their stomachs so they could lay on top of the opening. When the mice came the girls were so tired they slept right through it. Sadly I never do. Cool to say that there were more women in the shelter than men...6 out of 11. Gotta go get groceries. Yum! Happy time!
Date: 2013-06-06
From: Tarrapin Hostel

To: Manassas Gap Shelter, VA
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Bound for Harpers Ferry to meet my Brother and my Nephews.Getting closeRained all night and turned cold...about 60 degrees and gray outside. We wanted to pull a big mileage day but got too cold and soaked. Also afraid shelter will fill up and we will have to pitch tents in the rain. Squeezed a bunch of us in it anyways. Beast was awesome and cooked for us. He then hung up all the food bags in the pouring rain. He is really easing me into this hike in a lot of ways. The terrain is much more overgrown and not maintained like the park. We got spoiled. We found Cokes hanging in a tree from another kind soul earlier today.
Date: 2013-06-08
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Tea Horse Hostel, Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Two long days in a row. I am adding this from a journal a bit later so hope I don't repeat too much. You get so tired out here you just don't always know what day it is or where you even are. Or who you even are, hahaBeast forgot his boots again at Bear's Den so we have officially changed his name to "Boots" which he doesn't like which makes it a better trail name. Boots and Whoops caught a ride back for the boots and also took our gear so we could slack pack the next 20 miles. We hiked our guts out and into the spooky darkness. We kinda freaked out when we had to hike in the dark again. OUr headlamps died and then the cell phone light. The darkness is an overwhelming solidness with rustling and unknown but surely animal sounds mixed in. Boots and Whoops got a bit worried and hiked back through Harper's Ferry to the trail to find us. They came bearing gifts of Cokes and candy. When we saw their silhouetted shapes heading towards us we wept in relief. We couldn't stop to rest because the last restaurant in town was closing. Generously, though they had only 15 minutes until closing but said to us, "Hey money is money so eat away". We ordered everything and ate anything they were willing to bring us.
Date: 2013-06-09
From: Tea Horse Hostel

To: Tea Horse Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Guess I should mention the pain. It is fairly significant. Most of us have feet that look like they should be in a horror movie. Blisters on top of blisters. We are finding out that popping them and duct taping them actually relieves the pain and starts the calluses. Cub and Boots(formerly Beast but he's left his boots behind two times) still have good feet. The bottoms of our feet feel like someone took a hammer and pounded them, that someone being all the rocks we traverse. Cub thinks her calluses have gotten bigger but no pain. Everyday I wake up sore and achy and spend 30 minutes just stretching so I can hobble. The hobble is called "The AT Shuffle". Everyday I ask Cub if she is sore. She gleefully answers "Nope!"   Ahhh! The beauty of a 12 year old body! My knee, which I've never had a problem with is hot, swollen and pain ridden. By the end of the day I can't bend it because of the fluid buildup. Thanks you dear inventor of Aleve. I pop them like candy. As long as I can put one foot in front of the other I will. Our pain was exacerbated by the previous two days. We walked 24 miles, 10 of which were over "The Roller Coaster", a rocky torture. All this to get to Bears Den Hostel where they have Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I was beyond thrilled at having the miracle occur to me of finding my favorite flavor when we arrived (Phish Food). Getting to that moment involved a day that started at 6:15am with an assisted arrival at 9:30 pm. We were walking in the dark with Badunkadunk wearing a headlamp. We were getting teary eyed and desperate when we saw lights...Boots and a sweet, adorable young man named Oaks came to the rescue. They brought chocolate and pulled our packs off us. Oaks carried both of the girls packs and Boots got mine. They looked like angels to us. The next day we slack packed 20 miles to get to my brother and nephews. Today we had to take a zero day because our legs are gone and I had to ice my knee. We checked into the ATC. We are flipfloppers numbers 34,35,36. Very exciting to be at the official midway point. Gotta go now, time to walk in the cold rain.
Date: 2013-06-13
From: Raven Rock Road, MD

To: Old Forge Picnic Area, MD
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: moderate rain

Another Slack pack day. Our hike today ended with a ride back to Cumberland campground for the night. We all had a great night on flat ground! Had some trouble finding the campsites though... luckily we got to it! Badonkadonk set up the tent quickly, eager to eat and have some sleep! Ramen noodles with carrots and broccoli for dinner! Sadly enough, there were big raindrops, accompanied with thunder and lightning. Beast cub and Whoops came running from the bathroom during the fiasco! Whoops beelined for the front seat of the car, where everyone that was up had taken refuge. Cub, however, did not see Whoops get in the car, so she ran straight to the tents, realized no one was there and then went to the car. There, the door opened and she leaped in. Our uncle, Strangler, jumped in soon after and decisions were made for breakfast. The great breakfast took place at the Mountain Gate Family Restaurant with an all-you-can-eat buffet! There we took our last bathroom break and headed to the AT. We were told it would storm all day but it was windy and nice. In 5 hours we walked 13 miles. I'm tired. Goodnight. This entry was written by Beast Cub. Night!
Date: 2013-06-14
From: Old Forge Road, PA

To: Caledonia State Park, PA
Miles today: 11.2

Swimming Pool at the campground! Staying in Caledonia State Park on Chinquapin Hill (elevation 1827). We have traveled along the trail for 20 days now with a total of 222.2 trail miles. We started on May 26, 2013 at Rock Fish Gap in Virginia 1326.7 miles from Mount Katahdin, Maine. We are now only 1104.5 miles away. After Katahdin we will return to Rock Fish Gap and head south 857.3 miles to Springer Mountain in Georgia. The total journey is 2184 trail miles. We have already completed 10%! We should cross the halfway point of the entire AT trail in the next day or two, but our halfway point is actually in about 870 more miles. It is 43.5 miles into Maine near the peak of Bemis Mountain just before the Bemis Mountain Lean-to.
Date: 2013-06-15
From: Caledonia State park

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We have enjoyed having my brother,Strangler and my nephews, Toothbrush and Slacker on the trail with us. There has been non-stop laughter, depraved behavior of the bodily functions kind and sweet moments. We've have ridiculous conversations, including an ongoing "Would you rather be...". It went from a giraffe or a zebra to the Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster and then it went down hill but I'll spare you the details. There have also been political debates, spiritual conversations and insightful observations. We all feel teary-eyed to see them go. Whoops is leaving to start summer session and work. She has led most of our crazier moments on the trail with her escapades. We keep meeting friendly people with generous natures that love to hear what we are doing and bless us and wish is well. Last night was a scary wind storm that I was sure was going to end with a branch on one of the tents. Glad my mom doesn't have a crystal ball! Too many of her chickies in one spot. I can't believe how wiped I feel. This AT can kick your butt. It's hard to eat the high number of calories we need for each day. We go in the grocery store and I read the labels for the most fat and protein. The girls crack up because I'm always insisting they get the fattier item. "More Fat" is our motto! Very liberating! We will be butterballs when we are off the trail a month. We might not be able to turn it off! I'm gonna go crash zzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Date: 2013-06-16
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: James Fry Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: scattered clouds

This is Badonkadonk (Ruth) writing here. About three weeks in and we are starting to up our mileage. This week was super fun with my cousins, Tyler and Logan, and my Uncle Todd. Boots (Cody) and Slacker (Logan) helped us out and slack packed us this week. We were able to get into town some days and get good food. We stayed at campgrounds and got showers!!!!! We miss Strangler (Uncle Todd), Whoops (Brynne), and Slacker. Penn is so far easy, not looking forward to the big rocks that are ahead of us. Hit the halfway point of the AT and helped Boots eat a half gallon of ice cream, while toothbrush ate one on his own. YUM!!!!!! Today was a little rainy. We are now hurrying to get to Philly for a couple of days to see our good friends Jeff and Jack. Looking forward to a nice massage, showers, Amish pretzels, and of course seeing our amazing friends. Daddy we miss you and love you. Come hiking with us soon. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!!! <3
Date: 2013-06-17
From: dry camped near Fry Shelter

To: Allenberry Resort, Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Had a great day yesterday. It started up with this man appearing at the shelter very early in the am. He proceeded to open two large packages of donuts! Donut man, a trail angel who went so far as to hike donuts up to us. Bless him and his unselfish kindness. The weather was overcast with occasional misting rain, enough to cool but not get our boots wet. We got to the exact middle point of the AT. A guy named Chuck who lives in Norristown(not kidding) built a huge sign with American flags and arrows pointing North and South with 1090.5 miles on each side. We got a long way to go! After the sign there is a small general store in a State Park, beside an AT museum (awesome for enthusiast) that has "The Half Point Challenge". The hikers attempt to eat an entire half gallon of ice cream as fast as they can. The record is 3 minutes! I saw the very thin Pigpen do it in 20 minutes. His dad, Hammer Man, ate it in 25 min and looked miserable for an hour. He had to lay down for a bit. Side note, Pigpen is one of our favorite hikers to camp with. He's very nice and easy going, an Outdoor Educator, etc but we are all in love with his dog, Kara. She a muscular, happy dog of mixed breed that he found abandoned. She joyfully hikes the AT, chasing whatever moves, except bears which she growls at and they take off. At night she entertains the camp running around chasing chipmunks and also just circling the camp at high speed for the full pleasure of it!   Okay so back to the challenge. It took Boots, Cub, Badunkadunk and I to finish one but I'm proud to say that my nephew, Toothbrush, held up the family honor and downed the entire Peanut butter Chocolate 1/2 gallon. He received the coveted wooden Ice cream spoon reward. His mom will undoubtedly want to frame it once be gets home. We set up camp next to a river. Cub loved playing in it. I took a bath in the icy coldness. Never thought a Fla girl like me could bear such coldness but desperation overrules discomfort. We are currently at a beautifully maintained campground called Deer Run. We can all attest to the perfection of the Flurries yum! The kids have such excess energy they played GaGa and Horseshoes here.   Off to Boiling Point, PA in the hopes of showers.
Date: 2013-06-18
From: Allenberry Resort, Boiling Springs, PA

To: Allenberry Resort, Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

How to really experience the trail:The kids and I decided to help those of you who wish to be with us simulate the physical experience of hiking the AT. First, go out to your garage and get a hammer. Repeatedly hit the bottom of your feet as hard as you can for at least 12 hours. Then get two cans of beans. Step on them and try to balance. Roll your ankles quickly and painfully at least 100 times. Next go find a curb and kick it as hard as you can about 250 times. Wait! There's more! Get the grittiest sandpaper you can find. Rigorously sand your backside, your hips and your collar bones. Don't forget to really put some elbow grease into it as you scrub the skin off each toe individually, not to miss the arches of your feet. After sores form puncture them with needles and put duct tape on the open wounds. Prick your legs with the pins to reenact the stinging bugs, plants and thorns. Now pour large amounts of salt water over your whole body. As you do all this have someone incessantly throw small gooey things at your face, preferably getting them in your eyes so that you have to dig them out. (Gnat simulation). Oh! Don't forget to put a small child on your back as you do all of this, around 30 lbs. When your are drained and weary find a slope, place sharp rocks on it, a thin sheet and lay down on it for 10 hours. You decide whether you prefer to have the blood pool in you feet or head. As for toiletries, cease and desist! Don't shower, stop using any form of indoor plumbing and largely avoid toilet paper. Your neighbors may wonder why you spend so much time in the bushes. When they see how liberating and cost effective it is they may join you. Okay, you are on your way to realizing the charms of the AT. Yesterday we were in an ice cream store. Two adorably dressed little girls were excitedly picking out their ice cream. Then they saw us(and probably smelled us) gaping, open mouthed stares. Their mom said,"Look, they are hikers". Being the Child Life Specialist that I am I proceeds to explain, in a child's terms of course, what we were doing. The child responded with a heavily perplexed voice,"Why?"Took a zero day because the kids refused to budge after seeing the town of Boiling Springs, eating at the local Italian restaurant Aniles, and the gorgeous resort we stayed at Allenberry. Thanks to them for giving incredible discounts to hikers. This is the prettiest and friendliest town we've visited. They are wonderful to the hikers. Would love to come back someday. Now we gotta make up big miles trying to get to our Philly friends/family.
Date: 2013-06-19
From: Allenberry Resort, Boiling Springs, PA

To: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 24.7

Took a zero day because the kids refused to budge after seeing the town of Boiling Springs, eating at the local Italian restaurant Aniles, and the gorgeous resort we stayed at Allenberry. Thanks to them for giving incredible discounts to hikers. This is the prettiest and friendliest town we've visited. They are wonderful to the hikers. Would love to come back someday. Now we gotta make up big miles trying to get to our Philly friends/family.
Date: 2013-06-25
From: 501 Shelter (Dropped off from Philly)

To: Hertein Campsite
Miles today: 5.2

A trail angel is someone who provides trail magic to thru hikers. They do it because they have a belief in what we are doing, love the trail, are just good hearted people and because they want to support and give back to the trail. Many have hiked the whole AT and want to relive the glory days. They know what hikers need. One day a man named, Slick, and his wife parked beside the trail at 11am providing subs, cokes, chips, apples, crackers, bars, snickers...you name it and they probably had it. Everyone told them the girls and I were coming through but late. We hit them around 7:30pm and they waited for us! It was the boost we needed to go the next 2 miles in the dark to the shelter.Several days ago two women set up a huge picnic at Scott's Farm, providing free pizza, homemade brownies, cookies, bread and a nice salad and drinks. They said they "vicariously" lived through all of us.In every shelter there is a trail journal...a book in which every hiker can write a message. We communicate through them, checking on each other, finding out about what lies ahead and mostly entertaining each other with funny stories, songs, poetry and even artwork. Its great to read at the end of each day and fun to sign. An entry that cracked us about that referred to the kindness of the trail angels in PA said, "I've had so much trail magic lately I will probably poo rainbows". Hope this trail humor translates, sorry to offend. We are a bit depraved out here. Love to all