morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-16
From: Comfort Inn; Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Comfort Inn; Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0

Good thing I took a zero today. This is a really unique and historic town -- ancient by U.S. standards. At the intersection of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, it was of major importance until the Civil War devastated it. Great place to visit.Other than the historic part, not much here, though. I had to walk a mile and a half to see the historic part and find a restaurant and find the outfitter store. Then back a mile in the other direction for groceries (from a 7-11). The post office was right in the middle. Again, it took quite awhile to run my errands.The A.T. Conference Headquarters was interesting -- mainly the photos of all the thru-hikers who¢ve come through so far, along with real names (which we typically never would know otherwise), hometown, starting date, and Harper¢s Ferry date. I¢m the 333rd to come through this year, but not all are one-year thru-hikers, and not all are northbounders.They estimate that about 20 percent of the northbound starters get this far. I¢ve heard several hikers mention that they needed some time off when they get here, though, so you have to wonder if we¢ll lose a few more soon. Pennsylvania is my worry -- rocky walking leaves my feet very sore. I would have assessed my odds thusly:(1) Starting out -- 80/20 against.(2) Harper¢s Ferry -- 50/50.(3) If I get through Pennsylvania -- 80/20 in favor.My weight is back up a bit -- to 167 -- ten pounds less than when I started.Will enter Maryland tomorrow and Pennsylvania about three days later.My camera went on the fritz yesterday, so today I sent it home for repairs. That means no photos for a while. Too bad. Probably all that water got to it. NOTE: PHOTOS WILL RESUME IN CONNECTICUT, WHERE I FINALLY GOT A NEW CAMERA.
Date: 2003-06-17
From: Comfort Inn; Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

Hiked 7:30-4:30. It rained lightly all day, but was still a good one. Trail was relatively easy. Started out in Harper¢s Ferry in the historic district, then three miles on the C&O Canal Towpath -- Potomac River on my right, canal on my left. Also right through Gathland State Park, site of a Civil War battle, and some other interesting things.Here¢s a good true story. I was walking with Buffalo Bobby when he mentioned he was from New Jersey and had started out with 70 pounds of stuff on his back. Does this ring any bells? Remember the guy I mentioned the first day -- the one I prayed for because he looked so pathetic? He left some of the stuff at the first shelter, got re-outfitted at Neel¢s Gap, and now, 37 pounds lighter in body and 30 pounds lighter in pack, hikes faster than I do (who doesn¢t?), though I¢ve seen him several times lately, because he stops earlier than I do. Very nice guy.Four of us in the shelter tonight -- Buffalo Bobby, Fortune Cookie (from Thailand), Walkabout (Fortune Cookie¢s companion), and me.
Date: 2003-06-18
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: mist

Hiked 6:15-3:45. I was giving Maryland high marks until I hit big-time rocks this afternoon. Morning included lots of Civil War history sites (Battle of South Mountain) and my first phone conversation with Rosie in two weeks (she¢s been traveling in Switzerland). Nice morning, despite fog and drizzle. Sunshine in the afternoon.According to many hikers, the preventive for chafing is Bodyglide. It¢s like a stick deodorant that you spread over areas subject to chafing (inner thighs for me). I bought a stick in Harper¢s Ferry; when things get wet again, we¢ll see how it works.I¢ve changed my water treatment from iodine pills (which you¢re not supposed to use for long periods of time) to a chemical called ¢Aqua Mira.¢ You mix seven drops from one bottle with seven drops from the other bottle, let it sit for five minutes, then put it in the quart of water and wait 15 minutes before drinking. Heavier and more of a hassle than iodine pills, but it¢s all the rage among hikers, apparently for health reasons. It doesn¢t have a taste, so that¢s good.To give you an idea of what some of the young guys can do, there¢s a thing called the ¢Maryland challenge¢ -- to hike the 41-mile Maryland stretch in one day -- or, more accurately -- one day and part of a night. I found out about it from Nightwalker, who was attempting it yesterday, but, due to the rain, took refuge in our shelter at about 9:00 PM.Similarly, with only about three additional miles, you can do the ¢four-state challenge.¢ You leave the Virginia/West Virginia border just east of Harper¢s Ferry, cross the Potomac out of Harper¢s Ferry into Maryland, then do the 41-mile Maryland stretch -- all in one day and night, thus hitting four states (VA, WV, MD, PA). Amazing!
Date: 2003-06-19
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

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

Hiked 6:30-4:30. Maryland got in her last licks with some serious rocks. I¢ll try to give you a mental picture of a typical rockslide. Picture jumbo helicopters dropping on the top of a tree-covered mountain rocks varying in size from your favorite recliner to a bicycle seat. This continues until the side of the mountain is covered with a rocky ¢path¢ 300 yards wide and 3/4 of a mile long. The A.T. trailblazers paint a few blazes on trees to tell you this is the way down (or up) -- then you¢re on your own. More commonly, the A.T. goes across this jumble. Much worse when wet, of course, like today. Yikes!Bagged another state today (Maryland) -- six down and eight to go -- I don¢t like the sound of that. So now I¢m in Pennsylvania, a big challenge. Everybody talks about the horrendous rocks in the northern part of the state. I dread those babies. There are, though, two good things about Pennsylvania: (1) the halfway point -- about three days from here, and (2) several trail towns.The Maryland/Pennsylvania border is the Mason-Dixon Line, so I¢m now in the ¢north.¢ I wonder if there¢ll still be all of the trail magic and all of the easy hitchhikes. It¢ll be interesting to see if there¢s any difference.If a person wants some time off from the trail, this area is the place to do it. From Harper¢s Ferry, for example, it¢s an inexpensive 75-minute train ride into Washington, DC. Gettysburg and Antietam Battlefields are both within a half hour, and many other battlefields are pretty close. If I hadn¢t already done most of these things, it¢d be really tempting.Cute scene today. I was taking a break next to a tree, and, unknown to me, a tiny fawn was hiding behind that tree. It couldn¢t have been more than a few days old, but was already quite agile, because when it realized how close I was, it bounded away as gracefully as any adult. Beautiful!
Date: 2003-06-20
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Rite Spot Motel; Fayetteville, PA
Miles today: 9.6

Hiked 6:15-10:30. In here for a mail drop. Rained hard all morning, but, fortunately, the hiking was pretty easy.You¢ll notice I¢ve been staying in shelters a lot lately. This is because it rains almost every day. The shelters are less crowded now, and the company has been pretty good. Not last night, though. There were two shelters and ten people -- three guys about my age, six young guys, and one very beautiful young lady. The six guys and the girl have pretty much hiked together since the beginning, I think. These are bright kids; for example, they exchange books, and the two in our shelter were Tuesdays With Morrie and Fast Food Nation -- not trash by any means.However, the conversation and actions I heard and saw were just unbelievably crude. I felt like I need a hot shower with lots of soap after that -- and that girl didn¢t look nearly as beautiful after all.I read my devotional and scripture (wonder what they thought of that?) and felt better before retiring for the night.Want to get philosophical? I asked Buffalo Bobby why anyone would ever hike the A.T. more than once. His answer: For social reasons. ¢We¢re all equal out here,¢ he said. Nobody even knows who the others are in ¢real life.¢ I think he¢s right, and he¢s a prime example -- very sociable, very interested in others, not self-centered (and, despite being 59, isn¢t in the old man testosterone competition). He thoroughly enjoys all of the banter in hostels and shelters -- more, it seems, than many sights on the trail (not, obviously, like me).Here¢s a story I¢m telling you a few days late. Occasionally, you see a picture on the A.T. of a lost dog, with reward offered for its return. I¢ve often thought, ¢Wouldn¢t it be nice to find one of those dogs and return it to the owner?¢ That didn¢t happen to me, but it did happen to Juke and Papa Roach. I read in one of the registers that two sorry looking dogs, one with a tag, wandered into their shelter. As it turned out, they fed the dogs and kept them for a couple of days until they got out to civilization. Then they made some phone calls and were able to return the dogs to their owners and claim the reward -- a happy ending all around. It seems the dogs are neighbors and often wander off for a day or two. However, this time, heavy rain washed away their scent, and they were unable to find their way home.
Date: 2003-06-21
From: Rite Spot Motel; Fayetteville, PA

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Hiked 9:30-2:00. A unique day. Easiest hiking I¢ve had. I arrived here at 2:00 for a rest break, then went about 3/8 of a mile farther. When lightning struck close by, that told me to get back here, so I scrambled back and got in just before the rain started -- and what a rain! Close lightning, hail, wind, heavy downpour went on and on and on -- and is still going on as we speak. An amazing storm! I¢m tucked safely away in this brand new shelter. Thanks, prayer partners!The stop, despite much unused energy, caused me to delay reaching my biggest milestone yet -- I¢m sure you know what that is.I also don¢t know what I¢m going to do all evening, because I forgot to buy a book in Fayetteville.This is the first day of summer -- the well-known Naked Hiking Day. I don¢t know if Naked Hiking Day is a joke or not (I suspect not), but it was too cold to find out. I certainly didn¢t intend to participate, regardless of the weather, you¢ll be glad to know.Maintenance of the A.T. is done by volunteers from various clubs; e.g. this section by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (P.A.T.C. -- pronounced ¢Patsy¢). During my hike, I¢ve seen these volunteers painting blazes, sawing up trees that have fallen on the trail, trimming weeds that are leaning over the trail, and pruning low-hanging branches. Certain sections of the trail are maintained much better than others. As with every other area of life, I¢m sure we notice the badly maintained parts much more than the well-maintained ones.Everybody dreads the northernmost part of the A.T. in Pennsylvania, but these first two days have been the easiest hiking so far; level, well maintained, lots of pine trees, great shelters, and I¢ve already passed through two state parks, with another one coming up tomorrow.
Date: 2003-06-22
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Tagg Run Shelter (a.k.a. James Fry Shelter)
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked 6:30-3:45. Passed the halfway point today -- a huge psychological boost for me. There¢s an elaborate marker at the spot, but, of course, it¢s in the wrong place, because the halfway point changes constantly as the trail is rerouted.Tradition has it that thru-hikers stop at the general store in Pine Grove Furnace State Park and eat a half gallon of ice cream to honor the achievement. I was too hungry for other things to eat a half gallon of ice cream, but did have a large cone. Thru-hikers time themselves on the half gallon -- I heard that the record is six minutes!So, how does this halfway thing affect me? Can I do this all over again? No, but fortunately I don¢t have to. I don¢t have to go through that first month of physical and mental conditioning again. I don¢t have to go through eleven weeks of rugged up-and-down hiking again. I don¢t think I¢ll have to go through such long-lasting bad weather again (although how I deal with heat is yet to be seen). So I¢m more optimistic about this second half coming up.Am I more likely to quit when adversity hits, now that I can say I at least did half? Maybe. However, I think when that happens, I¢m more likely to think, ¢Just hang in there for ten (or nine or eight or whatever) more weeks.¢Today¢s hiking was typical southern Pennsylvania -- level and nicely sloped, some rocks but not outrageous yet. Last night¢s downpour left the trail very wet, actually turning much of it into a shallow stream. Sunny in the late afternoon, though, and the weather is supposed to be good (and hot) the next two days.In addition to the weather, another reason I¢ve started staying in shelters often is that they¢re no longer crowded -- three of us in there last night (in a shelter that would hold ten easily) and two tonight (Buffalo Bobby and me).
Date: 2003-06-23
From: Tagg Run Shelter (a.k.a. James Fry Shelter)

To: Super 8 Motel; Carlisle, PA
Miles today: 20.2

Hiked 6:30-5:15. You gotta love Pennsylvania! Sunny all day (for a change) and pretty warm. After five hours of roller coastery woods in the morning, it was as if the A.T. spit me out into this lovely valley and said, ¢Here, old fella, enjoy.¢ There¢s a stretch of nearly 15 miles (ten of which I did today) that¢s almost totally flat, unlike anything I¢ve seen on this trip.Not only that, but much of the hiking was through or along farm fields, a really pleasant change. In some cases it was a ten-foot-wide grassy strip right through the middle of a field. Much of the A.T. is through national forests, national parks, state forests, and state parks. Many of the narrow corridors like today¢s are owned by the National Park Service, although some are still privately owned. If one of those private owners decides to no longer let the A.T. pass through, I presume that eminent domain issues may arise. (I believe such an issue is in play right now in Maine, the private owner being a ski resort.)In one case today, I was walking through a pasture that had two beautiful horses. They had blinders on which prevented them from seeing me, or, for that matter, seeing anything other than what¢s straight out from the ends of their noses. This brings up the next story...Within two hours of the home of thru-hiker Howdy (not his real name but close). I asked him if he was going home; he said no -- too much hassle. This is a guy with no wife but with several kids and grandkids! A great example of one kind of thru-hiker -- blinders keeping his focus totally on the trail and no interest at all in the ¢other world.¢At the other extreme there¢s me. I¢m even considering flying home before tackling the last three states. This would cost me at least three days of hiking, which isn¢t even a concern to me if I could see my wife, kids, and grandkids. I¢m still very interested in the ¢other world.¢So which attitude is more likely to get you to Katahdin? I still don¢t know. From what I¢m seeing with the remaining 20 percent of thru-hike attempters, I¢d say there¢s no pattern. Which attitude you adopt probably depends upon your personality type and how happy you are with your ¢other world¢ -- and your age.After the first two miles of the 15-mile flat stretch that I referred to earlier is the lovely little town of Boiling Springs, as pretty a village as you¢ll find anywhere in the United States! Built around a crystal clear little lake (from the ¢boiling¢ -- i.e. bubbling -- spring), Boiling Springs reminds me of some of the gorgeous little ancient villages in England. I had lunch there.Passed the 1100-mile mark this morning, a minor milestone.
Date: 2003-06-24
From: Super 8 Motel; Carlisle, PA

To: Doyle Hotel; Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: clear sky

Hiked 7:00-4:30. This is a little river town (where the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers meet) that was probably quite something in its day, which is long past. The same could be said for this hotel, which is more like a hostel (except we each have our own crummy room); for $15, though, it¢s a real deal. Quite the hiker tradition to stay here. The tavern on the first floor is the main attraction.Hot and sunny today. Some farm hiking in the morning, but then back to the woods for ups and downs and rocks -- and now mosquitoes. Some nice views of the Cumberland Valley, though. I felt okay, despite the heat. Supposed to be even hotter tomorrow -- mid-90¢s! In view of possible rocky hiking and hot weather, I don¢t know how to plan my mileage, so I guess I¢ll just wing it. All I know is that I have to be in Pine Grove (46 miles from here) no later than Saturday morning to pick up a mail drop. Shouldn¢t be a problem.Saw a weasel today. That¢s pretty unusual, isn¢t it?In this hotel, as at many other hiker haunts along the way, there¢s a ¢hiker box.¢ Hikers put in there anything they don¢t need, and other hikers take from it anything they do need. Quite handy sometimes. Lots of food items in there usually, along with toilet articles, Zip-Lock bags, etc.I¢m pretty emotionally down tonight -- not sure why -- rocks, heat, depressing town, mosquitoes, return to more strenuous hiking??? I don¢t know. Maybe I¢m missing Buffalo Bobby, who wasn¢t feeling well yesterday and stayed in Boiling Springs.
Date: 2003-06-25
From: Doyle Hotel; Duncannon, PA

To: Near Route 325 
Miles today: 17.7

I¢m actually writing this on June 26 because a mosquito onslaught made it impossible for me to write -- or do much of anything else -- last night. Obviously, the tarp was a disaster at a poorly chosen, mosquito-infested campsite. Even setting up camp and cooking was pretty agonizing -- no longer fun. So it¢s back to the drawing board. Hopefully, staying in shelters (where the water is often away a bit from the shelter) might work. Other alternatives might be Deet (I used Skin-So-Soft, which worked okay, but sweat off easily -- plus these mosquitoes bit right through my clothes) and/or a tent. The only way I could avoid the mosquitoes was to put on my poncho or my fleece sweater, whereupon I sweat bucketfuls. The only relief came when if finally got dark (and cooler) whereupon the mosquitoes left -- two or three hours later than I usually go to sleep. What a disastrous evening!I do owe a big apology to the town of Duncannon. This morning¢s route took me up High Street, which gives you a totally different picture than does the main street. I saw the school, some nice apartments, and some well-kept homes. Nice town!After Duncannon came two bridge crossings (Juniata River and Susquehanna River), then a tough uphill, followed by some really scenic overlooks (Susquehanna Valley, a beauty) and some rocky, hot hiking. What saved me was a lot of time in the shade and some much-needed noontime trail magic (I took plums and ice water -- there was also beer and Gatorade, which I left for others).
Date: 2003-06-26
From: Near Route 325 

To: Econolodge; Pine Grove, PA
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Hiked 6:00-2:00. After that disastrous night of camping, today turned out to be fine. Although it was the hottest day yet, and there were no scenic overlooks, the trail was pretty level, except for a couple of strenuous ascents, and there was some nice history -- old coal mines and a ghost town (Rauch Gap -- all that remains is the cemetery).I had to pick up a mail drop here, but wasn¢t planning to hitch into town until tomorrow evening. However, considering the lack of sleep and considering the heat, I hitched in on an earlier road. I¢ll zero tomorrow (my 12th in 13 weeks) to catch up on the usual errands and rest my weary body.Today, I feared (unnecessarily as it turned out) lack of water, so I carried extra water in my ¢Platypus,¢ which came with my backpack. This is the brand name for a two or three quart plastic bag that fits in my backpack and has a hose that clips to the front of my pack and allows me to sip water regularly throughout the day via a ¢bite valve¢ (just bite it and water siphons into the mouth). Sounds great, right? Actually, it¢s a pain to refill. You have to ¢explode¢ your pack (¢explode¢ means to pull all the stuff out of your pack -- it¢s always amazing how much stuff is in there). A second problem is that you don¢t know how much water is remaining, making it impossible to ration. That¢s why I seldom use the Platypus, not to mention that water weighs about two pounds per quart.I¢m now over halfway through Pennsylvania and still like it a lot. Some rockiness, but no worse than what I saw in other states. Apparently, I haven¢t yet reached the real problem areas.
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Econolodge; Pine Grove, PA

To: Econolodge; Pine Grove, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we were supposed to get a thunderstorm, which is to knock the hot temperatures (mid-90¢s!!!) down about ten degrees. That hasn¢t happened yet, but it¢s clouding up. I really need that temperature drop.The errands, as usual, took half a day. The logistics here in Pine Grove are pretty typical. The motel is on the Interstate (81), about two miles from town. The post office and laundromat are downtown, about 2 1/2 miles from here, and the supermarket about three miles. In addition to the usual chores, today I had to do approximately 233 (exaggeration) signatures and initials (some in front of a notary), because we¢re refinancing our home. I left here at 8:30 this morning and just now (2:00) got back.Some of you probably have a hard time visualizing all of this hitchhiking. It does take some getting used to -- all of this rejection -- especially yesterday and today for me. Ninety percent of the time it¢ll be a lone male who picks me up, the other ten percent a lone female. Never have I been picked up by a vehicle with more than one person in it. There has been no age pattern, except there¢s never been an elderly female giving me a ride. The vehicle type is generally a pickup, S.U.V., or older vehicle -- almost never a nice private passenger type vehicle -- probably because I look dirty and smell bad.Hitches of 2-4 miles, like todays, are a problem. If it¢s less than two miles, I just walk it. If it¢s more than four miles, I stand in one place, knowing there¢s no way I¢m going to walk it, especially with all of these uphills and downhills. In the 2-4 mile range, though, I may keep walking, thumbing as I go, hoping for but not depending upon a ride. This is what I did both ways today. The problem is that I¢m walking on the right side -- not the safe side. Also, it slows me down turning around and thumbing every vehicle that approaches. As a result, after about a mile of unsuccessful thumbing, going and coming, I just bit the bullet, moved to the left side and gave up on getting a ride.My hitchhiking odds are better if I have a backpack on, but there¢s no way I¢m putting that thing on during a zero day. The same is true of boots.I still love these zero days. As long as the weather is decent, though, I don¢t mind ¢saddling up¢ and heading back to the trail, which is what I¢ll be doing in the morning.