morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-24
From: Big Meadows

To: Luray, VA / Aqua Blaze
Miles today: 17.6

Woke up just before 6:00, saw an awesome sunrise over the Shenandoah Valley, and started hiking around 7:15. Treework, a hiker who joined up with us a week ago in Waynesboro, and a few other people were talking about doing a river trip to Front Royal, which would be through the end of the Shenandoahs, instead of hiking that section. So we got to the town of Luray with the intention of getting inner tubes/rafts and going down the river for the next two days. Wound up that the rafts at Wal-Mart and Dollar General weren't the best kind, and to get to Front Royal would take about a week doing that, so we set it up with the Shenandoah River Company to canoe down the river. We started up today around 5:00 and went about 5 miles to the first campsite. The river was awesome, although we got rained on this first night. Nothing too bad, though, since our packs were all tied up in garbage bags and stuff. Funny story about how we got to the Shenandoah River Company, me and Jake and Treework and Blackfoot had been trying to get rides from people at the Wal-Mart parking lot and finally we gave up and headed up to the main road to hitchhike. After about 5 or 10 minutes of standing on the side of the road with our thumbs out, this guy in an old truck pulled over for us and Jake went to go talk to him. He said the conversation went like this: Jake: "Hey we're trying to get to the Shenandoah River Company, do you know where that is?"Driver (looking straight ahead at the road): "Yep."Jake: "Oh great are you heading that way?"Driver: "Nope. Hop in." So this guy drove us to the River Company and it took about 35 minutes to get there, and it was completely out of his way.
Date: 2007-06-25
From: Luray, VA / Aqua Blaze

To: Aqua Blaze
Miles today: 38.0

Keep in mind the "daily miles" for today is skewed because it's over two days of canoeing. This entry is for 6/25-6/26 Started out on the river at about 11:00 on Monday, the 25th, and had one of the best times I've had since I started the trail back in April. We were getting miles knocked out without taking a step, and the scenery from the water was just awesome. There were many times when I was looking up at the mountains ahead of us or even behind us and it really looked like something out of South America, the flatlands around the river with the mountains shooting up right behind it. It was very inspirational, looking up at the mountains and thinking I'd been hiking over those things over the past 2 and a half months. The canoeing was great, the only downside was that I got burned pretty bad on my shoulders and my back, so hiking with a pack on will be tough. I was in a canoe with Rockhound and Blackfoot, and we were doing well all day until we got to one rapid that everybody else got through without any problems. As we were going through it, we hit a rock and that threw us all out of the boat with everything else. I hit the back of my leg pretty bad, and we lost a few supplies from the canoe, including my hiking poles. Blackfoot got a really bad cut on the back of hit left foot, and we had to do some emergency first aid on him. Keymaster, a 23-year old girl in our group, had some surgical staples, and G wound up stapling the wound shut after cleaning it out. It was one of the craziest, scariest, and most hilarious things I've ever seen -- Blackfoot was screaming in pain but laughing at the same time. Whenever G would put in a staple, he'd say "Ok, I'm about to put one in, you ready?" and Blackfoot would say "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm ready -- GAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" I'll never forget the look on his face, he was sitting against a tree and laughing hysterically but had this expression of not believeing what was going on. His wound is looking ok now -- very clean and it looks like it'll heal without any infection. The bad news is that he's going to have to get off the trail for a week or so, and probably get a tetanus shot. Today is the 27th, we are gonna get back on the trail this afternoon and hopefully get to Harper's Ferry, WV by the end of the week.
Date: 2007-06-27
From: Aqua Blaze

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Got up and out of Front Royal at around 1:30 after running a few errands in town during the morning. The night before a group of us went to see Oceans Thirteen. It was better than I thought it'd be, but then again, I didn't really have any high expectations for it going into it. It was fun to see a movie, though, it had been a while. The hiking today was very easy, with the first 2 miles or so gradual uphill. It was really good to be back on the trail after our canoe trip. The Jim and Molly Denton shelter was extremely nice, one of the best ones on the trail I've seen yet. It's got a really good porch extension on the front with railings going around the sides, can fit around 10-12 people, has a cooking pavillion, and it's even got a shower. It's a solar shower, meaning there is a big tank filled with water that is supposed to get warm from the sun, but it's pretty cold -- perfect for right after a hike, and today was really hot and muggy. Really good night hanging out with everybody, Dirty got a radio recently and we just sat out on the porch, listening to music and talking.
Date: 2007-06-28
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: broken clouds

Got up early and left the shelter around 8:30 or so. Some really good, challenging hiking today with a couple uphill stretches. I had looked at the profile map before getting started and figured it wouldn't be too enjoyable but I listened to music most of the day and that really helped me get through those difficult parts. Had lunch at Dick's Dome Shelter, which is one of the most unique and strangest shelters I've seen yet. It's a geodesic octagon made out of roof shingles, very odd. If I had hiked big miles and had gotten there at the end of the day, I would've been pretty bummed out. It didn't look like it could fit more than 5 people. But the area around it was pretty nice -- a creek was running right in front of the shelter and there were several nice camping areas. Hiked on after a nice long lunch break and went through Sky Meadows, a nice VA state park, and got to Ashby Gap where a big group of us (8 or so) got a hitch into town from a really nice guy who picked up all of us and took us to a convenience store down the road. I got a BBQ sandwich and a Gatorade, liked the sandwich so much that I got another one for dinner at the shelter. We got back on the trail and hiked the final 3.5 miles to the shelter. Another good shelter, spring just a couple hundred feet away that had a pipe running down that most of us used as a quick shower. I just washed my feet off, felt really good after the initial cold shock. I didn't have to treat the water because it came straight out of the ground -- some of the best water I've had yet. At this point, I can definitely taste the iodine solution from the Polar Pure, so I'm real thankful whenever I can get clean water that doesn't need any sanitation.
Date: 2007-06-29
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Started out early again because the original plan was to go 21 miles to David Lesser shelter. The night before we had a pretty good rain, it was real nice to lie in the shelter and listen to it pounding on the roof. When I got up this morning, it was still overcast and cool; really good hiking weather. After about a quarter of a mile from the shelter I came up on a sign that said "Now entering THE ROLLERCOASTER" and goes on to say a few other things. Basically, the rollercoaster is an up-and-down stretch of 10 peaks over 13 miles. Most of the uphill climbs were pretty steep, but they were only half a mile to a mile long, so I got over them pretty quick. I did the first 10 miles in about 4 hours when I got to Bears Den Hostel. I had heard a lot about this place, it is run by the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) and is a castle. Extremely nice, I think it was voted one of the best hostels in America recently. I was originally going in just to take a shower and maybe dry my clothes, but the laundry machines weren't available until 5:00 PM. After I got out of the shower, Snack Break (a thru-hiker who was working there for a bit) brought down some fried chicken and ice cream and I knew I was staying there for the night. Awesome place; very laid back and relaxing with everything one would need. We watched a DVD from 1986 about thru-hiking and as different as things were back then in terms of gear and equipment, it's all pretty much the same today. This was a documentary, I think it was called "Five Million Steps" and they interviewed hikers in each state of the trail (14 total). I was able to relate to everything each one of them said, things like hunger, solitude, loneliness, companionship, weather worries, gear problems, etc.
Date: 2007-06-30
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: broken clouds

Left Bears Den hostel around 9 or so and finished out the rollercoaster early in the morning, after that it was easy hiking the rest of the day. Finally got out of Virginia, which was a big milestone in itself because Virginia is right around 1/4th of the trail. Several good lookout points today, good weather and a little hot, but nothing too bad. Stopped for lunch at David Lesser Memorial Shelter, which was really nice, and got into Harpers Ferry around 7 or so. My friend Amanda came and visited us from D.C. for the night and the next day, she used to live in Athens with me and a few other people for those of you who don't know. We all had a really good time, went out to a pub in Harpers Ferry and played pool and darts for a while. Came back to the Comfort Inn and crammed about 9 or 10 people into the room, which is way over the limit, but by this point, we're kinda pros at sneaking around the front desk, heh heh heh.
Date: 2007-07-01
From: Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Baltimore (Zero)
Miles today: 0.0

Went to the ATC and got my picture taken for the photo album. It's actually a pretty small place, but then again, I guess they don't need much there. I was the 488th hiker to come through there this year, which is a little under the average over the past 10 years or so. It was cool to see who else had come through so far and to talk to the people who worked there. A big group of us went to Baltimore today to see an Orioles game at Camden Yards. Amanda drove us down there, took about an hour or so, we got tickets behind home plate (upper deck, two rows back...great seats) and kinda cheered for the Orioles. It was cool to see a game at a new stadium, this was my 3rd major league park (Turner Field, Wrigley Field, and now Camden Yards), but at the same time, I didn't really care about either team so it was hard to get into it. Jeremy Guthrie, pitcher for the Orioles, had a perfect game through 3 innings, but after he gave up a hit in the 4th I walked around the stadium to see the whole place. After the game we went down to Fells Point, a spot on the bay in town. Pretty nice area, it reminded me of downtown Charleston a little bit. I got another western, snap-up shirt at a vintage store that I wore hiking the other day and is real comfortable. We all ate at Shuckers, this good seafood restaurant, and then headed back to Harpers Ferry. A really great day, perfect weather all day long with some of the best people in the world. Got back in Harpers Ferry pretty late, and Amanda had to drive all the way back to D.C. from there. Just want to say thanks again, Amanda, for all you did for us while you were in town, hope you're able to join us again soon.
Date: 2007-07-02
From: Baltimore (Zero)

To: Harpers Ferry Hostel
Miles today: 2.0
Weather: clear sky

A nearo (not a zero but close to it) today to the Harpers Ferry Hostel. We took at trip out to Wal-Mart and Food Lion and picked up some food for G to fix us all a nice spaghetti dinner. It was awesome -- G was a 5-star chef in Vinings, GA (close to Marietta) and the whole meal was delicious. He did this back in Pearisburg, VA, but I didn't know about it and missed out, so I was real glad to get in on it this time. Jake, G, Bigby, Grizzle, and I were over by Wal-Mart and went to a pizza place for lunch. There was this really attractive waitress there, and after we sat down, we all kinda started saying to each other "Man, she's really hot" and then Jake said "Yeah, she smiled at me!" He said it pretty loud, and it wound up that she was right there behind him. It was pretty funny, he looked like an ass. Started hiking at around 5:30 or so, really easy hike, I actually did it in my Crocs. Met a few people as the trail went through the town, several good points to stop. The hostel here is really nice. It's cheap, got good showers, fast internet, and a good kitchen/dining area, not to mention plenty of camping space. I think the plan for today is to go 16-22 miles, depending on how we're all feeling.
Date: 2007-07-03
From: Harpers Ferry Hostel

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: broken clouds

Wow, been quite a while since I've updated this, so some of the details might be a little sketchy, but I'll try.....Wound up staying at the Harpers Ferry Hostel the night before, and we all had a great night. Slept in my tent, very nice night -- cool temperature and clear, and a train rolled by at around 1 in the morning. Woke me up but it didn't bother me that much, it had been a while since I got to listen to something so loud, I enjoyed it quite a bit actually. Wound up heading out of the hostel around 12 or so and we all took a big lunch break at the Weverton Cliffs, which looked over the Potomac River as well as giving us views of Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia all at once. About two miles later we got to the Ed Garvey Shelter, decided it was too nice of a place to pass up, and stayed for the night. It was a two-level shelter with porches on both sides, I slept on the porch attached to the upstairs, it was nice. We got a little bit of rain but it helped cool things down. The only negative thing about this place was the water - 0.4/mile downhill. It came straight out of the mountain, which was nice because I didn't have to treat it, but the hike back up was about as much fun as an uphill hike sounds.
Date: 2007-07-04
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Turners Gap / Harpers Ferry 
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: few clouds

We all decided we'd head back to Harpers Ferry for the 4th of July fireworks, so today we only had 11 miles to go to Dahlgren Campground. The hike was really easy -- mostly flat ridgewalking and down to Crampton Gap, where there is some cool Civil War memorial stuff. Not much exciting until we got to Harpers Ferry and found out that they celebrated the 4th of July the prior weekend. So, we were in Harpers Ferry with no place to go, and we were hungry. After several phone calls to local places, we found out that the only place that was open to get food was The Pub, located about half a mile from the Hilltop Hotel, the place we were staying. There were about 12 of us walking down there and then it started raining, so we all found awnings to stand under to wait it out. After a while, it lightened up a bit, and Tater and I ran all the way to the bar. It felt good to run, especially since I hadn't really done so in over 3 months. Had a good burger at The Pub followed by several games of pool, including one against some local guy who was talking a lot of trash, but it was fun because I was talking it back to him. I wound up losing the game on a tricky shot on the 8-ball that if I made it I would've scratched, and the result was an extremely easy shot for him. Went back to the hotel, watched Conan and went to bed.
Date: 2007-07-05
From: Turners Gap / Harpers Ferry 

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: moderate rain

Got up in the morning at the hotel and while everybody else was eating breakfast, I went out to the front of the hotel where there were some tables and read the paper for a bit. As I was reading, Gazelle, Friar Tuck, and Ranger Gord (the last two are part of the Hobbits) came out of the hotel. It was really cool seeing them, since I hadn't seen them since Trail Days back in May. Gazelle had a truck with her and we got her to give a bunch of us a ride back to the trailhead, which was about a 20-minute drive. Once we got there, we met up with another hiker who was doing trail magic -- his name was Jedi -- and I got a few Gatorades and sandwiches from him. It was awesome, especially since I had had a small breakfast that morning. The hiking was good, nothing real challenging or memorable. We were going to go on to the next shelter but it had started raining about an hour before arriving at the shelter and we decided to stick around.
Date: 2007-07-06
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: The Rosesniffers
Miles today: 12.7

The plan for the day was to get to a shelter either 15 miles out, 17 miles out, or 18 miles out, but we wound up getting in touch with some people who were fantastic -- Bill and Amy Reinke, aka the Rosesniffers....Started hiking around 8:30 or so and got to Pen-Mar Park, where I met up with Keymaster and G, who had ordered a pizza at the park and let me get a couple of slices. I had to get to the post office in Waynesboro, and Keymaster had to get to the one in South Mountain, so she and I hiked out of the park to try to get to both of them before they closed. We got to a spot on the trail where there was a cooler with some sodas and a flier on top of the cooler talking about a place to stay with laundry, a meal, and a few other accomodations. I called the guy at the next road crossing to see if he could give me a lift to the post office and he said "Yeah, sure, I'll give you a lift, and then maybe you and the other people you're hiking with could stay at our place tonight, how's that sound?" So I said, "Well, that sounds great, but there's a bunch of us, and money is kind of becoming an issue for some of us, so how much is it per night?" He said "Oh it's free, we don't charge hikers anything." So, of course, we all decided to stay there for the night and wound up having a blast. The next day was Bigby's birthday, so these people went out a bought him a cake. They cooked us a huge meal of hamburgers and hot dogs, vegetables, desserts. Extremely nice people who were also really fun to be around.
Date: 2007-07-07
From: The Rosesniffers

To: Gettysburg (0)
Miles today: 0.0

A bunch of us crammed into a hotel room in Gettysburg with the intention of seeing a Civil War reenactment. After arriving there, though, we found out that it was $25 a person, and nobody was really into that, so a few of us wound up taking a driving tour. Tater's parents were visiting him for a few days, and they bought a CD you put in your car and you drive around and listen to it. It was real interesting, lots of cool memorials and very different actually being there in person as opposed to trying to study it in textbooks. Later we went out to dinner at Appalachian Brewing Company, which was real nice. Bill and Amy wound up meeting up with us and we all ate outside on the patio, which the restaurant had just opened up, so we were the first group to eat out there. Something I forgot to mention about Bill from yesterday's entry: he thru-hiked the trail back in 1986 and has been putting up hikers for many years. During dinner, he got up and proposed a toast to our group, saying how good it was to see a group of hikers going through the trail the way it's supposed to be done. He was referring to the amount of fun we're all having and the comeradery (sp?) amongst all of us. It was one of those moments when I thought "Aww, that's so sweet" but I didn't say that out loud because I'm a dude.
Date: 2007-07-08
From: Gettysburg (0)

To: Quarry Gap Shelters
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Stayed at Quarry Gap Shelters (yes, plural) but actually hiked well past it.....Amanda, who visited us the week before, picked up a couple of us from Gettysburg and we went to Caledonia State Park. We got there and decided to do a slackpack, so we got a ride 11 miles up the trail and got dropped off, and the two of us hiked south back to Quarry Gap Shelters and decided we'd stay there for the night because that's where everyone else in our group was staying. So, we hiked back to the park, which was about 2 miles downhill, and got my pack. Then we hiked back to the shelter, 2 miles uphill, and at night, which was really nice because it was cool out. Hung out at the shelter, listened to Dirty's radio for a while, Amanda and I played some chess (she won because she plays at a master level), then went to bed. Oh yeah, I almost forgot -- Amanda and I were hiking along and passed these two guys from Massachusetts, Cobweb and Mayo. After we passed them, I started joking around with Amanda about something (I can't even remember what it was) and was being a jerk, and karma got me: I was stepping over some rocks and stepped on a tree stump that looked like it was rooted into the ground but it wasn't and I fell right on my ass. Want to say congrats to Amanda for doing so well in the hike and thanks for joining up with me for a few miles.
Date: 2007-07-12
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Doyle
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Met up with David, Jess, and Nick this afternoon. The Doyle is a great, awesome place -- save for a few shortcomings that are typical of the usual hotel, we had a blast here. There is a downstairs pub that has an awesome pastrami sandwich for only $3, and they serve 22 oz. beers for $2 all day long. They've got a pool table there, too, so we had plenty to do the night we were there. Almost forgot -- once I got to the Doyle with Jake and his friend Bob (thru-hiked a few years ago in '02 and '03), we were waiting at the bar to check in and get a room. I was standing next to this local guy who I'm sure is there every day, he was missing a front tooth and as I was standing there he turned to me and said "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!!" I was quiet for a second, not really sure what to do, so I said, "Who the hell are YOU?" He stuck his hand out and said, "Well I'm Jim."
Date: 2007-07-13
From: Doyle

To: Peters Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 11.4

David, Jess, Nick, and I started hiking out of Duncannon around 11 this morning and got to the shelter at about 6:00 or so. We had a good, uphill hike for the first mile or more, and then the rest of the day's hiking was just ridgewalking. At one point, we came across a baby vulture about 20 yards off the trail on some rocks, it was cawwing really loud and was covered in white feathers. It was pretty weird, reminded us all of that Jim Henson movie "Dark Crystal." Got to the shelter and found out the water source was about a half mile, straight downhill, and once we got down there, we found out that the water was nothing more than a trickle. We had to cut up a gallon jug and use the bottom of it to pool up the water, it took forever.