morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-13
From: Gravel Spring Hut

To: Gravel Spring Hut
Miles today: 28.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today started like any other on the trail: work up the motivation to get out of my sleeping bag, pack up my sleeping bag and sleeping pad, and then head to the spring for water. As I worked my way down the trail and looked over a boulder in search of the spring to my surprise I saw a medium sized black bear. He stared back at me and then slowly turned as if he was sneaking away and then bolted through the woods. I was less then 20 feet away and wanted to take a picture of it ... but my camera was in my pack back at the shelter. After breakfast I had a big decision to make, eat another breakfast at a restaurant 4 miles up the trail and hike 15 miles or hike 28 and eat dinner around mile 22 at a wayside. I opted for the dinner so it was another long day of hiking.The trail continued to be less difficult so the miles went by rather easily. I got to the wayside around 4pm and once again was disappointed to find out that there were no milkshakes. So I loaded up with some other fattening foods. I also realized that I only needed a few supplies and I could save myself a trip into Front Royal for a re supply. If you have been reading my journal you would notice that I haven't had to make dinner for the last three days. (Got to love the Shenandoah's)After stuffing myself and calling Danielle to change our plans for this weekend, I had 6 miles to go to the shelter. In the next 6 miles I saw 4 more black bear. This first one was a monster. I would guess 600 pounds. He was sitting at the edge of the trail and just as I got my camera out he noticed me and blasted off into the woods. A few miles later, a medium sized bear was walking north on the A.T. He strolled along for about 100yds while I continued to move closer. I was able to get a picture and then I recorded some video on my digital camera as I crept in even closer. Eventually he stopped, looked back, (at which time I became a bit nervous) and then was off into the wilderness. The last 2 were about 30 feet off the trail. I originally only saw a cub about the size of a dog. He was sitting eating berries and did not mind me watching. As I reached for my camera, I heard some snorting and unsettling sounds. I turned and saw the mother bear another 20 feet to the left of the cub and decided to leave my camera in its case and take off down the trail. I think it¢s safe to say the next quarter mile was my fastest on the A.T. yet.The shelter is a happening place. There are a number of thru-hikers here and a few with some great stories. Today was the last of the waysides and campgrounds so it¢s back to my trail food and a shorter day tomorrow.
Date: 2006-06-14
From: Gravel Spring Hut

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Nothing real exciting to report today. I hiked out of the park this morning and now it¢s back to the good old A.T. I was kind of in a space land all day today. Over half of the hikers out here have been getting sick. It seems to be a 24 hour flu type of thing. I am feeling the effects of it but hopefully I can fight it off. I may also feel this way from covering over 100 miles in the last four days.Today was a nice short day even with many breaks. The shelter is really nice. It has an unheated shower and a nice big deck in front of the shelter. I have about 50 miles to Harper's Ferry which is the unofficial halfway point of the trail. Well it¢s only about 7pm but I am going to turn in and call it a day.
Date: 2006-06-15
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 28.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today looked to be a nice 25 mile day with shelters spaced out every 6 miles or so. Days like this are nice because you can hike shelter to shelter and take nice comfortable breaks and get water at the shelters. But when I reached the first of these shelters, James (a thru-hiker that had stayed there) was telling me about a hostel that was 3 miles past the shelter where I planned to stay. The hostel sounded nice but when he got to the part about pizza and Ben and Jerry's ice cream I was sold. So my slow 25 mile day turned into a faster pace driven by hunger. The day was going by fairly well until I hit the Rollercoaster. This is a stretch of the trail with 13 steep short climbs. On a topographical map this section looks like an enlarged saw blade. To make it more challenging the terrain was very rocky. My feet were getting very sore from the rocks so with about 5 miles to go I stopped and soaked them in a nice cool stream. Finally, I made it to the Bears Den which is the nicest hostel I have seen on the A.T. It is a stone structure that was built in the 1930s. It can house up to 30 hikers, it has a full kitchen, dining area and a nice lounge area. 25$ got me a shower, laundry, pizza, ice cream, bunk with linens and breakfast tomorrow morning.I was also able to make phone calls and this is when I learned of my Grandfathers passing, yesterday afternoon. If you read my entire journal you would remember that part of my "reason" for being out here is because of the great people in my life like my Grandfather, Fred Bare. There is not a word or a combination of words in my vocabulary that I could use to describe what an outstanding person we have lost. My hero has moved on, and it saddens me greatly that I did not get my chance to say goodbye.Danielle will pick me up tomorrow in Harpers Ferry so I can return to York for the service.
Date: 2006-06-16
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry (Home)
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Well today was not one of the "fun" days on the trail. All day I had that "Are we there yet?" feeling that you get on a long car ride. I stormed through the end of rollercoaster and then worked my way over the rocky terrain and made it into West Virginia and then finally Harpers Ferry. When I arrived at the A.T.C. office (Appalachian Trail Conservancy which operates and maintains the trail) there were a number of hikers hanging out enjoying some trail magic. I had been out of water for over an hour so the Gatorade really hit the spot on a hot day. After hanging out a bit, the volunteer at the center took my picture and added it to this year¢s thru-hiker album. I was the 370th thru-hiker to reach the mental halfway point. (The actual halfway is about 70 miles away) When I started my hike April 29th, I was told I was about the 900th hiker to leave Springer Mt. headed for Mt Katahdin. I have passed a lot of hikers but I can't imagine that it has been 500. It would be interesting to know the exact number of hikers that get off the trail.While I was waiting for Danielle to pick me up, I was trying to find my Great Uncle's photo in the 1987 album. I didn't have a lot of time so I didn't locate it although I did see his name listed as a 2,000 miler. (This is how the A.T.C. recognizes a thru-hiker) I am hoping to spend some more time here learning more about the trail. Once Danielle arrived it was in the car and back to York to attend my Grandfather's viewing. It was nice to see all of my family after 7 weeks on the trail; unfortunately it couldn't have been under different circumstances.
Date: 2006-06-17
From: Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Gathland State Park (Days Inn Fredrick, MD)
Miles today: 10.6

The last 48 hours of my life have been intense. Mentally, I have gone from the joys of making it past the 1,000 mile mark and out of Virginia, to the difficulties of dealing with the loss of a family member. All of this mixed in with seeing my family for the first time in almost 2 months. I left Harpers Ferry for York and almost 24 hours later I found myself back in Harpers Ferry. I slid my sore feet into my shoes and hit the trail heading north feeling even more determined then ever to complete what I have started. My next couple of days on the A.T. will be very special. I am going to have the chance to share my experiences with my family. Today, Danielle hiked the 10 miles out of Harpers Ferry with me. My Dad and Nephew, Austin, dropped Danielle and I off and then drove to Gathland State Park and parked the car. They headed south on the trail and we met up with them with about 3 miles to go. I was amazed with Austin's endurance as he made the 6 miles or so look simple. It was awesome to be out there making miles and sharing that same time with my family. When we got back to the car we had a 20 minute car ride to the hotel where we are staying tonight. My Mom, other nephew, Logan and niece, Sammi are also staying tonight. Tomorrow my Dad will hike with me and we are set to do about 25 miles. I will then get the chance to spend some more time with them.
Date: 2006-06-18
From: Gathland State Park (Days Inn Fredrick, MD)

To: MD491 Raven Rock Hollow (Historic Cozy Inn, Thurmo
Miles today: 25.1

My wake up call came at 5:45am at the Days Inn and I was not ready to get up. But my Dad and I wanted to start hiking by 7am so I got myself going with the thought of the continental breakfast. Danielle also had to get up to drive us back to the spot where I got off the trail yesterday. The hiking went well. There were very few climbs, although the terrain got very rocky at times. I guess this served as a good warm up to the PA rocks. My Dad had no problem doing the big miles, but I think he is also going to get to experience some trail related blisters. While my Dad and I were out in the heat hiking, Danielle, my Mom, sister and nieces and nephews were splashing around at Cunningham Falls State park, a lake resort in Thurmont, Maryland.We had set up a time to meet them at a road crossing and the timing couldn't have been better. As we got to the road they pulled up and picked us up. My parents had mentioned they had a surprise for Danielle and I. We drove into Thurmont to the Cozy Inn, a neat little hotel and restaurant. Camp David is located nearby and many presidents and other famous people have stayed here. My parents got Danielle and I the Roosevelt Sweet, which is an awesome room. Jacuzzi tub, robes, towel heater, and fireplace. It's pretty amazing to think that today is Father's Day and my Mom's birthday and they are the one's giving a special gift to Danielle and I. My parents are also staying in a room here and we have reservations to eat in 20 minutes so its time to go eat!(I just finished stuffing myself at the AYCE and I can¢t move. The food was great, but spending time with my family was even better.)
Date: 2006-06-19
From: MD491 Raven Rock Hollow (Historic Cozy Inn, Thurmo

To: PA233 South Mountain (Home)
Miles today: 19.1

Once again, I found myself waking up next to my wife in luxury trying to get the motivation to get back to the trail. I don't think I could make it to Maine if I were to stay in hotels every night; I would not get started early enough each day. But after another continental breakfast and another shuttle back to the trail it was time to make some miles on the A.T.Danielle and my Mom hiked the first 6 miles of the day with me. They did great! I am convinced that my family could do the entire A.T. with me (That is if they could stay in four walled shelters with plumbing and electricity every night.) We met my Dad at Pen Mar park, had some lunch, and then my Dad and I set off to do the last 13 miles for the day. Just after leaving the park we crossed the Mason-Dixon Line which means I am now in PA. That's 5 states down 9 to go. After about 1 hour of hiking my Dad and I started to hear the rumble of thunder as it came closer and closer. Finally, we found ourselves in the middle of a thunder storm and we got soaked. The trail was like a small stream and we splashed through heading north to PA233 where my Dad's car was parked and waiting for us. The rain passed and shortly after that we made it to the car.I am now at home ready to relax and get ready for the second half of my journey. I have made the decision to not re-hike the 60 miles or so that I completed this spring prior to leaving for Springer. A thru-hike is defined as hiking all 2,175 miles of the A.T. in a calendar year. So it would really be foolish for me to go out and re-hike miles that I have already completed. This will also allow me a few extra days to get some things accomplished at home as well as give my feet and legs a rest. Tomorrow I will be taking my only zero day. Wednesday, I will be hiking about 8 miles to cover one section I missed between PA233 and Duncannon. And then Thursday I will be back on the trail heading north from Duncannon. So its not going to be a long break but 3 nights of sleeping in my home will be awesome.
Date: 2006-06-20
From: PA233 South Mountain (Home)

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park (Home)
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: broken clouds

I posted the miles that I hiked back in March into today¢s journal entry. If you are interested in the details of my hike from South Mountain to Pine Grove it is posted under Prep #9. Rest and relaxation was my agenda for today and I did pretty well accomplishing my goal. I had to stop in at school to check on a few things and then Danielle and I got some lunch. Later, some family and friends stopped by the house and it was great to get to see everyone. Well I am going to go and enjoy my short time at home.
Date: 2006-06-22
From: Duncannon (Home)

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today it was back on the trail with a full pack and I sure felt the difference. It was great to head back onto the trail with John (We work together at Dallastown). He is planning on hiking with me the next 4 days to Port Clinton. We left Duncannon about 12pm and took our time doing the ten miles to the shelter. The hiking was not bad. John was right there with me the whole time and had no problem with the hike. The shelter is really nice although the hike down to the spring was the toughest of the day. We are sharing the shelter with 2 section hikers and Low Gear a thru-hiker. It is nice to be back on a regular schedule and stay on the trail. It was great to get to stay at home and see family and friends but the shuttling back and forth to the trail was getting rough and making me sleep deprived. It¢s time to refocus on Maine and get back in the groove. It¢s good to be back!
Date: 2006-06-23
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

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

Due to the lack of energy and illness (and for fun) John will be writing today's journal entry.Hello from the Rausch Gap Shelter. Although Joe was not feeling well today, he was still able to crank out 17 miles on nothing more than a pack of crackers and a few swallows of water. It's been a good two days and I'm looking forward to the next two. The trail is very rocky and pretty hard on your feet and ankles, but the climbs haven't been too bad. We had a pretty bad thunderstorm last night, but thankfully we were in the Peter's Mt. Shelter and the weather was pretty nice for our hike today. We heard the forecast for tonight is even worse, but there are six of us crammed into the shelter so I hope we'll stay dry.I'm learning quite a bit about hiking and the Trail and it's truly fascinating. I've met some really nice people and it's very interesting to hear their stories. I'm most impressed by their determination and spirit, how they get up everyday for months and keep moving northward is really impressive.I don't have any blisters so far, but I do have a few sore spots. I'm very glad however that my pack is getting lighter with every meal. Berryhound and Hardcore patched my sleeping pad so hopefully I'll get better nights sleep tonight than last night.I'm so glad to have this opportunity to hike with Joe for a few days and look forward to seeing him standing at the summit of Mt. Katahdin, achieving his dream.18 tomorrow and then 25 into Port Clinton on Sunday.John
Date: 2006-06-24
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

This morning started much better then yesterday, I didn't lose my dinner before heading north on the A.T. I am hoping that my illness was just part of a 24 hour bug. I feel better today, although my appetite isn't back yet. Not eating has a number of negative outcomes. First of all, not eating much and hiking almost 20 miles a day leaves you exhausted and even worse my pack has not gotten lighter.John and I reached the shelter around 3pm which wasn't bad since we started around 8am. We are living it up tonight. The 501 shelter is an enclosed building with bunks. Outside there is a hose that can be used for showering and water supply. And to top it off we were able to order pizza and soda. John made me proud and ate 5 or 6 slices. My recovering stomach was only able to handle 2 measly slices. That was the biggest meal I have eaten in 2 days. Tomorrow we have a 24 mile day to get to Port Clinton. John's wife will be picking him up there and I will probably come home one last night before walking to Maine.
Date: 2006-06-25
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA (Home)
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: moderate rain

Yesterday, John made the comment "this is like walking in a river without the water." Well he got his wish today. We left the shelter about 7:30 in a slow but steady rain. Within an hour it was pouring and within 2 hours it seemed to be one constant stream of water dumping down on us. It didn't take long before the trail was a small stream with an average depth of about 3 inches.Last night at the shelter we had a good time hanging out with Low Gear, Chef, Gretchen and Jumpstart. John and I hiked a good bit of the day today with Jumpstart. He is from Harrisburg and started his hike April 15. He has taken a number of zero days, so he is hiking at almost an identical pace as I am. The three of us took a break after 15 straight miles in the rain. After eating lunch it was very difficult to find the motivation to get back out in the rain, but we pushed on. I had felt good all morning and ate a decent amount of food for lunch, but after lunch I had terrible stomach pains. We finally rolled into Port Clinton by about 4:30pm. We stopped by the pavilion in town to change out of our wet clothes. This pavilion is designated as a hiker¢s shelter and there were a large number of hikers hanging out trying to stay dry. Jumpstart decided to hang at the pavilion, while John and I walked the half-mile or so to the Port Clinton Hotel and Restaurant. John's wife Barb and daughter's Emily, Meghan, and Ally were meeting us here. I had still been experiencing the terrible pains in my stomach at this point, so upon arrival to the restaurant I was headed for the restroom. I don't want to go into details but if you have ever seen the movie Dumb and Dumber and remember the laxative scene you can get an idea of my experience. Apparently the flu bug that I have isn't quite out of my system. From what Danielle tells me 5 or 6 people that were over at the house Tuesday all had the same illness. Once Barb and the kids arrived, we ate at the restaurant and then drove back to York, which was about an hour and a half. So now I will go to sleep in my bed next to my two girls (wife Danielle and dog Zo« on the floor) for the last time until my journey is over sometime near the middle of August. Tomorrow morning it will be back to the trail.
Date: 2006-06-26
From: Port Clinton, PA (Home)

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: moderate rain

I got up this morning when Danielle left for her Grad class and I wasn't real surprised to hear it raining. I got all of my things together and Roger Murphy picked me up about 10:30. We went by his place and picked up Gwen, Shad, and Levi. The Murphy's were giving me a ride back to Port Clinton and then they were going to stop in at Cabela's. Before hitting the trail, we stopped at Wendy's for lunch. Then it was back into Port Clinton where Barb had picked us up yesterday. After one final picture with the boys and a few goodbyes it was time for me to get back to hiking. I was so happy that the Murphy's were able to give me a ride. They also are letting me use a digital camera while I try to have mine repaired (It stopped working about 2 days ago). Just more proof that I would never be able to do this hike alone. As the Murphy's drove away, I followed the blazes down the streets of town. I felt clean, dry and as healthy as I was before the flu. It wasn't raining and I was ready to make some miles. That was until the trail left the paved road. My feet were instantly soaked as I sledged along the trail that was ankle deep in water. The trail ran beside a creek that was overflowing raising the water level on the trail to knee deep. Once I started climbing back up onto the ridge the trail looked less like a stream. The ridgeline of the mountain was very rocky requiring me to concentrate on the placement of every step on the slippery surfaces. After a bit, I started to hear an odd noise like a card stuck in a fan. I looked down and realized I was standing about one foot to the right of a coiled and angry rattle snake. Somehow I distanced myself from the snake by a couple feet before I even processed what was going on. He continued to rattle as I got the camera out and snapped a picture. I continued down the trail trying to keep one eye on the rocks and the other on lookout for more deadly snakes.After about one hour of hiking the wind started to pick up, shortly after, the rain followed. It rained hard and the trail flooded. I went past The Pinnacle and several other viewpoints with nothing to see but clouds. The trail was abandoned and I wanted to be out of the rain. I never stopped for a break and didn't look closely at my guidebook before starting. The shelter is actually located .2 miles down a road. I didn't know this and this is the first shelter I have seen located in someone's backyard so when I got to the road I kept hiking. After about 1/2 a mile I felt like I should have been to the shelter. I stopped, checked my book and started hiking south back to the road. Tomorrow morning I will hike the same section of the trail for the third time as I head north again. This shelter is pretty cool. It has electricity and water. There are a number of hikers here and the smell of wet dingy hiking gear is overwhelming. It sounds like rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week. Not fun.
Date: 2006-06-27
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up to the sound of rain again, leaving me searching for motivation to get moving. My plan is to be in Delaware Water Gap by Thursday. That meant toady I could hike 17 or 24. The way the shelters are laid out it really didn't benefit me to do the extra miles. It rained all morning and into lunch. There is so much water running down the mountains I would have to believe there is some flooding taking place somewhere. After lunch the sun tried to poke through. There was actually a 2 hour period in which it did not rain. I was happy because during this stretch of the trail I was routed up and over a very rocky ridge. It was like walking on a two inch rock balance beam. Shortly after getting through the serious rock scramble the rain came back. I scrambled over Bake Oven Knob and somehow made it to the shelter without serious injury. The shelter is tiny and 3 other hikers have showed up since I got here. Bravefriend said that 3 more are on their way. It will be an interesting night with all of these people and their soaking wet stuff.