morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Fish Hatchery Road

To: Rusty's Hard Times Hollow
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

This morning I ate a wonderful breakfast prepared fresh by Lois. Then, I got a ride to the trail. Within twenty minutes, I met five other hikers. I was passed by ( and then met up with again) Bleach and Durag. At the Priest Shelter I met section hiker Peter. After that I met two local day hikers.I knew that the climb down the Priest was more than 3000¢ in about four miles. I expected it to be pretty steep and rocky, but it really was OK. Even if I were going up it SOBO, I don¢t think that it would be that bad.After descending below 1000¢, we of course, went back up to about 4000¢. The three ridges were a bit rocky, however it was very beautiful, even in the fog. As I was ascending the final peak, a thunderstorm came over the mountain. There really wasn¢t anything I could do except hope. Thankfully, the storm was fairly mild, and most of the lightening was a good distance away ( 3+ seconds from flash to sound).After that, I glided down the hill, down the fire road, and Blue Ridge Parkway to Rusty¢s Hard Times Hollow. When I arrived, Rusty was not there. According to one of his letters/signs, the Hollow is back to the way it was in the early 80¢s, self-serve. As of 9pm, Rusty has not yet shown up. It seems that the hollow has modernized a little bit. They have electricity and a telephone.
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Rusty's Hard Times Hollow

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: moderate rain

Last night Rusty came in at about 10pm. It seems that he was in town looking for a new 4WD truck. This morning, I got to spend a little time talking to Rusty. At 10:30am he brought me back to the FSR. As a result, I didn¢t get back on the trail until almost 11am. However, I made really good time and arrived at Rockfish Gap at about 7:20pm. I picked up two packages at the Inn at Afton. Since it was late, I would have eaten and stayed there, but their restaurant was closed for a private function. So I called a trail angel to take me into town. I am extremely glad that they have this network set up. I was hungry and tired and was really glad that I didn¢t have to walk into town.I checked into the Quality Inn and then the angel (Bryant) dropped me at Scotto¢s Italian Restaurant. I think that this is the most hungry that I have ever been on or off the trail. I ate a large plate of pasta with hearty meat sauce. I also ate the entire basket of bread, and then a whole pizza. For dessert I had an awesome raspberry gelato. I was still a little hungry when I finished, but I didn¢t want to destroy the great taste of the gelato that was in my mouth.
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Hightop Hut

To: Lewis Mtn Campground
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I got a little lazy. I woke up after 8am, and took a nice easy pace on the trail. When I arrived at Lewis Mountain Campground I met several other hikers, including Slim Jim and Chatter (both SOBO section hikers). They were going to get a $14 tent site, so I suggested that the three of us split a $27 cabin instead. They liked the idea and that is what we did.After putting my gear away in the cabin, I went and took a 15 minute shower ( $1 for 5 minutes, 50¢ for a towel rental, and complimentary shampoo/conditioner and soap). It was simply heaven. The water was hot (too hot, if you put it on the highest setting). There was even a bench so you could sit down while showering. The shower head was connected to a hose so you could get a good spray anywhere ( I really love the back of the neck).Then I proceeded to buy out the campstore: 5 ice cream desserts, 5 bags of chips, 3 bottles of juice, coffee, and a cup of noodle soup. All that I bought went just for today, not for resupply.When I got back to the cabin, Chatter and Slim Jim had already started the wood stove with the wood we had collected before. The entire picnic table plus two buckets were full of wood.Right now, I am sitting in a chair with a back next to the wood stove ¢ temperature probably 85 degrees. I am simply in heaven since it is going to be 30 degrees outside tonight. I am really glad that I ran into Chatter and Slim Jim.
Date: 2006-04-27
From: Lewis Mtn Campground

To: Skyland
Miles today: 16.9

This morning I woke up relaxed and refreshed. I slept very well on a 3¢ thick mattress pad. I think that I should buy a 3¢ mattress and carry it around with me (of course I¢m just kidding).Chatter and Slim Jim told me that they are going to attempt a thru-hike in 2010. We all had a great time and were very happy that we met and shared a cabin. I feel that it¢s experiences like this that make your thru-hike great. It would be nice to finish, but if I don¢t I¢ll know that I still had fun (plus it is a perfect excuse to spend sping break section hiking the AT).Within the first hour after leaving, I saw nine deer. At one point, there were five all together. They were eating the nice green grass on the trail. When they saw me, they slowly walked 10 feet away. Passing them, I stopped and took their pictures. They didn¢t care at all. When I continued on, I told them to ¢take care¢ which brought on a weird look because apparently humans don¢t talk to deer.Well, around 11:45 I was coming past Big Meadows Lodge (I had planned it that way). After a short wait, I was seated, eating lunch in the lodge. All of the items on the menu have cute names like ¢Stock Market Crash 3-Onion Soup¢ or ¢ New Deal Chicken.¢ For dessert I ate their Blackberry ice cream which was really delicious. Other choices were blackberry pie and cheesecake with blackberry syrup. I¢ve been told that at breakfast pancakes can be covered in blackberry sauce.Leaving Big Meadows feeling really full, I sauntered down the trail to Skyland. As a late birthday present I ate dinner at Skyland. The food was a bit pricey, but it was really good. The prime rib just melted in my mouth.After dinner I went to the Taproom and talked to the bartender and ate blackberry ice cream. Since I have already set up my camp in one of the very few locations suitable under the backcountry regulations, I am going back to the Taproom to meet some of the other hikers/tourists. I probably won¢t stay long though because I am pretty tired.
Date: 2006-04-28
From: Skyland

To: Gravel Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: clear sky

This morning I woke up and caught a 7:30 breakfast at Skyland. Two eggs, potatoes,biscuit, corned beef hash and orange juice just filled me up.The best view of the day was definitely at Mary¢s Rock. There is a side trail .1 mileoff the AT that leads to a tall rocky column. If you scramble up to the absolute top, there is a 360 degree view. What I thought was cool was the US211/Skyline Drive interchangeinterchange. There was this big complicated loop and overpass in the middle of theforest. It just looked so funny.In the afternoon, I came to Elkwallow Wayside. I was hoping to get a couple of blackberry milkshakes. However they didn¢t have one of the ingredients.. As a result Iwas never able to try the famous Shenandoah Blackberry Milkshake. I guess that I amgoing to have to hike the park again sometime.When I arrived at Gravel Springs Shelter, I was the only one there. Since it was 7pm, I figured no one else would come. However, 5 minutes after arriving, even before I hadall my gear out, two section hikers arrived. I was very impressed with their packs: they had almost perfected ultra-lighting. One guy¢s pack was about 20 pounds. Neither ofthem joined me in the shelter; both set up their tarps to sleep outside.One of the hikers had grown up in the Atlanta area and knew pretty much every bit oftrail in that area (in fact, he had done a one month section hike starting from Springer). It was nice to remember the beginning of my trip. It was also fun to swap stories.Tonight I am going to go to bed right around sundown because I plan on waking upearly tomorrow so I can pick up my package in Front Royal.
Date: 2006-04-30
From: Terrapin Station Hostel

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night there was a bear 3 feet away from me, but I didn¢t know it. About 1:30am there were really loud banging noises. However, I thought that it was Mike coming home, so I ignored it. Really, I was wondering why Mike was making so much noise, but since I was in a partial sleep I was able to just dismiss it. In the morning we walk outside and see the trash barrels are all clawed up. The garbage was all over the ground. It turned out that Mike had heard the same noise and had just thought that it was us being loud. It¢s kind of funny that after six days in SNP I don¢t see a bear and then one comes while I¢m sleeping in a hostel.I had planned on leaving fairly early this morning (by about 8am), however whenever there is a nice hostel with nice people, I tend to stay a bit longer. I spent time talking with B-Man, Medicine Man, and Mike. Later in the morning we went to Fox¢s Diner (which is changing names to Skyline Diner). Three breakfasts later I was ready to head out onto the trail.It was really cool to go past the zoo fence. I saw bamboo, some zoological buildings, and a really unusual deer.Almost all of the PATC shelters seem to be very impressive. The Tom Floyd Wayside and Denton Shelter both had porches, benches, and picnic tables. The Denton Shelter even had a wood shed and a solar shower.As I passed Manassas Gap, I met Medicine Man who had section-hiked from Abby Gap to Manassas Gap. I also met a trail angel who said that he left sodas at Manassas Gap Shelter. It was good that I met him because the sodas were down the hill in the spring. Since I was stopping at the next shelter and I didn¢t need water, I wouldn¢t have checked there.Dick¢s Dome Shelter was an interesting shape (a dome). It wasn¢t very pretty though, because the shingles were starting to fall off. I thought that I might see other thru-hikers, but I was the only one there.
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: clear sky

Today I began the Roller Coaster. I had heard several different things like: ¢It is very easy¢ and ¢It¢s completely insane.¢ I found it to be a little more than a minor inconvenience. The Tennessee Boys (who arrived at Dick¢s Dome at 10:30pm) found the Roller Coaster tough because they had pushed almost 30 miles the day before and didn¢t really get too much sleep. The Bears Den Hostel was really nice. It was built in 1933 in the style of European castles. It is stone with nice bunks and a great lounge area. There I met Medicine man again ¢ he had section-hiked from the Blackburn Center to the Bears Den Hostel. It was strange that I ran into him three days in a row. I also met orange Lion, a section hiker. We all (me, Orange Lion, the TN Boys) all ate dinner around the same time. There were five pizzas cooking in the oven. The smell was overwhelming!!! After dinner, I headed out to bears Den Rocks to watch the sun set. There were five locals there who were really nice. They live down in the valley but love to come up. Sometimes they even clean up trash at the Rocks.
Date: 2006-05-02
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Loundin Heights
Miles today: 17.8

Last night I had called my mother and finalized plans to meet her at US 9, Keys Gap. I told her that it would be 2pm but I showed up at 3pmOn my way to keys Gap, I saw the Blackburn Center. It is situated in a nice location in the woods. The powerline cutout offers a great view of the area around Washington D.C. There are great trees, flowers, and shrubs. The hiker porch is very well built. If I were staying there I would slept on the porch. The David Lesser Memorial Shelter was another really nice shelter with a porch and bench. At this point, I caught up to Orange Lion again and we both agreed that they needed something to help aid hikers in their crossing of Hwy 7. We both crossed after rush hour (him at 9:30am and me at 10:00am) yet it was almost impossible to get to the other side. For most hikers crossing between 7:30 and 8:30am the trail poses a death-defying challenge.Anyway, I met my mother at Keys gap. We went .3 miles down the road to a pretty good restaurant. They served pizza, wings and subs ( we got all three). About an hour later, after buying snacks and Gatorade and juice for tomorrow¢s journey, we returned to the gap. My mother dropped me off: she was going to come around from US32 and walk the .6 miles back up to the border. I made it to the Loudoun Heights Trail in a little bit more than an hour, but my mother wasn¢t there. I waited and waited, but she didn¢t come. I was really starting to get worried after it was two hours. Just as I was about to head down to see if she was OK, I saw her tired body coming up the hill. My first question was ¢Are you OK?¢ her response being ¢let me catch my breathe and tell you in a second.¢ Apparently, she was driving down the road when a truck from the opposite direction veered into her lane forcing her off the road onto a shoulder of shale. Her front tire burst, but she was OK. She called AAA to change the tire since the lugs were on so tightly. Knowing I would be worried, she had walked ¢double-time¢ up the hill.Even though it is not even dark, we are tired and know we are going to wake up at 2am so I can do the quad-state challenge tomorrow.
Date: 2006-05-03
From: Loundin Heights

To: MD-PA border
Miles today: 43.7

As a person who has both section hiked Maryland (in ¢04) and hiked Maryland in one day (today), I would have to say that the Quad State Challenge is stupid. If you are thinking about doing it, don¢t. I didn¢t really have fun doing the QST. Maryland and Harpers Ferry have many great things to offer. Take your time and enjoy the state.On my section hike I took a couple of hours to view the museum at Gathland State Park. I stayed at Dahlgren Backpack Campground (the one with hot showers and picnic tables FREE to hikers) and ate dinner at Old South Mountain Inn just .1 miles away. The next day I went swimming at Greenbrier State Park. I was able to spend time cooking a late lunch on top of Annapolis Rocks ( a definite must see).My point is that Maryland is a great state and rushing through it is nonsensical. It goes against the point and purpose of the AT. I went into today thinking that the Quad State Challenge would really be a fun adventure, but it wasn¢t fun at all. I felt rushed to go past or quickly visit points of interest. When I arrived in Pen mar, I was tired and hungry: at 10pm the local pizza place was closed. The Quad State Challenge was an interesting experience, but it is not all that it is built up to be.
Date: 2006-05-05
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Hagerstown
Miles today: 0.0

Today I did more than Yesterday (everyday I do more than I did yesterday). In the morning we went over to the post office to pick up a package that I was expecting. However, even though it had been sent 2 weeks ago, the package wasn¢t there, so I had to forward it to Duncannon.After that I went to the ATC headquarters to get my picture taken and sign the register. I was the 29th thru-hiker to pass through. A large bolus came in on the 1st and 2nd of May. Next I went to the outfitter, signed their register and bought a new packcover because the old one was pretty torn up ( and the Velcro had ripped off. In the historic town I bought ¢Old Fashioned Lemonade¢ and a ¢smoothie¢ that had chunks of ice about half as large as your fist.Then we drove down to Bears Den Hostel so I could show my mom the great view and the great accommodations. With not much time to do anything else, we headed up to Maryland for the night so that we didn¢t have a long drive to the trail at the MD/PA border. For dinner we ate at Crazy Horse Steakhouse where at the beginning of the meal they give you a bucket of peanuts. After you shell the peanuts, you throw the shells on the floor. It¢s amazing how slippery a floor full of peanut shells can get. The food was really good. I had a buffalo steak: it¢s very rare to see this offered on a menu in the East. I really enjoyed this treat.
Date: 2006-05-06
From: MD- PA border

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: broken clouds

Today was definitely a day of twin shelters, Dear Lick, Tumbling Run, and Rocky Mountain. It¢s kind of cool since the shelters are much smaller and intimate, perfect for small groups.As I have mentioned in my previous entries, I haven¢t seen too many other thru-hikers. However, today, about one mile before US 30, I met MaRk, apparently headed southbound. I asked him ¢Why are you going south?¢ He paused for a second and then exclaimed ¢Hey, Sunset.¢ He wasn¢t actually going south. He was getting back onto the AT after continuing straight where the trail turned left. It was good that I saw him when I did because I would have made the same error.It was really nice to see MaRk again. We had parted ways in Daleville with my giving him half a container of Breyers ice cream. I was finally able to catch up to him again because he had gone to Washington DC to visit all the free museums. Hitting US30, MaRk turned off to go to the Italian restaurant .5 miles west. I continued on to Caledonia SP because my mother said she would have a surprise waiting. My mother is really the best. As I pass one of the day use shelters, I see my mother waving me in like an air traffic controller. Sitting at the picnic table, we went through a complete meal: salad, baked yam, and my all-time favorite, BBQ beef ribs. She then drove me down to our campsite (amazingly over a mile away). It¢s interesting that since it is a weekend the campground is pretty full. There are kids running and screaming everywhere and one camper playing his music (strange music). However, this is OK because I am so tired that I can sleep through anything.
Date: 2006-05-07
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Early on in the day, I walked pass the Quarry Gap Shelters. These were very beautiful. There was a covering between the shelters with a picnic table and even a wind screen. Right across from the shelters was a spring with a very pretty bench next to it. This would have been a great shelter to stay at, but it couldn¢t offer the shower and food I got at Caledonia. As I was leaving the shelters, some section hikers came in and started complaining about the rocks. This was very funny because through today at least, I didn¢t think that there were any rocks. Most of the AT ran along old road bed and was flat and free of rocks. It really was easy, enjoyable hiking.A bit before I hit Birch Run Shelter, I met MaRk and a large group of locals. They called me over and asked me to join them. Though as bit drunk, they were really fun, interesting and nice people. They offered me hotdogs, pretzels, chips and everything else. I spent about an hour and half with them before I decided to push on. MaRk was still there and planned to stay for as long as they were staying. One thing that I thought was really cool was that thy had put sake in a can next to the fire to warm the sake. Down the trail, I saw a sign that said ¢Sunset Rocks ¢¦¢¦.Trail.¢ I just ignored the Trail part and took it as a compliment (ha, ha).I arrived at Pine Grove Furnace just as the little convenience store was closing at 6pm. I bought a 12 gallon of black raspberry ice cream and a local paper. Then, I stumbled up to the Ironmaster¢s mansion Hostel where I enjoyed my ice cream with four cups of freshly brewed coffee and the Sunday edition of the NY Times (the hostel overseer let me borrow it as long as I returned all of the sections).The hostel was really nice because it had beds with sleepsacks and real blankets. We had kitchen privileges and a big area for sitting. It looks like the hostel can accommodate more than 30.
Date: 2006-05-08
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: I76
Miles today: 25.9

Today I passed the marker indicating the halfway point of the trail (though I actually passed the true halfway point yesterday). It was pretty cool looking. The pole was tall with direction arrows pointing left and right with the same mileage. After passing the Alec Kennedy Shelter, I came to Center Point Knob. This was absolutely the last hill of the day. It was also very significant since it marked the northern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From there on, it was an easy walk through flat, rockless farms.I actually went right through Boiling Springs, past the ATC office. It is such a beautiful town with a lake. There is a gas station with a convenience store just 200¢ off the trail.When I arrived at I76, I sat down at the edge of a farmer¢s field and waited for my mother. I thought that we were going to stay at the Super 8 for $48, but my mother found a better coupon. For about the same price we instead went to the Carlisle Inn. I¢m telling you that nothing can beat this hotel. Just .1 miles past the Super 8, the Carlisle Inn has a heated indoor pool, sauna, hot tub, in-room coffee, and 2 queen beds, It also has a caf© which serves Starbucks and a restaurant and there is a Flying J across the street. My mother left some of the coupons in a bag by Hwy. 11 with a note about the hotel. Hopefully, some other thru-hikers will really enjoy this hotel.
Date: 2006-05-09
From: I76

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

The beginning of today was more of the same ¢ flat fields. The day was not very interesting as I didn¢t meet any other hikers. The rock situation really hasn¢t been too bad.Tonight I am staying at the Doyle. This hotel looks like a classic turn-of-the-century inn. On the first floor is a tavern and grille. The rooms are up a large wooden staircase. Each level shares a bathroom.At the Doyle I met Slip and Slide again (I first saw him at Lewis Mountain Campground in SNP). He had stayed at the Doyle for a couple of days, waiting for a flight so he could surprise his mother for Mother¢s Day (don¢t worry, I¢m not going to spoil the surprise ¢ this entry won¢t be posted until after Mother¢s Day).After eating a large steak at the grille downstairs, I headed down Main Street to eat a HUGE banana split sundae. It sure was good!
Date: 2006-05-10
From: Duncannon

To: Yellow Springs Village
Miles today: 24.3

Today the shelter locations didn¢t really work out so I decided to camp at the historic, now non-existant mining town of Yellow Springs Village.On the way I was happy to see water left by Trail Angel Mary. By filling up a liter it meant that I didn¢t have to go 2 miles down a steep hill to get water. That made me happy. The Peter Mountain Shelter was quite impressive with its two stories. It looks nice, new, and comfortable. However, the water source was inconveniently placed. It was after this shelter that I was going to get water at a spring supposedly at mile 1148.7. By about 1148.5, I had slugged down my last sip of water unaware that Wingfoot listed the source almost two miles before its actual location. In fact, PA 325 was listed as almost a mile before its actual location. I hope that people read this and don¢t make the same mistake. The most accurate resource for water source locations is definitely the map. As I was heading up Stony Mountain, I saw several springs coming out of the mountainside. It was a little interesting because they were bright orange. I can see why this area was big on mining.When I arrived at Yellow Springs Village campground, there were already four other tents set up. However, since it was 8:30pm, everyone was already asleep and I didn¢t get to met them.