morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-06
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Derek dropped us back at the Super Wal-Mart just down the road from Harpers Ferry. We got everything we needed and caught a hitch back to the ATC. Our long-lost friend Leki-less was there. We were so excited to see him. We posed for a photo and signed the log. We were #222 and #223 hikers to pass through this year. We ran down to the outfitter and Fauna talked to them about Chaco boots. They said they could special order them, so we did. We then joined Leki-less for a pizza lunch and sat and chatted with Baltimore Jack outside the ATC. About 3 we took to the trail and crossed the bridge into Maryland! The first couple of miles took us along the C & O tow path where lots of people were out walking and biking. We even saw lots of algae covered turtles basking in the sun on logs in the old canal. The Ed Garvey Shelter was awesome. We were there with Selma, Jon the RidgeRunner and Leki-less. We built a fire and it seemed to help keep the bugs away.
Date: 2004-06-07
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Pineknob Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

Our first stop today was Gathland State Park, named for a Civil War correspondent. We rested under the shade trees and split a liter of Gatorade. We then headed to Dahlgren Backpack Park and took a free hot shower. Very nice! We walked through Washington Monument State Park and climbed to the top of the first Washington monument. It resembled a giant stone jar about 30' tall. We had a wonderful view from the top. We then met Leki-less at Dogpatch Tavern, a very friendly biker bar. To our delight, it was $.50 draw night. So for a ridiculously small amount of money we had burgers and beers! We made it to the shelter right at dark to find Uncle Ben, Grass, Flyboy and Dragonfly. It was great to see friends we hadn't seen for a while!
Date: 2004-06-08
From: Pineknob Shelter

To: Devils Racecourse
Miles today: 12.7

We slept in again, still trying to catch up on sleep. Being in town sure makes you tired. We had hoped to make it to Pennsylvania today but the heat got the best of us. We took a 3 hour lunch break complete with naps. When the heat of the day had passed we finished the last 4 miles to Devils Racecourse Shelter. It was fun to walk and chat with Leki-less.
Date: 2004-06-09
From: Devils Racecourse

To: Rocky Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke up before 6 am to try to beat the heat. In the morning before 8 am is a really great time to walk. It is always so hard to get up, but once we get walking we are always glad we did. We passed through Pen-Mar park which was a beautiful park with the worst tasting water. As we continued north we crossed a log bridge and saw a large RV with people sitting outside. Of course your first hope is always TRAIL MAGIC!???! but not wanting to get our hopes up we proceeded to the road crossing and lo and behold! it was trail magic! Detective Friday and the Herminator were serving up hotdogs, ships, soda, cookies, and candy bars. We rested under their awning and enjoyed their food and stories. People's generosity never ceases to amaze me. We trekked on pausing at Deerlick Shelter for a rest and Antietam Shelter for swimming/wading and lunch. We then climbed up to Chimney Rocks for a nice view and made it to Rocky Mountain Shelter with just enough light left to find the spring to get water. Bugs were nasty. I had to re-apply deet 1/2 way through the night to keep them at bay.
Date: 2004-06-10
From: Rocky Mountain Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: light rain

This morning we walked 5 miles down to the road and proceeded to try to hitch into Fayetteville. We walked about 1/2 mile to a mile down the road before we got a hitch. Jim and Barbara picked us up in the back of their pick-up. Incredibly nice folks. They took us to the laundromat. Jim tried to loan me his tree identification book, which would have been really cool, but it probably weighed almost a pound so I had to turn him down. They had always wanted to climb Katahdin and now they do not think they will make it. So they gave me their picture to take to the top and place under a rock. Such nice people! After laundry we met Kevin at the post office and went to Gettysburg to take in some national history. We stopped at the museum and took part of the auto tour, stopping at points and reading blurbs about the battle. We packed up some sandwiches from the Italian restaurant. We ended up night-hiking into the shelter and found it to be beautiful with a covered picnic table and hanging plants and a bench. Kev and I set up the tent and we hit the sack.
Date: 2004-06-11
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Toms Run
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: moderate rain

We woke up to rain so we waited at the shelter till almost noon for the storm to break, but no luck. We hiked all day in the rain. We hoped to find Patrick and Sam at one of the cabins along the way, but no luck again. When we got to the shelter there was plenty of room and it felt awesome to put on dry clothes.
Date: 2004-06-12
From: Toms Run

To: James Frye Shelter
Miles today: 10.9

Today was a fun relaxing day. We walked into Pine Grove Furnace State Park and sat at the camp store and 6 of us shared a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. Sam met us there and we visited with him for a while. We then went swimming at the swimming beach. It almost turned bad when a jerky park ranger gave Bandicoot a hard time for sticking his head out beyond the blue bouy. We passed the official 1/2 way marker. Kevin and I took a side trip to a vista and met everyone at the shelter later. They already had a fire going. It was a nice night for tenting. We all wrote a really funny G-tales and then hit the hay.
Date: 2004-06-13
From: James Frye Shelter

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a pretty easy hike in to town. There was no camping after town and we didn't know for sure where we were going to stay. But for most of the day the hike seemed uneventful. We met Ridgerunner Heidi and she told us that John Garman let hikers camp in his backyard for $1. So we went to the Garmen house and found it very friendly and great for tenting. We ate delicious pizza at Anile's and re-supplied at the grocery store. We stopped in at Leo's ice cream for a cone then walked around the lake, trying out Fauna's new boots before bedtime.
Date: 2004-06-14
From: Boiling Springs

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

Today was really hot and we started late. Most of the morning we spent hiking through fields and pastures. When we hit US 11 we walked down the highway looking for a convenience store to buy a soda and gatorade. We couldn't see anything either way, but we saw a man outside a collision repair shop and asked him. When he discovered that all we were wanting was water and soda, he said that we could come inside the shop and use the pop machine and water fountain. So we had a great break sipping sodas and chatting with the receptionist and a lady waiting for an estimate. The remaining miles threatened rain so we hurried. We had a small climb and when Kevin and I reached the top we found Fauna resting on a bench and gazing at the great views. We arrived at the shelter before any hard rain and set up a tent. We waited out the rain while cooking dinner and wrote a G-tales where we all take turns writing a sentence of two.
Date: 2004-06-15
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We had hoped to get up early and head out but I don't think we hit the trail till 10 or after. It was a really hot day, and Fauna's first day in boots. We stopped at Cove Mt. Shelter for lunch and got to Duncannon around 6 pm. Trail Angel Mary had left a cooler of V-8 Splash on the trail right where it exits the woods. We were so hot and thirsty. Thank you Trail Angel Mary!!!We walked a few more blocks through town to the Doyle Hotel. It certainly looked past its prime, but was full of character and cheap beer! We got showers, laundry and beer all in the same building. And they were so nice. Three cheers for the Doyle!
Date: 2004-06-16
From: Duncannon

To: Harrisburg
Miles today: 0.0

After breakfast at the Doyle Restaurant the rental car company picked us up and once the car was rented we drove to Fayetteville to pick up Kevin's initial rental car. Once the secondary rental car was returned we went to the outfitters, but they had no boot stretching bar, but we did find a cobbler that did. John the shoemaker was pretty cool however, he reminded me of someone associated with the mafia. Maybe it was just the accent and the way he looked at Fauna, then looked at the boots, then nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I can stretch those." To make it even more interesting one of his clientele looked like an Elvis impersonator. While the boots were stretching we hit the library and checked email, picked up the boots and ate at Kevin's favorite burrito shop, Neato Burrito. It was awesome! Then we checked into the hotel and went and saw Shrek II. Very good!
Date: 2004-06-17
From: Duncannon

To: Peter's Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Kevin dropped us off at the Doyle around noon. We stopped back in the bar and chatted with Willow and MC before heading out. Right as we were ready to leave it began to pour. So we sat back down to wait out the rain. Soon the sun was out so we hit the trail. It was hot, but as we walked through town all the residents waved to us from their gardens and porchswings. The hike seemed fairly easy. We stopped at the first shelter for a snack where we ran into Eats, Tailwind, Fitz and PitaMan all southbounding for the day. They told us all our friends were at the next shelter. So we were stoked. The Peters Mountain Shelter is awesome, nice and big with a loft and lots of great people.
Date: 2004-06-18
From: Peter's Mountain Shelter

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

What a crazy day! We hiked 17 miles and hitched over 50 miles to get a mail drop. We started out the day early thinking we would try to hike 25 miles, camp and hike 10 more to the road Saturday morning to get to the Pine Grove PO by noon Saturday. After 6 miles we came to PA 325 and decided to hitch to the PO. Just as we decided this, a white blazer pulled into the parking lot. Fauna ran over and asked directions. Phillip produced a map and I wrote down directions. By the time we were done talking to them Phillip and his friend Donna decided to give us a ride to Jouliett--about 20 miles down the road. We chatted all the way. From Jouliett we turned south on a desolate road. We walked 3 miles and none of the 8 cars that passed would stop. I felt so frustrated I came undone. We rounded a corner and saw a woman in her yard feeding fish so we walked up to her. I am crying by this point and thinking we are never going to make it back to the trail by dark. The woman was probably almost 60 and obviously scared of us. We started telling her our situation. She finally decided we were not too threatening and she would give us a ride in the back of her truck. So we made it to the post office and then Sandra took us all the way back up the hill to Jouliett. After we climbed out of the truck and waved good-bye we bagan trying to organize everything. At that moment an old Jeep pulled up to the stop sign. The driver asked where we came from, "The Appalachian Trail" we said in unison, "Are you turning left?" I added with a smile. He pulled over and we hopped in. His name was Skip and he was incredibly kind. He drove us all the way to the trail head. I was exhausted. After a late lunch we refilled our water and hit the trail. It was a fairly easy 12 miles. We turned off the AT onto the shelter trail, I looked up a saw what I first thought to be a large dog. Just as I realized it was a small bear it took off into the woods. The shelter was full but it was a great night for tenting. We hung out around the fire and cooked up chicken and stove top stuffing. What a day!
Date: 2004-06-19
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We slept in till 7 and headed out at 9. The first section wasn't too bad but after walking under I-81 we came to a small rock field. Killer! It seemed to take ages to walk 7 miles to the William Penn Shelter. My ankles are killing me still. Fauna got so frustrated with her achy feet it was her day to come undone. We found Tailwind in the shelter and chatted with him while we ate lunch. Then we laid down for a nap. The remaining 4 miles to 501 were nice, and we hiked close and played the question game. When we got to the shelter there was plenty of room and Grass gave us her leftover pizza. What a sweetheart! Also had a piece of stromboli Pam, Fitz' fiance gave us. We spent the remainder of the evening around the fire listening to all the farts Slim and Biscuit have recorded on audio tape. I do have to admit, it was pretty funny.
Date: 2004-06-20
From: 501 Shelter

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Happy Father's Day! We started our morning with a phone call home. The weather today was absolutely perfect. And through a lot of blood, sweat and tears I am finally feeling victorious over my new boots. I hope these boots last my whole life cause there ain't no way I'm ever breaking in another pair. We had a 15 mile day from 501 to Eagles Nest and are the only ones her tonight. Kinda creepy!
Date: 2004-06-21
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: broken clouds

8 sweet miles into Port Clinton. We got up early and took off so we walked into town around noon and found our friends UB, Grass, Patrick, Lobstah, and Slayer still at the pavillion. We enjoyed a scrumptios lunch of eggs, pancakes and breakfast sandwiches. We took the bus to Cabela's, thinking the laundromat and grocery store had to be close, but it wasn't. However the kind greeter at Cabela's drove us there in the store van. So after laundry and groceries we caught a ride back to the pavillion with a coolkid named Chris. We mentioned we really needed showers so we stopped by one of his friends, named Jason, who let us shower. We chilled out with a crowd of people and watched them play video games. Chris took us back to the Pavillion, which St. John's Church lets hikers camp in. It seemed to be just Patrick and us so we cooked up some dinner and re-organized and chatted. There were a few shady characters around so we were glad Pat decided to stay. Dragonfly's mom dropped him off at about 11 pm.
Date: 2004-06-22
From: Port Clinton

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We tried to sleep in this morning but route 61 was definitely a reminder of how loud the real world is. After we got everything packed and loaded it started raining, so we waited out the worst of it and hit the trail with Patrick. We met Phil on the way up and the four of us hiked the whole 15 miles together and got wet together when the afternoon thunderstorm struck. We got to the Eckville shelter which has a caretaker and is nice and we ordered pizza and hit the sack.
Date: 2004-06-23
From: Eckville Shelter

To: BAkeoven Knob
Miles today: 16.9

Today was a killer. We left the shelter at about 9:15 am. It took us almost 5 hours to hike 7 miles. The rocks were really challenging, not to mention painful. We stopped for lunch and then walked smooth for a while. We went over the knife edge on which we were walking along the edges of rocks. We were all hurting. Pat and Phil hiked most of the way with us today. They are such nice guys. We found a place to camp just north of Bakeoven knob. So we are all ready for bed.
Date: 2004-06-24
From: Bakeoven Knob

To: Lehigh Gap
Miles today: 8.2

Had a fairly rocky but easy 8 into Lehigh Gap. We found out that we missed tons of blueberries on the trail. We were so bummed. We made it into Palmerton with Phil and Pat and got checked into the Jailhouse Hostel. What a great town! Super-friendly people, eveything you need in close proximity. The town gives you a goodie bag and the IGA gives you a free apple! What more could you want? A nice park in the center of town and a hiker-friendly bar with cheap beer and free pool--yeah it also has both of those.After cleaning up and re-supplying we walked around the park for a while then headed to Mug Shots with Slips and Ranger Jim for a couple of beers. The owner was awesome, he kept giving us free beers and free plays on the juke box. After a few games of pool we headed to bed. What a great town!
Date: 2004-06-25
From: Lehigh Gap

To: Leroy A Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning we were walking out of town, not even hitching yet and a guy in a big truck pulls over and offers us a ride to the gap. It was a fun and challenging scramble out of the gap. We were glad we were climbing out instead of in. We found more blueberries on top of the ridge to snack on. Delicious! We stopped at an overlook for lunch. The trail was mostly filled with small pointy rocks that make it difficult to find a flat spot to walk through but we surprised ourselves by arriving at the shelter earlier than we thought we would and right before a big rain storm let loose.
Date: 2004-06-26
From: Leroy A Smith Shelter

To: Camp site with view
Miles today: 14.0

When we awoke the mist was still rolling in. It was a cool day and we caught Patrick and his friend Darrel just after Wind Gap. We hiked with them for a while till we took a break for lunch. It had turned into a gorgeous day. Wolf rocks were beautiful with the rhodendron blooming a light pink. Pat, Darrrel, Sam, Fauna and I spent a while taking pictures and lounging on the rocks. We stopped at the shelter to get water and cook dinner, then just north of the Shelter was an AWESOME camp site, all mowed that had a terrific veiw. Patrick packed up Yuengling (our new favorite beer!) and we drank a beer while we all pitched our tents. We built a fire as it grew dark and watched fireworks in the towns below. It truly proved to be one of my favorite days on the trail.
Date: 2004-06-27
From: Camp site with view

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We took our time packing up and getting into town. We met a lot of day hikers and we really enjoyed chatting with all of them and telling them about our adventures. It's kind of fun being the spectacle. We ate at the Diner before we realized that food at the market/bakery was cheaper and delicious. It was great to have real town food!We finally hit the trail after talking to Leki-less on the phone. He is still vacationing in Maine with family and friends. It was great talking to him. We stopped at Sunfish Pond to soak our feet then we hurried over the still-rocky trail to the Mohican Outdoor Center to tent and shower. We made it just before dark.
Date: 2004-06-28
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Rd Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

It was cloudy almost all day. It sprinkled a bit. We had a nice slow leisurely 14 miles to the shelter, stopping to lounge, climb the fire tower and eat blueberries growing along the trail. When we got to the shelter there was a family/girl scouts here so it was fun to talk with them. Grass, UB, Slim and Pony Express showed up as well. Tenting and hoping it's not gonna rain.
Date: 2004-06-29
From: Brink Rd Shelter

To: Deckertown turnpike
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: broken clouds

We planned an easy 13 to meet our parents. We stopped for lunch at a pavillion on top of a mountain. It was a neat structure and nice to be shaded with a breeze. We found our parents talking with Desperado, a local trail angel, in the parking lot. It was so great to see them! We ate pizza and showered and crashed at the High Point Motel.
Date: 2004-06-30
From: Deckertown turnpike

To: County road 565
Miles today: 22.1

Editors note: This entry written by Flora and Fauna's dad.This is Tinbender signing in. We had a small discussion on whether to hike 25 or 23 miles. Flora and Fauna decided we better stick with 23 and I sure am glad! The trail here is a lot rougher than it was in Georgia. I was wishing that we only went 15 miles. Thank goodness we didn't have to carry a full pack! (Peggy, aka Mother Nature, slackpacked us.) That last mountain was really a bear and I was sure glad to see that she was there waiting for us. We went to Warwick, showered and ate before crashing. It's sure good to be hiking with Flora and Fauna again.
Date: 2004-07-01
From: County road 565

To: Warwick Turnpike
Miles today: 9.5

What a beautiful day for a walk, not to mention a beautiful trail. We started out the day with a long flat boardwalk through some wetlands and over a nice suspension bridge. Super trail maintenance! We stopped for a break at Pinwheel's vista and as we made our way down the trail we met Pinwheel himself blazing trees, nice guy!Since it was a short day we all cleaned up then headed to Brotherhood Winery for a tour of America's oldest winery. We were kind of disappointed that we didn't get to actually see the wine being made, just a video and tour of the old wine cellars. Then we discovered how low our tolerance has gotten at the wine tasting. After a dinner full of giggles Flora and Fauna headed to Newark to pick up Derek. It was a long, traffic-filled ride. We gathered him up and crashed as soon as we got back to the hotel. It was really great to see him again after a month apart.
Date: 2004-07-02
From: Warwick Turnpike

To: Lakes Road
Miles today: 13.1

Editors note: This entry provided by Derek.Derek here. First day joining everyone on the trail, and I'm ready! Bring on the mountains! Today is a fairly short day so I should have a chance to "warm up" for next week when we no longer have the luxury of slackpacking. Some tricky ups and downs today, but overall, not too bad. Probably a good point for me to stop, as I'm getting tired. The stream water here is terrible so I have to be careful about my water consumption. Tomorrow's a big day, we'll see how well I hold up.
Date: 2004-07-03
From: Lakes Road

To: Palisades Interstate Parkway
Miles today: 20.2

Today we hiked over extremely difficult terrain. It took us 12 hours to slackpack 20 miles! Dad took off leading us and since we started early he happened to see a bear and two cubs. We were too far behind, she was out of there as soon as she saw him. It seemed that we climbed straight up several ledges, and walked along rocks at the top. The views were great, as we neared Palisades Parkway we saw New York City in the distance. It was beautiful. I was so glad to finally be at the car. We had tried to call Mom and let her know that we were going to be late, but her phone died so she didn't get the message. She was so worried, but happy to see us. We found a Mexican food restuarant and enjoyed a tasty dinner.
Date: 2004-07-04
From: Palisades Interstate Parkway

To: Palisades Interstate Parkway
Miles today: 0.0

Editors note: This entry provided by Flora and Fauna's mom.Mother Nature here--it's my turn to provide the journal entry. After a grueling day for the hikers yesterday, all of us decided that a zero was in order. Since I may never get to this area again, I really wanted to go see the Vanderbilt Mansion, and the others decided to humor me. (If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!) So we piled 5 adults into Flora's VW Beetle (which we drove out from Kansas) and drove a little over an hour to get to Hyde Park. After enjoying a picnic there under a tree, we took the tour of the Mansion. Living like that is the polar opposite of trail life! The mansion was fabulous and the gardens were magnificent as well.We drove back to Highland Falls and joined in the village's celebration of Independence Day. We went to the park where we spread out a blanket and played Trivial Pursuit for a while. When it got dark there was a spectacular fireworks show which was accompanied by music! It was nice for our family to be together for the holiday!