morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-23
From: Harpers Ferry

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

After we got to Harpers Ferry, we were hot, irritable, and didn't know where we were going to go for the night. I wanted a shower but everything was too expensive or full for Memorial Day Weekend. Finally I called my parents and they got a hold of Donna and Rick, some family friends. They drove over an hour to come pick us up, take us to their home, feed us, let us shower, do laundry, sleep in real beds and then the next day Donna took us to an REI where I bought a new sleeping bag and stuff sacks! Nothing was really wrong with my sleeping bag except a mouse chewed through the stuff sack and it was a 20 degree bag so I was sweating at night. My new one is a 40 degree, is more compactible and lighter weight. Then she took us to Rita's which is like an ice cream shop and we got gelatis! It was the best thing I have ever had. Then Donna took us to Earth Treks which is a climbing gym and Aqua and I rock climbed while Pogo and Donna bouldered. It was so awesome I was shaking after every climb because I wasn't used to that kinda workout but it was fun! Then we went to Wegmans. WOW. I have never seen a grocery store that big! It hurt my head with how big it was! When we went home we watched Marlee and Me. It was so cute, I cried. And we didn't go to bed until like 1am.
Date: 2009-05-24
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We had to go back to the trail today. We didn't leave till about noon but the truck broke down! They called some friends who drove out there and let us borrow their car. When we finally got to Harpers Ferry there were so many tourists we couldn't find anywhere to park. Donna and Rick started hiking with us for a little ways then had to go back home. We ran into a lot of day hikers and when we got to the shelter there were seriously 30 other people. They squeezed us into the shelter. A lot of people tented far off in each direction. I was excited to use my new sleeping bag and stuff sacks. We had a fire and a section hiker gave us these microvable meals that we heated on the fire. It was beef stew stuff, not too bad but probably not something I'd eat at home. Pogo bought a light up frisbee at REI the other day so we threw it back and forth once or twice. This guy was there just out for the night and he talked so much. Pogo talks a lot but this guy was nonstop. Aqua and I crawled into the shelter and were talking to one of the other guys and we got yelled at for talking too loud. Finally Pogo came in and slept on the floor because he didn't want to be crammed against the wall.
Date: 2009-05-25
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Everyone on the bottom level of the shelter was up and out at around 5am. They were fairly quiet though so it didn't bother us. We slept in some more and finally got up around 9. Aqua and I left ahead of Pogo and enjoyed the flatness of Maryland. We got to a park and waited for Pogo. Then had lunch under a pavilion. It was so hot out and this family brought over a watermelon and shared with us. They offered us a whole half of it but we couldn't eat or carry that much. They also took our trash for us. We hiked on and it started to rain. It felt so good. We didn't put jackets on, just let it drench us. When it stopped we arrived at a campground where a lady was out for a week. She made us amish tomato soup! It was so good and it warmed us right back up. I didn't want to put a tent up because I figured it would rain and eventually we convinced Pogo to keep going to the shelter. We got to the next road and decided to hitch into town for some food. Everything was closed for Memorial Day though. A guy had seen us walking and after dropping the groceries off at home came back into town and offered us a lift back to the trail. When we got to the shelter Dinnertime, Smiley, Jersey Girl and Midwest Mama were there. They squeezed some room and we all fit in the 5 person shelter. Pogo made a fire after we cooked dinner and we all sat around and had a blast.
Date: 2009-05-26
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Raven Rock Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: fog

We woke up to rain. Under that tin roof it sounded like turtles falling. Nobody left really early. Of course we were the last ones to leave at 11. I was in a really good mood and sang most of the morning. Until it started getting really cold. We passed Pogo Memorial Campsite and of course had to get a picture. After that I was so cold I walked ahead of them because the faster you go the warmer you can stay. I saw 3 people coming south all just out for the week or something. One unprepared for the rain, I hope he found a town to get a pack cover. The shelter was confusing because there were so many blue blazes before it. I got there and there was a film crew. They were shooting a movie. It was totally unexpected. Pogo and Aqua weren't too far behind and when they got there we cooked some hot food. Pogo told me to move closer to the bowl and as I did I knocked over the denatured alcohol. Whoosh. Up went a huge flame and half the shelter was on fire. Pogos pack caught and the film crew frantically tried to find some water to put it out. It was my biggest fire to date. Although scary it warmed me up. Finally all the denatured burned out and everything was good again. Except for a couple burnt ramen. The film crew gave us a chocolate donut and some bagels and coffee. I think they were trying to get us to leave. But they were really nice. We got to sit and watch them do a little filming but they wouldn't tell us what the movie was about. Finally we packed our stuff and left. We had to cross a stream and the rocks were slippery so Aqua decided her balance wasn't good enough anyways and walked straight through the creek. Luckily it wasn't too much farther to the shelter. We climbed a mountain with lots of cool rocks that would have been awesome views if the weather hadn't sucked. When we got to the blue blaze for the shelter it went straight down hill for .3 miles. I swear it was farther. The same crowd was there and they squeezed room for us again. Since we had just eaten a hot meal a couple hours ago we decided not to cook. Everyone just sat in their sleeping bags and talked. It was a very eventful day.
Date: 2009-05-27
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Pen Mar Road
Miles today: 5.0

Donna wasn't going to be able to pick us up until after 3 so we decided it was pointless to get up early. We laid around until 11:45 before we finally started our hike. Climbing back up that mountain was rediculous. We hiked together most of the day and took a blue blaze loop trail to some overlook. There were 4 high schoolers up there that wanted us to put them in a book so this is close enough but I don't remember their names. We looked at the fog with them for a minute then started for the Pennsylvania line. There were a lot of rocks and they were all wet so it made it fairly difficult. I slipped once from laughing so hard and just sat down instead of catching myself. I was not in the mood for hiking today and I think it had to do with all the rocks. We passed this huge heap of trash and it was so disgusting, just a bunch of bottles thrown in a pile like 20 feet off the trail. Texas Chill passed us and was also going into town. Pogo and him threw the frisbee in the park for a while. Then we decided to go to the road and hitch to find some food as we waited. We were supposed to cross the border but I never saw the sign for it. Apparently the railroad tracks was it but it should've said Welcome to Pennsylvania or something. Anyways when we got the road we tried to hitch and everyone either ignored us or like waved to us. Finally a guy in a truck stopped and we hopped in the back. He took us to a GT's mart and we got some lunch. A lady that worked there came out and started talking to us. She offered to buy us drinks but Aqua and I still had the ones we already bought, then she took us down to the post office so I could get my package from Cascade, Maryland. I meant to take a picture but I forgot. She was really nice though. Finally Donna came and we road back to her house. It was a little closer this time but still way out of her way. We went back and got showers and started laundry. Then we went to Rita's and I got another gelatti! Those things are addictive! We went to Blockbuster and got some movies then to Chickfila. We came back to her house and all watched Pineapple Express until midnight.
Date: 2009-06-04
From: Pen Mar Road

To: trail angel Mary's
Miles today: 0.0

So we're finally in Pennsylvania! Not exactly like I remembered it but then again I was so young I don't remember much of any of it. Aqua went back home last saturday. There's been lots of rain and lots of hot days. I'm really excited to go home for graduation and somedays I almost feel like I just want to stay home when I go. I'm so anxious that hiking is getting harder everyday. I think it'll be easier after I graduate though. So instead of blogging I just wanna make a list of things I've learned after making it halfway through my journey and as I am about to graduate high school.~Don't believe everything you are told.~There is a top to every mountain that you must climb.~Smile. It makes everything seem better.~When life gets you down, just keep swimming. (Finding Nemo)~There are still a lot of good people in the world.~Happiness is best when shared.~Pay It Forward.~Appreciate what you've got because a lot of people don't have it.~Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.~Everyone has their own story. Take time and listen.~Love is a crazy thing.~God won't give you something he thinks you can't handle.~Towns may cure the body. But nature cures the soul.~If you believe you can do something, you will.~Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll still land among the stars.
Date: 2009-06-13
From: trail angel Mary's

To: Graduation
Miles today: 22.0

So I am now officially a high school graduate!!!! On Wednesday, my mom drove 6 hours to meet us in Palmerton, PA. She slackpacked Pogo, T&A, Old Spice, Not SO Crazy and I 22 miles. We also gave a ride to Stuff Sack, Left Toe, OB and Blueberry, they didn't want to slack pack it. Anyways. We climbed straight up some boulders for at least a mile and had the perfect weather to do it in. It was cloudy but not rainy. That section would have been tough with a pack. Mom met us for lunch with subs and soda and refilled our water then we finished the hike. We started driving back around 6. I was driving first but we hit a really bad storm and the lightening freaked me out to much and I had to pull over. Pogo drove most of the rest of the way home until mom took over. We got back at 2am. The next day I pampered myself. Pedi, mani, wax. Then I went dress shopping and it took forever. I had the help of my friends Courtney and Taylen. Finally I found a dress I liked. We went back to my house and some more friends came over for spaghetti night. The next day I went to my friend Mallorys house and she did my hair. It's now red and short btw. I came home and we had a cookout for some family and friends. My sister Kim drove all the way in to see me. Kathryn, Kevin and Suzanne were also there. My youth pastor and her baby and Sheila and Rachel came. Dawn and I left at 5:30 just as my aunt Louise and her baby Lauren were arriving. We arrived right at 6 and I caught up with friends I hadn't seen since January. I think it was all a little over rated but it was still pretty exciting. Before they had even started calling names I was ready for it to be over. Finally, at 4th to last, my name was called and I received my diploma. Afterwards we took some pictures and said our goodbyes. Pogo, Jenny, Courtney, Sushi and I went to Sushis house and played rock band for a while. We took my dads TR7 which was really fun. We were supposed to leave at 10 this morning but we are taking a bus to NYC and it doesn't run on the weekends so we are leaving at 5 tomorrow morning. Pogo and I chilled out most of the day and went and saw Night at the Museum 2. It was cute, I liked it. But now it is time for bed so I can wake up in the morning.Thanks to my neighbors, family and friends. You have made me who I am today and I would not be here without your love and support. Especially my mom and dad.
Date: 2009-06-17
From: Graduation

To: NYC!
Miles today: 15.0

I enjoyed going home for graduation but won't be going back until I reach Katahdyn. Which I guess is good and will keep me motivated. I do miss being able to just live in one place instead of having to pack up my life and put it on my back every morning. But that's part of long distance hiking. Currently I am in NYC, well just outside of it on Long Island somewhere. We woke up at 5 on Sunday and drove back to PA. My mom got us breakfast at Waffle House then we had some lunch at Arby's right before we started our hike for the day. We slack packed 15 miles into Delaware Water Gap and are now officially out of PA and into NJ! Pogo and I went to a bakery for dinner where we ran into a couple that we had seen while hiking on the trail earlier that day. They were so inspired and kind that they bought us dinner. We talked and Mr. Dave works for the same company my mom does back in Virginia! Then to make it even weirder Mrs. Donna is a physical therapist which is what I want to be! What a coincidence! Anyways so we stayed at the hostel at the church on the mountain with Not So Crazy, Mr. Tree, and a couple other hikers. Pogo and I slept out in the living room because we had to wake up at 5 and catch a bus into the city. When we got to the city we were overwhelmed with all the people. We got Metro tickets and went down to the Village. We walked around for a long time and somehow managed to get to China Town. We had to ask how to get back to the Metro then eventually found our way back to the hostel we were going to stay at. When we were about to get checked in Pogo decided we should stay at his Aunts house. So we got back on the Metro and then a train to Hicksville. His aunt and cousin, Evan, picked us up and took us home. We showered and then they took us out to dinner. We got back and hung out until pretty late then went to bed. We didn't wake up until noon. We got a ride back to the train station with his other cousin, Amy and her boyfriend then went back to the city to meet another cousin, Zoey. She was really cool and we walked around the city more. Later that night we went back to his aunts house and Evan and his girlfriend Emily picked us up. His aunt came home with donuts for all of us! It was another late night and late morning. Evan and Emily made breakfast for us then Pogos grandparents picked us up and took us to their house. We tried to find Pogo some new shoes but were unsuccessful. We got pizza then hung out at his grandparents house until we got hungry again and went out for Thai. I think it was the first time I've ever had Thai. It was pretty good. Most of it was too spicy for my liking though. Then we came back home and might play some cards or watch a movie. It's been pretty relaxing. But the city is too dirty and overcrowded. We're both going to be ready to get back to the trail on Friday.
Date: 2009-06-19
From: NYC!

To: A campsite by cascades.
Miles today: 0.0

After an intense trip to NYC, Evan took us by car to the train station, where we went to Penn Station to take a subway. Then we walked to the bus station and finally after an hour or two of swaying on a loose bus seat we made it back to DWG. We went to the hostel but after finding it was crowded decided to go ahead and start hiking at 6pm. We crossed the bridge into New Jersey and didn't make it very far when we found a beautiful campsite. We had to climb down the side of a hill then cross a log over a fast moving bed of cascades to get there but it was a beautiful location. It took a while to find a place for us to fit the tent but we got it. The next challenge was eating. We still have no stove or pot so we couldn't cook. We searched for a bowl shape rock but that turned up unsuccessful. We decided to make a fire anyways. It took forever. For some reason it just wasn't working. Finally after over an hour it was going pretty good. We had some salami so we roasted that over the fire and but a handful of bacon bits on top. It wasn't exactly a gourmet meal but it sufficed for the night.You only fail when you quit trying.
Date: 2009-06-20
From: A campsite by cascades.

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

We woke up and had some poptarts. I'm getting so sick of them though that I couldn't even finish my packet and saved the other one for a later date. We got camp picked up around 10 and had to cross the log again. It was starting to drizzle. I was so scared and my legs were shaking. I knew I would fall in. So instead I straddled the log and inched my way across. It was so slow and painful but better than loosing my foot and falling in. All though it turns out my feet got wet anyways. After passing a group that was spread out for at least a mile, there were so many people together, it began raining. We came to Sunfish Pond and were amazed at how something so big can be called a pond. It was beautiful but raining so we couldn't stop long. We passed a man that referred to a "no fun" sign in which you can't swim, fish, camp, etc. etc. That gave us something to giggle at for a while. It began raining harder though and my boots got so wet that it didn't matter if I walked through the puddles or avoided them. So straight through we went. We got into some open field and were pelted by the rain. Surprisingly I was still in good spirits though. We decided to stop at the Outdoor Center even though we were planning on doing a 25 mile day. The guy working there rented us a room in a cabin that we shared with two other ladies. They were really nice and we played the card game spoons with them. Chris, the guy that worked there, must have felt sorry for us and brought us leftover food. We had pork chops, potatoes and brocoli! It was not bad at all for a free meal even though we had to cook it. We took cold showers and did not get to do laundry but had a wood stove to dry our stuff out.
Date: 2009-06-24
From: Unionville

To: Vernon
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Yay so it didn't rain today! At least not while we were hiking. But we decided to take a break in another town just before the rain came back. We crossed the boardwalk today which was sooo cool! Mainly because it is a mile long of flat and dry trail. It was very hot and the clouds were very threatening but they held off until we made it inside. Last night we slept in our tent. We were going to stay in the shelter because it looked like rain but after laying for just a few minutes with mosquitos buzzing around our heads it was time to get in the protection of our tent. And it actually didn't rain except for maybe a quick little sprinkle. When we got off the boardwalk there was an ice cream place 200yds away. Then, we got a ride into Vernon from Hannah and her 2 year old son, Max, who was so cute. Actually he's turning 2 this weekend! She dropped us off and we got some pizza! We went to a church hostel and got showers and did laundry and watched tv until the church next door had a hamburger and hotdog dinner. We chatted with the locals over some free food then I went to their service with a nice lady named Joan. It was a methodist church like I'm from but they had contemporary music and the sermon...well it made me appreciate my pastor back home. Not that it was bad I just couldn't follow it. I miss my church. I also surprisingly miss school. I know weird right? But my mind feels like it needs to learn. I bought a sudoku book to help occupy myself. I've been reading "Into The Wild" and even though almost everyone else who has read it loves it I'm still not getting into it and I only have like 2 chapters left. I can't wait for school to begin. This is the longest I have gone without being in class in over 7 years and even though I have almost hated going to school I'm ready to go back. Not to high school though. I'm ready for college!!!!!!
Date: 2009-07-06
From: Vernon

To: Rutland
Miles today: 0.0

It's been forever since I've done this. Well to start I went to the hospital yesterday. I've been sickish for 5 days now. It's miserable. We got to Dalton and stayed there for 3 days just resting. When I still felt bad we went to see a doctor. A family friend and former thru-hiker, Amoeba, brought us to Pittsfield where I checked into the hospital. It took 5 hours. Most of which just sitting there waiting. But they took my blood and gave me an IV. They figure I was just dehydrated.   My muscles still ache and I'm very exhausted. I kind of want to go home but know that I will regret spending 4 months away without seeing Kathadyn. Even though I have not hiked a lot of it I still feel as a thru-hiker. I just finished reading "A Walk In The Woods" where Bryson and Katz also don't complete the journey but still feel like thru-hikers. It does bother me that I haven't hiked it all but I had fun on my side trips. If we hadn't skipped ahead we wouldn't have met all the wonderful people that gave us a ride showing us there are still good people out there. Which I guess is all I really needed from this hike. Now I feel like I'm trying to defend myself. Oh well. Right now I'm wanting to just jump to hike some of the Whites and then jump again and do the 100 mile wilderness and climb Kathadyn and then go home. I know I'm missing a lot of pretty stuff but it'll still be here when I decide I'm ready for another hike. 4 months is just long enough for me to be living in a million different places with no one true place to call mine. The tent leaks and the bugs are so bad you can't sleep in shelters so it's been a tough month due to like every day being rainy in June. I think it's finally over though. Thank goodness. Well I think we're going to hike out today. Maybe a mile, maybe 10, depends how I feel. Pogo said he'd stick with me till I go home though. I feel bad for making him skip all of Vermont and most of New Hampshire, but like I said earlier it'll still be here if we decide maybe next year to come back and do some of it. Anyways. It's lunch time and I am hungry. Time for food!!!
Date: 2009-07-26
From: Rutland

To: Home!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I'm done! I may not have hiked every step of the trail but I feel like my journey did exactly what I needed it to do. We climbed Katahdyn on July 15. We got a pretty late start but we still made it to the top before several people that started before us. We didn't see anyone else that finished that day (doesn't mean no one did) but we saw 2 men starting their southbound journey. Katahdyn was the most difficult and exciting mountain we climbed. It is only a 5 mile climb up but you gain over 4000 feet in elevation during those miles. At one point they made a detour for the trail which was the first I had ever seen on a trail, to go around where they were working on I guess putting new steps in or something. Once you get above treeline you do hand over hand boulder climbing at some places they have iron bars to help you pull yourself up. It was defiantly a huge relief to be at the top. It took us almost 4 hours. During which you are so close to the edges if your scared of heights it's really hard and we actually passed someone going back down that didn't make it to the top because he was scared of heights. I got dizzy from the height and elevation change. When we got to the top it was so cold we only took a few pictures then started going back down. We had a gorgeous view though. The clouds lifted while we were on the top which not many people that day could say. It was so beautiful looking out at all the lakes of maine and the other mountains beside us and off in the distance. We started going back down and were so tired if we stood still our legs were shaking. Down was a lot quicker but not that much easier. Getting out of the park turned out to be really easy for us. As soon as we got to the road we grabbed our packs from the ranger station and the first car that passed put us in the back of their truck and took us to a motel.