morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-26
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Another lazy morning this morning: After showering, I came downstairs to find fresh coffee already brewed, homemade muffins in a heart-shaped basket, freshly baked sausage rolls, colorful fruit slices, yogurt and granola. Sarah had gotten up to put this all out for us before we woke up. She is such a wonderful host.        After breakfast, Bear Blaze, Rudy, Mama Gonzo, Sarah, and I went to see ¢Night and Day¢ at the movie theater while Funky Monkey and Gonzo stayed behind to watch one of the world cup games. After the movie and lunch, I decided to go through all of the gear in my pack to see what I could drop to cut weight. Here are the things I ditched:A water bucketNalgene bottle (too heavy)Emergency kitHubba tent footprintBackpack lidRain wrapAny excess stuff sacksCut my five days of food to threeExtra mapsSun blockExcess paper / postcardsBookAll together I cut five pounds of weight out bringing my pack weight with food and water down to 28 pounds. Not bad.         In the evening we all took a trip to REI to replace some gear. I just bought a second pair of Injinji toe socks to replace the pair I had that was worn out. All in all, a successful day to reorganize my pack. JWeather: Hot, sunny.
Date: 2010-06-27
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

6/27: Day 89 ¢        Today, Bear Blaze, Gonzo, and I all went to Washington D.C. to sightsee. Bear Blaze and I had never been there before. We took the Amtrak into Union Station and walked out toward the National Mall. It was so hot today; definitely over 100 degrees and walking around outside for too long was not an option. So we stayed inside the museums for the most part. We went to the Natural History Museum first and that is where my friend Alex called me. Alex and I had been friends in Seattle. He went to the University of Washington as well as used to always come into my Starbucks everyday. I hadn¢t seen him in awhile and it turns out that he moved to Washington D.C. So I left Gonzo and Bear Blaze and walked around with Alex as we caught up on life. He was now working for the USDA in the National Mall. Pretty cool. We had lunch at the Native American Museum and walked to see the Washington Monument and the White House. It was a trip to see so many recognizable national landmarks in real life.        At about 5pm, we met back up with Bear Blaze and Gonzo. I decided to take the train back early in order to see another old Seattle friend who was in the process of moving from Maine to Denver and was passing through Baltimore. I had known Cameron since I first moved to Seattle five years ago and it had been a very long time since I had seen her.        Cameron picked me up at the train station near the Baltimore Airport and we stopped at a bar and grill to have a couple drinks and catch up. It was so cool for me to see tow people from my past while I am all the way out here.
Date: 2010-06-30
From: Crampton Gap

To: Pogo Memorial Campsite
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

Man, I slept horribly last night for no reason. It was cool, dark, and quiet, but I kept waking up sporadically. So this morning when my alarm went off at 6am, I just hit snooze and slept until 8:30am. I hit the trail at 9:30am. It was cool today compared with all the heat we had last week and the hiking came easy. I had lots of time to take photos and think. It was great.        Bear Blaze and I pulled into the Dahlgren Backpack Camp at 12:30pm and took showers and cooked lunch. It was a good lunch break and we were reluctant to leave.        Funky Monkey, Bear Blaze, and I are now at a campsite near a spring with Aqua Man. I want to get an early start tomorrow so goodnight all!Weather: Cool, sunny.
Date: 2010-07-01
From: Pogo Memorial Campsite

To: Falls Creek
Miles today: 15.5

I was up and out of camp by 7am today. I was trying to cover 12 miles before noon to meet up with Gonzo and his family at High Rocks where they were doing trail magic. The hiking and speed came easy and I made it by 12:15pm. There I found Mama Gonzo, Sarah, Gonzo, Red Oak, and Buttercup. Gonzo manned a portable grill while Mama Gonzo and Sarah handed out chips, sodas, and homemade cookies. The view from High Rocks was beautiful and looked out over the gorgeous farmlands of Maryland. Hang gliders showed up eventually and we watched as they put together their gliders and prepared to take off. About a dozen more Thru-hikers showed up in the meantime and we all sat around in the grass eating and talking. We watched three hang gliders take off. It was the craziest thing to watch. You just watch a guy step off the ledge of the rocks and fall for a minute before the wind catches him and he flies into the sky. It was amazing. After a few hours it was time to say goodbye to Mama Gonzo and Sarah. Bear Blaze, Gonzo, Funky Monkey, and I took off to make camp somewhere. We passed by the Mason-Dixon line shortly after leaving and into Pennsylvania before making camp at Falls Creek. It was a good evening of hiking to camp while eating wine berries off of the trail as we went. It is so cool to eat off of the trail now that berries are in abundance.        In camp, we were joined by Tarzan, Griz, Blue Sky, and Yoga Matt. I hadn¢t seen Yoga Matt in a couple months and all of a sudden I¢m sitting around a campfire with him. He was a very speedy hiker that slowed down to enjoy the trail a bit more.        Time for bed; I want to get an early start tomorrow and possibly cover 20 miles.Weather: Cool and sunny.
Date: 2010-07-02
From: Falls Creek

To: Quarry Gap Ruins
Miles today: 19.4

I took off out of camp by 7:30am and cruised along the trail. I got to the Deer Lick Shelter four miles out by 9am in time to catch a big group of hikers heading out: Ice, Not Bad, Rabbit, Tarzan, Griz, Sanman, Sk¢rabbit, Wallflower, Olive Oil, and Stud Muffin.        By the time I¢d gotten to the road near Caledonia State Park, there was a rumor of a halfway party happening with the group I¢d seen this morning. So I hitched into Fayetteville with Griz to pick up beer and a couple re-supply dinners. We were joined by Sk¢rabbit, and Olive Oil. We got back to Caledonia State Park in time to catch Gonzo, Bear Blaze, and Funky Monkey pulling in from the trail.        It was pretty hot out and we were all pretty dirty so we headed to the pool to go swimming and take showers. We all looked like hiker trash compared with all the other people swimming there. While on trail, you start to resemble a homeless person because you are dirty and you carry your home on your back. So we may have been a less than welcome presence at this pool, but everyone put up with us.        After showering, I headed into the woods with Griz, Olive Oil, Wallflower, Sanman, Rabbit, Not Bad, Ice, Tarzan, Sk¢rabbit, Stud Muffin, and section-hiker Liza. We hiked in three miles before finding a ruin of sorts by a spring to camp next to.        We spent the rest of the night drinking beers and wine and creating a drum circle with our pans and whatever else we could find. It was a good halfway celebration.Weather: Cool and sunny. Great to go swimming today
Date: 2010-07-03
From: Quarry Gap Ruins

To: Pole Steeple
Miles today: 20.2

I slept in this morning due to the party last night and made it out of camp at 10:30 this morning. The ¢Half-Gallon Challenge¢ was in my future today and I started to pick up my pace to make it to Pine Grove Furnace State Park by the time the camp store closed. The ¢Half-Gallon Challenge¢ is when a hiker attempts to eat a half-gallon of ice cream after they hit the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail, which is 1,089.5 miles this year. So I hiked 17 miles in 6 hours to get to the camp store with Stud Muffin and Wallflower. Once we got there I bought a half-gallon of cookie dough ice cream. Stud Muffin got chocolate and Wallflower bought Party Cake ice cream. We set to the challenge with Funky Monkey timing us and Sanman and Overload looking on. The first 30 minutes were pretty easy and we all made good progress. Soon Wallflower dropped out of the competition exclaiming that ¢There was no party involved in party cake ice cream.¢ Now it was down to Stud Muffin and I as we struggled to shovel ice cream into our mouths. Stud Muffin was the victor at 43 minutes and I paced the next 10 minutes with a slight feeling of defeat. Every bite that I took felt like I was going to throw up and loose the challenge. But, with some patience and strategy, I put the last scoop of ice cream into my mouth at 53 minutes. Success! 2,000 calories consumed in less than an hour.        And then an hour later, I was hungry. I took the opportunity to take a shower and wash my clothes in a sink while at the campground while we were there. Afterwards, we were fed lavishly by all the campers out for the Fourth of July weekend that were interested in talking to real Appalachian Trail thru-hikers.        Thank you to Creed and family, and Joanna & Jim and family for feeding some hungry hikers.         Griz, Stud Muffin, Funky Monkey, and I hiked out at night three miles to Pole Steeple Lookout and stargazed before turning in. It was a great day.Weather: Cool and sunny.
Date: 2010-07-04
From: Pole Steeple

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

Funky Monkey and I took off out of camp at 9:30am today with the promise of town in our eyes. Cosmic Jackpot (Funky¢s boyfriend) was coming to meet her and I was headed to Boiling Springs to find some Fourth of July festivities. By midday I was hiking with Stud Muffin, Sk¢rabbit, Wallflower, and Griz. We took a side trip to Deer Run campground to ¢Yogi¢ some food off of the Fourth of July hikers. We were unsuccessful and ended up buying some food from the camp store. By midday, the heat had picked up and we were all moving slow. We finally made it into Boiling Springs at 6pm, just in time to get a shower at the local pool for a dollar. I took advantage of the hand soap and sink to wash my clothes again. We all headed to the Getty¢s Mart in town to hang out and figure out what to do tonight.        While we were there, a local gave me a hitch to get some beer a couple towns away. It was Wallflower¢s birthday and I wanted to do something for him. Once I got back to the Getty¢s Mart, Bear Blaze and Gonzo texted me to let me know that they were in town and had caught up with me. They had gotten a motel and would let me stay for free. I was originally going to sleep under the town overpass. So, I bid farewell to the group I was with and met back up with Gonzo and Bear Blaze at the Allenberry Resort. I was thankful for the bed and air conditioning in this grueling heat. It was also awesome to catch up with Gonzo and Bear Blaze about their last couple days on the trail. What a great day!        Happy birthday, Wallflower!Weather: Hot, 95, miserable.
Date: 2010-07-05
From: Boiling Springs

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: few clouds

7/5: Day 97 ¢        We all slept in until 9am today and then rolled out of bed to take advantage of the $6.00 all you can eat breakfast that the Allenberry provides. This place is awesome and cheap. I recommend it to future hikers. Check it early and take advantage of the pool and Jacuzzi. It¢s only $20 per hiker when you book a double.        The breakfast was awesome and I am amazed at how much I can eat now. I ran into Wallflower and Sanman at breakfast and they were headed into Carlisle to catch a movie and get out of the heat. It was a tempting idea but Gonzo, Bear Blaze, and I wanted to get a move on.        We wasted away the morning until the last possible moment and then trudged into the heat at noon. What lay ahead was miles of open fields with the sun beating you down every step.        When we stepped onto the trail, I found a note with my name on it. When I opened it, there was a drawing and a clue as to where the next note could be found. It turns out that Grizz, Sk¢rabbit, and Stud Muffin had created a treasure hunt for me to say thank you for the beer I had purchased the night before.        The treasure hunt helped to pass the time in this gruesome heat and everyone on the trail that day got involved in the hunt.         When I got to the shelter, I found Griz, Sk¢rabbit, and Stud Muffin along with a bag of goodies, including a brand new lighter (I lost mine) and a yummy chocolate brownie. Thank you so much you guys. It totally made my day. Weather: HOT! Spent the evening lying in a river to cool off.
Date: 2010-07-06
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: scattered clouds

7/6: Day 98 ¢         Gonzo, Bear Blaze, Griz, and I all got up early and left out of camp at 6am. It was going to be a scorcher today and we wanted to hike the 11 miles into Duncannon before the heat really hit. The morning started out with walking in the woods overgrown with poison ivy and then moved into open fields baked by sunlight. At one road crossing we found some trail magic of beer and sodas. That was awesome! Than you to whoever you are! That was a great location for some Trail Magic since it¢s so hot and water is scarce.        We pulled into town at noon and chugged some Gatorade at the first gas station we found. Then we headed to the Doyle Hotel for lunch. This place is a ¢must see¢ on the trail and should not be missed. We would have stayed there but they didn¢t have air conditioning.        So after I grabbed my drop box from the post office, Gonzo, Bear Blaze, and I headed to the Stardust Hotel for some air conditioning and relaxation.Weather: Very Hot!
Date: 2010-07-07
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

7/7: Day 99 ¢        Well, I had every intention of hiking out today until I heard that there was a heat advisory in effect all day. Gonzo and Bear Blaze had already decided to stay and I reluctantly decided to stay too. The miles are just so hard when it is so hot and my rashes get really bad from sweating so much.        So, I headed to the bar with Logos to watch The World Cup game and write in my journal out of the heat. It was a relaxing day off.        Time for bed since I have to be up at 5:15am for the 6am hotel shuttle back to the trail.Weather: Well over 100 degrees!
Date: 2010-07-08
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Clarks Creek
Miles today: 17.9

7/8: Day 100 ¢        My alarm went off at 5:15am this morning and I felt exhausted. I wanted to sleep longer but I was aiming to catch the 6am shuttle back to the trail. After the scorching temperatures we have had recently, I wanted to get an early start on the steep climb out of Duncannon. Walking out of Duncannon is a lot of road walking on busy interstates. I stopped at a truck stop to get breakfast and I felt a little weary of all the noise and people around. Walking across the interstate bridge my only reprieve from the fast moving 18-wheeler trucks speeding past me was watching the orange glow of the sun as it shined across the smoky Susquehana River. It was a remarkably beautiful sight and told of the hot temperatures I had in store today. I climbed into the woods after awhile and up a steep incline to the ridge. I was pouring sweat from the heat and humidity and that shower I took this morning was soon as distant memory. Black flies and gnats swarmed me immediately. It was a little frustrating. Once I gained the ridge it was pretty smooth sailing across the ridge. All of the water sources at the shelters on the ridge were supposedly dried up but I guess the springs were flowing at a trickle. I made the 17 miles to Clark¢s Creek by 3pm and I decided to set up camp by the creek and take a dip and a nap. It was a wonderfully relaxing afternoon and I felt great by dinnertime. Props to Opus for your awesome Gumbo! It was awesome! Time for bed.Weather: Hot and humid.
Date: 2010-07-09
From: Clarks Creek

To: Oil Pipeline Campsite
Miles today: 23.4

7/9: Day 101 ¢        I heard thunder off into the distance last night. I had to get up in the middle of the night to put on my fain fly. I¢ve gotten so used to using it as a pillow instead of putting it on my tent. Haha. But alas, there was no rain and I woke up to a dry tent and hot temperatures again. I was kind of looking forward to the rain to cool things off a bit.        I got a late start at 9am. I was just so tired after yesterday. My day started out going straight up hill as I sweated profusely from the heat and humidity. As I climbed, I noticed water on all of the leaves. It looked like it rained on the ridge but that I was in some sort of rain shadow in the valley. The temperatures got a little cooler as I climbed and some clouds moved into create some shade. It was still hot, but bearable after the extreme heat temperatures we have had this last week.        The miles ticked off with ease as I navigated the semi-flat terrain. I ran into a southbound section hiker that informed me that there are only two good water sources in the next 50 miles. Haystack Creek and the 501 Shelter. All the others are either dried up or not fit to drink. God I loathe Pennsylvania.        By the time I hit Haystack Creek 12 miles into the day, it was 2pm and I was famished. Thanks to Opus¢ dehydrated goodies, I enjoyed a bean and meat burrito for lunch. Yum. I topped it off with a hydration drink and hit the trail again. I left with a nearly five liters of water since I won¢t hit my next water source until tomorrow morning. And wouldn¢t you know it: I started climbing a hill right after tanking up on water. Dang it! So I huffed and puffed my way up with the extra 10 pounds and arrived at the top drenched in sweat. There were just a few road crossings in the next six miles and I planned to stop for the day after I got past them. But as luck would have it for me, after the road crossings was another hill and at the top of the hill were miles and miles of poison ivy. Drats! So I pushed my way through and finally arrived at a semi-suitable camping site five miles later near sundown.        Now here I took a bucket bath with 12 liter of my precious water to wash off the poison ivy and then slathered on some Technu. (Side note: the Technu that Opus sent me a few weeks back has kept me from breaking out once I touch poison ivy. Future hikers with this same problem: get some!)        Now time for bed. I sure hope tomorrow is better. I can only take a few tough days in a row before it starts to get to me.Weather: Hot still but not 100 degrees like the last few days. Some passing clouds were nice.
Date: 2010-07-10
From: Oil Pipeline Campsite

To: Pine Grove, PA
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: moderate rain

7/10: Day 102 ¢         It rained like crazy last night. It was a much-welcomed rain since it has been so hot and dry out here but I¢m talking flash-flood quality rain. I was trying to move everything away from the sides of my tent so that the splashing of the puddle forming around my tent wouldn¢t soak everything. The rain had stopped by this morning and I took inventory of what was dry and packed up to leave.I was hoping to make it to the 501 Shelter to order a pizza from a nearby town and then hike half of the 23 miles past there where there is no water. I¢d have to carry four liters of water, which adds 8 pounds to my pack. Not fun. I found Griz, Rabbitfoot, and Trail Mix. It had stopped raining too. So I ordered my pizza and stayed to talk and relax. In the meantime I got a text from Gonzo, Bear Blaze, and Funky Monkey saying that they were booked at a hotel in the nearby town of Pine Grove. I jumped at the chance for a cheap bed indoors and caught a hitch into town from the shelter. After cleaning up, Funky Monkey and I met up with Trail Mix, Rabbitfoot, and Griz to see the new ¢Twilight¢ movie, ¢Eclipse¢. It was so mice to be sitting in a movie theater sipping orange cream soda and watching a movie. What a nice reprieve from trail life.        I¢m now back at the hotel trying to catch up with Bear Blaze, Gonzo, and Funky Monkey.Weather: Raining in the morning to midday. Still hot though.
Date: 2010-07-11
From: Pine Grove, PA

To: Pipeline Field outside of Port Clinton
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: clear sky

7/11: Day 103 ¢        I was up early and headed out from the hotel to catch a hitch back to trail. Gonzo, Bear Blaze, and Funky Monkey had decided to take another day off of trail but I was itching to get back to trail. I met up with Griz, Trail Mix, and Rabbitfoot to attempt the 23 miles into the next town, Port Clinton. I hiked with Griz and we passed the time playing games. By midnight we hadn¢t quite made it to Port Clinton and our headlamp batteries were starting to die. So we set up camp in a pipeline field one mile from town and passed out. Long day!Weather: Cooler but still hot.
Date: 2010-07-12
From: Pipeline Field outside of Port Clinton

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 1.5
Weather: broken clouds

7/12: Day 104 ¢        Griz and I slept in this morning and headed into town to meet up with Trail Mix. We lost Rabbitfoot somewhere behind us. Our objective for the day? To hitch the 15 miles to the Yuengling Brewery for their free tour. Our first attempt at hitching yielded a State Officer telling us to move on down the road so that he couldn¢t see us. Our second hitch took us down the road for a few miles to a gas station. We got some snacks and sodas and set to work making a cardboard sign to help us hitch. Our third hitch attempt was successful and an old R.V. pulled over to pick us up. Inside was a young family with names like Bird and Rainbow, who made their own clothes. They were a very nice hippy family and they agreed to drive us all the way to the brewery. The tour was cool and we got to go deep into the cellars below the brewery. We also got to sample beer! Score! Afterwards, we went to dinner with some of the people from the brewery that had quit their jobs and were traveling around the U.S. They were so interesting. A couple of them were on their way to Africa to hike Killamijaro, so I totally picked their brains.        After dinner the rain started up again and we ducked into a Dunkin Donuts to stay dry. There, we were offered a ride by a couple of guys that were jazzed about us hiking the trail. It was pretty cool. We are now camped at the pavilion in the park in Port Clinton with 20 other hikers.Weather: Sunny, rainy.
Date: 2010-07-13
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Allentown Hiking Shelter
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: light rain

7/13: Day 105 ¢         There was a gentleman at the pavilion in Port Clinton by the name of ¢Can Do, Will Do¢ who hiked the trail about ten years ago. He offered us a 15 mile slackpack to the Eckville shelter. Griz, Trail Mix, Rabbitfoot, and I jumped on that. The Guys decided that hiking in nothing but towels today would be the best idea of course in this heat. So there I was with three guys hiking in nothing but towels signing ¢And I¢m free! Free-balling!¢ all the way up the trail. Lol. We made the 15 miles pretty quickly and grabbed our packs to hike another 8 miles before dark. We all arrived at the Allentown shelter by dark and met back up with Earthling. Thank God! Another girl. We all had a mellow evening around a fire before the rains started. Towards evening I noticed that my feet were swollen and oozing puss. I had hiked all day in wet boots and I think the rash on my feet had gotten infected. So I doused hand sanitizer on my feet and then covered them in Neosporin. I¢m really worried about this because it looks so bad. Hopefully I can still hike out tomorrow, since there is no w3ater at this shelter.Weather: Hot and humid but still cooler than it has been.