morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-11
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: light rain

Sept 11, 2007Start: Eagles Nest ShelterFinish: 501 ShelterMileage: 15.1Ahhh, to head out of a dry shelter into rain voluntarily is an act of something---motivation is maybe the word I am looking for. What I think is a little strange was that I was less motivated to get hiking yesterday in the sunny hot weather than I was today.So we headed out and was aiming for the next shelter for a break, 15 miles away. It was raining so hard at times that the AT River Trail had redeveloped. That is where the trail turns into a small stream. Beyond a certain point you give up trying to step around the puddles and just march straight through them.Other than a section NOBO hiker, we did not see any other people on trail today. When we arrived at the 501 shelter we deliberated for about 2 hours about pressing on or staying. It was still raining outside. The final vote was to stay ? from a combination of the continued rain, Music Man getting a bee sting and getting sleepy from the Benadryl (he is highly allergic and carries an epi-pen for it), the niceness of the shelter and my skin irritation on my lower back from my pack chaffing while every inch of my body is wet and prune-like.The shelter was great, and get this¢¦the caretaker¢s mom showed up to sweep the floor and empty the garbage (the caretaker was on vacation). A shelter with a cleaning lady!And tomorrow, we get picked up by Bluebird (NOBO) for a nice night off the trail!
Date: 2007-09-12
From: 501 Shelter

To: PA443
Miles today: 12.8

Sept 12, 2007Start: 501 ShelterFinish: PA443 (Slept @ Blue Bird¢s house)Miles: 12.8Beautiful weather today after the super rainy one yesterday. We also had a lazy (i.e. sleep in) start to our day because we had until 4:30 pm to hike a bit over 12 miles. The sun was out, light breeze, temperature about in the low 70s.So, we met Blue Bird in Andover, ME on our first ZERO day of our thru-hike. She was there with her sister Dot to finish the section of the AT in Maine she was unable to complete due to a major injury. We had a great time with Blue Bird and her family, at well, and left 4 uneaten pints of Ben & Jerry¢s in her freezer.
Date: 2007-09-13
From: PA443

To: PA225
Miles today: 25.0

Sept 13, 2007Start: PA443 (Slept @ Blue Bird¢s house)Finish: PA225Miles: 25.0Started hiking just after 10am. Music Man was feeling bad and did not want to hike, so we dropped him off at the Doyle in Duncannon, then went to the trailhead.Hedgehog and I ran into my dad at PA325. He had flown into Baltimore then drove to where we were on the trail. He hiked up the trail a mile then hiked with us back to the car. We were aiming for Duncannon but started too late. Hedgehog and I continued to PA225 where we got a ride from dad into town and stayed at the Doyle.
Date: 2007-09-14
From: PA225

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 34.1

Sept 14, 2007Start: PA225Finish: Boiling Springs, PA (slept at the Doyle in Duncannon)Miles: 34.1Longest day yet by almost 6 miles! Hedgehog and I started 8.5 miles north of Duncannon. Hiked into town, picked up Music Man in town and continued south. The weather was nice in the low 70¢s.By the end of the day, thunderclouds loomed but did nothing more than spit on us. We lucked out and the last 12 miles or so across the very flat Cumberland Valley. Dinner was McDonald¢s that my dad had brought to us 6 miles from town. That powered us the rest of the way. We finished at 7:45 pm at the mid-Atlantic Regional ATC office.On to the Doyle for night #2. Trail angels that were part of Billville (Mattewsky, Johnny Thunder, Stonewall) treated us to goody bags and beers at the bar. Bed at 11pm.
Date: 2007-09-15
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: broken clouds

Sept 15, 2007Start: Boiling Springs, PAFinish: Alec Kennedy Shelter (tenting)Miles: 3.9Great way to start the day. Breakfast at trail angel Mary¢s house (a member of Billville). Nice! We then slowly packed up and headed to Boiling Springs to see the town during the day (and the springs), visit the (closed) ATC office and then visit Gettysburg, PA. We saw the electric map show and the cemetery. Lunch at Ruby Tuesday¢s then back to the trailhead in Boiling Springs to push down the trail.At the shelter there were 3 section hikers 2 northbound and 1 southbound (¢nameless¢) staying in the shelter. Hedgehog, Music Man and I tented on the rocky sloping ground.The temperature dropped quickly and rumour had it was around 36 degrees before the night was through. We were all borderline too cold.
Date: 2007-09-16
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Half gallon challenge! We arrived at the store in the park with plenty of time to spare before the store closed. You see, in September the store is only open on the weekends so we have been adjusting our hiking to make sure we arrived on a saturday or sunday.Alpine and Princess Brat had been hanging around the store with my dad and had not planned on doing the challenge. But we gently convinced then to join us.Hedgehog finished first, then a close race between Alpine and BooBoo with Alpine winning, BooBoo a few minutes later and the other 2 (MusicMan and Princess Brat) dropped out.We slept at the Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel and was very glad to be out of the cold for a night.Sept 16, 2007Start: Alec Kennedy ShelterFinish: Pine Grove Furnace State Park (IronMaster¢s Mansion Hostel)Miles: 15.5We were slow to get out of our warm sleeping bags in the morning, but were greeted by sunny skies and good hiking weather. The trail was nice, meandered past rock outcroppings there were obvious bouldering spots for the locals. There was climbing chalk caked on the handholds on several spots up and down the ridge.Hit the AT¢s midpoint trail sign just before the state park, then made a beeline to the store in the park for the Half Gallon Challenge!   Hedgehog finished in 26 minutes, followed by Alpine at 54 minutes (or so), then myself at 56 minutes.They only had cherry jubilee in the 12 gallon size, so we bought a random assortment of the pint size boxes of ice cream to eat.I had 2 pints of vanilla, 1 of chocolate and 1 of mint chocolate.If I was not close to throwing up I would have beaten Alpine. But alas, I did not.Had a great afternoon hanging out with the dancing bears, SOBO¢s Alpine and Princess Brat, section hiker ¢nameless¢ and my dad.Slept at the IronMaster Mansion Hostel in the state park.
Date: 2007-09-18
From: PA233

To: Pen-Mar Road
Miles today: 13.1

Spent a second night at the Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel thanks to my dad giving us a ride there from the trailhead. None of us have our winter sleeping bags and clothing yet (getting it in Harper's Ferry) and we were caught off guard by the cooler weather, so the hostel was a neat alternative to frezing our behinds off. We hiked 6 miles into the day and met my dad at the Old Forge Picnic Ground for lunch. We had run into Alpine and Princess Brat a few miles into our day and they joined us as well. My dad now has a trailname of "Magic Man." Pretty funny stuff.The weather was sunny and cool again, which is perfect hiking weather. The cool sodas and gatorade as seeming every road crossing does not hurt either.We ended our day at the Pen-Mar Road, which is 0.1 miles from the PA/MD state line (A.K.A. the Mason Dixon line) and the start of the Quad State challenge that we will start at midnight, then hike approximately 47 miles from there to the W.Virginia/Virgina state line just outside of Harper's Ferry, WV where we will spend the night and take 2 zeros.We ran into Pyro (SOBO thru) and his friend that is section hiking with him near the Pen-Mar Road camping in the woods and poised for a midnight start as well. We also gently talked Alpine and Princess Brat into joining us for the challenge with dad doing dog babysitting duty. He claims he does not mind, and I would not either as Fallon is a sweet sweet well behaved dog.We are at a Best Western in Waynesboro, PA for a few hours of R&R.
Date: 2007-09-19
From: Pen-Mar Road

To: Virginia State Line
Miles today: 43.6

The Hikers were all successful today in the Quad State Challenge.They started their day at midnight at the Pennsylvania State line,hiked into the dark...and ended the day departing Pennsylvania...conquering Maryland, West Virginia, and entered Virginia.And of course they did it in Pirate costume (eye patches, ear rings, Pirate hats, and swords) since today was National Talk Like A Pirate Day!GREAT FUN....but three VERY tired hikers tonight.
Date: 2007-09-20
From: Virginia State Line

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero day in Harpers Ferry. Got our hiker numbers from the ATC office (our group are numbers 36-38 SOBOs for the year to reach Harpers Ferry at this point in time), played tourist, and took naps. Stayed at the Hilltop Hilton Hotel - great place!
Date: 2007-09-21
From: Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Washington DC
Miles today: 0.0

Another zero day to play tourist in Washington D.C. I personally have never been there but everyone else has (my dad, MusicMan, and Hedgehog). We went to the National Mall, in front of the White House, Capital Building, Supreme Court building, and numerous others. Also went to Arlington National Cemetary to see the eternal flame, and the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unkowns. Had a great time. Due to a huge wedding at the Hilltop Hotel in Harpers Ferry we could not stay another night, so we opted to drive to the Bear's Den Hostel about 20 miles up trail and then we will hike those miles between Harpers Ferry and there the next day and spend a second night.
Date: 2007-09-22
From: Virginia State Line (Loudoun Heights Trail)

To: Bear Den Rocks
Miles today: 18.0

MUSIC MAN BOWS OUT.Today was MusicMan's last day on the AT. He is flying home tomorrow, and on to the next chapter in his life. He got what he needed from the trail and is now getting off. I wish him the best of luck. And yes, both Hedgehog and I are continuing on with our SOBO thru-hikes but probably at different paces as he is trying to make it home by Turkey Day and I have no finish date planned.With that in mind it was pretty cool that MusicMan continued hiking with us past Harpers Ferry, even though he did not have to. We took a break at the David Lesser Memorial shelter, and man is that a neat shelter with a porch swing and everything. Too bad the Bear's Den Hostel in on this section of trail or I would have liked to stay at the shelter.It rained last night and was very muggy today as result. And, as always on weekends we are reminded by what day it is by the numbers of day hikers we see on the trail (all very nice). We ended the day with some celebratory beverages at Bear Rocks to give a toast to MusicMan and to his future.
Date: 2007-09-23
From: Bear Den Rocks

To: Ashby Gap US50
Miles today: 13.5

The sign at the end of a section of trail we hiked today read "Welcome to the RollerCoaster. Enjoy the ride and we will see you at the Blackburn center if you survive."Fun sign, but we only saw one at the end of the "roller coaster" for us facing the direction that northbounders would hike up the trail. The "roller coaster" is an approximately 12 mile section of trail that constantly goes up and down and looks just like a roller coaster on the elevation map.Short day today so that we would have time to get in the car with my dad and see MusicMan off at the airport.Again, best of luck to him. We slept at the Bear's Den Hostel for a 3rd night because we had access to a ride again. This however concludes the trail magic and etc. that we will be receiving from him as he is heading out to do his own touristy stuff for the last 3 days of his vacation here.It was fun and I was glad I could share his kindness with other hikers.
Date: 2007-09-25
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Thornton Gap US 211
Miles today: 24.8

We hiked into the Shenandoah National Park today. Hedgehog was calling it the "land of milk and honey" because the trail is so nice in the park. And the trail is very nice, however it was very hot today. The kind of hot that creeps up on you and you have no idea why you are hiking slower than usual and no idea why you are feeling so sluggish and run down. On the upside, around mid-day we came across the Elkwallow Wayside, which is basically a grill and a gift shop rolled into one. Hedgehog semi-yogied a blackberry shake off of a bicyclist in the picnic area, and I bought one with a cheesburger. They were really really good.Unexpectedly my dad was still around the area and left us cold gatorade and water at 2 different road crossings. Hedgehog said that he knows that my dad was off doing other things but still half expected to find drinks along the trail anyways. And he was right.Stayed in a hotel in Lurey, VA just outside the park to spend one last night with him.
Date: 2007-09-26
From: Thornton Gap US 211

To: Rock Springs Hut
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Sep 26, 2007Start: Thornton Gap, US211Finish: Rock Springs HutMileage: 14.1Midday start after a trip to the Evergreen Outfitters in Luray, VA. My feet have been hurting since Duncannon and I was finally ready to spend time looking for a good pair of shoes to hike in. I knew I needed a different pair, but I was avoiding it because it is a tough decision to make. If you don¢t pick the right ones then you will have to just deal with it until you get to the next town.(original entry below)Got started at noon today after spending one last night in a hotel with my dad. We were in Luray, VA. My feet were hurting so bad, and after reading an email that MusicMan had sent me I decided it was time to stop being stubborn and finally make the effort to buy new shoes. Buying shoes while on the trail is a pain because you are limited by brands that the outfitter carries, and then the shoe that you choose has to work for you or you just deal with for the next 100 miles or so until the next town you get to.So in the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) huts are really just shelters just called huts, shelters are for day use only, and waysides are gift shops/grill/stores within the park. However, there is a waysided just north of the park boundry that is really just a shelter.There will be a quiz on this later...THE AT / HAITI CHALLENGE (revisited)As if hiking 2,175 miles wasn¢t enough of a challenge, Boo-Boo threw in the Half Gallon Challenge and the Quad State Challenge just to make things interesting.Have YOU taken the AT/Haiti Challenge yet?Many of you following Boo-Boo¢s AT adventures know about her recent Haiti adventure. In case you missed Boo-Boo¢s story about her experiences in Haiti and the Haiti Nursing Scholarship Fund that she has established, take a look in her PREP trail journal (#6 and #7). Boo-Boo is out there hiking every day, encountering bears (yes, I said BEARS!), putting up with sore feet, bug bites, cold and rain, and everything else nature has to offer. You can put a spring in her step, lighten her load, and help her get to Springer Mountain. How?   By supporting her fund-raising efforts. Here¢s the challenge¢¦.as a group¢¦.let¢s raise $1 for every mile Boo-Boo hikes along the AT! That could be as much as $2,175¢¦almost enough to cover the education costs for one of the nursing students in Haiti! (Boo-Boo¢s Trail Journal has seen over 38,000 hits so far. If one dollar had been donated for each of those visits, that could have educated FIFTEEN nursing students!)Nursing school in Haiti is 4 years long, and costs approx. $2500 in US dollars for 1 person's life to totally change. So, if you feel that education is important to you - consider donating ($1, $5, $20, or more) to the scholarship fund through: REAL HOPE FOR HAITI P.O. Box 23Elwood, IN 46036      (PLEASE write SCHOLARSHIP A.T. HAITI CHALLENGE on the MEMO line, and if you need a receipt please note that you need one). Submitted by Boo-Boo¢s Dad
Date: 2007-09-27
From: Rock Springs Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: few clouds

Sep 27, 2007Start: Rock Springs HutFinish: Bearfence Mtn HutMileage: 11.5There was a great lightning show overnight, but no rain, and thus the temperature and humidity did not go down. We hit the Big Meadows wayside late morning, but was sadly too early for the blackberry shakes to be available. I substituted with a cinnamon roll. Sigh. But, I will note that the Big Meadows area is aptly named. It is on HUGE meadow!So we ended up stopping short at the first hut we came to¢¦me, because my feet were hurting¢¦and Hedgehog, because he wanted to get into camp before 7 pm. Something that we have been doing the last several days.There was a camp 0.6m further down trail, so Hedgehog and I walked there to use the payphone and get a few goodies at the store.It finally started to rain around 7:30 pm just as we had finished camp chores. The temperature fell as the rain did all night long.(Boo-Boo's original entry below)My feet were hurting, although not as bad a yesterday, so we made a short day of it. According to MusicMan and his Google searching skills, it is called Metatarsalgia. Basically I needed a shoe with a wider toe box, I got those at the Evergreen Outfitters in Luray, VA (the owner was great and let us in the store early, very helpful and friendly too).We got to have second breakfast at the Big Meadows Wayside, although they did not have their ice cream machine up and running yet so I was unable to obtain a delicious blackberry milkshake. Sigh.Spend a second night with section hiker "Nannygoat" in the shelter, and section hiker "Curie" was tenting nearby. We first met Curie as we were hiking into Port Clinton, PA and MusicMan talked his ear off into town.Late evening it started to rain and it poured for several hours. Bonus with that is that we were in a shelter, so we were dry, and it meant that the temperature and humidity would go down during the night and for at least the next day. A little loud though on the tin roof that I had to turn my MP3 player off as the music got completely drowned out.
Date: 2007-09-28
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: few clouds

The morning started with continued rain from the night before, so we were very slow to get going, hoping that the rain would subside before we started hiking. It started to let up and we on our way by 8:30a. We stopped by the store at the Lewis Mountain campground a mile down the trail to send off postcards, but were tempted to wait a few minutes to have cold cereal (with real milk) and coffee for breakfast, so we waited and were thus well fueled for the day (and in good moods).Stopped mid afternoon at Pinefield Hut to make lunch and get some water from the barely trickling spring. Ran into the trail maintainer for the north part of Hightop Mtn and had a good chat with him.The weather was very pleasant all day with a steady breeze and sunny skies. Great hiking day, although despite a good mix of Aleve and Motrin, my feet were hurting by the end of the day.No more bear sightings but lots and lots of white tailed deer. They are very used to people and most of the time we get scared by them when we walk near them on the trail and don't see them until we get close. Sometimes this is quite entertaining.
Date: 2007-09-29
From: Pinefield Hut

To: near Turk Mtn Trail
Miles today: 22.0

Sep 29, 2007Start: Bearfence Mtn HutFinish: near Turk Mtn TrailMileage: 22We passed the 1300 mile mark today at somepoint, but unfortuntely did not have any Swedish fish for the celebration. Also today, I camped for the first time on the trail. Up until this point we had always spend the night at either a shelter or designated campsite.The reason why we did this today was because our shelter ("hut") options were either 13 or 26. 13 was too short, 26 too long for me and my healing but unhappy feet. So, the goal was to get under 13 miles from town and then find a good "legal" campsite.I had send my tent home with my dad when I gained the JetBoil that MusicMan was previously carrying and that we were sharing. So I slept under the stars, and was really scared all night long. I heard a deer walk by and an animal that I think was a bear doing some loud smelling/grunting noises. Even after taking 2 Benadryl, I only got a few hours of sleep. But, those things seem to matter less when the next day is TOWN DAY!
Date: 2007-09-30
From: near Turk Mtn Trail

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

Sep 30, 2007 Start: near Turn Mtn TrailFinish: Waynesboro, VAMileage: 11.2Boo-Boo called home today to let us know she and Hedgehog had arrived safely in Waynesboro, VA. She said some rain came through the area Thursday night, bringing them some relief from the heat. She was at the store doing a resupply.Spending the night in a local motel and will go to the library tomorrow to catch up some internet stuff then pick up mail at the post office.They now have less than 850 miles to go!submitted by Boo-Boo's dad
Date: 2007-10-01
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Paul C Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So we had not planned on leaving town at 3pm but a funny thing happened in town. Waynesboro lost power south of Main st. and guess where the post office and library are? You guessed right if you guessed where the power outage was. So we hung out in a gazebo near the library. It came on eventually, and we were able to use the internet and actually mail things from the post office. Then a short 5 miles from the gap to the shelter. This one was huge, with very high celiing, bunks, and a picnic table under the cover of the shelter roof. Very nice. Bonus was the free flowing stream near the shelter. The water sources in this part of Virginia are few and far between and getting smaller and fewer as the days go by with no rain. I told Hedgehog that I had forgotten what it was like to collect water from a stream with moving water!
Date: 2007-10-03
From: Paul C Wolfe Shelter

To: Dutch Haus B&B
Miles today: 12.0

We conqured the Priest today. Priest Mountain that is. Who knew that Virginia was so mountainous. I had even hiked the section between Pearisburg and Trouville in 2001, but that section is more ridgehiking than anything. So the Priest is this 4 mile long climb from 1,000 feet up to around 4,000 ft elevation. Just when it seems like you reach the top it just keeps going. Hedgehog said it was like the energizer bunny, it just kept going. Sections were knife-edge rocks with a big drop off, but the trees were in the way of a good view. And you get to the top, and its flat for the next mile or so. No views, just trees and stealth camp sites.The other surprise about Virginia is the lack of water. The great people at Dutch Haus B&B has been keeping track of the water report north and south of here and posting updates. Several places that usually have great springs are mud puddles at best right now, and several are dry. More fun to add to the hiking adventure that is the AT.I have been starting to get the Virginia blues a little bit. Part of that is that I know that I will hiking alone for the first time this entire hike, the other part too is that it is still a long way to Georgia. But spending the night at the Dutch Haus was nice. Editor's note: - NESTLED IN THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS OF VIRGINIA -The Dutch Haus is a log house combining Dutch and Pennsylvania German cultures. We are located just 3 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 27, 2.5 miles from the Appalachian Trail and are surrounded by the George Washington National Forest.Relax in comfort and quiet seclusion and as the weather turns cooler, curl up by the stone fireplace in the living room with its open beam ceiling and large picture window. Enjoy our glass enclosed porch and dining area overlooking the forest. Watch the squirrels, chipmunks, hummingbirds, and other wildlife play. On our front porch swing or rocking chairs, view the rabbits or deer as evening approaches. After a mountain sunset view the brilliant night sky, unaffected by light pollution.Within five miles is the Virginia State Fish Hatchery; Montebello Campground & Resort with its stocked trout pond; Crabtree Falls; various apple orchards and strawberry patches.