morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-18
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: David Lesser Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The loneliness of the long distance hiker. At last after 64 days I¢ve had a chance to experience it. I¢m at the shelter tonight all alone ¢ just me. A nice shelter, lots of good camping and plenty elbow room. I keep looking over my shoulder expecting someone else to arrive but it doesn¢t look like they will.I think it would be possible to have more solitude on the AT but it would take quite a bit of planning and effort. There are a lot of people out here (both thru hikers and everyone else) and I think most of them are really out here for the camaraderie rather than the solitude. They walk in groups and arrange the same stops (as I have for most of the trip) and alter their plans to accommodate others. That¢s good ¢ meeting so many nice people being nice can¢t be a bad thing but I¢m looking forward to a few more nights like this.Lately the days have been noticeably quieter and it is now not uncommon to go a good few hours without bumping into anyone else. Today was like that as I dandered along the relatively few miles stopping to eat, rest and contemplate on some of the many nice rocks I passed.The one bad thing about tonight¢s ¢accommodation¢ is the amount of rubbish (trash) that some previous hikers have left. It really is beyond a joke. I have bagged up some of it (but I wouldn¢t say it is even half) and I¢ll carry it out to Harper¢s Ferry tomorrow.Yes, Harper¢s Ferry tomorrow! Soon after crossing the 1,000 mile mark. Now that¢s something and yet it is really nothing.
Date: 2003-06-19
From: David Lesser Memorial Shelter

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

Got up today to first of all cross the 1,000 mile mark and then take a short break in Harper¢s Ferry before heading off to the next shelter. Front Royal wasn¢t long ago and although my clothes are muddy and grubby I don¢t feel ready for another town stop just yet.Recently I¢ve been leaving more entries in the shelter registers to let Mike (among others) know where I was. I was assuming he was still behind me as I had seen no entries from him.   However this morning my finely honed tracking skills spotted Mike¢s distinctive tracks in the mud ¢ how curious!Anyway when I arrived in Harper¢s Ferry I headed for the ATC office where most hikers go to sign in and have their photo taken for the log book. I did the necessary and then when looking through the other photos discovered Mike had indeed been in earlier that morning ¢ curious and curiouser.Next I set about buying the next few days¢ supplies and treating myself to some pizza and ice cream before heading back to the ATC office to pack and hit the road. When I got there I met Cuba and her gang and she told me that Mike had been with them for the last two days but had left at 11pm to walk during the night in order to catch the 6am train to Washington DC (which I thought he had visited last weekend).Now I am intrigued as to his ¢erratic¢ behaviour and look forward to being enlightened when he inevitably catches up with me again. We are due to meet in Hanover, NH anyway to see Kelly Joe Phelps and today I got around to ordering the tickets. Thanks to Slaughter who kindly let me make the necessary calls on her mobile phone.I said my goodbyes and headed onwards ¢ humming the tune but struggling with the words to Abba¢s ¢Fernando¢.One Thousand Miles!
Date: 2003-06-20
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: moderate rain

One thing I¢ll say about shelters ¢ they don¢t actually encourage you to make a bright and breezy start to the day. A little bit of moisture being blown off the leaves by the wind hits the tin roofs with as much force as if you were in the middle of Hurricane Jessica itself. After curling up for another half hour I¢m then usually surprised to venture out and find that it isn¢t actually raining at all ¢ just gloomy, misty and threatening to drizzle.So it was this morning and I had high hopes as I set off at 8am. High hopes that were cruelly dashed less than one hour later when it started to rain.I¢ve got to admit it, after weeks of saying that the weather hasn¢t been all that bad, it¢s starting to get to me. I mean it is the 20th of June and I could have stayed at home and been rained on. Getting up most mornings and putting on wet trousers and socks isn¢t much fun either. But what can you do?Well, all you can do is get on with it but it did spoil what could have been quite a nice day. I passed a few Civil War sites with information boards but stopping wasn¢t all that appealing in the rain. Even the soda from the machine at Gathland State Park ended up being more for show than enjoyment. The hot shower at Dhalgrow campground ended up being an essential warm up rather than an extravagant luxury. I put on some dry clothes while I sat about having lunch before having to change back into my cold and wet gear for the miles to tonight¢s shelter.Here tonight with Pippa, her son and Babysteps. Everyone is just glad to be in the shelter and it looks like an early night.
Date: 2003-06-21
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Antietam Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: light rain

¢It was the first big weekend of the summerStarted as usual with the canteen quizBut once again no one won the big cash prize¢ ¢ Arab StrapWell it is Saturday the 21st of June, so it is the first weekend of the summer but actually there was no canteen quiz just the familiar sound of the rain being blown off the trees onto the metal roof of the shelter. Thankfully, however, the rain had actually stopped and there was the prospect of starting summer dry, well for the first couple of hours at least.As it turned out the lack of rain lasted throughout both the morning and afternoon which along with the very easy and well maintained trail through Maryland saw me make it to Penmar Park by 3.30pm. I¢d hoped to get some coke and some snacks here but the shop was shut and I was ready to content myself with just the soda when some other hikers waved me over. It turned out that a family having their annual reunion were packing up and offering us all their spare food. It was a feast fit for a king but turned into a feast for Aloha, Shaka, Cakalkaki, Skywalker, Ole Smokey Lonesome and yours truly. We ate it in one of the park¢s pavilions as we attempted to sit out the predictable rain that had started shortly after I arrived in the park.It eased off and I set off both north and into the North as we passed the Mason Dixon Line heading into Pennsylvania so leaving the Confederacy behind.
Date: 2003-06-22
From: Antietam Shelter

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Well it¢s two weeks now that I¢ve been travelling ¢alone¢ and things are pretty good. It must be said that you would have to work pretty hard to be alone out here anyway. During the first week in the Shenandoahs I was in the company of the same people for much of the time but this week has been very different. I¢ve done easy miles on easy terrain and met different people each night. Things seem much quieter on the trail generally and most days I¢m walking alone and see few people.Like in the Shenandoahs this last week has thrown up opportunities for drinks and snacks from time to time. Today it was a snack bar at Caladonia State Park and I arrived there for lunch. Here again I met some new faces ¢ Tunnel Vision, Bull, Teflon, Peaches and Siesta - and I joined them as I munched my way through a burger, fries and milkshake before trying the delights of a ¢Dora The Explorer¢ Popsicle (complete with gumball eyes).I¢ve been a big Dora fan since my mate¢s daughter ¢forced¢ me to watch the same episode about six times on video, so the Popsicle was a must try item.Shortly after the park I passed a pretty shelter where most of the lunchtime mob had decided to stop but I headed on to make some more miles and arrived at a brand new shelter which I though I¢d have all to myself until Medicine Man and Bag turned up late into the evening.
Date: 2003-06-23
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

Writer¢s RantToday I spent much of a very easy and pleasant morning¢s stroll mulling over what this trail is all about.Today I will arrive at Pine Grove Furnace State Park the location of the Half Gallon Challenge. This got me to wondering about whether it was the Appalachian Trail I am on or whether it is the Appalachian Theme Park I have wandered into.The ¢theme park¢ seems to be full of must do attractions such as Trail Days, the Maryland Challenge, Hike Naked Day, the Half Gallon Challenge etc, etc, etc¢¦There are also the must see locations like Miss Janet¢s, Wood¢s Hole, Mountain Mommas, etc, etc, etc¢¦I consider myself to be out walking the trail and more or less ignore the myriad of distractions but there are a lot of young kids out here and they seem to need these sorts of distractions ¢ jumping from one attraction to the other and ticking it off their list.I mean live and let live but it¢s not for me.And with a little hindsight¢¦.Well is seems I¢m nothing more than a hypocrite. I did end up partaking of the Half Gallon Challenge (1.9 litres of ice cream in one sitting) and actually had a whale of a time doing it. Myself, Bull and Tunnel Vision sat down with much bravado and while they both succeeded fairly easily I struggled over the last half pint or so. However, with their encouragement I too (eventually) gulped the last spoon, while only feeling sick and not actually being sick, to become a member of the Half Gallon Club.Later Teflon arrived to try and I got a chance to see what I must have looked like towards the end. He was staring into space as it he had just drunk 15 pints of beer. I think it must have been worse for him doing it on his own with us all watching. However, with some big spoonfuls near the end he made it too.It turned out to be a true ¢challenge¢ ¢ achievable but certainly not easy.I¢ve booked into the youth hostel here so will relax and let all 3,320 calories digest before hitting the shower and taking care of laundry.
Date: 2003-06-24
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

Really not much to say today. Another fairly unchallenging day ahead, which is nice, and how I¢d like it to continue for the next few weeks. I suppose the challenge for me is to learn to slow down, take lots of breaks and generally enjoy the fact that I¢m out here (which for me at any rate isn¢t always as easy as it sounds ¢ slowing down that is, not the enjoying it bit).After a latish start I headed for the store again to buy one day¢s worth of food ¢ enough to see me to Boiling Springs (only 20 miles up the trail). I met Ole Smokey Lonesome about to tuck into his Half Gallon of ice cream so I wished him well and set out on another bright and hot morning.On the way I did manage to stop a couple of times and catch up with some of this journal as well as taking a short detour to a nearby store for more ice cream, soda and to read today¢s paper.A short walk brought me to the shelter at a reasonable time and I set about setting up my tent. With the warmer drier weather and the fact that the mosquitoes and other bugs are becoming more of a problem I¢m determined to camp more often and not just take the lazy and easy option of a spot in the shelter.Update on a few of my many smellsIt seems it was about time I pitched my tent as it now possesses the same odour as a wet dog. Hopefully like the dog it will dry out and the smell will recede (at least a little)
Date: 2003-06-25
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: few clouds

Today I passed through Boiling Springs.I had thought about stopping for the night but it just didn¢t seem necessary. The terrain has been really easy lately and I reckoned I could spend 3 or 4 hours in town and still make the next shelter.That is just how it turned out and although it was later than I might have liked when I left town I had no inclination to hang around any longer. It was a really pretty place with people fishing in a big lake in the centre of town. I dotted about and did the usual unexciting things hikers tend to do before heading across to the tavern and treating myself to a couple of beers.When I headed back to the Trail Office to get my pack I was pleased to meet Hepcat. However, he brought news that Kodiak and Sassy were now off the trail. This surprised me but Good Luck to them. I certainly enjoyed my brief spell in their company. You are never too sure what¢s going through people¢s minds out here and I know last year that some people whose journals said they were having a great time suddenly gave up and only then admitted to having doubts for the previous 3 or 4 weeks.I guess mine is a bit the opposite ¢ I often think my entries sound like I¢m miserable but actually things are going well, perhaps no more so than at the moment. However, you never know what might be lurking round the corner.So fingers crossed¢¦
Date: 2003-06-26
From: Darlington Shelter

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

Well, I¢ve just got my ticket punched for the Appalachian Theme Park again.This time I¢ve signed up for the overnight stay at the ¢Doyle Hotel¢ in Duncannon. This place has a certain reputation along the trail for being a cheap and slightly shabby hiker hang out with a decent bar and it seemed just interesting enough to justify a closer look.I¢d been sceptical about the shabbiness given the generally high standards and cheap prices of US accommodation but Doyles truly does not disappoint. Don¢t get me wrong this is vastly superior to the hostel I stayed in a couple of nights ago for the same price.I¢ve got my own room (compact and bijou). The bed is comfortable although it seems that it was originally designed as a prop for ¢It¢s A Knockout¢ where team members got extra points for being able not to fall off while being pelted with water balloons. There is a tape recorder with interesting singer/songwriter tape installed.The ambience is, well, ambient. The words that spring to mind (for no apparent reason) are Mosquito Coast. There is a sign that opening the window is at the individual¢s own risk (the panes of glass are held together with duct tape). And the walls? They make me think that this may have been an H-Block cell during the Dirty Protest era and that despite 100,000 gallons of hot pressurised water some stains simply don¢t clean away.In fairness I was warned that it wasn¢t very pretty and that the walls have been stripped and are awaiting painting.I love the place.
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Duncannon, PA

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

Oh no it¢s happened again! I just never learn when enough drink really is enough. This morning I suffer for my excesses of last night ¢ well just yesterday really.I relaxed yesterday afternoon with a beer and the paper and one beer is never really enough, so by the time the evening came along and it was time to go back to the bar for some live acoustic entertainment I was already on ropy ground. A few more beers and then the last straw ¢ a Jagermeister from Thor finally did for me.It was fun, however, to let my hair down and to shoot some pool into the wee hours. I called it a day around 1am ¢ well past the hiker¢s bedtime. By then I had already decided I¢d zero here today so another day of rest and relaxation is on the cards ¢ but no alcohol.Well no larger quantities at any rate as Hepcat and Nick (from England) arrived so it seemed only polite to buy them a beer and catch up with their news.I was surprised to realise that this is my first zero since Waynesboro (2 and a half weeks ago). Although I had done some really short days, with my feet being virtually pain free the need for days off has more or less vanished.It¢s 8pm now and I¢m ready to get going again. So, as is often the case in town, tonight is really just a shove in until tomorrow when I can shoulder the pack again. Oh well, down to the bar for one last beer.(I¢m on holiday after all!)
Date: 2003-06-28
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

Back on the trail today and although the plan (due to the location of the shelters) only called for 11 miles I was keen to get on my way after having kicked my heels in town for so long.I¢ve put myself under a different kind of pressure recently to try and slow down so as to arrive in Hanover on the 8th of August (for the Kelly Joe Phelps gig) and that was part of the reason I took the zero yesterday. However if the truth be told I¢m not really happy with this dilly dallying.During the last week I¢ll have covered just 87 miles and it feels like I am getting nowhere. I¢ve always believed that everybody has their own natural pace (the one they are comfortable at) whether driving, walking or whatever and 87 miles per week doesn¢t seem to be mine. I think I¢ll go back to a more respectable mileage and worry about Hanover when (and if) I get there.As I said I have no desire to hang around towns these days so after quick visits to the Post Office and the supermarket I got back to the serious stuff and found myself leaving town before 10am. It¢s the first time in ages that I have had 5 days of food (I think Troutville) and although I can feel it, it is manageable and will soon lighten up as I work my way through it.Crossed a couple of big looking rivers at the start of today¢s walk (Juniata and Susquehanha) before climbing up out of the valley and along the ridge towards tonight¢s shelter. It is a big newish shelter with lots of space and I read before eating and listening to the radio.Maybe I¢m just listening to the wrong stations at the wrong time but generally the radio¢s pretty rotten over here. Although saying that I have found that NPR on Saturday nights does offer some decent traditional stuff ¢ Roseanne Cash and Joan Baez 2 weeks ago, Scottish, Irish and American stuff last week and some fiddle fusion thing tonight.So excuse me as I settle back and enjoy the rest of the show.
Date: 2003-06-29
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

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

Another pretty average day:Walked from 8am to 4.30pmTook 4 decent breaks (elevenses, lunch and 2 others)Walked 17.5 milesThe trail had some rocks but nothing crazy. Pennsylvania has this reputation for being nothing but mile after mile of rocks and hard on the feet (and body) so as a result it hasn¢t seemed so bad so far.Generally I ignore everything other people say about the trail. I think it¢s so personal and 95% of the time what they say bears no resemblance to what I end up experiencing. That said, I don¢t want to rush to judgement and will wait until I¢m safely into New Jersey before letting you know what I think of it (but keep it to yourself ¢ so far so good)Feeling a little pathetic tonight. It¢s a lovely evening and just the sort of thing you imagine coming out to the trail to enjoy. However, the mosquitoes are biting through my socks and I dived into my tent for sanctuary and protection. It¢s only 7.30pm!!!But don¢t worry I¢m going to be a real rebel and stay up until at least 9pm. Although I am starting to get just the slightest bit sleepy and my fleece makes such a comfortable pillow!
Date: 2003-06-30
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: Rough Camp ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ North of 501 Shelter 
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Hey less that 1,000 miles to go!!!!At least that¢s what my 2003 databook leads me to believe.I have no idea how they arrive at these mileages and each book you read seems to have slightly different numbers but I am sticking (for better or worse) to the databook for all the numbers I am quoting ¢ so from that point of view it is indeed less that 1,000 miles to go. Be there by next Tuesday then? (well maybe not) and indeed I won¢t get there at all if I don¢t get going today.Nowadays I am getting up expecting nice weather and indeed today does not disappoint, although I got an early reminder of all the wet weather I¢ve gone through when I came to a stream crossing where the water was flowing freely above the stepping stones. I took it very gingerly and got across unscathed. It was a little iffy but not as bad as it looked.This was the first time I thought trekking poles might have been useful. I don¢t use them and don¢t like them. I think that they probably cause erosion and definitely cause noise pollution as you hear their chink, chink, chink when people come up behind you. It seems to be becoming the sound of the countryside.Te nice weather also allows me to take a few more breaks and I am trying to stop and read more. That isn¢t without problems as the nice weather has also brought out the bugs. They aren¢t too bad but sometimes (like this morning) they cause me to cut short a looked forward to break.The day went well though and I started to think that I could walk on past my planned destination of the 501 Shelter. I¢ve been a bit bored stopping early the last couple of nights so thought I might walk on into the evening.I met Nick from England at the shelter and we talked as I ate. I let him in on the secret that Mars Bars are called Milky Ways over here. He seemed appreciative as I shared one of mine and then it was onwards ¢ not as far as I planned ¢ to a nice spot 3 or so miles further down the road.
Date: 2003-07-01
From: Rough Camp ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ North of 501 Shelter 

To: Port Clinton - Pavillion
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: few clouds

Last night¢s extra miles mean that if I stretch my legs a little today I can make it to Port Clinton tonight.The problem is when you re heading into town, even a small town, ¢tonight¢ never means ¢tonight¢ it¢s ¢the earlier the better¢ so that there is time for restaurant food, or a trip to the bar or whatever. So all day I pushed on a little faster that I would ordinarily have liked and I didn¢t much enjoy the day as a result. Too much looking at my watch and not enough time looking around me.Anyway, I got there around 5pm and although the town lets hikers sleep in (or camp near) its pavilion I had kind of talked myself into splashing out on a room at the hotel and getting cleaned up (both me and my clothes). However, the walk into town took me past the pavilion and not the hotel so the decision was kind of made for me. Besides I¢m not that dirty, I mean how do you know when you are clean if you have never been really really dirty?My arrival in town was delayed a little as I had to wait 5 or 10 minutes for a train to do some shunting (or whatever) before it chugged away into the distance. We cross a lot of railway lines out here and they all seem to be busy with freight but no passengers. I was thinking to myself that the South had a decent rail network and then had to remind myself that I¢m in Pennsylvania now and that isn¢t the South. I¢d always associated PA with being pretty far north (the Amish and all that) and I suppose it¢s moments like this that remind me I¢ve walked pretty far.The evening saw me achieve what I needed in that I resupplied with a few days food, ate some fast food and flicked through the paper before heading to the bar and 3 quick drinks (small ones) before last orders at 9pm! Guess they don¢t have a problem with late night drunks. Besides the noise from the road did a good enough job of keeping me awake.