morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-18
From: Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

To: Dahlgren Backpacker Campground
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: overcast clouds

While on this trip, we've learned to shop for motels with complimentary breakfasts in mind. Our new focus turned out to be useful this morning. Following our stay at Bear's Den and a rare breakfast bar a few days ago, we haven't had to eat our normal fare of oatmeal in 6 days. It makes me wonder why I'm carrying it! Anyway, we drank coffee and ate in the Comfort Inn lobby before packing up and running to Wal Mart for poison ivy cream. After saying good byes (the girls were heading on to New York), we stopped at the outfitter for new hiking pole tips for Hopeful's poles. She's also wearing her new hiking skirt that we bought yesterday, and loving the comfort of it. As we crossed the first footbridge, we hiked into Maryland, our 3rd state in two days. I can't emphasize how good it was to see family. Once back on the trail, we did our math and realized that we'll see my parents in only six more days. Maryland seems to be a very easy state to hike. Our initial climb out of town was quite bearable, adn the rest of the day was relatively flat. We hiked 18 miles in 7 hours including some lengthy breaks. Many hikers attempt to hike the "Four State Challenge" through here. They go from Virginia to West Virginia to Maryland and into Pennsylvania all in one 24 hour segment, a total of 41 miles. We chose not to attempt it, we enjoy our sleep too much!    Tonight we're staying in a field that is set up for camping. Picnic tables, tent platforms, and even showers... we're glad to be clean at the end of the day. It helps Hopeful's poison ivy, too. It's doing much better. We want to thank everyone back home for your prayers. Today seems to be the day where the medicine has kicked in and in a matter of hours she has vastly improved. Hairball, Snowbunny, Nomad, Spitfire, Guideless, Rocky, Swamp Fox, Slow and Steady and her daughter are all here for the night. It's nice to sit around the picnic table and visit. There are five or so tables here, but we like to crowd into one! We hope to get some good rest because we may push for some longer miles tomorrow.
Date: 2005-06-19
From: Dahlgren Backpacker Campground

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 28.3
Weather: overcast clouds

5:45 PM I'm writing this from Pen-Mar Park, which is a state park along the Pennsylvania/Maryland border. We're currently over 23 miles into what we hope will be a 28 mile day. There was music playing in the pavillion as we approached the park, so we grabbed a picnic table and are having an early dinner before finishing the day. There's a nice view from the park, and we hear that many people come here to watch the sunset. The grills and picnic dinners smell great, but we're settling for our one pot meal of soup mix. Jax, Gray Beard and Mad Chappper have joined us. Masa and Red Blaze were here earlier. Here's what I've learned:   Beyond 15 miles of hiking in a day, we run low on things to talk about. At 18 miles, my feet start to hurt. Beyond 20 miles, I've thought about everything there is to think about and my thoughts go blank. On our last stretch of trail, I began quizzing Hopeful on football team names and their cities. She's learning well.    8:45 PM Well, we made it, our longest day yet! The weather helped. It was in the 70's. The terrain helped, it was as flat as any extended section yet (although flat is always relative!). And, we seem to be finally over the poison ivy. Hopeful is feeling much better, and in her new hiking skirt, her rash isn't as irritated. We will fall asleep in Pennsylvania tonight. We crossed the Mason/Dixon line just past the park. Early on in the day we passed a Washington Monument (obviously different from the one in DC, an earlier one). There's a picture in our photo jounral. As we walk through so much of our country, the natural surroundings on the AT are, of course, incredible, but we are also very much enjoying the reminders of history and the cultural experiences. Probably most of all, we enjoy the people that we meet.
Date: 2005-06-20
From: Deer Lick Shelters

To: Quarry Gab Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Following yesterday's miles, we needed better sleep than we got. There were the two Pepsis that I drank at the state park before getting to the shelter. Caffeine is beginning to affect me again. Then there were the bugs knawing at the wall of the shelter next to my head. There was a bird's nest above our heads. The baby birds cried for most of the night. The mother bird came in to rescue them and flew into hanging backpacks and food bags repeatedly, and we'd hear the flutter of her wings as she pulled back to try again. Finally, I was freezing! We're not complaining about cooler weather, but I need to prepare better for it by sharing sleeping bags with Hopeful (hers is warmer). So, once we finally fell asleep, we slept until 7:30 this morning. Our 9:30 start time was our latest since April. We hiked for seven miles and then took 2 hours off in the small town of South Mountain, PA. Our last mail drop was more food than we wanted to carry so we forwarded half of it ahead to South Mountain. While in this small town, we stopped by the grill for a second lunch. A couple of friendly locals gave us rides to and from the trail. Six miles later we pulled into Caledonia State Park, home of one of the largest pools that I have ever seen. Where there's a pool, there's a shower. The attendant was kind enough to let us clean up, and we also made some phone calls. Gray Beard joined us, he's especially drawn to the state park snack bars we've been passing. Back on the trail, in a couple more miles we made it to our home for the night. This shelter is amazing in its upkeep. The unique design includes two covered sleeping areas, a covered cooking area, hanging pots of flowers, hooks for hanging things everywhere, and it even has a retractible tarp to keep wind and water out. Nomad, Nick (now Dr. Nick), Indie & Big foot (two section hikers we enjoyed meeting tonight) and Cycle Hiker are with us. With no need to rush, a couple of long stops, the mountain laurel that makes us feel like we're walking through bushes of popcorn, a great place to sleep... what a good, relaxing day it has been.
Date: 2005-06-21
From: Quarry Gab Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

June 21st, the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. Trail tradition declares this "Hike Naked Day". Those of you back home will be glad to know that we hiked quite clothed! Nomad and Red Blaze tried their hand at hiking naked, and Nomad got caught by Jax's Mom who was hiking south to meet him. He was reclothed just in time to see the group of 15+ teenage girls at the next shelter.   Today we crossed the half way point of the hike. As great as this journey has been, how could we see it any other way than half full? Trial tradition beckons us to try the "Half Gallon Challenge", which is an attempt to eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting. As the bets were placed on other hikers, thinking I'd be the least likely to finish first among the group of us there that afternoon. I'm proud to say that I was first to finish at 28 minutes flat. Not just that, but it was peanut butter cup ice cream, and after laying on a picnic table in the sun for about 10 minutes (see photos), I made a quick recovery. Nomad made the mistake of eating a burger, fries, and a Coke first. His eyes were glazed over for a long time afterwards. Hopeful was quite content with a pint of her favorite ice cream, which left her room for a burger. Although that doesn't make her an official member of the half gallon club, she was a great cheerleader.   We're spending the night tenting in the state park campground. Cycle Hiker, Nomad, Gray Beard, One Thing, Jax, his Mom, Hairball and Snowbunny are sharing two sites with us. Dr. Nick and Tinkerbell are staying up at the Hostel. A bit more money than our campsite, the hostel looks like a cool place. It was the old Ironmaster's Mansion, and it was a stop for escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad. Tomorrow we hope to do 19 miles into Boiling springs before 4:30 PM when the Post Office closes. These kinds of challenges are sometimes what help to keep us going.      This morning, I began reading Colossians. Paul writes about Jesus, saying, "He is the imagae of the invisible God". That verse reminds me of John writing about Jesus, calling Him "The Word." Translated more directly, "The Word" means what we would call "The Logo". Jesus was God's logo. John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh". If we were able to take God, all of His qualities, characteristics, power and tenderness and blast a bright light through Him, the image we would see projected would look like the life of Jesus. It was a cool thought for me. I'm not sure what it's worth, but it kept me thinking for much of the morning.
Date: 2005-06-22
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 19.4

One beautiful thing about the AT is how it teaches one to be patient when details are not all figured out. Somehow, this Trail has taught us to be less stuck on our plans, and not only open to changes, but even excited and optimistic about how things will evolve. Often throughout these journals I will write, "Our plan was... but things rarely go as planned", or something similar. At first, these were remarks made with a cynical tone, but now I write them with hope and expectation of even better things to come. Overall, we find ourselves more and more relaxed as we pass the halfway point.   This morning, we knew that we needed to get to the Post Office in Boiling Spring by the 4:30 PM closing time. We were a little concered about being able to get out on time (we had 19+ miles to hike). Well, at 5 AM a slight rain came and woke us up by sending drops through the mesh door of our tent and giving us a good morning sprinkle on our faces. We checked our watches, and decided that we might as well get up. The rain stopped as quickly as it had started, but we kept going and so the day began. It felt good to be out so early, we even beat some of the 50+ years crowd onto the trail (it seems to us that the older you are, the earlier you tend to get up and hiking). So, we broke through a lot of fresh spider webs. Papa Bear used to tell us, "Do 12 by 12", meaning to hike 12 miles before noon. I'm sure we pulled that off today. For the second time in the last few weeks, I started to get shin splints. They're not the worst problem to have, but do make for some pretty miserable miles.    When we finally pulled into Boiling Springs, I was ready for the day to be over. Besides the sore shins, one thunderstorm had just passed and a much more severe one was threatening to hit. We took cover on the porch of the ATC Regional Office and watched nature do its thing. We sorted through our box that we had picked up at the post office across the street which we waited out the storm. In the meantime, we realized that our plan to camp in a nearby farm field might lead to soggy results, and we started looking into alternatives. We found a phone number on a nearby message board that offered showers, laundry, dinner and an overnight stay at a local family's home. So we called Kyle and Laura and within an hour, we, along with Dr. Nick and Red Blaze, were on our way to their house.    We've enjoyed our time with them as well as their 4 children, Rebecca, Emma, Nathanel & baby Evan. We ate a tasty dinner outside on a picnic table and Kyle even gave the guys a ride to the local outfitter (our Platypus water bags are leaking, but with their lifetime warranty, all we needed to do was exchange the leaky ones for new ones). What an unexpected blessing to be dry, do laundry, eat well and enjoy a visit with a local family, all at the end of a great day of hiking.
Date: 2005-06-23
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Crossing of US 11, Super 8 Motel
Miles today: 8.0

Because of my sore shin, last night we changed/improved some plans for today. My parents are coming to meet up with us for four days and we were originally planning on hiking 26 miles today and meeting them in Duncannon. Instead, we modified our day to only 8 very easy miles and then meeting them at a motel at a highway crossing. It has turned out to work better for all of us.   The hike this morning was very flat, along the edges of all sorts of farmers' fields. We enjoyed visiting a little with Big Bob and his dog named Sunny. Our average pace per mile has increased anyway, but it's especially evident when the terrain is flat. We began hiking in Georgia about 2 miles per hour, but now our average is generally 2.5 to 3 miles per hour. We're excited for the next few days of family time and rest time. We plan to go with my parents to my aunt and uncles home in Arlington, North Virginia and stay through Monday morning (3 full non-hiking days). Unfortunately, Gray Beard, Cycle Hiker, Dr. Nick, Red Blaze, Hairball, Snowbunny, Nomad and Big Bob are all moving on and weill be 4 days ahead before we see our next white blaze. We've really enjoyed hiking with each of them and hope to seem them all again before Mt. Katahdin. We know that this is how the Trail works and that we'll meet more great people when we get back on, but it's still sad to let them go on ahed. We're hoping that they'll have weddings to attend and visitors to slow them down and that somehow, someday, we might catch back up.   This afternoon we'll check into the hotel and wait for my parents to arrive after a long drive from Michigan. Once again we'll be a step ahead so that our family gets to see the showered version of Red Wing and Hopeful. We also look forward to reading and napping while we wait. Once stopped and in a comfortable place, our bodies seem to shut down and say, "Let me sleep!".
Date: 2005-06-24
From: Crossing of US 11, Super 8 Motel

To: The Wheatons', Arlington, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Hopeful is on journal duty today:   We learned earlier this week of the unexpected death of a friend from our church family back in Michigan. It's especially hard to be away when we hear news like this. I'm reading through the book of Hebrews in the New Testament and am reminded that "...He [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" Hebrews 2:14-15. There's comfort in remembering that the abundant life that Jesus makes possible for us is both right now and after death, but it's stil not easy for her husband or small kids, or other friends and family who will miss her so much. It makes me reflect more than ever on the way that I live now, and thankful for the time in this life that Red Wing and I do get to enjoy together. There's a beautiful new hymn that I sometimes hum to myself as I walk. The words are rich and hard to remember them all, so I have it copied in the back of my Bible for the hike. I wish I could write the tune here as well, but the words to the last verse will have to be enough:    "No guilt in life, no fear in death / There is the pow'r of Christ in me / From life's first cry, to final breath / Jesus commands my destiny / No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man / Can ever pluck me from His hand / 'Til he returns, or calls me home / Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand"    The rest of the verses are also BEAUTIFUL and full of truth from Scripture. I definately need to find a copy of it on CD when we get back.   So, what did we do today? Not hike!! I don't think we even walked, apart from hotel to car, car to house, house to car, car to hospital, hospital to car. Let me elaborate.   After breakfast at the hotel near the trail crossing, we headed out with Mom and Dad Wheaton to Arlington, VA, just outside Washington DC. Red Wing's Great Uncle Jim and Aunt Toni live here, along with their two daschhounds, Elvira and Sabrina. Jim and Toni are fantastic hosts. One of the first things that Uncle Jim did was take me to the hospital. He and Red Wing were waiting room buddies while I saw a doctor because my poison ivy is coming back. They say that my first round of steroids, while it helped, probably wasn't strong enought to finish the job. So, this time I got a shot and a back up prescription. And I'm thankful to be fighting the itch for a few days in a house with a shower, rather than on the trail.   We were amazed and grateful at how quickly I was able ot get care in such an urban area, and busy hospital. Back at the house, we enjoyed air conditioning (the weather is quite hot and humid, once again) and a delicious home cooked meal and time to relax and visit and read and rest. We're sure that we'll sleep well tonight and tomorrow's plans include a trip into Washinton DC.
Date: 2005-06-25
From: The Wheatons', Arlington, VA

To: The Wheatons', Arlington, VA
Miles today: 0.0

"Another Day Off The Trail" By Hopeful   We probably picked one of the warmer days this summer to walk around Washington DC, but I suppose it's better than rain and gloom. As with every meal that she made for us, Toni made us feel like royalty at breakfast with a beautifully set table and lots of good food.    The DC field trip group included Mom and Dad Wheaton, Red Wing and myself. We are not generally big city people, so to see us trying to figure out how to buy a ticket for the subway was somewhat humorous. We did make it, however, to The Mall. It continues to impress us each time we visit the monuments, and read quotes of our country's leaders of the past. It renews our sense of patriotism. It was special to vist the Vietnam Memorial with Dad Wheaton, who served in that war. Searching for the names of a couple of his comrads on the wall made what happened there much more personal and real to me. We saw many of the monuments/memorials including the Washington, World War II, Vietnam, Lincoln, Korean War, FDR, Jefferson... and then we escaped to an air conditioned cafe for lunch. All this made for quite a bit of walking around in the hot sun. So for the afternoon we did a couple of hours in the Smithsonian museums. The ladies went to the Museum of American History and the guys to Air and Space. Our subway ride back to Arlington was smoother than the ride into town. We were kind of dazed back at the house and spent some time napping and reading, which then turned into a nap.    Besides the incredible steak dinner, a treat for the evening was having April Bailey join us. Her apartment in Falls Church is quite close. She's nice enought to come back back in the AM so that Red Wing and I can join her for church. We look forward, as always, to the chance to worship God in a church with others. Being away from that consistently reminds us not to take it for granted.    Tomorrow, too, we'll relax and catch up on the rest of our phone calls and emails, visit more with Jim & Toni and their little dogs, and go out to dinner at a nice restaurant on the water in Alexandria. Our feet, legs and bodies are feeling great with these days of rest (well, except for the walk around the city this AM, which was good for helping keep us limber!) We're thankful for friends and family!
Date: 2005-06-26
From: The Wheatons', Arlington, VA

To: The Wheatons', Arlington, VA
Miles today: 0.0

An interesting series of thoughts have been hitting me over the past few weeks. Nothing Earth shattering, but enough to teach me something. It all started back in Northern Virginia when we started hiking near and through several Civil War Battlefields. Through Harpers Ferry, Maryland and into Pennsylvania, we have continued to pass areas with historical significance dating back to the Civil War. As we hike through these areas, we read plaques, signs, pamphlets, etc. which explain how the role the area, or a person played in the Civil War. Each time I approach these, I get excited to learn and understand history better. As I leave, I'm often left feeling disappointed that I don't get it, and I'm embarrassed that I don't know my own country's history better, and I'm wanting to learn more. Each time I realize how little I know and I struggle to piece things together. Without prior knowledge of the overall chronology, strategy, and geography, these battle sits are basically meaningless to me. I have no overarching schema in my head on which to hang such specific details, and therefore most are lost as soon as I read them.   In the time that this has been happening, we've been thankful to have soem good conversations with other hikers regarding the Bible. Through these conversations, we've come to realize that many people struggle to as they read since they don't necessarily start with a big picture of the Bible. And therefore the individual stories, books or even themes are missed. One hiker confessed that reading the entire Bible is a goal of his, but without the background knowledge, he's struggling to put the pieces together. Just like Civil War history, it helps with the Bible to see the big pictures, along with the intricacies of the story to get the most out of it. The good news is that the Bible is worth spending the time to get to understand. It does get easier, and since there's alwasy more room to dig in deeper, our fascination with it should always grow.    These thoughts have inspired me to want to know history more. They have also given me more understanding for people who don't quite know how to put the bits and pieces of the Bible together into a grasp of the big picture. Hopefully, with this new understanding, I'll be able to share what bit I do know about the Bible most clearly.
Date: 2005-06-27
From: The Wheatons', Arlington, VA

To: Riverfront Campground, Duncannon
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Getting back on the Trail after a day or two off is always weird. Today, it was even more so. First of all, we'd been off for almost 4 days. Second, it wasn't like we were in a trail town with other hikers during the time off. Instead, we were in DC, where everyone shaves and people where nice clothes. So returning today was a bit of culture shock. Additionally, we went from the comfort of family to being back on our own with a new crew of hikers who we really don't know yet.      After a great breakfast at my aunt and uncle's house, we said our goodbyes and started back to the Trail with my parents. We were so thankful for our time with family, it was a blessing to have them be a part of the adventure, as well as for us to be able to catch up on their lives.   Back on the trail by 1 PM, we became educated on those notorious Pennsylvania rocks by 3 PM. It was a hot and humid day and we chose the toughest time to start hiking. Finally, we arrived in Duncannon, PA and to the campground at 8 PM. Duncannon has a hiker famous hotel called the Doyle, which is an interesting place. However, we definately didn't need a hotel stay after spending so many days in civilization (although the Doyle isn't what you would call a traditional hotel with its community bathrooms and all).   Yes, we should be rested and ready to go, but the day of hiking felt very long. As soon as we got here, I realized that I had a book sent and ready to pick up from the Doyle, on the other side of town that we had already hiked through. I would need to backtrack about 1 1/2 miles (3 miles round trip). As I started back down the road, I put out my thumb, hoping for a hitch. The very first car to come by a stopped and the driver turned out to be "Trail Angel Mary" whose treats we've enjoyed earlier that day from a cooler left along the trail. She said she would give me a ride but that I would need to help her with "trail magic" first. So, she dove me to her coolers along the trail and I helped her to restock them, then we picked up my book, and then she brought me all the way back tot he campground. Hopeful had prayed that I'd get a quick hitch and an opportunity to hang out with people. God certainly answered that prayer.    Once I got back we showered, ate and have gone to bed. Hopefully tomorrow we'll see more hikers.