morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-23
From: Pen-mar state park

To: Quarry Gap shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: clear sky

I had planned to hitch into Waynesboro,PA from PA16 but it was a bad spot and so after no luck after 20 mins i crossed over and in 5 mins got a ride into Blue ridge summit. It was a small town but i didnt need much food. Before hitting the gas station for my resupply i wnet for breakfast. The supplies in the gas station were limited but at least they had b&j's, bonus. I tried the new york super fudge, not as good as cookie dough im afraid. The time came to leave town and as i went to the road to stick out my thumb a lady shouted me over. She asked 'your not going to freak out on me if i give you a ride are you?' i replied 'no,im from England'. It seemed to do the trick and in i went. She didnt know much about the trail so i filled her in on the detail. I would like to say the kilt got me the ride but theres no evidence to support that claim. I was soon on the trail again and set off up the wrong path. There were white blazes all the way up,but they were like the size of my head. I finally realised i had gone wrong when i came to a junction and there were big splashes of white paint on several trees. Once i got back on the trail i met lowbridge. He was trying to get ahead of his group so he could take some time off at home and then get back on with them. The next 16 miles had 5 shelters en route. Bobs steaming ahead, i dont think i will catch him. Had a little climb up to chimney rocks and i stopped this guy heading south. I said to him 'which way are you going?' 'northbound' he repliedI went on to say 'One of us is going the wrong way and it aint me'The funny thing was that when i got to the spot he took his break and set off the wrong way there was a huge sign saying which way was north and south. I rolled into Quarry Gap shelter with low bridge. Princess came along later and i met Ox for the first time.Hes 20 and from Federick,MD. Guess what? he was home school aswell. I also got my fim out my camera. Fido had a dark bag which i used to take the film out incase it didnt rewind correctly. Lucky it had, so i hope my camera is still working.Half way mark tomorrow.dandylion
Date: 2005-06-24
From: Quarry Gap shelter

To: James frye (Tagg run)
Miles today: 24.5

Pennslyvania so far has been great for cruising but i look forward to some more views as we get further north. I made it to Birch run gap for a break. The PATC have been superb, there are some grand shelters on this section in pretty locations. Princess caught up on me, her ankles is bruised and i can relate as my are feet are sore. The grade was very easy today and without knowing it i passed the halfway mark for the class of 2005. As i came into pine furnace park there was the legendary store that has the half a gallon icecream challenge. Many have failed to finish the box and even more to hold it down. I read the register to see Buttah managed 1 gallon over a few hours. Crazy man. I have eaten aloto f icecream on the trail and wanted some real food for lunch so i got hotdogs and pies instead. Princess and ox came along. Me and princess got a pint to share....hardcore!Ox attempted the challenge and failed miserably. he was bearly eating for 5 minutes. He maybe polished off a pint before saying in a fustrated 'oh darnt it, come on dandylion, grab a spoon'. I chilled on the porch for a few hours and got talking to a guy called Graham about politics etc. He was very pleasant to talk to and had a admiration for Britain. I indulged in it a little, i didnt have the heart to tell him how far we fell short of his expectations. Then we got joined by an old guy who just insisted on talking about all the asian women he won over when he served in the pacific during the war. Princess just ducked her head down as he talked about his conquests. He had a memory loop as he played out the same conversation and questioning twice. It was nice to return to normal conversation when he left. Later me, Ox and princess went down to the lake to swim. the sandy lakebed felt really good on my feet. Graham had said his water had minerals which would rejuvenate the body and he was right. I felt like hiking some more miles. Princess told us the story of how she originally started SOBO with a male friend who quit after 4 days. The rivers were hard to cross so she decided to come down here and do a flip flop hike. Princess stayed at the hostel while me and the ox pushed on. Passing the mid way point sign triggered a long conversation about the trail, why we were here, how its hard to convey this experience and its meaning to friends and whats ahead.When you ask ox what he does for work he will reply ' I like to say i retired from working before i started'. We night hiked to the shelter which is a first for me. I really should get a headlamp. Ox is a solid guy and said i am welcome to crash at his granma's tomorrow. I met a guy called mouth at the shelter today aswell. We all took a bunk each and i tried to sleep while listening to the bug warfare ox was having. He was using his wingfoot to beat back the bugs but this giant beetle landed on his head. He would not sleep till he had killed it. It was truely a battle of the titans but ox finally won it. dandylion
Date: 2005-06-25
From: James frye (Tagg run)

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

I left early, Ox and mouth were fast asleep. I was not feeling the hike today and wingfoots book had left a climb out. On one of the ridges the ATC must of been having a laugh at us. The route was just crazy, taking you up and over boulders, left, right. I felt like a rat in a maze. I took my time as i wanted to let ox catch up. The few miles into town were along the valley across open farmland. The sun was in full display and it was really hot. Boiling springs seemed a nice place but i was in a shabby mood and just hung outside the ATC office. I think maybe the heat had taken it out of me. Ox,mouth and princess all came along together and we hit the pizza place. Poor princess had to put up with our ratings of the waitresses. We got back to the ATC and Ox rang his granma. She was happy to have us and on her way. In the meantime Buttah and his crew were playing 4 square and we joined them. Ive never played it before and had a great time. Really intense game once pride is at stake. Granma ox came alogn and we all piled into her car. She was an awesome lady and i could tell we were in good hands despite her first reaction to our smell was one of disgust. I really cant blame her.She took us over to Uncle richards to utilise his pool. After a swim we got onto the subject of gunsand i mentioned i've never really shot any real firearms. Richard exploded with excitement 'I'll go raid my gun rack and we can fire off some shells'. It was a surreal moment for me. He threw a pistol,shotgun, romanian rifle and a scoped weapon down on the grass. The approach to weapons is very different to what im use to. Richard treats them as tools and toys. I must say that once i fired off the shotgun and snapped down the barrel to empty out the shells, i felt great joy. I guess it appeals to my primitive side, that feeling of control and power over the weapon. The rifle was my favourite weapon as i could accurately aim and fire, there was no recoil what so ever. It got to dark to carry on after a while and we packed up and left. Once again i am glad i embraced the opportunity to try new things. We watched the film 'seven' into the night, a great film to watch before bedtime.dandylion
Date: 2005-06-26
From: Boiling Springs

To: PA850
Miles today: 16.4

Granma ox made us a grand breakfast of pancakes and eggs. I talked with her about home and why im on the trail as the others were still asleep. Granma finally went into our grotto and woke up the rest of the hiker trash. She then said to Ox 'do you want me to pick you up tonight?' I was praying he would accept and he didnt hesitate. We decided to aim for Duncannon except for mouth who was meeting his frisbee team at PA850. We got back on the trail late but i got to see Dreamcatcher before setting off. She works at the ATC office on sundays. It was 95 F and today was the monotone stretch through the wheat fields. As we went along like a train we would take it in turns to moan and say 'its so dam hot'. I could of been hiking at home across Norfolks flat agricultural land. We finally left the lowlands and then found ourselves having are arses kicked by a climb over a ridge. The late start and heat made us realise we were not going to make Duncannon comfortably. Ox rang his granma on princesses phone. Mouth wanted to hang with his friends and then get a lift back to his house to get his car and drive us to Ocean city to stay at his parents appartment. We waited and mouths friends had not shown up. He was gutted and decided to walk down the trail abit to see if they were there. When he was gone i decided that i was not going to catch bob and should take the opportunity to take the 3 zero's at the beach with the gang. Mouth discovered we were actually at Millers gap 0.4 miles before PA850. We moved quickly along the trail to get on the right road. Luckily we still got our pickup and granma made us sloppy jo's for dinner. Mouth came along later, he had good time with his friends and they dropped him off here. Looks like im off to the beach for a few days, the rest from the trail will be nice plus its my first trip to the beach this year. We watched 'footloose' before hitting the sack.dandylion
Date: 2005-06-27
From: PA850

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

OCEAN CITY TRIPGranma lined us up well again and drove us to mouths house so he could grab his car. I sat in the trunk/boot which made me feel a bit rough. I made sure for the ride to Ocean city i was in the front seat. It was pouring with rain, soon as we are off the trail it rains! We passed through Delaware, the first state. We got some snacks and in Delaware there is no tax on goods. The lady informed me of that with great pride. Mouths number plate is really cool it reads 'IFINRUL.I've been told Ocean city is a wild place, the name suggests it could be tacky but i shall see. We had to stop alot on the way to let baby bladder Ox to go to the little boys room. We rolled into town and got the lift up to the top floor of a huge hotel complex. This appartment is high up with views of the endless Atlantic ocean and the shoreline. I couldnt see home at all. There were loads of family and friends in the apartment, all very welcoming. Mouths mum served up a pukka dinner and we decided to chill for the evening.We did head to Walmart to buy some things and get a 4 square ball. This allowed us to play some awesome 4 square on the tennis courts. This game is coming home with me. Ocean city is a really touristy but i think it will be a fun place to hang for a few days.dandylion.
Date: 2005-06-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We all managed to hit the beach by 11pm. The trail trash and me went swimming on boards trying to catch the waves. Not been in the water for a while, so i had alot of fun. We decided later to build a life size Katadhin. I disagreed with what it looked like but when the tide started coming in and destroying it i took it as my duty to protect it. I started building walls and dykes all around it. During my crazed attempts a big wave destroyed my work so i started trying to make another trench by dragging my foot along the sand. As i did this i lost my balance and wailed my arms out. At the same time this girl walked passed and my left arm swung back and smacked her right in the stomach. I've never seen that look on her face before, she was in shock and I could only say sorry. Her boyfriend didnt know what to do either but i looked so crazy they just walked on by. Ox shouted over straight after ' Hey,johnny english! Thats not how we pick up girls over here'. Mouth and Ox were laughing about that for sometime while i felt a little bad. I hit her so hard.I abandoned my crusade to save the big K. When we got back to the apartment i told everyone my story and Marcel enjoyed it very much. For the evening we decided to hit the boardwalks and as we left a domestic broke out, arrrghhh- reminds me of home. Family politics fascinates me. The boardwalks were lined with food stores and amusements, similar to Gatlinburg but more extensive and better done.We went on a few rides such as the unhaunted haunted house. They left the fact that it was not scary out of the ride description. On the ride back to the hotel on the bus we were sandwiched by drunken white trash school kids. Its apparently a real tradition to come and get sloshed in Ocean City when you graduate. We all dissolved into bed and i thought that was the end of my night. Around 1:30 am I had people come in and stand on me by accident. It was lindsey, Shauna and Michel (Michel is a girl!). They fussed me to join them for a walk on the beach and i never say no to 3 young ladies. Jenson and Marcel were there to and we went down to the beach to knock back a few beers. The girls went into the water but came running back shivering pretty quickly, i was really dazed and just listened to the conversations hum. Me and michel talked alittle before i left for bed again, these guys were there and i saw them just chucking their empty bottles into the sea so i didnt care for their company after that. Managed to hit the sack before sunrise.dandylion
Date: 2005-06-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Didnt do much this morning but pack up my stuff which was an mammoth task. We were in a 2 tier apartment and my stuff was spread everywhere. Shirley (mouths mum) and the family have been amazing. They have welcomed us into their holiday and treated us very well without holding back. The drive back was good, we got some lunch and had some 'sensitive debates'. Ox rang his granma and told him we were coming straight there when in fact we needed picking up from York. Ox seems to lose his power of speech in this car, he just turns into a babbling fool whenever he talks in this car...very odd. We couldnt then get a hold of her again and had to crash at Mouths house.As before, I am looking forward to hitting the trail to get some sleep. I just cant rest on days off! Back on the trail tomorrow, i need to be on the move again.Dandylion
Date: 2005-06-30
From: PA850

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

Granma picked us up in the morning and told us she had a nice meal for us last night, salt in the wound.We had some breakfast and i got to meet Ox's mum who was joining him for todays hike and his cousin Iris. A late start on the trail but just a short day in prospect. I need to hike earlier when its this hot. The climb up onto the ridge was tough, the humidity was hitting me hard. I felt like i was choking on the air....so humid. Worse ive ever had on the trail. Once up on the ridge it was a easy walk scaling the top and dropping down into Duncannon. I asked a hiker what the Doyle hotel was like and he replied 'lets say it has characther'. The Doyle is a cool place but at the same time pretty nasty. Cheap rooms, bar and jukebox and lots of characther on one hand, on the other the rooms were really hot and they charged you for internet. I used the internet for a little while and a guy said over my shoulder 'save your money, you can come over and use mine'. He took me to his house and said 'there's the computer, theres the beer' and he left. I had a strangers house to myself, the trails a wonderful place. I surfed the weba nd had a budweiser. The girls (barefoot bunch) emailed me to say they were game for picking me up when i get closer. Tal said he had a good time visiting them. I rang Sarah to discuss where was best to pick me up. I told her i will give her some english lessons when she comes to visit me. Her spelling makes me laugh so hard when i read her emails, she is the only girl i know who spells jealous with a G. I am trying to convince her and Mel to come over next year but they are not sure they will have the funds available. I am excited about staying with them, I am sure it will be a great experience. Meeting them made the trip worthwhile on its own. I talked with the home owner for a while when he returned. He said i should try and come back for a hiker feed next weekend. I resupplied and got a room in the Doyle.I got everything ready so i could hike out early tomorrow.dandylion
Date: 2005-07-01
From: Duncannon

To: Peters mtn shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I was outside and ready to begin my hike at 6:15 when i realised i was missing my sticks. My memory delivered the answer instantly. I had left my poles in the bar which didnt open till 11am. Lets say i was annoyed, did some poetic cursing but decided i had to wait to get them. Ironic how i was going to be the first one on the trail today and now will be the last. I really wanted to avoid the heat but nevermind, worse things are happening. I saw gozar on the porch. he was taking a zero day as his stomach was not good. Ramblin and corporal are here too. Its fun seeing all these people catch up, nice to see old faces. I got my sticks finally and moved on. I was impressed with myself for handling the situation so well even thou i shared the sad story of my fustration with any poor soul that would listen. I decided just to do 11 miles. I need to make sure i hit unionville on a weekend to get picked up by the girls. As i crossed the bridge i saw a overturned lorry, looked like a big problem. The climb out of Duncannon was steep and i was soaking in sweat as usual but i went into cruise mode after that. I met Warren Doyle at the shelter, he is one of the big trail celebrities, if there is such a thing. I enjoyed the hike into Peters mtn shelter and managed to avoid the climb down the steep hill to get water. Ox and mouth went down and when they got back up they said it was the hardest part of PA! Ox's night didnt get any better, he dropped his mountain meal all over the floor. I've never seen a hiker so devastated, it made my problem this morning seem trivial. The shelter had a chicken Alfredo smell to it. mmhhhhdandylion
Date: 2005-07-02
From: Peters mtn shelter

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

I woke at 5:45am and this time got away by 6:30pm with my poles in hand. Life in the woods is far more simple. The morning was cool and i loved being out on the trail this early again. I had a little break to eat some food and the corporal and ramblin man came along. I let them pass as i remember how fast they hiked from before but when i carried on hiking behind them i felt comfortable following their pace. We came to PA325 and we saw a note left by turbo joe. He had gone to town to think on whether or not to continue with his hike. I heard he had a friend who was dying and i imagine thats contributed to his doubts about the trail. Always sad to hear that someones leaving the trail. We were taking a break shortly after that and a man with a lisp approached us. He gave us some snacks smoothly followed by some religious comic books. The one i got was called 'Cleo' and was a 'dramatic' story of how this dog nearly got put down but survived, timmys father then went on the link the story to christianity. The story was very weak and flawed. We couldnt understand why timmys dad had never told him about god before his dog nearly got killed and more to the point, how would of being a christian help save the dog!!!! We climbed Stony mountain then had lunch before knocking out the last 8 miles by 3pm. Ramblin had studied the mormon religion and was telling me about joseph smith and the book of mormons origins. You can learn alot from other out here if you want to. I was tired and thirsty when i got to the shelter, so i fulfilled those needs first and hit the sack.dandylion
Date: 2005-07-03
From: Rausch Gap shelter

To: Shelter 501
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

The only climb this morning was up Second mountain but the rest of the day we were just up on the ridge. I met lightening rod this morning, he was trying to pull a 35 mile day into Port Clinton with his 45lbs external frame pack. There was a detour today under I-81 due to construction work. I was occupying my mind today by thinking back to funny stories and incidents that happened in my college years. I will be frank, PA is not my favourite state, not enough scenery. Just before William Penn shelter which is named after the man who formed this state RM (ramblin man) and Corporal caught me up. I met Mr.Clean at the shelter for the first time and he decided to call me Daisy. Dandylion sounds girlie enough trailname but Daisy is too far! We only had 4 miles left so i tied a rope to Corporal and let him drag me along. We got some soda from a guy who was a friend of New heart and noodle. Good to hear them guys will be back on the trail soon resuming from Duncannon. My boots really have fallen apart over the past days. The sole has peeled off at the front. I know people when they see my boots will say 'i bet it was those PA rocks' but these boots have done 1500 over the last 2 years and that is why they are breaking. The rocks in PA are really not that bad, PA has just been easy hiking with a healthy dose of tedious syrup. I long for the greens, whites and Maine. The 501 shelter however was sweet and was a nice home for the end of the day. The hiker box was awesome, I scored 3 backpacker meals plus found some adhesive to use on my boots. I had alot of fun trying to glue and tape my boots back together and now they look like astronaut boots opposed to hiking boots. Mr clean and Dorothy rolled in and we all decided to take advantage of the nearby road and order in some pizza and soda. We dined in true hiker fashion and toasted the fact that today we were less than a 1000 miles from the big K, 995 miles to be exact. The shelter had registers dating back to early nineties. I found Sunburns entry in the 98 register but Terry didnt appear to have signed it. There was a solar shower here which is another word for a cold shower hence i didnt take one. Mouth and his cronies turned up later on along with Hazey Sonic. The pizza place must of made some dollars today from us all, reminds me of the partnership shelter pizzafest. Mr.Clean was going crazy listening to RM talk about any issue that came up. Any topic you can think of he has an opinion and knowledge of. My stomach felt unsettled after the meal and i took out all my fury on the port-a-toilet outside, Im impressed that it didnt collapse. dandylion
Date: 2005-07-04
From: Shelter 501

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: broken clouds

I got out early this morning, as i kept saying, i love the first two hours of hiking in the morning. I think of anything i hike in them first 2 hrs as 'bonus miles' because i hike them so little effort. I took a break at a rare vista which was great to do again. Vistas in PA are few and far between so i made a point of stopping. Mr clean, RM and Corporal came along to stop as i got up to push on. The hiking was level but early signs of rocks started to appear in greater frequency. My boots held up most the day but RM gave me some more duct tape to get me through the afternoon. I really cant go on like this, i have to face the fact that i need new boots. Met a trail maintainer who threw some fruit our way, always appreciated but he warned the springs are low due to the dry weather. I would hate to climb out of Port Clinton southbound as it was a steep drop into town. I saw town with hestitation as the whole economy consisted of a hotel that was shut on mondays, candy shop and an BMW dealership! A thriving metropolis indeed. We went to the 'towns' pavilion where we are allowed to sleep. There was a soda machine there which had creme soda!! i was so happy, i have had cravings for this stuff since being out here even though i never drink it at home. mmmhhhh......creme soda. The candy shop was open and i decided to withdraw some money. I thought i had typed to recieve $200 but i did something wrong and out came a $20 note. Because the machine was a convience atm and i have to pay transaction costs on having my currency converted to dollars it probably cost me $5 to withdraw $20. Dam....but at least i have creme soda.dandylion