morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-19
From: Pass Mtn.Hut

To: tom floyd wayside shelter 
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: light rain

total miles-950.6todays miles-23.61009pm/19jun--i am now out of the SNP and happy to be free to camp wherever i want to again. in the park, youre restricted to designated campsites and shelters. distances between the shelters though are not like you're used to on the rest of the AT. these park shelters are spaced unrealistically far apart if you want to skip one and get to the other. what i mean is this...you can either do a 13 mile day or a 28 mile day. i like doing 15-20 mile days. see the dilemma?anyway, today in the park i saw my very first BEAR. it was very exciting. i didnt know how i would react to seeing one in the woods. the feeling i got from it was that it was doing something wrong and didnt like that someone caught it red-handed. it was a young bear; when it stood up it was about 4-5 feet tall. it was just sitting on the trail, digging for grubs or roots. i looked at the hole it dug after it took off. i didnt have time to get a picture. damn. i didnt expect to really see one. everyone else has been seeing bears the past few days though. i just figured i was scaring them away. when i saw my bear, i stopped and stood still. it looked at me for a few seconds, made a little snorting noise like it was annoyed with me, then turned and bounded into the 3-foot bushes off the trail. then it looked up from the bushes at me again. then it stood up. then it ran off. but you know, i wasnt sure what it would do. so i just watched. im glad it didnt come toward me. earlier in the day, id seen bear tracks in the mud on the trail. i took pics of those. i was hoping id see a bear out here. now i have. i mean, what kind of thru-hiker would i really be if i didnt have my own bear story?tonite i am in the tom floyd wayside shelter with lion king, paul, sharon and their dog, bela. very nice folks. fun to talk with. ill go to front royal tomorrow and get food for the next 5-6 days til i get to gettysburg, which is about 115 miles up the trail, where US30 crosses. then the halfway point is only 20 miles north of there. am i really almost half done? things learned-i cant sleep on a bed anymore unless it is a sheet of plywood.-water from anything other than a spring or stream has a funny taste.-its ok to make a rain skirt from a trash bag and wear it in the rain.-if you see a bear before it sees you, pretend you didnt see it first. just stand there and adjust your gear or something and fumble around with your radio til it sees you. thats kind of what i did. that way it has time to react and get out of your way. i dont think you want to be really close to where it feels threatened or cornered and has to attack. give it space.
Date: 2003-06-20
From: tom floyd wayside shelter 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

0739/20jun-i now know, once and for all, what the definition of INCESSANT means. referring to RAIN. this is unbelieveable. its as if this is the normal, natural state of what a day is supposed to be like. as if the earth is somehow dying of thirst, and has made some sort of deal with the sky to make damn sure that that doesnt happen. meanwhile, us creeping, crawling creatures below strap on our increasingly heavy water-logged packs and never dry boots and clothes to slide through another view-less, fogged-in lighted period of time known as a day. SUN! WE BEG YOU TO COME BACK! (by the way, it has rained every day this week. which would have been fine had they said it would do so in the weather forecast. dont you hate when they say its gonna be sunny for the next 4 days, and it turns out that they must have meant sunny for somewhere else, cause THIS SURE AINT SUNNY!!!)actually, it was not rainy, yesterday or the day before during hiking hours. on those 2 days, it only started to rain about an hour before getting to a shelter, and then rained all nite both nites. so, im in limbo right now at 756 am, waiting for the rain to let up so i can get to the road (about 3 miles) and start hitching to front royal for food. then hitch back and get on the trail again. i doubt ill do 20 today. we'll see though.
Date: 2003-06-24
From: david lesser shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

24jun/217pm/total miles-1010?ah! how the trail turns! i made it to harpers ferry yesterday the 23rd around 1030 am. i went to the ATC hq and signed the register, had my pic taken, searched the register and photo album for when the folks ahead of me came in, generally milled about and enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL hot summer weather. i had 4 pops there too (sodas for those not knowing what pop is). i hooked up with lion king and he called someone in town who shuttles you around to here and there. so we went to the walmart and food square in charlestown, wv, to get this and that.funny, but for the past 3-4 days, i have had no appetite. im not sick, and i dont feel weak in any way...just not hungry. just drinking water and a few snickers bars and im feeling fine. have i lost the "hikers appetite"? maybe.i enjoyed walking around harpers ferry and seeing the history of the place. all the big names in american history are there. george washington, thomas jefferson, lewis and clark...not to mention john brown. every american should check this place out. i guess i should be overwhelmed with feelings of pride or satisfaction that i have now passed the psychological halfway point of the trail. i am happy ive made it this far, yes. and im now out of VA. still a long way to go. i guess im sorta sad its half over.actually, i am at the house of a local hiker who has done the AT and the PCT. met her on the trail as i was on the way to the ed garvey shelter last nite when i was leaving out of HF. im happy to be showered, laundered, fed and dried out. i dont have to be anywhere til saturday morning, and thats only 55 miles away. so i dont feel too rushed today. AND im not even in west virginia...im in MARYLAND. hows that for the 4 state challenge? its my own version. the 3 state tango. va, wv and md in an afternoon.ill probably pack up and be ready to leave in the morning. i havent had a zero day since june 4th. 19 straight days of non zeros. and about 16 days of that being rain. but now we're all dry and happy again. it has been the rainiest spring on record here ive been hearing. so much so that next year, at trail days in damascus, us 2003ers may all wear our raingear in the hikers parade, to symbolize our standard dress during our thru hikes. so, next big stop is mile 1066. IM CHECKING OUT GETTYSBURG!!!
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Duncannon

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

1136am,fr,27jun-just sitting here at a little camp spot along the trail, stopped for lunch, with my boots off, enjoying the warm, sunny, breezy day. ive done 7 miles since 0737 this morning and have about 6.5 to go til i get to the pool. i had to stop anyway...my left heel is really painful. not from blisters. but its very tender where the achilles tendon joins onto the heel bone. its been hurting for days. but today its hurting worse. about 2 nites ago, before i went to bed, i rubbed some icy hot onto it. the next morning, it was swollen. it still is. i can walk on it, but if i had to push off with it, i couldnt do it. so right now, my left foot is just going along for the ride, so to speak. i think if i ice it for awhile, it would help tremendously. maybe ill get some of those medical ice packs you punch and knead to make them cold. i think, though, that a long dip in pool will be great for the heel. and me.i didnt mention much about harpers ferry, the big psychological halfway point. i signed the register at the atc hq, got my pic taken, weighed my pack (48 lbs with 6 days food and a day of water). i got about 10 fold-up maps of the AT and sent them home so everyone knows where im at. i got my maps from the PO from my sister, shopped a bit at walmart in charlestown after getting a ride there and back, used the payphone at the train station, checked out the old section of town and then got back on the trail to leave around 6pm. then some ladies were walking toward me and we all got to talking about my hike. carla, marge and camille...very nice ladies. then their friend julia joined them and we all had our picture taken together. by camille. so she wasnt in the pics. they were from the northeast and julia is from where spain and france border each other. it was very nice to meet them all. well, the swimming pool calls me and i need to get moving because ill be a little slower today due to my heel. luckily, its mostly downhill, which doesnt hurt it as much. so, til next time...what a chopped up kind of day. i wrote earlier as i sat and ate lunch and checked on my swollen heel. now its 310pm and i made it to the caledonia state park pool, and im sipping on a giant root beer and writing this under a big shade tree, and as hoped for before, checking out scantily clad babes by the pool. (: always the right time for girl watching!my heel did great getting me here. i loosened my boot and moved the lace down a notch, and that seems to have relieved some pressure. plus, i sort of had this situation before where it hurt in the same place. i hiked 26 miles in a day and it was hurting after 12. that nite, i ate a mountain house freeze dried meal, spagetti and meat sauce, and in the morning the pain was gone. i guess thats the solution...eating meat. so i ate the rest of my turkey lunch meat for today's lunch. now im good again. and, IM GOING SWIMMING!! bye!
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Kent Ct.

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

total miles-1450.4miles to go-722.2sun,27jul,415p-i made it to the road which leads to kent, ct, yesterday. there is a shelter called mt. algo shelter thats about 3/10 of a mile before the road. i stopped there about 11am to have something to eat and to read the shelter register (which is a notebook that hikers write their thoughts in and date it, that way future hikers can see who was there recently). there were a few beers in the creek near the shelter, so instead of eating, i just had a few beers while i sat down and read/wrote. very welcome trail magic on a hot day. i was to meet atwanabe at the outfitters in kent at around 2pm and it was a half mile walk to get there. but who made the last entry in the register? yep, atwanabe! i picked up and left and the ridge runner, kyle, was on the trail. he said he talked to atwanabe and that she was at the parking area by the road and that she took some other hikers to town and would be right back. it was just a 10 minute walk to the road and it was downhill.and there she was! so we drove to town and walked around. later on, spunky and princeton met us at the pizza place. we all hung out with each other for a few hours. i took a zero day today. got some groceries (5 days worth), fixed my backpack straps, charged the camcorder...generally just relaxed and stayed off my feet. im gonna push for getting to vermont this week. each state done feels like progress. progress towards finishing, yes, but i dont like spinning my wheels. although i have learned that being a hard charger all the time keeps you from alot of enjoyment of things in life. lesson learned. now its time to hike.
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Kent Ct.

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

sun,27jul,415p-i made it to the road which leads to kent, ct, yesterday. there is a shelter called mt. algo shelter thats about 3/10 of a mile before the road. i stopped there about 11am to have something to eat and to read the shelter register (which is a notebook that hikers write their thoughts in and date it, that way future hikers can see who was there recently). there were a few beers in the creek near the shelter, so instead of eating, i just had a few beers while i sat down and read/wrote. very welcome trail magic on a hot day. i was to meet atwanabe at the outfitters in kent at around 2pm and it was a half mile walk to get there. but who made the last entry in the register? yep, atwanabe! i picked up and left and the ridge runner, kyle, was on the trail. he said he talked to atwanabe and that she was at the parking area by the road and that she took some other hikers to town and would be right back. it was just a 10 minute walk to the road and it was downhill.and there she was! so we drove to town and walked around. later on, spunky and princeton met us at the pizza place. we all hung out with each other for a few hours. i took a zero day today. got some groceries (5 days worth), fixed my backpack straps, charged the camcorder...generally just relaxed and stayed off my feet. im gonna push for getting to vermont this week. each state done feels like progress. progress towards finishing, yes, but i dont like spinning my wheels. although i have learned that being a hard charger all the time keeps you from alot of enjoyment of things in life. lesson learned. now its time to hike.
Date: 2003-06-29
From: Gettysburg

To: Burch Run Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

im cooking my lipton and ramen dinner here at the birch run shelter. its a hot day, very sunny,the way i like it. yesterday, i took a zero day in gettysburg with spunky and her parents. first we ate at the lincoln diner, riqght near where pres. lincoln came to town to give the gettysburg address in nov1863. later we ate at an ice cream shop right near the jenny wade house. then for dinner we ate at the general pickett's buffet. now THAT was a dinner to behold! AND it scored the highest marks in my 'efficient restroom test'. basically, this means that the restroom door is a push instead of pull as you exit. the only other one was at the mcdonalds in troutville.we saw reenactors there and lots of people walking around, having a nice day. i cant believe im really in PA yet. ive always liked this state. its the state where i saw my very first bear a few years ago in allegheny national forest, while i was training for this hike. it even has the town of toby, pa, which i went to last summer. it probably gets snow, though. not as much as buffalo i bet.
Date: 2003-07-01
To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 1093.7
Weather: few clouds

0619,tu,1jul--total miles, 1093.7-lets see, who did i meet yesterday? chuck and sharon from new jersey at the halfway sign, stan and his kids clayton and nicole at the state park snack bar, and 2 young women hikers with a dog from dillsburg, PA. and yes, i am now officially past the halfway point. one half more to go.spunky and i bought our 1/2 gallon of ice cream at the store in the park and sat down to see if we could be members of the half gallon club. its the tradition to eat an entire half gallon of ice cream when you get this far on the trail. i ate mine in 49:05 minutes and was awarded my wooden ice cream spoon, stamped "member of half gal. club". i hope to never do that again. but i was hungry again in a few hours. the secret to eat this was to eat pringles chips too. it makes your taste buds change gears so you can handle all that ice cream. worked for me.i want to get to boiling springs today to the PO to pick up the next set of maps. the rocks arent bad at all so far, which goes against what everyone says about the rocks in PA. some parts of the trail look like the land at my grandpa's place in the country. flat, pine needle-y, easy on the feet. the trail is long enough...why not have it all like this? it doesnt have to be like an eco-challenge out here. but alot of it has been. anyway, flat and soft is a nice change.my heel is way better now. i think its from all the meat i ate at the general picketts buffet in gettsburg. and fat. i knew my diet was lacking these. the swelling is down and it feels much better.another great thing about reaching the halfway point is that you walk right by a lake with a beach in the state park. and a hot day + a beach = yep...lovely babes in bikinis! one thing you dont see on the trail. but wouldnt mind seeing more often.so, its back to hiking. we'll see how far i walk today. 15? 30? 50? stay tuned.
Date: 2003-07-02
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 1127.5
Weather: overcast clouds

at cove mtn sheltermiles today-21.6total miles-1127.5day110,wed,2jul,930pm--was a relief getting to boiling springs yesterday. its a very nice town. an atc headquarters with local info, great pizza place, good homemade ice cream, but hard to get a good place to camp. spunky and i were eating ice cream (yes, even after eating a whole half gallon the day before) and we got to talking to some people about the trail and such. they offered for us to stay at their place. so we did. we got to sleep in a screen-enclosed patio! and they let us take a shower!3jul,950am-we are in duncannon now and im seeing some familiar views that i remember seeing from the times ive been through here before...like on the way to gettysburg mostly. and when i found out the AT crossed here, i paid extra attention. now, im here. and im at 1131 miles. the mosquitos are in swarms. this is the worst skeeter place ive encountered on the trail so far. yesterday at the cove mtn shelter all the way down to here. here being a little park with picic tables across from a vfw. on to get groceries to get me to port clinton, 70 miles away. and to find a place to pig out at. or two. (:p.s.-i took some good video on the climb down and now, my battery is almost dead. so since im not staying in town overnite, like at a hotel, where i could recharge the battery, ill just have to find a pop machine and use the outlet from that. hehehe.
Date: 2003-07-05
From: Pine Grove, PA

To: Pine Grove, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

its 742pm and spunky and i just got to an econolodge in pine grove, pa, next to the I-81. a young man named ben, a pizza delivery guy, gave us a ride after we were hitching for just over half an hour of what could have been a 2 hour or longer hitch. one thing ive really noticed and this goes for almost every time we've hitched...people in nice, new vehicles never pick us up. even pickup trucks with nothing in the back. i dont know what it is. i mean, if they are town people, im assuming they know the trail is near their town. so when they see someone walking along a road, heading toward town, wearing a big backpack, does it even click that maybe, just MAYBE, these people hiking most likely mean them no harm? maybe they are just hoping for a ride. is it possible that that is all it could be? i wonder. especially up north here. so ben, thank you. my boots are about done now. im not quite ready to toss them out just yet, but whenever i find the next outfitter that has the boots i have, im getting them. its possible, too, that my feet have gotten bigger. that is not unheard of out here. we'll see.as of today, we have less than 1000 miles remaining. have done over 1172.6 miles. the pocket on my backpack that holds my small nalgene and platypus no longer has a working zipper as of 455pm today. you know how sometimes the overlap material gets caught in it? well, that was the situation. i couldnt get the zipper opened and it had my last pint of water in the pocket. and i needed water. hence, no more working zipper.ahhh, im in a room with a/c now. mcdonalds right next door. why am i still typing?
Date: 2003-07-07
From: Pine Grove, PA

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

mon,7july,936pm-here for the nite. only 3 of us in the shelter; fizz, jug and me. cool breeze blowing in from time to time. leaves rustling on the trees. perfect. except for the #$@%ing mosquito i keep hearing by my ear.yesterday, spunky and i had an almost zero day, or as jenn (another thru hiker) calls it, a near-o day. we hitched into pine grove on saturday evening to find a motel to clean up and stay the nite to feel human again. showers, restaurants, tv, a real bed. it had been a tough week of relentless bugs and relentless heat. time for town.the next day, we stayed in the air conditioned room til even after check out time. then across the street to the exxon station to use the pay phone. then back across the street to macdonald's for, what else...FOOD! we hung out there for a few hours. then we eventually got to another town and went to a mall. i needed some more deet. so i found that and got few more things at the kmart there. then there was a movie theater there. and terminator 3 was on, so i saw that. then the fireworks show you could see from the parking lot. then back to th trail and i stayed in the 501 shelter which was a bunkhouse next door to a house.tu,8jul,107pm-im in port clinton at the port clinton hotel, the only place with a public phone, which happens to be hidden behind a closet door in a bar. i am wearing a new pair of hiking boots from appalachian outfitters, vasque something or other, the only ones in my size. i kinda had to get them. my old ones were done. it was either these new ones or find a roll of duct tape to keep the old ones going. wish me luck.
Date: 2003-07-10
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Lewis Smith Shelter
Miles today: 23.5

th,10jul,1008pm-and i can see MY BREATH!!! WHYYYY!!! mid 50's right now. must be a cold front passing through, because its been drizzly and foggy all day. and rocky. rocks everywhere. "how would you like your rocks today? large, small, jagged, slippery, close together,...someone made a little comic strip in a recent shelter register that shows a stick-figure hiker with sweat dripping off him. in front of him lies all these rocks. in front of the rocks, you see a dumptruck with an ATC on the door and an ATC person (an ATC fidget) behind the truck saying something like, "looking good. keep em coming". theyre essentially dumping rocks on the trail. oh, and mixed in there are some rattlesnakes too.fr,11jul,1108am-im off the trail for phone usage. about a 15 minute walk to get here. and no one felt like giving me a ride i guess. oh well.im in wind gap. 15 or so more to new jersey! woohoo!
Date: 2003-07-12
From: Delaware Water Gap, Pa

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

total miles-1277.8sat,12jul,0659am-HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! i'm almost in new jersey. less than a mile to go. finally out of 'rock-sylvania'. this last stretch from just after port clinton, really from windsor furnace shelter, mile 1207.6, was the worst as far as rocky sections go. so the last 70 miles in PA is where i did the most swearing. and wearing the new 'sponge-tex' boots to do it in really made the swearing more intense. i felt like i was ice skating. so much more effort was needed, so much more i had to ask from my poor feet. being soaking wet inside the SPONGE-TEX (goretex DOES NOT WORK) boots for days, well, you know what dishpan hands look like. less than 900 miles to go. this week i did 50 miles in 2 days...100 in 5. i feel like im in "race" mode. maybe its just becuse i wanted to get done with all these rocks. id also like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARON! Trail Angel EXTRAORDINAIRE! thank you again so much for your wonderful hospitality you showed to radio shack, spunky and myself. have a great day!well, off to the phone. its right across the street. and its sunny. and clear. and, and,....YES im zeroing today!