morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-09
From: Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: light rain

I waited down in the lobby for Mystic and Marley at 6: 30 to 7: a.m. while enjoying a cup of coffee. Met the nicest woman who ask me about the trail. Being the quiet, shy person I am, I launched into an over-view of the AT and its thru-hikers.Out into the morning fog by myself at seven, passing history in nearly every building and structure.A large iron railroad bridge guides us over The Potomac to the C & O Canal that follows The Shenandoah River. It¢s an absolutely flat 3-mile stroll ¢ then its up to the ridgeline for the long, flattish hike. With such undemanding terrain, the miles were clicking by quickly, so it seemed silly to stop at noon at the planned destination. After The Washington Monument (not the one in D. C. but the first one ever built, which is on the AT.) I crossed over Interstate 70 where a sign on the footbridge announces to the drivers they are passing under The Appalachian Trail.   Even at the high speeds they¢re traveling, many saw my backpack and me and honked.Only two of us are here at the shelter tonight. ¢Marylander¢ is sectioning for a couple days before he leaves to go to Philmont Scout Camp in New Mexico next week. His lungs will undoubtedly have a tough transition from our 1200-foot elevation to their 8000+ thin-air geography.An occasional rogue cloudburst has found us since being in the shelter ¢ a sweet smelling aroma is the result of all the dampness. Tomorrow it¢s another near twenty-three miles that will have me exit Maryland and cross another Stateline. Pennsylvania here I come.
Date: 2006-06-10
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Antietam Shelter
Miles today: 25.1
Weather: clear sky

It was nice to be in a shelter last night with only one other, maybe this is a good sign of things to come¢¦fewer crowds.The rain late yesterday brought with it a cool front. By sunrise my hiking shoes (and me) were laying down mileage. The big event happened at 1 p.m. when I crossed over the famous Mason-Dixon Line or said differently, the Stateline of Pennsylvania. Hello from PA everyone. It has the third most miles on the AT ¢ Virginia¢s #1 with Maine #2. So that¢s fairly awesome.By the time I reached my planned 22.7 miles to Deer Lick Shelter, it was only 3 o¢clock, so I went northward. The next shelter ¢ Antietam- was empty except for a nice couple from PA that were camping. Jay had a good fire going and ¢Webster¢ was catching the last rays of sun from a comfy camp chair. Webster loves hiking and the AT, so it wasn¢t long before were chatting about it all and her section hikes with her lady friends. Running around during this time was the very talented golden lab Chuck. Chuck actually dives his head into the river, opens his mouth while underwater, picks up a stone and brings it up to the bank. He¢s apparently been doing it all day judging by the 100-pound pile!Webster and Jay upon seeing my pathetic Lipton noodle dinner went into conference and decided that I¢d be joining them for steak, campfire baked potato¢s and veggies, corn on the cob, not to mention sticking a beer in my hand. They were using the trail tested technique of foil pockets stuffed with all the goodies which you just lay on the hot coals ¢ a nice low maintenance cooking. All that¢s needed is the occasional rotate, that¢s where I came in. They appointed me Chief Rotate Flipper. It was all quite fun. Come dinnertime, the steaks were cut, the foil pockets opened and the culinary fantastic-fest began. Yummy. What an over the top trail magic gesture. They are what make the AT experience one of the single richest endeavors of your life. Thank you both.
Date: 2006-06-11
From: Antietam Shelter

To: US 30
Miles today: 10.8

So what did I do today you were thinking?I walked about five miles to get warm; the morning temps down at Antietam creek were an amazing 38 degrees. Yes, it is June 11. It is a world gone mad.At the five mile mark I came to an open grassy area filled with sunshine. These are areas host buried pipelines, for me though, it was an ideal place to relive a fond memory and to take the chill off. About four years ago on a section hike, I discovered this very place while heading southbound to Harpers Ferry. Like today, I plopped down and took in the beauty. It was that moment I discovered the joy of the journey. While basking in the warmth another thru-hiker, Parkay, came through and said that Marley and Mystic were behind him and should be there in another half-hour. ¢Great¢ I said, I just wait right here and surprise them. Well, thirty-minutes became one hour which became two. No M&M.At two-and-half hours I moseyed on to the road of US30 and the town of Fayetteville where I¢d pick up my maildrop.The whole day seemed to slip by with me lollygagging. I checked into the motel and figured I waste the rest ¢ no sense being half-ass when I can be all-ass! I¢ll do better tomorrow.
Date: 2006-06-12
From: US 30

To: Mile marker 1099.5
Miles today: 31.2

No, that¢s not a two-day mileage total. Because of my pace, I¢m now about 4 days ahead of my plan, which all comes down to my buddy John (Jubilant John to me) joining me on June 17th for a hundred miles. As a result, I¢ve decided to get to Boiling Springs on Tuesday the 13th by noon and take a break with the folks. I¢ll get to rest, visit and see my black lab ¢Buddy¢ and my ocicat ¢Sequoia¢ too. I¢ve felt like an awful owner for having left them on this hike at times.When I added up the mileage from US 30 to Boiling Springs, I seriously flirted with the idea of doing all 39 miles in one day. Fortunately, my legs let my brain know in no uncertain terms, that the idea was out of the question. Thank goodness. So a compromise of 31.2 was agreed on. Leaving an 8.1 into the Springs. The folks will show about noonish I guess ¢ giving me time to soak up the town texture.The big highlight of today would have to be the midpoint mileage marker. A rock cairn had been constructed by this years hikers (it moves every year since the total mileage adjusts each season with relocations) to celebrate the achievement.A bit farther up the trail is Pine Grove Furnace State Park, home of the famous half-gallon ice cream challenge. It¢s pretty simple to understand ¢ get a half-gallon of ice cream, a few worthy competitors, a stiff spoon or Spork and yell Go. Today¢s battle included northerners battling southerners (again) in their own reenactment (sort of) of the civil war. This years grand champion, for at least today that is, in a winning time of eight minutes and ??? seconds was none other than Mystic. Way to go Mystic, the north wins again ¢ Mystic is from New Hampshire. I skipped the challenge shenanigans and went right for a cheeseburger with chips and soda. I can barely finish a pint; a half-gallon is outside the envelope of my ability. Plus, I didn¢t want the sugar crash that comes later. (Or the hurling that some did either)When I found this water source and nice campsite, it seemed a natural for tonight¢s home. The tent is up, it's not too buggy but there alive and flying and a flickering fire is the entertainment. A few gentlemen section-hikers from Tennessee are also here. An owl that none of us can identify is hooting to the west and the tree canopy is vibrating with the slow gentle breeze. Way in the distance is the bellowing air-horn of a train ¢ it must be approaching a road crossing? The world is alive with energy, however, here in this edge of the woods little matters. I wonder if my excitement to see the folks and pets will let me sleep? It¢s been nearly nine weeks.
Date: 2006-06-13
From: Mile marker 1099.5

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was mostly lollygagging. Arrived at the mid-Atlantic office of the ATC at nine in the morning. The folks wouldn¢t show until one. It was great to see them and Buddy ¢ we wrestled around on the lawn together. Not Mom & Dad, Buddy and I.While waiting, a hoard of new hikers strolled into the ATC, all brand new names and faces. I counted 18 who were brand new. Doing 31-mile days on top of consistent mid-twenty¢s does introduce you to new faces.It was nice to linger in the shade of a tree without a care in the world. Thru-hiking is not always about mileage. Now its four days off until I pick up Jubilant John up at the airport and hike on starting the 17th. Can¢t wait, so, I¢ll talk to y¢all later.
Date: 2006-06-17
From: Boiling Springs

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

After countless face licks from my black lab and purring shin rubs by my cat, and easy calories, relaxing hours with the folks, my friend Jubilant John and I headed back to Boiling Springs. This would be our first, only AT trek of nearly 100 miles together. It took just under three hours to get back to where I came off on Tuesday at the ATC. We posed for the ceremonial starting photo, gave the folks a hug and headed north. We¢d see them on Friday morning in the town of Port Clinton. John and I followed several blazes on telephone poles and trees before a double white blaze signaled us to turn into the farmland. Huge crops of wheat, corn (still young ¢ not as high as an elephants eye yet) and hay dominated our first ten miles. There is a simplistic beauty to a large sea of grain. The stalks close to you have a blue-green cast but as distance comes into play, everything shifts to a yellowish-taupe since only the grain tops are visible. Fresh berries ¬(Huckleberries) were everywhere ¢ Always nice to come along a ripe and loaded branch of the black-purple sweeties. We each filled our hands many times over throughout the day. Jubilant John comes by his trailname honestly ¢ I gave it to him during a Smoky¢s car camping trip where everything, including horrible tasting freeze-fried dinners, made him happy. Why even tropical storm Isabelle we shared the park with didn¢t dampen his smile! Today as he turned to lead us into the farmland, Jubilant John was down right giddy. He and JB (his lovely bride of 25+ years) are destined to thru-hike someday. They just love the outdoors and make time to get out with their two rockin¢ kids. JJ¢s big smile and pace dragged my sleepy self along through the fields. With the required travel time to get back to the trail, we planned a shortish (by AT standards) 14-mile day, but by noon we had eleven of it already done. So, in a nice shady spot of lawn under some large white pine, we yelled, ¢Break.¢ I immediately drifted off into a deep nap to JJ¢s amazement. By five we were on the blue-blaze heading to tonight¢s shelter. A small group is here; we¢re all hoping for a breeze, the humidity is dialed up a bit. This heat makes it tough to sleep in; of course that¢s where the Tylenol PM helps.
Date: 2006-06-18
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

We woke to no worries. The plan was for a short day in good weather into a town. Not that we needed the town stop, but the AT travels right down Main Street. The closer to Duncannon the more annoying the geology gets. Pennsylvania is notorious for its rocks, and not stunning, well placed sentinels of stone to gaze at. No, I¢m talking small, pointy, angled, pitched, cantered, wobbly, rolly, awkward demons. At points there¢s absolutely no place to put your foot. Anywhere. Your best defense is to embrace the rock and walk it rock to rock. It only requires you to focus fully on the trail and not wander in thought¢¦ever. The slightest drift of mind could result in a stumble or trip and the next thing your doing is picking yourself up off the rocks missing a tooth or looking at an arm or leg that goes off at an angle it shouldn¢t. It happens every year. The Appalachian Trail isn¢t always a walk in the woods. After the only small climb of the day, a sudden flush of twigs and branches started snapping ¢ a white tail leaped and ran through the forest at great speed. ¢Hi, just passing through. Sorry to disturb your breakfast,¢ I explained. I don¢t think it heard me? The most noisy of all the animals are the smallest, the chipmonks. They have an alarm call that mimics a high-pitched, squeaky porch door. Then they burst into a run, hop and scurry at about 300 mph to the nearest log or burrow. I also tend to apologies to them as well for intruding on their household. On the descent off the ridge, Jubilant John¢s two small right toes were yelling at him for this desire for adventure. It seems hanging in Texas or anywhere as far as they¢re concerned other than in hiking boots that are being banged, knocked and continuously poked on this rocky trail would have been preferred. After some duck tape to muzzle them and some aspirin to help forget their lack of cooperation, we exited the woods to enter the town of Duncannon. At some point in history, Duncannon might have held some stature, but as it does to so many towns, the Interstate skirts the outside sending the hamlet on a course to abandonment. The Doyle Hotel is the poster child for that situation. An AT tradition from the earlier years for sure, a worse place would be hard to find today. Glad we¢re only here for one evening. My dad used the term ¢flop-house¢ the other night; JJ and I think it¢s closer to a place on skid row. It¢s extra motivation for us to avoid becoming a crack-head. Some might call it charming, filled with rich history ¢ whatever. Tonight for dinner we have two choices of establishment in this booming metropolis. To our south is the Pizza Italian place. To the north is the Italian Pizza place. (Boy what I wouldn¢t give for some nice meatloaf and mash-potato¢s). The one nice feature of the Doyle, architecturally speaking, is its second floor porch. The meager breeze on this hot hot humid day does miraculously find us ever so often up here.
Date: 2006-06-19
From: Duncannon

To: Near PA 325 (tenting)
Miles today: 19.7

After an afternoon and evening in the accident that is the Doyle Hotel, it was nice to know that the breakfast place across the street opened at 5 a.m. giving us an early exit before we¢re too awake and aware of our surroundings. Goodies is a nice diner, one that takes pride in cleanliness. Jubilant John and I tightened our straps and followed the white blazes up to High Street where they turn to head through town. Eventually it¢s across the Juanita River and then to the much larger Susquehanna moments later. The Susquehanna River is the largest on the AT traveling over 400 miles, we cross it along a long, cobweb filled bridge where just feet away Interstate speed cars pass us with puzzled looks. From behind me, Jubilant John thought my hiking pole waving was reminiscent of an orchestra conductor. Little did he know how fierce the cobwebs were. Some were down right trampoline-like with their maker lurking with baited fang for a nice big juicy Postcard breakfast. Across the mighty river, the AT climbs Peter¢s Mountain where for the next fifteen miles we stay on the ridgeline where it drops to the valleys both left and right. Our highlight, which others might not refer to as a highlight, was walking up on a timber rattler of over five feet on the trail. Timber rattlers absolutely love the nooks all these PA rocks and boulders provide. This fella was really quite polite. It felt our vibrations as we approached, so at about 15 feet, it sounded its rattler alarm while it moseyed off and out of the way. ¢Why thank you very much,¢ I said. I counted nine rattle bans to its tail as it slithered into a rock nook. JJ wanted to attempt a poke to coax it back out for a photo ¢ I demanded that we leave it quietly, others might be hiking behind us and I wanted their passage to be safe. Plus, this is its home not ours, we are the intruders.We thanked it again for the thrilling moment and left it peacefully ¢ maybe now it can get busy growing that tenth ban. Throughout yesterday and today, Jubilant John¢s been wrestling with the aches and pains of doing mileage by foot travel. He¢s going through what so many went through down in Georgia when the herd started moving north. He¢s quickly gaining a new respect for the miles I¢ve been posting here at trailjournals. However, it was his idea (not mine JB) to go beyond our planned 12 miles today. We had completed them rather quickly and with the entire afternoon whispering in his ear to enjoy the woods, he couldn¢t resist that sirens song. Needing water for dinner before we could make camp, a spring marked by a blue-blaze pointed to the right so off we went. Once we had it then we could start hunting down a flat spot to pitch (a tough task in rocky PA). Fortunately we hit the mother load, the spring had sites, and so we called it a day. Jubilant John¢s feet and toes were so happy that we were home for the night
Date: 2006-06-20
From: Near PA 325 (tenting)

To: PA 443
Miles today: 16.8

Sometime after midnight I heard rain starting to fall on the tent. I quickly pulled the storm beak closed. Then both of us decided we¢d better visit the woods quick before the deluge¢¦if one would happen to come. I love sleeping to the sound of rain, having it fall on the tent is all the more magical. (To keep JJ¢s pack weight minimal on this trek, I changed out my one-person tent I¢d been carrying since Georgia for my two person, this way he¢d avoid several pounds. Before we left on this adventure, I gave his pack a thru-hiker shake down and took another four pounds out before ever hitting the trail.) By 5:30 a.m. all was dry and cool. That heavy humidity seems to have lifted. I struck the tent while Jubilant John got busy with duck taping his toes and heels. Unknown to us, his feet, toes and one knee all had a secret off-site conference last night to decide that this adventure is not their idea of a vacation. Apparently during the conference, one of the toenails was making a passionate plea for the Cayman Islands when it turned black and fell off to the floor. After that, the other toes seemed to get quiet. They all argued back and forth about being loyal to their owner or rebelling. Then the right knee took the podium and whispered in its diabolical way that it had a plan that could get everyone out of those smooshing trail shoes. A vote was taken ¢ passed unanimously and so it was only a matter of hours once the day began. By the first climb ¢the plan¢ was initiated. Jubilant John became the victim of a conspiracy of rebelling toes, heels, well¢¦everything below the hips basically. Not a whiner, he discovered that hiking what has been deemed America¢s greatest (toughest) long trail was anything but a cakewalk. Our pace went from 3 mph to 2.5 mph, then down to 2 mph, until all those evil foot and leg appendages slowed him to near non-motion. After a nap at the shelter and enough extra-strength Excedrin to numb a horse, we decided to zag. Besides, there was one other aspect of hiking the AT he needed to experience ¢ the art of the hitchhike. At PA 443 most of the cars were moving to the east. Not knowing where the nearest town was, we crossed over to position ourselves on that side. I attached the Hiker To Town bandana and bam; we had a pickup truck in five minutes. Jubilant John was saved; he¢d lost this first round to his angry conspiring feet and friends. But he who laughs last laughs best ¢ Jubilant John will see the AT again.
Date: 2006-07-01
From: Eagles Nest Shelter area (tenting)

To: Mile 1220.8 (tenting)
Miles today: 26.2

While visiting the folks, I spent some time behind the wheel of my car. That¢s where I witnessed one lady making a turn in her car while talking on her cell phone and smoking a cigarette simultaneously. She might have also been chewing gum, putting on lipstick and using the stick shift. No wonder New Jersey has the highest insurance rates in the country. I wish it were an isolated event, but it seems ¢phone head¢ is a modern day addiction. Does anyone ever do just one thing anymore? Is it possible for people today to hear silence or must there always be a TV on? Can a moment go by without a cell phone being reached for? Is being with ones self gotten too scary? Or has everyone become so dependent on distraction, interruption and multi-tasking that everything else seems alien? Many who start a thru-hike run into the quiet that is isolation. It unnerves them; they don¢t have any practice at it. Even the very civilized pathway of the AT can make a person feel desperate, angst ridden from that feeling of detachment. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who always turns his or her head to look around at what else is going on rather than staying in the moment of the conversation? Is everyone suffering from A.D.D? I remember reading a book once that advised that when we talk, talk. When we listen, listen. It meant for us to focus and stay in a moment and not get sucked away by the countless distractions. Plus it¢s a tad more polite to pay attention when in conversation. At this point in the journey I¢ve covered over 1200 miles on foot, but since that may be hard for you to comprehend, I¢ve done it all without having a cell phone! That¢s two and a half months without talking on one. Yea, thought that would make it more clear for many of you. And you know what, I¢m Ok. Really. No twitches or rash. I¢m guessing that a lot of the stress so many experience daily is self-imposed. Trying to do too much simultaneously. The pastor of my church has a saying; Problems are simply decisions we haven¢t made. By doing everything a little, we don¢t have to make a choice. The lady who was driving while calling while smoking while shifting while chewing couldn¢t make a choice. I¢m glad I drive defensively ¢ she had her hands full with multi-tasking rather than being a good driver. My niece recently got her first ¢C¢ in a class where straight ¢A¢s¢ is her norm because she tried to do everything. She learned from that. Despite the AT thru-hike being one super tough endeavor, many upon completion speak of missing the simplicity. To not have someone call you, or not have to be here, do that, go there, are the less tangible benefits while on the trail. When you finish, the assault starts all over again. Maybe we should start a National Single Tasking Day? You could still do lots of things that day, just not all at the same time.
Date: 2006-07-03
From: Lehigh Gap (Tenting)

To: Kirkridge Shelter area (Tenting)
Miles today: 29.9
Weather: few clouds

Rocks rocks rocks. Rocks! #!?* Rocks. Rocks, rrrocks, r r r rocks. ROCKS ROCKS ROCKS! Boulders, which are rocks. Angled rocks, pointy and wobbly rocks. Triangle rocks, long skinny rocks, saw tooth edged rocks, and always, always, hard unforgiving awkward tiring annoying rocks!!Fifteen thousand years ago, during our last ice age glacial movement, all these horrible rocks were brought and left (or so that¢s part of the blame). Rocks are what PA is famous for on the AT. Quite unfair really, since they only get dialed up the farther north of Duncannon you go. Rocks, Rolly Rotten Rocks!