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

To: Blackburn A.T. Center
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up to cold... rain! Decided to wait for it to stop or 1 p.m., whichever came first. It stopped raining about 12:30 and we were out by 1. Thought we¢d check out the Blackburn hostel because it was free, and they had a phone. Walked down the mountain and as soon as we saw the beautiful hostel and cabin and carriage house, we were psyched. Bill, the caretaker, handed us each a soda and told us to put on some warm clothes because dinner was in 15 minutes! It was an unexpected, wonderful treat. We had pasta, garlic bread, salad, green beans, and a glass of wine. And then we had dessert! Brownies with ice cream and a cup of hot tea! What a spirit lifter after all the rain and gloom!
Date: 2003-06-21
From: Blackburn A.T. Center

To: Harpers Ferry, VA
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

Hit the 1000 mark today! It was a nice easy hike into town. As we were walking across the (huge and flooded) Shenandoah Rivers, Ellen came walking toward us! (Ellen is our friend from Wilmington, graduate school and my roommate before Jonathan and I got married.) She was coming to meet us in Harper¢s Ferry and saw us walking across the bridge! We also met my friend Katie that I worked with at Kayak Carolina. We are all going to Ellen¢s tonight for dinner, showers and laundry. Yeah!!
Date: 2003-06-23
From: Harpers Ferry, VA

To: Dahlgren Back Pack Campground
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

So we ended up taking yesterday off. Saturday night, Jonathan, Shifty, Nothing Decent, Katie, and I stayed at Ellen¢s. We made pizza, grilled vegetables on the grill and had a couple beers. It was fun! We had a costume party and were only allowed to use stuff from our backpacks. Funny stuff! Sunday, Katie took the boys back to Harper¢s Ferry. Jonathan and I got to walk around Frederick, MD (very cool town!) with Ellen. We watched a couple movies, ate Subway, cleaned and dried all of our gear (including Jonathan¢s water logged nasty feet that had been giving him trouble.) It was a great day off. Thank you so much Ellen and Katie for taking care of us! Today was a beautiful day. It is supposed to be nice for the next several days. We sure do appreciate it now! And we¢ve decided we love Maryland. So far it¢s flat, easy and - of course- sunny! Too bad we¢ll only be in MD one more day.
Date: 2003-06-24
From: Dahlgren Back Pack Campground

To: U.S. 40
Miles today: 5.1

Well...we¢re going to be in MD for a few more days than we thought! Shifty has been feeling bad for the last couple days. He¢s had a head ache, his body aches, and he¢s pale and feverish. We took lots of long breaks today so he could rest. At one point we came across him lying beside the trail. He had felt dizzy and thought he was going to faint, so he decided to lay down. When we got to the shelter, we told him to check for tick bites or spider bites, and...sure enough, he had the tell tale ¢target¢ mark of Lyme¢s disease. So we hiked down to a nearby state part and the ranger took us to the hospital in Hagerstown and we got him some antibiotics. My wonderful, kind, caring, compassionate, lovely friend Ellen came to get us and we are going to stay with her a couple days while Shifty starts his recovery..
Date: 2003-06-28
From: U.S. 40

To: Devils Racecourse Shelter
Miles today: 13.3

We¢re back on the trail! We had a good, relaxing time at Ellen¢s in Walkersville, MD (again!) We rested, watched t.v., did some chores for Ellen, had dinner waiting when she got home from work, and watched a bunch of movies. It was good we rested because Shifty was definitely out of commission that first couple days. We had a very fun night last night in Fredrick, MD. Went out to dinner and played on a VERY fun playground. Ellen brought us back to the trail this morning. When we got back up to the shelter we had left on ¢discovery¢ day, we had a GREAT surprise. In walked Face and Blaze (Leigh and Nate from OH) whom we had started the trail with and lost at Neels Gap. We were sooo excited (at least we girls were!) We have both been trying to trac k each other down for months! Another fun thing that happened today was that 2 miles before we reached our destination there was trail magic! A hiker named Hoops and his girlfriend Meg had a cooler of beer, a cooler of soda, fruit, chips, candy bars, an d banana nut bread! Fun night!u
Date: 2003-06-29
From: Devils Racecourse Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

We are in Pennsylvania! Our 7th state! Yeah! Took a long break at Pen Mar Park just before the border. The place was crawling with Senior Citizens! There is a big ¢Seniors Dance¢ every Sunday afternoon with a live band. Ate lunch at the concession stand and got to see a little bit of senior dancing before moving on. So cute!
Date: 2003-07-01
From: Birch Run Shelters

To: Tagg Run Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: few clouds

Today is the first of July and we were awaked by some noisy section hikers in the shelter. And boy did it piss us off along with dad and his two sons (Cheyenne, Strder, and Wing 4.) Hiking was normal and we got to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. We ate greasy food and watched Mothman and Bling Bling complete the 1/2 gallon challenge. After that we went to the lake and swam. It was crowded and kids there were having a ball. Around 4 p.m. we packed up and headed for another 7 miles. A mile into it we hit our 1/2 way point! Hip Hip Hooray! Now we tackle the 2nd half...
Date: 2003-07-02
From: Tagg Run Shelter

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 12.2

Pretty easy hike today. We were going to go on, but our options are 12 miles (which we¢ve done), or 26 miles because there is no camping in between. I guess we¢re hiking through private farmlands for the next 13 miles!) So...I think we¢ll camp just out side of town and eat pizza and stuff and head out early in the morning.o
Date: 2003-07-03
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a fun, different kind of day. The first 13.5 miles were FLAT, through farms and the edges of cornfields, and in small sections of woods along roads. I guess a few years back this whole section (called Cumberland Valley) was road walking, but the ATC spent a bunch of $ and bought bits of private land to walk through. Thanks ATC!   There were also lots of raspberries, mulberries, honeysuckle, clover, and those fun snap dragon plants that you can ¢pop¢ the seed capsule by squeezing between your fingers. We also had two batches of trail magic! Sodas in the morning and wine in the afternoon. Hiding from the mosquitos in our tent to read for awhile and then off to sleep!p
Date: 2003-07-04
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Hot, hot, hot day! We were happy to get to the cool air conditioned Doyle Hotel lounge for lunch and a cold draft Yuengling lager. Got a ride to the grocery store to re-supply and buy some sparklers! We sat on the porch of the Doyle, had a couple beers, lit sparklers, and the amazing Duncannon trail angel, Mary, brought big platters of turkey, stuffing, and potatoes for us! The only downfall of the day was that the rooms were not air-conditioned, and it was VERY hot and sticky. But, all in all, a hap py 4th of July.
Date: 2003-07-05
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peters Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 11.4

Blaze¢s sweet parents slack packed us the first eight miles today. So we walked with Face, Blaze, and Cornpatch and had a fun (though hot) day. We got to Blaze¢s parents van just before a small thunderstorm came through, so we were able to wait it out i n a little shelter by the parking lot. Got to this shelter at about 4:30 p.m. and thought about going on, but it¢s such a nice shelter (2 stories, magazines, comfortable chair, front porch, etc.) that we decided to stay!t
Date: 2003-07-06
From: Peters Mtn. Shelter

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

Today we hiked some pretty easy terrain. That is, mostly flat terrain but of course with numerous rocks, roots, holes and deadly spitting cobras. Ichiwawa! We also received some trail magic in the creek in the form of ice cold sodas. They always hit t he spot. Tonight it sounds like some serious rain is out to get us, but we are all buckled down. Until tomorrow. Adios.p
Date: 2003-07-07
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

Today was kind of a blur. Lots of flat miles, broken up only by a lovely afternoon thunderstorm. We were very excited to get to the shelter (which was more like a cabin, with bunks, and chairs, and magazines) and realized there was pizza delivery to the nearby road crossing, and Stripe had a telephone. So we had a pizza party with Shifty, Face, Blaze, Mothman, Sea Bee, Pace, Stripe, Ace Crash, Woods, Last Minute, Willow, and Tank. Good times! The only problem was we all drank too much Pepsi, and woke up at 1 am and couldn¢t sleep!t
Date: 2003-07-08
From: 501 Shelter

To: Eagle's Nest Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Easy, flat walk today except for the rocks, but not too bad. *Attention Friends and Family* Thank you for reading our journal and posting messages. I wish we had time and the capability to keep in touch better individually with everyone., We only get t o look at our web page once every 3 or 4 weeks, and only for 20-30 minutes. Our friend Tim and my parents have been kindly posting our journals, which we mail them. Please know we think about each of you every day during our countless hours of walking a nd thinking. Keep reading and posting messages though, because when we do get a chance to read them, they make us happy!
Date: 2003-07-09
From: Eagle's Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: moderate rain

Hiked into Port Clinton today with every intention of hiking out. But... lots of fun friends, $1 drafts, and a very cool, free hiker pavillion sucked us in. We had a blast! Definately one of the best nights on the trail. We spent most of the day in the cool air conditioned bar of the Port Clinton Hotel, eating good food, drinking cheap beer, and feeding the juke box money. The scarey bartender ended up being nice (after Dingleberry gave her the trail name "Aphrodite") and she even ended up giving us free beers. The crew that we've been hanging out with recently is a great group (mostly the same people from the "pizza party" a few nights back). Good times!
Date: 2003-07-10
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Eckville Hiking Center
Miles today: 15.2

Well... today was a very fun day. We woke up and had breakfast at a diner and then organized a "slackpack" with the outfitter. For $3 each we got to walk without our packs for 15 miles! Me, Dingles, Face, Blaze, Mothman, and I all walked together and the miles flew by. We talked the whole time and had an awesome dayt, even though it was drizzling rain all day. The shelter tonight is another cabin with books, magazines, a cold shower (I skipped it!), and a FLUSH toilet! Guess what we found? A hardback copy of the new Harry Potter book! Jonathan and I did some surgery on the book. We removed the cover and split it in half and we'll each carry half. Everyone thinks we're crazy, but... that's the magic of Harry Potter. Time to read!
Date: 2003-07-11
From: Eckville Hiking Center

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: broken clouds

Rain, rocks, 5th ankle twisting, and sore hip made today a not so good day. But I just ate some cheese tortellini and I'm about to read some Harry Potter, so things can't be that bad! Going into Palmerton, PA tomorrow for some laundry and lunch. We may stay over in the "Jailhouse Hostel". Good night!
Date: 2003-07-13
From: Palmerton, PA

To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Again... yep! We're going to stay. We're taking advantgage of free lodging and hospitality here. Went and heard (and sang) some karaoke last night, had a big breakfast this morning, and we're going to lay in the park and read all day. And then tonight... there is music at the gazebo in the park!
Date: 2003-07-14
From: Palmerton, PA

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, after a nice break in Palmerton, we had a super neat climb out and back onto the ridge. It was a kinda scarey, hand over hand climb up some crazy boulders... straight up! But it was a beautiful day and a nice (although VERY rocky) walk.
Date: 2003-07-16
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

In NJ! Still rocky so far, but verrrrry beautiful. Went swimming in the Delaware River and saw several girl scouts intentionally swamping their canoes and a big school group in rafts. Tongith we're camping at the Mohican Outdoor Center and the mosquitoes are HORRIBLE!!! They say that the mosquitoe is the state bird of NJ and I believe it!
Date: 2003-07-17
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Culver Fire Tower
Miles today: 19.8

(by Jonathan!)Today in beautiful NJ, it was animal kingdom. First we saw a big ole rattler who appeared to be quite satiated. Next we saw a cute little porcupine who got scared and tried to hide under a rock. Lastly, we spotted two turkeys who didn't get too spooked. NJ is a diamond in the rough for me and I'm psyched! Tonight we are sleeping on an awesome ridge, watching the sun go to sleep.r
Date: 2003-07-18
From: Culver Fire Tower

To: Secret Shelter
Miles today: 20.0

Drizzled rain all day today, but it was another pretty hike and....we saw a bear cub up in a tree! We had a pretty wicked thunderstorm the last mile or 2 of the day and as soon as we saw the turn off to the "secret shelter" we had a couple REALLY close lightening strikes in a row. Scary! What is the "secret shelter?" Well, a former thru-hiker built a nice shelter and privy on some of his property (farm land). There were also two donkeys roaming the grounds that made AWFUL noises and woke us up during the night. But the sound was so funny we woke up laughing, so that was good!!
Date: 2003-07-19
From: Secret Shelter

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 13.0

Stopped in Unionville, NY on our way to Vernon, NJ today. Shifty and I both needed to grab some food for lunch, and I was supposed to pick up my headlamp (I left it at the Eckville Hiking Center, and the caretaker, "Lazee," was going to send it for me). But....it wasn't at the P. O. Hopefully it will forward to Bear Mountin before we get there Tuesday. We'll see! Now we are at an AWESOME church hostel in Vernon with shower, laundry, kitchen, t.v., and internet (I'm updating Trail journals at the moment!). Dingles, Shifty, Face, Flaze, SearBee, and I will probably go into town for dinner and maybe rent a movie to watch tonight! Resting up because we are about to do five pretty big days so we can go into NYC on Friday!
Date: 2003-07-21
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: William Brien Memorial Center
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

Long day. Had a nice break at a lake. Went swimming, cooked dinner, and right as we were about to hike our last 4 miles a thunderstorm blew in. So we waited it out, and then our adventure began. Our first couple miles were pretty uneventful, but then we heard thunder and it started getting dark.....fast. We still had 2 miles to go, so we hiked faster to beat the darkness (remember, I still don't have my headlamp) and the storm. It got very dark and lightening was flashing everywhere (at least it lit up the path so I could see!). I twisted my ankle again (#6) and slipped and fell on a wet rock. Finally, as the storm was reaching its peak and the rain was coming down hard, the old stone shelter came into view. What a welcome site!
Date: 2003-07-21
From: William Brien Memorial Center

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 15.2

Got up early so we could make it to the Friary for the free dinner they serve. We didn't make it. The Post Office in Bear Mountain was closed due to a power outage (from last night's storm). So we had to wait 1.5 hours for it to open and missed dinner. Oh well, I hear it was meaty chili which I would have eaten anyway! Luckily we had YUMMY peanut butter cookies in our mail drop. Thanks, Deniz! Got a nice cold shower and am sleeping in the pavilion here at the friary. Thanks, brothers!
Date: 2003-07-24
From: RPH Shelter

To: Pawling, NY
Miles today: 17.3

We rocked out 17 miles by 3 pm and attempted to hitch into Pawling (3 miles from the trail). We had NO luck, so started walking. After about a mile or so, we were passing a neighborhood and a nice lady and her daughter in a small car asked if we wanted a ride! So we three smelly bodies slid on in. We planned on showering and doing laundry in town and catching the train the next morning, but there was a 4:44 pm train so we thought "why not?" I guess "why not?" would be the fact that we smelled very very bad. We didn't realize quite how bad until people were plugging their noses and complaining about people not showering and how could someone stink up the whole Grand Central Station. Oops. Oh well....welcome to NYC!d
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Pawling, NY

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: broken clouds

Well....we're back on the train to Pawling. We had a wonderful, whirlwind trip to the city. We hung out with Matt/Shifty's friends Thursday night in Brooklyn. They are all great, fun people and made us feel right at home! We stayed with Matt's friend Erica on her wonderful "new" pullout couch. Thanks Erica! Friday, Matt took us into Manhatten to explore. We explored Broadway with him and ate lunch (pizza!) and then he left us to explore on our own. We mastered the subway system and visited Central Park, Chinatown, people watched, bought new radios for the trail, and met Matt and his buddies for a beer. We were exhausted by 8 or 9 so after dinner (pizza!) Jonathan and I crashed. Spent Saturday with Lisa Lisa (best friend from growing up in Ohio) and her friend Jay who took us on a magical mystery tour of his city with stops at 3 cool bars (McSorley's--the oldest ale house in NYC, the Peculiar Pub- HUGE selection of beers from all over the country and the world, and Chumley's--a neat old bar that was a speak-easy back in the depression days), a thrift store, a street fair, a yummy Sushi restaurant for Jonathan's birthday dinner, a cab ride to Blockbuster, and back to Jay's place to watch videos and stay the night. This morning we had breakfast with Matt and his friend Candace, packed up, and are now back on our way to start hiking to Kent, CT where we'll meet my parents tomorrow. WOW! Thanks to all the NYC friends. We had a great time..
Date: 2003-07-28
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 12.7

Got up and out easily this morning in anticipation of meeting my parents. Got to Kent by 3 and beat my folks to the Fife 'n Drum Inn where we were staying. They rolled in shortly after and we had a great night. Appetizers and Bass Ale, followed by a yummy dinner at the Bull's Bridge Inn and a drive/walk to an old covered bridge.
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Kent, CT

To: Cornwall Bridge, CT
Miles today: 11.1

Today our trail angels slack packed us for the morning and we spent the afternoon back in Kent. Fed some hikers hanging out at the outfitters some yummy homemade cookies from the mama, explored the town, checked email briefly at the library, and had another delicious dinner courtesy of my sweet parentals. The lovely day ended with a fun birthday party for Jonathan. My parents had bought a raspberry cake from a wonderful bakery in Kent and we had SeaBee and his wife join us for the festivities. Very fun night!
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Great Falls

To: Hemlocks Lean-to
Miles today: 21.0

Another beautiful day, and the terrain was much more gracious. Ran into Sea Bee slacking south this morning and he had my socks that I had left in the hotel in Cornwall Bridge! Thanks mom, Sea Bee, and Mrs. Sea Bee! Didn't plan on such a big day today, but the weather was beautiful (and it won't be for at least the next 3 days) and our bodies felt good, so we kept going. Wonderful views from Race Mountain and Mt. Everett. Great day!
Date: 2003-08-01
From: Hemlocks Lean-to

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to
Miles today: 14.4

(Jonathan) Rain, rain, we woke up to rain and did not want to leave the dry confines of the shelter, but the show must go on! Slippery rocks, roots, and wood bridges were a constant nag on the trail. At Rt. 7 we hitched into town and got groceries and ate at a bagle sandwich shop. Yum. While there, we talked to a local who told us her birthday was September 20th, the same day we plan on finishing. Sign #1. After eating, I halfheartedly stuck out my thumb to hitch and lo and behold someone stopped. A nice man who took us to the trailhead where we last got off. And guess what kind of shirt he was wearin, Maine of course. It is truly our destiny to end there. And while I'm writing this a ray of light shines upon my brow, amongst a dark ceiling of clouds. Destiny, I saw. Hallelujah the heralds cried and the journey contnues. A bit melodramatic eh....drinkin too much bleached water.
Date: 2003-08-02
From: Tom Leonard Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: haze

Long hike today, but worth it! We ended up at a neat cabin with a swimming area, dock, canoe, and caretakers. We went for a swim, ate some veggies and corn on the cob (courtesy of our caretakers), met back up with Face and Blaze, and slept on some comfy mattresses. ±
Date: 2003-08-03
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Wood Lean-to
Miles today: 17.6

Had pancakes for breakfast, with coffee, and melon. Yum! Three bucks bought us a lot at Goose Pond. Got to a shelter for lunch just in time to be observers of a wild thunderstorm and downpour instead of participants. We fed our new friend Leap Year some lunch because he left all his food at Goose Pond Cabin. Ooops! Dingles, Leap Year, Young Jedi, and I walked the next 5 miles together playing the alphabet game and took a break at the Cookie Lady's house to get water and cookies! The last couple miles we had a downpour with thunderstorms dancing around us, but not too close. When we got to the shelter, a group of 12 Girl Scouts cooked us Ramen noodles for dinner. Now we are warm and dry, and ready to read a little Harry Potter by candlelight..
Date: 2003-08-04
From: Kay Wood Lean-to

To: Mark Noepal Lean-to
Miles today: 16.7

Hiked into Dalton this morning and did laundry and ate pizza. It was nice to be dry and clean for an hour or so before heading back into the rain! The extra good news is....my headlamp was at the post office! Yeah! That made my day. Hiked 14 more miles, stopping at a little roadside stand in Chesire where Jonathan had a hot dog. I had doritoes and we both had ice cream. Finished the day with rain and thunder, as usual.
Date: 2003-08-05
From: Mark Noepal Lean-to

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: light rain

Climbed the highest mountain in Massachusetts today (Mt. Greylock), resupplied at a grocery store just off the trail, and then crossed the state line into Vermont! (I'm keeping an eye out for Amber). Only 3 states left to go! Vermont greeted us with a nice thunderstorm and a TORRENTIAL downpour. Heaviest rain we've hiked in yet! The trail was a raging river within 10 minutes! Glad to be in the warm, dry shelter.
Date: 2003-08-06
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Well....we were very excited to do a short day, get to the shelter early, and miss the obligatory afternoon thunderstorm. The storms have been happening around 4:30 or 5, so we thought we'd be safe arriving by 3. At 2:30, we had 1 1/2 miles left and a big steep climb. As soon as we started the climb....you guessed it. The sky darkened and opened up on us. Freezing cold rain, thunder, and close lightening strikes. Oh well! We still got here early and we are warm, dry, and reading Harry..