morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-05
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Harpers Ferry AYH (American Youth Hostel)
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

This morning Redwing made coffee for me and 3 other section hikers who were there. Those guys were Jerry Seagull, Bob and Silver Fox. They of course had many questions about the AT and long distance hiking. Redwing and I agreed on some things but disagreed on others.            Crossing Rt 9 I detoured to Torlanes and got a pretty good steak and cheese and some pretty good buffalo wings for lunch. Got back on the trail and the string of amazing people I have met continued. First was Michael, a magazine publisher, which I found to be really unique. He walked with me back to Harpers Ferry where he had come from. Approaching the Shenandoah, there was a couple from Australia exploring the trail a bit. Bill Bryson¢s book is really the rage with folks in the UK and Australia. Didn¢t get their names but the man tells his wife, ¢Hon, he¢s walking the whole lot¢. AS I was talking with her he snapped a picture.            Left Michael at his car and he graciously gave me a Luna bar, which I took since lunch was now already about 2 12 hours gone by. Next stop was the ATC HQ. Met Jenn, a volunteer, (aka ¢Tonic¢ on the trail), who talked with me, gave me encouragement and took my Polaroid for the 2006 binder. I am the 30th thru hiker pictured of the season. I purchased a signed copy of Bill Irwin¢s ¢Blind Courage¢. Bill thru hike in 1990 with a guide dog. Can¢t wait to read it.Talked with Laurie, who runs the office, to see if I could do some volunteer work but unfortunately none was available on Saturday. Also asked her about staying in town. My best bet was to continue into Maryland for the Harpers Ferry American Youth Hostel (AYH). Jenn offered to give me a ride there.            I checked in with the manager and was told rates were $23, a little higher than I expected. I asked about the ATC member discount and said it no longer applied. It was also $3 for a load of laundry. Then I asked about using a bicycle and was told that wasn¢t allowed anymore either because of insurance purposes. And, to top it all off, there was no white gas available. So, although the facility itself wasn¢t bad, I was kind of disappointed with the hiker services.            Spent the evening talking with 2 other guests, Garlic Man (Steve) who thru hiked in ¢02 or ¢03 and Doug, who is traveling and stopped here at the hostel. Doug had some really cool stories about his days working at NBC and he patiently listened while Steve and I talked trail stuff. Sometimes he would ask a question to clarify things. I tried to tell Doug that it is moments like these (time in hostels/towns & meeting people) that I cherish as much as being in the woods alone. We just all come together with no pre-conceived notions or prejudices to share our time and experiences. If only the whole world could operate in the same manner!
Date: 2006-05-06
From: Harpers Ferry AYH (American Youth Hostel)

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

6:15 a.m. Seems like I keep waking up earlier everyday. In a way that's good. I'll need to hike earlier in the day to beat the heat then siesta during hot hours.Went to Cindy Dee's for breakfast then walked to Harpers Ferry. 1st stop was the post office to send a bounce box to Duncannon. 2nd stop was the library to use the internet. The trail journals website was changing servers so I couldn't update my journal. 3rd stop was the ATC HQ again to get white gas and use the phone. Saw 4 Bears there.I got back on the AT and walked the trail back to the hostel to grab my pack. Garlic Man let me borrow a day pack to slack pack into and out of Harpers Ferry. Stopped to get lunch in town before leaving at the Coffee Mill. Walking along the C&O canal, finally reached the point where the trail started to climb out of the valley toward Ed Garvey Shelter. The shelter was one of the nicer ones I've stayed at. Since it was Saturday, it was pretty full of weekenders out for a section hike. 6 stayed in the shelter and 3 tented. Met a new thru hiker, Chronic, who came in later. He started March 3rd. Two more NOBO section hikers, Sunny and Jeff, came in before dark. They doing about 80 miles of trail.
Date: 2006-05-07
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

Got up this morning about 5:30 a.m. It was a little chilly, in the mid 40's, so I stoked up the fire the other hikers had going last night. I left at 7:30. Came across a lot of Civil War history sites along the trail in Maryland. Walked along South Mountain most of the day. Went into the South Mountain Inn for brunch. A little pricey, but I got my fill. This is a fine dining restaurant and I felt like one of the Blues Brothers when they crashed the restaurant in the movie while putting their band back together.After eating I took a nice 2 hour nap next to the old church across the road. Got to the shelter about 6:30. Jeff and Sunny were there and thru hiker Team Steve came in. Todays miles were pretty easy.One of the highlights today was seeing the original Washinton Monument, a stone tower originally built in the early 1800's. There was a pretty good view of the valley from the top.
Date: 2006-05-08
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Temp in the morning was in the mid 40's again. It never got much above 50 all day. Had light rain showers most of the day and early in the afternoon. I passed Jeff and Sunny who had stopped at Pogo Campsite for a break. They caught back up to me at Ensign Cowall shelter where I had stopped for lunch. I crossed the Mason-Dixon line today. Unfortunately, some vandal had stolen the sign. I crossed PA 16 and walked into Blue Ridge Summit. I didn't get a ride into town, but I did get a ride back to the trail from Butch, one of the restaurant owners. Team Steve and flip-flopper Greg were at Deer Lick.
Date: 2006-05-09
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

I left deer Lick pretty late today, about 10:15 a.m. Before leaving Pinky and Sunshine, two thru hikers, came in. I was making pretty good time, but my belly and taste buds let me to Taormina's Pizza near Caledonia State Park, about a 1/2 mile off the trail. When I ordered a "Schwarzenneger" pizza, another patron was aghast and asked "what the heck is that?". It's a large round pizza. Lucky Pierre, a flip-flopper who started in the Shenadoahs, was there eating his own pizza. Before leaving the restaurant Sunshine arrived and also Jon and William, 2 of the Tennessee Boys. Must be a popular hiker place.I arrived at the shelter with 1/2 of my pizza to find Pinky and Lockjaw there. I gave them a slice. Lucky Pierre had also brought some pizza to the shelter which he shared with the other hikers. Not a bad deal for them! Quarry Gap shelter is pretty nice. It had hanging flowers, a gravel front and a small brook gurgling just in front. It even had light fixtures attached to the front of the shelter. Of course they weren't electric. Almost thought of taking a zero day here, but was trying to reach Duncannon to get my bounce box before the end of the week. Had an intro today to some of the infamous Pennsylvania rocks. I'm really not that impressed. I've been on trails before that were just as bad.
Date: 2006-05-10
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Ironmasters AYH/Pine Grove Furnace
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

6:30 a.m. It's a beautiful morning. Sun is shining, the birds are singing a chorus and the little brook is bubbling in rythym. Guess Lucky Pierre wasn't feeling so lucky last night. My snoring reached legendary proportions and he packed up and left at 3:00 a.m. 7:50 a.m. Left the shelter with ice cream on my mind for the 1/2 gallon challenge at the trails mid point in Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Wasn't sure if the store would be open though. It isn't open daily until after Memorial Day. In any case, I blazed the 17.3 miles in about 7 hours. Got to the store and found about a 1/2 dozen dejected hikers on the stoop. Yep, the store was closed. They all left and I stayed taking a short break. Don, the man who runs the store, came by and was waiting for a delivery. I asked if the store would be open and he said he could open up, so I got my 1/2 gallon of ice cream. Yahoo! I didn't try to break the record but I inhaled it in about 30 minutes. I can't rememeber the name of the flavor but it was vanilla with bits of Heath candy bar in it. Lucky Pierre came in about 4:30. I had passed him about 6 miles before arriving at the park.We went to the hostel and he immediately requested separate rooms. Since we were the only 2 occupants, we each had a bunk room to ourselves. He made pasta in the kitchen for dinner and I cleaned up. There is a weather front passing through the area which is expected to bring a chance of rain up until the middle of next week. This, of course, makes all my plans subject to change.
Date: 2006-05-11
From: Ironmasters AYH/Pine Grove Furnace

To: James Fry Shelter
Miles today: 7.2

Looked like a dismal day this morning. Gray clouds and a light rain. Lucky Pierre headed out before me. He's a real early riser, snoring alarm clocks or not. As usual, I hung around a while before starting. I watched "Amazing Grace", a 20 minute documentarty about Bill Irwin, the blind thru hiker. Most of the scenes highlighted the end of his hike.Starting out in the park, I saw Hitch in the distance near the park restrooms. I didn't know it was her until she caught up to me at the half way marker. The pole there isn't exactly half way. Since it was erected, I think about 30 miles of trail have been added due to relocations, but it is still recognized as the half way point.Hitch and I walked together for a while, but the rain started to come down harder and I decided to push my pace. She arrived at the shelter while I was down at the spring getting water. We both decided to call it a day and stay out of the rain. Team Steve, Pinky, Sunshine, Lock Jaw and Cpt. Kangaroo (a thru hiker from Australia) stopped in for lunch on a slack pack. After they left, 4 SOBO section hikers, Camo-Doc, Mistress Jenkins, Gonzales and Jelly, pulled in and stayed the night with us.Later in the afternoon the rain really came down until early evening and I was glad I decided to stay. I know now that I will not be able to make Duncannon before noon Saturday, so I am comtemplating alternate plans.
Date: 2006-05-12
From: James Fry Shelter

To: Boiling Springs/Carlisle, PA
Miles today: 12.2

The rain stopped and the clouds burned off before dawn. The temp cooled a lot after the clouds were gone. The morning sun was nice and gave us a dazzling light show on the wet leaves and fog that remained. I stopped at the Green Mountain general store, about a 1/4 mile east of the trail, to take a short break and got a newspaper. I wanted to check on the hockey scores. I found Hitch at the Alec Kennedy shelter finishing up her lunch break. The trail from there to Boiling Springs dropped into the Cumberland Valley, where the scenery changed to farmland. The trail passes through several cornfields before reaching Boiling Springs. I passed through some more of those "difficult" boulder fields before getting into the valley.Met up with Hitch again at the ATC mid-atlantic office. John, the office manager, really helped me out. I wanted to get into Carlisle from there instead of going another 8 miles on the trail to Rt 11 and walking west the 5 miles from there. He gave me the name of a guy who does shuttles, Michael Gelinas. His shuttle business card says "you pay the fare, I'll take you anywhere". Mike brought me into Carlisle for $15. I told him I was trying to get a cheap motel close to the down town area so he took me to the Motel 6. It is still a pretty good walk from there to the library.Spent the standard $20+ dollars on food. Had a delivery of pizza and wings.
Date: 2006-05-14
From: Zero Day

To: Zero Day (Carlise)
Miles today: 0.0

So yesterday I had to hoof it all the way back to the motel, about 4 miles or so from downtown. Found out that the Hurricanes were on NBC so I watched their miserable performance as they lost to the Devils 5-1. Tonights game is on OLN so I won't be able to watch it but I hope to get the score tonight.10:30 a.m. I am back downtown. I want to thank Milton for picking me up and saving me the long walk. It's the first sucessful hitch I've had since being in Carlisle. I am at a coffee shop that has internet service. I am going to go to a church service and then will head back to my room. I might even call a taxi!While in town the past few days, I did meet a couple of trail angels, Ron and Dean, who helped me get around and accomplish some of the things that I needed to get done. Thanks, guys. God knows I needed your help.It is still looking like rain today. I will head back out tomorrow. I revised my daily mileages and hope to get in some 20+ days over the next few weeks. All these town stops are really biting into the budget, so I need to curtail my expenses. As Ron put it, I am feeling trail weary. I guess I need a little break here just past the halfway point in order to rejuvenate myself.
Date: 2006-05-15
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Cove Mountain shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: light rain

Ron picked me up at 8 a.m. and we had breakfast before he drove me back to the trail in Boiling Springs. I got on the trail at 9:30 and got to the shelter at 6:30 p.m. I took an unmarked blue blaze about a mile before the trail which led to the shelter. I went downhill off the ridge for about 10 minutes before deciding that I had the wrong side trail.It rained most of the morning while hiking. I didn't see any hikers all day. Along the way I crossed a long bog bridge before arriving at Scott Farm where the local trail club keeps its HQ's. Had a short lunch break there. About 4:30 the sun came out briefly and it warmed up into the 60's before clouding back over. Saw a ground hog on the trail. He was running ahead of me to get away but have to say he wasn't moving very fast. I haven't seen any deer in PA yet.I had overnight visitors at the shelter. Porcupines like coming in and chewing on the wood. One of them was right in the shelter chewing on the edge of the floor boards. I put my head lamp on him and said "do you mind?". He stared at me with a "what, me?" look for a minute or two before he decided to leave. The porks have done a lot of damage to the shelter.Here are some of my favorite/least favorite things up to the half way point.Favorite shelter: Partnership - you can call for pizza at the Mt Rogers NRA HQ!Least favorite shelter: any one of the cinder block shelters in Tenn.Most memorable shelter: Quarry Gap, near Caledonia State Park, PA. The rock garden, flowers and light fixtures were a hoot.Least memorable shelter: again, any one of the cinder block shelters in Tenn. Most of them didn't have privy's either.Favorite hostel: Hmmmm, tuff one, but I'll say Holy Family Catholic church, Pearsiburg VA. The converted barn had all the comforts of home. Honorable mention: Blueberry Patch in Hiawassee, GA for the hospitality of Gary and Lennie Poteat.Least favorite hostel: The Relax Inn, Atkins, VA. Not really a hostel though and basically, it was a dump.Favorite trail section: Shenandoah National Park. Lots of wildlife to be seen.Least fav section: Central VA. Climbing up and down the parallel ridgelines got old fast.Hardest trail section: NC mountains from the GA state line to the Smoky Mountains.Easiest trail section: Maryland.Favorite town food/restaurant: all of them!Least fav town food/restaurant: none of themFavorite trail magic: Mr Leece in Pearisburg VALeast fav trail magic: no such thing exists!
Date: 2006-05-16
From: Cove Mountain shelter

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: few clouds

I met Sundancer who came into the shelter this morning before I left. Walked into Duncannon PA in the morning and got breakfast. Asked Sundancer to take my picture in front of the famed Doyle Hotel. Got a resupply here but sent a bounce box to Vernon NJ because I am travelling faster than expected (plus pigging out in town just about whenever possible) and I have an excess of food.I saw a peacock on the trail. That's right, a peacock. At first I didn't know what it was because its tail feathers were so long and wavy. Then I noticed the blue neck and head. It walked along the trail ahead of me a few feet before getting off the trail and hiding in the brush.The ridge line after Duncannon was pretty rocky, as in boulders. I met some new thru hikers at the shelter. Dreamer, Silverstreak and Stretch.
Date: 2006-05-17
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: light rain

I walked with Dreamer all day. Think it is the first time I've spent all day with the same hiker since leaving Sunset in the Smokies. We did todays trip in 8 1/2 hrs but it felt like a fast day. Guess Dreamers company was good to keep my mind occupied. There was one long climb after crossing one road and the trail was rocky in some places but not real bad (yet)There ended up being several hikers at the shelter. There were 2 locals out for a few days, me, Dreamer, Silverstreak. We were joined by Slip-n-slide (who had been off the trail for a while; met him back in Montebello, VA), Scout, Feather, and Firefly. The days weather has been the same as it has been for a while. Spots of rain here and there, a little sun, temp mostly in the high 50's. Today was a little on the humid side though. There were several A-10's flying overhead that were using the range at Ft Indiantown Gap for target practice.
Date: 2006-05-18
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

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

Reached a milestone today. Less than 1,000 miles to go. Now it is a countdown. The next milestone will be near the PA/NJ state line.The big crowd at the shelter drifted apart in the morning, most of us with different plans. Slip-n-slide is back to 30 mile days. Scout and Silver were headed for a motel in Pine Grove. Feather and Firefly were headed for trail days. Dreamer, Sundancer and I went to the 501 shelter. I caught Dreamer at the William Penn and hiked the last few miles. On an overlook we could see a storm coming and just as we got to 501, the rain started with thunder and lightning. I sprinted the last few hundred yards to the shelter on the blue blaze. The rain didn't last long.The 501 is a cabin that used to be an old pottery barn. It has a big glass skylight. Dreamer used his cell phone to call for food. You guessed it, pizza. Boy, I tell ya', life on the trail is pretty rough.The trail is getting rougher with more rocks in the trail bed. Some sections were still pretty easy to negotiate. The big plus is that the ridgeline is virtually flat, so there are few elevation changes to deal with.I flat lined into a carb coma after inhaling my pizza.
Date: 2006-05-19
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton pavilion
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

Dreamer and Sundancer left pretty early. I got up and had breakfast. The weather looked bad so I went back to sleep for a few hours and sure nuff, there was a major cloudburst. Met Don, the shelter caretaker, briefly as he was cleaning up a bit. The rain clouds moved on and so did I about 9:30 a.m.The rocks continue to get worse and make for slow going and tricky footing. They really beat up my feet and gave me sore knees today. My pace slowed as the day progressed but I still caught up to Silver and Scout about 9 miles before Port Clinton. Scout walked with me for about 5 miles but continued when I stopped for a foot check.I found her and Dreamer talking to a local, Tom, just after reaching town. Tom had Backtracker, a SOBO section hiker, with him and was offereing a ride into Hamburg for a resupply. Backtracker said he would get me coffee so Tom brought me to the pavilion where I left my pack then went to join Silver and Dreamer at the Port Clinton hotel. Silver came in a little while later. We really felt ostracized there. We weren't allowed to eat in the dininig room unless we got cleaned up first and we were totally ignored by the bartender in the bar where we were banished to for eating. We did finally order and got some food in nice sized portions but later I couldn't even get my water glass refilled. Overall, not a good experience.Dreamers wife had driven in to meet him and gave me a lift back to the pavilion. Sundancer, Silver, Scout and Backtracker all stayed there. There was a matress that I used and I have to say that I slept really good. I did take 3 Vitamin I's in hopes that I feel better in the morning.
Date: 2006-05-20
From: Port Clinton pavilion

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning Silver, Scout and I went to 3 C's for breakfast. It was about a 1/4 mile walk from the pavilion. I had what has become my standard breakfast in town: an order of pancakes and an order of french toast. And of course, LOTS of coffee. Sundancer hit the trail early but Backtracker headed to 3 C's after we got back.I left Port Clinton at 9:00 a.m. and got to Eckville at 4:30 p.m. There were long sections of rock, again! I crossed the Pulpit and in my opinion the view from this rock ledge rivaled that of McAfee Knob in VA. A bit later I passed the Pinnacle, which in is said to be the best view of the AT in PA. Today there were dozens of hikers out since it was the weekend. I got some trail magic form one, Detour. He has a lot of expereince hiking the AT and its sidetrails (thus, the name "Detour"). He offered me fried chicken and some fudge, just what I needed since it was almost lunch when we met. He was out with his buddy and some kids.Eckville shelter was full. It only sleeps six. GI Jane was there. She is a SOBO section hiker. Mistress and her brother were there (met them back near Pine Grove Furnace while they were going south) and Mistress was waiting on her boyfriend to arrive. Then there was Silver and Scout. Silver slept on the floor but used the long cushion from the lawn chair that was there. He said he slept great. Moses, who is back from a 2 week hiatus came in and pitched his tent on a tent platform.Eckville is similar to 501, but it is an old garage with lights, as in electric (wow, what a concept). The property is actually owned by the NPS but there is a caretaker from the local trail club onsite as a caretaker. There was a smaller shed with a flush toilet and a solar shower. It hasn't been warm enuff for me to use a solar shower yet, but I've come across several.I felt pretty good today (thanks to the Vitamin I, no doubt) and could have put in a few more miles, but this shelter had too many amenities that I could not pass up. I wish I could find a pace that I could keep up all day from sunrise to near sunset. Guess the trail condition really dictates my pace. Even flat, easy terrain bothers my knees a lot if I walk too fast. Guess that is because no other muscles are being used. The low pressure system that we have been in for about 2 weeks now won't go away. I wonder if my knees will feel better when the weather gets better. Because of the possibility of rain all the time I have been trying to stay in shelters. I don't think I have camped since before getting to Montebello, VA.Top 10 Impossible Trail Maintenance Requests:9. Reroute the trail around the Pennsylvania rocks OR10. Remove the rocks from the surface of the trail and build a mini "great wall of Penna" along the edges of the trail