morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-26
From: Appalachian Trail Conservancy 

To: Winchester, VA
Miles today: 0.0

It's Memorial Day Monday. No way am I going to get my dental issue taken care of today. But I call around anyway. Tomorrow. No worries. Hanging out with my cousin Ken and family is a wonderful thing. There's family members I've never met and neither Ken nor I remember the last time we met, well over 40 years ago. I'm going with it. And glad for the opportunity. As for my hike, I did take the opportunity to get a brand new pair of trail runners. I've been asking at a couple outfitters south of here and they didn't carry my brand. A developing issue has been handled. 900 miles ago Outdoor 76 in Franklin, NC saved my hike by helping me understand my feet and setting me up with footwear that works for me. Brooks Cascadia trail runners. I've since seen several pairs on hikers. We all seem very happy with them. Mine have held up very well. They've been punished by rocks, water, and mud day after day. The "teeth" on the bottoms are still sharp, though they have rock rash here and there. There's no separation. There's just the beginning of a tear on one of them. I bet I could get another 150 miles or more out of them, easy. But it's time. And thanks to Ken I was able to call around Winchester, VA and find a pair at a runners store, and have transportation. Meanwhile Ken also showed me some of the historical sites around town. From George Washington to the Civil War. So here's a picture of my snazzy new hiking shoes. Whoa, red this time! Aren't they the bomb?I also got a chance to stand on an accurate scale. Been wondering how much weight I've lost. 35 pounds. Incredible, and an indication of the physical exertion long distance hiking requires. I haven't been this light in a long long time. I feel terrific. There's still a little "fat of the land" remaining but I'm trying to hold on to it. I've heard, and believe, that the first third of an AT thru hike is physical. The middle third is mental. And the last third is nutritional. I want to hit that final third with some fat reserves. I'd prefer it if my body didn't consume muscle mass too much. My choices for trail food emphasize fats and proteins. Olive oil is always in my food bag. Cheese. Summer sausage. One can never carry enough food. And it's a balancing act, coming out of town with the weight of resupply. We all joke about this. Most hikers are rail thin by now. In a sense I think we AT thru hikers are spoiled, compared to the PCT or CDT. We have frequent access to town food. And boy do we access. An X-ray of my brain would probably show a bacon double cheeseburger and a stout beer. And joy, because this has been the best adventure...ever.
Date: 2014-05-27
From: Winchester, VA

To: Winchester, VS
Miles today: 0.0

Still zeroing at cousin Ken's place. It's been a nice visit. My dental issue, a broken denture, got a temporary fix that didn't work out. I'll just have to adjust. It's certainly not going to effect my hike. It's been nice to take it easy for a couple of days, but the trail is definitely calling. Still, it's been wonderful to hang out with family I've been so removed from since I was a teen. It just feels right that these couple of days happened. But tomorrow it's back to Harpers Ferry and continue north. I wonder who will be in the hiking radius. Stop for a couple days and things change. Hikers may go slow, compared to other ways of travel, but they're always moving. Maybe some friends behind will have caught up. Or passed. Or someone I think is well ahead it just getting back on. It'll be fun to find out. I'm really looking forward to seeing old Harpers Ferry and then crossing the Potomac into Maryland. This will be a fun part of the trail, with easy hiking and a couple states crossed.
Date: 2014-05-28
From: Winchester, VA

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

I only made it 11 miles up the trail. It took me a while to get out of Harpers Ferry. It's a very historic and interesting place. Plus, I got to see Spiderman. I've been wondering where he was. We met way back at Standing Bear Hostel, just outside the north boundary of GSMNP. I think Hot Springs, NC was the last time I saw him. So long ago, it seems. It was so good to visit with him again. Then we ran into Kristo, I thought he was days ahead. It's so good to be back on the trail. After crossing the junction of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers the trail leaves WV behind. That's 5 states down and 9 to go. The AT then follows the C & O Canal towpath for a few miles. The area is seeped in history. The picture is of the Potomac River from the Weaverton Cliffs, as the trail climbs up into Maryland. That was the only climb of the day. About 1000 feet, in a long gentle ascent. Maryland looks to be easy hiking. The day felt hot and humid. I could hear thunder in the distance. But it never rained until later in the evening. Before reaching the shelter the trail went through Gathland State Park. More historic significance. Here are reader boards detailing Civil War battles. And the War Correspondents Memorial. And there was trail magic from Vicky, who gave me strawberries, a banana, and a wonderfully cold Mountain Dew. Just the thing near the end of a hot and sweaty hike. Earlier some SOBO section hikers told me about someone else passing out trail magic in the same place. And later, after me, someone gave Haiku some beer, which he handed out the Kristo and I at the shelter. Gathland State Park really must be a magical place. It also had a water tap, which all of us used. The guide lists the shelter water supply as unreliable. However, at this time of the year it was flowing very well.   Kristo, Haiku, and I were the only thru hikers at the shelter. Plus two section hikers. And a couple tents as well. Lately there are quite a few more section hikers than thrus. It's always good to see the number of multi day hikers on the AT. It's a new moon now. Dark. The rain began to move in as we settled down for the night. I was glad I decided to stay in the shelter. The rain should clear some of the humidity and cool things down for tomorrow. It's so good to be back on the trail.
Date: 2014-05-29
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: light rain

Yup. Rain. But as I set off up the trail at 6:45 it was mostly falling just from the trees. Today I wanted to make it the 20.7 miles to this shelter. The profile map looked easy. I felt like I had my trail legs back, after breaking them back in yesterday. I always seem to have reluctant town legs after a zero. And the miles did seem to glide by. There were more Civil War reader boards at Fox Gap. And later a short .1 mile side trail took me to the first Washington Memorial. It's today's picture. Like the one we all know in DC, this memorial is for our first president. I didn't know this other one existed until I began reading thru hiker journals. Around mid day I left the trail to seek out the Dogpatch Tavern, with visions of cheeseburgers and a beer in my head. Hikers should know that, although it's in the AWOL trail guide, the tavern has shut down. I could only shrug my shoulders, turn around, and hike back up the road to the AT. As I came back to the trail a man named Gabriel came up to me from a parking area and asked if he could interview me while taking some stills and recording sound. He's Army and on a training assignment. Since I love talking about the AT and think more people should know how special it is I said sure. Gabriel hiked with me for an hour or so. It was fun to get to express myself, about the trail, to someone who really knew nothing about it. And even though it started to really pour Gabriel stayed with it. He took the rain as an opportunity to record my feet splashing through puddles. It was a fun happening, out of the blue. Thanks to a closed tavern. Would I have rather had the burger and brew? Well...I'm in my tent now. It's raining again. I think British Girl has the tent a ways to my right. A section hiking couple are tenting in the other direction. Haiku and Kristo are in the shelter with two other section hikers. It's been a good day. It's much cooler today. The trail is easy, except for all the rocks. I keep reminding myself that rocks are now the new normal. They're just how it is and when it's wet they need extra care. And time. But I have lots of time so I give the rocky areas the attention they demand. No sense getting impatient and risk an injury. The trail always has the last word. Got miles of easy grades where a 2.5 mph, for an old guy, pace is easy? Let's throw in lots of rocks. There's a hiker custom called the "four state challenge." It's something like 43 miles. Start in VA. Go through WV and MD. Finish in PA. Four states in 24 hours. I doubt I could do it, but a fair number of hikers give it a go. And many succeed. I did give the idea a passing fancy. After seeing all the rocks I'm glad I didn't seriously consider it. Hats off to those who complete the challenge. More excitement tomorrow. I'll finish MD and move into PA. I know I'll wake up excited to get on the trail and enter a new state. The Mason-Dixon Line is that way. And the half way marker. And the half gallon challenge...a challenge I can do.
Date: 2014-05-30
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: broken clouds

I'm in the north! The sign for the Mason-Dixon Line was great to see, just after the very nice Pen-Mar Park. That's six states down and eight to go. Hikers call Pennsylvania Rocksylvania. We all have heard about the northern part of the state where ones feet never touch dirt. Just rocks. But so far PA has been easy hiking. Less rocks than MD actually. This shelter is wonderful. There's two five person shelters. And they're as close to spotless as one ever sees. The grounds are immaculate. The water supply is a piped spring that never runs dry. I met the shelter caretaker and learn that he lives close by. He's really gone the extra mile on this place. The privy even has air fresheners and TP. That's a first. I usually avoid the privies, as ground zero for anything contagious, but I had to check this one out. I got here around 4:30. Still lots of daylight and 6.6 miles to the next shelter. But I decide to stay, enjoy a great shelter area, and see what happens. I had started hiking to catch up to se people and decided it was time for a reset. After an hour or so two weekenders come in for the night. Haiku and three other thru hikers stop by to see the shelter register and then hike on. They're focused on doing something like 37 miles. Three more section hikers show up for the night. Two of them are horticulturists that I have met over the past couple of days. I would have missed some lady slippers if not for them. Critter arrives, a thru hiker I haven't met and am glad for the opportunity. Squirrel and Tree Frog arrive. I saw them the first time yesterday. We find out we all started at Springer, back in GA, on the same day. Up til now our paths never crossed. Then Kristo and Key Lime show up. As Key Lime, Kristo, Critter, and myself sit around the picnic table we realize that we're all left handed. What's the chances? I'm so glad I stayed, rather than hiking on. I found the nicest tent site yet. Level, soft, and the tent pegs went in easy. It was a great evening. As I drifted off to sleep at least three more hikers came by, wearing headlamps and hiking into the night. The trail has shown me once again that it's good to just stop now and then and enjoy the moment. Once again: "It's not about the miles. It's about the smiles."
Date: 2014-05-31
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Campsite
Miles today: 17.5

Beautiful morning, clear, cool, and sunny. The trail is drying out after the wetness of the last couple of days. The rocks have dried and are no longer potentially slippery. Great morning for hiking. At US30 I hike west for .4 to an Italian Restaurant and order one of the best milk shakes I've ever had. It was wonderful. And order up a large pizza. I'm real low on food but with half a pizza in my food bag I'm all set until Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Home of the half gallon challenge and Ironmasters Hostel. I'll be there tomorrow. Back on the trail I soon come to Caledonia State Park. What a great place. Swimming pool. Concession stand. Small children are wading in the shallows of the stream. Picnics. Families outside enjoying this beautiful park. There's even a wedding going on. Kristo and I sit in the shade. Find plugs for our electronics. I get another shake. Soon there's a gathering of hikers in the shade. It was hard to leave, but I felt compelled to put in a few more miles in the cooling late afternoon. The trail up to Quarry Gap Shelter is steep, but excellently made and maintained. Jim is the main maintenance man here. It could well be the finest cared for section of trail so far. And the shelter is wonderful. Unfortunately for me the shelter is over run with some boisterous weekenders. So I push on. At the place I plan to camp a whole group of people have managed to drive in and are taking up the whole area. Yes, car campers on the AT. Glad to see people get exposed to it. I hike on a little ways and find a place to pitch my tent. Weekends are going to be like this now. Later, at dusk, Wrong Leg and Half Moon camp at the same spot. Good to have company. I haven't seen Wrong Leg since the GA/NC border. Great to catch up on what's been going on. Tomorrow will include passing the half way point. It's here. I'm not sure how I feel. Amazed maybe, and so aware of the distance that remains. Almost three months have passed since I left Springer Mt. All just one step at a time.
Date: 2014-06-01
From: Campsite

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 11.6

This section of PA, for the last couple of days, has been wonderful hiking. It's been fast and easy through most places. I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Nice clear tread way. Easy grades. No rocks. Today I cross first the official 2014 half way mark, and later the traditional half way pole. The trail seems to grow most years so the actual half way point changes. I feel great, knowing half the trail is completed. Just have to do it one more time, in the north. It's easier to relax and go with it. Pine Grove Furnace State Park is the home of the half gallon challenge. That's half a gallon of ice cream. These days what they call a half gallon is only 1.5 quarts. So to really do the challenge one has to add a pint. As you can see in the picture, Wrong Leg, Half Moon, and Key Lime have a lot of ice cream to eat. Critter and I, having completed our challenges, watched...and maybe heckled a little. I got here at noon and did my challenge. No problem. Cookie dough ice cream. Sharp Knife and Hiccup were just finishing up when I arrived. Once again it was soon early afternoon and I felt the urge to get some more miles in. But I resisted it and just enjoyed the day. Met a few people. Went to the AT Museum, here in the park. Chuck Norris gave Critter and I a ride to resupply. And I checked in next door at the Ironmasters Hostel. The hostel is in a beautiful old mansion, built in 1829. The forge here worked for 130 years. The big boss/owner lived in this house. There's a lot of history here. It'll be fun to see some more of the park tomorrow. And then we'll see what the day brings. Maybe Boiling Springs, PA.
Date: 2014-06-02
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: broken clouds

Somehow an extra .6 creeped into my overall mileage. So let's make today 19 instead of 19.6 to get back on track. I left Ironmasters by 0700, into a sunny morning. This was such a nice state park. Soon the trail was back into the forest, alive with birdsong. What a great morning for hiking. The miles went fast, until the day warmed up. I broke spider webs for over 7 miles until I passed the next shelter. By then other hikers were ahead of me to take out the webs. Spider webs are just another fact of life on the AT. Really, they're generally just a single strand across the tread way. But there's lots of them. They get in my beard and across my glasses. And trail behind my hat. I pretty much ignore them now. Always better, though, when someone else has gone first and cleared the way. Later in the day the trail climbs up to Center Point Knob. This is the original mid point of the AT. From back in the origins of the trail. The plaque on the rock has a history. I understand that during the period of neglect around WWII the original plaque was lost, and later found by chance, buried in the earth. From Center Point Knob the trail is all down hill to the start of the crop lands of the Cumberland Valley. I'm soon walking among the fields, heading into Boiling Springs, PA. There's no camping along the 17 miles through the valley, except at the campground just south of Boiling Springs. But I stay at the Allenberry Resort, .4 off the trail just outside the town. Nice. For $40 I get a nice room on the "hiker special." I have to say that it's nice to eat in a restaurant, get another shower, and sleep in a real bed. The Priest is here, and four section hikers. They've all stayed more than one night. I can see why. I'm tempted myself. But the trail calls, and I've been taking it easy the last couple of days. Tomorrow the trail goes across the valley. The profile map is flat lined until the hills in the other side. The forecast is for higher temps and humidity. Hopefully there's some shade. But it will be what it will be. I intend to enjoy some level trail for several miles. And see a little agriculture. After working in the ag industry I'm looking forward to it.
Date: 2014-06-03
From: Boiling Springs

To: Campsite
Miles today: 18.1

I'm in my tent beside a stream, about 7 miles from Duncannon, PA. The plan is to hike in to Duncannon tomorrow and get one of the legendary burgers at the Doyle Hotel. This was a good place to stop. The guide says the trail is "very rocky" ahead. It's the first time it's mentioned rocks. They must be the real deal. I'll tackle them tomorrow. Most of today's hike was across the generally flat Cumberland Valley. Nice trail. The day was hot and humid, but the trail is mostly in forested corridors where it's shaded and cooler. In one of the damper corridors I had my first encounter with battalions of mosquitoes. A little preview of days to come, this time just a sample. We're back into some hills again. It's full on green and leafy now. I'm glad I stopped here. 18 miles seems to be my most enjoyable daily pace. Over 20 miles starts to become a death march and bleeds some of the fun out of my hike. I have plenty of time. During the evening, before dark, a few more solitary hikers came by this site. Got water and moved on up the trail. I'm getting passed often now. I figure it widens the number of people I meet. Just before dusk a thunderstorm moved through. I relaxed in my tent listening to the cycles of rainfall move across the forest. The lightning lit up my tent. It was really very enjoyable...to be out in the storm but protected by a bubble of cuben fiber. I was definitely glad I hadn't pushed on to Duncannon.
Date: 2014-06-04
From: Campsite

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: broken clouds

Yup, a nero. To the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon. Sure, I had every intention of getting more miles in. But the Doyle Hotel is a piece of AT history. And I love it here. So here I'll stay for a night, and enjoy the ambience. The hotel is well worn, it's true. But comfortably full of hikers. The burgers are among the best on the AT. The town itself is well worn, but so picturesque. I like this place. Kristo is here. Critter is here. So isn't Key Lime, Chocolate and Cheese. Sharp Knife and Hiccup. Sole Power.   Shiver. A few section hikers. More will be coming in. I am very much enjoying myself. The trail, meanwhile, is always calling. It really is a powerful magnet. It always seems to be a challenge to just stop and smell the roses. But that's something I intend to continue to do. I'm not sure why AWOL's guide says "very rocky" for the 6 or so miles into Duncannon. Yes there were some rocks, but it wasn't so bad. Places in Maryland were worse. The rocks were nothing special. Since Virginia the ridges have gotten a lot lower. The climbs up to the ridges are just a few hundred feet. Often, the exposed rock at the top of the ridge resembles a long rock pile...like a giant stone wall, through the trees, just off the trail. The solid rock backbone is broken into crumbled pieces. The trail will follow the scree slope. So it does get rocky. But there's also clear sections where the forest soil covers the rock. At 4:00 there was a shuttle to the area's supermarket. Nine of us piled into the poor overloaded van to get resupply. I got 4.5 days of food. Port Clinton will be the next stop up the trail. Meanwhile I spend a lot of time on the Doyle's balcony, overlooking the Main Street of Duncannon. Just hanging out with hikers and visiting. Life is good.
Date: 2014-06-05
From: Duncannon, PA

To: 1161.2 campsite
Miles today: 18.1

Bug bites. I've got lots of them. And yes, I know I haven't seen anything yet. Some of my bites are perfect puffy circles with a hole in the middle, where some vampire bug tried to suck my blood. Others are beyond puffy. They're welts. Itchy welts from some alien six legged flying zombie. Ugh! But wait, there's more. Inchworms suspend from the trees above, on silken threads. I lost count of how many of these guys I flicked off my neck, my arms, my hat, and my pack. A far greater number had their trapeze act cut short by my swinging trekking pole. The world belongs to insects. And I will not be cowboy camping, as much as I'd like to do so. But don't think the insects have the upper hand. I don't feel violated. I accept that I'm a walking food bag of blood and half the insect world is hungry. It's a peripheral battle that I run on automatic. They are certainly not going to win. And I may eat my words when kamikaze mosquitoes attack in their thousands. But that's in the future. Today the trail ran through Duncannon. It was interesting to see kids heading out for school. Parents heading out to work. I was a spectator, walking through small town PA. Ahead I was going to cross the mighty Susquehanna River. And climb up the ridge on the other side, into the clouds. It rained much of last night. Everything is wet. The sky's overcast, and the clouds hang low over the upcoming ridge. Soon enough I was into the clouds myself. And over the course of the day the sun came out and it turned very pleasant. Humidity is down, after the rain. The trail is well made and maintained. It was a great day for hiking. I spent most of the day hiking along the top of the ridge. Eventually the ridge ended, the trail went down to a stream and road, and began to climb up another ridge. And that's where I am now. My tent is up. I've eaten. Now I'm swatting mosquitoes and black flies, as they gradually diminish in the cooling time of sunset. They'll soon vanish. So another 18 mile day. That distance seems to be the sweet spot at this stage of my hike. I like the pace.