morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Antietam Shelter

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Rained again during the nite. In the years to come, I'm gonna miss the sound of rain on shelter roofs, the drip, drip, drip of fog and mist on the shelters, but for right now, I need to do an 11 mile day to get to US-30, Caledonia State Park, so I can thumb into Fayetteville and tell Grampie where to come get me. The trail legs don't fail me and 11 miles is done by 12:15 p.m. It seems I'm gettin better at this, but there are some blisters from hiking wet after fording the swollen creek 2 days earlier. Am dry today though, and some Advil chases away some little nagging aches and pains. Am still trying to thumb a ride while hiking uphill and backwards along the roadway. It's a good thing there's a wide shoulder 'cause I catch a heel and fall down right on the side of Hwy. 30. Even that doesn't slow anyone down. They probably think it's part of the plan. Eventually, the Great Spirit smiles on me, and a Navaho Native American stops in an old Dodge to give me a ride. He's for real, but hasn't been back to the reservation in 25 yrs. He tells me that he is one of the American Indian "High Iron" workers so famous for their courage and abilities to work the skyscraper high iron (like the Empire State bldg). I appreciate the ride and yet another cold front is coming thru. He drops me off in front of a motel that is way too expensive for such as me (I want hiker rates), so I do another 1/4 mile or so to a more appropriately priced Quality Inn. This makes 3 or 4 of these that I've stayed at and they are modestly priced and nice enough to throw in a free Continental breakfast.It's only 1:30 p.m. when I call Grampie and he picks up on the first ring. He was starting to get worried as he expected me to call yesterday. A couple of minutes of assurances that all is well and I'm drying out all my tent and clothing bag for Grampie to pick me up for Trail Days on his drive down from Connecticut. He will be here tomorrow about noonish. Meanwhile, I load up on a KFC AYCE buffet across the street from the motel. A nice, youngish woman who works at KFC is smitten with my AT hike and hiker stories and I encourage her to read Trail Journals.com. I know she will, and I think that perhaps another thru-hiker of the future has had a dream planted by a passing stranger. I wave goodbye and move on down the Trail and out of her life like ships passing in the night. I get plenty of fried chicken, Mountain Dew, and sleep. Also, catch up on journals. Grampie will be here tomorrow! It's been a long time since I left him hiking southbound out of Monson, ME. two yrs. ago. My knees were shot, I had to give it up and go home. I had felt pretty bad then and in the morning will be the first I've seen of him since he hiked away south to finish his hike in Duncannon and I flew back to Texas out of Bangor, ME.
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Amherst, VA.
Miles today: 0.0

Everything dried off, and Grampie shows up. Sure, he's gained back all the weight he had lost, but we all do that. I know that he's tough as the boots that he wore out during his hike and I hug him 'cause I'm so glad to see him. I think he feels the same about me. It's almost like no time at all has passed since 2001. We spend at least an hour or so with "Whatever happened to...?" and "Do you remember...?"We've got a couple of extra hours and Grampie wants me to see the battlefield at Gettysburg. I'm glad we went, as I now know that this sacred place is somewhere I want to come back to and spend some time. Everywhere there were memorials, plaques, and diaramas listing the arrayed forces, the battle developments, post mortem assessments, individual achievements and irreconsilable misjudgements by all involved. Every state, every regiment, every unit it seemed had not one or two, but dozens of monuments, statues, memorials, plaques, mementos of all kinds. The blood of heros from both sides mingled in the corn field furrows during the 3 day engagement. I am awe-struck! If Grampie had not shown me, I would never have known that this was so overwhelming. On my good days, I fancy myself a story teller, and here, in this place, the story was of the crucible that reforged a nation divided. I am absolutely open-mouthed. Thank you Grampie...I'll be back to see more later, but now we are driving south to spend the nite at Stump's and Jake's down in Amherst, VA. (Remember, where I had left the truck 6 weeks ago?)It's almost dark when we finally arrive at Stump's. She is an absolute gem! There is a great dinner of grilled pork loin with sweet chutney, mashed potatoes, green beans, and homemade strawberry shortcake. Later, Grampie and I get showers and clean beds in the remodeled farmhouse that Jake and Stump spend a great deal of time and attention on. The kitchen is due to be remodeled soon, at more $$ than our first houses cost altogether. Jake loves his tractor and it's less expensive than a therapist. He plants sweet corn early and then gives it away to everyone (it seems). This year it's been too wet to get the seed in, but while we are all at Trail Days, Jake thinks he will find the time to use his newly refurbished 3 row planter. Big boys and their toys! They are absolutely wonderful and Stump sends me and Grampie off the next morning with assurances that she will see us later that weekend.
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Amherst, VA.

To: Damascus, VA.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Grampie has suggested that we go back and pick up the 17 mi. stretch that I did not hike in 2001. This sounds good, so as soon as we arrive in Damascus, we schedule a shuttle to drop us at Deep Gap in the morning so we can hike south to Damascus. Grampie and several others slack-packed this section in '01, but we will carry packs this time, and camp overnite at one of the shelters we pass on the way back in. We meet Jo Jo Smiley and her new husband Nomad in front of the outfitters. Before long, Hammock Hanger shows up. Ram Bunny, too. It's old home week! Homeless and Unemployed come driving in in a camper rig. It's a good thing we are here early as we stake out a site with Grampie's big tent. We will leave the tent set up and the truck parked while we do our hike back into town. Tent City is filling up fast. Miss Janet is shuttling people in and out to town and wherever. Big Bird too is around. We finally get to sleep much later that nite.
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Damascus, VA.

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Early morning finds us eating breakfast at Cowboys, a combo gas station-grill-convenience store, and we are off to the outfitters to catch our shuttle to Deep Gap. We have allowed 2 days to hike back in. Turns out we will need it all. Grampie hasn't hiked at all in over a yr. We do 7 or 8 miles and it's raining hard. We stop at Saunders shelter about 3 p.m. Not too many people at first, but more folks continue to dribble in. By dark, there are 6 or 7 in the shelter, and 5 or 6 tenting outside, including one young man from Florida who said he had left his medication at home and was showing signs of paranoia. It was his absolute first nite hiking the Trail (why he chose Damascus to start is anyone's guess) and he was certain that some large, brown, unidentified animal was/had been stalking him earlier that day. To tell the truth, he seemed ready to explode with anger, and it wasn't long before he had decided that I was responsible for driving him out of the shelter into the night. He tore down his tent with a fury and stood ready to fight before he finally walked off into the rain and gathering darkness. I said a little prayer that God would send him some sunshine and some relief from his anger in the days to come, but I was glad to see him leave, and others said they were, too. Such as this doesn't happen often, but it happens.
Date: 2003-05-16
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Damascus, VA.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The nutcase stayed gone. Grampie and I loaded up for an 11 mile stroll back into Damascus. We get there about 2 p.m. Cheeseburgers and shakes from Dairy-King are the lst order of the day. Lots more people in town. We go back to the campground...WOW!! Tents and cars and trucks packed in 3 & 4 deep. Gridlock rules. Me and Grampie buy some stackable chairs and watch people try to navigate thru roads where there is no more room to turn or back up. It's Great! We're sittin there, drinking beverage and meeting old friends who stroll past. I love it! Jim Dean's boy, Mole-Asses, has made himself a suit of armor out of aluminum foil and has renamed himself "Sir Walks-A-Lot" and he's jaunting around like Monty Python in "Holy Grail" looking for dragons to slay and young maidens to vanquish. (Something like that.) Wish I had gotten a picture! He keeps "knighting" passersby in his search for the Holy Grail, but he'll settle for a beer 'cause Grail's are hard to find hereabouts and dragons, too, but pink elephants might be do-able. It was just great! Pretty soon, the drum circle kicked in and hikers dancing round the campfire is what I had come to see. A good time was had by all, your's truly included.
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Damascus, VA.

To: Dallas, TX.
Miles today: 0.0

Aggh! Hack..coff..coff..A herd of camels hiking thru my mouth is what memories are made of! How could I have been so stupid? Agggggh! Caffene and gravy at Cowboys makes everything all better! Hammock Hanger waves bye to Grampie & me as we leave to go get my truck from Stump's place, where it has been parked since I got here on April 4. It's an early start I know, and we missed the Talent Show scheduled for Sunday, but Grampie had an 8 to 10 hr. drive back to Connecticut. Donna was expecting him that nite. I, too, was ready to head out. We pulled into Jake and Stump's place where the truck was parked, about 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Jake must have been at church 'cause it seemed that no one but the dogs were around as we swapped gear out of Grampie's vehicle into my truck. The '02 Dodge pickup started right up. I watched and waved to Grampie as he headed off down the hwy. back to Donna and the grandkids. We had had a great time at Trail Days, but I wanted to get back to Texas for a visit. It seemed like 7 weeks were too long, so with a fresh cup of coffee and the promise to be back at Grampie's house in Ct. by the month's end, Texas Jack heads his truck into the setting sun back to Texas for a quick break.
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Dallas, TX.

To: Connecticut
Miles today: 0.0

In the last episode our hero, Texas Jack, had been bewitched by the evil knight Sir Walks-A-Lot who, with his ever present companion, Drumming Nosering, had cast an evil spell on our hero, causing him to consume copious quantities of Demon Rum and fall into a trance by the drumcircle fire. However, no sooner than the sun had arizen, hoards of screaming demons descended upon our hero's head, bound with a vengeance to punish him for his misdeeds. Sir Walks-A-Lot had been out slaying dragons and vanquishing young virgins during the spring festival known locally as Trail Days. Unfortunately, both dragons and virgins were in short supply thereabouts, so, after a spirited battle which raged up and down the highways and alleys of Damascus-shire (the water balloon fight), both sides declared victory and retired to Tent City to suck up more brew-ha ha! It was this deviously crafted plan which robbed our hero (Texas Jack--'member him?) of both his wits and his consciousness. Upon regaining his sanity, massive amounts of both coffee and gravy helped our hero to pull himself into his truck and head forthwith into the sunset for a quick flyer back to Texas for a much-needed break and conjugal visit. Much rested and refreshed, our hero once more mounted his trusty steed, "02 Dodge pickup" and drove non-stop back into the fray. Our story picks up back at hiking buddy Grampie's Connecticut digs. Starting June 1st, Texas Jack and Grampie are to spend 3 days at Upper Goose Pond on the A.T., where Grampie is interim caretaker. Texas Jack thinks that a prettier place could hardly be found on the Trail. Grampie & I canoed around the cold and sparkling clear Goose Pond. Grampie caught enough Johnnie Roaches (Bluegill) that we had a fish fry one nite. Grampie's wife, Donna, sent us off with enough spaghetti sauce and brownies to fatten me up nicely. Surprisingly, the same northbound crew that passed me at Front Royal at the Jim and Molly Denton shelter, came thru still NoBo and still doing 20's. I was glad to hear that Snakecharmer, Softserve and Just Ducky were still leading the parade north. They were followed by Nugget, who was closing fast, but who was in danger of being overtaken by an older hiker who was doing 30's. (Didn't get his name.) It had been raining, more or less non-stop, for the previous 20 days. I said a little prayer that the Good Lord would ease up somewhat on the wet stuff, as Grampie was gonna drop me off alongside the road at Caledonia State Park on the afternoon of June 5.
Date: 2003-06-05
From: Connecticut

To: Quarry Gap
Miles today: 2.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We prevailed upon one of Grampie's ski club buddies to let me park my truck at his place while I continued my northbound hike. After a few fitful starts and stops, and after Grampie filled me up on "Teddy's Famous Steamed Cheeseburgers", we find ourselves saying our goodbys in front of Thaddeus Stevens Revolutionary War Blacksmith Shop. Grampie tells me if I need anything to call him, and then I'm hiking again for the first time in 3 weeks. Man! Have I lost some conditioning. I hike thru overflowing creeks and get to Quarry Gap double shelters. It's full of people I don't know. The register tells me that Aloha Ann, Sleepy Jean, Ankle Bear, and Bono all came thru right after Trail Days. I don't care, the time in Texas was well spent. I "howdy" a few folks, and play a few bars of "Dixie" from one of the tent platforms. John and Jackie "Not the Kennedys", Five Alive (Speck, Slick Rock, Oopu, Diesel and Ketchup) and several groups with way too many dogs all come thru the shelter. Lots of tenters besides myself. Am glad it doesn't rain as my Nomad tent is really too small for a 6 footer like me. Wish I had the 2-4-2 that Wanderlust makes now. Too bad.
Date: 2003-06-06
From: Quarry Gap

To: Tom's Run Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Am off to a slow start. It's my first serious day back hiking again. Am pleasantly surprised at the easy hiking. Sure, the Trail is wet. Real wet. Some of the others have been calling it the "Appalachian Canal" after getting rain 20 of the last 27 days. I'm wearing my Vasque Sundowner boots and I pick up a couple of blisters right away. Am surprised, as these boots are the replacement pair that REI sent to me in 2001. I've already hiked 400 miles in these boots and I'm getting blisters? By the time I get to Tom's Run Shelter, the boots are soaked, as are my feet. It's a 13+ mile day and I'm bushed. Not the Kennedys are next door, but all the dogs are gone. So are Five Alive. Just me and Not the Kennedys. Bagels and cheese make me a good supper. I'm down for the night. It rains again, starting about midnight.
Date: 2003-06-07
From: Tom's Run Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park & Hostel
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: moderate rain

10:00 a.m. and everyone else is long gone and I'm still here, listening to the steady patter of rain, rain, rain. I don't want to hike, but surprisingly, other people already are. At least 10 people hike thru during the downpour. By noon, I'm feeling guilty, by 1:00 p.m., I'm hiking again, trying to hop from rock to rock, from side to side of the trail, trying everything to keep from wading thru puddles that are everywhere.I manage almost 4 miles when I come to Pine Grove Furnace State Park and Hostel. The little camp store sells ice cream, hamburgers and hot dogs. Hot coffee, too, hits the spot. By the time the Hostel opens at 5 p.m., I'm in for the nite. Plus which, they've got a refrigerator that's full of leftovers, left behind by previous hikers. A dry bed and free food, too? The shower feels great. I sit on the porch watching the swallows catch mosquitos in the gathering dusk. Tomorrow I'll do big miles. Today, I'm just glad to be clean, full and dry. The forecast for tomorrow is clear and sunny. Thank You, Lord!
Date: 2003-06-08
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park & Hostel

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Wonder of wonders! Morning brings clear skys. Maybe my little prayer helped? Everyone seems glad to see the sun and I take pictures of the pig-iron smelter at Pine Grove Furnace. Also, get a pic of the 1/2 way marker, tho it's merely symbolic. The actual 1/2 way point varies almost weekly, as the A.T. is re-routed during the summer. As Wingfoot notes "This location (for the 1/2 way marker) is as good as any other." The hiking is easy, as are the grades. Runoff water, still running down the trail from yesterday's rain, ensures a lot of careful foot placement. In spite of the wet pathway, I find myself passing Tagg Run shelter by 11:00 a.m. Hmmmm...seven miles (and change) in three hrs? Alec Kennedy shelter is only 8 more miles and it's way too early to stop for the nite. May as well hike on and do a 15.5 mile day. That will help my daily mileage, and make up for the first day 3 miler, and the Tom's Run 3.7 mile day. I'd like to average at least 10 mile days, but it's harder than one would think. The weather makes conditions very difficult, and it seems that I will be forced to hike in the rain if I ever have a chance of finishing this self-inflicted marathon-enduro hike.These Vasque Sundowners have a sole that keeps separating from the leather uppers. They take on water like a leaky rowboat. I'm carrying six pairs of sox (which is at least 4 pairs more than most other hikers), so that I can hike dry. At least, that was the plan. These boots need another application of Shoe Goop to re-laminate the soles temporarily. Maybe in Duncannon I'll be able to do something. Maybe. But first, spread all over the parking lot at PA-94 (Mount Holly Springs) is Five Alive, at least some of them. The guys are still back getting ready at the motel. Speck's dad met the group yesterday and took them on a whirlwind tour of the battlefield at Gettysburg. The group is reforming for todays hike and Speck is kind enough to tempt me with a fresh bagel from town. It tastes great, and I found out that Five Alive too, was on Trail Journals.com. You meet the nicest people on Trail Journals. My bagel is eaten, my thanks made, and I'm hiking again. Not too long, it seems, and the whole Five Alive group passes me on a rocky pinnacle climb. "How are you Texas Jack?" asks Speck as they hike by. "Doing absolutely the best that I can!" I answer, as I take a much needed rest break. It's true. I'm getting my legs back, but slowly. A Snickers perks me right up, and in no time at all I come upon the whole bunch hunkered down in the Trail at the turnoff to Alec Kennedy shelter. We "Howdy'ed" everybody one more time and they left to do some more miles, as they had gotten a late start. I'm done, as 15.5 miles is all I can muster. Not the Kennedys are there in the shelter, as are Crazyhorse and 2 or 3 other quiet hikers. Crazyhorse lived up to his name and the 5 of us carry on lively discussions on pretty much everything Trail related well into the early evening.
Date: 2003-06-09
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Hwy. US-11
Miles today: 11.9

Not the Kennedys are off into the early mist. This morning looks like it will be a clear day, dry and sunny. It's a good thing, for water is still running in rivulets down the A.T. You have to either walk along the edge of the pathway (canal) or else rock-hop from rock to rock, trying to avoid stepping completely in the pools. It's actually been a couple of days since it rained. Crazyhorse has warned us about the "Cow Swamp", where the AT passes thru the low land of a dairy farm and runs along the river for a couple of miles. I'll keep my eye out for that stretch.Today, however, the Trail takes us thru Pennsylvania farming community fields with freshly planted soy beans, corn and silage for the dairy cows at the many dairy operations we hike past. The miles roll by, and soon we come to the Duck Pond at Boiling Springs. It's a beautiful little community and I take several pics of folks fishing around the pond. In Boiling Springs, the water isn't really boiling hot. It's boiling up out of the ground. I make a few phone calls at the Boiling Springs AT center. Fortunately, my friend and neighbor, Milton, has just gotten out of the hospital after surgery. He seems to be doing well, and I hike out of town feeling good after I hear the news. The good feelings stay with me for far too long. I had meant to turn west from US-11 and get a motel and a shower. My brain must have been stuck in "feel good" mode, as I hike at least a mile & a half past my turn off. Bryan and Michelle meet me coming back across the I-81 overpass and show me a trail map and where I went wrong. I thank them a lot and head back for the turn-off I should have taken the lst time. No harm, no foul, and Super 8 Motel offers hiker rates. Laundry, too, is available. A shower and great meal at a nearby restaurant has me feeling just fine and the weather report is for only occasional showers. I fall asleep with a smile on my face thinking of good hiking ahead.
Date: 2003-06-10
From: Hwy. US-11

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Up reasonably early. Super 8 Motel offers a continental breakfast. Hmmm? Ok, coffee and donut holes? Guess that will work. I load up on donut holes and wear freshly washed clothes. Feeling good.Do the next mile and a half to cross I-81 again, for the 3rd time, and when I come upon the Cow Swamp (Conodoguinet Creek, Scott farm) I blue-blaze around the cow poop cesspool. Others aren't so lucky. Slick Rock (of 5 Alive) almost looses her shoes in the sucking mud and cow manure. Others, too, are wading thru muck up to their knees. What idiot was responsible for routing the AT right thru this quagmire? No matter. After the swamp, the Trail runs along the river for several miles and in places it's obvious that the river has overflowed it's banks due to heavy rains the previous week. But no rain for the last 3 days has the river back where it should be. The Trail, however, is still draining in all the low places. Finally, the blazes take us up the spine of a glacial ridge that runs north and south. I settle for a six mile day and pitch my tent outside Darlington Shelter with about a dozen other hikers whom I have never met. Also, there is a persistent butterfly on my leg! Commander-In-Chief, Sun Pig, Dirty Bird, Itchy Foot, & Jan LiteShoe were only a few of the thru hikers. I'm really tired and not up to making new friends tonight. Will meet everyone later. Right now, I'm down for the nite. My Nomad lightweight tent is actually a bit too small for me, but it's all I've got. Guess it will have to do. By propping my pack on it's side in the tent next to my air mattress, there is just enough room for me and all my gear. G'nite all!!