morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-07
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter

To: Grace Church Hostel
Miles today: 5.0

Thursday 7 June 2007 Day 83We got going early--by 7:20--and found ourselves at Rockfish Gap after a quick five mile hike by 9:30. The Maineiacs had called for enough shuttles from town--there's a great network of trail angels willing to come out and shuttle hikers the five miles into town--and by ten we were at the Rockfish Gap Outfitters, looking for fuel, a pack cover for Gus, and a few odds and ends. Another trail angel picked us up there and took us to the post office, then to a laundromat. We got magic from Tina, Wayne, Robin and Nancy, and Walkin' Jim in the mail, and are looking forward to eating every last bit of it.After my laundry was out of the washer, I headed next door and got a trim, both on the head and on the chin, then we headed to Krogers to finish our resupply and the library to find the world's slowest internet connection. I'm finishing this at the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, which has a seasonal hostel, along with free dinner on Thursdays. It was great, and now I'm finished until the next time I find a computer and a couple hours to update. Until the next time.Day 83--5.0 miles; cumulative 856.9; average 10.3
Date: 2007-06-08
From: Grace Church Hostel, Waynesboro, VA

To: Off trail, Shenandoah National Park
Miles today: 11.0

Friday 8 June 2007 Day 84 We stepped on the scale at the YMCA in Waynesboro this morning. I'm down to 238 after a couple of big meals. That's about a 45 pound loss, nearly the weight of my full pack. We motored down to the post office and put eight pounds into a bounce box to Harpers Ferry--some excess food and some gear that we'll send home when we get to West Virginia. We stopped for pie on the way to the edge of town, and eventually made it back to the road. We got a quick ride to the trail head and were in the woods by noon. In Shenandoah National Park we had to stop at a trailside registration station to pick up a permit. We didn't need to pay any money, and Gus got a kick out of that. We stopped at the first shelter for water, checked the shelter register and found a message to us from Harley Hogpit. If you recall, we hiked with her quite a bit last year before I had to get off the trail. Anyhow, she had been through about 10 days earlier, and we destined not to catch her, at least in the park. We walked on another mile, then filled up our water containers and found a place in the woods to camp for the night. The sky was cloudy, but we got only a few drops of rain during the night. Day 84--11.0 miles; cumulative 867.9; average 10.3
Date: 2007-06-09
From: Off trail, Shenandoah National Park

To: Loft Mountain Campground
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Saturday 9 June 2007 Day 85 It's a bit cooler today than yesterday. We reached the Blackrock Shelter and had lunch with several other hikers. We learned the camp store at the Loft Mountain Campground a few miles north closed at 5:30. I was intent on getting there, so I took off, and pulled in by 4. I saw a bear cub without its mom. It saw me and raced to the base of a tree where it pulled up and waited to see what I'd do. I stopped and thought about taking a picture, when it took off again across the trail, down the hill and out of sight. After filling up on junk food from the camp store, I used the pay showers next door. I loved the sign in the breezeway that said no cooking or parking motorcycles or bicycles in the breezeway. It would never occur to me to cook either a motorcycle or bicycle, but people do strange things in a national park. When Gus arrived, we threw our clothes in the washer, then got a campsite with a couple other thru-hikers, Noodles and Tank, in the Park Service campground. It was a breezy, nice evening, and the forecast had several 70 degree days ahead. Day 85--16.4 miles; cumulative 884.3; average 10.4
Date: 2007-06-10
From: Loft Mountain Campground

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

Sunday, June 10, 2007 Day 86 We stopped back at the campstore on our way out, and finally got on new trail about 9:30. The campground is so big it takes nearly a half hour to get around it, and both Gus and I rehiked some of it. There were several different ways in, and because we took different entries, we redid it to make sure we covered the whole trail. That's white blaze fever. We saw another bear, but just briefly. The bears in Shenandoah skeedaddle when they see a human. Good news. The afternoon warmed up, especially as we had several climbs, and we finished out with one to Hightop Hut (the shelters are called huts in the Shenandoah). There were a lot of people at the shelter, so we pitched our tent away from the shelter. The best thing about this place is a beautiful spring not far from the shelter. Water's cold and better than anything you'll find in a bottle or a tap. Day 86--14.0 miles; cumulative 898.3; average 10.4
Date: 2007-06-11
From: Hightop Hut

To: Hazeltop Mountain
Miles today: 15.9

Monday, June 11, 2007 Day 87 One of the beauties of Shenandoah National Park is that you cross the road 28 times, pass by picnic areas with water taps and trash cans, and walk near several small camp stores and restaurants (called Waysides). Today we dropped our trash at the South River Picnic Grounds. Shortly before we reached the Lewis Mountain Campground we stepped over a collection of sticks in the middle of the trail which spelled out '900' to indicate that we had passed the 900 mile mark of the trail. Tires me out just thinking about it. We reached the campground store a bit after noon and went in for junk food. After I had seen the store at Loft Mountain, I figured we'd be able to resupply at the last one and get to Harpers Ferry without trouble. Lewis Mountain convinced me that I'd better resupply a bit early, as there was very little in the way of appropriate hiking food there. We had a couple of climbs in the afternoon, and we got water on the way to Hazeltop Mountain so we could camp near the top. When we got there I found a site just about at the top, so we had a pretty nice sunset and a cool night. Day 87--15.9 miles; cumulative 914.2; average 10.5
Date: 2007-06-12
From: Hazeltop Mountain

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Tuesday, June 12, 2007 Day 88 We had two deer wandering around camp during the night and the morning. They are not afraid of people. We had an easy hike to Big Meadows, where we got breakfast at the wayside, watched a film on the Civilian Conservation Corps, and did our resupply to get to Harpers Ferry. We ended up eating lunch, too, and left about five hours after arriving. Big Meadows had another campground that needed to be circled, and when we stopped to use the restroom, Gus found her pack strap was coming off her pack. We got caught in a brief but heavy thundershower before leaving the campground, and hiked on to Rock Springs Hut, where we found the same five women from Hazeltop. Gus got dental floss from one the women and spent a couple hours stitching her pack strap back on. Another storm blew through before the sun set, but it was short-lived. Wagos, who we had camped with our first night in the Smokies, was there, as was JP, who we had left at Fontana Village the day before we met Wagos, back on April 6 We ended up seeing seven deer today. Day 88--8 miles; cumulative 922.2; average 10.4
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: moderate rain

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 Day 89 We had three deer around the camp this morning. It was real windy during the night, and rained quite a bit, but our tent was dry in the morning. We had a four mile hike to Skyland, a former resort, now tourist cabins run by the park concessionaire, Aramark. We stopped for a nice breakfast, and I bought a USA Today to carry for the next several days. (Got some of the sports page read, but not much else.) We hiked on down through Thornton Gap, one of the few places in the park a real highway passes through. The gift shop there was closed for asbestos abatement. I got water, we crossed the highway, and hiked on to the Pass Mountain Hut. The same group of women were there, along with a lot of thru-hikers. I dallied until the wind came up, and as I was heading to secure a tent site after supper, a troop of boy scouts came storming down the trail and nearly beat me to my selected site. Day 89--15.3 miles; cumulative 937.5; average 10.5
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Thursday, June 14, 2007 Day 90 The rain continued through the night, and we woke to a drizzle and temperatures in the upper 50s. We reached the last campstore and wayside, romantically named Elkwallow Gap, about 11, had a burger and black rasberry shake, and bought a couple of Milky Way bars. There were picnic tables, but no one went outside to eat. There were about a dozen hikers in the store, and we just took our food and sat on the floor. I called Osprey about Gus' pack, and all they said was to stitch it up (done) and send it back for warranty repair after the hike. Cool. Will dental floss hold up for 1,200 miles? We bought a tent repair kit with nylon thread and a sturdy needle (Gus had broken four of the cheapy needles she had in her sewing kit doing the earlier stitch job) and headed north. I had no energy, my back hurt, I felt like crap, so when we reached Gravel Springs Hut about four in the afternoon we stopped for the day. I laid down, took a nap until 5, cooked supper, and crawled back in for the night shortly after 7. Day 90--13.1 miles; cumulative 950.6; average 10.5
Date: 2007-06-15
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Friday, June 15, 2007 Day 91 It was still cloudy and damp, but not raining when we took off. We put in eight miles by noon, and in the early afternoon took a blue blazed trail down to a 4H camp where we found a soda machine. Back on the trail we hiked on to US 522. We had planned on going on to the next shelter, but got into a conversation with Junker, the ridge runner, who it turns out was the man who shuttled us to PenMar on our first section hike of the AT in 2002. Junker hooked us into a new hostel in a loft added on to the home of Tom and Sharon Johnson. We were the first two hikers to spend the night in their new loft. We got a great dinner, and in the morning Sharon drove us back to the trail. We also got to take showers and do laundry. Day 91--13.4 miles; cumulative 964.0; average 10.5
Date: 2007-06-16
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

Saturday, June 16, 2007 Day 92 We had a hot climb first thing in the morning. Up along a fence separating us from land owned by the Smithsonian, we encountered a lot of poison ivy. Hike thin, and watch where you put your poles. It's times like this that a trail maintainer becomes a very important person. They come out periodically and whack down the vegetation along the trail. It makes the difference between a foot-wide corridor with green lapping at your knees, or a corridor four feet wide with some breathing room. We crossed under I-55 early in the afternoon, and passed by a trail maintainer. He had just finished working his section, and we had some very nice trail to hike. We passed a couple of black snakes sunning together on top of a log. I stopped to let Gus catch up, and while we watched, the two snakes roused themselves and slid into the center of the log they had been laying on. In a minute there was no sign of them. We stopped for lunch at the Manassas Gap Shelter, and reached Dicks Dome Shelter deep in the forest shortly before 7. There were 13 people there, and we pitched on a bit of a slope, ate, and fell asleep. Day 92--15.1 miles; cumulative 979.1; average 10.6
Date: 2007-06-17
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

Sunday, June 17, 2007 Day 93 The trail through the Thompson Wildlife Management Area was alternately nicely groomed, and weedy as hell. There were blazes on posts ten feet tall. At Sky Meadows State Park, the forest opened up and it was pleasant. We stopped for a break near the Rod Hollow Shelter, then entered the infamous roller coaster, a 13 mile stretch of trail with 10 hills. The climbs weren't bad, but one ended and another began. I stopped for a break at Mill Creek, after the second climb, only to drop my summer sausage and watch it roll into the creek. As I went to fish it out, I stepped on a slick rock and ended up in the mud. After some healthy cursing, I washed off and headed up the next climb. Near the top of the climb we reached a gravel road with a pickup truck, a cooler, and several hikers. I scored two Pepsis (what is the plural of Pepsi?) and my day was salvaged. After five climbs we reached the Sam Moore Shelter, with only two others there--Bad Influence and Bird Legs. Quarter Moon and Ohm pulled in near dark. Day 93--15.3 miles; cumulative 994.4; average 10.6
Date: 2007-06-18
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: clear sky

Monday, June 18, 2007 Day 94 It was a hot morning. We made three more of the roller coaster climbs, then stopped at the Bears Den Hostel looking for our friends, Ben and Jerry. No dice, but there was cold soda. We spent some time, called home, checked our email, and headed north. We crossed a busy Snickers Gap (VA 7) and knocked off the last two climbs of the roller coaster. We reached the Blackburn Trail Center between 4:30 and 5, and hung out until they served us a free spaghetti dinner. A bunch of us were there that night, including Bird Legs, Bad Influence, Ohm and Quarter Moon. Most of us crashed on the floor of the screened in porch. Bad move. Nasty little biting gnats crawled through the gaps in the floor boards or through the screens and feasted on us. I got a lousy night's sleep, and looked like a pincushion in the morning. The one upside is that, including the approach trail, we topped the thousand-mile mark. Day 94--10.9 miles; cumulative 1005.3; average 10.7
Date: 2007-06-20
From: Hilltop House Hotel, Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Hilltop House Hotel, Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Wednesday 20 June 2007 Day 96Turns out that June 20 is 'West Virginia Day'--a state holiday--and the shuttle bus from Harpers Ferry to Charles Town is free. We jumped on with our dirty laundry--mostly what we were wearing--and rode to a shopping center with a laundromat. While the laundry was cooking, Gus went shopping at the nearby MallWart, and I went to the Radio Shack and bought a battery for my watch. The altimeter built into the watch had been doing this weird thing--the stated elevation climbed while I climbed, then when I went down, the watch showed a continued increase in elevation. So we'd go from 1,000 to 2,000 feet, then back down to a thousand feet, and my altimeter would show us at 3,000 or 4,000 feet above sea level. So I replaced the battery. The new battery didn't help. I decided after the next time it did the same thing that it was probably the heat that was messing with the watch.We finished our laundry, had lunch and resupplied, then caught the shuttle back to Harpers Ferry. We jumped off at the outfitters to see if they could repair Gus' pack strap. They couldn't do much more than Gus already had done. I bought a new pair of pants, about two sizes smaller. We went back to the hotel, then Gus decided she wanted to check out the sleeping bags. Back at the outfitter she bought a new 50 degree sleeping bag weighing about a pound, and a Z-Rest sleeping pad. I spent some time at the ATC office catching up my trail journal, then we got supper. On the way back to the hotel, we ran into Wagos again, this time with his wife, who came in by train to visit.Day 96--0 miles; cumulative 1017.3; average 10.6
Date: 2007-06-21
From: Hilltop House Hotel, Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Rocky Run Shelter, MD
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Thursday 21 June 2007 Day 97We made our way to the post office where I shipped out my old boots, a sleeping bag and a bunch of other stuff, along with two bounce boxes to Duncannon, PA with some excess gear and food. We checked our email back at the ATC office, then hit the blue-blazed trail back to the AT. It took quite awhile to get out of town, as there were several tourist stops at historic spots as we got into the part of town that dates back to the early- and mid-19th century, including the armory taken by John Brown in his attempt to overthrow the US government in 1859. It was past 11 when we got to the bottom of the hill, so we stopped and had lunch, then got back on the trail.We crossed the Potomac River into Maryland, walking along the towpath along the C&O Canal. After a long, flat section along the river, we climbed away from the river. Late in the afternoon we reached Gathland State Park to find vending machines complete with cold drinks. No thru-hiker can pass such an apparition, so I plugged some money into the machine and we took a break. A thunderstorm blew through while we sat there, so we sat a little longer. After finishing our drinks we discovered the state of Maryland is trying something new--no trash cans in their state parks. Terrific. They generate trash with their vending machines, then an unsuspecting hiker is expected to hike out with the empties. ????? We filled our water bottles and took off.We had seen notices that the Rocky Run Shelter was closed for repairs, but we pushed on with the intention of camping there. It was 8:37 pm and the sun was setting when we arrived. After a late start we managed to hike 16 miles, and covered more than a third of Maryland in one day.Day 97--16.1 miles; cumulative 1033.4; average 10.6
Date: 2007-06-22
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter, MD
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: few clouds

Friday 22 June 2007 Day 98The miles dropped off pretty easy today. After a later than usual start, we passed a Civil War monument, then climbed up to the original Washington Monument, a small tower built in the 1830s by the nearby townspeople to honor George Washington. It was a beautiful day, with clear air and nice views across the valley to the west.We crossed I-70 and US 40, then Wolfsville Road, stopped short of the shelter to fill up our water bottles, and reached the Ensign Cowall Shelter after a good day.Day 98--15.7 miles; cumulative 1049.1; average 10.7
Date: 2007-06-23
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Antietam Shelter, PA
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

Saturday 23 June 2007 Day 99We had another beautiful day. It was a cool morning, and after six hours of hiking we arrived at the point we started our first AT section hike back in 2002--PenMar State Park in Maryland, at the Pennsylvania state line. I knew they had a concession stand, that according to the book was open weekends, and I was looking forward to lunch. We got to the park to find that the stand was now only open on Sunday, but they had a Pepsi machine--but all I had was a five. Luckily, the park was being heavily used with family picnics and a wedding reception, and a park worker had a wallet full of singles. After a bit, some other hikers entered the park looking for lunch, so another of the park staff opened the concession stand and sold us ice cream, chips and candy. After a long break, we filled our water bottles and took off, strolling into Pennsylvania shortly after 3 pm. About a mile from the park we saw a cooler next to the trail and found it filled with ice and soda. We took another break. We passed Bird Legs, Bad Influence and Ohm slacking south. They tried to get us to join them at a trail angel's house for the night, but we had our eyes on the Antietam Shelter another few miles up the trail.We reached the shelter about 6:45, set up our tent, and I proceeded to break my spoon while cooking dinner. So it goes.Day 99--16.9 miles; cumulative 1066; average 10.7
Date: 2007-06-25
From: Caledonia State Park, PA

To: Toms Run Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: broken clouds

Monday 25 June 2007 Day 101Scott, the leader of the Appalachian Trail Ministry (ATM) crew, fixed us all--Gus, Sven, Uffda, Quarter Moon, Ohm, me, and some others--blueberry pancakes and sausage. Gus and I took off about 9:30, and climbed down out of the campground and back to the trail. It was humid, and promised to be another warm day. My shoulder was still sore. We made it to Quarry Gap Shelter in good time. Quarry Gap may be the best maintained shelter on the trail. Each of the shelters, at least in this part of Pennsylvania was kept up by a volunteer from the local trail chapter. Quarry Gap was beautiful and located in a tiny microclimate that was cooler than the surrounding area. We stopped for a short break, then pushed on.When we got to the next shelter, actually, a pair of them called Birch Run, there was a family there, and after lunch and a break decided we could make it to Toms Run Shelter another five miles up the trail. When we arrived at Toms Run, there was a big group of youngsters there from a church camp. We set up, they treated us to corn on the cob, and we enjoyed their company until we crawled in our tent.Day 101--16.2 miles; cumulative 1093; average 10.8
Date: 2007-06-26
From: Toms Run Shelter

To: Past Green Mountain Store
Miles today: 13.0

Tuesday 26 June 2007 Day 102One of folks we had the pleasure of hiking with last year was a hiker going by the trail name Why-Not. We had been with him into the Smokies, then got ahead of him, and didn't see him again until I came out last year to pick up Gus at Bastian, VA. From Bastian we had driven to Pearisburg to pick up a parcel, and saw his entry in the register at the post office. We tracked him down at the hostel there and had dinner with him that night.He got off the trail at Harpers Ferry last year, and we were hoping to see him while we were in Pennsylvania this year. Well, after recuperating from surgery earlier this year, he took the train to Harpers Ferry and got on the trail about three days ahead of us. He had started out slowly, and I hoped we'd be able to catch him. We took off from Toms Run, making it to Pine Grove Furnace State Park--the end point of our 2002 hike--by 9:30. Sitting under the overhang in front of the camp store was Why-Not, dressed in a green shirt and red plaid, kilt-like skirt. We visited for a bit when I decided it was time to take a challenge. Not the Four State Challenge, but the Half-Gallon Challenge.This was more my speed. Buy a half gallon of Hersheys Ice Cream (not available in Wisconsin) and eat it in one sitting. The record holder has done this in something like four minutes, but apparently used the advantage of melting the half gallon before consuming it. As I felt that to be an unfair advantage, I bought my half gallon (chocolate, I think), borrowed a decent spoon from the store's proprietor, and started my stop watch.While continuing my visit with Why-Not, I put the ice cream away in 35:25. My award was a little wooden ice cream spoon. Gus chose not to take the challenge, but we both celebrated reaching half-way. The 'official' half-way marker is further up the trail, but we had indeed gone past the real half-way point just before entering the park. After a couple hours, the three of us took off together, hiking through the park, passing the midpoint marker, then climbing on. About mid-afternoon we stopped at the Green Mountain Store for dinner and a break. We thought about asking to camp in the store's back yard, but the highway was busy, and we pressed on for a couple miles to a opening in the forest next to the trail.Day 102--13 miles; cumulative 1106; average 10.8