morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-05
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: moderate rain

July 5, Maryland!Happy birthday, Angela!With our town chores finally finished, we got on the trail around 11:15 a.m. The hiking was amazingly easy for quite a while. I was excited to cross the Potomac and enter into Maryland - a new state! Five down, nine to go!The next four miles were completely flat. Cobweb, Mayo, Ronin, Young Eagle, Melk and I all walked side by side down the trail as bikers passed us. It was a wide and flat four miles. Very nice.After that, we had a small climb but then it leveled out again. The next mile or so was pretty darn flat as well. We stopped at Ed Garvey Shelter around 2 p.m. for lunch and a break. After that, we headed back down the wonderful Maryland trail for about four miles until we came to Gathland State Park. The six of us stopped there along with He-Man and She-Ra for a bit of a break. We ended up taking quite a long break...We were planning to go six more miles to a shelter but Melk's feet were hurting in her new shoes, I was feeling tired and not very strong after yesterday, and Ronin was tired too. We decided to just stop at the next shelter which was only half a mile away. But before that, we decided to make dinner at the pavilion in the park. During dinner, the rain started. We temporarily planned to stay there for the night but around 8:15 p.m., the rain stopped. We packed up and hit the trail at about 8:35 p.m.We just got here after about a ten minute hike. Full shelter and even a ridgerunner on the deck. Loving Maryland so far.- Sound of the rain on the shelter roof and on the trees, fireworks in the distance, Ronin and Youngle breathing, Melk snoring.
Date: 2007-07-07
From: The Free State

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

July 7, Pennsylvania!Happy birthday, Certain!I could have stayed at The Free State all day...but Pennsylvania beckoned.We got up and Ken took us to the Food Lion to resupply. By 9:15 a.m., we were back at the hostel listening to Pearl Jam, having a food bag-packing party. A nice, relaxing morning.Team Average took about two more hours to pack up - I think we were all just reveling in the glory of The Free State and did not want to leave.Youngle, Melk and I finally hit the trail at 11:15 a.m. We stopped at Devils Racecourse Shelter for lunch and then climbed our way back out. Our next stop was Pen-Mar State Park. Stopped for about an hour there with Cobweb and Mayo. We were given a tray of leftover fried chicken and some cold beverages by a nice man. We all proceeded to Pennsylvania together after that. I was glad we were all crossing into yet another state together. It's cool that I was with Cobweb and Mayo and Young Eagle at each crossing since we reached the VA line.The rest of the day was quick. We tried to guilt Cobweb and Mayo into staying here tonight but they pushed on. Silly. They tried to get us to go with them but we are much too smart for that nonsense. We've dubbed them the "B-Team". Glad to be in my tent. In Pennsylvania! Six states down, eight to go.- Sound of a distant car, Melk snoring. Otherwise, very quiet and still.Post Trail Thoughts:I think this might have been the lone time on the trail that I actually enjoyed packing my food bag! Music and space at The Free State really made for an enjoyable time doing just about anything. Great to cross into another state with the B-Team!
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Hunters Run Road, Mt. Holly Springs, PA
Miles today: 8.6

July 10, Half Gallon ChallengeHappy birthday, Januzzi!I woke up pretty early today but we didn't hit the trail for quite a while...We took a while to pack up - we were the only campers around since the park wasofficially closed. We finally left around 8:30 a.m. but we didn't get too far.We made it to the camp store and bought some sodas. While we were there, the man who runs the place showed up and opened the store. Now how could we leave all of the sad looking half gallons of ice cream when we had come all that way? It would feel pretty lame if, knowing we had access to the ice cream, we left.So, Melk got pretty fired up to attempt the Half Gallon Challenge. She got Young Eagle fired up. They got me fired up. Ronin did not get fired up. Youngle and I chose Cookies and Cream, Melk chose Hot Fudge Brownie. We started eating at 9:07 a.m. I wasn't sure if I could pull it off but I at least wanted to give it a shot. I tried to pace myself and drink some coffee along the way to melt the ice cream and condense.I ended up not being able to finish - I only made it about 2/3 of the way until I started feeling lightheaded and after what happened in Harpers Ferry, I just didn't want to go back there. Especially when we still had to hike today.Melk was really muscling the ice cream away - gagging with every bite, almost in tears, making little whining noises too. Young Eagle made it look easy. He stopped for a short break and a few paces around the table. He finished just a few seconds before Melk at one hour and four minutes. I can't imagine eating the whole thing. More power to 'em. So, I have no small wooden spoon but I think I'll live. I did feel like a small failure for a few minutes but I quickly got over that.We started hiking at 1 p.m. Our goal was to stop for dinner at a store eight miles away and move on to the next shelter. We did stop for dinner - a few sub sandwiches that were definitely not as good as my dad's - and a rest. It was there we decided to opt out of the last eight miles for the day. Young Eagle's foot was hurting and we were all in need of showers so it wasn't a hard decision to make.We are here in Mt. Holly Springs, PA for the night. It feels good to be clean.- Sound of the "World Series of Pop Culture" on TV, Ronin laughing, the bedcreaking, the AC blowing, Young Eagle saying, "ow".Post Trail Thoughts:Okay, so I'm still a little bummed I didn't finish the whole half gallon. I mean, this was my one chance in a lifetime to eat that much ice cream! If only I'd had NY Super Fudge Chunk without the Super Fudge Chunks!At the store we stopped at for dinner, we ran into Tater. He updated us that Bigby did, indeed, have Lyme Disease and was in a nearby hospital recovering. This was the beginning of the scary Lyme cases for the year.
Date: 2007-07-11
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Hunters Run Road, PA 34
Miles today: 10.8

July 11, Slackpack and a Search for EagleTalkerMan woke us up this morning to say hello and then we all went tobreakfast. Team Average's plan was for a normal day but that changed by theminute.After breakfast, we headed back to the inn and got ready. While doing that,Alice, TalkerMan's wife, offered to slackpack us. We, of course, obliged. We didn't get on the trail until quite late in the afternoon. That's when all ofthe fun and rain started. We planned to meet at the first shelter four miles in.Ronin, Melk and I all made it there and had a snack. About a half hour later, westarted to worry about Young Eagle because he wasn't there yet. An hour later,we were very worried. We knew his foot was hurting him and weren't sure ifsomething had happened. We decided to send someone back to look for him, Ronin.Melk and I continued hiking south. We ran into Google and Sunshine who told usthey had seen Youngle and he had missed the shelter. Our worry went away and Icalled Ronin to tell him to turn back around.The hiking was uneventful other than reaching the 1,100 mile mark. We got to theroad at 8:40 p.m. and found Young Eagle there. TalkerMan and his wife weredriving around trying to intercept us on a couple of the road crossings. It wasgetting dark and we were still waiting for Ronin. I hopped in the car withTalkerMan and his wife and we went to see if we could find Ronin.All of the madness ended around 9:30 p.m. when Ronin showed up. We headed back to the inn and tried for over an hour to find a pizza place that was still open.No luck. I ate a protein bar and called it a night.Quite a day of drama.- Sound of the TV.Post Trail Thoughts:I was pretty proud of the A-Team that day. I thought we made a pretty good decision to send someone back. And, Ronin, being the strongest hiker, made the most sense. I was glad he was willing to do it. We were also very lucky to have the assistance of Mr. and Mrs. Talker Man.We were all starving when we got back. I was so sad we couldn't find dinner. So sad.
Date: 2007-07-12
From: Boiling Springs

To: Cove Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: broken clouds

July 12, Four Months on the TrailGood day today. We woke up to Talker Man knocking on our door to make sure we were awake. We weren't. It was still 6:45 a.m. and, boy were we tired.Everyone was finally awake by 7:30 a.m. and moving about. The weather wasamazing - it was going to be a great day for hiking. Warm but not hot and nohumidity.TalkerMan's wife, Alice, dropped us off in Boiling Springs and we headed to thelocal cafe for breakfast and a quick round of Boggle. After that we headed tothe ATC office to get ready. While we were there, a guy named Bob offered toslack us the first ten miles of our day. We took him up on that! We startedwalking around 10:45 a.m.The first ten miles were totally flat and wonderful - through farm land in theCumberland Valley of Pennsylvania. We were lucky to have such a nice day because there was definitely potential for the sun to beat down on us and zap ourenergy.We got to Scott Farm, a barn and farm area owned by the ATC, and took quite along break on the patio there. It was quite relaxing and I really didn't want toleave - but we still had 11 miles to go.We left around 4 p.m. and stopped to make dinner near a creek four miles beforethe shelter. After that, we had to night hike to the shelter. It was fun forabout 20 minutes until we hit all of the rocks. We all hiked together which wasnew and exciting but it got pretty tiring toward the end.We made it to the shelter around 11 p.m. and set up and then crashed. I've been on the trail for four months now. I feel like I've gotten more intothe swing of things in the last month or so - I'm having a great time and amcomfortable with where I'm at. It's getting easier for me to leave towns whichis GREAT.- Sound of someone snoring.Post Trail Thoughts:This was a really fun day. I was glad to have made good mileage and it was really a blast to night hike...until it wasn't a blast anymore. I wouldn't recommend night hiking in PA.I really enjoyed stopping for dinner, which for some reason I remember was a can of Chef Boyardee lasagna, and then hiking a bit more. It was quite above average of us!This was a beautiful day of hiking. Sunshine and Google were at the shelter with us that night, as was Luna.
Date: 2007-07-13
From: Cove Mtn. Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: overcast clouds

July 13, DuncannonHappy birthday, Emma, Philip, Jimmy, and Uncle Frank!Short little hike to town today. We slept in until about 7:30 a.m. which waswonderful and we woke up to a perfect 64.9 degrees. Beautiful way to start theday. I headed out from the shelter at ten to 9 a.m. and was truckin' along prettysmoothly in my own little world. There was a great vista along some rocks on thedescent but then the rocks started. I feel like they are the warning sign of allof the rocks I've heard about in PA. It was slow going through there - balancingon rocks of all sizes.I made it to Melk and Ronin around 10:30ish and we waited for Youngle and thenheaded to town. The Doyle Hotel was our destnation and we knew we were therewhen we heard hikers calling out to us. The Doyle is a hotel built by Budweiserabout 100 years ago and is a must-see for AT hikers. It is a hotel-ish sort ofplace with a bar. It was quite a sight. We all stood around talking until thehotel/bar opened at 11 a.m. Cobweb and Mayo had zeroed yesterday hoping we'dhike in but...no show on our end.The Doyle turned out to be way more interesting than I'd anticipated. We all hada seat at the bar so Vickie could take our photos and reservations. One of thepermanent residents, Jim (or Jimstagtor as Vickie called him), was at the bartalking to us all the while. We got the speech about how the water in thecommunity shower can be really hot, how to check out incase we leave before thebar opens, and where to find the shower and laundry. Nice people and really aninteresting establishment. It reminds me of the cheap hotels in Europe - lots ofdisarray and unpredictability.Town chores started and we had lunch at the bar. As it turned out, one of thebikers in the bar, Guiness, had hiked the trail in 2000 and picked up our tab.He was also from Michigan! Very nice.We headed to the grocery store and when we got back, Eric was waiting for us!Lots of excitement, I was really glad to see him.Around 5:30 p.m., Mayo called to see if we could pick him and Cobweb up foranother night at the Doyle. So Eric and I did that. The B-Team was coming backfor more.More hanging out at the Doyle for the night and then sleep.- Sound of doors creaking open.Post Trail Thoughts:It felt really great to sleep in that day. In fact, the whole morning felt leisurely to me. I woke up before most and enjoyed sipping some tangerine Emergen-C and having breakfast. I was thoroughly excited to get to town that day to see Eric.The Doyle was really a great spot on the AT - not because it was a bar/hotel hybrid but because it was such a convenient place to hang out and relax with other hikers. Loved it. Eric, not so much. He told me he got to pick the hotels from then on.
Date: 2007-07-14
From: PA 225

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: scattered clouds

July 14, 8.5 Miles and a MovieThe day started with breakfast - blueberry pancakes - and then preparation forhiking. Eric dropped us off at the trail at about 10 a.m. and we slacked 8.5 miles backto town. A pretty uneventful hike but it was wonderful to slack. There was abouta two mile road walk at the end (yuck) over the Susquehanna River and into town.We stopped at an ice cream shop for a cone on the way back to The Doyle. MetEric there around 2 p.m. and feasted on the pizza he'd brought back. Then it was a mad dash to get ready for the big trip to the cinema. Young Eaglewas roarin' to go and see Transformers and Harry Potter. So, around 3:45 p.m. weheaded to Harrisburg. We dropped Ronin and Youngle off at the movies and tookMelk to take care of some other business. Eric and I drove by the state capitolbuilding and then just waited. It was piping hot outside and I fell asleep inthe car while we waited for her to call for her ride. As I lowered the passengerseat of Eric's car about 45 minutes later, I noticed her cell phone was sittingthere so she had no way to call us. We went to fetch her immediately.We then headed to the movies again and waited for "Knocked Up" to start. Ericand I went to see that while the others watched "Harry Potter".It was a late night and we didn't get back until 11 p.m. but it may have beenworth it.- Sound of Ronin walking around the shelter as I write this the next day.Post Trail Thoughts:Things that I failed to mention about this day include hiking in my hiking skirt for the first time, seeing Grizzle along the trail in nothing but two bandanas wrapped around his waist. My skirt ended up not being super functional - it didn't have enough give to allow for big steps or rock scrambles. Grizzle's attire, however, was meant to aid with air flow so he could avoid the severe chaffing of his nether-regions. Quite a sight.I was a hiking machine this day - I think because I just wanted to get back to town to hang out with Eric. But, at one point, I passed Ronin - that almost never happened! And...he didn't catch up with me until the road crossing! I also felt so delirious while Melk went into the hospital for blood work. It was so hot out and stuffy in the parking garage we were waiting in. It was sure nice to make it to the cool cinema a bit later. I was sending PocketMails back and forth as we waited for the movie to begin and I remember thinking that I must have looked very strange.
Date: 2007-07-15
From: PA 225

To: Peters Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 2.8

July 15, Big DayHappy anniversary, Jenny and Derek!This morning was quite the fiasco. We were planning to have breakfast at 8:30a.m. and then head out. I got up at 7:30 a.m. to pack up and get ready. Weheaded to breakfast and then came back to The Doyle to wait for the others topack up. And we waited. And waited. We didn't end up leaving until 11:15 a.m. Iwas tired.Eric drove us to the trail and we unloaded the car. Melk realized she had lefther sleeping pad at the hotel so Eric and I drove her back. Then we drove backto the trail. We said our goodbyes and I started walking at 12:35 p.m. Sad butit was made easier knowing that I am headed home in just over three weeks.An hour and five minutes later, we were all sitting at Peters Mtn. Sheltereating lunch. We weren't sure where we were heading today - there were not manyoptions for camping. We decided that it might be nice to actually get some sleeptonight and staying put would ensure that. That's what we did....It's been a nice day. I caught up on my journal and took a nap. I also got somewater which was quite a chore - about 0.3 miles down a steep hill full of rocksteps. Argh. It rained for about a half hour so it was nice to not be hiking. I am also looking forward to getting to bed early tonight.- Sound of a bird chirping, someone chewing dinner, a fork scraping against a pot, the shaking of food in a Ziplock bag, Mate talking.Post Trail Thoughts:Of course we all felt guilty about only hiking two miles that day. That was always the issue with nice, relaxing days - they were mired in guilt. But this was a nice day and the shelter was really big and nice too so it felt pretty great.I think this was also the first time I'd run into Mate', Genesis, Coach and Kimchi on the trail. They camped near the shelter that night and entertained us with music before bed (along with C-Shot). It was awesome. I mostly remember Coach singing "What I Love About Sundays" and it was the perfect ending to the day. This is especially cool for me to think about since we summitted to their tunes as well.
Date: 2007-07-16
From: Peters Mtn. Shelter

To: Campsite before Rausch Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 17.5

July 16, Efficient DayGot an early start today - my earliest ever actually. I got up around quarter to6 a.m. when the mosquitos began buzzing around me. I was on the trail at 7:03.The first section today was fine - only a little rocky and mostly flat but witha large downhill section. There was one point we had to go over rocks -Shikellimy Rocks - and someone had left three signs to warn about snakes. I feltlike I was inside a video game where they add rocks as a challenge and then aminute later, drop in a bunch of snakes. I felt like music should be playing tohelp me navigate. Team Average met at PA 325 for our first break. That went too quickly. We thenheaded up a hill about 900 feet through piles of rocks. Melk, Youngle and I werepretty much hiking together and we saw a rattlesnake - neato. We had lunch alongthe trail and continued on after about an hour. The trail was mostly flat andthe rocks weren't all that bad.Our last stop was the shelter but Melk and I stopped before that for a quickbreak and chat. We found Ronin and Young Eagle shortly after that at a campsitebefore the shelter. We all decided we preferred to tent tonight anyway so wedidn't go to the shelter. We are near Rausch Creek and this is a comfy littleplace.We got here at 4:30 p.m. which felt wonderful. We relaxed for a while and justhad dinner and, at 8:20 p.m., I am in my bag and ready for bed. It was a good day and I'm glad we made our breaks fast and efficient so we couldget here early. What an ideal way to go.I keep forgetting to mention but the news on the trail is that Bigby has LymeDisease. Scary. He was diagnosed about a week ago and went home to rest up andregain strength. Last I heard, he might try to come back out. It's so scary tohear things like that. I hope he's feeling better.- Sound of Melk and Ronin talking, a fly under my rainfly, the creek gushing,birds chirping.Post Trail Thoughts:Well, I don't remember too much about this day except for the ending. Sometimes Team Average had a hard time making a group decision. So when we arrived to the campsite, which was right before the shelter, we went back and forth about where we wanted to go. Thankfully, C-Shot came back from the shelter and told us for one reason or another not to stay there - I think there was no water or something. The decision was made for us. It really was a relaxing and nice night - which I enjoyed more thoroughly since I'd hike a pretty decent day. I felt much more deserving than the night before. That night, we all talked about what we would eat on top of Katahdin, the signs we'd make, the photos we'd want to take, and, most of all, the game of Twister we'd play on Young Eagle's ground cloth on Baxter Peak. I remember that very clearly. And it was definitely something I thought about when I summitted - wish we could have gotten that game in!
Date: 2007-07-17
From: Campsite before Rausch Mtn. Shelter

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

July 17, Triple Digit Countdown!The highlight of the day today was getting to some old woods road. Why? Because that old woods road was where we knew we had only 999.9 miles to Katahdin! I never actually saw the road but since I am on the other side of it, I know that I can count down with only three digits. Officially, I have 994.8 miles left.I hit the trail at 7:35 a.m. and enjoyed about a mile of flat followed by a nice, gradual but rocky uphill. A descent and a jog later, Youngle and I found ourselves crossing PA 443. We planned a break at the next road but we were pleasantly surprised by Engineman and Carol who were carrying a cooler down the trail filled with sodas and popsicles.Youngle, Ronin and I feasted while we waited for Melk. In that time we also decided we really wanted a real meal for lunch so we'd hitch into town at Swatara Gap. But we were in luck! Engineman offered to drive us! So, we went into Lickdale, PA and resupplied a bit, bought some Blimpies to pack out, and a pint each of Ben and Jerrys.When we got back to the trail, we sat on a log and reveled in the glory of ice cream. Mmm.We had quite a climb out of Swatara Gap - one of the biggest we've recently had. It was full of rocks and it sure was hot out. But I was feeling good and I didn't stop at all until I almost walked past Ronin at lunch time.I again felt like I was in a video game today. The challenge? Rocks peppered in a sea of poison ivy. And don't forget the threat of the snakes. I became exhausted trying to avoid the poison ivy that suffocated the trail on either side. Argh.We stopped for a rest at William Penn shelter where the spring was just about dry. Then we hiked the last four miles to this glorious shelter.This shelter has a caretaker, a solar powered shower, and a road from which you can receive a delivery of pizza! As Bigby would say, hiking is hard.We ordered three pies. I ate three slices of tomato, broccoli, and onion. The rest will be breakfast.Very tired and looking for a good night of rest.- Sound of Ronin and Melk talking, bugs under my fly, an airplane, the breezethrough the leaves on the trees.Post Trail Thoughts:I firmly believe Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk (minus the Super Fudge Chunks) helped me out on this day. I felt great flying up that hill after I ate it.I remember a small section after the Swatara Bridge as one of the least breathtaking of the trail - but I think that was partially because of all of the poison ivy, rocks, and snakes. It was weedy and just felt...icky. Later, when we broke at William Penn Shelter, it was hard to pull us away. It was very hot and we were all a bit zapped of energy. But, we made the last stretch to the 501 shelter - passing all of the couples in love and smoking weed at the lookouts along the way, odd. Slackpack may have caught me on the side of the trail that day too.