morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-06
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Black Burn Trail Center
Miles today: 17.8

Leaving Rod Hollow Shelter at 6 a.m. I entered the ¢Roller Coaster.¢ A 13.5 mile stretch of 10 ascents and descents. Taking a break after my first climb at 8 a.m. for breakfast. I saw my second Humming bird in 2 days! That has to be good luck! After soaking Bono down, we headed off to what would end up being a grueling day. 90% of the trail was rocks totally tough on the ankles, but luckily my Achilles tendon held out the whole day! Soaking it the night before paid off. Took a few breaks during the day. One was at Bear Den Hostel where I was hoping to get a pizza and Mountain Dew. Unfortunately, they didn¢t open until 5 p.m. and I couldn¢t wait around, so I ate my food and was able to buy two Mountain Dews and headed back out. Found another stream to soak down my partner. He did is little spastic run for about 20 seconds and then settled down enough for me to put his pack on. Glad his pack was light (basically empty). Today, all those downs really do a number on his paw pads and shoulder joints. He did fantastic today, always ready to go on the command, ¢up.¢ Most of the time I would just grab my sticks and he would be raring to go. Came on to some rock climbs and a nice view. I took a moment to take a few pictures of the houses on the hill side. Back to the rocks. Rocks that are starting to get to me both mentally and physically. Other than the trail being tough, the weather was perfect, not too hot, cool breeze. Couldn¢t ask for more.Made it to Black Burn Trail Center at 5:30 p.m. This is a free hostel that has a free dinner every night at 6 p.m. My timing was perfect! Spaghetti, salad, bread and sweets. I was full! It¢s the little things that you look forward to, to get you through the day and the next section of trail. ¢Red Wing¢ a past thru-hiker (99¢-05¢) and ¢Hopeful¢ (05¢) are the care takers of the hostel. They get free room and board for catering to all who pass through. I ended up interviewing them on their past hikes and then all the work they do for the hikers. Tomorrow is a short 13 miles to Harpers Ferry at 1000 miles! Also, we are just about out of Virginia, with 530 miles of it done with and 12 of the trail! Feels good and will also feel good to get my mail drop with all the ¢goodies¢ and well wishes from everyone!
Date: 2007-06-08
From: Black Burn Trail Center

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

The unofficial half-way point, felt good coming down those stairs to see the Shenandoah River and bridge. Man was it hot! 90¢s walking into town. I¢m meeting up with a group that I met and going to a B-day part for Tommy, aka ¢Ghetto Blaster.¢ His Uncle is a member of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) and the club owns a historic house in Harpers Ferry. It¢s going to be nice to have real food and take a break from the trail for a day. Still no bed for me since dogs are not allowed in the house. I¢ll be on the porch with Bono tonight. Tommy¢s dad, Jerry, took me to the post office for my mail drop, but we got there too late. Have to go tomorrow. Interviewed the 4 horsemen (oh, sorry, the 4 people). Paloma¢s not a guy, so she had a slight problem with me calling her a horse ¢man.¢ That was pretty much it for the night. Next day was off to the PO and the ATC Headquarters to get my picture taken and register as a thru-hiker. Our # is 218 in the class of 07¢! So much history about the AT is here. The wheel that Myrow Avery used to measure the distance, the type writer Benton Makay used to propose the AT. Cool stuff! Picked up my box at the PO. What a box it was! Didn¢t fit in my pack, so I had to ¢MacGyver it¢ to the top. I looked like a Sherpa coming up the drive to the house, according to Carpenter. Had some awesome stuff! Cooking, candy, supplies, letters¢¦¢¦Thanks to all for everything! We all pitched in to clean the house on this ¢0¢ day and were out by 3 p.m. The heat was incredible this day. There is no way Bono could have hiked today ¢ my thermo said 95 degrees!We ended up going to a campsite for the night. I was in charge of babysitting Bono and Toby (Ghetto¢s Dog) while everyone went to Wal-mart. As a thunderstorm came through, Toby started freaking out and it was obvious he did not favor storms, so me and the two dogs stayed in my tent as Bono watched Toby shake nervously. We ate Elk meat jerky and potato chips as the thunder rolled by. When the ¢4 people¢ came back, they brought me pizza and ¢sooooda,¢ which I thought was very nice. Had a couple then went to bed.
Date: 2007-06-09
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

Leaving behind W. Virginia and into another state. Sure does make you feel like you¢re getting somewhere! As Bono and I crossed the Potomac River over the Byron Memorial Foot Bridge, the population was out in full force! People were taking pictures of the train as it passed ¢ tubes and kayaks floated by, bikes and day hikers made their way down the bike patch that shared the AT. I came upon a kid and his dad. The kid had wiped out with cuts on his knee. The dad asked if I had a napkin. At first I was going to say no, and then I decided it would be right to give back for all the things I received thus far. As I dug through for my Neosporin, band aides and wash cloth, the dad sorry, he did not realize what I had to go through to get to the med-kit ¢ ¢no problem,¢ I replied. Bono swam in the Potomac as I ate the melting chocolates in my pocket watching the tubes float by ¢ looked like fun. Crossed a few roads and the climb up the Weverton Cliff Trail at which point I came upon two guys. One guy was almost in tears stating that he had just scattered the ashes of his 17 year-old black lab and to see my Bono had a deep rooted meaning of some sort. As we all grow old and eventually pass, so did the both of us as we went our separate ways. Stopped at the Ed Garvey Shelter for a quick peak at the register. I¢ve been digging cat holes with a broken shovel. Someone left a brand new one at the shelter, so I swapped them off. I thought that was pretty good luck to find that!Walked by in passing an owner with a beautiful Golden Retriever. As we got close, the owner yanked his dog from mine in a bothered gesture and did not even make eye contact with me? I thought it sad that some dogs just don¢t have a choice when choosing their owner and are doomed to a life that¢s not their choice. Passed many historical battle sites and tried to absorb the best I could. Took some pictures and off into the woods I went. Half way up the hill I met up ¢ sorry correction ¢ I heard someone screeching Bono¢s name. As I approached I saw that it was ¢Tick¢ and Tick had a few in town. He¢d been ¢Yellow Blazen¢ (getting rides, skipping part of the AT) just to get ahead. He said he had a pack full of ¢soooda¢ and offered some up. So we went to Crampton Gap Shelter where we met ¢May Pop,¢ the caretaker whom we chewed the fat with for awhile. Soon it got dark so I went to pitch my tent. Running into ¢Dances with Sloths¢ as I lay in my tent listening to ¢Dances¢ cuss because he couldn¢t hang his hammock the right way. I did a mental rewind of how far I¢ve come and what I¢ve seen thus far, questioning what lay around the next corner of the trail.
Date: 2007-06-10
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Esign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Birds continue to be my alarm. Then the light shines through the tent and I arise and begin my day. I prefer to get started early, 6ish, is good. No breakfast. What I like to do is break at 10 a.m. for a light breakfast ¢ the usual¢¦..snickers or anything else that¢s fast. I needed water so I proceeded down this Blue Blaze trail. It was long and steep. I finally made it down this rocky leave-covered trail and got side tracked on the way up. Boy was I ripping! It ended up taking me 40 min. to fetch 4 liters of water! I needed a break after that and as we sat on this log, a lady and a dog came up. Of course Bono had to raise his big commotion, but he ended up (pretty much always) getting along with Suzy, who has done much hiking. ¢Counting my blessing¢ was the ladies name and we talked in length about caring for a dog on the trail. We shared tips and strategies and said our goodbyes. This being a weekend, I ran into plenty of day hikers and tourists. I always tell anyone who wants to listen the website and I tell them to make sure they sign the guest book. Crossed over a few roads where I had hoped to go and re-supply, but hitching would have been impossible. These states are rich in Civil War history and it¢s cool to learn about some of what happened and especially being there where it happened. Taking a break at Dahlgren Backpack Campground with Bono and a lady came up and offered some fruit. That was nice to have since it¢s been a while. Next we headed up to Washington Monument and met this guy, Mark, who had lots of questions and was nice enough to take our picture. I told him about the website. Was hearing Annapolis MD Speedway for a good part of 2-3 hours of hiking. Reminded me of Epping Speedway back home. Second rattlesnake spotted today! A couple was stopped and warned me about it. Before I could pick it out on the trail, my dog was literally stepping on its head. We all gasped! Till this day, I don¢t understand why the snake didn¢t strike? It did have one bad eye that I noticed. Bono also carries a safety charm given to me by my student, Catherine Scott. It¢s the only thing I can think of that has saved him twice! Made it to the road at 7 and walked to the hiker hostel. ¢Bone Pac¢ the owner gave me a ride to re-supply and then picked me up and dropped me back at the trail at 10 p.m. .2 to the shelter to find ¢Yola¢ and ¢Zam¢ there. We took the top spot and it was lights out after a 20 mile day.
Date: 2007-06-11
From: Esign Cowall Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

New state, same trail. Out of the shelter later than usual. Was trying for 18 today, but didn¢t have it in me. Stopped late morning by a stream to catch up on my journaling ¢ that took an hour. Took another food break after climbing Devil¢s Race. Of course that was no easy task! Coming down was so difficult I took Bono¢s pack. Giant boulders and loose rocks with both of us carrying weight was dangerous. It took its toll on my legs. Was hoping to see the sign or something indicating the Mason Dixon Line, but never did see anything? Took another break at Pen Mar Park as I spotted a Pepsi machine. Heading up to it the park attendant called out to me to tell me he had 25 cent ice cream, so I proceeded to buy 6 of them, 1 Mountain Dew, 1 Ice Tea and a water for Bono. We talked for quite a while and I asked him about the ¢line¢ and he wasn¢t sure either. On my way to the trail (or should I say boulder field) I nearly stepped on this little chic bird! The thing was so tiny and it could fly, but barely with those short little wings. It must have been a baby Grouse or something, not know yet its flying ability? As we walked I saw a deer (another one!) and the trail got worse. We started to climb and came to many road crossings. The miles just weren¢t flowing well today. Ended up at Deer Lick Shelter, 4 miles short of our goal and all by ourselves. Nothing but gypsy moth poop hitting our tent! Some areas are so bad there are no leaves on the trees and the forest floor looks like a grave yard of half eaten leaves. Earlier in my hike I remember seeing a sign for crop dusters dropping confetti-like poisons to kill off the moths. I think I¢ll end it here since I¢m tired. At least I caught up on 4 days of past journals.
Date: 2007-06-12
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

Thought it was raining this morning, but it was the gypsy moth poop pinging off my tent! 7 a.m. departure on a foot that didn¢t feel it¢s self. Felt as if I had something in my sock and sand between my toes. Stopped at Tumbling Run Shelter and checked, but there was nothing. Soaked my feet for 10 min. in the stream, hoping that would take care of the problem. Nope! From the shelter the trail went straight up to a decent climb and my legs were feeling it. Hit plenty of rocks and ¢boulder jumping.¢ Lunch break at Rock Mtn. Shelter, but not right at the shelter because it was .3 down hill. Even though I needed water, I decided not to go down, guess I was feeling a bit lazy? Ate lunch on the rocks trying to eat some of the weight off my back. My notes said the AT passes through Caledonia State Park where you can buy hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, etc. The book was right. The park is equivalent to an oasis in the desert! People everywhere, swimming pool, food and ¢Tick!¢ I heard him call out from the concession stand ¢ ¢Bowleg ¢ Bono!¢ We pigged out and had a few laughs. This is at 2:30 p.m. I still had planned to do 8 more miles. After leaving the park, I could tell Bono did all he could do today because he was behind me and I was feeling it too. So we ended up at Quarry Gap Shelter, 8 short of our goal. Just as I got the tent pitched, it began to rain and then pour with thunder and lightening. Doubt we will ever get as close to thunder and lightening as we did the day on Bear Den Mtn. Now when it thunders, Bono just raises an eyebrow and that all you get from him. I was beat from 6 to 6 for the past 3 days, so I passed out for an hour. Woke up to a knock on my tent ¢ ¢Sleepy-Sleepy¢ it was Tick coming to tell me there were free ¢Soodas¢ in the stream! Guess I should cook. The munching in the tent with Bono won¢t cut it. Planned on cooking shells and cheddar cheese with Tuna. That box weighs a lot, so I should eat it soon. Bono¢s snoring from a hard day and the tent floor is starting to get wet ¢ supposed to rain the next two days!
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Stealth Camp at Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: moderate rain

It was a good day of hiking considering I thought my dog would be immobile today by the way he was hobbling and favoring his right hind leg. I put his booties on his back legs and off we went. The trail was mostly flat and somewhat groomed compared to the boulder fields the past couple days. The temp was cooler and we hiked under the canopy most of the day. We crossed many crystal running streams which I took advantage of by cooling off Bono with a good soaking. The shelter we left and the ones we came across looked brand new and clean with streams right in front. We hiked at a good clip and 17 miles fell by 3:30 p.m. and the official mid point marker at 1088.9. The famous half gallon challenge is held at the General Store. The deal is to eat a half gallon of ice cream and they give you a tiny wood spoon, you know the ones you use to eat Italian Ice. It says ¢half gallon challenge on it. You have to pay $5.50 for the ice cream, so I passed on the challenge and bought 3 Nutty Buddies instead. Sat at the store and took advantage of all the fried food they had. P.S., still rainingMet this young kid called ¢The Kid¢ doing a section hike. He was sharpening his knife and I asked if he could sharpen my little pocket knife, which he did. Fingered through some National Geographic¢s that someone left and charged my phone. As the kid and two others he was with packed and got ready to leave, they asked if they could get a picture of Bono with his pack. Sure I replied and also told them of the website. They plan on hiking the AT in 2010. I made a few calls and was packing up to leave when ¢Gandolf¢ a hiker who has done 2 other hikes, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in the past showed up. Five minutes too late to get food since it just closed! He wasn¢t too happy to say the least! We talked about where to camp tonight. I ended up finding a decent stealth camp behind some bushes at the entrance to the park. Now let¢s hope I don¢t get caught! In case I do, I have my story set to go and my dog is in it as my sympathy case.
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Stealth Camp at Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Stealth Camp just outside Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 9.5

Rain coming down and alarm going off at 5 a.m. got me up. I quickly dismantled and packed away my stealth site, second day in a row I put away a wet tent. The park didn¢t open until 8 a.m. and with it raining and a weekday, I figured it wouldn¢t be busy, so I sat under the Pavilion and cooked creamy shells and tuna fish. I think it¢s only the second time I¢ve cooked in the morning since I started. Clean my pot and brushed my teeth (first time I¢ve brushed in the morning since I started) and hit the trail at 7:30 a.m.Light rain was coming down as we passed through the park by Fuller Lake. I couldn¢t resist that look, so I let Bono go for an early morning swim. Hiked 2 miles out of the park to hit the half-way (mid point) marker. It actually marked the mid point of the trail when it was a distance of 2,138 miles in 2004. Each year it changes due to relocation and blow downs, etc. Still, it was cool to see and a big milestone for me. Can¢t believe that not only did I get myself over 1,000 miles, I got my dog along as well. Happy and healthy. Nice weather for the whole day with the weather holding out it was 60 degrees for the day. So we took advantage of that and banged out 19 miles! Just after a climb we came to a giant boulder field and a couple doing some clean up. They were in town celebrating their 4th year of marriage. Jericho was a 06¢ thru-hiker and Shadow, his wife, cooked up some awesome sweets. She didn¢t have a trail name, so I called her Betty Crocker. I later saw them in town after my hike was done at 5 p.m. Split a large cheese with my hiking partner and sat on the lawn right next to the bubbling spring that gives the town its name, Boiling Springs. The water coming up is so clean and you can tell its ice cold! At this point it¢s 6 p.m. and everything is closed, so it¢s back to the trail to find a place to pitch my tent. Found a place next to a tree with fresh bear claw marks on it. Think I¢ll hang my food tonight! Looking forward to some time off. Haven¢t been in a bed since May 21st and a shower since then as well!
Date: 2007-06-18
From: Stealth Camp just outside Boiling Springs, PA

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: few clouds

I¢ve said it before, I¢ll say it again. It¢s tough to get back to the trail after taking 0¢s. But it was so nice to see my girlfriend, celebrated our anniversary and Cheryl¢s B-day (oh, and Father¢s Day) all in the same weekend. I sat at Scotts Farm drinking a ¢soooda¢ as my better half drove off, both of us with tears in eyes. 3 p.m. rolled around and I decided that the miles were not going to fall, so I headed out. As I passed under the bridge, I passed ¢Caffeine Junkie¢ and told him there was trail magic left by me, Bono and Papillion (Cheryl). Many goodies, cookies, chocolate, beef jerky, etc. As we made our way, Bono caught smell and sight of a woodchuck. It was funny to watch as the ¢chuck¢ waddled on the trail with Bono waddling in pursuit. I yelled at him to ¢be nice!¢ (That means slow down) and save his energy in this 90 degree heat. Lots of breaks and soak downs for Bono. At one point, he headed down this bank without my command and found himself stuck in mud up to his belly! I thought I would have to yank him but out! I was carrying out of town a pizza box with pizza, cheese fries and strombolli for hikers at the shelter, an extra 4 12 lbs! Think I finally got it, poison ivy on my arm!The rock fields were tough. Surprised I made the time I did. In addition to the heat, it was a tough 11.3! Made it to the shelter at around 8 p.m. and found not a soul! around. What was I going to do with all this food! Made a decision to not pitch and stay in the shelter. Wish I opted to pitch. Porcupine warnings, wood boring bees, mice, and gypsy moth cocoons were every where. Mice feces everywhere as well! I figured the best thing to do was to eat what I could and throw the rest far off in the woods. Took the top bunk and put Bono on my shoulders up to our ¢lair.¢ Poor dog didn¢t stop panting all night. Both of us got but only 3 hours of sleep! Around 3 a.m. I decided to get him down for some water, easier said then done! Finally got him down with a few scratches on my belly from his claws. He drank a liter from panting all night and did a #1 and #2 as I watched for intruders. The shelter was chewed from porcupines! There were definitely creatures out there as Bono stayed up all night to keep an eye on them. Sun was coming up and I wasn¢t about to put him back up top, so we moved to the bottom bunk. Glad he ended up being ok. I was worried about him. Off to Duncannon in the morning.
Date: 2007-06-19
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: clear sky

Daylight came quick, thankfully! I was glad to get out of that shelter and on my way to Duncannon. Arrived in town at 9ish and took a break next to the VFW War Memorial. Made a few calls and was finally able to get in touch with my friend Kevin Ledoux. Chatted with him for a bit and made a few other calls. M&M was in town at the Doyle Hotel, so I stopped there for a short break and to pick up water. As I was leaving, ¢Caffeine Junkie¢ walked up and thanked me for the ¢Magic¢ I left. It was probably 2-3 miles of street (in town) hiking to get to the trail in 90-degree heat! Stopped at Susquehanna River so Bono could go for a cool off swim, and that he did. After finally crossing Clarks Ferry Bridge, it was a 900 ft. climb to the top of this mountain that had some tough ¢ tough ledge crossings. At one point I nearly had a heart attack when Bono went off trail and tried to make it up this ledge. The weight of his pack and the angle of the ledge sent him sliding down as if on ice! As I said, it nearly stopped my heart and if it was a drop off into an abyss, he would have been gone! I blame myself for this for not paying attention better to what he was going to do, so I carried his pack through the rest of the rocky ledge section. The trail was brutal and not just on me. Everyone else that eventually came to the shelter had it just as rough.I was the first to get here and went down for water. Bono immediately put his paws in the ice cold spring to try and cool them off. Hope he¢s good to go tomorrow. A storm rolled through around 3ish and everyone opted to stay with low miles for the day. I only logged 8 and changed. We all crammed into the shelter, all 6 of us (7 if you count Bono). Made a call to home base at which time Cheryl had some business questions and wished her a good night as I lost my phone signal. Still able to keep the business going, not just by myself, but with my team behind me.