morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-08-14
From: Culver's Gap- Pete's House

To: Culver's Gap- Peter's House
Miles today: 0.0

Going to zero today and eat like kings. Bewildered¢s parents are grilling ribs and preparing another feast.Our plans are to slack pack with Bewildered¢s help from Culver¢s Gap to Delaware Water Gap tomorrow. If all goes a planned, we will be crossing into our 8th state tomorrow night!Glad to be out of the heat, but looking forward to hitting the trail again. To the McPherson¢s- THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!!
Date: 2005-08-15
From: Culver's Gap- Peter's House

To: Church of the Mountain Hostel- PA
Miles today: 28.4

Thank goodness we were at Bewildered¢s yesterday. The temperature got up to 103 degrees which broke the record by 5 degrees. So, we stayed in the pool most of the day and enjoyed the company of Bewildered¢s friends and family. There was more food than a Thanksgiving Feast, but since there were 7 thru-hikers, we put a pretty big dent in it.As planned, we left White House Station, NJ this morning with Lil¢ Debbie¢s Dad and headed back to Culver¢s Gap. From here, Samoa and I started our 28.4 mile day. Super T hasn¢t been feeling well lately, and he and Don King took the day off so Super T could visit the doctor.The hike today was relatively easy. It consisted of mostly ridewalking which afforded us some great views! Half way through the day we were allowed to climb up Catfish Fire Tower which is still an active vantage point for the NJ fire department. At approximately 1.5 miles South of the Sunfish Pond, we saw a HUGE Mama Bear with her 2 cubs- and we thought we weren¢t going to see a bear in NJ¢¦ Once we reached I-80, we walked parallel with it over the Delaware River and into Pennsylvania. Our 8th out of 14 states and also the owner of the 12 way point on the AT. By the way, we didn¢t start today¢s hike until 10 AM so when we crossed into PA we did so in the dark.We are staying at the Church of the Mountain hostel tonight. We¢re so thankful that places like this open their doors to thru-hikers like us to have a place to sleep and shower!P.S. We met the last NOBO today, or so he claims, by the name of Kentucky. Ironically, he hails from Ireland. Too funny! We will miss meeting NOBO¢s throughout our days to come. We like getting the 411 on what¢s ahead.
Date: 2005-08-16
From: Church of the Mountain Hostel- PA

To: Wind Gap, PA - Travel Inn
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: light rain

Rocks and boulders were our cordial welcome into the grand state of Pennsylvania. Supposedly, the Northern 1/3 of PA is rockier than the rest - at least that¢s what we¢re hoping¢¦To put yourself in our hiking shoes, imagine walking all day through a dried up river bed. Each step requires concentration which makes a long day longer. However, the terrain has been mostly a flat ridge walk so there hasn't been a lot of huffing and puffing. And, the views of the valleys and surrounding mountains have been nothing short of superb. At PA 33, we hiked south into Wind Gap, PA to pick up a mail drop at the P.O. We then decided to check in at the Travel Inn for a nights stay. After we got settled into our room, I walked down to the laundry mat to give our stinky closhes a much needed bath. While they were being laundered, I walked over to the liquor store simply to find out that in the state of PA only liquor stores and taverns can sell beer. Liquor stores sell only by the case and taverns sell six packs ¢ hmmm; no taverns nearby and Samoa and I don¢t need 24 beers tonight, so I told the owner that we would have to pass. He then offered to bring by a couple Yuengling¢s after he got off work since he lived right around the corner. Wow, that is town magic indeed. Thanks!As I right this, Super T just called and said he was feeling better. That¢s real good news as he has been feeling puny lately. He and Don King are going to meet back up with us tomorrow. We¢re glad he¢s on the mend!
Date: 2005-08-17
From: Wind Gap, PA - Travel Inn

To: George W. Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: scattered clouds

The manager of the Travel Inn kindly gave us a ride back to the Wind Gap Trailhead this morning. And, as soon as we stepped out of the car we climbed straight up to ridgeline where began our flat, rocky, PA walk. Thankfully, the temps were civil and the air was dry.At approximately five miles into today¢s hike, we met back up with the Jersey Boy¢s. After several minutes of chit-chatting under a power line crossing, we all pressed on. Not 15 minutes after our exchange, all of us were stung multiple times by some angry yellow jackets. There was lots of screaming and flailing going on in our attempt to escape these bees. Why would Georgia Tech choose such a pesky insect for their mascot?!¢¦haha!!!Just after Little Gap, we climbed a small mountain back up to ridgeline where we noticed several people paragliding and hangliding off of a rocky outcrop! Team America (JHP & The Jersey Boys) went down to investigate. The ¢gliders¢ told us that today¢s weather was perfect ¢ they need to have SW winds in order to sail off this particular mountain. It was awesome watching them take off and riding the thermals up 1000¢s of feet just as a hawk would. We took several pictures and moved on.The last five miles of today¢s hike took us through the aftermath of a nearby belching zinc smelter located in Palmerton, PA - or somewhere near this town. Apparently, the process of refining zinc produces toxic fumes for the winds to carry to nearby towns and mountains - which in turn causes the surrounding vegetation to die. Not sure if it affected the locals or not ¢ the ones we saw looked normal; however, they were sailing off the side of the mountain with merely a parachute¢¦ I am not sure if they are still refining zinc, but there was an ever present ¢sulphery¢ like stench in the air. It reminded me of the aroma you get when firecrackers are lit. Sure hope we don¢t grow a third arm after such exposure¢¦ After our walk through the nuclear wastelands, we descended STRAIGHT down into Leehigh Gap. This drop down into the gap was the biggest we¢ve seen since the White¢s. Once we made it to the bottom, we crossed PA 248 and made our way up to the George W. Outerbridge Shelter where we are chilling with Lil¢ Debbie and Bewildered. The mosquitoes are out so Samoa and I will be tenting, again¢¦p.s. Don King and Super T went into Palmerton to stay at a hostel. (Super T felt fine; they just wanted to go check out the Jailhouse Hostel)
Date: 2005-08-18
From: George W. Outerbridge Shelter

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning we woke up to temps in the low 60¢s ¢ maybe fall is on its way. It felt so good to actually use our sleeping bags. For so long they¢ve been doubling as pillows.Since we had set 24 miles for the day¢s goal, we left soon after breakfast. Shortly into today¢s hike, we met two guys that we had given a hitch to before leaving for our own SOBO thru-hike. We took them into Hiawasse, GA and wondered if we¢d cross paths later this year. Too cool! As we approached the 12 way point for today, we walked a short distance up PA 309 to Blue Mountain Bed and Breakfast for some ice cream and coke. Then we stopped at Dan¢s Pulpit; a spectacular vista on the trail before the Eckville Shelter. And finally the boulders we¢ve been walking over served a useful purpose ¢ we used them as seats while we enjoyed the views and breeze.Once we reached the Eckville Shelter, we realized that it¢s about as full service as shelter¢s come. It has a full time caretaker who lives on site, a shower, and even a stocked fridge where you can purchase ice cream and sodas. However, the bugs seem to still be out, so as you might have guessed, Samoa and I will be tenting.
Date: 2005-08-19
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA - Town Pavilion
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

When we set up our tent last night, there wasn¢t a cloud in the sky. So, we thought sans fly would be appropriate ¢ wrong. At 3 a.m., we awoke to rain. After we quickly put on the rain fly, we went back to sleep to the sounds of raindrops pattering above our heads. Such is life on the trail.Five miles into today¢s rainy hike, Bewildered, Lil¢ Debbie, Samoa, and me stopped at the Pinnacle. Here we ventured into a ¢secret entrance¢ and wound our way through rocks into a cave. Once the slithering through the rocks required us to get on our bellies, we turned around and made our way back. However, it was a nice reprieve from the rain.After our spelunking adventure, we continued walking through the rain and down into Port Clinton, PA. In Port Clinton we picked up our mail drops and were pleased to find care packages from Emily and Paul Gray as well as one from my Mom. Emily, Samoa greatly appreciated her People magazine ¢ she was in desperate need of her Hollywood gossip.The town of Port Clinton allows thru-hikers to use its pavilion for shelter. So, Team America is all here, minus Tugboat, drying out from today¢s hike. Samoa and I are thankful we decided to stay here as we have walked over 105 miles in < than 5 days.Ok, we just returned from Hamburg, PA. While I was journaling earlier, a nice couple stopped by and offered us a ride to the grocery store there. Wow, and we thought we were going to have to work for that one¢¦ Soon we will head to the Port Clinton Hotel for some Yuengling¢s and burgers. We love town stops!
Date: 2005-08-20
From: Port Clinton, PA - Town Pavilion

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

Today¢s hike was a very pleasant one. First, Samoa and I walked down to 3 C¢s for breakfast. We had delicious pancakes and coffee which made us feel human again. After our feast, we began our trek south towards the 501 shelter. As the trail leaves Port Clinton, it crosses several RR tracks. And as luck would have it, there was a long train parked one of them. Samoa and I had to climb in between the rail cars, just as they do in the movies, to get to the trail. I made dramatic hand grabs and swung unnecessarily from the ladder. The rest of the day was much like the past few days of terrain we¢ve encountered: Small rocks, big rocks, pointy rocks, loose rocks, slick rocks, and mossy rocks. We were pleased to find the weather forecast to be wrong, though. It was supposed to be and hot and humid, but it was rather cool and overcast. Thank goodness!Just before reaching the 501 shelter, Bewildered, Samoa, Don King, and me stopped by the Hertlien Campsite and jumped in its frigid pond. The waters were bluish green and icy cold. It felt so good, but you couldn¢t stay in too long without risking hypothermia. Now Team America is here at 501 and are about to order a pizza. Is this legal? Oh, and Samoa just spotted her 1032 mosquito so we will be tenting in the shelter. We may have the record for most nights spent in a tent while on a thru-hike. One of these days when the weather cools and the bugs die, we will give sheltering another try¢¦until then, we¢ll be tenting.
Date: 2005-08-21
From: 501 Shelter

To: Raush Gap - Stealth nearby Blue blaze turnoff
Miles today: 17.4

When I woke up this morning, I told Samoa we were going to see a rattlesnake ¢ just had that feeling¢¦ After we passed the 1000 miles from Katahdin mark, swam underneath I-81, crossed Swatara Gap, and started up Second Mountain, we saw one. He was HUGE! This Timber Rattler was at least 4-5 feet in length and big around as a babies thigh. I believe I counted five rattles. Not sure how old that makes him, but he was old enough to get my attention.He was sitting on the edge of the trail when Samoa passed him. She never saw him but when I did I yelled, ¢SNAKE¢ she jumped about fourty feet in the air and started screaming just as a young child would after they had been given a vaccination shot. Thankfully, no one was hurt! Once we regained our composure, we snapped a few pics of this bad boy and got out of there. Just before camp tonight, we hiked through Raush Gap Village. This town has been abandoned for over a 100 years and it was interesting passing thru. When it was inhabited, their economy was dependent on coal mining and railroad repair. Eventually, the coal mining became less productive and the rest is literally history.At the blue-blaze turn off for the Raush Gap Shelter, we heard the sounds of a river nearby. So, we went down to check it out and noted several campsites. Without hesitation, Samoa and I pitched a tent and started a fire. Soon after we settled in, the rest of TA showed up and were also glad to be near the sounds of water ¢ it¢s music to our ears! Oh, and Blaze just arrived, too. We last saw him in Dalton, Mass. Good to see him again. Ok, off to sleep.
Date: 2005-08-22
From: Raush Gap - Stealth nearby Blue blaze turnoff

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: broken clouds

While the rocks of PA seem to be dwindling, the spider webs and snakes appear to be on the rise. Maybe the spider webs seem more abundant because we were out front today and never passed anyone coming north. Perhaps the latter are increasing since the temps have been cooler and they¢re sunning for warmth on the trail¢¦We saw a six foot Blacksnake maybe fifteen minutes before we saw another Timber Rattler. Each of these snakes insisted the trail was theirs. It took me throwing sticks, rocks, and using a few kind words before they finally relinquished their ground. The Rattler was fully curled up and ready to strike ¢ he looked very angry. And the Blacksnake, Samoa swears, could have eaten a small Volkswagen. After our snake encounters, our adrenaline was pumping so hard that today¢s miles seem to melt away. Shortly before reaching Clarks Ferry Shelter, today¢s destination, we saw a view of Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River. It was awesome!Tomorrow, we only have about five miles before we reach Duncannon ¢ home of the infamous Doyle Hotel. Our plans are to NERO there. We might sleep in until 7 a.m.
Date: 2005-08-23
From: Clarks Ferry Shelter

To: The Doyle - Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: overcast clouds

A quick 3.3 miles from the shelter this morning took us to Clarks Ferry Bridge where we crossed the Susquehanna River. Once we made it to the other side, we road walked into the town Duncannon! Our first stop was the P.O. where we learned that Mr. Mannion (Super T¢s Dad) was in NJ and on his way to Duncannon. He was personally bringing Super T¢s medication for his Giardia. The lab tests came back positive for this water born parasite. That explains why he¢s been feeling puny lately. At least they¢ve diagnosed it and he¢s getting the medicine for treatment. Thank goodness! Then we received a nice letter from the Gray¢s ¢ Thanks! Next we checked ourselves into the Doyle. This hotel was originally conceived and built by the Anheiser Busch Co. in the early 1900¢s. It¢s ownership has changed hands several times over the last century, and it¢s now owned by Pat & Vicky. These two are very genuine people who love catering to thru-hikers. For those of us that pass through, they take our pictures and post them on their website. Then they catalog them for all the other hikers to enjoy. You can visit the Doyle on the web at: www.doylehotel.com Our pics should be up until the middle of September. Vicky gave Samoa and I the honeymoon sweet ¢ we¢re real excited about that! Now it¢s time for a shower so we can head down to the bar for 90 cent drafts, burgers, and good times! Team America is here, too. A good time should be had by all.
Date: 2005-08-24
From: The Doyle - Duncannon, PA

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

Whoa ¢ we must say that we had an awesome time last night! Team America and a NOBO by the name of Wounded Knee were the Doyle¢s biggest customers¢¦ We shot pool, listened to great tunes from the jukebox, ate, drank ¢ we had a BIG time.After breakfast, we said our goodbyes to the Doyle and Vicky, and made our way out of town and back into the woods of PA. Once me made it up Hawk Mountain, we said one more goodbye to Duncannon and the Doyle from atop. Later into today¢s hike, we crossed a stream and were excited to find some personalized trail magic. Leroy and Tarkus, two SOBO¢s ahead of us, left each member of Team America a Budweiser. Each beer was labeled for their respective recipient. Thanks, guys!We are at the Darlington Shelter tonight. It was just recently rebuilt, so the smell of fresh lumber is in the air. But, even though the shelter is brand new Samoa and I are tenting for two reasons. One, Samoa spotted a freakoushily huge spider on a bunk, and two the skies are clear and the air is dry. Ahhhh, loving life!
Date: 2005-08-25
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Alex Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: few clouds

Today was full of many firsts. Initially, we descended Blue Mountain and down into the possibly flattest stretch of the AT. For at least 14 miles we walked thru countless pastures filled with corn, soybeans, dairy cows, and one lone horse which Samoa tried to befriend. Then we were greeted with the most road crossings we¢ve ever seen in such a short section. Next, the trail took us into the town of Boiling Springs, PA. The Appalachian Trail Conference, their Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, was our first place we stopped. Here we signed the register, dropped our packs, and walked up the road for some ice cream. After that, we walked to the ¢Boiling Spring¢. Now you would think with a name like Boiling Springs that the water would be hot; wrong. It¢s a chilly 53 degrees F. It gets its name since the springs bubble out an amazing 22 million gallons of water per day. These bubbles make it seem as if the water is boiling; hence the name¢¦After we chilled for a bit, we made our way out of town and found that the trail crosses the Yellow Britches Creek on a bridge. Of course the water below looked too appealing, so I made my way down to the water. Samoa said it was too cold, but I found it to be refreshing. And since I was already wet, I decided to ford this river instead of walking back up to the bridge. Hey, we haven¢t had to ford since Maine; I missed it...Just before the Alex Kennedy Shelter, we reached another significant landmark ¢ the Northern boundary of the Blue Ridge Mountain chain. While we¢re along ways from Georgia, it is nice to know were on the mountain range that will take us there.
Date: 2005-08-26
From: Alex Kennedy Shelter

To: 1/2 Point - Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Samoa and I were pumped this morning since crossing the 12 way point and attempting to eat a 12 gallon of ice cream stood before us.At approximately 1:45 p.m., we arrived at the midpoint marker where we all celebrated. Then all of us marched like soldiers to the general store at Pine Grove Furnace State Park where we all bought a 12 gallon of ice cream a piece. Eating a 12 gallon of ice cream has long since been a thru-hiker tradition and we all wanted to give it a try. Samoa, Super-T, Blaze, and myself all went with Neapolitan flavor as we figured having three different flavors would help alleviate the monotony of having just one flavor. That was our theory¢¦ Tugboat chose the peanut butter cup; Lil Debbie picked Moosetracks; and Don King went with Mint Chocolate. All of us were staring at over 3000 calories. We said go and dug in. Samoa only managed to get down 1/3 of hers; however, the rest of us were able to all of ours down. After we were all able to move again, we went back into the store to pick up our lunch spoon that declared us members of the 12 gallon club. Then only the members of the JHP walked over to the Ironmaster¢s Mansion Hostel to stay for the night. There is a Unitarian Universalist retreat being held here and they just offered us there leftovers. Yes, we are hungry again so I must sign off.
Date: 2005-08-27
From: 1/2 Point - Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel

To: Rocky Mountain Shelters
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: overcast clouds

After a good nights rest, Samoa and I said goodbye to Don King and Super T. They are hiking a shorter distance than us today so that they can hitch into Gettysburg tomorrow. We are pushing on further so we can be in Harper¢s Ferry by Wednesday. We are renting a car there to drive home for Labor Day weekend to see one of my best friends get married. Today¢s terrain was simply sweet. The trail was well maintained and we were able to take nice breaks at the shelters we passed. These shelters weren¢t your run of the mill ones either; they were in beautiful spots and beautifully designed and well kept. Birch Run¢s and Quarry Gap¢s are the two in particular.After Quarry Gap, we made our way down to Caledonia State Park where we met up with this nice church group who was having a picnic. They invited Lil Debbie, Samoa, and me in for food and conversation. We ate grilled brots, potato salad, macaroni salad, pickled beats, desert, and we pigged out! Some of the best trail magic yet! It had been raining for most of the afternoon and this treat was what we needed to get us thru the last three miles. Big thanks to the people of the Bible Fellowship Church. Your food and fellowship were awesome.Tugboat, Lil Debbie, Blaze, a section hiker by the name of Big, Blaze, Samoa, and me are here at the Rocky Mountain Shelter. It¢s raining and the bugs don¢t appear to be out, so Samoa and I are sheltering it tonight. We¢ve got our fingers crossed that mosquitoes don¢t wake us up later.
Date: 2005-08-28
From: Rocky Mountain Shelters

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: haze

It rained all night last night, but we were fortunate enough to be blessed with drier skies this morning. Our 1st shelter experience in quite some time went well ¢ we slept like babies.We left the shelter this morning hoping to be in Maryland by lunch, and shortly after we were. At the PA/MD state line there was a Mason Dixon sign which indicated we were ever closer to home! Just past this marker, we entered the Pen-Mar State park and were pleased to see quite a festival happening. Everyday People Festival was the name of the event and it featured a Ford Model A car show and also a Jitterbug dance contest. There was a swing band performing and people were everywhere. We met Ben and Laura Like who offered us fried chicken, pasta salad, chips, cake, and sweet tea. How appropriate of a welcome below the Mason-Dixon line is that?! Thanks so much Ben and Laura ¢ we really enjoyed your food and company!After our feast, we felt good enough to pound out another 10 miles deep into the heart of Maryland. We stopped at the Ensign Cowall Shelter where we met back up with Tugboat and Lil¢ Debbie. There plans are to push to Harper¢s Ferry tomorrow so they can catch back up with Bewildered. Hopefully, Team America can reunite after our Labor Day break. The Jersey Boys will indeed need to take a few zeros in order for us to catch them¢¦we¢ll see.
Date: 2005-08-29
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning was a very pleasant one. Since Samoa and I had planned to only walk the eight miles to the next shelter, we took our sweet time getting ready. We have three hiking days to get to Harper¢s Ferry and we¢re only 30 miles from her. We don¢t want to overshoot HF since that¢s where we¢re leaving from on the 31st.After our late breakfast, we strolled to the next shelter to ¢check it out¢ before taking our little detour... We noted that there was a bar and grill not far from where we were going to camp, so we made our way down US 40 to the Dog Patch Tavern. There we enjoyed our afternoon by eating, drinking, and playing pool. After we got our fill, we made our way back to the Pine Knob Shelter for a hot and humid nights rest. Samoa and I discussed the possibility of going into HF tomorrow instead of Wednesday since the winds and rains from Katrina maybe here soon. In the morning we will make our final decision.