morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-25
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Crabtree Farm Road
Miles today: 13.7

Defresne and I got up early so we could make it for the free lunch. It was about 10 miles to Fish Hatchery road where we were supposed to meet a shuttle to a bed and breakfast. We made it by 11:00 but just missed the shuttle. We went ahead and walked the 2.5 miles to the B&B. They still treated us to burgers, nachos, potato salad, and chocolate cake. They gave us a ride back to the parking lot and we hiked back uphill to the trail. We hit the trail again and before long we passed a guy hiking in Crocs heading south. His name was traction and he was part of some trail magic up ahead. He was walking south to tell other hikers about it. It wasn't long before we ran into Poppie. He had a table set up with all kinds of snacks. It was their last day out there so they let us pig out. Traction hike the year before and Poppie said he was going to hike next year. Poppie cooked up some steak, Fish and then BBQ'd some chicken. I was so stuffed. We had a crowd there that night. There was: Dufresne, Shenanigans,Sanford,Lunchbox,Parkbench,Mute Snail, And Hiker-Cyclist. The dinner was great. Thanks for everything.
Date: 2006-05-26
From: Crabtree Farm Road

To: Humpback Mountain
Miles today: 24.3

It was a very windy morning. I thought it was going to rain, but it held off. Poppie was preparing breakfast when I got up. He made scrambled eggs, sausage patties and links, muffins and bagels. He even hard boiled the rest of the eggs he had. This was some of the finest trail magic on the trail. We soon came to the Tye river were we all took a cold dip in the creek. It felt great to clean up a bit because the last few days were hot and dusty and we were very dirty. We had some big climbs today and ran into some thunderstorms along the ridgetops. Not a good place to be for a storm. We hiked into the night and finall found a small clearing just big enough to hold Dufresne's tent and my hammock. Some deer were bedded down beside us and were snorting all night right around our campsite.
Date: 2006-05-27
From: Humpback Mountain

To: Waynesboro Lutheran church hostel
Miles today: 11.3

Dufresne was in a hurry to meet his parents at Rockfish gap by 1:00 There were a lot of Memorial Day hikers out and they all wanted to stop and chat about thru-hiking. Normally I love to talk about it but it was town day. Lunch was on my mind. We made it to the visitors center by 11:30. We called some trail Angels and they gave us a ride to town. Dufresne checked into the hotel where his parents would stay. We ordered a pizza and once again I ate a large by myself. His family was very hospitable and offered me a place to stay but I headed across town to find some friends I had hiked with before. I showered at the YMCA and then did some laundry. I grabbed some more lunch then uploaded pictures to cd-rom at the CVS pharmacy. I wanted back-ups to send home incase my card didn't make it. I had dinner at Ciro's and could't finish my meal this time. I guess I was filling up. I checked in at the church hostel and found Rightside, Mute snail, and Hiker-cyclist. One of the supervisors was kind enough to give me a ride to Wal0mart to pick up another camera card. They were very nice and very helpful. Thanks guys.
Date: 2006-05-28
From: Waynesboro Lutheran church hostel

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Believe it or not I made it out of town on time. We resupplied and had breakfast at Weasies diner. We caught a ride to the trail and Rightside started hiking while I situated my pack. I met some people at the gas station and talked to them at length about my trip. They were very interested in the trip and even took some pictures of me. I was flattered at all the attention and enjoyed talking with them. I stopped at the first shelter and saw a deer and a turkey. I was now in the Shenandoah Nat. Park. The rest of the day was so hot that I sweat enough to soak my backpack and the contents inside. At the shelter was: Rightside, Trenchfoot, Caboose, Sanford, and a few others. I made my dinner and hit the hammock. I love sitting in it and rocking my self to sleep.
Date: 2006-05-29
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: scattered clouds

When Rightside, Trenchfoot and I came to our first road crossing on skyline drive, Trenchfoot spotted a bear up the road. He shouted, "look, a bear" we both looked as he darted off into the woods.   We all agreed that next time we spotted one we wouldn't shout it out. As we walked through tall grass I noticed that I was starting to pick up ticks. I spotted them throughout the day and made a point to keep an eye out for them. I made it to the shelter where I met Stitches and Upload. I followed some of their first entries on trail journals just before I left. At the shelter was: Miss Parkay, Rambo, Sanford, No Worries, Silverback, Stinky, Parkbench, Lunchbox, Orangutan,Trenchfoot,and Rightside. I'm hammocking tonight away from the snoring.
Date: 2006-05-30
From: Hightop Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I hiked 11 miles then stopped at a campstore near the trail for some snacks. I saw lots of deer and their fawns. Trenchfoot saw a bear just before the shelter. I showed up to the shelter to find Hamburglar sitting there. Some cute girl offered him a ride and he skipped a bunch of miles to catch up. Slacker...
Date: 2006-05-31
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Pass mountain hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

The trail passed by a lodge in the park and guess what. They had a restaraunt there. We couldn't help ourselves. Food is like an addictive drug out here. I mean, lets face it, we're starving ourselves out here and we have to eat every chance we get. So, I had a chicken quesadilla and a philly steak and cheese and maybe a half dozen pepsi. Afterwards, Sanford let me borrow his MP3 player. He had the new Tool songs on there. I made great time once I started listening to that. There were a couple of bear sightings near the shelter when people went down a path to the water. Unfortunately I didn't see any when I went.
Date: 2006-06-01
From: Pass mountain hut

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: broken clouds

I was on the trail by 6:45 this morning. When I left the trail this morning I saw 6 deer bedded down beside the trail. They just all watched me pass by. We all stopped at another store in 6.4 miles and had breakfast. I borrowed Rightside's MP3 player and burned up the trail. I think I just hike alot faster when I listen to music. Along the way I was attacked by a disgruntled grouse. She was only defending her young but she startled the hell out of me. As she flapped around noisily gaining my attention I noticed her young fleeing into the thicker brush. Soon after I was drenched by an afternoon thunderstorm. The rain made for a quiet walk on the trail and I was able to walk up on a fox. I saw him for a brief moment and he dashed off up the trail. I got into the Tom Floyd Wayside (shelter) about 3:45. after I set up in the shelter it started raining again. Good timimg once again. The shelter filled up soon. I gave up my spot on the floor because I could fit in the overhead space up in the rafters. It wasn't until after I got up there that I noticed the HUGE SPIDERS! I crawled into my sleeping bag and tried to forget about them.
Date: 2006-06-02
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Front Royal
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Well, I survived the spiders. I left them alone and they left me alone. Although I didn't let them bother me too much, I did take the first opportunity to get out of my bag at 5:30 in the morning. I made breakfast and convinced Rightside and Trenchfoot to get up and hike to Macdonalds in Front Royal. I did my usual town thing and hit the library. I finallt got a chance to catch up on my journals. They kicked me out at 5:00 and me, Hammy, Rightside, Trenchfoot, and his parents had dinner at a mexican restaraunt. We watched The Da Vinci Code at the local Movie Theater. Afterwards I spent my night uploading pictures to TJs. Won't be much sleep tonight.
Date: 2006-06-03
From: Front Royal

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

4 hours of sleep and I still woke up at 7:00. I had breakfast in the lobby and called Melissa. We made our way towards the trail but not without one last stop at McDonalds for breakfast. We caught a quick hitch back to the trail. I walked slow all day. I eventually pulled into the shelter. It was a small dilapidated dome shelter. I grabbed a tentsite and set up my hammock. The campsite began to fill up quick and before long there were 20 people there easy. I ended up splitting a tentsite with Rightside and my hammock hung over the end of his tent. I had my dinner and retired shortly before dark for a great nights rest.
Date: 2006-06-04
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Bear's Den Rocks Hostel
Miles today: 18.3

Today we started a much talked about section called the roller coaster. There were lots of ups and downs in a short distance. The only thing you can do is just hike whats in front of you. It wasn't as bad as everyone was saying. We stopped by the bears den hostel to check it out. It's another very old house atop a mountain that was converted to house hikers. It was a good deal to stay there so we settled in for the night. We had a good time hanging out and it was great to meet the caretakers; Queen Diva, Sherlock, and Circuit Rider. Thanks for everything.
Date: 2006-06-05
From: Bear's Den Rocks Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: broken clouds

Queen Diva cooked us breakfast with pancakes, sausage, and juice. We had three more hills to climb on the roller coaster then it was just a long walk to Harpers ferry. We planned on camping just before H.F. but we hiked right past it and there were signs that said no camping. I think that was just to get us into town. Anyway, we stayed the night at the hilltop hotel and filled up on pizza and ice cream. The views from the hotel were great. We were overlooking the Potomac river and the valley below.
Date: 2006-06-06
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Ed garvey Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: scattered clouds

On the way out of town I stopped at the outfitters and found a 45 degree sleeping bag for 55 bucks. I was sweating in my zero degree bag so I thought it was time to change. I mailed my old bag home and purchased the new one. We stopped the Swiss Miss mlkshake place and had a large milkshake. Rightside and M&M were with me. While we were sitting on the bench enjoying our shakes a bird crapped on rightside. We had a great laugh and I think some milshake came out my nose. Just across the river was the C&O canal tow path. The trail followed the path for a few miles and it was a nice flat walk. We stopped at the Ed Garvey shelter to take a break but after a while we decided to stay. I stayed in my hammock by the fire.
Date: 2006-06-07
From: Ed garvey Shelter

To: PenMar park
Miles today: 34.4

We all hiked to a pavillion where there were coke machines. Unfortunately the dollar bill taker wouldn't work. we cried a bit then got over it. There was a lot of civil war history there and lots of kiosks to read. It was interesting to walk through the battle fields and know that so much happened right there in those fields. When we crossed I-70 we walked down the hill to a tavern for lunch. At the Dogpatch Tavern I had Chili (not a good hiker meal) and fries then an order of wings. We stopped at the next shelter for a bathroom break. Stitches and upload stopped for the night but we kept going. We hiked on to Ensign Cowall shelter where we met up with Rightside, Hammy, and Sumo. Redbeard and I decided to hike on to Penmar Park and take the next day off. We hiked till about 2:00 AM and camped about .2 miles before the park.
Date: 2006-06-08
From: PenMar park

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up to Hikers passing by the campsite. We walked into Penmar and set up in one of the pavillions. My sister (Jennifer) had some friends that wanted to come and cook out for us. We called to let them know we were at Penmar and they said they would be out later that day. This gave us all day to rest and relax in the sun. I emptied my pack on the picnic table and probably got rid of another 2lbs. of stuff I didn't need. Natalie, Mike, Rob, And Sarah showed up around 6:00 just in time for the rain. They brought hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, brownies, beer, and sodas. Some other thru-hikers showed up including: Aloha, Hiker-Cyclist, M&M, Master Plan, Freefall, and Hamburglar. The food was great and so was the company. It was great to meet everybody and hang out. Thanks for everything. We all enjoyed a great sunset and said goodbye and planned on hiking to the next shelter. Just after the park is the Mason-Dixon line. Thats where M&M stopped and camped. Freefall dropped out shortly thereafter. Once we got to Antietam Shelter Hamburglar dropped out. Redbeard and I kept moving late into the night. During the night I ran into a fawn next to the trail.
Date: 2006-06-09
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

We hiked through the night and stopped for a break at US30. We were both tired so we sat down next to the road and finished off some cookies left over from the cookout. We were undecided about staying in the woods just off the road or moving on. We flipped a rock to make the decision for us and it said to move on. The cookies gave us a little boost and we made it to Caledonia State Park by sunrise. We weren't supposed to camp inside the park so we found a secluded spot on the other side of a creek and set up camp. I was asleep by 5:00 and was awakened by 8:00 by a lady telling us we would get a ticket for sleeping here. We packed up and walked up the trail a few hundred yards. We ducked off into the woods and just laid down on the other side of a downed tree, just out of sight. That was the best sleep I've had on the trail. We got up around noon and went a couple miles to Quarry gap shelter for breakfast. Once we were there it started raining. Rightside, Hamburglar, Sumo, and Aloha showed up. We all hiked to Birch Run Shelter for the night.
Date: 2006-06-10
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Duncannon, Pa.
Miles today: 54.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I awoke at 7:00 this morning. I was cold so I was ready to get up and get moving. Hamburglar and I hiked together to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. This is the place where you can attempt the Half-Gallon challenge. Thats where you down a half-gallon of ice cream. Your reward is your name in a book and a sick stomach. I ate a cheesburger,fries,hotdog,and some ice-cream. oh yeah and a couple cokes. Sumo conquered the challenge and we havn't seen him since. On the way to the store we passed the actual halfway point for 2006 hikers, but after the store we passed a marker saying it was the halfway point. We took some pictures and congratulated each other. Me, hamburglar, and redbeard hiked on. A few hours later we stopped again at another general store. I picked up some sub sandwiches and hiked them out to the shelter. I ate one and gave the other to Aloha and Rightside. Redbeard and I decided to night hike some more. I tried talking Hamburglar into it but he was staying put. This turned out to be a bad idea. we found out later that he was bit by a black widow spider and went to the hospital. He's ok now. Anyway, Redbeard and I night hiked into Boiling Springs and stopped a another tavern for a beer and a little break. The tavern was built in the early 1800's. Thats really why we stopped. We thought about camping but we felt like hiking more. There was a full moon and the trail winded through corn fields and wheat fields. It was so bright outside that we didn't even need our headlamps. We just hiked by the light of the moon. Once we were back in the woods we used them again. We hiked through the night again and into the morning. I'll continue the morning on the next page.
Date: 2006-06-11
From: Duncannon, Pa.

To: Duncannon, Pa.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I listed the daily miles as zero, but it's from the night before.Just before the highway we passed through a grove a sapling trees. Unbeknownst to us there were millions of bats in the treetops. As we passed by we startled them and they all took off. It spooked us and we moved quicker along the treeline. As we moved we scared more bats. There were so many that we started running up the trail. Guess where the trail went. Yep, right into the trees. They were even worse in the trees. It sounded like there was one man per tree and each one was shaking the hell out of it. Bat poop was falling all over the place and we ran to get out of it. Once we hit highway 11 we stopped at a gas station for some caloric intake. I had a full throttle energy drink, Coffee, Frappucinno, and doughnuts. we had plenty of energy to keep moving. We passed over a boardwalk and watched a fawn nurse from its mother. Redbeard tried to take a picture but they took off. We ran into a skunk and persuaded him to leave us alone. Actually we ran away to avoid any possible encounter. We passed through a field and noticed some boulders all over the place. Yeah, they weren't boulders. We were walking through a herd of sleeping cows, and they were laying down not standing up. Around 4:15 AM we passed by Darlington Shelter and left an entry without disturbing the occupants. We penned our intentions about the 55 miler to Duncannon. Shortly after the shelter we encountered the sharp rocks on the trail that mauled our feet. We thought about stopping but we wrote it on paper and had no choice but to keep moving. Finally, at the road to Duncannon we ran into Mary. She was setting up to cook breakfast for through hikers. She offered to cook breakfast for us but we explained to het that if we stopped we would fall asleep and that would be a tragedy this close to our goal. We made it into Duncannon at 8:00 AM to complete a 24 hour, 54.9 mile hike. We stopped at the Doyle Hotel but they didn't open till noon. We had breakfast at Goodies across the street and once we sat down we realized our mistake. We turned into a couple of head bobbing zombies. We ate quickly and went back to the hotel where we fell asleep on the front porch. At noon we checked in and promptly went to sleep. I woke up somewhat refreshed and started laundry. I made a few phone calls, had dinner and relaxed all afternoon. There was a pool table in the lobby of the hotel and Redbeard, Silverback and I played a few. I hit the sack around 10:00 and slept like a baby.
Date: 2006-06-12
From: Duncannon, Pa.

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I had leftover pizza for breakfast from Sorrentos. Later, I caught up with a lot of hikers that came in for the day. We waited around for a shuttle to the grocery store on the other side of town. We were picked up in a van, resupplied, and back at the hotel in an hour. We eventually made our way out of town and up the hill towards our next shelter. I stayed at Clarks Ferry Shelter with Redbeard, Aloha, Tater, and Biz showed up later. Tater kept us amused with his comments all night. My favorite is don't be a Tater Hater!
Date: 2006-06-13
From: Clarks Ferry Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: few clouds

Redbeard and I hiked together today and were joined by Aloha later. We stopped at a creek at midday and dipped our feet in to cool off. The water was very cold and it convinced us not to swim. My feet were numb after a few minutes in the water. After we left the creek, we had a grouse jump out at us and again try to distract us while the young got away. When we Arrived at the shelter I got to meet a lot of new hikers. There was: Uber Dude and his dog, Mountain Goat, Wandering Bill, Tater, Daedalus, Aloha,and Redbeard. Strangely, nobody was in the shelter. Everybody was camping in their hammock, tent, or cowboy camping. We found out that several snakes lived in the shelter. They were only black snakes so we stayed in the shelter anyway.
Date: 2006-06-14
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

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

We left early today intending on a long hike for the day. Just before the William Penn Shelter I almost stepped on a rattlesnake! I pushed myself backwards with my hiking pole to avoid him. As I did this, he finally recognized me as a threat and coiled up and started rattling. I backed up some more and warned Redbeard. We watched for a few minutes in amazement then persuaded him to move off the trail. When we arrived at the 501 shelter it started raining. We decided to stay for the night and hitch-hiked in to Pine Grove. We were able to resupply at the local grocery store. We rode in on the back of a truck and were pulled over by the police. Apparently were not supposed to ride in the back of a truck anymore. The driver was let off with a warning. Back at the shelter there was: Redbeard, Aloha, Wrong-turn, Biz, Hiker-cyclists, Wandering bill, Uber-dude, Mountain goat, and Tater.
Date: 2006-06-15
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: clear sky

Redbeard had a maildrop to pick up in Port Clinton so we had some mile to cover by 5:00. We moved quick over the sharp jagged rocks. We arrived at the PO by 3:30 and soon found a restaraunt at the hotel. I had the largest steak cheese sandwich I've ever seen. I finished every bit. We walked over to a pavillion that was frequented by thru-hikers and set up for the night.
Date: 2006-06-16
From: Port Clinton

To: PA309 Blue Mtn Summit
Miles today: 26.7

We had breakfast at the 3c's restraunt then climbed several hills on the way out of town. You know, just to help the digestion process. We met a tourist from Hamburg Germany visiting Hamburg Pa. We made it to Allentown hiking club shelter and had dinner. we decided to move on to a campsite past 309. Instead we stopped at a restraunt that let us stay in the backyard under a tent.
Date: 2006-06-17
From: PA309 Blue Mtn Summit

To: Palmerton, Pa.
Miles today: 13.6

We were up and hiking by 6:30 and moving quick. We wanted to make it to Palmerton by 12:00 so we had to move. We kept a good pace and made it to Lehigh gap shelter where we stopped to catch our breath before heading down to town. My parents were meeting us today so we were excited to get there. We started down to the gap and were surprised to find them on the trail with drinks in hand. We had lunch at Panera Bread, which was delicious and then relaxed back at the hotel. After showers and laundry we went out to eat again at a local diner. I was able to update some of my journal on my dads computer. We had a great time hanging out and relaxing.
Date: 2006-06-18
From: Palmerton, Pa.

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: few clouds

We had breakfast at the hotel and I pigged out on pastries and orange juice. We stopped at Barnes and Noble for some coffee before we hit the trail again. We said our goodbyes and reluctantly made our way back up the trail. Redbeard made the comment that the rocky ridgeline on the other side of the river was probably the AT. We soon found out the hard way. We scrambled up the boulders and over the ridge and followed the scree field to the top. It was hot and there was no breeze till we reached to top. When we got there we were rewarded with a fantastic view. We followed the ridgeline under the sun and sweat out all the water just as fast as we could drink it. We came to a trail leading to a spring but it was .6 miles downhill. We decided to go because we had stopped sweating and were concerned about dehydration. There were 6 more miles to go to a shelter with a spring. At the spring I drank almost 2 liters of water then filled my bags up. At little gap I found a note in the register from fortune cookie. It said, Yoshi, where are you? I assumed he went on to wind gap and passed us when we were in town. We had dinner at the shelter then night hiked to wind gap to catch him. We found him and Bloody Mess sleeping on the lawn of a motel. We caught up on what had happened since I last saw him. We laid out our sleeping bags on the grass and went to sleep.