morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-10
From: Ed Garvey Shelter, Maryland

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Morning at Gathland:I was out early for a big day on South Mountain. South Mountain refers not just to one peak on the trail, but to the entire range of hills running up the spine of western Maryland to the Pennsylvania state line. For civil war buffs, this is a vey good stretch of the AT. In launching his first invasion of the North in 1862, Lee had divided his army into five. A bold move, considered outrageous at the time, but he desperately sought to consolidate his army west of here, at Antietam, after a copy of his plans fell into the hands of the Union command. South Mountain was crucial if Lee was to be able to do that. It presented an impossible barrier between his divided command and the Union Army to the east, except for four gaps - Brownville, Cramptons, Fox and Turner - that I pass through today. D.H.Hill's division was assigned to defend them and it was spread thinly, especially at Crampton where a number of Virginia and Georgia regiments faced an entire Union corps coming up from Burkittville, fought through the day, but were overwhelmed. One of the most celebrated Northern war correspondents, George Alfred Townsend, known as Gath, returned here after the war, bought a large acreage, and built a country estate where he entertained lavishly in the 1880s -1890s. This was financed by his enormous success as a journalist, a war historian, and a writer of historical novels. But at the turn of the century, his writing style fell out of vogue, his income waned, he became a recluse after the death of his wife, and he died in poverty in New York in 1915.   Here at Gathland, on Crampton Gap, the house and a nearby lodge (for dining) are well preserved. Also, on the edge of the woods, is a mausoleum, intended for Gath and his wife, but never used. A plaque outside presents me with my thought for the day, "The mausoleum mutely symbolizes the uncertainties of life, fame, and fortune, and the certainty of death"   Later:I have duly passed through the other gaps on South Mountain. Memorial stones sit in a cleared area at Fox Gap where the heaviest fighting took place to block the Union advance. Both commanders, B-General Garland (CSA) and Lt-Gen Jesse Reno (Union) were kiled. Reno was the first Union corps commander to die in the war. Shortly before the end of our day, I reached a small road to find "Thistle" and "Two Speeds" waiting. They had been told of a bar about half a mile down the road that served food. So down we went. It was a biker bar, but the tough looking crowd in there turned out to be perfectly friendly, and supper tonight has unexpectedly been a good pork BBQ sandwich with fries and beer. So, after crossing the I-70 footbridge, we are settled at the Pine Knob Shelter which we have to ourselves. I mentioned Burkitville earlier which may ring a bell with some people. A group of young students from Burkitville came up to the woods here with VCRs to conduct what they called "The Blair Witch Project". Allegedly. The woods are quiet by the shelter tonight. Too quiet.
Date: 2003-07-12
From: In the woods before Pen Mar

To: Rocky Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: few clouds

Up on a cool, bright morning with shafts of sunlight piercing through the trees, we broke camp in a hurry and walked along to a picnic table in Pen Mar to fix some breakfast and make full use of the restrooms. A visit to the unsupervised visitor centre gave a fascinating view of Pen Mar in its heyday. It was opened by the Western Maryland Railroad in 1878 (possibly to encourage people to travel by rail) and around the turn of the century was drawing 5,000 people at weekends to walk, picnic, listen to music at the pavilion, or have fun on rides in the amusement park. Photographs around the wall of the centre show couples strolling, the men in blazers and boaters, the women in white, high-necked blouses and long dark skirts. It closed during WW2, but was re-opened by Washington Co. in the 1980s, and the pavilion and observation deck were restored. A programme of musical events is offered through the summer, with seniors' dancing on Sundays apparently being a highlight. I like the place, perhaps because it's the kind of amenity that would never be built now. Who today would develop a piece of land for walking, sitting on a bench, picnicking and other quiet pleasures? Our main achievement today has been to cross the Mason-Dixon line as soon as we left Pen Mar. So we are now in Pennsylvania, our fourth state in as many days. After spending so long in Virginia, it feels like our hike has gone into warp drive (for non sci-fi buffs, that means "very fast").We have walked about 15 miles today, and are at Rocky Mountain Shelters (there are two). For the first time since before the Shenandoahs, the shelter is crowded. We seem to have inadvertently joined up with a sizeable "walk very fast/drink very hard for a couple of days" crowd. The beer is flowing round the shelter. Party animal that I am, I have retreated to an isolated tent spot down the hill for some peace and quiet. Tomorrow could be very special. Or not. All my life I've wanted to visit Gettysburg. I've come very close to it on a couple of occasions, but had to drive by because of other priorities. Another opportunity arises tomorrow when we reach US30 - turn west to go to Fayetteville and re-supply; keep going straight on into Caledonia State Park and try to catch up with "Chafe Master J" on the AT; or turn east and go 15 miles to Gettysburg. Who knows what we'll do.
Date: 2013-05-11
From: Woods Hole hostel

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After a nice breakfast at Woods Hole Hostel, I got a ride into town with Molar Man & his wife, Diane. Too early for Post Office so I went to the library (not very close) to get info on busses between Blacksburg & Roanoke, where I will get the greyhound to Charlottesville. I've decided to hike another 60 miles, to Va 42, then hitch or get a shuttle to Blacksburg. There seem to be enough busses to make it work. I was expecting two packages at the post office, one Susan had sent & the bounce box I had sent from Damascus. Only the latter was there. After I opened it, I figured out that there were only about 3 things in it that I was going to use in the next few days (before coming home), & those could have been replaced easily at the grocery store. If I hadn't opened the box, I could have had it forwarded for free. Instead, I had the choice of carrying extra weight or paying new postage to send it to Daleville. In fact, if I'd REALLY been thinking, I could have skipped the trip to town entirely, called the PO about the forwarding, & just relaxed or done laundry at the hostel!Getting a free ride into Pearisburg meant finding a way back. Neville, from Woods Hole, said she'd pick me up (It's some distance), but it would involve a trip to Blacksburg. So it was well after 2:00 before we got back ¢ 3 other hikers looking for resupply, a new backpack, plus Neville's grocery shopping. We all got in some good visiting, but I was pretty much just along for the ride.When we got back, I had to repack & check out, & somehow that ended taking till 4:00 -- a pretty late start on the 10 miles to Pearisburg.Not difficult trail other than a few rocky parts. Rained parts of the way. I got to the "Angel's Rest" overlook at the end of the ridge in good daylight, but getting down the Mtn to the town ended up being more difficult than expected. First it got dark quickly because the rain started again . Then it kept getting darker -- since I needed to keep the poncho on & there was no place to set my pack down, I couldn't get out my headlamp. I did pretty well keeping on the Trail in total darkness, but I couldn't avoid slipping a few times in the muddy parts, so I felt quite a mess by the time I got to the bottom (which seemed like it would never come!). A nice hike up on top, but not much fun coming down!Didn't see many flowers in rain. I did see Mustard Garlic, both on the Trail down to town & a bunch about 2 miles back. Someone should be working on controlling it, but I don't do that kind of trail maintenance. Wanted to try Holy Family hostel, but it is way at the other end of town, so I ended up staying at a motel. This way, I can stay on this end of town tomorrow. The Lutheran church is also far out, so I'll go to the Episcopal, which is only a few blocks away. I can do laundry here at the motel too.
Date: 2013-05-15
From: Sinking Creek, Va 42. -- then Daleville

To: Home, by way of Roanoke & Charlottesville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Travel off the Trail is so complicated compared to hiking. On the Trail, as long as you are going in the right direction, all you have to do is keep on walking & you'll get where you are going.Another day of travel. After sorting my stuff & leaving my pack at the motel, I took a taxi to the bus station. The ride to Charlottesville was uneventful, & the bus station is near the restored (& gentrified) Old Main Street. The whole street has free Wi-fi (except in some of the stores), so I was able to do some trail journaling and also make some phone calls.The airport is quite a ways out of town, & the city busses only go about 2/3 of the way. I walked a bit farther, trying to hitch-hike the rest. No luck, so I finally called a taxi 1.5 hour before my flight. After 40 minutes, I called them back. They said they'd be there shortly: just had to find a driver! I got more aggressive on the hitch-hiking & finally got a woman with a dog in the back seat to stop. She was from out-of-town & didn't know where to find the airport, but we found it together. The flight went well, and the visit home did too. I was going for a grandson's confirmation & recognition of my retirement at a church convention.
Date: 2003-07-19
From: Darlington shelter

To: Duncannon, Pa
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Duncannon is a test of your character, or, more accurately, your attitude towards people and life. As you trudge under the US30 bypass and swing round into the main street, Market Street, the first-time visitor just is not prepared for what he will see. There are two possible reactions. You might break into a broad smile and think "This is my kind of town". That was "Chafe Master's" reaction (he passed the test). Or you take an involuntary step backwards, and think, if not utter, a horrified "Oh my God!". Yep, that was me, and truly proved myself to be a stuffed shirt. The buildings along the street look as if they have been randomly planted. Most are wooden, sometimes in terraced sections, some are brick or stone, and a few are a combination of the two. They were all painted, once, and are variously white (sort of), off-white, grey, off-grey, yellow, and off-yellow. This is the land that paint forgot and where DIY has yet to be invented. Some of the buildings have covered sidewalks. The overall effect is completed by a fetching array of overhead electricity and phone cables running along and across the street."Chafe" and I were headed for Doyle's Hotel, the town's only hotel, which is a bit of a legend among the AT community. Even from the end of the street, which is quite long, it was obvious which building was Doyle's. Four storeys, four windows by four windows square, red brick, and jutting slightly out into the street, that had to be it. As we got closer, it was also more ornately dilapidated than any other building on the street. Doyle's is about 100 years old, surprisingly young when you look at it, one of the original Anheuser-Busch hotels.The fact is, hikers love this town and they love Doyle's. As we arrive, sweaty, dirty and smelly, we sit down in the saloon bar and don't feel compelled to go off and shower. The town understands, and is at one with, grime. The beer and food are good, and the rooms have electricity. To give you the full benefit of the one light in the ceiling, they have thoughtfully dispensed with lightshades. And, using a stick, you are even able to hold one of the sash windows open for ventilation. You have a bed, access to very hot showers, laundry facilities, internet access, a pool room, and food and drink, all for $15 a head. They know what hikers want. Duncannon is a blue-collar town that has seen better days, and obviously not seen them for a long time.The town sits on the Susquehanna River, north of Harrisburg, the railroad runs betwwen Market Street and the river. There is a fine looking rail station, but it doesn't function as such now, and is partly occupied by a TV/Telecommunications company. An Amtrak train runs through but doesn't stop. As a hiker, my visit is brief and I probably will hardly begin to understand what makes this town tick, what keeps it going. But the people are warm and we have been made to feel very welcome here. The town seems to have a heart and a soul. Is that all any town needs?
Date: 2013-05-20
From: Home, by way of Roanoke & Charlottesville

To: Returning from vacation
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

After a good visit home, I'm on my way back to the Trail. I'll be a week behind most of the people I've been hiking with (unless they spent a lot of time going to Trail Days in Damascus). I may still know some people I met early in the hike & left behind. Flying out of Central Wisconsin Airport (Wausau) to Charlottesville. Only a little bit of snow left on the local ski slope! I'll be getting in pretty late tonight, so I don't know where I'll be staying to get the bus at 6:30 in the morning -- hardly seems worth paying for a motel.
Date: 2003-07-28
From: Port Clinton, Pa

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter, Blue Mountain
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

The rock situation has taken a definite turn for the worse and the past two days have been very difficult. We only managed 7.5 miles yesterday afternoon and another 10 today. "Pushing-up-Daisies" was very despondent yesterday and seemed on the point of giving up. We persuaded her to join us for a spell and see how she felt. "Thistle" is also having a bad time. Her "new" boots - actually her old ones from back home that she used for hiking in Scotland - are pinching her feet which have almost certainly spread over the past 4.5 months. Her father warned her that this might be the case, but would she listen? Added to the discomfort of her bites, she is not a happy hiker.   We made Allentown Shelter our destination last night, not as far as originally intended, and beat the weather for a change. Distant thunder had been rumbling for the last two hours of our walk, but the rain stayed away as we cleaned up, cooked supper, and put up our tents. The high spot of our day came shortly after when "Bag-of-Tricks" and "Jester" suddenly appeared with a huge cooler, carried between them, of sodas, beer, snacks and dips. Unknown to us, an access road is only 1.5 miles away and the path to the shelter is fairly straightforward from there. Even so, it was a tremendous weight for them to have borne. We ate and drank gratefully.  I retired to my tent about 9.30pm, not long before the thunderstorm finally arrived. As usual, I felt perfectly secure inside, not a drop of water to worry about. I hope it always remains so. Unknown to me at the time, "Daisies" had a different experience. Her new, ultra-lightweight tarp/tent shipped water almost immediately, and she squeezed into the shelter for the night. Today has been even more painful than yesterday. I felt exceptionally tired this morning, more so than at any time since the Smokies, and couldn't get going at all. "Chafe Master J" and "Daisies" made early starts. Most of the afternoon took us along a ridgeline of rocks with a sharp drop to our right. Along the notorious "Knife Edge", the boulders slant sharply up at an angle of 60-70 degrees. Sometimes I balanced precariously on the top of them, at other times I leaned against their sides to edge my way along. That plus the usual careful eye out for snakes - this was exhausting stuff.Tomorrow we will reach Palmerston to re-supply (not possible in Port Clinton which has no stores), hopefully early enough to rest for most of the day.
Date: 2013-05-26
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge shelter
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: light rain

I was first out of the shelter but was passed pretty soon by Banter & then by Two Sox, two guys closer to my age than most. Much of the morning was spend crossing & re-crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway. When I got to Bobblett's Gap shelter, I decided against taking time to go down the 0.2 mile steep slope to get water. Then I promptly wasted 20 minutes following an old road after the AT had turned off of it. It was clearly marked; I just wasn't paying attention. Later I found out I wasn't the only hiker to do that today!While I was off the Trail that way, I was passed by Bottle Cap & Right Size, a young couple I had met back around Max Patch Bald. Some others I was meeting again today were Even Beard, Spoon, & DB. After crossing Cove Mtn, we all ended up at Bryant Ridge shelter, a big new one that holds 20 people on 3 floors, with lots of covered space for cooking, &c. Before that, there's a swimming place at Jennings Creek, which was a tempting idea; but I missed the turn-off & didn't feel like looking for it.
Date: 2003-08-02
From: Kirkridge Shelter beyond Wolf Rocks

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light rain

It rained hard all night. We also had one of the thickest fogs I've seen, a real pea-souper. I stayed perfectly dry and comfortable, but breaking camp this morning was a very sodden and muddy affair. The walk into Delaware Water Gap was straightforward, mostly along a track road on the ridge used by forest rangers. With about a mile to go, we left the road and started the descent into the gap. Soon we had a spectacular view of the unique geological formations on the other side of the gap and of the Delaware River 800 feet below. Also a salutary reminder of life in the real world - a huge tailback of traffic way down on I-80, which is one of the busiest highways in the eastern United States. Around lunchtime, "Thistle" and I walked into the village at the Gap and headed for the hostel run by the church. "Two Speeds" had come in very early this morning to collect his mail drop from the P.O., and he and his sister came out of the cafe across the street to greet us. We are staying with Karen and her family for two days in Fairfield, N.J. Her husband, Bill, is the local fire chief and they have two lively young boys, Sean, 14 and Ryan, 12, who are great fun. The next two days will be a welcome break for us, especially for "Two Speeds". Tonight we had our first home cooking for nearly five months. Great!
Date: 2013-06-02
From: Humpback Rocks -- Grace Lutheran hostel

To: Zero Day in Waynesboro
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day in Waynesboro. I got my stuff packed up & went to the Episcopal church across the street for their early service, then got some breakfast & went to the Lutheran service too. Lots more singing at the Lutheran one. I missed church last week, so now I'm caught up! Heard 2 good sermons on the same Gospel lesson: Jesus healing a centurion's slave. The Episcopal emphasized the COMMUNITY, all the various people involved in getting this man healed. Community is important on the AT as well, where hikers of all kinds of different backgrounds & positions in life look out for one another in this project of hiking the Trail. We really are all in this world together -- it's too bad many efforts to help one another in this world get rejected as "communism" rather than embraced as "community".Jiffy Girl, one of the 2 hikers from Germany who shared the hostel with me, went to church too & commented that it seemed more like a Catholic service than like the Lutheran ones in Germany, where they have stripped away most of the liturgy -- how different from J.S. Bach's time!The oriental buffet in Waynesboro is certainly a lot better than the one in Pearisburg, both in quality & quantity. After eating, my plan was to move to the Inn at Afton, right up the hill from the entrance to the Shenandoah NP. I was anticipating a nice, relaxing afternoon, maybe swimming in the pool.Santa's helper first took us to the outfitter's, where I saw a number of hikers who seemed amazed that they had caught up with me already.  When I got dropped off at the motel, the man in the office told me someone would be there in about 45 minutes to register me. Long before that, I had decided I wasn't staying. Nothing but rainwater in the pool, no lights in the rest room off the lobby, just a general state of dis-repair & disregard. Too bad. It's a nice location & could be fixed up. Also, they only had one of the 3 packages I'd had sent there. I called Budget Inn ($5 cheaper) & one of the free shuttles Waynesboro has organized. So I relocated. I probably didn't use the rest of my day for relaxation as much as I should have, but I ended up walking to Wal-Mart & back, because I discovered that the charging cord for my back-up batteries had broken. Being Sunday, many likely stores had already closed; so I didn't find what I needed. But I did get some groceries. Then I had to sort out what I wanted to carry into SNP & what to send on.
Date: 2003-08-13
From: Vernon, N.J. (again!)

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

We were ready to go when Karen arrived about 9.00am. It was a difficult morning of goodbyes. First of all, to 'Chafe Master' who isn't any better and is going to the doctor today. Then, back at the Wawayanda ranger station, I said goodbye to 'Thistle' and 'Two Speeds'. I didn't say nearly as much as I could or should have done to either of them. I couldn't have done so without getting very emotional. I'm British so we couldn't have that. So I set off, and just before disappearing into the forest, I turned and waved cheerfully to them. I felt anything but cheerful. Two hours later I was making the substantial climb up Prospect Mt. when I came to the state line painted across some rocks. I stepped with no great pleasure into the state of New York. Thunder storms threatened much of the afternoon to my front and especially to the west, but it stayed dry for me. I was grateful for that. There was a lot of rock climbing on the ridge line above Greenwood Lake and it would have been very treacherous if it had been wet. I'd put in a hard shift when, about 5.00pm, I reached the trailhead at NY17A. A sign pinned to a tree pointed to a farm dairy a short distance west. What a bonus near the end of the day. Soda and ice cream at a picnic table overlooking the valley. The stormy weather had cleared and the sun was out. A straightforward climb up Eastern Pinnacles has brought me to Wildcat Shelter. I am the only person here, but I have a good tent site and there is a spring nearby. I miss my companions. I've adopted a new trail name for the shelter registers - "Carnethy the Lone Bob".
Date: 2013-06-04
From: Stealth camp in S.N.P.

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

I got in a fairly long day today, but not very exciting.The Southern part of S.N.P. is mostly overgrown farmland (maybe the whole park is, but not as recent), which means meadows and areas without much shade. It was hot & sunny, with long spaces between water sources. I had remembered lots of nice soft trail in this area, but it seemed much rougher this time. Maybe my rib problems color my perspective.But I also just like more big trees!It was getting dark by the time I got to Blackrock hut (that's what they call shelters in S.N.P.), & the place was very crowded. DipNSip & company helped make some room for me, but it was still difficult to cook & prepare my bed (& get up in the night, when necessary!).