morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-27
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

The trailgods were kind today, giving us a fast footpath to the Elkwallow Wayside, where we ate chicken fingers, fries, pink lemonade and the famous blackberry shakes. We had been in calorie deficit for a number of days, and this really hit the spot. We also bought some lunch and snack food, enough to make it out of the park. We hustled out in about an hour, and just made it to Gravel Springs Hut before a bodacious thunder storm hit. Two section hikers also made it in just in time - both Morehead grads and retired, one from US Customs service. The Tampa Boys came in soaked, and eventually, we had seven sleeping on the floor of the hut, and one on the upper deck. A woman from Minneapolis slept in her bivy sack and there were three tenters. We went to bed at hiker midnight - about 7PM, but space was tight and we couldn't roll over without cooperation. Still, we were dry.
Date: 2007-05-28
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: US 522
Miles today: 13.4

We were awakened at 5:15AM by the mournful call of the Woodthrush, beckoning us to rise and hike out of the Park. We were on the trail by 7:05AM, and the trailgods were kind, giving us a fast footbath for the first 9 miles. Once out of the park, however, we moved through a dull, swampy, wetland, loaded with poison ivy and ticks. But luck struck as we emerged onto US 522, because some section hikers from Cleveland, Ohio were loading up their truck to drive back to Ohio. A couple, Tenderfoot and Tenderbones, offered us a ride to our motel in Front Royal. In ten minutes, we were checking in at Motel 8 and getting ready to shower. Trail magic works. Thank you, Tenderfoot and Tenderbones. We ate supper at Guisseppi's, where I at filet mignon in winesauce with portobello mushrooms, and Toesocks! had vegetarian canoli. Oh, and two Italian beers, Merroni I think.
Date: 2007-05-29
From: US 522

To: Motel 8, Front Royal
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

We were up early today, with Toesocks giving me a haircut. We did laundry, ordered new boots, bought supplies and ate ayce buffet at Victoria's. The food was wonderful. Tomorrow we hike.I've been thinking about my experience in the Shenandoah with very mixed feelings. On the positive side, the huts are well maintained, and the foot path was generally well-graded. There is one very rocky section, however, and the trail is never really easy - just less hard. On the negative side, it is hard to find level spots free of poison ivy for tenting, and the the spacing of the huts forces some long days. The southern section of the park looks like a dying forest, although the northern half looks healthier. The wild flowers were not as numerous as in other areas. It was torture going through the picnic areas with hunger and no offers of food or beer. Ain't it awful?
Date: 2007-05-30
From: Motel 8, Front Royal

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: few clouds

We caught a cab to the trail head today and started hiking at 8:40AM. The day was hot, and we sweated as if we were running a marathon. We got trail magic at Junction 55 from "ga2me '09," including water, propel powder and crackers. Thank you, trail angel. We saw a deer today, and a turtle, some cardinals, and lots of downey woodpeckers. We walked past a large US Govt. facility with high fences that extended for more than a mile. Wonder what's back there? At the shelter, Backyard Boogi, Winghart, Caveman of Ohio, Wetsocks and Jeff greeted us.
Date: 2007-05-31
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: few clouds

We got an early start, thanks to Backyard Boogie and Wingfoot, and we were hiking by 6:55AM in a futile attempt to beat the 90 degree temps that were predicted, while going through the Rollercoaster. We made it to Rod Hollow Shelter for lunch and we rested for about two hours while pumping 4 extra liters of water for what lay ahead. The "Rollercoaster" was a romantic name given to a sorry peice of trail that ascends and descends over some ten rockpiles for over nine miles in a most irritating fashion. Do not hike this section if you have any choice - it is poorly engineered and gratuitously rocky. We got to the shelter at 7:30PM, hot, sweaty and hungry. We saw a deer at the water source. At the shelter, we met a section hiker and his son, who got in even later than we, and Wetsocks was there as well.
Date: 2007-06-01
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: B;lackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 10.9

We slept late today - until 5:30AM, and we pumped extra water before leaving, as 90 degree temps were predicted. We reached VA 679 Snickers Gap by 11AM and waited an hour for the Horseshoe Curve Bar to open. We ate the chicken salad, fries and zuchinni and had a beer - this is a must stop for hikers, and indeed the waitress told us that Backyard and Wingfoot had been there the previous night: "They didn't look like they would be doing any more hiking," she said. We hiked on in the heat, and arrived at Blackburn Trail Center just in time for a spagetti and salad supper. Oh, the lemonade was glorious. We then took a cold shower in the solar shower on the front lawn and went to bed in the bunk house. The thunder and lightening went on for several hours, but no appreciable rain fell, although the temps did. Thank god we made it here. That Rollercoaster is tough.
Date: 2007-06-02
From: B;lackburn Trail Center

To: Harpers Ferry ATC HQ
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: haze

A strange thing is happening in the woods which I have noticed for several days, but which I have been reluctant to chronicle. If you are a fastidious would-be hiker with a weak stomach, do not read this entry - skip to the next entry. Here it is. There are caterpillars in the tree canopy over the trail, munching audibly on the oak, maple, beech and poplar leaves, and they are raining down their feces on the trail and on all who hike it. The feces look like small mouse turds. My advice is to wear a hat, and DON'T look up. Here is another strange tale: today we saw a red fox running away from something, and we saw that a deer appeared to be chasing him. The fox saw us at the last minute and changed his course, and the doe broke off pursuit when she saw us. We hiked into Harpers Ferry, getting to a dramatic bridge across the Shenandoah River as some trail workers were coming off a work detail. Thank you, trail workers, for all that you do to clear the trail of brambles and poison ivy. We met BAckyard and Wingfoot and wife at the ATC. We had our photo taken and reigstered as #169 and #170 Thru-hikers. We made it to the Comfort Inn, thanks to a trail angel who had hiked last year, and later ate at the Anvil. Both are great.
Date: 2007-06-03
From: Harpers Ferry ATC HQ

To: Harpers Ferry, Comfort Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I forgot to mention that yesterday we enjoyed a morning coffee at Blackburn Center with the host couple, Redwing and Hopeful, who have given their baby daughter the trail name of Hike-lett. They are such a delightful family. Now on to today. We did journaling on the internrt at the ATC HQ, we bought new boots (Vasque Breeze) to get us through PA. We ran into Monkey and Coco and took them to lunch since they had given us food on a rainy day back in Virginia. The day was rainy so we ordered pizza to be delivered to the inn for supper. We hike tomorrow - after I mail my drivers license request and our bounce box.
Date: 2007-06-04
From: Harpers Ferry, Comfort Inn

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

After eating the continental breakfast at the Inn with fellow hikers, Sandwich and Grizzley, I made a trip to the post office to mail our bounce box, my drivers license renewal, and a box of extra gear going to Toesock's sister, Eva. We were hiking by 9AM thru the historic district of Harpers Ferry, along the Potamac river, past historic St. Peter's Church, among others. We crossed the Potamac into Maryland, and traveled for a number of miles on the flat towpath of an old canal system, with the river on our right, and the swampy old canal on our left. We saw dozens of turtles sunning on logs, their forms barely visible for the scum from the water which drapped their heads and shells. We also saw a muskrat, an oriole in stunning colors of apricot-orange and black, two geese and their goslins, and a blue heron. A most pleasant nature walk was this - so far, we are loving Maryland! We ate lunch on an overlook high above the Potamac. We made it to the shelter by 4:30M and stayed the night with a section hiker from Pittsburg named Mike Guerkin, a retired engineer with the trail name of Three Steps. We had a leisurely and and pleasant supper, only marred by Toesocks getting bombed by a bird in flight. The Shelter was in very good condition, as was the trail in Maryland.
Date: 2007-06-05
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: scattered clouds

High wind and dark clouds portended rain, impelling us to hurry along today, covering 12.5 miles in a little more than 7 hours. We stopped for lunch, along with Three Steps and Free Ride, (a lady section hiker from Plano, Texas who works at REI) at Dahlgren Backpack State Park which was very unpleasnt for all the gnats and mosquitoes. We passed by several Civil War parks and monuments today, on a well-graded trail. At the shelter, we found Breadless eating supper before pressing on. We discussed the caterpillars eating up the trees and have been told by Three Step that these are the Gypsy Moths, which migrate down the tree trunks at night and go back up by day. They are most unpleasant munchers who are destroying large tracts of trees.
Date: 2007-06-06
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Devils Racecourse Shelter
Miles today: 13.1

We awoke to a deightfully chilly 50 Degree morning, as it had rained at about 2AM. We left by 8AM and hiked in cool temperatures most of the day. We enjoyed seeing some daisies and a groundhog as we crossed a pastureland. We met two trail maintainers (he is a retired Maryland State policeman who lives in PA) and told them what an outtanding job they were doing on the Maryland Trail, which is the best we've seen. At the shelter, we met a radiologist named Tom Richborough, an AU grad who shared strawberries and granola with us. Thanks, Tom. Three Steps, Nuts and two other section hikers were also there.
Date: 2007-06-07
From: Devils Racecourse Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

We said goodbye to Maryland today, a state of gentle trails and well maitained shelters. We made a stop for lunch at Penn-Mar Park where we enjoyed a pepsi out of the machine while looking out on the PA countryside from the band stand. We were apprehensive hiking into PA because it has a reputation for rocky footpaths, but we encountered only one rock slab before getting to the shelter. We were suprised to find a cooler full of pepsi and an apple at the shelter, and soon met our benefactor when George Finney, the shelter overseer arrived with more pepsi and apples. He keeps a pristine shelter - twin shelters for snoring and non-snoring, actually - with varnished floors and walls, free of graffitti. Thank you George. We found the sping water to be pure and we enjoyed the stream as well.
Date: 2007-06-08
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: US 30, Fayetteville, PA
Miles today: 9.6

We said goodbye to Three Step, who was going off the trail today. As we hiked through some moderately rocky sections interspersed with some swampy sectons, we met up with a young lady of the G.H.O.S.T. group, Low Gear, who is from Florida and is returning to the trail after a sailing trip with her folks. She is a very bright young lady with a degree in Law Enforcement and Policy, and a good conversationalist whom Toesocks enjoyed immensely. By the way, I got stung on my left ankle by an insect today, possibly a yellow-jacket, and so I popped a benedryl and an H+ blocker to ameliorate any side effects, with good results. We emerged from the woods at about 2PM and were soon picked up by Omer King, the brother of our friend Nancy Marsh, and his wife Marty. Omer is a Mennonite pastor whom we had never met, but who had invited us into his home which is a few miles from the trail crossing. They took us home for a shower and laundry, after which we ate out at a seafood buffet.We phoned Nancy in Florida and had a great conversation. (Thirty-three years ago, we had played match-maker for Nancy, a nurse working with Toesocks1 and Rick, a social worker working with Toesocks2. They are still happily married.) We slept soundly in the hme of this lovely couple, as the thunderstorms rolled in from the south. Thank you, Omer and Marty.
Date: 2007-06-09
From: US 30, Fayetteville, PA

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: few clouds

We enjoyed a lovely Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast with our gracious hosts, Marty and Omer King, after which they dropped us off at the trailhead. Thank you, Marty and Omer, for your hospitality. We started hiking in cool temperatures over good footpaths. At Quarry Gap Shelter, we met John the overseer, who has landscaped his twin shelters famously. We learned that he is a retired mechanical engineer who has spent countless hours volunteering on the trail. We arrived at the shelter in 6.5 hours and we pleased to find it new, large, and in pristine condition. The PATC has good shelters. Two sets of youths tented nearby. Stretch, a girl we met earlier in Glascow, came in at about 9PM, with a newly shaved head but the same rapid Eastern accent.
Date: 2007-06-10
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: James Fry (Tagg Run)
Miles today: 17.1

We hiked from 7;30 until 11;45 to reach Pine Grove Furnace State Park, where we joined Stretch, Foot, and Mystery Chicken in eating ice cream. They ate a half-gallon, while we settled for a more reasonable half-pint, along with a hamburger and fries. We said farewell to Foot, who is leaving the trail to start a teaching job in Hong Kong. We hiked another 4.25 hours to reach the remote and empty James Fry Shelter. Along the way, we passed the halfway point of 1,087 miles. We also met John, the ridgerunner for this section.
Date: 2007-06-11
From: James Fry (Tagg Run)

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 12.2

We were alone in the shelter last night, a rarity of late, although we were visited at 2AM by an owl, and at 6AM by a hoard of mosquitoes. We lit a mosquitoe coil to good effect. On today's hike, the rocks of Pennsylvania reared their ugly heads, slowing our arrival in Boiling Springs. The town is not attuned to hikers. There are no motels, only two B&Bs, and both require one to leave the packs outdoors, which is highly inconvenient, and at a cost of $90. We regret that we didn't stop early today, and then push to a motel at US11 tomorrow.
Date: 2007-06-12
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: few clouds

After a tasty breakfast of fresh fruit, oj, coffee and hot muffins, we left Garmenhaus and started hiking at about 9AM. We made fast time over flat terrain, shaded about 90 percent of the time, going though cow pastures and fields of corn and wheat in full sun the remainder of the time. The temperature was about 83, but the humidity was moderate with a nice breeze. We got more water at the Scott Work Farm before leaving the flatlands and ascending the mountains. That is where our old friend, Beachbum, caught up with us. Together, we put on pack covers when an afternoon shower began. We collected more water about 2 miles from the shelter, as the spring reportedly was dry, and beat the thunderstorms to the shelter by a mere 30 minutes. The storm raged about half the night. The shelter actually shook when lightening bolts struck nearby. We spent the night snug and dry, talking with Beachbum about his 4 years on a submarine. We also worried about the hukers behind us, hoping that Stretch and Mystery Chicken were not caught out in the open slopes by the lightening.
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA, Doyle Hotel
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

We hiked over a rocky trail, made slippery by last night's rain and by the leaf debris created by the gypsy moths. These insects are like a plague as they busily defoliate the forest - at times we walked under defoliated trees in full sunlight. We saw a garter snake, a rabbit and a gound squirrel as we hiked. The drop into Duncannon is sharp, rocky and slippery. But we made it to the Doyle Hotel in about 7 hours and Vicky quickly poured up some ice water. We checked in at the bar and enjoyed a Jeunling Lager before showering. Later we ate supper as the bar filled with hikers-Beachbum, Big Gulp, Low Gear, Walnut, Eula, Country Corn, Sandwich, Yardsale, Alpine, Pony Whisper, Grizzley, The Dude, and Jazznuts. The food here is good, and the company. We had another shower hit, but we are snug and dry.
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Duncannon, PA, Doyle Hotel

To: Duncannon, PA, Doyle Hotel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Our zero day began with a hearty breakfast at the caf© across from the Doyle, where hikers and locals all gathered amid a friendly atmosphere. We then went for a walk around town to locate the post office and the ice cream store. We then inventoried our remaining food and made a shopping list. We then went to the internet caf© and uploaded our photos and did some banking. We then ate lunch at the Doyle, followed by a haircut for me from Toesocks 1. We then packaged surplus supplies and barber tools and mailed them up the trail about 140 miles to Delaware Waterr Gap, on the Pennsylvania border. We then caught the shuttle to the grocery to resupply, after which we had supper at the Doyle with a dozzen other hikers. This included The Dude, who finaly went to the doctor for his toe infectitoday at the insistence of Nurse Mousestomper, aka Toesocks 1. Our table also included the Tampa brothers, Lucky and Packrat, and Nurse Mousestomper precribed a Dr. Schols toe cot for his blister. Mystery Chicken, Granite and Terrapin also sat with us. After calls to family, we are ready for bed - amytime after dusk is termed "hiker midnight". Tomorrow we hike.
Date: 2007-06-15
From: Duncannon, PA, Doyle Hotel

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We started our day with a hearty breakfast at Goodies, the restaurant across from the Doyle Hotel, sitting with Lucky and Packrat, whom we call the Tampa brothers (Steve and ? Newgent.) We then hiked across the two river bridges of the Susquehanna, and climbed Peters Mountain. The path was rocky and the sides were covered with poison ivy, and the trees dripped with gypsy moth caterpillars. Some trees were coated with caterpillars that were morphing into some kind of larvae state. Parts of the forest were almost totally defoliated, putting us in hot sunlight. We got to the shelter in about 7.5 hours where Stubble, Lucky, and Packrat were already settled in and headed down the infamous 270 stone step staircase to the spring. I soon followed, and I counted 287 coming back up. Later, Wolf, Walnut, Low Gear, Big Gulp and Eulah arrived, followed by Fireman, a former thru hiker who brought trail magic - a case of Jeuling Lager. We all had one. Bonnie Carol came in at dusk.
Date: 2007-06-16
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: few clouds

We got an early start and leap-frogged with several other hikers all day long, including Lowgear, Big Gulp and Walnut. They were kind enough to wait and warn us of the presence of five rattlesnakes on the rocks at Shikellimy, directing us around the den. We also swa a black snake later in the day, as well as a grouse and the ubiquous ground squirrels. We had one rock scramble in the morning, but we also enjoyed some trail magic from a couple handing out Babyruths. Thank you, trail angels. Later in this long day, the trail quickened for us as we hiked along an old stage coach road for some seven miles, making good time. We noticed that the gypsy moths are less numerous today. We passed an old mining town before getting to the shelter, where we found a crowd, but the Dude, Lucky and Packrat made room for us in the shelter, while some dozen others camped in the vicinity of the shelter.
Date: 2007-06-17
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today, Pennsylvania gave us rocks, heat, bugs, poison ivy...and did I mention rocks? But the trail also gave us a look at a turkey, a grouse with a bevy of chicks, a blacksnake, and a very large blackbear. The bear visited us at about 5:45PM in the evening, right after I had returned from the spring some .25 miles away. He stood in the trail about 40 feet from us, he looked us over, he slowly turned, and and he casually ambled away. Needless to say, this night we hung a bear rope from a tree and suspended all our food from it. Other the the bear, we had no visitors today. The group of some twenty hikers all went 4 miles farther to the 501 Shelter.
Date: 2007-06-18
From: William Penn Shelter

To: PA Hwy 501, Moneypit Hostel
Miles today: 4.1

We hiked out in about two and a half hours. The trail was buggy and so we tried out our new headnets with good results. We called Amy who picked us up, drove us to the hostel, and then to the grocery, Wal-Mart and Wendy's. We returned home, showered and visited with her mother-in-law and her husband's son, visiting from Kankakee. We also visited with her Vizslas dogs, which she breeds and shows. The family will go on vacation tomorrow to the beach, and we will hike.
Date: 2007-06-19
From: PA Hwy 501, Moneypit Hostel

To: Tent site
Miles today: 13.5

We enjoyed a breakfast of sausage, eggs, and biscuits with Miriam, Amie's mother-in-law, before getting to the trailhead at 8AM. We were driven by Amie's husband, Fritz, who lived in my home county of Kankakee for many years. We had shared yarns about Kankakee River the previous night over some Rolling 2ock. Thankyou Amie, Fritz, Miriam and Logan, for sharing your home with us. The trail was rocky most of the day, but we were rewarded with seeing a grouse and her chicks. We also saw a black and white warbler busily tossing litter in the path. The thunder began at 5PM, we saw we couldn't make it to the shelter, we found a tent site by 6 and the rain started at 7PM. But we were dry and snug.
Date: 2007-06-20
From: Tent site

To: PA61, Hamburg
Miles today: 10.9

We had thunderstorms for about 5 hours last night, and the tent leaked slightly, but we were in a good spot for a storm, well below the ridgeline. We packed the tent wet and started in raingear. The day brightened however, drying our packs and boots. The day was cool as we hiked past an outlook called Auburn Outlook. We hiked to Port Clinton and continued on to the Microtel off PA 61. We had dinner at Cabello's with Backyard Boogie, Beachbum and his wife, and Firechief. Tommorow we will slackpack.
Date: 2007-06-21
From: PA61, Hamburg

To: Hawk Mnt Road
Miles today: 14.5

We said farewell to Beachbum, his First Wife, Backyard Boogie and Firechief, as they were heading north from a point 26 miles ahead of us. We hope to catch up with them when they zero in Delaware Water Gap. Scott, the local outfitter, picked us up at the Microtel at 8AM and drove us north to near Eckville and we hiked south with just one pack. This was the most enjoyable day we've had since entering PA. We plan to slackpack the rest of this rocky state. We saw a large blacksnake today, and an ovenbird. Later at the outfiitters, we bought a Steri-pen, which purifies water with ultraviolet light waves. We hate pumping water.