morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-10
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: light rain

Luke was up at 6:30AM and he and Paul hit the trail early. Heavy rain today. They hiked about 8 miles to Elkwallow Gap were there was a diner. Luke ended up staying at the diner for over 5 hours in hopes the rain was stop or at least lighten up, which is did a bit. He then hiked 16.2 miles in about 4.5 hours and got to the Tom Floyd Wayside shelter just before dark; unfortunately, it the heavy rains came before it got to the shelter. It has been a wet couple of days on the AT.
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Luke called us today from Front Royal, Virginia to wish Laura a Happy Birthday and Mother's Day. I have posted, to the journal, his destinations since the last time we spoke. The past couple of days have been heavy rains, which has cut into his long hiking days; however, yesterday he did 23+ miles. His goal is to get to the half-way point by May 19th. Indicated that the trail through the Shenandoah National Park was beautiful and relatively easy.Plans to hike from Front Royal to Jim & Molly Denton Shelter this afternoon and call it a day and try and dry out.A message from the transciber...Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there reading this journal.
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: few clouds

Luke called us today from Harpers Ferry...the psychological half-way point (1,006 miles). He is still with Paul as well as a few other hikers. One of the guys, Java, dad paid for a hotel room at the Quality Inn in Harpers Ferry, so Luke has a nice comfortable bed and TV for the evening....and you thought he was roughing it!!!!Luke indicated the weather has been nice the past couple of days and the hiking has been fairly easy. Robert and Susan (brother and sister) are planning on driving from Atlanta up to Fayetteville, PA this weekend to meet up with Luke and spend the weekend together. Fayetteville is about 96 miles from Harpers Ferry. Luke indicated that he plans to relax and enjoy the hotel room Thursday morning and then plans to hit the AT in the early afternoon. He is planning to hike all of Maryland (41.2 miles) by Friday morning. There is a full moon Thursday night, so he plans to leave early Thursday afternoon and night hike through Maryland.Luke said there were thousands of deer throughout the Shenandoah National Park...he even had one follow him on the trail for a few miles.Luke is looking forward to seeing his brother and sister and it should be a nice weekend for them all.
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

So much for Luke's plans of night hiking through Maryland and enjoying the lunar eclipse. Luke left Harpers Ferry around 3:00PM today but it was rainy very hard...said the trail was like a river, so he got to Ed Garvey shelter where he, Eggman and Java ended up staying. Ed Garvey shelter was really nice two story shelter.
Date: 2003-05-16
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Washington Monument Road
Miles today: 12.7

Luke called today from Washington Monument Road to let us know that he will not be in Fayetteville, PA by Saturday, due to the heavy rains yesterday and today. He was only able to hike 7 miles yesterday because the trail was like a river from the rains. He had planned to night hike Thursday through Maryland, but was unable to do so because of heavy rain. He plans to meet up with Robert and Susan in Cascade, Maryland (approximately 21 miles from where he called) on Saturday. A lot of civil war history through this area and the AT passes through several historic areas, which Luke has enjoyed.Robert called from Lexington, Virginia...they got there just fine and plan to drive up to Chambersburg, PA tomorrow and then find Luke along the AT. Luke might take advantage of having a ride and do some slack packing on Sunday.Luke is doing great and is looking forward to spending the weekend with his brother and sister.Until we hear from him again...
Date: 2003-05-17
From: Washington Monument Road

To: Cascade, Md
Miles today: 21.3

Hiked 21 miles to get to Cascade to meet Robert, Susan and Randy who drove up from Atlanta to spend the weekend with Luke. They went to a hotel in Chambersburg, PA and dropped off their stuff and then drove back to Cascade, Maryland to find Luke. They missed the turn off for Cascade and passed the Mason-Dixon line where they took a picture and then turned around and final found Cascade and Luke.
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Cascade, Md

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: few clouds

Robert took Luke back to Cascade to get back on the AT. Luke indicated it would have been nice to pick up the trail in Fayetteville, PA, which is 18 miles up from Casacade...but, he is determined to hike every single mile of the AT. Robert dropped Luke off around 11:00AM and away Luke went down the trail.
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Big Flat Fire Tower

To: Mount Holly Springs, PA
Miles today: 19.3

Passed the halfway point today (Pine Grove Furnace State Park)1,084.9 miles! The Pine Grove General Store is only open on weekends, so Luke had to buy his own half gallon of ice cream but was only able to eat about 2/3 of the gallon, so he was not able to join the "half-gallon club." Continued hiking another 11 miles to Mount Holly Springs. It has been a steady rain for the past several days and Luke has been tenting it the last two nights, so he was hoping to get to a shelter. Very rocky through this section of Pennsylvania. Due to the zero day on Sunday, Luke has been hiking by himself the past three days, but figures he will catch up with Paul by the weekend. Getting very tired of the rain and unfortunately, more rain is forecast over the next few days.
Date: 2003-05-22
From: Mount Holly Springs, PA

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: light rain

Luke called Laura today from Boiling Springs, PA. He had already hiked 9 miles and was planning on hiking another 21 miles today for a total of 30.4 miles, which would be his longest day so far.Indicated that it has been raining for the past several days and the forecast is for more rain. Since spending the weekend with Robert and Susan, Luke has been hiking by himself the past four days and has been camping versus using the shelters. But, with the rain, plans to use a shelter tonight. He indicated he should catch up with Paul and Java by the weekend and he has run into several section hikers. He passed the half-way point yesterday Pine Grove Furnance State Park. The tradition at this point is to eat a half gallon of ice cream to mark the halfway point. The Pine Grove Park Store is only open on the weekends this time of year, so Luke purchased a half gallon of ice cream and ate over two-thirds of the gallon, but could not finish the entire half gallon, so he could not "join" the half-gallon club.Even with all of the rain, Luke is in great spirits and still enjoying the adventure. He is right on schedule and should be gone by July 31st. Thank heavens he has been healthy, only complaint are the continual blisters on his feet. He is looking forward to seeing the sunshine and some dry weather soon.
Date: 2003-05-27
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

Received a call from Luke Wednesday (5/28/03) morning from Port Clinton, PA. Since his visit with Robert and Susan last week, he was hiking on his own the first part of last week and then caught up with ATV. Indicates the trail is fairly flat; however very rocky through Pennsylvania. He has had several days of rain, which has cut into his 20 plus days he was hoping to do.Paul (Eggman) was a day or so ahead of Luke, since last weekend, but Paul came back to meet up with Luke and inform him that he was leaving the trail. Paul had a job last summer in Montana and he decided to go back to Montana and work June and July. Paul and Luke had been together since March 2nd, and really enjoyed themselves. Congratulations to Paul, he did over 1,200 miles and I know he will hook up and finish the AT in the future. Paul got a ride to Baltimore and flew back to Atlanta on Monday. Paul, good luck with your job in Montana and next year at UGA!Laura and I are making plans to meet Luke in Maine at the end of July.Pray for some drier weather for Luke...Will keep you posted once we hear from Luke, which should be from Delaware Water Gap.
Date: 2003-06-01
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: light rain

Luke called us tonight (10:00PM)from Delawre Water Gap, PA, which is 1,276.2 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia. Luke has completed over half of the AT, has been on the trail for 93 days and has completed seven states.We had a great conversation with Luke. He is doing great, spirits are still high and he is enjoying the experience. He has made some great friendships along the way. As you know, Paul (Eggman) decided to get off the trail and work in Montana. Since Luke's zero day with Robert and Susan (brother and sister), Luke ended up hiking a few days on his own before catching up with ATV. ATV is 25 and from High Point, NC. Also, Luke has been meeting up with Java, Dimples, and Poptart.Unfortunately, the weather has been rainy almost the entire month of May and it was overcast and rainy nearly the entire time through Pennsylvania (230 miles), so he has not taken many pictures. As well, the trail through Pennsylvania was very rocky.Indicated his equipment is holding up fine; however, if he were to do it again, he would use some different equipment and try to get the weight down. He plans to send home his tent from the next mail drop. He is consently hungy and eats large quantities of food when they go into town.We are thankful he remains healthy and injury free.Here is a recap of his journey since his last phone call, which was from Port Clinton, PA on May 27th....Wednesday, May 28th - before hitting the trail, had "breakfast' at the Port Clinton Hotel...breakfast was 18 wings, fries with gravey and cake (told you he was hungry!). Hit the trail around noon and hiked 15.2 miles to Eckville Shelter, which was an enclosed bunkroom with a solar shower...though not too warm because of the cloud cover, indicated it was a really nice shelter.Thursday, May 29th - hiked 17.4 miles to Bake Oven Knob Shelter. Just before Bake Oven Knob stopped at Blue Mountain B&B and eat dinner...turkey sandwich, cake and then chicken fingers...I guess when you are burning 5,000 calories a day, one can eat like this.Friday, May 30th - hiked 16.5 miles and went into town (Danielsville, PA) for groceries and supplies and then camped just before Delps Trail.Saturday, May 31st - rainy day today, so only hiked 7 miles to Leroy A. Smith shelter.Sunday, June 1st - hiked 20.2 miles to Delaware Water Gap, which is at the Pennsylvania - New Jersey state line. Stayed at the Church of the Mountain Hostel, where he finally took a shower after 2 weeks!!!!! Good to be in a hostel and get dried out. Dinner was pizza at Doughboy Pizza. Tomorrow he will pick up his mail drop and begin his journey through New Jersey.Looks like he will meet his schedule, especially if the rain stops, of July 31st. Laura and I are planning on flying up to Maine to meet Luke at the end. Until we receive our next phone call....
Date: 2003-06-09
From: William Brien Memorial

To: Old West Point Road, Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 15.3

Luke called from Bear Mountain, NY and spoke with Laura; however, before I update you on Luke's adventures, I would like to thank everyone who has written Luke via the trailjournals.com Guestbook. I print the guestbook entries and mail them to Luke. He has received all of the entries and really appreciates the notes.Well, Luke has completed nearly 2/3rds of the AT (1,391.7 miles) as of today. The rainy weather continued this past week and Luke has not been able to dry out much. His feet have been wet for weeks and he has acquired some foot fungus (oh, surprise, surprise). Need to send him something for his feet. The rain has slowed him down some, but he is still very upbeat and continues to put one foot in front of the other.Some highlights from this past week...Saw a 3 foot rattlesnake on the trail. Indicated it's rattler was louder than the stream. Fortunately, it moved on!!Luke and ATV discovered a sure way to hitch a ride into town. They flag down touring buses who are happy to take them into town for a buck or two. Luke says they get on the highway or road and wave their arms and the buses stop and pick them up.Has not been able to find any convenient stops for laundry, so he has gone three weeks without doing laundry....thank heavens for the rain water.Always hungry. Has not missed a maildrop yet.Here is a recap of the past week....... - Monday, June 2nd - Hiked 10.5 miles to Mohican Outdoor Center where he   camped. - Tuesday, June 3rd - Did 20.9 miles to Gren Anderson Shelter - Wednesday, June 4th - Hiked 20.1 miles to Unionville, NY and stayed at a hostel. - Thursday, June 5th - Put in 17.1 miles to Wawayanda Shelter. - Friday, June 6th - 12.0 miles to Wildcat Shelter. - Saturday, June 7th - 9.9 miles to Southfield, NY where he stayed at the Tuxedo Motel and stocked up on supplies. - Sunday, June 8th - 9.7 miles to William Brien Memorial Shelter (stone shleter). Past three days have been rainy and the trail has been like a river. - Monday, June 9th - hiked 8.1 miles to Bear Mountain, NY where Luke called home and then was planning on doing another 7.2 miles to Graymoor Friary. Bear Mountain is one of the highest points on the AT in New York (1,305') where there are views of the Hudson River Valley and the New York City skyline.Again, thank you for your continued support!
Date: 2003-06-13
From: Mt. Algo Lean-to

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 7.0

Missed call from Luke, but left a message that he was in Kent, Connecticut and requested his maildrop for Falls Village be sent ahead to Tyringham, MA. He was calling from a phone booth in pouring rain and indicated he has been raining very hard the past week. His feet are getting raw from from continued moisture. Hopefully, he we be able to get to a spot and dry out some and take care of his feet...his next mail drop has some stuff for his feet, which we hope will help. It has been one of he wetest May's in the area.Well, he has completed another state and only four states to go. Vermont and NH will present the next big challenges.Hopefully, we here from Luke this weekend and will give a complete update since last Monday (June 9th).
Date: 2003-06-15
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to

To: Riga Lean-to
Miles today: 19.8

Father's Day treat...heard from Luke from Falls Village, Conn. (1,474.0 miles) He has encountered rain almost the entire past week. Feet are geeting sore, but he managed to get to a drug store and get some ointment and he said it helped. Weather forcast looks like dry days for the next few days. The rain has slowed down his long days and he is approaching New Hampshire, so looks like it will be first part of August when completes. He is still hiking with ATV and Java and Dimples met up with the two of them in Kent, so they will all probably hike together. It appears that the initial group that left on March 1st has thinned out, but, from what I can tell, there are still approximately 10 of the original 20 still on the trail. The weather has been unseasoanably wet this year, which has discouraged several hikers.Luke's spirits remain high and he is determined to complete the trail. I think it is nice he and ATV have hooked up with a couple other hikers and it will be nice to get a break in the weather.Since last Monday...Tuesday, June 10 - hiked 18.8 miles to Hortontown Road, RPH ShelterWednesday, June 11 - did 16.6 miles to Telephone Pioneers Shelter. Has not been able to find fuel for his backpack stove, so he has been eating lots of junk and bulking up with meals when they get into a town.Thursday, June 12 - hiked 21.4 miles to Mt. Algo Lean-toFriday, June 13 - hiked to Kent, Conn in the pouring rain and called home. Robert said it was raining so hard he could hardly hear Luke. Luke and ATV met up with Dimples and Java...they mangaged 7 miles to Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to and waited out the heavy rains.Saturday, June 14 - Wet and sloppy trail, only did 10 miles to Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to.Sunday, June 15 - Called home around 2:00PM EDT from Falls Village, Conn. Indicated the rain had stopped some. Just finished eating biscuts and gravey, bacon and eggs and they were hoping to get some good miles in to day...only 15 miles from Falls Village to Massachusetts state line.
Date: 2003-06-19
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Dalton, Mass
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

Luke called from Dalton, Mass. tonight (10:00PM). He has completed 1,552 miles. Talked with his sisters (Susan and Carey) for a long time, it was great that were able to catch up on things. The trail is starting to get a bit harder again and he has some elevation challegnes ahead. The scenery is beautiful and, fortunately, it has stopped rainy, so he has been able to enjoy the views. Feet have cleared up some, but when the rains come and his feet get wet, they burn. Other than the feet issue, he is healthy and going great. His equipment is holding up okay, finally was able to clean his sleeping bag and clean up his equipment this week. He did break one of his hiking poles and lost the other one...said it is strange hiking without poles. Given he was using poles for over 1,500 miles it would be strange not to have poles. He is still hiking with ATV, Java, Dimples and Poptart.Here is the update since last Sunday... - Monday, June 16th - hiked 18 miles. The trail runs along the Housatonic River during this section. Luke commented to ATV it would be great to find a rope swing...sure enough, they came across a tree hanging out over the Housatonic with a rope swing attached to a branch. They went in several times. Dimples took some pictures, so they should show up on her journal in the near future. Got to Sheffield, Mass where they were able to hitch a ride into town from a local (Blake) who let them stay at his house for the evening. - Tuesday, June 17th - Hiked 12 miles to Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to. This section of the trail has "boardwalks" along it because of all the rain; however, it was not raining and the boardwalk sunk into the mud. They had to take off their boots and wade through miles of swamp...cold and nasty. - Wednesday, June 18th - Hiked 16 miles to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. Cost $3 to stay at the cabin, which had bunks, covered porch and fireplace. Caretaker made them huge pancake breakfast on Thursday morning. - Thursday, June 19th - Did 20 miles to Dalton, Mass. Saw a moose along the way. Hitch a ride into Dalton and they are spending the night on the front porch of one of the residences in Dalton.Looks like clear weather for the next few days, so hopes are to get some big days of hiking. Plans are to still be done by end of July. There is a concert in Maine the first weekend in August, so they are setting a goal to get to Mt. Katahdin by July 31st and then hitch a ride to the concert.Until the next update...thanks for your continued support.
Date: 2003-06-25
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Heard from Luke today. He is taking a zero day in Manchester Center, Vt. and is staying at Sutton's Place. He has completed 1,634 miles.Since Dalton, Mass. (June 19th) here is what has happened:Friday, June 20th - Got to Cheshire, Mass in the morning where his next maildrop was to be delivered, which had a new set of boots. Unfortunately, the box did not make it to Cheshire in time, so Luke had the box forwarded to Manchester. Hike a total of 17 miles today to Mt. Greylock where he stayed at the pavilion, which is only for picnickers...was asked to leave early next morning.Saturday, June 21st - First day of summer, which is hike naked day on the AT...Luke opted not to do so and, anyway, it was very cold morning. Since he missed his maildrop in Cheshire, he hiked to Williamstown, Mass. to get some groceries. He and ATV ate at a Subway and hung around Williamstown until about 4:00PM hoping the rain would stop...which it never did (rained until 11:00 the next day). They got back on the trail around 4:00 and hiked to Seth Warner Shelter. The shelter was full with a bunch of section hikers, so he continued on another 7 miles to Congdon Shelter. It was raining and getting late, so Luke was hiking extremely fast to get to the shelter before dark. Was covered with mud (even on his face) from hiking hard and fast. Thankfully, there was some room at the Congdon Shetler.Sunday, June 22nd - Still raining and being tired from the night before, he only did 6 miles to Melville Nauheim Shelter.Monday, June 23rd - Hiked 12.8 miles to Cauhnawaga Shelter. Weather starting to warm up.Tuesday, June 24th - Hiked his longest day, 25.7 miles and got to Vt. 11 where they camped. Along the way they climbed Stratton Mountain (3,936') they hike 7 miles straight without a break to get to the top of Stratton. There was an old fire tower at the top of the mountain, which they climbed and ended up taking a 2 hour nap on the tower. It was extremely hot, 90 degrees, and lots of bugs. It was nice on top of the mountain and up the tower...cool breeze and no bugs. Also, he found 4 piping springs during the day, which were very refreshing. He filled up all of his water bottles and great break from iodine tablets. Long day of hiking and he had run out of food...time to restock in Manchester Center.Wednesday, June 25th - ended up having to walk to Manchester Center, which is about 5 miles off the trail, and got a room at Sutton's Place. Said it was expensive in Manchester Center...both lodging and meals. He ate 3 times at McDonald's (the sound of it makes me sick). Went swimming in a lake and getting his laundry done. Felt good to take a shower, it had been 2+ weeks with no shower! His maildrop arrived in Manchester Center...great news as his new boots made it.He and ATV are still together and meets up with Java and Dimples at night.Next maildrop is Hanover, NH home of Dartmouth College. The trail goes right through Hanover, so Luke is looking forward to seeing Dartmouth and being in a college town.
Date: 2003-07-02
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, N.H. - Dartmouth College
Miles today: 14.6

Luke is in Hanover, NH, where he spent the night at a fraternity house at Dartmouth College. Well, just two states to go...New Hampshire and Maine. Laura and I will book our flights for Maine and plan to meet Luke around July 31st in Maine. Looks like Luke will finish up with Java, Dimples, Poptart and A-Train. A-Train was ahead of Luke, et al, but went home for his brother's wedding and plans to get back on the trail in Glencliff, so Luke will most likely meet up with A-Train in the next couple of days.Back in March when Luke started, he was hiking with Jim and Robin Marshall, a couple from Vermont...actually, Jim is the one who gave Luke his trail name of Shifty. Jim and Robin hiked for about a month with Luke and then returned home to Vermont. Jim has been following Luke's journal and had a good idea when and where he was, so he met up with Luke at Tucker-Johnson Shelter in Vermont and they hiked together for the day. Jim nicely brought some old ski poles for Luke to replace his broken hiking poles...Thanks Jim! The terrain will be tough through New Hampshire, so the poles will be great to have.Luke said the weather has been pretty good, only one night this past week with pouring rain. The shelters have been crowded at night due to section hikers and southbounders starting out.I guess after 1,700 miles I am not surprised by this...Luke is tried of Snicker candy bars!!! Okay, time to send something else.The end is in sight...Luke is still enjoying himself; however, he is ready to get off the trail. We are looking forward to flying up to Maine to meet Luke at the end. Next time we should hear from Luke is from Mt. Washington, NH, until then...