morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-05-24
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Front Royal Terrapin Station Hostel
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

The Montana brothers were accurate re their ability to snore and also being early risers. The two climbed into their sleeping bags about 8pm and within two minutes were snoring like freight trains. Generally, if one is tired he will snore loud initially then it will subside to some degree; not these fellows! They snored loud and continuously all night. I got up during the night and tried to find a place to pitch my tent but we had a crowd and all the sites were occupied. I guess I finally driffted off to sleep and was awakened by a spotlight in my eyes at 4:30am. They were up packing their gear with headligths on with the white light not the red. After breakfast, they departed at daylight which was 5:30 and the rest of us got up. All the other hikers were also upset and complaining. My personal opinion is that if they realize how disruptive that they will be then they should routinely tent if possible. They came in late and requested that we make room for them after we had already set up-too late to consider moving out after their warning. Now, having said all of that, it is my fault. Shelter life is what it is!. If I don't like it, then I can control my destiny by tenting. However, I have been in a lot of shelters with hikers who snore and these guys were exceptional. I will move on. We were on the trail by 6:45 for a 10 mile hike to Front Royal Hostel. Another relatively flat hike with a few minor ups and downs. The steepest portion of the hike was the 0.4 mile side trail down to the hostel. Mike Evans owns and operates the hostel. He was a nice fellow and has a good clean hostel. There were bunk beds with thick air mattresses, about 10 bunks, good shower, laundry and kitchen facilities and a TV room. We were on the honor system to buy pizza, ice cream, snacks and cold drinks. The cost was reasonable,$17 per night. Included was a shuttle into town to a large grocery store for resupply. Present were Eagle( an avid Auburn "War Eagle" fan), Checkers, Twig and a young lady from Canada came in late. Gerda and I were happy after doing our laundry, taking a hot shower and eating pizza with beer( bought at the grocery) followed by Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I am looking forward to a peaceful night of sleep.
Date: 2011-05-25
From: Front Royal Terrapin Station Hostel

To: Front Royal Terrapin Station Hostel
Miles today: 17.0

Gerda and I decided to slackpack today. We were enjoying the hostel and Mike Evans offered to shuttle us up the trail. He does the slackpacking shuttles gratis because another night stay is assured for him. He took us up the trail to the Trico Tower Trail and we began the hike south, 17 miles. Eagle also decided to slackpack hike with us. No rain but warm. It was nice to hike without a heavy pack. Mike had a number of daypacks for us to use so we did not even have to wear our big packs. One of the reason that I elected to do the slackpack was to take some of the stress off of my shin splint. The three of us enjoyed the break and was back at the hostel mid afternoon for another hot shower. We had sodas, beer and snacks that afternoon. I had another pizza that night with ice cream. A nice young hiker, GrassHopper, from N.C. came into the hostel otherwise it was just the 3 of us. We watched the finals of American Idol and went to bed at 10pm. Overall a good decision and thus a good day.
Date: 2011-05-26
From: Front Royal Terrapin Station Hostel

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

Another peaceful night at the hostel but all good things must come to an end. I was up at 6am; Mike shuttled us back to the Trico Tower Trail but this time,of course, we hiked north. Our destination is Rod Hollow Shelter and is about 10 miles. Eagle plan to continue to the next shelter so we will not see him again. That is life on the trail. It was 93 degrees and humid. I became slightly dehydrated but at the first water source I drank a liter of water and continued to hydrate. I have always sweated much more than most people, my clothes were absolutely soaked. I also believe that I was hiking too fast in the heat, so I slowed my pace and took a few more breaks and that helped. I was fortunate that there was not a big Mtn to climb that would have made me really perspire. The shelter was crowded, Gerda had already discussed wanting to tent but there was only one decent tent site. Rather than flip a coin for it we ,once again, picked out a spot in the shelter. For some unknown reason I had miscounted my food and had none packed for the following day. I was able to hold back a few things today and I think that I will be ok. We will stay at the Bears Den Hostel tomorrow night and I should be able to replenish once I arrive. Another big crowd coming in,most of them I don't know but John Wayne from Boston is here.
Date: 2011-05-27
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Another restless night for me. A number of hikers came in late last night and were noisy until after 10pm. It was also hot and I felt sticky from the humidity and was sweating in my bag;actually, I was under the bag rather than on top. I felt something crawling on my leg, we had seen a few big spiders earlier, so naturally, I jumped but there were also stink bugs in the shelter so it could have been either but I was aware all night of the least sensation of something crawling on me. So the bad night was a combination of things. Several of us were up early but could not use the nice covered picnic table because one of the hikers, who came in late, slept on it(even though it was not raining) and of course, was fast asleep while we tried to prepare our meals standing or sitting on rocks. This was not inconvenient for me because I don't cook breakfast but aggravated a few of the others.. Gerda and I were on our way to Bears Den Hostel. A famous hostel on the trail that is owned and operated by the ATC. The hike was only 9.8 miles but it was in the famous Roller Coaster section of the SNP. Today we had to climb and descend 7 steep hills, (out of a total of 11);therefore, the name Roller Coaster. They were not too bad and would have been fun in cooler weather but it was very hot and as usual I was soaked with perspration. The entire trail today was rocky. We arrived at the hostel mid afternoon and what a nice facility. The bunk beds had real mattresses, a spacious bath, huge kitchen and dinning room. I encourage you to see my pictures of the hostel. They had a small store and sold a few supplies, meals and snacks. Gerda and I purchaed the hikers special which included the stay plus a pizza and ice cream for dinner. A number of hikers were there. I found my first deer tick today as did Gerda. No problem removing them. It takes about 24 hours for a tick to transmit a tick born disease so it is important to get them off early. I wear permethrin treated clothes so the only area of risk to me was my arms because of short sleeves and my head and neck area. I wear long pants that are treated. I am looking forward to a good night of sleep.
Date: 2011-05-28
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Blackburn AT Center
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Gerda and I had a wonderful night at the hostel. Again this is a must stay if you are hiking this section. They have a huge kitchen and supply pancake mix, a variety of bread and bagels for breakfast. Gerda and I toasted a bagel and smeared it with butter, very tasty. We hated to leave but had time constraints, Gerda was traveling by the Amtrack to Washington DC to fly home to Munich on May 31st. A short hike today, about 8 miles and it was the last part of the Roller Coaster. Today would only be 4 hills. The first part continued to be rocky but the last half was level and comfortable hiking. Our destination was the Blackburn AT Center. It is a large house but there is a fully enclosed shelter and tent sites. The PATC meets at the center every Memorial Day weekend for a rally, thus, today there were 35 members present. They invited us to have spaghetti with them for dinner. We looked at the shelter and it had two double bunk beds. We knew there were two couples behind us planning to stop and we thought it would be rude for us to take up the space. I would havt to sleep in one and Gerda in the other. All the tent sites close to the house were taken by the PATC members so we went up the hill to a nice spacious campsite with a privy, bear pole and elevated tent sites. At 4pm we went down to the house and visited . The members were nice and we enjoyed talking with them. Dinner was served at 6:30 and to our surprise they served pork tenderloin, sweet potato casserole, steamed vegetables. We had a choice of 4-5 salads and also 4-5 deserts. What a treat after a month on the trail. We waddled back to our tent site for an anticipated good night of sleep. This is a another place not to skip especially if the PATC trail crews are there and are cooking.
Date: 2011-05-29
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Gerda and I enjoyed the peace and quiet of our tents last night. We did not go back to the center but had our usual breakfast and was on the trail by 6am. Our destination was the Comfort Inn in Harpers Ferry, WV. Todays hike will be about 12 miles and is our last hike for this section. We are excited about staying in the motel and going home. I will drive back to Birmingham tomorrow and Gerda will board the Amtrak to Washington DC tomorrow at 10am. She will fly to Munich via Delta on the 31st. The trail today was pleasant and primarily down hill. We passed the 1000 mile mark and several Civil War battlefield sites. Stonewall Jackson had major campaigns in the area. Of course, John Brown's attack on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry and is also historical. It took us 4 and 1/2 hours to complete the hike. We crossed the beautiful Shenandoah River; it was a larger river than I had in mind. Our rooms were ready at the Comfort Inn so we checked in, took a shower and soon left in my jeep to do our laundry and see some of the sites. We visited the ATC headquarters and went to the historical section of Harpers Ferry. We ate dinner at The Anvil but it was disappointing. Lunch at one of the local sandwich shops was actually better. It has been a good month of hiking. I thouroughly enjoyed hiking with Gerda. She has a great spirit and is fun to be with; to my knowledge, we never had any hard feelings. It is always good to complete the hike as planned with no injuries and no illnesses. We are thankful. A happy day tomorow going home to our families and friends but also a sad day to say good bye to my friend, Gerda.
Date: 2011-05-30
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Birmingham
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning we woke up at the motel and ate the continental breakfast. We went to the historical section to continue our sightseeing. It was early and thus we were ahead of the crowds. After about two hours, we went back to the motel and checked out. I took Gerda to the Amtrak station at 10am; she had a 10:45am departure. We said our goodbyes and I wished her a safe flight home and asked her give my regards to her husband, Hermann.I went to the Visitors Center but there was not much to see, it was primarily a place to catch a shuttle into town. Therefore, I drove home. Initially I had planned to stop half way, but since I had an early start and felt good I continued to drive. It was an 11 hour drive and I arrived home at 10pm. My wife, Kay and my dog Charlie were waiting for me and glad to see me. I think it took Charlie a few seconds to recognize me; he had never seen me with a beard. Good to be home!
Date: 2012-04-20
From: Birmingham

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I will be starting my 5th section of the AT. I left the trail in Harpers Ferry the end of May last year and thus it will be my starting point for 2012. In my journal previously, I mentioned that I met a nice lady,Gerda, from Munich, Germany in 2010 and we decided to hike toghether last year. We are both happily married and are simply hiking friends.Gerda hiked the Camino De Santiago in Spain last year and made friends with an Austrlian lady, Allison, and she asked to join us this year on our AT section hike. Therefore, there will be a German, Australian and a guy from Alabama on this hike. As you can well imagine we had more than one person ask "How in the world did the three of you meet?".Nevertheless, we were a motley crew and were excited about the proposed adventure. Our plans were to hike from Harpers Ferry to Pawling,NY- 425 miles over about a 5 week time frame. We planned zero days every 7 to 9 days in order to give our aging bodies a rest. I am 70 years old and they are in their 60s. I believe Gerda is 67 and Allison is 60. Allison and Gerda flew into Wahington DC and took the Am Trak to Harpers Ferry. Allison spent a few days sightseeing DC before going to HF. They met at The Teahorse Hostel and Laural, the owner, shuttled them to Wal-Mart and the outfitter to purchase their food and supplies. I flew out of Birmingham on April 20th and immediately began having problems. The airplane had mechanical problems which were not resolved until 3 hours later;thus, I missed my connection in Atlanta. I rescheduled my connection to DC and actualy picked up my luggage at 3:30. My Am Trak reservation was for 4:05; thankfully, Union Station was close to Reagan Airport and the cab dropped me off at 3:55. It was close but I made it! I arrived in HF at 5:30 and found Allison and Gerda eagerly waiting for me at the train station. Laurel took us back to the hostel. Laurel has done a great job with The Teahorse Hostel, it was clean, spacious with a sitting area, kitchen and separate rooms for the Guys and Gals. The baths were nice and clean also. The three of us grilled steaks, drank wine and did our last minute packing to hit the trail early the following morning.
Date: 2012-04-21
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: broken clouds

I slept well at the hostel, woke up early for a shower and to enjoy a good breakfast. Gerda toasted a piece of whole wheat bread which I buttered and ate while enjoying my coffee. Laurel came up and prepared delicious waffles with fruit toppings and by that time I was full and contented. We put our packs into Laurel's car and she drove us to the river; took a few pictures and we were on our way. Our destination is Crampton Gap shelter which will be a 10.4 mile hike. We crossed the Goodloe Byron Memorial Footbridge over the Potomac River. The trail continued for several miles on a broad path used by hikers and bikers. Inially it was by the river and later the old Chesapeake & Ohio Canal was on our right and the CSX(formerly Baltimore & Ohio) railroad tracks were on our left.It was overcast but we hiked dry most of the way a few showers but nothing heavy. After a few miles we entered Gathland State Park in Crampton Gap. There is a prominent 50 foot stone structure which was erected to honor the Civil War Newspaper War Correspondents. We also passed Ed Garvey Shelter but did not stop, it is a nice shelter only 100 yards off the trail. We arrived at our shelter early afternoon and found it empty.It began to rain hard but we were glad to be inside able to stay dry.The shelter was old, built in 1941 (my birth year) but was adequate for the night.
Date: 2012-04-22
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

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

It rained most of the night but we were able to eat breakfast, pack and move around the shelter with light rain falling outside. We had a 12.5 mile hike today to Pine Knob Shelter. The light rain soon turned into a heavy rain and we were soaked. Our second day on the trail and our boots were full of water and of course blisters were beginning to form on our tender feet.We passed Rocky Run Shelter which was bult in 2008. It was tempting to stop but we needed to stay on our itinerary. Next was the Dahlgreen Campground but again we passed it. One of the highlights of the day was a Sunday Brunch at The Old South Mtn Inn which is located a few yards off the trail at Turners Gap. The Inn was over 200 years old and four different US Presidents had eaten there.Part of the battle of South Mtn was fought at Turners Gap. It was nice to get out of the rain but, unfortunately, there was no place to put our packs inside and no cover ourtside; so, they sat in the rain. We had pack covers on but they still were wet. The food was plentful and good but the hot coffee and hot soup were just what our bodies needed. An hour later, we decided to "hit" the trail again, there was no let up in the rain. We arrived at Pine Knob Shelter early and it was empty. It is an old shelter built in 1939 and it had seen its better days. There was an obvious leak in the roof and the right half was wet thus we crowded together on the dry side. Several more hikers came in but tented to avoid the leaky roof. It continued to rain hard and later we were informed that about 4 inches of rain fell. At least we were reasonably dry and not swimming yet!
Date: 2012-04-23
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Raven Rock Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The night was remarkable because of constant rain associated with loud thunder and bright flashes of lightning filling the sky. Another night to be grateful for being in a shelter.I woke up expecting to see a muddy mess outside the shelter but instead was greeted with about an inch of snow. We were surprised; it was also cold with the temperature dropping during the night.We ate breakfast and were on the trail shortly after 7am. The higher elevations had 2 to 3 inches of snow. All day we encounter either snow, sleet or rain. Our feet continued to suffer and by now all three of us had blisters but were unable to adequately treat them in the adverse wet conditions. It is hard to put a band aid on your feet in the rain. The distance to Raven Rock Shelter was 13.1 miles and was miserable. Cold and wet! This type of weather is expected in the higher elevation in the south but the weather forecast in Maryland for the next 10 days was predicted to be a high of about 50 and the low in the 40's.I brought a 30 degree sleeping bag and was cold last night. The updated prediction tonight was 28 degrees. We were happy to arrive at Raven Rock Shelter. It was built in 2010, slept 16 and was beautiful. "Shortstop" a section hiker from TN was at the shelter. He had met the ladies at The Teahorse Hostel, so they had a nice reunion. They introduced him to me and we enjoyed each others company for several more days. Because of the anticipated cold night, I filled my water bottle with hot water and placed it in the bottom of my sleeping bag. I had read about this trick but had never tried it. I went to bed with several layers on and after 2 hours was so hot I took off a layer. I was impressed with the amount of heat the bottle produced in the bag.I had a good night of sleep and was never cold. My cheap thermometer read 33 degrees the next morning.
Date: 2012-04-24
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Tumbling Rock Shelters
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

We had a good night at Raven Rock. After eating we were on the trail by 7am. It was pleasant with the temperature about 40 degrees. It was windy and that did make it cool at times but much better conditions than the previuos few days. On our way to Tumbling Rock Shelters, we will hike 13.2 miles and pass Pen Mar County Park and cross the famous Mason-Dixon line which was the original state line between MD and PA. It later became infamous in US history because of a boundry for slave versus free states. We stopped at Deer Lick Shelters for lunch and a short break. The Tumbling Rock Shelters are two shelters, one labeled snoring and the other non-snoring.They each slept 4 people and the caretaker had painted the foors and walls with polyurethane which made it much easier to keep clean. There was a covered picnic table and steel poles with 4 clothes lines in the back. He originally had wooden poles and someone cut them down for firewood!I slept with Shortstop in the snoring shelter and the ladies slept in the non-snoring shelter. That night Shortstop certainly validated that it was indeed a snorers shelter. I tried my hot water bottle technique again but was too hot and removed it during the night.
Date: 2012-04-25
From: Tumbling Rock Shelters

To: Quarry Rock Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

We enjoyed our stay at Tumbling Rock Shelters. The caretaker and his wife came by last night and we had a great visit with them. We woke up early as per our custom. Gerda is an early riser and we can be assured that we will not oversleep. I never have to set the alarm on my watch because I know that I can depend on her. Today will be a 12.2 hike to Quarry Rock Sheter. We passed the blue blaze to Rocky Mtn Shelters but it was 0.2 miles down a steep trail so we hiked by without stopping. The highlight of the day was a short walk west on US 30 to Taormina's Pizza. The good news was they served us a huge pizza which was delicious and the bad news was they did not serve beer. Apparantly, in PA only taverns and a few select restaurants can serve alcohol. No beer with our pizzas was disappointing. The pizzas were large and we were not able to eat all of it. Our AT appetite has not kicked in yet. We passed by Caledonia State Park and it was not open. We arrived at the shelter mid afternoon and completed our chores. Again there were two shelters that were built in 1935 with a water source 10 yards from the shelter. Although old, they were clean and nice.It had a covered bear box, covered picnic table and the inside had also been painted with polyurethane. There were about 10 hikers who were going to Pine Grove Furnace State Park for a "hanging" reunion. Obviously, the hanging were hammocks. They hung their hammocks behind the shelter but we were able to socialize with them during the evening hours. The weather was pleasant and we had an uneventful quiet evening.
Date: 2012-04-26
From: Quarry Rock Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State park
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: few clouds

Another peaceful night at the shelter. On the trail early for a 17 mile day. Thw weather forcast was 70 percent chance of rain. All three of us were nursing blistered feet and dreaded a long hike in the rain which would aggravate our blisters. I was running out of band aids and blister blocks. The ladies had already exhausted their supplies. Fortunately, the trail today was not particularly rocky. We passed two shelters on our way; the first was Birch Run Shelter built in 2003. It was spacious, clean with a great view of a small stream in front. There were a number of good tent sites also. We stop for a break and enjoyed the rest and the view. No rain yet, maybe we will luck out today. The next shelter was Toms Run Shellters-two shelters that were built in 1936 but again they were clean and well maintained. Another break was enjoyed. We arrived at the Ironmasters Mansion at 4pm. The mansion was full, an elementary school class was on a field trip, but I knew this ahead of time and the staff recommended the Mt Asbury Methodist retreat which was close. They also promised a shuttle to the retreat. Jeremy met us at the Ironmasters Mansion but had forgotten the promise to shuttle us, he was getting married in two days and had a lot on his mind. We almost begged him to take us down the road, which he thought was only a mile, thankfully,his fiance insisted that he shuttle us. It turned out to be 5 miles down a busy highway and would have been dangerous. All is well that ends well! The cottage had been left open for us, Jeremy did have our mail drops; so we were in good shape. A roof over our heads, a shower and a fully equiped kitchen. The retreat staff had prepared a box dinner and breakfast. There was plenty of food including deli meats, fruit and juices.I failed to mention that we missed the rain, another good omen for the three of us.