morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-08
From: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I got up early, but so did the family in the shelter so I didn't have to worry about noise. It didn't really cool down much through the night, and you could feel the humidity in the air already this morning. I knew it was going to be a sweaty day. I said my good-byes and headed out about 7:45. Shortly after leaving the shelter there was a turtle on the trail. That was the first turtle I had seen. The going was easy down to Rt. 638. After I crossed the road - yuck! What terrible condition the trail was. The grass was up to my head and you could hardly tell where the trail was. It was not fun. Thankfully it did not last all day, but it was long enough to be annoying, especially on a humid day where it sticks to you. It seemed to take forever to get to the Manassas Gap Shelter so when I did, I took a long break. It was partly because Gray Beard Beaver stopped in while I was there. It turns out he grew up in Poughkeepsie - small world. I finally got going. I walked on by Dick's Dome Shelter and then came to a really nice park bench where a trail leads to Sky Meadows State Park. How inviting. Tree, you hear that? Another one! It was long enough for me to lie down even. The flies were buzzing so much it sounded like a mini racetrack. They didn't bother me much though so I had a nice long relaxing break. It was during the heat of the day and the bench was shaded so it was perfect. After about an hour I pushed myself to move on. It seemed like there were a lot of ups and downs - even though they were small - in the last 6+ miles. It felt good to get to the shelter and get my shoes off. The spring was running great (the water source at the shelter last night was terrible) and they had another pipe for a "trail shower". I'm looking forward to the Bears Den Hostel tomorrow. They have a bunk, shower, laundry, internet access, pizza, soda, and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream all for $25!! It will only be 10 miles but it will be over the "roller coaster". Lots of ups and downs in a short amount of time. I prefer the ones you get to ride. At least I won't have to wait in line. I have the shelter to myself tonight. It seems the crowds have thinned out. I don't see many thru hikers any more. Thunder is rolling in and lots of planes are going overhead. I guess it's a sign I am near DC.
Date: 2007-06-09
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: few clouds

On Monday, it will be my sister's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jill!!! She has been taking care of my finances for me while I'm on the trail. She is doing a better job than I do with it myself. She is having to check my accounts online, send checks to people, go through my mail, take care of everything to do with my condo...and on and on. I am EXTREMELY grateful and owe her big time. So everyone send good vibes out to my sister on Monday!!! Today's hike was short, but it wasn't easy. The ups were not huge, but they were steep and rocky and a lot of them. I was very happy to get to the Bears Den Rocks at noon. I hung out there for a bit and then went on to the Hostel. I was looking forward to getting to use the PC to update my journal instead of having to do all these days on my phone. However, after my shower it was down so I walked into town to a pub and got a burger and a beer. It was an all downhill walk of about a mile and I wasn't looking forward to the walk back. One of the patrons gave me a ride back up the hill to the hostel! Once the access to the Internet was back, I started working on getting this up to date. Boy, I was really behind. I took a break to make my pizza and now I will end and go have my ice cream.
Date: 2007-06-10
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: 2.5 miles passed Keys Gap
Miles today: 16.6

1000 miles !!!!!I made up my mind last night to camp just before Harpers Ferry so I could have a full day there. So, I wasn't too worried about an early start and the day seemed fairly cool compared to what it had been. I slept in and enjoyed my bunk and bunk room to myself. The Bears Den Hostel is a great place. It's a big stone house that's very clean and well kept. Queen Diva makes you feel right at home. There were some guys doing a section hike who were hurting a bit and Queen Diva helped them get their pack weight down. I hope they had a better day today. I had leftover pizza for breakfast and headed out about 10:45. There were a few short climbs to start out...the rest of the roller coaster. I suddenly came to a sign that said welcome to West Virginia! You enter it very briefly and then follow the border of VA and WV for several miles before finally actually leaving VA. So I wasn't quite ready to celebrate, but I did take a picture. After the roller coaster it was pretty easy going. I decided to stop at the Blackburn Center because I think Tim has mentioned it before since Weathercarrot has done so much work there. It is a beautiful place with a wrap-around screened in porch. Unfortunately, nobody was there so I couldn't get the soda I was looking for. It has one of the cleanest privies I've ever seen! Only thing was it was a drop of about 300' to get down there, so now I have to climb back up to the trail. I had been leap-frogging with Terry all day. He has done quite a bit of the trail and gave me some info on the trail to come. I got almost all the way to the David Lesser Shelter and realized I had lost my bandanna (the one you gave me, Tim) so I turned around and headed back to look for it. Thankfully, I ran into Terry who had found it and brought it forward for me. Thank you Terry! I headed on to Rt. 9 (I can't get away from it!). When I got there, I looked right and a sign said Welcome to Virginia and I looked left and a sign said Welcome to West Virginia. Cool. I went right 0.3 miles to a convenience store with a deli and got some dinner. Once I finished, I headed back to the trail. I hiked about a mile passed the power lines and found a bit of a rocky spot to set up camp. I'll have a nice short day tomorrow! 1000 miles!!!
Date: 2007-06-11
From: 2.5 miles passed Keys Gap

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: clear sky

Ah, what a feeling! To be in Harpers Ferry!! I got to the ATC headquarters a little after they opened at 9 AM. They took my picture and gave me my number - 246. It's an easy number to remember. I looked through to see who else had made it so far. They have a 3D relief map of the entire trail. It's really cool. I left my pack there and walked the rest of the trail down to where it crosses the Potomac. Then my friend, The Doctor, whom I haven't seen in a long time showed up and bought me lunch, and then helped me out getting my pack and getting around town. Mom, no I'm not sick...it wasn't that kind of doctor visit; and SherpaK (thanks for the emails!), no it was not the VFTT doctor. It was a real pleasure catching up with The Doctor and I hope it won't take as long before we get to do it again. I decided champagne was in order to celebrate getting to the psychological halfway point of the trail. It felt good to celebrate. I know, I'm always celebrating out here. I'm suppose to have fun though, right?! After all, I took time off from work to do this, I'm going to get the most out of it!
Date: 2007-06-12
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Dahlgren Campground
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: few clouds

It was pretty cool to only walk a short distance and be in another state already. It was nice walking on the tow path along the Potomac for the first 3 miles. I stopped in at the Ed Garvey Shelter and saw that Driftwood had signed in today after taking 5 days off. That was a surprise. The terrain was pretty easy most of the day with a few rocks here and there. I got to Gathland State Park and there was Driftwood. The park was nice but buggy. It had soda and juice machines. I drank 2 bottles of juice and then headed out. The thunder started threatening and the sky started to get dark. It had just started to rain lightly as I got to Dahlgren Park. Driftwood was already there. We decided to go to dinner at the Old South Mountain Inn and hope the worst of the storm would blow over while we had dinner. The Inn is a beautiful, fancy place. It's very high end so it's pricey but very good. It's not something I could do very often, but it was a nice treat. The heavy rain had stopped and so had the thunder and lightening by the time we left to go back to the park and set up our tents (after dark). It was raining lightly so it wasn't bad. It was nice to have the bathroom and shower nearby. The tent sites are hard packed though so it was tough to put in a stake. They are nice and flat but feel harder than a shelter floor.
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Dahlgren Campground

To: Wolfsville Rd
Miles today: 13.5

I got up and took a shower with a frog. No, that's not a trail name, it was actually a frog. It had rained all night so I packed up the wet tent. I needed to run into Boonsboro to the PO. The Doctor picked me up at the road and took me in. It saved me trying to hitch or walking (especially back - all uphill). Thanks Doc! I was back and hit the trail about 9:15. One of the first things for the day was to go up by the original Washington Monument. When I got up there, a man comes from the other direction and we both stop when we see each other. He says, "Hi M&M" and I say, "Hi M&M". It was kind of strange! He was SOBO slack packing heading back into Harpers Ferry. We walked up to the monument and he helped me to get a picture of me at the monument. When I got to I40, I decided to take the walk to the Dogpatch Tavern for lunch. I had their special for the day - a bowl of delicious chili and a grilled cheese sandwich. That along with a beer made my lunch a total of $6.00. Awesome! Driftwood came in for lunch too. One of the patrons (bill) took us back up the hill to get on the trail. I didn't stop in at the next shelter. It was starting to thunder again so I didn't stop at Annapolis rocks either. I did go over to Blackrock Cliffs since they were closer to the trail. It was a nice view except for the storm clouds brewing. I didn't stay long. It started to sprinkle some so I stopped and put my pack cover on. When I crossed Wolfsville Rd and started on the trail, a car pulls up and I hear, "Hi M&M". It was Bo Cephus. Harley Hogpit was driving the car and they had brought a birthday cake for Trail Blazed. Driftwood showed up right then so we lit the candles and all sang happy birthday to him. Harley invited us all to go back to her place for the evening. Why not, yet another celebration. Another shower, laundry, food, and beer. Just as we got to her place, it really started to storm. Good timing, we were lucky! After we ate and watched a movie, the rain had stopped. We went for a nice walk in the beautiful huge park in her town. Hopefully it was a nice birthday for Trail Blazed. It was a very nice thing for Harley to do.
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Wolfsville Rd

To: Antietam Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: haze

I woke up to the smell of bacon cooking. Harley cooked us all breakfast (eggs, bacon, mac & cheese, and brownies). Bo Cephus had bought a gallon of milk so we had a great breakfast. Harley took us back to the trail where we saw Hyde and Low Branch about to head into town for food. We stopped at the shelter that was only 0.2 miles in. It seemed like it was going to rain, which it did a little but never really continued. Everything was wet though. I headed out from the shelter around 10:15. I was pretty excited for today.Georgia. Check.North Carolina. Check.Tennessee. Check.Virginia. Check.West Virginia. Check.Maryland. Check.I finished my 6th state today! There were a bunch of us that ended up at Pen Mar park and stopped for a snack. It's a pretty park with benches facing a nice view. It was now only 0.2 miles to PA! We all went together and got to the railroad tracks which is suppose to be the border. There was no real sign there. We took pictures and then in the woods there was a post that used to have a sign. Someone had written Mason-Dixon line on the post. More pictures. It was nice to have the others there to celebrate crossing into the North Country. We each continued on and got to a picnic table at Rt. 16. It seemed out of place, but we were happy for it. The road was very busy and we finally had to run to get across. When I got to the Deer Lick Shelters, both were pretty full. I hadn't planned on stopping yet anyway. The next shelter was only another 2 miles. I continued on and came to a stream crossing. There was a beautiful flat area to camp along the stream near the shelter. Driftwood and Trail Blazed were already there setting up camp. I thought about going to the next shelter since it was only a mile away, but this is a pretty spot. I like to camp where I hear a stream all night. Plus, I wanted to set up my tent since it was still wet. After dinner we went to the shelter where Hyde was building a fire and Low Branch was there too. Trail Blazed had the makings for s'mores so we all had some. It's a cool night with no bugs. Tomorrow I will hike 10.7 miles and go into Fayetteville to pick up my maps.
Date: 2007-06-15
From: Antietam Shelter

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: overcast clouds

What a nice night listening to the stream. I found out later that some guys came into the shelter and brought some beer after I went to bed. Hyde and Low Branch had a good time. The rest of us missed out. I headed out so I could get into Fayetteville at a reasonable time. It was pretty easy going. I ran into a couple of SOBO folks working on a section and another (Edge) who was doing a flip flop of sorts. It's always nice to talk to a SOBO to get tips and info on things coming up. I got to the road to go to Fayetteville and lots of cars went by before I got picked up. Finally, Wendell picked me up and gave me a ride to the Post Office. Even better, he picked me back up and took me to a restaurant that was close to the trail. Thanks Wendell!! I had a late lunch at the restaurant and packed up some leftovers for dinner. As I was walking back to the trail I saw Driftwwod, Hyde and Low Branch walking in to go to the restaurant. I stopped in at Quarry Gap Shelters. They are very nice, well kept shelters with some flowers placed around and a nice bench for relaxing. Ridge runner John was there. It was still before 5 and I felt good so I decided to continue on. John said there were plenty of places to camp before the next shelter so I should be able to stop if I wanted. I ended up going on all the way to the next shelter, but he was right - there were a lot of great tent spots (dry though). I was glad to only have 9 miles for tomorrow to get to the halfway point and the half gallon challenge!
Date: 2007-06-16
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

Robin: Holy halfway point, Batman! Batman: You aren't going to do something stupid are you, Robin?Robin: I have to do the half gallon challenge, it's tradition.Batman: But it'll make you sick and you won't be able to hike any more today.Robin: I know, but I can get a wooden ice cream spoon!Batman: That sounds like hiking a list of peaks just to get a patch. When are you going to grow up?Robin: Never! I'm having way too much fun!Well, I tried. I just couldn't eat the whole half gallon of ice cream. I gave up after about 2 hours. So, I didn't get the spoon, but I did get to feel a little sick. :-) Riggy started with me and finished in 48 minutes. Hyde started soon after and finished in 37 minutes. Low Branch couldn't finish his. Driftwood took 1 hour and 53 minutes. While we were working on eating our ice cream, Ishmael who thru hiked in '96, stopped by and said he was having a party on the other side of the lake in the park and we were all invited. We could stay at the cabin for the night. We thought that sounded great! We headed over about 3:00. Neil and Kim were there. The cabin is so nice! It's a rustic design, but a large cabin with a wrap-around screened in porch. We had course after course of food with beer, soda, a fire, and some great music. The cabin is right on the lake so a beautiful setting. Neil, Kim, Sue and Ishmael cooked and worked hard to make a wonderful night for all of us. As the evening went on, we gathered more hikers so we had Hyde, Driftwood, Low Branch, Old Yeller, Singe, Bo Cephus, Hop Along, and Just Glen. What a great evening!
Date: 2007-06-17
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Ishmael made breakfast for us (with some help) and we all cleaned up the cabin. Then it was some picture taking and we were on our way around 10:30. With such a late start, I figured I wouldn't be going all the way to Boiling Springs. I felt really good though. I think I needed all those calories. My energy had been low yesterday. When I got to the spur trail for the James Fry Shelter, I looked at the data sheets and saw I could go to a store in 1.4 miles that was only 0.2 off the trail. I got a delicious chicken salad sandwich, chocolate milk, and 2 sodas. Mmmm...it was great. I took one of the sodas with me. I just kept plugging away through the day and suddenly I was at a farm field. I guess it was the start of the Cumberland Valley. We had planned to stay at Neil and Kim's if we got to Boiling Springs, but it turned out they had other plans. So, Ishmael came and got us at the ATC and took us to his place. We stopped and got some sausages, peppers, onions, chips, 1 gallon of chocolate milk, 1 gallon of iced tea and some beer for the 4 of us (Hyde, Driftwood, Low Branch, and me). Ishmael has 2 shelters built in his backyard just for hikers...amazing! He is a triple crowner and understands life on the trail. Sue was there too and they chatted with us and made us feel right at home while we used his kitchen to cook and eat dinner. It was late and we headed out to the shelter after dark. Thank you so much to Ishmael!
Date: 2007-06-18
From: Boiling Springs

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: few clouds

Ishmael took us back to the trail and we headed out a little before 9. Again, I wasn't sure if I would make it all the way to Duncannon as the others planned, but I knew I would likely make it to Cove Mountain Shelter (4 miles before). First I had to cross "Death Valley" (Cumberland Valley). It was about 13 miles of mostly flat and sometimes exposed (farmlands) trail. It was a really hot day. We all stopped in at Scott Farm since there was good water there. We had leftover sandwiches for lunch. I had brought some of the tea to have with lunch which really hit the spot. Getting to the Darlington Shelter was a psychological boost. I had finished the valley. Now it was 7.3 to the next shelter and another 4 into town. At that point, I knew I was going all the way into town. I wanted to get to stay at the Doyle since that seems to be another one of those traditions. At places, the rocks would slow me down. My feet were already sore. When I finally reached the Cove Mountain Shelter, I knew I had to eat and drink something before I could move on. Now it was a 4 mile push to get into town. When I reached the edge of town, I called Hyde and he had a beer poured and ready for me when I walked in the Doyle! Anything ice cold at this point would be great. It was a long, hot day. I got to the Doyle around 7:15 or so. Slinky, Dog, Gandalf, High LIfe, Diamo Low Branch, Hyde, Laredo, and Driftwood were all there or got there soon after me. It was kind of like a reunion. I can't believe I hiked 25 miles today!
Date: 2007-06-19
From: Duncannon

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: clear sky

Hey Hoosier...I'll probably be at the hiker party at the Pavillion in Port Clinton on Saturday. I may get into town Friday night. I was up until about 1 AM so needless to say, I didn't sleep much. I couldn't sleep any more so I finally got up about 7:30 and went over to Goodies for breakfast. It was a lot of food so I packed some up for the trail. I was feeling tired and thinking of taking a zero. I wanted to get my online journal up to date. I walked to the Post Office and got a call from Bowleg. He and Bono were just coming into town. It was fun to see Bono's reaction to my voice as he looked to see where I was. It was good to see them. They didn't stay very long though. Once Vicky and Pat (great people) opened the Doyle a little after 11, I went in to use the Internet. It was great to get my online journal caught up. It took awhile. It was getting very hot out and they were calling for a storm. I ordered some lunch and a sandwich to go. Pulled Pork sandwich made by Pat - wow, it was really good! I headed out and stopped at a store for a few items for the trail. When I started again, Vicky (from the Doyle) honks and pulls up in a van. It seems Slinky and Dog left their phone and charger so I took them. Now it was just about 2 PM...the heat of the day. It was brutal. The climb was tough between the heat and the rocks. I had to stop a couple of times. The thunder was getting louder and more frequent. I decided to stop at the first shelter to get water. Everyone leaving the Doyle talked about going to the 2nd shelter. When I got to the first shelter, Slinky, Dog, Too Many Birthdays, Diamo, and Bowleg and Bono were all there waiting to see what the storm was going to do. I was glad I didn't have to worry about making it to the next shelter to get the phone to Slinky and Dog. The storm started moving in and it started raining. We all decided to stay here for the night. A short day, but at least I got out of town. Now the air is feeling cooler so maybe we'll have better hiking weather for tomorrow.
Date: 2007-06-20
From: Clarks Ferry Shelter

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

It rained off and on through the night, fairly heavy in the early morning. Fortunately, it was much cooler. Everything was wet though. I wanted to make it to Rausch Gap so I knew I had to get moving. It was going to be a long day. Table Rock had a nice view so I took a break there. Most of us were at Peter's Mtn.Shelter for lunch. It's a big shelter with a picnic table on the covered deck. Nearby is the original shelter built by Earl Shaffer. It was cool to see it (I got a picture). It seems so small compared to the other shelter. I didn't stay long - lots of miles left for the day. When I got down to Clark's Valley, a woman gave me a can of iced tea - nice and cold. The climb out of the valley was long and rocky although the grade was gentle. The terrain goes back and forth with the rocks. Yellow Spring Village site had a mailbox with a trail register in it. There is no actual village, just the remains of rock foundations. Only 6 more miles to go, I can do this. It felt so good to get to the shelter. There is a spring right in the wall in front of the shelter - you don't even have to bend over to get it. There is a tree in front of the shelter with a table built around it. I was pretty tired and my feet were pretty sore. My heel has been getting gradually worse since Damascus. I'll have to be careful with rocks and big miles.