morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-16
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 20.4

Today was a day of milestones. Shortly after leaving the Bears Den, I passed the 1000-mile mark, where an understated sign was nailed to a tree at eye level. After hiking for 544 miles through Virginia, I finally left that state today, entering West Virginia at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. I'm staying tonight in Harpers Ferry, a town that played a key role in the Civil War, changing hands several times during that conflict. The headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is located here, so I stopped in to have my picture taken and be assigned a number, which turned out to be 625. Thus, 116 hikers, or approximately 20 per day, have passed through since AZ (#509) was here six days ago. My number in signing in at Amicalola Falls State Park was 1080, which doesn't include the people who chose not to do the approach trail. This suggests there's been lots of attrition over the first 1000 miles.In its bathroom, the ATC has a doctors scale that I used to see if I've stemmed the loss of weight I'd been experiencing since Georgia. 191 pounds, which means I've been holding steady for the last month thanks to my "seefood" diet: I see food, I eat it.Shortly before reaching Harpers Ferry, I passed a hiker about my age whom I recognized, but despite wracking my brain, could not remember the shelter I'd met him at nor his trail name. When I admitted that to him, he reminded me his name was Sherpa, at which point I realized he and his wife were the ones to give Anders and me a ride to the Walmart in Luray exactly a week ago for new shoes and a lift back to the trail the next morning. Sherpa arrived at the ATC shortly after me and received #626.A number of hikers chose to travel by boat rather than foot along this stretch of the AT. I had dinner with Wild Turkey, whom I last saw with her dog Cormac at the Four Pines Hostel three weeks ago, and Bliss, a thru-hiker from Nova Scotia, both of whom aqua-blazed for a week along the Shenandoah River in a canoe from Waynesboro. Kimpossible and Sparkle are thinking of using this alternate form of transportation as well.Also at dinner was Guthook, who is building a database of AT landmarks, such as trail junctions, water sources, camp sights, shelters, and trail towns, which he uses as the basis for a smartphone application he's written that serves the same function as AWOL's guide. Guthook just finished a section hike of Virginia to gather information for his database. Although I only first met him tonight, I'd previously met a number of thru-hikers using his app.Tomorrow I'll cross the Potomac and enter Maryland, my third state in two days.
Date: 2014-06-17
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Dahlgren Campground
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: scattered clouds

It's days like today that make thru-hiking the AT special. It didn't start out so hot. Strike that. It started out so hot that by 8:00 am, after I'd crossed over the Potomac on the railroad bridge that connects Harpers Ferry to Maryland, I was drenched in sweat. The trail then followed the C&O Canal towpath for several miles, no doubt the flattest, straightest section of the AT. Eventually, it left the canal, entered the woods, and made the only significant climb of the day, soon passing a cliff that overlooks the Potomac River 600 feet below.For several weeks, I'd been exchanging emails and texts with Vicki, a trail angel from the DC area who had been following my journal and wanted to provide trail magic to me and any thru-hikers who happened to be around when I passed through Maryland. We had arranged to meet today at noon at Gathland State Park, 10 miles north of Harpers Ferry. Brace, Fruit Punch, and I, who were leapfrogging each other this morning, reached the park just before noon, right as Vicki rolled in. Brace and I were filling our water bottles at the time, and somehow she could tell immediately we were thru-hikers, and I was the one she had been corresponding with. I wonder if the fact that I have a single hiking shirt and pair of hiking shorts, which appear in every journal picture of me, was a giveaway.The park had a pavilion, which offered protection from the midday sun that had by this time pushed the temperature into the 90s. Vicki had stopped at a deli in the morning to pick up a variety of awesome sandwiches as well as soda, beer, bananas, chips, and cookies. While Brace, Fruit Punch, and I were enjoying the delicious food, a pair of southbound section hikers traversing Maryland, White Sox and his great nephew Slim, stopped in for the trail magic.I found out at the pavilion that Vicki has been providing trail magic since early May, and she keeps a log that's been signed by dozens of hikers who've benefited from her generosity this year. I also found out at the pavilion that she had additional plans for the day. The Dahlgren Campground was seven miles north on the AT, and Vicki suggested Brace, Fruit Punch, and I hike there and set up our tents, at which point she would pick us up and bring us swimming at the nearby state park. Although my original plan had been to go 23 miles, the prospect of cutting it to 17 for the chance to go swimming was a no-brainer. On the way to the lake, we stopped at the post office in Boonsboro so Brace could pick up a new set of boots he'd had sent to himself there and at a creamery for ice cream. And after swimming we stopped at a super market to pick up hamburgers and hot dogs, which we cooked back at the campsite. By this time, a large group of hikers had arrived from Harpers Ferry, including Belch, Ghostbuster, Hot Sauce, Roots, Uphills, Safety First, and Wander Bus, all of whom got a taste of Vicki's trail magic. Vicki, thank you so much for your trail magic today. You turned a day I would like to have forgotten into one filled with pleasant memories.
Date: 2014-06-19
From: Antietam Shelter

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

It seems that since crossing the Mason-Dixon Line the mosquitoes have stepped it up a notch. So when I arrived at the Antietam Shelter last night, with its open front just yards from a swampy looking stream, I decided to sleep in my tent. Around midnight, I was awakened by an approaching thunderstorm, and a short while later it was directly overhead. The lightning was so intense, its light was blinding even with my eyes shut. For several minutes, I couldn't tell which thunderclap was coming from which lightning bolt, as both were happening so fast and furious. It was downright terrifying, and I found myself squeezing into the very center of my tent, trying to maximize my distance from its paper-thin walls, hoping they would take the brunt of a direct strike and preserve me, even though they weren't even capable of holding back the torrential rain at that point. Thankfully, the storm departed as quickly as it arrived, and I soon fell back asleep. In assessing the situation in the morning, I discovered my tent was like a boat at sea that had sprung a leak. My sleeping pad was lying in a pool of water, and everything in the tent was soaked. With the tropics-like humidity, there was no hope of hanging a line for drying, so I just shoved everything into my pack and got moving. Even so, I started hiking two hours later than yesterday.The trail has had some interesting changes of scenery in the past several weeks. Back when I was hiking with Granders north of the Shenandoah, it went through a jungle-like section with vegetation so lush and thick, a machete would have been required to walk anywhere but on the path. Recently the trail returned to its more traditional look, passing through hardwood forests where bushwacking off the trail would be easy, and in some places the white blazes are crucial in helping to stay on it. The trail also crosses grassy fields several times a day, after which I perform a tick check on both legs. The rhododendrons, which were so prevalent down south, disappeared for a while but have returned here in Pennsylvania and are once again in bloom. The difference is the flowers in Virginia and farther south ranged from pink to violet, whereas they're white up here.In mid afternoon, just before I passed Caledonia State Park, a storm rolled through, this time with plenty of rain but no lightning. I headed for the park's snack bar, where several other hikers were holed up at picnic tables under the awning waiting out the rain, and had a couple hotdogs and a soda while sitting with Long Bow, No Steps, and a few others.When I eventually made it to the Birch Run Shelter by 7:00, nothing inside my pack had miraculously dried during the day, so I set up a wet tent, blew up a wet air mattress, and spread my wet sleeping bag on top of it.
Date: 2014-06-22
From: Boiling Springs

To: Philadelphia via US route 11
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

This weekend's visit from Tom came at a perfect time. I'd developed a patch on my right ankle where the skin had been rubbed raw from hiking too many miles recently in wet socks, so the reduced mileage was welcome. I'd been covering up the area with band aides the past three days, but yesterday's rain set me back a bit. I'm hoping that after a zero with my sister, Margaret, and her husband, Bryan, in Philadelphia tomorrow I'll be fully healed when I resume bigger mileage on Tuesday.After a bargain $6 buffet breakfast at the Allenberry Resort, Tom and I got going around 9:00 am. The trail continued through the Cumberland Valley, making its way through a narrow strip of woods with farms on both sides. Occasionally it would break out into a cornfield or horse pasture for a short distance before disappearing again into the woods. We'd arranged to meet Maria eight miles up the trail at the intersection of the AT with US route 11 at 2:00, so, like yesterday, we had plenty of time to cover the distance. The trail was smooth and flat, allowing us to make good time and arrive at the rendezvous point by noon. A short walk down the road brought us to a Dunkin Donuts, where we had lunch and enjoyed the air conditioning while waiting for Maria to arrive. Tom called Maria to inform her of the new rendezvous point. On the way to Philadelphia, we stopped at an REI so I could replace my water filter that was leaking more than it was filtering and my headlamp whose switch was temperamental in wet weather. I also bought a third pair of Darn Tough socks so I'll be able to keep my feet dry longer during extended rainy conditions. While on the highway, I ordered a replacement set of Brooks Cascadia trail runners. The ones I've been using since Damascus, VA are starting to show some wear, and I'd like my shoes, rather than my feet, to bear the brunt of the abuse when it starts getting rocky farther north in Pennsylvania. I had the shoes sent to the post office in Port Clinton, which means I'll have to do some big mileage this week to avoid having to zero there on Sunday waiting for the post office to open on Monday. This is precisely why I chose not to do food drops on this trip.After a quick stop at Tom's for showers, we drove to Margaret's, where appetizers were waiting. They was followed by a delicious dinner of leek and sweet potato soup, pot roast, and salad. My niece, Julia, and nephew, Alec, were there, along with Julia's boyfriend, Marley. After dinner, Tom and Maria said goodbye, Alec demonstrated his talent as a pianist, and Margaret demonstrated Alec's talent as a composer by playing some music he'd written using an online tool.
Date: 2014-06-23
From: Philadelphia via US route 11

To: Philadelphia via US route 11
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The contrast between life on and off the trail continues to astound me. After walking through farmland in the Cumberland Valley near Harrisburg with Tom yesterday, I found myself sitting in an auditorium with Margaret and Bryan at Alec's middle school graduation this morning. The topic of the principal's address was grit. Not of loose particles of stone or sand, but rather of courage and resolve. She cited four examples in making her point: the D-Day invasion 70 years ago that changed the course of world history; the Brown vs. Board of Education case decided by the Supreme Court 60 years ago that helped usher race equality into the United States; the death this year of Dr. Maya Angelou, the global renaissance woman and civil rights activist; and finally, the response to the forced relocation of the entire student population for half the academic year due to an outbreak of mold in Alec's school. While listening to the principal, I couldn't help but think of one more example closer to me personally: the determination required to complete the 2185 miles along the AT from Georgia to Maine.One of Margaret's sharp-eyed friends who's been reading my journal sent email to my sister today suggesting that, next time she has guests over for dinner, she try serving leek and sweet potato soup rather than leak and sweet potato soup. I need to point out that we did in fact have the former last night, and the misspelling was my bad. As a young kid, I once owned a trophy engraved with the words "offishal speling champ." Today I consider myself a recovering bad speller who leans heavily on technology to hide this embarrassing personality disorder.I spent a relaxing afternoon sitting on the couch in Margaret's living room, reading National Geographic, and feeling like a complete sloth. I suspect tomorrow, when I continue my march across the Cumberland Valley, I'll be wishing I were still on that couch.After eating an early dinner of spaghetti topped with Margaret's delicious meat sauce, she and I went out to a movie (Jersey Boys) about the career of Frankie Valli. I really liked the movie, but I think I'd actually be in Jersey by now if I'd spent the time during the previews on the AT.First thing tomorrow Margaret, and possibly Bryan as well, will drive me back to the trail so I can continue my hike toward Katahdin. Thanks so much, Margaret and Bryan, for your hospitality in stuffing me full of food for the past 36 hours and for putting up with the sloth in your living room today.
Date: 2014-06-24
From: Philadelphia via US route 11

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Margaret and I got up early this morning so that, before work, she could bring me back to the trail, which amounted to a four-hour detour for her. We left the house at 6:00 am, and I was hiking shortly after 8:00. I sincerely appreciate all that she and Bryan did for me the last two days as well as what Tom and Maria did for me before that. While being driven back to the trail, I received an email from Brooks that the new shoes I ordered on Sunday have been shipped. With the free two-day delivery, they should be waiting for me at the post office in Port Clinton when I roll through there on Saturday. It means I have to cover 90 miles in four and a half days. With today's 22-miler in the books, I'm on target so far.It seems that after every zero day I get excited to be back on the trail. During the last few minutes of today's car ride I had butterflies, a feeling I used to get before the start of a basketball game. Part of the excitement is due to knowing I'll be hiking alone, at least for a while, and wondering who I'll meet along the way. Will I reenter a bubble of hikers I've been with days or weeks ago? Will I meet some new thru-hikers? One thing is a certainty: after resupplying, which I did yesterday, my pack's going to be at its heaviest.The trail had its challenges today. At 11 miles, my map had the description, "Pipeline, Start of Rocks." Sure enough, just after the clearing where a pipeline runs across the ridge, the trail suddenly became maddeningly rocky for a mile, slowing my pace to a crawl. Later in the day, I encountered sections of the trail on which poison ivy is encroaching from both sides to the point where great care is required to stay exactly in the middle. Once I put my hand on a tree for balance, felt vegetation, looked back, and discovered poison ivy growing up its trunk.At 6:00, I arrived at the Clarks Ferry Shelter, which had just one other hiker. Griz is an avid fisherman and section hiker traversing his home state of Pennsylvania. He was given his name in the 1970s by rangers in Yellowstone Park, who found him sharing the surplus trout he was catching with a grizzly bear and her cubs who were stationed on the opposite bank of the river. Ten years ago, he quit his job working the oil fields of Wyoming, moved to the keystone state, and is now studying to be an Episcopal minister.
Date: 2014-06-25
From: Clarks Ferry Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a tough one. I came down with a cold yesterday, and by this morning my sore throat had reached the stabbed-with-a-dagger stage. Not the best time to hike 25 miles, but given my desire to get to Port Clinton before the post office closes on Saturday and the location of the shelters along this stretch of the AT, I didn't have much of a choice. Fortunately, the walking was fairly easy, not too rocky or hilly. Griz was on the trail by 6:00 am, and I was only a half hour behind him, thinking I'd have a few hours of comfortable walking in the cool morning air. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. With the heat and humidity at that early hour, I was drenched in sweat within 10 minutes. When I arrived at the Rausch Gap Shelter 11 hours later, I was exhausted and spent the first 30 minutes lying on my sleeping bag to recover. Eventually I summoned enough strength to cook a family size packet of chicken noodle soup that's been in my food bag since Tennessee. I'm sure I ran a calorie deficit today, but at least the soup helped me to rehydrate.Just like last night, there's only two of us in the shelter tonight. Radio Shack is a University of Delaware student and section hiker who got on the trail at Harpers Ferry and has two months to go as far north as he can make it. He got his name from the transistor radio he carries, which he politely turned off when I arrived at the shelter. I'm glad I'm in a shelter tonight, as a thunder storm is rolling through, and I feel a lot safer and drier right now than I did when I tented at Antietam Shelter a week ago.The subject of leaving the trail was on my mind today. I'm not considering it, but apparently a lot of others have, and have acted upon it. I've seen very few thru-hikers since my zero in Philadelphia, and although I suspect I'm between two bubbles, it also appears there are a lot fewer hikers on the trail lately. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that as time passes hikers get spread out along the trail, similar to what happens along the road during a marathon. But I have to believe a lot of hikers have left the trail recently.Reaching the halfway point on Friday was a huge boost for my morale. But a day or so later I began to think about how far I'd come and the fact that I need to cover the same distance again. That's a sobering thought, and it helps me understand why Pennsylvania is the third major section for attrition along the AT. Bottom line is I'd like to make it through PA as quickly as possible.With these thoughts swirling through my head, I received a text from a friend I'd hiked with during the first month. This person has not been enjoying the hike for several weeks and was asking for advice from me. The essence of my response was, "I firmly believe the only thing that will get you to Katahdin is your own burning desire to do so."
Date: 2014-06-28
From: Port Clinton

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Margaret and Bryan drove up from Philadelphia this morning and met me in front of the hotel at 9:00 sharp. The plan was to have breakfast and then walk a few miles on the AT together so they can share in the adventure. I'd checked out of the hotel by that time and had my pack with me, so Margaret volunteered to slack pack me on the way to the 3C's restaurant and Bryan on the way back. Since I have a thing about carrying my pack the entire length of the AT, I took over once we reached the trail. The three of us climbed out of the valley Port Clinton sits in and reached a view to the south in about an hour, at which point Margaret and Bryan said bye to me and retraced their steps back to their car, while I continued north on the AT.There was talk in the bar last night of the trail getting rockier up ahead, which was concerning seeing as I thought it had gotten pretty rocky already over the past 80 miles or so. And I'm not the only one who's noticed the rocks in Pennsylvania. I've seen quite a bit of grumbling in the shelter logs about them, and yesterday I encountered a sign along the trail that had been defaced by a hiker, who appeared to have had a meltdown as a result of the rocks and basically said, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more," but not quite so politely and with a bunch of expletives thrown in to get his point across. Expecting the worst, I was pleasantly surprised with today's hike. To be sure, there were some extremely rocky sections, but there were also several long stretches of trail that followed dirt roads with no rocks and very easy walking. The first day in my new Brooks Cascadia trail runners was a smashing success. The pointed rocks I was walking on that would have hurt my feet yesterday were no problem today. And despite hiking 22 miles, there was not the slightest hint of a blister. After hitting the trail at 10:30, I arrived at the Allentown Hiking Club Shelter at 7:00 feeling fresh.I saw my first copperhead today, just before having my picture taken on Pulpit Rock. The snake was down in the crack next to the rock I was standing on, but it seemed content to stay there, hidden from the dozen or so hikers milling around the area.I'm finally starting to see some familiar faces in the bubble I'm catching. When I pulled into the shelter tonight, who should be there but Thor the Red, whom I hiked with on and off for about six weeks. I'd last seen him when he had the Noro virus at a shelter back in the Shenandoah. Then Granders got the virus and Thor got ahead of me. I've spent the last week slowly gaining on him based on his entries in the shelter logs. He has the same enthusiasm as before, but his beard has gotten noticeably bushier, and he also has a new pair of shoes, New Balance this time, which, like all the others, aren't working out.