morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-09
From: Spring (SNP)

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: moderate rain

The rain started last night around midnight and when I woke up in the morning I could still hear it pattering against my tent so I went back to sleep. I was sure by the time I was ready to actually get up and get going it was pretty late and was shocked to see it was only 7:30, amazing! There seemeed to be a short break in the drizzle which I took advantage of and packed up my gear and put away my wet tent.The rain was on and off all morning and because of the cooler temperatures I ended up hiking in my fleece for the longest time. The terrain was easy and today was the last day I would be in the Shenandoahs which was a sad and happy thing at the same time. I very much enjoyed the abundance of wildlife in the SNP and meeting some wonderful people out for vacation. My wallet will not miss the restraunts, but I might just a little bit.I stopped to eat lunch for a short while; the typical bagel and whatever other snack I had available at the moment, then packed up and headed out to finish up the park. Exiting the park was an exciting moment, my next big stop was going to be Harpers Ferry in West Virginia, but first I had the imfamous roller coaster.. 13.5 miles of tightly packed ascents and descents, each around 500 feet of climbing, I also had my 1000 mile mark, and I would finally be exiting Virginia after 550 miles. Soon after I exited the park I reached the first shelter and stopped in to sign the register and take a quick break. I was quite surprised to see Lint arrive just a few minutes before I headed out, he was also headed into Front Royal for some food, I figured he would catch me before I got to the road three miles away.I charged through the next few miles and found myself at the road very quickly and was happy when a couple of sections hikers I had seen the day before offered me a ride down the mountain. Lint arrived just in time to head down with me and we got dropped off at a little strip mall where we seeked out a place to eat. The choice of the day was pizza! We ordered breadsticks and a huge 16" pizza piled high with cheese and veggies. It was hardly a problem for either of us to finish half although I would definetely regret it hiking back out!Our ride back to the trail was easy as pie. We had just crossed the road and before we even had a chance to hitch a man pulled up and offered us a ride. Thrilled at our quick in and out of town we happily made our way back out on the trail.I ended up hiking another five miles to the first shelter; Jim and Molly Denton shelter is a very nice shelter with a porch at the shelter, a solar shower (which I was sadly told was not hooked up), and a seperate structure with a picnic table was the cooking area. There were two other section hikers in the shelter and despite the chance for rain I opted to set up my tent at one of the established pads (very nice luxury!).
Date: 2010-06-10
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: The Roller Coaster!
Miles today: 22.9

Didn't sleep too amazing last night. Sometime late I heard a huge rush of wind through the trees only I realized a minute later that it wasn't wind, it was rain! The raindrops were so big and heavy I could hear them coming before they even arrived! Unfortunately, my tent isn't so great in storms and when heavy rain hits the ground nearby it has a tendency to bounce up and splash through the screen a bit. Fortunately the rain didn't last long, but I didn't get back to sleep to easily, the night was warm and i've been dying in my 15 degree sleeping bag lately, not to mention the insulated air pad I still sleep on! When morning finally came I found myself out around nine, which is a fairly decent hour for myself. I found the morning temperatures quite comfortable but today was a dragger despite my carb load the night before. It was only eleven before I decided climbing the hills without energy was no fun, so I stopped for an early lunch, a quick nap, and some caffeine before heading back out. The hike from then on was fairly monotonous, not too many views or exciting turn of events until I reached Sky Meadows State Park. I met a section hiker with a dog so we talked for a few minutes before I hiked on and quickly entered a section where the trees became sparse and the trail opened up to acres of beautiful and mowed meadows. The opportunity for another nap was too good, so Kelly and I layed out (me in the sun, her in the shade) for a while before hiking on.Kelly and I arrived at the shelter in the evening where I fed her dinner and cooked me a meal before heading out to start on the roller coaster. We made it another four miles and ended up setting camp up for the night next to a stream. So far, I think the roller coaster will be a challenge, but certainly no more challenging than anything else I have done so far.
Date: 2010-06-11
From: The Roller Coaster!

To: Blackburn AT Center
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: broken clouds

Last night wasn't one of the best days of sleep I have had on the trail, but I suppose it wasn't the worst either. I had a long day ahead of me and another ten miles to finish up the roller coaster so I ate well knowing I would need the extra energy to get me through. John and Jane were also meeting me today at the Bears Den Hostel, they are on their way to New York and fortunately for me the route they were taking wasn't too far off from where I am hiking at this time.The day was quite muggy being that it was still only mid morning and the heat made the climbs a bit more difficult. Although the roller coaster isn't the worst thing I have done on this hike it was a bit of a challenge. It seems by the time you hit the top you are ready to get done but I never fully recovered by the time I hit the bottom before I had to climb back up again, which takes its toll. Despite, I kept a two mile and hour average and made it to Bears Den before noon where I found John and Jane just at the entrance to the trailhead! They greeted me with cold coke and snacks and provided me with toiletrees to take a shower with. It felt so amazing to take a shower, unfortunately laundry wasn't available until the hostel opened at five. John also let me type up a few of my journal entries on his computer so I wouldn't be so far behind when I hit Harpers Ferry. Regardless, i'll still have a lot of catching up to do!It was wonderful to see John and Jane again but they had to hit the road, and I had to hit the trail so we said goodbye in hopes I would see them again soon and I hiked on.The rest of the rollercoaster didn't feel so bad and I was finished before I knew it, At the end of the rollercoaster I met a thruhiker named Orbit who I hiked right behind the rest of the day. Today was full of accomplishments, I finally exited Virginia after 550 miles and I passed the 1000 mile marker. When Orbit and I hit the side trail for Blackburn AT Center we decided to head down for dinner before hiking on, little did we know what kind of treat we were in for. Brian, the caretaker of the center brought us out huge plates of spaghetti, brownies, and a coke. After all the food we both decided that we were just content staying here for the night. I have a package I have to pick up by noon in Harpers Ferry which is 12 miles away, but Orbit offered to wake me up and hike into town with me so that is the new plan! I also met my first flip-floppers. A woman, 3:15 I believe was her name, and her son Scooter who is only ten! This little kid was so cool, both of them have already hiked over 800 miles and they were nice enough to offer us some of their oreos as well
Date: 2010-06-12
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

Harpers Ferry day!True to her word, Orbit got me up in the wee hours of the morning (6:15), and after packing everything up we were off on the trail by seven, booking it to Harpers Ferry!We made almost three and a half miles the first hour but decided to hit the road before taking a quick break which turned out to be an excellent idea! We were picking cherries on a tree at the edge of the road when we hear someone yell "Come on over! We got food!". We booked it across the street! Hoover, a thruhiker from last year was out doing trial magic with a friend and they had pies set out, cheese cake, fruit, soda.. basically everything to make a hiker happy! We sat around for a half hour and Hoover offered to slack us the rest of the way into Harpers Ferry which we were both excited about. Around a quarter after nine we both set out packless to finish our trip into Harpers Ferry. The terrain was flat and easy and it was only just past eleven when we took the blue blaze trail to the ATC. Ahh, it felt so good to be in Harpers Ferry! The "mental" half way point on the AT Orbit and I signed in (I was hiker number 316 this year) and got our pictures taken. I was very surprised as I walked into the center to see Lint on the computer. I was sure he had gotten in and out of Harpers Ferry pretty quick, apparently he stayed at Bonzo's house the night before which I am pretty sure it will be where I am headed to tonight. Bonzo is a thruhiker in the class of '97 and now he hosts hikers in the area at his place on a donation basis. After I picked up my package and got my meals organized, Orbit, Rest Stop, Lint, and I headed down into Harpers Ferry for lunch. Despite sitting in the shade, the temperature outside was so hot and muggy. I decided after lunch to head down to the river for a swim, but my timing was poor. As I walked across the bridge to the river I realized a storm was quickly approaching and it looked like heavy rain was on its way. I opted to skip the swim and instead dunked my head in the water to cool off. I quickly gathered my gear and headed back to town before the rain came in but apparently I was too late. As I started walking away the rain hit, a very hot rain which did nothing to cool me off. I was halfway across the bridge when I realized I had my phone in my hand and unfortunately that was the end of it and I no longer have a working phone I headed back up to the ATC where I was able to get a ride to Bonzos for the night. Over there I might a hiker named Ihop who had gotten on the trail at the James River Footbridge near Glasgow and was laid up in Harpers Ferry for a while due to an injured ankle. We hung out for the night before I crashed on the couch on the outside porch.
Date: 2010-06-13
From: Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Took a big fat zero day! Hung around the house most of the day, got caught up on some of my journal entries, and went for a swim in the river.. Ahhh, zero days! How much I don't like to take them but I wasn't able to get caught up on my entries yesterday afternoon.
Date: 2010-06-14
From: Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Edward Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Spent the morning in Harpers Ferry and got dropped off at the ATC early afternoon. I still had a lot of catching up to do on my journals, so I knew it would be a while before I headed out. I decided to just take it slow and head to the first shelter out of town, the first shelter in Maryland, my sixth state. Once I got myself caught up, it was mid afternoon and I dragged myself out of the cool air conditioning of the ATC building and out into the heat of the trail. The first several miles shared the trail with the C&O canal, which was completely flat as it followed along the edge of the Potomac River, which I thoroughly took advantage of and went for a quick dip to cool myself off. As it has been, the weather was very hot and muggy and its amazing how refreshed you feel hiking up the trail after a quick swim!When the Appalachian Trail cut off from the C&O we had a little bit of a climb to the first shelter. Although it was near a thousand feet, a thousand foot climb feels like nothing anymore and the mild switchbacks made it enjoyable after walking on the flat through West Virginia.I arrived at the shelter late in the evening and found it to be full of Boy Scouts, a few other thru hikers (Thunder, Hot Foot, and Heads Up), as well as a girl who had started a flip flop hike in Harpers Ferry and didn't have a trail name yet. I felt bad for her, I can imagine being the first day out it was a bit intimidating being surrounded by thru hikers that had already hiked over a thousand miles. The boy scouts were cool, they shared their left over pasta with us which is always a good way to make friends out here!
Date: 2010-06-22
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 117.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a difficult day. When I woke up this morning I noticed Kelly had a limp to her step. This was the last straw, I worry about my girl so much and lately it seems like we have been dealing with one thing after another. My concern is in just a few miles we will hit the worst of the rocks, the ticks, and the heat. Water is more difficult to come by and the long days certainly take their toll. Kelly hasn't seemed to enjoy the hiking as much lately with the high miles and the brutal heat, the hottest June in record in some parts.Although I bought the booties for Kelly, I can imagine the discomfort of wearing them in the heat of the day since dogs sweat through their pads. The heat sucks a lot out of you and it worries me that Kelly can't tell me her limits. Despite the hassle of dealing with a dog in town, it was worth having her along with me this far. I didn;t mind carrying more than five extra pounds for her on top of a fresh resupply, skipping certain hostels for her never bothered me. Losing a group you have been hiking with is tough, but Kelly was the most loyal hiking partner of them all. I'll miss hearing her jingle behind me, or watching her play with a stick during a break. I guess i'll have to start hanging a bear bag!Danette is currently on her way from North Carolina where she will be taking care of Kelly throughout the remainder of my hike. I am so fortunate to have met so many amazing people like her who offer so much to help out. I am confident Kelly is in amazing hands and will have plenty of time to rest and play at Danettes. There are definetely things I will be able to do now that weren't an option with Kelly. I am trying to find the positive side in all of this and I have come to the conclusion that I am much more free in my hike now. I am no longer hiking Kelly's hike, I am hiking my hike now.
Date: 2010-06-23
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Clarks Creek
Miles today: 18.0

Kelly got picked up around two this morning, she was so happy to see Danette, but it made me sad to think that it would be months before I saw her again. Thanks again Danette, I certainly wouldn't trust just anyone to take care of Kelly. Thanks as well to Krispy Krtiter for letting me crash on his floor in his room at the Doyle.The heat of the morning sun forced me up at an earlier time than I would have liked. The Doyle does not have air conditioning and the day was warming fast. I spent the morning with a large group of hikers watching the soccer game- we started at the hair salon in town since it was the only television available at the time until the Doyle opened at eleven. Once the Doyle was open, we all headed over there to finish up the game. I ordered me some fries and after the US won there game, I finished up my "lunch" and hiked out.It was another very hot day, particularily with all the road side walking in the beggining of the hike. It was so strange not having Kelly, I would look back every once in a while half expecting to see her tail floating and her nose right behind me. It was a sad say, but I am trying so this as a freeing experience.I got to the first shelter a few miles out of town, filled up my water in the slowly dripping pipe, then took a short power nap before hiking on to the next shelter. The hiking has been easy and flat and the infamous PA rocks have yet to get bad. Rumors range from after Duncannon, to after Palmerton.. this makes me believe that they aren't really as bad as everyone says they are. Although I expected to stay at the next shelter, after eating dinner, I decided to hike on to Clarks Creek for the night.I ended up hiking several miles in the dark, and although I expected to be alone at the campsite, I was welcomed by the upbeat sound of the harmonica and the site of a glowing fire. Didgeridude, Doodlebug, and a friend of theirs out for a section hike had set up camp with trail magic; cold soda, hot dogs (which I didn't eat because i'm a vegetarian), and marshmellows. I was the only hiker to come through that night and was so grateful to have run into this magic at a time I really felt the need for some good company, thanks!
Date: 2010-06-29
From: Jailhouse Hostel (Palmerton, PA)

To: Mechanical Man's House
Miles today: 12.4

Slept great at the hostel last night, what a wonderful place! The hostel was very clean and nobody bothered us throughout the night- it was very comfortable. We all awoke early this morning so we could hit the infamous Lehigh gap, a thousand feet of elevation gain in only a mile. This rocky climb is deforested due to zinc smelting and we knew the later we waited, the hotter the climb would be.Michigan, Rock n Roll, and I got a fairly easy hitch out of town and were on the trail by a quarter to seven, pretty good for a town day! I knew the climb up Lehigh would be rough, but it was nothing like I expected, it was so much fun! As a thruhiker, any change of terrain or scenery is a blast. Lehigh consisted of a few rock scrambles and hopping from rock to rock. Although steep, I thoroughly enjoyed it and experienced wonderful views from the top. Lehigh was definetely by far my favorite climb on the trail so far. At the top of the mountain I stopped for a quick "berry break", and when the guys caught up he walked another couple miles before we stopped for another break, for three hours! We had initially planned 20 miles today to Wind Gap, but with all the time we took off for breaks today, I didn't see it happening.Today was killer on the feet. The rocks were plentiful once again, and although I don't mind them so much, they do take a toll. It doesn't help either that my shoes are in horrible condition!Needless to say, we didn't make it 20 miles, we made it about 12 before we all decided to head down the road to Mechanical Man's house. A local who allows hikers to camp in his yard. Ten of us ended up showing up and we all decided to do a slack pack in the morning the rest of the way to Deleware Water Gap.
Date: 2010-06-30
From: Mechanical Man's 

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: clear sky

Wow, so I understand it has been a while since I have updated this journal, two weeks in fact. For this, I apologize. Finding the time and the place for the internet has been a bit more difficult since I have gotten farther North, so i'll try to fill in as much of the empty space between this entry and the last (which sadly, was all the way in Harpers Ferry).We woke up this morning ready for our 24 mile slack pack into the Delaware Water Gap where we would finally be ending our journey through Pennsylvania and onto New Jersey! The day appeared to be easy, although we all knew the infamous Pennsylvania rocks would be unforgiving on our already sore feet. There were ten of us slackpacking for the day and we were all getting our packs dropped off at the outfitter at the gap.The morning started off much cooler than the previous days, which was quite a relief. Although the terrain for the most part was fairly flat, we did have to start our day climbing up to the trail from "Mechanical Mans" place a mile down the mountain. Once we were on the trail, it was nothing more than keeping a consistant pace for the day.The temptation of town took over when we reached Wind Gap, Rock N Roll and I had been hiking together so we hitched into town and hit the Burger King for lunch which was just what we needed to push us through the rest of the day. We rolled into town just passed seven, picked up our packs, then checked in at the hostel where I set up my tent. There is a big group of hikers through and the bunks were all full. Afterward I settled in, we headed down the road for some pizza. I split a 16" pizza and I no longer think anything of eating half of one.Welll, it was the last day through Pennsylvania and my shoes are officially beat, the soles are unglued, the side seams split, no traction left, and there are holes in the fabric, I couldn't wait to get my new shoes in DWG! As we have heard many times the last 230 miles "Pennsylvania is where shoes come to die", definetely the truth!
Date: 2010-07-02
From: Delaware Water Gap (PA)

To: YMCA shelter
Miles today: 17.8

I felt great heading out this morning, the temperature was still mild and I was about to exit Pennsylvania into my eigth state, New Jersey. From the moment we entered the state I knew it would be beautiful. The beggining of the trail followed along a creek and the climb up the mountain was mild. It was a very busy day, but it was great to meet hikers out for the day or weekend. The day was absolutely gorgeous and the trail didn't let me down. It wasn't long before we spotted a big fat rattler and a group of about six or seven of us took a break at Sunfish pond five miles up where we spotted a deer way out in the lake taking a drink. The "pond" was beautiful and clean, but unfortunately swimming was not allowed. It wasn't long before we all stopped for a second break on some rocks that displayed a 360 degree view of the entire valley below. The trail had so much variety and was full of views. It followed along ridgelines, through pine and hardwood. My only complaint was the lack of water.We cut the day shorter than planned and ended up doing 18 miles, deciding to stay at the shelters at an abandoned YMCA camp less than a mile off the road which was a great choice! The porcupine we spotted right before we hit the camp made it all worth it, but the shelters themselves were situated right on a lake with a canoe available to those who stayed. The mattresses in the shelters were a bit iffy, but comfortable and we all slept well.
Date: 2010-07-03
From: YMCA shelter (NJ)

To: Campsite (NJ)
Miles today: 21.3

RocknRoll and I hiked out around 8:30 this morning. We decided we were going to try to hit Branchville, NJ for lunch, which didn't work out so well on my end. I have been so hungry lately that I haven't been able to wait till noon for lunch. We didn't descend into Culvers Gap into nearly two where we decided to go to Gyps for lunch since the ridgerunner we had met had told us Crusher was headed there. Right away I didn't like this place. First thing we hit were signs that told hikers to walk all the way around the bar to the back and the bartender was extremely rude. Not only was the service poor, but a 20oz bottle of soda was $2.25 and a fountain drink was $2.00 with no refill! I ended up walking next door to the gas station to get a bottle out of the vending machine, still expensive, but I wasn't about to pay what they were asking. Apparently all the other hikers had similar if not worse experiences there. For future hikers, skip Culvers Gap; despite that desperate drive for a cold soda they are very hiker unfriendly. This was the first place I had experienced unfriendly people, I hope I am still able to find some of the same kind of hospitality in the North that I experienced in the South.Unfortunately, the experience left me in a poor mood for most of the rest of the day. I shouldn't let things like that get to me, since i'm not necesarily here for town anyways, but it can be hard sometimes.I did eventually get over the town experience and once again I enjoyed the beauty of the trail around me. We reached a pavilion late in the afternoon with spectacular views of the valley below. I ate dinner at the next shelter, Mashupichong? or something of the sort.. then night hiked another couple of miles to a little open area where I was able to see at least a dozen firework displays below. The night was to be warm and tomorrow would be hot (mid ninetys), so I had plans to hit the trail early tomorrow morning and hike into Unionville where a large gathering of hikers would be spending the fourth.