morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-29
To: Dahlgren Back Pack Campground
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

The river water tastes pretty nasty but our first water source is a handful of miles away and the temps are pretty hot early into the day. We have no other option but to fill up on the warm nasty river water before leaving camp. A small climb up to Weverton Cliffs is enough to make me take off my shorts and continue hiking in my Ex-Official boxers and a sleeveless synthetic shirt. This is nothing new, I've grown pretty accustom to hiking in my boxers during the hotter days. It doesn't bother me but it can be a little awkward when I pass up groups of local day hikers and small children. The weather isn't too bad after we get deeper into the more shaded areas of the trail. A few miles into our day we stop at the Ed Garvey Shelter for a quick snack break. The shelter has a wooden ladder that leads to a raised bunk level. Pretty cool shelter but unfortunately the water source is half a mile away down a steep blue blazed hill. A half mile each way and it doesn't count towards our AT miles so this is a waste of time. We still have water left so we snack and hike on. Before leaving the shelter we say hello to Nothingman and Goose. Halfway through our day we take a 90 minute break at a history museum dedicated to the wealthy writer who used to live in the area. After a long day of hiking we make it to our destination just as a light rain starts up. Nothingman, Goose, Reboot, Slow & Steady and her husband Bob are all already here and have their tents pitched. This small campsite is a thru-hiker luxury with gravel tent pads, fire pits, flushing toilets and a hot shower. Smirks takes a shower and I set up the tent in a quick minor rain storm. Afterwards we meet up with a few other hikers to take cover from the rain inside the men's restroom. It's a pretty funny sight and we all have a good joke about it. Some hikers are smoking cigarettes and some are drinking beer. Some are eating pizza that they had delivered to a nearby road. Smirks and I are boiling water on the bench in the showers and enjoying some hiker foods. We both sleep much better tonight.
Date: 2013-06-30
From: Dahlgren Back Pack Campground

To: Frederick, MD
Miles today: 0.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today is another town day. I looked up movie theaters the night before and found one that was 12 miles east of the trail at a road just 0.2 miles away from our campsite. The hitch takes 20 minutes (as usual) and the lady who picks us up says she is only going halfway to the town we want to go to. I gladly accept her offer to go halfway and after a few minutes into the ride she changes her mind and says she will take us the extra few miles to the movie theater. Yay! I buy her morning coffee and newspaper at a gas station just to say thank you for her help. While waiting for our movie to start we walk next store for drinks, nachos, and a few games of pool. A couple hours later and we are sitting in the theater. I am finally getting to watch a movie! This has been something I've been craving for 2 months now. The movie is a comedy named "This is the End". I'm laughing and having a great time when suddenly one of the speakers blows and the audio becomes unbearable. The screen turns off and the lights come on. Halfway into the movie and my cinema day is cut short. A manager comes into the room to handout free passes. We take the passes but don't use them. Instead we start walking a few miles to the cheapest nearby hotel. Unfortunately it's too hot to be walking around with full backpacks in direct sunlight and since we are so close to D.C. the roads are not made for pedestrians. We walk a a mile and then taxi the next 2 miles. Nightcap is dinner at Burger King (bleck) and a less than desirable grocery resupply from K-Mart. It was really neat walking around a large crowded shopping complex while wearing my huge smelly 65 liter backpack and carrying my clunky trekking poles.
Date: 2013-07-01
From: Frederick, MD

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: light rain

Our hotel is a long 13 miles away from the trail and getting a hitch does not look very likely. We eat a late breakfast at Denny's before attempting to walk back to the trail. Good news is that after a mile or two we are offered a ride by a guy parked by a gas station pump. The bad news is that I didn't pay close attention to the road we were on. This caused us to miss the PA.16 & Alt. PA.16 split. In doing so we made it back to the trail no problem BUT ended up accidentally cutting out 4.4 miles of the trail. Smirks seemed pretty excited about this event but for me it was a sad moment. My AT thru-hike is no longer "pure" as this is considered yellow-blazing    (This missed section includes a small park and the first monument to George Washington, built in 1827) - If I make it to Maine, then I plan on hitting these missed miles on my way back home. Near the end of the day we stop into a hostel just short of a shelter. Staying at this hostel isn't planned but we do want to drop in for snacks and to say hello to other hikers. To my surprise the hostel is very nice and also extremely empty of any people. The owners live on a separate section of the home locked off from the hostel. We split some left over pizza which, judging by the hiker logbook in the bunk room, is probably 2-3 days old. I complain some about there being no Mt. Dew and instead settle for a can of Coke. Smirks contently cracks open a can of Sprite and tells me to quit whining. Before we finish our drinks a door swings open down the hallway followed by an elderly lady helping a hobbling female hiker up some stairs. The girl explains to us that she twisted her ankle and had some pretty bad swelling underneath of the ice pack. Smirks and I leave the hostel soon and I felt a little bad leaving the other hiker bored and alone but the hostel is overpriced and a shelter is less than a half mile away.At the shelter is Tennessee and the two leaders for a large group of 15 year olds trail named the "Not Girl-scouts". This is a pretty friendly and enjoyable group of girls that Smirks and I have met once before earlier in the day. Before getting into the tent tonight there is an epic showdown between Smirks and a giant freaking spider.
Date: 2013-07-02
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up in Maryland. Crossed the Mason-Dixon Line. Hiked a few miles into Pennsylvania. Stopped for a hot lunch break at the Pen-Mar park. Pretty park with a view and a broken soda machine. The story of nearly every soda machine on the AT --- broken. This lunch break used up the last bit of cooking alcohol I had left and also made me realize I was getting uncomfortably low on snacks as well. Even though it was getting late into the afternoon I felt it best that we took one of the next roads into town to resupply tonight as we didn't have any better grocery options during the upcoming days. The road we hitched from was tiny but successful for us. A beat up 40 years old Ford truck with a rebel license plate pulls up to ask where we need to go. I reply that we need to go to the Wal-Mart 5 miles away and before I can finish talking a dog in the passenger seat barks in my face. I'm always initially sketched out whenever we get a hitch but it has always turned out positive. The driver was friendly and the dog "Duke" stopped trying to bite my face off once we got in the truck. Duke instead spent the 5 mile ride soaking my arms in slimy dog saliva. We get to Wal-Mart and I switch into panic mode. I start having anxiety about how long it will take to shop and about how we are going to get back to the trail and how much the total is going to be and where on the trail are we going to tent up at, etc. My mood only sours even more as I try to squeeze my cart down the crowded grocery aisles. The people in the store are aggressive shoppers and almost run me over at every turn. We checkout a little after 9pm and it is dark outside. I plug my phone in for a recharge as we break down our food boxes. Within minutes we are saved by a lady named Amy. She first asks if we need a ride back to the trail and I eagerly tell her most definitely "yes". She looks to be in a hurry and I don't want to waste time so I frantically throw my food bags into my backpack and then run around a desk to unplug my phone. Amy notices that I was charging my phone and tells me I can probably charge it in her van. Before we get out of the parking lot she asks if we would just rather stay at her place instead. WOW! This is my first offer to stay at somebody's home and it comes at very good timing. Now Smirks and I won't have to worry about getting back to the trail OR where we are going to tent up at this late at night. Amy and her husband, who thru-hiked in 1986, and their 3 children are very familiar with hikers and have had people stay over before. Smirks and I were allowed to do laundry, shower, eat a nice breakfast, and receive a ride back to the trail. The family, named "The Rose Sniffers", were extremely gracious to us and I can't thank them enough.
Date: 2013-07-03
To: South Mountain, PA
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: moderate rain

Before returning to the trail we enjoyed breakfast with the Rose Sniffers. Amy, her husband, their 3 children, Smirks and myself all sat at a table chatting over blueberry pancakes and strawberry smoothies. Halfway into our hike we stopped at a shelter where the Not Girl-scouts were hanging out. A local lady was there with her 6 or 7 small dogs running around. It was a hysterical sight. I got in a picture with all of the dogs, the lady, and most of the girls. The girls have Smirks some watermelon and told us they were going to pack up and hike to the next shelter sight just under two miles away. Smirks and I leave first and have a quick lunch at the next shelter. My meal is sliced pepperoni on cheddar cheese crackers. Another greasy messy combo of things I never eat in my normal day to day life back home, but out here the cravings are odd and you think in terms of calories more than healthy or tasty. We both leave a note in the shelter logbook for the Not Girl-scouts. Baby Steps shows up before we leave and tells us that she is sad about hiking alone for the first time and about her phone being stolen while she was at the Gathland park. Later into the day we walk up to a large blue tent next to the trail and just a few hundred feet from a small gravel road. There is a guy there so I stop for a second to ask him of the next road is PA. 233. He says it is the 2nd road away and asks if I was trying to get supplies. I replied that I was looking for the South Mountain Bar and Resturant. The guy introduces himself as Jeff and asks us if we need a ride. We take him up on the offer and in a few moments we are enjoying beer and pizza. Jeff gave me his number and said to text him if we wanted a ride back to the trail later. I didn't want to be too needy or bug him for a 2nd ride and it was getting too late to start walking the roads back to the trail so I asked the bartender if hikers were allowed to tent on the bar property. The bartender, named Joanna, is awesome. She is easily the oldest bartender I've ever had (probably in her 70s) and also one of the friendlier ones. Joanna gave us permission to pitch my tent on the yard next to the bar. Smirks and I set up our campsite and then take a 2 hour nap. When we return to the bar for dinner we find out that the grilles have all been shut off and the food menus are no longer available. Joanna cooked me a large order of french fries anyways. That made my night.
Date: 2013-07-04
From: South Mountain, PA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.6

Slept really well last night. Woke up around 9am and tried to get breakfast from the bar resturant but due to it being the 4th of July they had a limited menu. Soooo... pizza again. Didn't feel like bothering Jeff for a ride back to the trail so we walked the roads 1.4 miles back to where we had previously left the trail the night before. We pass Jeff's camping area and see that he, his dog, and his jeep are all gone. 5 miles into our hike we see the Not Girl-scouts. A few miles later we cross a road and walk through a weird new environment. A giant public swimming pool with a water slide and a large public park with dozens of families cooking out. None of the families offer Smirks and I a meal but lucky for us Jeff is here! He has a few other hikers around him and yells for us to come over and grab some sodas and food. With a full belly we hike out and stealth camp alone at a small creek just a few yards away from the locked & privately owned Milesburn cabin.
Date: 2013-07-05
To: Ironmaster's Mansion (Hostel)
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: broken clouds

Passed the official midpoint marker of the Appalachian Trail at mile 1,090.5 Watched a couple hikers attempt the half gallon ice cream challenge at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park general store. Bitter Goat, Cat Nap, Cat Lady, Jabba, and Little Bear all finished the challenge. Completion times ranged between 14 and 60 minutes. Baby Steps and Danger Dave teamed up for the challenge but failed miserably and threw away most of their ice cream. Smirks and myself opted for burgers, fries, and sodas instead. Next door is a hostel that Bitter Goat kept talking about all day. He ends up getting a bunk there and eventually Smirks and I do the same. The hostel is named the Ironmaster's Mansion. From the outside the building is very large, clean, and generally impressive. Inside though is a slightly sadder experience. The bunks and restrooms are all segregated, the kitchen and most other rooms are cut off from guest use and the only room that has working a/c is the women's bunk room. The men's room had it when we first arrived but a fuse blew in the middle of the night before I made it to bed. Dinner was an extra $5 for some mystery made frozen meatloaf and breakfast was 2 free Ego mini waffles and a bowl of Grape Nuts cereal. I opted out of the meatloaf and settled for pepperoni and cheese crackers. A meal I am quickly bored as disgusted with already. I download a firmware patch to the hostel's computer and then download it to Smirk's camera but it does not help fix the freezing issues she's been having.
Date: 2013-07-06
From: Ironmaster's Mansion (Hostel)

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

We leave the hostel pretty early but don't start hiking for another few hours. We spend a little time at the general store watching Slider and Smoky attempt the ice cream challenge. Slider finishes but Smoky does not. Then we spend over an hour swimming in a nearby lake. The lake is by a parking lot, has a snack bar, and life guards - so it's a pretty crowded local favorite hangout. I can't help myself from buying a small pizza before we leave. As I eat the pizza the Not Girl-scouts run up to us. This is probably the last day of their trip and we most likely wont see them again. They stay at the lake when Smirks and I hike out. During our hike we pass a resting Danger Dave and GK (a friend of Dave's who is hiking the weekend). We pass Survivor who is doing this section southbound with a local girl he knows. Around 6:30pm we hear music off in the distance. It sounds like a music festival is going on in the woods but the trail leads away from it. Smirks is tired and ready to camp but I urge her to push forward to the next shelter so we have a dependable water source safe away from any roads. The last 2 miles are rushed and we arrive just seconds before the sky completely darkens. The only hikers at the shelter are Smoky and Slider who are tenting up. Nobody is sleeping in the actual shelter so I decide to pitch my tent inside of it. Neither of us are very hungry so we split a pack of instant mashed potatoes. There is a lot of wind in this area but none of it hits is in the shelter. Even with the rainfly off my tent it is too hot and I fall asleep with sweat rolling down my forehead.
Date: 2013-07-07
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: light rain

Quick and easy walk to Boiling Springs in the morning. We switch things up for this short day and hike separately. Half of the hike is through corn fields. This is good because the terrain is flat but also bad because then there is no shade from the sun's direct heat. The humidity has been intense this summer so proper hydration is a must. Just yesterday I stumbled upon an online article that was saying a hiker (20's, male, from Chicago) was rescued from the trail in Lebanon, PA with dehydration and exhaustion issues. In town we eat veggie strombolis, curly fries, and moz chz stix for lunch at Anile's. Smirks takes a nap under a gazebo and I spend time trying to catch up on this journal. Rain comes in so we take cover inside the ATC's mid-Atlantic office. There is no camping or water sources within the next 14 miles and it is getting late so I decide that we should stay at the Allenberry Inn & Playhouse just down the street. This ended up being a really cool place. The resort design and atmosphere looks outdated by a few decades but still has a swanky fun vibe to it. The lodge has three floors and probably close to 75 rooms but only a handful are being used tonight and it looks like they are all by hikers. We hit the lounge for a drink and free crackers and beer-cheese. We are quickly joined by Cat Nap, Baby Steps, Lost & Found, Open, Flare, Smiley, Little Bear, and two other hikers. After a few more drinks I boldly challenge the entire room to a game of ping pong back at the game room. Open and I play doubles against Lost & Found and Smiley. I am easily the worst player there and quickly feel bad for letting down my ping pong partner Open. Next I try to redeem myself by playing a game of pool. This I also lose at. Smirks and I teamed up against Cat Nap and Open. The game seems to last forever and ends with a lose. 0-2 and my pride is damaged. I hate losing at games or sports. It was fun though and ended up being one of the better hostel/motel stays in a really long time.
Date: 2013-07-08
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Late checkout from the resort. Walked back down to the tiny Main Street area for another veggie stromboli and some pizza fries. We hit the trail too late to make it 14 miles to the first shelter but staying in town for another night doesn't feel right after such a short mileage day yesterday so we hike out in hopes of finding a camping spot with water. Camping away from shelters is technically not allowed during this small stretch of land because the trail is often running alongside private property and farms. The 10 mile mark has an ATC building on a farm. My companion book says there is no camping allowed but the site has a privy and a water source. Not ideal but with our late start today I think it might be our best camping option. While we were eating lunch early in town Smirks said she didn't feel well and we both assumed it was because of the large quantities of food the resturant served us. Around the 5 mile mark her ill feelings grew worse. By mile 8 she was almost in tears and looked like a sad zombie. We were still 2.3 miles away from the ATC farm building but only one half mile from a hotel. We have stayed in a lot of hostel/motels lately and have been spending too much money on town foods but with how bad Smirks is feeling I think our best option is to put a close to this day and get a room. I was pretty confident that there was nothing serious or scary wrong with her but I wanted to make sure. Our water sources have been clean and from taps so I rule out Girardia. Neither of us have found any ticks biting us yet so I doubt it is Lyme's Disease. My best guess is that her body is a little under hydrated and somewhat exhausted. A rest, some water and proper nutrients should fix everything. 2 hours after checking into the hotel Smirks regains her appetite and starts feeling better again.
Date: 2013-07-09
From: Carlisle, PA

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Slow, short day. 2 breakfasts at the hotel. Late checkout. Then hiking. Snack break in 2.3 miles at an ATC-owned , but not used, barn. No camping is allowed at this site or else we would have probably stayed here last night. Small climb out of farmland and back into a mountain for the night. We are the first to arrive at the shelter, quickly followed by Cisco Kid and then later by Willow. Cisco Kid is recovering from a deer tick bite and was lucky enough to get prescribed the proper medicine before his conditions worsen. Smirks felt better today.
Date: 2013-07-11
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peters Mnt. Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: light rain

Walking out of Duncannon was crazy. It wasn't trail, it was all interstate and major highway. There is a section of concrete for hikers to use that has a barrier from the speeding cars but its still pretty odd that the trail was set up to go through so much traffic. Couple decent views today after a quick sweaty climb out of town and back to higher elevation. The best views were clouded by goat transformers and power lines. I called REI from the trail and negotiated with them to replace one of my two damaged items. They wouldn't replace my Sawyer Squeeze water filter but they are going to ship me a new Osprey pack cover to the next post office near the trail (apprx. 40 miles away).Gnats were OUTRAGEOUS!!! Usually you swat at 1-3 gnats for a quarter mile then get a break for a mile, then repeat. Our first 8 miles today were gnat free (but plenty of spider webs). The last 2 miles were the worst bug miles ever. We had to keep a constant windmill of swatting going while walking. As soon as you stop one would shoot into your eye and 2 more would annoyingly buzz your ears while another 30 swarm around inches away waiting for their turn. Luckily we came across a huge shelter that the gnats were afraid of. They would fly all over your body up to the second you took your first step in the shelter then they would vanish. Although Jen leaving the shelter you had to deal with an overloaded immediate assault. Tonight we are tented on the 2nd floor of the shelter. Tenting inside the shelter is not super common but sometimes it just has to be done. It feels great to be safe from any rain and gnats. Bears are not an overnight scare in the shelters but mice are.