morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-07
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn AT Center
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: moderate rain

We got up early. It was raining. We felt sorry for the southbound section hiker who had slept under the stars. Zoolander, however, was angry at him ¢ if he hadn¢t slept with no shelter, it wouldn¢t have rained, he said.        Our excitement for the day would be ¢The Rollercoaster,¢ a series of 500 ft. up, 500 down humps. The PATC taunted us as we began the first up with a sign that said ¢we¢ll see you at Blackburn AT Center, if you survive.¢ In the pouring rain all the ups and downs through creeks and mud became funny and we had a grand time rollercoastering. About half way up the third bump we saw a car ¢HEY A CAR,¢ we said. Then we saw a cooler in front of the car and by the time we were close enough to read the sign on the cooler, we knew already what it said¢¦ TRAIL MAGIC! I let out a yelp of joy which alerted the trail angel to our presence an he hopped out of the car and gave us umbrellas. So we stood under umbrellas, drinking Coke, eating bananas, and talking to our trail angel. Huffer and Puffer, who thru hiked in ¢98 and has been reading our trail journal. Soon Rebob joined us and shortly after we continued with the roller coaster.        The lunch plan was to meet Mugato and Zoolander at the Horseshoe Curve Restaurant. About a mile before the restaurant they caught up to us ¢ perfect timing. We all headed toward the restaurant with visions of burgers, fries, and beer, but alas, the restaurant was closed today. Crushed, we sat on their porch and ate tuna instead. Zoolander and Mugato went looking for another restaurant, but we went back to finish the rollercoaster and get to Blackburn AT Center.        When we arrived at BATC (run by PATC) who should we find there, but dear old Fremont, and there was much rejoicing. We washed out our socks and hung them to dry, stacked wood in the woodshed and played euchre with Mugato and Zoolander when they arrived. They served spaghetti for dinner ¢ so much that 6 thru hikers couldn¢t finish it! After dinner we played euchre some more, talked to Chris, Bill, and other PATCs, ogled their wine glasses to no avail, and went to bed.                                                                Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-06-08
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We were the last ones up at the BATC. We were in no hurry because we had a short 13 miles into Harper¢s Ferry. Even though we¢d fired up the wood stove in the hostel, our clothes didn¢t dry. As we were leaving, Chris, aka ¢Trail Boss,¢ offered to haul our packs to Harper¢s Ferry ¢ woohoo ¢ a slack pack!! So we left with Fremont, unburdened, hoping to catch Zoolander and Mugato who left too early to get in on the slack. Yet another muddy, muddy trail. We took many side paths to get around the bad spots on the trail. At one point we were at a pond with a depth halfway up to the knees. The trail went in one side and came out the other. We went around. As we were eating our first snack, Bill, the caretaker at BATC, ran by on his jog from Harper¢s Ferry.        We crossed the Shenandoah River and pulled into Harper¢s Ferry around 3. For such a small town, it was packed with tourists out on one of the first beautiful days in a while. We headed straight for the ATC Headquarters to pick up our packs. On our way, we passed a picnic out in a yard. The only thing we could think was ¢fooood¢ and much to our surprise, Zoolander and Mugato were eating there and called us over. We were in luck!! A current thru hiker (I didn¢t catch her name) was throwing a party for thru hikers.        We ate and talked and then decided to check into our sleeping quarters for the night ¢ The Hilltop Hotel. Luckily, we called for reservations the night before because they were full. It was quite a let down. A small room with two beds and a bathroom ¢ that¢s about it. A telephone, but no TV or radio.        While the other three were sneaking into the room, Chicken Feet and I rode with Blue Moon to pick up beer. He is a trail angel we met at headquarters and such a great guy. He is a volunteer first responder for Harper¢s Ferry, so he was telling us about all the crazy people in town. After we picked up the others, we hung out at his place and played cards. He showed us his ¢binder of identity¢ and other cool things at his house. Unfortunately, we had to get back to the hotel before they started carding.        Back at the hotel we ordered Papa John¢s pizza since Zoolander and Chicken Feet owed it to Mugato and me (from euchre). Then we just drank beer and played more euchre.                                                                Flanders
Date: 2003-06-09
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: scattered clouds

It was an early start at the Hilltop. Fremont had to catch a commuter train to meet his girlfriend who was flying into BWI. He was up at 6 and we all said goodbye because he¢ll be behind for a while. He called our room from the station to ask if we could take his poles that he forgot to the ATC Headquarters. The rest of us got up slowly. We played a few more games of euchre. Then we got hungry so we checked out of the hotel and headed for downtown. After some good cinnamon buns, we decided on the Little Ponderosa ( a diner) for breakfast. Then we hit the outfitters where I got a new tip for my pole, and I found out they¢d exchange my broken headlamp for a new one. Then we waited at the ATC Headquarters for Mugato¢s mom. She took us the Super Walmart for a resupply. Score!! We organized all of our stuff back at the headquarters. We got to say goodbye to Blue Moon and meet Baltimore Jack. Mugato¢s mom ran us back to the P.O. and we said goodbye to Mugato and Zoolander ¢ we¢ll see them at UVA in the fall. After a quick burger at the pub, we crossed the Potomac and we were on our way. It was a 1000 ft. climb out of town, and our packs felt heavy. We stopped at Weverton Cliffs for a great view of the valley. What a beautiful day!! When we got to the shelter, guess who was there ¢ Al and Sugar! He canoed the Shenandoah River with Euchre, Loraz, and a bunch of others ¢ aka ¢Aqua Blazing.¢ We talked to Al and a couple of section hikers til dark. Looking forward to catching Euchre and Lorax tomorrow!                                                                Flanders
Date: 2003-06-10
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Pogo Memorial Campsite
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: clear sky

We got up early this morning to pursue Euchre and Lorax. According to the register they had gone 4.1 miles to Compton Gap Shelter last night. We were siked to catch them. When we got there it was 9:20 and we figured they had already left, so we didn¢t go to the .6 miles (round trip) to check. We asked everyone we passed about them, but the only information we got was that they had indeed spent the night at Compton Gap, but had not left by 7:30 am this morning.         The walk today was awesome- we passes a drink machine that gave us 2 sprites for the price of one and then a number of historical landmarks and monuments. We both now wish we¢d taken history classes in college- especially concerning the Civil War. We ate lunch at the Washington Monument (not the D.C. one) after browsing a neat little museum only a couple hundred feet from the trail.         While we were eating Alright, a super fast thru hiker, came though and told us that Euchre and Lorax were just minutes behind him. But he lied. We waited another hour and they never showed, so we packed up and kept going. We crossed I90 on a big pedestrian bridge. I have been dying to cross such a bridge for ages. We waved as cars sped through and they honked at us.        Next, we passed Pine Knob Shelter and continued to Annapolis Rocks. There we met Ridgenimer Bookworm, staining a privy with Hardcore, the dog she found at Kincora. We talked to her for a while, spent a while catching up on journal, but still, no Euchre or Lorax. We went another mile or so further to camp. Now it is time for delicious Cheddar- potato soup from Zoolander and Mugatu, into ham from Ned¢s parents YUM. Maybe Euchre and Lorax will get here before we go to bed.                                 Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-06-11
From: Pogo Memorial Campsite

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

The Day of the Toads        We tried to get up early and failed. Unfortunately, Euchre and Lorax never showed up. Our pace was slower today, but I don¢t really know why. When we got to the Easign Cowall Shelter we found a note in the register from SPAWM (who we don¢t know) that Euchre and Lorax are planning to go slow for a while. We were extremely disappointed! Hopefully, they will eventually catch us. As we walked on, we passed a few more toads. Chicken feet really liked a particularly chubby one that we passed. We also found a power line field with a couple of wild strawberries, our first of the year! We wanted to eat lunch at High Rock, but we didn¢t make it by lunchtime. We ate near Raven Rock.- tuna and rolls. Then we passed more toads, and lots of chipmunks and squirrels, too. We decided not to go out to High Rock, hope we didn¢t miss much. The terrain after High Rock was quite possibly the hardest we have had so far. It wasn¢t even a trail. It was just rocks. At some times it was very steep.         Just after all the rocks, we met Bill. He works for the USPS in Ohio. He started in Harper¢s Ferry four days ago, and he was out of shape. He was planning to meet his son, who is a thru hiking about 100 miles back. He seemed very frustrated with backpacking, but he was very nice.        Then we got to Pen-Mar Park where we met some locals. One guy offered us a ride to town, but we told him to wait for Bill. Then he told us all about milking cows when he was young. We also met Father Frank who asked us weird questions and told us he was going to Chifton Forge soon, but he didn¢t really say why he was going.        Then we hiked on to find a place to cook dinner, and we passed more toads. On out way, we passed the Mason Dixon line and cruised into Pennsylvania. We are now officially done with the south! I hope the north treats us well.         When we got to the creek where we wanted to eat dinner, there was a sign saying ¢Polluted Water.¢ So, we pushed on to the next spring. As we were cooking beside the road, a hiker walked up. He goes by the name of ¢Beast.¢ He started in NY and he is going to GA. He told us how he eats grubs and bugs, and how he¢s planning to eat moths once they fatten a bit. As he left, he also told us the benefits of cloverleaves and dandelion leaves. Thanks Beast!!!!         After dinner it was an easy cruise over four roads (man, PA has lots of roads!) to the shelter. We arrived just before dark to find not one, but two, shelters. Our first twins! And they were empty, probably because they are surrounded by standing water (making the bugs horrible). A quick tick check and we were out like lights.                                         Flanders
Date: 2003-06-12
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today Ned counted chipmunks. In all there were 67. That¢s an average of more than 4 chipmunks per mile. At LEAST one chipmunk every 8 minutes.        Also today we were introduced to Pennsylvania¢s signature rocks. It was a rather forced introduction, as there were clear alternate routes to each raockpile we went over, but the trail designers obviously relish the idea of joints twisted for no reason other than just because they can.        So, we cursed our way to Rt. 30, counting chipmunks and yelping with pain. At Rt. 30 we walked a half mile to Taormina¢s Italian Restaurant and gorged. I had a meatball grinder, two slices of pizza, and a cannoli. Ned had a steak ¢n cheese, two slices of pizza and a couple bites of my cannoli. Then we hobbled to Caledonia State Park and thought about going swimming, but it was a good thing we didn¢t because a thunderstorm broke loose on us on our way up to the shelter. Ned ran ahead to try to keep the pizza box he had tied to his pack as dry as possible.        Now we are at the shelter where Bill (new and different Bill, not yesterday¢s) is telling us about the big, fat, healthy rattlesnake that was lying in the shelter when he arrived. JOY!                                                        Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-06-13
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Midpoint Marker after Fuller Lake
Miles today: 18.4

We¢re over halfway!! We started pretty early. Had leftover cheese pizza for breakfast. We passed almost as many roads as we passed chipmunks yesterday. We passed Bill pretty early on, but he caught back up during our early lunch at Birch Run Shelters, where we met Casey from Maryland. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club had just finished a brand new Birch Run Shelter within weeks. It was incredibly nice and we could smell the new wood smell a good bit before we could see it. Casey just finished his first year of college and started the AT in Harper¢s Ferry. It was more pizza for lunch, but not too much because we had to save room for the Half-Gallon Ice Cream Challenge. The trail was much nicer than yesterday. We passed the highest elevation we¢ll see ¢til Connecticut. We passed more roads. Casey passed us. My ankle is bothering me slightly. Hopefully these PA rocks won¢t do it in. Casey walked with us from Tom¢s Run Shelter to Pine Grove Furnace State Park, just past the official halfway for 2003!! At the park, the campstore sells half-gallons of ice cream, and the tradition is to eat it as quickly as possible. The record ¢ 9 minutes and change! Ha, no way could we touch that. I finished Moose Tracks in 40 minutes and Chicken Feet wasn¢t far behind with Peanut Butter Twist in 68 minutes. Ugh! Around 1880 calories and 176 g. of FAT. Casey cheered us on. Then we hung out at the store, digesting. Then we had fries and a Coke and a cherry Slush Puppie. Whe it started raining Casey decided to stay at the hostel. We trudged on, burdened with a load of cream. We are tarping in very muggy conditions. An early night to bed.                                                                Flanders
Date: 2003-06-15
From: Backpacker's Campsite

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a slow day; the sun was beating on the hikers by the side of the road. We left the campsite, headed for Boiling Springs, with a little less sleep due to all the trains blaring their whistles. We hung out at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Appalachian Trail Center. A trail angel picked up a bunch of hikers and they brought back breakfast. Lyd and I spent an hour trying to get the Tangy mold out of her platypus hose. We left around lunchtime with Casey. It was flat terrain practically all day. We passed corn field after potato field after corn field. Over across the PA Turnpike, and a $1 million bridge over US 11 (that didn¢t seem like a $1 million bridge, by the way), and then over I-81. Many of the farmers¢ fields were muddier than the trail. It was a short day, so we were taking our time, eating cherries right off the trees. We got to Darlington Shelter a little after 5. It was a nice little shelter, not in good shape, but painted with a great red paint. The spring was hardly flowing, but we dug a hole deep enough to fish some water out. We met Swift and Draft Runner. Draft Runner is a special ed. Teacher in Stuarts Draft. Well, until tomorrow, when we¢ll meet Lyd¢s dad in Duncannon.Flanders
Date: 2003-06-16
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up early and left at 7 am so that we could make it to Duncannon around noon to meet my dad.        We walked with Casey the whole way (well, I fell behind for a while) and had a good time. We will miss Casey when he gets ahead of us while we¢re staying with my dad. Also, speaking of missing people, there is some serious Fremont withdrawal going on, but anyway. We got passed by Swift and Draft Runner and then we ran into some awesome trail magic at the bottom of the mountain ¢ energy sodas! Thanks to Trail Angel, Mary. Then, as I rounded a corner, I say a turtle running up toward me. He saw me immediately, turned tail, and began running the other way. I did not know turtles could run, nor did I realize what a funny sight a turtle running would be. We moved the turtle away from the road and walked into Duncannon.        Casey left to get pizza and we met my dad at the Doyle. We had a beer and then went and ate lunch. After lunch we took swift to the outfitter for boots, I got my broken pole tip replaced and Ned got some straps to help his fasten his guitar (shipped to Duncannon) to his pack. Then we went back to the hotel, took showers, did laundry, and hung out in the room for awhile, talking to Hiking Viking, Al, and Sugar Dog. When it was time for dinner we walked around town, but decided to got back to the Doyle where I had catfish and Ned and Dad had pizza ordered and brought to the bar. We stayed in the bar the rest of the evening, eventually playing 3 games of pool with Tony (my teammate) who was a Doyle employee. After everyone was all pooled out, we went back up to the room and talked for an hour or so before going to sleep.                                                                        Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-06-17
From: Duncannon

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

¢Bout time for another zero. We ate breakfast at the Doyle with Dan, Lydia¢s dad. He was unsatisfied with the Doyle¢s pancakes. On the way home, we listened to Mack Knopfler ¢ a great album! We picked strawberries, looked at pictures, and basically hung out. Then we drove to lunch at the Millhiem hotel. I wanted ice cream, and luckily it was the perfect opportunity to re-supply. Back at home, Lydia made dinner, and we relaxed some more until we were too tired to pack our bags.                                                                        Flanders
Date: 2003-06-18
From: Duncannon

To: Peter's Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 11.4

We got up early and got packed up. We bought quite a bit of food at Burkholder¢s Market the day before. Ned bought a half-gallon of Breyer¢s Butter Almond so he had some ice cream for breakfast. We jumped into the car and made it back to the Doyle Hotel by ten. I parked the car behind the Doyle in a mud hole. There had been a party at the Doyle that night before. Everyone was sleeping. Ned, Lyd, and I hit the AT. I had warned them about bears. We weren¢t quite on the trail for twenty minutes when we ran into the first bear of the day. He was a Kodiac lookin¢ fella ¢ stood about 10 feet tall. He was tall, black, had his mouth open and his front paws stretched out in a threatening manner. He looked very nice in the flower garden in front of the porch. We crossed the Juaniata River and then the Susquehanna. Once across we started up Peter¢s Mountain. What a climb! Peter can keep that mountain. Half was up I broke out a can of Classic Coke. Lyd and I shared it. Classic Coke is very helpful for steep accents. We stopped for lunch at Clark¢s Ferry Shelter. Flo was there. We passed a couple of southbounders. We met Flo again at Table Rock. Short little jaunt to Peter¢s Mountain Shelter. It¢s a big shelter with a loft. Not far from it there is an old log shelter that sleeps six people max. It reminds me of a building that is made for hogs in the south. This shelter had a floor. They should have moved one of them. Lydia made red beans and rice. It ws wonderful to have hot food. Ned played guitar and we built a fire. I went to bed feeling only by feet. After I fell asleep I think I still felt my feet. You have to prepare for this sort of thing. As Forrest Gump said, ¢I believe that¢s all I have to say about that.¢                                                                Lyd¢s Dad
Date: 2003-06-19
From: Peter's Mt. Shelter

To: PA325
Miles today: 6.7

We slept until 8, late for us, but my dad was pooped and we had stayed up late reuniting with Euchre, and meeting Bree, playing guitar with Space Monkey, and talking to Flo around the campfire with chocolate pudding. We took our time getting ready and socializing with other late risers (Euchre, Bree, and Space Monkey). Finally we left at about 9:30. Dad called his roommate from college, Herb, with his cell phone (which he has owned for 15 years and still can¢t use) to ask for a ride back to Duncannon. Herb said he might be late, but would come.        So we hiked. Dad¢s feet still hurt from the day before, but we still made good time, regardless of the rocks and stops to identify plants and mushrooms. There were times when I could not keep up with him. The mountain laurel was beautiful and the fog eventually lifted, but the rocks were pretty tough in places. Both my dad and I fell a couple of times.        When we got to the road, Euchre and Bree were taking a break there, looking out for Herb ¢ so nice because we didn¢t even ask them to. Ned started playing guitar ( Have I mentioned how excited he was to receive it in Duncannon?) and we hung out with Euchre and Bree, waiting for Herb. But eventually they had to hike on and we waited by ourselves, slapping flies and singing ¢Every Rose Has Its Thorn.¢ Dad didn¢t have anything to read, so when Mothman drove up and gave him a butterfly newspaper, he was thrilled. Mothman also volunteered to call Herb from his house (Dad¢s phone didn¢t get service) and tell him we were there. After talking to my dad a while longer about caterpillars, he went on his way. A little later, a rattlesnake hunter came through saying he was going to photograph all the timber rattlers in the woods ahead of us. Yay! At about 3 o¢clock we decided to try and hitch hike back to Duncannon, but had no luck until 3:30 when M, Herb¢s wife, pulled up apologizing for her husband. She had talked to Mothman and come to pick us up.        When we got back to Duncannon (we had to get food out of my dad¢s car before continuing to hike) we were reunited with Lorax and Danny (two of the Wisemen), and also Librarian (Megan Anderson¢s next door neighbor), Cobra, and Splash. Obviously, once we found out the Wisemen were staying in the Doyle, we decided to do that too. A VERY FUN time ensued, and was augmented by live music ¢ Sue Grace and her guitar! The bar was packed and we played euchre and listened to great music. FUN FUN FUN!                                                Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-06-20
From: PA325

To: PA325
Miles today: 0.0

We ate breakfast with Dad at Jodi¢s Diner across the street from the Doyle. Then we went and had our picture taken with the Duncannon bear, and then he drove us back to the trail. It took longer to drive back than we expected, so we were impressed with how far we¢d hiked those two days.        After saying good-bye, we headed into the woods. It was raining, we were tired from the late night and we wanted to give the Wisemen a chance to catch up to us, so when we saw a nice campsite (almost immediately) we decided to take the day off. It was a tough decision, but once we were warm and dry in the tent listening to the rain pour down outside, I was happy we stayed. Ned still says he wished we had hiked, but he played guitar all day and really improved all his songs.        Trail Angel, Al knocked on our tent to ask if we wanted to go home with him and get dry, but we were so comfortable we turned him down. Lorax and Danny didn¢t catch up, but hopefully they got close enough to catch up tomorrow.                                                        Chicken Feet