morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-14
From: Skyland

To: Gravel Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: overcast clouds

6/14 Today is Flag Day and my birthday as well. We got a 6 o¢clock start and started hiking on a beautiful day. At 9:30 I was in front of Hawk and just ahead on the narrow trail I saw a small black blur. It was a coal black bear cub that was about 14¢ tall that looked like he turned himself inside out he was in such a hurry to head in the other direction. As badly as we wanted a better look we also had to be o the lookout for momma bear since they are very protective of their babies and will attach with little provocation. We didn¢t see him again but were just a mile further down the trail when I saw a full grown bear about 100 feet away coming down the mountain. His head was off to the side so he didn¢t see us right away. I motioned to Hawk to stop and we got out our cameras and stayed very still. The bear meandered down the trail investigating things on each side of the trail until he was about 50 feet from us. Bears have poor vision, better hearing, and an excellent sense of smell, but he must have heard the camera¢s clicking because he stopped and stared at us for 20 or 30 seconds before he turned and lumbered back up the mountain and into the brush. So I go a nice birthday present. By 10:30 we got to Panorama, a wayside snack area just off the trail. We took an hour off and had cokes, chips, and ice cream along with our lunch on this very pretty day. There were a few moderate climbs but we got another break at the Elkwater Wayside later in the afternoon that included a blackberry shake. After 23.7 miles we got to the Gravel Spring Hut just before the rain started at about 6:30. And so I had a great birthday.
Date: 2004-06-15
From: Gravel Spring Hut

To: Front Royal, Va.
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

6/15 Today was very hot with moderate climbs but was easy because we were looking forward to finishing the 13.4 miles into Front Royal, our next town stop. We go an easy hitchhike into town to the front of our motel where we quickly got cleaned up. I walked a mile to the post office while Hawk went to the outfitter and Laundromat.My good running friend Dom and his daughter Marie came from the D.C. area to renew our friendship and celebrate my birthday. We went out to a good Mexican dinner and later had birthday cake at the motel. It¢s great to have such good friends who are willing to take the time and effort from their lives to be with you.
Date: 2004-06-16
From: Front Royal, Va.

To: Front Royal, Va.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

6/16 Today is Wednesday and Hawk, Cat Dog, and I did a 0 day in Front Royal. After breakfast I worked on journals and went to the County Seat Restaurant for lunch with other hikers. Some of us went to the Confederate Museum and saw a lot of interesting but sad history from 140 years ago. It was a tragic time in our country but fascinating to learn about in this era. We stopped for a snack on the way back to the motel and had an early dinner so we could get an early start in the morning.
Date: 2004-06-17
From: Front Royal, Va.

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

6/17 We took a taxi to the start of the trail and did 15.1 miles to Dick's Dome Shelter. We were lucky to get in the shelter as the rain poured down. In the shelter were Jarhead and Feathers who were both hiking south on the AT. When the rain stopped we set up our tents on this uneventful day.
Date: 2004-06-18
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: few clouds

6/18 We knew today was going to be hard since we had to do 8 out of 12 300 to 600 foot mountain climbs right in a row that together are called the Roller coaster. The day was hot and muggy and the sweat poured from us all day. Hawk and I have been hiking together for several days now. We have a lot in common and share similar values, common politics, enjoy jokes, and walk a similar moderate pace. I have enjoyed his company-it has made hiking more fun for me. We got to Bears Den Hostel just after 4 and got cokes and much needed showers. This hostel was a huge castle-like home built in the 30¢s that had been donated to the AT by a doctor. It had lots of rooms and plenty of places for hikers to spend the night. We hung our tents outside on the clothesline to dry and got our laundry in the washing machine. We then made our own pizzas and then had ice cream before cleaning up and turning in on a bunk bed with a mattress at about 10 PM.
Date: 2004-06-19
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: clear sky

6/19 We left Bears Den at about 6:30 AM with several exciting things happening today. We first finished the last of the roller coaster mountains-much easier while rested and cooler, and then crossed into West Virginia, the first new state in over 535 miles and over a month of time. Finally, we got to Harper¢s Ferry where we planned to stay for a couple of days to tour the city and get rejuvenated. We hitched to Charles Town about 4 miles away, got our hotel and cleaned up before getting pizza and getting to bed early.
Date: 2004-06-20
From: Harpers Ferry

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

6/20 After breakfast we went to the Appalachian Trail Headquarters and signed in so we would be registered as 2004 thru hikers. Hawk was the 374th and I was the 375th person to pass through Harper¢s Ferry so far. They expect about 250 to 300 more to pass through this year and then expect about 12 of them to drop out somewhere before getting to Katahdin. We both think we¢re too stubborn to quit and plan to finish. I got some new gore tex waterproof boots since my feet were pretty chewed up from 2 weeks of being wet and going up and down so many mountains. I¢ve lost 3 nails so far and 4 of the others are unusual colors and don¢t look too good. Actually, none of them look good but 4 more may loose the nails. We then went to the civil war museums and displays that are all over the city since Harper¢s Ferry was a strategic place during the Civil War and was taken over by the different sides 8 different times. After a long lunch we went to the hotel and rested before going out to eat for the evening.
Date: 2004-06-21
From: Harpers Ferry

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

6/21 This is Monday so we were anxious to get our mail and packages. I was lucky to have many cards for my birthday as well as 3 more for Fathers Day. I packed up the old boots and a CD I had made of some of the pictures I had taken so far on the AT. I sent copies to the clinic, home, and my Indiana family but I¢m not sure many of them will make sense until I can narrate them. I then went to the library and spent 4 hours updating my journal before taking the bus back to Charlestown where we had a subway and ice cream. We also stopped at a sidewalk at the hotel and got some good pictures of 7 baby skunks that were living there.
Date: 2004-06-22
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Dalhgren Back Pack Campground
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

6/22 After an early breakfast we were lucky to hitch back to the AT Center and resumed our journey. It¢s a cloudy day as we get going thru town and we hope that will keep the heat down a bit. When we were 12 way across a bridge across the Potomac River we were entering the state of Maryland. Today was mostly flat with some very rocky spots later in the PM. At lunchtime we came to Gathland State Park where we planned to have lunch. We lucked out again when a caterer for a history tour bus had just finished [catering the bus] and the servers/owners were gracious when Hawk did a yogi-ing trick and asked if there was anything left that they didn¢t need. The nice lady fixed us all huge plates of BBQ pork, fried chicken, baked beans, cole slaw, rolls, and iced tea. Trail magic is a great thing but now we were all stuffed like turkeys and still had to hike over 7 miles of rocks. Someone had also left 2 bags of cookies and I said I was stuffed and didn¢t want any since I still had plenty from my resupply. We got a nice shower and good tent sites at Dalgren Back Pack Campground at the end of the day. When I opened my pack, I found a large bag of the cookies that Hawk had put in my bag to carry all afternoon. When I asked if someone had misplaced their cookies we all knew they had pulled a practical joke on me and had a good laugh. Hawk reclaimed the cookies and then offered me one of them. I should be grateful-usually someone is loaded down with rocks. It was kind of funny because Hawk and I had been talking about practical jokes all afternoon. I told him that the season was now open.
Date: 2004-06-23
From: Dalhgren Back Pack Campground

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: few clouds

6/23 We go a 6:30 start on a day we planned to hike 15 miles, 3 miles less than yesterday. After 2 miles we came to a very neat park called Washington Monument State Park that had a coke machine. After a coke and short break we went up a short hill to the very first Washington Monument, a stone building about 25 feet wide around and 50 feet or so high with stairs that we climbed and overlooked an expansive valley below. Along the walk to the monument were a lot of facts about our first president that were very interesting. We also found out that people came to the monument to watch the civil war as it was being fought in the valley below. Since we were near the shelter by 2:30 we hitched a ride on a nearby road to Smithbury for an early super and brought back cokes to the Cowall Shelter. Pioneer and Rider were 2000 thru hikers who brought in lots of yeast rolls, butter, jelly, and bananas for some more trail magic. We were still full from our town trip but still managed to eat most of the rolls.
Date: 2004-06-24
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: clear sky

06/24 We left Cowall Shelter at about 6:30 in the morning and had a lot of nice hiking until we got to the devils racecourse, a huge pile of rocks that we had to go over and down. After a mile or so of rocks we had 2 easy miles to Pen Mar Park where we had a nice lunch break and cokes. Shortly after leaving the park we were in Pennsylvania and our 7th state-a huge accomplishment with 7 more states to go. We had plenty of rocks again but were happy to eat ripe blackberries along the way. Most of the afternoon was good hiking and we got to Tumbling Run Shelter early for an 18-mile day at about 3:30 PM. We set up camp, got water, and later started our dinners. Hawk and I had both gotten new titanium stoves that cost $35 each in Harper¢s Ferry and I had trouble starting mine 2 days before. You¢re supposed to fill it full and I was trying to use less fuel and that made it harder to light. I caught my supply bottle on fire when my stove didn¢t look like it had caught which ruined that bottle but no great harm was done. Hawk had never used his and so was anxious to try it out. I offered to trade him since we knew mine worked but he wanted to use his own. What he didn¢t know was that I had replaced his alcohol fuel with water the night before and he was about to get frustrated trying to get water to burn in his new stove. I took some great pictures of the whole incident and when he couldn¢t light it after 6 or 8 tries I told him that sometimes you get condensation in the fuel. I took his fuel bottle, licked a couple of drops off my arm from it, and said it didn¢t seem very strong. I then squirted the bottle directly in my mouth and he then knew he¢d been had. He said ¢You son-of-a-b___¢ and we all had a big laugh. It was payback for the cookie prank. He¢s a great sport and admitted he¢d been paid back for his little trick. The next day I started bragging on him for trying to invent a hydrogen stove by adding a molecule of oxygen to each two of hydrogen (h2o). It was a fun day.
Date: 2004-06-25
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: Birch Run Shelters
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

6/25 Today promised to be a fun day because we would be at Caledonia State Park for lunch. We got there at 10:15 and had to wait until 11 for the concession to open. There were kids everywhere, playing, picnicking, and waiting until the pool opened at 11. We had an interesting conversation with Rock, a 22 YO man from Israel who was southbound on the AT. He had served his 3 years in the military and when asked said he didn¢t see any mid-east solution soon. We had a nice lunch and finished the 19.6-mile day at Birch Run Shelters, where we were grilled about equipment and hiking the AT by some day hikers. They were impressed by Hawks hydrogen stove. Guess I¢d better not wear that joke out too soon. We were ready for bed when the rain set in for the night.
Date: 2004-06-26
From: Birch Run Shelters

To: Hunters Run Road
Miles today: 17.7

6/26 We were greeted at 5 AM with clear skies and no rain and the promise of an exciting day-we would pass the 12 way mark. We packed our wet tents and 10 miles later celebrated the 2004-halfway point at 1087.0 miles. There is no marker but we knew we were close by other landmarks. We hiked on to Pine Grove State Park and set our gear in a beautiful hostel called Ironmasters Mansion and got set up for our 12 way challenge. This challenge is where everyone is expected to eat 12 gallon of ice cream in 12 hour because you are now 12 way done hiking the AT. I managed to finish a 12 gallon of Hershey¢s chocolate in about 1/2 hour but hawk and Cat Dog couldn¢t make it. I got my official wooden spoon to acknowledge the feat and the stomachache that I was expecting never happened. We went another 8.5 miles to set up our tents at the Tagg Run Campground where we could shower and have a nice dinner. I cleaned and dried my tent and was glad for a dry night. It was another great day.
Date: 2004-06-27
From: Hunters Run Road

To: Harrisburg Pike
Miles today: 19.7

6/27 We ate breakfast at 6 when the dinner opened and hiked about 12 miles to have lunch at Boiling Springs, Pa. The AT Conference has a regional office there so we stopped there first and they recommended an Italian restaurant for lunch. On the way to the restaurant we went past the bubbling springs where 22 million gallons of water per day come out of a dark hole in the ground at a constant 53 degrees year round. It is very impressive. When we finished lunch we took off our boots and waded in the ice-cold water for about 2 minutes because they promised it had healing qualities. It did make the feet feel good but may be because you soon lost all feeling because they are numb. The whole day was also special because we walked on a lot of flat ground next to corn and soy bean fields that coved the valley we were now crossing. It was a real treat to walk on flat ground with no rocks. We finally stopped after 19.7 miles and stayed in a motel off the AT. That also meant dinner and breakfast at the diner next door. It was another great day.
Date: 2004-06-28
From: Harrisburg Pike

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

6/28 We finished breakfast at the diner at 6:30 and headed on our way to the next town-Duncannon, Pa. We went the 17.6 miles and had to go over a lot of rocks including a rockslide near the end of the mountain. When we finally got to a smooth dirt path that led to the road to town they had a sign that said to please take the new route to allow the old trail to recover. So the new trail took us up another 200 feet and over 200 yards of more rocks before going down to the road where the old trail rejoined. What a clever idea that was. We went to the Doyle Hotel and got rooms for 2 nights since we planned to take a 0 day there on Tuesday. The Doyle Hotel is an old rundown wooden building built by the Anheiser Busch family many years ago. There is no TV, one bath on each floor, and the one pay phone was downstairs. I had a fan in my room and had to use my headlamp at night since the light from the 30 watt-like bulb in the 10-foot ceiling took too long to get to the book I was reading. We were on the 4th floor and the stairway was bolted shut to the bottom floor from closing time to 7 AM. So with no exit signs you would be lucky to find the only other exit at the end of the balcony on the second floor if there was a fire. It was still a welcome place to be at $15 per night. We went to the post office for our mail and packages before stopping at a pub and had a couple of beers before eating some good sandwiches at the pub. The town was very friendly and a local brought the first beer for some and put money in the jukebox for others to play. There are sure a lot of nice people out there.
Date: 2004-06-29
From: Duncannon

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

6/29 People were nice about giving you rides to the market since the 12 mile trip was on a narrow, fast, curvy road that was too dangerous for walking. We resupplied, did our laundry, and mailed our extra supplies forward to the next town in what is called a bounce box. I had bought a clipper to trim my beard because it was annoying me due to its length. So my bounce box had some extra food, clippers, and a battery charger. We ate an early dinner after a relaxing day and got ready to hike in the AM.
Date: 2004-06-30
From: Duncannon

To: Spring
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

6/30 Cat Dog, Wags, Hawk, and I left the hotel before 6 AM and hiked 1.5 miles out of town to a truck stop for an early breakfast. We met Cat Dog¢s husband Gary there who was to take Ways home since she was having trouble with the heat and no longer having fun. Wags was a very protective Australian Cattle Dog and had gone over 900 miles and was a great companion for Cat Dog. It would be a sad day for Cat Dog. We crossed the Susquehanna River on the bridge that ended with a 500-foot climb up the next mountain and over a lot of rocks, again. They never seem to run out of those damn things. The hiking today would have been nice but the rocks wear you down with each careful step you have to take. We planned to lunch at an overlook called Table Rock but the area was saturated with kids from a church camp who were rappelling and rock climbing. We talked to some for a while and ate at a very nice nearby shelter called Peter¢s Mountain Shelter. While were there Wonder Lost, A 78 year old hiker also came in for lunch. The last time I has seen him was in Georgia where he was disoriented, dehydrated, and wound up spending a day or 2 in the Hiawassee Hospital recovering from a severe bout of vomiting and diarrhea. He was so sick that when he got lost in the woods and he left his pack and eventually had to buy all his gear again from scratch. He later got his old pack back so now has plenty of gear. He said he skipped a few hundred miles of the trail and was not sure he would make it to Katahdin. You have to admire his tenacity. We camped at a nice spring after 17 miles with Cat Dog, Hawk, Gator, Mad Hatter, and me.
Date: 2004-07-01
From: Spring

To: Swatara Creek
Miles today: 18.4

7/1 With our 6 o¢clock start we got our eyes opened early as we sweated up a 1000 foot mountain the first thing in the morning. We were all tired from yesterday¢s rocks and were glad today was much smoother. At 2:30 the skies opened up and while we were quickly drenched we were lucky to cross a stream and get under a bridge that was on the trail. After a solid hour of hard rain it let up enough to search for some tent sites. We had passed some before crossing the creek but the water was now 2 feet deeper and was a raging muddy torrent. We went north .3 of a mile and camped at a state park on a grassy road that was similar to a yard. I¢m sure it was illegal but there was no other place and no one to tell us not to do it. My daughter once told me it¢s sometimes easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission. We ate all the blackberries we could find along the road that were now becoming more common and very tasty. We had time to dry out and nap before falling asleep after a full dinner. Today I celebrated the 3-month anniversary of my start on Springer Mountain.
Date: 2004-07-02
From: Swatara Creek

To: Pine Grove, Pa.
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: few clouds

7/2 We left the park for an easy 11.2 miles to the toad to Pine grove, PA. The first couple of miles were tough with a 1000-foot climb and lots of rocks. It was good training for the rocks to come in the last 12 of Pennsylvania. We took several breaks to eat blackberries along the way and then hitched a ride to the Comfort Inn at Pine Grove. We lunched at Arbys and put our tents out in the sun in the back yard to dry while we showered and hand washed our clothes to put them out to dry also. After dinner and TV we turned in early for a chance to rest part of the day.
Date: 2004-07-03
From: Pine Grove, Pa.

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

7/3 Cat Dog and I hitched back to Hwy 501 and planned to take 2 days to get to Port Clinton. Hawk was meeting his wife Peggy today and decided not to hike at all. We had lots of rocks again as well as 2 small climbs but now the rocks are what wears you down instead of the climbs that were so common in Georgia and North Carolina. We got to Hertlein Campsite where we had snacks and rested while having an interesting talk with some holiday weekend hikers. They offered us beer and the use of a cell phone witch I gratefully used to call home. Hiking for the rest of the day was easy and we finished with 15.2 miles at the Eagle Nest Shelter.
Date: 2004-07-04
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton, Pa.
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: broken clouds

7/4 We had an easy 8.6-mile hike to Port Clinton arriving at 9:30. We set our tents up at a park next to the Schuykill River, got a shower and hitched a ride to the Laundromat and Food Lion by John, a trail angel. We took our supplies back to the park and later got a ride with Luna and her parents to Cabellas, a huge sporting good store. Luna is one of the hikers who got trail magic from my mother and sister when they were in the Shenandoah¢s. We ate lunch there and wandered around for a couple of hours. I bought some socks and bug spray and the store shuttled us back to the park. We spent the evening talking around a fire and watched the locals shooting off their fireworks. Thankfully they quit by 10 PM and we only had trucks and trains to wake us occasionally thru the night.
Date: 2004-07-05
From: Port Clinton, Pa.

To: Allentown Shelter
Miles today: 22.6

7/5 Cat Dog and I got a 6 o¢clock start and got and early sweat going with an 800 foot climb followed by and hour or so of rock climbing. After 6 miles we had a snack at the first shelter where a southbound hiker told us the Pa. rocks were overrated and no big deal. I think he was delusional because they were hard and a big deal for most everyone you talk to. We climbed another 700 feet and had 4 miles of solid rock climbing. The rocks were a big deal to me but at least the last 5 miles to Eckville Shelter were on a nice road and the easiest travel we would have all day. There is caretaker at the hour at the Eckville Shelter so we got cokes and ice cream to go with our lunch. After an 1100-foot climb away from the shelter we walked almost 5 miles on solid rocks into Allentown Shelter. The 3 climbs and all the rocks made the 22.6-mile day a very long one and we didn¢t get our tents up until 7 PM. At least it waited to start a hard rain while we cooked out dinner inside the shelter. It was not good that the water source was 14 mile downhill from the shelter-not what you want at the end of a long day. Pennsylvania was low on rain and water was much harder to find than anyplace so far on the trail.