morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-21
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: few clouds

I decided not to take a NERO in Duncannon. On the trail at 4:15, arrived in town around 9:30. Doyle opens at 11, no problem - I did my laundry at the local laundromat in the meantime. Everything went in the machine except a clean pair of underpants that I had, and my rain jacket. Glad they didn¢t raid the place, HaHa. After laundry went back to the Doyle, picked up my maildrop, and figured out what I still needed for resupply. Not much. Picked up a few odds and ends at a nearby convenience mart. Back to the Doyle, and had lunch. The owners were so friendly/helpful. Lunch was a huge fish fry, it was delicious. Back on the trail hiking at 1. Long road walk out of Duncannon, including bridges over Junita and Susquehanna Rivers. Beautiful day today for hiking. Many dayhikers on the trail enjoying the weather. Here at the shelter tonite are two flipfloppers from South Africa, Metric and MooT. Nice folks, they¢ve been on trail about 2 weeks having started from Harpers Ferry. Also here are about 6 members from a local hiking club out for an overnite backpack. They are all in tents. My sister Heidi and her husband Gary, who live in north Jersey, are headed to Rochester this weekend. They drive thru the Delaware Water Gap. I am hoping that I can be near there by then and hitch a round trip ride with them. We¢ll see how it goes for me, I have many miles to cover and still need to deal with the PA rocks which will slow me down. It would sure be good to be home for the weekend and see Kayanne/family. John and Debby will also be in town visiting Mike and family. I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-04-22
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Tent Campsite mile 1184.6
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: overcast clouds

As I lay here in my tent tonite, my body is telling me I need to take a break from these 20 plus mile days one after another. It was all I could do to drag my sorry butt up the last climb of the day and setup camp. I¢m whupped tonite. Think I¢ll sleep in tomorrow morning!Weather wise it was a beautiful day today, couldn¢t have asked for better. And so far the trails in PA have not been difficult. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop! I encountered 3 northbound flipfloppers on the trail today:  Dory, Reverse and Rev. They started a couple weeks ago. Other than that I did not see any other thru hikers. There were several groups doing a weekend backpack, and quite a few folks doing a dayhike/walk on a nice Sunday afternoon. There were also a couple of horseback riders on the trail today, which is a no-no on the AT. I said something to them, but they kept right on going. I would like to give a shout out to Gossamer Gear. The  hipbelt on my backpack has started to fray; it¢s not serious yet, but with time/wear could become an issue. I sent them an email and a photo, and they sent me a replacement belt along with a link to an instructional video. Now that¢s good customer service. Overall I¢m very happy with my Mariposa 60 backpack. I¢m the only one here at the tentsite tonite, and will be turning in early. I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-04-23
From: Tent Campsite Mile 1184.6

To: PA 183
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: broken clouds

After being so exhausted yesterday, I slept in till 4:45;  on the trail at 5:30. The issue with sleeping in is that I go to bed so early (hiker midnite is somewhere between 8 & 9), that I¢m awake early. Might as well be hiking as opposed to laying in the sleeping bag. It takes me typically about 45 minutes in the morning to break camp and be on the trail. I can basically pack everything up within the tent/vestibules, excepting of course the tent itself and my bear bag, which is especially convenient - especially if it¢s raining. One advantage of being on the trail so early is that I get to see a lot of sunrises. The days are noticeably longer; today I was able to turn off my headlight right at 6!It was another great hiking day weather wise. Mother Nature, another 60 or so days like today would be awesome, thank you very much! The trail was also easy hiking today;  of course there were some rocky sections, but no more than I¢ve experienced in other states so far. I¢m told the real rocky sections begin around Port Clinton, we¢ll see. One thing that I did encounter today were sections where there were two parallel trails. Neither of these parallel trails were marked very well with blazes, so I couldn¢t really tell if I was on the AT or not. The trails would repeatedly diverge and merge again.  Strange, first time I experienced this. I hiked for awhile with section hiker Levi, he is from NYC. I also encountered section hikers Moonshine and Tortuga, and crossed paths with flipfloppers Reverse and Rev. Yesterday they were headed northbound, today southbound. There were also a couple of dayhikers out on the trail, but otherwise the trail was quiet today. The plantar fasciitis in my right heel is starting to act up a bit. Not that bad right now, but I hope it doesn¢t get much worse - the tendon is swollen and tender. It is fortuitous that I¢ll be in Rochester this weekend, I¢ll be stopping at The Good Feet Store for a new pair of orthotics. Two things typically happen with orthotics over time:  i) your foot size/dimesions will change;  and ii) the orthotics themselves will deform. I suspect that after 1,200 miles of pounding on the trail that a little of both has occurred. Time for a new pair. I am staying tonite at the Rock n Sole Hostel, time to recharge my energy a bit and take a shower. It has been 9 days since I last showered, and although I didn¢t really stink that bad (HaHa) I thought a shower might be a good idea anyway. They have a nice setup here, and the folks that run the place are extremely friendly and accommodating. The $40 price also includes two homecooked meals (dinner and breakfast), and a resupply shuttle to Dollar General, what a great deal. I¢ll be back on the trail tomorrow AM after breakfast. Also staying here at the hostel are section hikers Woody and Little Bit, a couple from California!I am safe, warm and dry in the hostel tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-04-24
From: PA 183

To: Widsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 20.5

Even though breakfast wasn¢t till 7, I still woke up at 5:30 all bright eyed and bushy tailed as they say. It¢s hard to change normal routine. After a nice breakfast that was served me at Rock ¢n Sole Hostel I was shuttled over to the trailhead and was hiking at 7:45. Later than my normal early AM start, but that¢s Ok, I was able to make it up on the tail end as it doesn¢t get dark till 8. The trail was a typical walk in the woods, very few outlooks and rather uneventful. I only encountered two people on the trail the entire day, both flipfloppers:  Rev and Mariposa. I did see a wild turkey today, it scampered across the trail about 70 yards in front of me. All I could think of after seeing the turkey was Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws the Maleskis - I could sure go for a plate full of turkey and fixins right about now, HaHa. The inflammation in my right heel continues to worsen, with every step being painful. Hopefully when I get my new orthotics on Saturday that will solve the problem. In the meantime I will just have to fight thru it. I am the only one here at the shelter tonite. It¢s not very quiet though, the crickets are making quite a racquet - I may have to wear my earplugs tonite! I was so happy when I arrived at the shelter, beating the rain that was forecast. We¢ll see what the morning brings. I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-04-25
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Tent Campsite 1245.7
Miles today: 21.1

It rained all last nite, and lasted till late morning. Then it started in again just as I was making camp. Generally just a miserable day weather wise, oh well - it is to be expected after the two nice days we had. I must admit that when i woke up this morning at 4 and heard the rain coming down pretty hard on the shelter roof, I rolled back over and slept for another hour or so. Didn¢t get on the trail till 6:15. Not a big crisis!I encountered lots of the PA rocks today, big ones and little ones, round ones and pointy ones. Going thru these rocky sections of trail really slows the pace down, as you have to watch very carefully each and every foot placement or you run the risk of an ankle sprain/break or a face plant. As it was, and in spite of being very careful, I did take a very nasty fall today on a section with the big rocks. It happened around mid day, and some of the rocks were extremely slippery. Down I went, landing hard on my left forearm and hip. Knocked the wind right out of me, I just lay there for a few minutes to pull myself together. Nothing is broken, but my left hip is really sore. I believe a couple of Tylenol PMs are in order for tonite. You know, a couple of zero days in Rochester is just what this old boy needs. I encountered a few flipfloppers and section hikers today including GD, Broken Arrow and Disco. Disco is here at the campsite with me. I also passed a rather strange group of five young men hiking today. The individual in front was dressed in a brown frock, almost like a monk¢s robe, and he was carrying a wooden staff. Ditto for the person in the back. The other three guys in between were all dressed in normal hiking attire. We exchanged hellos in passing, but they did not stop to engage in any conversation. Tomorrow if things go as planned I will be doing the descent/ascent into Lehigh Gap. I¢m told this section is rocky and very steep, I¢m actually looking forward to it (assuming my body cooperates). I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-04-26
From: Tent campsite 1245.7

To: Tent campsite 1268.6
Miles today: 22.9

Great day on the trail today under beautiful sunny skies. My hip is still sore, but started feeling a bit better as the day went on. I¢m not too concerned about it, I probably have a bone bruise that will slowly get better, no worries. As far as my plantar fasciitis is concerned, that felt much better today as well. What a huge relief. I want to thank my friend Bill Crowe, who is a very active member of the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) and the Rochester Winter Mountaineering Society (RWMS). Bill also suffers from plantar fasciitis, and he sent me an email with some excellent remedial. suggestions - one of which was to do 200 very forceful tow crunches at nite. Well I did my first set last nite, and I think it helped a lot. Guess what will now be part of my nightly routine from here on out. Toe crunches.I really enjoyed today¢s climb out of the Lehigh Gap. There was some exposure and a few spots requiring a scramble - enough to get the adrenaline flowing a bit. I enjoyed that, reminded me a little of some of the climbs in the Adirondacks and the Whites. Overall today the trail was a mixed bag:  some sections were a turkey walk, and others were a rock hop. I really need to make sure I take my time thru the rocky sections, one slow step at a time. I saw a few section hikers and dayhikers out today, but no other thru hikers. I am at the tent campsite alone tonite, not a lot of people out on the trail today. Looking forward to my upcoming weekend in Rochester to see Kayanne and family. I rendezvous tomorrow with my sister at noon in Wind Gap, PA. I have an easy 10.6 mile hike in the morning to get there, piece of cake. RWMS is having their annual social get together (aka Spring Rites)Fri. nite, but I am having dinner with family at Mike¢s that nite and will not be able to attend. Greetings RWMS members from Opa, I will be thinking of you as you regal one another with this past year¢s winter exploits!I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite.  Goodnite.
Date: 2018-04-27
From: Tent Campsite 1268.6

To: Wind Gap PA
Miles today: 10.6

Set my alarm for 4:30, but I awoke at 4 and was on the trail hiking at 4:45. I was anxious to get going in anticipation of seeing my sister Heidi at Wind Gap, and then being reunited with Kayanne back in Rochester. I broke camp in the dry, but it started raining about 7. The trail this AM was a mixed bag of PA rocks and easy trail, but I still made decent progress and was in Wind Gap by 10:30 - 1.5 hours ahead of the agreed upon rendezvous time with Heidi. I walked into town to the local Dunkin Donuts, where naturally I had a couple breakfast sandwiches while waiting. When Heidi arrived we had a joyful reunion, and were on our way to Rochester. Heidi had lots of food along, sandwiches, donuts, fruit, etc. I was home by 4:10, Kayanne was there. Hello Schatzie, good to see you!!! Then we were over to Mike and Karen¢s place and their son Brady for dinner with them and Heidi and my brother John who was visiting from NC. We had a nice German feast:  sausages, sauerkraut, german potatoe salad, rye bread, homemade pie and ice cream. I was stuffed!!!!Lots of running around for me tomorrow, but it¢s definitely great to be home for a couple days. I am safe, warm and dry in our home tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-04-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Without going into details, I was in extreme pain last nite whenever I had to urinate - dropped me right to my knees. I spent a good part of the day in a bed in a hallway in the emergency room at Rochester General getting tests taken (blood work, urine analysis, CT scan). Tomorrow I have an appointment with my primary care physician, who will likely refer me to an urologist. I suppose if there¢s a silver lining it¢s fortunate that I was in Rochester at the time, and not on the trail. I am hopeful that this is just a temporary setback, and that I¢ll be back on the trail soon. I am safe, warm and dry in our home tonite  - albeit in pain, uncomfortable and disappointed to not be on the trail. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-04-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I had a terrible nite last nite, as it was once again extremely difficult and excruciatingly painful to urinate - which I had to do about every 30 minutes. I should say as I attempted to urinate, as maybe only a few drops came out. In any event I had an appointment this morning with my primary care physician, and he set me up to have a catheter installed at Strong. I basically have an enlarged prostate, a condition that is not uncommon for men my age. I will also be scheduled to see an urologist, who will further evaluate my condition and advise as to treatment options. My doctor also re-examined my hernia, which I've had since last fall, and he advised that my hernia now needs to be surgically repaired once my prostate issue is resolved and before I have any notion of continuing on with my AT hike. I tell ya, it's tough getting old!It was a huge relief to have the catheter installed, you just can't imagine how good it felt to drain my bladder and no longer have to deal with the pain that went with going to the bathroom. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh....!These health issues are nothing serious that can't be dealt with, but it looks like the continuance of my AT thru hike attempt is going to be put on hold for awhile. Another option for me is to complete the AT as a section hiker - if not this year, then perhaps next year. Certainly I'm disappointed with this recent chain of events, but I remain enthusiastic and optimistic about completing the AT one way or another. In one respect I consider myself very fortunate that the issue with my prostate manifested itself while I happened to be in Rochester for the weekend. I can't imagine having to deal with the very painful urination issue while out on the trail.This will be my last journal entry for at least awhile. I want to thank all of my followers, friends and family members for your ongoing support and kind words of encouragement. I am sorry to let those of you down that were cheering me on, but all is not lost - completion of the AT may yet become a reality for me.I am safe, warm and dry in our home tonite - and much more comfortable now that I have a catheter in place than I've been the past two nites. Goodnite!
Date: 2018-05-17
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Tent Campsite mile 1308.2
Miles today: 13.5

When I started my hike back on 02/10 at Amicalola Falls SP, I was in decent shape and could pound out big miles on day one and be ready to repeat the same the next day without any soreness. Well let me tell you, after being sedentary for 2.5 weeks I am like a marshmallow. I expected that I¢d be sore this AM after yesterday, and I was. Today was a struggle for me physically, and it was a very modest mileage and climbing elevation day. I expect that I¢ll be sore for the next several days, until I get some semblance of trail legs back under me. It is what it is. Reminds me of what our high school track coach, Fr. McCarthy, used to tell us: ¢.....first we knock you down, then we build you up....¢. The trail is definitely knocking me down right now. As far as my health is concerned, I feel great - all bodily systems are functioning as the Good Lord intended (thanks to the drugs I¢m taking). I am very appreciative of my doctors that got me to this point, and gave me the green light to resume my hike: Drs. Ryu, Chang & Garneau; and a special thanks to NP Maureen Kiernan at UR/Strong Urology for all her help. Health wise, I feel great!Today¢s hike started with an early morning light rain, which only lasted a couple hours. By this afternoon the sun actually came out. Today¢s hike took me along Kittatinny Ridge, where there were some nice views to be had. The trail also skirted around Sunfish Pond, this looked like a great spot, very scenic. The trail itself here in New Jersey has been well graded, and the walking for the most part has been much easier than in PA. I hope today¢s trail conditions are indicative of conditions for the balance of New Jersey.I was so physically tired this afternoon that I was going to spend the nite at the Mohican Outdoor Center about 3 miles back. I rolled in there at about 14:30, only to find out that they had no electricity, no water, and no food. Hmmm, for $30 a nite for a bunk it didn¢t sound like much of a deal, so I dug deep and hoofed it the additional 3 miles to the tentsite where I¢m at. It¢s a great spot, water is nearby and I¢ve got this site all to myself so far. I¢m glad I went the extra 3 miles. A couple of milestones today: i) I crossed from PA into NJ, which means 7 states down and 7 to go; and ii) I passed the 1,300 mile mark. Slowly but surely I¢m getting there. I encountered one other thru hiker on the trail today, Kickback. I also ran into Turtle, a section hiker, whom I met way back in Franklin, NC at Gooder¢s hostel. A nice guy, he is employed full time by the Boy Scouts. We chatted for awhile, he was headed south. I also came across three large groups of dayhikers out on the trail today. One big difference that I have noticed since I was last on the trail, besides the spring foliage of course, is that the bugs are out. Which reminds me, I better check for ticks before I turn in. I am safe, warm and dry iin my tent tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-05-18
From: Tent Campsite mile 1308.2

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

I did OK today. Still moving pretty slow, but the miles came a little easier today as compared to yesterday. In addition to banging out a few more miles, there was also a bit more climbing elevation. Nothing major mind you, but enough to get my legs working and my heart pumping. 47 miles over the past three days, I¢m well satisfied with that all things considered. It certainly helped having the great trail conditions and relatively gentle grades that I¢ve encountered in New Jersey so far - just what the doctor ordered. It was a beautiful day today, comfortable temps and mostly clear skies. I encountered one other thru hiker today, Doc Holiday, a flipflopper who was headed south. I also ran into NOBO Kickback, whom I met yesterday. Here with me at the shelter tonite are two section hikers, Miss Piggy and Kermit, who this year are on their last section to complete the AT. Congratulations!I forgot to mention in my entries of the past couple days that there is a lot of fresh blowdown both on and alongside the trail, apparently the result of some severe thunderstorms that swept thru the area earlier in the week. I¢m certain that it¢s going to take trail crews awhile to clean up this mess. There have also been widespread power outages as a result. Power outages don¢t really affect us hikers directly, but I do feel for those folks/businesses without power. T5000, I don¢t know if you are still doing your ¢Bedtime Stories with Opa¢ readings, but if you are reading this entry I want you to know how proud I am of the Four Young Guns:  you, Capt. Blackbeard, Sour Patch and Mainer are all doing great. It¢s my understanding you¢re all up in Vermont, having banged out Connecticut¢s 51 miles in less than 24 hrs. Wow, you guys rock - I¢m with you in spirit and wish you all the best. Keep it up, and you¢ll all be standing on Katahdin in no time!!! Tomorrow I¢m targeting a 20 mile day, we¢ll see how she goes. There is rain in the forecast which will slow me down, as I am very tentative on the wet rocks these days. I¢ve had a few nasty slips/falls, and have lost confidence in the gripping power of my Merrill boots on wet rock. I¢ve got a new pair of boots waiting for me at my son Eric¢s place, whom I¢ll be seeing next weekend. I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-05-19
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: High Point State Park Information Center
Miles today: 11.3

It was a cold, rainy and downright miserable day today - but it worked out well overall for me as I am spending a Nero at my sister Heidi¢s home in nearby Randolph, New Jersey.I felt really good today physically and was able to pound out a few miles this AM pretty quickly to High Point State Park, but man I was pretty wet - and chilled - when I got there. Rain gear only works so long in a heavy continuous rain like we had today, water eventually finds a way in. There I go, sounding like a cry baby!Anyway I am being treated like royalty by my sister and her family, enjoying everyone¢s company, a nice home cooked meal, got laundry done, a shower, a nap, watched a movie tonite.....just living off the fat of the land!  I¢ve already decided that in view of tomorrow¢s forecast that I¢m going to take a Zero here, HaHa (man, I am getting soft), and get back on the trail Monday AM. I am safe, warm and dry - and well fed - at my sister¢s house tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-05-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

An easy and enjoyable day with the Sopkos. It started with Heidi and I taking Ruby for a walk. Then Heidi, Gary and I went out for a hearty breakfast (you just can¢t beat those Jersey diners).  Then Gary and I went to mass, after which (and not during)  I took a nice nap. Next we had a nice late lunch of Heidi¢s delicious homemade lasagna, followed by a nice trail walk with Heidi, Gary and Alex (and of course Ruby). Back to the house, I got my pack ready (the most strenuous thing I did all day, HaHa), then snacking for dinner. A guy could get used to this I tell ya! I¢ve thoroughly enjoyed my stay here with the Sopkos, but will be back on the trail bright and early tomorrow AM. I am safe, warm and dry at my sister¢s tonite. Goodnite.