morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-05
From: somewhere, PA

To: camp after shelter
Miles today: 20.0

Day 85- July 5, 2016We woke up a little late on the service road this morning. After raining all night, our tent was drenched and most of our stuff was damp and dingy. We packed up and set out to top off our water at the spring as there is no water for the first 11 miles of the day. After filling up and making some pack adjustments, we climbed a hill to where part of the famous PA rocks start. T wasn't as bad as expected but the real bad rocks aren't supposed to happen for another few days. A lot of the day was flat but it had its challenges. At one point there was a steep descent that was made up of large boulder steps at varying uncomfortable levels and angles which caused a few scary ankle rolls and a feeling of vertigo as I almost tumble forward down the remaining 100 feet. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was slow going and annoying. At another point, the trail turned from the path that continued on straight. Instead of going straight, the AT was poorly routed to look like a side trail that went straight up a hill rather than continue down the expected rout. This looked odd to me, but I wasn't fooled. Storm trooper on the other hand missed the turn and kept walking down a mountain. When he realized his mistake, he ran back up the mountain trying to make up for lost time. In his effort to get back, he apparently missed the turn again and walked until cat skinner and dragonfly saw him hiking the wrong way and made a comment about his directionality. Luckily, we all made it into the town of Duncannon, PA where we resupplied at a gas station and continued on. Leaving the town, we ran into sidewinder, a hiker we met on the first day at springer mountain. Dregs and sidewinder talked as we hiked. We went over a bridge before the climb and could see right to the bottom where rock plates jutted at an angle from the river bottom. I couldn't help but be amazed at how it looked just like the mountains we climb and the rock formations that are so high up, yet these were at the bottom of a river. It was beautiful. After that, we had another long section of flat, yet that was the point in which I felt a twinge of pain develop on my lower shin. It felt as if I spontaneously generated a bruise on my shin and each step got more painful. Later, dregs and trooper decided it is probably shin splints and showed me some stretches I can do to help it heal. We had gotten water earlier and filled to capacity so that we could make it another 7 miles to where we would camp. Eventually we made it there, a camp site right after a shelter with no water. The guys made a fire and dregs burnt his incense he had gotten earlier. It was fairly late, about 6:45pm, so we ate and went in for the night.
Date: 2016-07-06
From: campsite after shelter

To: swatara state park
Miles today: 22.7

Day 86 July 6thDregs here, The alarm went off at the usual time. Ninja Roll and Crash were up early and they started hiking before we even had the tent put away. We made decent time and left camp at 715. After an uneventful morning of hiking we came to a place where someone had used the ample available rocks to make chairs with backs. We had a nice lunch in the comfortable stone chairs. We saw tons of people on the trail in the afternoon. Not long before our last water stop of the day we all saw a little rattlesnake on the side of the trail. A bit later chicken hawk saw another much larger snake. There was confusion at the end of the day as we entered Swatara State park. A sign indicated there was no camping. This was unfortunate because we were at about 20 miles and ready to find camp. Luckily we stumbled across a whole group of folks breaking the rules including False Top and Charge. We ate with them and some new faces and everyone went to bed early. The site also had a creek next to it so we all washed in the creek. 22.7 miles for the day
Date: 2016-07-08
From: ...

To: port clinton, PA
Miles today: 19.0

Day 88 July 8thDregs here, We woke up at our site just past hertline campsite. Everyone there had the same free campsite in port Clinton PA in mind as their destination. The forecast called for storms at 3 pm. The town was about 19 miles away and I figured we could get to camp dry and not get caught in a storm. Chicken Hawk was sure that we would not make it....Soon after we began hiking there was a bit of a climb. We caught a couple of hikers who would be vying for our campsite and passed them. This would be a non issue because of all the space in town. After that it was flat for the rest of the way to a very very steep down hill. The steep down hill was another reason to hurry because rain could make it tricky. The racing to our destination was mostly uneventful except for when I almost stepped on a rattlesnake. As we approached town it began to drizzle. The descent into Port Clinton didn't fail to impress us with it's steepness. It was a very good thing to get down before it got muddy. StormTrooper got a room at the Port Clinton hotel and we set up in the free pavilion. Trooper let us use his shower and join in his load on the laundry machine. We all had a huge dinner at bar of the hotel restaurant. We walked the 1/4 mile to the pavilion where tents had previously been huddled to hide from the storm. Since then most of the tents were down in the grove. Only Brian a very talkative section hike was still there. Bedtime was the usual 930. All was well until 1230 when some drunk hikers got back from the bar and were loud enough to wake us up. Chicken Hawk charged right out and asked them all nicely to keep at down. Very surprisingly they did!
Date: 2016-07-09
From: port clinton, PA

To: port clinton
Miles today: 0.0

Day 89 July 9thDregs here, Awesome zero day. It started with breakfast at a family owned restaurant called 3C's. After that we walked over to the barbershop on the advice of some other hikers looking for someone who might be able to give us a ride into the larger city of Hamburg. It was there and we met Steve who agreed to take us to Hamburg for a price that wasn't too bad. Are initial plan was to try and take public transportation from there to Reading PA with the intent of seeing Finding Dory. We were able to negotiate a ride to and from the theater from Steve. It was really awesome to see a movie that we had all been looking forward to seeing.We caught a ride back to the super Walmart and did our usual shopping for resupply. We also bought some food to eat for lunch and dinner and then caught a ride back with Steve. It had been storming most of the day but it didn't stop us from getting our errands done. It's much nicer to be in town and dry on a rainy day. We sat in troopers hotel room and packed up our food bags and worked on budget stuff. We also had our dinner in the room and then after that joined trooper at the bar. Before it got dark we took our stuff back to the pavilion and campsite and set up in the grass far away from any possible drunk people and had an awesome night sleep.
Date: 2016-07-10
From: port clinton

To: camp
Miles today: 17.0

Day 90- July 10, 2016We woke up this morning in a soggy tent though it had not rained during the night. We camped in a field across from a pavilion where others had tented to stay dry, and we were inconveniently drenched in condensation. It was fine though, we packed up and as we did so, a man with a pointer dog showed up. We chatted with him as I hurriedly tried to get ready so that we could meet trooper for coffee at a barber shop before heading out of town. As we got walking his way, he sent us a message with the news that the shop was closed because it was Sunday. We disappointedly met up and started out days hike. Today was much more hilly than the previous day's in PA have been. After a long steep climb, we made our way through some boulder fields and on to a few overlooks. We ran into The KiD and his hiking companions at an overlook as well as some day hikers who chatted with us. After moving on, a day hiker with a vizsla walked by. Me being me, I excitedly asked the lady questions about her dog. Trooper finally got to see in person what a vizsla was after the many times I have talked about them. Down the trail we came across the KiDs dad and grandpa who had set up trail magic coolers at a road. We sat with a group of hikers and drank cold sodas and ate frozen three musketeers bars. It was delightful. Once we left, it was time to get water and then find a home. At the water source, I went ahead to scout out a near by campsite. On my way back I tripped and fell head first towards a tree. Luckily, my head missed the tree and only my hand scraped by as my shin landed on a raised root. It hurt fiercely for a bit and then was less painful. I hobbled back to the guys and announced that I had done something bad. They checked out my already swollen leg and confirmed that the bruise would be nasty. Currently, the spot on my leg is swollen on a space about the size of my hand with fingers together. We made it to a spot to camp and set up, made dinner and a fire, and the three of us hung out until dark. Hopefully my body does some recovering over night on my shin splints on one leg and a large welt on the other. 17 miles today
Date: 2016-07-11
From: camp

To: View Entry
Miles today: 21.0

Day 91- July 11, 2016Dregs here,We broke camp and climbed the rest of the way up the mountain that we had camped half way up. The day was supposed to be mostly flat but the rocks got worse. Periodically there were very cumbersome bolder fields. After sitting down for a break and checking our guidebook a plan was struck. There was a restaurant at a road crossing that we needed to go to for water anyways, we were going to eat lunch!Not too much longer after that we came to the road crossing and headed towards the only building in sight. A foreboding feeling crept over us as we crossed the empty parking lot. Sure enough it was closed on Mondays. We made our way around back to get water from the faucet and had lunch there with roadrunner. After lunch the hiking was easy until we came to a section called the knifes edge. The ridge we were walking on became a spine of jagged rocks with cool views to one side. It would have actually been fun if our feet weren't hurting from the day of rocks. In the early evening I put headphones in to distract me from the foot pain. With loud music going and not a care in the world I passed gas. This is not something that would normally make the journal but on this occasion a hiker I had never met was just about to pass me....Thankfully he had a smirk on his face as he passed.....A bit later this hiker stopped for water at a shelter. I know this because less than an hour after my first impression fart I again tooted as this mystery hiker was nearing me to pass. He had no smile that time....Not my best and brightest moment.As evening approached we found a great ridgeline campsite with chairs made out of rocks. It came with a fire pit and a nice view! There were also some berry bushes too! Everything was great until I started to get sick and couldn't eat my meal. Not good. 21 miles hiked
Date: 2016-07-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 93- July 13, 2016Dregs here,I woke up still not feeling too well. We hiked the 4ish miles to Wind Gap and hitched in for a day of rest. We picked up a package from Chicken Hawks best friend at the post office and it was awesome! Thanks Jenny, Ellie and Daniel! First stop in town was a diner where I ordered a meal called the "hungry man" even though I hadn't been hungry in days. I somehow was able to finish my meal and almost enjoy it. Next was a hotel room and showers. Our first room reeked of smoke so we asked to be moved to another. The second room had a jacuzzi tub! I raced through all of the usual town errands with stormtrooper and even found some great cigars for cheap. By the end of the night I felt much better. Cheesecake at StormTroopers room was one of the highlights. A soak in the tub cleared up the last remnants of my illness! Chicken Hawk had the day off she dreamed of by resting in the hotel all day.
Date: 2016-07-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 100- July 20, 2016 This morning, Tim dropped us off after making chocolate chip pancakes and taking us to deli for subs that we could pack out for lunch. Today is Day 100 on the trail and we were feeling rejuvenated from the visit and all of the home cooked meals! We left the beautiful park with a lake and started our 12 mile hike to the bear mountain inn. It was a relatively easy day that was still plagued with short but steep ups and downs. We reached a mountain top where suddenly dregs pointed out into the distance. There, we could see the faint outline of the New York City skyline. Dregs sat stunned by NY city skyline and we decided to call aunt Kim who we wanted to visit. We were able to set up a plan to meet her at the inn and spend the evening with the other half of our NY family. Towards the end of the hiking day, we reached the 1400 mile marker that was etched into some gravel on the ground at an overlook. After hitting a vending machine at the top of bear mountain, we sprinted down the well manicured trail to meet up with Kim. She took us back to their house and had a bbq set up. Uncle Jeff, Kim, Sonya, Charlotte, rob, Cindy, and hunter were all there and we had a blast answering all of their questions about the trail. We had some really good burgers, zucchini marinated in roasted red pepper dressing and pear vinegarett, grilled corn, and salad.Jeff convinced us to go in pool where eventuallyToby, the dog, joined us for a swim. We got showers and pie and to finish off the awesome evening, we Went to their basement to listen to Charlottes band practice. It was really awesome to be able to see the second half of my NY family and spend quality time with them!
Date: 2016-07-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 101- July 21, 2016Kim had set out fresh fruit and brewed coffee for us in the morning. Dregs and I helped ourselves as we slowly woke up. It wasn't long before she came down and offered us bacon egg and cheese sandwiches as well. As we all sat in the kitchen, Toby the golden retriever came in holding a toy and a pillow with uncle Rob's face on it. It was adorable how this dog adored his best friend. We got ready to leave and said goodbye to Jeff as we got in the car to be dropped back off at the trail. After a quick stop at the grocery store, we made it to the trail at bear mountain. We were a bit early for is to walk through the zoo that the trail runs right through, so we hung out outside of the gate for about 40 minutes. When it opened, we were able to see a small amount of exhibits including a bear in a hammock lounging with vultures, coyotes, foxes, and a reptile room. We crossed out of the zoo and made our way over the bear mountain bridge and up the next mountain. About a quarter way through our day, we arrived at a shell station where we found storm trooper waiting for us. We ate frozen coffee drinks and had some snacks before the three of us pressed on. We hiked a total of 15.5 miles and ended up making camp at a dispersed camp site right after a small shed that had a water faucet. At the shed, we met an older thru hiker and his golden retriever, Theo, who had hiked the whole trail up to this point including the smokies. Back at camp, we set up and ate. We are about to have our last cigar that we've been carrying for awhile before bed time.
Date: 2016-07-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 103- July 23, 2016This morning we met up with trooper at the shelter he stayed at and got water there for the day. It was a hot and humid day and ny has not had the best water sources. Dregs and I had decided that in order to make the day manageable, we would walk at a nice slow pace of 2mph over the course of our 11 hour hiking day and taking short breaks. Of course, as soon as we started hiking with dregs in the lead, he took off and hiked briskly up and down hills. Luckily the terrain was easy rolling and twisting hills so it wasn't too straining. A few times, I tried to remind dregs of our easy pace, but after 10 minutes or so he would pick his pace up again. I felt really good after a great night sleep and the light breeze that came through every now and then. We came to a road crossing and right off the trail was the Dover Oak, the largest oak tree on the AT. Under the tree, a man was set up with camp chairs and coolers filled with cold drinks. I grabbed a Gatorade and some cookies and again reminded dregs of the short breaks, especially because we had a resupply and lunch in a mile. It was a quick but appreciated break and the drinks were wonderful. We hiked to a food truck for lunch and were excited to get some real food and resupply before heading out to keep to our short break plan. When we got there, there were at least 8 other hikers in line and some locals. We stood in line in the blazing heat on our achy feet for 40 minutes waiting to order. I stopped thinking it was worth the pain and heat about 10 minutes in, but dregs and trooper were committed. We slowly got more and more displeased with the situation and even more frustrated when a local got in line and the lady working took her order and had it ready before they got to us, who were in front of the local lady. The meal was alright, I got a cheese steak sandwich. Dregs and trooper really liked their meals. We were there for two hours and I was annoyed, hot, itchy, and in pain. Not to mention we were only supposed to be there for 30 minutes or so and needed to resupply. I gave up on the resupply and was told it was expensive anyway. We hiked on when we were finished, into multiple fields. With the blazing hot sun, I hiked as fast as I could to get to the shaded woods. Once under the canopy of trees, my mood lightened and got into a little better mood. It was a great rest of the afternoon and we made it into camp at 4:55pm. After grabbing our tent sites and taking a washcloth bath from the water pump, I jumped in the tent and the guys stayed out and were approached by a few other hikers. They talked and I lay on the tent writing. 18.6 mile day.
Date: 2016-07-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: broken clouds

Day 106- July 26, 2016After a long and restful night, I put on my wet clothes and climbed out of the tent into swarming misquotes. As the three of us worked to get ready for the day, we were bitten up and constantly swatting at our faces and legs. Once out and moving, the cool morning air was delightful. The rain from yesterday really cooled down the temperature and made for pleasant walking and talking. We moved fairly quickly as we headed towards Falls Village, CT where we would pick up a package. We lost trooper for a bit as dregs and I got confused by the map of the town, but found him up trail a bit after a river walk. We got into town where we got our package containing new shoes for dregs, a pack towel, and gators for the both of us. We met back up with trooper on the porch of a closed inn and ordered pizza. Somehow trooper convinced a lady at the store across the street to give him the key to the fire house so he could use the bathroom. Dregs and I got a text from him in the firehouse bathroom with a fireman hat on... After our time in town, we headed up towards a view of a waterfall. I began to get mid day cranky and heat/sun angry. Dregs and trooper were able to help me reason my way into a better mood, that we only had 8 miles, plenty of time, could doddle and still make the shelter by 6. We chatted with a southbound hiker for a bit at a stream and could tell he missed being around people as our group joked and laughed together. Not far after, We found a view of mountains that, though it was at an open field, it was better than most vistas we come to. We took a break there and then headed on. The terrain wasn't bad and the temperature was not as hot. We restocked on water and did the final climb of the day. It wasn't bad and we made it to the shelter. At the shelter, there was a beautiful view that we ate dinner at. A hiker we met in the Shenandoah's, moss man, showed up and we chatted with him while we ate. The misquotes were even worse here so after eating we quickly retreated to our tent. 18.9 miles today
Date: 2016-07-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: light rain

Day 108- July 28, 2016 We grabbed a cab out of town and were dropped off back at the trail. First thing in the morning, we had eaten breakfast at McDonald's and resupplied. We planned on hiking until 6 as usual and aimed for an 18 mile day. It was a decent day of hiking, not too tough but I can tell that we are moving up and down mountains more than the previous states. We got water early at a shelter where we found our friends Stick and Sidewinder. After hanging out for a bit and eating lunch there, we continued on. We made it to our destination campsite at exactly 6pm. A large group of middle school aged boys had taken over the campground which worried us. They were loud for a bit but eventually calmed down. It is supposed to rain all night and some of the boys forgot their rainfly... It will be interesting to hear their reaction to getting rained on through their tent. We ate dinner with trooper, stick, sidewinder and a man named Steve who plans on doing the trail next year. Dregs and trooper enjoyed relaying all of their tips tricks and suggestions to the man. The mosquitos are huge and plentiful here, so I went into the tent early. Almost ready for bed.
Date: 2016-07-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 109- July 29, 2016We woke up to rain that had settled down sense the night time. I packed up all of my things while still inside the tent as dregs and trooper harassed me about having to come out into the rain sooner or later. By the time I came out, the rain had almost stopped. Steve, the guy testing his gear for next years thru hike, asked us if he could start the day with us as he wanted to pick our brains about the hike. He kept pace with us up two mountains before needing to slow down and let us leave him behind. We continued on hiking as the day got more and more sunny with blue skies. With everything still wet from the rain, I slipped and fell three times. Lucky I did not get injured. I felt good today, like my Virginia blues that didn't start until PA and continued until CT, finally has really started to subside. We ate lunch at a picnic table near a pond at an inn that sold sodas and continued on our way. Steve had caught up while we took our lunch, so we were able to chat again with him as we passed by. It was fairly flat with minor ups and downs for the mid and latter part of the day. Before setting out to find camp, we stopped by the cookie lady's house. It was a blueberry farm that the owners welcomed hikers to and provided cookies for. We saw crash and ninja roll leaving and another group of thru hikers we didn't know. Unfortunately, the elderly lady who owned the farm didn't realize we were new people who had just arrived, so we didn't get any cookies. However, dregs, trooper and I were able to pick a gallon of blueberries for only 6$. It was more blueberries than I could ever Handel, but it was fun and they were delicious! We set out to look for home after, intending to only go another mile or so. We haven't seen much dispersed camping in a long time, so we were lucky to find a spot almost two miles further. After making a fire to control the mass amount of mosquitos and eat dinner, we retreated to our tents. It was a 23 mile day