morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-18
From: Harpers Ferry, VA. 

To: Pine Knob shelter area. 
Miles today: 23.5

Teahorse Hostel in Harpers Ferry, VA to Pine Knob shelter area (M 1046.3). 23.5 MThe hostel was full Wednesday night with 16 guests. Five or six cyclists and the rest hikers. The owner, Laurel, did a great job with breakfast Thursday morning, arriving early and cooking plenty of waffles for everyone. I was able to get back on the trail by 8 am. The trail was wet and slippery from the rain and paralleled the Shenandoah River for a while. The trail then crossed a bridge near the point where the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers meet. After that it joins the C&O Towpath for a few miles. I met and talked briefly with a couple from New Zealand that were bike touring. They were loving the journey and highly recommended it. The Towpath was easy walking with the only obstacles being the large puddles from the rain. The trail skirted the town of Knoxville and before long I was in Maryland. Very good hiking as there were no significant climbs all day. Passed a young lady, Phoenix, who was having pack problems and would be getting a ride back to town to get it resolved. Also passed Will and Way, a couple about my age that are thru hiking. In the afternoon the skies were dark and thunder was getting closer. I arrived at the Dahlgreen backpack camp area just as the rain arrived. Southpaw had also just arrived. This is a nice camp area with a bathroom and showers. So as the rain poured we took a shower and got ready to hike again. Hiking after the rain was messy but the weather did improve. Next on the trail was the Washington Monument. As I neared the Monument two park officials told me that it had been struck by lightning and a hiker that was in it was injured. There was some structural damage to the stone so I could not go inside. I took some pictures from outside and continued hiking. The trail crossed interstate 70 and I stopped at Pine Knob shelter. Lots of traffic noise here but I don't think it will bother me. Friday should take me through Maryland and into Pennsylvania.Today's hike took me past many Civil War monuments, battle grounds and memorials. Much more than I could visit. Also went thru Gathland State Park.O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-19
From: Pine Knob shelter area. 

To: Deer Lick shelter. 
Miles today: 22.7

Pine Knob shelter to Deer Lick shelter area (M 1069). 22.7 MThe usual foggy and cloudy morning here. Seems to be the norm lately. Had some intermittent drizzles last night so plenty of moisture this morning. Got everything packed and on the trail at 7:20 am. The trail is really muddy and slippery. For some reason the hiking is really difficult for me this morning. Maybe it's the weather or the more challenging trail. Stopped early for lunch at the Ensign Cowall shelter. After the break I continued and the weather improved some. There was a spectacular view at High Rocks. Got some pictures there. Later in the afternoon I reached Penmar county park followed by crossing the Mason Dixon line. Found and picked some nice raspberries after the park. A few more miles and I was at Deer Lick shelters. A little unusual in that there are two shelters here rather than just one. The place was empty when I arrived at 5:30 pm. I found out a little later that there is a hiker festival at Waynesboro, 5 miles behind me. Missed another one. Hiking today was a mix for me. The morning was difficult and depressing. The afternoon was better and my mood improved. States behind me now are Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. Currently in state number seven of the fourteen the AT crosses through. Pennsylvania will be a long and difficult one. Thinking of taking an easier day tomorrow. Later start and lower miles. Will see how it goes and what the trail has to offer. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-20
From: Deer Lock shelter. 

To: Quarry Gap shelter. 
Miles today: 15.8

Deer Lick shelter to Quarry Gap shelter (M 1084.8). 15.8 MQuiet night at this shelter. Taco and Shell in a tent and me in my tent. Nobody in either of the two shelters. Suppose lots of hikers are in Waynesboro for the festival. As I was about to leave two men walked in. One was a man who has done major treks on al seven continents. Has a book published. He said he is a speaker at the hiker festival in Waynesboro. The hiking was very rocky today. The best view was at Chimney Rocks. A tall pile of rocks with a fine view from the top. Word today is that there will be heavy rain in the afternoon and evening. I was planning a short day anyway, but this reinforced that decision. About 2 pm I went through Caledonia State Park. A very busy park with a nice river and a swimming pool. Stopped at the snack bar for hot dogs and a Mt Dew. Then moved on a couple of miles to Quarry Gap shelter. This is one of the nicest shelter areas I have seen. The "Innkeeper", Jim, was at the shelter when I arrived. He has done a lot to make this 2 shelter site special. Voyageur was there, and Bull arrived a little later. We all stopped a little early to avoid being caught in the storm. Taco and Shell showed up and set up their tent in the area. A few other folks that I don't know also arrived. Hopefully it will be a quiet night and the storm will not be too severe. Should get to Pine Grove Furnace State Park tomorrow afternoon. This is the location for the one half gallon ice cream challenge. Also may stay at their hostel. Supposed to be a classic. Will need to do a resupply on Monday for food. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-21
From: Quarry Gap shelter. 

To: Iron Masters Mansion Hostel.Pine Grove Furnace SP
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Quarry Gap shelter to Iron Mansion hostel (M 1102). 17.2 MThe storm and heavy rain arrived between 8 and 9 pm. Stayed dry in this very nice shelter. Sunday morning was wet but no rain. On the trail at 7:10 am. Messy, muddy trails but hiking was not too difficult for the day. Partly sunny and breezy for most of the day. Only planning to go as far as Pine Grove Furnace State Park and the Iron Masters Mansion hostel. Passed the halfway milestone and also 1100 miles today. A little over half done, still a long way to go. Arrived at the park pretty early, before 2 pm. This is the site for the one half gallon ice cream challenge. If you eat one half gallon you put your name in a book and they give you a tiny wooden spoon. Dixie cup size spoon. The price for the ice cream is $9. I did not do the challenge, but did eat a 48 ounce container of raspberry ice cream. Was also able to eat some wild raspberries on the trail. Hikers Bull and Forever both completed the ice cream challenge. Today was also Hike Naked Day. I could not impose the image of my naked frame hiking up the trail on my fellow hikers. Did not see anyone else participating either. Will leave here in the morning and stop at a store for a small resupply. Then should be in Duncannon, PA on Wednesday. Z-packs is sending a replacement part for my food/bear bag to Duncannon. Might be a problem there as the part may not arrive until Friday. Will have to work something out if this is the case. Four days and no falls. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-22
From: Iron Masters Mansion Hostel.Pine Grove Furnace SP

To: Near PA I 76. 
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Iron Masters Mansion hostel to near PA I 76 interstate (M 1128). 26 MHad rain at the State Park Sunday evening and night. I didn't hear the night rain as this place is large and solid. The Iron Master and his family lived well. This was a nice place to stay. The only downside was breakfast. Not nearly enough for a hungry hiker. The morning skies were partly sunny and I was on the trail at 7:30 am. The trails were very wet and had running water in many areas. There were a few ups and downs early but I was able to take them in stride. Late morning I stopped at the Green Mountain store which is one quarter mile West at a road intersection. Picked up a couple resupply items and a chocolate milk, small apple pie and cinnamon roll for a snack. Later I wished that I had bought a sandwich as they had a nice deli at this small store. About five miles past the store I entered an area called the Rock Maze. A really messy jumble of large rocks and boulders. This area required quite a bit of climbing with both arms and legs. I did enjoy the area, but it would have been a lot more fun without the backpack, and with a cooler temperature. Center Point Knob was the next milestone. This is the midpoint of the original trail. There is a nice, small monument at this spot. My goal for the day had been to get to Boiling Springs, PA. I did not have a place to stay, but thought I could find something. Arrived at the very pretty town in early afternoon. There were several hikers milling around. I walked around for a while and talked to a few people but no one had any leads on a place to spend the night. This town is a little unusual in that there is a fourteen mile stretch North of town where camping is not allowed. Mostly farmland. I had a large peach milkshake and thought about it for a bit, then headed North out of town. Figured there had to be someplace that I could camp quietly for the night. The trail was a mixture of walking beside or in fields, and wooded areas next to fields. There were lots of raspberries and mulberries to slow me down. Finally found a flat area where I think I will be OK at about 7 pm. Got the tent up and fixed dinner. I then realized that was the first real, solid meal that I had all day. Had skipped lunch due to the late snack at Green Mtn. Will have to make up for that tomorrow. I expect to reach Duncannon, PA late tomorrow if the weather cooperates and all goes well. Should just be a short stay there with some resupply, and eating. Then heading North again. Can't believe I'm in rural Pennsylvania. Very pretty farm country.O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-23
From: Near PA I 76. 

To: Duncannon, PA. 
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Near PA I 76 Interstate to Duncannon, PA (M1146.9). 18.9 MWarm in the tent Monday night. This will likely become the norm for awhile. Got up early and on the trail at 6:35 am. More field walking and cross several highways in the morning. The grass is really wet so boots and socks are soaked within minutes. But at least it's not raining. The early trail is hiker friendly. Later there are a few climbs that are tougher. Stopped for lunch at a pretty overlook and noticed the clouds were getting dark and some rumbling could be heard. Stepped up the pace some as I wanted to reach Duncannon before rain. Passed a couple of nice overlooks as the elevation increased. There was a long stretch of trail that was very rocky most of the way to town. The declining approach to town was very steep and rocky. I arrived in town a little before 2 pm. First stop was a Sunoco station for a cold Mt Dew. Then walked to the Doyle Hotel in town. The Doyle is a very old fleabag hotel that has become a bit of an icon for thru hikers. It's old, dirty, no frills, and cheap. No TV, no extras, and one crude bathroom per floor. If the spiders don't get you, the bed bugs will. If the owners would spend about a million dollars to renovate, it could be a nice place. Of course, they would never get a payback for that investment. Anyway, I have a room with a bed and a shower with a towel. What more could I want. The hiking went OK today, although the second half was more difficult than expected. There was some light rain after I got to town. My left boot is coming apart. A new pair will be arriving next week, so just in time. No falls today. I did have a minor fall yesterday. Went down on hands and knees, but no harm. My pack is still causing pain on the tops of my shoulders. I am getting better at making adjustments to reduce the pain, but it's not gone. Will be hiking out of town in the morning. Should be a good climb, followed by routine trail for the rest of the day. There is rain in the forecast. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-24
From: Duncannon, PA. 

To: Past Rattling Run. 
Miles today: 22.5

Duncannon, PA to past Rattling Run (M 1169.4). 22.5 MHad some very good pizza Tuesday night then slept very well at the Doyle Hotel. The place is a mess but it had the necessities. Woke early Wednesday morning and had blueberry pancakes at Goodies for breakfast. They have a pancake challenge there but I did not try it. Good thing as the cakes are huge. I ordered three and had to leave a little on the plate. The AT runs through Duncannon. I entered town on the West side and now have to walk across town and leave on the East side. It took almost an hour to get through town, cross the Juniata and Susquehanna River bridges, a highway and treacherous railroad tracks (more on that later). That brought me to the bottom of a mountain to climb. The trail construction was good for that climb and I reached the top in about an hour. There were some good views looking down on Duncannon from the East side. The weather was very nice today. Sunny skies and low humidity. The gnats were not a problem. Maybe too breezy for them. There was another long climb late in the day and the trail was extremely rocky. I walked a little longer than I planned trying to find a place to pitch the tent. Finally settled on a less than ideal spot a little before 7pm. Rooty and rocky but it will do. Thursday will be more of the same. Somewhat flat for the first part of the day, and some climbing later. Now about the railroad tracks. While walking across them I managed to fall on them very hard. Landed on the upper part of my rib cage and the knee. Both on the right side. Was afraid that I had cracked a rib, but it has not gotten worse so must be OK. Can feel pain with every right foot fall. And the knee is now very painful. Just took my first Ibuprofen of the journey. It should help. Pennsylvania rocks!!O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-25
From: Past Rattling Run. 

To: 501 Shelter. 
Miles today: 24.4

Past Rattling Run to 501 Shelter (M 1193.4). 24.4 MSlept OK despite the rough ground and sore body. Got going on the trail by 7:20 am. The guide showed a couple of climbs today, but nothing too severe. Of course, the guide does not indicate how rocky the trail might be. The morning went pretty well and I was thinking of stopping for lunch around Swahara Gap. As I got near the area I found some great Trail Magic. Dirty Ernie, a thru hiker from 2007 was serving BBQ sandwiches, drinks, cookies, fruit, etc. His wife and another couple were with him. It was all exceptional. Probably spent about 30 minutes there eating. Finally had to leave and about 30 minutes later I came upon a plastic bin with more Trail Magic. I picked up a Knorr pasta dinner for later. Went another 10 minutes and there was a lady with cold drinks, chips, donuts, etc. That made three within 40 minutes. My stomach was really full as I started a long afternoon climb. The destination for the day was the 501 shelter. This shelter is a little unusual because it is near a road and you can order pizza delivery there. I got there around 5 pm and the folks had already ordered pizza. No one left for me to order with, so I cooked the usual dinner. It had been sprinkling rain as I got to the shelter and it increased in intensity as the evening progressed. Glad I am in a shelter with a roof over my head. Pretty good miles today. The trail was very rocky for much of the hike. Both my knee and ribs felt better than at the end of the day yesterday. But I am very tired. Lots of rain in the forecast for the next couple of days. Might mean some low miles and some downtime. Pennsylvania rocks!!!O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-26
From: 501 Shelter. 

To: Port Clinton, PA. 
Miles today: 24.1

501 Shelter to Port Clinton, PA (M 1217.5). 24.1 MThis 501 shelter is unusual. It is a large metal building with a big skylight in the roof. Completely enclosed. There are wooden double deck bunks around the interior perimeter. And it has a fresh water hydrant outside. The rain stopped during the night so no excuse to not be hiking. Several of the folks will be going into the town of Hamburg this afternoon. It has a large Cabelas store, and many attractions. The descriptive word for the trail this day is rocks. And when it wasn't rocks it was water and black mud. I could have walked by twelve bears, a T-Rex, and Elvis and I would not have seen them. That's how focused my eyes were on the trail. There were a few good overlook views. Not high elevation but still pretty. Around 5 pm I walked down a mountain and crossed some RR tracks (safely) and into the small town of Port Clinton, PA. The only two businesses in town are a hotel/restaurant/bar, and a candy store. I patronized all but the hotel. The town provides a large pavilion for hikers to use to sleep under. So I am under a roof, sort of, again tonight. That's good because rain is in the forecast for late tonight and all day tomorrow. Hiking today was challenging mainly due to the rocks. Constant attention and weaving all over the trail for the best foot placement wears one down. PA is known for rocks, and it is rumored to be worse later in the state. My boots are both deteriorating badly. Thankfully I will have a new pair by Monday or Tuesday. Pennsylvania rocks!!!!!!O'RYAN
Date: 2015-06-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

My first experience with the AT was climbing Mt. Katahdin when I was 18. My whole family, parents plus 6 kids in a '56 Ford station wagon with luggage tied on the back & the top traveled from Chicago to Maine. We ALL went up the mtn. I don't remember which trail we went up, tho I do remember some water froze in the campground on 15 August. I was hoping to try a different trail up this time to compare. Note the length of the Trail & the Southern Terminus. Apparently, that was the year it was changed to Springer Mtn, but the sign had not been updated.
Date: 2015-06-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Last week, I spent 3 days hiking on the Ice Age Trail here in Northern Wisconsin. Despite having hiked most of the AT 2 years ago with around 40 pounds, this time I got my pack under 30 & have some ideas on getting it a little lower. Of course, maybe I've weakened enough with 2 more years of aging that the effect will be about the same ¢ we'll see.Everything seemed to work well on that hike [see my IAT Trail Journal], so tomorrow I'll be figuring out what to carry with me & what to mail ahead.
Date: 2015-06-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I spent the weekend trying to finish up some projects around the house plus get packed. I was able to get everything done & cleaned up before Susan came home from a mother/ daughter/granddaughter weekend in Madison. Now today was for finishing up odds & ends & being sure I had everything without having too much to carry. I think I'm coming out with around 32 pounds after I add water.I also got to spend some time with Susan, talking about being separated & filling her in on some things she'll need to know while I'm gone. She's been asking if I'm excited about the hike. In one sense, I've been excited about it for about 7 months; in another, I don't think I 'm there yet. But I guess I must be excited now because I can't get to sleep. I keep trying to figure out what I did with some things like my small Bible, bus schedule info, & the campground registration for Katahdin Stream. It's been months since I've seen any of them.
Date: 2015-06-30
To: Getting to Millinocket
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I was up early to get an 8:40 flight out of Wausau. I had been up part of the night looking for & actually finding a few of the things on my mind last night. After helping me get going, Susan drove me to the airport, & we said "Good-bye".I had good flights to Detroit & to Bangor, with interesting seat-mates. I got a little bit of sleep on the plane.From Detroit, I called Baxter State Park to ask, "What if I don't have the campground registration you sent me?" I'd need it to get into the park. She said I'd be OK because I'd called. When she found my registration, it was for 2 Aug! So she was able to get me the same site for 1 July -- good thing I called!In Bangor, I met a couple of other hikers, & we walked the half mile to the bus station. Before long, we had 9-10 people headed for the Trail. About 15 minutes before the bus was to leave, one of them remembered he'd left his charger at the airport. He ran back, leaving his gear strewn around on the seats. The bus arrived. After threatening to leave soon, the driver admitted that he was waiting for the Concord Trailways bus to arrive. After picking up a few more passengers from that bus, we could see Redbeard ambling across the grass down the road. I helped get his stuff together & on the bus so there wouldn't be any further delay. When we got picked up in Medway by 2 vans from the AT Lodge, we had 10 hikers for the ride to Millinocket. Not all were planning to go out tomorrow; in fact one had to wait for her pack to arrive. After a lengthy check-in, we headed out to eat (almost 9:00). I had a chicken salad & got a sandwich to take with me on the Mtn.
Date: 2015-07-02
From: Abol Bridge

To: Rainbow Spring Campsite
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up a little before 6:00 in a pleasant place along the Penobscot River. Did some journaling, while my stuff dried a little more. Wind picked up a little: good for drying, but not for sitting.Stiff legs but also stiff arms. I had used them a lot on the rock climbing (Up & down). At the store, I met a couple of flip-floppers from South Carolina: "J-Squared" --both names begin with J. They'll have good weather for Katahdin tomorrow, & I'll likely have a drier time in the 100-mile wilderness than they did (in only 5 days!). After charging up my phone, I didn't actually start till 10:00. Then I found out they had WiFi; so I worked on my journal. Very slow, tho. When restaurant opened, I got lunch. All this made for a 12:50 departure. Not so good.At the store, I met North-bounders(NOBOs) Second guess, Elmer, Good Night, & Bridges. I then met Bird at the trailhead. I overtook SOBO Clueless just before the Hurd Brook Lean-to, & we talked for a while with Optimistic Turtle, a NOBO section hiker. Not long after, I met an "Adventure Group".The bugs were not bad, except for black flies when I stopped to phone on top of Rainbow Ledges. There were numerous section hikers camped at various places along Rainbow Lake. Patrick caught up. We both ended up at Rainbow Spring campground, along with several others, including a couple from NYC. The ups & downs were minor, but there was lots of wet trail in this section. So I started late & didn't go very fast. Still stiff from yesterday.