morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-06-15
From: Raven Rock Road

To: PA Route 223
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: clear sky

Raven Rock Road to PA Route 223Hiked 19.1 miles. Feel good now that I am done. About mile 16 I was wishing I was done for the day. Back at Days Inn. I plan to slack pack tomorrow. Hopefully do another 19-20 miles. There were spots today where it was very rocky and I stretched my left hamstring twice taking big steps over big rocks. It was ok but if it acts up I might cut it short. Over 3,600 of elevation gain. Finished Maryland and officially crossed the Mason Dixon line into Pennsylvania. Six states down, eight to go. I got a picture of the Mason Dixon line sign. Apparently, they had to put a new one up because someone stole the old one.  I don¢t know why there is a mailbox next to the sign. It is filled with letters and someone put a sticker on the mailbox that says ¢Always be kind¢.  That got me. Had trail magic around mile 13. Three guys were grilling hot dogs and had drinks and a bunch of Hostess cupcakes snacks. They also had Mountain Dew and Pepsi but I drank their last 2 Gatorades. They said it was ok. Most people preferred the sodas. It was very different vibe at this trail magic. It felt like a big city vibe. The guy grilling was from New Jersey and I think the other two guys were too. There was a couple about my age from Connecticut. The guy fromConnecticut said to the griller ¢Do I detect a Pennsylvania accent?¢  The griller said ¢No. I¢m a Jersey boy.¢  The wife from Connecticut said ¢That¢s not a Pennsylvania accent.¢  Everyone was very nice but it just felt different than trail magic in North Carolina, for example. Oh well. Maybe it was just me. I am very close to civilization at all times though. I generally have a cell phone signal all day, at least when I am higher up.  It seems like I have a cell phone signal everywhere except when I really need it.
Date: 2022-06-16
From: PA Route 223

To: Woodrow Road
Miles today: 19.41
Weather: light rain

PA Route 223 to Woodrow RoadLonger day today. Hiked 19.41 miles. Passed the halfway point and 1,100 miles!  So far Pennsylvania has been amazing!  It¢s beautiful and the trails have been great, other than a few extremely rocky spots. I think that will change soon and it will become very rocky. Got pictures of the halfway point sign and the 1,100 miles.
Date: 2022-06-17
From: Woodrow Road

To: Whiskey Springs Road
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: mist

Woodrow Road to Whiskey Springs RoadHiked 18.0 miles today. The last part involved a lot of rock climbing. It was ok but would have been a lot better if it didn¢t start at mile 17.  Very hot and humid today. Tomorrow is supposed to be 70 degrees!  We¢ll see. It was 87 today. I plan to hike 17.5 miles tomorrow and then take a zero on Sunday. I wanted to move further up the trail to a Microtel in Carlisle where I had a package from home sent and my new tent pole.  It is completely booked, even through next week. So I had my shuttle driver stop by and I picked up both packages. Then I checked the Quality Inn in Carlisle. They are completely booked too but they have have rooms starting on Sunday.  I¢ll move there on Sunday and figure things out after I get there. I will try to post the picture of the 1100 mile marker. The trail was very narrow there. I looked at doing a selfie but quickly decided it wasn¢t going to work.
Date: 2022-06-18
From: Whiskey Springs Road

To: Sherwood Drive
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Whiskey Springs Road to Sherwood DriveHiked 17.5 miles. Today was a perfect hiking day from a weather perspective. It was 70 degrees, sunny with a light breeze. The trail was in great shape too, other than some rocky areas at the beginning. The trail was fairly busy with trail runners in the morning. Saw 10 or so.The trail goes through the town of Boiling Springs, Pa. I had to cross a bridge to get into town and there were several people, including a husband and wife team, that were fly fishing for trout. I asked if there were trout and the lady said oh, yes. She seemed like a very serious fisher person. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy had a regional headquarters in the town at one point but the building is owned by the city now. We still had access to the water faucet at the back of the building but otherwise it was empty and locked up. There were a number of thru hikers at the picnic table in front and I ate lunch with them.The trail went through a geographic area called the Cumberland Valley Crossing. It¢s a stretch of more than 14 miles that goes through private land and the ATC has an easement to allow hikers to hike through. There is no camping allowed and no water sources. There are several creek crossings but FarOut says the water is not safe to drink because of the runoff from all the farms that drain into the creeks. So in general, you have to carry enough water for 14 miles and don¢t stop to camp until you are through the area.However, it is not as dire as it sounds.  I bet I crossed 15 roads.  If you got stuck you can call an Uber to take you to get whatever you want. Also, because today was Saturday, there were at least two Trail Magic locations set up at some of the road crossings with bigger parking lots. My shuttle driver is from Dubai and his name is Mezhar. He and I have been talking about everything and I told him about the one time I went to Dubai and how good the food was. He said he doesn¢t miss much about Dubai but he misses the food. Then he wanted his wife to cook some Middle Eastern food for me. I tried to say that¢s ok and I didn¢t want to bother her but he insisted. So tonight he brought me lentils and rice, fried fish and chicken and a bowl of cold mixed vegetables. It was all very tasty but very different too. Saw several deer. One just stared at me while I took her picture.
Date: 2022-06-20
From: Sherwood Drive

To: Duncannon, PA (ClarkÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Ferry)
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Sherwood Drive to Duncannon, PA (Clark¢s Ferry)Hiked 15.8 miles. A little over 2,500 of elevation gain.  First day of really hitting the rocks of Pennsylvania. Either I have gotten better or the worst is yet to come but all in all, today wasn¢t that bad. Today¢s hike ended with a road walk through the town of Duncannon, PA. I am staying at a Quality Inn in Enola, PA, at the recommendation of a shuttle driver and I am glad I am here. Enola is nothing great, but Duncannon seems to have seen better days. It was pretty run down. I walked about 2.5 miles from one end of town to the other. I knew things were off to a bad start as soon as the trail left the woods and entered town. I was immediately approached by a very large man who was obviously drunk and carrying a can of beer. He asked me if I wanted to stay at the Assembly of God church. They let people sleep for free in their basement and that was where he was staying.  He said he was hiking southbound and that he started at the trail head just north of Duncannon.  Anyway he was looking for a hostel so I showed him where it was in FarOut and we walked past it and he went in. I crossed over the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers on very long bridges today. It was a beautiful view looking over the rivers. However, it was hard to ignore the four lanes of traffic buzzing by while I crossed. The bridges span over a mile and I was the only person walking on them. Had a few views. One from a place called Hawk Rock. It is not far from town and there were quite a few day hikers on the trail.
Date: 2022-06-21
From: Duncannon, PA (ClarkÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Ferry)

To: Clark's Valley Road (PA 325) 
Miles today: 15.82
Weather: broken clouds

Duncannon, PA (Clark¢s Ferry) to Clark's Valley Road (PA 325) Hiked 16.82 miles. Very hard day. Today I got an introduction to the rocks of Pennsylvania. The scary parts are when I have climb. The hardest part is climbing down. I might be on one big rock and there is a 4 foot drop to the rock below.  Sometimes I try to go down backwards if I can get a handhold. Otherwise, I sit on the edge and slide over. Another problem is that there are spaces between the rocks and sometimes I put my trekking pole down and it keeps on going, throwing me off balance. I know two guys that snapped their poles that way. It¢s just very slow going. I am doing better with the rocks on the trail. Sometimes they are big and you can jump rock to rock like you do when you cross a stream. Other times you need to pick your way through a bunch of rocks standing on end. It¢s just one more challenge. I will give an update on the guy I saw yesterday on the street in Duncannon.  Today I stopped at a shelter for a morning snack and to camel up on water. There was a guy there, Guam, who I met before. There is a whole side story about him but I am glad he is still on the trail. Anyway, he stayed at the Assembly of God church last night and he said the guy was there. I described him and I am pretty sure it had to be the same guy. I told Guam I thought he was drunk when I saw him. He said that was what he initially thought but changed his mind to mental problems. He said there were 15 people planning to sleep at the church. People were in the basement getting ready for bed. The guy comes in with a duffel bag and dumps it in the middle of the floor. Guam said everyone backed off. Then the guy put everything back in the duffel and set up a tent in the yard. He said everyone went to sleep and the guy came back in basement about 10:30 PM and turned on the lights, which woke everyone up, and started eating. Guam said he just stared at the ceiling while eating. He finished and left. Guam said he came back about 1 AM with a headlamp and started eating again.  He said when he got up the guy and his tent and everything was gone. He packed up in the middle of the night.Yesterday was the first day of summer and I saw no hikers sans clothes. I saw both male and female hikers and all had some clothing on. There were 3 young men hiking without shirts but they had shorts on.
Date: 2022-06-22
From: Clark's Valley Road (PA 325) 

To: PA Route 443
Miles today: 16.06
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Clark's Valley Road (PA 325) to PA Route 443Hiked 16.06 miles today. Only 2,133 of elevation gain. I am in Pine Grove, Pa now. Was an ok day. I never know if the rocks will be bad or not. Today they were not so bad. Nothing too spectacular today. Saw a bunch of familiar hikers. Spyder, Keto, Willow. Also saw an army guy hiking with his pack. I am very close to Fort Indiantown Gap, PA and he must from there. FarOut had several warnings about a beaver dam that was causing Stoney Creek to flood for a mile. I read the comments and most people said they had no problem, so I stayed on the AT and didn¢t take the bypass trail. It was kind of a letdown, but I could see it being a problem after heavy rain. Anyway, you have walk across the dam. It¢s a bunch of trees piled up to make the dam, so they are unstable but if you have trekking poles you can balance and walk across. I took a short video. There were two places where people said porcupines were bothering tenters at night. I didn¢t see any porcupines so that was a let down too.There was a old settlement called Yellow Springs, PA and it has a yellow spring, like the yellow spring in Glen Helen Nature Preserve near Yellow Springs, OH.
Date: 2022-06-23
From: PA Route 443

To: PA 501 
Miles today: 12.92
Weather: light rain

PA Route 443 to PA 501 Hiked 12.92 miles. Still in Pine Grove, PA. It rained my entire hike today. Not a hard rain but I wore my poncho, which covers my pack, the whole time. The good news is that the rain cooled things off some so it wasn¢t stifling hot.  What few views I passed were all fogged in.
Date: 2022-06-24
From: PA 501 

To: PA 183
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: scattered clouds

PA 501 to PA 183Hiked 9.1 miles today. Hot and humid here. Short day. My choice was to do either 9.1 or 21.9.  That was an easy choice.  Very rocky for the first 7 miles today. Just slow going. Passed 1,200 miles today!  The rocks indicating 1,200 were among, and kind of at the end of, a big pile of boulders.  No way I could get a selfie. I could barely balance to take any picture. Will send the picture. Less than 1,000 miles to go. I am gearing up for a push next week to hopefully see the end of Pennsylvania by next weekend.  I may not actually cross into New Jersey until Sunday or Monday next week. That¢s where the 1,300 mile mark is - as you cross the Delaware River. Lots of rocks still to go. Sunday or Monday I think I go through a section called knifes edge. It is supposed to be one of the most difficult sections. We¢ll see when I get there. I¢ll try to get my journal entries updated and send those out tomorrow. I am taking a zero tomorrow. I saw several grouse and turkeys today. The trail came out on to an area that was cleared. I think it was a gas line that ran through the area. They were right at the beginning and took off as soon as I came out of the woods. Saw lots of deer. I see deer everyday.
Date: 2022-06-26
To: St. John's Church property pavilion
Miles today: 15.57
Weather: clear sky

PA 183 to St. John's Church property pavilionVery hard today. 15.57 miles and lots of rocks. Very difficult descent at the end. I am in Port Clinton, PA, an old anthracite coal mining town.  It has seen better days too. Reminds me of some of the coal towns in Fayette County, PA.  There is a church that has an open air pavilion that they let thru hikers sleep in for a $10 ¢donation¢. There were a lot of comments in FarOut about the $10 but I just paid it online by credit card.  So it¢s very much like a shelter but much bigger and wide open. It is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow so I wanted someplace with a roof. I¢ll try to post a picture. There is another guy staying here at the other end of the shelter. His name is Zen. He is from Columbus, OH. 4 guys showed up.  And now a lady by herself came in. It is starting to rain.
Date: 2022-06-27
From: St. John's Church property pavilion

To: Unofficial tent site at mile 1235.6
Miles today: 16.09
Weather: overcast clouds

St. John's Church property pavilion to unofficial tent site at mile 1235.6Hiked 16.09 miles. Just lots of hard boring rocks today. At an unofficial tent site at mile 1235.6. Two other guys here.  Zen from last night and Old Scout.  Someone made a sign at mile 1234.5. I got a picture and tried to do a selfie.
Date: 2022-06-28
To: Campsite at mile 1248.7
Miles today: 13.97
Weather: overcast clouds

Unofficial tent site at mile 1235.6 to campsite at mile 1248.7. Hiked 13.97 miles. Very hard day. 3,000 of elevation gain and lots of rocks. Tomorrow will be harder. I go through Knifes Edge and Bear Rocks. At a campsite at mile 1248.7. Four other guys here. Maverick, Manitoba Man, Longhorn and one other guy. I don¢t remember his name. All very nice.
Date: 2022-06-29
From: Campsite at mile 1248.7

To: Palmerton
Miles today: 13.11
Weather: clear sky

Campsite at mile 1248.7 to Palmerton Hiked 13.11 miles. Very hard day. Over 4,000 of elevation gain. Not sure how that is possible in PA. It was a series of rolling hills. And lots of rocks. I went through Knifes Edge and Bear Rocks and Baked Oven Knob. Very slow going.  Saw wild blueberries growing along the trail. They were very small and didn¢t look ripe for picking yet. Also not I want to eat anything grown in the Superfund waste site. Tomorrow will be harder. There is a climb out of Palmerton that is all hand over hand climbing.  Here is one comment in FarOut:*****Not a climber. I was terrified half the time, petrified half the time, and calling for my mommy half the time.  In retrospect, I'd have taken the winter bypass. I know, I know, the Whites are coming, but still. . . .Great panoramic views of the valley.  But given the climb to get to it, if I had it to do over, I'd have taken the winter. trail bypass (off the trail to Palmerton).  And I don't even want to think about going DOWN.*****I had to resupply today. I was going to yesterday but I had to get a shuttle so I waited until the next town, where I could walk 1.8 miles into town. So I decided to stay at a hostel. It¢s called Bert¢s Steak House. It is mainly a restaurant but they have a bunk house in the back.  There are two people here - from Waynesville, OH!  The guys trail name is Brambles. His girlfriend¢s trail name is Madame Morrel, because she is getting her PhD in Mycology from Ohio State. They are both very nice. Anyway, they were here 2 days ago but had to come back because he is not feeling well and is being treated for Lyme disease. Tested negative for Covid.  They climbed the above mentioned mountain and said it was ¢fun¢.  I plan to climb the mountain and not take the bypass. I¢ll let you know how it goes.  When I called Bert¢s they said Tracey will pick you up for free if she is available. Well. She wasn¢t available.  She told me to hike up the hill and hitchhike by the stop light. After about 5 minutes a car pulled over. I hustled down to it and there two Hispanic guys in it covered in tattoos. The guy in the passenger seat had a black balaclava on.   He didn¢t speak English. The driver was super nice and shouts out ¢Hey Bro, where you going?¢  I tell him and he said they are going past Palmerton but he would drop me off at the exit. He said I am in a wheelchair so you have to get in behind me (the driver) because my wheelchair is in the seat behind the passenger. Then the driver hops out and opens the door for me. I could tell he needed the wheelchair but could stand if he was holding on to something. He said it was a used cop car and that there was a trick to opening the back doors. Anyway he said he is an artist and a musician and he rides bikes. I didn¢t get the chance to ask if he rode hand cycles. They dropped me at the Palmerton exit and I walked the remaining 0.7 miles to Bert¢s. Alls well that ends well. I learned another lesson about having an open mind about all people.
Date: 2022-07-01
From: Campsite at mile 1270.8

To: PA 33
Miles today: 11.58
Weather: few clouds

Campsite at mile 1270.8 to PA 33I have pasted here a link from a YouTuber. I don¢t usually watch YouTube but I wanted to see what he said about Wolf Rocks and the descent into Delaware Water Gap. This is part of the section I hiked today and will hike tomorrow. You don¢t have to watch the whole thing but at the end he summarizes PA and I think he does a good job. During the video he shows the trail and explains why it is so hard. I think today was one of my worst days of hiking I have had. The trail is just awful. Lots of people have posted very negative comments about the trail in FarOut. Hiked 11.58 miles today and my feet and knees and legs all ache. It¢s was 100% rocks the entire time. Plus I made two water stops - one in the morning and one at lunch -  that were each about 0.6 to 0.8 miles round trip. The lack of water is a real problem when it is so hot. Oh well. Enough complaining. Other than the trail, all good here. It started raining so I went to a hotel about 100 yards off the trail. It is called the Gateway Motel.  Looks like it is from the 40¢s. The guy that runs it is from India (the state of Gujarat, where Narendra Modi is from). His first name is Satish and he took me to an Indian cultural center where they have a cafeteria with free Indian food (only vegetables, no meat).
Date: 2022-07-02
From: PA 33

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.55
Weather: clear sky

PA 33 to Delaware Water GapI made it to Delaware Water Gap.  Hiked 15.55 miles.  All I have to do to finish PA is cross the Delaware River into New Jersey. Had two stretches today, one about a mile long and the other about 1.5 miles long, without loads of ankle twisting rocks. Still rocky but at an acceptable level.  Went through Wolf Rocks, which was another long scramble and must have been deemed difficult enough that they have a blue blaze bypass if you wanted to take it. It was fine and I enjoyed the scramble.  This was both up and down. Going down is much harder with a full pack on. There were some views but a lot were blocked by trees. The descent into Delaware Water Gap was hard. I thought since there would be a lot of visitors to DWG hiking up to the views the trail might be rock free. There are numerous rock free trails leading to the top from different parking lots but the AT has its own trail which only crosses over the nicer paths. It was rocky as ever.I am staying at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountain Hiker. This is the oldest hostel on the AT. It¢s a long story. I have a room at the Clarion for Sunday and Monday night.  I called them last night to extend it to today but wasn¢t sure I would make it, mainly because we were supposed to have thunderstorms today. The guy said they had 10 rooms left and to call back when I was sure I would make it. I called about 11 and the lady said they were sold out for tonight. So here I am at the church.  I got the last bunk!  It¢s a full house.  Out of food. Getting a shower and then walking to the Bakery with a guy named Governor.  I¢ll tell his story later. Nice guy. Probably a little younger than me. No air conditioning and they have fans that are very old and noisy and don¢t really seem to move the air. Since I got the last bunk I am on the top with a big black pipe about 6 inches above my sleeping bag at my feet.  No mattress or sheets here. Have to use your sleeping pad and bag. It is so hot I am just laying on my pad but I pulled my sleeping bag out in case it cools off overnight. My bag fell on the floor and there was no way I could get it without waking everyone up. It never cooled off so I didn¢t need it. The lady below me is from Hamburg, Germany. Her trail name is Hamburg. She picked it about 6 AM and handed it to me when she got up to go to. . . Well. You know where. There is a guy from Hamburg here too and they had never met until they both got to the church. There is a guy here from D14sseldorf whose trail name is Opa (means grandfather, I think) whom I have talked with before. All of them were very nice.  3 of 8 people were German. This is the same church the guy in the video I pasted yesterday stayed at.I am giving my feet, knees and legs two days of rest. My left knee has been swelling up late in the day but it is ok by morning and once I get it limbered up it works fine. It¢s not super painful during the day but is very sensitive at night when I try to sleep. I am hoping it goes back to normal after I leave the rocks for good.
Date: 2022-07-05
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center at mile 1307.5. 
Miles today: 11.43
Weather: scattered clouds

Delaware Water Gap to Mohican Outdoor Center at mile 1307.5.Crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey. 7 states down, 7 to go. Hopefully these next 3 go relatively quickly.  Also crossed 1,300 miles!  Less than 900 miles to go. NJ is still rocky but not 100% rocks like the end of PA. Supposedly the rocks last only 40 miles or so into NJ. Hiked 11.43 miles. Got a late start because I had to go to the post office. The Clarion gave me the wrong address for USPS delivery. They gave me their physical address but for USPS they use a PO Box. Anyway, my package was being held for me at the post office but I had to sort through it and put stuff in my pack and send some stuff home and some up the trail for later pick up. That took a while and I wasn¢t able to start hiking until about 10:30. A lady I passed on the trail said she saw two bears this morning.  I heard that NJ is the state where you are most likely to see bears.  Apparently they have adjusted to being around people and don¢t cause problems so they coexist here. Kind of like big raccoons.  Hopefully I¢ll see some tomorrow.  Saw a couple of snakes but they were in underbrush and moving away from me and I didn¢t get a good look or pictures.  Supposed to be a lot of rattlesnakes in this area. Since it was raining they were not out sunning themselves on some of the rocks where other people have seen them. At the Mohican Outdoor Center at mile 1307.5. It is a shelter on the trail run by the Appalachian Mountain Club. It started raining around 1:00 PM and is supposed to thunderstorm tonight so I wanted a place to stay dry and this is right on the trail. Probably 8 other people now. Expect more as the evening goes on. Very poor cell phone service here.