morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-02
From: Quarry Gap Shelters

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

The front that had been lingering for a few days blew threw last night and it actually got quite chilly. The hike was actually pretty easy today with one of the highlights being our passing through a group of about 75 third graders out for a day. When we first caught them, I thought it was only a group of about 8 kids until we walked around the corner and saw the whole group. All of them stopped on the trail as the General and I walked by. It was a bit like being on parade and the kids had lots of fun questions. As we left the group, we actually got a rousing cheer from the kids. It was pretty cool. The other highlight of the day was the completion of the half gallon challenge. There is crazy thru hiker tradition that has hikers attempting to eat, in one sitting, a whole half gallon of ice cream upon reaching the halfway mark of the trail at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The General and I were up for the challenge; his choice "banana split" mine was mint chocolate chip. Have you ever eaten a half gallon of ice cream at one sitting? It was pretty disgusting but we both finished and didn't puke. We even managed to eat a proper dinner tonight! We are staying at the Ironmaster Hostel tonight here at the park. It is OK, It is a beautiful historic building but I was bit put out when they told me they were no longer honoring the thru hiker discount that was listed in the hiker companion. Cuda came in later in the evening and he is the only other thru hiker with the General and me tonight. JUKEBOX------------------------------Tell your friend about PocketMail and let the savings start rolling in!
Date: 2008-06-03
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 19.4

I had no ill effects from the half gallon challenge and the General and I made an early start. Cuda came into the hostel last night and we hiked with him on and off through the day. We passed the midpoint marker early on in the morning and stopped for the usual and compulsory photos. The length of the trail changes from year to year so the midpoint fluctuates but the sign is cool and it is pretty close to the actual midpoint. We arrived at the town of Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania in the afternoon; Boiling Springs is a cool little town and one of the few towns in the north that the trail actually passes through. We are camping tonight in the backyard of the Garman House B&B; Mr. Garman lets thru hikers tent for a $1 donation and it is well worth it. We had a good dinner at the Boiling Springs Tavern and headed back to the B&B just as the weather started to turn nasty. Hope I stay dry! JUKEBOX------------------------------Have a spare PocketMail laying around, sell it back to us and help those in need.
Date: 2008-06-04
From: Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania

To: Duncannon, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a crazy night last night with lots of thunder and lightning. The lightning lights up your whole tent like a lantern and the rain on the tent completely drowns out any sound. The General, Cuda and I got an early start, hoping to make Duncannon, Pennsylvania today. The first 14 miles were crossing the Cumberland Valley; fairly flat walk but lots of fields with high grass. After an hour, our shoes and socks were completely soaked through. Shortly after noon, it started pouring rain again so anything that wasn't wet quickly became wet and nice and heavy. The trail was extremely rocky and by the time we made Duncannon, we were all soaked and completely beat up. We are staying at the Doyle Hotel, which is one of the classic stops on the trail. It is pretty much a dive with rooms of questionable cleanliness but it is very hiker friendly and it has a great bar and good food. We are all limping around pretty good and it will be interesting to see how well we recover. JUKEBOX------------------------------Tell your friend about PocketMail and let the savings start rolling in!
Date: 2008-06-05
From: Duncannon, Pennsylvania

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a pretty tough day on the trail today. The 25 miles we did into Duncannon coupled with a bug I picked up from my niece last weekend had me dragging all morning. The General, Cuda and I had breakfast in town and did some re-supply before hitting the trail around 9:00 am. We stopped for a break at the first shelter (Clarks Ferry Shelter) and everyone was hurting, the General's feet and Cuda's feet were really sore and my head cold was kicking in. We stopped for lunch near PA 225 and were starting to fix lunch when we heard a call from a house near the road. The Fogarty family owns a house on the nearby ridge and all the brothers were out fixing up the place. Besides the great views, they had a fridge stocked with beer and food leftover from Memorial Day that they needed to clean out. Of course, we were more than willing to oblige! After hanging with the Fogartys for a few hours, we clearly were not going to hike very far. We hiked 3 miles to the next shelter (Peters Mountain Shelter). It was probably a good thing and I hope I am able to get some rest tonight. JUKEBOX------------------------------Allow us to help those in need, sell back your spare PocketMail and make some extra pocket money.
Date: 2008-06-06
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: mist

After a warm afternoon and evening, we expected much of the same today. However, when we awoke, the mountain was completely fogged in and a bit cool. As we started out, it stayed foggy and humid but got warm; great combination. I had slept about 10 hours last night and surprisingly felt pretty good today. Unfortunately the trail is just not conducive to making big miles; it is very rocky and rugged. It just beats up your feet and if you try to go too fast, you are going to snap and ankle or take a header. About noon, the General and I were about to get lunch when we passed two hikers heading southbound. They turned out to be Smokestack and Mother Nature, two of the General's old hiking friends doing a section hike. We hadn't seen too many other hikers so it was fun to catch up. By early evening, we had reached Rausch Gap Shelter and decided to call it a day. My energy level was good but not 100% and I didn't want to push it. We found a nice campsite and built a good fire to scare away the bugs. Kanati and Blackbeard are at the shelter tonight but we are tenting about 300 yards away. Tip of the day: Deet is some nasty stuff, but it really keeps the bugs at bay. A small campfire also has the effect of driving the flies away from your campsite. I brought a head net, but haven't used it yet. I would go a bit batty without Deet to keep the flies at bay. JUKEBOX------------------------------Allow us to help those in need, sell back your spare PocketMail and make some extra pocket money.
Date: 2008-06-07
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: Hertlein Campsite
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The General and I got and early start with the intention putting in a long day. We have about 2 days of food left so we want to make the next town, Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, 42 miles away, by tomorrow. It was another 100% humidity morning, but the first part of our hike went through some interesting ruins of old coal mining villages. Much like gold mining ghost towns in the west, these areas have pretty much been left to their own devices and are pretty eerie to walk through on a foggy morning. We stopped to take a break at a road crossing at about 9:00 am and who pulls up but Mother Nature and Smokestack. They were doing another section and offered to slack our gear about 13 miles ahead to the next shelter. Best of all, they gave us a lift up the road to a little store where we got some cold sodas and sandwiches. That my friend is trail magic. So we hiked the next 13 miles without our gear and arrived at the 501 shelter at about 5:00 pm. The big change today was the heat. It stayed humid but got blisteringly hot in the afternoon. It was the first time on the hike that it has really been dangerously hot. Smokestack and Mother Nature both looked like they had a bit of heat exhaustion and the General and I were only a bit better. We decided to eat at the shelter and cool off and to try to hike some miles in the cool of the evening. It was a good idea in principal but only marginally successful as the night was very still and the temps were still in the 80's. We had managed to clean up at the shelter but were soaked again by the time we reached the campsite in the dark. We cleaned up and set up camp and got to bed about 10pm, which is very late for hikers! JUKEBOX------------------------------Tell your friend about PocketMail and let the savings start rolling in!
Date: 2008-06-08
From: Hertlein Campsite

To: Port Clinton, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: clear sky

Early starts have become the norm and the General and I were hiking by 6:15am. In addition to the humidity, it has gotten much hotter over the past few days and it is really important to get your miles in early because it has almost been too hot to hike in the afternoon. We arrived at Port Clinton about 1:00 pm and swung by the local backpacker store. We were overheated, soaked with sweat and in no mood to be trifled with and the General and I wanted to get something cold to drink. While we were sitting there, the barely 20 something clerk started quizzing us on our packs and weight etc. The General's theory is that if you are carrying less than 40 lbs, you are slack packing and I am carrying about 30 lbs. The kid was aghast and insisted that he could shave 5 lbs out of our packs. We basically told him to buzz off and I escorted the General from the store before he, as he eloquently put it, "had a go at the lad." Later, we ran into 6 Iron and Cast Iron who were checking into the Port Clinton Hotel. The Port Clinton Hotel is much like other small hotels on the trail; small rooms, shared baths and a bar on the 1st floor. We got checked in, did laundry and met Cast Iron and 6 Iron for dinner. Record heat is in the forecast so we hope to get an early start in the morning and get some good miles before the heat of the day sets. JUKEBOX------------------------------Allow us to help those in need, sell back your spare PocketMail and make some extra pocket money.
Date: 2008-06-09
From: Port Clinton, Pennsylvania

To: Hamburg, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 0.0

Oops, there has been a change in plans. There is a bug going around and a few hikers have picked it up. When we left the Rausch Gap Shelter area, Kanati had been ill the night before and he was still laid up pretty good. Long story short, shortly after dinner last night, I got pretty violently ill. This morning, I wasn't much better; I was still running a fever and was pretty spent. I decided to get to Hamburg, the town next to Port Clinton, to get into a little better hotel and to try to get my act together. Hopefully, I can get back on the trail tomorrow. JUKEBOX------------------------------Tell your friend about PocketMail and let the savings start rolling in!
Date: 2008-06-10
From: Hamburg, Pennsylvania

To: Hamburg, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 0.0

After eating just a few crackers and sleeping most of the day yesterday, I managed to eat a little breakfast this morning. My fever is gone but my energy levels are nonexistent so today was another unplanned zero day. I managed to do some intensive pack cleaning (it was starting to smell like road kill) and get my food together for the next couple of days. The plan is to hike out tomorrow but I am going to try and take it easy and not overdo it until I can gauge my energy levels. The General has used these zero days to recharge. He is feeling fine but seems to be enjoying some well deserved rest. JUKEBOX------------------------------Have a spare PocketMail laying around, sell it back to us and help those in need.
Date: 2008-06-11
From: Hamburg, Pennsylvania

To: Allentown Shelter
Miles today: 22.6

Today was a difficult day, both physically and emotionally, probably my most draining day on the trail to date. The General and I started early and thankfully the weather had broken a bit and the temps were cooler and the humidity much lower. The climb out of Port Clinton was not particularly difficult but it pretty much took all I had to get to the top of the ridgeline. I was still a bit feverish and dehydrated (but there was no way I was staying in town another day) and it took me well over an hour to do a climb that normally might take me about 25 minutes. It felt just like I was starting over again; I had no wind and nothing in the tank. I honestly thought my hike my just be coming to an end, I had no interest in endangering my health and struggling along the last 8 weeks of this hike. I stumbled along the ridgeline for the rest of the morning and we made the Eckville Shelter about 1:00 pm. After a few hours of rest and a couple of protein bars, I was feeling 100% better and we decided to push on to the next shelter. We pulled into the Allentown Shelter about 6:30 pm and made camp. The shelter is a newer one and in good shape and we have the place to ourselves this evening. The number of long distance hikers, particularly thrus, has diminished greatly over the last week and the trail registers indicate that there are no more than 5 or 6 thru hikers within 7 days of us. Could be a quiet next couple of weeks! JUKEBOX------------------------------Allow us to help those in need, sell back your spare PocketMail and make some extra pocket money.
Date: 2008-06-12
From: Allentown Shelter

To: Lehigh Gap--Palmerton, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 17.7

Don't let anyone fool you; Pennsylvania's reputation for rocky trails is completely deserved if not understated. Honestly, it makes for miserable hiking as it just abuses your feet. If I were day hiking and only moving at about 1 mph, I can see that other than the lack of views and the snakes, it would be nice hiking as the ground is pretty level. But when you are trying to move at the pace we move, your feet move every which way and your ankles get twisted and punched and it can just be miserable. We made it through the day nonetheless and walked into the town of Palmerton, Pennsylvania, about 2 miles off the trail, in the late afternoon. The town offers a free hostel to long distance hikers in the basement of the borough building. The people are very friendly and even gave us a care package that included little toothpaste tubes and a toothbrush which are things that hikers always appreciate. We are sharing the space with a father and son out for their first section hike. They are hurting a bit so we have been talking gear with them and giving them some of our tips for reducing weight, which leads me to my tip of the day. With the availability of info and advice, many folks starting to section hike have pretty good gear and have cut out a good deal of extraneous weight. What I have seen with new sectioners is that every single one is carrying too much food, particularly in the section from Waynesboro, Virginia to Delaware Water Gap. Because of the easy access to towns and such, I have not carried more than 2 days of food since Waynesboro. Food is heavy and dropping from 6 days to 2 days will likely shave 10+ lbs from your pack. JUKEBOX------------------------------
Date: 2008-06-13
From: Lehigh Gap--Palmerton, Pennsylvania

To: Wind Gap, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Leaving Palmerton this morning had the General and I making the infamous climb out of Lehigh Gap. Infamous because of the exposed rocks and steep ascent, it honestly was my favorite part of Pennsylvania thus far. The climb isn't too bad; the rock scramble was interesting and the views pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, the views are the product of profound zinc and metals pollution from nearby foundries that have accumulated over the last 150 years. The area is so polluted that it has been declared an EPA "superfund" site and has been the target of an intense clean up. The trail on top of the ridge is completely barren and looks pretty post-apocalyptic and the General and I took great pains to make sure we didn't need to get water from springs named "the metallica spring" and such. The wife is meeting me this weekend and the General is insistent that I be in good working order and properly groomed so we are in Wind Gap to do laundry and such today. The thing about the north is the little (read kind of rundown but mostly clean) roadside hotels that cost $45 in the south now cost $80. The General and I see much more camping in our future. That is actually pretty cool as I find that I sleep much better outside than I do in town. This is quite a switch from early in the trip and much easier on the budget! JUKEBOX------------------------------Have a spare PocketMail laying around, sell it back to us and help those in need.
Date: 2008-06-14
From: Wind Gap, Pennsylvania

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

It was a steamy walk today into Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania with lots of day hikers and such. I can always tell if it is a weekend by the dramatic increase in day hikers on the trail. Most folks are very friendly and are curious about your hike and I like talking about the experience with people, but we were trying to get into Delaware Water Gap at a reasonable hour to meet Michelle. Michelle is flying to Newark Airport and driving over to meet me today and it will be great to see her again. We haven't gotten together in a month and getting reconnected will be a big boost for my morale. We arrived in town about 2:30 pm and I left the General at the Church of the Mountain Hostel while I went to the local pizza joint to grab a soda and wait for Michelle. We are staying at a great B&B in Shawnee on the Delaware, the town next to Delaware Water Gap. The place is called the Gatehouse Country Inn. It is a big old rambling house and it is a cool little town so we should have plenty of good relax time. We are heading back out on Monday and the weather looks awesome for next week. My enthusiasm for my hike has returned with the return of my health and energy levels and I am jacked about getting north in the next few weeks. It will be time to put on some miles. JUKEBOX------------------------------Allow us to help those in need, sell back your spare PocketMail and make some extra pocket money.
Date: 2008-06-15
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I had a great zero day with Michelle in Shawnee on the Delaware, Pennsylvania. We stayed at an awesome B&B, the Gatehouse Country Inn and our hosts Cindy and Gordon couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. After a great breakfast and some lounge around time, we headed to the Delaware River to lie around and take in the sites. Dinner was in a little place in Delaware Water Gap that was run by the chef and his wife. During dinner, I saw Pusher and High Life walking by on the sidewalk so I dashed outside to catch up with them for a bit. Another night of rest at the Gatehouse Inn and a visit from Michelle and I am starting to feel rejuvenated for the rest of my hike. JUKEBOX------------------------------Allow us to help those in need, sell back your spare PocketMail and make some extra pocket money.
Date: 2008-06-16
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well the best laid plans... the General had met a great family who had fed him and kept him in beer and wine for the weekend and his trail worthiness was questionable. Plus the fact that I wanted to watch the U.S. Open Golf Playoff conspired to sneak up and hit us with an extra zero day. It worked out well because the area was walloped with severe thunderstorms at about 3:00 pm. We are staying at the Church of the Mountain Hostel, tenting in the back yard. Also in the hostel are 6 Iron and Cast Iron, Smokey and Phoenix, and Rising Star. Pusher and High Life left earlier in the day to try to make a campground just up the trail. It is the most thru hikers I have seen in one place since the Shenandoahs and it has been great seeing some familiar faces. Turns out that Smokey and Phoenix both had the same bug I had and were laid up in Duncannon for 3 days. JUKEBOX------------------------------Tell your friend about PocketMail and let the savings start rolling in!
Date: 2008-06-17
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Campsite near Blue Mountain Lakes Road
Miles today: 17.8

We headed out of Delaware Water Gap after a great stay; Delaware Water Gap is another great trail town with most services easily accessible by foot. We stopped for lunch at the Appalachian Mountain Club's (AMC) southern most outpost the Mohican Outdoor Center. It is a lodge and campsite just off the trail and we were able to get a sandwich and hang out. While we were eating, Cast Iron and 6 Iron showed up and were a bit freaked by the number of rattlesnakes they had seen circumventing Sunfish Pond earlier in the morning. Sunfish Pond is the southern most glacial pond in the east and is a bit of a rocky hike. We went through the same area about an hour earlier and didn't see anything. Timing is everything. We had intended to stay tonight at a local YMCA campground about a mile off the trail. When we got there and approached the tenting site near the swimming pond, some 20 something yahoo with a shaved chest told us they had closed the campground to hikers because they had a teenage outing group at the campground, the inference being that we were some sort of threat to the virtue of these teens. We told mister pecs-in-charge that his time might be better served posting that as a sign at the camp entrance rather than cavorting in the lake with said teens. I think the irony was lost on him. Nonetheless, booted we were and steaming we headed back up the trail to find a campsite for the night. We ended up with a great spot on the ridgeline overlooking the valley. Cast Iron and 6 Iron joined us at our spot and we settled in for a surprisingly chilly evening. JUKEBOX------------------------------Have a spare PocketMail laying around, sell it back to us and help those in need.
Date: 2008-06-18
From: Campsite near Blue Mountain Lakes Road

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up to a dewy, damp but sunny morning and the General and I continued our trek through New Jersey. We hit Culvers Gap around lunch and the General and I along with Cast Iron and 6 Iron walked into town to get some lunch. While we were sitting in the tavern, we could see the clouds rolling in and it was starting to shower when we again hit the trail. By the time we got to Sunrise Mountain, about 6 miles out of the gap, a pretty nasty storm had rolled in and it was lightning all around us. Fortunately, there was a pavilion on the ridge and we were able to take shelter to ride out the worst of the lightning. We could have made camp but we had no water and eventually we had to move on. We had another 6.5 mile hike in the pouring rain to get to the next water source (at the shelter). By the time we got to the Rutherford Shelter, it was late, we were soaked and the water source was a bit dodgy. We set up camp, dried out as best we could and hit the hay. JUKEBOX------------------------------Allow us to help those in need, sell back your spare PocketMail and make some extra pocket money.