morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-21
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Milesburn Cabin Campsite
Miles today: 17.2

Day 91: Another very hot day today. We rise early to try to beat some of the heat. We also have a plan to get down to PA 233, about 5 miles away, where the guide book says there is a restaurant 0.1 miles to the west. We get to the road at about 9:00, only to be informed by a road construction worker there that the South Mt Tavern is over a mile away in the other direction. Note to thru hikers: if you are planning to go to the South Mt Tavern, plan to hitch a ride there or walk more than a mile. Millers AT Guide shows it being 0.1 W on PA 233, but it is over a mile east on PA 233. We stop for a breakfast break anyway at the road, not what we hoped for, but good enough. At about 11:15, we arrive at Caledonia State Park, where there are lots of shady picnic groves, rest rooms, a pool, and a snack bar. We meet Radio, another thru-hiker, who offers us a couple of cold sodas, which we gratefully accept. We buy a couple of grossly overpriced cheeseburgers, fries, soda, and ice cream there. Note 2 for thru-hikers: do not buy food here unless you have to. It is way overpriced and and not very good. Moving on out of the park, we ascend about 900 feet in blistering heat, but once we reach the top, the terrain again becomes flat and easy. We reach a 5 way gravel road intersection at about 2:00 and are pleasantly surprised to see a cooler full of ice cold drinks waiting there for hikers. Thank you to whomever left these for us. You saved us from melting in the afternoon heat. Hot, tired, and grumpy, we arrive at our campsite just before the Milesburn Cabin at about 3:15. As we sit in our tent, we continue to swelter. Hopefully it will cool down a bit tomorrow. We have a short day planned, under 12 miles, to Pine Grove Furnace State Park, where we will indulge in the half gallon ice cream challenge. We also plan to stay at the Iron Masters Hostel, where we can shower, do laundry, and get dinner and breakfast. Looking forward to that. We will also pass the half way point of our journey tomorrow!
Date: 2012-06-22
From: Milesburn Cabin Campsite

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 92: After a sweltering night in the tent, we wake up late - 6:45. It started to rain last night around 10:00, so we hurried outside to pull the rain fly over the tent. The rain fly only made the inside of the tent hotter for the rest of the night. Intermittent sprinkles greet us as we begin hiking, but soon give way to improving skies and another hot day. The walking is easy today, nice and flat with just a few rocky sections. My right shin still bothers me a bit as the day progresses, but not enough to slow our progress. We only have 11.9 miles to walk today and we arrive at Pine Grove Furnace State Park at 1:30. I promptly purchase my 1/2 gallon of chocolate ice cream and dig in. It is a hiker tradition to attempt to eat 1/2 gallon of ice cream upon reaching the Camp Store here. SilverGirl makes the more sensible decision to eat just a pint of ice cream. Within a half hour, my 1/2 gallon of chocolate ice cream is history. I wash it down with a can of Sprite. MMMM...that was good! Sparky shows up about 15 minutes after we arrive. Socks and Pickwick are here also. We all decide to forego the Iron Masters Mansion Hostel in favor of the Holly Inn in Mt Holly Springs. Sparky is sharing a room with us tonight. SilverGirl and I take quick showers and then run over to the laundromat and grocery store for some provisions to get us to Duncannon. For dinner, we have a very enjoyable time with Sparky, Socks, and Pickwick in the restaurant here at the Inn. Thesenare rhe times with trail friends that make being out here so special and fun. Tomorrow, our plan is to hike about 16 miles to the Alec Kennedy Shelter. Life is good out here as we have fun with trail friends and move north.
Date: 2012-06-23
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Little Dogwood Run Campsite
Miles today: 15.6

Day 93: Last night at the Holly Inn, Sparky, Socks, Pickwick, SilverGirl, and I sat in the bar and listened to live bluegrass music over a couple of beers. The music and the company was great. During the night, I woke up again with pain in my right shin. It kept me awake for about 3 hours before I was finally able to fall back to sleep. This pattern has been repeating itself over the past few days. I am able to hike just fine, with minimal discomfort, but then in the middle of the night I wake up with a constant throbbing pain in my shin area. Tonight, "Dr Sparky" has given me an Advil PM to try if I need it. Thanks, Doc! The morning dawns sunny and cool, with much drier air than we've had over the past few days. We have a quick continental breakfast at the Inn and then are shuttled back to the Pine Grove Furnace General Store to pick up the trail where we left off yesterday. When we get there, Sparky realizes that he's left his hiking poles back at the Holly Inn. Our shuttle driver offers to drop them off where the AT crosses a road about 8 miles up the trail, so this becomes a non-issue. The hiking is super easy during the morning with long, straight, flat stretches of trail. We cover our first 9 miles of the day in about 3 hours. The afternoons hike becomes a bit more hilly and rocky, but not too bad. We walk through a section of  trail called the Rock Maze, where there are a lot of large boulders through which the trail winds over and around. By 3:15, we reach our destination for the day. We had planned to stay at the Alec Kennedy Shelter, but when we arrive, we discover that the terrain around the shelter is unsuitable for tenting so we backtrack on the trail for 0.1 mile to a small campsite right next to a nice stream. Sparky and Pickwick are also camping with us here tonight. We all enjoy dinner together around a nice campfire. Tomorrow, we plan to hike over 18 miles, stopping in Boiling Springs for breakfast. We have now passed the 1100 mile mark on our journey and will arrive in Duncannon, PA the day after tomorrow. We are moving north quickly now.
Date: 2012-06-24
From: Little Dogwood Run Campsite

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: broken clouds

Day 94: SilverGirl, Sparky, Pickwick, and I are up at 6:00 his morning and on the trail before 7:00. The sun is shining and the the temperature is a bit cooler today, which is a welcome relief. After a short climb out of camp, the walking becomes super easy. We are on a mission this morning - to get into Boiling Springs for breakfast at Caffe 101. At about 8:00, we leave the woods and enter into a long, beautiful stretch of corn fields, which characterize the landscape here in the Cumberland Valley. The miles pass quickly as we we walk these open, flat stretches. By 9:00, we are walking into the pretty little town of Boiling Springs and arrive at Caffe 101 for breakfast. All four of us order the Backpackers Special, which consists of 2 eggs, 2 slices of toast, bacon, and 2 slices of French toast. As we eat, we are bombarded with questions about thru-hiking from other patrons sitting around us at the outdoor cafe. Leaving Boiling Springs after breakfast, we resume our trek through corn fields separated by short thickets of woods. The day is getting hotter by now, and we start to feel a bit fatigued, so we stop for lunch in the shade of a tree by the side of the road at about 11:30. While we eat, a woman who lives across the street walks over to us and gives us some bottled water. She also allows us to use her hose to refill our water bottles. There are so many random acts of kindness out here. After lunch, we again break out into a long stretch of fields. It is quite warm now as the sun beats relentlessly down on us. As we walk during the afternoon, we can see the ridgeline that we have yet to climb approaching. Our destination for the day, Darlington Shelter, is on top of this ridge. The walk up to the ridgeline isn't too bad, and we reach the shelter just before 4:00. It has been a long, but nice day. Tomorrow, it's on to Duncannon.
Date: 2012-06-25
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 95: We wake this morning to the patter of raindrops on our tent fly. It is always hard to get up and get moving when it is raining, but we force ourselves to get going. Thankfully, by the time we are ready to get out of the tent, the rain has stopped. We eat a quick breakfast, get everything packed up, and are on our way by 7:30. The walking is fairly easy at first, but then the trail starts getting a bit rocky, which slows our progress a bit. We come to a beautiful overlook with a sheer drop off just before descending towards Duncannon. The descent from here is downright trecherous. We drop down fast on a trail that is littered with uneven rocks. At one point, SilverGirl falls, but she is OK. Finally, we reach the bottom where we road walk for about a mile into Duncannon and the Doyle Hotel. After settling into our room, I take my shirt off, only to discover that I have a large bullseye rash on the right side of my abdomen, a classic symptom of Lymes Disease. Thankfully, there is a medical clinic just across the street from the hotel, so I walk over there to get it checked out by a doctor. The bad news is that the doctor confirms I have Lymes Disease, but the good news is that we have caught it early before other symptoms developed. The doctor gives me a prescription for Amoxicillin, which I will now take 3 times a day for the next 3 weeks. Since I am feeling fine otherwise, there should be no interruption to our hiking plans. I have posted a picture of my bullseye for anyone who wants to know what Lymes Disease looks like. I have no idea where or when I was bitten by this tick. We check ourselves daily for ticks, but they are so tiny you can barely see them. Obviously, I missed this one. Tomorrow, we plan to hike just over 11 miles to Peters Mt Shelter. Our next town stop will be in Port Clinton in about 5 days. On we go.
Date: 2012-06-26
From: Duncannon

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 96: Last night, sleep was a bit hard to come by even though we were in the comfort of our hotel room. My right shin started to bother me at about 1:00am and I stayed awake for pretty much the rest of the night. Morning dawns with sharply cooler temperatures and clear skies. We walk across the street to Goodies for breakfast and then up to the convenience store for some Advil PM so I can sleep a little better. With only 11.3 miles to hike today, we don't get on the trail until about 9:30. My energy level is very low today due to mild Lymes symptoms and lack of sleep. We cross the Susquehanna River as we walk out of town and then veer off into the woods where we climb steeply up to a ridgeline. From there, the trail follows the flat ridgeline at about 1200 ft. We enjoy a few nice views of the Susquehanna River in the valley below as we walk. For lunch, we stop at the Clarks Ferry Shelter. There is a stray cat that lives here at the shelter. I wonder how he got here. The afternoon walk is tough for me. I have to stop and rest a few times along the way before we finally reach Peters Mt Shelter. We pitch our tent immediately and then settle in for an afternoon nap. I go out like a light and sleep for about 1-1/2 hours. Upon waking, it is dinnertime, and I'm feeling much better. Amazing what a little sleep can do for you. We have dinner in the shelter, where someone has also left a box full of peanut butter M&Ms. There is also a note there to let hikers know that trail magic will be provided all day tomorrow down at PA 325, about 6 miles up the trail. We look forward to that. Tomorrow, we will see how I'm feeling, but we hope to hike about 18 miles. If I'm still feeling weak and tired, obviously we won't go that far. Sparky, our hiking friend whom we have been with for the past few days, remained in Duncannon today, but he will catch up to us in Port Clinton on Saturday. On we go, making our way up towards New Jersey.
Date: 2012-06-27
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite Before Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 97: Thanks to the Advil PM we bought yesterday, I had a wonderful nights sleep and felt refreshed and ready to go this morning. I think the Amoxicillin is starting to work on my Lymes Disease as well. My bullseye rash is still pretty nasty looking, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. We are on the trail at 7:25, with a sunny and cool day to greet us. There is also a nice soft breeze that fans us for most of the day, making for a very pleasant walk. Two hours into our day, we reach PA 325 where trail magic awaits. We are treated to drinks, a turkey club pasta, deviled eggs, fruit, and cupcakes. Butcher, Tyvek, and Great Dane are also here. Thanking our hosts as we finish our meal, we head back up hill to the ridgeline where the walking again becomes very flat and easy for the rest of the day. We stop at a nice little campsite along the ridge for lunch. Soft pine needles cushion our seats as we eat and relax under a canopy of trees. A soft breeze rustles the leaves in the trees above us. My mind turns towards taking a nap here, but we move on. The rest of the day is very easy walking. The miles pass quickly as SilverGirl and I lose ourselves in conversation about childhood memories and days gone by. At 3:30, we arrive at the campsite 0.1 miles before the Rausch Gap Shelter. We are the first to arrive. Setting up our tent, we take naps for about an hour and then begin preparing dinner. As we eat, Sunkist, Roller, Breeze, Chamelion, Roboticus, Ranger Bill, and No Whistle show up and join us around the fire pit. We share pleasant conversation with everyone for the next hour. Tomorrow, we plan to hike about 17 miles to the 501 Shelter, where we hear one can have pizza delivered to the shelter. This shelter also has a shower, so we're looking forward to getting there. Tomorrow, we will also pass the point where we will have less than 1000 miles to go before we are finished. We know this is still very far, but the miles seem to be going quickly now, and we anticipate being in New England in about 3-1/2 weeks. It will be great to be back up north again.
Date: 2012-06-28
From: Campsite Before Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: few clouds

Day 98: With another fairly long day planned, we rise again at 6:00 and are on the trail at just past 7:00. The morning is sunny and the breezes from the past two days are gone. We can tell that today is going to be pretty warm. The gnats and mosquitos around our heads provide further confirmation of a warm day to come. The morning is marked by several road crossings, most notably I 81. Crossing under I 81 at about 9:30, we miss the double blaze along the gravel road we are following and wind up going another 1/3 mile past the turnoff before we realize our mistake. We backtrack the 1/3 mile, find the white blaze that we missed, and resume our hike north on the correct path. After a tough climb up and away from I 81, the trail becomes smooth and easy for the most part. Occasionally, the trail throws up some nasty rock piles just to remind us of what is yet to come during the next week. At lunch time, we stop at a nice camp site along the ridgeline near an abandoned power line. As we eat, Breeze, Roboticus, Chamelion, and Ranger Bill also show up for lunch. After lunch, we resume walking over easy terrain for the next few miles to the William Penn Shelter, where we stop to refill our water bottles in the spring. From here the last 4 miles start with an easy 2 mile descent to PA 645, and then a 2 mile scramble in and out of rocky sections of trail. We are treated to a few nice views south towards I 78 as we near PA 501. Arriving at the 501 Shelter at about 3:30, we both shower in the outdoor solar shower that is here. The water is cool, but it feels wonderful after sweating all day. After showering, the real treat for the day comes. We call the local pizza shop, which delivers pizza here, and order 2 pizzas and some soda. 20 minutes later, we are happily devouring our pizzas as we sit at the picnic table inside the shelter. The shelter is a bit warm and we are expecting other hikers to arrive later, so we set up our tent on one of the nearby campsites, where it is quiet and cooler. Tomorrow, we will hike about 15 miles to the Eagles Nest shelter, which will set us up for a short 9 mile hike into Port Clinton on Saturday. We will take a full day off there (in nearby Hamburg) on Sunday.
Date: 2012-06-29
From: 501 Shelter

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 99: We wake up this morning at 3:00, with rain starting to fall and thunder and lightning approaching fast. Having left our rain fly off when we went to sleep, we hurry out of the tent and quickly pull the rain fly over. For the next 1/2 hour, we cower inside the tent as a severe thunderstorm strikes. Lightning flashes all around us every 5 seconds and the ground shakes from the booming thunder claps. Thankfully, we survive and the storm passes on. We return to a fitful sleep until 6:00, when we rise for the days hike. The rain has stopped, but the air hangs heavy with high humidity. It promises to be a very hot day. Mosquitoes and black flies attack us as we get under way. The trail today is littered with sharp, jagged rocks for a good portion of the 15 miles that we hike. It takes every ounce of concentration to stay on our feet during some of these rocky stretches. Around mid-morning, we stop at a beautiful overlook for a water and snack break. To our south, we look down upon vast farmlands and the traffic on I 78 in the distance. For years, we have driven down I 78 and looked up at the ridgelines to to the north, trying to imagine the day when we would be hiking the AT up there and looking down upon the interstate that we traveled along. Now, we are here doing just that, and it's a surreal feeling. As we continue walking, it becomes brutally hot and humid, with temperatures in the upper 90s.  Rocks on the trail continue to slow our progress. At noon, we reach the Fort Dietrich Snyder Monument, where we stop for lunch in the shade. During the afternoon, I run out of energy as the heat and relentless rocks get to me. SilverGirl is also tired, but is able to push on at a faster pace than I can. Finally, at 3:30, we arrive at the Eagles Nest Shelter. We set up inside the shelter initially, but then decide to pitch our tent later as the heat and mosquitoes are relentless. Sparky shows up at about 7:00 and pitches his tent near us. Also here tonight is B1, Shaggy, and No Whistle. We are hot, tired and very ready for a zero day. Tomorrow, we will rise at 5:15 to beat the heat and get into Port Clinton before the Post Office closes at 11:00. Time for a rest!
Date: 2012-06-30
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 100:Last night was not a good night for me. I spent much of the night laying awake with a painful right shin. I finally did fall asleep, but not until much before dawn. I am exhausted when my alarm goes off at 5:15. Poor SilverGirl... I have also been keeping her awake as I roll around on my sleeping mat trying to find a comfort zone into which I can relax. Today, we are hiking into Port Clinton, and we need to start early in order to get to the post office before it closes at 11:00. As we begin hiking, my shin is extemely painful, and I'm forced to limp along at a very slow pace for the first 1/2 mile. Then, as has happened on several other days, I feel the pain start to ebb, and I'm able to pick up the pace. Soon, I am hiking at my normal pace again and the pain I was feeling in my shin is gone. It seems weird that my shin becomes painful during the night while I'm relaxing rather than during the day when I'm pounding it over rocks and roots. Go figure. We arrive in Port Clinton at about 10:00, just as the intense heat of the day begins to beat down on us. We pick up our mail drop at the post office, then wait until 11:00 on the porch of the Port Clinton Hotel for it to open. Rooms here are on a first come, first serve basis, so it's good that we are here early. Checking in at 11:00, we shower and then go downstairs to the bar, where we order some lunch. The basket of fries that come with our sandwiches is enough to feed 5 people. It is brutally hot ouside and we are glad to be indoors today. Our room is air conditioned, which we greatly appreciate. Both of us lay down for a couple of hours after lunch to take a much needed nap. At about 5:00, we walk over to The Peanut Shop next door, where they sell a huge variety of candies and peanut products. Of course we don't leave empty handed. For dinner, we meet Sparky in the hotel restaurant, where we order a couple of Chef Salads. Crispy salads are one of the foods that we miss and crave while on the trail, so it's nice to be able to order them when we're in towns. While we eat, the 3 of us also plan out our hiking agenda for the next few days. This upcoming week is forecast to be very hot, and we also anticipate the trail to become extremely rocky. The section between Port Clinton and Delaware Water Gap is famous for its rocks. Like everyone else though, we can, and will do this. Retiring back to our room after dinner, we read and watch TV for awhile before turning out the lights. Within an hour, I feel the pain in my right shin coming on again. It again keeps me awake for most of the night. Something's got to give here soon. I can't go on laying awake with shin pain every night. Tomorrow, I will go to the pharmacy to look for a stronger sleep aid. Glad to have a zero day tomorrow.
Date: 2012-07-01
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Hamburg, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Day 101: A much needed zero day for us today. We sleep in a bit this morning at the Port Clinton hotel, not getting up and out of the room until about 8:30. The hotel will be shutting down for vacation for the next 2 weeks, so we check out at 9:00 and hitch a ride down into Hamburg, where we will stay at the Microtel tonight. When we arrive at the Microtel, it is still too early for us to check in, but the front desk clerk invites us to partake in the breakfast that is laid out in the lobby. We happily take him up on his invitation. Following breakfast, Sparky goes out to do some shopping, and SilverGirl and I walk over to Cabela's, a large outfitter store across the highway. SilverGirl buys a new pair of shoes there that will hopefully cushion her feet a little better on the PA rocks. As we leave the store, we are told by store employees that today is customer appreciation day, and that they are giving anyone who wants one free hot dogs, chips, and soda. Again, we happily accept this offer. After lunch, we make the 3/4 mile trek across about 5 blazing hot parking lots to the Walmart store, where we pick up a few other necessities. Finishing with our shopping, we walk back to the hotel, where we meet Sparky in the lobby. We are sharing a room with him here to help keep costs down.  After checking in, we rest in the room for a few hours. Sparky and I watch Tiger Woods win a golf tournament on TV while SilverGirl takes a nap. For dinner, the 3 of us go to the hotel restaurant, which offers a nice selection of pub style foods and beers. It has been a nice, relaxing day for us today. Once again, it was extremely hot outside, so we were grateful to be in the air conditioned coolness of the hotel. Tomorrow, we will go back out into the heat and hike back up to the ridgeline and on to the Eckville Hiking Center, just short of 15 miles from Port Clinton. Feeling good as we move further north.