morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-05
From: Near Sawmill Run

To: Near Simmons Gap
Miles today: 25.5

Finally, that elusive easy 20-mile day has become a reality. My reduced pack weight is a contributing factor, but mainly the terrain in Shenandoah Park is muck easier than anywhere up to this point. The hills are small and round and the path is wide and gentle. There are still some great views, I just don't have to work nearly as hard for them.
Date: 2005-05-06
From: Near Simmons Gap

To: Near Tanner's Ridge Road
Miles today: 25.0

A lot about this hike has changed since I came into Shenandoah Park. The combination of reduced pack weight and easier terrain contributed to my two biggest days so far. Another change is the small radio I bought in Waynesboro. For two months I had spent most of every day alone and I was finding I had nothing interesting left to say to myself. I was starting to get a bit bored on the trail. For the last three days I've been walking listening to NPR, music, and even some afternoon television since the receiver also gets VHF. It's been a real treat. This evening as I was setting up camp, I was listening to This American Life on NPR and enjoying a renewed closeness to civilization here in the woods.
Date: 2005-05-07
From: Near Tanner's Ridge Road

To: Near Beahm's Gap
Miles today: 22.5

Shenandoah Park is a lot of fun but it's very different from the rest of the trail. This morning the trail passed a lodge where I stopped for breakfast. This afternoon, I was sharing the trail with toddlers. Every couple of miles, the trail passes a campground or parking lot where people stop to take a walk. I don't have to worry about treating my water because there's a water fountain every few hours. And the path is as easy as it has been on the whole trip. I could get used to this, but I know I shouldn't.
Date: 2005-05-08
From: Near Beahm's Gap

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

Another day of luxury hiking in Shenandoah National Park. Another day when I could have eggs for breakfast and another day where I exceeded 20 miles but still made it to my destination before six o'clock. I finished the day just outside park borders so that may mean my life of leisure is coming to an end.
Date: 2005-05-09
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Manassas Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

It took me longer than I expected to get everything done in Front Royal where I had a maildrop and a few errands to run. I got into town at 7:30 but by the time I got everything done it was two o'clock. I still managed to get another ten miles done and if I hustle tomorrow I might still make it to Bear's Den Hostel.
Date: 2005-05-10
From: Manassas Gap Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: clear sky

This morning's hike was beautiful. There's lots of trillium around the trail and it passed through two hilltop meadows. I got to Rod Hollow Shelter at one for lunch. THe last ten miles to Bear's Den went over the "roller coaster", a series of hills that slowed me down a bit in the afternoon sun. But I made it to the hostel just after dark. Bear's Den is a beautiful 1930s stone house on a side trail in the woods. The Blue Ridge Centre for Environmental Stewardship runs a really nice hostel here. I can take it easy here in the morning. I have a short day tomorrow to get within a couple of miles of Harper's Ferry.
Date: 2005-05-11
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Tent site 5 miles north of David Lesser Shelter
Miles today: 15.6

I crossed the 1000-mile mark today on the hottest day of hiking so far. I didn't have far to go today so I got a late start leaving the hostel at 8:30, but I soon regretted not taking advantage of the cooler early morning weather. Spring until now has been unseasonably cool, people in town have complained, but on the trail it was perfect. It's going to get harder as it gets hotter. Insects have also dramatically increased in number overnight. At dusk I was swarmed as I was making dinner. I think I need to change my schedule to take a nap at the hottest time of the dayand hike until dark to set up camp when the insects calm down a bit.
Date: 2005-05-12
From: Tent site 5 miles north of David Lesser Shelter

To: Harper's Ferry Hostel
Miles today: 6.3

I got into Harper's Ferry, home of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, in time for breakfast. Unfortunately, there was no room at the HIlltop House Hotel where I had planned to stay, so after breakfast I headed to the conservancy headquarters to get my picture taken and leave some messages for friends who are a few days behind me. The conservancy people let me leave my pack while I ran my town errands, and artfully stepped arouind me when I spread my stuff across their floor while I repacked. Towns rarely work out the way I plan them. Because I had access to laundry and internet a couple of days earlier, I thought I would have time to find a barber and go to a movie in Harper's Ferry. But with no theatres nearby, no barber I could find and no room at the hotel, I left town after lunch and followed the trail across the Potomac to Maryland where there's a hostel two miles on. And I ended up having a very nice relaxing afternoon and evening playing cards, making phone calls and eating pizza.
Date: 2005-05-13
From: Harper's Ferry Hostel

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Skipper and Loretta, the hostel's managers, offered an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast this morning and I ate all I could. I headed out at 8:30 feeling very full. THe trail in this section has as many historical and cultural attractions as natural ones and ever few miles it passes a historical site or monument from the civil war or the begining of the republic. After a while, I stopped reading all the educational panels along the trail, I was starting to get my civil war characters mixed up with the revolutionary war ones and if I spent too long sorting them out I wouldn't get to the shelter before dark.
Date: 2005-05-14
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Bailey Spring
Miles today: 21.3

Today's heat made it a very hard day. By 11 this morning, the weather got very hot and very humid, and progress started to get quite difficult. Every couple of hours I would sit down for half an hour for a rest. The forecast held out the possibility of a violent thunderstorm with hail showers, and I started hoping for it. In the end, it was just a little rain that cooled things down a bit just before dark when I stopped a few miles short of my target. But I did make it over the Pennsylvania border. Four days ago, I woke up in Virgina and went to sleep in West Virginia. The next day I finished the day in Maryland. Now, two days later I'm in Pennsylvania. After more than a month in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I'm now skipping through states like rocks in a stream crossing.
Date: 2005-05-15
From: Bailey Spring

To: Near Milesburn Cabin
Miles today: 21.9

What a difference a few degrees make! The forecast today called for a repeat of yesterday's weather. But it never got quite as hot. SO today ended up being a relatively easy and very pleasant day. I ended up getting a little further than I had hoped and as a result I should have a very easy day tomorrow when I'm planning to stop at a hostel only 12 miles down the trail.
Date: 2005-05-16
From: Near Milesburn Cabin

To: James Frye (Tagg Run) Shelter
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I had planned a short day today. I really enjoyed my stops at the Bear's Den and Harper's Ferry hostels, so I wanted to have a night at the Ironmaster's Hostel in Pine Furnace Park. This morning's hike was very pretty running through pine groves, woods and fields. It was also very easy so even with a long lunch break I got to the hostel at two. I spent the afternoon on the grass waiting for it to open at five. But when it did, it seemed to me to be the opposite of the other two I had stayed at earlier. Those were both very welcoming to hikers and provided all the things we need when we stop, telephone, internet, laundry and hiker foods. This one seemed to make a point by providing none of those things and the atmosphere was very unwelcoming. When I heard a high school group was arriving after my bed time, that was the final straw. I asked for my money back and set off down the trail for another seven miles to the next shelter. It's great to be on the kind of terrain that allows a decision like that to be made late in the day. I ended up at a very nice shelter and decided to take advantage of my extra miles to push a bit tomorrow and get to Duncannon a day early.
Date: 2005-05-17
From: James Frye (Tagg Run) Shelter

To: Darlington Shelter tent site
Miles today: 26.5
Weather: broken clouds

I had a big day today with a nice stop in the middle. The terrain has stayed pretty flat and I'm not yet at the difficult rocky part of Pennsylvania. I made it to Boiling Springs at lunchtime and had an ice cream cone outside the regional Appalachian Trail Conservancy office there. At two, I set back out for a long afternoon and evening. THe only climb came right at the end of the day and it was just getting dark when I made it to the camping area.
Date: 2005-05-18
From: Darlington Shelter tent site

To: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

The Doyle Hotel in Duncannon is a beautiful run down hotel more than a century old. It's second only to Elmer's Sunnybank Inn in Hot Springs as my favourite stop so far. The bar downstairs is a very friendly place full of both hikers and locals who are very generous to hikers buying us beer or offering rides to nearby towns. I got in quite late and am planning to leave in the morning although I'd be happy to spend longer in Duncannon. But I got everything I needed to do done this afternoon, including getting my beard shaved off by the local hair stylist, so I will set out again after breakfast.
Date: 2005-05-19
From: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA

To: Spring south of PA 325
Miles today: 15.5

After a big breakfast across the street from the Doyle with fellow hiker Scarecrow, I headed out across the Susquehanna River and back up into the hills. There was a great view of Duncannon on the way up. Even though the terrain is pretty flat, I made slow progress today and ended up a little short of my goal. But I should be able to make up the distance between here and Delaware Water Gap.
Date: 2005-05-20
From: Spring south of PA 325

To: Tentsite north of Swatara Creek
Miles today: 19.8

It rained all morning and I was wet and miserable when I got to Rausch Gap Shelter at two. But as soon as I got a roof over my head and started drying up, everything cleared up, so I set out again for another five miles at the end of the afternoon and found a spot to camp just past the Waterville Iron Bridge.
Date: 2005-05-21
From: Tentsite north of Swatara Creek

To: Stream north of Black Swatara Spring
Miles today: 22.7

The possibility of lunch in Port Clinton tomorrow kept me going today. I started before sunrise this morning and got to the 501 Shelter ten miles on for lunch, where I met Jay, a hiker from Chicago who gave me a piece of cake. We hiked together in the afternoon, then I decided to do a few more miles in the evening so I could reach the Three Cs Restaurant around noon tomorrow.
Date: 2005-05-22
From: Stream north of Black Swatara Spring

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I was 12 miles south of Port Clinton when I started this morning so I needed to get up early and move pretty fast to get to Port Clinton in time for lunch. I made it to the restaurant just after noon and it was well worth the effort. I ordered the "Neighbourhood Nibbler", a huge plate with one of every breakfast item imaginable: one egg, one sausage, one piece of ham, one strip of bacon, one pancake, one piece of French toast, one biscuit, a serving of potatoes and one of creamed chipped beef. It was delicious! I got a piece of chocolate cake for dessert and got back on the trail after a couple of phone calls. I stopped at the Windsor Furnace Shelter six miles on.
Date: 2005-05-23
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Tent site north of PA 309
Miles today: 20.8

Today was a long day. There were a couple of climbs and several rocky stretches. The trail in Pennsylvania is famous for its rocks, but it's not nearly as bad as I had imagined from the descriptions. Really difficult rocky sections where the trail jumps from boulder to boulder are never longer than a mile, and there has always been a relatively easy stretch right after them. In the morning when I'm not tired, the rocky parts are a lot of fun. But they definitely slow me down, so I didn't make it quite as far as I had hoped today but I will still be able to rest a bit in Palmerton tomorrow.
Date: 2005-05-24
From: Tent site north of PA 309

To: Jailhouse hostel, Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 13.4

It took me a while to cover the 13 miles to Palmerton. The trail went over some of the trickiest rocky bits yet, but I also got some of the best views since Virginia. I made it into town at three and checked in to the "Jailhouse hosetl", a basement bunkroom in the municipal building that used to house the jail. The town generously provides free overnight stay and even gave me a welcome bag with hiker essentials like toilet paper, toothpaste and a granola bar I ate right away. I had a nice dinner at Bert's steak house and had an enormous banana split for dessert.
Date: 2005-05-25
From: Jailhouse hostel, Palmerton, PA

To: Summit south of Wind Gap
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: light rain

I was in a great mood when I set out from Palmerton this morning. I had a good meal last night, a good night's sleep and a big breakfast this morning. And the first mile of the trail was a very steep climb over rocks that was a lot of fun at the beginning of the day. I got a ride out of town from a woman who told me there used to be a drive-in movie theatre at the bottom of the hill that sometimes showed X-rated movies. When she was a kid, she and her friends used to climb the rocks with binoculars to watch at night. The ridge after the climb was very pretty with a lot of nice views. There's very little water in this part of the trail, but luckily the weather is cool and damp so I only needed to go to one of the very inconvenient springs half a mile off the trail. I stopped for the night at an open grassy area on a summit and the wind made it a challenge to oitch my tent.
Date: 2005-05-26
From: Summit south of Wind Gap

To: Tent site north of Mount Minsi
Miles today: 17.1

Today should have been a pretty easy day but I started off on the wrong foot, literally. For the second time this trip, I mistakenly set out in the wrong direction and went close to two miles before I realized my error. Then the trail went through a rocky section and I slipped a couple of times on rocks that were wet in the rain. My feet were hurting a lot when I stopped less than two miles south of Delaware Water Gap. I'm looking forward to getting into town early in the morning and taking a day off with my dad.
Date: 2005-05-27
From: Tent site north of Mount Minsi

To: Ramada Inn, Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: few clouds

I had a really nice day off today. I camped just outside of town last night and easily made it in before eight when I met my dad in front of the post office. We had a great day together. After breakfast and a shower, we took the tourist trolley tour of Delaware Water Gap. The town was a major resort in the early part of the last century but there's not much left now. The gap itself is where at the end of the ice age a glacier tore through the mountains to form the Delaware River. After the tour, we had a nice lunch, then drove up to see Bushkill Falls. We rested a bit in the afternoon, then went to a bar for drinks and then a really good dinner at the Deer Head Inn. In six days, I get an even longer break when I get to my Dad's place where I'm taking three days off.
Date: 2005-05-28
From: Ramada Inn, Delaware Water Gap

To: YMCA Camp Ken-Etiwa-Pec
Miles today: 17.4

Today started out beautifully. I had breakfast with my dad at Delaware Water Gap, then set out on a beautiful section of the trail in gorgeous weather. The climb out of town was easy and at the top Sunfish Pond was beautiful. The trail followed a ridge with great views on either side. At noon I reached a summit that had a spectacular view in every direction. Later in the afternoon it started to rain. Because it was quite a hot day and the rain started so gradually, I welcomed the cooling drops at first, but by the time I realized how big a rainfall it was going to be it was too late to really cover up. I was already too wet. It turned into a big storm and I got completely drenched. I didn't want to pitch my tent in the storm and the next shelter was too far to reach before dark, so when I got to the Blue Mountain Lakes Road at six, I walked a mile off the trail to a YMCA summer camp where there's a hut available to thru-hikers. Everything's going to dry out except my radio which I had in the inside pocket of my rain jacket. I pulled it out of a small puddle of water, so for the next few days I'm back to talking to myself.
Date: 2005-05-29
From: YMCA Camp Ken-Etiwa-Pec

To: Mashipacong Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm glad I budgeted six days to get from Delaware Water Gap to Bear Mountain where I'm getting off the trail for a few days. I should have been able to make it in five, especially since the trail here is as easy as it gets, but my feet are giving me a lot of trouble and I'm stopping a lot more often than usual to give them a rest. Just after noon today, I got a nice stop when the trail crossed a road at Culver Gap and there was a pub right there. I had a good lunch although it probably wasn't a good idea to have a beer right before heading back on the trail in the afternoon sun.
Date: 2005-05-30
From: Mashipacong Shelter

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: few clouds

Like yesterday, the trail took me to a bar at lunchtime. I had another good lunch but this time I ordered a coke. I had hoped to pick up a bit of food as well in Unionville but the grocery store was closed for Memorial Day. I could probably easily stretch what I have over three days but I don't think I'll have to because there's another food stop tomorrow morning. It's very convenient that the trail runs so close to civilization in this section.
Date: 2005-05-31
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: Cascade Brook
Miles today: 17.2

Today was a very nice day. Just after nine I got to Heaven Hill Farms where I got coffee and a danish for breakfast, an ice cream cone to take back on the trail, and some snacks for later. There was a good climb right after that with some very nice views. The rest of the day was quite easy and very pretty. There were several summits with bare rock that was fun to hike on. And on the last of the summits I crossed the border into New York, so now I have eight states behind me and five more ahead of me.
Date: 2005-06-01
From: Cascade Brook

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: clear sky

Suddenly things got a bit harder today. After an easy few days on mostly flat terrain in New Jersey, I'm coming across a lot of ups and downs in New York. And because I have to reach Bear Mountain by five tomorrow I had to do extra miles today in case it stays this slow and tough tomorrow. So it was getting dark when I reached Fingerboard Shelter. When I finally got there I had a great surprise. Burger and Night Lion who I hadn't seen since Damascus six weeks ago were there. And they had beer! I got caught up on where everyone else is on the trail. They had both gone to Trail Days a few days ago so they were in the know. It's great to run into people I thought I'd never see again.
Date: 2005-06-02
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: NY9D north of Bear Mountain
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

Today turned out to be much easier than yesterday so I made it to Bear Mountain Inn by three with no trouble. I had planned to meet my dad in the bar at the inn at five but it was closed so I called and he came to pick me up at the next road crossing. My partner Gordon and Marcus, another friend from Montreal, also came down to meet me, and I'm off the spend three relaxing days with them at my Dad's house in Connecticut, going to movies, eating and drinking.
Date: 2005-06-06
From: NY9D north of Bear Mountain

To: Canopus Hill
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: clear sky

My dad dropped me off at the trail just after nine this morning after three whole days of rest, food and drink. It was great to see Gordon and Marcus and spend some time in civilization. I didn't get very far on the trail today. It was the hottest day yet and I was moving quite slowly in spite of new shoes that are a lot easier on my feet. At four o'clock, I could hear thunder rolling in just as I passed a good tenting spot. I decided not to get wet so soon after getting all cleaned up, so I pitched my tent and crawled in just as the sky opened up for the biggest storm I've seen so far. I decided over my break that I could afford to slow down a bit so I don't mind having a short day, especially since I stayed nice and dry.
Date: 2005-06-07
From: Canopus Hill

To: Stream on the way down Stormville Mountain
Miles today: 20.7

It's always something. With new shoes and a three-day rest, my feet are in great shape again. The path is groomed and the terrain is easy here. So why am I not bouncing along with a song in my heart and a spring in my step? The heat, that's why. All of a sudden it's very very hot out here, and muggy, and buggy. I've heard that Mount Washington can get snow in July. That's 420 miles away. I can't get there soon enough.
Date: 2005-06-08
From: Stream on the way down Stormville Mountain

To: Junction with yellow trail
Miles today: 17.6

Today was another brutally hot day. When the trail breaks out of the woods into a meadow as it does occasionally, I'm normally delighted. But today, it went through three miles of meadow at the height of the afternoon sun. It was a tough stretch. There have been several episodes of physical comedy on this trip. Most of them have involved me getting tangled up in the cord for my bear bag or tripping over my poles. Today's installment was spectacular. At the end of the meadow section, the trail crossed a small stream with muddy banks on a low footbridge. I wanted to soak my bandanna to cool down but I couldn't quite reach the water from the bridge. So with my pack on, I lay on my stomach on the bridge and reached my arm toward the water. But I turned a little as I stretched and the weight of my pack pulled me right over the bridge, and spun me around so I landed face forward in the mud with my legs in the water.
Date: 2005-06-09
From: Junction with yellow trail

To: Next to the Housatonic River
Miles today: 19.8

Today was another long and uncomfortably hot day. I had a nice break in the middle though when I went into Kent to pick up a maildrop. I had a nice meal in town even though I think I enjoyed the air conditioning more than the food. I stopped a little short of my target, next the the Housatonic River.
Date: 2005-06-10
From: Next to the Housatonic River

To: Belter's campsite
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

This heatwave is going on and on. As I hiked this morning, I was wiping a steady flow of sweat from my forehead. I was bitten and itchy all over and a menagerie of insect life was buzzing insistently around around my head. For the first time on this trip, I thought seriously about packing it in. If this is what I have to look forward to for the next seven weeks, it's not fun anymore. But I came to a road crossing at lunchtime. There was a little breeze and the number of bug in orbt around my skull had fallen to two. I sat down by the side of the road for half an hour, thinking that if I were to spend the rest of my life here watching cars go by, I would be perfectly content. It didn't get any cooler in the afternoon, but it was a bit easier, and I stopped earlier than usual. The forecast is for more of the same well into next week, so I've replanned my schedule with shorter days and an extra hotel stop before Dalton.