morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-15
From: Mason-Dixon Line

To: US-30
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: broken clouds

Day 72- I feel even more tired than I did yesterday! Thank goodness we get to slackpack today! Eating my body weight at the hotel¢s breakfast didn¢t help with the tiredness. Mama Mac is being terrifically patient with our sleepy butts. We didn¢t start our slackpack until 11:30.Unfortunately, it only took a couple of minutes for Broken Seal¢s calves to cramp up. Based on the shape he was in when we crossed the border originally and how his body is reacting now, Pennsylvania may not be our best state.After a long break and some very slow walking, we finally made some progress. We were fortunate that there were no major obstacles planned for today, just mellow walking. There were little creeks we passed and old shelters. We didn¢t cross paths with any thruhikers today so we played podcasts over the speaker and listened while we moved. Today was a workday. We did not want to be hiking. Its days like today that I think set apart thruhikers from giant section hikers. It takes a lot of determination and mental strength to keep going even when you¢re not feeling it.We thought we had chosen a great pick up point for Mama Mac, but construction closed some roads and her Garmin sent her bizarre ways to try and find us. There is only so much we could do from the trail other than to call off her efforts. Instead, she would meet us in Fayetteville and we would hitch ourselves there.It was by far our most awkward hitchhiking experience. This road had traffic moving but at 10 minute intervals around the construction work. That meant there was a long line of cars parked waiting for their turn to pass. We were there uncomfortably walking down the line of stopped cars with our thumbs out. A nice family ended our social suffering and let us hop in with them to town where they dropped us off at the most delicious Italian restaurant.Between Broken Seal¢s physical struggles, and Mama Mac¢s transportation challenges, we were a little frazzled when we sat in the booth. A couple with four young kids politely chatted us up explaining to their children what the Appalachian Trail was. I think they heard overheard us venting about the day because after they left, the manager told us they had covered our entire bill. Of course, my eyes immediately teared up. It was so unexpected and so generous,; I was just overwhelmed!The food was mouthwatering and came large portions. We took to go containers to be able to eat this amazing food for dinner tomorrow night and we left a note for that local family expressing our gratitude.Mama Mac found a great hotel closer to Carlisle that also had cookies at the front desk. I grabbed a handful on the way to our room where we quickly flopped into bed. I¢m really grateful having Mom here because I can see this section being even more challenging without her support right now.
Date: 2018-06-16
From: US-30 

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: broken clouds

Day 73- There is no construction going on this morning so it was a lot easier to get to the starting point for our day then it had been to collect us the night before. This is, of course, after we feasted at my favorite hotel breakfast yet! It would be shorter for me to list the things that I did not eat then the things that I did eat.It was a beautiful Saturday and it didn¢t take long before we could tell a lot of people were out on the trails. Thruhikers, section hikers, day hikers ¢ we saw them all within the first half hour. Our biggest climb today was out the gate and once that was over it was relatively flat and easy the entire day. It feels really weird to me that I actually miss some of the more drastic elevation changes just because of how it tends to break up the day. There were multiple times today that it was hard to have a real sense of where I was.For the first time in a while, there was little cell service and that is just one factor out of a few that made it really challenging for Mama Mac to connect with us at the halfway mark. After some perseverance, she did make it and celebrated reaching that point with a fabulous lunch spread. She is definitely spoiling us silly. I think her epic saga trying to reach that point wiped her out and she return to the hotel to take a nap while we crushed out some more miles. We had bigger plans but we hit the ice cream store at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park at around five and decided to call it.We cruised the historic downtown of Carlisle and ate the heavenly leftovers from the Italian restaurant the night before. We were all wiped and the beds were really, really soft. An additional shout out goes to Mama Mac for stitching up some of the holes in my clothing ¢ thanks! Extra thanks!
Date: 2018-06-17
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs 
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: clear sky

Day 74- I think we were the weirdos at the breakfast buffet at this hotel. Wearing our dirty girl gaiters, toe socks, and flip-flops is far from the most stylish thing. People had already started swimming at the state park when we arrived at 8:30 to commence hiking.Walking in the park was nice because the trail was wide and we could walk next to each other. Once we left the park and we¢re on the singletrack AT, we just put her heads down and got the miles done. We didn¢t stop moving until Mom met us in her air-conditioned car with lunch. Nothing better than some cold Gatorade with a deli sandwich and chips. Today, it was more of a green tunnel with a lot of tall mountain laurel plants hugging the trail. After lunch though we did get some rocky / bouldery sections that were referred to as ¢rock mazes¢ in AWOLs guide. Then it went back to the same terrain. It was hot enough that we appreciated the tree cover and we moved fast enough due to slack packing to create a little bit of our own breeze.Right before we hit boiling Springs, the elevation for profile flatlined. The second we left the trees, it was purifier land. Exposed but beautiful. When we walked through the town of Boiling Springs and passed the ATC Mid-Atlantic headquarters, we just happen to be lucky enough to walk through while they were hosting a music festival! It was right on the lake in town with good bluegrass music and some hard cider and hotdogs stands.We figured out that if we can average 18 miles a day from now on we will reach kids had in the middle of August. While we had hoped to do more miles today, we had at least hit that average making it easier to say yes to the unexpected event we found ourselves that. We had planned on doing four, flat miles still but we decided to seize the opportunity and Mama Mac drove to boiling Springs to enjoy the music with us.We people-watched, we danced, we laughed, and we enjoyed ourselves. For the first time ever, we saw a real washboard player. Things were winding down at about seven so we grabbed some food on the way back to the hotel where we jumped straight into the Jacuzzi. What a fun day for all!
Date: 2018-06-18
From: Boiling Springs

To: PA 850
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 75- So far this week, the plan has changed everyday! Broken Seal had a horrible headache in the night so we let him sleep in instead of getting an early start. We used this opportunity to get me new shoes!! The local store didn¢t have my size in the Brooks Cascadias so it was super super helpful having Mama Mac there and able to drive me to there other store a half hour away. The newer versions (the 13s) are sweet but it was hard saying goodbye to the original pair I started with. Most people would have replaced their shoes after 500 miles but mine never had any problems until a little over a week ago. A tiny hole on the inside of front of the shoe was suddenly large enough to put a quarter through. But for about 1,300 miles of life- that is really good!We picked Broken Seal up and did a resupply shop then got our things out of the hotel. Mama Mac had us back on the trail at 1:30. It was so flat though that we flew. We were averaging over 3 mph. The majority of the day was walking through farmland. There was a heat advisory for today but we managed. We had over 16 miles done by 6:45. We got Asian takeout to go hang out at the new hotel and enjoy our last night together. We got our final showers in and packed our backpacks. While we are eager to get back to our routine, it will be hard seeing Mama Mac go.
Date: 2018-06-19
From: PA 850

To: Peter Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: broken clouds

Day 76- It is most obvious we have been spoiled when we start hiking with our packs again. After a great week, we said goodbye to the best trail mama ever and got back to the grind. We felt like zombies walking: slow, steady, but mindless. I think PA is going to continue being a challenge because the terrain is very monotonous. It¢s pretty and all but there is not a ton of variety to keep me stimulated. We were quick to put our audiobook on (also because it is starting to get good.At around lunchtime, we hit the road for Duncannon where we indulged in some ice cream! Since we didn¢t need anything here, we didn¢t realize we would be walking through the entire town. It was the longest road walk in the prime heat of the day! We got to check out the local neighborhood, cross a bridge with turtles down below, and then walk alongside another highway ridge over the Susquehanna.The trail had us climb back up onto a long ridge. Long story short, our zombie-like pace resulted in us hiking later than usual. We finally pulled into Peter Mountain Shelter at 7:30 where there were some tramilies cooking dinner. Even with all of the people, it quieted down early. I think I¢m still struggling with keeping up with my electrolyte intake based on the extreme amount I¢ve been sweating so it took awhile for me to fall asleep due to a tough headache. Once I did fall asleep though, I was out!
Date: 2018-06-20
From: Peter Mountain Shelter 

To: Second Mountain 
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: broken clouds

Day 77- We both slept in and didn¢t start hiking until 8:30. Luckily, today was not going to be as steamy so we weren¢t bummed about missing some prime hiking weather. Honestly, today was not a stellar day; I¢m just happy I had Broken Seal to keep my spirits up.The swimming hole we had heard about was not appealing. We tried to finish our audiobook today. After 17 hours, the last twenty minutes or so was scratched so we missed the end. I started to get a headache before lunch time. Plus the water sources were either slim or slightly brown. It was all adding up to be pretty frustrating. Broken Seal tried to keep me cheerful. For only the second time of the hike, we put music on to jam it while hiking. It was amazing how much it helped. Right as we approached 20 miles for the day, we hit the most flooded part of trail we¢ve seen yet! Broken Seal¢s feet slipped and he ended up in the stagnant water. I fought it and after 15 minutes or so still ended up with damp feet. It was really buggy though so we climbed up and over Second Mountain until we found a tent spot. We had Wing¢s favorite dinner of couscous and then crawled into the tent. Some days are just work. This was one of them.
Date: 2018-06-21
From: Second Mountain 

To: 501 Shelter 
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

Day 78- The trend finally appeared! Our two tough days back on the trail where followed by a day so fabulous that we could not have even guessed it!First, it was the Summer Solstice aka Naked Hiker Day! It was cool and drizzly when we woke up, not ideal nudey weather. Instead of being brave, badass hikers, we stayed in the tent catching up on writing and the World Cup. We had a series of road crossings in the morning so we started clothed. It all came off late morning when the sun came out and we were all alone. Before that could happen we got to indulge in some great trail magic by two 2017 thruhikers: Rocket Man and Mr. T. They had hard boiled eggs, fruit, beverages and chairs set out in front of their RV. Other than socializing with them, my favorite thing they had was PB&J sandwiches! Who knew they would taste so good?!Then after some summer solstice hiking in solitude, we contemplated having lunch. I was still kind of full so we decided to push on to the shelter to eat. Well guess what we found there?? More trail magic! The crazy thing about this in was that it was literally on trail! We put our clothes on and joined the two brothers, one who just completed a section, who had dragged a shopping cart full of food and drinks up there from the nearest road crossing. After this weenie roast, we had barely gotten any miles in and we had heard good things about the 501 Shelter.When we got there, it was immediately decided we would stay. There were bunks and a geodesic skylight in the four-sided shelter aka building PLUS you could get pizza delivered (which we did). We didn¢t even get 15 miles in on this full hiking day by we had been having so much fun. It was fun socializing and choosing an all smiles day after the last two had been challenging our spirits.
Date: 2018-06-22
From: 501 Shelter 

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 25.2
Weather: light rain

Day 79- It was cool and breezy today. It definitely gave off the vibe that weather was coming in. Surprisingly, we were one of the first to leave at 7:50! Most other hikers seemed to be getting very comfortable by a fire. The hiking was insanely flat with a super short but steep descent down into Port Clinton. For whatever reason, time flew just as fast as the miles did. We can see the rockiness increase though. I was fighting the urge to stop and rub my little doggies in the last 6 miles of the day.I had never heard of Port Clinton but it is the friendliest town we have been to by far!! We step out on the roadside and someone pulls a U-turn just to offer us a ride. We stop at the corner of town to pull out our maps and we are told we are welcome at the firehouse social club where we get bought multiple beers! It was such a cool dive bar that we could see many of our friends loving. The locals were really sweet and fun to catch to. There were supplies and some trail magic at the town pavilion where we are allowed to camp for free! It truly is incredible and we haven¢t even been to the friendly barber yet!BrokenSeal had so much fun at the firehouse that he returned with more hikers. I stayed at the pavilion to write but some had a trail angel, Tricks, stopping and got some free food from a section hiker who is ending his trip here. Today was simple but fabulous!
Date: 2018-06-23
From: Port Clinton

To: Port Clinton 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 80- Thank goodness for a roof! It¢s the simple pleasures that can bring a smile to our faces. I did some yoga stretching out my back while it poured outside and most people slept around me. Our first stop of the day was for a large breakfast at the 3C¢s diner. While walking back, someone offered us a shuttle to Pottsville so we could go to the oldest brewery in America, the Yuengling Brewery! Before going we wanted to organize our things back at the pavilion where some local veterans brought us gourmet donuts (still warm) and ice cold beer. Could Port Clinton be any more generous!?The Yuengling Brewery tour was cool and we were able to get a nice group of guys to join us. Since it is an East Coast beer, it was a novelty for us to check it out. Over lunch, we changed the channel over our table from televised, competitive corn hole (what?) to the Sweden vs. Germany World Cup game. After a quick hitch back to Port Clinton we relaxed. Do you know why? Because we deserve it!!
Date: 2018-06-24
From: Port Clinton 

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: scattered clouds

We didn¢t sleep as well last night due to a drive-by yeller and some fireworks but we were still up and out around 8:30. There were some ultrarunner-looking people standing around a van in the tiny downtown but we didn¢t think much of it. I had been worried about a tough climb out of Port Clinton based on how steep it was entering town but it wasn¢t bad. Four guys speed walking uphill passed us not too long into the hike.The ridge was rocky in a boulder hopping kind of way and definitely made our fair uneven but it wasn¢t terrible. We noticed that a lot of the rocky bits are broken up by long stretches of smooth and flat trail. The sun was out and there was a light breeze plus we were feeling fresh from Port Clinton. We even got some views today, my preferred being at The Pinnacle where we saw our first copperhead snake.Then it was smooth, like walking down a service road, to a paved road where we found this same group of ultra runners from earlier standing around a bunch of cars. My curious/talkative/always-love-cold-drink self approached one of them. Turns out that one of the runners that had passed us earlier was a guy, named Harvey Lewis, attempting to break the supported-speed record. He had taken a fall up near The Pinnacle and was taking a quick nap in one the vans. It was exciting to be in the presence of greatness as he stepped out of the van, stuffed some food in his mouth, and (with a forced smile) hobbled across the road. Wow- it really puts all of our aches and pains into perspective. It was his 25th day and he had 20 days to go. We stopped in the Eckville Shelter for a late lunch where the caretaker threw us beers. Then we churned out 7.4 miles to get one shelter farther where Broken Seal had his worst water trip. We had just missed some rain and a creeping migraine from earlier in the day had dissipated by the time we got there. It was nice to lie down after a nice day.
Date: 2018-06-25
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Palmerton 
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: moderate rain

Day 82- Honestly, it was a loud bunch last night. Whatever. It¢s just one of the realities of sleeping in shelters sometimes. Surprisingly, we were the first ones out and the hiking was really easy so we flew. We had a fellow PCTer walk with us for a bit which helped make the miles pass. We took a side channel to get some water and pretty soon after returning to the AT, we found two couples setting up trail magic! It was only 11:15 AM so it was too soon to gorge but a beverage sitting in a chair sounded too appealing to pass up. Next thing you know it was almost 3 hours later before we were leaving. The trail angels were two brothers, Chopper and Mountain Goat, who had a hiked in 2016 and were out with their wives with a huge spread for thruhikers. They had the typical things, hamburgers and hotdogs, chips and cold drinks. They also had some unique items like photos of them from the trail, shoelaces, some first aid supplies like ibuprofen, and even yard games and music. They were lovely bunch and it was really nice talking to them. By the time we left, our whole day¢s plan was being questioned. Our planned mileage became even more questionable when we found our first blueberry bushes on the trail. As you can imagine, I wanted to sit there for awhile and eat. There were a series of road crossings and then we heard it was a notoriously rocky 7 miles without any camping. It was about 5 o¢clock and we decided to hitch into a town from the roads and keep today as a super positive, smiles day rather than push late into the night. That¢s how we found ourselves in a informal hostel behind Bert¢s restaurant. It had a great shower, the best laundry machines we¢ve had on trail, and movies. And it was only us and another section hiker in the hostel so we all watched Fargo together. It wasn¢t until later in the evening that two older couples arrived. Once everyone had their chores done in the hostel, it was lights out and we fell asleep really quick.
Date: 2018-06-26
From: Palmerton 

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: light rain

Day 83- Without any windows in the room, I slept in more than usual and was the last one to slide it into a booth at Bert¢s restaurant on the front side of the building for a hearty breakfast. After eating, everyone was all packed and ready to go except for me so I just threw my belongings in the back of the truck and knew I would get packed up and finalize getting dressed for the day once on the trail. The sun was high at 8:30 AM when we set off and I think we all knew today would be a scorcher. As I finalized everything, I heard a familiar voice behind me calling our names: Rocket! She is by far the only other hiker in our vicinity for any sort of extended period of time. We¢ve been near each other, but I haven¢t seen her since Trail Days and went for a big hug instead of the typical hiker fist bump. We got to climb the rocky, 14er-esque slope out of Palmerton and the grassy, open ridge line together catching up on our hike so far.Today became a day of hiking with other people very quickly. When Rocket stopped to take a food break, we ended up hiking with Running Griz for a while, then Murph, then Blink. The terrain was flat but still super rocky; the kind of rocks that make your feet hurt. Hiking with these different people really made the time fly by and soon we would quickly be at our intended break spots. We left some people at the last shelter before Wind Gap hoping to get a private room to ourselves before we became a trio with Broken Seal¢s good friend from Arizona coming to hike with us potentially all the way to Katahdin. A lot of hotels we¢re not picking up the phone or returning our voicemails. The one near the trailhead though was not to my liking especially for the price. When we asked about a shuttle into town, the owner¢s reaction was to offer us a cold rotisserie chicken someone had left behind that day. We could¢ve made it work but I didn¢t have a great feeling about staying there.Broken Seal was really sweet about being flexible to give up our plan of having a hotel room for the night. Instead we found ourselves at a sports bar with Rocket and Blink eating tacos and joking around more. They started only a few days ahead of us from Amicalola and I hope that we will be hiking together for a long time to come. It was dark when we left; we pitched our tents behind some car trailers left in a field at the side of the main street. It¢s the exact kind of stealth camping Broken Seal does not like doing but those feelings didn¢t kick in until it was too late. So after some attempts at calming his nerves we both drifted off to sleep, luckily.