morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-14
From: goose pond road

To: mt wilcox south shelters
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up early in the van. After a heavy night of rain, it was still and not even drizzling. It was still very grey looking and not all that promising. Cassidy came out from where she had been camping in the woods; about five minutes jackrabbit slim came out from where he had been sleeping. Both of them said that they had slept okay. Also, their various leg ailments seemed to be better, as in not as much discomfort. They both had breakfast, and then started their slack packing at about 7:30.In the meantime, I needed to get to my next trailhead, which was located outside of the town of Tyringham. At one time there were 5 cars there, all from different states. While I was parked there waiting for Cassidy and jackrabbit slim, I saw plenty of bikes racing down the highway. In fact, there were three large waves of riders who passed the trailhead, plus plenty of smaller groups of riders as well. They made the 4.2 slack in a couple of hours. They then planned to go to the mount Wilcox south shelter area. I am presently at Massachusetts 23 trailhead, where they should be coming tomorrow morning. Will be trying to put in more entries as I can.On the trail---Foodwalker
Date: 2014-06-15
From: mt wilcox south shelters

To: massachusetts 23
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, Cassidy and jackrabbit slim made it to the mount Wilcox shelter last night. Got a happy Father's Day greeting from Tracy and right after that jackrabbit slim came into the trailhead from the trail and wished me a happy Father's Day as well. So, it was good to be remembered. Cassidy and jackrabbit slim then started out hiking on a very pleasant day, which pretty much stayed that way. They were headed to the trailhead parking lot at the sheffield/egremont road. They got there before 3:00 pm, so they rested and made supper in the parking lot and generally got their overnight packs ready for a major hiking day tomorrow. We will meet again in Connecticut. Into another state! Do not know where they will be spending tomorrow night. May have to read Cassidy's journal. More of the kids got a hold of me during the rest of the day. During the night, the moon was clear and bright, the frogs were making a racket, and the sky was bright with stars. Reminded me a lot of Joshua tree or New Mexico State parks. More later. Foodwalker
Date: 2014-06-16
From: massachusetts 23

To: whereever
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, I woke up during the night when a policeman(I presume) shined a light into the rear van window. I kept still during that time; after a little bit, he left and I went back to sleep. I got up relatively early in the morning. The day looked a little cloudy and foggy, but it started clearing up well as a began to drive. Was looking for a fuel canister for jackrabbit slim's jet boil, but wasn't able to find any at this point. Spent some time in a library, deleted some books from my nook library, and downloaded some more of them, thanks to wi-fi. Got to the trailhead at undermountain road in Connecticut, a very familiar place. This is where I met HOBO again, and his wife who had come out for trail support. Some memories here.More later. Foodwalker
Date: 2014-06-20
From: Harpers Ferry, WV

To: Weverton Cliffs, MD
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: few clouds

Hi, this is Tracy McG. I'm finally back on the trail, nearly 6 weeks after I sprained my ankle. I did hike 10 miles in Maine, from Katahdin Stream Campground to Abol Bridge and made an unsuccessful attempt to summit Mt Katahdin two weeks ago, and got the 6.3 miles up Mt Graylock in Massachusetts, but by then it was very obvious that I needed more recovery time. Sadly, just a few days ago my sister Cassidy reinjured a knee she had first injured while successfully climbing Mt Katahdin 2 weeks ago, and she made the difficult decision to leave the trail again to let it heal. My son Jackrabbit Slim and I are hiking north from Harpers Ferry WV, and Foodwalker is taking Cassidy to meet up with her husband tomorrow. We really enjoyed looking around Harpers Ferry and hiking up the old C&O towpath. Beautiful evening tonight, chance of rain later on and tomorrow. Definitely working on a cobbled-together thruhike this year.
Date: 2014-06-21
From: Weverton Cliffs, MD

To: Dahlgren Backpack Camp MD
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Tracy McG here. Drizzly day in the morning, not bad. The trail was pretty rocky today, but no difficult ups or downs. Enjoyed seeing the War Correspondents Memorial at Gathland State Park, along with description of the 4 days of Civil War battles that occurred there. Trail magic of beenie weenies for supper. Lot of Boy Scouts here, as well as plenty of regular hikers. Met a troop of Boy Scouts from Oconomowoc, WI, practically our next door neighbors.
Date: 2014-06-22
From: Dahlgren Backpack Camp MD

To: High Rock, MD
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Tracy McG here. Got an early start today, on a beautiful Sunday. Slackpacked to the I-70 overpass, got there so early that we realized we could go farther if we wanted. Really enjoyed seeing the Washington Monument, built by the people of Maryland in 1827. The rest of the day went pretty uneventfully. I found that I had seriously misremembered the trails in Maryland. While some of the trail was as nice as I remembered, a lot of it was awfully rocky and hard going in places. Oh well, that's the trail!
Date: 2014-06-23
From: High Rock, MD

To: Old Forge picnic area, PA
Miles today: 10.3

We took kind of an easy day today. I was a little sore in the hips after yesterday's 20 miles. High Rock seems to be very definitely a local hangout spot. Very bouldery climb down from there, slowly but successfully negotiated. After stopping to enjoy the beautiful view at Pen-Mar County Park, we crossed the Mason-Dixon Line and entered Pennsylvania. Most of the trail was pretty good. Met up with Foodwalker at the Old Forge Picnic Area. After talking it over a bit, we decided to get a campsite at the nearby Caledonia State Park. We set up the tents and headed out to the Golden Corral in Waynesboro for a great AYCE. Just relaxing the rest of the day, taking showers, etc. planning to go visit Gettysburg tomorrow.
Date: 2014-06-24
From: Old Forge picnic area, PA

To: Caledonia State Park, PA
Miles today: 11.1

Tracy McG here. We had a very nice day today. Got up early, had our morning coffee, and headed out to Gettysburg. It was very interesting to see all the exhibits, the Cyclorama painting of Pickett's Charge was impressive, yet overall it left me with a feeling of great sadness for all the death and destruction that resulted from that war. And yet without it, this nation would not be where it is today. After a quick lunch at Pizza Hut, Jackrabbit Slim and I hit the trail again, slackpacking from the Old Forge Park to Caledonia State Park, where we are camped. The trail was quite nice for most of it, a few rock scrambles along a ridgeline. It felt great to have a shower two nights in a row, and the leftovers pizza for supper was great, too. All in all, a very enjoyable summer day.
Date: 2014-06-25
From: Caledonia State Park, PA

To: Woodrow Road, PA
Miles today: 14.7

Good day today on the Appalachian Trail. Slackpacked again for about 11 miles, which was very nice. Put in just a few more miles and decided to stop early and set up camp. Great campsite. Glad we stopped early. About 7 pm a terrific thunderstorm struck directly over us, went on for a couple of hours. The tents held up fine, and we both finally fell asleep.
Date: 2014-06-26
From: Woodrow Road, PA

To: Sheet Iron Roof Road, PA
Miles today: 15.5

Everything was pretty drenched this morning, luckily pretty dry inside the tent, just a minimal amount of rain got in. The trail was running with water the first few hours, but a beautiful blue sky and a great day to be out hiking. Made it to Pine Grove Furnace State Park by 9am, when the general store opens. Foodwalker met us there. This is the home of the Half Gallon Challenge, where you eat a half gallon of ice cream in honor of passing the halfway mark on the trail! However, we elected to have a grilled egg, ham, and cheese and coffee instead, which definitely hit the spot. Took a quick trip through the AT Museum, saw the old ironworks furnace, and set out on the trail again. Slackpacked another 8 miles or so, and then another 2 1/2 miles and set up camp. Kind of looks and sounds like it might rain again, even though the weather forecast says otherwise. Met a lot of people today. Neon is camped with us for the night.
Date: 2014-06-27
From: Sheet Iron Roof Road, PA

To: PA 641
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

A beautiful day of hiking today as we entered the Cumberland Valley. On our way by 6:40 am, crossing several streams and roads, and a couple of tents where no one was stirring yet. The trail was rocky and the air was humid, and we were soon drenched with sweat as we slowly made our way up the steep climb to two rock mazes. It was fun following the twisting, turning trail over and through the towering piles of rocks. After that came another hot, rocky, and steep climb up to the memorial plaque at Center Point Knob, the original midpoint of the AT. Made good time after that, descending into the historic Cumberland Valley. The trail became easy and pleasant as we walked alongside fields of corn, wheat, and soybeans, and into the town of Boiling Springs, PA. Foodwalker was waiting for us at a shaded picnic table near the old iron furnace, dating back to the 1700s. He had a chicken dinner ready and waiting, which was quickly devoured! Camping is not allowed in the Cumberland Valley outside of three specific spots, so Foodwalker had made us a reservation at a motel in Carlisle, PA. We decided to slackpack a few more miles, and were done by 1:30 pm, even with numerous stops to snack on black raspberries that were just beginning to ripen beside the trail! The motel was a welcome sight after that, and showers, shopping, laundry, dinner, and reorganizing took up the rest of the day.
Date: 2014-06-28
From: PA 641

To: PA 850
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: light rain

Another beautiful day, finishing up the Cumberland Valley. Started just before 9, finished about 2. Really enjoyed the pleasant, easy trails. I particularly enjoy walking along and suddenly being hit with a whiff of perfume, usually from the honeysuckles, sometimes the milkweed. Very pleasurable! Also, the black raspberries are ripening, which definitely slows a person down as we stop to enjoy! Jackrabbit Slim is hoping the wine berries ripen before he has to leave. The trail up to and down from Darlington Shelter was steep and rocky, but not too long. Back to reality! We met Foodwalker and decided to knock off for the rest of the day and go into Carlisle again to see Jersey Boys at the theater. Good movie! After that, we just hiked a ways further down the trail and set up camp for the night.
Date: 2014-06-29
From: PA 850

To: PA 225
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Yes, today was a very tough day, due to the famous Pennsylvania rocks. The guidebook warned us part of the trail was rocky, but actually the whole thing was. Nice thing was, we slacked the whole way. Another nice thing was, we made it into Goodies Diner in Duncannon five minutes before they closed and they served us a great brunch, their last customers of the day. We were very grateful! Enjoyed the walk through Duncannon. A bridge was out, but the detour through a park was nice. By the time we crossed the Juniata River and then the Susquehanna River where they converge traffic was roaring. Major highways through there. Then up the next mountain and back to the rocks. An extended exposed ridgeline with a knife edge section was certainly a challenge! The rocks continued the rest of the day, but we made surprisingly good time, completing the 17.5 miles in 9 1/2 hours. Our feet and ankles were definitely glad to call it a day!
Date: 2014-06-30
From: PA 225

To: Stealth site
Miles today: 14.6

Long, hot, rocky day, typical Pennsylvania trail. Made good time, soaked with sweat soon after we started. Nice day. Some beautiful views. Stopped for a break at the end of the Horse-Shoe Trail, which runs 121 miles to Valley Forge! Hiked for a while with Blue Butterfly and her pack Bertha! She is out for 2 weeks. Also met Plan B, a lady about my age at some trail magic provided by Lucy, who also volunteers at the AT Museum at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, which we enjoyed visiting. Jackrabbit Slim found us a nice stealth camp site hidden under some pines, and we gratefully stopped for the night.
Date: 2014-07-01
From: Stealth site

To: Stealth site south of PA 72
Miles today: 11.0

Nice day of hiking today. Passed the former settlement of Rausch Gap, which had over 1000 residents at its peak, but no longer exists except for a tiny cemetery. Had to cross one river on a giant fallen log, which was tricky and very scary, but neither of us fell off! Met Foodwalker at a shady parking area near Swatara Gap State Park. Shortly after we got there a carload of four older people (early 60s) pulled in. They were from New Hampshire and were going to hike for 10 days. We were kind of worried about them, they didn't seem to know what they were getting into, and their gear was way too heavy. They didn't have a guidebook, so we let them take pictures of ours for the section they were going to hike and gave them the phone numbers for a couple of shuttle drivers. Also warned them about the giant log, and suggested maybe wading across! Sure hope things went okay for them!
Date: 2014-07-02
From: Stealth site south of PA 72

To: Stealth site on ridgeline
Miles today: 14.5

Another hot, humid, sweaty, rocky day of climbing on the Appalachian Trail. Beautiful day, some beautiful views. I was exhausted by the time we made it to the 501 shelter, where Foodwalker met us. You can have pizzas delivered to this shelter, which is near the highway, so Jackrabbit Slim got right on that, and we were soon chowing down, which felt great! Rested for a while, listened to thunder approach and then move on, and decided to head up the trail ourselves. More rocks, of course. As we were picking our way slowly along a very rocky ridgeline, it became obvious that we were going to get hit with a thunderstorm! Not the best place to be, but Jackrabbit Slim spotted a tiny, rocky campsite off the ridgeline, and we got set up and in the tents just as the storm hit! Couldn't have timed it any better!
Date: 2014-07-03
From: Stealth site on ridgeline

To: Stealth site south of Eagles Nest Trail, PA
Miles today: 11.0

Typical day on the trail today. Saw the snake in the picture in the morning, hard to get a picture of a slithering snake, but I tried. Saw the monument where old Fort Dietrich Snyder stood in the days of the French and Indian Wars, nothing left at all today, just trees. Met Foodwalker for a quick resupply in the afternoon and headed out again. Once again, you guessed it, a thunderstorm came up and we set up camp earlier than we had planned. Oh well, it was nice to get off our feet!
Date: 2014-07-04
From: Stealth site south of Eagles Nest Trail, PA

To: Shartlesville, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The Fourth of July today! We knew Foodwalker had reserved a motel for us tod y, and as we lay in our tents talking at 5:30 am, Jackrabbit Slim and I decided that we didn't want to hike the 11 or so miles to our scheduled meeting place with Foodwalker. We knew he was parked about 3 miles back, so we texted him that we would meet him there, and we went back to sleep for a couple of hours! We got to the motel in Shartlesville about noon after doing some shopping, showered, Foodwalker did the laundry (thank you!), and mostly lay around the rest of the day! Felt great! Jackrabbit Slim went for a run in town.
Date: 2014-07-05
From: Shartlesville, PA

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Well, this morning we rehiked the 3 miles from yesterday, and then the next 11.4 to Port Clinton. Rocky trail most of the way, with some nice portions. Beautiful cool morning. The descent into Port Clinton was very long and steep, but we finally arrived! Port Clinton has a nice pavilion and tent sites by the river for hikers, so we set up our tents and are relaxing. Foodwalker is also spending the night here. He said he stopped by the pavilion in the morning and ran into Cityslicka for the 3rd time this year! Met Crazy Horse, Biscuit, Off My Meds, and a couple other guys at the pavilion.
Date: 2014-07-06
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Stealth site
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice hike today. Climbed up to Pulpit Rock, great view, a number of people there on a beautiful Sunday. Right near there is the Pulpit Rock Astronomical Park, a beautiful setting for 3 large telescopes. The rocky trail continued to the Pinnacle, a terrific overlook, also with a number of visitors. After that, the trail improved immensely, and was a pleasure to hike. Arrived at the parking area where Foodwalker met us. My sister Cassidy pulled in a couple of hours later with her son and daughter-in-law, to rejoin the hike. About the same time a young couple from Philadelphia arrived down the trail. They were definitely lost, having left their car at Reservoir Road to hike to the Pinnacle and then following the Appalachian Trail instead of the loop back to their car! It was getting dark and they were getting quite concerned, but Foodwalker drove them back to their car, about 10 miles, and all was well!
Date: 2014-07-07
From: Stealth site

To: PA309, Blue Mountain Summit
Miles today: 12.4

First day hiking with Cassidy again, really nice to be back together again, hope we can both avoid further injuries! Very rocky trail today, slowly made our way along. Enjoyed the view from Dan's Pulpit, another great rocky overlook. Jackrabbit Slim found us a great tent site after we met up with Foodwalker and we crashed for the night. Got the usual evening thunderstorm after we were safe in our tents!
Date: 2014-07-08
From: PA 248/145

To: Smith Gap Rd
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

Today is Jackrabbit Slim's last day to hike with us until August, so we decided to skip the next few miles of trail and do the Palmerton boulder field and the Superfund area. It was a fun climb up the mountain. At the top, Jackrabbit Slim found a great field of blueberries and we feasted for a while. After we set out walking along the ridge, the black raspberries beckoned, and we made pretty slow progress for a while! Great trail for quite a while and then the rocks took over again for the rest of the day. Once we met up with Foodwalker, we decided to go to the Blue Mountain Drive-In in Danielsville, where we celebrated Jackrabbit Slim's last day on the trail with a very satisfying dinner. Then back to the trailhead, where we set up camp in time to beat the nightly thunderstorm!
Date: 2014-07-09
From: Smith Gap Rd

To: Stealth site, PA
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: light rain

Woke up this morning to slugs of every size crawling on my tent and leaving their slimy trails! Pretty gross! Said our farewells to Jackrabbit Sl and he and Foodwalker headed out to the airport. Today was a long and slow hike, even though we didn't cover many miles, due to the ever-present rocks! At one point, Cassidy almost stepped on a good-sized rattlesnake lounging right on the trail! It was stretched out full-length with a thick lump in the middle, where breakfast was digesting! It was pretty lethargic, but slowly lifted its head and slowly coiled up. Never did rattle at us, and we took a detour through the woods to get around it and warned the next hiker who happened to be coming down the trail. Long climb up out of Wind Gap and then the rocks started up again. Finally called it quits a little after 4 and set up camp. By 5:30 the first of two thunderstorms hit, and later Cassidy heard a branch come down back a ways behind her tent, but we were so tired we didn't worry about it.
Date: 2014-07-10
From: Stealth site, PA

To: Fox Gap, PA
Miles today: 5.8

Short day today. Heard from Foodwalker that he was having trouble with the brakes on the van, so after the rocky trail to and over Wolf Rocks, we met him at Fox Gap. We decided to get a motel in East Stroudsburg, not knowing for sure how long it would be before he could get the brake work done. He was lucky enough to find a Meinekes that could get him in right away, unlucky in that the needed repairs were extensive and expensive, but at least the van is in good shape again. Definitely need your brakes on these mountain roads! We spent the time drying out gear, Cassidy took a swim in the pool, and we generally just hung out and rested.
Date: 2014-07-11
From: Fox Gap, PA

To: Kittatinny Visitor Center, NJ
Miles today: 8.3

A very pleasant day today. Beautiful weather, cool in the morning. Breakfast at the motel, then packed up and returned to Fox Gap. The trail was rocky off and on, but plenty of nice trail, too. Enjoyed the views along the Mt Minsi ridgeline. Saw some trail magic at the parking lot at Delaware Water Gap, parents of a lady who thruhiked in 2012, pretty incredible display of things a hiker might need. We went to the Water Gap Diner for lunch, had a great BLT, really hit the spot. Saw Biscuit and Off My Meds in town. We decided to walk the bridge across the Delaware River into New Jersey, which put Cassidy over 700 miles total! Foodwalker then drove us back to the PA 248/145 parking area, since we are planning to do the section we skipped on Tuesday tomorrow. At the parking area we met Mookie, who needed a ride to the Wells Fargo in Lehighton to pick up a replacement debit card, so Foodwalker gave him a ride. We took our packs and headed south across the bridge.
Date: 2014-07-12
From: Lehigh River, PA

To: Blue Mountain Summit, PA
Miles today: 13.7

Today ended up being a tough day for me, emotionally. I think I've had enough of the Pennsylvania rocks! Fortunately it's our last day in PA. Watching my sister climb up the Knife Edge, after doing all the boulders in the Bake Oven Knob area made me want to just quit and go home. I thought of all the climbs and rocks still to come, and thought "I don't want to do this anymore. Why am I doing this, anyways?" I cried for a bit and went on. Got over the rocks and the rest of the day's trail, which got better towards the end. There are a lot if reasons for doing this trail, and Foodwalker especially has put a lot into making this a possibility for me. Also, having done most of it last year, I know there are a lot of great experiences ahead, and so the journey continues.
Date: 2014-07-13
From: Kittatinny Visitor Center, NJ

To: Millbrook-Blairstown Rd, NJ
Miles today: 12.7

In much better spirits today. We were up a little after 4 and headed out for New Jersey before 6. On the trail before 7:30. I have to express my appreciation for Foodwalker and all he does for us. Just the amount of driving he has to do to get from one trailhead to another is sometimes amazing. Another big deal is how he always finds places to refill the water supplies, as well as shopping for us and helping out other hikers as needs arise. He makes it so much easier for us. We hiked past Sunfish Pond in the morning, kind of a rocky shoreline, saw some of the famous rock sculptures randomly built by hikers. Makes quite an impression when so many are in one place. The ones in the picture were along the trail to the backpackers campground. Had a long walk along the ridgeline, interesting views of rivers and communities on both sides. Spent some of our time picking and eating blueberries, which were thick along the trail today. At the Camp Rd footbridge we found a PUR water filter and took it along with us. We spoke to a number of hikers, but no one knew who it belongs to, so we gave it to Foodwalker, who will hang on to it, as he sees many more hikers in a day than we do. If anyone knows who it belongs to, you could contact Foodwalker on the Guest comment section.