morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-11-03
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Stealth campsite
Miles today: 19.3

Woke up this morning with a wonderful peaceful feeling. So thankful to be able to take this trip with my pup and be able to stay in shelters the last 2 rainy nights! I also appreciate being alone in the shelter since I don¢t have to worry about disturbing people. Last night I fell asleep around 8, woke up around midnight to go to the bathroom, had a snack, read for awhile, back to sleep, woke up around 4, bathroom, snack, finished reading my book and then back to sleep until 6.  As expected it rained till 9 so had a nice slow start. Unfortunately my fuel ran out when making coffee. I did get a warm coffee but will have to eat a cold dinner which is a bummer and no hot oatmeal or hot tea. I do have a replacement coming in my mail drop tomorrow.Todays hike started off poorly with the wet cold and ankle twisting and slippery rocks but then the sun came out. Once again there were lots of great views mixed in with the rocks. We came to Dans Pulpit first which had a beautiful view of the countryside and no one was around. We walked a couple of more miles until the Pinnacle spur trail joined the AT then the trail became mobbed with hikers.  We did a couple mile slow steady climb on a wet muddy gravel/grass road to get to the Pinnacle which was mobbed. Then we walked about another mile on a narrow winding path to get to Pulpit Rock which was also crowded but not as bad. I enjoyed the crowd there and loved the view.We were planning on stopping at the next shelter but it was crowded. Also the next couple stealth camping spots listed in Guthooks were taken. We did not find a spot until 6 when the sun was setting. I had already gotten water though so just had to set the tent up. Fed Rusty then he went to bed and I ate bars and trail mix for dinner. Not a good way to end the day; however, I¢ll have a very short walk to town tomorrow and then a much needed shower!
Date: 2018-11-06
From: Microtel Hotel

To: Zero days
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Mon it rained all day so I was actually happy Walmart screwed up my prescription. I spent the morning being lazy. I decided to walk over to the Cabelas which is a big camping store.  Buddha and Budapest were checking in as I was leaving so said they would meet me over there for lunch. I did enjoy looking around and really appreciated that they allow dogs. Lunch was ok but it was nice to talk to the Buddha¢s. Cabelas actually shuttled us back to the hotel since it was pouring even though all they bought were orange hats. During football (hunting) season, you¢re suppose to wear orange to support Clemson and so hunters can see you. Dont worry I just ordered and received a Drifit Clemson hoodie!Next I got an Uber to take me to pick up my prescription and fortunately it was there!  We met the Buddha¢s and River Strap in our hotel bar for dinner. Unfortunately they did not allow Rusty. I planned to just order food and eat in my room, but they decided we should eat in the lobby - very nice of them! It was fun hearing their hiking stories. River Strap is a sobo hiker too. He¢s from CO and retired from his first career to do this. In Maine he met a nobo thruhiker that did not speak English well and was very frustrated. River Strap asked him what was wrong and the hiker explained he had no money and his bank card was rejected. The bank was sending a new one to his address in NY so he would have no money for days. River Strap then gave him $500 to hold him over til he got his card. The hiker called his brother and asked him to send River Strap¢s wife the money which she received. He invited River Strap to visit him in NY when he passed by. River Strap did stop in NY where he was treated like a king: given subway passes to get to NYC and complementary tickets for different museums and other fun places. It¢s really nice to be able to trust a complete stranger like that!Also I found out Buddha was a politician, district attorney, before retiring. The photo on this page is of him.  The night ended with both Buddha and River Strap reciting poet. My favorite was The Quitter which I wrote down so will remember.  Buddha showed me the weather forecast of the rain lasting till 2 tomorrow. They are staying another night to avoid hiking in it. I only plan on hiking 9 to the first shelter so said I¢d be ok. He did remind me that it gets dark now at 5. I said I¢d be ok. Tues morning it was pouring but I was still hoping it would stop. However at 10, my lunch time, I walked over to Wendy¢s in the rain and decided to see if my room was available for the night. Fortunately it was so I stayed another night. Ug and yay at the same time.The rain stopped around 4 and I went with the Buddha¢s to Port Clinton to pick up their mail drop and to stop at the Peanut Shop which is a fun old fashion candy store. I got yummy licorice spice drops and a variety of spice drops.  The four of us ordered barbecue and pizza and got beer from the hotel bar and ate in the lobby again. It was a very nice zero couple days. We all plan on shuttling together at 7:30 tomorrow.
Date: 2018-11-07
From: Port Clinton

To: Stealth campsite
Miles today: 20.0

Woke up, showered and went down to the complementary breakfast.  Took that back to the room and packed up. I went down to the lobby about 7:20 and the shuttle was already there. River Strap was eating breakfast so decided to wait. I told him that I was trying to get to the AT famous hotel The Doyle by Sat night so could watch the 8pm Clemson game. He said maybe he¢d try for that too. Distance wise for the amount of days shouldn¢t be hard however it¢s suppose to be all day freezing rain on Fri.The shuttle dropped me off in Port Clinton. He took the Buddhas further north 15 miles to where they had gotten off Mon. The hike started off pretty by the firehouse, over a bridge and then by the railroad tracks. After crossing the railroad track we got to walk on the beautiful Schuylkill River trail. It looked like we be on it for awhile - a nice flat beautiful river walk! But then I saw the white blazes veer off and up the mountain - bummer! I should have taken pics but I still had Rusty on a leash because there were railroad workers around.  Once we veered off and headed up I did take Rusty¢s leash off. The uphill wasn¢t bad and felt great to be hiking again. We took our first break around 9 cause Rusty needed breakfast. He kept trying to show me places off the path to stop. A couple hours after that I was ready for a coffee break. I usually wait for a view to stop but after about an hour of finding nothing, I just stopped in the middle of the path. After that the hike just became annoying: rocks, mud, water and no views. For around 2 miles the path was so flooded I just had to splish splash through and it was ankle deep in places. The water was cold but fortunately the air wasn¢t. I was really ready to stop for the night but wanted to walk till at least 5. I forgot that it gets dark by 530 now. I did finally find a great spot right around 5. By the time I got my tent up, cleaned up with warm clothes on and my food ready it was dark. I guess my new stopping time is 430. Not a fun afternoon though good to be hiking again.
Date: 2018-11-08
From: Stealth campsite

To: Rausch creek shelter
Miles today: 21.6

Got off to an early start on a cold sunny day. The hike started off ¢o what a beautiful morning...¢ Then not more rocks... at least there¢s a pretty view... how annoying walking 25 yards from a street listening to traffic...Nice easy walk through the woods..,Now rocky but at least there¢s a view of the farmland..O no back through a wet path..Pretty evergreen forest walk..Ug splish splashing shin deep through the waterlogged path...It¢s 430 and getting dark need to find a campsite...The splish splash part was a 100 yd area that was flooded from a beaver pond. Fortunately at the start someone posted a warning to switch to crocs before walking through the section. I did and pushed up my pants. The water was cold and the air was in the upper 40s so not terrible. It was muddy and uncomfortable though.The campsites we came to first were flooded so we ended up at a shelter around 530 in the dark.  The shelter was .3 miles off the trail but was dry and the spring was right in front of the shelter and no one was there! Unfortunately there is no service and I really wanted to check on the weather.  Last time I checked the rain was suppose to start at 2pm on fri and continue through the night. We have 18 miles to the next shelter so are going to try to leave here by 7.Made dinner and then went under my quilt with Rusty curled on top.  Twice Rusty heard rustling and jumped up barking and I could hear the critter move away. I have Rusty on a leash so he can¢t chase them. Also the spring in front of the shelter is gushing over making a nice sound for sleeping.
Date: 2018-11-09
To: Peters Mt Shelter
Miles today: 18.0

Woke up early but still did not leave till 730. It was cold and misty and we started on a water logged trail though could avoid the water by being careful. Around 9 it started to drizzle so we stopped for a coffee break and snack. I checked the weather and now it was forecasted to rain all day and in the upper 30¢s yuck! We walked fast and it was actually rather pleasant. We stopped around noon to get water and snack and then the steady rain came. At 2 I was becoming very cold and checked on progress and guthooks showed 3 more miles to go. By the time I got to the shelter I was shaky cold. I towel dried Rusty then changed into warm dry clothes. I fed Rusty and made hot tea and wrap my quilt around us and finally felt warm.  This was an awesome shelter. There is a sleeping loft and a picnic table in the shelter. There were 2 men at the picnic table playing chess and a young section hiker that was setting his hammock up in the shelter. Rusty and I took the downstairs corner. The 2 men were in their 60s and had been playing chess together since their 20s and were very fun to listen to. The section hiker is from MD and started his hike today even though it was raining because it was the plan. That impresses me because I could not leave a warm dry car in the cold rain.I had a great meatball dinner tonight thanks to Buddha. The Buddha¢s had overstocked so they offered me 3 of Buddha¢s homemade dehydrated dinners. I¢m so glad I took them! I had another hot tea and now I¢m ready for bed at 6. The other guys are already asleep so I don¢t feel too bad.  Tomorrow I only have 10 miles to go to get to the Doyle $25/night right on the AT.
Date: 2018-11-10
From: Peters Mt Shelter

To: The Doyle Hotel
Miles today: 11.4

Did not sleep well since there were other people in the shelter snoring and moving. I know I¢m worse in that I constantly roll around and get up to go to the bathroom.  It was hard getting moving this morning because it was cold and windy and my shoes were wet.  Once I got moving I was ok except for my hands. My gloves were wet from yesterday so I alternated from putting my hands in my sleeves to warm up and using my poles where my hands froze.  There were snow flurries this morning and a feel like temp of 21. Fortunately the sun was out. After about an hour I felt great except for my hands. It was a pretty walk switching between on top of the ridge and then east and west side of the mountain. The east side was warm and sunny and no wind. We took a nice warm coffee break on that side. The west side was windy and cold though had pretty views too. Coming down to Duncannon was on a nice pretty switch back trail. Going over the bridge into Duncannon was extremely windy and cold but once we reached the town it was nice. The town was cute and the Doyle was right on the path through town. As soon as I got there I went in the bar to get one of their famous hamburgers and yum!  The bartender/chef was the 2016 thruhiker Indian. I sat by a guy that grows the peppers for the awesome Doyle chili (yes I had a bowl of that too).  He actually drove me to the supermarket to restock so I would not have to overpay at the convenience store. The owners were away for their 40th anniversary and people were disappointed I did not get to meet them. They are well loved here.  The room and shared bathroom is just how it¢s described except that the shower water pressure and temp are great! Also the laundromat is a block away and the Doyle has loaner clothes to use so you can clean all your clothes. For $25 it¢s perfect.  After eating and resupplying, I wrote my blog then went back downstairs for dinner but they had closed early. I wanted to watch the Clemson game so left Rusty and went to the pub a block down. I saw someone staying at the Doyle there so asked him to text if Rusty barked. He did text saying Rusty was quiet!  The game was fun!
Date: 2018-11-11
From: The Doyle Hotel

To: Darlington shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: clear sky

Woke up and had a nice lazy morning since I was only going 10 miles to the shelter. In this section you are only allowed to camp in designated areas. Took Rusty for a short walk then went across the street for breakfast. Saw the section hikers eating so sat with them. They are a fun group: 14 year old boy, Uncle and Grandpa. They are from Kentucky and went on a week section hike of PA. Their shuttle arrived as we were eating so she joined us too. I met her last night at the pub where she is the chef. I had a great cheesesteak there last night but was told I need to try her special sauce wings.  Great excuse to come back! The uncle paid for our breakfast which was very nice.I packed up and left about 10. We hiked the rest of the way through the town and then up to Hawk Rock view which was beautiful. It was a perfect hiking day cold and sunny. Most of the hike had great views. I stopped in the sun for a coffee break and the section hiker from Peters Mt Shelter walks up with his girlfriend, Dad and sister.  Before they saw me the Dad says this is perfect for a hot chocolate break. I agreed then heard hey Rusty. Really nice seeing him again with his family. They offered me hot chocolate too but I already was enjoying my coffee but I did take some Brie and crackers - great treat! They also gave Rusty some Bison jerky. It was nice sitting in the warm sun and talking to them.The next part of the hike went down into an evergreen forest then regular forest. Then we walk through a pasture which was pretty and a nice walk until we got to the waterlogged part. That didn¢t last long though.  We got to our beautiful shelter around 3:30. The privy is called the Taj Mahal because it is so nice. We did have a long hike down to get water but it was a nice piped spring. Because it seemed like we had so much time, I was slow and so it was dark before i finished dinner. Got my headlamp out and blew up my sleeping pad. I was freezing when I finally got under the quilt with Rusty.  As I was writing this fortunately I heard critters outside. I had forgotten to put Rusty¢s leash on so I had to get out from under my nice warm quilt to get his harness and leash. I am glad I did though so I don¢t have to worry about him. Twice more that night he growled at critters.
Date: 2018-11-12
From: Darlington shelter

To: Boiling Springs ATC parking lot
Miles today: 14.3

Today was a great hiking day: sunny and cold. Right when we started hiking we saw deer so Rusty was on high alert. We started off with some nice views of the farmlands then walked through the farmlands. We were a bit intimidated when we walked through a cow field and the cows started following us closely. Rusty didn¢t even bark. I picked him up because the cows were getting too close. I did try to take a pic of them following us but it did not turn out. After we walked over the stairs to get out, I put Rusty down and took a pic of the cows trying to sniff him. It was pretty fun though scary too. Somehow i lost my glasses in that field too but no way was I going to go back to look.We then walked by a stream for at least a mile. The AT was flooded so there was a blue blaze walk around that went over a bridge to get through.  The trail then went through Boiling Springs and right beside the ATC Mid-Atlantic Office. My brother Pete and sister-in-law Sharon are picking me up I in town. Pete is going to hike with me until the Weds before Thanksgiving when Sharon will pick us up for the holiday. Tonight is suppose to rain so we are going to stay in a hotel. This will also give us a chance to go through Pete¢s backpack and make sure he had everything he needed.I texted them and they would be here in about an hour so time for a late lunch. We went to Cafe 101 for a great smothered burrito. Sharon walked in as I was finishing and I was so happy to see her. It had been 3 months without family. Pete was walking their dogs so we dumped my backpack in their car and joined them. I asked what he had packed for food, cliff bars and peanuts and raisins, so we stopped at the ATC office and looked through their hiker box and took 3 bags of Ramon. I had extra rice packets and tuna for him.Then we went to the hotel and packed up Pete¢s bag. It looked great so Sharon headed home. We talked, watched football and got Chinese food. A very nice night! Thanks
Date: 2018-11-13
From: Boiling Springs ATC parking lot

To: James Fry Shelter
Miles today: 12.0

Woke up nice and early and walked over to Home Depot to buy glasses. Then headed back to the hotel for a great complementary breakfast. I really appreciate those now. We called an Uber and started hiking around 9. It was a wet, cloudy day for hiking but very fun since Pete was with me. There were not too many views but the woods were beautiful and we did go through some boulders and saw some caves. We also had to rock/log hop over some fast moving streams. Pete has no poles but still had no problem getting across. I use my poles for balancing on logs.  We got to our shelter around 3 so had a nice relaxing night. Pete enjoyed his first Ramon bomb. We did stretch some too. Our plan is 17 miles tomorrow then 10 on Thurs when it¢s suppose to snow/sleet 5-8¢.  We will hike early Thurs and go to a hotel afterwords for a nice hot shower. We are hoping the precipitation starts late. Once again it was cold and dark so we went to bed at 6.
Date: 2018-11-14
From: James Fry Shelter

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up and peeked out from my toasty quilt to see the sun was already up and Pete peeking out of his mummy bag. It¢s dark in the shelters so the sun rising does not wake me up. I did want to start hiking by 8 since we had 17 miles to hike. Pete actually got ready quicker than me which did surprise me since I¢m the pro now. It was funny to hear his reaction to putting on cold wet socks and shoes - Ug!  Fortunately that goes away quickly after you start hiking. It was a cold but sunny day perfect for hiking. There weren¢t many great views but the forest was pretty and the sun made the leaves sparkle. There were a lot of rock/log hopping streams and a lot of waterlogged trail but nothing deep so our shoes got wet but not soaked.It was funny seeing 4 different AT halfway point markers. The trail gets rerouted often so the mileage changes. Also, not that I would have tried in the cold, the Pine Groove Furnace State Park general store was not open and that¢s the place of the half gallon thruhiker ice cream challenge - eating a half gallon of ice cream. Most can do it.  We stopped for a long coffee break and another snack break for me and Rusty. Pete does not have crazy hiker hunger and could have kept going. We made it to our shelter by 3 which was really fast considering Pete hasn¢t been hiking: 17 miles in 7 hrs.  Of course as soon as we got to the shelter, I fed Rusty then pulled out two packs of cookies to share. We changed into warm clothes and I made a cup of hot tea. Then we shared two of the meals Buddha had made and given me. Both were great and Pete was impressed. We are disappointed we don¢t get service here so we can check on the storm coming tomorrow. A guy we just talked to warned us and said it was starting at 10. This morning when I checked it had said it was starting at 7 so 10 would be great. We decided to try to get started at 6 when it becomes light enough. We have 10 miles to go until the street. At 5:15 we were cold and got in our warm cocoons.
Date: 2018-11-15
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: US 30 Fayetteville
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up to our alarms at 5. I put on layers of clothes then went out to use the privy. Even with my headlamp I could not see it so decided to just dig a cat hole. Got back to the shelter and started getting my oatmeal and coffee out and then could not find my phone. I thought it must have come out of my pocket while digging so went to look for it. My headlamp died so I headed back to the shelter to replace the batteries. I couldn¢t see so got Pete his phone and got him to change the batteries. Pete¢s phone kept turning off but finally got the batteries in as I stood worrying in the dark. I went back out with a nice bright light and Pete joined me. I did find my cat hole but no phone. I went back to the shelter and started unpacking and found it under my water filter. Such a relief though waste of time.  I then repack and made coffee and oatmeal. We got started a little after 7 so not too bad.  Our hike started out cold and through a beautiful pine forest. We did warm up quickly though and realized we were overdressed. We stopped to take off layers and for a snack and then the sleet started around 8. By 9 it switched to snow and was very pretty. It really wasn¢t cold except for when the wind hit. Also we did have lots of streams and waterlogged trail to go through but only got our Feet damp. Pete actually moved a log over one stream so we could cross.  We passed by the Quarry Gap Shelter which is right on the AT for a snack. It was a really pretty shelter with hanging plants. We finished the last 3 miles then turned west on US 30 to walk to the Timbers Restaurant where we planned to call the Scottish Inn shuttle. The restaurant was closed and the shuttle did not want to drive in the snow so we started the 2 mile walk to the hotel. A guy stopped and said hop in so we did thinking the shuttle changed his mind. Nope it was Bob from the Trail of Hope Hostel. Dogs weren¢t allowed in his hostel but he said we could stay which was so nice! At the hostel Paul with Bunions greats us and shows us around. Forager a sobo was there too. Both offered us food in the fridge so I made egg sandwiches then a peanut butter and syrup sandwich. Yum!  It was fun talking to both of the other hikers too and I was glad Pete was there to see the hiking community.  Next we took showers and did laundry. We wanted to do a resupply run but none of the shuttles would drive in the weather. We did find a pizza place that would deliver though. We ate and watched movies. It¢s a very nice comfortable hostel.
Date: 2018-11-16
To: Trail of Hope Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up this morning and made a great egg sandwich.  I really enjoy having use of a full kitchen!  We did plan to hike today 9.5 miles but after taking Rusty out  I was pretty iffy.  Pete said he was Ok either way so we decided to wait till 10 to decide.  I finally got an Uber to Walmart to restock.  That¢s when I decided to take a zero and enjoy the warmth and kitchen another day.  We got food to make great taco salads and fun resupply food to last till our Thanksgiving pickup.  After shopping we tried to get an Uber but none were available.  We were standing by our cart for about 20 mins when a woman came up and ask where we were headed and then offered us a ride which we gladly excepted.  It really is wonderful to see people going out of their ways to help others!  She was with her mother-in-law and they were originally from Philadelphia.  After dropping us off, Pete tried to give them money but they refused saying we needed it more - so nice!We watched a bunch of great movies, enjoyed home cooked food and enjoyed hearing more Paul with Bunion stories.  Trail of Hope Hostel really is a great place to stay.  All the people there were really nice and caring.