morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-27
From: Pine Grove Furnace

To: Tagg Run
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I stayed at the park until about noon. I iced my foot last night and this morning, under the assumption that the pain was caused by internal swelling. Then I took the pad off to examine the foot and saw that the problem was a huge blister that covered my entire foot at the front. Earlier examination had not indicated a blister, so I assume that the blister was under the first layer, and possibly the second layer of skin. The icing revealed the blister as a big white patch under the skin. That encouraged me, since blisters actually turn into calluses if left alone. At that point, I decided to hike slowly to the next shelter and try to make Boiling Springs either tomorrow or the next day, traveling slowly and trying not to irritate the foot more and it could heal overnight. I¢ll stay in town until the foot pain is reduced to a low level. As is usually true, hiking for the past week with a pain in my right foot caused me to make the left leg work harder. And now, the left knee is aching as I walk. I think both problems will be cured by rest. The weather today was warm and messy. Fortunately, the trail was smooth for the most part, with some rocky intervals. There were no vistas or animals other than squirrels and chipmunks. I¢m tenting tonight without a rain fly, hoping for clear weather.
Date: 2008-06-28
From: Tagg Run

To: Alec Kennedy
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today¢s goal was to get as far up the trail as my injuries would permit. The blistered foot had gotten somewhat better, but the left knee was worse. I limped all the way. Of particular problem were the boulder fields, requiring big steps up and big steps down. I had to depend on my poles quite a bit. After what seemed like forever, I reached the shelter. At one point, I had considered going all the way into Boiling Springs, but when I reached the shelter, I knew if I stopped I couldn¢t get my knee started again. I opted to stop and go into town tomorrow.
Date: 2008-06-29
From: Alec Kennedy

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: light rain

The plan was to hike into Boiling Springs, get a room, and rest my foot and knee. The hike in was one-half downhill and one-half walking along the boundaries of corn and wheat fields. I got into town and got a room at a B&B, sat outside drinking coffee and reading until the room was ready, walked around town, ate at the local pizza shop and retired to my room.
Date: 2008-06-30
From: Boiling Springs

To: Carlisle, PA
Miles today: 8.0

This morning I walked to the post office and picked up my Golite shoes sent by my friend Barb in Huntsville. I got out of Boiling Springs a little before noon and hiked on a flat, smooth trail bordering corn and wheat fields again. My objective was to get to the Carlisle, PA highway where I would get a motel room and give my foot and knee more rest. The foot felt much better with the new shoes, but the knee was still sore. I was glad that there were no significant climbs or descents. When I got to the motel, I soaked my legs in a hot batch. I¢ll keep doing short days until my body starts feeling better.
Date: 2008-07-01
From: Carlisle, PA

To: Darlington
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: few clouds

Another low mileage day to give my knee a rest. The foot feels normal again, so progress is being made. The hike to the shelter was mostly flat at first, ending in a climb from 390¢ to 1,250¢ elevation. The hike would have been very pleasant except for the knee pain, but it was not severe. I stopped every couple of miles to rest the knee when it started to ache. There was trail magic just before the climb started ¢ cold drinks and fruit. It was very welcomed, although the heat was not too bad today. I¢m tenting at the shelter near a youth group that is a little noisy, but just kid noisy. It may take ear plugs to get to sleep tonight. Should have looked for a spot before the shelter.
Date: 2008-07-02
From: Darlington

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

The hike started with a short climb and then descent from 1,250¢ to about 600¢. This was followed by another climb back up to the 1,200¢ ridge line. On the ridge, the trail was mostly rocky and really slow going. The ridge continued to Hawk Rock, which was an impressive overview of Duncannon and the Susquehanna River Valley, which was at 360¢. I lost the blazes on the way down and came out at a place with no blazes and no direction into town. A fellow hiker, who had made the same mistake, knew we had to cross a bridge, so we asked directions to it and finally came into town by a slightly different route than the AT, but close enough. I got a room at the famous Doyle Hotel, which is an old structure that used to be pretty fancy but is now just a hiker hostel, with individual rooms. The downstairs bar is the gathering place for hikers and serves some pretty good food also. Hikers tend to get caught up in the on-going festivities and many stay (longer than they had planned). In spite of all the allure, I¢ll be heading out tomorrow morning. Many will be staying or coming back for a Fourth of July hikerfest, but I¢ll be heading north.
Date: 2008-07-03
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Clarks Ferry
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: broken clouds

I left Duncannon about 10:00 and walked a mile through town to get to the woods. Then the climb up to the ridge was the mirror image of the descent yesterday. The climb was not so bad, but the large rocks, when I reached the top, were a pain to my sore knee. By the time I got to the first shelter, I was ready to give my leg a rest. I started talking to another hiker who showed up and was staying for the night. Before long I had talked the afternoon away and had waited too long to make the second shelter. So, when the rain threatened, that made up my mind to stay. The rain came hard and long, so it is good to be dry in the shelter. I hope the rest will help my knee heal more, so tomorrow can be a normal day again.
Date: 2008-07-04
From: Clarks Ferry

To: Peter's Mountain
Miles today: 6.8

Another day cut short by an aching knee and threatening rain. The trail was about half rocky and half smooth. I didn¢t leave this morning until about 10:00 when I was sure it had stopped raining. It started again after reaching the shelter, so I unpacked my stuff. My knee was aching anyway, so I guess that another short day will help the healing. It was fogged in all day, so no views. The trail was pretty deserted because of the holiday and rain.
Date: 2008-07-05
From: Peter's Mountain

To: Rausch Gap
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

This was the first test of my knee since I¢ve been doing short miles. There was not much opportunity to stop early at a campsite near water. So I decided to try to make it all the way. The trail descended from 1,300¢ to 600¢ and climbed back to 1,600¢. After that, the day was spent following the ridge line, with few ups and downs. The major obstacle was the rocks, which were about half the trail today. After noon, the rain started and continued until about 3:00. I felt much better hiking in the rain than in the humid weather earlier. I think the rain helped my leg. Before the rain, my knee began to ache, causing me to stop often. After the rain, the aching went away and my legs and feet got weary in a normal way. I got to Rausch Gap and set up my tent off the trail. The sky was clear so I didn¢t put the fly on.
Date: 2008-07-06
From: Rausch Gap

To: William Penn
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: haze

The trail continued on the ridge all day today. There was a couple of tough climbs, though. The main attractions were the gypsy moths, which were everywhere, having emerged from their caterpillar state. As caterpillars they had constantly munched on leaves overhead, causing rain of leaf particles and caterpillar doo-doo. As moths, they just flew around everywhere, looking for mates I suppose. The forest service has an eradication program underway, so they must be damaging the trees. Another attraction was the emergence of a large number of orange salamaveless. They are quite striking in their luminescent color. I also saw a couple of snakes of the non-poisonous variety. My leg ached more today than yesterday, so I stopped at the first shelter.
Date: 2008-07-07
From: William Penn

To: Pine Grove
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I needed to go into town for resupply and to dry out. The trek in was okay except for the final half mile where the trail paralleled the road. It seemed like I was at the road, but the trail just kept going ¢ over boulder fields, naturally. When I finally got to the road, it took about an hour to get a hitch into town. Once there I resupplied and headed for a motel on the outskirts of town. I didn¢t realize how far, and ended up hiking over two miles to get there.
Date: 2008-07-08
From: Pine Grove

To: Heartlein Campsite
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: few clouds

I lucked out on getting a ride back to the trail this morning. I met another hiker at the motel who had arranged for a shuttle. I tagged along and got to the trail about noon. The trail was intermittently smooth and rocky, mostly rocky, so the going was slow. My knee felt better, but the rocks raised a blister on my right small toe. If it¢s not one thing, it¢s another. I have decided that I¢m just going to have to go slow over the rocks, and accept the low mileage days. I had a scare concerning the rocks today. The trail ran into a giant boulder field that looked impossible to cross. I back tracked to make sure I was still on the trail, and to my great relief, I found I had missed the turn in the trail.
Date: 2008-07-09
From: Heartlein Campsite

To: Eagle's Nest
Miles today: 9.5

Today¢s hike was about 50% rocks and 50% smooth ¢ not too bad for PA. The blister on the right little toe bothered me a lot and I kept having to stop to doctor it. The knee was stiff and sore, but not too bad. I just have to settle for low miles until I get out of PA and the rocks. I made it to the shelter just before the rain started for good ¢ it had been showering off and on all afternoon but I stayed reasonably dry. If the rain continues, I¢ll shelter here tonight. If it dries up, I¢ll go down the trail and tent.
Date: 2008-07-10
From: Eagle's Nest

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

I limped into Port Clinton to try to find a room for the night. Port Clinton is at river level, so there is quite a drop off the ridge. The drop is about as steep as I¢ve encountered on the trail so far. I was lucky, it wasn¢t raining ¢ it would have been one long mud slide down. I got into town just afternoon and found that the hotel was full. I knew there was a major motel about three miles down the highway, so I planned to hitch after I had lunch and a few beers. In the course of drinking the beers, I struck up a conversation with a guy who was headed that way and offered a ride. I was very glad, since my luck hitching hasn¢t been too good.
Date: 2008-07-11
From: Port Clinton

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

After staying overnight in the motel, I prepared to leave out around the check out time of 11:00am. As I packed up, I realized that I was very tired and all my joints ached. I decided to stay another night and take a zero in hopes that I would feel better the next day. I spent most of the day in bed watching TV or napping.
Date: 2008-07-12
From: Port Clinton

To: Warner's Furnace
Miles today: 6.0

I again waited until checkout time to leave. I felt better, so I got packed up and headed out to hitch back to Port Clinton. I stopped by a service station food mart to pick up some things and again encountered a trail angel ¢ a guy saw my pack and offered me a ride. The climb out of Port Clinton was just as steep as the descent had been. The trail on top was less rocks than dirt. I reached the shelter site about 5:00 and set up my tent. Tomorrow will be a strenuous day.
Date: 2008-07-13
From: Warner's Furnace

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: heavy intensity rain

When I went to get water this morning, I found a very weak spring with no way to dip water. As a result, the water I got was cloudy, with sediment, not very appetizing. So I left with very little water, hoping I would come upon some soon. The trail began a steep climb up to a peak called The Pulpit at over 5,000¢. The trail then followed the ridge over to another peak called The Pinnacle. The views at both peaks were panoramic, only partly obscured by haze in the air. The first water I found was on the descent and I tanked up. My knee, wrapped in an Ace bandage, ached off and on and required rest stops. Finally, I began another steep ascent of Hawk Mountain. Once at the peak I decided that was enough for the day and pitched my tent at a campsite. Looks like rain, so my fly is on.
Date: 2008-07-14
From: Hawk Mountain

To: The Cliffs
Miles today: 12.0

The theme for the trail this morning was rocks. All sizes from softball to refrigerator. The rain I was expecting last night finally came. It came in torrents at first and then off and on all night. My good luck continued ¢ the rain stopped before time to pack up. But the rocks were wet and slippery. So the going was extremely slow. After lunch at a shelter, the trail became almost smooth, with a few patches of rocks and boulders. I felt like I could almost hike again without stumbling over rocks or hopping from rock to rock. My knee gave signs that it was getting better, giving me periods of no pain. And only about 50 more miles of PA rocks. I have about 940 miles to go in 77 days ¢ I¢ll need to pick up my mileage substantially once out of PA.
Date: 2008-07-15
From: The Cliffs

To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 10.8

Today was 75% rocks. A series of boulder fields connected by rocky trails. Some views of the valley below the ridge. The heartbreak of the trail rerouted from a route around a boulder mountain to a route directly over it. The going was painfully slow. The descent into Palmerton was steep and rocky. Once down, I was lucky to meet up with a lady who was preparing to start the climb up to the last shelter, about a mile. She offered to take me into town. What trail magic! She took me to a supermarket for resupply and then into town to the Palmerton Hotel. An incredible kindness to me! I am in the hotel trying to figure out how I will get back to the trail tomorrow. But tomorrow is another day.
Date: 2008-07-16
From: Palmerton, PA

To: Delphs Trail
Miles today: 9.8

I walked the 1.5 miles from the hotel back to the trail head. This was mostly along a four lane divided highway, walking against oncoming traffic on the shoulder. Sometimes the shoulder got pretty narrow and I was just a few feet from on-coming trucks. That was just a tune-up for the trail today. The climb out of the gap got steeper and rockier until it turned into a vertical rock climb. Often hand holds were just as important as foot holds. The climb was from 380¢ to 1,500¢, about half a mile. Once on the ridge the view to the Lehigh River Valley was completely open because of the almost complete denuding of the landscape caused by zinc smelting plants that operated from 1880 to 1980. Despite efforts to re-vegetate the land, it is almost completely rocks. The trail exposed for several miles to the full intensity of the sun ¢ and today was in the 90¢s. There was almost no breeze as the trail took me over half a dozen boulder fields, where I slow to a crawl to make sure every step is secure. In the afternoon, the trail entered the tree line and became a rather picturesque, if rocky, path. Another low mileage day due to the rocks and climbs. My knee felt almost normal.
Date: 2008-07-17
From: Delphs Trail

To: Wind Gap, PA
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The trail today was mostly rocky with some smooth sections. Water sources are all questionable in this area of the trail, so I was in a quandary when I passed a blue-blazed trail to a reliable spring. I needed water, but the spring was 0.6 miles down a rocky descent. Less than a mile later was a road leading to a house advertised to offer water from a spigot, but that house was a mile off the trail. In the back of my mind was the potential for trail magic water at the road crossing. I opted to by-pass the spring and head for the road crossing. I knew I would probably have to walk the mile and back to the house for water. But my prayers were answered, and there were several jugs of water at the road. I filled up and traveled on, now not worried about water for the rest of the day. I walked the rocky trail and descended into the gap and walked a mile off the trail to a motel. Just after I arrived a huge rain storm struck, but I was inside and dry.
Date: 2008-07-18
From: Wind Gap, PA

To: Mt. Minsi
Miles today: 13.1

The late start out of Wind Gap made the 600¢ climb out of the gap a source of much sweat and effort. Once on the ridge, the trail was rocky all day except for a few stretches. Wolf Rocks were the last of the boulder fields to be negotiated in PA I¢m told. I¢m also told that the boulder fields in PA are just a warm up for the Whitward, and finally, Katahdin itself. The high point of the day was trail magic at Fox Gap road. The feature was Yuergling beer. The trail angel, Samson, was the same one who provided the much needed water yesterday. He¢s a thru-hiker from the area, so he knows the value of the gift he gives. I stopped just short of the Delaware Water Gap and camped on an over-look on Mt. Minsi. I¢m taking a chance that another rain storm might blow up by leaving off the rain fly. The heat today was debilitating and I want to cool off. Tomorrow PA is behind me.
Date: 2008-07-19
From: Mt. Minsi

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Luckily, no rain last night. Only the soft roar of the interstate below to spoil the silence. A full moon was out as I lay in my tent. The temperature never dipped below the low 70¢s, even at 1,500¢ altitude, so I lay half in my sleeping bag and half out. I didn¢t hurry this morning because I was planning to zero in Delaware Water Gap today. There¢s only one hotel in town, so it looks like I¢ll be staying in a hostel tonight. On the way into town I met a really nice family, father, mother and two boys. The oldest boy (a teenager) had a million questions about thru-hiking. Once in town, I met them again heading for the only diner open in the morning. We had breakfast together, and I answered more questions. More trail magic ¢ they ended up buying my breakfast. The boy is a future long distance hiker for sure. I went to a local outfitters and bought supplies including a sleeping bag liner I plan to sleep in this hot weather. Also, maps of the trail north into New York. I¢ve needed maps in the past.
Date: 2008-07-20
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: few clouds

Another late start on the trail today ¢ not a good way to begin my new higher mileage regimen. But I did manage to get about 10 miles in half a day. The rock situation has improved, although not as much as I had hoped. The climb up to the ridge was finally rock-free, but once on the ridge, the rocks emerged. Fortunately, the rocks here are not loose, moving around under your feet as you walk. They are mostly firmly buried in the ground, protruding just enough to trip over consistently. I arrived at the Mohican Outdoor Center, an Appalachian Mountain Club facility for campers, about 5:30. The plan was to get a deli sandwich for dinner and move on to the Catfish Fire Tower to camp for the night. However, the plan got way lade by meeting a lady who stopped by on her way home from a trip. She is a hiking aficionado, so we discussed hiking until it started to thunder. She offered me a ride to a campsite I¢d pass just before getting off the trail to come into MOC. I got my tent set up and my food bag hung just as the rain started in torrents.P.S. I saw my first NJ bear just after I crossed the state line. It was a small one walking across the trail. When it saw me it sort of nonchalantly walked up the hill through the bushes. Also, I talked to a former thru-hiker Calm Water who was doing a day hike. He said the first part of the summit is a very tough climb, sort of like the climb out of Lehigh Gap, only longer.
Date: 2008-07-21
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Viewpoint
Miles today: 16.7

The trail was mostly rocky today with some really nice smooth stretches. The heat and the humidity made hiking very strenuous. I was planning to hike until 8 pm, but a rain storm blew up so I stopped at about 7. I should have kept going, because the storm blew through quickly. I have a nice view at my campsite, but the ground is rocky and not very level. Hope it cools off some tomorrow.
Date: 2008-07-22
From: Viewpoint

To: High Point Ridge
Miles today: 14.2

The trail today was full of ups and downs ¢ no more walking to flat ridgeline. The hardest climb came early, the climb out of Culvers Gap, and was the one I had to do twice. The reason for the second climb was that I missed the sharp turn at the top, continued on what I thought was the trail. This trail, which had white blazes, took me back off the ridge. Before I realized what happened, I was within several hundred yards of where I started up. So up again I went and thus wasted about an hour of hiking time. During the day, there were views of Culver Lake and others. The day started off cool but quickly warmed up to uncomfortable hiking temperature. I am now watching the sun go down from High Point Ridge. There¢s a cool breeze and a clear sky.
Date: 2008-07-23
From: High Point Ridge

To: Farmer's Field
Miles today: 11.1

The trail up to High Point was rocky and steep. Before the climb started I stopped at the park headquarters building when it began to rain hard. I went inside and found a place to charge my phone. While waiting, I ate the rest of my food in anticipation of a resupply today. After about an hour, the rain let up, so I began the climb. Surprisingly, after the peak, the trail was mostly smooth, with short intervals of rocks. I went into Unionville, NY to resupply and have a deli sandwich for lunch/dinner. The rain started again, and I waited awhile for it to let up. It didn¢t, so I went back to the trail and hiked for about an hour; found a campsite on the tree-line of a farmer¢s field and decided to camp for the night.
Date: 2008-07-24
From: Farmer's Field

To: Long House Creek
Miles today: 18.8

Today I started with rain that continued from last night. There was much thunder and lightning last night, but then things calmed down to a steady downpour. This morning, the rain stopped before I had to pack up, although it caused me to have a late start by about an hour. About mid-morning, a torrential downpour hit and I walked in heavy rain for a couple of hours. About noon, the sun came out and we had clear skies for the rest of the day. A feature of hiking in NJ at low elevations is the wooden foot bridges across the boggy areas. The longest is the Pochuck Creek footbridge, which extends for a mile or more. The climb of the day was a Wawayanda Mountain, a rocky climb of over 1,000¢ in less than a mile. The climb gets you up on the ridge, where the trail stays for about 20 miles. I saw my second NJ bear today (8th total), but only fleetingly, as it dashed across the trail.