morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-07
From: Dahlgren Backpack Campground

To: Raven Rock Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

Did I mention I passed through WV into Maryland? And I'm only 5 miles from Pennsylvania. Not too shabby. Today was another rocky hike. Maryland has fairly easy terrain but the rocks slow me down & hurt a lot. But that's okay! The weather was perfect. I got to the Washington Monument (the original) & climbed to the top. There was an incredible view from up there. Breathtaking view of green & yellow geometric fields, little barns & silos here & there, Cities, suburbs, another ridge way out. A patchwork landscape in a snapshot. All of the people down there with their own motives & plans & regrets & dreams. Perspective! Bam! I also crossed I-70 via the fenced in overpass, which is sort of an iconic hiker picture spot.There are a lot of people at the shelter tonight. Too many to count or remember. Bigfoot, Crocs & Socks, the Professor, Echo & a bunch more. I wonder if I've taken so many zeroes that I'm hitting the Bubble a little. Tomorrow I cross into PA & the Mason-Dixon line. Progress! Go Go Gadget Feet!
Date: 2016-06-08
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelters
Miles today: 25.4
Weather: clear sky

Another long, rocky day, but I feel I did very well. Surprisingly, I still feel like I'm getting stronger & more used to these higher mileage days. I'm proud of what my body will do for me when I will it. Today I reached my original destination at 5:15 and still had beautiful blue skies. I checked my guide and it was 13 miles just to get to the shelter, then .5 miles from there to get water, so to avoid that extra mileage I hiked 5.6 miles to the next shelter. Now THAT is hiker logic. Arrived here to a nice humble shelter with a welcome sign, wooden picnic tables, benches, flower pots, beer box for feeod. Wonderful! And on top of that, Maria (Push), Echo, Sherpacrow are all here. And another German section hiker (lots of Germans) and another section hiker named Mightymouse. Didn't have a lot of time to socialize as it was about 8. Darkness at 9. Did my chores, ate & here I am. Tomorrow I will cross the actual midpoint & get to Pine Grove Furnace and attempt the Half-Gallon Challenge (half gallon of ice cream with a wooden spoon)!Then hopefully I'll take a day of time off and hang with Hi-Ho! Good times!
Date: 2016-06-09
From: Quarry Gap Shelters

To: Impromptu Camp Spot
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: few clouds

Well last night was an unexpectedly cold night. Down to 43. Having sent home my winter gear eons ago, I did everything I could to stay warm. Double socks, put on my sweater and raincoat and put my extra shorts on...my head. You know, for head warmth. I'm certainly not attempting to start a fashion trend. ¢Appalachian Nouveau!¢ But it helped a little.Today I passed a guy that was looking for his 6 month old Labrador. I passed someone with a lost dog a few weeks back and later heard his dog was at a shelter that he had been walking away from. If only I hadd thought to get his number I could have told him. So today, I got this man's number in case I saw his dog. About 10 minutes later, I found his dog. Hiking ahead of me, Minion and Mercury (from Florida) had made the call to tie him to a tree, and I comforted the pup and called the owner. It's a good thing I did. The man had turned around to go the other way! He thanked me profusely and wanted to give me money and a ride and food and a shower, but I told him to pay it forward. The dog was trying to chew the rope, so I had waited until the owner showed up. Gold Rush caught up to me today while I had lunch at the Black Ray shelter. Hadn't seen him in awhile. We hiked together for awhile and eventually hit the actual AT midpoint. Shortly folllowed by the former actual midpoint, which is a much fancier, carved sign. We got pictures and moved on. All downhill from here baby!Hiked many more hours and eventually hit Pine Grove Furnace State Park and then the legendary general store, where we ran into Push and Conductor, whom I haven't seen since the Smokies. It was cool to catch up a bit. But it was time for business. We embarked on the half gallon challenge. I picked Butter Pecan and Gold Rush got Raspberry. After you finish the 1.5 quart tub, you have to go back for a cup of ice cream to bring it to a half gallon. I completed the challenge in an hour. Gold Rush took about an hour and a half, haha. Got a tiny wooden spoon as a memento. Champion!Now I'm camped out alone for the second time out here! I know it'll be fine but it's still a little disquieting. This is not my land, this is not my house. But at least I'm not wearing my shorts on my head tonight.
Date: 2016-06-10
From: Impromptu Camp Spot

To: Hi Ho's house
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: clear sky

Today was a short day. I hiked a few miles to the Green Mountain General Store where I had fish & chips for breakfast! They'll make whatever you want on the menu. I bought a few small resupply items & split some tortillas with a section hiker that was about to complete the trail named Boulderdash. Gold Rush & Conductor showed up & ate, then Hi-Ho pulled up and we all talked awhile. Then I hopped in & we took off. It was fantastic to see him again. He kept the weight he lost off & is well. He misses the trail. So he gave me the nickel tour of his whole stomping grounds! He drove me through Mt. Holly, Boiling Springs, Churchtown & New Cumberland. All of the downtowns are pretty old and there are historic buildings everywhere. He took me to his brother & a friend where we got some beef sticks. He took me to 3 mile Island on the Susquehanna River. He showed me houses he built & then where he grew up. Beautiful area. Lots of very old historical buildings& lots of farmland. He took me to his Friday lunch spot, Silver Lake Inn. We had good beer & I got a delicious burger with crab & Old Bay Seasoning called the Chesapeake Burger. Hungry hiker likes! Then we went to his place right on the edge of a dairy farm. It's beautiful, with cows & huge silos and rolling hills. He has chickens in a coop & I saw a few groundhogs running around. He has a cute beagle named Tank who gets excited & carries around his bed in his mouth. I met Hi-Ho's wife Kim who is very kind & very cool. They made me salad, Delmonico steak, loaded potatoes & rolls for dinner. I then got to sleep in a comfortable bed after a shower. Ohhhh myyyy word. I asked Hi-Ho what his WiFi password is & he said ¢what the hell is that?¢!! Haha! Not a tech guy.
Date: 2016-06-11
From: Hi Ho's house

To: Hi Ho's house
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I wanted to earn my keep a little bit, so we tried to fix his garage door, but it was pretty much toast. Fail! Today Hi-Ho drove me through Mechanicsburg & to Oak Grove Farms. It was basically a local farmers market. I had a Pennsylvania dutch apple pie. Really good and creamy. Then we went to a landscaping store & got some peppers, tomatoes & 20 bags of bark mulch. Later I helped him plant those & stack up the bags of mulch. We watched the Belmont & Creator came from far back & won it. We went to Akito for sushi & then had strawberry shortcake that Kim made. A great day!
Date: 2016-06-12
From: Hi Ho's house

To: Backpacker's campsite
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Had a great Hi-Ho breakfast today & weighed myself. You never know if a scale is accurate, but apparently I've gained 7 pounds since my starting weight. Wow!Did about 10 miles today. Went through a neat boulder area & ¢rock maze¢, then came down the mountain into cornfields shimmering in waves to the horizon. Beautiful farmland. I have a bump on the inside of my gum that I may have gotten shortly after the trash floss incident. Haha. Hope it's not an abscess. 9 (?) miles. Set up camp today & walked to pizza (?) in Boiling Springs. Had dinner & took some beautiful shots of the small lake here at sunset. Back to camp where trains have been going by every hour or so, about 50 yards away. It's an earplugs night, folks.
Date: 2016-06-13
From: Backpacker's campsite

To: The Doyle Hotel
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was beautiful. People hate on PA, but the historic buildings and farmland are very charming. Crossed lots of fields today. Relatively flat, corn and wheat shifting in the breeze, cows watching idly while chewing without concern. Ohhh and the wonderful smell of honeysuckle everywhere. Takes me back to my childhood.Passed a few nice hikers today. Goat, Posthole, Swiftly and Gungho. They weren't going on as far as I was, but I had my eyes on the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon.Later today, I was crossing a footbridge and looked to my right. I saw a mother deer staring at me as a spotted fawn below her, craning up her neck and nursing from mom while she watched me. Magical.I saw Orion once I got into town and found out he was also staying at the Doyle, so I arrived and checked in. The owners are very cool people. They've run the Doyle for 16 years. There's a bar and restaurant downstairs with great beer and food. The rooms are pretty rough, but it's an experience with a lot of character, I had to stomp some spiders, brush away dead bugs on the floor and decided to sleep in my bag on the bed, but you know what, Hiltons don't have the history and charm of this place. Speaking of history, I think someone died in one of these rooms 2 years ago. Haha. So it's old and not super clean, but I loved it. Also the food is legitimately great.Orion and I had some drinks at the bar, and when they closed we walked down to the pub, which is apparently where the entire town goes. In there, we met up with Tinman and Pyro, a father-son group, who called me Philadelphia ever since they saw me eating cream cheese. Elusive was also there as was a local birthday boy who passed out in the bathroom and had an inordinate amount of male genitalia markered on his face. Growing up is tough.
Date: 2016-06-14
From: The Doyle Hotel

To: Campsite
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

Hiked out of Duncannon today, crossed the Juniata river, then the mighty Susequhanna. I passed Old Hiker going up the very, very, very rocky mountain. He was timing his snack breaks. Met another mother-daughter duo, Kim and Virginia Creeper.I still feel like some groups on the trail are cliquey, but at the same time, a group means forced pace, conversation when you do, but also don't want it. The good with the bad.Well, today I ended up at camp with Echo, Orion, and Hong Kong Steve. Very good people. I passed around some adult beverage and we had a good time. We also got the idea to try and do a 30 tomorrow. Up at 5, out at 6, then we hope to arrive by 6pm. Good day on the trail.
Date: 2016-06-15
From: Campsite

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 30.4
Weather: scattered clouds

30.4 miles today! A new record! Never again! I am broken! Ha!So, Orion, Echo, and I knew you could order pizza at 501, just like Partnership back in Virginia. I've realized human beings live in anticipation of the future. Sometimes we ignore the present or let the future and expectations shape our current conduct. That pizza puts me in a positive mood, and I'll work harder for the known reward. Just spitballing.Anyway, we got up at 6AM and arrived at 6pm. Walked allll day. It was exhilarating, exciting, and a bit torturous. I don't know that I'll do it again, but I'm glad I did. We kept a fast pace, took an hour lunch to eat, soak our feet in the creek, and relax a bit. We passed some different landscapes but the day sort of ran together. There was one rock field that was very difficult. When we arrived, 501 shelter was awesome. 12 bunks and doors. Better than some hostels. Got an ice cold shower at a solar shower, which just about killed me. Got pizza for dinner and hung out with Orion, Echo, Honeybuns, Conductor and Mouse. What a day.
Date: 2016-06-16
From: 501 Shelter

To: Eagles Nest Shelter 
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: moderate rain

A much shorter day today, but I blame the rain and I blame the rocks! Not a superb combination.Orion, Echo, and I came across a cooler of nice, eclectic trail magic. Lentil chips, sparkling drinks, chocolate milk, quinoa treats and baby food. That's my first time eating baby food. Yeah, I did it. Not bad, ya'll! Whatever. Judge away! You're missing out.We decided to do a shorter day due to the rain and conditions, but we dubbed the last mile of trail the ¢human car wash.¢ Tons of leaves and plants leaning over and into the trail soaking you.We were first at the shelter, then Conductor rolled in, Mouse, Rucker, G Mon, EZ-E, and Flipper. Full House, had fun hanging around.
Date: 2016-06-17
From: Eagles Nest Shelter 

To: Windsor furnace shelter 
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

So something Orion and I have in common is our appreciation for the outdoors, as well as an appreciation for some nerdier things, like Magic the Gathering and D&D. You don't see a lot of people where their venn diagrams of interest overlap in such a way.So today was a whirlwind of a day. Hiked 9 miles into town on rocks and went to a restaurant called 3C's. Echo knows the owner there and bought us brunch. We all got huge, delicious breakfast plates. Then we got a ride to Cabela's (the biggest Cabelas in the world, huuuuge) , where Echo and Orion got new shoes and I got a prolite plus pad. It has more R-value and thickness. I really just need to sleep better and I'm getting desperate. We then walked to a sporting good place where Orion bought a frisbee for future fun and we moved on to Wal Mart where we all resupplied. When we were outside stripping food packaging out and packing our food bags a kid of 17 or 18 approached us and asked if we needed a ride. We explained we were going to 5 Guys for lunhc and then needed to get back to the trail. Turns out he hiked part of it and wanted to help. So we went to lunch, I paid for his food and he dropped us off at the trail. We hiked uphill with terribly heavy packs. I bring up the rear. It's what I do. It isn't glamorous, but somebody has to do it. Orion is 21 years old and Echo has completed an Iron Man, so then there's me. In the back. We arrived at the shelter and G-Man, Rip Van Winkle, and Spike Weasel are here. 3 other section hikers that are a lot of fun. Rip Van Winkle asked me if I needed some snakebite prevention medicine. It's whiskey. They said they've been drinking it since the beginning and haven't been bitten yet, so it's working. Haha.
Date: 2016-06-18
From: Windsor furnace shelter 

To: New Tripoli Campsite
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Another tough, rocky day! I'm starting to get used to the bouldering and rock scrambling, but I'm not getting complacent. My poles are vital. Rocks shift, things happen. I'm always aware of how small mistakes could be disastrous. Pennsylvania (Rocksylvania) is pretty tough.Today I mostly hiked on my own with a destination to meet Orion and Echo. I just can't keep up and I probably shouldn't attempt to. Not with these rocks. But I catch them when they stop a bit. They were playing frisbee at this odd clearing with a few small observatory domes. Pulpit & Rock Astronomical Park. Had some good views today, saw a few snakes.Finished ¢Sand¢ by Hugh Howey. Nothing else much to report. We hit the superfund site tomorrow so that should be eye opening. (zinc smelting devastated the landscape)I may have gotten my first blister on my pinkie toe. Either that or a weird callus or corn or something. We shall see! These rocks are definitely eating up my ¢new¢ Hokas. Dang it, PA. I wish I could be mad but the farmland is too beautiful.
Date: 2016-06-19
From: New Tripoli Campsite

To: Trail Campsite
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: scattered clouds

It was quite a day to mark my 100th day on the trail. Saw some amazing things and some ¢old¢ friends.First our trifecta (me, Orion, and Echo) hiked a few miles to start the day. Carrying a little extra water because PA is dry like that. Early on we came across Trotter, who I had met in Shenandoah. A very sweet older lady who was unfortunately going Southbound and quitting 1300 miles about to end it. She was very emotional. She had bronchitis and Lyme Disease and couldn't get over the knife edge bouldering, which was just ahead of us. We told her to go get checked out and take a few days rather than quit. It was very sad and Echo prayed for her. Nobody wants to see anyone drop off at this point.Then we went up over Knife Edge, which was some pretty serious bouldering. Probably the most dangerous thing we've done yet. Great views and the bouldering was a lot of fun. When I'm walking, I get songs in my head, but they are always unconsciously in rhythm with my footsteps. So I told Orion I was going to start measuring our speed in beats per minute. We were going around 80 or 85.Today we passed Shep, California Chrome and Elle. It was really nice to see them again. Then we came to the shelter and there was Portuguese! Finally caught up to him. Echo hadn't met him yet. That was fun. Then Elle's parents had trail magic set up down at Lehigh Gap, which was amazing. We enjoyed that and socialized. Meanwhil the day got hotter. We finished and thanked Elle's wonderful parents for their generosity and kindness. It was tough on Elle to walk away from her folks again and I totally get that. We're so far in and it's been so long. Seeing your loved ones only gets harder and harder.So then we hiked up the side of a barren, rocky, bouldery mountain that was the start of the superfund site. This mountain was devastated by zinc smelting from 1898 to 1980. This is the Palmerton Superfund site. It was very rocky, very hot, and desolate in some places. Nice change of terrain, too bad it's an example of man's reckless way with nature.So among our trifecta, pulling an Orion is banging your head into a branch. Pulling an Echo is stabbing your toe. Pulling a Deadwood is showing up at camp an hour after everyone else. At one point today, I went ahead of Orion and Echo while they took a break. Then I took a wrong turn and followed the powerline easment for proably nearly half a mile. Then I realized no white blazes, verified with Google Maps, that I was off and hiked back to the trail. A few hours later, I got to camp. So even when I'm ahead, I still pull a Deadwood. I'm pretty sure there were salt crystals on my arms today from sweating so much. We talk about how bad we all smell, it's truly rank.
Date: 2016-06-20
From: Trail Campsite

To: Red Carpet Inn
Miles today: 10.6

It's getting hotter these days. And water is PA is getting tougher to come by. We all dry camped last night and I didn't have any water after a few small Swigs in the morning. Hiked a few miles and had to take a .6 blue blaze straight down to a spring. Then the.6 back up. Adding a lot more mileage for water up here. Oh well. Now I know what it means to really, truly crave water. When nothing else will do. It's a primal urge. It's very motivating.Hiked a total of 10 miles over predictably rocky terrain and came down into town. I held my thumb out and after about 10 minutes got my first hitch! It was a mother of two, babes fast asleep in car seats in the back. She said she had to keep driving or they'd wake up. All I could think about was a low-stakes version of that movie "Speed" with Keanu Reeves. Thanks, Marky, for the ride!Anyway she dropped me off at the planned location, the travel Inn. Booting up my phone I got a text from echo saying they couldn't stomach it and went to the red carpet Inn. It was about a 10 minute walk, so I grabbed a milkshake from Rita's ice cream stand and drank it on the way, in the heat. Milk was a bad choice.3 filthy hikers with all their filthy gear in a tiny room made for an awful stench... So I did the very ungreen thing and opened the window and blasted the AC at the same time. It must be vented or we could die.I was talking to Jamie on the phone and they conversation went like this:Jamie: I think I need more exercise. Me: I think I need LESS.Echo, Orion and I resupplied at Giant, got lunch from their salad bar and ate those salads while waiting on laundry in the Laundromat. Classic hiker multitasking. Later we had dinner at the Gap Diner and all slept really well.
Date: 2016-06-21
From: Red Carpet Inn

To: backpacker campsite
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Woohoo! Another one bites the dust. PA had it's charming farmland and historical downtowns but I'm glad to get away from these rocks. And yet... mother nature didn't get the memo that there is a state boundary here. There are still rocks!Let's back up. So on our way out of town this morning, we went to Dunkin donuts for breakfast. I had to do a little paperwork in the second office there, if you catch my not so subtle drift, and a guy just opened up the door. Boy, that's not a great lock is it. I only said "Woahhhhh" as my mind was stunned how he entered a locked bathroom. But you know what? You get so comfortable with things like this out on the trail that I was barely embarrassed at all. When I walked out and passed him I offered some advice. "Watch that lock there."We got a hitch out of the DD parking lot. Orion was the last to get in the bed of the truck, but the light had changed at the intersection and the driver hit the gas. Orion was temporarily airborne, but survived to tell the tale. Went to the post office to mail home some things that we shook down off each Other, then got lucky with a trail angel. He dropped us off at the trail head and his daughter wanted to hike with us and started up the trail. Might have a future thru-hiker on his hands. Thanks for the ride, Jim.Hiked from about 9 to 3 and passed a high school hiking club digging holes to put up a new information kiosk for hikers. The guy leaning on the shovel calling the shots (thats where you want to be) thru hiked in 2005. His trail name was Toepick.Saw Shoe, Elle and California Chrome again and finally came down into the cute town of Delaware Water Gap. Walked down the neat main street and then reached the village farmer, which is a fruit and vegetable stand but also a bakery and diner. They had so many beautiful pies and goodies in a very cool, quaint, unique interior. I got their special : a hot dog and slice of pie for $3. Then I got it again. Echo and Orion were there briefly but had already been there awhile so they took off. I saw Sherpacrow in the street, said hi and popped in the local outfitter to get a new bandana and pack cover. Yeah, I'm still losing stuff as fast as I can buy it. Impressive isn't it?On the way out of town I crossed the Delaware River and crossed into New Jersey. Hiked about 8 more miles and settled at this spot with the crew. The water here is brown. But we have a beautiful view of a distant Ridgeline and a nice grassy place to our tents. Lots of biting gnats or small flies, but there's a big pond not far ahead so that's not surprising.Also wanted to add that the Continental Breakfast here was one pot of coffee, a jug of orange juice, raisin bran, frosted flakes and milk.