morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-14
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 32.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was some of the easiest terrain so far. It was mostly flat and not rocky, and a lot of the time the trail was just on old forest roads. I haven't done a real long day in a while, so I figured now was the time to do it. I barely made it in before dark though, and got a late start. Heard a lot of stories at the hiker feed last night. Apparently the first guy to finish this year started on December 31st at Springer. One of the guys who tied up a man who impersonated a cop and tried to rob them at gunpoint in NC was supposed to be there, but didn't show up. Saw a sign today that said no snowmobiles on the AT, and crossed a snowmobile trail yesterday. Reached the AT midpoint this morning. It was accurate a year ago, but is already about a mile or so too far north, since 3 miles were added in Georgia. Soon afterwards I did the half gallon challenge in Pine Grove Furnace State Park. It was disappointing, because it was only a quart and a half, and was pretty trivial to do. But delicious. Got some other food at the camp store too, including a California burger (an OHill classic!). There was also some sort of big girl scout event going on. There were girl scouts everywhere, and when I went to the AT museum, a woman was doing a book signing. Her book was about how she section hiked the entire AT with groups of girl scouts. On the way out of the park, a bunch of people picnicking invited me to join them, and I had a bunch more food. They were very generous. They said they'd been saying hi to hikers all day and were ignored until me. Finally got out of the park at 3:30 with 15 miles to get to this shelter. Wasn't sure if I'd stop short, but the terrain continued to be awesome, except for a half mile rock maze. Theres a couple people sleeping in the shelter, and friendly weekenders camped nearby. Tomorrow is supposed to be even easier, where the trail crosses a valley.
Date: 2012-07-15
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: The Doyle Hotel (Duncannon, PA)
Miles today: 29.5
Weather: broken clouds

Very tired. Put in a lot of miles lately. Hiked 62.1 miles in 35 hours. My toes are taking a beating. I figure this is the easy part of Pennsylvania, so I'll get a little ahead. Last night it was all weekenders at the shelter. Got a pretty late start. Today the trail crossed the Cumberland Valley--18 miles of fairly flat, low elevation hiking through farmland. 10 years ago it was mostly road walking, but they've moved it onto protected easements between fields. Someone said it was supposed to hail, and it was cloudy in the morning, so I thought it would be cool. Instead, it was very hot, humid, and muggy, and eventually the sun came out. Fortunately, about half the trail was actually in the shade, with the rest in the open under the sun. Had a big breakfast at Cafe 101 in Boiling Springs--delicious and a bit fancy. Eventually crossed the PA turnpike and I-81 on roads, and US-11 on a footbridge. As it started to get miserable, the trail re-entered woods and followed a river, where it was cooler. Passed a trail crew work center and got water. I think I've only gotten potable water since entering Pennsylvania. Soon after it started pouring rain and thundering. Luckily it only lasted an hour, so it cooled off and I was able to dry a bit for the rest of the hike. Climbed out of the valley and met some guys who said you needed to check into the hotel in Duncannon by 8 pm. So I booked it over Cove Mountain (pretty rocky) and got to the Doyle before 7. This is a pretty run down little town and a run down, very old hotel. The hotel is like something out of a western. I'm catching up with bigger and bigger groups of thru hikers. I got into town kind of late on a Sunday, but luckily a bar that serves food was open nearby. Got a whole pizza, lasagna, salad, and lots of garlic bread. Showered, but can't do laundry till the morning. Almost stepped on a baby rattler today.
Date: 2012-07-16
From: The Doyle Hotel (Duncannon, PA)

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

Had a nice morning. Got breakfast at Goodies, did laundry, and got groceries--all before checkout at 10 am. The groceries were kind of tough though. I did a 3/4 mile road walk each way to get there, and one section had no shoulder and very steep embankments on each side. It was pretty dicey, but traffic was light. Duncannon is a cool town, but kind of run down and wasn't a tourist destination like other trail towns. Seemed like a lot of businesses had closed recently, and there were several strip clubs, which some hikers had gone to last night. Leaving town, I meant to get ice cream. I had heard of two places on the way out. The first one I missed and didn't realize until I was a half mile past it. The other turned out to be outside a strip club and wasn't open during the day. I would've felt really weird getting ice cream there anyway. Oh well. Crossed the Susquehanna on a large freeway. Then the AT went down an exit ramp and crossed train tracks. There was a steep climb, then it was smooth sailing. Pennsylvania isn't any rockier than Virginia so far. Only did 11 miles and got into the shelter a little after 4--my shortest non-zero day in a very long time. My biggest concern now is my shoes. The sole is coming completely off the left shoe! I've only hiked 250 miles in them, but my other pair lasted 900 miles. I think that shoe must be a little defective. My parents will mail more shoes to Port Clinton, but these will have to last me another 2 1/2 days. Not sure if they'll make it. I've very concerned. Hopefully they'll be ok with a lot of duct tape. There's a few other hikers here, including a couple of section hiking women from New York, who were telling me about the Adirondacks. This shelter is big and nice, but the spring is down a very steep trail (300 stone steps). Its nice to go to bed not soaked in sweat.
Date: 2012-07-17
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite 1 mi north of I-81 near Lickdale, PA
Miles today: 25.5

A pretty uneventful stretch of trail. Started out the day walking very gingerly after duct taping my shoes. It really wasn't too rocky today though and mostly flat. Talked to mom on the phone. It went back and forth but eventually she decided to drive up here and give me shoes near Lickdale! I wasn't sure if these would make it until I got a mail drop, so this is a huge weight off my shoulders. Ate lunch near a creek and a closed shelter being renovated. The trail followed an old road for a bit. It also passed by some old water filter contraption to benefit fish and old coal mining camps. Saw Holy Heels and MRSA several times today, who I met in Duncannon. I'm really catching upl with the crowd now. Saw a dozen people near one road at a campsite this morning. Waiting for mom on the side of the road. Holy Heels and MRSA are here too, hoping to go to Wendy's. Mom showed up with drinks, fruit, Reese's, and even apple turnovers. Wendy's was nice, then I grabbed some extra trail food and an orange and headed up the mountain. Crossed I-81 for the last time, then passed Holy Heels and MRSA and found a nice spot near the ridge to camp out under the stars. Hopefully the bugs aren't bad.
Date: 2012-07-18
From: Campsite 1 mi north of I-81 near Lickdale, PA

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 25.1
Weather: light rain

Last night a band of possum came through soon after dark, then again an hour before sunrise. Just going about their business, passing through. It was a warm night. Hurried out this morning. The trail was flat almost all day. There were no big gaps or anything. However, its getting rockier; especially north of the 501 Shelter. Glad I got new shoes. Got water at the 501 Shelter. Its a completely enclosed bunkhouse with domed skylight and a shower nearby. There was a hummingbird trapped inside, but we couldn't get it out. After lunch, thunder started approaching. The strikes got pretty close, and I almost set up camp for the night, but then it faded off and I booked it 10 more miles to the shelter. Got drizzled on a bit, but thats it. Unfortunately, this shelter is completely full, for the first time since coming out of Hot Springs. There's at least 10 thru hikers here. I'm gonna eat the orange I've been saving, then lay my sleeping pad next to the shelter, hopefully under the roof a bit. One of my toes has several blisters now. Hopefully its ok. Hit a big milestone today. I've been looking forward to this more than any other: less than 1000 miles to go! The halfway point was kind of depressing. You've come all this way and you're only halfway. Three digit miles left is a big boost to morale.
Date: 2012-07-19
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I was very spoiled today. Didn't think it would rain, so I spread out a bit under the stars. But, I woke up to rain in the middle of the night with half of my sleeping bag wet. Dried out by morning though. Hiked a very steep (steepest in a long time--no steps or anything) downhill into Port Clinton. Ate at a restaurant there for lunch. Got very full on chicken pot pie, a burger, and fries. Had a tough time walking until I digested. It was rocky for a stretch, but then got really smooth once we got a bit along the ridge. Still haven't seen rockiness worthy of PA's reputation though. The rest of the way the trail followed an old forest road--very easy hiking. Today I actually met another hiker going the same pace as me! A guy from Vermont called Lobster, who worked on a Lobster boat once in Maine. He only started a couple days before me. Seems like a cool and interesting guy. We've had kind of a similar trail experience going at this pace. I've probably only been a little behind him this whole time. Got to the "shelter" fairly early. It's crazy nice. It's an enclosed bunkhouse with a solar shower and flush toilet nearby, next to a caretaker's house. It's also a little odd because it's in a sort of neighborhood, surrounded by other houses along the road. There's only room for 6 inside but I managed to snag a bunk. Even ordered pizza to the shelter, like Partnership in Virginia. Talked to Lobster for a while, but there's a bunch of other hikers here--very international crowd too. Some are from Ireland, Australia, and even Japan!
Date: 2012-07-20
From: Eckville Shelter

To: George W. Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: light rain

The trail changes so suddenly. Just the other day it was crazy hot, but today was surprisingly cold and wet. I wore my rain jacket hiking for the first time since the Smokies. The hiking was so treacherous today. After Eckville Shelter it got extremely rocky. Because of the rain, all the rocks were slippery. I slipped and fell several times, and almost fell backwards over a ledge. It was slow going, plus I got a late start. My rain jacket worked great though, since I wasn't sweating. Got an awesome lunch at a road crossing at this restaurant. Had lunch with an older guy who was section hiking. Had crab soup and the best cheesesteak sub I've ever had. And cheesecake. Then I kept trudging through the rain. The last stretch was a bit overgrown, and I kept getting hit in the face by branches. Luckily, there's only two other guys in this shelter, so I have room to get dry. Pretty sure my pack cover has lost its waterproofness. One guy here was actually on a conference call for work... Now he's playing a guitar--an interesting character. Not sure what happened to Lobster. Guess he stopped short of this shelter.
Date: 2012-07-21
From: George W. Outerbridge Shelter

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 30.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Glory to God that I made it 30 miles today before dark. It was continuously rocky, slow going, and hard on my feet. Didn't think I'd make it to this shelter, but I rocketed down the trail for the last 3 hours--at 3 miles per hour the whole time. Wanted to get here for 2 reasons: a privy in the morning, and only 6 1/2 miles to Delaware Water Gap tomorrow (I might even make it to a church in the morning). I was looking frantically for a privy this morning, only to find that there was none. This morning the trail dropped down to a river and went over a highway bridge at Lehigh Gap. Then it climbed Blue Mountain above Palmerton, an EPA superfund site. The mountain had gotten so polluted from zinc smelting over the years that all vegetation had died and the soil eroded. Its slowly growing back, but the views were pretty awesome where it wasn't. Parts were very rocky and others covered in dead trees and dead grass. It was a very interesting and unique stretch of trail. Eventually the trail went back to healthy woods, but remained rocky. The trail was pretty flat--like its been--but dropped down a second time at Wind Gap. Several people have told me that Wind Gap was horrible, but I thought it was better than the two ridges leading to it. I've learned not to take anyone's opinion of a stretch of trail too seriously. Saw several deer today. At a gravel road crossing, a pretty drunk guy pulled up next to me in a truck and told me about zebras in the woods while he sipped a Miller Lite. He even had a little boy riding shotgun. Looking back, I guess I should've called the police. Haven't seen Lobster since I left the shelter this morning. He showed up there late last night and has no problem with night hiking. I don't like it, especially since I don't have a headlamp. Don't think he meant to come this far today--he doesn't like shelters. There was one guy here when I showed up, and another girl rolled in after dark.
Date: 2012-07-22
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Church of the Mountain Hostel (Delaware Water Gap)
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Got going early today and headed down to the Delaware Water Gap. I think a couple people showed up in the night at the shelter. I accidentally woke up a guy who was sleeping at a viewpoint. Got down here to the Church of the Mountain Hostel, part of a Presbyterian church. Showered and barely made it to the service. The sermon was a skit, which was weird, but the songs were good. Just sat here for a few hours on the couch reading National Geographic after shopping and eating lunch at the best bakery I've ever been to. Got dinner at the diner, then went to the gas station for ice cream and to the bakery again. Missed the jazz concert at the church, but went to bed satisfied and comfortable. Unfortunately, theres no laundry in this town.
Date: 2012-07-23
From: Church of the Mountain Hostel (Delaware Water Gap)

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: broken clouds

I was the first one to go to bed in the bunkroom last night. Soon after I laid down though, one other guy came in who had taken the spot right next to me, laid down with his head near mine, and immediately fell asleep and started snoring very loudly. Oh well. Hit the diner again for breakfast, then hiked out. I smell really bad and need to do laundry. Reached New Jersey early in the morning by walking along I-80 on the bridge over the Delaware River. Passed a National Recreational Area park on the river. It was completely trashed--apparently a bunch of people partied there last night. The rangers were busy cleaning, unfortunately. Whoever said there are no rocks in New Jersey had never been here. Its just as rocky as Pennsylvania. I bet New Hampshire is flat. Walked past a beautiful stream and a glacial lake--one of the 7 natural wonders of New Jersey. Got some good views. Its actually pretty remote here, more than PA. Ate lunch at a large metal observation tower, but a huge thunderstorm hit. I got down from there quick and hiked in the pouring rain with a guy from Maine. Passed a big swamp, which seemed odd on a ridgeline. The storms were on and off, but it was dry for a while before reaching this shelter. Another storm hit the shelter though, with lightning close by. Its a bit crowded in here. Ate freeze-dried chicken pot pie for dinner. One guy hiked out of here in the lightning. Crazy. My knee is bleeding after falling on wet rocks today.
Date: 2012-07-24
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: under stars on hill in Unionville, NY
Miles today: 26.4

A tiring, rocky day. New Jersey is just as rocky as PA. FInally saw a couple snakes on the trail in NJ (non poisonous). There was a ton of thunder last night. The trail went down to the edge of Branchville, NJ. There was a big lake in sight and a very low power line. Got a sub and snacks at Joe to Go, around 10 am, then didn't eat again until 7:30. It was mostly long, dull, and rocky. Reached High Point State Park. Could see a structure up the ridge that looked like the Washington Monument, at the highest point in New Jersey. I didn't go up there though. There were a couple cool observation towers. The last stretch was hayfields, ponds, and swamp, and lots of stone walls. Raced into town and got pizza with a guy named Duck Soup. Met some nice people here. Breaking a lot of stereotypes I have of NJ/NY. Its been wilder in New Jersey than its been in a while. At places, its just forest as far as you can see. I was going to sleep in the town park, but the sign said no camping and there are no other hikers there. So, I laid out on top of a hill where a guy we met coming into town said we could stay.
Date: 2012-07-25
From: under stars on hill in Unionville, NY

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 29.2
Weather: clear sky

A long day. Got started early. Was out of town and on the AT by 7 am. I think I accidentally camped out with the local homeless last night. The park said no camping, but I saw tents on a hill. Now though, I see that the tents are way to big to be backpackers, and there was also a shelter made of plywood. Got water from a hose at an abandoned house this morning. It was an interesting hike. Walked around a big marsh at the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge. Later went over Pochuck Mountain and walked nearly a mile on a boardwalk through another marsh. Also walked through farmland and behind subdivisions. Got ice cream at a produce and nursery place, where they sold fresh Jersey corn. Passed a south bounder today. Apparently some were able to start at Katahdin really early this year, since it was a mild winter. The trail crossed into New York for good and suddenly got more rugged. Seemed like the trail had to go right over every big rock. I was using my hands a lot to climb, and it was slow going. It was an exceptionally clear day. At Prospect Rock--the highest point of the AT in New York--I could see lots of skyscrapers on the horizon. GLad I got to see an early view of New York City, since it's supposed to rain the next couple of days. Walked into this shelter exhausted. There's no water here, which is a pain. I'll be really low in the morning. Couple other guys are here. There's dogs howling in the distance.
Date: 2012-07-26
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up to drizzle, then it poured for a few minutes. Heard it would rain all day, but soon it cleared up. The trail started out gentle, but then there were a lot of steep sections. The trail here has a lot of pointless ups and downs at times. It'll randomly go up a steep rock face for maybe one or two hundred yards, then drop again. There was even a point where I had to take off my pack and toss it ahead of me, to climb up a difficult spot. Almost took the marked "easy way", but made it up. Guess I need to get used to making shorter mileage again because of the terrain. Went down to Lake Tiorati near the end of the day, and got ice cream and water. I planned on going to the next shelter today--3.1 more miles--but a big storm came in. Right as I was passing this one, the folks here said there was a huge storm and tornado warning. A few minutes later, it got crazy. Saw a big live tree go down in front of the shelter. Just light rain now though. Now I've got to do 10 miles by noon tomorrow instead of 7, to get picked up for the wedding. Shouldn't be a problem if the terrain isn't bad. A bunch of people are huddled in there, and the roof leaks. Saw a bunch of deer today. Haven't seen bear in a while (saw 10 so far: 9 in VA and 1 in NC). One guy saw 5 today though. Its surprising how many hikers out here smoke cigarettes. You'd think it wouldn't help their cardio.
Date: 2012-07-27
From: William Brien Memorial Shelter

To: Hampton Inn in Binghampton, NY (via Hudson River)
Miles today: 10.1

Got up early and was hiking before 7. Luckily the rain was over from last night. Several steep and rocky up and downs later I got to the top of Bear Mountain. Met a friendly southbounder and talked about the trail. On Bear Mountain, the trail was immaculately kept and well built, with lots of stone steps. At one point the trail followed an abandoned portion of beautifully constructed park road. At the top, there was a nice observation tower, but New York City wasn't visible because of the clouds. Eventually got down the mountain and walked through a picnic area, then went through the zoo. The trail actually goes right through the zoo, where there are lots of native animals like bear, deer, coyote, owls, hawks, and even porcupines and otters. Got picked up after exiting the zoo near the Hudson River bridge by dad and mom. Got to relax in the car and eat lunch as we drove to Binghampton, New York for Will and Kristen's wedding. The drive along NY-17 was beautiful--along the river and through mountains and forests with little developed civilization. I think we were driving through the Catskills. Got to the Hampton Inn, showered, and dressed for the rehearsal dinner. Saw people I haven't seen in a while, and the food was good. Its great that Will seems to have found someone perfect for him. Afterwards, we watched the opening ceremony for the London Olympics. Pretty cool to see all the countries come out.
Date: 2012-07-28
From: Hampton Inn in Binghampton, NY (via Hudson River)

To: Hampton Inn in Binghampton, NY (via Hudson River)
Miles today: 0.0

A very exciting and relaxing day. Chilled in the morning and got a big continental breakfast at the hotel. Eventually got dressed up and went to the wedding. It was a great moment, seeing Will and Kristen getting married and hearing Pastor Tim talk about the whole meaning of marriage as a picture of the gospel. The reception was very nice, with good food and music. Everyone danced at some point. Dad was having trouble with the YMCA though. Eventually it wound down and we went back to the hotel, watched some olympics, and went to bed. I hope will and Kristen have a great time in Jamaica. I'll be back on the trail tomorrow, and need to get organized.