morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-10-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Section hike 3, Day 0 - 10/01/19 - 0.0 (0.0 total miles for this section hike, 298.3 grand total AT miles)My wife and I made it to Delaware Water Gap safely. We left home around 10:45 AM and stopped in Hamburg for some lunch. While there just for curiosity¢s sake we decided to drive East on Route 61 for only 1.2 miles to where the AT crosses Blue Mountain Road. Just so happened that there was a SoBo thru-hiker there that was looking to get a ride to the local Walmart so we offered him a ride. Felt really good to help him out even though it was only a bit over a mile! After arriving in Delaware Water Gap we scoped out the area where the AT skirts the edge of town and made our plans for hitting the trail tomorrow morning. After that we decided to check in to the Clarion Inn which is just up the road from where the AT skirts town. For supper we drove about 10 minutes to nearby Stroudsburg and ended up eating at Friendly¢s. We are now back at the Clarion and plan to relax the rest of the evening and preserve our energy for climbing Mt. Minsi tomorrow morning. I am really excited about getting back on the trail tomorrow but hate the fact that I have to say goodbye to my wife, especially since tomorrow is our wedding anniversary! Hopefully she will forgive me!Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-02
From: NJ-PA Border

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter 
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: broken clouds

Section Hike 3, Day 1 - 10/02/19 - 20.4 (20.4 total miles for this section hike, 318.7 grand total AT miles)6:30 AM to 4:00 PMNJ-PA Border 896.3 to Leroy A. Smith Shelter 916.7My wife and I woke up via the alarm at 5:00 AM, threw on some clothes, checked out of the hotel, made a visit to the local Dunkin¢ Donuts and was on the trail at the crack of daylight this morning. The climb up Mt. Minsi went well but the views from the top were poor. At that point my wife and I said our goodbyes and she headed back north towards the car and I continued southbound. A sweaty hike up a mountain first thing in the morning is way out of my wife¢s comfort zone and all I can say is that she must really love me. I cannot express enough how much I appreciate and love that woman! Oh, and did I mention that she did this for/with me on our 26th wedding anniversary! Although the terrain in PA is overall much easier than Maine it did a very good job of living up to it¢s Rocksylvania reputation. The unusually high temperature today did not help matters either. My tank was running on empty and I was exhausted till I reached the shelter. I expect much more of the same as I continue southbound tomorrow. Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-03
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter 

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: light rain

Section Hike 3, Day 2 - 10/03/19 - 23.5 (43.9 total miles for this section hike, 342.2 grand total AT miles)6:30 AM to 5:15 PMLeroy A. Smith Shelter 916.7 to Bake Oven Knob Shelter 940.2Not much to say about today except that it rained at various intensity all day long. A smart man may have taken a Zero day today but then I¢ve never been accused of being smart. I can say that I am a fan of my new Helinox umbrella. I attach it to my shoulder strap which leaves my hands free for my trekking poles. Very effective. Rain jackets just make me sweat a lot so unless the rain is being driven by lots of wind I can leave my rain jacket in my pack and stay much cooler. Oh, I did see a really nice whitetail buck this afternoon. He crossed the trail right in front of me. So beautiful.Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-04
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Section Hike 3, Day 3 - 10/04/19 - 17.4  (61.3 total miles for this section hike, 359.6 grand total AT miles)6:00 AM to 1:30 PMBake Oven Knob Shelter 940.2 to Eckville Shelter 957.6I made some pretty decent mileage today considering that I cut the day considerably short. The trail was a good mix of fast pace service trail and  quite a few rock scrambles thrown in to make certain that you don¢t forget that you¢re in Pennsylvania. The weather was much cooler, quite breezy and more importantly dry. So why did I stop at 1:30 you might ask! Two reasons really. One - Stopping where I did leaves a good 14.5 mile hike to get to Hamburg tomorrow where I plan to spend the night and resupply. I already have my reservation at the Microtel Inn. Two - The last few days have left me a bit tired so I could use a little extra downtime and I had a few blisters on my feet to tend to. I am content with 17.4 miles for the day!I did not see any other hikers at all today. I¢m thinking that may not be the case tomorrow and Sunday as folks get out in the mountain to enjoy the cool autumn weather and foliage. I did see a few more whitetail today. That¢s always a welcome bonus. No big rack bucks like the one I saw yesterday though. My wife informed me earlier today that she is going to Alexandria, VA tomorrow to visit our daughter and son-in-law. Oh the things I miss when I¢m out walking in the woods. Kelsey/Taylor, if you read this I want to say that I love and miss you guys and hopefully I will get to see you soon!Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-05
From: Eckville Shelter

To: PA 61 - Hamburg, PA
Miles today: 14.5

Section Hike 3, Day 4 - 10/05/19 - 14.5 (75.8 total miles for this section hike, 374.1 grand total AT miles)5:30 AM to 11:30 AMEckville Shelter 957.6 to PA 61 - Hamburg, PA 972.1Good news first- Although relatively short, for me anyway, today was a picture perfect day for hiking in PA. I got a really early start and was gazing out over The Pinnacle just as the sun rose, 5.4 miles from where I started the day. Shortly after that was Pulpit Rock. What a beautiful, cool, breezy day it was and unlike yesterday I was not feeling alone out there. Lots of day hikers and I took the time to chat with many of them. The not so good news - I must get a set of earplugs! Either that or avoid shelters if anyone else is spending the night there. Why am I carrying that darn hammock anyway! I can laugh about it now but last night had me reeling in frustration. Four other hikers shared the Eckville Shelter with me last night and wouldn¢t you know it one of them was a world class snorer. I am a light sleeper and simply cannot go to sleep under those conditions. For two hours I tried to ignore it and even stuffed TP in my ears but that offered little to no help. So, what does a desperate person do - Well I grabbed my sleeping pad and bag and figured I¢d go outside and sleep on the porch of the caretakers house which is right near the shelter. Well that did not work out so well either because the caretaker was watching TV with the volume at full blast. I could hear the TV like I was sitting right beside it. Again, I tried to ignore it but just couldn¢t. So what does a super desperate person do - Well I grabbed my sleeping pad and bag and figured I¢d try my luck across the street at the tenting area of course. By this time it is around 1:00 AM. I¢m happy to say that I did manage to get a few hours of sleep under the stars. I¢m thankful for that but now I have to dry out my sleeping bag because of all of the dew that touched down on it during those few hours. Enough about that.I¢m staying at the Microtel Inn tonight in Hamburg and have made arrangements for a retired gentleman to pick me up and shuttle me to the trailhead at 6:00 AM. The weather man is predicting possible rain over the next couple of days so we¢ll see how that pans out. Oh, I did have another fairly close encounter with a spike whitetail today. Clothes are washed, body is washed, resupply at Walmart is done and I am ready for a GOOD nights sleep and then a few more days on the trail. Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-06
From: PA 61 - Hamburg, PA

To: 501 Shelter 
Miles today: 24.4
Weather: broken clouds

Section Hike 3, Day 5 - 10/06/19 - 24.4 (100.2 total miles for this section hike, 398.5 grand total AT miles)6:10 AM to 4:00 PMPA 61 - Hamburg, PA 972.1 to 501 Shelter 996.5Good news - Steve, my early morning shuttle driver, was prompt at picking me up at the Microtel and I was on the trail by 6:10. He was a very nice gentleman and even led me through the town of Port Clinton in his vehicle until the point where the trail goes into the woods. It seemed really unusual. It¢s as though he thought I might not find my way without his help. I gave him a nice tip for getting up so early on a Sunday morning so maybe he thought that he owed me special treatment. Not so good news - It rained pretty much all day and not only did it spoil any views that were out there but my feet were pretty trashed by the time I made it to the shelter. Blistered feet take some of the fun out of the process. It¢s supposed to rain again tomorrow so I¢m not sure what I¢m going to do. I suppose I will just wrap my feet up as best as I can and get back out there. Maybe I will just back off on the mileage tomorrow. It¢s supposed to clear up for a few days beginning Tuesday. I saw another whitetail today. Just a large doe. Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-07
From: 501 Shelter 

To: Rausch Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Section Hike 3, Day 6 - 10/07/19 - 17.5 (117.7 total miles for this section hike, 416.0 grand total AT miles)6:40 AM to 2:40 PM501 Shelter 996.5 to Rausch Gap Shelter 1,014.0Aside from hostels and hotels I got the best rest last night at the 501 Shelter that I¢ve gotten any other time while on the trail. A guy, whose name I won¢t mention here, and I were the only ones that spent the night there and aside from him having to use the ¢F¢ word at least once in every sentence he was a really nice/interesting guy. He claims to have been a Navy Seal and had a lot of stories to share. I¢m not sure whether I believe his story about fighting off a black bear by punching it in the nose though. I suppose it¢s possible. I would have liked to have gotten higher mileage in today but I¢ll be happy with what I got considering the circumstances. My feet have not improved and although I made it to the shelter before the worst of the rain it drizzled and rained lightly all day. Needless to say my feet were soaked all day again. A couple of miles before reaching the shelter today I came across a sign that said ¢Water Crossing, Beaver Dam Ahead¢. There was an alternate dry route available but I wanted to see the beaver dam and my feet were already soaked anyway so I pressed on following the white AT blazes. When I arrived at the dam I was amazed. Although I did not see any beavers the dam itself was incredibly long and had flooded a really large area. The trail paralleled the bottom of the dam on the left side but there must have been a second dam farther down to the left of the trail because I had to wade through water that was nearly knee deep in places. I hope that I did not interrupt the beaver family. I get the impression that most folks take the detour. Hopefully we have some dry weather coming our way. I¢m ready for a break from the rain!Sorry this journey entry is late. I had zero cell service at the Rausch Gap Shelter. Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-08
From: Rausch Gap Shelter 

To: PeterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 18.0

Section Hike 3, Day 7 - 10/07/19 - 18.0 (135.7 total miles for this section hike, 435.0 grand total AT miles)5:50 AM to 2:30 PMRausch Gap Shelter 1,014.0 to Peter¢s Mountain Shelter 1,032.0Today was a picture perfect day for a walk in the mountains. The leaves are turning a bit and it is nice and cool. Unfortunately for me I am still dealing with blistered feet which takes a bit of enjoyment out of the experience. Hopefully with some dryer weather upon us now things will improve. I only have about 10 miles to go tomorrow to get to Duncannon, PA but if my feet allow I might just pass on through with my target being Cove Mountain Shelter.Getting to Duncannon is a pretty neat milestone for me because I am already very familiar with the AT from Duncannon south to PenMar at the PA-MD border. I live in the area and have spent quite a bit of time hiking and running the trail on that section.The shelter that I am staying in tonight is really neat and has a loft for sleeping upstairs. I have chosen the loft and a couple of lady section hikers took up residence on the lower level.That¢s about it for today.Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-09
From: PeterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mountain Shelter 

To: Darlington Shelter 
Miles today: 22.3

Section Hike 3, Day 8 - 10/08/19 - 22.3 (158.0 total miles for this section hike, 457.3 grand total AT miles)7:00 AM to 4:45 PMPeter¢s Mountain Shelter 1,032.0 to Darlington Shelter 1,054.3Another picture perfect day for a walk in the mountains and by some miracle my feet felt much better so I was much more comfortable. My feet actually felt the worst during the 2.2 mile walk on the bridge over the Susquehanna and the sidewalks through Duncannon. I was originally going to stay in Duncannon tonight but decided to push on because my wife is going to meet me in Boiling Springs, PA tomorrow and we will be getting a hotel room somewhere in that area. Oh yeah! I did indulge in a delicious meat packed Western Cheese Steak sub at Zeiderelli¢s Pizza while in town though.The photo above is the highlight of my trip so far. I just could not believe how close that buck left me get to him. He couldn¢t have been any more than 30 feet away from me.Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-10
From: Darlington Shelter 

To: ATC Office in Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 14.3

Section Hike 3, Day 9 - 10/09/19 - 14.3 (172.3 total miles for this section hike, 471.6 grand total AT miles)6:00 AM to 11:15 AMDarlington Shelter 1,054.3 to ATC Office in Boiling Springs, PA 1,068.6A very special day! My wife met me in Boiling Springs today as planned and it was so good to see her. We drove to Carlisle and had lunch at Arby¢s, resupplied with trail food at the local Walmart, checked in at the Sleep Inn (washed my stinky clothing in the guest laundry room) and had a wonderful dinner at the Cracker Barrel. My wife and I both love Cracker Barrel¢s home style food.My wife does not have to work tomorrow either so rather than hitting the trail at the crack of dawn we¢re planning to sleep in a bit and indulge in the hotel supplied breakfast. At some point later in the morning she¢ll drop me off at the ATC Office in Boiling Springs and I will resume by southbound hike. With the late start I will most likely do another relatively short mileage day of 12 miles, stopping at the James Fry Shelter for the night. That suits me well because my feet are still trying to heal. Time to relax and enjoy my comfy king size bed. Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-11
From: ATC Office in Boiling Springs, PA

To: IronMasterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mansion
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: few clouds

Section Hike 3, Day 10 - 10/11/19 - 19.3 (191.6 total miles for this section hike, 490.9 grand total AT miles)8:45 AM to 4:15 PMATC Office in Boiling Springs, PA 1,068.6 to IronMaster¢s Mansion Hostel 1,087.9After sleeping in a bit and indulging in the hotels hot breakfast my wife took me back to the ATC in Boiling Springs and I resumed my trek south. Considering the relatively late start I was happy to get 19 miles in today. I did not have a specific destination in mind when I started the day but ultimately decided to stay at the Ironmasters Mansion Hostel in Pine Grove Furnace State Park. I had been to the park many times before and had been inside the Mansion but had never stayed overnight there. Really nice. The weather was picture perfect again today and hopefully it stays that way through Sunday when my Section Hike 3 will come to an end. The PA-MD border is 38 miles away and I should be able to cover that in two days.I would like to thank my wife for sacrificing her time to meet me at Boiling Springs. She¢s the best!Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-12
From: IronMasterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mansion

To: Quarry Gap Shelters
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: clear sky

Section Hike 3, Day 11 - 10/12/19 - 17.2 (208.8 total miles for this section hike, 508.1 grand total AT miles)7:30 AM to 2:00 PMIronMaster¢s Mansion Hostel 1,087.9 to Quarry Gap Shelters 1,105.1I slept in a bit again this morning and indulged in a good hot breakfast provided by the IronMaster¢s Mansion before hitting the trail. Hot breakfast two days in a row, wow. I had plenty of company in the mountain today as there were lots of weekend day hikers on the trail. Nice to see all those folks enjoying our great outdoors. The Quarry Gap Shelter is no exception. There are quite a few folks here including a group of about twenty scouts and their leaders. Fortunately the scouts utilize the tenting areas and not the shelter.Only 20.5 miles left to reach the PA-MD border (Mason Dixon Line) and at that point my Section Hike 3 will come to an end. I should be able to knock that out tomorrow so I expect to be sleeping in my own bed tomorrow night! My feet will certainly be happy for the break although they have not been given me as much grief lately. Good night to all!
Date: 2019-10-13
From: Quarry Gap Shelters

To: PA-MD Border
Miles today: 20.5

Section Hike 3, Day 12 - 10/13/19 - 20.5 (229.3 total miles for this section hike, 528.6 grand total AT miles)7:00 AM to 3:20 PMQuarry Gap Shelters 1,105.1 to PA-MD Border 1,125.6It was a beautiful day in the woods again today but to be quite honest I was primarily focused on getting to the MD border, going home and giving my feet a break for a while. Pennsylvania is notorious for its rocky trail and as a result it is frequently referred to as one of the most challenging states that the AT runs through (there are 14 of them). Definitely not as challenging as Maine and New Hampshire though with their much larger mountains and yes, lots of rock scrambling. So I have now completed two of the tougher states, Maine and Pennsylvania, and almost 1/4 of the total length of the AT (2,192 miles). It is unlikely that I will be doing any more section hikes this year considering that it is getting pretty late in the year and getting quite cold at night. I hope to do one or more section hikes next year as well but it¢s too soon to say with any certainty as to the when¢s and where¢s. I would like to say thank you to everyone who has been following along on my adventures and a very special thank you to my wonderful, understanding wife who not only puts up with my occasional absences but does everything she can to help make it a better experience for me. Also a special thank you to my mother for picking me up at the PA-MD border and getting me home. Good night to all!
Date: 2019-04-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Peggy delivered me to the Amtrak station in San Antonio at about 20 minutes till 7 AM today, Sunday, April 28. Train is scheduled to leave at 7 AM and feels like it is about ready to launch. Train pulled out basically on time at 7:02 AM. Scrambled eggs, croissant, grits, bacon, coffee and orange juice for breakfast. I napped a little bit mid morning and then at 12:30 went to the dining car for lunch. I ordered a garden salad and a Dr Pepper. Tonight I¢ll consider a little more food. Also I took a small cut off my smoked ring sausage that I bought in comfort for this trip. Very tasty. Dinner was Thyme Chicken, green beans, baked potato with are the fixins, tea and chocolate cake. Tonight I listened an Audible called ¢Light of the World¢. Recommended. Lights out at 11 pm.
Date: 2019-04-30
To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 6.3

Today I woke up in the train, showered and had breakfast of Raisin Bran, hard boiled egg, coffee, juice and milk. Train arrived on time in Harpers Ferry about 1130am and I was on the trail by 12:15 PM. Trail run parallel to the C&O canal towpath for a couple of miles and then went into the wilderness and uphill. The temperature was rather warm and my pack was heavy as it usually is when it is fully loaded before I¢ve started consuming its food content. I really did not have lunch other than a chocolate bar. I arrived the Ed Garvey shelter at about 4:15 PM after an approximate 6 mile hike. The hike was fairly tough.  I had an elevation increase of about 1000 feet over about two miles. Lots of switchbacks and fairly rocky and the temperature at 75° was pretty warm. By the time I got to the shelter I was exhausted. I set down for a while and then walked down to the spring for water  which was an almost 1 mile round trip down and up. Tonight for dinner I had spam cooked in my frypan with tortillas cheese and mustard. Very tasty. there are about nine people at the shelter that are in a hiking club mostly from Ohio.  A brief shower came while I was already in the shelter so I didn¢t get wet. It is now 7:37pm and I am about to lay down and listen to my book until I go to sleep.
Date: 2019-05-01
To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 9.1

9.1 miles from Ed Garvey Shelter to Rocky Run Shelter (Maryland Shelter). Got up about 7am, had a cooked breakfast of instant oatmeal and hot tea. Left EGS at 7:50am. Had lunch on trail of tuna vacuum pack that I mixed with mayo and mustard and peanut butter crackers. Smacked on GORP(good ole raisins and peanuts) and sausage.  Trail was mostly on ridge(rocky with small elevation changes). Came across a civil war battlefield at Gathland State Park. From Park was a steep uphill for about a half mile. Today I considered having lunch at a Shelter 4 miles into hike but passed on that as Shelter was .25 mile off trail. I also decided hiking an additional 2 miles to a popular campground. My knees advised me against going any further than the RR Shelter. I was second to arrive after Redwood Rambler. So we are five. Join us are Cafee and Recon and Nitro. For dinner I had ramen and a chicken packet and water. It is now 5:50pm and I am going to bed.
Date: 2019-05-02
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 7.5

7.5 miles from Rocky run shelters to Pine knob shelter in Maryland. RRS At 8:15 and arrived PNS At 3:15 PM.  Today was a hot day for hiking with the temperature reaching and holding it 81° for a big part of the day.  When I left Rocky run shelter there were still three that left after me: Dominique from Holland, nitro and red wood rambler. They all passed me at varying times during the morning. At Dahlgren Backpack campground a couple of miles down the trail I stopped in and took a shower and refilled my water reservoir. That took about an hour. There have been several battles from the Civil War in these mountains and I came across the second one in two days at a place called Fox gap where there is a monument to one of the generals called Reno monument. I also passed through Washington Monument State Park which Washington monument was currently under some repairs so I did not go in.  On the trail I crossed over IH 40 on a footbridge. Many people had it placed locks on the chain link fence. Not sure why but Kinda reminds me of people tagging with spray paint.  So far tonight there are seven hikers at this pine knob shelter; two are a couple and they took the tent the rest are in the shelter it self. One of the Hiker¢s, age 71, actually brought a guitar and has been singing now for about the last hour.  It is now 6:40 PM and I think I¢m going to go lay down
Date: 2019-05-04
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Raven Rock Shelter
Miles today: 13.1

13.1 miles from Pine Knob Shelter to Raven Rock Shelter. Left PKS at 6:50am arr RRS AT 6:30 pm. Collected water at spring .4 mile from Shelter. Rain started on way back. Prepared ramen and hot chocolate dinner. At least 12 at RRS  On Trail encountered many steps on hill climbs. Only saw a couple squirrels. Day start was cloudy and foggy, cool 64° threatening thunderstorms.  Day turned warm. Since I was first to leave camp I walked thru Spider web strands.  Collect es 30 ounces of water from spring at pogo campsite and additional 30 ounces from stream later down trail.  Listen to Flight of the Hornet by Ken Follet. It¢s now 9:10 pm. Lights out.