morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Thunder Hill Shelter - VA

To: Johns Hollow Shelter - VA
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I passed Glasgow. I was not going into Glasgow because it is 6 miles from the trail. However when I got to the shelter before the James river, Muddy Waters a local hiker had brought cookies and candy in for the hikers to enjoy. He offered to give myself and another hiker a ride to town. I wanted to get to the library and upload my pictures. The library was closed on Fridays so that did not work. The other hiker with me was getting a ride back to there car at the Dutch Haus, so I asked Earl from the Dutch Haus if he would give ne a ride back to the trailhead. He did. I told Earl I planned to be at the Dutch Haus for a night three days from now. After getting dropped off I had an easy 1.6 miles to get to the shelter. About .3 miles from the shelter I fell down and hit my head pretty hard. I got to the shelter and cleaned the head wound the best I could, but could not see my forhead well enough to know how bad it was. I wondered if I had a concussion. No one else was around so I called 911, and they came in about .6 miles to check me out. Did not think I had a concussion. Offered me a room for the night, but I declined. A hiker did come in later and after dark a Boy Scout troop came in , so I was not alone and felt better.
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Johns Hollow Shelter - VA

To: Brown Mtn Creek Shelter-VA
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

What a day. Made nine miles to the next shelter. Got in just before the rain started. Ate lunch and decided to make the next 9.5 miles to the next shelter. When the rain let up I started, but it started raining again. Oh well out here we say no rain no maine. It is warm enough that it is not to bad. The shelter I am heading for is on a creek that flows between two roads, so the locals use it on weekends. I figured it would be full and I would be hanging my hammock in the rain. I hate putting my tarp up wet in the morning. Well after bumping my head the night before, and hiking in the rain all afternoon. I was in for a change of luck. When I got to the shelter there were people there, but they were waiting for me, or any other thru hikers. It was Gadget, Cricket and no trail name Arthur. Gadget and Cricket have thru hiked in past years. They brought in stuff for dinner and breakfast for the hikers. We had hamburgers on the grill and potato salad and drinks. We had pancakes, eggs, and bacon in the morning. Only two of us in the shelter. While my luck had changed it still stayed the same. While sleeping I felt something fall on my sleeping bag. I ignored it thinking I was just feeling something. I felt it again later. This time I got up and went to the bathroom. When I came back I used my head lamp to see if the roof was leaking. I found a bat hanging right over my sleeping bag and it had used the bathroom on me, so I moved my sleeping bag over and went back to sleep.
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Brown Mtn Creek Shelter-VA

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter - VA
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Pretty good day had some rain just before reaching the shelter. Today I caught up with Bulldog and Hitchcock. Bulldog is a blind hiker and Hitchcock is documenting Bulldogs trip, as well as the whole AT experience. Makes me feel real good knowing I have fallen down more times than Bulldog.link to buldogs site www.hansonatcampaign.com
Date: 2010-05-24
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter - VA

To: Montebello, VA
Miles today: 1.0

Need to dry out from the rain. I got to Montabello. The Lois the owner picked me up at the trailhead. She is a local EMT when she saw my head she said I needed to go to the emergency room and have it looked at. My face has been swelling but I thought that was just from the fall like a black eye. I could not see that it was turning red under my eyes, because I had no way to see my face. When I saw it in the mirror I agreed to come on and let a doctor look at it. I was at the Emergency Room until 3:30. Earl from the Dutch Haus who gave me a ride back in Glasgow came to pick me up. It was about 45 minutes to the Dutch Haus. Its the first time Earl has given two rides to someone before they even get to the Dutch Haus. Earl and Lois are really nice people.
Date: 2010-05-25
From: Montebello, VA

To: The Priest Shelter - VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: light rain

Got dropped off at 1:00 pm. Had to climb 1 mile of rocky road to get back to the trailhead. Then it was 4.7 miles to the shelter, of which another 3 miles were uphill. Went climbed up spyrock. Some pretty views tough climb down.
Date: 2010-05-26
From: The Priest Shelter - VA

To: Maupin Field Shelter - VA
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Coming down from priest mtn is about 4.5 miles of downhill over a lot of rocky trail. Then you cross the Tye river then you have 6.5 miles of uphill. climbed over the Chimneys some great views, but tough rocky climb. Then I climbed up Three Ridges. I di see a Garter Snake today. I was told by the ridge runner for this section of trail that he has seen more rattle snakes on this section of trail than any other that he covers. While I did not see one a hiker about thirty minutes behind me saw a large one. I must have just passed it on the trail. In the picture it looked as if it had just eaten something and was looking for a place to hide and digest its food.
Date: 2010-05-31
From: Blackrock Hut - SNP, VA

To: Hightop Hut-VA
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: few clouds

A long day. It was hot but not as humid. The altitude and tree cover helps with the temps, as long as the humidity is not to high. A l;ot of people have been seeing Rattle snakes, now I have. I don't need to see anymore.
Date: 2010-06-02
From: Rock Spring Hut,VA- SNP

To: Pass Mtn Hut, VA - SNP
Miles today: 15.0

Another good day. I saw seven bears today. None of them were in trees. They all were on the trail. All moved off the trail when they saw me. They did not run, just meandered off and hid behind trees and bushes, so I could not get pictures. They can hide in the shadows very well.
Date: 2010-06-12
From: Tumbling Run Shelters - PA

To: Birch Run Shelter - PA
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

A big day. I got to the shelter about 15 minutes before a big thunderstorm came right over us. Sharp lightning all around. A lightning strike was very close to the shelter, and the thunder was so loud that it scared the resident bat out of the shelter to a nearby tree where it stayed the rest of the evening. After the storm we all went to the tree and took pictures of the bat. It was only about eight feet up on the trunk of the tree.
Date: 2010-06-13
From: Birch Run Shelter - PA

To: James Fye (Tagg Run) Shelter - PA
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: moderate rain

Hooray! Half way done. Stopped at the Pine Grove Furnace state park. There is a thing called the half gallon challenge. It is to celebrate reaching the half way point.The challenge is to see how fast you can eat a half gallon of Ice Cream. I did not participate, but I did get a burger and fries. Thunderstorms worried us all day but stayed away until we got to the shelter.
Date: 2010-06-14
From: James Fye (Tagg Run) Shelter - PA

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 12.0

Tough 12 miles today. It was a mini version of the Roller Coaster back in Virginia. We had 6 tough climbs in twelve miles. The climbs are not that tough , but when you go up the hill then go all the way back down, then climb back up again it adds up to a lot of climbing. We stayed at the Allenberry Inn. A great place for the price. It is a dinner theater hotel.
Date: 2010-06-15
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Cove Mtn Shelter - PA
Miles today: 21.0

The first 14 miles to day were a little easier. We hiked through farm land. We followed the trail along fields of corn, and I believe it was wheat. We walked along the edges and through breaks between the fields. Along the edges we would walk through tunnels of Mulberry trees. We ate many Mulberries. The are like Blackberries but are sweeter and grow on trees instead of bushes. We had some wild strawberries in the Shenandoah National forest. We have seen a few Blueberries in the sunny spots like under power lines, but they are another week or two away from peak. Others have seen Raspberries. Fresh berries are good. The last seven miles were a lot tougher. We climbed to the top of the ridge and then walked on rocks, rocks, and more rocks. For about 4 miles we walked on rocks until we got to the shelter.
Date: 2010-06-16
From: Cove Mtn Shelter - PA

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: moderate rain

An easy day except for the rocks, rocks, and more rocks that we walked on until we dropped down off the ridge to town. Staying at the Doyle Hotel. This is an old hotel that is a tradition with hikers. It is a dump, but it is a dump that you have to experience to understand the appeal..................................My wife keeps my journal dated with my daily location with a picture when possible. I try to update the journal entries and any pictures I've taken when I have access to a computer in the towns along the way.
Date: 2010-06-17
From: Duncannon, PA

To: PA 325
Miles today: 18.0

We did 18 miles to Clarks Valley. At the road crossing is a great creek. We went past the creek and set up camp by the trail. It was nice to be away from shelters, and back to nature. I hung the hammock for the first time in a long time. The Shenandoah park had too many bears, so I stayed in shelters all the way through. Since leaving Harpers Ferry WV it has rained or threatened to rain most days, so I did not hang my hammock.
Date: 2010-06-19
From: William Penn Shelter - PA

To: Eagle's Nest Shelter - PA
Miles today: 19.0

Plenty of rocks. I stopped at the 501 shelter for lunch. At this shelter you can call and have pizza delivered. It was good. I then hiked on to the eagles nest shelter. I am making good miles, because in PA you usually climb to a ridge then follow the ridge to the next town or road crossing, and the ridges are pretty flat. I wonder how much more ground I could cover if there were no rocks to walk on.
Date: 2010-06-20
From: Eagle's Nest Shelter - PA

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

A short day to Port Clinton. Port Clinton has a pavillion in town that they let hikers use free of charge. I got in at 10:30 AM and got to rest my sore feet. The rocks are taking their toll on the bottom of my feet. Did not sleep well, because on the hill overlooking the pavillion is a highway that trucks use, and they kept going all night long.
Date: 2010-06-21
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter - PA
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: overcast clouds

24 miles today. I planned on 17 to Eckville shelter, but did the 17 miles by 2:30. I took a break, and continued on to the Allentown shelter. We did a lot of walking on a dirt road. The road goes through hunting land, and I guess they figure we are safer on the road than in the woods. It made for an easy day of hiking. I did 24 miles in 10.5 hours. One big climb and not too many rocks.
Date: 2010-06-22
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter - PA

To: Parlmerton, PA
Miles today: 18.0

Today I climbed over big rocks. Knifes edge is a rock formation that has many rocks on a 45 degree angle coming up to a point on a very narrow ridge. You could easily fall and hurt or kill yourself. then I went over Bake Oven Knob a huge pile of rocks where you sometimes have to jump from one bolder to another. Not a lot of fun with a pack on. When I got down offf the mountain I had to walk 2 miles to town. Palmerton has a free hiker hostile in the old jail. They turned the upper floors into government offices, and allow us to sleep in the lower floor.
Date: 2010-06-23
From: Parlmerton, PA

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter - PA
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Leaving Palmerton you have to climb up a steep rocky hill. This climb is considered the toughest south of Vermont, it was a tough dangerous climb. I got about halfway up and set down on a rock to wait for another hiker to catch up to me , because I felt I needed some one around in case I were to fall they would at least be able to call someone. Over the top you pass an area that is being restored after yaers of devestation from Zinc smelting in the valley below. The fumes used to come up from the valley and killed all the trees on the mountain. The Government named this a superfund site back in the early eighties. They have done some good work and are continuing to work, and have rerouted the trail along the side of the hill. It was a pretty area lots of wild flowers that haave been restored. Further into the day we came along ripe wild bluberries and black raspberries. It is good to set and eat a few handfulls of bluberries. This is a tough hike, because of the superfund site we are not allowed to drink the water, so we had to hike with extra water. Then when you get to the shelter the water source is .5 miles down a steep hill. It was a long tiring 16 miles, but thanks to Tracy the owner of Berts Steakhouse we did not have to walk the two miles out of town. Tracy gave us a ride back to the trailhead after we finished a great breakfast at Berts.
Date: 2010-06-24
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter - PA

To: Deleware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

Finally the end of PA and its rocks. I reached the hostile in Delaware Water Gap at abot 4:30. The congregation of the church that runs the hostile has a pot luck dinner every Thursday and invites the hikers to join them. It was a feast. A variety of salads fruit, vegetable and pasta. Hot dogs, pizza, desserts, and home made ice cream. I will be taking some days off from here. My wife and daughter are coming up and we are taking a cruise out of New York to Nova Scotia. I should be back on the trail sometime around the 3rd of July.
Date: 2010-07-04
From: New Jersey

To: Graymoor Friary - NY
Miles today: 0.0

Dropped back off at trail. Will start out tomorrow AM. Thanks for your hospitality. This is a place where you can call and order pizza to be delivered. I Thought I would order pizza, but the pizza place was closed for the fourth of July. I made instant mashed potatoes instead. How I miss cruise food.
Date: 2010-07-05
From: Graymoor Friary - NY

To: RPH Shelter - NY
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

19 miles to RPH shelter. The temps were around 95 degrees. Water was hard to find. It has been dry for awhile and most water sources are dry or not fit to drink from. There are people putting water at road crossings and that is helping us out. When it is this hot though and we need so much more water sometimes it is empty before we get to it. When the water is as warm as the air it does hydrate you but is not good at cooling you off. When getting to the shelter I was very tired and close to dehydration. I was lucky someone had come to the shelter to share their birthday with the hikers and they had ice cream, cold milk, brownies, pizza, and most of all they had popsicles in a bowl of ice. After the popsicles were gone I added the ice to the water I got from the well at the shelter and finally got cooled down.
Date: 2010-07-06
From: RPH Shelter - NY

To: RPH Shelter - NY
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The effects of yesterday hung in over night and I decided to take the day off and drink a lot of water and rest. This was a shelter where you could get pizza delivered into so I was able to get the pizza I could not get on the fourth. Temperatures hovered close to 100 degrees again.
Date: 2010-07-07
From: RPH Shelter - NY

To: Nuclear Lake outlet - NY
Miles today: 14.0

I have decided that as it is so hot I will cut back on the miles. I was only going to hike 9 miles today. I did 5 by 9:30 and got to a roadway that had a deli just down from the trail. I spent 4 hours at the deli resting. Then hiked the 4 miles to the shelter where I wanted to stop. The pump for water at the shelter is broken, so no water. There was a 5 gallon cooler at the road .4 miles before the shelter, but it was empty of water, but did have some ice chunks in the cooler that I ate some of. We decided to hike 4 more miles to Nuclear lake, where we could swim. On the way we found water at the next road crossing and was able to fill-up. The swim was great. But I did 14 miles in this heat that is tough, but we are not having really big climbs so it is bearable if I can find water, and get a long rest in the middle of the day.
Date: 2010-07-08
From: Nuclear Lake outlet - NY

To: Ten Mile River Lean-to -CT
Miles today: 16.0

16 miles today. Crossed into Connecticut. Still hot, and tough finding water. I believe the word is getting out about the lack of water on the trail, because I am meeting people out on the trail passing out bottles of water and ice tea. everything we get given to us helps a lot. If we have our two liters and can tank up on cooler water we can save what we are carrying for later, and don't need to find as much. I am now carrying 2.5 liters instead of 2 liters as usual. This adds weight to my pack and I don;t like that in this heat. Ten mile river shelter has a good pump with cold well water. Cold water is easier to drink, and more refreshing.
Date: 2010-07-09
From: Ten Mile River Lean-to -CT

To: StoneyBrook campsite-CT
Miles today: 16.0

16 miles to a campsite along the Housatonic River. Today we were blessed with a lot of places to get water. We followed the river most of the day. We did a 1300 foot climb early in the day. I cannot remember the last 1300 foot climb we had to do. It was tough. We had some other climbs of 500 and 400 feet. We must be getting back into states that have mountains. The altitude is only about 1500 to 2000 feet but, a 1300 foot climb is still tough in this heat.
Date: 2010-07-10
From: StoneyBrook campsite-CT

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: mist

25 miles not quite. I hiked along the river for about 3 miles that was easy. Then I did a 1000 foot climb. There is a campsite about two thirds the way up the climb. I took a break there. Before I started back it began to rain. When I started to hike again it began pouring down the rain. I made it to the top of the climb then the downhill was very tough and steep. It was raining so hard the trail became a river. I was walking in six inches of water in some places. In other rocky places it was like stepping down waterfalls. I made it to a roadway and walked along the gutter to a deli to get out of the rain. The gutter of course was full of water and running like a river. It was about a mile to the deli. It was lunch time so I got a grinder to eat and a root beer to drink. I also had to ask what is a grinder. It is a sub sandwich. While I was here I called a lady in Salisbury that allows hikers to stay in her house to see if she had a room. She did, and she offered to come pick me up where I was, and since I was soaking wet I sad please do.
Date: 2010-07-11
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I am drying out. There is a lot of old things up here in the north east. I went to church for the first time since being on the trail. The church first met in 1744 that is before our independence from England. I am entering this info on a computer in the nations first public Library. It opened in 1803.
Date: 2010-07-13
From: Glen Brook Lean-to - MA

To: Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well it was tough getting into Great Barrington. Since getting into Connecticut and now Massachusetts we have started climbing up and down all day long again. My knees have started swelling and hurting again. The downhills are sometimes 30 feet or more almost straight down. If you slip or trip you could get hurt fast. My knees are not holding me up as well as I would like on these downhills. I have decided to get off the trail for awhile and let my knees rest again.
Date: 2010-08-11
From: Stratton, ME

To: Horns Pond - ME
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I was dropped off at the hwy 27 trail crossing by my cousin at about noon. I hiked 5 miles to the Horns Pond lean-to. The hike was mostly uphill and took me almost 5 hours to finish. The elevation at hwy 27 was 1450 foot the lean-to was at 3160, so the climb was about 1700 feet. During my hike I met a youth group from the Hyde school. They were coming down from the mountain as I was going up. They were amazed at the miles I had hiked and took a picture with me.
Date: 2010-08-12
From: Horns Pond - ME

To: Little Bigelow Lean To, ME
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I had planned to go sixteen miles to West Carry Lean-to, but I didn't know what was ahead of me. I left camp at 6:30 AM to climb the South Horn. It was a climb of about 800 feet. Then I went down about as far. Then I climbed about a 1000 feet to the top of Bigelow Mtn (West Peak). Then down a 1000 feet. Then climbed up another 1000 feet to Bigelow Mtn (Avery Peak). Then I went down again. The trail then followed Safford Brook. For me one of the prettiest places on the trail. Then I got to Little Bigelow Mtn (East End) another 1000 feet up. I was so mesmerized by the beauty of Safford Brook, that I did not think to fill my water bottles. About half way up the climb I was out of water with about three miles to the lean-to and the next water. When I got to the Little Bigelow Lean-To I was tired and did not make it to the next lean-to that I was headed for. Today was so tough that I only did 10 miles in 11 hours. That is less than 1 mile per hour. The beauty of Maine is already making the hard work worth it. The smell of Spruce and Fir trees fills the nostrils. It is like smelling fresh cut christmas trees all the time.
Date: 2010-08-13
From: Little Bigelow Lean To, ME

To: Pierce Pond, ME
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

17 miles to Pierce Pond. An easy day. Hiked along ponds and streams. Had one climb over Roundtop Mtn. The Lean-To is located on the bank of Pierce Pond. A short hike from the Lean-To is a fishing and hunting camp ran by Mr. Harrison. He will cook breakfast for hikers who come by the evening before and let him know they want it. The breakfast is eggs, sausage, juice, coffee, and pancakes. His pancakes are loaded with Bluberries, Cranberries, and Apples. He calls them Red, White, and Blue pancakes. They are good, and more than I could eat. He puts about 12 of them on your plate. The porch of the lodge overlooks the river coming from the pond. There are several Hummingbird feeders on the porch. There were more than a dozen hummingbirds flying around them most of the time. I could have stayed there for awhile just watching them.
Date: 2010-08-14
From: Pierce Pond Lean To, ME

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 4.0

Today we hike to the Kennebek River an easy 4 miles following the river out of Pierce Pond. At the Kennebek River we have to wait for a canoe to come across and shuttle us across. The canoe only runs from 9 to 11 in the morning and 2 to 4 in the afternoon. If you miss the afternoon shuttle you have to wait until the next day to cross. I made the morning shuttle, and decided to go to the National Outdoor Resorts. It is about 2 miles down the road. Not to bad of a hike. They have free showers for hikers. When you finish the shower you can use their Jacuzzi hot tub and swimming pool. My knees enjoyed the hot tub. I got a room for the night. While the scenery has been beautiful the hiking, even on the level areas is made tough on the legs due to the numerous tree roots and rocks. The trees up here run their roots along the top of the ground because the bedrock is so close to the surface. It is hard to get a good rythm going when you are always stepping up then down then around. If the roots are damp the are very slippery, and I do not need to fall anymore.
Date: 2010-08-18
From: Long Pond Stream - ME

To: Chairback Gap - ME
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Only 11 miles today. First thing in the morning we climbed 1700 foot to the top of Barren Mtn, then down then up Fourth Mtn, then down then up Third Mtn, then down then up Columbus Mtn. I did this 11 miles in 10 hours. I was tired when I got to the lean-to. Setting at this lean-to you look across a valley to charback Mtn. We have to climb tomorrow.