morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-07-01
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Rocky Mountain Shelters
Miles today: 19.7

Mood: °Today was a whirlwind. We had some good highs, but then some lows too. It¢s really hard to not let your lows overshadow the good in your day. Especially when your day is mostly good. It has also been 100 days out on trail now. That¢s a lot of time to be outdoors and walking!We woke up early and was out of camp by 7:30. We hiked to Pen Mar Park to get a ride into town to resupply. We ended getting a shuttle eventually to take us to Walmart. In the Walmart we ate at subway, and I always thought¢¦ who would eat here at a subway in Walmart! Well now I know,¢¦ it¢s hikers. Then a trail angel came and took us back to trail for free!!! (We love free. Especially since we are not bringing any sort of income in right now). It was amazing! Jen and her husband like to take hiker loops around town to pick up hikers and shuttle them. Moose Jaw asked if they accept donations, and bless their heart, they said, ¢No sir, we do not. That would steal our joy.¢ They were so sweet!!When we got back to the park, we packed up our food items at a picnic table and hit the trail. It was a grueling 15 miles. Mostly because my feet hurt, and I need new shoes. Plus a fully packed resupply is heavy!!! Of course there wasn¢t a lot of water along trail and a spot we had picked out near a road to get water ended up being a total bust. So, not only did we waste time there, but the last two miles of the day we had to run because it started raining. That made us super grumpy. It was hard not to angry walk the last 2 miles. When we got into camp, we met another hiker named City Dog, and we found spots next to him in the shelter. We were not about to set up our tent in the rain, and after all we had gotten to camp sort of late. We had barely any water, so we had to make a quarter mile trek downhill to get it. The water source looked,¢¦ unappetizing. Some days I just get sick of walking. Today was one of those days!
Date: 2023-07-02
From: Rocky Mountain Shelters

To: Toms Run Shelter
Miles today: 19.2

Animals Seen Today on Trail:1 - Tortoise7 - Newts1 - Rattlesnake1 - ToadToday was a good day. We woke up and were out of camp by 7:20! I get excited when we start hiking early, because every fiber of my being does not want to get up early. I have mad respect for morning people! We started off slow due to the rocks and our packs were still heavy from resupply. About 5.4 miles into our day we made it to a shelter, and it was perfect timing because it started to rain. We ate an early lunch and as we were getting our things out, Truffle and I¢ll Be arrived!! We haven¢t seen them in an entire month!!! We were so happy to reunite with them! They were slack packing today, so at the end of the day they were about 4 miles ahead of us. We caught up on some things, and when the rain let up, we all started hiking again (Truffle, I¢ll Be, Toaster, Bandit, Stogie, Bob Ross, Moose and I). Today was nice because we¢¦HIT HALFWAY AND 1100 MILES!!!Woahhhhh we¢re halfway there!!!!! It sounds a lot more exciting than what it felt crossing that milestone. It was near the end of the day for us, so my feet were killing me. Moose and I can¢t wait for our new shoes tomorrow!!! Hitting halfway was a little daunting because it felt like we have to do what we did all over again, and it¢s been so tough up to this point!Right before we hit the halfway point, we ran into Burning man again! He was doing trail magic for Link, so we got some sodas and pizza from him. It was awesome!! We were so thankful!! All in all, today was great. We all ate dinner together and Link joined us. It was extremely hot and humid today. It¢s weird sweating so much. I forgot how humidity affects us ever since moving to Arizona. Our goal now I s to find some fun things to do while on trail, because hiking 18 miles per day, days on end is kind of depressing.
Date: 2023-07-03
From: Toms Run Shelter

To: James Fry Shelter
Miles today: 10.9

Today felt PEACEFUL! Moose and I had a wonderful morning together. We sat at the picnic table by ourselves after packing up our things, and ate our breakfast together. While eating, I told him about the books I have been listening to, and the things that I felt were impactful. It was so nice. From the shelter we walked to the Ironmasters Mansion. We got our new shoes!!! We are so happy! I put over 630 miles on my last pair! At the store/diner next door, the half gallon ice cream challenge takes place. We didn¢t partake, but lots of others did. The quickest time was under four minutes!! That¢s wild to me!!Bandit was waiting for a package to arrive, so Moose Jaw,Toaster and I hung out with him until it was delivered!! Then we missed the rain and hiked to the nearest shelter seven miles out. As all of us finished our dinner and was settling into our tents, the rain decided to come. And it poured and poured!! We were so lucky to have missed it!!!Today was great!
Date: 2023-07-04
From: James Fry Shelter

To: Carlisle, PA
Miles today: 20.0

The humidity has been horrendous. My feet are killing me. Straight throbbing. Today has just been really tough. It feels weird to have sweat dripping down my legs and arms and face and basically everywhere.When we finally got into boiling springs for lunch, everything was closed except the gas station. I about cried. Mostly because I was hungry and tired. I was grateful for gas station food. Better than our camp food that we eat all of the time. It was so hot that when we set our tent out to dry, it dried within 10 minutes. And our tent was SOAKED from the rain!! We then finished our hike into Carlisle, PA. We got a room at the Quality Inn for a hiker rate. The beds were so comfortable!! Since we were hungry, we walked to the dinner next door. It was the typical 6 of us, plus blackeyed Susan. We met her on trail, and she brought us some trail magic when we arrived to the Inn! She was so kind! She is going to hike the entire trail in 2029. Right now, she is section-hiking to prepare. We gave her lots of advice, but she was in good hands and is already way more prepared than we were for the first month of our hike. It feels weird that today is a holiday. You forget about those when you are on trail. So,¢¦HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!
Date: 2023-07-05
From: Carlisle, PA

To: Duncannon Assembly of God
Miles today: 17.7

Today was a great day! Besides the horrendously hot weather and humidity, we were extremely blessed when we made it into town. We stopped into the 7-11 and got free slurpies, and then made our way to the local Lutheran church for a free hiker spaghetti dinner. Truffle¢s entire group was there along with CT!! We were so happy to see Cow again too! We just adore them so much! They make us so happy every single time we see them!! Merlin was also there with his dog! It was wonderful seeing everyone! So many hikers! Then, we made our way to a donation based church hostel called the Duncannon Assembly of God. It literally was a basement where a bunch of hikers set up their Mata to sleep. Thankfully there was a 5-star shower and a great kitchen! We fit so many hikers into this space (no less than 18 hikers)! Plus there were many many more outside. When we took our items to the laundry mat, another group actually paid to wash our laundry and provided us detergent!! They collect quarters and pay for hiker¢s laundry twice every month! It just so happened that we were there!! It was amazing!!! I felt beyond blessed!The only downfall today is that Moose Jaw¢s new shoes are not working out for him. He got horrendous blisters. So we decided to get a shuttle to take us to REI tomorrow to get him a different pair. It puts a small kink in plans, but it¢s nothing that can¢t be taken care of! We want his heels to get better! I¢m worried about them. One looks bad. But it¢ll be okay. While waiting for laundry, bandit, Toaster, Moose and I hung out at the bar. On our walk back to the church we got some amazing ice cream!! All in all, it¢s been a great day!
Date: 2023-07-06
From: Duncannon Assembly of God

To: Tentsite
Miles today: 15.9

Today was challenging,¢¦ and I was over hiking. It was hot and humid (high 90s), and my feet, knees, ankles, and hips were killing me. Our time at the church was awesome, especially since we were in the air conditioning. We went to an adorably cute coffee shop in the morning, just Moose and I, and had breakfast and drinks together. I LOVED IT!! From there, Moose, Toaster, and I got a ride to REI to get new shoes. Thankfully, we were able to get all that we needed there!! While we were there we saw squirt and Witch Doctor. It was nice seeing them! We are constantly leap frogging them. When we got back to Duncannon, we were dropped off at Karn¢s Grocery. The girl we met from 7-11 the day before took us back to the church after we were done! It was so nice!!When we left to go hiking, we left at almost three. It was tough to get to the ridge line. Then, when we made it ten miles in, we decided to flip a coin to see if we were going to night hike. Night hiking it was. But my feet were hurting so badly!! It was a really awful 5 additional miles. Toaster got stung on the leg. Moose Tarzan screamed  at a deer, because he didn¢t know what the animal was. We were laughing so hard that no noise was coming out. I can¢t even stop laughing about it now. It was wild!!! We were so happy to get to camp. Today was hard.
Date: 2023-07-07
From: Tentsite

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.8

My body aches. Moose¢s body aches. It¢s been relatively flat trail but the trail has been rocky and the weather has been hot and humid. Today is Moose Jaw¢s BIRTHDAY!!! And I feel so bad because it definitely was not the birthday he deserves. We hiked and we were at a point on trail where there was not really a good place to go to. I felt bad. Especially since a lot happened today. We left camp around 11 today, because 2.5 miles back we found out that Stogie got stung by a bee four times. He¢s very allergic so he took 6 benedryl and an antacid. We were very worried about him so we waited at camp for him to catch up. He was doing better, but his anxiety from getting stung kind of took over. Just before Stogie arrived with Bob Ross, Bandit was getting anxiety so he took off to hike on his own today. He needed alone time. Totally understandable. We took several breaks today due to the weather and we wanted to keep an eye on Stogie. About 3 miles before we got to the shelter it started to sprinkle, and unfortunately Stogie¢s trekking pole snapped and he took a spill. It¢s been a rough day for him. Bandit hiked further ahead so he will meet up with us eventually. My feet were killing me along with my hips and knee. Trail has been grueling. Every day is rough. And every day you are hurting. It¢s not all sunshine and rainbows. Generally, we try to be optimistic about things. It has just been very challenging. And I didn¢t realize how much fun everyone thinks we have been having. Don¢t get me wrong, there are a lot of amazing moments. But there are also sucky moments. All in all, today was rough and I wish I could have given Moose Jaw the birthday he deserves. We will make it up in town.
Date: 2023-07-08
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: PA Route 645
Miles today: 15.7

I got stung by two wasps today. And the one on my calf swelled so much! It looked ridiculous!! But I took it like a champ! I told Moose that I internalize my pain and shove it deep down. He just laughed at me! And then I laughed!!The trail was pretty cruise-y today. Where originally planned to make it to the 501 shelter, but 2 miles ahead we hit some awesome trail magic hosted by the company Town Shirt. We had a blast and got sucked into the vortex of trail magic!! We camped right across the street so we could hit it up again in the morning for breakfast! They encouraged it and then kept giving us more beers and cocktails. They made absolutely delicious burgers and steak tips!! We all had such a wonderful time. We really needed a pick-me-up with all the stuff that has been going on. It was a great morale boost. We had such a good time hanging out with the alumni thru-hikers. They were so kind. There was Pickles, Gnome, Boozer, and Bullseye. They are all great men and made us all feel special. We thoroughly enjoyed their company. We also got to meet there friends later that evening! Everyone hung out until 10! That¢s really late for hikers!!We had a great day!!!
Date: 2023-07-09
From: PA Route 645

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 16.9

Today was a tough day that I felt like we all kept in good spirits to overcome!We woke up and went back to the trail magic for some pancakes and sausage for breakfast. It was delicious!!! We hiked out around 8:15/8:30 in the morning. Two miles in we stopped at the 501 shelter to go to the bathroom. Inside the shelter Bandit found a singular trekking pole that was in the hiked box. The past that broke in Stogie¢s pole was perfectly fine in this one! Also, it was an identical pole. So, we swapped out the middle section that was broken and now he has two poles that work! It was unbelievable!! Not long after we left the shelter we hit 1200 miles!!!! Less than 1000 miles left to go!!! Woohoo!!!Then not long later¢¦ we hiked in the torrential downpour. There was thunder and lightning around us. It was crazy!! I knew that we have been out here a long time, because none of us decided put on our rain gear. We normally get soaked with it on anyways. So we tromped in the rain and the trail that basically acted like a river! We made it to the shelter and enjoyed sitting down out of the wind. We eventually set up our tent when the rain lightened up. I enjoyed eating dinner with Stogie and Bandit. It was a really tough day today, but it was nice to be in good spirits. I¢d say today was a good day!
Date: 2023-07-10
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 14.6

Mood: °Today was a good day. We obviously were wet when we started. Unfortunately, I had to pour water out of my shoes and they were so squishy! Thankfully I slept well due to the cooler temperatures. Before we left the shelter, I was laughing so hard!! Mostly because Moose Jaw likes to make the sound ¢untz untz untz¢ over and over like a beatboxer. Today, he did that as toaster was squatting on the ground and as bandit balanced one foot on the table. As soon as he made the noice, they started to bop up and down and dance to the beat. I was crying! It has become a thing now where Nicholas will randomly start doing that and then we all start dancing. I love every bit of it!!! Everyone also loves swinging their hips back and forth to make their Fanny packs away due to Nicholas always doing that randomly to make everyone giggle. It¢s so funny!!!We booked it into town! We hiked 9 miles without stopping. That¢s pretty impressive to me! Once we made it into town, we got some sodas and fudge from the Peanut Shop. It was delicious!! Then we got a shuttle into town to resupply at the Walmart. From there, Bandit and I walked to Cabelas and the Microtel to get a couple of backpacking items and then get a shower and do laundry while the others went to the Cigar International store. Thankfully they gave us the conference room to pack our food in and to take showers. We were able to get everything done in time to get an awesome shuttle ride back to trail in a 1963 Ford Galaxy 500 that was painted yellow with black and white checkered details. It was awesome! I loved the wind in my hair and the weather was gorgeous!!! We hiked out of town late. Around 6:45. We made it to the shelter late but we got set up and our tents are dry!! We set them up outside the hotel to dry them off. I was so happy to have a dry tent. Nothing puts a damper on my spirits more than a wet tent tub. When that is wet, it gets everything else wet. Right before trail we had to remove a tick from Bandit¢s leg. He was freaked out. I don¢t blame him. It would freak me out as well!All in all, today was a really good day with the crew!!
Date: 2023-07-11
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: View
Miles today: 22.2

Today was a great day! We totally crushed it! We hiked out of the shelter around 8:30 and went to the next shelter for lunch. There we had a wonderful time with Sonic and a new hiking couple, Ripped and Jess! They are our age and just hit their four year anniversary! We talked about Bidets at lunch, and Bob Ross gave me a brand new one to try. It was quite the entertaining conversation to have! I will have to try a portable bidet out!Our group seemed pretty emotional today. I think we all need a break from each other. We hiked to a hostel, and everyone in our group decided to order Chinese. We decided to eat food out of our packs to lighten them up. We met some new hikers outside the hostel while enjoying our view! Elsa, Kodak, Lioness, J-Mo. They all were super kind and nice to chat with while we were eating. Everyone in the group decided not to stay so we we decided we were going to hike out in the dark after we ate. Then everyone changed their minds, but we decided to stick with our plan. And I tell you what, it paid off. We found a beautiful spot at a view point overlooking the city. The stars look wonderful, and we are excited to watch a sunrise. It definitely worked out for Moose and I! Then we realized it put us in an excellent spot to hike to a pub tomorrow for dinner! We are so happy about that! It breaks up a 20 mile water carry that we were worried about. Today has just worked out really well for moose and I. I am so thankful for that!! ¢o  Moose and I have been working on slogans for everyone¢s trail name. We were still trying to come up with Stogie¢s but he wants to stick with his because Toaster ¢gave¢ that to him. Which really means he misinterpreted Toaster and they bicker about it to this day! HA!Chili Pepper the FierceMoose Jaw the Galilean BullBob Ross the One LinerToaster the Coin FlipperBandit the ScavengerStogie the Frail
Date: 2023-07-12
From: View

To: Stealth Site
Miles today: 19.5

Mood: °The rocks were CRAZY!!! We climbed up the side of a mountain today on giant boulders! It was wild!! Today was extremely tough. Most of our hike made us exposed to the sun and it was so hot and humid!! Water has also been scarce here in Pennsylvania. We ran across a water cache that also had some sodas in it today! It was awesome! We really needed some water. Then before we started our giant climb of the day, there was another cooler where moose and I got the last cold Coca Cola! So we shared it to give us energy before we started the incline. We were determined to make it to the ski lodge for dinner and beer. And water. Otherwise it would have been a ridiculously long (20 mile long) water carry. That¢s too much when you¢re cooking dinner and walking in the heat! The incline was the most challenging incline so far!! We were literally climbing giant boulders up the side of a mountain. It was tough! Typically you look left and right for the white blazes, but here we had to look straight up! It was WILD!! Very challenging in the heat  we were sweating so much,¢¦ we were absolutely disgusting.However, Moose and I were so proud of ourselves! We crushed it today!! We saw a giant rattlesnake as well on trail today! It was fat and very dark. I¢m sure it was probably a timber rattlesnake. The rocks are crazy in Pennsylvania, and we know there are many more boulder fields to come!! At the ski lodge we saw CT, watermelon man, and Merlin. We said hi to them, but then just got a table for the two of us. Moose and I enjoyed beers and food. We were so happy yet so tired. Around 7:30 we hiked out to a stealth site. We can¢t wait for our zero day!
Date: 2023-07-13
From: Stealth Site

To: Stealth Site
Miles today: 20.4

Today was a long day!! There were areas that we walked across boulder fields, and then the rest of trail was nothing but just rocks!!! Rocks. Rocks. Rocks. All the rocks I could ever imagine are put on the AT trail in Pennsylvania. They really beat up your feet!! Today was just another day of hiking to be honest! However we did stop at a motel right off trail to take a break for lunch and buy some sodas! We can easily drink 6 sodas, back to back when we are hiking. There¢s nothing like a cold soda when you¢re on trail sweating. Right before camp, we stopped at this water source that looked like a small pond and we saw Billy Goat!! We haven¢t seen him since pearisburg!! Over 600 miles ago! It was great to see him! We heard that unfortunately Sun Ray got off trail, but Sun Ray is hoping he will get back on. Over the past few days we have heard of many hikers that have been quitting. We have also heard from many other hikers still hiking that their morale on trail has been depleted. One hiked just wants to bulldoze ahead to get the trail over with. I think that will make for a miserable time on trail and a miserable hike. You have to make time for rest and for fun!! It¢s sort of bittersweet at this point, because it feels like trail is almost over!! We camped at a stealth spot 0.3 miles past this spring. Toaster, Bandit, Whizz, Moose Jaw, and I all ate dinner together. But then eventually we went to our tents early due to the insane amount of mosquitos!! Good thing we have bug spray!! And tick spray. Ticks are ridiculously bad right now. Flooding also is a big issue on trail. There are sections ahead of us that are completely washed out. They are rerouting hikers. Apparently it¢s from that giant storm that we decided to walk through the day we hit 1200 miles. All in all, we are in very good spirits!!