morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-04-21
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: Stealth camp sight 
Miles today: 17.6

The Tumbling Run Shelter is the nicest shelter I¢ve stayed in. The covered pavilion with a plastic rose on the picnic table, the very clean privy with stocked toilet paper, and a natural spring for water rates it a 5 star. This part of the trail is run by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and they do an outstanding job. Thank you PATC. Uncle Grandpa, one of the few through hikers we¢ve seen was also at the shelter. He left Springer on Feb. 24 and he¢s already half way, very fast. Got out of camp at 7:30 and attacked a 900¢ climb first thing. Gets the juices flowing. The next 10 miles was relatively easy with a 1,000¢ climb thrown in. Finished the day with 17.6miles. SAS and I are camped at a stealth camp site by ourselves. Supposed to be another nice but chilly night under the stars.Ascent 3248Descent 2324
Date: 2019-04-22
From: Stealth camp sight 

To: Stealth Camp Site 
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: clear sky

Overnight weather in the mid 40¢s, with low 60¢s during the day. Hiked 19.1 miles today. Longest day so far. Feel pretty good for big miles. Heavy rains this spring have caused rivers to over flow their banks on to the trail. About 2-3 miles of the trail became part of the river making things slow and soaking shoes and socks. Slept well last night. Woke up at 6:30, tore down camp and walked 2 miles to the next shelter to eat breakfast. There was a family of 5 there, out for an overnight camp trip. Met Rob from Boston who left Harper¢s Ferry the day before us. Hit the AT half way mark about six miles in (1,096 miles). Did 13 miles to get to Pine Grove Furnace State Park for lunch, a 19th Century Cold Blast furnace, used for making iron ore. Beautiful park and the sight of the half gallon ice cream challenge. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately they were closed. Only open on weekends this time of year. Missed by one day. 9 more miles to a our camp spot right next to a flowing river (mike 1111.4). Nice night expected tonight, so no rain tarp. Moon has been to bright last few night to get a good stat show. Hopefully better tonight. 19.1 milesTotal ascent 2014Total descent 3225
Date: 2019-04-23
From: Stealth Camp Site 

To: Boiling Springs PA
Miles today: 12.0

Out of camp at 6:30. One mile to Green Mountain General Store, just two tenths of the trail for breakfast. Breakfast was a cheeseburger and fries. Six climbs today ranging from 200¢ to 600¢. Not very long but each climb was steep. 12 miles to Boiling Springs Pa. to rest and resupply. I was down to two energy bars and in fact had to ¢yogi¢ some food from other hikers, as I miscalculated how much food I would need for this section. Hikers take care of each other. Left the mountains after 10 miles, and walked through corn fields into town. Boiling Springs is a true trail town, the trail goes right through the middle of town.  We¢re staying at Allenbury Resort. Think of where the Dirty Dancing movie took place in the Pokonos. Going to sleep in tomorrow, resupply, then head back to the trail after lunch.Total ascent 2079Total descent 234312 miles
Date: 2019-04-24
From: Boiling Springs PA

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We stayed at the Allenberry Resort until 10:30am. They gave us a ride to the store to resupply. Their resort cars are Mercedes Benz. Back to the trail in style. They waited outside while we shopped, and then dropped us off next to the trail which goes right through town. First, we had lunch at Cafe 101, a restaurant that has a Mexican food menu and a standard menu. I ordered the enchiladas smothered in green Chile salsa. I would regret it about five miles down the trail. The first 12 miles was a continuation of yesterday, through farm and dairy land. We made good time, averaging 3 miles and hour as it was flat. Walked by a river for about 3 miles. There were spring flowers everywhere (see pic). Clean water was scarce today, even though we crossed many rivers. Contamination from farms and ranches made it risky to drink even if we filtered.  Finally reached the end of the valley and back into the mountains (hills). After a mile, we finally crossed a stream that was safe to drink. We had planned to camp here, but something about the area was strange. Could of been the very old rusted out car. How it got there is anyone¢s guess. Once SAS caught up with me, I convinced him to climb 1 more mile to the top of the mountain, even though it was 6:30pm. Turned out to be a good idea as we found an ideal camp site at the Darlington Shelter. There were 8 other tents set up. We found a site a few hundred feet away. Set up camp, ate a quick dinner, then climbed into the hammock. Talked with my wife on the phone, then started watching Game of Thrones. Made it about 5 minutes before falling asleep.Ascent 1573Descent 80814.3 miles
Date: 2019-04-25
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon 
Miles today: 11.9

Left Camp at 7:15 for the 12 mile hike into Duncannon, the second town in a row where the trail goes straight through. About 3 miles in we hit the rocks Pa are famous for. The last mile was a very step descent into town with large rocks. Duncannon is a small town that is struggling. Many of the buildings are boarded up. Stopped in the famous Doyle Hotel, but didn¢t stay as the owners said they were getting over the flu. The Doyle is a 19th century hotel, that has been converted into a hostel. The rooms have a reputation of being a dump, but the restaurant is supposed to have one of the best burgers on the trail. We left and crossed the street to a pizza place which was pretty good. Got a ride to the next town to stay in a hotel and take tomorrow off after hiking 9 days straight and covering 125 miles. Ascent 1574Descent 229010.9 miles
Date: 2019-04-27
From: Duncannon Pa

To: Stealth Camp Site
Miles today: 16.5

Got a ride back to the trail by the infamous trail angel Mary. She picked us up in her old van at the motel and dropped us off at the post office to bounce my resupply box. Walked out of town over the Susquehanna River. This river is huge, half a mile wide in some places. The wind was blowing hard with gusts up to 50 miles an hour. If it wasn¢t for the concrete barricade between us and the road on the bridge, I think we would have been blown over. A couple of times we were literally slammed into the barrier. Once over the river, the wind was not as bad. Short steep climb, followed by a long boulder hopping section. A 13 mile dry section, so I filled three liters of water. Usually, I carry one liter. About 10 miles in we stopped at a shelter for a break. 4 guys with short wave radios had hiked in. One of them had a golf cart to put his back pack on. There is no way that would work over the rocky terrain. He confirmed that his buddies and him ended up having to carry it. They were nice enough to give us some of their water, and we were off for five more miles to a stealth camp site. Rain is expected tomorrow for most of the morning.Ascent 2649Descent 163516.5
Date: 2019-04-28
From: Stealth Camp Site

To: Stealth Camp Site
Miles today: 18.4

There was a lull in the rain around 6:30am , so we quickly packed up and hit the trail. It would rain until 11:00am, making things a bit slick and muddy. Managed to stay dry regardless, (besides my feet) and hiked 13 miles without any breaks to get to a shelter and out of the rain. The rain stopped about an hour before we arrived. Ate lunch and dried out a bit before heading back out for another 5.5 miles to a stealth camp site. The camp site is listed in Guthooks and AWOL, but a sign a few miles earlier when we entered this area, said no camping. We had no choice, it was after 7:00 and many miles to the next location. Fortunately, for us, our government in all there wisdom have cut budgets for our federal and state parks and rangers are few and far between. Supposed to get down to 34 degrees tonight. I have my puffy jacket and hat on. Should be able to stay warm.
Date: 2019-04-29
From: Stealth Camp Site

To: Pine Grove 
Miles today: 10.1

Temp dropped down to 33 degrees last night. Was fairly warm in my hammock. Stayed in bed until 7:30, didn¢t want to get out in the cold. Once up, really wasn¢t too bad. 10 miles into Pine Grove to resupply. We¢ve been taking advantage of the short distance between towns in order to carry less weight. Got to Town around 1:30, ate lunch at Do¢s Pizza and Subs. Pretty good for a town of 3,000 people. Original plan was to resupply and head back to the trail. Plans changed as it got later, and we got a hotel room. Dinner at the 24hr diner.
Date: 2019-04-30
From: Pine Grove 

To: Eagles Nest Shelter 
Miles today: 17.4

Got a shuttle back to the trail and hiking by 7:45. Within a couple of miles we were hiking in the rocks Pa. is famous for. Boulder hoping up and down hill. Definitely, slowed our mileage down. Did only 7 miles by 11::30. Stopped for lunch at a rock out crop over looking the valley. Great place for lunch (see picture). Brian joined us after awhile. We¢ve been bouncing back and forth with him for a few days, good guy about our age. Caught up with a 50 something couple who biked the Great Divide Trail trail last year from Canada to Mexico. This year they¢re taking on the northern  half of the AT. At least 12 people camping around or staying in the Eagles Nest Shelter tonight. Day 6417.4 milesAscent 1928¢Descent 2676¢
Date: 2019-05-01
From: Eagles Nest Shelter 

To: Port Clinton, Pa
Miles today: 8.7

Left camp at 7:30, pretty much our regular time. We¢ve got our morning routine down. Wake up around 6:30, pack up and eat breakfast. Headed to Port Clinton, Pa., another town where the trail goes directly through. Only 9 miles to town on relatively flat ground, until the last mile with a super steep descent. Arrived in town just before noon. Yesterday, I blew my shoe out. The left shoe completely ripped open down the front left side. We¢ve been walking through craggy, sharp rock for the last 100 miles and it finally did a number on my shoes. A few days ago, the right shoe got a 2 inch cut when I hit a rock. Luckily, modern technology saved the day. At camp last night, I ordered a new pair of shoes on Amazon and they will arrive at the post office on Thursday morning. We¢ll have to spend the night in town, as the Post Office doesn¢t open until 12:30. Port Clinton is a tiny railroad town of maybe a few hundred people. The largest Cabellas outdoor store is in the next town, and they provide a shuttle back and forth. We called for the shuttle around 12:00 and had lunch at Cabellas. SAS and Brian also picked up a couple of things. No hotels in Port Clinton, and the only hotel near Cabellas was booked. Caught an Uber to Wyomissing, Pa. a few miles a way. Ate dinner at Lonestar and back to the hotel for an early night. Ascent 623Descent 1817Miles 8.7
Date: 2019-05-02
From: Port Clinton, Pa

To: Stealth Camp Site 
Miles today: 6.0

Caught an Uber back to Cabellas and had lunch again. SAS needed to pick up a carabiner. Resupplied a block away at WalMart. Then caught the free Cabellas shuttle back to the Post Office in Port Clinton to get my new shoes. They were not there. Ugh! They were sent to Port Clinton, Ohio, not Port Clinton Pa., my screw up...don¢t ask. Amazon was great. They would refund my money. I would order a new pair and have them delivered in our next town stop in five days. Back on the trail at 1:30 and a steep climb out of town. Beautiful warm day in the seventies. Warmest day so far. Felt good. 6 quick miles to our camp spot. Currently being serenaded by an orchestra of bugs lying in my hammock. A warm night as well, haven¢t had many of those. Ascent 1427Descent 9646 miles
Date: 2019-05-03
From: Stealth Camp Site 

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept in a little bit, didn¢t leave camp until 8:15. 1,100 foot climb to start things off. The rocks in Pennsylvania are starting to live up to their reputation. A couple of long boulder sections, followed by miles of craggy sharp rocks. Arrived at the Allentown Hiking Club Shelter around 6:00. There were already 12 people there and during the next 30 minutes at least another 25 people arrived. This is somewhat typical for weekends, and this shelter being close to a road crossing is inviting for overnight hikers. Ascent 2620Descent 212316.5 miles
Date: 2019-05-04
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Palmerston Pa. 
Miles today: 17.3

Up early with all the commotion made by the early bird weekend hikers. Left camp around 7:25. More of the same trail, a few large boulder sections, craggy (is that a real word?) rock sections, followed by nice trail. About 8 miles in we arrived at the Knifes Edge. Like most things, it did not meet up to the hype. Yes, it was tricky, with large boulders and a missed step would definitely ruin your day, but careful navigation would find you safe on the other side. A few more slow boulder fields in the afternoon and we arrived at camp. Unfortunately, no spots left. An old proverb, says, ¢who¢s to say if it is good or bad¢. A full camp site, what seemed at first as bad, ended up good with a soft bed in a hotel and a warm meal after a short hike into Palmerton Pa., ¢good¢Ascent 1706Descent 278817.3 miles
Date: 2019-05-05
From: Palmerton Pa. 

To: Stealth Camp Site
Miles today: 6.9

Day 69Didn¢t leave town until a little after 12:00. It was raining and we weren¢t in a hurry. Had a great lunch at Joey B¢s in Palmerton. Caught an Uber back to the trail. Modern technology provides again. Palmerton is known for one of the most difficult and dangerous climbs out of town. The hype exceeded my expectations. After a half mile steep climb, we came face to face with close to vertical climb up huge boulders. I put my poles in my back pack,  as I had to use both hands to maneuver up the massive boulders. At one point, I had to put my knee on the next ledge, as it was too far to raise my leg, and then reach my hands up to the next rock to pull myself up. We got to the top and was awarded with a great view. What made it even more difficult, was that it was raining making the rocks slick. Later, we ran into a south bounder, that said there was an alternate trail recommended to be used in the winter and when it rained. I doubt we would not have taken the alternative even if we had known about it. We were getting cold and tired of hiking in the rain so we found a nice stealth camp site for the night, after hiking only 7 miles. Should get to New Jersey on Tuesday Ascent 1906Descent 8796.9 miles
Date: 2019-05-06
From: Stealth Camp Site

To: Wind Gap Pa.
Miles today: 13.9

Got out of camp at 7:30. Everything was still wet from yesterday. 13 miles to Wind Gap and a new pair of shoes from Amazon. No big hills or giant boulder climbing today, just Pennsylvania craggy rocks. Staying in town again tonight. Tomorrow 15 miles to NJ. Ascent 1371Descent 146913.9 Miles
Date: 2019-05-07
From: Wind Gap Pa.

To: Delaware Gap
Miles today: 15.3

Last day in Pa. Ubered from the hotel to trail at 7:30. Quick, steep climb out of Wynd Gap, followed by lots of rocks, no surprise. After 6 miles came to Wolf Rocks, a boulder hopping 200 yd. exercise. Compared to yesterday¢s rock climb out of Palmerton, this was a walk in the park. I enjoy these sections as they break up the monotony. Supposed to be infested with snakes, but must of been too cool for them to make an appearance. The rest of the day, the trail improved with less rocks, hopefully a good sign of things to come. Just before the descent into Delaware Gap, there was a great view of the Delaware River and NJ. The trail goes right through Delaware Gap. Staying at the Deer Head Inn, an early 20th Century converted hotel, very nice. Resupply tomorrow and hit NJ, a short trail state of only 72 miles.Ascent 1731Descent 243415.3
Date: 2019-05-08
From: Delaware Gap

To: Stealth Camp Site 
Miles today: 9.1

Going to the pharmacy and other errands ate up most of the morning. After an excellent dinner last night at the Sycamore Grill, we discovered the Village Bakery for breakfast and returned again for lunch. Back on the trail at 1:00, first crossing over the Delaware River and in to NJ. Then the normal climb out of town. Hoping for better trail conditions in the form of less rocks, was short lived as after a few miles they cropped back up. What did you expect, the rocks to disappear just by crossing the border, we¢ll I did. We were told in another 15 miles or so the rocks magically disappear, we¢ll see. Temps around 70 degrees made it a beautiful day. We hiked passed Sunfish Pond, a glacial pond and National Natural Landmark and then ridge walked with great views the rest of the day. Camped in a stealth camp site with clear skies tonight and hoping for a show of stars. Ascent 1690Descent 6029.1 miles
Date: 2019-05-09
From: Stealth Camp Site 

To: Brink Road Shelter 
Miles today: 15.4

Out of camp by 6:30. Hiked 2 miles, stopped and had breakfast at an overlook of the valley below. Cloudy, in the high 40¢s and windy all day. Passed a couple of small lakes, including Crater Lake. High point of the day came when I stopped to relieve myself. I stepped a few feet off the trail, and not two feet in front of me was a rattle snake, coiled up. I moved back quickly. Due to the cold weather, he wasn¢t active. No rattle of the tail or move toward me. I¢ve seen a lot of black snakes, but this is the first rattler. Made it to Brink Road Shelter around 5:00. Supposed to start raining later tonight and continue most of the day tomorrow. SAS is in the shelter and I¢m in my hammock. I would prefer getting a good nights sleep and deal with the rain rather than sleep in the shelter. One other person in the shelter tonight. New Jersey is known to have more bears than any other state on the trail. Haven¢t seen any yet. There is a bear box at the shelter which makes it easy not having to hang our food. Ascent 2236Descent 203515.4 miles
Date: 2019-05-10
From: Brink Road Shelter 

To: High Point Sheltet
Miles today: 19.5

Got out of camp at 7:15 and hiked 3.7 miles to a road crossing where a retired cop gave us a ride to a diner about a mile away for breakfast. He was interested in talking with us about thru hiking the trail. Very nice guy and asked a lot of questions. The forecast called for rain all day. It drizzled most of the morning, but cleared up around 1:00. The Doppler kept showing heavy thunderstorms coming our way, but they would dissipate before reaching us. Went by a number of lakes and did more climbing then we¢ve done since Virginia, culminating in a 19.5 mile day. Didn¢t arrive in camp until 7:00pm. We¢re at High Point Shelter, but as usual not staying in the shelter. Found a nice spot for my hammock. Three gentlemen about my age are in the shelter along with an unknown number of mice. Expecting a nice night. Another long day tomorrow to get to town and resupply. May take a zero on Sunday, as it would be only the second one in 24 days and rain is expected all day, well see. Ascent 2969Descent 278719.5 miles
Date: 2019-05-11
From: High Point Sheltet

To: Vernon NJ
Miles today: 18.7

Out of camp at 7:15. Hiked about 3 miles before having breakfast. That seems to be our new routine . We were near Unionville NY at 11:00am, so we walked the quarter mile into town and had lunch at a deli. A number of climbs during the afternoon, but in between were the Jersey swamps. We walked through miles of marshlands and bogs. Fortunately, most of it had boardwalks to keep you out of the slop, although by the end of the day we had trudged through our share of mud.  Near the end of the day, we came to the Pochuck Boardwalk. This is a 1 mile boardwalk through marshland that is very popular with the locals. A shuttle picked us up to take us to Mountain Creek, a ski area where we were able to get a condo to take our zero tomorrow. Ascent  2270Descent 315718.7 Miles
Date: 2019-05-14
From: Vernon NJ

To: NY Route 17
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Back on trail at 8:00am, after two zeros. The low 40 degree temperatures and all day rain made it an easy decision to stay in town an extra day. Today was expected to be slightly above 40 and steady rain in the afternoon, unfortunately the forecast was correct. At mile 9, we left NJ and entered NY. Walked atop a ridge for 3 or 4 miles on extremely slick rocks. SAS fell 3 times, lucky not to get hurt. After 15 miles, cold and wet we dropped into Bellvale Farm Creamery. We have run into a number of these locally owned farm creameries near the trail in NJ. Yes, I was cold and wet but could not pass up home made ice cream. A scoop of chocolate in a waffle cone and we talked ourselves into going to a B&B down the road. Staying at the Stoney Brook inn. The owner Bill, drove us to a local restaurant for dinner. Ascent 2947Descent 216415.1 Miles
Date: 2019-05-15
From: NY Route 17

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Got to the trail around 8:00 after a very nice stay at the Stony Brook B&B in Warwick NY. Terrain was pretty much the same with multiple climbs culminating with hand over hand rock climbs near the top. After 16 tough miles, we arrived at the shelter just before 8:00. We decided to stay in the shelter as it was getting dark and we had heard through the trail vine that a very smart bear was stealing food bags that were hung from trees as they should be. There were 5 of us in the shelter and we decided to keep our food bags with us and not risk hanging them. A young man arrived shortly after and decided to hang his bag. At about 11:00pm we heard a racket in front of the shelter. There he was, a large bear trying to get the bag down from the tree. We shined our headlamps to get a good view of the show. After about thirty minutes, the bag fell to the ground and off the bear went, at least that¢s what we thought. An hour later, we were all back asleep when one of the guys yelled, ¢bear.¢ The bear was ten feet from the wide open face of the shelter. We yelled and he sauntered off. Usually bears run when you yell at them. A few minutes later he was back, having only walked around the back of the shelter to appear on the other side. We all got up to show a united force, yelled, banged our feet and raised our arms to look bigger than we actually were. The bear wasn¢t impressed, but turned anyway and walked back into the woods. We fell back asleep and only had to worry about the mice running across our sleeping bags the rest of the night. 16.5 miles
Date: 2019-05-16
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Fort Montgomery NY
Miles today: 14.6

Rough night between the bear visit and my sleeping pad loosing air early in the night. Sleeping on a hard wooden floor does not make for a good nights sleep. Out on trail shortly after 7:00. Stopped for breakfast after a couple of miles. Just before lunch, reaching the top of a climb, we were rewarded with a view of the NY city skyline. Even though it was hazy, it was spectacular. Also, a great view of the Hudson River. A long 900 ft up and down, to end the day and now we are in Ft. Montgomery to resupply. Staying at the Bear Mountain Lodge, a nice touristy spot. 14.6 miles
Date: 2019-05-17
From: Fort Montgomery NY

To: Stealth Camp Site 
Miles today: 14.3

Got back on trail at 10:00am after resupplying in Ft. Montgomery. In less than a mile we walked through Trail Side Zoo and Museum. Yes, the trail goes right through it. It¢s a small zoo and the animals are in fairly small containment areas. Pretty sad and strange, in that we¢re walking through the woods and then see animals out of their natural environment, caged. Upon exiting the zoo, we immediately crossed the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge, followed by a very steep climb back into the mountains. This is a few miles north of West Point Academy.  After six miles, we came to the Appalachian Deli at a road crossing. An excellent NY style Deli in a convenience store. Fairly easy day, now lying in my hammock being serenaded by the bugs. Ascent 3425Descent 307814.3 miles