morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-25
From: Hostel in Harpers Ferry

To: Dahlgren Backpack Campgroud
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

very hot today and even small steep climbs resulted in my who body being soaked with sweat. i had a hard time getting into hiking today. maybe the heat, the fact that i was 1/2 way but really needed about 70 miles to really be 1/2 way or maybe too many days without a zero. looking forward to a weekend off later this week. this is a great camp site. 6 camp pads in a field with a bath house at the end with men,s/women,s side and 2 showers, sinks, and commodes in each. the bath house is lite at night and has hot/cold running water. one hiker was even zeroing here.
Date: 2010-05-26
From: Dahlgren Backpack Campgroud

To: Penmar County Park
Miles today: 23.5

Started hiking 7:45 AM Stopped 8:00 PM. Long Day. Need to find a place to camp. i missed the last shelter because of a mistake in my guide book or confusion between the book and signs on the trail. i needed to make a big day to get to my pick up point on friday so the mishap was not all bad. ended up camping about 1/2 to 1 mi past penmar along a creek. didn't get set up until after dark. this is a real nice park and you can order pizza for delivery from here. a lady who graciously gave me a ride to get some food and a coke told me they have live music on sunday afternoons in the summer.
Date: 2010-05-27
From: Penmar County Park

To: quarry gap shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

very nice shelter but too small and was full. many good camp sites and good water. so all was well. i started at 8 am and finished at 6 pm but my left shin was very painful and i developed a blister on the 3rd toe of my rt. foot. my knees have been a lot better since i got my new shoes and didn't put super feet in them.
Date: 2010-05-28
From: quarry gap shelter

To: pine grove furnace state park
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

linda picked me up at the general store close to the park entry. this is a very section of trail and the most miles of road walking so far. it was welcome because my shin was very painful. i guess it is tendonitis and hope it clears up with 3 days of rest at home. i did the 1/2 gallon challenge eating my chocolate ice cream in 52 minutes. nephus ate his cherry in 13 minutes and has the reccord for 2010 by a big margin. 3 others were taking on the challenge and were struggling to finish. it took us 3 hours to get home and we were both very tired.
Date: 2010-06-01
From: HOME

To: BOILING SPRINGS- ALLENBERRY INN
Miles today: 19.7

LINDA LEFT ME OFF AT 9:30 AM AFTER A DETOR FOR A TREE AND LIVE WIRE DOWN IN THE ROAD. THE WALK WAS EASY AND I INTENDED TO STOP AT ALEC KENNEDY SHELTER BUT MISSED IT AND ENDED UP IN BOILING SPRS. I TALKED TO SOME YOUNG GUYS WHO SUGGESTED I STAY AT THE ALLENBERRY. I NEVER HEARD OF THE PLACE BUT CALLED AND THEY HAD A ROOM. THE GUYS GAVE ME A RIDE AND I GOT THERE AT ABOUT 7:30PM AND GOT A ROOM AND LAUNDRY FOR 24.00 PLUS TAX. THE RESTAURANT WAS CLOSED SO I COOKED A G\FREEZE DRIED DINNER OUTSIDE THE LAUNDRY AND THEN WENT OFF TO BED AFTER ICING MY ANKLE. THE PLACE IS AWSESOME FOR 20 DOLLARS FOR A PRIVATE ROOM AND BATH.
Date: 2010-06-02
From: BOILING SPRINGS- ALLENBERRY INN

To: DARLINGTON SHELTER
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: broken clouds

LEFT ALLENBERRY AT 8:30 AM AND ARRIVED AT THE SHELTER AT 3:30 M. THOUGHT ABOUT PUSHING ON BUT WANTED TO REST MY LEG WHICH WAS DOING BETTER AFTER A SLOW DAY. THE BAD THING WAS THE HEAT AND THE BUGS.   13 MILES OF THE DAY WAS TRAVELING BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF i-81 OVER TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VALLEY HEADING NORTH. THE WALK WAS MAINLY FLAT, BORING, AND BETWEEN HUGE FIELDS. IT ENDED WITH A SHORT BUT STEEP CLIMB TO THE SHELTER. I WAS JOINED BY A COAST GUARD SECTION HIKER AND AFTER DARK BY RIVER DOG AND TRAVELER.
Date: 2010-06-03
From: DARLINGTON SHELTER

To: DUNCANNON (DOYLE HOTEL)
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

SHORT DAY INTO THE INFAMOUS DOYLE HOTEL. LEFT AT 8:30 and arrived at 1:30 pm. this place is a clasic hotel in the 1930's but is very run down today. the owners are very nice and the bar/ dining room is pretty nice but the rooms are just beds. the bath is a separate room on each floor. had a big steak dinner so i should be ready to go tomorrow am.
Date: 2010-06-04
From: DUNCANNON (DOYLE HOTEL)

To: stealth site after clarks creek
Miles today: 20.0

out at 7:30 and stopped at 7:45pm. saw 1 dear (rare occurance) and 1 turkey hen. pretty easy hikingexcept for 2 rock climbs. shin and knees did good walking but hurt when i laid down. camping with dan that i met the shelter before the doyle. we wanted to camp at clarks creek but it was real close to the road and there was an army of mosquitoes around the creek. climbed about 1000 ft up the mountain past a spring that was the color of an orange (old coal mining area) and finally found a small wide spot just big enough for our 2 tents. as soon as we set up and finished dinner (dark) it started to sprinkle and then storm and rain harder. it rained off and on all night and some while we were breaking camp. i did take several long breaks today the high point of which was on a walkway over pa 325. i ate lunch (peanut butter on bagel) with some camp workers from a christian summer camp in the area. a really nice bunch of young people, one of which was from st marys, wv. they had a prayer for me after lunch and i headed off. also got a coke from a trail magic box just before the foot bridge. thanks for the refreshment!
Date: 2010-06-05
From: stealth site after clarks creek

To: lickdale (best western)
Miles today: 15.2

dan was going into lickdale and the draw of a shower, bed and drying out my stuff from the rain drew me in. also needed a few snacks for the next 2 days. this was a real easy section until the end which was confusing weaving between major highways. started at 8:30 and stopped at 3:30. some guys floating the river gave us a ride to "town" it's really a campground, little store and a I-81 exit ramp giving rise to 3 hotels and several fast food restaurants. i did see a limestone scrubber on rausch creek so it may be a good brookie stream on down from there.
Date: 2010-06-06
From: lickdale (best western)

To: hertlein campsite
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: broken clouds

made good time out of lickdale to wm. penn shelter and then on to 501 shelter. storms were forcast and about 1/2 mi from the shelter the first clash of thunder put me in overdrive and i hurried to the 501. 2 other guys were there and the caretaker came in to tell us a bad storm was on it's way and we were in a tornado watch county. the shelter is a nice one but no match for a tornado. i was wondering if his house had a basement. the storm hit hard and fast but was over in less than 1/2 hour. at 4 pm i left followed by the other 2 hikers. i arrived at hertlein at 6:30 and set up camp in the middle area between the streams. it was windy and the other 2 passed me as i was making dinner and they moved on to eagles nest 9+ mi. these young guys get up late then night hike to make up time which ends in a cycle of up late and in late!   thought i was alone but the next am while i was fixing my coffee and granola and a pop tart, another hiker came by. he was at the 3rd site passed both creeks.
Date: 2010-06-07
From: hertlein campsite

To: port clinton
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: scattered clouds

left at 9 am and got into port clinton at 5:10 pm. called the outfitter to see when he closed and got the # disconnected message. i called the p.o. and the great guy there said he was holding all the pkgs. for the outfitter what a relief. port clinton is hiker friendly but almost devoid of services since cabeles opened 2 miles away in hamburg. i talked to some people at the barber shop accross from the p.o. and found that the bed and bath above may have a room. ron offered to take me to where the caretaker was working her day job and also took me to hamburg to get a fast food supper. he dropped me off at the warehouse and the lady was busy but told me to wait outside and she would come down and let me in. pricy for what you got but i had the place to myself and she let me do a load of clothes before she went home.
Date: 2010-06-08
From: port clinton

To: eckville shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

got up and walked 1 mi each way to a restaurant for bkft. then decided i needed alcohol for my stove and was told a guy may give me a ride. he was a real nice man and said he had alcohol for just such an occation. i went back to the b&b to get my container adding another 1/2 mi to my road walking before my trail day started about 9:30 am ( got up at 6:30). the day to eckville was uneventful only seeing one blacksnake. there were some good views from the pinnacle and the place was loaded with day hikers. took some pictures and walked the rest of the day with a day hiker. made the day go faster.
Date: 2010-06-09
From: eckville shelter

To: blue mountain summit
Miles today: 11.5

craig (river dog) showed up at eckville last night and we walked out together and headed for as far as we could get. after a pretty steep climb up hawk mtn. it stared to shower about 10 am. the rain got steadily harder until at allentown shelter we were soaked and cold. we sat there not wanting to stay with only a short day completed but the conditions were worsening and we had the knife edge cliffs and bear rocks to navigate before the next shelter. there were 4 other hikers in the shelter and someone mentioned a b& b at pa 309 about 4 mi away. after some consideration we decided that was the best thing and craig called and made arrangements. we arrived there about 3 pm. we were wet and cold and happy to get out of the elements for the night. it did continue to rain all evening. the ownere was by himself but did fix us a club sandwich and bkft.
Date: 2010-06-10
From: blue mountain summit

To: stealth site after little gap
Miles today: 20.0

left the b&b with craig with no plan except to make up some of the miles we lost the day before. it was real rocky and the knife edge was a 200 yd section of cliff with at least 30 drop offs on both sides. of course the fall would have been cushioned with bolders if it had happened. i did like it but was glad that most of the rocks had dried off and real glad we didn't try it in the rain. this was followed by another 1.3 mi walk accross rock covered trail to arrive at bear rocks. the climb up was easy but the other side down was a bolder scramble and i had to drop my poles down and hang from my hands to get to the next level. i didn't like this either! the bad thing is a pack swing can pull you over it the weight gets going in the wrong direction. my now less than 140 lb frame and skinny arms are no match for even 30 lbs in motion. we stoped in palmerton for a steak sub, then headed out to climb up the zinc smelting, deforested ridge from lehigh gap. it was almost vertical and about 1200 feet high. i broke a pole about 3/4 the way up and could hardly stand from the force of the wind as we rounded the corner to the left as we got near the summit and palmerton came back into view. i was waking with my hat on backwards and still wasn't sure i'd have it at he end of the day. this section again required throwing up the poles and climbing up the rocks. you guessed it. i didn't like this secion either, but the view were spectacular.   we had an awful time finding a camp site and didn;t get set up until 9 pm.
Date: 2010-06-11
From: stealth site after little gap

To: wind gap
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: scattered clouds

out about 8:30 and off to wind gap. the walk was almost totally rock covered and each step had to be planned to keep from injuring a foot or falling in the next pile of rocks. the rocks aren't loose but the tops of large rocks so they don't give when you kick them or step on them. some are very sharp and gouge the sides and arches of your feet if you step on them wrong. by the end of the day we were both saying unkind words to decribe the rocks and pennsylvania in general. the first 2/3 of p.a. were not too bad but since the 501 shelter the rocks have gotten steadily worse. both the bolder climbs and the trail rocks. rumor is it continues for the next 15 of p.a. and 15 to 40 of n.j. rumors out here are not real reliable but i'm sure there are more rocks to come. the high point of the day was after river dog dropped back for a brown blaze (use your imagination) and as he was catching up he yelled "go away bear". i turned as i hadn't realized he had caught up and he said bear and pointed to my left. the bruin didn't want to leave and i snapped some pics. but don't think any of them turned out. craig told me he looked up to see the bear about 50 ft off the trail and 20 ft in front of him then saw me and it looked like the bear was following me or angling toward me and was going to cross the trail between us. craig had to yell several time before the big guy gave up his route and went off into the woods .
Date: 2010-06-15
From: worthing state forest

To: brink road shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

 started at 8 am and finished at 6:15pm many pretty vistas and sunfish pond was a real treat. 41 acre glacial lake with a high acid content so only pumpkin sunfish and perch can live in it. it is one of the n.j. 7 natural wonders of the world. the coast line was covered with rocks and many bull frogs were calling as i passed by. new jersey is more scenic than i would have imagined. also the rocks continue
Date: 2010-06-17
From: high point shelter

To: unionville, ny (mayors house hostel)
Miles today: 7.1

everyone seems to be doing resupply in unionville instead of vernon as i had originally decided. i'm here with murph. who showed up last night about 7:30 at the shelter. after hearing about this place we decided to stop here do a nero (almost zero day). the guy asked a 10 dollar donation and you get a bunk in the basement, dinner, breakfast, shower, laundry, and soft drinks are free as well as your first beer(50 cents after). the resupply was hard, only a small old store but i'm good for the next 3 or 4 days.
Date: 2010-06-18
From: unionville, ny (mayors house hostel)

To: Furnace Brook
Miles today: 21.9

Mosquitos eating me alive. Thought at one point they would carry me away.   No other campers around. Head is better, still have a big knot on it though. Walked on ramps over swamps for quite a long way today. It's hot, sticky and I smell. Hiked through lot of rocks including Prospect Rock the highest point on the AT in New York. Passed Greenwood Lake, lot of million dollar homes. Homesick today, a little down in the dumps, but feel more upbeat this evening. Can hear coyotes howling.
Date: 2010-06-22
From: Clarence Sahnestock State Park

To: TELEPHONE PIONEER SHELTER
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: overcast clouds

POURING THE RAIN DOWN A PRETTY BAD LIGHTNING/THUNDER STORM. WALKING WITH RAFI WHO IS A PERSONAL TRAINER. HE KEEPS ME MOVING AT A FASTER PACE THAN NORMAL. RAFI HAS RUN 11 MARATHONS, HAS A HOUSE IN GA AND PUERTO RICA. WE STARTED WALKING AT 7:45 AND GOT TO THE SHELTER AT 6:30. RAFI PREVIOUSLY HAD SOME BAD SPIDER BITES, GOT IN HIS SLEEPING BAG. WILL BE IN CT TOMORROW (18 MILES AWAY).
Date: 2010-06-23
From: TELEPHONE PIONEER SHELTER

To: Schaghticoke Mt Camp Site
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: broken clouds

Pretty walk along 10 mile river today. Some pretty steep climbs, worse because of the heat. Bugs not too bad today. Took a bath and washed my clothes in the creek. Camping with Rafi again. Knees hurt a little by the end of the day. Going in to Kent tomorrow to pick up drop.
Date: 2010-06-26
From: SALISBURY, CT

To: GLEN BROOK LEAN TO
Miles today: 15.2

NOW IN MASS ABOUT 675 MILES TO GO. ATE SOME JUICY SWEET BLUEBERRIES HERE. THREE BIG PONDS AND SOME GOOD VIEWS. CELL PHONE NOT WORKING SO WILL BE OUT OF REACH BY PHONE UNTIL LINDA (WIFE) SENDS ME HERS. STILL HIKING WITH RAFI SO I'M SURE I COULD USE HIS IF AN EMERGENCY COMES UP.
Date: 2010-07-01
From: Mark Noetel Lean To

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: light rain

Went over Mt Greylock, the highest point in MA. I'm now in VT. Rafi was feeling sick last night, had to flag someone to take him to the hospital. Thinks maybe it's the flu. Hiked with 2 section hikers today, David and Brian. They took me to N. Adams to get some supplies.
Date: 2010-07-13
From: TRAPPER JOHN SHELTER

To: ore hill shelter
Miles today: 19.1

lot of climb1s on this 19+ mi day. 3000 to 4000 feet in all. i saw 3 grouse in blue berry patches. i think they were all ruff grouse but the spruce is also in the area. it rain last night from about dark until almost day light. glade to be in the shelter although i sleep with my head net on to fend off the mosquitoes.
Date: 2010-07-14
From: ore hill shelter

To: hikers welcome hostel, glencliff, nh
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light rain

three hikers i know took off for moosilauke mtn. shortly after i got here but with the long day yesterday and rain forecast for late this afternoon i decided to stay here tonight and head out tomorrow with a forecast of sunshine. pretty uneventful walk here with only one 700 ft climb.
Date: 2010-07-15
From: hikers welcome hostel, glencliff, nh

To: kinsman's notch
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: light rain

went with 3 other hikers to slack pack mt. moosilauke. the north side is very steep and slick so we went down there to kinsman's notch to walk south to north back to the hostel. the idea being it is safer even though harder to climb the steep area. the first mile was indeed steep with steeps and rebar inserted in the rock face beside a stream. we had a good hike and got back in 6 hours. not real fast but we all returned safely. the views were real good from the top of the bare mountian at 4802 feet.
Date: 2010-07-16
From: kinsman's notch

To: n. woodstock
Miles today: 0.0

have to go to n. woodstock to pick up my winter gear and food for the white mountains. i hadn't planned on slack packing and coming back to the hostel last night. i didn't want to carry a fully loaded pack over moosilauke. i need to buy a pair of pants because i have lost so much weight that i could never keep the long pants i started with from falling off.
Date: 2010-07-18
From: LONESOME LAKE HUT

To: MT GARFIELD
Miles today: 13.1

FINAL ENTRY: I HAD A ROUGH DAY WITH 5 FALLS, NONE SERIOUS, BUT BROKE ANOTHER HIKING POLE. THIS HAS BECOME A WORK EXPERIENCE AND IS GETTING DANGEROUS WITH MANY SLICK ROCK CLIMBS AND I'M 30 LBS DOWN IN WEIGHT AND FINDING IT HARD TO MAKE SOME OF THE SHORT CLIMBS. THIS ISN'T FUN ANY MORE AND I'VE DECIDED TO LEAVE EVEN THOUGH I'M ONLY 362 MILES FROM THE GOAL. THE FINAL HOURS WENT LIKE THIS, AFTER THINKING OF STOPPING THE HIKE FOR MOST OF THE DAY. REASON FOR FINISHING: ONLY TO SAY I DID IT. I DID WALK ABOUT 1815 MILES IN A LITTLE OVER 4 MONTHS AND FINISHING WOULD ONLY GIVE ME A POINT TO BRAG ON. JUST BEFORE GARFIELD HUT I WAS THINKING IF I COULD GET OFF THIS MOUNTAIN I WOULD FINISH MY WALK TODAY. I THEN RAN INTO A COUPLE WITH A MAP WHO SHOWED ME A WAY TO WALK DOWN GARFIELD TRAIL 4+ MILES AND REACH A ROAD. AT THE END OF THE WALK OFF I RAN INTO A VERY NICE YOUNG MAN FROM BOSTON WHO OFFERED ME A RIDE TO THE AIRPORT THERE. THE PROBABILITY OF THIS HAPPENING HAS TO BE VERY LOW. AFTER WALKING OFF THE MOUNTAIN TO A GRAVEL ROAD THE FIRST PERSON I MEET IS OFFERING ME A RIDE OF AROUND 3 HOURS TO EXACTLY WHERE I NEED TO GO TO CATCH A FLIGHT HOME. I WAS IN A HOTEL BY 11:30 AND BOOKED THE LAST SEAT ON A FLIGHT TO DULLES BY 1 AM. I'M GLAD TO BE HOME AND START THE PROCESS OF HEALING MY KNEES AND GAINING SOME MUCH NEEDED WEIGHT. THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED ME ALONG THE WAY AND THIS HIKE WOULD NOT EVEN HAVE GOTTEN OFF THE GROUND WITHOUT MY WIFE LINDA WHO WAS MY SUPPLY SUPPORT PERSON BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY MY MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT PERSON. I DIDN'T LET ANYONE KNOW I WAS COMING HOME UNTIL I WAS IN BOSTON. I DIDN'T WANT TO BE TALKED OUT OF WHAT I WAS SURE WAS THE BEST DECISION FOR ME AT THIS TIME. I HAVE NO PLANS OF RETURNING TO THE TRAIL AT THIS TIME. I WISH ALL THOSE STILL OUT THERE THE BEST OF LUCK AND HOPE ALL OF YOU MEET YOUR GOALS. POPPOP
Date: 2010-01-13
To: Things to remember.
Miles today: 0.0

There¢s an old adage that states ¢You¢re never too old to learn something new¢ or that ¢There¢s something to learn from everyone¢ ¢ even if it¢s what not to do. Knowledge acquired from others becomes wisdom ¢ it can be quite valuable if embraced and who of us out there doesn¢t feel a tad smarter enlightening someone else by saying, ¢Don¢t order the bratwurst.¢How many cramps have been avoided by not swimming an hour after eating? Or how about the brilliance from that classic ¢Don¢t stare into the sun during an eclipse.¢ With health care cost skyrocketing, it makes even more sense to heed the words of ¢An apple a day¢¦¢ doesn¢t it?Some wisdom's we teach ourselves like ¢Brush after every meal¢ does seem to make the dentist visits less annoying. Or that ¢No ones smarter than your boss.¢ (Especially when the boss needs to up their meds dosage!)I¢ve personally disproved one sage advice by throwing any number of objects and not putting anyone¢s eye out. As I¢ve aged I¢ve also grown to disagree with the grass being greener on the other side. ¢Counting what one has¢ instead of what one doesn¢t makes infinite sense to me. ¢No Rain, no pain, no gain, no Maine¢ helps us all wade into the relentless wetness that sometimes finds us on the trail.World hunger seems to persist whether or not I clean my plate. I¢m undecided if scratching it really makes it worse? There¢s a lot to be said for the immediate gratification of a good, vicious scratch.¢Hike your own hike¢ helps the hiker world cope with our differences and yet ¢Beginning is half done¢ couldn¢t be further from the truth when dealing with a 2175-mile journey. Clearly we¢ll all test the wisdom of ¢Don¢t sleep with your food in your tent¢ once or twice in bear country since it¢s so easy to quote ¢That¢ll never happen to me.¢ And ¢Counting ounces isn¢t fanatical, it¢s practical¢ to quote myself from my AT book are words most anyone whose ever gone up and down a mountain could whole-heartedly agree with. And anyone who has gone up and down mountains knows about the vast personal, introspective hours to ponder some of the worlds great issues such as do blonds really have more fun?The point is that these wisdom's become ¢sayings¢ because they have a universal truth to them. Frankly, who am I to not ¢Look both ways before crossing the road¢ to get a hitch into town? Nope, you won¢t catch me running with scissors or my Spork for that matter. As for me, I¢m going to continue to ¢Take it one day at a time¢ because ¢You only live once.¢ Y¢all ¢Have a nice day¢.