morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-10-12
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Unofficial Tent Site
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

It was another very cool morning; the kind where you really hate getting out of your nice warm sleeping bag. By mid morning the sun was shining and it warmed up a little so that it was a great day for hiking. The trail was hilly but not steep; the primary challenge was the rocks. On the way up Rattlesnake Mountain I met a foursome coming down and they had to tell me all about the huge rattlesnake they had seen sunning itself on rocks near the summit. I was glad they like snakes and thought the sighting was the highlight of their day hike but I am not a snake lover and knowing there was a "huge" rattlesnake ahead certainly slowed me down as I neared the top of the mountain. There were rocks everywhere so until I was well down the other side I was constantly on the lookout trying to avoid a close encounter. It urns out I never saw the rattler but couldn't shake the feeling there was one under every rock until well after lunch. The hunt for snakes and the horrible rocks combined to make the hike slow going. I was happy when I found the unofficial tent site (a fairly large flat area with a fire ring that had obviously seen a lot of use). I was also happy it was pretty much rock free and very shady; no great need to fixate on snakes here. I set up my tent, ate supper, hung my bear bag and was ready for bed by 6:00. As the sun set I got into my sleeping bag to stay warm and was sound asleep before, maybe well before, 7:00.
Date: 2016-10-14
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: PA-33 Wind Gap
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: broken clouds

When I woke up today my hand was terribly swollen but hurt a little less than yesterday. I ate my muffins, packed up (the other hikers in the bunkhouse helped a lot with this as well as tied my shoes for me) and I was on the trail before 8:00. It was cool but the skies were bright blue and the sun was shining. The trail was still wet from yesterdays rain and probably some rain overnight but not at all muddy. I started up a long, steep at first but then gradual climb, up nearly 1200 feet, to the top of Mount Minsi. I found that I was able to use my right trekking pole by using only the wrist strap and my thumb to hold on. After getting to the top I followed a long, bumpy but nearly level, ridge for most of the rest of the day. I passed many overlooks with wonderful views of the rolling countrysides with trees nearly at their peak of fall colors and patchworks of farmland stretching out as far as I could see. The rocks, however, were horrible to walk on. It was impossible to develop any kind of rhythm when each step had to be selected and the almost ankle depth leaves hiding many of the smaller rocks did not make it any easier. Just after lunch I called Kathy and we decided to meet at PA-33 near Wind Gap, PA. About a mile before PA-33 Kathy met me on the trail and, after she checked out my hand, we walked to the car (the vanagon transmission was still being rebuilt) together. From the trailhead parking area we headed to a local restaurant and then a nearby hotel where we spent the night.
Date: 2016-10-15
From: PA-33 Wind Gap

To: Little Gap Road
Miles today: 16.4

Today the weather was a repeat of yesterday; cool with clear sunny skies. After a big breakfast we headed to the trailhead and I started hiking before 7:30. The trail started with a gradual climb, up about 500 feet, to Hahn's Overlook and then a fourteen mile long ridge with steep drop-offs on one or both sids for much of the way. Although the ridge was fairly flat it was still a slow, hard hike because of the horrible rocks. There were half mile long sections of trail where I never saw the ground; they were covered by every conceivable kind of rock. There was gravel, softball sized loose rock, beachball sized boulders and slabs of broken and unbroken rock at all different angles. All this rock made for slow going and it took me until nearly 5:00 to get to Little Gap Road where Kathy met me. She had started to hike to me me but was soon deterred by the rocks and waited at the car instead. Once to the car we headed to a local dairy bar for i large cup of ice cream for me and then to a local restaurant where we had dinner. We spent the night in a nearby hotel.
Date: 2016-10-16
From: Little Gap Road

To: PA-309, Blue Mountain Summit
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: light rain

When I woke this morning the palm of my right hand was totally black and blue but it hurt a little less than yesterday. I am now able to partially clench my fist and can wiggle all my fingers without much pain at all so I am pretty sure that nothing is broken and that my hand will eventually heal and get back to normal. The weather this morning was cold and very overcast but would clear by mid morning and warm to the mid 70's. After a big breakfast (hotels with complimentary breakfasts must lose money on thru hikers) we were off to the trail. The climb out of Little Gap Road was only 400 foot of elevation change but slow because of the loose, slippery gravel. Once I worked my way up the initial hill the trail followed a really bumpy path for about four miles before descending nearly 1000 feet to the Lehigh River where I had lunch with Kathy. After eating I climbed out of the river valley, up more than 1000 feet, to a ridge that went right over the Lehigh Valley Tunnel that the Penn Turnpike passes through. This section of trail may have the worst rocks in PA which is really saying something. After crossing over the tunnel the trail continued past Bake Oven Knob, Bear Rocks and Knife Edge before coming to PA-309 near the summit of Blue Mountain. Here Kathy picked me up and drove me to a nearby ice cream bar where I had a huge milkshake and she had a small cup of ice cream. We like these so much we decided to stay for supper (and, for me, another milkshake). After supper we went to a hotel in the area where, after showering, we watched a little TV then went to bed.
Date: 2016-10-17
From: PA-309, Blue Mountain Summit

To: Hawk Mountain Road
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: scattered clouds

It rained all night last night but, thankfully, it stopped before I got to the trail. I think we were having a bit of Indian Summer as the temperatures rose to the upper 70's and the humidity was at levels I hadn't experienced since early September. After another big complimentary breakfast we headed for the trailhead and I was hiking by 7:30. From Blue Mountain Summit the trail followed a fairly level ridge for more than 8 miles to an overlook called Dan's Pulpit then continued to Hawk Mountain. While on this ridge I was constantly bothered by some very persistent and extremely noisy mosquitoes that seemed to really like dive bombing straight into my ears. I guess the warm humid weather had woken them up and they were hungry. After swatting at them for the better part of an hour I finally had to resort to bug spray to keep them off of me. After Hawk Mountain the trail descended nearly 800 feet to Panther Creek where I found a nice flat rock where I ate lunch. After eating I continued on and after a couple hours reached Hawk Mountain Road where Kathy was waiting. We drove to the same hotel as last night where I cleaned up before we went out to dinner. After dinner we went to our room and were soon asleep.
Date: 2016-10-18
From: Hawk Mountain Road

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

It was very warm, upper 70's and humid today which made for some sweaty hiking but was apparently perfect weather for mosquitos which had a great time buzzing around my head most of the day. After breakfast we headed for the trail and I was hiking by 7:30. The climb from Hawk Mountain Road was a long but gradual and rocky accent of almost 800 feet in just over two and a half hours to a blue blazed side trail to a rocky outcrop called The Pinnacle. I rarely do blue blazed trails any more but I had heard so much from other hikers about this outcrop that I decided to take the quarter mile side trail to see what all the hullabaloo was about. It turns out that this was a pretty cool chunk of rock with steep cliff to the east that gave perfect views of miles of farmland below. After The Pinnacle the trail continued on to Pulpit Rock, another nice view point, and then dropped 600 feet to Furnace Creek. The trail then climbed up and down a couple of small but steep and rocky hills before taking a steep descent to Blue Mountain Road. When I got to this road there were a bunch of bikers taking a break there and we talked about hiking versus riding and the hot and humid weather before they mounted up and roared off. I wandered around in the parking area for a while looking for the white blazes south that I should follow but didn't see any. I checked Guthooks, my trail/GPS software, and headed where I thought it was sending me. After walking a quarter mile on Blue Mountain Road I spotted the trail 50 or 60 feet to my left down a very steep embankment. Rather than backtrack and find the trail to the trail I dumbly decided to climb down the embankment to get to the trail. The embankment turned out to be very loose ash like dirt into which I sunk in up to my shins after only a couple of steps. But once I started down there was no turning back as I slid nearly half way down before I realized this wasn't going to be very pretty. I was quickly heading for a wide ditch at the bottom that looked like it was filled with a wet version of the ash like soil I was sliding through when I managed to grab onto a sapling growing almost by itself. This helped me stop my slide and I was able to slowly make my way to the edge of the ditch without falling. I jumped the ditch and was soon on the trail; glad there was nobody around to witness the dumb descent I had just made. I followed the trail along the Schuylkill River to the little town of Port Clinton where Kathy met me. We headed to nearby Harrisburg where we ate and found a hotel room for the night.
Date: 2016-10-19
From: Port Clinton

To: PA-501, Pine Grove
Miles today: 24.1

Today the weather was ideal for hiking with clear blue skies, lots of sunshine, temperatures in the mid 70's and very low humidity. The hotel we stayed at started serving breakfast at 6:00 so we were able to get off to an early start. I was on the trail by 7:15. The hike out of Port Clinton started with a short road walk and crossing some railroad tracks before heading up a very steep, 1000 feet in less than a mile, and rocky hill to the top of a ridge. My right hand was still hurting so I couldn't efficiently use my trekking poles to help me up this climb. This, along with lots of leaf covered rocks, made the climb the most difficult in quite a while. At the top I passed a sign informing me I was hiking in state game lands so it wasn't surprising that I occasionally heard gun fire in the distance. I was wearing a bright orange vest so I was not too terribly worried that a hunter would mistake me for a deer. Just after lunch I heard a loud clanking noise ahead and when I caught up to it found it was a strange looking backpacker crawling on his hands and knees. He was an older fellow with a strangely beard and wearing an WW-I vintage external frame, canvas rucksack, an oversized rubberized poncho and rubber boots that came up to his knees. He was crawling along picking up something. I said hello and he whipped around as though he hadn't seen another person in days and gave me a big, friendly grin. I asked what he was collecting and he told me he was picking up acorns from the trail so hikers didn't come along and squash them. He said he spent most fall days picking up acorns and saving them so he could scatter them in the woods come the first snowfall. I told him I thought that was a great idea, wished him well and hurried ahead. Compared to this encounter the rest of the day was pretty uneventful and, with the nice weather and the easy, except for the rocks, trail I was able to cover a lot of ground. By 4:00, after only a bit less than nine hours, I had covered more than 24 miles; an average of nearly three miles per hour! As I approached PA-501 Kathy met me and we hiked the rest of the way to the car together. From PA-501 we headed to a hotel in Hamburg where we spent the night.
Date: 2016-10-20
From: PA-501, Pine Grove

To: Greenpoint School Road
Miles today: 14.8

It was another fine day for hiking; almost a carbon copy of yesterday. We slept late this morning so, after a leisurely breakfast, I wasn't on the trail until after 8:30. The trail head was high up on the ridge so my day did't start with the usual climb; a pleasant change of pace. I was excited about reaching Swatara Gap today as I had more than once been told that once I crossed that gap the numbers and difficulty of the rocks on the trail would go down significantly. That was something to get excited about. A mile before Swatara Gap the trail dove almost 1000 feet and passed under Interstate 81, the last interstate highway I would cross on this journey, then across the Swatara River Bridge into Swatara State Park. The trail through the park was well groomed and did indeed have few rocks; hopeful indications for the trail ahead. A short distance into the park I met Kathy and we walked together through the park to her car on Greenpoint School Road. We drove to a nearby hotel and spent the night.
Date: 2016-10-21
From: Greenpoint School Road

To: Victoria Trail
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: light rain

It was just plain icky this morning; cold, very overcast and dreary. By noon it there were high winds and pouring rain; not a very fun day to be on the trail. It was one of those days when there were not many road crossings so, despite the rotten weather, I was forced to cover over fifteen miles on the trail then another mile and a half on a side trail, The Victoria Trail, to get to a road crossing. The day started with a long climb, up more than 900 feet to the summit of Second Mountain with views of thick clouds in every direction. From there I descended 600 feet to a footbridge over Stony Creek before following a gravel road for a quarter mile to a bridge over Rousch Creek. Here the trail flattened out a bit and became extremely rocky. Then the wind and the rain hit. It came with a vengeance; more like an ocean squall than a forest storm. The trail quickly became a river through the rocks and increasingly thick piles of leaves. I was feeling a little sorry for myself until I remembered that I was within twenty miles of completing the trail. With that in mind I thought to myself that this storm, certainly not the worse I had encountered over the last seven months, was not going to stop me. I trudged on for the next 8 or 9 miles; slipping on wet leaves and stumbling on unseen rocks until, finally, I reached the trail crossing for the Victoria Trail; one of many side trails in the area and one that led to a road where Kathy was meeting me. The Victoria Trail was poorly marked and, with all the leaves, hard to follow. A couple of times I had to stop and wander around (in the rain) to figure out which way to go. Soon, however I could hear the cars on the highway I was approaching and that helped a lot. When I got to the parking area and Kathy she had the car heater going full blast and some nice dry towels for me to wrap up in. We hurried off to Harrisburg where we stayed at a very nice hotel for the night.
Date: 2016-10-22
From: Victoria Trail

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

This morning we slept in a bit and spent some extra time enjoying breakfast so I didn't start hiking until just before 9:00. It was cool and there was still misty rain as I started out but it cleared by mid morning and the sky, although remaining overcast, lighten more and more as the day went on. It took me half an hour on the Victoria Trail to reach the AT but, for the first mile on the trail, I was rewarded with some easy hiking over relatively flat terrain. Then the trail turned difficult with a couple of miles of hilly, rocky, wet leaf covered ground. Late in the morning I met Kathy at a road crossing and we had a snack together. From here I crossed a footbridge over PA-225 and the trail suddenly became an order of magnitude harder with lots of hopping over large randomly sloped slabs of rock and occasional steep, boulder scrambles up and down steep sections of trail. Every now and then I came to an outcrop of rock with a view down a thousand feet to the Susquehanna River valley where I knew my ultimate destination of Duncannon was waiting. Once I finally completed crossing these very difficult rocks the trail headed steeply down, thankfully via many switchbacks, to the river valley below. When I reached the bottom I abruptly emerged from forest to civilization. I crossed Clarks Ferry Bridge over the Susquehanna River then the Juanita River Bridge before heading into Duncannon. The last mile was through a mostly residential area with Halloween decorations everywhere. This was in stark contrast to the trail. As I approached the Doyle and the end of my journey Kathy joined me and we walked together. At the Doyle, after taking some photos, Kathy and I went inside for a pint of beer and a big lunch. We lingered there for quite a while; almost like when we got up and left the adventure would truly be over. Sure enough, when we left the hotel we knew it was over. An amazing adventure of a lifetime; seven months and seven days covering 2190 miles! Something neither of us would ever forget. We hugged, got in the car and headed home.
Date: 2015-05-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

After several discussions with my wife, the hike is on for 2016!!! I plan to leave sometime around April 5-6. I have all the gear I need, so I'll just be upgrading and shedding pounds where I can. My goal with food and water is 27 pounds. I thinks I can make 25 pounds, but a 2 pound cushion is more realistic.
Date: 2015-05-20
To: The Long Wait
Miles today: 0.0

10 1/2 months. Way too early to do any kind of training, but not doing any preparation is boring. I'll do some section hikes this summer and fall, and probably winter. Just thinking about any new gear that would add comfort, or reduce weight, or both. Thinking of Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer Jacket.10 1/2 frickin' months.
Date: 2015-05-22
To: Why do this anyway?
Miles today: 0.0

It was my second section hike, in 2013, that I stopped asking thru-hikers why they were doing it. I gave up on the ridiculous notion that everyone on the trail had some deep, profound, personal reason to be making this pilgrimage. But I realized then that most of us just love the woods, and love hiking. So now as I tell people that i too will be making the same pilgrimage, it's my turn to answer the endless queries of Why??But give me time, I'll come up with some good (made up) stories to satisfy people's expectations of why I would do such a thing.Any ideas???
Date: 2015-06-06
To: 10 Months
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

With 10 months until taking the midnight train to Georgia to start, there not much training one can do. I have just about all the gear I need, so now it's just a matter of upgrading a few items in quality and/or weight. So for now I'll just try to go about summer, do some section hikes, and try not to count the days until I start.
Date: 2015-07-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I made one small, very small concession to my wife. That I would carry a satellite tracking/emergency beacon on my hike. I ordered the Delorme InReach which will allow me to send messages to her, regardless of cell coverage. It will also allow anyone I allow, to track my progress along the trail. The hardest part will be avoiding the temptation to slip the device into a westbound car of people I may meet along the way. The look on her face when she sees the beacon making a beeline for Nebraska would be priceless !!!I'll be doing some backpacking this summer, and fall, and winter, but won't call them "practice hikes," or "training hikes," it will just be fun to be out in the woods.The idea of "training" to hike 2,186 miles to me is absurd. I will try to be in decent shape before starting my journey, but still planning to take it easy for the first 30 days on the trail.
Date: 2015-08-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Had a great section hike from Monday, August 10, to Saturday, August 15. 75 miles from Wolfsville Rd in MD, to Rt. 11 in Carlisle, PA. 75 miles.Day 1 ¢ Wolfsville Rd to Tumbling Run Shelter, PA ¢ 18.3 milesDay 2 ¢ Tumbling Run Shelter to Quarry Gap Shelter ¢ 12.2 milesDay 3 ¢ Quarry Gap Shelter to Tom¢s Run Shelter ¢ 13.6 milesDay 4 ¢ Tom¢s Run Shelter to Deer Run Campground ¢ 14.4 milesDay 5 ¢ Deer Run Camp. To Boiling Springs, PA ¢ 8.5 milesDay 6 ¢ Boiling Springs, PA to Rt. 11 Carlisle, PA ¢ 8.0 milesFelt great at the end of hike, and feeling more confident than ever about 2016! Did learn that I need a light under quilt for my ENO hammock when temps are 55-65 degrees, will create one using Army poncho liner.
Date: 2015-09-21
To: Fall is here - Long Winter Awaits
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The weather is getting chilly, fall is here. Soon winter, and a new year, the year I will hike the Appalachian Trail. It's still just a waiting game.Got a Garmin VIRB X action camera that I will taking with me. Starting to think about food. I don't want to become a "calorie monster," just stuffing my face with junk food for calories sake. If calories were all I needed, I would just drink Grand Marnier for 2200 miles. Still might.Constructed a mid-weight outer quilt for my hammock using a military poncho liner. Works good for temps between 50 and 65 degrees. Colder than that and I will use my ENO Blaze down under-quilt.Next step is experimenting with dehydrator and creating a good variation of food for the hike. Will be updating my blog with recipes.
Date: 2015-10-26
To: It's Getting Cold
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It still seems light years in the future when I will step foot on the Trail in Georgia and make my way to Maine. But as I see the leaves change color and fall to the ground, and swimming pools being covered for the winter, I realize that by the time those pools are uncovered again, and the trees awake from their winter dormancy, I will have begun my hike.The only real preparation I am doing now is cooking meals to dehydrate to test which foods re-hydrate the most moist and delicious. Soon I'll start identifying locations for mail drops. I won't have a schedule of mail drops, just locations I can have my send the boxes to as I approach.I read "Lost on the Appalachian Trail" by Kyle Rohrig. Had a nice chuckle when he wrote of celebrating his birthday on trail and penned: "Where had the time gone?" Ahhh, the longing for years past by a kid who just turned 25 !!!!! I guess that's 'old' to him.
Date: 2016-01-02
To: It's 2016 !!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

It's 2016, and the past two weeks have been more of a bender for me than someone preparing to hike from Georgia to Maine. It's because I am not preparing...yet. This week I will start dehydrating food, listing possible mail drops and deciding what final gear I need to purchase. Best piece of gear I received at Christmas was a 12 oz. flask with the inscription "AT Thru-Hike 2016." Just to have a little something to help on cold nights, or share with a fellow hiker in need. I will start to get in better shape. I hope to be able to jog two miles at a decent pace, and be able to hike 10 miles with 30 pounds on my back on the A.T. Being that the famed "Roller Coaster" of Virginia is only about an hour and a half away, I have a great training ground. I'm less concerned with the rigors of the hike, as I am the less physically demanding aspects of dealing with cold, unpacking and packing up again, every day. But after three years of section hiking, it has gotten easier each time.It feels more real than ever, but still seems a million years away. Will likely buy my ticket for the midnight train to Georgia next week.Start date looks to be March 28th.