morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-08-16
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter 

To: Campsite at mile 1255.6
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

My plan called for a 10 mile day to the next shelter. But because of my early 6:30 start, I got there at 12:20, way too early to call it a day. The guide showed plenty of tent sites and campsites coming up and I half thought I might make it to the next shelter, my planned stop for tomorrow. As you can see, I¢d made an easy plan. Maybe I want to feel like Superhiker by blasting past my miles for the day. But as you¢ve heard me say before, I¢m pretty apprehensive about the Pennsylvania rocks. It was 4:15 when I got to this lovely campsite, complete with a view of Lehigh valley, so I pulled in for the night. No water source, but I arrived with a little over a liter. Breakfast this morning was coffee and a big bowl of cereal. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. A welcome break from Pop Tarts. This may well become my go-to breakfast. I¢ll just change up the cereal now and then. Of course this is with powdered milk.Ok, so today was without a doubt the day I hit the famous rocks of Pennsylvania. They actually didn¢t start at the PA 309 road crossing as I¢d been told. Rather they started after the power lines 1.8 miles further north. Knife Edge was a particularly difficult ridge walk, carefully and very slowly making my way over piles of boulders. There were quite a few sections like this. Coming down from Bake Oven Knob was equally bad. I¢m probably over cautious, but the thought of falling into these big boulders is downright frightening. Other sections were rocky in a different way. Lots of smaller rocks imbedded in the trail with sharp points to avoid. I do better on these sections because I don¢t have such a fear of falling. I¢m looking forward to tomorrow. I¢ll be met by John, an old office mate who lives in Kunkletown. It¢s a shower, laundry, a good dinner and a bed for me. And catching up with a good Friend.
Date: 2018-08-17
From: Campsite at mile 1255.6

To: Filbert B&B
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning¢s hike started out with a big milestone. After 0.9 miles I reached 1000 miles on the Appalachian Trail this year. That definitely put a spring in my step. I enjoyed my breakfast time with Fleischman, a flip-flop thru hiker with whom I shared the small campsite. We both wake early and shoot for 6:30 starts to our hikes. Today I had to decide whether to stay on the official AT and make the climb up out of Lehigh Gap or to take the blue blazed trail around it. I¢d often heard about how difficult and even dangerous the trail is there, a very steep and long rock climb. With the threat of rain in the forecast, I decided to take the coward¢s approach. The blue blazed ¢Lehigh Winter Trail¢ is both the side trail into the town of Palmerton and the safer ¢bad weather¢ route up out of the gap. It¢s probably a good thing I went that way because as soon as the trail split off to the right for the climb, it started raining. I can only imagine what those rocks would have been like slippery with rain. The route I chose was longer in length, but was mostly gravel and pitched reasonably. I¢ll bet it was quicker too, at least for me. After reaching the summit of Blue Mountain and reconnecting with the AT, the trail was mostly smooth and flat, a pleasant walk looking down at the socked-in Lehigh Valley below to the west. But all good things must come to an end and the last few miles were Pennsylvania-rocky. My plan had been to stay the night at my friend¢s place in Kunkletown, but because I arrived a day early, he was not available. By the time I reached the road crossing where I was to meet him, the rain had stopped, I was soaked in sweat, and the humidity was off the charts. I no longer attracted mosquitoes but became a magnet for flies. How appealing is that? Now the forecast was for heavy rain this evening. I looked for lodging options in the area and saw Filbert B&B. I made a call and was picked up by Kathy, the proprietor. It¢s an old Victorian farm house converted to a B&B in 2002. Nice to have a shower and clean clothes. John will meet me at the end of tomorrow¢s hike. I¢ll be done with Pennsylvania by Monday or Tuesday.
Date: 2018-08-18
From: Filbert B&B

To: The home of John & Elizabeth Dworak 
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Kathy drove me back to Blue Mountain Rd after serving me a tasty B&B style breakfast and I continued north at 7:50. The initial rocky climb definitely woke me up, but after that it was mostly smooth sailing. I called my brother Dan who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and we talked about my upcoming visit there and all the marvelous hikes he wants to take me on, including a redwood forest hike in Oakland. I¢m looking forward to hiking in anything other than the eastern woods, as much as they¢re dear to my heart. I spent most of the 7.3 miles hiking at a good clip getting me to my destination at Smith Gap Rd at 11:30. On my way I thought about how I wanted to finish my Pennsylvania section. Should I hike on to Wind Gap, an additional 8.1 miles, or should I make it an early day. Could I boldly ask John and Elizabeth to put me up for two nights? If so, I could have two easy days and a final long day on Monday from Wind Gap to my car at Delaware Water Gap. Given the forecast for continued rain until Monday, I opted for the two short days today and tomorrow. Turns out John is happy to accommodate me and shuttle me to and from the trail both days. I¢m very much enjoying catching up with John and his wife. He and I worked together at the bank. John retired nine months before me and we both feel the same about retirement. We love it and don¢t miss work at all. I highly recommend retirement as a way of life. So just two more days to finish Pennsylvania. My feet are holding up just fine and I¢ve even stopped taking my prescription anti-inflammatory pills. Life is good.
Date: 2018-08-19
From: The home of John & Elizabeth Dworak 

To: Wind Gap, PA
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Another short day. I was hiking with my backpack pretty much completely empty, knowing I¢d be back at the Dworak¢s this afternoon. I was moving fast over rocky terrain and made it to Wind Gap by 11:30. I sent John a pin of my location and he and Elizabeth picked me up after church. After a shower and starting laundry, they served me lunch and I took a wee nap in the afternoon. We then went to the annual West End County Fair where we heard a sing-off of local church choirs. Their church choir participated. We didn¢t stick around for the panel of judges to pick the winner, instead opting for dinner at their church¢s pavilion. Kielbasa and krout for me. Definitely a down home scene. Tomorrow it¢s back to real hiking after three short days of short hikes, showers, clean clothes, good meals and beds. I¢ve got 15.1 miles back to my car parked at Delaware Water Gap. Then one more state checked off. And a short drive home.
Date: 2018-08-20
From: Wind Gap, PA

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

My friend got me to Wind Gap and I started hiking at 6:50. A heartfelt thanks to John and Elizabeth for hosting and slackpacking me for two days. I had 15.3 remaining in Pennsylvania and I wanted to get an early start. I¢m glad I did as it turned out to be another rocky day. I knew I¢d be facing Wolf Rocks and I had pretty much decided I¢d take the blue blazed trail around them. In a state known for its rocks, when there¢s a named section that has the word ¢rocks¢ in it AND they¢ve built a trail to bypass them, I figured they¢d be bad, maybe even dangerous. After around 6 miles I arrived at the junction with the bypass trail and took a few steps up it. Then I stopped and thought again about what my friend Second Chance had said about Wolf Rocks. She only found out she¢d hiked through them afterwards when someone told her and she hadn¢t thought they were all that bad. Well today I had no ¢bad weather¢ excuse so I turned around and proceeded up the AT. I still didn¢t know whether Wolf Rocks were a stretch of particularly bad pointy and sharp rocks imbedded into the trail or a patch of big boulders that I¢d need to navigate slowly with caution. It turned out to be the latter. But these rocks were not nearly as bad as other such portions I¢d experienced in Pennsylvania and elsewhere for that matter. I was glad I¢d stayed on the AT.I met Nick on the way, a young southbounder who had started recently in New Jersey. He was relocating to Florida and figured he¢d hike most of the way there. Nick was very new to trail life so I emailed him a copy of my list of hostels voted best by last year¢s class of thruhikers. The closer I got to Delaware Water Gap the more people I ran into. I saw a large group of young people that I guessed were on a Freshman orientation outing. Lots of day hikers too. It was a long climb down to the hiker parking lot where my trusty car was patiently waiting for my return. Another happy reunion when the car unlocked and started without a hitch.Throughout this six day section finishing Pennsylvania I¢ve been noticing a new tightness and slight discomfort in what I¢m thinking are my hamstrings and/or lower back. I¢d feel it simply walking up the stairs at John¢s house. I¢ll need to try some stretching.It¢s nice to be home again. Joan and I are visiting friends on Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes this weekend. Then I fly to Iowa to visit my mother and the two of us fly to San Francisco to visit my brother Dan. He¢s got some nice hikes planned out there. When I return I¢ll be back on the trail hiking the great state of Vermont. I¢m hoping Vic, the shuttle driver who rescued me when I was sick at the start of Vermont, will be able to drive me to the spot where I got off. Vermont hosts 148 miles of the AT and it should be beautiful in September; less mud, fewer insects, cooler weather, and even some fall colors if I¢m lucky.
Date: 2018-09-08
From: County Rd, just into VT

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter 
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

I¢m back on the trail. This time to hike the great state of Vermont. The AT shares its first 100 miles with the Long Trail, our country¢s first long distance hiking trail. I ran into some ¢end to enders¢, the traditional term for Long Trail thru hikers, today. After Mount Killington the AT splits off to the northeast while the Long Trail continues north to the Canada border. I have the good fortune to be hiking today with my brother Nate who¢s joined me for a day and an overnight. Tomorrow he¢ll hike south back to the Rt 9 crossing and get a ride back to his car in Williamstown, MA. Nate lives in Portland, ME with his family. He¢s always been active and keeps himself in good shape. And he¢s ten years my junior. I must remind myself of this as he¢s proven himself to be a significantly faster hiker than I. And he¢s hiking on two artificial knees. Hiking and camping is a great way to spend time together and I¢ve very much enjoyed his company. Prior to my hike of Pennsylvania, I hiked Massachusetts. It was at the end of that hike, just into Vermont, that I got sick and had to end my hike a day short. Vic, the same shuttle driver who rescued me that morning and provided me with a shower and a set of clean clothes, drove Nate and me to the very spot where I had gotten off on that rainy miserable day. Vic will be meeting me in Hanover, NH to drive me back to my car which he has graciously allowed me to keep at his home. It¢s good to be back. The hiking was pretty slow today. Lots of rocks, roots and mud. And the climbs down to and up from the Rt 9 crossing we¢re long and steep. It was blessedly cool today which helped a lot. I¢m lying in my hammock grateful that I have my winter weight quilt. It¢s already cold at night up here in the mountains of Vermont.
Date: 2018-09-09
From: Melville Neuheim Shelter 

To: Kid Gore Shelter 
Miles today: 12.8

Two things taking me somewhat by surprise. So far Vermont has been rockier than I had expected and it¢s been colder than anticipated. These first two 12.8 mile days have been pretty slow going. Pretty much everywhere I¢ve hiked, most days have offered at least some stretches where you can open up and cruise along. Relatively flat and free of rocks and roots. So far not in Vermont. And cold? It was 42 degrees this morning. I hadn¢t packed gloves. It¢s been so hot back home. My brother loaned me his alpaca gloves to use for the trip. Thanks, Nate. Nate and I said goodbye this morning after breakfast. He headed back down to the Rt 9 crossing while I continued my northbound hike. I think I could get used to hiking with a partner. It felt lonely today. The hikers at Congdon Shelter where I stopped for lunch weren¢t much interested in conversation. I¢ve also been struck by how quiet the woods have been. No bird songs; not even any crickets at night. I¢m alone tonight. Kid Gore Shelter offered no good hammock hanging spots so I walked ahead to where the guide said there was a camping area with a stream. The stream offers good water, but I can¢t see how they can call this a camping area. It¢s way too rocky to pitch a tent and I¢ve hung my hammock over numerous microwave oven-sized rocks. It¢s been a challenge not tripping over them, especially with hiker hobble legs. Tomorrow it¢s up and over Stratton Mountain on a 15 mile day. I¢ll need to work on my attitude. This is supposed to be fun.
Date: 2018-09-10
From: Kid Gore Shelter 

To: Campsite just north of Kelly Stand Rd
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: light rain

The plan called for 15 miles up and over Stratton Mountain, a 1700 ft ascent and descent. The forecast calling for rain. I got started shortly before 6:30 and enjoyed the hiking. There were short stretches of easy terrain where I was able to cover ground quickly, at least for me. I arrived at the first shelter mid-morning. There was a fire going tended by a gentleman of my vintage who had decided to take a zero there due to the 100% chance of rain which had yet to come. There was good cell coverage there so I called Joan. She hadn¢t heard from me since Saturday due to lack of coverage. Nor have I been able to post any journal entries on this trip. It¢s a blackout here tonight as well. I certainly didn¢t want to stop for the day at that early hour so consulting the guide I saw a campsite just north of Kelly Stand Rd, just before the Stratton ascent. Two other guys showed up at the shelter also planning to get over the mountain. Also considering stopping short. We told ourselves we¢d see what happened with the rain. I met them again at a stream crossing just before Kelly Stand Rd. It had just started sprinkling and we checked the forecast again. 100% today and a mere 60% tomorrow. That settled it. So the three of us are here at this campsite. Thankfully the rain didn¢t start in earnest until after I¢d set up my tarp and hammock. It¢s been a long afternoon lying here. I finished my audiobook, took a nap, read some, came up with potential plans for tomorrow, and cooked dinner using my hammock as a chair. It would be nice if the rain stopped in the morning when it¢s time to break camp.
Date: 2018-09-11
From: Campsite just north of Kelly Stand Rd

To: Green Mountain House Hostel 
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: mist

The question of the day: was I going to try and get back on plan and make it 17.5 miles to the hostel, including the 1700 ft climb over Stratton Mountain? I had my doubts. Fortunately the Stratton ascent and descent, though long, were gradual. And not bad under foot. And after a short day yesterday and way more sleep than I needed, I was in top form. The rain came down hard today, continuing last night¢s soaking, making the trail a sloppy mudway. Here I¢d chosen to hike Vermont during the month of September because it¢s supposed to be the driest. Oh well. This state has certainly earned its nickname of Vermud. The mud slowed me down a lot, jumping from one side of the trail to the other to try and avoid the worst of it. And now that I¢m walking through coniferous forest, the trail is often covered in roots. Throw in the plentiful rocks and you¢ve got the trifecta for slow hiking. I kept changing my mind about where to end my hike today based on the progress I was making. In the end I decided to go for it and make it to the hostel 17.5 miles. The last two miles seemed to go on forever. It took me 11.5 hours, but I made it. I met some nice hikers today. The two men I camped with last night, Phil and Dave, are hiking the entire Long Trail. It amazes me how pretty much every hiker I come across hikes considerably faster than I. And not just the young¢uns. But I actually passed a woman who looked to be in her 40¢s. I thanked her for hiking slowly. There¢s a young guy from Georgia by the name of Big Chicken who just graduated high school and is thru hiking the AT southbound. Very impressive guy. The Green Moulton House Hostel is quite nice. $35 gets you a real bed, free laundry, breakfast, use of the kitchen and of course a badly needed shower. The way they work it is you hitchhike from the road crossing into the town of Manchester Center, get dinner and resupply your trail food. Then you call them and they pick you up in town. Not arriving until nearly 6:00, I was nervous about making their 7:00 cutoff. But it didn¢t take long to get a hitch into town and I picked up something for dinner at the grocery store where I resupplied.
Date: 2018-09-12
From: Green Mountain House Hostel 

To: Peru Peak Shelter 
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

In my extolling of the hostel I neglected to mention the $1 pints of Ben & Jerry¢s. I chose Cherry Garcia. The ride to the trail wasn¢t till 8:00 so there was plenty of time to chat around the breakfast table. There were plenty of laughs and the whole experience put me in a good frame of mind for taking on the trail. The forecast looked promising with only a 30% chance of rain today and good weather after that. Clean dry clothes and wet boots, I was ready. With only 10.1 planned for the day, what could go wrong?The 30% turned into 110% before the first hour was up. On went my pack¢s rain cover and I was soon hiking in soaking wet clothes and muddy boots. No rain, no pain, no Maine, the saying goes. First up was the climb up Bromley. As I approached the summit the trail went up one of Bromley¢s ski slopes. It was all misty and it was fun to think about how I and my family growing up 50 years ago probably skied this very slope. It was marked ¢Easiest way down¢ so it¢s very likely. I chatted with a hiker up at the summit who, like me but last year, had to get off the trail at Fontana Dam. He¢s finishing up this year as I will be next year. I¢ve had a lot of opportunity to observe how my mind works while hiking alone without listening to music, books or podcasts. I don¢t often ponder meaty topics (well maybe meat). Today, as a typical example, I spotted a white blaze that was painted on a knot in a tree, recessed slightly as a result. Right away I thought, ¢The blaze is recessed a neat, clean, quarter inch away¢ to the tune of the old Parliament cigarette jingle. Older readers will recall when it was legal to air cigarette commercials on TV. Then for the next couple of hours that tune was on an endless loop in my brain. So much for solving the problems of the world. I rolled into the shelter shortly after 2:00. By then the rain had stopped but the humidity was so close to 100% that I could see the droplets of water in the air. I found a spot to hang my soggy hammock and started to pitch my tarp¢s ridge line. The strangest thing happened. I couldn¢t get it right. I fiddled with it for some time before giving up. I¢ve been doing this for 1100 miles. What¢s going on? I decided to walk away and try again later. Some Cheese-its would surely cure my failing brain. It worked. I went back, took everything down and started from the beginning. I don¢t even know what I¢d done wrong. Dinner was nice. Around the picnic table were Penguin, Solo, Sunshine, Dave, and Phil. All but Solo I¢d met before, three of whom were at the hostel last night. Two days of hiking in the rain has presented a problem: chafing. Under my arms and my upper thighs. I¢ll be putting on my wet clothes again tomorrow. Not looking forward to that. What I crave now is dry weather.
Date: 2018-09-13
From: Peru Peak Shelter 

To: Greenwall Shelter 
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Aside from it raining at 2:15 this morning, the rest of the day went splendidly. When I woke to the alarm at 5:00 the rain had stopped. A note about that alarm. It might be better to wake naturally. But in order to be hiking by 6:30 I need to be up at 5:00. I like being the first one out, breaking the spider webs and hiking at first light. Everyone ends up passing me anyway due to my slow speed and I¢ve always been a morning person. Besides I get plenty of sleep going to bed as early as I do. Today marks another 100 mile milestone: 1100 miles hiked this year. My tradition of taking a selfie with a finger for every 100 miles presented a challenge as I was born with only ten digits. Because the milestone was to occur just 0.3 miles from the shelter, I asked for a volunteer. Penguin said she¢d be along in a few minutes so I went ahead and scoped out a spot to secure my phone. When I crossed the footbridge that marked the spot I stopped to marvel at the sun and blue sky. The first since I started six days ago. Penguin came along and we got it done with ten of my fingers and one of hers. She¢s a die-hard Pittsburgh Penguins fan. We met up again mid morning at a shelter and traded stories. Turns out her mother was doing the New York choral singing thing around the same time I was. She now sings at a church in Greenwich Connecticut where Anthony Newman is organist. I had a hilarious story to tell her about my interaction with Tony back in the early ¢70s when he performed at my college. It¢s a small world out here on the AT. Today offered one of those hiking experiences that don¢t happen all that often. There was a long stretch of trail that went on for at least an hour with a nice gentle downward slope and relatively few rocks and roots. And not too much mud either. If felt almost like I was flying down the trail. And it was still morning so I had good energy, strength and no aches or pains. By the way, my feet are doing so well now that I¢ve stopped taking anti inflammatories. It¢s like my plantar fasciitis is gone. Who knew abuse is the best treatment. I got to the shelter at 4:00 and hung my hammock away from the shelter. There are three guys there our for a seven day hike, this being day one and therefore ¢bring along some beers¢ day. I did enjoy their company and one of them offered half of his baked potato to Penguin and me. Sunshine just came by my hammock to say hi. That¢s so nice of her. She¢s the slow hiker I passed a couple of days ago and has shown up at the past few shelters. It¢s the people you meet that make the trail experience what it is. One more thing. I passed two rock gardens today in a beautiful hemlock forest. Over the years hikers have added small rocks to dozens of small cairns. They are quite magical to come across. I¢ve included a photo or two.