morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-07-14
From: Backpacker's Campsite

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 26.0

I had received a message from hiker Cajun Fire that the first 12 miles out of Boiling Springs were mostly along the edges of farmland. This meant there would be little cover from the forest's canopy. Therefore, I set out early to hike these miles before the sun would be directly overhead. I made quick work of those miles and was back into tree cover by noon. There were small stretches of trail out in the open throughout the remainder of the day, but sunscreen and draping my handkerchief under my hat did the trick.This was the first time natural food was available alongside the trail. A few times I was able to pick some wild raspberries. The flavor of the fresh berries were a welcome change to drinking warm water. I even found a small patch of blackberries but the ripe ones were already picked by hikers ahead of me. When I reached Duncannon I came across the motherload of red raspberries and took some time to pick a large handful. More were available but I wasn't willing to venture too far into the weeds for fear of poison ivy and snakes.Earlier as I approached Duncannon, I came across a nice overlook of the valley and city below (see photo). From that spot there was a very steep downhill into down. In town I stayed at the Hotel Doyal. Although a bit run down it did fine for a hiker coming out of the woods. At the hotel bar I met Vicki and Patrick. They were running the hotel and have been together for 39 years. The food was great. I had a cheeseburger, fries, six wings and a fresh salad. Beagle and Boogerbear came in for a beer and sat beside me. We had a great time talking with Vicki. When we left, she came out from behind the bar and gave us all hugs.Then we walked a couple of blocks to get ice cream. I had a large waffle cone with chocolate peanut butter ice cream, yum! We then went to a small sports bar for one more drink and called it a night. We'd be heading back to the trail in the morning. For book followers, mile 1,148.3 page 113.
Date: 2018-07-15
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

I decided not to take a day of rest in Duncannon. There just wasn't anything in town to stick around for. But, I wasn't in any hurry to leave either. So I decided to wait out the threat of rain and have a short day of hiking to a shelter only 11 miles away. This would serve as a small rest. I used my morning time to have breakfast and do laundry. I then went back to the Hotel Doyal and sat on the covered second floor balcony to use their WiFi.While I was catching up on my journal, I received a text from Lost & Found asking where I was at. I'd last seen him in Harpers Ferry over a week ago. He left the day before me. Somehow I was able to get ahead of him on the trail. Right after sending a reply I heard a voice from the street below. He's walking on the sidewalk having just arrived in Duncannon. He was interested in a beer and watching the World Cup Soccer final.I spoke with him briefly and then he wandered off. About 30 minutes later I went looking for him and found him at the pizza place. There was about eight hikers there eating food and watching the game. I'm not necessarily a big fan of soccer but it was something to do while waiting for the rain to subside. And of course there was pizza and lunch time was just about here. I packed up and headed over to the pizza place. I came into the game just before the end of the first half and watched the remainder of the game, France won. Lost & Found and I split a large sausage-pepperoni pizza. And by large I mean larger than most pizza joints' larges.By the time the game was over I could see the sun was now shining. I'd beat the system by waiting out the rain. Or so I thought. Mind you, it was only a drizzle I was waiting out. In the end, waiting was a mistake. For now the humidity was in full force. Earlier there was none and I'd surely prefer to hike in light rain rather than high humidity. I hit the trail early afternoon and realized there was no perfect time to leave as my plan backfired and my freshly washed clothes were now drenched in sweat. I felt better when I arrived at the shelter knowing I'd knocked out another 11 miles. For book followers, mile 1,159.3 page 114.
Date: 2018-07-16
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

Of all my journal entries, this one isn't going to make you envious of my adventure. Today was the most uneventful day of hiking to date.I hiked the entire day alone and can't recall seeing anyone throughout the day, although I'm sure I seen someone. The miles were relatively easy and there were no scenic views. No pictures were taken today either.You could say the highlight of the day was completing the 18 miles at 3:00 PM. This gave me time to rest at the shelter but I was the only one there until Beagle arrived at 4:30. After that, others popped-in for water or to use the table to prepare a meal. But only Beagle and I slept in the shelter. Another 18 miles of adventure now complete. For book followers, mile 1,177.3 page 115.
Date: 2018-07-17
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: light rain

Happy Birthday to my sisters Laura and Laureen!There has been the chance of rain in the forecast for three days. To this point I've been lucky enough to not see more than a brief drizzle. That was about to change.To begin though, lets start with early morning where I came across a first on the trail. I heard rumors there was a flooded stretch of trail caused by a beaver's dam. Sure enough, a mile into the day's hike I arrived at a flooded area. There was water on both sides of the trail that extended far enough into the woods to rule out walking around the hazard. The good thing was that the water wasn't as deep as the rumors specified which was waist high. It was anywhere from three to eight inches deep and the bottom was another couple inches of soft mud and silt. I could see the other side and decided to remove my hiking shoes and used my rubber camp shoes to cross the hazard. All went well but I did get a shoe stuck in the silt a few times. There was no sign of the beaver.Around noon a hiker passed by while I was taking a break. He was just dropped off at the road I recently crossed. He said rain was coming soon. Within 20 minutes I had to stop to put on my pack's rain cover. It drizzled for about 30 minutes before starting to rain. It took me two hours to reach the nearest shelter. By then I was soaked. I arrived to find one hiker in his sleeping bag. I quickly got out of my wet clothes and into nice dry clothes. It was now about 2:30 in the afternoon. There was cell service and I used some time to enter a couple online journal entries then climbed into my sleeping bag to combat a chill. The rain stopped around 4:30 and the sun reappeared. Hikers that arrived after me, and the one that was there, opted to hike further down the trail to the next shelter 4.5 miles away. That shelter was fully enclosed, located right on PA 501, and a pizza place delivered to the shelter. I did an assessment and decided to stay here for the night. Pizza wasn't enough motivation to put wet clothes back on. However, my decision to stay meant I'd need a big day of mileage to reach Port Clinton tomorrow. As I've said before, get through today first, then worry about the next day. I'll worry about that in the morning after a night of warm, dry sleep. For book followers, mile 1,190.7 page 115.
Date: 2018-07-20
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: clear sky

My stay in Port Clinton took me to the nearby town of Hamburg, PA. This was where all the businesses a hiker needs were located. At the tenting pavilion was a trail angel named 'Can Do Will Do'. He's a former through-hiker from Florida and drove up to Pennsylvania to do a week of trail magic. He spent his time shuttling hikers around to ensure they were able to get everything they needed before heading back to the trail. He did this out of kindness, asking for nothing in exchange. He tented in the pavilion with the hikers.Can Do Will Do dropped me off at the laundromat and told me to give him a call when I needed a pickup. I updated my online journal while doing laundry and stuck around to use the power outlet when my laundry was finished. Eventually Boogerbear arrived and did his laundry. When he finished it was lunch time so we went to the nearby 1787 Brewing Company for lunch. They just opened in June. It was a great choice. Afterward Boogerbear headed to his hotel and I began walking to Wal-Mart for a resupply. Wal-Mart was almost two miles away.I was halfway there when Can Do Will Do spotted me, honked, and pulled over on the opposite side of the road. When I got in his truck he said loudly, "What the heck are you doing?" He was upset that I was walking instead of calling him to shuttle me to Wal-Mart. He was on his way to Wal-Mart now to pickup more hikers. When we left Wal-Mart to go back to the tenting pavilion there were seven hikers in his truck. The two in the truck's bed had to keep their heads down. I guess its a no-no to ride in the back of trucks around here.When night time rolled around I spent two hours talking with Can Do Will Do. He retired from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant (an E-8, E-9 is highest enlisted grade). We had a blast sharing our Air Force stories. He obviously had more to share having served 20+ years. It was nice to use all the Air Force lingo and have each other fully understand it. Can Do Will Do headed home the following day and I headed back to the trail. And although I only tented in town rather than a hostel or hotel, my stay in Port Clinton was wonderful. I've encountered many people like Can Do Will Do on my adventure and trail angels like him make things a bit easier and certainly more fun.It was good to see familiar faces in Port Clinton. I bumped into Tern, Kiwi and StriKer once again. My hike out of Port Clinton was to a shelter 22 miles away. I stopped to enjoy an overlook at Pulpit Rock, taking pictures and a small video. Beagle joined me at the shelter and Red Bard chose to tent. For book followers, mile 1,241.1 page 122.
Date: 2018-07-21
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: George W. Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 16.8

Today's hike was setup to be a bit shorter than what I prefer. That is because there was a shelter about 17 miles away and the one after that was nearly 17 as well. With a good chance of rain in the forecast, tenting between the shelters was undesirable.Rain was in the forecast to begin at 2:00 PM. When I left for the day my calculated arrival time was about that time. That left little time for error in the event I took extended breaks or dilly-dallied around while hiking. There's always an x-factor in hiking. Today it was two large rock fields that I had to navigate. Both required me to be very careful and move slowly. One slip and fall could have ended my adventure. I'm not exaggerating either. The rocks came up to form a ridge and you hiked along the top. A fall would be of at least six feet onto other rocks. Falling with a pack on your back would certainly prevent a controlled fall too. It was similar to walking a break wall on Lake Erie.When I arrived at an in between shelter to take a break it was just after noon time. Here I picked some wild blackberries and added them to my water. When I began hiking again it was time to motor to beat the coming rain. I moved as quickly as I could the next couple hours and hit my destination shelter about 2:25 PM. It was drizzling now but not enough to matter. I was in the shelter before the storm.And storm it did! Rain came medium-heavy by 6:00 PM. And shortly afterwards the high winds started. There was a dead tree right behind the shelter and all night branches smashed down on the roof. Many times one of us hikers would let out an obscene yell when a really big one hit. In the morning the wind was gone and the area around the shelter was littered with new firewood. The hikers that would soon follow us wouldn't have to work for their firewood.There were seven of us in the shelter but the last three arrived late and were soaking wet. At least they were settled in before the high winds started. I know they were elated there was room in the shelter and didn't have to tent. For book followers, mile 1,257.9 page 123.
Date: 2018-07-22
From: George W. Outerbridge Shelter

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.7

What a difference a day can make on your attitude. Yesterday my approach was to get to the destination shelter by the time the rains came. There was rain in today's forecast but I really didn't care about it. Today was simply about getting to the next destination shelter to prepare for hiking into the town of Delaware Water Gap the following day.I was the last to leave the shelter and didn't anticipate catching up to anyone that left before me. At this point in my adventure a distance of around 17 miles is not a long day. I could afford to have a slower paced day. The hike started with a steep downhill to a major road. In this article's photo you can see the road. The shelter I left was in the trees in the upper right portion of the photo. When I was crossing the bridge in the photo I had a clear view to the mountain the photo was taken from. In my mind, the side of the mountain was too rocky for the trail to go that direction. Well, I was mistaken. This was a very challenging climb. Once at the top I took the opportunity to take photos and a small video. I came to find out there was actually a bit more to climb once I started moving again. Once the climb was over I had a great feeling of reward for the accomplishment. I imagined the cars traveling below could see my red pack against the mountainside and be thinking to themselves I was simply nuts to be up there.There was then a small stretch of narrow trail with little to no change in elevation with lots of growth on either side. Not much excitement here. Once this stretch was over the trail turned to a nice, easy, straight and wide section for a few miles. This portion was loaded with wild red raspberries along the trail within an arm's reach. I was stopping every few hundred yards to pick a small handful. The main reason was water was scare in this section and the berries would add some water to my daily intake.Rain eventually arrived toward the end of my hike and did what it does, soaked me. It stopped when I was about half an hour from the shelter. I realized that had I left the previous shelter at the time I normally do that I could have avoided rain today. I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to do so two days in a row. Be as it may, I changed into dry clothes and settled in to eat and rest. The shelter filled at six hikers and three had to be turned away. I thought we could sqeeze them in but the other five seemed to not be interested. I felt bad because it was my friends Tern, Kiwi and StriKer. They ended up tenting just up the trail in a campsite. When it poured heavily about an hour later as I way laying in a warm dry place, I felt even worse that my friends were out in that rain. I seen them the following morning and apologized for their misfortune. Tern said it was fine as I tried but the others were the ones that seemed to not care. I was pleased her attitude was pleasant and she'd basically already put it behind her. On this adventure your attitude can be the difference between a good day and a bad one. Way to be positive Tern! For book followers, mile 1,274.6 page 123.
Date: 2018-07-23
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 20.1

There are 14 states that the AT goes through from Georgia to Maine. Pennsylvania marks the seventh state along the trail. Today my hike basically put PA behind me. I'm only .3 miles from entering New Jersey. That makes seven states complete and seven remaining to be hiked.PA started off with welcome arms. The trail was pretty easy, flat and relatively straight. I made quick work of the first half of the total miles in the state. After the town of Duncannon the trail took a turn for the worse. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks! I've seen every rock imaginable in this state. Big, small, round, square, dull, sharp, and ones meeting every combination of these. These rocks took their toll on my feet. And I'm happy to be done with hiking the state of PA.Putting the rocks aside, today's hike was pretty good. It rained in the early portion of the hike. I spent about an hour and a half hiking with Tern and that helped the time go by quickly. Eventually I had to quicken my pace to make Delaware Water Gap and wished Tern a good day. At 4:00 PM when I rolled into a shelter to take my final break I was completely dried out from the morning's rain. I opted to put on fresh socks for the final three hours to town. As I left the shelter the sun disappeared and it pour once again. So much for fresh socks. At one point after being totally resoaked I let out a big yell to Mother Nature to bring it on! I was in a good mood at this point as town became closer and closer. The rain soon stopped as she must of figured there was no way to dampen my spirits at this point.I had planned to stay at a church-run hostel in town. But on arrival I spoke with Red Bard, he already assessed the place, and learned it was full and not up to par. Red Bard and I decided to split the cost of a room at the Pocono Inn. After cleaning up we met Beagle at the Sycamore Grill for dinner and of course, a cold beer. For book followers, mile 1,294.7 page 127.
Date: 2018-07-26
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Brink Shelter
Miles today: 24.8

Thanks to Johnny and Marcia Yonushatis for the wonderful care package sent to Delaware Water Gap, PA. The pickles were delish! Looking forward to visiting Portage this fall.I took a day of rest before heading to New Jersey. Red Bard and I split the cost of a room at Pocono Inn. On the day we were to head out I awoke to find it raining. That was enough for me to take a second day off. Red Bard departed in the rain. I just hung around the hotel most of the day. I only left to go to Wal-Mart for a couple items and to the local pizza joint for dinner. I had one of my favorite dishes, chicken parmesan.On the morning of my third day in Delaware Water Gap it had rained. Honestly, I wanted to take another day off but couldn't justify it. By the time I left the hotel the rain had stopped. And after I walked the .3 miles of road to get to New Jersey's trail, it was a new day of hiking and I felt great. The rain was over for the day.New Jersey's trail was crowded. I passed a scout troop of about 50 or so kids. There was also a group of teenagers that setup camp at the base of an observation tower. Lastly I came across another group of teenagers and I stopped to chat with them. They looked beat! They were doing a nine mile hike. When I told them how far I've gone and how long I've been on the AT, they were in shock. I hope it made their nine mile day look much better from their point of view. When I arrived at the shelter I was surprised to only find one other hiker there. It was Rush. He and I battled the bugs all night long. It was a game of whack-a-mosquito. They were winning unfortunately. For book followers, mile 1,319.5 page 132.
Date: 2018-07-27
From: Brink Shelter

To: High Point Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

After fighting off mosquitos all night I was ready to head back to hiking. I even skipped filling up on water because the night before this was the place mosquitos were the worst. Rush left before me and planned to stop at a bar about a half mile from the trail. He was hoping to get a bite to eat. At first I wasn't going to stop since it would be only 9:00 AM when I made that distance.But there was an x-factor in play today. New Jersey's water sources are suspect at best. I've refilled my water from streams and found it clear in the stream but with a brown tint in my bottle. Thirsty or not, I'll pass. Stopping at the bar would allow for quenching my thirst. They'd have to have some non-alcoholic drinks. When I approached I found Rush and another hiker sitting across the street. They said the bar wasn't open yet even though it was past opening hour. There was a bait and tackle shop next door. Rush said they had cold drinks inside. Now normally when I go to a bait and tackle shop its for fishing-oriented purchases. Today was the exception. I bought a Gatorade and a Lipton green tea. I drank those while eating a protein bar and chatting with the hikers. When I left about 30 minutes later the bar was still not open. Rush continued to wait. I had miles to hike and couldn't afford to wait around.Today's trail was mostly easy but compared to yesterday it was isolated. It was a day of just me doing my thing, getting in the miles. I took 40 minutes for lunch at a really nice pavilion and seen nobody during that time. I thought that was odd seeing as a parking lot wasn't that far away on a side trail. With lunch over and now back on the trail, I recalled Rush saying there was a good chance of late afternoon rain. Well, if he was right I didn't want to get caught in it so I moved with a purpose. When I started to hear far off thunder I picked up the pace. I went the next 90 minutes hoping to win the battle. And fortunately I did. Thirty minutes after I strolled into the shelter it poured but I was safe and dry. The rain stopped and returned a few times during the night. At one point it was really coming down and the shelter's roof showed signs of age with a few areas of drips. I stayed dry but it was another night of whack-a-mosquito. And I lost again! For book followers, mile 1,339.1 page 133.
Date: 2018-07-28
From: High Point Shelter

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: mist

My second day in New Jersey had a couple events that are not the norm. I was passing close to the town of Unionville, NY, and this gave me a chance to swing in for town food. I arrived at the local pizza place about ten minutes after they opened at 11:00 AM. They sold pizza by the slice but none was available yet. I ordered a sub sandwich, salad and had two pink lemonades. Today was a hot and humid day and the lemonades were very cold. Perhaps the best cold beverages I've had on the trail.After eating lunch I stopped into the general store to pick up a new roll of toilet paper. I grabbed a Reeses peanut butter dark chocolate for dessert. I then walked back the half mile to the trailhead to resume hiking.The second event of the day was coming across the Adams family from New Jersey. I came up to the parents first and chatted with them while hiking through a marshy area. Some of this area was on elevated planks just a foot or so above the ground. Other parts were layered with a small amount of water. For the most part, I was able to avoid getting my shoes too wet. It turns out Mrs. Adams has ties to Strongsville, Ohio. She was familiar with the locations of Sheffield Lake and Avon. If my memory serves me correctly, her brother lives or once lived in Avon. After I moved ahead of them they said the group of three girls ahead was there two daughters and a friend of the daughters. They've been going hiking for many years and now the daughters' pace has passed that of the parents. It is always great to see family doing some hiking on the trail. They were just doing a specific section, not through-hiking like me.Today was a short day for miles. The heat got the best of me and I called it a day about 2:30. Parts of the trail were a long stretch of road and a hike around a wide open marsh. Both were just after noon and the sun was out in full force. I chose to tent instead of stay in the shelter. I'd had enough of the mosquitos the past two nights. For book followers, mile 1,351.5 page 133.