morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-07-10
From: James Fry Shelter

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was a pretty short day. I got into Boiling Springs at around 2:00 PM and just hung out for the day. I was hoping to meet up with John, who lives in town, but he was gone for the weekend.The first thing you see when you walk into town is the town pool. I went over there all hot, smelly and sweaty and bought a grape PowerAde and cherry snow cone for $1.75. I sat there enjoying my cold treats and watching the high school girls in the pool. It doesn¢t get much better than that!I made a bunch of phone calls the rest of the day catching up with friends before setting up my tent in the back yard of a B&B for $1.00.While I was wasting the day away, I also crossed paths with a person that is going for the record time on the A.T. I first noticed his support staff set up in a parking lot across the street. The guy looked like he was set up for Trail Magic except he wasn¢t offering any hikers anything. Then, after a while, a guy came slowly running down the street (trail) when this ¢Trail Magic¢ guy jumped up and the runner sat down. The runner was waited on completely. A warm meal was placed in his lap, a cold drink by his side and I even think had his shoes taken off for him. It was like a car race pit stop. Less than 10 minutes later he was off on the trail again. I went over and talked with his helper and found out this guy, Andrew, is the person Matt Klicker told me about that he knows of from a mutual friend. He was on Day 29, I think, from Maine. Unbelievable!That¢s all for today!
Date: 2005-07-11
From: Boiling Springs

To: Cove Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a tough day! I did 22 miles and didn¢t start until 11:00 AM. The terrain was mostly flat but the first half of the day I was walking through PA cornfields. I was totally exposed to the sun and heat. I never realized how well I was protected in the forest. The second half of the day was equally flat but very rocky. I have finally hit the rocks that PA is famous for. So, I am totally exhausted. It was a very tough day and right now flies are attacking me. My leg is actually bleeding from a bite so I must turn off my headlamp and hope they will go away.Good night.
Date: 2005-07-12
From: Cove Mt. Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I ended up doing a short four-mile day today. A lot of people had been talking about the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon as a must stop. It is an old run-down hotel with a bar/restaurant at the bottom. After eating lunch at The Doyle, I decided to call it a day and get a room for $18.00. The atmosphere and owners are great but the hotel was nasty-dirty and that is coming from me...a person who often doesn¢t shower for 10 days or so.If I had to do it over again, I would stay somewhere else. My room was over 100o with no A/C or fan. The walls were bare except for all the stains of who knows what. The shower and bathrooms were even worse.On the good side was the bar. It reminded me a lot of Sportn Around. Breasman, you would have loved it, but most of my other friends would probably have been scared of the place. No boiled p-nuts however. I also met Baltimore Jack at the bar. He is a hiker that is well known in the hiking world. He has apparently thru-hiked eight or so times in a row a few years back. He is probably one of the top five or ten notorious A.T. Hikers.   He was a nice guy but he also kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I could sense that he thought he was so cool, but I could care less.Also, one other bit of noteworthy news was that a hiker was killed here four days ago. He got run over by a train and no one quite knows why. Word has it he was pretty drunk that night and he got kicked out of the Doyle. My guess is suicide. How does someone get hit by a train in the middle of the night? I did not know the guy but a lot of people I am hiking with did.
Date: 2005-07-13
From: Duncannon

To: Spring
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: moderate rain

I was glad to get out of Duncannon today. The place was such a crappy little town. I was excited to be in PA until I got there. It is hard to remember what PA is like sometimes, but I hope it is not all like Duncannon. The rocks have been a little difficult lately. The terrain is mostly flat but I cannot walk too fast because of the rocks. My feet are taking a pounding because of the rocks. A lot of times the rocks are not big but they stick out of the ground and it does not feel good stepping on them. Not really much going on today.
Date: 2005-07-14
From: Spring

To: I-81
Miles today: 18.0

Water was hard to come by today. I hiked 18 miles and only came across water once. I will have to hike another 7 miles tomorrow until I can get more water. It was really humid again today with my t-shirt and shorts just drenched with sweat. It was not that hot, probably mid-80¢s but the humidity was just horrible. I have been getting closer and closer to where I grew up. I saw a detailed map of the area and it looks like I will be in Schuylkill County tomorrow. How crazy is it that I have hiked from GA all the way up here to PA. I hiked near Indiantown Gap today. I could hear the fighter jets going by all afternoon. It was actually kind of scary as they were flying right overhead. I could not see them though because it was cloudy. I also thought about Grandpa as I was passing Indiantown Gap. I kept an eye out for monkeys in the trees but as usual I didn¢t see any! Grandpa would probably think hiking the A.T. was pretty neat...or maybe he would just call me a dumb Polack!I set up my tent tonight not to far from Interstate 81. I think I am a few miles south of where I-81 and I-78 split.Funny thing is I had to take a detour because of construction! How funny is that...they are still working on this part of 81. (For the record, I have not had any detours in the 1,400 miles I have hiked).I have also been reminiscing a lot here this evening about my life 10 years ago as a freshman at Shippensburg. I used to drive this road quite often back then. I remember driving down this road to start my first year of college. I remember driving back up it many times to go home for the weekend. Most of all, I remember driving down it for the final time after my parents sold the house and moved to Florida. I was so shocked and sad when they sold the house and moved. I also remember driving down this road for Grandpa¢s funeral. I remember all the wildlife we saw along the way, almost as if they were saying goodbye to Grandpa or more like, thank God he is not around anymore to hunt us!Anyway, there is a lot of history with me and this stretch of I-81 where I am camping. So much has changed in my life since then and I could not be happier with the way it is being played out.Long Live the Danger Ranger
Date: 2005-07-15
From: I-81

To: Black Swatara Spring
Miles today: 21.4

It has been a pretty wet and miserable day. I was hoping to get off to a somewhat early start today but it started raining overnight and did not let up until 8:00 AM. I then did not get hiking until 9:00 AM with a wet tent weighing me down. I only got rained on once this morning but the humidity was horrible again today as I was swimming in my own sweat! Then, towards the end of the day I heard thunder rolling for a while until it started raining on me again. My tent is still wet from this morning and for some reason water is coming through on the bottom. I need to check into that because now I have a wet sleep pad and sleeping bag. The rocks have also been rough again today. Between the rocks and the weather, I have been a little disappointed in my return to the area I grew up. The first familiar road I crossed today was 501. This road takes you into Pine Grove and is probably the closest road to where I grew up. I also just crossed over 183 before camping for the night. I am not exactly sure why I used to take this road. I think it was the route to Baltimore or a back way to Philly...not sure. Anyway, I knew exactly where I was when I came out to the road. The trail crosses right at the peak! I am now just 13 miles from Port Clinton where Mrs. Marteslo will pick me up. I am sure she has been filled in on how bad I smelled when Hane and Alexis picked me up but I think I just might be worse. I think all the rain and humidity is giving me a pretty good funk! At least we will have a shorter ride to the house.I have also been reading ¢A Walk In The Woods¢ since I got back on the trail. It is a funny book about a guy who attempts to thru-hike the A.T. If you are looking for a good book to read and want a better understanding of what I am going through then check it out. Anyway, I just got to the part where he is in PA and I found it pretty neat that he mentions Minersville, Port Carbon and devotes most of the chapter to Centralia, even though it is not even near the trail. It got me even more excited to come back to Pottsville.
Date: 2005-07-16
From: Black Swatara Spring

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

It was another rainy start to the day as rain and thunder were rolling through at 5:30 AM. I got up at 6:00 AM so I could get to Port Clinton as soon as possible to enjoy the town life of Pottsville...my old hometown. Mrs. Marteslo picked me up just before noon and had very specific instructions from Hane and Alexis. She brought me a clean T-shirt, garbage bags to put my equipment in and Vicks Vapor Rub to put under her nose, which was a suggestion from Amanda. We did the 10-mile or so trip back home with the windows down.Mr. Marteslo was in Cooperstown for the weekend so Mrs. Marteslo and I went to Palermo¢s for dinner! I got a slice of cheese, one slice of mushroom and a steak and cheese stromboli...washed it down with some Guers Iced Tea. Doesn¢t get any better than that...in Pottsville anyway!After dinner we stopped by the Mahalchick¢s for a visit and I got to see Mr. and Mrs. Mahalchick and catch up on their family.Mrs. Marteslo and I then hit the town and visited most of the bars downtown. We started at Maroons which is a cool sports bar...to cool for Pottsville actually. We then went to check out Mr. Mahalchick¢s new Memory Lane location on 61. It¢s a cool place just like the one at the ¢New Mall¢. After Memory Lane we went to Hucklebucks and found out there was a special: 5 beers-5 bars- 5 bucks. We took advantage of that by also going to Brass Tap and Greystone. It was a good night out for Mrs. Marteslo and myself. Of all the places we went, I did not recognize any old friends...Oh well!
Date: 2005-07-17
From: Port Clinton

To: Pottsville
Miles today: 0.0

I was going to get back on the trail today but I decided to take a zero here in Pottsville. I got to visit Tammy and her family. They seem to be doing well and the kids were great. I have never been around so many kids like I have this past month but it has been a lot of fun. I also visited Aunt Betty. It was great seeing her and she really seemed excited to see me. We sat down stairs at the bar, which she said she never uses any more. It was like old times except Uncle Bill wasn¢t there. She had a beer and I had a soda. We had a baseball game on in the background and we just hung out for a little. Aunt Betty and Jabber Jaws!I also drove around a lot checking out town and reminiscing. It was a lot of fun but the best of all was when I caught a Railway Park vs. Orwigsburg Little league game. I have so many good memories from over at Railway. By the way, Railway won the District Title for the first time since they went all the way to the World Series in South Williamsport in 1997. It was a really good day and I am glad I decided to take the zero.
Date: 2005-07-18
From: Pottsville

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was an interesting day. Today was the first day that I really thought maybe I should not be out on the trail. I am talking seriously considering it. I found out hockey is coming back when I got to Pottsville. I was very excited to hear the news. Then yesterday, I was talking to Court and she was telling me how everyone back at the Lightning is so excited, so motivated, so happy and making lots of money. I am happy for hockey and my friends but it made me want to be a part of it. I have always been a person to never want to miss out on any of the action and this is as good of an example as any. I came out on the trail because I was bored with the lockout and had no motivation but lately and especially after talking with Court, I have been thinking about wanting to work again. As crazy as it sounds, I miss having a job. Hey Sherm, I think it is just like the girl situation. When you have a girlfriend you don¢t want one and when you don¢t you want one. I also talked with McCoy down with the Panthers and they are all excited and gearing up for a big season. I hope I am making the right decisions?So anyway, after a day of questioning myself like crazy...because I do get a lot of time to think out here, I got to Eckville Shelter. This isn¢t a normal shelter. It is on Hawk Mt and it is next to a house with an outside fridge with sodas and ice cream. They accept donations for the goodies. The caretaker, who was already annoying everyone with his bad attitude, accused someone of stealing the donation money. He went absolutely crazy and flipped out. He started running around and unplugged the fridge and then put a chain around it so we could not get in. It was such a HUGE SCENE! Hard to explain but very funny!That¢s all for now!
Date: 2005-07-19
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was all about the wildlife (and rocks of course). The wildlife was good and bad. This morning, I was walking up the trail when I thought I saw a dog. A second later I realized it was a fawn. I then noticed another fawn and doe right behind. I was less than 50 feet away but managed to notice them before they saw me. There is something really neat about seeing a deer before it sees you especially when you are that close! I guess it is because deer have great senses out in their woods so being able to spot them first is quite a challenge. Now for the bad wildlife...I saw two rattlesnakes on two separate occurrences, less than a mile apart. Luckily I was a good ten feet away when I saw them so I didn¢t freak out too much. The first one was five feet long!! I don¢t think I have ever seen a snake this big and fat. I got a good picture, which I will eventually get up on the site. After I continued walking I remembered reading an article my Mom sent about a thru-hiker who said he only saw two poisonous snakes on his entire thru-hike. I was thinking that I was lucky and just saw my last poisonous snake when BAM...another rattler!And this one rattled like crazy at me. I tried to take a step closer to get a picture and it rattled even more at me so I backed off. I tried to take another step closer and it rattled again. Pretty wild!As for the rocks, they are making hiking really difficult. The soles on my new Garmont boots are nice and stiff so I could walk on rocks without making my feet sore, but the terrain is still slowing me down more than I expected or wanted. Only 44 miles left in PA.Oh yeah, one other problem. Water! The spring at this shelter has run dry. Thankfully I was aware of this so I filled up my three liters of water at the closest place six miles back. I wont be able to get anymore H2O until seven miles out tomorrow. I only have six ounces left. It is going to be a rough start tomorrow.
Date: 2005-07-20
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter

To: Smith Gap Rd (garage)
Miles today: 20.0

I put in a 20-mile day today. I have not been doing big miles like today but the water situation forced me to. I hiked the first seven miles without any water at all. I did not brush my teeth last night or this morning because of the lack of water. This was my only H2O stop until I got to the 20-mile mark. Once I got to this road crossing I had to walk 2 mile down a road to Linda Gellock¢s house where I heard I could use her spigot to get water. Not only was I able to get water but also I got a shower, pizza, charged my phone, checked my email and slept in the garage. Linda is a nice, nice lady. Thank you so much.   When I first got to the house I put my bag down and Tank (their dog) decided to mark his territory and peed on my bag and sleep pad. I don¢t know if I was just so tired or if my stuff smells so bad but I wasn¢t that upset. I tried washing it off as best I could but it is probably still in my stuff. As for the hike today, I climbed over the section of the Blue Mt. that has been devastated from a century of zinc smelting in Palmerton, PA. It was really weird climbing up and over because there was hardly any sign of life, even in me because it was a tough climb. The climb up out of Leigh Gap was tough...rock climbing tough. It is said to be the most challenging section south of New Hampshire. Once I was on top all I could see was a few dead trees and a ton of boulders. I should have taken pictures, but I didn¢t. Very weird up there!That¢s all for today!
Date: 2005-07-21
From: Smith Gap Rd (garage)

To: Delaware Water Gap (Cowboy camped)
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: clear sky

Today was tough on my feet and even my knees, which have never hurt before in my life. Yesterday I had a blister develop on each pinky toe.¢Big Foot¢ taught me a trick to not lace the bottom of my boots as it releases pressure down in the toe areas and it helped. However, I also got matching blisters on my heels today.   Actually, I never saw them as blisters but rather just bloody torn skin by the time I looked at them. Despite this and the extremely ROCKY terrain, I hiked almost 24 miles today to get to Delaware Water Gap. This small town sits on the PA boarder. When I cross over the Delaware River, I will be in NJ!
Date: 2005-07-22
From: Delaware Water Gap (Cowboy camped)

To: Delaware Water Gap (Cowboy camped)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I decided to take a zero day today (second in five days) here at the Gap. I slept a second night sleeping under the Gazebo at the Church of the Mountain Hostel. I went tubing down the Delaware today on my day off. It was nice and relaxing. Actually too relaxing, I feel asleep in my tube at one point. The river was sooo slow but hey, where do I have to be?I will be in NJ once I start hiking tomorrow!
Date: 2005-07-23
From: Delaware Water Gap (Cowboy camped)

To: Camp Road, Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

I got a late start to the day. I was on the phone most of the morning and afternoon getting caught up with friends and family. I also went through labeling some more pictures with my Mom to try to get caught up but I am still months behind. I also got caught up on some hockey news. There seems to be so much going on with the draft, rule changes, free agency and so forth. There seem to be so much going on that the NHL could have a 24-hour TV station devoted to it. I am kind of surprised how I am still as big of a fan as I was pre-lockout. I really resented baseball and it took me a good 7-8 years to be a fan again.Anyway, I did not get going today until about 4:00 PM. I knocked out just over ten miles. I am now in New Jersey! 8 states down! 1,500 miles done! I was a little disappointed by the late start but I ended up at this place called Mohican Outdoor Center. It is run by the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) and is a nice little cozy place. I set my tent up for free and cooked dinner and came into the lodge area where they are playing live music. There are a few Thru-Hikers here and a bunch of weekend campers enjoying the mix of music, mostly 70¢s rock. It would be nice if every night were like this.
Date: 2005-07-24
From: Camp Road, Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

I saw my first bear today!It only took 1,500 miles to see one. I am being sarcastic because most of the other hikers have seen about 5-10 of them already. After hiking thought the Shenandoah¢s (where everyone see bears) I began to wonder if I was ever going to see one. New Jersey along with the Smokies and Shenandoahs are known to have lots of bears so this was my last hope. I was 12 miles into the state when I saw one this morning. I think I spooked him because I heard this crash as he jumped up. He was looking around for me but never saw me and then ran off after about 10 seconds. It was pretty neat and hopefully I will see more.I also saw a turkey this afternoon and its three baby turkeys. What are baby turkeys called anyway? I have been wondering that today?It was a pretty lazy day today. I felt pretty motivated this morning but after a few miles I decided to take it slow for the day. I guess 14.3 miles is not so bad. The bad part is it took me nearly 10 hours to go that far.Lazy summer day!
Date: 2005-07-25
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: broken clouds

Thunderstorms and rain came through last night and continued until about 8:00 AM this morning. It was not a big deal except I had to run out of my tent in the middle of the night to put my rain fly over my tent. There¢s nothing like waking up in the middle of the night and having to do a mad scramble. I got off to a late start because the rain kept falling until morning time and I did not want to get out of my tent when it was raining.My tent is not so waterproof anymore either. Water seeps right through the bottom anymore ever since that night when my tent turned into a waterbed.Not much now with hiking. I saw another two rattlesnakes on separate occurrences. I always see snakes in twos! They were both within 1.5 miles of each other and they both just laid on the trail and would not more. The first stayed there for over ten minutes and the other for at least five minutes as it moved off the trail and then back on before off for good.At lunchtime I got to a road crossing in Branchville, NJ and ate lunch at a place called Gyp¢s Tavern. It seemed just like any other old run down little town place that I have been to while on the trail until I started to look around a little. I noticed all these different pictures of Babe Ruth and most of them were not in his baseball uniform. I asked the bartender about the pictures and she told me how Gyp and Babe were good friends. Babe used to come to the bar a lot back in the day when he owned a house on the lake behind the tavern. She then went on to tell me how he used the same bathroom I just used. I don¢t know if that was cool or nasty that they still have the same dirty little bathroom. In any case, it was a neat little stop on the trail.