morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-09-18
From: George W. Outerbridge Shelter in Pennsylvania

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter in Pennsylvania
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: scattered clouds

9/18/2011Time: 6:38 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  16.8 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the George W. Outerbridge shelter to the Allentown Hiking Club Shelter, still in Pennsylvania. WEATHER:  Today the weather was cool and the skies were clear. Great hiking weather. MEALS:  I had Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal for breakfast, and drank water with it. I also munched on some Mini Stoned Wheat Thins. Along the way I ate some dried cherries that were given to me by some Boy Scouts as I passed their camp, and six Granola Power Bars. About 4 miles from camp, I stopped at a bar and had Cajon Shrimp, a prime rib sandwich, some French fries, six Cokes and 2 Coors Lite beers. When I got to camp, I fixed and ate two Lipton Sides - Creamy Garlic Shells and Four Cheese Bow Ties. I also drank a half liter of water flavored with drink mix for dinner.  ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  There were still a lot of rocks, but not a lot of elevation changes. I was able to move at about 3 miles an hour, even over the rocks.  SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in the Allentown Hiking Club Shelter. I did set up my new hammock. It took a few tries to get it right, but I didn¢t feel right about sleeping in it just yet.  PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked alone all day. I played leap-frog with the other sobo¢s I¢ve been traveling with, but most hiked further today than I did. ANIMALS SEEN:  Today I¢ve seen chipmunks, squirrels, chipmunks, dogs and more chipmunks. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:   I spent $30 at the bar. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  I¢ve been at odds with myself on wether to push on with the others or stay with my own pace. I am staying at my pace, and letting them push ahead. SPECIAL NOTES:  I read a poem that I thought I would share . . . As for me, I delight in the everyday Way.Among mist-wrapped vines and rocky caves.Here in the wilderness I am completely free,With my friends, the white clouds, idling forever.There are roads, but they do not reach the world;Since I am mindless, who can rouse my thoughts?On a bed of stone I sit, alone in the night,While the round moon climbs up Cold Mountain.                                                                                               ~ ~ Han-Shan            SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  Today was the same old thing . . . I got up, I walked, I ate, I wrote in a log, and now I will read before I go to bed.  ¢Night, all my friends.
Date: 2011-09-19
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter in Pennsylvania

To: Port Clinton, PA, Town Pavilion
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: overcast clouds

9/19/2011Time: 7:14 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  22.3 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Allentown Hiking Club Shelter to the Port Clinton, PA, town pavilion. WEATHER:  The weather was cool and mostly overcast - another good day for hiking. MEALS:  I started my day with oatmeal and Kool-Aid to drink. I had four snack bars before noon, but I had only drank a half liter of water by then. When I reached the road into Port Clinton, I ate two more snack bars and some pretzels with Ranch flavoring, and I finished the last half liter of water. In town, I ate at the buffet in Cabella¢s where I picked up a new backpack. When I made it to my campsite, I had another Power Bar and two Pepsi¢s as I wrote in my log. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  The trail was, of course, rocky, and it was mostly uphill. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in my new hammock, in the Town Pavilion in Port Clinton. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked by myself all day. When I got into town, I found that I had caught up with the faster hikers in the bubble [group] I¢d been traveling with. ANIMALS SEEN:  The animals I¢ve seen today are just the same ones I always see. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  My backpack¢s left shoulder strap broke this morning, so when I got into town I had to buy a new one. I also picked up 2 new walking sticks. And don¢t forget dinner. Altogether, I spent $270 today. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  After my shoulder strap broke, I was concerned about whether or not my pack would make it much further, so I pushed into town and got a new one. SPECIAL NOTES:  While I was pushing for town, I was hoping to get into a motel and sleep in a real bed. As it turned out, the place with the most reasonable rates was closed on Mondays, and after spending so much on a backpack, I simply couldn¢t afford a more expensive motel. So I¢ll be sleeping in my hammock. SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I got up in the cold, ate and headed out. About an hour into my hike, my left shoulder strap snapped. It took some doing, but I managed to tie it back onto my pack. Now I need a new pack, and I decided to push a little harder to get into town so I could replace my pack rather than keeping my miles down. I called my mom when I hit town to help me find a good-rate motel. No luck. I walked to Cabella¢s, which is actually in Hamburg, PA, just over 3.5 miles from Port Clinton. I ate there at the buffet, got my new stuff, and then took advantage of the store¢s courtesy shuttle back to Port Clinton. The town of Port Clinton allows A.T. thru-hikers to use it¢s pavilion for shelter, so I set up camp there, and sat down to write in my log. Now I¢m off to read and then to sleep. TTFN
Date: 2011-09-20
From: Port Clinton, PA, Town Pavilion

To: 501 Shelter near Pine Grove, PA
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: overcast clouds

9/20/2011Time: 7:25 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  24 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the town pavilion in Port Clinton to the 501 Shelter near Pine Grove, PA. WEATHER:  The day started out rainy. The rain finally cleared, but the sky stayed overcast. MEALS:  I had a Power Bar for breakfast, along with water to drink. I spaced my breaks out in two-hour intervals, and ate another Power Bar on my first break. Knowing I was going to do a 24-mile day today, I made myself a big, hot lunch today - two Lipton Sides of rice. Two hours later, I had 2 Power Bars and water. I stopped one more time before I hit camp and ate another Power Bar. When I got to camp, I ordered a medium (16") pizza and a 12" meat sub. And I had them deliver 2 liters of Pepsi with that.    ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  The trail today was wet. The rocks were covered with water and leaves, which made it treacherous. There were a few nice spots, but overall, this section of the Trail is not well maintained. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping tonight on a bunk at the 501 Shelter. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked alone all day, but at camp everyone from the bubble met up again. ANIMALS SEEN:  Saw a cat hiking the A.T. today. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I spent $33 on dinner, including the tip. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  Today I¢ve been thinkin¢ that I need a break. My body and my mind need a rest. SPECIAL NOTES:  PA rocks suck! SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I got up after a not-so-great night¢s sleep and started walking in the rain. The first mile had a 1200 ft. hill to climb. Wow! That really sucked in the rain. And the overcast sky just killed my spirit today. This day was too long. Two or two and a half more days and I¢ll take a few days off. Now I¢m going to go read for a bit, then it¢s off to bed with me. ¢Night, my friends.
Date: 2011-09-21
From: 501 Shelter near Pine Grove, PA

To: Rausch Gap Shelter, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: mist

9/21/2011Time: 6:00 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  17.5 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the 501 Shelter to the Rausch Gap Shelter, still in PA. WEATHER:  The day started out raining and foggy. Later, it was just foggy, but the rain eventually started back up again. The humidity has been at 100% all day. MEALS:  Breakfast was oatmeal, with water to drink; and I had two Power Bars for my first break. I drank 20 oz. of water with drink mix in it on that break as well. I took a second break later and ate a Balance Bar, a Power Bar, and drank another 20 oz. of flavored water. When I got to camp, I fixed two Lipton Sides for my dinner, and I drank 40 oz. of water. Then, after setting up my hammock, I ate a Beef Stroganoff MRE* and drank another 20 oz. bottle of water with it. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  Today, the trail was downright dangerous. All the rocks and leaves were wet. We are in Pennsylvania, and it¢s known for its rocks. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I am sleeping in my tent/hammock outside the shelter. There are too many of us here tonight for everyone to fit into the shelter. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked alone most of the day, but I did hike with Right Click some of the morning. I came across a man in a one-piece spandex suit hiking with a day pack. His spandex was orange and had black spots - like a cheetah. ANIMALS SEEN:  I¢ve seen no animals to speak of today, unless a man dressed as a cheetah counts. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I¢ve spent no money today. Yay! MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  I was concerned with the terrain today. Some of the hikers fell today - - - I was one of them. SPECIAL NOTES:  The rocks of PA suck. The trail has lots of trees down, too, that we had to walk around. SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I got up late; I took my time; I had my snacks; I made it to camp. I ate twice; I¢ve written in my log; I intend to read a bit, then it¢s off to bed.             * MRE = Meal Ready to Eat
Date: 2011-09-22
From: Rausch Gap Shelter, Pennsylvania

To: Peters Mountain Shelter in PA
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: light rain

9/22/2011Time: 5:48 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  18 Miles + .3 of a mile out of camp. FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Rausch Gap Shelter to the Peters Mountain Shelter in PA. WEATHER:  It rained all night and into late morning.  Then it was just overcast and humid. The sun peaked through a bit in mid-afternoon, but then went away again. MEALS:  I had 5 packages of instant oatmeal this morning for breakfast, with water to drink. The first time I took a break, I ate a Power Bar and drank 20 oz. of water. For my next break, I drank another 20 oz. of water, ate a Power Bar, and finished off a small bag of Ranch-flavored pretzels. At camp, I made myself two packages of Lipton Sides rice meals for my dinner, and drank 40 oz of water with flavored drink mix in it.  ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  It¢s Pennsylvania - rock country - and the trail is not well maintained. So far PA has been a disappointment with the weather being so wet, and the trail so very slippery.  SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping on the floor in the Peters Mountain Shelter. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked with the same bubble of hikers that I¢ve been hiking with for the last few weeks. No one new has joined us. ANIMALS SEEN:  I¢ve seen no unusual animals, but there have been more bugs lately. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  No money spent again today. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  My thoughts all day today were on getting to camp and into some dry clothes for the night. SPECIAL NOTES:  I can¢t remember. I thought of so many things to say while I was walking, but can¢t remember a one of them now. I guess I have C.R.S. (Can¢t Remember Shit.) SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  Well, I awoke to being rained upon about 3 a.m. I crawled out of my cocoon/tent/hammock, and found that one of my walking sticks had fallen. Walking sticks hold the hammock¢s rain tarp in place. So, in the rain and the darkness of night, I found the stick and repositioned it. Then I crawled back into my cocoon, and found that only my outer sleeping bag was wet. I peeled off the wet one and set it aside. It seemed like I had only just fallen back to sleep when someone¢s alarm started going off. Everyone started getting up and moving around while it was still raining. Yuck! I got up, too, and fixed my breakfast. I started packing up my stuff - my wet stuff. I put on my wet socks and my wet shoes, and started off on my 18-mile day.   I¢ve gotten used to 18-mile days, and 20-mile days aren¢t even all that bad, but if I push for more than 20, my body starts complaining.  I walked and took my breaks every two hours until I made camp. I set up my stuff, and ate dinner. I made some phone calls. I still don¢t know if my friends, Tom and Judy, will meet me in Duncannon tomorrow on their way back from Atlantic City to Virginia. I plan to stay a few days in Duncannon anyway, and rest. So it¢s off to read for me. ¢Night, all my friends.
Date: 2011-09-23
From: Peters Mountain Shelter in PA

To: Doyle Hotel in Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: moderate rain

9/23/2011Time: 8:20 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  11.5 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Peters Mountain Shelter to the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon, PA. WEATHER:  After raining most of the night, we had a few hours¢ break, and then some more showers in the afternoon.  MEALS:  I had oatmeal for breakfast, three packets, and water to drink. In town, I had mac & cheese with fish, 2 ¢bitch beers¢* and 2 Cokes. And for dinner, I had beef brisket, corn, chips, fries, a glass of red wine, a glass of water, and a piece of birthday cake that the table next to us had. I also drank a half gallon of whole milk before bed.  ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS: The A.T. is the A.T. - mostly uphill. The trail was, of course, wet due to all the rain, and the rocks were still bad, but getting some better. We had to do some road walking for the Trail, and you can still see some of the signs of the flooding here. In fact, it¢s amazing that the town has put itself this much back into working order so soon.  SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m staying in a semi-private room on the 3rd floor of the Doyle Hotel, and I¢m sharing to save on the cost. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked with Fire Walker into town today. The whole sobo hiking bubble also made it in. I met the owners of the Doyle, and they¢re very nice people. ANIMALS SEEN:  They¢re back . . . The Bugs . . . and I¢m referring here to the biting mosquitoes!  MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I¢ve spent around $180 on 2 nights in the hotel, lunch, dinner, resupply for four days of hiking, and a pipe. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  When I got up this morning, I was focused on getting into town early enough to meet Tom and Judy, Then I got a call from them saying they weren¢t going to make it. At that point, I just wanted to get to town for some R&R.**  SPECIAL NOTES:  I also downloaded some new books to my Nook. I guess that means I spent more like $200 today.  SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I got myself up and on the trail about 7:30 this morning. I made good time, and got into town at 11:30. I was going to take a break, but walked past the shelter I had planned to stop at, so I just kept on walking. I have cleaned my stuff, resupplied, washed myself up, and I¢m ready for a good night¢s rest. So it¢s off to bed for me. ¢Night, my friends. *  ¢bitch beer¢ or ¢sissy beer¢ = A flavored malt beverage (beer) with zero to 3% alcohol **  R&R = Rest & Relaxation
Date: 2011-09-25
From: Doyle Hotel in duncannon, PA

To: Darlington Shelter, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

9/25/2011Time: 9/25/11 DISTANCE TRAVELED:  11.3 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon, PA, to the Darlington Shelter. WEATHER:  It was foggy this morning, and warm all day. MEALS:  I had a ¢hiker power breakfast¢ consisting of: two Cinnamon Honey Buns with Frosting, one 20-oz. Pepsi¢s and half of another, one liter of Gatorade, and a bag of Spice Drops. For my first break, I finished off the other half of that 20-oz Pepsi and ate half a box of Sundried Tomato & Basil Wheat Thins. When I got to camp, I ate the other half of the box of Wheat Thins, and drank 40 oz. of water. A cub scout pack came into camp and fed me two hot dogs, chips, and about a can of baked beans. They also gave me a bottle of water and a Chewy S¢mores Granola Bar. They left a full pack of hot dogs and buns with me to share with two other hikers that might make it into camp tonight. Later, I drank another 20 oz. of water with flavoring mixed in, and I ate two of the hot dogs left by the cub scouts, plus a Power Bar and a Zone Bar. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  I walked a little on some roads and sidewalks today and they were in good repair. The first part of the A.T. was up a mountain, and it made me work. The rocks are getting to be fewer, and that¢s nice. I had one more mountain to climb before I reached the shelter, and that sucked. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  At first, I set up my tent/hammock outside the shelter, but around 5:30 I moved it inside because I thought no one else was coming. Wrong . . . but they set up their tents inside too, so we¢re all tenting inside the shelter.  PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked by myself, but met up with Sponge and Splake twice - once for a break, and then again at camp. A local ridge runner came by to check on the shelter while I was here, and the cub scout pack came in also. ANIMALS SEEN:  I¢ve seen no animals to speak of. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I spent $9.00 on breakfast today. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  I really had no concerns on my mind. I just had a slow and relaxing day. SPECIAL NOTES:  I have had a thought or two about money - whether or not I¢ll have enough. SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I awoke at the Doyle this morning, got packed up and went out to get breakfast. Then I was off to the first shelter where I took an hour break. After that, I hiked on to the next shelter and made camp. The cub scouts came by and fed themselves and me. After they left, the ridge runner stopped by. Later, after I moved myself into the shelter, Sponge and Splake arrived, and just now, as I write this, two day hikers came in for the night. I plan to read for a while, then I¢m off to sleep. ¢Night, my friends.
Date: 2011-09-26
From: Darlington Shelter, Pennsylvania

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: broken clouds

9/26/2011Time: 8:14 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  18.2 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Darlington Shelter to the Alec Kennedy Shelter, which is about 4 miles south of Boiling Springs, PA. WEATHER:  It was hot and humid today. In the morning, it was very foggy, but about mid-day, the sun broke through and made walking through the flat farmland a sweaty experience. MEALS:  I ate two Honey Buns for breakfast, and drank 20 oz. of water flavored with drink mix. For my first break, I had two Zone Bars and another 20 oz. of water with drink mix in it. When I stopped for my second break, I drank a 16 oz. Strawberry Milk and two 24 oz. bottles of Coke while I ate half a bag of Tostitos with my favorite hot sauce on them, an Italian sandwich, and a small package of cookies with strawberry frosting in the middle. When I made camp and had dinner, I made a Lipton Pasta Sides and mixed Ramen noodles with it. The Sides mix was Parmesan & Spinach, and the Ramen was roast beef flavored. I drank another 40 oz. of water flavored with drink mix for dinner, too.  ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS: The trail was awesome today. It was mostly flat. There were few rock outcrops, few muddy sections, and few roads to walk. It was a good day SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping on the floor in the Alec Kennedy Shelter.      PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked alone today, but came across a lot of day hikers. Sponge and Splake made it to the shelter, and another sobo was there along with two section hikers who are only out for two weeks. I didn¢t get names. ANIMALS SEEN:  Today I¢ve seen dogs, birds, bugs, a hawk, ducks, geese, and, of course, the bugs are back! I¢m being eaten alive again. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I spent $15.00 on lunch in town.  MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  I concerned myself with enjoying the day. I enjoyed hiking today. SPECIAL NOTES:  Today I walked past the original halfway point for the A.T. I¢m pumped for tomorrow, though, because I will pass the current halfway point. SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  When I got up this morning, it was raining, so I went back to bed. I started hiking just before 9:00 a.m. My day went fast, as did the trail. I got into Boiling Springs around 2:00. I ate and just hung out for a couple of hours, and then walked the last 4 miles into camp. I made my dinner, ate it, and talked to the other hikers for a while. Now I¢m writing, and then I¢ll read. So off I go, my friends. I will see my Virginia friends soon. TTFN
Date: 2011-09-27
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter, Pennsylvania

To: Toms Run Shelters, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: moderate rain

9/27/2011Time: 6:11 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  19.0 Miles + .4 mile FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Alec Kennedy Shelter to the Toms Run Shelters, a mile past the A.T. halfway marker in Pennsylvania. WEATHER:  Today was wet. It started with a thunderstorm, and it rained all day. I waited for it to pass, but was later caught in two downpours and another thunder storm.  MEALS:  I had two Honey Buns, a Granola Bar, and flavored water for breakfast. My first snack break was at a store where I had a cheeseburger, a sub, one liter of Pepsi, an ice cream, a Snickers bar and a small bag of chips. Later I drank a 20 oz. bottle of Pepsi for my second snack. At camp, I had two packages of chicken flavored Ramen noodles mixed with a package of instant potatoes. That was my dinner, and I drank another 20 oz. bottle of water, with flavoring mixed into it, along with my meal. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  The trail was wet and muddy. The locals call this part of the Trail ¢the roller coaster.¢ Must have to do with the ups, the downs, the twists and the turns. The rocks were down to ¢tolerable,¢ though. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in one of the small shelters at Toms Run Shelters. There are two shelters here, and each sleeps 4.   PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked by myself today, in the rain. Sponge and Splake said they were going to make it here, but I sure wouldn¢t blame them if they found shelter out of the rain before reaching this shelter.  ANIMALS SEEN: The only wild animals I¢ve seen today are just the damn mosquitoes.  MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I spent $20 today. I bought a warm meal on a cold wet day. I also picked up one extra day of food just in case I don¢t quite make it to my next resupply stop when I plan to because of bad weather. I also picked up tent stakes for my hammock tarp. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  All I really wanted today was to pass the halfway mark. I did, but it was a challenge walking in thunder storms. SPECIAL NOTES:  I know that I have never physically been at this shelter, but it feels to me like I¢ve been here before. It¢s Weird !! SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I woke up to a rain storm and went back and forth with myself about whether or not to walk in the rain. I finally left the shelter at a quarter to ten, and I got wet. About 6 miles down the trail, I took a side trip to a store to get a warm meal. It helped lift my spirits. Then I walked the rest of the way to the shelter, thru two downpours and a thunder storm. When I got to camp, I got my chores done, ate and got myself into dry clothes. I passed this year¢s halfway point a mile before the shelter, so I¢m now over halfway done with my journey. One thousand, eighty-nine miles to go!  TTFN